A new console cycle is upon us, and in what should be a surprise to no one Nintendo is leading the charge. It’s been seven years since Nintendo released the Wii, and for the most part, the fanfare for the new Wii U is warranted.

I wasn’t a big fan of the Nintendo Wii. I felt that most of its software relied on way too many gimmicks. The control interface is overly complicated.

Where was the simplicity of Nintendo’s past? Growing up, I could play on one of Nintendo’s older systems for hours.

I tried to do that on the Wii and never got that natural flow I did with systems of old.

So you might wonder what I think of the Wii U when one of its major selling points is that you can use the Wii controllers that you already own with the new system. I actually think that’s just great. You see, these video game systems are not cheap and anything to help the buyer minimize the cost is a great feature on Nintendo’s new system.

I also like the fact that although it supports the old Wii controllers, it doesn’t force you to use them.

I like the Wii U gamepad and think I’ll be spending a lot of time shooting terrorists and rescuing Princesses on it.

So far, I think the Wii U is a system gamers should be having a lot of fun with, but not without some onset frustrations.

Your patience will be tested because the first thing you’re required to do once you get the Wii U out of the box is download about an hour long Day 1 patch.

It is also strongly recommended that you fully charge the gamepad before using it for the first time.

If you’re a gamer with young, eager kids, good luck trying to explain the wait to them. It should also be noted that both Super Mario Bros U and Madden 13 also require a small patch you must download before you can play the games for the first time.

Once you get all of that taken care of, the Wii U should let you play some games now. I bought two games with my Wii U Deluxe model; Madden 13 and Super Mario Bros. U.

I’ll review SMBU first because what’s a Nintendo console launch without the mustached plumber? If you were a fan of Mario & Friend’s other 2D outings then there will be little you will find wrong here.

You jump, you duck, and heck you even fly pretty often. This is the first Mario game that takes advantage of High Definition, (it’s the first game system to come with an HDMI cable in the box) and good lord are the graphics pretty.

Turtles are shiny, mushrooms are squishy, and the levels involving water are particularly note worthy.

Overall it’s just a fun, fun game that should act, as a blueprint for how good games should be made.

As for the Madden game, while this is not the first version of Madden I have owned, it is the one I have had the most fun playing.

Things like graphics and audio detail are both very good but it’s the interface (i.e. how the arm chair quarterback interacts with the game) that is amazing.

In the future, all football games should use the Wii U Gamepad. Running plays and calling audibles is a snap.

All you have to do is look down at the screen in your lap and marshal your forces like the field general you know you can be.

Plus, any game that let’s me shut out the dreaded Atlanta Falcons with my beloved New Orleans Saints can’t have much wrong with it.

Some people have complained that it can take too long to find a play you want to run without getting a delay of game penalty. While that is a valid concern, I think the more time you spend with the game, the less likely that this will be a problem.

It should also be noted that the Wii U does more than play games on it. Nintendo is trying to establish it as a multimedia station. Very few of these components were functioning at the time of this review.

Hopefully Nintendo will have these features up and running soon.

Does the Nintendo Wii U live up to all the hype and expectation that is has garnered since being announced at E3 a couple of years ago?

No, of course not, nothing could. What the Nintendo Wii U does is get it more right than any other console has during its launch in the modern age. Now if you’ll excuse me I have to sack Bowser and jump on top of Tom Brady’s head. Wait, check that, and reverse it.