Well I'm back from Gamescom (finally) and was able to play pretty much every WiiU game they had there. I'm going to do a more in depth write up to each title later but for now I'd like to share my impressions:
Gamepad:
This is not a tablet. It feels like an amazing but rather large controller. It's perfectly ergonomical, a joy to hold and the analog sticks are about comparable with those on the Classic Controller Pro. The Screen looks gorgeous, has a very high viewing angle, great black levels and the image is crisp and often times looked actually better than what was displayed on the TV. Gyro aiming worked like a charm, the screen itself was very responsive, and only slight touches were enough. Sliding, selecting etc all works very well.
Again, it's not a table, it's a classic controller with great ergonomics and a huge screen on it.
Pro Controller:
Buttons and Analog sticks are the same as the Gamepad. It's functionally identical with the Gamepad, sans all the screen features and no NFC reader/writer. It feels like a 360 controller, but with a much better d-pad (loved it) and better analog sticks. A shame that the triggers are digital though.
The analog stick placement becomes second nature after a few minutes of play and is really never a hassle.
Now on to Games:
ZombiU
Despite the horrible host that "guided" me through the demo, this game really left an impact on me. Graphics were mediocre and scream Launch Title, but I'd be lying if I'd say that the gameplay and Gamepad inclusion didn't impress me. Gyro Aiming was flawless and very precise, the inventory and lockpicking segments are very tense and should be even more so in the final game.
Another thing is, I feel like this is a game that only gets into it's own when played for more time. Losing a survivor in the demo felt like a non event, but I can imagine that with more investment it should become quite tragic to lose a character.
I also noticed, that carefull planning and strategic playstyles are rewarded as it allows you to (mostly) gain space control really fast. Shooting felt fine, even though a bit stiff and the snap on aiming is better gone in the final game.
I don't know how trustworthy this is, but the final game should be playable with a Wiimote/Nunchuck which to me would make this game even better.
Assassins Creed 3/ Single Player
The controls were great, graphics looked as good or better (my impression was that textures and framerate were better than on the PS3 version I also played, but I could be wrong) than PS3, and the game itself was a real joy to play. I'd say it's one of the best Launch/Launchwindow Games for the WiiU.
Batman Armored Edition:
Easily the worst game I've played during this years Gamescom, right up there with Tomb Raider. The demo at hand was a complete desaster. The infamous Unreal Engine 3 Texture loading problems were terrible, it took about 30 to 50 seconds for the floor and character textures and shaders to finally load, the controls were mapped one to one from a 360 controller and this includes inversion and sensitivity of the Batarang controls from the analog stick controlled 360/Ps3 version.
The batarang in particular was unplayable, and I was reminded of the first Wii Titles.
If this demo is any indication as to how Batman is going to look and play on the WiiU upon release then I really have to warn you to stay the fuck away from this turd. It's the kind of cheap cash in port that should be shunned. Even the presenters knew the game was trash.
Rayman Legends
Probably the most fun game I played this year. The Multiplayer gameplay is outstanding. We played 2 to 3 player and my Girlfriend started out using the gamepad and had a blast helping/sabotaging us. Out of all the WiiU games, this is by far the best. Controls were snappy, the image quality was just gorgeous on both the Gamepad and the 40 inch Samsung TV. Even standing half a meter away from it, the IQ was still great.
Tank Tank Tank
I didn't get to play much of this, but it seems like a fun arcade game that controlled just fine, allthough it wouldn't make a Dreamcast break a sweat in the graphics department.
Rabbids Land
Interestingly enough this one was kind of a let down as they only let people play the Guitar Hero/evading fireballs Minigame, which was fine and lots of fun, but not enough to judge the game on. If nothing else, they added a lot of subtle details to the Rabbids, like their mouths flabbing in the wind while riding along the highway.
It's perplexing to see Ubisoft really doing Nintendos work on promoting the WiiU, the social features (facebook like online features in Your Shape) and online components of the WiiU as well as highlighting the asymetrical Multiplayer aspect.
Kudos to Ubisoft which stunned me with a great and creative lineup of games and a real dedication to make great games available on Launch.
