Puddle makes its Wii U début in Europe

Wii U is finally arriving in Europe and PAL regions, and with it comes all of the excitement of a new system. Part of that — after the system update, of course — is the Wii U eShop, which arrives with some exciting download-only games as well as a host of retail titles. There's plenty to get through, so let's get to it.

Wii U Download Software

Trine 2: Director's Cut (Frozenbyte, £10.99 / €13.49 [promotional price until 31st December 2012, €16.99 / £13.99 thereafter]) — Frozenbyte has come straight out of the gate with a promotional price on this launch day offering; this visually stunning title makes its way to Wii U with some content exclusive to the platform, and also includes three player co-op either in online or local play. It's a quest involving a wizard, knight and thief, which certainly sounds fun, though there are a few shortcomings to be aware of — check out our Trine 2: Director's Cut review for details.

Puddle (Neko Entertainment, £7.19 / €7.99 [promotional price until 14th December, €9.99 / £8.99 thereafter]) — Originally released on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, the developer has previously promised that this will be a definitive version of the game, with various control options possible on the GamePad. It's a water-based physics puzzler that certainly looks promising, and we'll let you know what we think in our upcoming review.

Nano Assault Neo (Shin'en Multimedia, £8.99 / €9.99) — It's an all-new HD, fully fledged entry in the Nano Assault series, which started off so strongly on 3DS. It's a visual and aural feast, with twin stick shmup action sure to please arcade gamers and action junkies alike, while co-op takes advantage of the GamePad's extra screen. Online leaderboards are sure to attract competitive score chasers, and despite being a little light on content we deemed it worthy of 8/10 in our Nano Assault Neo review.

Little Inferno (Tomorrow Corporation, £12.99 / €14.99) — This title is from a team including those that brought us World of Goo — with which it shares its art style — and Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure, and is possibly the most abstract and intriguing of the launch titles on offer. It's not necessarily the easiest game to understand and explain as a result, but we do our best while recommending it in our Little Inferno review.

Chasing Aurora (Broken Rules, £10.79 / €11.99) — With a gorgeous art style, this is a flying game with a 2D zoomed-out perspective, which has a strong emphasis on multiplayer through a variety of modes. It's currently a Wii U exclusive, and we explain why it's worth strong consideration in our Chasing Aurora review.

Wii U Retail Demo

FIFA 13 (EA, free) — It's encouraging to see a demo available on day one, with EA getting in first with the Wii U version of its yearly football title. As is expected with some launch games, there are some notable features missing in the Wii U edition, but the developers have put some effort into incorporating the GamePad in interesting ways, such as aiming shots with the touchscreen or quickly managing tactics while the action is still unfolding. And hey, it's a free demo, so what's stopping you?

Wii U Retail Downloads

There are a number of retail titles already available to download on the Wii U eShop. At the moment some games are listed but not marked as availalabe, while other launch titles aren't yet showing. Consider this particular list to be provisional at the moment, though we'll update as the system officially launches.

There's a fair bit to choose from on day one, and we expect the list of retail options to evolve once launch day arrives. There are five download-only games to choose from, however, so will any of those be prompting you to put some funds on your new system's account? Let us know in the comments and poll below.

What will you be download first from the Wii U eShop? (85 votes)

  1. Trine 2: Director's Cut25%
  2. Puddle4%
  3. Nano Assault Neo19%
  4. Little Inferno16%
  5. Chasing Aurora7%
  6. Nothing for me this week29%

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