BigJKO

The Nintendo Wii U is Great Thread

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The vagueness of 'technical difficulties' is irritating. I get the impression that their hands are tied re. how much they can explain. With the Wii U being such a 'core' platform, one assumes they discovered these tech issues months (probably years) ago, and it feels deceptive of them to wait until now to tell everyone without offering a detailed explanation.

 

However, the change makes sense for most people and it's the right move for Playtonic (and handy for Nintendo). The Y-L backers who only own a Wii U and don't intend to get a Switch must be a small demographic.

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Paradise Lost: First Contact is yet another Wii U developed game that can be forgotten. In it's Christmas Kickstarter Backer update comments the developer responded that Wii U version will not happen and once they someday get the PC version ready, they will look into porting it to Switch.

 

As with Yooka-Laylee, this was promoted in Kickstarter project as being mainly a Wii U, Ouya and PC game. But the project is already two years late from it's original launch date. The PC demo however was great, they released that for all backers during Christmas.

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Oh yeah, right, the Ouya! I'd forgotten about that one. Is it dead already, or still somewhere in the fringes?

 

Paradise Lost is something else I'd forgotten about, but the trailer looks bloody amazing. Wouldn't mind playing that if it turns out to be a good game, whether for Switch or PC.

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I've got a couple of quiet weekends lined up so, with Switch around the corner, I thought it'd be a good idea to tick off some Wii U games. I've realised that I'm in a position to 'finish' a console! Not only that, but do it before its successor comes out. Most people would cite that as evidence of Wii U's utter failure, but I'm actually quite happy about it. It's a relief to be able to box up a console and make space for something else. A quick count shows 15 boxed games on the shelf and I've had a great time with it. So yesterday I went and splurged on the last 3 games I want to play before I put her out to pasture.

 

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Not bad for 60 notes (except for the Selects box art which pokes at my OCD - the silver Everything Or Nothing on my Gamecube shelf still niggles me!). Man, if nothing else, Wii U has been a dream console for platformers.

 

NSMBU got added to the farewell list after Mario Maker had me jonesing for some of the 'real' thing with Nintendo-authored worlds, plus I've been playing a lot of Mario Run. I'm on to World 3 and it's really good! I played the first NSMB on DS but skipped the Wii and 3DS ones. I realise now that 3D World/Land took their presentation cues from this. And the Nabbit chase mode and the time attacks essentially ARE Super Mario Run. While we're on Mario, I can't be alone in finding ALL ghost houses in ALL Mario games a bit tedious, can I? I think the Van Gogh-inspired level in NSMBU is a ghosty one and I'm looking forward to that, but every time one comes up in Run's Toad Rally it's a slog.

 

Tropical Freeze looks and sounds lovely. I'm only 2 levels in but the character animation is particularly great.

 

Captain Toad is fine, although I wish that the camera zoom wasn't binary and was mapped to the right stick. Maybe I'm just sitting too far away from the TV but I found myself wanting a medium between the default view and the super zoomed-in view. Again, I'm only a handful of levels in, but it's fun.

 

It's a colourful trio, to be sure. A fine way to finish the console. By 'finish', I mean play everything I want to have played. There are a handful of things I might have tried given the time (Rayman maybe, the HD Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, Tokyo Mirage Sessions, Starfox) but nothing I'll lose sleep over. Should be a great weekend.

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I just did this last month. To quote myself:

On 12/28/2016 at 7:28 PM, miffy495 said:

So with the Switch due out in a few months, I've been trying to use my winter break to go back and finish all of the WiiU games that I started but did not finish over its lifespan. This week, I beat:

 

Kirby and the Rainbow Curse :tup::):chaste:

- Pretty fun! I feel like the reception it got was way harsher than it deserved. Some of the levels had pretty cool gimmicks and aside from a series of frustrating boss fights I really enjoyed it as a mellow way to pass my time.

 

Yoshi's Wooly World :tup::tup::lol:

- This may be one of the secret best WiiU games. So good, except that their checkpointing leaves a lot to be desired. I only wish that they didn't save all of their best stuff for the last 8 levels. A level of velcro conveyor belts that has a name that is a reference to "Touch Fuzzy; Get Dizzy"? Hell yes.

 

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze :tup::tmeh::devil::frusty:

- Fun, but Jesus Christ does it get tough. I think that Retro took all of those accolades it got for the difficulty of Donkey Kong Country Returns (which I did love) and ran a little too hard with them. I'm no platforming scrub, but I'm not even going to attempt the secret world here. Finishing the last (non-boss fight) level in the regular mode took me almost an hour and about 30 lives. I could probably have done it faster if I'd given up on getting the KONG letters, but still. God damn. It felt like this game was designed with exactly one perfect run through each level in mind, and unlike other platformers, if you screw up a perfect run it doesn't just effect your score. In DKC:TF, it just fucking kills you instantly. Glad I played it, but also glad it's done.

 

Splatoon :tup::tup::gaming:

- The single player levels, anyway. Last summer I left off with 5 of them unfinished. Today I went back and mopped them up. That was really fun, and the boss was rad! Totally worth playing through the single player if you have this game and haven't done so. Really fun and inventive levels.

 

I also finished Captain Toad between then and now. It was a really fun, charming game that had a lot of surprises in it. I think of those three that you bought it is actually my favourite at the end of the day. DKCTR is good, but too frustrating at the end. NSMBWU is also good, but I feel like the only reason that I stuck with it through the end was that when I played it it was new and there was nothing else really out yet. It's fine, but definitely one of the more rote Mario games. On the other hand, I played all 4 of the NSMB games (and would rank it third out of them. NSMB2 was kinda bad), so if you have only played one then the formula may not be worn out for you.

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The March 3rd release date had us over here a bit shocked as well, suddenly realising we had so much more to play. So, currently I'm enjoying Tokyo Mirage Sessions (34 hours in) and having a GREAT time. After that I mean to play at least Super Mario 3D World before moving to the Switch.

 

But then I also have Rayman Legends lined up, and some Wii games I was raring to play: Zack & Wiki and The Last Story, most of all. Well, I can always get back to that after finishing Breath of the Wild. Honestly, I'll probably put the Switch right next to the Wii U and have them side by side for a while. No way am I packing up the console that plays Mario Maker (which gets every guest we've had so far super excited to play)!

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I've also been on sort of a Wii U rampage lately, haha.

 

In the past couple months I've played to my personal satisfaction: Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Bayonetta, Bayonetta 2, Wonderful 101, and Super Mario 3D World. 

 

My thoughts on DKC:TF are basically: I loved playing through each level on an individual basis. It's even better than the first Returns. But, much like its predecessor, I do not care to do all the collectible junk. For that reason, I probably won't ever play the secret world levels. Maybe I'll go back to it some day and slowly collect all the stuff I need, but I don't really enjoy that all that much. Ehhh. So tedious, and not very challenging or rewarding. It's my fault for being good at platformers I guess? :humblebrag:

 

Bayonetta 1 and 2: 2 is better, though that may be because I got used to the gameplay. Character action games are... not a genre I'm good at. I was very very frustrated with the first game, until I managed to buy enough health upgrades that it wasn't as big an issue. Second game, I found much easier, and thus much more enjoyable. (Note: I did stubbornly play on Normal, because apparently playing on Easy, they just auto-do combos for you?? I didn't want that much help.)

 

Wonderful 101 is a bad game with good ideas. Way too much forced gamepad usage. Way too long. I wanted it to be better than it actually was.

 

3D World: honestly it's my least favorite of 3D Mario games. The fixed camera drove me nuts sometimes, in ways that 3D Land never did. Still a great game, but after watching that Odyssey trailer, I'm just way too preoccupied!! I did beat everything though. Including Champion's Road!

 

I bought Xenoblade Chronicles (the digital Wii version) so that, if I like it, I can play X, and if I like that, I can play 2 when it comes out. I know it's not a Wii U game, but hey whatever. So far I like it well enough, but I'm very very early. Who knows how I'll feel once the game actually opens up.

 

I do need to get Rainbow Curse. Still not sure if I want to get Yoshi's Wooly World on Wii U or 3DS. Poochy! ): Annnnd Tokyo Mirage Sessions. I think that's all I really have left.

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I went through 3D World irritated it wasn't Galaxy, but it grew on me.

 

I second Yarn Yoshi as secret best Wii U game. I played the 3DS demo and if anything it feels even better. Perhaps it's a lag thing, but everything felt a tiny bit tighter. Great game.

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You guys are so wrong about 3D World. It is hands down the best Mario game ever made. It's even better than Sunshine. It does so many clever things with its mechanics and perspective, is packed with so many surprises, and has some of the most challenging stuff to be found in a Mario game. I could write a super long post extolling the virtues of 3D World but the greatness of that game should speak for itself.

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Galaxy is the best Mario game ever made. 3D World is far less creative and interesting. Also: it's way too easy. D:

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I have never played Galaxy or Galaxy 2 so I feel fully confident and informed when I say 3D World is the best Mario game ever.

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Galaxy was pretty good. But it was marred by some atrocious motion controls in certain spots (tilting the Wii remote to roll that ball was the most frustrating goddamn thing ever). 3D World is just pure joy from beginning to end. Well, except for Champion's Road.

 

I liked Sunshine more than Galaxy...

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10 minutes ago, Zeusthecat said:

I liked Sunshine more than Galaxy...

You're not alone.

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Rolling that ball was so fun. :3

 

Champion's Road was the only level that provided even a modicum of challenge!

 

Sunshine is the second best 3D Mario game.

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I haven't played any of the 3D Marios after 64, which puts me in a unique position to definitively say that Super Mario World is still king and always will be forever.

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My love for Mario Sunshine is documented, but still I wouldn't say it's a better game than Galaxy (1). That's a pretty hardcore 'perfect' game if ever there was one. Sheer, unadulterated joy in gaming, brilliantly executed and a marvel of inventiveness. Sunshine is precious to me because it's so weird and it features the best hub in any video game, Delfino Plaza. But Galaxy, damn. Damn. Let someone else tell you.

 

 

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Galaxy is like being on ecstasy it's so good.

 

I've never been on ecstasy.

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For me, 3D World is basically a greatest hits of Mario 1, 2, 3, World, 64, 3D Land, and New. It takes all of the greatest elements of those games, adds a cat suit, and cuts out any other unnecessary bullshit. If I had to count the number of minutes I made my characters crouch in a cat suit so I could see them wiggle their adorable little cat butts... well it would probably be like at least like 10-20 minutes out of the 300+ hours we have played this game.

 

Then there's the amazing Toad levels that spawned an entirely new franchise.

 

And it has the best final Bowser fight in the history of the series. The first time I did that fight and saw him pull out the cat bell, joy and happiness filled my icy cold heart. Boss fights usually elicit the opposite response from me.

 

The co-op is also incredibly fun and is probably what ultimately puts it at the top for me. The way they balanced the levels around the different characters strengths and weaknesses was very clever and added a lot of re-playability, especially if you were trying to get the top of the flag pole with every character. I've played this with multiple different groups of people over the last couple years and it has been a great time every single time. Right up there with Mario Kart.

 

And finally, it has the best smoke and dust effects I've ever seen.

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3D World can be directly traced back to Super Mario Bros. 3.

 

AKA the inferior Super Mario World.

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9 minutes ago, Zeusthecat said:

And finally, it has the best smoke and dust effects I've ever seen.

 

Wind Waker? :)

 

3D World is excellent but it took me an entire play through to get over the fact it wasn't Galaxy and wasn't trying to be. I knew it going in but still. I occasionally found it difficult to judge distances and I actually missed the 3D from 3D Land, which I loved. I never got to try the co-op :( And Champion's Road took me two nights to beat. I'm pretty bad.

 

NSMBU reminds me of old Sonic in places.

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1 hour ago, Twig said:

3D World can be directly traced back to Super Mario Bros. 3.

 

AKA the inferior Super Mario World.

 

I'll agree with you on the "inferior Super Mario World" portion of your comment. But you are selling the game massively short if all you're seeing is the Mario 3 influence.

 

Here is the way I see its various influences:

 

Mario 1 - Flag poles

Mario 2 - Multiple characters that all have different strengths and weaknesses

Mario 3 - Tanooki and Hammer Bro suits, certain levels with large versions of enemies, overworld design

Mario World - The spare item mechanic, mid-level checkpoints that make characters big if they are small, secret world with more punishing levels, ghost houses

Mario 64 - Wall jumps, double jumps, back flips, long jumps, dives, those bunnies that you have to tackle for stars, doing handstands on trees

New Super Mario - 4 player simultaneous co-op and all associated mechanics, helicopter hats, mega mushrooms

3D Land - The general design of the playing field.

 

And best of all, no Yoshi. 

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I will see all your crazy opinions and raise you: Sunshine is awful, 3D World is the best 3D Mario and New Super Mario Bros U is the best 2D Mario.

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