Now that the price and street date for the Wii U have been set, it’s time to take a look at the software plans for the new console’s launch window, which Nintendo has defined as the period between November 18, 2012 and March 31, 2013.
Over 50 games are currently slated to ship during the Wii U’s first few months on the market, including some newly unveiled big-franchise titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops II and Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate. As expected, the launch window lineup is a bit inflated by the usual shovelware offerings, but by and large the game roster looks pretty strong. Notable games like Nintendo Land, New Super Mario Bros. U, Pikmin 3, Epic Mickey 2, Mass Effect 3, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Trine 2, Aliens: Colonial Marines, Darksiders II, Rayman Legends, ZombiU, Assassin’s Creed III, Batman: Arkham City and Scribblenauts Unlimited should give Nintendo gamers plenty to enjoy in the early goings while the Wii U technology matures.
Of course, the surprise showing of Nintendo’s preview event this morning was the unveiling of Bayonetta 2 as a Wii U exclusive. That game doesn’t appear in the launch window, but it’s something to look forward to.
Scroll below for the current launch window game lineup and a new sizzle reel showing gameplay footage from some of the key launch titles.
505 Games:
Funky Barn
2K Sports:
NBA 2K13
Activision Publishing, Inc.:
007 Legends
Call of Duty®: Black Ops II
TRANSFORMERS PRIME™
Wipeout 3
Skylanders Giants™
Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2013
Rapala Pro Bass Fishing
Capcom:
Monster Hunter™ 3 Ultimate
D3Publisher:
Rise of the Guardians: The Video Game
Ben 10: Omniverse™
Family Party: 30 Great Games Obstacle Arcade
Disney Interactive:
Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two
Electronic Arts:
Mass Effect™ 3
Madden NFL 13
EA SPORTS™ FIFA Soccer 13
Frozenbyte:
Trine 2™: Director’s Cut
Gaijin Games:
Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien
Majesco Entertainment:
Zumba® Fitness Core
Maximum Games:
Jett Tailfin™
NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.:
TEKKEN TAG TOURNAMENT™ 2 Wii U Edition
TANK! TANK! TANK!™
Nintendo:
Nintendo Land™
New Super Mario Bros.™ U
NINJA GAIDEN™ 3: Razor’s Edge
SiNG PARTY™
LEGO® City: Undercover
Wii Fit™ U
Game & Wario™
Pikmin™ 3
The Wonderful 101™
SEGA:
Aliens: Colonial Marines™
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
Shin’en:
Nano Assault Neo
Tecmo Koei America Corporation:
WARRIORS OROCHI® 3 Hyper
THQ:
Darksiders® II
Wheel of Fortune®
JEOPARDY! ®
Two Tribes:
Toki Tori 2
Ubisoft:
Assassin’s Creed® III
Just Dance® 4
Marvel Avengers™: Battle for Earth
Rabbids® Land
Sports Connection™
Your Shape®: Fitness Evolved 2013
ZombiU™
Rayman Legends®
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment:
Scribblenauts™ Unlimited
Game Party Champions
Batman: Arkham City™ Armored Edition
Matt Litten is a 28 year old from-the-womb gamer turned video game reviewer/blogger and current editor/owner/operator of VGBlogger.com. Matt got his first taste of gaming as a youngster on the NES and Atari, and the rest is history from there.
In 2004, three years removed from high school and still looking for a career direction in life, Matt landed his first gig in the video game review business writing for the now-defunct website BonusStage.com. After the sad and untimely close of BonusStage, the former staff went on to found VGBlogger.com, and after a short stint as US Site Manager for AceGamez Matt turned his attention to VGBlogger, and to this day is dedicated to making it one of the top video game blogs in all the blogosphere.
Matt is a fair-minded reviewer and lover of games of all platforms and types, big or small, hyped or niche, big-budget or indie. But that doesn't mean he will let poor games slide without a good thrashing when necessary. 
