Wii U - General Discussion Thread

I thought 2013 was pretty solid with Pikmin, Mario 3D, Sonic Racing and Rayman Legends but Smash & Kart for 2014? *yawn*. Revive some properties that haven't been beaten into the ground already Nintendo.

The new super mario games are some of the most frustrating games for me, thus I just stay away from them. After NSMB I won't play anything from that series again. That game was a horrid mess of a game, and the only game I have ever seen input lag so severe that it makes the game literately unplayable. The game is just broken period, and it has horrible graphics for a Wii game, the worst I have ever seen, and I have seen some turds on the Wii. I have played what feels like a million other games on my TV across many genre's which is a high quality Panasonic TV and never had a problem like this with any of them ever. Yes, I was using game mode too. This leads me to believe its just a poorly designed, broken game.
wow. Since the Wii, Mario games have gotten easier and easier pandering to the casual gamers. My problem is that by the time they do get challenging (last world, or replaying all of Galaxy with Luigi) I'm just bored with it. I've put in hours upon hours and by the time the last world rolls around I'm just ready to move on. They're still fun, but they're way to easy for far too long before offering up any challenge.

 
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...There has been only 3 Smash Bros. games. Mario Kart also only has one game per system. 

I think there's actually twice as many Assassin's Creed games as Smash Bros. games (though that will change this year obviously) and I think there's been more Call of Duty games since Modern Warfare 1 than Mario Kart.

 
Still too many Mario Karts with minimal updates.  Take a generation off or turn it into something fresh like Nintendo Karts with all the characters ala Smash Bros.  How about a robust single player game with leveling characters, upgradable Karts, unlockable skins, etc?  Freshen it up a bit.  

 
Still too many Mario Karts with minimal updates. Take a generation off or turn it into something fresh like Nintendo Karts with all the characters ala Smash Bros. How about a robust single player game with leveling characters, upgradable Karts, unlockable skins, etc? Freshen it up a bit.
I bet it'd make more sense for you to take a generation off rather than for them to pass up on a game that sells well.

 
I bet it'd make more sense for you to take a generation off rather than for them to pass up on a game that sells well.
The problem for Nintendo is they're making games that sell millions to their small niche, but not games that expand the market or sell hardware.

MK8 will sell well as a huge portion of the 5-6 million (wherever it's at now) Wii U owners will buy it. But it probably won't get many people to run out and buy Wii Us. Many are in the boat that Corvin and I are in of feeling like all their franchises are more or less just rehashes of games we've played for 25+ years.

But hey, if they can find a way to make money doing that, great for them. I'm taking a permanent break unless they severely shake up their game offerings in a future generation. I still enjoy some of their games, but after the Wii, Wii U and 3DS have been mostly dust gatherers, it's clear I don't need to own their hardware and can do without the few games I still enjoy. Plenty of people still love their games, so hopefully they can figure out a way to be successful after the Wii U failure.

 
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I bet it'd make more sense for you to take a generation off rather than for them to pass up on a game that sells well.
I agree. The last Nintendo console I owned was the N64, which I loved dearly but was too burned out to get a GCN or Wii. I am having a blast so far with the Wii U, partly because my son is now old enough to get into it and the other due to the hiatus. It may seem like a long time to wait, but when you look at it, this generation of gaming is nearly half over for Nintendo. What's a couple more years?

 
Yeah, that kid/parent niche is one they really should figure out how to market. Even on a site like that this that caters more to hardcore gamers (but not as much as something like GAF of course) there are several people who mention loving playing Wii U with their kids.

That's a market they can really get as Sony and MS just don't have that. Both in the sense of not having as many kid friendly (especially little kid) titles, and most 30 something parents grew up on Nintendo (and/or Sega) if they were a gamer as kid. So there's that nostalgia of sharing similar (or same with the VC) games that they grew up with their kids.

Nintendo can nail that market. Be it with their main console/portable, or putting out a set top box to complement their core gaming offerings like that new Amazon Fire TV that costs $100, has all the streaming apps, and has an optional controller that lets it play VC games.

In any case, that's one market Nintendo should go more directly after. They just can't do much to get someone like me--a 35 year old who grew up with their games but is sick of them now and prefers shooters and WRPGs who is never having kids. And they can't do much to get the tweens, teens and above who just want to play Call of Duty with their friends. The kids/parents market is one they could dominate. They do a good job with kids with the portable line up, but that is shrinking as more kids just game on hand me down smartphones and tablets so they need to find other angles to stay relevant in that market.

They have their sizable niche of diehard fans they have to keep as well. But just putting out their first party stuff keeps most of them happy. The kid market is huge as they have to hook enough each generation to keep that niche of fans going forward, as well as to expand their market some.
 
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I agree they could definitely nail that market of 30 somethings who are having kids and grew up with Nintendo. Nintendo also has the most family friendly games, and they have fitness games to get the kids up and moving. Sony doesn't really have that, MS has Kinect, but there are restrictions on that, and most people here live in very small houses or apartments where Kinect isn't practical in the least so I think the Wii or the Wii U does that the best. 

Majority of parents don't want kids playing violent games online and the Wii U solves that problem since the online is safe and the library of games is more family friendly than on any other console. The XBox One and PS4 libraries are really limited when it comes to family games and aside from movie and license games even the Xbox 360 doesn't have that much for families.

I think they can get around the smartphone and tablet thing since a lot of parents do not want their kids going wild with in-app purchases which is ultimately what happens on tablets and smartphones. The Wii U or the 3DS solves this issue. Though to counter the tablet market they could start releasing some educational games that are cheap and do not have in app purchases or ads. Speaking of ads, Nintendo systems are the only ones that don't have overcrowded dashboard ads or a ticker that displays ads....which is just another plus.

Ultimately though I think kids want more than just a tablet or smartphone for gaming, so I think even though people buy tablets and smartphones en masse for their kids there is definitely still a market for consoles.

 
I'm leaning towards getting a wii u over a ps4 and xbox one. Cheaper and free online. Don't play online much. Have a blu ray player and Apple TV already.

Outside of wind waker, what do you suggest? Looking at Mario kart and donkey kong.

How is pikmin 3? What about nsmb(newer one)? Are wiimotes and nunchucks reasonably priced nowadays? I'd like to get some wii games I didn't previously play(skyward sword)
 
I'm leaning towards getting a wii u over a ps4 and xbox one. Cheaper and free online. Don't play online much. Have a blu ray player and Apple TV already.

Outside of wind waker, what do you suggest? Looking at Mario kart and donkey kong.

How is pikmin 3? What about nsmb(newer one)? Are wiimotes and nunchucks reasonably priced nowadays? I'd like to get some wii games I didn't previously play(skyward sword)
 
You need the Wii remotes with motion plus built in for most Wii U titles, I just picked up one for $20 shipped on eBay and it was almost new, you can also get refurbished sets directly from Nintendo for $20 with $5 shipping on your whole order(if that deal is still going on). Watch out for fakes if you use eBay. You also need the motion plus remote for playing games like skyward sword on the Wii. You definitely need wii remotes and nunchucks if you are going to buy this console.

You forgot about Donkey Kong Tropical freeze. Mario kart and smash are also coming out soon. The game X which is supposed to be a hd xenoblade is also coming out this year. If you are into it there is also wii fit u which I think is fantastic and wii sports club which is an updated wii sports with online play.
 
Yeah, that kid/parent niche is one they really should figure out how to market. Even on a site like that this that caters more to hardcore gamers (but not as much as something like GAF of course) there are several people who mention loving playing Wii U with their kids.That's a market they can really get as Sony and MS just don't have that. Both in the sense of not having as many kid friendly (especially little kid) titles, and most 30 something parents grew up on Nintendo (and/or Sega) if they were a gamer as kid. So there's that nostalgia of sharing similar (or same with the VC) games that they grew up with their kids.Nintendo can nail that market. Be it with their main console/portable, or putting out a set top box to complement their core gaming offerings like that new Amazon Fire TV that costs $100, has all the streaming apps, and has an optional controller that lets it play VC games.In any case, that's one market Nintendo should go more directly after. They just can't do much to get someone like me--a 35 year old who grew up with their games but is sick of them now and prefers shooters and WRPGs who is never having kids. And they can't do much to get the tweens, teens and above who just want to play Call of Duty with their friends. The kids/parents market is one they could dominate. They do a good job with kids with the portable line up, but that is shrinking as more kids just game on hand me down smartphones and tablets so they need to find other angles to stay relevant in that market.They have their sizable niche of diehard fans they have to keep as well. But just putting out their first party stuff keeps most of them happy. The kid market is huge as they have to hook enough each generation to keep that niche of fans going forward, as well as to expand their market some.
Nintendo could make great strides if they just marketed correctly but it's clear they have no idea what they're doing in terms of audiences. Most successful ads towards kids are actually directed at their parents to some extent. If you watch kids networks (and if you have kids you do), you'll see a lot of ads towards non-toys because they know the parents are watching. Nintendo needs an ad campaign showing parents playing Mario Kart with their kids. Hey you remember how fun this was? Yeah now you can share it with the kids! I actually think that market might be larger than the core Nintendo audience at this point based on current sales.
 
Nintendo could make great strides if they just marketed correctly but it's clear they have no idea what they're doing in terms of audiences. Most successful ads towards kids are actually directed at their parents to some extent. If you watch kids networks (and if you have kids you do), you'll see a lot of ads towards non-toys because they know the parents are watching. Nintendo needs an ad campaign showing parents playing Mario Kart with their kids. Hey you remember how fun this was? Yeah now you can share it with the kids! I actually think that market might be larger than the core Nintendo audience at this point based on current sales.
You just described the Super Mario 3D World commercial.

 
This thread is absolutely useless now. Just a bunch of bitching about Nintendo from non and former owners. The PS4 and One threads aren't nearly this bad. Normally I wouldn't care but these threads are usually a good place to read small tidbits of information like upcoming games. Look, there's already a doom and gloom thread people, use it for your armchair analysis and save this for actual news/discussion.
 
I bet it'd make more sense for you to take a generation off rather than for them to pass up on a game that sells well.
OR instead of rehashing the same 3-4 franchises every generation, maybe rehash 2-3 and branch out and come up with something new or revive a dormant franchise just wasting away. Hell, they could even spend some of those billions they made with the Wii and put together a new team to push out the redundant sequels.

As for sitting out, I have no problem with that. Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword burned me on Zelda so I'm done there until they do something new. Mario Kart Wii, also a yawner. No 8 for me. And therein lies Nintendo's problem. They have to make the Mario Karts to stay afloat right now but by the same token they're bleeding core gamers like myself who have been at every console launch since the NES because they take no risks anymore. Someone above brought up CoD and Assassin's Creed. Those are yearly franchises that have probably seen more advancement on a year to year basis than some of Nintendo's games on a generational scale.

MK8 will sell well as a huge portion of the 5-6 million (wherever it's at now) Wii U owners will buy it. But it probably won't get many people to run out and buy Wii Us. Many are in the boat that Corvin and I are in of feeling like all their franchises are more or less just rehashes of games we've played for 25+ years.
Exactly. Like I said, I'd still be down for MK if they changed it up a bit. As it stands it's a pretty version of MK64. Give me a robust single player campaign with unlockables, upgrades, character leveling, etc. and I'd be there on day one. However there is little doubt in my mind that what we get will be basically 4 course classes with 4 courses in each with little replay value outside of multiplayer. The franchise has become to rote for words.

Wow. Pretty cheap! Pikmin 3 pretty good?
My favorite game on the console, and a perfect example of taking a dormant franchise and bringing it back. The game was phenomenal. Nintendo proved they still have the talent to be more than a Mario & Zelda factory.

 
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Fair enough. I've wasted enough time discussing a company that doesn't fit my interests anymore anyway.

I do think one of many things that sucks about CAG anymore is the trend of having these big catch all threads for consoles and fewer threads about upcoming games or individual threads about specific news items. Mostly a result of traffic being way down from years past and an even higher ratio of visitors just being here for the deals rather than discussing games and gaming news.

Oh well, there's always GAF which is a lot busier, more focused on industry news discussion and better moderated. I need to make more effort to read and post there than here as I enjoy that more and won't annoy the people here who don't enjoy discussing and speculating about the industry. Where as I enjoy that more as I couldn't care less about people's opinions on games or movies etc. Its also a better place to get game news quickly since its more active and you can skim thread titles since news isn't buried in lame catch all threads.

In any case, I'll stay out of this forum area since people aren't interests in discussing Nintendo's future here and I'll never own another piece of their hardware (other than the 3DS that I'll likely ditch soon) so that's all I'd have to ramble on about.
 
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This thread is absolutely useless now. Just a bunch of bitching about Nintendo from non and former owners. The PS4 and One threads aren't nearly this bad. Normally I wouldn't care but these threads are usually a good place to read small tidbits of information like upcoming games. Look, there's already a doom and gloom thread people, use it for your armchair analysis and save this for actual news/discussion.
I think most of us own the Wii U....
Humans complain about things...get over yourself.
 
Complaining, sure but there's also nothing wrong than wanting/expecting more from a company that used to own this industry.  There's also that old adage, "we complain because we care."  I'd rather see some complaining than just people eating up whatever a company shoves out, good or bad.  That doesn't help anyone.

 
I get what hes saying there. He prob comes to this thread like I do for any information on up coming games, features, etc and this thread just is usually bitching and moaning. Hell i think ive seen the same discussions happen several times now.

At this point, those kind of convos should either be made its own thread and leave this one to be about actual news, or just leave this one to be what it is and make a new Wii U thread that is news about upcoming games and features.

 
I get what hes saying there. He prob comes to this thread like I do for any information on up coming games, features, etc and this thread just is usually bitching and moaning. Hell i think ive seen the same discussions happen several times now.

At this point, those kind of convos should either be made its own thread and leave this one to be about actual news, or just leave this one to be what it is and make a new Wii U thread that is news about upcoming games and features.
This is a discussion thread...
 
Complaining, sure but there's also nothing wrong than wanting/expecting more from a company that used to own this industry. There's also that old adage, "we complain because we care." I'd rather see some complaining than just people eating up whatever a company shoves out, good or bad. That doesn't help anyone.
Which is fine, and also the reason I pointed out that there's already the "Nintendo Doom and Gloom" thread for complaining about Nintendo's handling of the Wii U. This thread was useful for short posts of information and discussion which wouldn't otherwise be worth a whole new post.
 
Well I finally got a Wii U the other day.  I picked up a 32GB Deluxe from Cowboom for $150.  Here are my initial impressions of the games I have played so far:

New Super Mario Bros U : This is probably the weakest game I have played so far on the Wii U.  Of course it is a launch title and I did play it after Mario 3D World.  It didn't really seem unique to me and I could have easily mistaken it for a Wii title if it wasn't for the graphics.

New Super Luigi U : Even though at the core it is very similar to Mario U I really have enjoyed this game so far.  They should have called it New Super Mario Bros U - The Lost Levels.  I really like the added difficulty of this game.

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate : Haven't played enough of this to get a good impression but so far it seems like the Wii version with slightly better graphics.

Legend of Zelda Windwaker HD : HD remake of an already good looking Gamecube game so not much to say.  

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze : Decent game so far but my main gripe with the game is that roll and ground slap are on the same button so that does break the flow of the game whenever you are wanting to do a ground slap but you end up rolling and dying.  I realize that if you are stationary you slap and if you are moving you roll but it still would have been nice to have it on separate buttons.

Super Mario 3D World : Finally a game that makes the Wii U purchase feel justified.  I enjoy the level design and some of the coins are pretty tricky to find at times.  I'm not a fan of the tacked on gamepad controls "Blow into the mic to raise a platform!" "No, screw you Miyamoto I just want to play the game using my Nyko Pro Controller."  The Captain Toad levels are another one of those tacked on Gamepad levels as well.  The last time I checked my pro controller had a right analog stick so I should be able to rotate the screen with that just fine.

From looking at the eShop I haven't seen anything that has jumped out at me as a must buy, is there anything that is a must buy? I am considering getting Golden Sun this week on there though.  I do really like the Nyko Pro Controller though.  It is a fraction of the price of the official controller and  I like the layout of that controller a lot better.

 
No Pikmin or Rayman Legends, lordvila? Put them on your buy list.

Which is fine, and also the reason I pointed out that there's already the "Nintendo Doom and Gloom" thread for complaining about Nintendo's handling of the Wii U. This thread was useful for short posts of information and discussion which wouldn't otherwise be worth a whole new post.
"Doom & Gloom" thread doesn't really fit either. That's more for sales discussions and, well, doom and gloom. I don't think anyone in here is being all that negative, it's just not all sunshine and roses.

 
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No Pikmin or Rayman Legends, lordvila? Put them on your buy list.

"Doom & Gloom" thread doesn't really fit either. That's more for sales discussions and, well, doom and gloom. I don't think anyone in here is being all that negative, it's just not all sunshine and roses.
Rayman Legends I already own for the Vita. I won't buy multiplatform titles for the Wii U. Pikmin is on my list but I am waiting on a sale to get it or I will just GameFly it. I heard it is rather short.

 
Depends on how much you like Pikmin.  I've sunk at least 60 hours into it going for Gold/Plat. on the challenge levels and that's not including the DLC.

As for Rayman, it was designed for the WiiU it's the other platforms that are the whack versions.  You should relax your rule a tad for that one.

 
From looking at the eShop I haven't seen anything that has jumped out at me as a must buy, is there anything that is a must buy? I am considering getting Golden Sun this week on there though. I do really like the Nyko Pro Controller though. It is a fraction of the price of the official controller and I like the layout of that controller a lot better.
Earthbound, first time it's been re-released. Super Mario World is free on Club Nintendo right now. Upgrade whatever you have for Wii.
 
Super Mario World is 200 points isn't it?  I'm not seeing free anywhere but I'm not logged in.

Pikmin is fantastic.  I only recently started trying the challenge stages and they are quite tough.  You could sink a ton of hours into that.

 
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New Princess Peach Wiimote coming later this month

 
I bought the other ones, so I might as well get one of these too. Even though I know it'll never happen, seeing the Peach version makes me hope for a red & white Toad one.

 
While it's nice that they're releasing new Wiimotes (I have the Luigi one), I really wish Nintendo would give us some new nunchuk colors to go along with them. I'm still not sure why they never made the red or blue nunchuks available to buy separately.

 
Does anyone know where to get a decent pink nunchuck on ebay? I just bought the pink remote, and I want a nunchuck to go with it. I am not worried about the motion control in the nunchuck as I will probably just use it for skylanders which only requires the joystick and buttons.

 
I bought the other ones, so I might as well get one of these too. Even though I know it'll never happen, seeing the Peach version makes me hope for a red & white Toad one.
I already have 4 wii+ remotes, but I would pre-order a toad one if I had the chance. I am even thinking of that princess peach one just to go along with my mario and luigi ones.

 
I already have 4 wii+ remotes, but I would pre-order a toad one if I had the chance. I am even thinking of that princess peach one just to go along with my mario and luigi ones.
When I told my daughter about the Peach wiimote her response was, "Are they making a Toad one? I want that instead."

 
super mario bros 3 now on wii u virtual console :D/
I think it's been there since last week.

edit:

I just read, Nintendo's sales are down month-over-month from about 80k in Feb to about 70k in March. Because of the way that NPD does reporting, Feb was a 4 week month and March was a 5 week month. This means that Wii U sales dropped from about 20k a week to about 14k a week from Feb to March. Wow....

If Mario Kart doesn't set the world on fire then the what will Nintendo do?

 
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I think it's been there since last week.

edit:

I just read, Nintendo's sales are down month-over-month from about 80k in Feb to about 70k in March. Because of the way that NPD does reporting, Feb was a 4 week month and March was a 5 week month. This means that Wii U sales dropped from about 20k a week to about 14k a week from Feb to March. Wow....

If Mario Kart doesn't set the world on fire then the what will Nintendo do?
I was about to post this (sales numbers for March), you beat me to it, but here's the tweet:

https://twitter.com/gibbogame/status/457009449161347072

I think MK8 will help (they'll get a boost for a little while, then back down), but at this point I don't think the console is going to recover and become a heathy 3rd place in this generation. Shame Nintendo didn't put more stuffing into the system, but it is what it is.

 
I was about to post this (sales numbers for March), you beat me to it, but here's the tweet:

https://twitter.com/gibbogame/status/457009449161347072

I think MK8 will help (they'll get a boost for a little while, then back down), but at this point I don't think the console is going to recover and become a heathy 3rd place in this generation. Shame Nintendo didn't put more stuffing into the system, but it is what it is.
It's not just the power of the system or their 1.5 year shit advertising campaign, it's their dismal release schedule too. They've got Mario Kart coming out but come on. They're going to have to support the system with first party alone but any core gamer needs more than like 5-6 games a year. No one likes every game that comes out and most people outside of Nintendo's extreme fans aren't going to like every game that Nintendo puts out either. That means their handful of games a year will turn into 1-2 for most people. I wonder how many Wii U exclusive games are out (new games which would push sales of the console and not remade VC's though Earthbound could probably be counted more than the rest as the rest are widely available and it isn't).

 
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I dunno if anyone here is excited for nes remix 2. Can't wait until until this Friday for it. The snes remix will be equally just as fun. It would be nice if nintendo got third parties working with a nes remix 3. Mega man would be a potential possibly with him being in smash bros.
 
I am actually looking forward to a few Wii u games. Granted, I am a bit behind, but I should be able to get all of these for a total $60 or less very soon: ACIV, Need for Speed: MW, Lego City Undercover, and Wonderful 101.

Also interested in DKC: TF and NES Remix 2. I would be completely satisfied with all this, the games I already have, and a decent WWE game.
 
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I am actually looking forward to a few Wii u games. Granted, I am a bit behind, but I should be able to get all of these for a total $60 or less very soon: ACIV, Need for Speed: MW, Lego City Undercover, and Wonderful 101.

Also interested in DKC: TF and NES Remix 2. I would be completely satisfied with all this, the games I already have, and a decent WWE game.
I'm waiting on a few of the Wii U games to come down in price as well. I think prices will have to come down so they can shift units.

 
Well, I joined the club. I was checking Craigslist for a Wii U and saw a guy decreasing his price slowly every 2 weeks or so. Last weekend he gave up and priced it to sell, apparently is moving soon.

$150 for a 32GB system with Lego City. Traded Lego City in to Best Buy for $17 for a net cost of $133. Used that plus another gift card to get SM3DW.

I grew up on Nintendo and want to see them succeed, minus the Virtual Boy I've owned every system Nintendo has ever put out. But I can see why the Wii U isn't doing well.

The OS is sufficient but not very easy on the eyes. The eShop is indefensibly barren for the amount of time the system has been out. Sitting with my 3DS next to the Gamepad, it makes even less sense that they don't have any real ecosystem between platforms.

I've been spoiled by all the cross buy stuff on Vita/PS3, especially for old stuff like PS1 games. If a $5 purchase got me NES games on both systems, I'd snatch up Mario 3, all the Mega Man games, etc., but having to buy these old games twice if you want them on both is just absurd. Not when I still own a lot of my original cartridges, and not when I can emulate them better for free.

Again, I want Nintendo to succeed. First party titles are still a blast and I can't wait to play DKCR:TF, but the overall infrastructure is so lacking that I'm pretty doubtful they can turn this around in a serious way.

It's too bad the Gamepad is so expensive to make, I think price is a huge problem. MSRP shouldn't be more than $200 since most people would be getting a Wii U as a secondary console for Nintendo titles.
 
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