I have most of the 32 games released on launch day for the Wii U, and have been diligently checking out as many of them as I can manage. Eventually I plan to fully review a good number of them, but I can only play games so fast, so in the meantime here are my initial impressions. While my final scores for some of these will be higher or lower, here’s my takeaway from what I’ve seen so far.
Assassin’s Creed III
Ubisoft
Hours played: 8 ½
My take: Definitely one of the best Wii U launch titles, even though it doesn’t do a lot with the gamepad. Can’t say if it will reach the heights of AC2, but I have high hopes.
Rating: ****
Other critics: Many raves.
Batman Arkham City: Armored Edition
Warner Bros.
Hours played: 2
My take: So far it’s at least as fun as the wonderful Batman Arkham Asylum, and the gamepad is used well. If you haven’t played it on another platform, definitely get this one.
Rating: ****
Other critics: Most agree it’s a great game but disagree on whether the gamepad improves or worsens it.
Ben 10 Omniverse
Hours played: 1
My take: Ben 10 games are invariably disappointing, but from my brief look this one seems competent, at least.
Rating: **
Other critics: They’re ignoring it.
Call of Duty: Black Ops II
Activision
Hours played: 1
My take: I always like the COD games so I expect I'll like this one, but it throws so much at you so fast that the first hour feels overwhelming and confused. And I do wish it did something with the gamepad in single player.
Rating: *** ½
Other critics: It's received the best ratings of any version.
Chasing Aurora
Hours played: ½
My take: This is primarily focused on in-person multiplayer, with only one very uninteresting single player mode, so I can’t offer an opinion on this one until I can talk someone to come over and play it with me.
Rating: TBD
Other critics: Most seem underwhelmed.
Darksiders II
THQ
Hours played: 2
My take: Fun mix of elements from God of War, Prince of Persia and Zelda series. Great looking. More could have been done with the gamepad, but it’s used well enough.
Rating: ****
Other critics: They love it as they loved it on other platforms.
Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of 2
Disney
Hours played: 1
My take: The Wii U version does little on the gamepad and won’t let you control Mickey with the vastly better Wii remote/nunchuk control scheme of the original game, so I’m playing this on the Wii instead. So far it’s fun but a little unfocused.
Rating: *** ½
Other critics: Mediocre reviews that say it’s not as good as the original.
ESPN Sports Connection
Hours played: 1 ½
My take: This sports mini-game collection is a real mixed bag. The baseball game is rather ingenious, although batting is a bit broken, and football also has clever things in it. Soccer is a disastrous mess. The rest are okay but unexceptional. Overall it could be better.
Rating: ** ½
Other critics: The few that haven’t ignored it hated it.
FIFA Soccer 13
Hours played: 1
My take: Fun little game, with a clever way to shoot goals using the gamepad.
Rating: *** ½
Other critics: Good reviews amidst complaints that it’s missing features and innovations available on other systems.
Funky Barn
Hours played: 3 ½
My take: This cartoony farming sim seems more like something that should be an inexpensive eShop-only game, and I really can’t see playing $50 for a casual strategy game that I expect can be explored pretty completely in five hours. That being said, I played it compulsively for hours, so if you see it in a budget bin someday you might consider it.
Rating: *** ½
Other critics: Overlooked by critics
