Wii Launch titles

As far as games for the Wii it will have one of the most anticipated games of recent memory coming for its launch day. Let’s take a look at the Wii “Day One” game launch line-up:

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Originally planned as a GameCube title, the folks at Nintendo wisely decided to delay the game and release it as a launch title for the Wii first (the Gamecube version is still due out in December). The latest Link adventure will include a lot of Wiimote features including ways to use it as a bow and arrow.

Excite Truck
Developer Monster Games created this title for Nintendo’s first party launch that their version of an off-road racing game that uses the Wiimote to steer exclusively. Add in a two player mode and this could be a unique combo or racing and party game.

Red Steel
UbiSoft created this first person shooter exclusively for the Wii as you take on the Japanese Yakuza with not just gun play but also sword play using the Wiimote to control it. While it doesn’t have online play it does have four player offline multiplayer action.

Rayman Raving Rabbids
It’s another UbiSoft title that’s semi-exclusive to the Wiii (other platforms get this game later), and this time it’s a party game featuring the company’s classic platform action game character in a series of over 70 mini-games designed around the Wiimote.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz
Sega’s classic party game character makes an exclusive Wii appearance, using both the Wiimote and the nunchuk attachment to naviate tons of puzzle maps and lots of mini-games.

Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam
Developed exclusively for the Wii by Toys for Bob and Activision, this departure from the pro skateboarding series uses the Wiimote to navigate your skaters down a series of downhill tracks.

Trauma Center: Second Opinion
Altus Software brings this new Wii version of their Nintendo DS game for launch day. You can use the Wiimote to perform the game’s version of medical surgery .

Monster Pro 4x4 World Circuit and GT Pro Series
It’s two more Wii exclusive racing games from UbiSoft, but little info on them has been revealed.

In addition, quite a number of third party games will be released for the Wii on launch day that have been released previously on other platforms:

Madden 07 and Need For Speed Carbon from Electronic Arts.

Call of Duty 3 and Marvel Ultimate Alliance from Activision.

Happy Feet, Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, The Ant Bully and Rampage: Total Destruction from Midway.

SpongeBob Squarepants: Creature From The Krusty Krab , Cars, and Avatar: The Last Airbender from THQ.

Dragon Ball Z: Bodokai Tenkaichi 2 from Atari.

As you can see from the list, the Nintendo Wii launch line-up is much more extensive than the PS3 for launch day but it also skews heavily toward the younger generation for its game content for the most part. There’s also a lot of questions as to how the Wii remote will work with these games. We will soon know a lot more.