Nintendo's Wii U will launch on November 18 with 23 promising launch titles.
Back when the Wii launched, the console came packaged with one title that helped gamers understand the potential of the new innovation. That title was Wii Sports and the intuitive controls and variety of the title helped sell a number of Wii Consoles (of course Zelda;Twilight Princess had a lot to do with that also). The concept with the Wii U is a bit more complicated but it seems that Nintendo has not overlooked one of the reasons the Wii's launch was so successful and has again opted for a launch title that will be packaged with the $350 version of the Wii U.
Nintendo Land is a compilation of mini games designed to showcase the diversity of the new Wii U gamepad for new kinds of gameplay. Among the 12 mini games included are "Balloon Trip Breeze," "Metroid Blast," "Mario Chase," "The Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest," "Pikmin Adventure," "Luigi's Ghost Mansion," Takamaru's Ninja Castle," "Donkey Kong's Crash Course," "Captain Falcon's Twister Race," "Yoshi's Fruit Cart," and "Octopus Dance.
Many early previews of the title implied that it may be another Wii Sports which was more of a demo tutorial for the console that lacked any real substance. However, early reports about Nintendo Land indicate that Nintendo is far more ambitious this time around. Of the 12 mini games, three are co-op games, three are competitive party games, and six are single player games with multiple levels and challenges.
The Donkey Kong game has players tilt the gamepad to get past a number of obstacles similar to those experienced in the original Donkey Kong arcade classic. This title has a number of levels with increasing difficulty. In the Captain Falcon title, users hold the narrow end of the Wii U GamePad upright with both hands to guide a high-speed vehicle toward the finish line. Like Donkey Kong, this has a number of levels for players to complete.
The Octopus title has players attempt to recreated timed poses that they witnessed on screen with the gamepad while the Balloon Challenge has players split their attention between the TV and Gamepad to help the Balloon man avoid falling to the ground.
In the party games such as Mario Chase, four players try to track the fifth who uses the gamepad to avoid his enemies. The same concept holds true for the Luigi's Mansion in which the gamepad player plays a ghost and attempts to avoid being spotted by other players.
The team games such as the Metroid Blast where the gamepad player tilts the pad and controls a ship while trying to strike down players on the ground. The ground players use the Wiimote to try and shoot down the ship. There is a cooperative mode and competitive one for this title.
The title is shaping up to include a wide range of mechanics and attractions to show off the Wii U gamepad, which could help promote the variety of the new console.