Wii U, I'm salivating already.

Just call me a Pavlonian Dog, cause I'm super stoked for the Wii U launch next week!

While I have only gotten my hands on the in-store demo of Rayman so far, but the potential of multi-screen gaming has been enticing to me since before the Wii U was announced at E3 2011.

My favorite example of multi-screen gaming to this point is PacMan Vs. for the GC.  It utilized the GBA as a second screen for one player to play as PacMan, and the other three played on the TV as the ghosts with a limited view directly around their character.  It was one of the best games for the GC and I hope to see a port on the Wii U sometime soon.

Now as I've pre-ordered the Deluxe edition of the Wii U, I'm going to try to make the most of the Deluxe Digital Promotion.  That said, I'm most likely going to try to download everything for my Wii U, at least till it ends in December of 2014, unless I can get a really awesome deal on physical games.

I thought I would breakdown which games I'm looking most forward to and why.  That doesn't mean I won't get other games before some of these, but as there are no reviews out yet, this is all I have to go on.

Let's jump on in then!

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate:  I've logged over 800 hours on Tri since my original Wii became corrupt and had to be sent away.  That doesn't even include the hours spent before!  This is roughly twice the content of Tri, including a bunch of new monsters and sub-species, new weapons (ok old to the series, but missing from Tri), new areas, new armor, new weapons, new quests, and a whole difficulty (called G rank).  To put it lightly, I will get well over 1000 hours of gameplay out of this one game alone.  A worth while gaming investment, but as my brother is getting his Wii U purely to play this game, it will be one of the most enjoyable as well.  The joy of hunting monsters together really is quite rewarding.  This is the only game that I can confidently say "I WILL BE BUYING" regardless if it's only available in physical form.  I'm looking for it March of 2013.

Little Inferno: Made by an indie development team which contains members of 2DBoy, this just looks like it's going to be lots of fun.  Do I know the purpose of this?  Nope.  Do I know what you will do?  NO CLUE!  Will it be awesome?  You can bet your hat!  Just watch that teaser and tell me you don't want to know more!  Plus, I'm all about encouraging indie developers.

Game and Wario:  I have loved the WarioWare series since the GC days!  There has only been one bad game in the series.  They are always silly but super fun games of the most frantic sort.  The potential of the Wii U gamepad with such an eclectic collection is sure to be amazing!

Trine 2: Director's Cut:  Another indie game, this one is a remake of the critically acclaimed puzzle platformer with some extra levels and powers to use when switching between your knight, wizard, and thief.

Cloudberry Kingdom:  Yet another indie game, this one is a multiplatform release which should launch soon.  Only Betas are out right now.  The game is a product of an AI they built to randomly generate 2D platforming levels in the same vein as Mario.  It goes the gambit from easy to the masochistic.  Despite what initial shock comes from looking at those levels, each and every level can be done.

Rayman Legends:  Yet another Rayman game, but this one is designed to make use of the Wii U gamepad.  The musical levels sold me on this one!  I'm looking forward to the great multiplay action this game is bound to be addictive!

Zombie U:  Touted as the Hardcore game for the Wii U.  Sure there will be other hardcore games to play as well, but this is the only one at launch that is an exclusive to the Wii U.  Permanent deaths make the experience you gained extra painful as you have to go back out to slay your zombified former avatar who is still holding your items.  Designed from the ground up to make use of the Wii U gamepad, this one I'm keeping my eyes close on.

New Super Mario Bros. U:  It is a new 2D Super Mario game, so you know it's going to be good.  No question about that, and most likely to be available in Digital form on day 1.

Aliens Colonial Marines:  While there are lots of games that will be released on the PS3, 360, and Wii U, this one is potentially going to be one of the best!  Just the way they plan to make use of the gamepad is going to make the Wii U version superior to any other.  Plus, it's Aliens!  Not just any alien, but Aliens Aliens!

Mighty Switch Force! HD:  Another remake, this one from the 3DS, with redrawn animations, new content, and the like.  Track down the bad guys and make it to the end of the stage before time runs out or you take 3 hits.  You can jump, shoot, and push blocks in or out of the background to further your progress.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2:  Yet another port, but with enhanced features.  The Tekken series has been one of the best fighters around and my 2nd favorite 3D figheter.  Sure I prefer the Soul Calibur series, but Namco isn't offering me that.

Scribblenauts Unlimited:  The original game in this series was amazing!  You had to solve puzzles with your imagination and whatever you could think of.  Super Scribblenauts moved away from the puzzles a bit, and I'm afraid that this one may stray too far from those puzzles as well.  The ability to make anything you want really is a fun concept though.  Going to have to try this one myself before I make the commitment of buying it though.

While I would love to get more games, these are probably going to be more than I can afford both in money as well as in time to spend on them.  At least for the time being.

The end of Video Games as we know them

Perhaps it's due to the recent rumors putting the next consoles from Sony and Microsoft into 2014, and the fact that the Wii U has such a huge head start.  Perhaps it has to do with the ever changing dynamic of how we play games on other devices besides just our traditional consoles.  Or it could be in the not so silent death throughs that the traditional controller are going through as touch, motion, and voice controls become more and more saturated in the market.

The moral of the story is that videogames are changing, and perhaps it's for the best.  The traditional controller has held back the evolution of the video game for too long now and by supplementing in touch, motion, and voice commands it can finally be phased out.  In no version of virtual reality are you holding a controller, so why are we clinging to them like mice on a piece of drift wood out at sea?  Overzealous use of new technology which doesn't have the proven speed and accuracy of the traditional controller.  But when these new means of control are implemented in ways that take into account their limitations, they are truly inspiring.

How we interact is only part of this shift though.  Gaming has moved from dedicated consoles to our phones and other devices.  Can these really provide the same types of deep engrossing experiences that a console or even handheld console can provide?  The power is there.  The 3rd party support is there.  But it never quite reaches the level of play seen on a dedicated system.  The reason is all in planning, gaming on those devices is an after thought, like brick breaker on an old-cell phone.  Sure it works, you can spend time with it, and with a few select examples it works as well if not better than a console (PvZ).  But they never provide the deep experiences that can draw us into a whole new world, where you forget for a little while that you arn't in some magical far away land.

The same way a great book can transport you to far distant worlds you have never been, a great game can do the same.  Simply touching a screen is not enough to do this.  You don't feel like you have the kind of direct control that is offered in so many console games.  Anything where you play god (PvZ, Field Runners, etc) isn't going to be as affected by this disconnect because you expect your actions to be carried out on your behalf.  But when you are directly taking control of the character, these types of experiences feel off.  Additional control options are required to do so, and must be implemented from the start for that purpose.  This is why the new Sony Xperia should be one to watch.

Finally, we may be seeing the end of traditionally defined console generations.  Nintendo claimed that the direction of the Wii was not to compete with the 360 and PS3, "too many powerful dinosaurs" yadda yadda yadda.  When a system launches, early adaptors move first.  The games offered won't push too many boundaries of what the system can do, but will be markedly better ports than the other systems out.  As systems hit their stride with large libraries of quality games and developers grow more accustomed to the hardware and start producing real master-pieces, this is the time when the majority of consoles owners buy.  Finally in the autumn of a systems years, the hardware is pushed to the max and the system slowly disappears as it is overshadowed by the next generation.  What if system launches were staggered by a few years?  At every point I listed above, what if another system where at each of the other points?  Every system would retain dominance for a time, then full of proven games, and finally slowly overshadowed.  Perhaps this is a crazy idea.  Perhaps this idea could support two companies vying for our money, but three?

Certainly not when systems are abandoned before the launch of their successors.  For shame Nintendo.