It was written in blood: The Wii U was dead. 

Nintendo had less than stellar console sales before (Gamecube), but Wii U looked to be a sad sequel to the greatest console flop of them all: the Dreamcast. 

However, the glowingly reviewed Mario Kart 8 has since seen a recent surge in Wii U sales. Coupled with a slew of new games coming out that take advantage of the Wii U's unique controller scheme, are we witnessing a Nintendo renaissance?

Now, if you're not familiar with the gamepad, it really is like a mini tablet controller. It features a 6.2-inch, resistive touchscreen and dual analog sticks. Additionally, the gamepad features a headphone jack and speaker for audio output, rumble support and a plethora of buttons. 

One feature, or lack thereof, could be holding back the gamepad from its full potential. Unlike Nexus or iPad tablets, the gamepad doesn't support multi-touch, due to its resistive screen. But despite this unfortunate, undoubtedly cost-saving measure, that isn't stopping developers from building their titles around it.

But Nintendo's signature controller also has the amazing ability to play full Wii U games sans TV. So your spouse can be watching the World Cup match against Germany and the USA while you pilot Mario to an epic win in Mario Kart. 

Game news and review site IGN highlighted a list of titles that will take full advantage of the Wii U's controller. The games are: Project Giant Robot; Mario Maker; Project Guard; Captain Toad Treasure Tracker; Kirby and the Rainbow Curse; and Splatoon. Oh, and lest we forget: Star Fox!

Do you think the Wii U will go from zero to hero with a new, refocused approach to how users interact with games a la gamepad? Or are these announced games bound to disappoint and further push the Wii U into complete, utter irrelevancy? Let us know in the comments section below.