When it comes to game launches, Nintendo is serving up the biggest in its history with the new Wii U. When the HD gaming console launches on Nov. 18, 23 games from Nintendo and its third-party publishing partners will be ready to play as well. These include Nintendo-published games like Nintendo Land, New Super Mario Bros. U, SiNG PARTY and NINJA GAIDEN 3: Razor’s Edge, as well as third-party powerhouses like ZombiU from Ubisoft, Call of Duty: Black Ops II from Activision Publishing, Inc., Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two from Disney Interactive, EA Sports FIFA Soccer 13 from Electronic Arts and Scribblenauts  Unlimited from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.

Nintendo today revealed more details about its new Wii U home console plus its touch-screen Wii U GamePad controller and announced that the Wii U will launch in the Americas on November 18th of this year. It also announced that during the launch window, more than 50 games will be available for Wii U, which will be offered in two different colors and configurations. The Basic Set will be offered in white at a suggested retail price of $299.99, while the Deluxe Set, which includes higher storage capacity, additional accessories and the new Nintendo Land video game, will be offered in black at a suggested retail price of $349.99.

Samsung Electronics America showcased several new innovations as part of Samsung SpaceFest, a five-day celebration of the arrival of the Space Shuttle Enterprise at the famous Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. Samsung revealed a brand new Angry Birds App for Samsung’s Smart Interaction-enabled TVs that opens up gesture controls like that featured in Kinect for Xbox 360.

Years ago, I reviewed Steel Battalion for the original Xbox, a game that came with a huge, table-sized 40+ button controller and two navigation sticks.  At that point, I said it was a little too over-complicated for its own good, but those who made the effort to invest time with it would be promptly rewarded.  Now, fast forward to last night, when I spent hours trying to navigate through Capcom’s latest game, Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor, for Xbox 360.  Same situation, too over-complicated for its own good, but no matter how much effort is put into it, the rewards never come.  So much for forward progress.

When it was first released last year, Batman: Arkham City did more than turn a few heads.  It defined exactly what a comic book-oriented game was supposed to be.  Featuring a larger environment than the original Batman: Arkham Asylum, breathtaking amounts of stuff to do within the prison-like city, awesome gameplay ranging from gliding to fighting enemies on the ground, and plenty of unique story twists, it set the standard for games that will follow in the years to come.  And with that, WB Games was probably wondering, “Why let Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC owners have all the fun?”

Nintendo didn’t have a very good E3. Its booth was easy to navigate, in stark contrast to years past when it was packed with gamers eager to get their hands on the latest titles. And this despite a massive lineup of first- and third-party video games that were playable for its upcoming Wii U home console today, including new games in the Super Mario Bros., Pikmin, Wii Fit, Batman: Arkham City, Scribblenauts, Assassin’s Creed and Just Dance franchises. Nintendo also failed to deliver a price point or launch date for the console, which introduces the Wii U GamePad, a controller with a 6.2-inch touch screen that redefines how people interact with their games, their entertainment and one another. Video game publishers from around the world, including Ubisoft, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Electronic Arts, SEGA, THQ and NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc. demonstrated their games across the Los Angeles Convention Center show floor.

LOS ANGELES -- At E3 2012, Nyko Technologies is showcasing a new line of controllers to enable console-quality gaming experiences on Android tablet devices. Nyko is creating controllers to support games optimized for NVIDIA Tegra mobile processors, notably the high-powered graphics capabilities of the Tegra 3 quad-core processor. Available Fall 2012, the tablet controllers will offer a future-proof gaming experience, blurring the line between mobile and console video gaming.

Dylan Cuthbert and his team over at Q Games aren’t known for making routine downloadable game experiences.  Each one they’ve produced stands out in their own right, like the twin-stick shooting fun of PixelJunk Shooter 1 and 2, the sheer addiction of PixelJunk Monsters, or the crazy old-school-ness (that is a word) of PixelJunk Sidescroller.  But even with such an offbeat resume, there’s no way you could see something like PixelJunk 4am coming.  It’s as funky a game experience as you’re likely to find this year, if not really about being a game itself.

When Nintendo presented its big showcase last year before the Electronic Entertainment Expo took place, it shocked the world with the announcement of the Wii U, a new game console that would take advantage of an innovative new touch screen controller.  However, when it came to hitting the floor and seeing the Wii U in action, most people think it came up a bit short, despite the interesting presentations.  This time around, Nintendo has a chance to really show attendees what their next-gen system is made of.  So how can they capitalize?  We’ve got a few ideas…

When Minecraft was announced last year for Xbox 360, a lot of folks figured it wasn’t a surprise, since Microsoft is all about lining up exclusive fare for owners of its console.  But, still, isn’t it more at home on a PC?  Could the experience possibly be ported over to Xbox Live Arcade and keep its awesome resourcing system intact?  Well, after a long time in development, the game arrived this week on the Marketplace and answered that question with a well-deserved “yes”.

When StarDrone came out for the PlayStation Network a few months back, it introduced an interesting concept that could be used with the PlayStation Move controller, one that had you directing a star-shaped drone across universal maps, collecting stars and other content while getting from point A to point B while you directed it on its journey.  Though hardly as addictive as other PSN games, it had enough moments to give the game a look.  With that, Beatshapers has brought the same experience to the PS Vita, but with touch-screen controls and a few exclusive levels for good measure.  The only question now is whether it’s enough to warrant another purchase.  Sorry, but not this time around.

Retro/Grade has quite the story behind it.  This downloadable game for PlayStation Network has been in the works for some time, introducing a new style of music/rhythm gameplay that ties in with a space shooter -- in a way.  We've seen it at a number of events, including last year's PAX Prime in Seattle, but upon seeing it at this year's PAX East 2012 event, we were treated with some good news.  The game is finally coming out later this year, as part of Sony's push to bring innovative new downloadable experiences to the PlayStation 3.