Well, that was a lame Nintendo Direct, and Nintendo really needed a home run here.
- I loved Donkey Kong Country Returns, so I'm fine with getting another game. I just wish Retro wasn't likely the developer on it.
- Super Mario 3D World looks like...Super Mario 3D Land on Wii U, with SMB2 characters. OK, I guess.
- Mario Kart 8 looks like the same ol' Mario Kart, but with vertical tracks. That's neat, but if it doesn't factor into gameplay, that's not really a big deal.
- Wind Waker HD looks like...Wind Waker in HD. That's OK...I guess, but I would have liked Nintendo expanding upon the game's new features.
- I don't care about Wii U Party, and neither will the market.
- Art Academy Wii U is one of those games I don't care about, but based on what we've seen from the Miiverse artists, the Wii U needed it.
- I'm wary of what looks like mandatory touch controls in Wonderful 101, but I'll look forward to more info on that game.
- Bayonetta 2 looks potentially good. I just wish we got more gameplay footage.
- Smash Bros. U looks good, and I like the art style change with the 3DS game. Mega Man is a great inclusion who, unlike Snake, actually belongs in a Nintendo fighting game.
- X looks incredible. I wish Nintendo would give it a real name, though.
Overall, the only surprise in that Nintendo Direct was Mega Man in Smash Bros. Everything else, we already knew about, more or less, and the Wii U's lineup for 2013's looking pretty bare. Add the massive streaming issues to the pile, and Nintendo just failed to excite today.