Nintendo has announced that Wii games will now begin to appear on the Wii U’s eShop.

To kick off the introduction of Wii games to the Wii U eShop library, Nintendo has already posted ‘Super Mario Galaxy 2.’  Following it will be ‘Punch Out!!’ on January 22 and ‘Metroid Prime Trilogy’ on January 29.

Each Wii game downloaded from the eShop requires the use of the Wii Remote in order to play. However, any released titles that once featured compatibility with the Wii Classic Controller can now be played using the Wii U gamepad.

Additionally, each Wii game’s visuals have now been up-scaled to support 1080p resolution displays, and as an added touch of convenience, gamers can access Wii games downloaded from the eShop from the Wii U menu instead of having to enter the console’s “Wii mode.”

As a special promotion, Nintendo will be offering ‘Super Mario Galaxy 2,’ ‘Punch Out!!’ and ‘Metroid Prime Trilogy’ for half off their normal $19.99 price tags during each game’s respective first week of release on the eShop service. So if gamers slip onto the eShop before January 22, they can grab ‘Super Mario Galaxy 2’ for $9.99. Otherwise, the price of the game will return to $19.99 once the next scheduled Wii game enters its first week.

Though not officially confirmed, it looks like Nintendo could also be bringing a variety of other Wii titles to the North American eShop. This is due to a slightly different lineup of Wii games releasing on to the European eShop with the only difference being ‘Donkey Kong Country Returns’ replacing ‘Punch Out!!’.

According to Satoru Iwata during the recent European Nintendo Direct, ‘Sin and Punishment: Star Successor,’ ‘Pandora’s Tower,’ ‘Kirby’s Wii Adventure’ and even the North American eShop confirmed ‘Punch Out!!’ are planned to release on the European eShop in the future. With overlap in the announced Wii games between the two regions, it could very well be a possibility that the games mentioned in the European Nintendo Direct could be potentially earmarked for release on the North American Wii U eShop. Regardless, it might only be a matter of time.

‘Super Mario Galaxy 2’ is available now on the North American Nintendo Wii U eShop. ‘Punch-Out!’ and ‘Metroid Prime Trilogy’ will follow on January 22 and January 29′ respectively. 

Source: Nintendo Direct North America, Nintendo Direct Europe