Nintendo held another one of their popular Nintendo Direct presentations, this one broadcasted worldwide, showcasing new and upcoming titles for their Wii U and 3DS platforms.  Among the announcements was a surprise "worldwide partnership" with SEGA, cementing the relationship between two former rivals that will see the next three Sonic installments appearing exclusively on Nintendo platforms.

Let's take a look at this, and other announcements made by Nintendo on Friday's presentation.

From acclaimed developer NetherRealm Studios comes Injustice: Gods Among Us, an all-new franchise in the fighting genre starring some of the most popular superheroes and villains from the DC Universe. The game features an original story from veteran DC Entertainment and comic book writers Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti and is set in an alternate reality where the line between good and evil is blurred. Players will assume the role of a large roster of favourite DC Comics icons such as Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Wonder Woman, and many others.

Coming off two months of packed game releases, May is looking to continue the trend with its fair share of big game titles.  The month is going to have a mild beginning but will quickly take off mid-month with the release of Metro: Last Light, followed by the HD remake of Resident Evil: Revelations and the upgraded 3D version of Donkey Kong Country Returns.  Rounding out May is the much-anticipated new IP from Insomniac Games, Fuse, and after a five-year wait, GRID 2 finally revs its engine.

Let's take a look at the games!

In essence, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate is just like any other Monster Hunter game.  Take on the role of an anonymous hero or heroine and, well, slay monsters.  During your journey you'll learn to not necessarily grind, but rather farm like you've never farmed before.  Farming earns you resources that you can then either trade for money or combine to form powerful armour and weapons or useful items.  It's as simple as that, yet somehow, despite how tedious and repetitive it might sound, there's something so intriguing about the whole experience.  

Coming off such a blockbuster March gaming line-up, it's a bit of a relief to have a quieter April, especially since I'm sure many of us are still working through the games we picked up last month.  With that said, April has its fair share of notable games, headlined by NetherRealms Studios' much-anticipated DC Universe fighting game Injustice: Gods Among Us. 

We've also got the video game tie-in to the upcoming TV show Defiance (filmed in Toronto by the way), and the brand-new Star Trek video game for consoles (developed in London, ON).   April is also delivering Dead Island: Riptide, the sequel to 2011's surprise hit open world zombie survival game, and PlayStation Vita gets Soul Sacrifice, the new action role-playing game from acclaimed gamer producer Keiji Inafune (best known for co-designing Mega Man).

Let's take a look at the games!

Ubisoft's acclaimed Assassin’s Creed series is back with Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, featuring an all-new hero and setting and the most diverse world ever created for the series. Set in year 1715, players will assume the role of the charismatic and fearless Edward Kenway, a former British privateer for the Royal Navy who falls into a world of piracy as major Empires rage war at sea. Trained as a deadly assassin by the Assassin Order, Kenway finds himself embroiled in the ancient conflict between the Assassins and Templars.

March is gearing up to be one of the biggest months in gaming with a flood of exciting new game titles releasing all month long.  We've got a new Bioshock, Tomb Raider, God of War, Gears of War, SimCity, Naruto, and LEGO all coming out this month.  StarCraft players are getting a new expansion pack with Heart of the Swarm, AMC and Activision are teaming up to deliver a new game in The Walking Dead series, and Wii U owners are receiving ports of some great games including The Amazing Spider-Man: Ultimate Edition and Need for Speed: Most Wanted.  With so many hotly anticipated games, March couldn't come any sooner. 

Let's take a gander at the games!

It's an unfortunate fact that most games based on movies are normally not very good. This is generally due to many reasons, but the biggest one is the pressure put on the developers to get the game out fast, usually to coincide with the movie's release.  When a studio gets the IP for a long since released movie some great things can happen though.  The Warriors, Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game, are all great examples of what can happen when developers are given the time, and can really get into what makes these movies great. Unfortunately, Aliens: Colonial Marines does the Aliens series justice, but the gameplay just didn't really shine like it could have.

Last week's Nintendo Direct video presentation may have focused primarily on 3DS games, but they managed to sneak in a bit of Wii U news in there as well (but can you really complain considering all the Wii U news announced during the last Nintendo Direct on January 23?).  

If you missed this month's Nintendo Direct, but want to know what's in the store for the Wii U, check out the top headlines below and let us know what you're excited for! 

Aliens: Colonial Marines will be the third game published by SEGA and developed by Gearbox Studios in their amazingly well executed Aliens franchise (Alien vs. Predator 2010 and Aliens Infestation 2011). Previous games, like the Alien vs. Predator series, have given players the chance to not only play as the marines but also as the xenomorph aliens and the technologically advanced predators as well. These games were all great, but they tended to spread out the styles of gameplay too much and never really gave the player a chance to really feel the sheer terror that this amazing universe has to offer. That's all about to change with Colonial Marines. Get ready for one of the most dark, horrifying and action-packed Aliens games yet!

This week Nintendo's President Satoru Iwata held a special Nintendo Direct presentation revealing that many of the company's biggest franchises are coming to Wii U.  Among the games coming to Nintendo's latest console include an all-new 3D Super Mario, a entry in the fan-favourite Mario Kart, and not one, but two Legend of Zelda games.  Suddenly the Wii U's game line-up just got a whole lot more interesting.

Nintendo has unveiled their release schedule for early 2013, including firm dates for much anticipated games such as LEGO City Undercover, Fire Emblem: Awakening, and Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon.  Release windows were also given for many games first shown at last year's E3, including Game & Wario, The Wonderful 101, Pikmin 3, and Wii Fit U. 

Additionally, Nintendo has compiled a list of upcoming third-party game releases, which includes many games fans have been waiting for such as Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, Aliens: Colonial Marines, Rayman Legends, and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow -- Mirror of Fate.

The launch date schedule includes Wii U, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS.  Let's take a look at what to expect in early 2013!

"What if our greatest heroes became our greatest threat?"  That's the question posed by Injustice: Gods Among Us, one of the most anticipated fighting games of the year for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii U.  The game, which pits some of DC Comics' greatest heroes and most sinister villains against one another, has just received a confirmed release date of April 16 by developer NetherRealm Studios and publisher Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.

Disney Interactive unveiled their brand new gaming initiative, Disney Infinity, at a major media event held in the renowned El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood yesterday.  With Infinity, Disney is taking characters from their most popular Disney and Pixar Animation Studios properties and bringing them together on one game platform. Disney Interactive is calling their new project "its most ambitious gaming initiative ever", and after watching the Infinity presentation, it was clear this ambition is shared by multiple groups within The Walt Disney Company.

Ubisoft made a smart move timing the release of Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2013 with the launch of Wii U. Its usual competition, Wii Fit, isn't due for a sequel until later in the year, and EA Sports Active is nowhere to be seen, making Fitness Evolved 2013 the sole option for Wii U owners looking for a fitness game. Usually lack of competition is a dangerous thing, since developers could easily skimp on quality knowing their game was the only choice available, but Fitness Evolved 2013 makes no such sacrifices. Not only has Ubisoft given us a full featured Wii U fitness game, they've delivered one of the best fitness games ever created, period.