November 18 is the day many of us will be hanging out at our local brick-and-morta game retailers to get our hands on the new Nintendo Wii U, and today we learned what games will be available for the new platform on that date. The lineup is rather large for a new console, with 23 titles, but some of these games you might already own by that point. Below is a rundown on the announced games with some info for each so you can go ahead and decide what you'll be picking up.
Note: the prices listed for each game come from retailers
Assassin's Creed III
$59.99
This edition of the latest AC title puts weapon selection and a map on the gamepad screen, but otherwise it looks pretty similar to the other versions.
Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition
$59.99
This port, not developed by Rocksteady, will include all the downloadable content for the game as well as new battle suits for Batman and Catwoman that allow you to build up energy that, when activated, allow you to kick ass more efficiently. Most of the in-game menus will be moved from your TV to the gamepad screen.
Call of Duty: Black Ops II
$59.99
This is the same, pretty much, as the versions on the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360, but here you can play local multiplayer without splitting the screen. Instead, you can have one person use the TV and the other play on the gamepad screen. There are also some minor additions to the game like the ability to view the layout of the multiplayer map on the gamepad screen. You can play this game with the Wii Remote and nunchuck, the WiiU pro controller, the Wii U gamepad or the Wii's Classic Controller Pro.
Darksiders II
$59.99
Sigh. Here's yet another port that puts your map and inventory on the gamepad screen. Yawn. It also, however, includes all DLC released before November 18 as well as all pre-order bonuses for the previously released versions of the game.
Disney Epic Mickey: The Power of Two
$59.99
This version of the sequel will have — what else? — a map of the game world on the gamepad screen, and you will also be able to use your sketches on said screen. Otherwise, it'll be pretty similar to the other versions. Of course, you can play it with a Wii Remote.
ESPN Sports Connection
$49.99
ESPN is a group-oriented sports mini-game collection that aims to hit as hard as Wii Sports. It's got football, golf, tennis, soccer and baseball games to play with.
FIFA 13
$59.99
This version of the game will certainly be interesting, as it will allow you to use the gamepad screen for set pieces, and the touchscreen for shooting on the fly, although we aren't entirely sure if that's better than the traditional method. But it's something new, at least.
Game Party Champions
$49.99
It's Game Party, but on Wii U. IF you're not familiar with Game Party, you might want to know that this is a party game with sports stuff like ping pong, air hockey, Dave & Buster's-style basketball, etc. This edition is exclusive, so you know it will be decent for showing off the capabilities of the gamepad, if nothing else.
Just Dance 4
$49.99
Being a dancing game, Just Dance 4 will not use the gamepad. Also, this version is $10 more than the Wii, 360 and PS3 editions, while providing the same content. So…
New Super Mario Bros. U
$59.99
This is basically New Super Mario Bros. Wii but with a flying squirrel suit, and you can also play as little Yoshis that have various power ups. Also, it's in HD. Oddly enough, the Wii U gamepad is not required to play this game, as player characters are controlled by Wii remotes. A player can, however, use the gamepad to assist other players by throwing up blocks in convenient places on the screen.
Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge
$59.99
This update of Ninja Gaiden 3 is allegedly different enough from the previously released versions of the game that it might actually be worth a purchase even if you already own it. Plus, this edition allows you to do Ninpo on the gamepad screen, and that kinda sounds like fun.
Nintendo Land
$59.99
This is a mini-game collection intended to show you what the Wii U can do. It will have games based on Zelda, Pikmin, Metroid, Luigi's Mansion and Animal Crossing, among others, but don't expect any of these experiences to be as substantial as playing full versions of games in those franchises. Nintendo Land comes bundled with the $350 premium edition of the Wii U console.
Rabbids Land
$49.99
It's a party game in the Rabbids universe, and it's exclusive to the Wii U. It will also make extensive use of the gamepad's gyroscope.
Scribblenauts Unlimited
$59.99
This fourth edition in the wonderful franchise will be available at lower prices on the 3DS and PC, but you can only play cooperatively on the Wii U. So that's your selling point.
SiNG Party
$59.99
This karaoke game, which comes with a microphone, puts your song lyrics on the gamepad screen allegedly so you can entertain the other people in the room instead of staring at the TV. Seems like a good idea.
Skylanders Giants
$74.99
Since you don't already have a Skylanders portal for the Wii U, you have to buy one in this Giants starter pack. $15 isn't a bad surcharge, though, and it's not any more expensive to get the starter pack here than for any other platform. The starter pack includes, for your reference, three figurines, a portal that you use to beam the characters depicted in the figurines into the game so you can play as them, the game itself, three trading cards and some stickers.
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
$39.99
Given the lack of Mario Kart in the Wii U's launch lineup, I guess this kart racer will have to do. This version will differ from the other platforms in that it will have mini-games that make use of the gamepad screen. So i guess you get more bang for your buck.
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Wii U Edition
$59.99
Tekken is getting some Nintendo flavoring here, as TTT2 will feature powerups from the Super Mario Bros. series like giant mushrooms, along with new outfits for characters that you might remember from Zelda, Metroid and Star Fox titles. It also will give you the option of using a touch-based control scheme. So they are actually doing cool things with this version.
Transformers Prime
$49.99
This game from Now Production is based on the television show of the same name, and sees everybody's favorite Autobots fight Megatron and stuff. And it has multiplayer. This is a brawler/driving game, for the record, rather than a shooter, as other recent Transformers games have been.
Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper
$59.99
Of course we have an Omega Force title in the launch lineup. Of course. I don't know much about this version of the game, but Nintendo.com doesn't make much of a fuss about updates, and the only use of the gamepad screen they mention is that like Black Ops II you can use the gamepad screen to play cooperatively with someone who is taking up the whole television. Or you can play in split screen on the TV if you'd rather not play your HD games on a 6-inch screen.
Wipeout 3
$49.99
This is a goofy platformer based on the ABC game show. This is an obligatory port, as this is already available on the 3DS, the 360, PS3 and Wii. Don't expect many bells and whistles on this version.
Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2013
$49.99
This edition of the Your Shape franchise is exclusive to the Wii U. It allegedly "leverages the unique features of the Wii U system," but I'm not really sure what that means as it would be difficult to hold that large gamepad in your hand while you exercise.
ZombiU
$59.99
This third-party exclusive is a survival horror title in which the Wii U hook is that it has no HUD, instead putting all that info on the gamepad screen. If any game is going to suck in the core gamers, it's this one. Don't expect this zombie party to resemble Dead Rising or Left 4 Dead, by the way.
Note that the above titles are the launch retail games. There will be a few other downloadable titles coming during the holiday season, but it's not yet known which, if any, of them will hit on launch day. For whatever reason, Nintendo has not given us release date info for downloadable games like Trine 2 and Toki Tori 2 just yet, but we expect a number of them to be released in November, so there will be more to play than just the 23 titles listed above.
