In Soviet Russia, Nintendo Wii U!

First of all, apologies for the bad pun and meme reference.  Now then, on with the show.

The Wii U has been out for just a couple weeks now, and I must admit that I'm thoroughly enjoying it.  Nintendo Land is a strong entry to get the console rolling out the gate, much like Wii Sports did for the Wii.  We have several small games to show off different aspects of what the system is capable of, and it really feels like Nintendo is telling developers, "Please, find inspiration here.  Examine these basic mechanics and use them as building blocks."  Only time will tell if the games will build on these ideas, or doom the console to casual party games mimicking Nintendo's offering to inspiration once again.  Hopefully, Assassin's Creed, Arkham City Armored Edition, and Mass Effect 3 will lead the third party, AAA charge against shovelware.

New Super Mario Bros U is not such a shinng jewel.  Much like every game of the New Super Mario Bros series, we've lost evrrything that can be remotely considered a challenge.  Instead, soulless levels pan out in a meandering fashion.  We can see the elements of older games, but they lack the context and cohesion of their ancestry.  This hodgepodge of Mario delivers a cardboard cutout of what 2D platformers used to be.  It feels completely unispired, lacking, and pointless.  There's no reason to try, so there's no reason to care while playing.  All in all, it makes me want to go back to the older Mario games, specifically Super Mario Bros 3.

Nintendo's social networking is actually interesting and less intrusive than I had feared.  Players are largely creative and proud, and many times I find myself chuckling at another player's comment or drawing.  I've seen very little offensive content, and it seems Nintendo is quick to catch what may not be appropriate for all ages.  Overall, it just kind of makes you happy to see someone proclaiming victory over a tough challenge or that they're enjoying a game.

ZombiU is an intersting mix of awesome and awful - don't get me wrong, it's a phenominal experience so far and a work of art that the horror genre has been deprived of lately.  However, tread catefully, for it's not the zombies you should fear, but the bugs that can force you to restart the game.  In my case, I died at the same moment that I entered a door tied to an objective, which caused that objective to be impossible to complete.  Bugs aside, it's beautifully dark and lonely, and it feels like a proper survival-horror game.  Resources are scarce, and panicking assuredly leads to your demise.

Thus far, I'm quite pleased with the Wii U and excited for the possibilities the system offers.  Asynchronous local multiplayer is thoroughly intriguing, and many of the minor details hidden in the Wii U are surprisingly pleasing.  I'm hopeful of a bright future for the console, but as we all know, only time will tell what sort of offerings third party developers will put forth.  That, and that alone, will truly determine the Wii U's worth.