Gallery: Hands-On: 8 of E3's Biggest Wii U Games (And Netflix)
01pikmin-3-2
LOS ANGELES -- Regardless of what you think of it, there's no denying that Wii U was the biggest story of E3. Nintendo's Wii console came screaming out of the gate in 2006, besting the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 with an unlikely combination of low-powered graphics (and low pricing) and revolutionary motion controllers. Nintendo has sold 95 million Wiis so far, but those sales have dropped off dramatically as those of its rivals have picked up steam. After a shaky start for the new Nintendo 3DS portable, industry watchers are looking at any new Nintendo proposals with something of a jaundiced eye. [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/gamelife/e3-2012/) Is Wii U's primary innovation -- a second screen embedded into the controller -- enough to inspire a hundred million people to get back on the Nintendo bandwagon? The jury's going to be out on that one for a while, at least until Nintendo actually ships the machine this Christmas. But after spending a lot of time in the Nintendo booth during last week's Electronic Entertainment Expo, we can be sure of one thing: There are some clever new ideas and some very solid-looking games lined up for Wii U's launch window. Here are our impressions of eight major Wii U games -- and our hands-on demo of the Netflix Wii U app, which might get more use than any of these games. __Above:__ Pikmin 3 -------- __What it is:__ Fans have been demanding a sequel to these clever GameCube games for the better part of a decade now. A simplified but challenging take on real-time strategy set in a series of tiny gardens – think the second half of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids -- the Pikmin games are unlike anything else, and the Wii U version's graphics make it look almost photorealistic. __Second screen features:__ While you're leading your army of tiny plant-creatures around the backyard collecting bugs and treasures, you can glance at the Wii U screen for a map. But it's actually after you're finished playing the level that the second screen becomes useful: It turns into an overhead view video of your performance, which you can rewind and fast-forward with a scroll bar, looking for areas where you can improve your time. __Is it any good?__ I don't know if instant replays are really going to add that much, but insofar as Nintendo hasn't actually shown off the main single-player story mode, I would be surprised if there weren't a deeper level of second-screen integration there. Really looking forward to this.
02game-wario-2
Game & Wario ------------ __What it is:__ The [Wario Ware series](stag-komodo.wired.com/gamelife/2009/05/wario-ware) is known for its collections of three-second-long "microgames." This Wii U version retains the ridiculous, hilarious style but features games that take around 5 minutes each to play. (The name is a reference to [Game & Watch](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_%26_Watch), the early LCD-based portable games made by Nintendo.) __Second screen features:__ The second screen is deeply integrated into the gameplay of each of the four mini-games shown in the E3 demo. In one game, you pull your finger back on the screen as if you were drawing back a slingshot, aiming with the controller to launch your fire at waves of advancing aliens. In the next, you play a downhill skier, tilting the controller to guide him down the mountain; you only watch the touch screen while everyone else in the room sees a cinematic view of the action on the TV. In the next, you're tasked with taking photos of "criminals" in a crowded city scene; you have to scan the TV to find them, then take a picture with the Wii U controller acting as the zoomed-in viewfinder. Finally, a multiplayer game casts one player as a thief, and other players have to watch the TV and identify the one human-controlled character in the crowd of a hundred computer bots. __Is it any good?__ Nintendo didn't even mention Game & Wario in its press conference, which is strange because it's one of the best showcases of "asymmetric gameplay" so far. All four minigames were great fun and very funny with multiple people.
03p100.jpg
Project P-100 -------------- __What it is:__ A unique action game from Platinum Games ([Mad World](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/gaming/gamingreviews/magazine/17-04/pl_games), Bayonetta), P-100 has you lead a humorous squad of oddball superheroes through a city, smashing up robots by putting your team into different formations. __Second screen features:__ By drawing patterns on the touchscreen, you can arrange your distinctly Pikmin-like army of superheroes into different patterns. Surrounding hostages by drawing a circle lets you save them. You can also form your crew into large weapons, à la Voltron, by drawing lines on the screen – a straight line turns them into a huge sword, a sideways L into a handgun, etc. When you enter a building, the game gets a little different – you see just an over-the-shoulder POV shot of one character, and you jump and run through the building that way. It's a clever contrast to the bird's-eye-view outdoor levels. __Is it any good?__ Gamers might ask why Platinum is making a cartoonish game rather than its typical realistic and violent ones, but the gameplay on display at E3 was quite polished and fun. Looking very much forward to this.
04new-super-mario-bros-u-2
New Super Mario Bros. U ----------------------- __What it is:__ Nintendo's multiplayer version of the classic 2-D Mario game was one of Wii's best-selling games, and it clearly hopes to rekindle that success by launching New Super Mario Bros. U on the same day as Wii U. __Second screen features:__ Someone else needs the TV? You can play the entire game on the small screen if you want to. But there's an asymmetric mode that's more interesting: Four players can play using Wiimotes, while a fifth player watches the action on the small screen and helps out by tapping the screen to add blocks that others can jump on, to help clear tough obstacles. __Is it any good?__ Well, Mario games are never bad. Although you might think the "Boost Mode," as described above, would ruin the game's challenge, it's not nearly as easy as it looks to use it effectively. Read [our complete hands-on report](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/gamelife/2012/06/new-super-mario-bros-u-e3-2012/) for more on that.
05netflix-wii-u-2
Netflix ------- __What it is:__ Well, it's not a videogame, but it could end up being one of the most-used features of the Wii U: Netflix said in 2011 that a whopping 25 percent of its users stream movies on the Wii. __Second screen features:__ If it's designed properly, the Netflix app on Wii U could be the best one ever. While waiting for an appointment in Nintendo's booth, I got a demo of a prototype Netflix client. You can scroll through your instant queue, browse categories or type in searches all using the Wii U touch screen. Clicking on the movie's box art starts it playing on the TV – and if you want to, you can tap a button and the playback will instantly move from the television to the Wii U controller screen. __Is it any good?__ Even in its unfinished state, Netflix was an encouraging demonstration of how the integrated screens of Wii U offer a real upgrade to existing apps.
06rayman-legends-wii-u-2
Rayman Legends -------------- __What it is:__ The sequel to the four-player platforming game Rayman Origins will probably appear on many platforms, as is Ubisoft's *modus operandi*, but for now it was shown simply on Wii U with a string of unique features. __Second screen features:__The demo was a fast-paced string of unique ideas for how two players could enjoy the game in tandem but do completely different things. The Ubisoft rep took control of Rayman on the TV, jumping and climbing through hazards. Using only the touch screen, I had to do a variety of things to help him: raising and lowering platforms, telling him about hazards that he couldn't see, manipulating a giant maze of spikes by rotating my controller. It all finished up with a sequence in which he ran through a gauntlet of hazards while I tapped icons on the screen to the beat of the music. __Is it any good?__ I didn't expect to be blown away by Rayman Legends, but the sheer amount of creativity on display in the demo won me over. Hopefully the full game can extend these ideas out into a well-paced 8-hour experience.
07zombiu-2
ZombiU ------ __What it is:__ Besides having a terrible name, ZombiU is a Left 4 Dead-styled zombie FPS. A solo player can tackle the campaign using the Wii U controller for various actions, but there's also a unique multiplayer mode that was shown at E3. __Second screen features:__ The asymmetric multiplayer on the show floor went like this: One player, with the GamePad, had an overhead view of the level and sent zombies out to attack the other player, sort of like a real-time strategy game. The other player (me, in this case) played a first-person shooter, attempting to capture waypoints without being devoured by the approaching zombies. __Is it any good?__ While the multiplayer concept is certainly unique, ZombiU needs a lot more polish. The graphics weren't especially attractive and the framerate was remarkably chunky. It needs to feel a lot smoother than it did at E3.
08assassins-creed-iii-wii-u-2
Assassin's Creed III -------------------- __What it is:__ It's pretty much the same game that will be released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 this year, the latest entry in Ubisoft's highly successful series about assassins throughout history. This one takes place during the American Revolution. __Second screen features:__ Not much, actually. There's a map on the lower screen that Ubisoft points out shows more information than the mini-map on the TV. Also, you can tap tiny, tiny icons on the touch screen to switch weapons. I don't think they showed anything particularly exciting. __Is it any good?__ I hope that Assassin's Creed III gets back to [what made Assassin's Creed II such a strong game](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/gamelife/2009/11/assassins-creed-ii-review/), and from what Ubisoft has shown so far it seems like it should. From the E3 demo, it seems like the strength of the game, and not Wii U enhancements, will be the big draw.
09nintendoland-wii-u-2
NintendoLand ------------ __What it is:__ Nintendo calls this the Wii Sports of the Wii U's launch, the game that will teach first-time players about the different ways that the Wii U GamePad controller can be integrated into gameplay. It's 12 small games, each built around a classic Nintendo franchise. __Second screen features:__ As you might expect, the second screen is an integral part of each game. Players use it to fling throwing stars, shoot arrows and much more. You can read [a more in-depth take on three of the NintendoLand mini-games](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/gamelife/2012/06/wii-u-nintendo-land-hands-on/) in our hands-on report. __Is it any good?__ While Nintendo fans were dismissive of this game at E3, probably because Nintendo showed it instead of a new hard-core focused title like Metroid or Zelda. And it's not nearly as instantly understandable as Wii Sports. But there's no escaping the fact that the demos were actually quite challenging and fun.
