Rumor: Wii U Launch Titles Leaked

Don't Blame the Controller is becoming quite the rumor mill.

According to a report that originally appeared on Go Nintendo, Blockbuster UK has in its internal database the names of 25 Wii U launch titles. Who knows if the list is real or a hoax (I'm inclined to say hoax), but the list has the ring of truth to it, mostly because many of the titles were already advertised by Nintendo at last year's E3. Whether the list is accurate or not, it begs the question: is this line-up impressive to both the Nintendo faithful and to those who have been wary of Nintendo in the past?

The list of leaked Wii U titles (announced titles in bold):

Aliens: Colonial Marines
Assassin's Creed
Batman: Arkham City
Darksiders II
Dirt 3
Formula 1 All Stars
Game Party
Ghost Recon Online
Just Dance 4
Killer Freaks From Outer Space
Marvel Super Heroes
Metro: Last Light
Monsters Party
New Super Mario Bros. Mii
Ninja Gaiden 3
Pikmin
Rabbids Party Land
Raving Rabbids
Rayman Legends
Shield Pose
Splinter Cell 6
Sports Connection
Tekken
Your Shape 2013
Zombie

What's most impressive about this list is the huge third-party support from Ubisoft: eight titles by my count. Ubisoft has been supporting the Wii U in a big way, so this is entirely possible. I'm a fan of Ubisoft, and I'm very much looking forward to a close partnership between the French publisher and Nintendo. Several of these games sound like working titles, especially Zombie, so it's hard to say what those could be. Overall, this is what I expected the launch line-up to look like, although it's a longer list than I imagined.

Also, for all the Nintendo naysayers out there who think this menu of games is unimpressive, please consider the Xbox 360 launch line-up: Call of Duty 2, Project Gotham Racing 3, Kameo: Elements of Power, etc. Or the PS3 launch: Resistance: Fall of Man, Ridge Racer 7, Madden NFL 07, etc. Not a lot of killer apps there. In fact, if this list is accurate, the Wii U will probably be remembered as having one of the strongest launch line-ups in video game history, alongside the Dreamcast, SNES, and original Xbox.

Nintendo will officially unveil some launch titles (and possibly a new name) at E3 2012, which runs from June 5-7.