Coming Soon! Wii U Edition

Did you know that the N64 launched with exactly two games in the U.S.? Those times we didn’t have to worry about ports clogging up launch day. Instead we were treated to two original titles that remain as enjoyable today as the day they were released. I don’t think any consoles since then has ever reached that kind of quality to quantity ratio. These days, console launches come alongside a flood of games in hope that someone accidentally buys one of them thinking they can play it on the system they already have. Case in point.

Remember. Release dates are quite literally made at the whims of the publisher.  The following are subject to change without any warning, but in this case, it’s probably unlikely.

 

ESPN Sports Connection

Despite the fact that Nintendo has Nintendo Land coming out not just on the day of the Wii U’s launch but as a pack-in in the Deluxe SKUs, Ubisoft felt the need to fill the void left by the non-existence of Wii U Sports Resort. This sports themed mini-game collection has most of the usual suspects (tennis, golf, baseball) but it also has American Football, non-American Football, and… kart racing?

 

Game Party Champions

The system has barely taken its first breath, and it already has four mini-game collection games waiting to clog up its disc drive. This one has basketball, pin pong, football, golf, baseball, skee ball, and hockey. Wait, skee ball? Oh did I mention these are the ticket games you’d find in a freakin’ Chuck E’ Cheese? Well they are. Who needs to go to Chuck E’ Cheese or Dave & Busters when you can stay at home and play the digital version? Going out has been overrated for years anyways.

 

New Super Mario Bros. U

Now we’re talking! Undoubtedly one of maybe two games that everyone is looking forward to for the Wii U’s launch, New Super Mario Bros. U doesn’t exactly do anything new, but when has that ever stop a Mario game from being good?

New to the series, up to five players can play the game simultaneously. The first four play Mario, Luigi, and one of two toads as they run and jump through the levels, but, thanks to the GamePad, the fifth player gets to place platforms through out the levels to help (or hinder if you’re a jerk) the other players.

If the levels just aren’t challenging enough, NSMBU comes with a challenge mode that puts players into slightly remixed levels with a very specific objective. For example, one level forces you to not kill any enemies. Unfortunately for you, the level you play on has the giant versions of enemies that Mario veterans should remember from Giant World back in Super Mario Bros. 3. Another level has the objective of never touching the ground. Ever. Good luck with that one.

I can safely say that most everyone will be buying this alongside their Wii U even though a good portion of them probably bought the Deluxe edition.

 

Nintendo Land

Speaking of the Deluxe edition, meet the pack-in that comes within. The 12 mini-games all represent a Nintendo franchise/game from both the present and the past. The mini-games based of Mario, Zelda, and Metroid franchises should be pretty obvious to most, but some like Takamaru’s Ninja Castle and Balloon Trip Breeze are based on Nintendo’s older titles and haven’t seen the light of day in well over two decades. Despite the mini-game nature, these games come with a lot of content surrounding them. Every one has different modes that change the rules a little bit and different difficulty levels that can drastically change the experience. Although it looks to be Wii Sports successor in terms of being people’s first experience with the system, Nintendo Land probably won’t be as immediately accessible, but it certainly looks to be far more meaty.

 

Rabbids Land

It seems the Rabbids just aren’t content with simply being mini-game collection specialist. Now they’re aiming for Mario Party territory! Like Mario Party the Rabbids roll a dice to move around a board. Depending on where they land, the Rabbids will either play a mini-game with each other or answer some general trivia like how much more bacteria is on a toilet seat than a table. If you remember, the Rabbids gained prominence based off of their first game on the Wii Rayman Raving Rabbids, which coincidentally also came out early in the system’s life. Can these guys make a comeback with Rabbids Land?

 

Sing Party

Question for you old folks out there. Can you remember the last time a system launches with a Karaoke game in the launch line-up? Yeah, me neither.

 

Tank! Tank! Tank!

Guess what you drive in this game. Tank! Tank! Tank! started out as a mainly Japanese arcade game from 2009. That version focuses more on multiple players either taking down some big monster or simply shooting the hell out of each other. The Wii U version will still do that, sans any kind of online support unfortunately, but it adds a campaign mode as well so the game won’t just gather dust waiting for you to get some friends.

 

Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2013

Hoo boy. Now even fitness games get the annualiztion treatment. So what new features did they put in this one? I wish I knew. Whatever new features this may have over 2012 version, they’re keeping it a secret. Good marketing strategy Ubisoft.

 

ZombiU

You have to hand it to Ubisoft for always being there on a console’s launch and diving deep into all of the unique functions of the hardware. It may not always payoff of course, but at least somebody besides the hardware maker is willing to experiment.

Zombie U represents Ubisoft’s little experimentation with the Wii U’s unique functions. On any other system, this would have been your typical zombie first person shooter, but the way the Gamepad is used to create tension from the simple act of looking through your inventory or typing in a 5 digit combination on a keypad. Even the multiplayer utilizes the asymmetric gameplay technique that’s been bandied around with the GamePad.

Unlike the disastrous Red Steel that launched alongside the Wii, their experimentations seem to be paying of. Based off of the various early peeks and hands-on, it might just be the killer app for the Wii U.

 

The Obligatory Ports

What’s a system launch without a handful truck full of ports? The following were either ported without any change or ported with some insignificant additional features thrown in because it’s a new system.

• Arkham City: Armored Edition
• Assassin’s Creed III
• Ben 10 Omniverse
• Call of Duty: Black Ops II
• Darksiders II
• Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two
• FIFA Soccer 13
• Funky Barn
• Jeapordy!
• Just Dance 4
• Madden NFL 13
• Mass Effect 3
• NBA 2K13
• Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge
• Scribblenauts Unlimited
• Skylanders Giants
• Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed
• Tekken Tag Tournament 2
• Transformers Prime: The Game
• Warriors Orochi 3: Hyper
• Wheel of Fortune
• Wipeout 3

 

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