Wii U Sells 3 Million Units - Thoughts

[The White Hunter]

A friend of mine got a WiiU recently and it honestly isn't that bad of a console. I'm not a big fan of the user interface and the current lack of games that interest me(though with games coming out like SMT x Fire Emblem, Xenoblade, Smash Bros. and a new Zelda that might change). If they can release more good games(and when the price drops), I might just pick one up.

I really had no expectations on how well it would do though. The prospect of a new console generation just gives me a feeling of 'meh' right now.

I got mine recently and the UI gets the job done and not much else, I like the (WaraWara) Plaza thing with tidbits from the Miiverse and the Miiverse is actually a really nice thing, I've been looking around at drawings and things for a couple hours there and even put some doodles up of my own, though I can't draw so I went for comic effect, it's a lovely community environment with gestapo mods to keep the dick drawings and trolls opressed. (Read: Shopping trolley with an SA80 in it while a bloke strolls through a supermarket in the zombiu community)

There's already a few good games, Mario Bros U is brilliant 2D platforming, Tekken is nice but not worth buying if you have another version, though it's got a few extra bells and whistles, ZombiU is a matter of personal taste; it has a very british flavour to it and it's decidedly survival horror and NOT an action game, it's slow and deliberate. The local multiplayer, with the zombie overlord (King Boris) vs a survivor thing, is unique as hell and a riot. The reviews are fairly divisive but the major sites seemed to want left 4 dead and got the first resident evil, Jim Sterling's review was well balanced on the game.

Rayman Legends just made itself a must-buy with the demo too Dat Castle Rock!


There's good stuff in the pipes and it's selling well at this point, it's odd to use the pad at first but give it half an hour and it makes sense. I'm optimistic about the future of it, especially now they've done away with those awful friend codes and started supporting online and shit. Looking forward to X (the monolith rpg), Smash Bros, the Mario & Zelda titles, Wind Waker HD, a few cross-platforms things like the new Aliens, Pikmin 3

Glad of the local multiplayer stuff though as that's my preferred way to play multiplayer.

Overall it's a good system, enjoying it a lot and the friends that have been round have enjoyed it too. I kinda want Nintendo Land if I can snag it for £20, couch multiplayer is just my thing.

Edit: Forgot Wonderful 101! Jeffers post just reminded me thanks

 

[The White Hunter]

I find it funny how the console is currently being sold at a loss, but there are multiple people saying they'll wait for the price drop. The 3ds was an attempt to sell the console at a profit, and the price drop was a response to that not working. I don't see a price reduction happening with the WiiU, because the price currently has nowhere to go.

Honestly it isn't that pricey, the whtie core model is pretty cheap. The premium nitendoland bundle comes with a decent game and extra onboard memory, it's reasonable value, the zombiu pack comes with a zombiu and a pro controller, again pretty good value.

The people saying it's too pricey are comparing it to the PS3/360 and not thinking how much the next xbox and PS4 are likely to cost (my guess is around the $400 mark at the very least). A price drop won't be likely but come christmas I'd wager some bundles will pop up for good deals (Wind Waker HD, Pikmin 3 & Mario Bros U packed in or something).

 

[Terramax]

For some, I think the wait for a price drop is also more that some simply don't think the console's experience is worth the price it's asking for. The Wii is a good system, or at least, it has a handful of good games for it, but for the small number of decent games, the Wii just wasn't worth the price I paid on launch day.

I'd be willing to pay that for a 360 or PS3, because I know there would be a higher number of desired games to justify the price. As it stands, unless you're a fan of Nintendo products i.e. Mario, Zelda, Pokemon, it's going to be very hard to justify paying the current price the console.

Also, some articles have mentioned that less gamers are likely to be interested in the usual sequels i.e. Smash Bros, Zelda, Mario Kart, etc. I'd be interested to hear everyone's opinion about that.

Then there's the fact that later this year we will most likely have the other console's successors announced. I haven't even bought a PS3 yet, so chances are I'd rather keep my monies for PS4 (or at least see if that console is worth investing the money instead). And I don't think I'm the only one holding back.

Perhaps if the PS4 and 720 fail to wow gamers over the world, then many will turn to buying a Wii U instead. 2013 ought to be a rather interesting year for gaming.

 

[Nazulu]

I was expecting it. Then I'm expecting it to shoot up when some of their major franchises come in.

It's a very functional console with great controls (I wasn't a fan of the Wii). I really hope it does get a good collection of games, and I'm hoping Nintendo makes a great come back with some of the major titles (in terms of quality).

The New Super Mario Brothers Wii U is more impressive than I thought it would be. It's no Super Mario World but it's trying to compete and I really like that.

 

[Fenra]

I got mine on my birthday (last Thursday) really enjoy it, its what I expected from it and look forward to seeing where it goes, about all I can say really

 

[Valkrex]

I got mine for christmas with a copy of Zombiu. I rather enjoy this system, and it is looking to take over for my xbox in terms of console gaming, and will probably be where I play games that don't arrive on PC.

As for Zombiu, I had a TON of fun with my first playthrough. A survival horror game, that actually emphasizes survival, brings zombies back to being an actual threat, and being downright terrifying at times is fairly rare these days.

Haven't had this much fun with a horror game since Amnesia, but for completely different kinds of tension and scares.

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

My response to this is a 'meh'.

It's cool that they sold that many, but I can't seem to care enough to buy one and I'm not buying a console for one game out of many that I like. Maybe sometime down the road I'll get one, but not so much at the moment.

 

[Gilhelmi]

Yeah, because it's a quite a good console, despite all the circlejerking on this website

Nintendoland is a given, Super Mario Bros U is pretty good, ZombiU is shet, and all the other games are the same as they are on other platforms, so I'm not all that surprised that it's 4 per console.

ZombiU is bad? Since when? I am planning on buying WiiU just for that title. It has good difficulty and an interesting game play mechanic that makes me feel as though I am in the Zombi Apocalypse.

Though, I will agree with you on the rest of the line being generic rerereleases of their older franchises.

 

[New Troll]

WiiU was released at Christmas time with no competition in it's market (read: big-time gamers.) I know a lot of guys/families who got one, all of which already own an X-Box 360 and/or PS3. Most all of them also only bought that one or two games they were interested in (i.e. Mario Brother, ZombiU.) A few bought every title available because they almost always do anyways. Figuring that's how come it's equalling out to ~4 games per unit sold.

Big sales... understandable.
Satisfied customers... not so much.
But still better than the other Holiday alternative... tablets.

Glad I'm poor and just stuck mainly with Steam sales.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

Eh, whatever. People are welcome to buy/enjoy it, but none of their exclusives or features mean anything to me. I'll continue to pass.

 

[WoW Killer]

Four games per console sounds alright actually, considering early days and what's out. Last I heard was 1.2 [http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2012-12-07-wii-u-sells-1-2-games-per-console]. I think I remember hearing the original Wii had an extremely low figure for that, but it wasn't a big deal since they made a profit on the console (which isn't the case this time around). If the game sales continue to be good it'll give them room to drop the system price, which is what's holding most people back I imagine.