Nintendo caused a stir at E3 2011 by finally unveiling its plans for Wii U, with the new HD home console set to arrive underneath a TV near you later in 2012.
Wii U is clearly the standout from this year's E3, both for Nintendo, E3 and the industry at large. But what about the games?
To help you sift through the morass of new titles announced and demonstrated for the current-gen Nintendo Wii and the recently released 3DS, we have selflessly edited out the many titles that don't warrant your interest or cash, whittling it down to the best ten Nintendo titles at E3 2011.
Wii U and a decent slate of games
"I think Nintendo may have initially caused more confusion than excitement with the Wii U reveal," says Ngamer magazine editor, Charlottle Martyn. "But now that things are clearer it's obvious that Nintendo have pulled something pretty spectacular out of the bag.
"The gameplay possibilities opened up by Wii U – not to mention the third-party support – easily overshadow the slightly underwhelming 3DS showing. Luigi's Mansion aside, there were no big surprises on the handheld front, just (admittedly impressive) updates on games we've known about for a while.
"Nintendo is once again leading the way when it comes to gaming innovation. And for all its potential for gimmickry, Wii U does look like a real gamers' machine, with some big third-party franchises signed up – all of which should be considerably enhanced by that unique controller. The tactical potential alone in games as diverse as Ghost Recon and something like FIFA or Madden is huge."
Still, all of that said, below is our list of the top ten Wii and 3DS games that you will actually be able to buy and play later this year (or, where indicated, early in 2012).
Despite every single one of these games promising to be superb, there are two things worthy of note here. Firstly, other than the new Zelda game later this year, Nintendo seems to have almost given up on the Wii (most of the titles below are for 3DS). Secondly, despite pushing the message that third-party publishers are upping their support for Nintendo at E3 2011, nine of the ten titles in our list is a first-party Nintendo-developed game. Read into that what you will…
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii, due out 'holiday season' 2011)
Kirby (Wii)
Heroes of Ruin (3DS, out 2012)
Kid Icarus Uprising
Mario Kart 3DS
Super Mario 3DS
Starfox 64 3D
Animal Crossing (3DS)
Luigi's Mansion(3DS, early 2012)
Mario Sports Mix (Wii)
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