Nintendo has released a list of all the games currently scheduled for release on the Wii U. It doesn’t look that great, considering that it accounts for the first half of the year. We can only assume (and hope) that this is a preliminary list because there’s plenty more waiting to be confirmed.
The next hotly anticipated first party release, Pikmin 3, is listed for “Q2 2013” which means it’ll be springtime before we see it. LEGO City Undercover, also quite widely anticipated, is only listed as “Early 2013”. So there’s plenty of ambiguity still in the list.
The releases kick off with Ninja Gaiden Razor’s Edge this week. The karaoke party game arrives a month after the major party season on the 18th before Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth finishes off the month’s releases.
- Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge (Nintendo) – January 11th
- Sing Party (Nintendo) – January 18th
- Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth (Ubisoft) – January 24th
- Scribblenauts Unlimited (Nintendo) – February 8th
- NBA 2K13 (2K Games) – February 11th
- Rayman Legends (Ubisoft) – February 28th
- F1 Star Stars (Codemasters) – March 1st
- Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (Capcom) – March
- The Croods: Prehistoric Party (Namco Bandai) – March
- Aliens: Colonial Marines (Sega) – Q1 2013
- Need for Speed: Most Wanted (EA) – Q1 2013
- LEGO City Undercover (Nintendo) – Early 2013
- Pikmin 3 (Nintendo) – Q2 2013
The platform’s digital release schedule looks even less inspiring. Just three titles are currently confirmed for digital releases in the first half of the year and none have firm dates, they’re simply listed as “Q1.”
- BIT.TRIP Presents: Runner 2 (Gaijin Games) – Q1 2013
- Mutant Mudds Deluxe (Renegade Kid) – Q1 2013
- The Cave (Sega) – Q1 2013
It’s very likely that this isn’t a full list but if that is the case then why release it now? As it is, it’s not likely to be a welcome sight for people who just spent £300 on the console a couple of months ago.
Source: Press release
Dom El
I think it’s certainly a case of quality over quantity, and I’m sure there must be more to be announced as there are a few titles floating around that were labeled quarter 1 and 2 originally (not that that means anything).
I’m happy as at least three of those games could be my games of the year (Monster Hunter, Pikmin 3 and Rayman Legends), and the revised Ninja Gaiden 3, alongside the definitive version of Aliens, means that there are certainly reasons to be playing the system in the next few months.
The extra screen and its various applications remain my favourite advancement in console gaming for years – and the catalogue for it will only grow with time. As a 3DS and Vita owner I’m also accustomed to waiting!