Last week saw the celebration of Halo fanboys across the land as Halo 4 was finally released.  This week, it is the Nintendo crowd’s turn.  Nintendo’s Wii U, the successor to the Wii, will be released on Nov. 18.

With that being said, let’s take a look at some of the launch titles for Nintendo’s Wii U:

Epic Mickey 2:  

The Power of Two

“Epic Mickey” was somewhat of a surprise hit in 2010.  Although I wouldn’t call this a “long awaited” sequel, it is a welcome one.  The big addition is a two-player cooperative mode where players can take control of both Mickey and Oswald.  Unfortunately, the cost of Wii U controllers may drive players looking for multiplayer games to other consoles and games.

New Super Mario Bros. U

It is simply not a Nintendo console without a Mario title, and Nintendo has chosen to go with “New Super Mario Bros. U.”  This suffers from the same gimmick reliance that early Wii titles had trouble working around.  Is the ability to advance in the game by using the Wii U controller touchpad to place blocks driven by the gimmick of having a touchscreen, or is it truly integral to the design of the game?  I would point to the multiple, failed Wii titles that require controller-shaking for jumps as a possible answer.

Nintendo Land

“Nintendo Land” has the potential to be the “Wii Sports” for the Wii U, and, in fact, will be included in the premium bundles available at launch.  “Nintendo Land” is a collection of 12 different mini-games, each based off of Nintendo’s hottest franchises:  Pokémon, Metroid, Mario and Donkey Kong are all represented along with other, lesser known but still beloved Nintendo properties.  Is there a mini-game in this collection that will capture the entire family’s attention as “Wii Bowling” was able to do?  Or, will the presence of the Nintendo characters overshadow the gameplay and leave this feeling more like the less spectacular “Wii Play?”

Scribblenauts Unlimited

Have you ever been playing a game and said to yourself, “If only I had a monkey with a clothespin, I could solve this puzzle?”  The Scribblenauts franchise will give you a monkey with a clothespin, a bucket full of eggs or anything else you can think of.  If you can spell it, you can have it in Scribblenauts.  The Wii U brings the off-the-wall puzzler to the console world for the first time, along with the ability to save custom objects (like your monkey with a clothespin), and the ability to customize your player and created objects.  Of all the Wii U launch titles; “Scribblenauts Unlimited” is the one most likely to succeed.