So as the first week for the Wii U in Europe ends, I'm now going to take a look at the launch games that you should buy for this console. I would like to point out that not all of them will be reviewed as I have either no interest in playing them, or have played a better version of it. So let's get cracking:
Nintendo Land
Nintendo have wanted Nintendo Land to be used as a way to introduce the Wii U (much like how Wii Sports introduced the Wii) and it's features and for the most part, it does a pretty good job. You play as your preferred Mii and you land into your own personal amusement park called Nintendo Land. Your tour guide is Monita, a computer(ish) robot that shows no emotions towards anything and is quite funny at times. There are a total of 12 minigames (3 which involve working as a team, 3 which are competitive and 6 solo ones), a number of which are based on various mechanics used in some Nintendo franchises (hence the names resembling a particular Nintendo franchise). All of them work well and I feel that it's more fun with a friend. After playing the minigames, you get some coins, which can be used to get rewards via the central tower. There you can do a arcade type minigame with your coins and for each completed level, a item box containing a random item will appear for you to go and open. Some items will be given to you over time like the tour train and local Mii visitors while others will need you to complete the stages in the arcade minigame. That's basically the game and for what it's worth, it does a pretty good job of showing off the Wii U so good work Nintendo. 8/10
New Super Mario Bros. U
Serving as the fourth instalment of the series and the sequel to NSMB Wii, this instalment has a lot to offer. This time around, a lot of the game's mechanics are based on those in Super Mario World, in which you get just a big map with no separate ones which adds a lot more structure to the world maps than before. You get your typical 2D side scrolling levels which can be played on just the Wii U Gamepad as well as the TV. There's also some castle levels and the return of some old foes including Boom Boom, Kamek, The Koopalings, Bowser, Bowser Jr and of course, their everlasting army of Koopas, Goombas etc. Unlike in their original games, each of the bosses have their unique twist to them. In addition to this, the last castle in each world, has a SMB3 type ship floating around it with a strong resemblance to one of the Koopalings. For the most part, you'll encounter Kamek and Boom Boom the most whereas the Koopalings themselves will be different on each world. Bowser Jr will occasionally come with his massive ship to try and stop you from carrying on and you only get to see Bowser at the end of the game as the final boss. Star Coins are back and don't really have a big purpose this time, other than being used to access levels in the special world once the game has been beaten. While many of the old items from before return, only one new one is here which is a Squirrel suit which is used to glide mostly and go upwards when needed. The baby Yoshis return after a long wait and they can be used to swallow enemies and produce bubbles and can act as a flotation device for Mario and Co. So for the most part, it's just another Mario Bros game that once again, delivers on all levels (and even uses the Miiverse and SpotPass features of the Wii U as and when needed). 9/10
Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed
Now when I played this, I was really disappointed to see that the graphics for both the gamepad and the console looked like Wii graphics, which gave me the impression that SEGA obviously overlooked the fact that it's an HD enabled console. Very disappointing. Despite that, the game is very similar to it's predecessor with a few changes. The biggest change is the ability to change vehicles when needed during a race. The player can use a boat, car and plane when needed on the stage and there is no longer a commentator which even though might be a bad thing, it really does make the game boring. Old and new characters are in and unlike the first game where it was an Xbox 360 and Wii exclusive, this one is a Xbox 360, Wii, 3DS and Wii U exclusive with the Avatar and Mii serving as the exclusive character on their respected consoles which can be a bad thing for a lot of us. Ralph from the upcoming (in my case) Disney film Wreck-It Ralph is also a playable character and I can only assume that SEGA put him in as a promotion to the film. Overall, the game is OK. Its not the best game in the series, but it's definitely worth getting for a Wii U anyway, even if the gamepad is only used as an overhead map during a race. 7/10
Tekken: Tag Tournament 2
Now of all the ported games made for this console, this game is one that I truly recommend on getting. It is basically your average Tekken game with all the fighters and the traditional arcade style fighting is used here. As the title suggests, you can get to play in tag teams or solo and for the most part, the game overs a lot. In addition to this, as it's a Wii U exclusive, the game has a mode called Mushroom Battle where various mushrooms from the Mario universe are spread all over the stage and the fighters can use them to their advantage. Also, alternate costumes that resemble many Nintendo characters are featured. As the first ever Tekken game released on a Nintendo home console, it is one of the best fighting games that I have played all year, that delivers in all levels. It may just look like your average arcade fighting game, but when you actually get into it, it can be more than just that, so good work Namco Bandai. 9/10
And that wraps up my reviews of launch games. Now as I said, these are basically what I consider to be essential games for the Wii U and we may expect more to come over the next year so stay tuned.
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