Nintendo Land

7 cert, Nintendo, Wii U ***

Every new console needs a game that showcases its potential and gives players a gentle introduction to the new system. For the original Wii, Wii Sports did the job nicely. It was fun, easy to pick up and hard to put down. Nintendo has taken a different tack with the Wii U, offering up Nintendo Land . The collection of mini-games is presented as a virtual theme park, with 12 attractions based on popular Nintendo game worlds. They’re inspired by the likes of The Legend of Zelda, Animal Crossing, Donkey Kong and – of course – Mario. While you wander about the park, you’ll notice that the Miis milling around include the avatars of friends and family as well as the standard Mii crowd. There’s a nice mix of multi- and single-player games, and all of them have one thing at heart – they’re fun. You’ll tackle everything from shooting in Metroid Blast to sword battles in Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest. A great introduction to the Wii U.