Wii U Experience:NYC

Many Club Nintendo members were invited to New York City last week to demo the Wii U, the newest innovation from the minds of Nintendo. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to go to this event because it kept telling me that it was sold out every time I tried to register. So I decided to email Nintendo and get this straightened out. Luckily, I got the answer I wanted to hear and Nintendo fixed the problem so I was able to go.

I didn't know what to expect when I got to the event but the main thing I wanted put to rest in my mind was how the Tablet controller felt in my hands. It took a little while to get use to but once I did, the Tablet felt like I had been playing with it for years. I can't wait to see what Nintendo does with it in the way of add ons, such as music players or downloadable content. Ok, On to the games that I got to play at the event. I started the day off with playing Nintendoland. Nintendoland should be played first if possible because it teaches you all about the system and the different control schemes. From throwing Ninja stars to driving around the factory Donkey Kong calls home, Nintendoland has it all. One minute you have the Tablet facing vertically, the next you are spinning it around dressed as Link, shooting arrows at monsters. I can't wait to see what other games Nintendoland has to offer, maybe a Pokemon game or a Super Mario themed game. They have a Luigi's Mansion game, why not a Mario game?

My two favorite games I got to play were New Super Mario Brothers U and Game and Wario. NSMBU plays like the Wii version but it has some differences such as a player can build platforms holding the Tablet controller and the Flying Squirrel Suit. Mario/Luigi/Toads can become a Flying Squirrel and glide all over the level for a short time. Game and Wario on the other hand, is similar to the games of the Warioware series. several mini-games to play and have fun with. I was able to play the Arrow game and in the game, Wario robots are invading and its up to you to stop them. All you have is an arrow to shoot and pepper and landmines around to help stop the invasion. Will you be able to stop the Wario Robots? Only time will tell.

Rayman Legends was one of the games that looks great in HD. I'm not saying that the other games didn't look great but Rayman stood out to me. I have never played a Rayman game before but if Legends is any indication, I will be playing my first, soon. This was the only game I got to play with the Wii U Pro controller and it made running and punching easier because it was just like the Classic Wii controller everyone is used to. If we had more time, I would have liked to try Pikmin 3 as well as Batman Arkham City but we only got two hours in the event. Oh well, that gives me something to look forward to when the system comes out around the holiday season. I did get my picture taken with "The" Super Mario and got some chocolate mustaches so it was a great day anyway. I hope Nintendo does more of these events and uses the badge system where you can link you Facebook page to the event more often. Being able to post pictures taken at the event right away is a great idea! Good work Nintendo!