The launch of Wii U in 2012 brought with it a fantastic selection of titles for gamers to get the most out of the home console. And next year, it looks like there will be plenty more to look forward to. From platform games to health and fitness packages, it seems the Wii U has all gaming bases covered.

Mario returns for platform adventure

For many, the release of a new console comes with the hope there will be re-imagined versions of console classics. Nintendo certainly didn’t let people down, bringing the latest of its Mario games out on the launch day. In New Super Mario Bros. U, you can expect an all new 2D side-scrolling adventure, but with some great new twists in gameplay. As well as allowing up to five people to join in with additional Wii Remote controllers, the innovative Wii U GamePad allows you to get more control by placing Boost Blocks and much more.

Family gaming across Nintendo Land

Wii U is a home console that works brilliantly for solo play, but it’s even better when bringing everyone together. A great example of this is Nintendo Land, a fabulous title that takes you through 12 different attractions – all based on the worlds of famous Nintendo franchises. With each game, players will be challenged to take on a series of levels and modes that will test your skills in all kinds of ways. You can visit places like Luigi’s Ghost Mansion, take part in Mario Chase or take on the bad guys in Metroid Blast, to name just a few of the attractions featured.

More action and adventure to come in 2013

If you were lucky enough to get a Wii U at Christmas, you may be wondering what is coming up in the New Year. Well if its platform fun you’re after then Rayman Legends could be just the ticket. Maybe you’re after high-octane action from one of the latest shooting games? If so, Aliens: Colonial Marines should probably be on your shopping list. There are also releases like Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge and Pikmin 3 to look forward to, as well as Wii U Fit – which could be just the thing to help you out with a few of those New Year’s resolutions you’ll be trying to keep up with!

All in all, if you decided the Wii U console was for you following its November release – there is plenty coming down the line to enjoy in the coming months.

Every developer naturally hypes up their releases. Most of the time though, the hype is just that, and ends up being completely unjustified (see Molyneux, Peter).

When it comes to the developers of the “Crysis” series hyping the graphical prowess of their next title though, you can usually take that guarantee to the exceptionally well rendered bank, as the series continues to produce the most jaw dropping titles available. True to form then, Crytek’s CEO Cevat Yerli is promising that “Crysis 3” is going to be stunningly beautiful. How good looking? Apparently they have maxed out the capabilities of the current generation of consoles, and are promising that no game released in the current gen will look as good as “Crysis 3”. He goes on to stay that the consoles will still have nothing on the PC version, which at max specs will supposedly rival or exceed the early batch of next gen titles for graphical prowess.

Do we believe these impressive claims? Well considering “Crysis 2″ is over a year old and looks like this:

I’d say they have a pretty good chance. And while it would have been more intriguing if we were promised the most incredible gameplay of the generation, I can’t wait to see what the peak of the current hardware looks like in motion, and maybe even a preview of what to expect from the true debut of the next generation.

Oh, ummm….Sorry Wii U

Originally, I wasn’t sure whether or not to report on the Ouya, mostly because I feel like I met my quota on farfetched console rumors with that Xbox 720 report leak. However, between the underwhelming Wii U unveiling at E3, and Microsoft and Sony remaining mum on their future plans, 720 leaks aside, it’s getting harder and harder to get properly hyped up for the next generation of consoles based on mere official information. So here I am, reporting on another console that may or may not exist.

Cynicism aside, the truth is that there are a lot of reasons to be excited about the Ouya. Because Ouya isn’t just a vaguely dirty-sounding word, but is instead a rumored new entrant into the console wars that has the backing of veterans like Ed Fries (Xbox) and CEO Julie Uhram (IGN).

Now, obviously, anybody trying to make a successful new console has to have an ace up their sleeve to separate themselves from the industry giants. The Ouya’s trump card, as first reported by The Verge, is its Android-powered core, which will supposedly help the console double as a development kit. Essentially, the Ouya is “hacker friendly” and allows for gamers that buy it to create their own titles. Even more appealing is the consoles alleged price tag, which is said to be set at $99, and will feature completely free games.

While there is apparently more information about the Ouya set to break in the coming days, what we have now is tantalizing enough. The idea of a major release system encouraging a lassez faire attitude towards its consumers concerning security policies and publishing rights is an interesting one, and brings consoles closer toward their seemingly inevitable assimilation with some of the finer points of PC gaming. In fact, there is a lot about the Ouya that reflects the recent evolutionary trends in gaming. It combines a little bit of mobile app gaming, the explosion of the indie development market, and is supposedly set to offer the whole package to you for a foundation-shattering price point.

It’s a console based around the concepts of freedom and independence, making the 4th of July the perfect day to consider its potential impact. Because honestly, whether or not the Ouya bucks the trend of previous cinderella entrants into the console market and actually makes it is, at this time, largely irrelevant. As the “Madden” franchise has shown, when there is a lack of real competition in a market, it’s hard for your product to not become stale. And if even half of the information about the Ouya turns out be accurate, it is at least an exciting idea that may hopefully force the major players to consider the benefits of its more appealing ideas.

While the Wii U has been making its publicity tour, including an awkward appearance on “The Jimmy Fallon Show,” there has been a very shocking dearth of information from Sony and Microsoft concerning their next generation plans. That is, until now.

Well… possibly.

There is this absolutely massive 56-page report that is currently making its rounds on the front page of most major gaming websites.  Its contents are various, but the general summary of it is a detailed “game plan” of sorts for Microsoft’s next console launch, including features, a price point, and a broad ranged analysis of the console market both at the time of the documents origins and how it will look by 2013 (the next console’s supposed launch date) and beyond.

Now, this report is being classified as a “leak” as it apparently made its rounds internally around Microsoft back in 2010. However, while Microsoft is naturally remaining mum on the subject of its origins and accuracy, there are many who believe the report to be more or less a hoax, albeit a very detailed and professional one. Nevertheless, the most eye-grabbing bits of the report are the specific features of the alleged new console (which is named Xbox 720 in the report). Among them are:

- Blu-ray functionality (oh come on Microsoft, giving up on HD-DVD so easily?)

- Enhanced Kinect support, including the expansion of the system to allow up to four players and a new sensor all together

- A $299 price point

- Cloud support for taking your multimedia files anywhere

- Potential tablet integration

- Enhanced reality glasses, dubbed Fortaleza, that provide features such as heads-up displays and other virtual reality aspects

- Games that are “4x to 6x better looking than current titles”

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