When Nintendo's new Wii U game machine launches on Nov. 18, it will arrive in stores alongside a line-up of 23 games that can be played on it.
Nintendo, in a press released Wednesday, said these games make for "the largest launch-day video game lineup in its history."
Among the games that will available the day the machine arrives are Nintendo's own "Nintendo Land," and "New Super Mario Bros. U," along with games from third-party publishers such as Ubisoft's highly anticipated "ZombiU" and "Assassin's Creed 3" and Activision's "Call of Duty: Black Ops II." (See the full list below.)
Making sure that plenty of games are available immediately for the new Wii U machine — which comes with a tablet-like touchscreen controller — is an important move on Nintendo's part. The company is under a lot of pressure to see its newest home game machine (which has been met with some confusion and some skepticism) succeed. And it is trying to avoid the mistakes it made when launching its handheld Nintendo 3DS game machine — which arrived with too high a price tag and too few games to play.
"We're making sure that Wii U owners will have great games to play from the moment they open the box, and that a steady stream of fun new games is always on the way," said Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America’s president. "We have something for everyone, from new franchises to creative new approaches to familiar favorites."
The Wii U marks the first time Nintendo has offered a high-def game machine. The Wii U system will come in two versions — each of which comes with a touchscreen Wii U GamePad controller.
The Basic Set will be offered in white for $299.99, while the Deluxe Set, which includes more storage capacity as well as some additional accessories, and the "Nintendo Land" collection of mini-games will be offered in black for $349.99.
Nintendo has said that 50 games will be available during the "launch window" from Nov. 18 to March 2013. (For a look at some of our favorite forthcoming games, check out: Five Wii U games you'll want to play.) Below is the full list of all of the Wii U games that will be available immediately on Nov. 18:
New Super Mario Bros. U
Nintendo Land
Call of Duty Black Ops 2
Skylanders Giants
Transformers Prime
Wipeout 3
Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two
EA Sports FIFA Soccer 13
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Wii U Edition
Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge
Sing Party
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper
Darksiders 2
Assassin's Creed 3
ESPN Sports Connection
Just Dance 4
Rabbids Land
Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2013
ZombiU
Scribblenauts Unlimited
Game Party Champions
Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition
Winda Benedetti writes about video games for NBC News. You can follow her tweets about games and other things on Twitter here @WindaBenedetti, and you can follow her on Google+. Meanwhile, be sure to check out the IN-GAME FACEBOOK PAGE to discuss the day's gaming news and reviews.
