After a less-than-informative E3 showing, this morning Nintendo finally announced all of the Wii U details we've been waiting to hear. We're still partially in the dark when it comes to detailing Nintendo's online network for the Wii U, but at least we know the games coming in the console's launch!
Over 50 games will be made available during the Wii U's launch window, an a very large time frame beginning with the system's North American launch on November 18th, 2012 and and ending March 31st, 2013. The majority of the titles are planned to be retail releases, while others like Runner 2 will be available digitally through the as of yet unnamed online store.
The list itself is comprised of first party games like New Super Mario Bros U and Pikmin 3 and third party exclusives including Bayonetta 2, ZombiU and Rayman Legends. These are supplemented by PS3/Xbox 360 games that have been ported to the Wii U.
Check out the full list of games below:
505 Games
- Funky Barn
2K Sports
- NBA 2K13
Activision
- 007 Legends
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
- Transformers Prime
- Wipeout 3
- Skylanders Giants
- Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2013
- Rapala Pro Bass Fishing
Capcom
- Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate
D3Publisher
- Rise of the Guardians: The Video Game
- Ben 10: Omniverse
- Family Party: 30 Great Games Obstacle Arcade
Disney Interactive
- Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two
Electronic Arts
- Mass Effect 3
- Madden NFL 13
- FIFA 13
Frozenbyte
- Trine 2: Director's Cut
Gaijin Game
- Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien
Majesco Entertainment
- Zumba 2 Fitness Core
Maximum Games
- Jet Tailfin
Namco Bandai
- Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Wii U Edition
- TANK! TANK! TANK!
Nintendo
- Nintendo Land
- New Super Mario Bros U
- Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge
- SiNG Party
- Lego City: Undercover
- Wii Fit U
- Game & Wario
- Pikmin 3
- The Wonderful 101 (formerly Project P-100)
Sega
- Aliens: Colonial Marines
- Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
Shin'en
- Nano Assault Neo
Temco Koei
- Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper
THQ
- Darksiders 2
- Wheel of Fortune
- Jeopardy
Two Tribes
- Toki Tori 2
Ubisoft
- Assassin's Creed 3
- Just Dance 4
- Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth
- Rabbids Land
- Sports Connection
- Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2013
- ZombiU
- Rayman Legends
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
- Scribblenauts Unlimited
- Game Party Champions
- Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition
Reaction from the gaming community appears to be mixed, especially with the lack of strong, first party games. Pikmin 3 and New Super Mario Bros. U are sure to be popular, but we're still waiting on information regarding a 3D Mario game, the new Smash Bros. and/or another entry in the Metroid franchise. While there is stronger third party support compared to the Wii, many of the currently announced games are ports of currently available PS3/360 games with added Wii U functionality.
However, the most glaring issue appears to be the lack of digital titles. Nintendo has yet to make their mark in the online space, and while WiiWare and the eShop host a variety of games, they're lacking significantly in content compared to competing networks. That being said, there are plenty of retail releases to look forward to. Lego City: Undercover and the Wonderful 101 are my personal standouts; what games are you looking forward to?
The Wii U releases on November 18th in North America, November 30th in Europe and December 8th in Japan.
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