Welcome to the Wii U Family!!
The gamepad is actually good for Mario Kart, and all Nintendo games... Just sucks as a controller for its 3rd Party games like CoD. Although it great when COD players can talk to each other on the mic with it. Saves $40 right there...
The Pad is light but the battery life is annoying. I have a power outlet in back of my sofa so I just connect the charger there while I play so its not such a HUGE problem...
And you should get Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD!! Hey... it is available in the eShop right??