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Nintendo today unleashed a list of games that will be available for Wii U this year, and provided first looks at key titles coming in 2014. These include Mario and Donkey Kong to Luigi, Pikmin and Pok?mon to The Legend of Zelda, Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros.
In addition to all of the gams available right now at E3,
Nintendo has partnered with Best Buy to bring four upcoming Wii U games
to the public for the first time. Visitors to participating Best Buy
stores will be able to play demo versions of Super Mario 3D World, Mario Kart 8, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD and Donkey
Kong Country Returns: Tropical Freeze. The games will be playable
4-8 p.m. local time on Wednesday, June 12, and 1-5 p.m. local time on
Saturday, June 15. A complete list of participating stores can be found
at http://www.bestbuy.com/NintendoEvents.
Some of the key Wii U game info announced today by Nintendo includes:
- Super Mario 3D World: For the first time,
Nintendo has created a four-player Mario game set in a 3D world. The
game, developed by the same team that created Super Mario 3D Land for Nintendo 3DS and the Super Mario Galaxy games for Wii, lets
up to four players play as Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach and Toad. Each
character has his or her own unique characteristics, and people can
play cooperatively or competitively. The game is scheduled to launch
this December.
- Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze: The first
Wii U installment in the franchise comes from Retro Studios. The
side-scrolling platformer hasl HD graphics that show fine
details, such as Donkey Kong’s fur. Dixie Kong joins the adventure,
which features the Kongs swimming underwater and moving from the
foreground to the background. This time, the camera changes
perspective on certain levels to enhance the sense of motion and to
deliver new experiences. The game is scheduled to launch this November.
- The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD: The
classic Nintendo GameCube game has been enhanced with beautiful HD
1080p graphics. In one change from the original, the Tingle Tuner has
been replaced by the Tingle Bottle, which uses the Wii U GamePad
controller to post comments about the game to Miiverse. Comments from
players wash up on the shores of beaches in the game. Players also
have the option to sail faster than they did in the original version.
The game is scheduled to launch this October.
- Mario Kart 8: The newest installment of the
racing game introduces an anti-gravity feature that has
karts racing up walls and clinging to inverted tracks. Elements from
previous Mario Kart games have made their return, including
gliders and motorbikes. The game will support online multiplayer and
will have deep integration with Miiverse. The game is scheduled to
launch in spring of 2014.
- The Wonderful 101: This PlatinumGames original
launches Sept. 15. Players take on the role of Wonder-Red, leader of a
group of superheroes. Individually they are overpowered by invaders
from space. But by working together, they can transform into a fist or
blade and unleash massive attacks on their enemy. The polished,
over-the-top look and music evoke classic superhero comics and
cartoons.
- Bayonetta 2: Developed by PlatinumGames, the
game’s title character has had a makeover that gives her a new
hairstyle and costume. Her climactic abilities are more powerful and
the action is as intense as ever. The game is scheduled to launch in
2014.
- A brand-new title developed by MONOLITH SOFTWARE INC.: Monolith
Soft, the creative force behind The Xenoblade Chronicles, is
creating an open world for players to explore. Players can ride
human-shaped robots at certain points in the game, or use the robots
to battle enemies in the sky. The game is scheduled to launch in 2014.
- Wii Party U: Enjoy board games and mini-games on
the TV, play familiar tabletop games using the Wii U GamePad
controller or transform your living room into a game show floor. No
matter what kind of party you’re throwing, Wii Party U offers
something for everyone. The game is scheduled to launch this October.
- Super Smash Bros. for Wii U: The new entry in Nintendo’s popular fighting franchise will
arrive for Wii U in 2014.
- Wii Fit U: Although this game was previously
announced to launch in spring or summer this year, it is now scheduled
to launch this December.
Nintendo 3DS
- Pokémon X and Pokémon Y: The first games
in the core Pokémon series to appear on Nintendo 3DS launch worldwide
on Oct. 12. The games introduce an 18th Pokémon type:
Fairy-type Pokémon, and have an upgraded graphical look that is an
artistic pinnacle for the franchise. A new feature called Pokémon-Amie
lets players create a deeper connection with their Pokémon. Trainers
can pet them, feed them and play mini-games with them, which makes
their Pokémon more effective in battles.
- Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS: The hand-held
counterpart to the Wii U version will also arrive in 2014.
Additional games that were not mentioned in the Nintendo Direct but are
playable at E3 include:
Wii U
- Pikmin 3: This game is in a genre all its own.
Players take command of three explorers and a legion of adorable
Pikmin in a fight for survival. By employing the unique abilities of
these tiny Pikmin creatures, players will solve puzzles, battle
dangerous predators and recover food needed to save the explorers’
depleted home planet. The game launches Aug. 4.
- New Super Luigi U: Luigi takes center stage in
his first starring role in a platform adventure. Players can show off
their skills as Luigi, complete with his trademark high jump and
unique slide, as they experience more than 80 new courses set in the
world of New Super Mario Bros. U. For people who already own New
Super Mario Bros. U, the new Luigi content launches as
downloadable content in the Nintendo eShop on June 20. A stand-alone
retail version of the game that does not require the original launches
Aug. 25.
- Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games: The game includes a variety of events from the Winter Games, including
bobsleigh, skiing, figure skating pairs and snowboard slopestyle –
which will make its Olympic Games debut in Sochi, Russia. Different
events might use the Wii Remote Plus controller, Wii U GamePad
controller or both. In addition to realistic events, the game also
includes Dream Events set in the worlds of Sonic and Mario that let
players perform moves not possible in real life. Launch details and
timing will be announced at a later date.
Nintendo 3DS
- The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds: This
game takes place after the events of and in the same world as The
Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Link can now become a drawing
to move along walls. This opens up ways to explore and puzzle elements
that give Link access to locations he could not otherwise reach. The
game is scheduled to launch this holiday season.
- Yoshi’s New Island: The third game in the series
offers classic Yoshi abilities while introducing new ones, such as
giant Mega Eggs that Yoshi can use to mow down obstacles. The game
features different worlds in a variety of art styles, including oil,
watercolor and pastels. The game is scheduled to launch this holiday
season.
- Mario & Luigi: Dream Team: Mario and Luigi
embark on the adventure of their dreams in a hilarious action RPG that
combines action in both the real world and inside Luigi’s dreams. The
game launches Aug. 11.
Third-Party Games
Nintendo’s third-party partners are bringing their best creations to Wii
U and Nintendo 3DS. A selection of the games on the way for Nintendo
systems include (titles in bold are playable at Nintendo’s E3 booth):
Title |
Publisher |
Platform(s) |
Release Date |
Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag |
Ubisoft |
Wii U |
Oct. 29 |
Batman: Arkham Origins |
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment |
Wii U |
Oct. 25 |
Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate |
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment |
Nintendo 3DS |
Oct. 25 |
Deus Ex: Human Revolution -Director’s Cut |
Square Enix, Inc. |
Wii U |
2013 |
Disney Infinity |
Disney Interactive |
Wii U, Wii, Nintendo 3DS |
Aug. 18 |
Disney’s Planes |
Disney Interactive |
Wii U, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS |
Aug. 6 |
Just Dance 2014 |
Ubisoft |
Wii U, Wii |
Oct. 8 |
Rayman Legends |
Ubisoft |
Wii U |
Sept. 3 |
Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure |
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment |
Wii U, Nintendo 3DS |
Fall 2013 |
Shin Megami Tensei IV |
ATLUS (Index Digital Media, Inc.) |
Nintendo 3DS |
July 16 |
Skylanders SWAP Force |
Activision Publishing |
Wii U, Wii, Nintendo 3DS |
Oct. 13 |
Sonic Lost World |
SEGA |
Wii U, Nintendo 3DS |
Holiday 2013 |
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Blacklist |
Ubisoft |
Wii U |
Aug. 20 |
Watch_Dogs |
Ubisoft |
Wii U |
Nov. 19 |
Additionally, third parties are also bringing strong digital-only
content to the Nintendo eShop on Wii U in 2013. Some of these titles
include Ballpoint Universe (Arachnid Games), DuckTales:
Remastered (Capcom), Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara (Capcom), Scram Kitty and his Buddy on Rails (Dakko
Dakko), Coaster Crazy Deluxe (Frontier Developments), Spin the
Bottle: Blimpies Party (KnapNok Games), A World of Keflings (NinjaBee), Oddworld: New ‘N’ Tasty (Oddworld Inhabitants), Mutant Mudds Deluxe (Renegade Kid), Cloudberry Kingdom (Ubisoft) and Shovel Knight (Yacht Club Games). |