Nintendo Land Hands-On Preview for Wii U

System: Wii U
Dev: Nintendo
Pub: Nintendo
Release: November 18, 2012
Players: 1-5
Screen Resolution: 480p-1080p

And then I got to check out The Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest, which I had heard about but had never actually seen in action. Unfortunately, even though I loves me some Zelda, this was by far the least entertaining piece of content on the disc. In it, Wiimote players slash swords and the GamePad player shoots arrows by flicking the right thumbstick. These players traverse on-rails segments while shooting and slashing through baddies. I can see this being a pretty cool experience, but the fact that it was all on rails made the whole thing feel a bit cheaper than it would have if players were allowed to explore freely. After all, isn't exploration one of the key components of a Zelda game?

Nintendo Land Screenshot

Now, I didn't actually get my hands on Metroid Blast, but I was curious enough to pry for some details. The game will support up to five players simultaneously (one with a GamePad and four with Wiimotes), and will offer what was described as "first-person/third-person shooter style gameplay." I was told to expect both cooperative and competitive modes here. In fact, in one mode, Wiimote players go head to head in a battle with Samas Aran's gunship, which is controlled via the GamePad. Players on foot will even be able to fire grappling hooks at the ship, then attach themselves to power up and blast away opponents.

One thing that I couldn't help but notice about these attractions was the soundtrack. Rather than being composed using all the modern bells and whistles, with orchestral sounds and things, most of what I heard were low-bit chiptunes, which was actually kind of neat. I think that actually sums up what Nintendo's trying to accomplish with this title: tickling those nostalgia centers in our brains.

Ultimately, Nintendo Land looks to offer way more than I had initially suspected. You might want to check it out when it launches alongside the Wii U on November 18.

By
Josh Wirtanen
Editor / News Director
Date: October 2, 2012

Game Features:

Nintendo Land is a fun and lively virtual theme park filled with attractions based on popular Nintendo game worlds. Each attraction features unique and innovative gameplay experiences made possible by the Wii U GamePad controller.

Depending on the attraction, players can play solo, compete against other players, or even team up to play cooperatively. Up to five players can participate in dynamic multiplayer modes in select attractions.

The experiences change depending on whether players are using the GamePad, a Wii Remote controller, or just watching others play on the TV screen. Multiplayer modes require additional accessories required, which are sold separately.