Post by jayloonar on Dec 20, 2013 0:32:15 GMT -5
Hey guys, considering that I'm pretty much the only person on this site that owns a Wii U, I've decided to give a quick little rundown of what the system offers and whether its gonna be a good option to buy or not for you.
To start with, I had the Wii U for about 7 months now and had some great times with it.
I think its pretty obvious that the system didn't have a very great 1st year, but with the launch of key titles for the system, its only gonna get better from here.
Now currently, the Wii U doesn't seem like a system that is gonna get "industry wide" 3rd party support, but with the interviews going around with Nintendo's presidents and what not, they pretty much acknowledge that and will try to relieve that. But this is just one of those things that we have to wait and see. The system has a different intensive compared to PS4 and XB1 which push more towards technical horsepower while the Wii U has this new controller that can be used in very unique ways depending on the developer (I know some of you guys would call this a "gimmick", but I'd much rather have use of this new controller than having better graphics).
I'll start off with some of the few things that have to be addressed for the system.
- I've already said this, but it should have more mainstream 3rd party support. Currently, there are multiplats available that you can see for yourself, but the problem is that these games didn't sell very much on the Wii U which gives developers less of a reason to make games for the system.
- Here's something that some people would really care about, the messaging system is CLUNKY. Owning a 360 and PS3 and playing them for quite some time, the Wii U's messaging system just needs simple tweaks to make it more accessible like PS3 and 360. Now, 12 digit friend codes are replaced with a Nintendo ID that can be used to add people, much like a GamerTag. But the messaging system does somethings very good, and somethings not so good. To begin with, your friends list is a separate menu that takes some time to load, it shows you a list of online and offline friends. Now, in order to message them, you must boot up Nintendo's social networking feature Miiverse which takes time to boot up. And only from there, you can have the option to message a friend, you can write text, draw, and post in game screens (something they did right). But to top it off, there aren't any ON SCREEN notifications -_- Instead, the LED on you Wii U gamepad glows, but not everyone is gonna be looking at their controller when playing a game.
Something simple like this, common sense almost has been overlooked. Again, this may be a deal for some people, personally I'm a bit ticked off by it, but its not a deal breaker by any means.
What it offers
Call this a gimmick if you will, but the Wii U gamepad can have all sorts of possibilities and can only add to a game. It can be used to have asymmetrical experiences like Nintendo Land, Zombiu, and other minigame collections. And it can also be used less technically and still enhance the experience like Wind Waker HD, Darksiders 2, Splintercell, AC3/4, Batman, ect. The system just offers something new rather than horsepower. And if you don't wanna use the gamepad all the time, Nintendo is offering the Wii U Pro Controller which is a lot more comfortable than both the 360 and PS3 controller, and easily up to par in terms of comfort with the PS4 controller.
Miiverse is also a nice touch if you're into that kind of stuff.
Games
Again, I feel more mainstream 3rd party support should be on the system, but there are already some very great games to play on the system, even if the gaming industry isn't talking about them.
From my experience, I borrowed Zombiu from a friend and found it boring. The game has flaws but zombie fans might enjoy it since many of them like survival horror. I would say RE: Revelations is a better deal from what I played so far.
If you like Platinum Games, Wonderful 101 might be something you'll like. Again, the game has flaws but its not bad by any means. The game might not be for you, keep that in mind.
If you like JRPG's Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate is fantastic too. The main monsters that you hunt all have strategy like Zelda bosses, and you can team up with players online. Deserves a buy.
Pikmin 3 is highly underrated and absolutely deserves the full price tag. Even if you don't like RTS games, this game shouldn't go unnoticed. Its easily one of the best games on the Wii U.
Of course Mario 3D World is fantastic too. No need to explain this other than its the best game by far on the system
And if you like classic 2D Mario, Mario Bros U is really good too. Its up there with Mario World and Mario 3 IMO. The level design is fantastic, but I'm not a fan of the art style.
I've heard good things about Lego City Undercover but I haven't played it. Other than that, you can already see the available list of multiplats that you think are worth getting.
Final Thoughts
With the launch of future titles such as Mario Kart, Smash Bros, X, Donkey Kong, Zelda, and with all the software available, I say the Wii U is a great buy this time around, it's only gonna get better from here. There's already a handful of great exclusives and multiplats that can be enjoyed during the coming months until some of the heavy hitters come out.
Compared to PS4 and XB1, we already see its a different system that offers something new (call it "gimmicky" if you wish ) and I feel that it will be appreciated more once the hype for the PS4 and XB1 die down.
Anyway, It was kinda late when I wrote this and I probably didn't get to describing everything, but feel free to ask questions about the games. I know the game descriptions were very general.
To start with, I had the Wii U for about 7 months now and had some great times with it.
I think its pretty obvious that the system didn't have a very great 1st year, but with the launch of key titles for the system, its only gonna get better from here.
Now currently, the Wii U doesn't seem like a system that is gonna get "industry wide" 3rd party support, but with the interviews going around with Nintendo's presidents and what not, they pretty much acknowledge that and will try to relieve that. But this is just one of those things that we have to wait and see. The system has a different intensive compared to PS4 and XB1 which push more towards technical horsepower while the Wii U has this new controller that can be used in very unique ways depending on the developer (I know some of you guys would call this a "gimmick", but I'd much rather have use of this new controller than having better graphics).
I'll start off with some of the few things that have to be addressed for the system.
- I've already said this, but it should have more mainstream 3rd party support. Currently, there are multiplats available that you can see for yourself, but the problem is that these games didn't sell very much on the Wii U which gives developers less of a reason to make games for the system.
- Here's something that some people would really care about, the messaging system is CLUNKY. Owning a 360 and PS3 and playing them for quite some time, the Wii U's messaging system just needs simple tweaks to make it more accessible like PS3 and 360. Now, 12 digit friend codes are replaced with a Nintendo ID that can be used to add people, much like a GamerTag. But the messaging system does somethings very good, and somethings not so good. To begin with, your friends list is a separate menu that takes some time to load, it shows you a list of online and offline friends. Now, in order to message them, you must boot up Nintendo's social networking feature Miiverse which takes time to boot up. And only from there, you can have the option to message a friend, you can write text, draw, and post in game screens (something they did right). But to top it off, there aren't any ON SCREEN notifications -_- Instead, the LED on you Wii U gamepad glows, but not everyone is gonna be looking at their controller when playing a game.
Something simple like this, common sense almost has been overlooked. Again, this may be a deal for some people, personally I'm a bit ticked off by it, but its not a deal breaker by any means.
What it offers
Call this a gimmick if you will, but the Wii U gamepad can have all sorts of possibilities and can only add to a game. It can be used to have asymmetrical experiences like Nintendo Land, Zombiu, and other minigame collections. And it can also be used less technically and still enhance the experience like Wind Waker HD, Darksiders 2, Splintercell, AC3/4, Batman, ect. The system just offers something new rather than horsepower. And if you don't wanna use the gamepad all the time, Nintendo is offering the Wii U Pro Controller which is a lot more comfortable than both the 360 and PS3 controller, and easily up to par in terms of comfort with the PS4 controller.
Miiverse is also a nice touch if you're into that kind of stuff.
Games
Again, I feel more mainstream 3rd party support should be on the system, but there are already some very great games to play on the system, even if the gaming industry isn't talking about them.
From my experience, I borrowed Zombiu from a friend and found it boring. The game has flaws but zombie fans might enjoy it since many of them like survival horror. I would say RE: Revelations is a better deal from what I played so far.
If you like Platinum Games, Wonderful 101 might be something you'll like. Again, the game has flaws but its not bad by any means. The game might not be for you, keep that in mind.
If you like JRPG's Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate is fantastic too. The main monsters that you hunt all have strategy like Zelda bosses, and you can team up with players online. Deserves a buy.
Pikmin 3 is highly underrated and absolutely deserves the full price tag. Even if you don't like RTS games, this game shouldn't go unnoticed. Its easily one of the best games on the Wii U.
Of course Mario 3D World is fantastic too. No need to explain this other than its the best game by far on the system
And if you like classic 2D Mario, Mario Bros U is really good too. Its up there with Mario World and Mario 3 IMO. The level design is fantastic, but I'm not a fan of the art style.
I've heard good things about Lego City Undercover but I haven't played it. Other than that, you can already see the available list of multiplats that you think are worth getting.
Final Thoughts
With the launch of future titles such as Mario Kart, Smash Bros, X, Donkey Kong, Zelda, and with all the software available, I say the Wii U is a great buy this time around, it's only gonna get better from here. There's already a handful of great exclusives and multiplats that can be enjoyed during the coming months until some of the heavy hitters come out.
Compared to PS4 and XB1, we already see its a different system that offers something new (call it "gimmicky" if you wish ) and I feel that it will be appreciated more once the hype for the PS4 and XB1 die down.
Anyway, It was kinda late when I wrote this and I probably didn't get to describing everything, but feel free to ask questions about the games. I know the game descriptions were very general.