Poll: What do you think of the WiiU now? v2

[FillerDmon]

With Starfox Zero getting luke-warm reviews and the new Zelda getting delayed to the NX, which appears to be the system's replacement, I expect this thread to be full of negativity.

But it's been about 2 years since I made the thread, and with the next one on the way, I feel like seeing what people think now might be worth the consideration. Each system has had about 4-5 years of time before the next one starts looming around the corner, and while it hasn't had the best splash, it's certainly had some. What do you guys think?

As a part Nintendo fan and a part PC-Gamer, I'll more than admit that the system's had to slog through this generation and that hopefully this might shake things up a bit with the next one. But at the same time, I liked the WiiU. I've had more than a few good games on it and a few good memories because of it. And I don't think I regret my purchase, even if some things could definitely have been done better or should be done better (PAPERMARIOCOLORSPLASHWHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY).

No way this generates nearly as many views and votes as the previous thread (611 votes), but I'd like to see people weigh in.

 

[Bellvedere]

I really like the WiiU. I get the criticism and why it doesn't appeal to a lot of people but it works for me. It's been the perfect living room console. I like the offscreen play because I like to hang out with my housemates. I like that most of the titles have some sort of couch co-op/multiplayer mode. I like that in addition to the WiiU games I can also go back and play games for the Wii. I've also got a PC but even then I've played more on WiiU since I got it (which in fairness was mid 2013). So, I don't regret it at all.

 

[Casual Shinji]

The Wii-U is a great little console. Unfortunately there's just not much to do on it. All I really use it for is to play either Wind Waker HD or Super Mario Galaxy, with maybe an occasional Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze. And yes, I did play Wonderful 101, and that game sucked.

I don't regret my purchase though, despite not getting much use out of it (as well as the controllers being shit to charge up), since the use I do get out of it is always a grand old time. I just regret Nintendo not putting out much if anything new and exciting on the system.

 

[Leg End]

I've wanted one but the NX being around the corner has made me hold off. Though when I think about it, it doesn't have as many games I wanted as I thought it did.

 

[Jingle Fett]

Eh, it's the only console I was remotely interested in...and that still remains the case.
Why get a Xbox One or PS4 when I've already got a desktop with a GTX 980ti and a nice Steam account? Plug in a 360 controller and voila. They certainly don't have any exclusives I'm interested in (or at least too few to justify), whereas the Wii U at least has a bunch of games I can't get anywhere else like Windwaker HD, Splatoon, Zombi U, Bayonetta 2, etc.

 

[TelosSupreme]

I already had little interest in getting one for the most part as there are not of games exclusive to it that make it worth buying for me. However, I've downright rejected getting a Wii U, or any new Nintendo product for that matter, until the company can clean up their pitiful act when it comes to dealing with copyright and fan work. I have a feeling that I'm gonna be Nintendo-free for a good while.

 

[Wrex Brogan]

I really like the Wii U. Despite the obvious gimmick nature of it's controller, it's actually quite fun to use and I'm loving the 'pick up and go' nature of it since I can fire up something like Xenoblade X while my partner plays another console on the TV.

It's just... man, wouldn't mind some more games for it, yeah? So far all we've got is Xenoblade X, Smash Bros and Pokken Tournament. That's it. Even adding Splatoon and Bayonetta to that list it's just... not a very robust library. I've got more Wii games than I do Wii U games. Hell I play more Wii games than I do Wii U games on it. So it's just... nice console, but boy, did it not receive much love.

If it'd had a Metroid game or a Zelda game it'd probably have faired better, really, but right now it's just... yeah.

 

[chadachada123]

Like the Gamecube, the WiiU is much better and more fun than the Wii, but has much less 3rd party support and, partially because of that, much lower sales.

It's not quite as great as the Gamecube, but that's more just a matter of a small library than anything else. Still, it has more amazing (as opposed to mediocre) exclusives than the Xbox One or PS4, as depressing as that is.

It's as if the amount of fun is inversely proportional to how many sales it gets, or something like that.

 

[tstorm823]

I got my wii u when they released the Windwaker edition and dropped the price $50. That was plenty of motivation for me, and since I've had it, I'd say that the Wii U has been the best entertainment purchase I've ever made. I own as many excellent games for the Wii U as I ever did for the wii, and actually more games overall because of how much better they got at digital sales. And the games are just better. For me, Mario Kart for Wii U is just better than the previous games. Same with Smash. Bayonetta, Hyrule Warriors, Xenoblade... I dumped 100 or more hours into most of these. Then if all that wasn't enough, I could fill the space with cheap indie games: Shovel Knight, Teslagrad, Guacamelee, Shantae. The best part of the multitude of games I own for the console is that I payed full price for almost none of it. Windwaker came with the console, Rayman Legends was like 60% off when I got it, ZombiiU I found at a flea market for $9, all the indie games were either on sale or were discounted because I had other games already. My purchases got me points on the old reward system that turned into Super Metroid and Castlevania IV. Hell, Pikmin 3 is sitting on my harddrive unplayed because I got it half price but haven't run out of things to play...

Of course part of never run out of things to play is Splatoon. That game is the clear winner of this generation. I haven't really gotten into a shooter since Modern Warfare 2, but Splatoon really hooked me. It's not even a year old and I've played it for 600 hours, eclipsing almost all the other major releases combined. It's a lot of fun.

But there's one more big reason I love my Wii U: the internet browser. Internet browsers on consoles are supposed to be a joke. Even to the most current, most powerful systems, nobody wants to surf the web on a console. If I'm remembering correctly, when we tried to do that on my friends PS4, the screen was cropped in to fit playstation logos on the outside and the navigation was clunky at best. The wii u browser is a joy to have because of the gamepad. Having the full touchscreen with stylus makes navigation as easy and intuitive as mouse and keyboard, but it's often way more useful because it's attached to my tv. The thing plays videos in the best possible way. Some places have video formats that don't work, the escapist didn't work for a while, but for the most part you go to a video streaming site and pop it right up on the tv. Just the video, full screen, no stupid cropping. In the mean time, you can continue browsing on the gamepad while the tv plays whatever you feel like watching. The combination of touchscreen and internet browser means you've got the equivalent of a $200 tablet with a Chromecast built into the thing that happens to play Nintendo games. For 2 and a half years, I've had my Wii U, and in that time, the internet browser has been running for 2156 hours. That's more than 2 hours a day over the life of the machine largely because I can do things like find a recipe for dinner, carry the gamepad to the kitchen, cook for me and my roommate, go back to the living room and switch to a different tab to put a video on the tv while we eat. The thing couldn't be more convenient if it had a tv remote built into the gamepad- oh wait it does!

It's a brilliant machine. It really is.

 

[Skatalite]

Same as always, not interested in the least. Nintendo games just aren't my thing. They never really have been (although as a kid I used to be a big Fire Emblem and Pokemon fan, and I'd be interested in another Metroid Prime).

 

[Zhukov]

The what?

Oh, is that the current gen console that isn't a PS4?

Umm... isn't it getting replaced or something soon?

 

[Mr.Mattress]

I got my WiiU Christmas 2012, and I don't regret my purchase... However, it is definitely Nintendo's weakest console (bar the Virtual Boy). Very few games came out for the system, the tablet is completely worthless for most games, and it's overall been a disastrous system for Nintendo. Also, while I do like Super Mario 3D World, I'd say that it's the least likable 3D Mario game I've played yet (Which is odd, because Super Mario 3D Land is my second favorite Mario game of all time).

Overall, it's a good system, but it was a failure of a system as well. Literally praying that the NX doesn't suck.

 

[shrekfan246]

I like this assumption that because Zelda got delayed, it's obviously going to be an NX title. Because... Twilight Princess had a Gamecube and Wii version? I mean, okay, go for it, at least there's precedent for this theory I guess.

Anyway, yeah, I like the Wii U, I'm just sad that it's basically become the console equivalent of the PS Vita. I've got Xenoblade Chronicles X, Bayonetta, and Wind Waker HD, but that's kind of it at this point because I already 100%'d Super Mario 3D World, I've got Smash Bros. on the 3DS, and I can't afford Hyrule Warriors (though I might even prefer that on the 3DS as well, and I can't afford a new!3DS either). I used to have Mario Kart and I really liked it, but I don't have anyone to play with at the moment and I can't really do online gaming usually (same reason I haven't picked up Splatoon), so there wasn't a lot of point in holding on to it. I've found that I don't often have as much fun just playing against the computer as I did when I was younger.

 

[Callate]

The Wii-U has been fine for what we use it for. I've enjoyed the games I've played on it, and it runs Netflix as well as anything. I'm particularly glad games like Bayonetta 2 were made for it. Some of its offerings have been ambitious failures, but at least it hasn't been plagued with the level of shovelware that afflicted the Wii.

I think the Wii-U could have done better this generation, but its third-party support started weak and diminished from there. A good part of this has to be laid at Nintendo's feet, of course; they created a somewhat arcane control system and counted on Wii-like market conditions to induce developers to go through the trouble of working with it. (This aside from Nintendo's already less than stellar relations with other publishers.) Combined with online/multiplayer systems that remain some of the worst in its class, the Wii-U hasn't had much to inspire either the sorts of gamers who gravitated towards the PS4 and XBox or the Wii customers who were intrigued with bowling or DDR.

All that aside, though, the Wii-U itself hasn't given me any cause for disappointment. What it does, it does perfectly well, and Nintendo's first-party games have generally been as strong as ever.

 

[hermes]

I got one and regretted it.

My reasoning for my purchase was that it was the only console that had things that were unique to it. Since MS and Sony first party development is pretty weak, and the XBox One and PS4 are basically middle range PCs, there was no incentive for getting one of those when most of their games were available on PC. The Wii U was the only one that offered varied games that would not be available for the other systems.

The problem is, they are nowhere near enough: Splatoon, Bayonetta 2 and Mario Maker... and that is about it. I am not interested in HD remakes of older Nintendo games (no Wind Waker HD), I am not interested in games that can be played better in last generation systems (Rayman, Batman: Arkham Origins), nor I am interested in games that requiere local multiplayer to be more enjoyable (no Smash Bros). I spent over 500 dollars on a console whose interesting games fit in one hand's fingers, and which we already know Nintendo won't support any more, so yeah... I can't say I am happy with my decision.

 

[COMaestro]

I did not purchase a WiiU simply because my gaming time is limited and I really don't have need for more than one console these days. I have played a few games on my brother-in-laws and its a fine little system and provides good group entertainment. But for someone who likes single player entertainment, such as myself, there really isn't that much on there that appeals to me. I'd play the hell out of Hyrule Warriors, and would probably enjoy Bayonetta and Xenoblade, but I've really lost interest in the Super Mario platforming games, never really liked Smash Bros. and Mario Kart/Party are really only fun multiplayer and even those lose their shine after a little bit of play. Three games is not enough to make me interested in a console.

Nintendo thought they had a sure thing after the success of the Wii and just dropped the ball. I bet there would have been more games for the system had the sales been higher to justify the expense, but that just didn't happen. Hopefully Nintendo has learned their lesson and won't fumble the NX.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

A console needs 10-20 games I wanna play before I but it. Wii U has ZombiU and Bayonetta 2, and I already played Bayonetta, so...

 

[Cryselle]

I have to say that I regret my WiiU. It's not that it's a bad console, but I found very few games actually used the split screen very well and the heavy push for Amiibos made it just difficult to build up a library of games I enjoyed on it large enough that I felt I got my money's worth. When I go through my video game library, I find that I have more titles for the PSP and Vita than I do for the WiiU, and that's kinda sad, since I didn't feel either of those lived up to their potential either.

To really kick it home, I have more separate bookcases stacked with PS2 games than I have individual WiiU titles.

 

[Mister K]

I think it is a console that has only 2 games that I want to play (Bayonetta 2 and Wonderful 101) but am not willing to spend 450$ to play them, plus a bunch of first party games that I never cared for, no matter how "iconic" and "important to gaming" they are and a lot of ports which, as far as I am aware, are at the very least SUBoptimal.

Also, Wii backwards compatibility does nothing for me because all games for Wii except for Madworld I am not interested in and if I were a person who cared about graphics I'd make the fact that it doesn't have powerful enough hardware to compete with a PC or, heck, even other consoles a factor too.

So no, I am as not impressed by it as I was on its launch day. The only thing that has changed is that I have come to terms with the fact that I'll never play two cool Platinum games.