Tyler Selig ::: What's Good For U is Good for Mii... The Wii U Dilemma

               I'll be honest, I don't even know what the title of this is supposed to mean, but it sounded good so I went with it.

               The Wii U is a hotly debated console, and for good reason. I unfortunately feel compelled to read a lot of the comments anytime sites like Gamespot or IGN post articles on the Wii U. I know better than to do that, but I’m not sure why I continue to do so. The biggest problem is that I feel defensive for Nintendo when I see people bashing it. I don’t know why… maybe it’s because I’ve grown up with Nintendo, or maybe it’s because I feel Nintendo is doing things a little differently and should get praise for that. Maybe it’s a mixture of both.

                Don’t get me wrong: I’m not a console warrior. I have a PS4 pre-ordered, and had Microsoft not originally tried to fuck over the consumers I would have eventually gotten an Xbone as well. It’s hard for me to want to give them my money after their original poor showing, even if they have backtracked and changed it. I can forgive but never forget? I guess. With that said, I’ll probably eventually break my own moral code and get an Xbone. I’m weak.

                Hell, the Wii U won’t even be my primary system, and Nintendo systems haven’t been for a very long time. Yet, I always buy one. Why is that? Well that’s the point of the article... and I hope by the end of this you are more willing to give the Wii U a shot. But don’t get me wrong… while I won’t dwell on the negatives of the Wii U, I will definitely do my best to bring them up. Don’t be confused, this is a pro-Wii U article. So let’s do this.

                The Playstation has been my primary system since the first one, and the Playstation 4 will be my primary system this generation too. While no company is perfect, I think Sony does a good job of implementing more modern features yet remembering that game consoles are for, y’know, GAMES first and foremost. They also have a shit-ton of excellent exclusives that need to be played. 

                But the Wii U will be my secondary system, just like the Wii was. Nintendo doesn’t have as many exclusives as other systems do, but they do have exclusives, and the best of the best of them rival the best on any other system, and often beat them. Last generation Xenoblade: Chronicles was arguably the best RPG of that generation, and that’s just an example. You have the classic series like Mario, Zelda, Metroid and Donkey Kong, which are long-running series that still do what they do better than almost everyone. 

                This seems like a good time to hopefully put to rest the idea that the Wii U won’t have any games. 

                I agree that the Wii U has had a shaky first year. It really isn’t until right now that we have a steady flow of games, but it was the same with the 3DS and now the 3DS is a monster. Three of my top five favourite games this year have been 3DS games, and I believe Wii U will get to that point eventually. 

                Some people will point to the fact that Nintendo has had control over the handheld market for quite some time, and I won’t dispute that the 3DS is an easier sell than the Wii U for that reason. But this article isn’t about finances, it’s not about the bottom line, the almighty dollar. It’s about quality of games and why you should be playing Wii U. There are amazing games on systems, even if they don’t sell as well as companies would like. I’m aware that if a system doesn’t sell then it won’t have that many games because developers won’t be able to make money off of their games, but that’s not the point of this article.

                The first year has been really dry for games, and I would say that it wasn’t until August that we started seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. But don’t get it twisted, because even in the drought there were some games of interest. Nintendo has had a problem with marketing some of their games, even during the Wii’s era. I don’t know how often I’ve mentioned amazing Wii games like Xenoblade, Muramasa: Demon Blade, Fragile Dreams and Sin and Punishment 2, only to have people say “what?” Hell, their marketing for the Wii U is kind of terrible because some people don’t realize that the Wii U is next-gen and not just an add-on. Marketing isn’t Nintendo’s strong suit, it seems.

                But that doesn’t mean that the games aren’t there. So while the Wii U has been a little disappointing software-wise, here are some exclusive games that have appeared on the system before August 2013, the period in which I called the dry spot:

-          Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate: A completely solid game that while I haven’t played as much as I should, it’s still a lot of fun in the limited time I’ve spent with it.

-          Lego City Undercover: My older brother played it and said that it’s fun. It looks to be a kid-friendly GTA with loads of humour.

-          New Super Mario Bros. U: While it won’t go down as one of the all-time great Marios, it’s still a great experience, with interesting level design and that Mario charm.

-          Nintendo Land: While I’m not big into this one, people seem to dig it so I throw it on here.

-          ZombieU: I think this is one of the more underrated games of recent time. It’s a completely solid zombie survival game that is actually difficult and has an amazing multiplayer component that uses the gamepad wonderfully.

I’m going to list some exclusive games that just came out from August on, and also some games that may be well into the future, but are still coming eventually:

-          The Wonderful 101: Platinum Games has released yet another incredible beat ‘em up. While this looks a tad like Pikmin on the outside, it plays a lot different. The controls aren’t terrible but they’re not as optimal as they could be, but it’s not that bad. It still uses the gamepad in interesting ways… it just needs a bit of tweaking to perfect. This is a solid 8.5 or 9.

-          Pikmin 3: Pikmin 3 is intense, and uses the gamepad well, just like The Wonderful 101 did. Another solid 8.5 or 9.

-          Bayonetta 2: I love that Platinum Games is so supportive of Nintendo, and if Bayonetta is half as good as the first, Wii U owners are in for a treat.

-          Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem Crossover: Up until a few months ago, I would have been excited for this only because I know it’d end up being a quality release because I don’t think Nintendo would let Fire Emblem get messed up, and there are a group of people who swear by Shin Megami Tensei. I had never experienced either of them until recently, and while I know this won’t be a system seller due to the more niche appeal, I’m now into both of these and I can’t wait to see what happens on the crossover.

-          X: As I stated above, Xenoblade: Chronicles was awesome. This is by the same developers. This is easily one of my more anticipated games, and I am going to go on record and say it ends up being one of the best RPGs for next gen.

-          Super Smash Bros.: Super Smash Bros. has always been awesome. I have no reason to believe this won’t be more of the same.

-          Mario Kart 8: Same as Smash Bros.

-          Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD: I’m not a Zelda fan, but this has been getting rave reviews. Supposedly the remake is even better than the original.

-          Donkey Kong Country Returns: Tropical Freeze: The last Donkey Kong Country was awesome. Expecting more of the same.

-          Sonic Lost World: Is looking to be a good time.

-          Super Mario 3D World: Also looking to be yet another great Mario.
-      Metroid: It's never been announced but you know it's coming.
-      Another Zelda game: Same. Unless they have announced it and I've missed it.

Keep in mind that while the exclusives were not that in quantity up until about August, you still have all the multi-platform games. I’ll be the first to admit that the multi-platform games are not why a person should go to the Wii U, however it’s important to note that the days are gone where a Nintendo system misses out on all the big multi-platform games. Unlike the Wii, which you saw very few multi-platform games, the Wii U has a ton of them. I won’t list them all but you can now see games such as Assassin’s Creed 3, Batman: Arkham City, Injustice: Gods Among Us, Mass Effect 3, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Splinter Cell: Blacklist, Watch Dogs, Assassin’s Creed IV,  etc. Some are already out, and some are coming. I haven’t played any of these versions on Wii U outside of Injustice (which was solid), and while I can imagine graphically they aren’t as strong, it’s still nice for Wii U owners that they can play them. And if the gameplay remains the same in these versions (or changes depending on how the games use the gamepad), then that’s fine. If the only differences are the graphics then it’s really not a big deal. Pretty graphics are great, especially if they really impact the gameplay, but let’s face it… they often don’t. As you can tell, I’m not a graphics whore. I can appreciate them, but gameplay almost always comes first unless it’s a game that specifically goes for something different.

There are also rumoured games such as Rainbow 6: Patriots, GTA 5, The Witcher 3, The Witness and Star Fox Wii U. Only one of these would be an exclusive but let’s not kid ourselves… a new Star Fox would be huge. Again, I’m talking huge in terms of quality of games, not in profit. I don’t know what’ll make lots of money, and I won’t pretend to. 

So while you can see that the Wii U may not have the library that the PS4 and Xbone are supposed to have, the Wii U does have some solid support, and some games that are going to be incredible. This is the main reason that I think the Wii U makes a great secondary system. Every system has their own exclusives, but Nintendo has historically had really different ones. Over the years, the library of the Sony and Microsoft systems have been quite similar, but Nintendo offers different experiences. Since I’ll own a PS4, an Xbone seems less appealing, and the same would be true if I owned an Xbone. I’m not shitting on either system, I’m just stating it as I see it.

Moving on from software, let’s get into hardware. This is another place where people debate the merits of the Wii U. I’m not a tech junkie, I’m going to go out and say that right now. I’m just going to go by what I see. No, the graphics of the Wii U won’t match PS4 and Xbone. But the graphics won’t be ugly. All the games I’ve played on Wii U have been pretty, and I’m perfectly content with them. The truth is, we don’t know what the developers will be capable of doing with the system until people start tapping into the potential.

I have problems with the Wii U hardware. The hard drive is laughably small. I’m not sure what they were thinking when they came up with that. Luckily they don’t make you buy a Nintendo external hard drive in order to get more space… you can connect your own. I have one so it’s not a huge deal, but with that said, it was definitely a poor choice on their part. I’m a firm believer that when you buy something, it should be judged on its own merits. What I mean by that is, if all you had was a Wii U, would the hardware stand on its own, without having to plug something else in? No, the hard drive wouldn’t. It’s a BONUS that you can plug in your own, but it’s still a drawback because you shouldn’t have to buy extra to make up for shortcomings. It’s the same thing with say, a PC and the comfort of playing in your living room. You can get the same experience, but you pay extra for it. No, I’m not turning this into a PC vs Console war. I play both, it was just an example… chill out.

From my experience, a major conflict people have had is the gamepad. It’s no secret that it’s the reason that the Wii U is priced the way it is (a point I think is overblown but whatever). To me, the gamepad offers an original (on console) experience. A touch-screen system that isn’t bullshit, that is built right into the framework for the console. It’s not like saying, “Oh, you can hook up your phone to this system to get this experience.” That’s extra stuff, whereas Nintendo built the experience right in. If you own a Wii U, you get that. Aside from that, I just think that in the right hands, the gamepad will be a great experience. In Monster Hunter, Pikmin and The Wonderful 101, I’ve enjoyed how it’s been used. I approve of the gamepad because it’s unlike the other systems. I like that you can play some games on the gamepad so if you have a family they can watch TV while you game. Nintendo once again went in a different direction, and I think this is the biggest argument for it being next gen. I hate that people say the Wii U isn’t next gen.

                I feel that Nintendo has screwed up a bit though, concerning controllers, because it’s a little wonky having to get Wiimotes and whatnot in order to play. You should really be able to buy and play with multiple gamepads.

                Nintendo hasn’t been a true juggernaut in gaming since probably the SNES. The Nintendo 64 was wonderful but by that point the Playstation was making moves. I put some of the blame on Nintendo, for sure, because they haven’t offered a product that is as appealing as their competitors to some people. And even some of their great stuff, they haven’t marketed well, especially over the last 10 years. 

                I blame gamers as well though. I won’t begin to list every reason why people hate Nintendo, as some are completely legit and some make my head explode. But I will say this: I went through a period when I was growing up, coming into adulthood, where I played only “mature” games. I, of course, mean mature in the sense of more adult, more violent. Kiddy graphics weren’t appealing to me so I missed out on games like Pikmin 1 and 2 for this reason. I may not have given The Wonderful 101 a chance. I stuck with games like Mario Kart but that’s because that was a series that I was invested in.

                This is neither right nor wrong. It was just a growing period for a few years where I had a personal preference that I stuck to.  Since then, I’ve gone back to embracing games as they are. I separated myself from my own expectations and experience games on their own terms. 

                Sometimes I just want to shoot something in games and see the gore. Sometimes a cutesy game like Pikmin is fun. It’s not about how it looks, and I think a lot of people get stuck on that with Nintendo. The truth is, Mario has always had excellent, smart, mature platforming at its core, and will continue to do that. The Wonderful 101 may be light-hearted in its humour and visual design, but the gameplay is challenging and deep. 

                You’ll notice I’ve focused mainly on games in this article, and not so much the other non-gaming things that the Wii U offers. I’ll briefly touch on this though because I know it’s important to some people. I think the Miiverse and the care Nintendo has shown towards it is nice. I’m not the kind of guy who wants to be able to connect my gaming to fantasy football, but I can appreciate where we’ve come. Nintendo doesn’t offer as much as the Xbone does in that sense, but the Miiverse is simple and charming.

                But in the end, it should be all about the games. The Wii U will never have the quantity, but if you don’t think it has the quality, you’re mistaken. I can’t predict the future so I don’t know at what rate Nintendo will release these games, but I have faith. Even if there is only one good game a month, that’s enough because the Wii U is my secondary system. 

                I’m aware that some people can’t afford more than one. To them I say, I get it. I get that you may only want a PS4 or Xbone. I understand, really, I do. With that said, it’s not a tragedy if you pick the Wii U as a primary system because as I’ve stated, it does have exclusives, it does have some of the multi-platform games. It’s not my primary system, but you can do worse. The Wii U is not a shitty system by any means. 

                But I will always have love for Nintendo. If I get called a Nintendo fanboy, that’s fine, there’s a reason I love them and it’s not just because I played NES as a kid.