Quash: The only games that give me the urge to get a Wii U

 

With the announcement of the Wii U's release date and starting price, the next question in people's minds is if it's worth getting. For me, I will consider a console based on the games available in the system. Features like the GamePad for example, become icing on the cake. There's a good number of first and third-party titles confirmed to release from the day of console release up to March of 2013, but here are the titles so far that make me consider getting my own Wii U.

Zombi U

Announced at this year's E3, this zombie survival game makes great use of the new GamePad.  It's an exclusive title coming from Ubisoft. You take a role of some random survivor and so far the gameplay is you trying to reach as far as you can without dying. What's interesting about this one is if one zombie gets a hold of you, you can instantly die in one bite, so the pressure is definitely there. If you do die, you respawn with another random survivor. You can actually reach the point where your past survivor died, find your former self as a zombie, and kill him in order to get your old items.

Inventory is also accessed through the GamePad's screen. That's where you sort out your items. It's a simple yet interesting idea because the game isn't paused and you are forced to look away from the main screen to check out your inventory at the GamePad's small screen. It's added tension since you could be attacked while you're getting the items needed. Same with unlocking doors and such.

Another cool concept is one multiplayer mode in Zombi U. One player controls a survivor and tries to stay alive as long as he can while the other player using the GamePad screen tries to kill you by planting zombies in your path.

Monster hunter 3 Ultimate

This  was just announced I know, but I got so hyped when I heard the announcement. I love the Monster Hunter series, but the only thing missing is an HD title. Monster Hunter Tri in the Wii was a great attempt, but I want to play Monster Hunter on a HD console with higher visual capability. I've been hoping for such title to come out for either the PS3 or Xbox 360. There's not much info about this game yet. So far, all we know is that this game is well underway.

It's schedule for a March 2013 release and will be on Wii U and 3DS.

Bayonetta 2

Another exclusive title! Bayonetta 2 is a no brainer really, but I'm surprised Platinum Games took the jump and restricted their successful franchise to just the Wii U. Not much info about this game right now. Only a teaser trailer is up but there's no actual gameplay footage of the game.

And that's it! Yes, only three games give me the urge to get this console, and two were just announced awhile ago.

I'm still scratching my head to why there's no big Nintendo title that would shoulder this console. The tech demo seeing Link fight a huge spider was enough to get everybody excited, but Nintendo already confirmed that is just to show case the system's power. But if they gave some sort of teaser for any of Nintendo's exclusive franchises( Mario, Zelda, Smash Bros), it would have been easier for casual and hardcore gamers to go crazy. With the strong third-party following, Nintendo is definitely trying to grab the core gamers, but most of them are still ports with added features.

On the casual side, I'm still not sure how this will pan out. Priced at $299.99, it sounds like a hard sell even with the very neat GamePad. The Wii had a strong selling point with the motion gaming and it did very well. For the Wii U, I'm not convinced it will do as well as the Wii. Nintendo Land and Super Mario Bros U do look appealing for the younger demographic, but I think the Wii can still do a better job at keeping the kids busy.

I'll wait for more titles or announcements that would strike my interest. It is possible that I'll get this uncontrollable urge to finally spend money on this console in the future. But right now, I'm nowhere close to that point.

What do you think about the Wii U so far?

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate announced for Wii U and 3DS

Quick post. Nintendo just announced Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate for the Wii U and 3DS. Don't know about you guys, but that's a pretty strong incentive right there to consider Nintendo's new console. I've always wanted Monster Hunter to hit consoles.

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate launches March 2013.

[Source: Gameinformer]

Wii U Basic and Premium heading to Japan on December 8

Nintendo just announced a release date and price of the Wii U.  There will be two sets available on release. A Basic White set will cost  ¥26,250($338) while the Premium Black set will cost you ¥31,500($405). It hits Japan on December 8. But don't judge the price just yet. This is for Japan release. US and UK price and release date announcement will be released very soon. For now, we got details about the console specs and the two packages offered.

The Basic set will include an 8GB White Wii U, a GamePad, AC adapters, and a HDMI cable. While the Premium set offers something more interesting.

The Premium set includes a 32GB Black Wii U, a console stand, a GamePad, charging dock, GamePad stand, and a subscription to Nintendo Network Premium.

If you plan to get an extra GamePad separately, it will cost ¥13,440($173).

The Nintendo Network Subscription is only available to the Premium set. Subscribers earn eShop points while buying games through the service, and also receive a 10% discount on digital purchases. Subscription lasts until December 2014.

Now to the long-awaited console specs that Nintendo has been hiding since the console announcement. The Wii U will have 2GB of RAM. 1 GB for game memory and 1GB for system memory. The Wii U measurements are 46 mm x 172 mm x 268.5 mm in the horizontal position.

The Wii U will be generating 75 Watts of power. On safe mode though, that power gets reduced to 45 Watts.

Wii U games will have a capacity of 25GB per disc.

The new console will also support the Wii Mote, steering wheel, balance board, and services like Wii software, Wii Ware, steering whell, balance board, Wii Ware, and Virtual Console.

More to come soon! US and European events are scheduled to at 10 AM Eastern( Around 3PM tom PH time) revealing price and release date for US and UK.

[Source: Joystiq, VG247]

Star Craft 2: Heart of the Swarm closed beta has started, quick look at new units

Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm, the expansion to Blizzard's crazy famous Real Time Strategy game, is now on closed beta. With the beta now live, it only makes sense get updated on the new units. Thanks to Kotaku, here's a very quick overview of the new units.

The closed beta isn't under NDA, which means beta footage can be shown to the public. Only selected players such as pro gamers, and press currently have access to the closed beta, but Blizzard did mention that they will be rolling out beta invites very soon. If you want to join, head to your battlenet account now and opt for beta access.

If you also want live gameplay, head over to Twitch.tv to see pro players test out the changes.

Crysis series and Trine series 75% off on Steam this weekend

It's friday and just in case you're looking for a game to play during the weekend, you should head over to Steam and check at their Spotlight section. For this wekend only, the Crysis franchise and Trine franchise will be 75% off. Each game will be cut by 75% of its regular price and if you haven't got the chance to try any of those games, it's a great time to start now. 

Steam also has a Crysis Collection. With the 75% deduction, the once $79.98 bundle will now only cost you $19.99. If you want to buy it separate, Crysis now costs $4.99, Crysis: Warhead also $4.99, and Crysis 2 - Maximum Editon at $9.99.

The Trine series also has their own bundle that was reduced from $34.99 down to $8.74. The collection also incudes the new DLC Goblin Menace that currently has a 15% off discount(Just came out). Individually, Trine now costs only $2.49, while Trine 2 is at $3.74.

Great deals for two great franchises. The weekend offer ends on Sept 11, Monday, 10AM Pacific Time (Should be around 1PM tuesday PH time) so you have the whole weekend to decide if this deal is worth getting.