Nintendo showing stronger third-party support at E3 presentation

In the past, Nintendo has been known for its incredibly strong roster of first-party titles, like the Mario and Zelda games, but has been notoriously light on impressive third-party games. If their presentation today at the Electronic Entertainment Expo is any indication, they're hoping to finally turn that around.

Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime took to the stage on June 5 to unveil the latest titles for the new Wii U console and the Nintendo 3DS, and he had plenty of titles to show off. The presentation, which actually began on Sunday with a special pre-E3 webcast from Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, featured titles from Warner Brother Games, Ubisoft and more.

To kick off their third-party lineup, Fils-Aime announced a new version of Batman Arkham City exclusive to the Wii U. Batman Arkham City: Armored Edition puts Batman in an armoured suit, allowing the player to control its various special functions using the Wii U gamepad. The presentation also showed how the gamepad can be used to guide a new radio-controlled Batarang, to help solve some of the new puzzles added to the Wii U game.

While Warner Brothers Games certainly made an impact with the exclusive Batman title, it was Ubisoft who offered the most for the Wii U, announcing eight games that will be coming to the console. Multi-platform titles include The Avengers: Battle for Earth, Just Dance 4, Assassin's Creed III, Rabbids Land, YourShape Fitness Evolved 2013, Sports Connection and Rayman Legends. The Wii U will also be getting ZombiU, a Ubisoft exclusive for the console.

ZombiU puts the player in the midst of a zombie crisis, forcing the player to fight their way out. One bite, and the game is over. The Wii U gamepad is used in multiple ways to fight off the zombie hordes, from providing a display for sonar, scanner and inventory, to enabling the player to hack doors, break free from the grip of a zombie, take sniper shots and perform finishing moves. The game's release date is still to be announced.

For those who aren't so keen on battling the undead, Scribblenauts will be moving from portable to home console with Scribblenauts Unlimited, although a Nintendo 3DS version will also be available. The new high-definition game will still let players put any object they want in the game just by writing it down, but it will also take things one step further by including a new custom creation mode. Players can take different objects and blend them together, give them a unique name, and use them in the field of play. Players can also share their custom creations with others through the new social options in the game.

Mass Effect 3, Tank! Tank! Tank!, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Trine 2: Director's Cut and Aliens: Colonial Marines were also briefly shown during Nintendo's presentation as upcoming titles for the Wii U. The Nintendo 3DS will also be getting a slate of third-party games, including Castlevania: Lords of Shadow — Mirror of Fate, Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion and Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. More information on those games will likely be coming through Nintendo's information hub during E3, e3.nintendo.com.