The Switch is coming: therefore, My Wii U Retrospective

[gorfias]

My Wii U Retrospective

I'm a little bummed out that the Nintendo Switch is coming. It means the Wii U is fast approaching its last days of support.

Life goes on and new toys are a good thing so the Switches coming is ultimately a good thing.

That written, the Wii U system cost me $300 and nothing else. No online subscription. Done. I've had my fun with it and built a decent colection of games pretty cheaply.

My own collection includes:

Nintendo Land
Mario Kart
Super Smash Brothers
Mario 3D
Bayoneta 2
Jame Bond 007 Legenda (Worst game of the collection)
Pikmin 3
Wonderful 101
COD Ghosts (Surprisingly gorgeous given that, yes, the PS4 and XB1 versions are better... just not that much and I got this cheap).
Dance Dance 2014 (I've got kids)
The Voice
Sing Party
Lego Batman 3
Spinter Cell
Watch Dogs
Wii Fit
Your Shape
Epic Mickey 2
Ninja Gaiden 3
Monster Hunter 3

I may pick up a few others if seen cheap (Zelda/Donkey Kong/Xenoblade).

This was the weakest seller of the big 3 of gen 8. A Dreamcast level disappointment? Hard to write. It had a longer life but I likely picked up at least as many Dreamcast games back in the day.

Your collection? Are you glad you got one?

 

[Saelune]

I dont regret my purchase. It played Wii U AND Wii games, and I didnt own a Wii (I wanted one though). I will likely be keeping my Wii U hooked up for years to come and continue to play it. Hell, I will be one of those people jumping all the used games that will pop up as people sell off their collection cause they arent like me who keeps all my games forever.

 

[Casual Shinji]

I don't regret my purchase, but I'm not exactly happy with it either. Heck, if my copy of Wind Waker, along with my gamecube, hadn't croaked I probably would never have gotten one. But seeing as I love Wind Waker too much to have it locked away from me I decided 'Eh, why not?'

It gave me the chance to play Super Mario Galaxy too, which turned out to be one of the best damn games ever, so I'm glad for that. But apart from those two titles and maybe Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze the system isn't worth much to me. I tried The Wonderful 101 and it did nothing for me.

 

[Yoshi178]

I tried The Wonderful 101 and it did nothing for me.

i bet you didn't even get halfway through it before you decided that.


W101 was amazing.

 

[Casual Shinji]

I tried The Wonderful 101 and it did nothing for me.

i bet you didn't even get halfway through it before you decided that.


W101 was amazing.

No. No I didn't. If I have to wait that long for a game to get a positive reaction from me, than I'd rather quit while I'm ahead.

 

[Here Comes Tomorrow]

I'm actually happier with my WiiU than my PS4 (aka The Bloodborne Machine)

I paid ?150 for mine and it was absolutly worth it. I don't like Nintendo IPs generally. I don't have any great nostalgia for Zelda or Mario but I still found enough games to justify buying the console. Fatal Frame and Bayo2 being exclusive helped. I'm currently loving #FE and have a bit of a backlog (W101 and Fatal Frame. I still need to finish XCX) Theres still a few games I want to get but overall I'd say the WiiU had a great library for how long it lasted.

 

[MetalDooley]

Nope I don't regret my purchase for a minute. Sure the Wii U may not have had the biggest library 3rd party wise but I more than got my monies worth. Bought mine when they released the Wind Waker HD pack which came with this gamepad

Spoiler: Wind Waker Gamepad

Spoiler: My collection

Zelda: Twilight Princess HD
Zelda: Wind Waker HD
Assassins Creed 4
Pikmin 3
Rayman Legends
Resident Evil: Revelations
Yoshi's Woolly World
Darksiders 2
Mario Kart 8
Super Smash Bros WiiU
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
Bayonetta
Bayonetta 2
Hyrule Warriors
Nintendo Land
The Wonderful 101
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Super Mario 3D World
New Super Mario Bros U
New Super Luigi U
Zombi U
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
The Amazing Spiderman

Eshop Games

Trine
Trine 2
Runbow
Citizens of Earth
Runner 2
Wooden Sen'sey
Shantae and the Pirates Curse
Rush
Armillo
Affordable Space Adventures
Shovel Knight
Swords & Soldiers
Swords & Soldiers 2
Unepic
Lone Survivor
Fast Racing Neo
Tengami
Momonga Pinball Adventures
Mighty Switch Force
Mighty Switch Force 2
Toki Tori
Toki Tori 2
NES Remix
D&D: Chtonicles of Mystara
Nano Assault Neo
Puddle
Freedom Planet
TNT Racers
Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams
Teslagrad
FullBlast
Dr. Luigi
Scram Kitty
Rock n' Racing: Off Road
Knytt Underground
Edge
Xtype +

I haven't included all the VC games plus there's still a few games I plan on buying like the new Paper Mario, Star Fox Zero and Kirby and the Rainbow Brush plus a few Eshop games as well so there's life in the old girl yet

 

[gorfias]

Eshop Games

That pad is amazing.

I've really not purchased anything on the Eshop. Pikmin 3 is about it (as it was a bonus to something else I'd bought and had to redeem on line). Apparently it is stored on the 32 Gig Flash. Is that where all of your Eshop games are stored? No idea how many games I could store on there.

Supposedly I can hook up a USB 2.0 external hard drive but I think that is just for files. Maybe music and pictures.

I dont regret my purchase. It played Wii U AND Wii games, and I didnt own a Wii (I wanted one though). I will likely be keeping my Wii U hooked up for years to come and continue to play it. Hell, I will be one of those people jumping all the used games that will pop up as people sell off their collection cause they arent like me who keeps all my games forever.

Not sure if the small red ones play gamecube games or not,[edit: found out they not. Unfortunate as they were the newest build] but that was an added bonus with the Wii. Buddy came over the other night to play some state of the art stuff but we found ourselves having a nostalgia bender playing Rogue Squadron from the Gamecube. 16x9 picture surprisingly good for when it came out.

Worth picking one up if you have room for it. And the Switch (I'm assuming everyone in this thread will get one.

 

[Bernzz]

I don't regret my purchase, but I guess I wish it got more support than it did. I've certainly spent some hours on it, but it's probably the console I've played the least all up, in my life.

Spoiler: My small collection

Nintendoland
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD
Pikmin 3
Mario Kart 8
Super Smash Brothers 4
Hyrule Warriors

Also used it to finally experience Super Metroid on the eShop, as well as the Metroid Prime series (had never played MP3).

Really hoping Nintendo hammers home support for the Switch. I'm cautious of buying another console with a short(ish) lifespan and not that many games, though I will probably buy it anyway.

 

[Arina Love]

My collection is this

Xenoblade X (a main reason why i bought the damn thing)
Bayonetta 1 and 2 Bundle
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE

MarioKart 8 (a pack-in with the PRO bundle, got bored with it after a few hours, never touched the game again)

Although i DID have much fun with the games i bought, i DO regret that i succumbed to the allure of the Xenoblade. WiiU just sucks, tablet controller is uncomfortable, so much so, i HAD to buy a PRO controller to stop my hands getting cramps during sessions of Xenoblade.

System itself is not powerful enough ( jaggies and framerate drops hurts my eyes in Xenoblade) and system REFUSED to recognize my Wi-Fi (and update via internet) until i put in the pack-in disk and updated the system, i would've been SCREWED if i didn't have a PRO bundle, coz WiiU doesn't have ETHERNET. First device EVER that I've encountered this. Also only 32GB of storage on the HOME console and that is PRO edition!! ARE THEY F*CKING HIGH over there at Nintendo???????? System already more than half full after downloading patches and optional Xenoblade X dlc to alleviate HORRIBLE loading times.

Oh and it has barely ANY games that interest me. All in all i do regret it, but i got it cheap and it didn't really make a impression on my wallet THAT much. Oh well, troubles of being a Monolith Soft fan.

 

[MetalDooley]

That pad is amazing.

I've really not purchased anything on the Eshop. Pikmin 3 is about it (as it was a bonus to something else I'd bought and had to redeem on line). Apparently it is stored on the 32 Gig Flash. Is that where all of your Eshop games are stored? No idea how many games I could store on there.

Supposedly I can hook up a USB 2.0 external hard drive but I think that is just for files. Maybe music and pictures.

I use a 500gb external hard drive for all my games. Had to get one as you can't really fit much on the internal memory particularly if you have a couple of bigger games downloaded. 7 of my non Eshop exclusive games (Zelda: Wind Waker HD, Assassins Creed 4, Pikmin 3, Rayman Legends, Resident Evil: Revelations, Yoshi's Woolly World & Darksiders 2) are download versions so just a couple of them would fill the internal memory completely

 

[Tanis]

I skipped it with the hopes that the NX would be BC.
Now that that's not going to happen...

I may get one, but I'm going to hold out on the hopes that the NX gets 'enchanted' ports.

 

[Yoshi178]

I tried The Wonderful 101 and it did nothing for me.

i bet you didn't even get halfway through it before you decided that.


W101 was amazing.

No. No I didn't. If I have to wait that long for a game to get a positive reaction from me, than I'd rather quit while I'm ahead.

you love linear games with 5 hour story's and wouldn't dare touch something like a JRPG which can can take 100's of hours to finish let alone a a 20-30 hour game like the Wonderful 101.

got it.

 

[gorfias]

I use a 500gb external hard drive for all my games.

I think the eshop stopped supporting the original Wii. Now that you inform me games CAN run on the external drive, I hope they continue to support the Wii U after the Switch comes out. Reviewing.[/quote]

Although i DID have much fun with the games i bought, i DO regret that i succumbed to the allure of the Xenoblade. WiiU just sucks, tablet controller is uncomfortable, so much so, i HAD to buy a PRO controller to stop my hands getting cramps during sessions of Xenoblade.

Once you got the controller (I have some 3rd party controllers: dunno if they would work as primary) jaggies and all, how was Xenoblade? I think they still want $60 for it. I'm a cheap guy. My Wii U collection averages about $15 per game. But if Xenoblades really is a worthy system seller? Might reach past the broken glass and fishing hooks in my wallet pocket and pick it up.

 

[Arina Love]

Once you got the controller (I have some 3rd party controllers: dunno if they would work as primary) jaggies and all, how was Xenoblade? I think they still want $60 for it. I'm a cheap guy. My Wii U collection averages about $15 per game. But if Xenoblades really is a worthy system seller? Might reach past the broken glass and fishing hooks in my wallet pocket and pick it up.

Ok, so. Xenoblade X is not like every other j-rpg. It focuses not so much on a story but on a open world exploration and building your character the way you want to. With many systems to customize. World is big and fun to explore but it can be empty sometimes, but there always some crazy ass big monster right around the corner. Battle system is good, every class has 2 or more styles of play you can customize.

Mechs, they will be available in the second half or the game (with the flying module at the end of the game) They completely change how you traverse this open world, and they can get to areas that were impossible to get to on foot. And of course tons of stuff to customize and buy for your mech. And they will allow you to tackle MUCH bigger enemies too!

Story is very simplistic with just a handful of story missions and cut-scenes. Many story missions have a requirement of exploration and doing side stuff BEFORE you can start the mission. So most of the time you will be left to your own devices just exploring the word and killing strange new creatures, gearing up.

Overall i like this game but not as much as first Xenoblade or other games by Monolith Soft. If you like open world games, exploration and character customization with tons of different gear to get and skills to learn, then you will have fun with this game. Is it worth 60$ for you? I cannot answer, but with with combined ~150 hours between 2 playthroughs i feel i got my money's worth.

 

[gorfias]

Once you got the controller (I have some 3rd party controllers: dunno if they would work as primary) jaggies and all, how was Xenoblade? I think they still want $60 for it. I'm a cheap guy. My Wii U collection averages about $15 per game. But if Xenoblades really is a worthy system seller? Might reach past the broken glass and fishing hooks in my wallet pocket and pick it up.

Ok, so. Xenoblade X is not like every other j-rpg. It focuses not so much on a story but on a open world exploration and building your character the way you want to. With many systems to customize. World is big and fun to explore but it can be empty sometimes, but there always some crazy ass big monster right around the corner. Battle system is good, every class has 2 or more styles of play you can customize.

Mechs, they will be available in the second half or the game (with the flying module at the end of the game) They completely change how you traverse this open world, and they can get to areas that were impossible to get to on foot. And of course tons of stuff to customize and buy for your mech. And they will allow you to tackle MUCH bigger enemies too!

Story is very simplistic with just a handful of story missions and cut-scenes. Many story missions have a requirement of exploration and doing side stuff BEFORE you can start the mission. So most of the time you will be left to your own devices just exploring the word and killing strange new creatures, gearing up.

Overall i like this game but not as much as first Xenoblade or other games by Monolith Soft. If you like open world games, exploration and character customization with tons of different gear to get and skills to learn, then you will have fun with this game. Is it worth 60$ for you? I cannot answer, but with with combined ~150 hours between 2 playthroughs i feel i got my money's worth.

Great answer, thanks! Now to figure out: Do I want to buy it now or anticipate that it will be available for Switch. I have a feeling most of the Switch Library, at first, will consist of you having to re-buy your Wii U games.

 

[Arina Love]

Once you got the controller (I have some 3rd party controllers: dunno if they would work as primary) jaggies and all, how was Xenoblade? I think they still want $60 for it. I'm a cheap guy. My Wii U collection averages about $15 per game. But if Xenoblades really is a worthy system seller? Might reach past the broken glass and fishing hooks in my wallet pocket and pick it up.

Ok, so. Xenoblade X is not like every other j-rpg. It focuses not so much on a story but on a open world exploration and building your character the way you want to. With many systems to customize. World is big and fun to explore but it can be empty sometimes, but there always some crazy ass big monster right around the corner. Battle system is good, every class has 2 or more styles of play you can customize.

Mechs, they will be available in the second half or the game (with the flying module at the end of the game) They completely change how you traverse this open world, and they can get to areas that were impossible to get to on foot. And of course tons of stuff to customize and buy for your mech. And they will allow you to tackle MUCH bigger enemies too!

Story is very simplistic with just a handful of story missions and cut-scenes. Many story missions have a requirement of exploration and doing side stuff BEFORE you can start the mission. So most of the time you will be left to your own devices just exploring the word and killing strange new creatures, gearing up.

Overall i like this game but not as much as first Xenoblade or other games by Monolith Soft. If you like open world games, exploration and character customization with tons of different gear to get and skills to learn, then you will have fun with this game. Is it worth 60$ for you? I cannot answer, but with with combined ~150 hours between 2 playthroughs i feel i got my money's worth.

Great answer, thanks! Now to figure out: Do I want to buy it now or anticipate that it will be available for Switch. I have a feeling most of the Switch Library, at first, will consist of you having to re-buy your Wii U games.

Beware Xenoblade X heavily uses the second screen, there is a system to plant different probes to get benefits plus fast travel and of course robust area map. And playing on 1 screen is bit awkward. With pro controller i have to leave my WiiU controller nearby to get that info and functionality. So it will take some modification from developer to cram is all into a one screen experience, this means possibly a long wait time for a port. Well, if Switch doesn't have a dual screen mode, that is.

 

[Casual Shinji]

you love linear games with 5 hour story's and wouldn't dare touch something like a JRPG which can can take 100's of hours to finish let alone a a 20-30 hour game like the Wonderful 101.

got it.

What the heck are you talking about, man?!

 

[gorfias]

Beware Xenoblade X heavily uses the second screen, there is a system to plant different probes to get benefits plus fast travel and of course robust area map. And playing on 1 screen is bit awkward. With pro controller i have to leave my WiiU controller nearby to get that info and functionality. So it will take some modification from developer to cram is all into a one screen experience, this means possibly a long wait time for a port. Well, if Switch doesn't have a dual screen mode, that is.

That helps make up my mind! And I am seeing it for as little as $30 at Amazon (not Prime though).

 

[McElroy]

I played one Mario Kart race in a department store. Placed 2nd. I don't even know anyone who has a Wii U.

But I have a question to the OP: As the savvy gadgeteer you are, what would you rate as the best console experience? Which one had the best combination of qualities and features? Y'know, as someone who gets hold of them all while paying for them himself (while they're still relevant too).

you love linear games with 5 hour story's and wouldn't dare touch something like a JRPG which can can take 100's of hours to finish let alone a a 20-30 hour game like the Wonderful 101.

got it.

What the heck are you talking about, man?!

My reaction too. Here we have a bait failing on such a fundamental level that everybody is left confused.