So after my Wii U launch party, I have to say that Nintendo Land was a hit! And this is only based on four of the games. I really love how some games support 5 players.
The first game we played was Mario Chase and everyone was hooked after a couple of rounds. We played 14 rounds before trying another game (Luigi's Ghost Mansion), and even then we eventually went back to Mario Chase when some of my other friends showed up, because basically we couldn't let anyone NOT play the game.
Luigi's Ghost Mansion was basically the same case though. Everyone loved it almost right away and got addicted. Great use of teamwork.
The third game we played was Animal Crossing, which was fun but we only played a few rounds.
Lastly, we played 6 levels of Zelda and yeah, that one's a winner too. Starts really easy but gets tough in some levels, requiring good team coordination. I only played a little bit as the archer but I have to say, archery is almost preferred for me. Shooting arrows in Zelda games is always incredibly satisfying for me so that's no surprise.
So far, it seems like the magic of Nintendo Land is in the 5th player using the Gamepad. By actually making the Gamepad user's role fun and unique, everyone wants to get in on it. Everyone wants to experience being on both sides of the equation, which extends the longevity of the mini games. If these games were only four-player, I think they would get old much faster; by putting every person into the Gamepad role and switching off really makes a difference. I love it. It sold me on the idea of Gamepad implementation in multiplayer games.
So yeah, positive impressions so far from everyone who played. Can't wait to delve into the other attractions. It's unfortunate that half the games are single-player but maybe we can find some way to make the single-player attractions social in their own way.
In terms of the social experience, Nintendo Land is definitely the Wii U's Wii Sports. And, after spending six years with the Wii, I realize that Nintendo Land is exactly the kind of game that I bought the Wii U for, and other sorts of games are mere bonuses.