Nintendo has officially announced its launch lineup for the Nintendo Wii U and it seems that they will pull all the stops on this one. The system's library will immediately contain 23 titles, but what is more important is what it tells us about Nintendo's new console not only for the company but for its supporters.
Nintendo has been criticized for a lengthy five month launch table, but a study of what they are offering and when makes this criticism unwarranted and silly.
Past Nintendo systems have not only lacked sufficient material for hard core gamers, but also a lack of third party support. This is certainly not the case for the Wii U as gamers will have access to Cal of Duty: Black Ops II, Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge, Darksiders II, Assassin's Creed III, ZombiU, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Wii U Edition, and Batman: Arkham Asylum Armored Edition. What immediately becomes apparent from this list of eight games (more than one third of the lineup) is not only the fact that they are all major titles, but the fact that not a single one is from Nintendo. Yes most are already available on competing systems, but they are all from a wide variety of third party developers, something Nintendo has not had on its previous consoles. The fact that Warner Brothers took the time to create a version of its prized Batman franchise for the Wii U shows the commitment and potential that publishers see in Nintendo's new console. Same goes for Ubisoft's decision to port Assassin's Creed.
The third party content is solid for the hard core gamer, but Nintendo's strongest asset has always been the first party content and while there is no Zelda title here at launch as there was six years ago, there are still promising games to go around. New Super Mario Bros. U will be there for all types of gamers while more casual gamers get a shot at Nintendo Land.
The fact that we haven't even gone into FIFA 2013 and other major titles such as Just Dance 4 and Rabbids Lands goes to show how strong the Wii U Launch Lineup.
The one major weakness here is the lack of exclusive content as the majority of these titles are available on the other two competing consoles from Microsoft and Sony. But before people start questioning the lack of exclusive content, it is essential to note that the game industry has shifted course and the time of content exclusivity has gone out the window. Of course, you could always point to ZombiU, which is only coming to the Wii U. From what people are saying, this title alone might be able to move the console.
The beauty of the situation is that Nintendo has loads of content coming in the months after. Mass Effect 3 will come between November 18 and the end of March as will Wii Fit U, Rayman Legends, Pikmin 3, Madden NFL 13, NBA 2K13, Game & Wario, Lego City: Undercover and 007 Legends. Through their first five months, they have the complete support of most of the major game developers. This means that all these developers trust Nintendo's new product and see a great deal of potential in it. The same never held true with prior consoles as third party content was sparse and often uninspiring. I'm not saying that Nintendo is poised to win the war, but they have finally won a personal battle, jumped through a never ending obstacle. The launch lineup is certainly a promising sign for Nintendo's new console, but this is only the beginning. Nintendo must still prove that it can sell the concept of "asymmetrical" gameplay with its new controller.