Nintendo
is no stranger to taking risks and completely changing the
definition of what it means to control a video game. Sometimes these risks pay off,
like the Nintendo 64’s analog stick and the Wii’s motion components.
Other times, things don’t go so well. Yes Power Glove, we’re looking at
you. It’s with this history in mind that we enter the launch of the Wii
U, and its focus set around the unique functionality of the GamePad.
Part traditional controller and part tablet, Nintendo is hoping that
the GamePad ushers in a new era of creativity from all developers who
work on the console. When the system was announced at E3 2011, Nintendo
released a short trailer showcasing the possibilities that could stem
from the GamePad. In the year and a half since then, we’ve seen many of
those initial concepts fleshed out in titles set to hit alongside the
launch in just a few weeks. From what we’ve seen during this final
stretch, many key creative houses have thought up of interesting uses
for the new hardware, while others have turned a good idea bad by
encumbering it with unneeded and unwanted features.
One of the main bullet points of the
Wii U hardware that Nintendo has been touting is the ability to play most games
on the GamePad itself, leaving your television free to display whatever
wacky crap people watch nowadays. Activision has embraced this idea
with Black
Ops II, and I’m happy to say
that it’s actually works really well. From what we’ve played, the game runs with the
exact same fidelity as its 360 and PS3 counterparts. The wildly
impressive frame rate that Activision has had the series locked in at
for the past few years is represented perfectly on Nintendo?s
console. And while a lot of players will stick with the versions that
play host to the largest online communities, people who buy the Wii U
edition will be able to experience the game in the palm of their hands.
Even though the Vita has impressed me with some fantastic visuals on a
handheld, seeing BLOPS II run on the GamePad made me realize just how
far gaming technology has come in the past decade.
