Nintendo announces new Mario, Zelda games for Wii U

Wii U console in white. / Nintendo

Nintendo announced a lineup of new games Wednesday that includes classic franchises like "The Legend of Zelda" and "Super Mario Bros." for the Wii U video game console.

The biggest games to look out for will be a new 3D "Super Mario" game and two "Zelda" games. Nintendo says a playable version of the 3D "Super Mario" game will be available at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, which will be held from June 11 to 13 in Los Angeles.

Other games include the debut of "Yarn Yoshi," which has the dinosaur-like protagonist exploring a land made of yarn and textiles, "Wii Fit U Communities" and a new "Mario Kart" game.

Nintendo launched the Wii U video game console in November 2012. The Kyoto, Japan-based company launched its original game console, the Nintendo Entertainment System, in 1983. The game giant reports more than 4 billion in video game sales and 637 million hardware units sold worldwide.