Wii U Game of the Year

I don't have that wide of a berth to choose from this year, seeing as how I don't have anything other than Nintendo systems right now, so my Game of the Year selections are just going to be limited to five categories.  We are going to have Wii, 3DS, 3DS Eshop, Wii U, and Wii U eShop games of the year, and that is it.  I'm not going to try and do an overall choice, because I know there are great games on the other systems that I can't consider.

First up we are going to do the two Games of the Year for the Wii U.

Wii U eShop Game of the Year

My GOTY for the eShop isn't even something that I consider to be a game.  It is more of an experience.  It is also completely twisted.

Little Inferno

Yes, the downloadable title that could have been called Burn Stuff: The Game is my eShop GOTY.  And that is really all that you do.  You have a fireplace on the screen, and some catalogs to order stuff out of.  When it shows up, you burn it.  And it is so captivating.  I purchased the game and started playing it.  Next thing I know, it's three and a half hours later, and I had just completed the "story" part of the game.  And what did I do after that?  I went right back in and spent another hour just burning stuff, setting up these mini Rube Goldberg-esque contraptions of flaming destruction.  I just couldn't pull myself away from the twisted glow of the digital fire.  

Some of the things you burn are a little, well, disturbing.  Like the bus.  Oh man, the bus!  Don't let that stop you from trying this one out though, because there are also some amazing things to burn in this game.  Especially the items from other games.  One of my favorites are the Tetronimoes.  You buy them in five packs, and they do exactly whet you think they would if you line them all up in the fireplace.  

It is all of the little things like that in this game that make it more than just a simple little time waster.  It has all of the right notes to take it from being good to being something that is something great.  Add in the little bits of story that you get through the mail in the game, and it makes it even better.

Honorable Mentions:

Mighty Switch Force Hyper Drive Edition

Nano Assault EX

Wii U Game of the Year

New Super Mario Bros. U

I almost feel like a hack by choosing this title.  Calling a Mario title GOTY feels like the easy way out.  And it is, but that is only because Nintendo continually does a stellar job on this franchise.  Even the games in this series that aren't amazing are still good (I'm looking at you, New Super Mario Bros. 2).  That also says a lot about this game.  

This game really feels like they took all of the good stuff from Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World and smooshed them together into beautiful high definition.  In fact, this game should have been called New Super Mario Bros. Beautiful.  If the transition from SD to HD looks this good in a 2D Mario game, I salivate at the thought of a 3D Mario title.  And the thoughts of Zelda HD send me into a bizarre euphoric state where I am being fed sriracha by Kate Winslet while watching a movie starring Bruce Campbell and Jackie Chan.  

Honorable Mentions:

Scribblenauts Unlimited

Nintendoland

Tonight, I will probably be posting my other three GOTY picks.  Maybe.  I don't know.  Just check back later.