Wii U

No thread for this yet? I preordered last night, not actually hugely excited about it but it felt like a bit of a no brainer because a) have child who's the right age for mario stuff and b) I never owned a wii, the dozen or so games on there I'd want to play were never quite enough to justify the outlay, but those dozen plus the dozen or so I'll presumably play on Wii U are enough to make this a goer.

NintendoTVii looks kind of dumb but I'm still slightly butthurt that we won't get it in the UK.

Amazon preorders are £299 for the premium pack, £249 for the basic. That feels a little bit conservative to me though, won't be surprised if it drops a bit between now and launch (Euro pricing for nintendo stuff is stupid because they refuse to set an MRSP).

I'm not hugely excited for the system, but, yknow, finally Metroid, Mario, Zelda games in HD. At the very least 3D mario will deliver. I prefer consoles for gaming but wish there was only one I had to get. Glad the controller gimmick doesn't interfer with dual stick control schemes. Call me conservative but motion controls are a no-go.

Out of the country until next summer so not buying at launch. Playing Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate on my 3DS until then, before continuing in HD on my Wii U. That's neat.

http://game.watch.impress.co.jp/img/gmw/docs/559/731/n01.jpg

will probably get one in year after price cut depending on enough software being released that i'm interested in. disappointed but not surprised in how the system handles Wii games & Virtual Console (ie. the laziest will-this-do way)

I will be holding back on buying one until next year, depending on what games are available by then. In the meantime I have a PC to upgrade.

So far for me, it doesn't look very appealing. Three different control schemes seems confusing. I've seen nothing to convince me the second screen controller is going to add anything fun / worthwhile to gaming. Personally I think it'll be a little too much to look from the TV screen to the controller screen on some of these gimmick games that will use both, though I'd want to try it first before completely dismissing it. Also that screen pad controller still looks huge and uncomfortable to use...

The price (in the US) isn't bad. I like that you could transfer over your virtual console games from the Wii. But that's about all I have to say positive.

The two main problems for me though are...

1. The games line-up. Nothing terrible exciting there, so far. Another 2D Mario game when one just came out for their handheld a month ago? Like always, it'll be buy a nintendo console to play Nintendo games, but shit, I'm pretty tired of those same five or six games. Also they're all on 3DS, which seems like enough Nintendo for me - I don't know if I need two devices to play essentially the same games. Show me something new (Pikmen 3 isn't new), not a sequel or mini-game collection.

2. The tech already seems outdated. Nintendo has finally caught up to 6/7 year old PS360, but there will be new, much more powerful consoles coming out from the competition in a year (most likely) or a year and a half, and again the WiiU won't be able to get the same high-quality AAA ports. Same problem as the Wii returns.

I don't think the screen on the controller is going to be used for much either. The screen on the Dreamcast controller's VMU was only used by a handful of games (Rainbow Six was the only one I actually played and it always caused me to get shot while I wasn't looking at the TV). And it's doubly redundant for the WiiU now that the TV is HD. It also seems very bulky, especially from the side. It's like one of those HTPC wireless keyboard/trackball gadgets. The Pro Controller looks like a Nintendo-fied 360 controller, and that seems more the way to go.
As for games line-up, the same applies to the other two next gen consoles. Maybe even more so, as most AAA titles, with the exception of some platform exclusives, are likely to have PC ports released at the same time. Why have a PS4/MSwhatever making a noise like a jet engine when I can have a relatively silent PC instead? There's the cost issue, but when games are priced at £60-70 a pop, hardware costs aren't as big an issue as they seem.

tbh i was all for getting one just for Monster Hunter HD but they are releasing the 3DS version at the same time so i'll be perfectly happy with that one

xp yeah but a solid, quiet gaming pc is gonna run you more than $300-400 for sure. also if you're already on the thrifty path, you're always six months behind on everything anyway, can't remember the last time I paid the full $60 on any game

Was surprised to read just now that CODBLOPS2 will run at 1080p60 on the wii U, but only 720p60 on the 360. So it might not be quite as underpowered as people are making out?

WiiU is roughly 2 360s in horsepower/graphics, whereas PS4/720 are rumoured to be at least 10 times a 360.
more surprised that the others are rendering BLOPS2 at 720p tbh, the amount of games that have rendered sub-HD has been this generations dirty little secret

Graphics are near saturation now though, right? I mean, the lower graphics of the Wii didn't stop it beating the crap out of the PS3/360.

It probably hurt them in the 'endgame' as it's being outsold right now. Isolated the WiiU graphics are good enough for most (in a way the wii graphics weren't), but the issue is still getting the hardcore 3rd party games. WiiU won't get 'Battlefield 5' or whatever, at least not the same version as PS4, xbox720, and so the perception of it not being the console for 'that type of game' lingers.

Its lead of one year as the most powerful and new console is pretty considerable, though, and may be important. The general consensus is that its launch line up will secure its place at the top in Japan but in the West maybe not.

Gamestop & Best Buy sold out of preorders for the Premium bundles reportedly. Who knows how many they were supplied with though.

Graphics are near saturation now though, right? I mean, the lower graphics of the Wii didn't stop it beating the crap out of the PS3/360.

― Andrew Farrell

The reasons I think the wii sold so well is that it was a lot cheaper than the other consoles and it gave the impression of having a lot simpler, family-friendly controls that really took off with the wii sports craze and that exercise board. I'm doubtful Nintendo can replicate that kind of sales, because 1. The wiiU seems to have much more complicated controls 2. Lots of people with Wiis collecting dust in their closets who won't be running out to buy another one.

For the traditional video game market, graphics still matter and in theory they should be considerably better on the more powerful offerings from Microsoft and Sony in a year or so. I also have more faith in those companies online services & multiplayer support, which is extremely important on a home console.

I do think the poor graphics of the original wii hurt its sales to some extent, as I know several people who didn't buy one for that reason. It definitely hurt in terms of cross platform games, look at the very shitty versions of FIFA and Call of Duty that the wii got - look at how much those games sold on PS360 & how much they sold on Wii. Okay, this fall the WiiU may get slightly better ports of those games, but by the end of next year the console will probably be back in the same position the Wii was, with downscaled b-team ports of the biggest games, because the performance of the WiiU will be so much less than the new consoles being released... I'm not saying the WiiU is going to flop (though I don't see it being the hit the Wii was), just some of the reasons it hasn't really got my attention yet.

That said, the WiiU is still pretty affordable. I could definitely see myself buying one at some point, just to fool around with & for nintendo games, because it's so cheap it's not really an issue. I'm just much more interested in seeing what Microsoft & or Sony bring to the table with true next-gen hardware at this point.

crossporting will be easier this time round as the gap between WiiU & others will be smaller. this time Sony can't afford heavy upfront losses on each console, which should scale their ambition back a bit (then again they are kinda crazy!). Microsoft can afford to be hella aggressive though. By the time they both release WiiU will be significantly cheaper with a years headstart, but i don't think anyone is really expecting WiiU to get close to Wii sales.

I think the casual gamers that drove early Wii sales are more into mobile/tablet games now. What's really going to be interesting is how gamers' expectations for the graphics quality of 720/PS4 titles affects developers. It'll cost more time and money to make AAA titles for the MS/Sony next gen consoles, so maybe quite a few AAA developers will tap out and switch to the WiiU.

And graphics quality has become less and less important with subsequent generations. With the N64/Saturn/PS it was the main selling point. Even something as relatively mainstream as the 'Sega Does What Nintendon't' campaign was all about the kind of technical specifications that just aren't mentioned today.

Yeah, that's pretty much what I was getting at, and the low return on investment of detailed/realistic graphics vs enjoyable (and yes casual) gaming.

Isolated the WiiU graphics are good enough for most (in a way the wii graphics weren't)

Just checking, this is the same Wii that spent 2-3 years outselling the PS3 and 360 combined, right?

gonna go see if I can get one of these tomorrow. Not gonna try very hard.

good luck, if you want it.

guys maybe this will turn out to be an awesome system like the gamecube.

i mean i think pound for pound in terms of good memories the gamecube may be my favorite console ever. largely animal crossing related. so maybe nintendo will accept that the wii lightning ain't gonna strike twice and focus on doing the weird shit the GC did so well.

plenty of weird shit on Wii if you look for it

i mean
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bQiyXPaNUc

I bought the last two Nintendo consoles at or near launch, loved them for a while and then sold them for something else. I'm taking a wait and see approach this time, though I expect I'll eventually get one once the next Zelda or Mario Galaxy comes out.

what game is that?

struck out at GameStop and two Best Buys; at the first Best Buy I missed the last console by minutes apparently. Probably good that I didn't spend hundreds of dollars today on a thing I sort of wanted.

yeh probably for the best, and if you really want one you should be able to get one without much hassle in the near future, i doubt this will be sold out for months after launch like its predecessor. sounds like Nintendo are at least doing the right things to attract indie developers - can set their own price, have sales whenever they want, patches/updates are incredibly cheap & can be as frequent as needed. basically the same as Steam/Apple.

haha i had successfully quashed that new-console fervor until my student worker came into my office today and started talking about his own fruitless wii u quest, then we spent the whole afternoon calling suburban sears and toys r us and shit.

i'm over it now though. fervor is re-squashed.

yeah like 90% of the reason i never got a wii was because by the time they were actually available to buy without any hassle i wasn't excited about it anymore

though now i kind of want one of these so i can catch up on all the games i missed plus new stuff

yeah like 90% of the reason i never got a wii was because by the time they were actually available to buy without any hassle i wasn't excited about it anymore

― ciderpress, Tuesday, November 20, 2012 8:50 AM (28 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yes me too exactly

I would still play my Wii, but the damn controllers won't stay charged and I've been too lazy to do anything about it.

For me it's that i cant game in standard definition any more. Really wish they'd tune up wii games to HD on this thing but that'll likely take a year and only if u rebuy the game.

its pretty unreal that they used all these neat shaders on Skyward Sword that make the sets look painted, and then they're practically invisible at standard def and you have to run the game emulated on a PC to see the detail

missed this thread what with the vast ocean of people clamouring to buy a wii u

there's been some low-grade clamoring itt

Oh mine arrived on Friday, I got it out of the box and ran through the setup and the day one firmware update took an hour. By which time Jo was almost home from school, so I just had to pack it away again and hide it in the wardrobe (it's his christmas present) and I've basically been too busy and/or not interested enough to get it out again since.

you are a smart parent to check for downloads prior to gifting.

i've been thinking of getting this for the new sidescrolling Mario but I'm a little skeptical of it, I don't get at all what that clunky controller is supposed to do and I don't think I'd ever use it in "detached" mode. what does this thing do that regular Wii doesn't?

well it plays wii u games so thats one thing

don't think Wii could do this

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_meidi73F181qzp9weo1_500.jpg

Unyeah!

spoilers

what is a "Yeah"

Unaaliyeah

got a Basic one at target along with Mario, the thing is currently d/ling software updates so I'm enjoying the odor of my chanukah candles and the peaceful loading screen music

I'm sure I will get years of enjoyment from this but at this particular instant I feel slightly irresponsible.

i really want to play the last story but i feel sort of stupid buying this to play a wii game on and i mean theres going to be a zelda game for it that ill want to play at some point sooo

Housemate bought one of these on the weekend, despite my "wtf WHY?" protests (like he cares what I think haha). TBH we still used the wii a reasonable amount, or at least I do: I do wiifit a lot, and I dabble in various Zeldas and Animal Crossing CIty FOlk, so I'll just move those over to the new console.

Its built in browser and touyube app are rather handy. No more pissing about plugging someones laptop into the television with qa HDMI cable, and no futzing about trying to "type" urls in using a joystick and an onscreen kbd! For that alone, the screen controller is gonna be handy (hand it around at parties and let ppl put youtube clips on for lulz)

touyube ? geez im getting dyslexic.

is that what the kids are calling it these days?

no

is there ever gonna be another animal crossin

3DS version coming out Q2 2013. came out in Japan a few weeks ago, has been a huge hit and keeps selling out shipments.

Housemate bought one of these on the weekend, despite my "wtf WHY?" protests (like he cares what I think haha).

haha, see, imo this is like the perfect scenario for new consoles. you don't have to be the early adopter who pays way too much and suffers through the first year or so when it sucks!

new animal crossing has been delayed for us but is coming

Want to hang out and drink tea in a virtual house? Want a raccoon in short pants to insult you? You'll have to pay full price and wait your turn like the other animal crossing enthusiasts.

coool.

lol sufjan

I havent played AC in ages.

I'm a little surprised that the Wii U is pretty easy to get in stores around here. Maybe Nintendo has abandoned their "artificial shortages", or maybe it's just not doing as well as they hoped, like the 3DS...

i was playing poker at a friend's house last night and he had just got a wii u and i was trying to lose so i could go play it but i ended up winning $20.

moral of the story: i am an adult now

your friends just aren't terrible at poker?

I'm a little surprised that the Wii U is pretty easy to get in stores around here. Maybe Nintendo has abandoned their "artificial shortages", or maybe it's just not doing as well as they hoped, like the 3DS...

― Nhex, Wednesday, December 12, 2012 3:35 AM (19 hours ago)

pretty sure that is firmly in column b

I think it's a mix really. But remember wii had a ton of coverage and a huge casual hit with wii sports (remember all those stories about old folks homes and wii bowling?). As far as I know, there's nothing like that going on with this one + they have to fight against all the people who did buy wiis and have had those things unused for the last whatever years... they aren't going to rush out to get a wiiU (also should have had a different name to help set it up as something actually new).

For me the main problems are that it doesn't really have any compelling software & doesn't seem able to offer anything more graphically than old 360/ps3. This software line-up - another 2D mario game (after so many of these in recent years), another version of wii fit... it's incredibly unexciting.

It plays Netflix and Hulu

2d mario is exciting! if you're just counting consoles it's only the second since Super Mario World.

I realize this is kind of a half-baked theory but the video game console seems to go something like this - manufacturer does something new or innovative (like the first "leaps" of the NES and SNES, the PS1's 32-bit, 3-D gaming, the XBox catering to a more mature audience and the online crowd, and the Wii's new control scheme), and it becomes a massive hit, then has no reason to change things or fears a backlash if they do (hence why the N64 still stuck with cartridges) and falls behind, has to innovate again, etc. Wii U reminds me of say the PS3, where the question is "okay what does this do that my old one didn't?" and the answer is kinda lame like "well it plays Blu-ray" or whatever the hell the Wii U does (my regular Wii does Netflix by the way)

2d mario is exciting! if you're just counting consoles it's only the second since Super Mario World.

I count it as the 4th one in 6 years, 'cause you have to count the handheld versions, as they're exactly the same games. That makes for two in 2012 alone. And they're not very good (well, I haven't played the WiiU one, maybe it's better?).

i really liked the Wii one (though mostly for the 2-player), since I never had a handheld I guess that's about it for me

yeah, the wii one is the best of the recent 2D ones. There's still something not quite right / balanced about it compared to the classic games. Recently the Super Mario Galaxy games were much better & more innovative, I thought. The other handheld one from last year, 3D Land mixed 2D and semi-3D gameplay pretty well. There has been a lot of Mario games in the last five years! I'm burnt out & I honestly don't think they compare to the amazing 2D platforming games that have been released during the same years, like Super Meat Boy, N, Spelunky etc..

I think some of it is a weird kind of bias, I thought the Wii New Super Mario Bros. was kind of wacky feeling, like the characters jumped too high, felt like they were always on ice, had too many odd moves. Then I played Super Mario World again and realized I disliked it at first because I wanted it to control more like the Wii version.

new games announced
3D Mario & Mario Kart & Smash Bros at E3 (yawn)
Yoshi game made out of string, looks cute http://youtu.be/wSJMjQAJjio
Wind Waker HD remake this year with new "non-linear" Zelda later on
Shin Megami Tensei/Fire Emblem crossover (!!!!!)

oh and this, a Xenoblade followup where you fight dinosaurs & can fly mechs - guess i'm buying a WiiU when this game releases then (in 2014 probably)

http://www.abload.de/img/amekbv.gif

yeah that mech stuff looks incredible

yeah, the wii one is the best of the recent 2D ones. There's still something not quite right / balanced about it compared to the classic games. Recently the Super Mario Galaxy games were much better & more innovative, I thought. The other handheld one from last year, 3D Land mixed 2D and semi-3D gameplay pretty well. There has been a lot of Mario games in the last five years! I'm burnt out & I honestly don't think they compare to the amazing 2D platforming games that have been released during the same years, like Super Meat Boy, N, Spelunky etc..

Man why the hell did Nintendo not flood us w Mario games during the SNES era?

I'm also kind of shocked that Mario 64 never got a sequel.

Super Mario Galaxy basically! Just less arduous.

i mean, for the N64. Galaxy is incredible, maybe as good as 64 was, but it was 10 years later!

oh look more mario games and a zelda remake

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

oh look more mario games and a zelda remake

otm

OK, Yoshi yarn game looks a'ight.

wind waker already looks better than the newer zelda games, i dunno why it needs a remake

xp Isn't it a bit like Kirby's Epic Yarn?

if you're yawning at mario and zelda games perhaps nintendo is not the company 4 u

Why the hell wasn't there Zelda sequels on SNES? Kids these days have no idea how lucky they are.

if you're yawning at fighting a dinosaur then climbing in your mech then perhaps gaming is not the hobby 4 u

i like how you guys "forgot" Super Mario Sunshine

The Eternal Super Mario Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Wind Waker HD remake this year

george lucas alert

i like how you guys "forgot" Super Mario Sunshine

Miyamoto also did a bunch of Zeldas in those ten years and spent ages developing other stuff that got junked and turned into the engine for Galaxy iirc

they definitely need to do a standard Fire Emblem for that GamePad in addition to the SMT crossover.

pretty safe bet on that happening i think

you need the big screen to truly appreciate the awkward flirting between the paladin and the dark mage

they definitely need to do a standard Fire Emblem for that GamePad in addition to the SMT crossover.

seems like Atlus are developing the SMT/FE game, which frees up Intelligent Systems to make ... something i guess? A new Advance Wars would be nice, probably a 3DS Wario game though :/ The 3DS FE game is out in the West v soon though, has had rave reviews & is highest selling FE game in Japan since SNES days, so super hyped for that.

Tokyo Crash Mobs:

http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/pk6mvGWK3AuJe3PNM0nQdDLc0tv8yBgi

Oh, that's a 3DS, not a Wii U. Oops.

Buy it now before Popcap sue!

i really wish there were more info on the history of this game.. the title screen says copyright 1998 MITCHELL or something, and the intro video and general aesthetics of the game are SOO '98

Tokyo Crash Mobs is based on Puzz Loop, a 1998 game by Mitchell. Popcap stole the idea for Zuma, and Mitchell threatened to sue.

cool! i guess the 90s look is for the sake of retro

Ouch. http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2013/02/rayman-legends/

probably should've bought a PS3 when I impulse-bought myself a console back in December, huh

something about me though is a strict Nintendo partisan and not for any good reason

fucking hate rayman's invisible limbs, i think that would basically prevent me from ever playing one of those games

haha. still, ouch for nintendo

kinda pissed about this

http://i46.tinypic.com/6jfvbd.gif

l-r wii U, me

Ancel & Rayman dev team protest the delay. This isn't going to end well.

This is like when you guys delayed Assassin's Creed 3 for Xbox 360/PS3/PC so it could get released on Wii U a month later, right? Oh, that's right, you didn't fucking do that!

yeah fair point.

Had my first play session when a friend brought over their Wii U. My monitor doesn't support HDMI so we had to run it through a Composite able, and weren't able to view in HD or even change the resolution. That said, DAMN it looks amazing. He brought over "Nintendo Land" and "Super Mario Bros Wii U" or whatever it's called, and we played the new Mario game but just ended up having too much fun, we ran out of time to check out the rest.

is anyone playing monster hunter? i'm looking to try out some co-op

played The Wonderful 101 demo at a friend's last night; man that game is sick, a total system seller. too bad it already bombed in Japan - utterly tragic!

i played an hour of Pikmin 3 at someone's house, it was amazing. supposedly the white WiiU is being discontinued & should be going cheap soon, if i see one at a bargain price my resolve might begin to crumble ...

i kind of want to pick up one of these. are there any worthwhile games yet? pikmin3? i never had a wii so i get access to all of that gen too which makes it seem worth it.

Pickmin 3 is fun, Wonderful 101 is like Pikmin combined with Viewtiful Joe, Super Mario 3D World has some buzz so we'll see if Tim Rogers likes it

I guess 3rd party games might exist but why would you buy them

new mario doesn't really look like what i'm looking for in a mario game unfortunately - i think they've decided that mario games aren't supposed to be immersive. with mario64 and sunshine you actually felt like you were inhabiting the gameworld but since then the games have increasingly been framed such that you're looking in from the outside and guiding mario through a series of dioramas.

immersion is for Zelda games; Mario games are for mirror neurons

i don't know. even Sunshine had some pretty trippy stuff!

want a wiiu but waiting on inevitable price drop

me too.

it might be this generation's Dreamcast, so decent chance. at least the 3DS is doing well for Nintendo

I'd disagree on that too. I'm not much of a gamer but I STILL have dreams about Mario 64 (which I have not played in about 9 years!) I think that the controls and freedom of movement in that game felt so natural and intuitive that it wound up being more immersive than intended. That does odd things to the brain...I've never felt vertigo in any real life situation but the last couple levels (mostly Rainbow Ride) made me feel queasy in a way that I haven't felt with anything else. I remember just dicking around on that level once, getting to the top and wondering "If I long jumped off the top of this, would I survive?" - I already had 120 stars, nothing to play for, and even then, I was reluctant to actually jump off and I can't explain why.

thinking about getting one soon. how easy it is to transfer vc games and such from the original Wii to this?

yeah, someone explain to me that weird Wii passthrough thing

didn't even know you could do that? we just got one last night. plan is wii u will be the coop/netflix box and i'll do mah srs gaming on pc. buh bye xbox/ps.

first negative - mario u, you essentially need 3 controllers to play 2 player co-op b/c the gamepad inexplicably only works on 1 player. neat, another $35.

what exactly does that mean. you can't just play with old Wii controllers?

oh good timing, i just got one of these for £149 in a Black Friday deal.
the Wii transfer thing is pretty simple but full of maddening Nintendo bullshit (of course)
you just need yr Wii console, yr new WiiU and an SD card.
you then need to download an app from the Wii shop to the Wii, which guides you through the process.
its an all or nothing thing, you can't pick and choose which ones to transfer, and a very small amount of games can't be transferred at all (e.g. Lost Winds)
the WiiU has a Wii built in, that's how you play them. so if you want to play a VC game you have to boot up the Wii interface which is completely walled off from the WiiU (i guess since the Wii was hacked to hell and back). oh and you can't use the Gamepad controls at all.
there are a small amount of VC games in the WiiU store that can be bought to play directly on WiiU and have save states, Gamepad functionality etc - if you have bought the game on Wii before (and transferred over) these have an upgrade cost of $1 or something.
in summary: the usual Nintendo clusterfuck when it comes to digital gaming. did i mention no real account system yet?

never had a wii so i dunno.

wii u comes with just a gamepad. we ordered a wii remote with it. thought that would be enough for two player co-op but nope, not for mario bros u.

tbf the assumption that most Wii U owners already have a Wii collecting dust in the closet is fair. i never got one either, though

ahhh ok. because I have 4 Wiimotes (though, frustratingly enough, the Wii only can sync 2 at once even though all four are operational)

I played new Mario w someone with only one Wii mote and the Wii U controller. There may be some special stages you can't do that with but you don't NEED two Wii motes.

I bought one of these fucking things, which based on past history means I expect it to be a really great system that kills the company.

So you owned a Dreamcast as well, eh?

yeah dreamcast was my favorite system ever

I feel kinda weird buying a system that seems so doomed but it has like 5 games that look great and all the Ps4/XBox1 games look like ass

yeh its dead really but 4/5 great games would make it worth it imo. been playing Pikmin 3, sooo fuckin good.

so, what are the 5 great games? haven't been keeping up and kinda want one of these too.

just got it so i don't know for sure - for me the 5 would include Pikmin 3, Mario 3D, MH3U and in the future X, SMT x Fire Emblem, Zelda. people like that Wonderful 101 game, haven't tried the demo yet though.

well not all of them are out yet but wind waker, SM3DW, X, Mario Kart all look great to me. I hope they do more HD remakes, the system would be worth it just for that.

oh yeah, x. that does look good.

mainly want this for the new mario game even tho I couldn't get into galaxy. old habits die hard.

X?

the xenoblade sequel type thing

hm! yeah that would maybe have me buy in

#yearofluigi

https://24.media.tumblr.com/6e166b17aba04f752d8d60c3ddcb5ca7/tumblr_mxjtk540dn1qednkoo1_500.png

well not all of them are out yet but wind waker, SM3DW, X, Mario Kart all look great to me.

Not much of a gamer, but I likes me my Mario games, so take this w/ a grain of salt if you will. My friend has a Wii U and SM3DW looks amazing (see here) but the 3D gameplay on a 2D track sometimes means you're just slightly on the wrong plane, often to the point of frustration. I can't count the number of times I've missed the question block or flagpole for being just slightly off, which is something that the straight-3D games always seemed to be more forgiving about. Some of the levels I've played so far force you into running along narrow ledges at 45° angles, so using the Wiimote like on NSMB is out of the question as you really need the analog stick.

I still plan on getting the Wii U though, if only for Mario Kart 8. NSMBU and Luigi U are great fun, too. Wii Party U is OK if you have a bunch of people around. No clue why the Virtual Console is so limited on titles compared to Wii.

has anyone messed with homebrew at all? pondering hacking ours some to try to get a little more functionality.

it's pretty weak as a "media centerpiece" which i guess its not supposed to be. no dvd/blu-ray player, file format is annoyingly not windows compatible so you can't just pop in a thumb drive, and no built in ethernet adapter. looks like our 360 will live on.

i jailbroke my original wii and it was super easy.. didn't really do much with it though

as for the wiiU, i recently tried out the "no-homebrew" version project-m and it worked fine but that's about it

new super mario bros u: eh, pretty good

super luigi U: FUCK YEAH

loving this. almost 100% on 3d World. Also: the browser and youtube apps are surprisingly good?

i have been streaming mostly through plex media server to the web app.

we just finished pikmin 3 which was pretty good. been trying the wonderful 101, which has some really unintuitive controls and weak instructions....and for co-op, requires the pro controller. so this would be the third time we have to buy another controller.

So I got one of these

I'm having such a great time with mario 3d world. I've actually been limiting myself to a couple of levels per session so it doesn't end too soon.

should i buy dankey kang tropical

im definitely gonna buy it once i finish rayman

yeah rayman is pretty good. does co-op well too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95HuSMQSUVo

this game is pretty good, hot soundtrack

reminds me of the gabriel knight 1 score, this song

or the nevilles' yellow moon

great track!

Yeah I tried promoting the amazing tropical freeze soundtrack here Donkey Kong Country 2 OST highlight?

it is so good. the more time i spend with the game the more i like it--the level design is impressive, it's visually creative and often beautiful. mostly, though, it has that DKC precision. mario has fluidity, where your inputs and the actions on screen move from one to the next in a logical way that makes some allowance for user error. dankey does exactly what you tell him to do right when you tell him. it can be infuriating but it is always fair.

Hey gamers, Nintendo existential crisis here. We have two kids, age 9 and 6. When the older one was much younger we briefly had a Wii, but she was too young to use it and we were too tired to use it, so away it went. Years pass, everyone's older, and the kids are probably ready for the Wii.* Now, an older Wii is obviously an option, but it bugs me to get something without HD graphics (just as it did when I bought the Wii the first time), not to mention getting stuck with the older versions of games while eyeing cool updates or new games like Marvel Lego, which looks like fun. On the other hand, Wii U looks like total dead console walking, so even though it's backward compatible, and even though I'd have access to new games, there really don't seem to be many new games, and that's a trend that does not appear to be changing anytime soon. Because dead console walking.

So what do I do? Used Wii and just deal with it? Wait this Nintendo lull out? Wait for the Wii U to go fire sale pricing?

*Never had much interest in the Xbox or Sony, since this is mostly for kid/family stuff, which Nintendo does well, and also I think the cool games for those other systems are just too fucking hard for me, but I suppose could be convinced.

Mario Kart and Smash Bros are coming out this year on Wii U and should provide plenty of family fun on their own

Mario 3d world is also supposed to be a lot of fun multiplayer

Get a 3DS instead

was about to suggest the same

360 plus minecraft plus all the lego games.

We have enough personal handheld screens, so I don't want to get a 3DS.

360 is Xbox, right?

Wii U will be safe for the kids, as there won't be an end to your Zelda/Mario/Animal Crossing/etc. family friendly stuff coming out, and the multiplatform family stuff will come for it, like Lego games, Disney Infinity, etc. That's true to an extent for the Xbox/Sony stuff too, but you'd have to invest in the more expensive new generation stuff which is way more focused on M-rated (Call of Duty/Titanfall/Killzone/etc.) manshoots. So I say go for Wii U and get a copy of The Wonderful 101 or something

OTOH yes a 3DS is an even safer bet, and with Wii U your kids will be all over the tablet controller anyway, if for nothing else that someone can watch TV on it while someone else is playing a game on the TV and vice versa (surprisingly undersold gimmick)

Aside from budget, is there any reason to go old-school Wii, or would that be a step back?

depend on...
will your kids care or notice they can't play any new games
or will your eyes bleed looking at upscaled 480p on a current HDTV

(also if you're into digital purchasing the whole nintendo marketplace is kind of a mess; purchases don't transfer from system to system, the Wii has a store, the Wii U has a separate store, as does the 3DS, and you'll see virtual console / digital game listings for each specific platform. basically, i'm saying it's just another reason to just go to the Wii U)

I've read that some of the later Wii games look ok on HDTVs (e.g. Mario Galaxy 2).

http://uk.ign.com/games/upcoming/wii-u

If you take out the first party and the indie downloadables there's almost nothing left on this list.

yes, welcome to nintendo

is there a real mario game for this shits

super mario 3d land counts as real mario, right? idk i haven't played it but it looked like the halfway point between galaxy and the retro 2d ones

i realized at some point that i don't actually like mario games that much other than 64 and sunshine

the only reason to buy nintendo consoles is to play zelda games, as far as i'm concerned

err actually i like the paper mario series a lot too but those aren't really ~mario games~

mario galaxy was super tite imo

idk if 3d really counts

3d land

It counts, it's great.

it can be great and not count tho

galaxy 1&2 were both okay but i much prefer the feeling of inhabiting a fleshed-out game world that you get in 64 and sunshine rather than a series of dioramas which is what galaxy and the new one feels like. i've posted about this before on other threads and people were saying 'mario isn't supposed to be about immersion' but for a short time it was, and for me it's hard to drop that and still feel the same way about the games

i thought it was really cool how they switched up the game play in the different worlds, i vibe to that

Well I 100% agree with that (xp). But yeah, I don't we're ever going to get Mario 64-2.

(And I'd argue that Sunshine doesn't count either)

what why doesnt sunshine count

i bought a gamecube just to play sunshine then i returned it when i was done lol

gamecube was an underrated console in general i think

wind waker and paper mario 2 are like top 5 nintendo games imo, and metroid prime is up there too, plus there were a lot of neat 3rd party games the likes of which we don't get anymore on nintendo

i played windwaker too tbh which was good tho i dont think i ever beat it then i returned the gamecube

You can just play Wind Waker on a emu and it'll be good you don't need to buy a Gamcube

I played Wind Waker on an emu and it was tite

i tried to set up a gamecube emo sitch a while ago and it was a complete disaster including me attempting manual modification of the $15 playstation controller i bought off amazon, but i have a new computer now so maybe it wld work

was v laggy on the 4 y/o mbp

Well, firstly because that fludd thing changed the core gameplay enough that it didn't really feel like a mario game to me. Secondly because in my memory a least, a significant portion of the game took place in the special stages, which weren't immersive and worldy, they were abstract diorama style, and maybe it was even the hugely positive critical response to those parts specifically (loads of reviews at the time talked about those being the best parts) which led to the series going back in that direction overall.

xps

those special stages played way more arcadey tho. galaxy games didn't really have that feel to em.

f-zero gamecube was the shit btw.

speaking of gamecube people are paying crazy prices for component av cables on ebay

Well, full disclosure, I've still not got round to playing either of the galaxies. Since Sunshine I've played NSMB on DS, NSMB2 on 3DS, NSMBU on Wii U, 3D Land on 3DS, 3D World on Wii U. And I think they all have that abstract arcadey thing that the Sunshine special stages had.

If I got my family a U I would get the Mario/Luigi bundle, a couple of Just Dance things for the kids and their buddies, the Marvel Lego game and maybe Zombi U for me, because it looks cool and scary. Oh, and Super Smash Bros., if/when it comes out.

You can just play Wind Waker on a emu and it'll be good you don't need to buy a Gamcube

I played Wind Waker on an emu and it was tite

― 龜, Friday, March 28, 2014 10:03 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

I was drunk when I made this post

Now I remembered that I actually bought a gamecube off amazon for $15 that smelled like sweaty nerd meat and bought Wind Waker for $40 from some guy in Queens

It was still tite tho

lmao

xps F-Zero GX was like aarrrrrrrrrrrrrrghhhh all the time, it was great
the OG Wiis were backwards compatible w/GameCube discs, seems like that'd be the easiest option nowadays. though Wind Waker HD exists now, too

Finally got around to playing Rayman, truly amazing for two players. The additional stuff with the touchpad is not groundbreaking but still a cool extra on the game.

Nintendo free digital game promotion if you buy & register Mario Kart 8 by July 31st

games for NA - Pikmin 3, New Super Mario Bros U, The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD, Wii Party U
games for EU - Pikmin 3, New Super Mario Bros U, The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD, Wii Party U, Nintendo Land, Game & Wario, Sonic Lost World, Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, The Wonderful 101, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate

Choice of one

awesome, i'll probably pick up pikmin

Anybody on Mario Kart 8?

yup

do we still do friend codes? i don't know how wii u multiplayer works

Nintendo Network ID

don't forget to register game on Club Nintendo to get free digital game & then claim back money if you are on the Network Premium thing http://p.nintendo.net/index.html

hexenducted on nintendo network hit me up for that blue shell

adnaus23 here if you wanna

Mario Kart 8 is pretty amazing! I like the Wii U Mario games better than anything since SNES. Looks way better than anything I've seen on xbone or ps4. The motion controls are pretty much perfect; this is the best controlling racing game I've ever played.

Also I love that it is simply called "Mario Kart 8" and not "Super" "New" or anything.

We just discovered the slow motion option for replays. SO COOL.

ugh I am gonna have to order a ton of Wii U Pro controllers or whatever the fuck and buy this game, on a major local multiplayer kick right now and this is the price I pay

This was a bad week for us to accidentally hoover up and destroy the cable on the AC adaptor for the wii u gamepad.

i keep hearing about pikmin 3, is it really good

have you played either of the earlier Pikmin games? It's pretty much more of the same, just a lot prettier. It's really good, short but with a lot of replayability.

just be cool and play pikm0n

my pikmin let me show u them

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIIPkyWaiu0

I took it as my free game with mariokart, only played maybe 20 mins so far but yeah, feels lovely so far.

soooooooo ffaaaaaarrrr

considering getting a wii u for this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHAfJturexI

I played Mario Kart 8 the other day and it was amazing. Beautiful, absolutely locked on frame rate, hard but not stupidly so like the Wii edition. Not enough to get me to buy a Wii U, but seriously awesome nonetheless.

I think of Mario Kart games as things that are largely fun among friends. Is there any fun to be had a single player?

No clue. Played it with a friend.

nah man online is sick fun

Like online against strangers or online against friends who also have Wii Us?

Hi guys just came here to post this delightful video thanks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6t5DetuBMOY#t=88

First set of MK8 DLC tracks arrive Thursday and they look awesome.

I picked up Bayonetta 2 over the weekend and will probably start it this week. Never played the first, and am not sure if I should start there or not.

I've never really been a Zelda fan, but played the Hyrule Warriors demo and thought it was fun and something I could get into.

xp that video was delightful!

Wha? DLC tracks??

I just got a Wii U and MK8 "for my kids" last week, and my wife and I have been playing the shit out of MK. So pretty. Can't wait for Smash Bros!!!

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-s-plan-to-quietly-kill-the-wii-u/1100-6418177/
yikes! any speculation about what nintendo's "quality of life" system will be? is the wii u P.U.? i'm rooting for them.

lol what a ridiculous article, QoL is not a gaming platform, it's a bunch of standalone health products that use the cloud via your wifi. They may kill off WiiU early but it would be nothing to do with this, which is all about diversifying their product lines beyond the limited gaming space.

Oh it's from March, nvm

i've been waiting to load up on my first next gen system + games with whatever one failed first.

Smash tomorrow~~~

Can't wait!

there was a three block line going on around radio city including kids dressed as pikachu. i guess they're waiting for the midnight Nintendo store opening

I suspect Smash will be as polished glitch free and fun as MK8 and right now other developers are making that look like a legit herculean accomplishment

Smash is AWESOME. A friend got it last night and we played it way too much. Spent a lot of time in homerun derby. So much fun smacking that punching bag...

really thinking about grabbing one of these today

Do it. Confirm Smash is awesome and I haven't even played with friends yet.

We were playing a Mario vs. Mario match and there is this headbutt he does that is just BRUTAL. We were in absolute hysterics over Mario grabbing his opponents head and smashing it into his own repeatedly. Wish I had an animated gif of it. I was like "Damn, Mario!"

8-player is pretty frantic! PacMan also has a good move if he's surrounded, which my kid exploited for a bunch of kills...

got one of those Pro controllers the other day and good grief this thing feels so nice to hold, like it was ergonomically calibrated just for me.

http://i.imgur.com/voUfl.gif

I officially suck at Smash. Maybe idgi, but not having played the previous games, my technique alternates between finding where I'm at on screen, mashing buttons, and getting knocked off the platform. I plan to pick a consistent character and put some time into Training Mode.

Captain Toad is out now, and those were some of my favorite levels from SM3DW, so I'll probably get that one. I think I have enough eShop cards laying around…

hi its a me mario

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SECWlFInyFM

I'm going to have to buy a Wii U when this new Zelda comes out. Looks amazing. I love having the map on the controller.

prefer smushed cartoon link

Just caved and bought one of these things. I'm already perplexed by the whole transfer system, it seriously just keeps all your old Wii stuff in a separate interface without integrating it with any of the Wii U controls? Its cool that it transfers your points but the fact that there are two separate stores, the old store seems to have a lot more VC stuff right now, though it may be because I can't figure out much on the Wii U store, it just seems like a bunch of links to different subsets of products rather than like an actual list of stuff you can buy.

That said the gamepad is a seriously neat piece of hardware and I'm having a blast with the New SMB Wii U, I'll never get sick of these games, I know they likely never will, but wouldn't it be cool if they did DLC for new worlds on this one periodically? I mean it's the same game as the regular Wii one give 'er take a few things (even reusing most of the music), so why not?

Sounds like Mario Maker is the upcoming Wii U release for you.

They did release dlc for that, I think? New luigi U or something?

oh. that one's on the disc I have

Ah, there you go then.

the Wii OS was hacked so comprehensively that when they decided the WiiU would have backwards compatibility the Wii part had to be completely fenced off to prevent hacking of the WiiU OS. this also means that most if not all previous hacks of the Wii can run in Wii mode on the WiiU - for example with Nintendont you can play most Gamecube games on the WiiU straight from an SD card or USB device with minimal setup, and its next to impossible for Nintendo to detect or patch it. I believe it also supports that Smash USB adapter thingy so you can use a wavebird if you want!

haha, I totally forgot that was the reason for their fenced-off mode

maybe another reason is that their transfer system just involves storing everything on an SD card which technically you could then open up with a hex editor on a PC and give yourself 100000 Wii points (and yes, I realize this isn't the way you do it anymore, but I haven't 'hacked' anything since I was 14)

the idea that I would have to buy something like SMB3 again on the Wii U if I want to use the new controller is a real bummer. that said it's literally a dollar right now, so whatever

I still think they are missing a huge opportunity by not doing online leaderboards or anything for the VC stuff, nor any sort of online capability - wouldn't have to be much more complex than what your standard issue emulator does. Like with New Super Mario Bros. U you can kinda see them adding in some challenges specifically for the high-difficulty/speedrun crowd, why not take it a step further and let people speedrun SMB3 with the possibility of getting on a leaderboard/making the video available for all to see

Man, those Gamecube adapter things are sold out everywhere...

fortunately unlike the Amiibos it sounds like they'll keep producing them, I imagine the supply will catch up within a few months

their lack of cross-platform buy ala Sony/Steam is a real waste, considering how much of their stuff works across 2DS/3DS/Wii/WiiU. it's held me back a little from buying any retro titles

so i thought i'd try this Hyrule Warriors thing out for a few minutes. 3 hours later i look at the clock and wonder where the time went. can't even tell you if the game is any good, just ... want to play more. wth.

super mario galaxy 2 now available from the eshop - half-price at £8.99 for the next seven days. metroid prime trilogy will be the same price the week after next, which seems like such insanely good value i have to wonder whether it's a misprint.

metroid prime trilogy 10 bucks right now yall

hurry up and tell me when i can play this dammit

http://i.imgur.com/nGvDg5W.gif

april 29 2015!

(if you live in japan)

Bought one of these, struck by how a lot of the stuff I got for it (Bayonetta, Captain Toad, Marios), you can literally just play it on this tricked out tablet while someone else is on the TV. Almost games as game industry criticism - how important is HD if the games are this good?

Lego City Undercover is a nice exception, it turns out that TT's Lego skills + Grand Theft Auto + some nifty tablet use (sections where you can hold up the tablet and move it around to see in 3d wireframe) = a very cool game.

anybody playing splatoon? it is thus far a ton of fun. a little limited at release, but the core mechanics are surprisingly deep and very well executed. if you have a wiiu it is absolutely worth looking into

yeh sort of obsessed with Splatoon at the moment. finished the single player part last night, that final boss fight was incredible. not really touched 'splat zone' battles yet, seems a bit too competitive shooter for me. the other night someone Kraken'd in front of me, but i managed to jump over them 3 times and when they turned back i splatted the hell out of them - felt soooooo goooood haha!

turned my wii u on for the first time in a long time and one of the updated apps it has downloaded is... napster? wtf

I succumbed and bought a Wii U & Wind Waker. Excited!
― Chuck_Tatum, Friday, 1 March 2019 13:55 (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

welcome to 2012 chuck!
(srsly tho the wii u was a great and tragically overlooked machine)
― Backdoor Pathway To Making Human Penis Started With A Wallaby (bizarro gazzara), Friday, 1 March 2019 13:56 (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

ones that haven't gotten switch versions, you mean? like half of them have now
― ciderpress, Friday, 1 March 2019 14:28 (forty minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yeah i love the wii u but most of the switch catalogue is just upgraded rereleases of wii u games, i'm glad y'all get to enjoy the games but it's a bit frustrating for those of us who already played these games :)
― the scientology of mountains (rushomancy), Friday, 1 March 2019 14:45 (twenty-three minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Given how expensive Switch games are, I realised I could buy a secondhand Wii U + a bunch of games for the price of 2 or 3 full priced Switch games. So I've retired the Game Cube from the living room, and I can finally get round to playing Wind Waker, Majora's Mask, etc. for the first time on one machine.

Anyway, er, - recommend me some Wii U games! Got my eye on SMG2 and Metroid Prime (which I've never played either)

super mario 3d world is u&k

stuff that hasn't gotten switch port/sequel yet:

Mario 3D World
the 2d Mario formula in 3d, people who like this one really like it

Pikmin 3
it's pikmin, it looks nice

Tokyo Mirage Sessions
a smt/persona spinoff about teen fashion idols with fire emblem personas. google image search should tell you immediately if this is for you or not, it's really visually distinctive like persona 5 but in a completely different direction

Xenoblade Chronicles X
Paper Mario Color Splash
these are less popular entries in their respective series but have some defenders

Star Fox Zero
whereas this one doesn't really have any defenders afaict

oh there's also The Wonderful 101 which i know nothing about other than it's a platinumgames game so it'll be some sort of stylish action thing

its very weird but i liked the little i played of it

and by weird i don't mean the content so much as the control scheme. like you ever played The World Ends With You? kind of like that but maybe less effective

Is The World Ends With You worth it on Switch? I have a DS emu

TWEWY really wants to be played on the DS I think. All the other releases have compromised the gameplay somewhat.

from what i'm hearing that seems to be the case.
but i'm biased, i'd say it's worth buying a DS Lite or 3DS just to play that game

This thing is wild! It’s like a switch made by an idiot. Good games though

After the total silence of the Switch, the low rumble noise of the Wii U is super annoying. (I also have hyperacusis, which doesn't help.)

I bought WWHD on disc and I'm already thinking of buying the online version instead so it's quieter - although now I have to find an old USB stick to save it on to, because my Wii U doesn't have enough memory. What a weird system! It's amazing how many dumb UX problems the Switch solved.

The demo of Pikmin 3 is adorable. Wondering if the game play style will get more tiring the more complicated it gets.

the noise is more likely a fan than the disc drive

Yeah, the fan isn't too bad when I'm playing games on the hard drive, but the disc is really loud during Wind Waker, like PS3 loud.

(I have major hearing damage, though, so everything sounds loud to me.)

oh ok carry on then

Given how expensive Switch games are, I realised I could buy a secondhand Wii U + a bunch of games for the price of 2 or 3 full priced Switch games. So I've retired the Game Cube from the living room, and I can finally get round to playing Wind Waker, Majora's Mask, etc. for the first time on one machine.

Anyway, er, - recommend me some Wii U games! Got my eye on SMG2 and Metroid Prime (which I've never played either)

― Chuck_Tatum

if you're going from gamecube to wii u, don't overlook wii games! there are a lot of really good ones that nobody bought, and the wii u will play them

Yeah, I have a Wii too but the resolution is *terrible* on my TV which really affects playability. Weirdly the Cube looks a lot crisper.

the switch is silent?! between the fan running and the stupid hd rumble playing like little mini symphonies (have to turn it off in half of the games) i can now only imagine that the wii u sounds like a jet engine

i forgot about Yoshi's Woolly World in my earlier list of stuff not on switch which afaict is the most well regarded yoshi game outside of the original yoshi's island

but yeah of the like 20 good wii u games more than half are on switch now

Besides Wonderful 101 what's left?

Nintendoland is VERY hit and miss but the good bits are really good, Mario Chase might be the multiplayer game we played more than any other on that console.

If you care at all about lego games then Lego City Undercover is still one of their best and is much better on this, the console it was designed for than on the the others it was later ported to.

But I'm clutching at straws. Mario 3D Land and Pikmin 3 are really the only exclusives left that are truly worth owning the console far.

3D World sorry. 3D Land was the 3ds one (and is just as good, maybe a little bit better in fact).

Tokyo Mirage Sessions if you love Atlus JRPGs, would love a port of that game so it has another chance to find an audience.
People seem to love 3D World but I found it disappointing tbh.