Wii U Games - ranked by preference

Release Date: November 18, 2012 (NA)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Genre: Platformer

I've been waiting for the New Super Mario Bros. series of platformers to deliver an experience like the 2D Mario games that I grew up with. New Super Mario Bros. U doesn't quite reach that level, but it comes closer than any other game in the series before it...Well, in my opinion at least. The previous games in the "New" franchise had me getting bored a few levels in. This game kept me wanting to keep playing...Something I haven't experienced from a 2D Mario game since Super Mario World. The game isn't perfect, mind you, and it still doesn't live up to the quality of the NES and SNES Mario games, but it's the best game in the "New" series by far, in my opinion.

Release Date: November 18, 2012 (NA)
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive
Developer: Rocksteady Studios
Genre: Adventure

Over a year after its initial release, Batman: Arkham City was slightly modified for the Wii U launch and came with all the downloadable content already on the disk and ready to play. The Wii U version also includes two ways to play with the Wii U controller - you can play mainly with the television, occasionally having to look down at the Wii U controller for specific things like hacking or going through your menus or you can play the entire game just on the controller itself, which may be handy if you live in a household where you share a television and want to play the game, but don't want to hog the tv. If you loved it on the 360/PS3, you'll likely love it here as well...Likewise, if you've never played it before, get it - you'll be in for a treat.

Release Date: November 18, 2012 (NA)
Publisher: Namco Bandai Games
Developer: Namco Bandai Games
Genre: Fighting

Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Wii U Edition is the same, solid fighting game that you'll find on the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, but with a few extras - the most notable being the return of Tekken Ball, the quirky and fun mesh of fighting and volleyball. Also new to the Wii U version is the mushroom battle, where the famous mushrooms from Super Mario Bros. appear on the Tekken battlegrounds, allowing you or your opponent to grow to tremendous size, dwarfing your unfortunate opponent. Keeping with the Nintendo theme, there are also Nintendo costumes to unlock for the fighters and all that fun stuff. So, you get the fighting quality you'd expect from a Tekken game, plus a few bonuses for choosing to play it on Nintendo's new console...Not too shabby.

Release Date: November 13, 2012 (NA)
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: BioWare
Genre: Adventure

Mass Effect 3 was kind of a disappointment to me. On one hand, I enjoyed the story quite a bit...On the other hand, the gameplay and lack of exploration left me wanting more. The Wii U version of Mass Effect 3 is largely the same game, but I encountered quite a few more glitches than I did with the other versions, and its worth noting that I had my fair share of glitches in those versions as well. It does include the DLC from the other versions already packed in and the map on the controller screen is actually very nice...But if you've played this game before, there's no reason to play it here. If the Wii U version is the only chance that you've got to play it, then it's definitely a worthwhile purchase, however.

Release Date: November 18, 2012 (NA)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Genre: Compilation

Nintendo Land is a compilation of mini games that shows off all the features of the Wii U, similar to how Wii Sports did the same for the original Wii. The games found within are varied in quality. Games like Pikmin Adventure, Balloon Trip Breeze, and Octopus Dance are pretty dang fun and addicting. Others, like Captain Falcon's Twister Race and Takamaru's Ninja Castle aren't horrible...But not all that fun, either. Playing games earns coins, which you can use to play another mini game to unlock items that range from ornaments to decorate the theme park to more interactive things like a music player or a switch to change the time of day at the park. As a whole, this is a worthwhile purchase. The good games make up for any stinkers and it'll help you familiarize yourself with what the Wii U can do.

Release Date: November 18, 2012 (NA)
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Montpellier
Genre: Adventure - Survival Horror

ZombiU has a pretty awesome premise to it - if you get bitten by a zombie, it's game over for the character that you're controlling. You then start the game again in the shoes of a new person, and you can actually hunt down the person you had previously controlled and kill their zombie form to regain items and the like that you once had. The game itself is good, but not great. The melee combat feels a bit clunky...And I found myself watching the map on the Wii U controller more than I was watching the actual screen, which probably took away from any creepy atmosphere that the game was trying to create. It's also hard to be scared when the game gives you radar to use, so you know when something dangerous is nearby. But those knocks aside, this is still a good and very playable first-person, survival horror title for the system.

Release Date: November 18, 2012 (NA)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sumo Digital
Genre: Racing - Kart

Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed: Bonus Edition is the first kart-style racing game that Wii U owners have access to, aside from whatever is in their current Wii library, that is. It should've been a good one...And it's still okay, but even with the tight controls and wonderful track designs, some aspects of the game (particularly some online multi-player aspects where things like items to collect or checkpoints to hit don't spawn, making the game impossible to win at times) hold this back from being a must-buy title. That said, a patch will likely fix these issues in time, but they're issues that should've been fixed prior to launch. But, if you're not much of an online gamer, like me, then those bugs won't really bother you. Game glitches aside, you'll still find plenty to enjoy here to hold you over until Nintendo graces the Wii U with the latest Mario Kart title.

Release Date: November 18, 2012 (NA)
Publisher: Namco Bandai Games
Developer: Namco Bandai Games
Genre: Action

Of all the Wii U launch titles, this was probably the one I was most interested in. Controlling little tanks as they try to destroy gigantic, mechanical monsters sounded like it could have been a ton of fun...And it can be at times. But the controls aren't very good. I felt like I was fighting the controls more than I was the monsters for much of my time playing. Another negative is how you unlock levels...You can't simply beat a level to advance to the next one. After beating each level, you get a medal. You need medals to unlock levels. To get to level 8, you need 15 medals. That means you have to go back and complete previous levels again in order to simply move on. Some levels are fun...Others aren't...But even the levels I enjoyed, I grew tired of after playing multiple times to simply move on in the game. I really think this game had a ton of potential, but the weak controls and repetition required to simply move on in the game hurts it a bit. Like I said earlier, the game can be fun and at times it can shine...But never too brightly. It's just barely passable.