Features

Wii U - Best of E3 2012

More details were revealed at this year's E3 about the innovative Wii U package - that revised GamePad, those, err, 'asymmetric gameplay' opportunities - but really all we wanted to know was were its games looking any good?

In a word (well, two) - yes actually...

ZombiU

Just when you thought the zombie genre was ready for a rusty shovel through its maggot-infested brains, Ubisoft unveiled its fascinating first-person take on said shuffling man-munchers with this Wii U exclusive. Set in London after an outbreak of flesh-eating freaks, head off on missions to help you make it through another day, harvesting vital supplies from a variety of locations ("Oh look, it's Big Ben! And oh look there, it's a Queen's Guard here to make a right royal Jubilee out of my internal organs..."). Using the Wii U'sGamePad screen as a 'Bug-Out Bag' containing maps, med kits and more, the focus is on a refreshingly hardcore survival experience with some genuine multiplayer innovations lurking, slobbering, in the shadows...
When's It Out? TBA 2012

Pikmin 3

Noted for its exceptional graphics (best-in-show for the Wii U, we reckon), this charming sequel to the hit real-time strategy series will make its exclusive debut on the HD-powered console. As before, head out into an alien garden and make like an astronautical Alan Titchmarsh, dishing out orders to your band of cute critters, the plant-like Pikmin, and collecting fruit, bashing garden grizzlies and building bridges to explore a mysterious planet. With lush scenery, reassuringly familiar gameplay and some all-new characters, this is already shaping up to be a potential classic.
When's It Out? TBA 2012

NintendoLand

Hoping to emulate the astonishing success of the all-conquering Wii Sports on Wii, NintendoLand moves out of the sports arena and into the theme park by packing in 12 mini-games that show off the diverse and eclectic skills of the GamePad and its screen. Five out of the mini-games were previewed at E3; for simple delights, Takamaru's Ninja Castle sees players hurling shurikens at onscreen ninjas by 'flicking' them virtually off the GamePad's screen. For multiplayer mayhem, Luigi's Ghost Mansion lets up to four Mii-sporting players armed with Wii Remotes, hunt (and be hunted by) a ghost in an overhead maze; said ghost being operated by a GamePad-wielding gamer.

The catch? The ghost is invisible to the other players who can only 'feel' its presence through the rumble of their controllers. And the predictable result? Yep, panicked, hysterical gameplay as gamers wildly wield their torches about, trying to destroy the ghost with their lights - or more often than not, ending up fainting onscreen when the spectre spooks them from behind. A perfect example then of that 'asymmetric gameplay' Nintendo has been so busy banging on about - where the same game is a different experience for each player, see? We're sold on it and so will you be.
When's It Out? TBA 2012