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I think Wii U is Nintendo's best console since the SNES
- Thread starter enigmatic_alex44
- Start date
Zen_Arcade
Banned
I would take pretty much any Nintendo console over the Wii U. The only one I might put the Wii U over is the N64.
Blak_Status
Member
I agree with this and the OP. I loved GC and Wii. I just think Wii U's top games are really the cream of the crop.
People are always going to like different things and have their own opinions. Splatoon and Mario Maker carry the Wii U pretty far by themselves. Once you add the other quality games in Wii U's library, it's just icing on the cake. Then add a cherry on top (Off TV play), it's the best Nintendo console since SNES.
dampflokfreund
Banned
I highly disagree. For me, Wii U was a complete disaster. No Metroid, no real Paper Mario, no real 3D Mario (just accept it), no Animal Crossing, missing F-Zero all the franchises I love from Nintendo were not present, I regret purchasing it so much. There is not even a exclusive Zelda game, that alone shows how dead the Wii U is. Sure, it had some good games, but Splatoon and W101 doesn't cut it for me. I want the epic IPs Nintendo is known for and the Wii U did not delivered on that. And that was just the first/second party support, don't want to even get started about third party content and lack of power.
LiquidMetal14
hide your water-based mammals
Wii and GameCube easily trounce WiiU.
Barry Burton
Member
Not even close. The first party software lineup isn't bad, but comparatively, it's Nintendo's weakest home console lineup.
The biggest shortcoming is the lack of an all-time classic, especially in the Big Three of Zelda, Mario and Metroid. The Wii U has a solid lineup of very good-to-great games, but nothing that I'd put up there with a Metroid Prime or Super Mario Galaxy. To be fair, Breath of the Wild could very well end up being that game, but I doubt I'll be playing it on the Wii U.
I think a good argument could be made for the Wii U being better than the Wii. I disagree, but I don't think that's crazy. But better than the N64 or GameCube? Nope. No way.
The biggest shortcoming is the lack of an all-time classic, especially in the Big Three of Zelda, Mario and Metroid. The Wii U has a solid lineup of very good-to-great games, but nothing that I'd put up there with a Metroid Prime or Super Mario Galaxy. To be fair, Breath of the Wild could very well end up being that game, but I doubt I'll be playing it on the Wii U.
I think a good argument could be made for the Wii U being better than the Wii. I disagree, but I don't think that's crazy. But better than the N64 or GameCube? Nope. No way.
Acerac
Banned
Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze
Pikmin 3
Mario Kart 8
Sm4sh
And yeah, NSMU is the best 2d Mario title.
OrbitalBeard
Member
Wii has Punch-Out!!, Sin and Punishment: Star Successor, and Rhythm Heaven Fever.
Not to mention Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2.
Oh, and Xenoblade Chronicles, The Last Story, Wario Land: Shake It!, and Kirby's Epic Yarn.
Oh yeah, Little King's Story, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, and House of the Dead Overkill.
Wait what? No More Heroes 1 and 2, Red Steel 2, and Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom?
Huh? Excite Truck, ExciteBots, and Metroid Prime 3?
I could go on. And on. And on. And on. For days.
People who actually, genuinely put Wii U on a higher pedestal than Wii probably didn't spend more than a few hours with the latter. Or they just really love Mario Kart and Smash, because Wii failed hard with those two franchises.
In all seriousness, Wii U has some great games (Splatoon, Super Mario Maker, Bayonetta 2, Tropical Freeze, Pikmin 3) ,but overall, it's an extremely safe first party lineup with few genuine surprises. And it has virtually no third party software to round it out.
Not to mention Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2.
Oh, and Xenoblade Chronicles, The Last Story, Wario Land: Shake It!, and Kirby's Epic Yarn.
Oh yeah, Little King's Story, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, and House of the Dead Overkill.
Wait what? No More Heroes 1 and 2, Red Steel 2, and Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom?
Huh? Excite Truck, ExciteBots, and Metroid Prime 3?
I could go on. And on. And on. And on. For days.
People who actually, genuinely put Wii U on a higher pedestal than Wii probably didn't spend more than a few hours with the latter. Or they just really love Mario Kart and Smash, because Wii failed hard with those two franchises.
In all seriousness, Wii U has some great games (Splatoon, Super Mario Maker, Bayonetta 2, Tropical Freeze, Pikmin 3) ,but overall, it's an extremely safe first party lineup with few genuine surprises. And it has virtually no third party software to round it out.
DeuceGamer
Member
Wii U will be remembered fondly because of the great games. While I agree there aren't a lot of systems in the wild there will likely be third party solutions in place of the Gamepad. Even the Virtual Boy has replacement parts available for it now.
There is also the potential that Homebrew releases that either patch result controls or allow some form of tablet support.
Nope, don't accept.
I put Wii U above Wii because, well, Wii U has Wii mode.
2 in 1!
I don't know why the discussions always go to "Mario, Zelda or metroid". Like if a system doesn't have one of these, it's an automatic failure. The N64 had no metroid and it's an awesome console. GameCube had 2 metroids and it's a bad console.
People shouldn't judge a console by the absence of a couple of ips, but by their entirety of games. And i say that as someone who thinks that Nintendo really dropped the Ball with the wiiu. Wiiu got splatoon, bayonetta 2, donkey kong, Pikmin, #fe, fatal frame, wooly world, Kirby dream rainbow, star fox... there is a lot of stuff out there.
People shouldn't judge a console by the absence of a couple of ips, but by their entirety of games. And i say that as someone who thinks that Nintendo really dropped the Ball with the wiiu. Wiiu got splatoon, bayonetta 2, donkey kong, Pikmin, #fe, fatal frame, wooly world, Kirby dream rainbow, star fox... there is a lot of stuff out there.
Jubenhimer
Member
At this point, the Wii U is becoming more overrated than the Nintendo 64. Being honest here, the Wii is a much better system, and my personal 2nd favorite Nintendo console.
Pros
*Great home for Niche and arcade games
*Nintendo first parties
*Motion controls when done right
*Great local multiplayer machine
*Great system for casual gamers
Cons
*Wiimote 1.0 was limited (understandable for the time)
*No HD
*Tons of shovelware (though this is a necessary evil)
*Poor online functionality
The Wii is just a much better designed and thought out system than the U. Like it or not, the Wii U is mess. It tries to be too many things at once, but does nothing particularly well, it has a poorly designed, needlessly complicated controller. Said controller could only be used one at a time, so you need different types of controllers for different types of games, thus creating a clusterfuck of required controllers. Slow and clunky OS that lacks very basic functions that are inexcusable in the 2010s. Really it's only saving grace is it's games.
The Wii U is the Sega Saturn 2.0 IMO. Chock full of useless technology, and too complex for it's own good. Let's hope the NX is more straightforward.
Pros
*Great home for Niche and arcade games
*Nintendo first parties
*Motion controls when done right
*Great local multiplayer machine
*Great system for casual gamers
Cons
*Wiimote 1.0 was limited (understandable for the time)
*No HD
*Tons of shovelware (though this is a necessary evil)
*Poor online functionality
The Wii is just a much better designed and thought out system than the U. Like it or not, the Wii U is mess. It tries to be too many things at once, but does nothing particularly well, it has a poorly designed, needlessly complicated controller. Said controller could only be used one at a time, so you need different types of controllers for different types of games, thus creating a clusterfuck of required controllers. Slow and clunky OS that lacks very basic functions that are inexcusable in the 2010s. Really it's only saving grace is it's games.
The Wii U is the Sega Saturn 2.0 IMO. Chock full of useless technology, and too complex for it's own good. Let's hope the NX is more straightforward.
dreamlongdead
Member
While I disagree that it's their best console since the SNES, I love my Wii U to death and it's easily my favorite current-generation console both in terms of its library and its overall focus and ease of use.
It's really depressing to think how many people have missed out on such a wonderful console because of the awful, misleading name, Nintendo's completely botched marketing for it, and the technical issues it experienced out of the gate (but have since been patched out and drastically improved upon). The Wii U never had a chance despite how fantastic it actually is.
People didn't miss out, because it never had the games that they wanted.
The Wii would probably be the best console since SNES simply because of the sheer variety it had. If the motion controls were a deal breaker for you, then N64 and GameCube are totally acceptable answers. You can build a pretty solid library for any of these consoles.
Wii U is very unappealing for most of us on the outside, because it lacks so many games. Some of these games do look great and play great, but you can say that for any system. It's easily the worst Nintendo console.
WiiU has a very solid library of videogames, creative experiences, good metascores, incredible exclusives.
too bad that's the least important thing on a console nowadays. It's a shame that Nintendo didn't realize that. I hope they get their priorities straight on the NX.
my personal ranking on nintendo consoles would be:
DS
SNES
GC
Wii
WiiU
3DS
NES
GBA
N64
not counting GB and VB, because I didn't play them enough.
too bad that's the least important thing on a console nowadays. It's a shame that Nintendo didn't realize that. I hope they get their priorities straight on the NX.
my personal ranking on nintendo consoles would be:
DS
SNES
GC
Wii
WiiU
3DS
NES
GBA
N64
not counting GB and VB, because I didn't play them enough.
If we only had an F Zero game and a Metroid game I would agree. The Wii U's first party output has been great and it has been great for new franchises like Splatton too, which I don't recall right now, but I don't think we got one on the GC. We got a re-imagining or MEtroid which was amazing, but nothing truly new. Please correct me if I am wrong.
D
Deleted member 752119
Unconfirmed Member
I'm 37 and started gaming with NES. I vastly prefer the SNES and its library. I respect the importance of the NES, but 8 bit games didn't age well for me in graphics or gameplay. 16 bit did.
The GC also had a little more leniency towards the things that would normally be censored today, as well as was Nintendo's best console to attempt the "Grow with the players" mentality without losing that Nintendo charm.
GC gets my vote!
wild wild rice
Member
No doubt the NES is seminal and has timeless games, but almost all of its first party games and ideas were perfected on SNES.
First party I'd definitely agree. Most of the good N64 titles don't really hold up today and GC had some pretty mediocre versions (by Nintendo's standards) of beloved franchises outside of the Metroid Prime games and F-Zero GX. Outside of the Mario Galaxy games the Wii's library did absolutely nothing for me, and even then I wasn't really that enamored with the Galaxy games. Third party support was absolutely abysmal I agree but 3rd party games today are mostly derivative crap anyways so that's not as much of a strike against it like it would have been 10 years ago.
clevbrowns94
Member
It's certainly my favorite console since the SNES (if we are comparing handhelds, then 3DS wins). I never owned a Gabecube, N64 was a mixed bag, I think we can all agree, and I really wasn't a fan of motion controls on the Wii. But I love the gamepad and off TV play. It's great too when having a wife and kids constantly using the TV. I know that apparently only few cared about off TV play, but it's been my favorite feature. Things could have been better. I would loved to have seen a Metroid (especially a return to 2D), but Nintendo seemed to shift everything to the NX around 2015 or even sooner. Still, it was a nice first party run considering its limited lifespan. Splatoon and Mario Maker were the highlights for me.
I really like the Wii U. I have spend lot's of memorable moments with it's awesome games, especially with Splatoon and Mario Kart 8 but will never never come close to the SNES simply because Wii U didn't had and will not have a Metroid game nor an exclusive Zelda game... Wii U was just a good console that served mostly as a "filler console" until their actual next big thing. Despite of that Wii U is pretty high on my top Nintendo home consoles wich are:
6. Wii
5.- NES
4.- N64
3.- Wii U
2.- Gamecube
1.- SNES
6. Wii
5.- NES
4.- N64
3.- Wii U
2.- Gamecube
1.- SNES
Coma Ecliptic
Member
That's a pretty big hyperbole you got there buddy.
SNES was in a league of it's own. I remember being with my dad we when had to decide which system he was going to buy, I liked Sonic and won out, but my father loved Mario, tetris etc and kept trying to convince me. Fatherly wisdom, miss you dad, he was always right.
Interesting opinion.
SNES was in a league of it's own. I remember being with my dad we when had to decide which system he was going to buy, I liked Sonic and won out, but my father loved Mario, tetris etc and kept trying to convince me. Fatherly wisdom, miss you dad, he was always right.
Interesting opinion.
game & wario > warioware smooth moves
CrazyArcadia
Member
Depends of the point of view.
If you mostly count Nintendo-published games and exclusives as well as take into account Wii backwards compatibility (incl. Wii and WiiU Virtual Console) - It's one of the best and most versatile consoles ever.
If you only take the WiiU output, it's a Nintendo fan-console with some of their best games in years but an overall selection of 25-30 exclusive and worthy games - if you play and like all sorts of genres that is. So you get a niche system with a small selection spanning top games for every genre but you really need to be a fan of all sorts of videogame genres and Nintendo franchises to get the best out of it. If you are such a fan, then yeah, the WiiU is a strong device.
Everyone should buy one, though, at least as a secondary device. And especially if you did not have a Wii during its heyday. Because with Wii BC and VC, it really is a great console. For me, I have a Wii as well so I use the WiiU for WiiU games only. And while the WiiU features some of my favorite new games and is my current console of choice, I can't honestly say it's better than, say, the Gamecube with its 3rd party games or N64 with Rareware were in their time.
If you mostly count Nintendo-published games and exclusives as well as take into account Wii backwards compatibility (incl. Wii and WiiU Virtual Console) - It's one of the best and most versatile consoles ever.
If you only take the WiiU output, it's a Nintendo fan-console with some of their best games in years but an overall selection of 25-30 exclusive and worthy games - if you play and like all sorts of genres that is. So you get a niche system with a small selection spanning top games for every genre but you really need to be a fan of all sorts of videogame genres and Nintendo franchises to get the best out of it. If you are such a fan, then yeah, the WiiU is a strong device.
Everyone should buy one, though, at least as a secondary device. And especially if you did not have a Wii during its heyday. Because with Wii BC and VC, it really is a great console. For me, I have a Wii as well so I use the WiiU for WiiU games only. And while the WiiU features some of my favorite new games and is my current console of choice, I can't honestly say it's better than, say, the Gamecube with its 3rd party games or N64 with Rareware were in their time.
Jubenhimer
Member
Calling the Wii U Nintendo's Dreamcast is quite honestly, an insult to the Dreamcast. The Dreamcast was a much better designed and more well thought out system for it's time with a record breaking launch. The only reason it failed was due to Sega's financial problems and the hype of the PS2.
The Wii U if anything, has more in common with (as I mentioned earlier) the Sega Saturn, as they both failed for largely the same reasons. They were rushed, backwards, needlessly complicated, a nightmare to develop for, came off the heals of a successful platform, burned fans of it's predecessor, and gave it's competition market dominance on a silver platter, leaving only diehard fans to keep the system afloat. The only difference is that Nintendo is still financially fine, whereas the Saturn mutilated Sega's wallet.
littlebigman
Member
Screw the haters, the Wii U is fucking great. Quality over quantity, beyotches.
Petrae
Member
The fact that I was never compelled to buy a WiiU puts in dead last place in my ranking of Nintendo consoles.
WiiU is the only Nintendo console that I don't own. When faced with a choice between dropping $300 on a Wii and a bunch of games or a WiiU last holiday season, I went with Wii-- and it was no contest.
There's a nice balance for me between Nintendo's really enjoyable first-party offerings (Super Mario Galaxy 1/2, Punch-Out!!, Wii Sports/Resort, Super Paper Mario) and third-party stuff (Data East Arcade Classics, Resident Evil Chronicles games, Ghost Squad, Tiger Woods games, and more) on the Wii. I've also taken advantage of Wii Virtual Console to get some TG-16 stuff. Most of these games were also really cheap to get.
WiiU has next to no third-party support, and its first-party games haven't grabbed my attention like the Wii games did-- or the N64, SNES, or NES did. Even the GCN had attractors like Rogue Leader and Super Monkey Ball that made me take notice. All five consoles prior to WiiU had signifcant sports game support; WiiU has next to none.
My own ranking of Nintendo consoles:
1. NES
2. SNES
3. Wii
4. GCN
5. N64
6. WiiU
WiiU is the only Nintendo console that I don't own. When faced with a choice between dropping $300 on a Wii and a bunch of games or a WiiU last holiday season, I went with Wii-- and it was no contest.
There's a nice balance for me between Nintendo's really enjoyable first-party offerings (Super Mario Galaxy 1/2, Punch-Out!!, Wii Sports/Resort, Super Paper Mario) and third-party stuff (Data East Arcade Classics, Resident Evil Chronicles games, Ghost Squad, Tiger Woods games, and more) on the Wii. I've also taken advantage of Wii Virtual Console to get some TG-16 stuff. Most of these games were also really cheap to get.
WiiU has next to no third-party support, and its first-party games haven't grabbed my attention like the Wii games did-- or the N64, SNES, or NES did. Even the GCN had attractors like Rogue Leader and Super Monkey Ball that made me take notice. All five consoles prior to WiiU had signifcant sports game support; WiiU has next to none.
My own ranking of Nintendo consoles:
1. NES
2. SNES
3. Wii
4. GCN
5. N64
6. WiiU
LegendofLex
Member
In the past, the degree to which most of the Wii U games (bar a few cases like Smash and Mario Kart) were "better" than their GameCube/Wii/3DS analogs content- and gameplay-wise was about the difference we'd see between sequels on the same platform.
Some good examples:
NSMB U vs. NSMBWii
Wii Sports Club vs. Wii Sports
Pikmin 3 vs. Pikmin 1/2 NPC
Zelda HD remakes vs. Zelda GCN/Wii originals
Super Mario 3D World vs. Super Mario 3D Land
Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze vs. DKCR
Except this time you had to buy a $300-350 console to get those sequels...sequels that for the most part (outside of HD visuals which we've seen aren't a huge selling point for Nintendo) you could have gotten on Wii.
That's not a good look.
TheProudCanadian
Neo Member
IMO the Wii U would need one Metroid, one Fire Emblem, and a handful of excellent 3rd party games to not be the worst Nintendo console at this point. There come a point when quantity does start to matter as much as quality, and Wii U will have hit that point by the end of its life. There just isn't enough to play for the average gamer unless your tastes are incredibly broad.
KirbYuuYuu
Member
It amazes me at the mental gymnastics some people go through to throw a game that is ultimately still very good, under a bus. It's incredible.
Anyway, I don't think I can agree with this topic. This might be the first time I have issues with having the desire to booting up the Wii U... and the NX isn't out yet.
And yeah there's some great stuff, but there are genres that Nintendo is lacking even compared to their older output.
Come to think of it... I might be in agreement.
I really do love my quirky little Wii U, I've got an excellent library of games for it and it's just so different to the PS4 and Xbox One. It's a shame it's suffered from such long droughts and I'd have liked a few more JRPGs but this is sadly what you've come to accept from Nintendo.
I really do love my quirky little Wii U, I've got an excellent library of games for it and it's just so different to the PS4 and Xbox One. It's a shame it's suffered from such long droughts and I'd have liked a few more JRPGs but this is sadly what you've come to accept from Nintendo.
Metroid Prime series and F-Zero GX bra.
Jubenhimer
Member
It's the Nintendo cycle. People call a console shit one day, then praise it the next. The N64 was the time where Nintendo lost it's big 3rd party support, stuck with cartridges, and had an awkward 3 handle controller, yet today it's looked at as some masterpiece (admittedly, it had some revolutionary games, and it was a system I grew up with). The GameCube suffered from a poor choice of launch color, Cartoon Zelda, no online or DVD playback (both of which were huge in the mid 2000s), and lackluster 3rd party support, now it's considered a cult classic. Even the Wii is getting less hate. People complained about shovelware, casual games, motion controls, and how Nintendo wasn't pandering to the "hardcore gamer" (whatever that means). Now, people are taking notice ofthe great games it had, as well as warming up to motion controls. The Wii U will probably go through the same, but I imagine in a reverse situation, where people start to realize how much it got wrong.
Aldric
Member
l agree with that. Wii U's problem is the lack of a defining title in one of Nintendo's most prestigious series. N64 had Mario 64, OoT and MM, Gamecube had Metroid Prime, Wii had Galaxy. Wii U has the mediocre 3D World and a very promising Zelda game that's going to be the system seller for their next console. lt simply doesn't compare.
That being said, Splatoon is their best and most successful new ip in decades and Tropical Freeze is arguably one of the greatest sidescrolling platformers of all time. lt definitely doesn't have a bad library, it just falls short compared to the legendary games of the past.
Acerac
Banned
Metroid Prime series? 3 released on the Wii and 2 was the worst of the series by a decent margin. Dark worms constantly blocking doorways killed exploration, if they didn't exist it would have been a stronger title.
The first Prime was absolutely amazing though, as was F-Zero GX, no doubt.