Wii U launch games

The Wii U has an official list of launch games. Launch titles? Kyle Orland and Jason Schreier nixed the use of the word "titles" as sounding too close to marketing copy, though I've never had a problem using the phrase "launch titles" before. Whatever. Here's some stuff to play come November 18.

The list of games, which you can read on Game Informer.com, is twenty-three strong, and is a healthy mix of first-party Nintendo games, third-party exclusives, and advanced ports of games already available on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Also, a game based on ABC's Wipeout, so there's that.

Looking down the list, I see only a few games that strike me as Must Haves, but there's a lot to like. Ubisoft's ZombiU had a huge presence at Nintendo's E3 press conference, and is one of the Wii U's more high-profile exclusives. I wasn't wowed by what I played of it at PAX Prime, though I think that has more to do with my general aversion of zombie shooters/anything than ZombiU's quality. I liked what I played of Rayman Legends, though I think I'll wait for the reviews to come back before I take the plunge; I liked Rayman Origins enough to buy it for $20, but I want to see how the second Rayman game in so many years holds up in its journey to a new console.

Besides, there's Mario! Having held off from playing New Super Mario Bros. Wii or the new 3DS game, I am absolutely ready for more console 2D sidescrolling, especially having tried it at PAX Prime. After playing so many dirt-colored shooters built in Unreal 3, Mario's bright HD colors are like mana in the Kalahari, where "mana" is "several thick cuts of prime rib." I will freely admit that the Mario sidescrolling formula looks more or less unaltered from 2006's New Super Mario Bros. on the DS, but I'd be a great prune if I chided Nintendo for giving me for super satisfying platforming action from Mario, and as a launch title, no less. Game. Whatever.

What excites me the most about the Wii U's launch lineup and what players can hopefully expect from it going forward, is the number of big third-party games, even if they are ports. Darksiders II, Assassin's Creed III, Call of Duty: Black Ops II--all huge games that either made a big splash (Darksiders II) or will make one when they release (Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty), and they won't be bastardized, paired-down editions like on the Wii. That Nintendo successfully convinced companies like THQ and Activision to make versions of their top properties gives me hope that the Wii U will reverse its biggest weakness since the N64: proper, widespread third-party support.

Yeah, we probably won't get Bayonetta 2, Lego City: Undercover, or even Wii Fit U any time during 2012 (I'm totally serious about that last one). Despite their absence, the lineup still looks good, or at least good enough to get me through the interim time until I can slaughter fools with high-heel pumps made of my hair/trim a few pounds here and there. \

Truthfully, the Wii U launch line-up looks about as good as any set of day-one games I've seen so far. I mean, what are we comparing it to, the GameCube? Luigi's Mansion and Wave Race: Blue Storm. The Xbox 360? A bunch of Xbox ports--stuff you'd already own if you were already a fan of Microsoft's first console effort. You'd have to go as far back as the Dreamcast to find as quality a stable of launch games, and I'm not sure if you'd find any beyond that; Lord knows I could have used more than Super Dodgeball and Castlevania: Circle of Can't See Anything Because Of This Damn Screen when I scored my Game Boy Advance.

On November 18 (give or take, depending on Toys 'R' Us shipping), I'm planning on getting two games, along with Nintendo Land which comes boxed with the console: New Super Mario Bros. U and Darksiders II. One to affirm my love of Nintendo's home grown games, and one to prove that publishers can release high-profile third-party games on the Wii U and people will buy them. Also, catharsis; after watching all of the huge third-party games miss my GameCube in favor of the PS2 and Xbox, I will take great pleasure in buying a multi-console release on a Nintendo system.