The next Zelda for Wii U is still coming 2015, and so is Star Fox [video]

Last E3, Nintendo revealed that the new Zelda game was coming to Wii U in 2015. The game looked epic, but we giggled. 2015? Pfft.

Well, Nintendo came on to close the 2014 Game Awards to showcase more of the game and reiterate that the game is still coming in 2015. 2015! After actually getting Smash Bros out in 2014! No way!

Hopefully way, because the game still looks like it’s shaping up terrifically. In the developer-centric playthrough shown during the show, Shigeru Miyamoto and Eiji Aonuma showcased a bit of the game’s open world.

First and foremost, the Gamepad will act as a map, with the ability to set beacons that appear on the main screen as well. Holding up the Gamepad allows for a zoomed-in binocular-style view of Link’s world in first person, going so far as to see towers off in the distance. The duo chose to stand on the edge of a canyon to showcase this giant new world, viewing towers and mountains and leaping off cliffs to float to the world below on a parachute. There even seem to be day/night sequences.

Epona, Link’s favorite horse, is also making an appearance. The horse has a sort of mind of its own, meaning that the path ahead can be set and it won’t crash into trees or other creatures. The animation of the horse — especially as it caught up to other wild horses in a grassy field — seems exceptional and lifelike. This allows Link himself to swing his sword or shoot arrows from his bow while riding horseback. Link can then vault off the horse and attack enemies from the air, all while in a sort of slow motion mode.

“Are you sure that this will be released next year?” Miyamoto asks.

“Yes,” replies Aonuma.

YES, REPLIES AONUMA!

The team is confident that The Legend of Zelda will be released in 2015. Miyamoto also confirmed that Star Fox for the Wii U will be arriving in 2015, before Zelda does, so that is definitely something to look forward to for 2015.

After the segment ended, Imagine Dragons were joined on stage by Koji Kondo to perform a rendition of the iconic Zelda theme. We still think the name Imagine Dragons sounds like a 2008 Ubisoft DS game.