Hasta La Gadget!

Nintendo’s Wii U will be launching with an ample number of video games to whet your appetite.

According to the venerable game company, a whopping 23 games will be available for the Wii U when it launches on November 18. New Super Mario Bros. U will of course be the leading title, but several third-party developers have also chipped in with games of their own.

I have to say, I’m awfully impressed. I know that I’ve been somewhat tough on the Wii U here on Slashgear, saying that you shouldn’t preorder the device just yet, but perhaps this game lineup could change my mind. For once, Nintendo seems to understand the importance of third-parties, with 19 of the titles coming from a company other than the Mario maker.

I’m a firm believer that game libraries define video game consoles. And I’m also a firm believer that without a solid launch lineup of titles that appeal to all kinds of gamers, it’ll be difficult for a console to get off the ground.

The Wii U’s launch lineup appears to check all of the boxes gamers would expect. There are the kid-focused titles, of course, but you’ll also find some adult games, like Call of Duty: Black Ops II and Assassin’s Creed III. Add that to the new Darksiders and Arkham City and I think you have a solid game lineup.

And for those of us who still look back fondly at the old days of console launches that included all kinds of fighting games, having Tekken Tag Tournament 2 available on launch day just feels, well, right.

Now, I’m sure that there are some folks out there that look at this game lineup and worry. After all, many of the games, like Assassin’s Creed III, have been ported to the Wii U from other consoles. But I don’t necessarily think that’s such a problem. As Wii owners know all too well, we’ve been deprived of really great games available on other consoles. Finally, we can enjoy them on Nintendo hardware.

“I’m not blinded by reality here”

I suppose I should also point out that I’m not blinded by reality here. I know that Nintendo’s launch lineup doesn’t necessarily indicate that we’ll have hardcore games available over the long haul, and developers will love to support it. But I do think it’s a step in the right direction, especially coming off the Wii, which has proven notorious for its lack of appealing third-party titles.

After looking at the Wii U’s launch lineup, I have to admit that I’m a bit more excited at the prospects of this console than I was before. I’m not entirely sure that the Wii U will be able to hold up over the long haul as the PlayStation 4 and Xbox 720 come out, but for now, I think Nintendo’s console will actually be another suitable gaming option.

That’s good news for us gamers. Once again, I’ll be able to enjoy games on three consoles, and not just two.

Why the Wii U’s Launch Lineup Is Impressive is written by Don Reisinger & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

One of the biggest talking points about the original Black Ops was Zombies mode. When Activision and Treyarch announced Call of Duty: Black Ops II, footage from the game’s Zombies mode was surprisingly absent, but that all changed today. After teasing the mode last week, Activision has released a new trailer for Zombies, and a new write-up from Polygon gives us an idea of what we can expect to find when we delve into Zombies mode once more.

As it turns out, Zombies mode will be a little deeper than just “shoot all the zombies” this time around. The traditional game mode where players team up to take on wave after wave of zombies is still there, rest assured, but Zombies in Black Ops II will feature two additional modes: Tranzit and Grief. If you’re a Zombies fan, you might want to brace yourself before reading on, because both modes sound excellent.

In Tranzit, players will work cooperatively to make it through a zombie-based story mode. Treyarch studio head Mark Lamia says players will have a “massive world” to explore, and there will be items to collect and defenses to build as well. Did we mention that there’s a bus to use for transportation? There is, and though it provides some degree of shelter, it like like zombies can also board the bus, leading to a potentially sticky situation. Tranzit mode will apparently have ties to the story behind the Moon map that released for the original Black Ops, though Lamia didn’t get into specifics when talking about how the two are related.

Changing gears completely, we come to Grief mode. This is a competitive survival mode that pits two teams of varying sizes against groups of zombies. The teams will compete to be the last team standing, though here’s the twist: you can’t shoot players on the other team. You’ll have plenty of ways to screw them over though, hence the name. It should give us an interesting spin on the played out team deathmatch mode, and that is definitely something to look forward to.

All in all, these new modes sound great, especially Tranzit mode, which immediately reminds us of the Arma II mod DayZ. We’re told to expect more information on Black Ops II‘s multiplayer modes later on this week, so you can bet we’ll be keeping an eye out for those. In the meantime, let us know what you think of Tranzit and Grief modes – have they managed to pique your interest?

Black Ops II Zombies mode debuts in new video is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Nintendo’s nailing down a specific date for nearly half of its Wii U “launch window” lineup, and it’s the same day that the console arrives in North America: November 18. 23 games will land at retail alongside the Wii U this November, including Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, New Super Mario Bros. U, and FIFA Soccer 13. Minigame collection Nintendo Land will launch with the 32GB, $350 version of the Wii U console, and will also be available separately on Nov. 18 — all Nintendo first-party games will be available digitally at launch as well. Earlier this month, the company revealed just over 50 titles planned for the Wii U’s “launch window,” which comprises November 18, 2012 through March 31, 2013. The full list of all titles is just below.

Continue reading These are the 23 games launching with the Wii U on November 18

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These are the 23 games launching with the Wii U on November 18 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Sep 2012 11:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A bit of bad news has turned up concerning the new Nintendo Wii U game console set to launch later this year. Nintendo recently disclosed that the new game console will be region-locked. This means that the console will not support video games purchased outside of the console’s home region.

What this means is that you won’t be able to have a pal in Japan ship you a cool video game not available in America and play it on your console. You will need a console that has the same region as where the video game was published. This policy makes Nintendo the only major console developer who is yet again locking its console hardware to a specific region.

Both Microsoft and Sony leave region-locking up to game publishers. The only recent Nintendo gaming device that hasn’t been region-locked is the Nintendo DS. The 3DS, GameCube, and original Wii were all region-locked as well.

[via Joystiq]

Nintendo’s Wii U will be region-locked, meaning games and other software bought in one region is unlikely to work on a console purchased from a different region. The news, apparently confirmed by Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu, NeoGaf reports, means those hoping to jump the queue and order a Wii U from a different region so as to get their hands on it early will be left forever importing games, too.

“What can be played on the Wii U is restricted by a region-lock feature; software not sold in the same region cannot be played” the (translated) magazine stated of the new Nintendo console. In addition to preventing gamers from buying consoles earlier, it also means game imports will be curtailed.

The news is likely to come as little surprise to most gamers, given Nintendo’s – and indeed much of the gaming hardware industry’s – historic attitude to locked consoles. Nintendo has already announced that the Wii U will arrive in North America first, on November 18, with European gamers having to wait until November 30, and those in Japan not getting the console until December 8.

In the US, the Wii U will be priced at $299.99 for the Basic pack, and $349.99 for the Deluxe. Each will include a single GamePad tablet and the core console, though neither will bundle a Wiimote controller or numchuck. Nintendo says it expects most Wii U buyers to be upgrading from the Wii and to already have the older controllers.

[via Mark MacDonald]

Wii U region-locked says Famitsu is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.