Wii U’s 2013 lineup looks a bit barren thus far

Let’s take a look at the Wii U’s Japanese lineup for 2013. Only three games have confirmed dates – Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage 2, Tank! Tank! Tank! (already released on the eShop), and Need for Speed: Most Wanted.

Aside from these titles, it doesn’t seem like there’s a whole lot to look forward to in 2013 if you have a Japanese Wii U. Pikmin 3, Dragon Quest X (updated Wii port), Game & Wario, and Wii Fit U are basically the only other titles officially set to be released in the first half of the year.

The situation looks brighter overseas, but only slightly. In the first few months of 2013, Wii U owners in North America can count on most of the same games coming to Japan, as well as LEGO City: Undercover, Rayman Legends, Injustice: Gods Among Us, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, The Amazing Spider-Man (old port), F1 Race Stars (old port), Aliens: Colonial Marines (hopefully the Wii U version will be out on time), and The Wonderful 101. Most of these games should be hitting Europe, in addition to older North American launch titles like Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge and Sing Party.

Perhaps most troubling of all is the lack of third-party support. Konami has nothing in the works for the Wii U. Same goes for Take-Two and 2K Games. Capcom, thus far, has only brought Monster Hunter 3 to the console. EA has only cooked up old ports. Namco Bandai doesn’t have any new games on the horizon.

Indie devs will at least prop up the console through the Wii U eShop. There are a number of high-quality downloadable games on the way, including Toki Tori 2, Runner 2, Mutant Mudds Deluxe, and Cloudberry Kingdom.

It’d be silly to draw any conclusions or make too much of a fuss over a console’s early lineup. But for some, 2013 – at least for the first few months – may be a bit quiet. Hopefully a few announcements will be made leading up to E3 2013, with even bigger surprises at the expo.