The Nintendo Wii U is Great Thread

[TheLastBaron]

Since i'm pretty sure nobody knew about the Xenoblade X direct:

I wants it.

I've been watching streams of it occasionally the past couple days (I guess it's out in Japan) and man it's a pretty game. I really don't like the faces though, all the characters look so weird.

[GavinTheAlmighty]

 

Perhaps it's just me, but was that unfinished?  Not that graphics make the game, but something about that didn't look right.  The animations, the clipping, the popping-in, it looked like it lacked heft and polish.  The still setpieces looked fine, but as soon as things moved, it felt very early 360-ish.

 

Disclaimer: I fully acknowledge that this is not my type of game.

[Bjorn]

IT IS. It is one of the best demonstrations of what the Wii U was supposed to be. I want to reiterate that the game had my buddy and I laughing throughout, not just at the clever writing and story, but at the absurdity of our (many, many) deaths. 

 

Danielle! Stream it (with JAKE, PLEASE, THAT'D BE GREAT) on twitch! 

 

I feel like I should really pick up a Wii U at some point.  I haven't had a Nintendo system since the Gamecube, and I know there are plenty of games to justify it.  Something like ASA is a big nudge in the direction of me getting one though. 

[Sno]

Perhaps it's just me, but was that unfinished?  Not that graphics make the game, but something about that didn't look right.  The animations, the clipping, the popping-in, it looked like it lacked heft and polish.  The still setpieces looked fine, but as soon as things moved, it felt very early 360-ish.

 

Disclaimer: I fully acknowledge that this is not my type of game.

 

I think the environments look incredible, especially in the context of it allegedly being a seamless, streaming game world with a scale similar to a TES game. There is definitely some noticeable visual artifacts happening as terrain features pop between low-detail and high-detail variants, but the vastness and intricate detail in those environments more than makes up for it, i think.

The character models, on the other hand, i think Monolith has missed the mark by quite a margin, there's some serious uncanny valley going on there. It seems similar to the aesthetic they've previously used in Xenosaga, and it still looks just terrible.

 

As for animation and the lack of "heft" and polish, if you're talking about how the fights look, it's probably an inevitable result of it not being designed at all as an action RPG, but still being a real-time game. The first Xenoblade, at least, was a solid 80% about managing a taskbar of cooldowns. Those abilities branch out into tons of combos and statuses, but it's still basically all happening on that taskbar. (I'm not really doing the game justice, there's a lot of other mechanics and a big emphasis on positioning, but you probably get the idea. It's like an MMO, you're not dodging hitboxes.)

[Griddlelol]

 

I got this. 

 

I don't have much to say, as I've only played it for an hour or two, but a few early pro's and cons:

 

Pros:

• Can play with game pad
• Feels like a more RPG version of Shadow of Colossus
• Cool world and story

 

Cons:

• Weird Gift-giving thing to blatant love interest, which is a tad creepy.

You can play with the game pad? No wiimote required?

Why aren't all the vc games like that?!

[BigJKO]

You can play with the game pad? No wiimote required?

Why aren't all the vc games like that?!

 

If the Wii game supported the Classic Controller back in the day, it supports the Game Pad now.

[N1njaSquirrel]

You can only play games on the game pad which support the pro controller/Gamecube controller.

 

Which means so far the only games that you can use the game pad for is Pandora's tower and Sin and Punishment 2 (Which is coming out tomorrow, and is fucking ace)

 

Whilst I'm on the topic, this only works for VC games. Getting the disk copy of S&P2 did not allow me to play it with a GC controller or the Gamepad. Rumors are that you can play games which support gamecube controllers with the GC controller, providing you have the adaption cable. As S&P2 is the only game that supports GCC right now, I guess I have to wait and see if this holds true, because S&P2 feels really well geared to the GC controller.

 

EDIT: Damnit JKO!

 

The character models, on the other hand, i think Monolith has missed the mark by quite a margin, there's some serious uncanny valley going on there. It seems similar to the aesthetic they've previously used in Xenosaga, and it still looks just terrible.

 

Oh I disagree, they're vastly improved over Xenoblade, where they just look weird. Admittingly they're not out of the generic anime design that looks like a glorified MMD, but it's still an improvement.

[Sno]

Sin and Punishment 2 (Which is coming out tomorrow, and is fucking ace)

 

People should play this, it's a massive and ambitious rail shooter that i think just about anybody should be able to appreciate. I might even try to argue that it's one of Treasure's best games.

 

Oh I disagree, they're vastly improved over Xenoblade, where they just look weird. Admittingly they're not out of the generic anime design that looks like a glorified MMD, but it's still an improvement.

 

I found the more explicitly anime-styled characters in Xenoblade much less off-putting, while Xenoblade X is hitting some serious uncanny valley effects for me. We're just going to have to agree to disagree.

[Griddlelol]

I saw that sin and punishment 2 got great scores, but rail shooters are really not for me.

[Sno]

I'll just say that it's a game that might surprise you, it gives you a pretty complex and very active toolbox of moves and, in typical Treasure fashion, seems to wildly reinvent itself every few levels. (The first S&P is fairly similar in these regards and is also really, really great.)

 

I mean, but if you actively dislike the genre, it's probably a lost cause.

[Sno]

I finally bought a Wii U.

I am terrified of this setup process, i'm afraid i'm going to obliterate something in a system transfer. Either the licenses and saves i'm trying to move over from my Wii, the games that came pre-installed as part of the bundle i got, or any accounts i need to tie into the thing.

[undermind9]

Its pretty painless once gets started. Its at least a passable attempt making their stuff compatible, but a reminder how far in the dark their online tech is.

Being said, Welcome to the club! Undermind9 is my tag, at least get some mii's to hang out in your square

[dartmonkey]

Congratulations! I think the transfer works fine unless you've got Rock Band DLC. Everything else should transfer but you'll lose the licence to any tracks not in the Wii's flash memory (512mb, I think).

It is possible with most games (Brawl and Kart being notable exceptions) just to copy the save files to an SD and put that in the Wii U. Time consuming, but keeps DLC safe.

[miffy495]

Aside from taking like 8 years, the system transfer works as advertised. And anything that's come out on WiiU VC with gamepad support (and save states in N64 games!) will be heavily discounted if you already had it on Wii. I got Paper Mario for $2 yesterday! I sense a 4th playthrough coming on...

[Sno]

Okay, okay, i'm about to get started on this... So it's not like the 3DS transfer, is it then? Does it wipe out the target system? What about the pre-installed bundle games? (Can i redownload those from the eshop? Do they just exist in storage, or are the licenses included in the shop?) At which point in this process should i tie in a Nintendo account?

 

On my Wii, i had a bunch of VC games and some WiiWare games, enough that they didn't all fit into the internal storage of the system, does that cause problems?

[N1njaSquirrel]

Man I'm super pumped for Splatoon. there was a Nintendo Direct today, and they announced that there's going to be a 'Global Testfire Demo' which you can download now, and play on May 9th.

 

On top of that, you get a 10% discount for simply owning the demo. Amazing. 

 

Who's going to play on the 9th?

[BigJKO]

I'm going to try and make it into one of them, but am busy almost all Saturday (which the entire thing falls on for Europe, I think)

Kind of bummed seeing so many negative Splatoon reactions on Twitter. I'm super excited about the game, it looks so fluid and fun! People's reaction seems to be that it's not focusing enough on online because the "proper" matchmaking isn't coming until August.. Eh? It seemed like a pretty intense, competitive multiplayer game to me already. Maybe I'm just a baby that expects less from online competitive games. Like, I'm pretty happy this *doesn't* have voice chat. But apparently that means it's not a *serious* online game..

[N1njaSquirrel]

I believe the 'proper' matchmaking that they are complaining about is from this part of the press-release:

 

 A major game update event in August will add further friend matchmaking functionality to enable four players to form a team and battle against other teams, as well as functionality to create private 8-player matches with just friends.  

 

Which is a fair gripe, to be honest. Not one that'll effect me though!

 

I agree wholeheartedly with you, and I'm actually more pumped knowing there's no voice chat. Nothing I hate more than people talking to me whilst I'm concentrating.

[Twig]

Actually I definitely prefer voice chat for online games. Esp when playing with buddies, but just in general I find communication over voice makes things a lot better. You do of course have to suffer a bunch of assholes, so I can't blame people for not wanting it, but when people aren't assholes it brings the experience up a thousand-fold for me.

[Merus]

Yeah, not having voice chat condemns this game to being a strictly casual affair. I don't know what its shelf life will be, but there's reason to believe it won't be long. The 12-year-olds rated R for foul language aren't likely to be caught dead playing the game.

[Sno]

About Splatoon not having party matchmaking at launch, that's almost a deal-breaker for me since i generally play online shooters with a group of friends. This just seems like Nintendo not understanding the needs of that genre, realizing they fucked up, and probably taking too long to make good on it. (August?)

 

The voice chat thing... I mean, yeah, i've played enough shooters to know that playing with vocal randoms generally sucks, but it's still incredibly dumb that Nintendo is going to prevent people from effectively coordinating in a team-based shooter they're trying to pitch as fairly role-based.

 

For a group of friends, you could easily enough just setup a chat outside of the game, but again, the game won't launch with party matchmaking. So...

 

HEY THOUGH.

WII U THOUGHTS:

- I like the Tablet a whole lot more than i was expecting, i think it's a nice controller, just a really nice piece of hardware, and i have constantly been using the remote play potential, to my surprise.
- I ran into some really disconcerting UI dead-ends while trying to set the thing up, that stuff is kind of bad.

- I still haven't transferred my Wii stuff over, i hope that isn't going to create problems.

- 3D World isn't really hitting any notes with me. I've been told a few times if i stick with it, it gets better, but...
- Nintendo Land is a strange thing, but it does what it needs to do, it makes some interesting cases for the tablet.

- Rainbow Curse came as an additional bundled game and, for all the shit talking the internet has done about it, it has actually clicked with me in a pretty big way. However, it's easy to see why it didn't catch on with people, it's a weird fit for the Wii U and it's uncharacteristically difficult and demanding for a Kirby game. God damn is it beautiful though, there's so much whimsy!

 

Okay, now... What are the available Wii U games that i should consider? (Ignoring upcoming games like Xenoblade X, which i'm of course going to play, it's why it bought this thing.)

Bayonetta 2
Wonderful 101

Super Smash Bros for Wii U

Captain Toad

Hyrule Warriors, perhaps?
Wind Waker HD
Mario Kart 8

Pikmin 3

Zombi U, maybe?

 

Anybody want to dissuade me on some of those, help me narrow it down to the obvious choices, or recommend something i've missed? (I'm probably going to pick up Bayo 2 soon.)

 

Edit: Speaking of Xenoblade X, that game apparently has an optional ten gig install for the disc version, or you otherwise have to contend with some fairly severe asset pop-in in the open world. That's probably one of the more notable details to come out of the game's japanese launch.

[dartmonkey]

I've downloaded the Splatoon demo and I am free and alone on Saturday so I'll try and catch a game. I agree that party voice chat should be in, but I'd be muting all strangers anyway.

 

WII U THOUGHTS:
 

- 3D World isn't really hitting any notes with me. I've been told a few times if i stick with it, it gets better, but...

 

Okay, now... What are the available Wii U games that i should consider? (Ignoring upcoming games like Xenoblade X, which i'm of course going to play, it's why it bought this thing.)

Bayonetta 2
Wonderful 101

Super Smash Bros for Wii U

Captain Toad

Hyrule Warriors, perhaps?
Wind Waker HD
Mario Kart 8

Pikmin 3

Zombi U, maybe?

 

3D World only clicked for me once I'd nearly finished it. I've since been back to collect everything and now I appreciate it much more, but I felt like I was playing in a straightjacket after the Galaxys.

 

I've played ZombiU for an hour or so. It's interesting and fine but hasn't grabbed me, probably because I've had lots of other colourful things to play with. I see it almost everywhere for £5 so it's worth a try for that money. Haven't played Hyrule Warriors. Bayonetta is a no-brainer. Mario Kart 8 is the best Mario Kart. That list looks good - loads to be getting on with. And Earthbound.

 

If you're desperate for other stuff to play, there are a handful of great third party games. I highly recommend Need For Speed Most Wanted U if you haven't played it on something else. A full Criterion street racer, really well done and uses the console nicely. I also picked up Assassin's Creed 4 super cheap and I'm pretty taken with it (though it is my first AC game). I'm sure you could get better visuals elsewhere but it's totally playable and, again, has off TV play. I also want to hunt down the Human Evolution Director's Cut which is supposed to be great. I know these are older games and they're available in multiple other places, but the perks of off TV and sweeping all the HUD mess onto the pad really make the Wii U version the pick if you do fancy them somewhen.

[undermind9]

Okay, now... What are the available Wii U games that i should consider? (Ignoring upcoming games like Xenoblade X, which i'm of course going to play, it's why it bought this thing.)

Bayonetta 2

Wonderful 101

Super Smash Bros for Wii U

Captain Toad

Hyrule Warriors, perhaps?

Wind Waker HD

Mario Kart 8

Pikmin 3

Zombi U, maybe?

 

Anybody want to dissuade me on some of those, help me narrow it down to the obvious choices, or recommend something i've missed? (I'm probably going to pick up Bayo 2 soon.)

 

to quickly clear the list -

 

MK8, SSMBU, WindWaker, Pikmin are much like their predecessors, so if you have no interest in a mario kart or SSMB of old - might not be up your alley.  Toad is more (a lot more) of the commander toad missions inside the 3D World - so if again not feeling it, then maybe avoid.

 

Wonderful 101 has a demo online to try out first, ZombieU goes on sale actually fairly regularly <$10.

 

I may make some other recommendations -

 

See if you can find a demo or kiosk with Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze.  it really is great and deserves all the praise it gets.

[Merus]

Yeah, DK Tropical Freeze is pretty good.

 

Captain Toad might be worth skipping, actually - if you don't play more involved puzzle games, it's fine, but if you do, the cuteness probably isn't going to be enough to distract you from how slight the puzzles are.

[Sno]

3D World only clicked for me once I'd nearly finished it. I've since been back to collect everything and now I appreciate it much more, but I felt like I was playing in a straightjacket after the Galaxys.

 

After really enjoying 3D Land, seeing the glowing praise 3D World got, and everybody making absolutely sure to note that it's from the Galaxy team, i feel like i'm doing something wrong because i feel very little compulsion to keep playing it. The cat suit is kind of part of it, the way it overrides a lot of the acrobatics that exist in the 3D Mario games without putting a more interesting mechanic in its place. (I also think that distant locked camera worked better in 3D Land because the stereoscopy gave you the added benefit of depth perception.)

 

I understand the level design is quite good in the back half of the game though, lots of interesting variety? I'll probably just keep at it off and on.

 

I've played ZombiU for an hour or so. It's interesting and fine but hasn't grabbed me, probably because I've had lots of other colourful things to play with. I see it almost everywhere for £5 so it's worth a try for that money.

 

It seems like a really interesting, really earnest attempt at supporting the Wii U as a platform from before third-party publishers realized the market wasn't going to be there for it. I have heard some mixed things on it though, so if anybody wants to ward me away, i'll probably listen. (How is uPlay in Ubisoft's Wii U games? It is as obnoxious and unnecessarily gated as it is everywhere else now?)

 

I also want to hunt down the Human Evolution Director's Cut which is supposed to be great. I know these are older games and they're available in multiple other places, but the perks of off TV and sweeping all the HUD mess onto the pad really make the Wii U version the pick if you do fancy them somewhen.

I love Human Revolution quite a bit, definitely wouldn't be bothered playing it again, and haven't already played the director's cut version. I did hear some interesting thing's about the Wii U port, so maybe that might actually be the way to do it, unless somebody wards me off that.

 

 

Toad is more (a lot more) of the commander toad missions inside the 3D World - so if again not feeling it, then maybe avoid.

 

The Captain Toad levels have actually kind of been the highlight in 3D World, for me. I think a full thing based around that slight, charming puzzling might be something i'd appreciate. It's probably not at the top of my list, though.

 

See if you can find a demo or kiosk with Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze.  it really is great and deserves all the praise it gets.

 

So, i really didn't like DKCR. I like Rare's original series well enough, but found that Retro's reboot kind of lost the things i liked most about those earlier games. (The tag-team mechanics, among other things.) With that context, do you still think i should look into Tropical Freeze?