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LTTP - the Wii U. What do I need to know about it?

T

Triggerhappytel

Member
wii-u-blue-blogrolljpg-61cc9a_1280w.jpg
Click to expand...

So I finally got a Wii U yesterday, with Mario Kart 8. I spent a bit of time setting it up, having a browse on the eShop and trying out the game for the first time. I have a few questions and I would be grateful for any help!

Good digital games
What should I check out? There are a few I already know about like Cave Story and FAST Racing Neo, but besides multiplat stuff I already have on my PS4 or Vita I don't know of much else to watch out for.

Retail games
I've got Mario Kart 8, and the following are also of interest:
Definites - Wind Waker & Twilight Princess HD, Mario 3D World, Hyrule Warriors, Sega Racing Transformed
Maybes - Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, New Super Mario U, Bayonetta 2 (I wasn't a big fan of the first but I'll maybe try this), The Wonderful 101, Splatoon, Pikmin 3
Anything major I'm forgetting (please read the last part before replying)?

Wii Mode
So, I can play Wii games on it, right? I take it that means I need a Wiimote & Nunchuk? Even to play digital Wii games or do they need to be disc copies (or both)?

External storage space
I noticed that it has an SD card slot and USB slots. Can I use a flash memory stick? External hard drive? Any limits on storage size? Can I store game installations on these external memory drives?

Zelda: Breath of the Wild
And so one of the main reasons I bought the console. Is BotW a decent port, and is it worthwhile? I'll probably ask for it for my birthday which is in a few weeks.

Few random thoughts:
- Should I get a Pro Controller?
- How long should I expect the GamePad battery to last (it was a second hand console)?
- Are any of the Virtual Console (SNES/DS) games worth investing in? I never had a DS.

I think that's about it. Thanks all in advance for the comments & tips!
 
kamineko

kamineko

Does his best thinking in the flying car
I love pro controller. Try the pad first, if it doesn't feel good go pro.

If you like JRPGs at all, TMS #FE is like a stealth classic
 
J

Jaded Alyx

Member
Lol at asking if BotW is a good port. Port from where?

SD card slot can't be used for regular storage. It's mainly for Wii mode. It's also not advised to use flash drives for storage.

Certainly get a Pro Controller, and a USB hard drive if you plan on buying a lot of digital games. Make sure it has a y-cable or has a power adapter.
 
M

mattwhite924

Member
Yes, a pro controller is worth getting. I prefer it for most games, and the battery lasts for at least 3.5 eternities.

As for virtual console stuff, SNES and GBA are pretty solid. NES is pretty bad. N64 is ok, but oddly dark.
However, you can shift into Wii mode and get VC games from there. NES games are way better that way, and you've got options for games not available in Wii U mode.
 
R

RAWRferal

Member
Apparently BoTW performance is subpar with quite a few framerate dips and 720p vs 900p on Switch.

Having said that, if you don't have a Switch and that stuff doesn't bother you... Definitely get it. Top 10 game of all time for me and many others, truly amazing experience.
 
S

Steiner

Banned
Definitely pick up Captain Toad Treasure Tracker. It's beautiful, thoughtful, and just a delight to play. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE might be the best JRPG experience you've had in a very long time. Splatoon dominated my life for several months.

Pro controller is definitely worth it. Get one ASAP. Edit: Ironically, you'll need to use the Game Pad for all of the games I'm recommending.

Also, go download Art Academy Home Studio, and have an epiphany that video games can actually teach you something and make you a better person. I literally learned how to draw with that game, having only done stick figures and shitty Dragon Ball faces as a kid. It's a wonderful tool, and the presentation and pacing is top notch. Such a gift.
 
TheMoon

TheMoon

Member
Triggerhappytel said:
Wii Mode
So, I can play Wii games on it, right? I take it that means I need a Wiimote & Nunchuk? Even to play digital Wii games or do they need to be disc copies (or both)?

External storage space
I noticed that it has an SD card slot and USB slots. Can I use a flash memory stick? External hard drive? Any limits on storage size? Can I store game installations on these external memory drives?!
Click to expand...

yes, you need a wii remote and a nunchuk. make sure you're not buying an old wii remote from launch. make sure it's a wii remote plus. You can play SOME SELECT FEW digital Wii games with the GamePad's buttons but you still need to navigate the UI with the Wiimote. And it's the minority (the ones that support it are often superior with Wiimote anyway).

Don't buy an external drive. Just use a USB memory stick and you're set.

Triggerhappytel said:
- Are any of the Virtual Console (SNES/DS) games worth investing in? I never had a DS.
Click to expand...

we'll be here all day if you keep going like this :D
 
C

chronic_archaic

Member
USB compatibility is ass and if you want an external hard drive, it must be powered by a wall or you can be like Nintendo get a Y cable which nobody uses for anything else ever.

Don't use flash drives, it's still too weak to power those without breaking them.
 
T

Triggerhappytel

Member
Thanks for the replies all. I'm just about to drive home for the day so I will be back later.

I should probably have mentioned that I've little interest in fighting games (Smash) or JRPGs, so I probably won't be checking those genres out.
 
D

dragonyeuw

Member
Triggerhappytel said:
Maybes - Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, New Super Mario U, Bayonetta 2 (I wasn't a big fan of the first but I'll maybe try this), The Wonderful 101, Splatoon, Pikmin 3
Anything major I'm forgetting (please read the last part before replying)?
Click to expand...

I would say that every one of those are definites. Well, you said you weren't a major fan of the first Bayo so I don't think the second one will change your mind.....but yeah.
 
S

schopaia

Member
Start with the Nintendo Selects line (reprints at $20 each). From your list there's Tropical Freeze, 3D World and Pikmin - these are must haves. BOTW is a no brainer - along with Splatoon the best game on Wii u. Smash and Mario Maker and Captain Toad should also be under consideration.
 
S

silva1991

Member
Your maybe list has what I personally consider essentials to the system lol.

Bayonetta 2, Splatoon and Pikmin 3 are the Wii U.

Zelda: Breath of the Wild
And so one of the main reasons I bought the console. Is BotW a decent port, and is it worthwhile? I'll probably ask for it for my birthday which is in a few we
Click to expand...

It's not a port and the game was designed for it first and foremost.

It has some annoying frame drops in some locations(especially some towns), but overall it's great.
 
TheMoon

TheMoon

Member
I see a severe lack of Affordable Space Adventures and ZombiU in the games lists. If you're getting a Wii U, might as well get the showpiece games for it.

You also gotta get Stealth Inc. 2: A Game of Clones, which has a ton of Wii U-specific features like co-op and a level editor. Year Walk was specifically redesigned to incorporate the GamePad so get hat too. Runbow!
 
C

C.Mongler

Member
I'm assuming you don't have a Switch considering you already grabbed MK8; if that's the case Splatoon is a must. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is also a phenominal game. Also Zelda: Breath of the Wild my dude, it's a fine version of the game. Xenoblade Chronicles X is great if you like long ass JRPGs, and Super Smash Bros. and Mario Maker are also staples.

It's backwards compatible with Wii games, so you'll want a Wiimote and Nunchuck to take advantage of that; serveral Wii U games support them also.

You can use a flash drive, SD card, or USB HDD for storage.

The Wii U pro controller is maybe my favorite Nintendo controller ever. I really wish they would allow Switch support. If you can get it, get it.

The gamepad's battery is shit, maybe 2 hours and some change, if that. More the reason to get the pro-controller which has a seemingly infinite battery life. No joke, it lasts 50-80 hours on a single charge.

There's tons of great SNES and DS VC games! To name a couple for DS: Advance Wars: Dual Strike, Kirby Canvas Curse, Picross 3D, and Mario Kart DS, and Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time.
 
N

Nocturnowl

Member
I'm gonna point out that your maybe list trumps the definite list quite handily.

USB for extra memory if needed and yeah you'll need wii controllers for the wii side of things, Well The Moon has already beat me to this but...yeah, repetition.
I never got myself a WiiU pro controller, I've used one and it's pretty great but the price was too high for me to warrant it when the gamepad works just fine.

Pikmin 3 related tidbit if you go for it: play with Wii remote and nunchuck, gamepad as support screen.
Oh and analogue for Tropical Freeze, (I'm totally trying to steer you more to the maybe pile right now)
 
TheMoon

TheMoon

Member
C.Mongler said:
I
You can use a [...], SD card, [...] for storage.
Click to expand...

no, you cannot.

the SD card is solely used for Wii Mode (has the same function as it did on the original Wii since Wii Mode really is just a full-on Wii inside your Wii U) and some select few Wii U games that export images to the SD card like Art Academy or the Mii Maker or the now-dead Animal Crossing Plaza (import in that case).
 
R

Regiruler

Member
TheMoon said:
I see a severe lack of Affordable Space Adventures and ZombiU in the games lists. If you're getting a Wii U, might as well get the showpiece games for it.

You also gotta get Stealth Inc. 2: A Game of Clones, which has a ton of Wii U-specific features like co-op and a level editor. Year Walk was specifically redesigned to incorporate the GamePad so get hat too. Runbow!
Click to expand...

ASA is really mediocre.
 
S

superNESjoe

Member
Tropical Freeze needs to jump the hell up from maybe to first couple purchases. Also, Breath of the Wild on Wii U is fantastic. Most people would never be able to tell the difference.

Super Mario Maker is incredible and also missing from your list.
 
P

Platy

Member
Yoshi Woolly World is the best Yoshi game since Yoshi Island. It is hard as fuck to get 100% and cute as fuck

And it has coop. And amiibo suport so you can play as Sonic Yoshi

TheMoon said:
yes, you need a wii remote and a nunchuk. make sure you're not buying an old wii remote from launch. make sure it's a wii remote plus. You can play SOME SELECT FEW digital Wii games with the GamePad's buttons but you still need to navigate the UI with the Wiimote. And it's the minority (the ones that support it are often superior with Wiimote anyway).
Click to expand...

You can only use the gamepad for Wii games downlouded in wiiu mode and as a substitute for classic controller.

Wii mode is 100% wii controllers.

dickroach said:
softmod it.
every single wiiu game in existence fits on a 1TB hard drive
Click to expand...

Considering he already accessed the eshop chances are he is already in the latest update and we still don't have something to softmod wiius on latest firmware.

But yeah, homebrew enabled wiiu is a godsend.

use ps3 controllers as wiiu pro controler, change the display of gamepad and tv, play splatoon with mouse and keyboard, emulate everything and transfer roms to your wiiu trough FTP
 
F

FN-2187

Member
Visit the Wii shop in Wii mode to load up on WiiWare and Wii VC games before they shut it down and/or delist more stuff.
 
F

FlaygletheBagel

Banned
Here ya go OP, short and sweet:

Good digital games

I don't have much to list here since I didn't buy many digital only titles on Wii U. Nano Assault NEO is my favorite digital game I do own. It's a good one if you like twin-stick shooters like Geometry Wars or Super Stardust.

Retail games

Move Donkey Kong Country: TF and Pikmin 3 out of your "Maybe" category and into your "Definites" category. You'll thank me later.

You're missing Super Smash Bros. from your list and it's easily one of Wii U's best games. Do yourself a favor and add that one to your definites list too.

Wii Mode

Yes, you will need a Wiimote and Nunchuck. Any Wii-compatible controller will work. AFAIK you can still access the old Wii shop to buy digital Wii games. Disc copies and digital copies of games will work on Wii U in Wii Mode.

External storage space

Can't testify to this since I really only used the internal storage. I bought mostly physical games.

Zelda: Breath of the Wild

I've only played the Switch version so I can't testify to this either.

Should I get a Pro Controller?

Yes. My favorite way to play any game on the system.

How long should I expect the GamePad battery to last (it was a second hand console)?

The Gamepad battery is the worst part of the console I think. Expect 2-4 hours without it being charged.

Are any of the Virtual Console (SNES/DS) games worth investing in? I never had a DS.

There are a shit ton of great games on Wii U's Virtual Console. You'll definitely want to browse through those.
 
J

jph139

Member
OrbitalBeard said:
Well, I can tell you one thing. Tropical Freeze and Splatoon need to graduate from that "Maybes" list ASAP.
Click to expand...

Is Splatoon still active? Now that the sequel is out and the Splatfests are over I feel like it's kind of late to dive into. At its full price at least - the campaign alone is probably worth picking up at Nintendo Select prices if they ever bother with another wave.
 
D

Dantrist

Member
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is an essential.
Also I would buy Rayman Legends before I'd buy NSMBU. That's not to say that Mario is not good, because it is, but I had way more fun with Rayman (the music levels especially).
If you do want 2D Mario but more challenge you should look into New Super Luigi U or Super Mario Maker.

As for games you might have forgotten: you might want to consider Super Smash Bros. and Xenoblade Chronicles X.
To a lesser extent Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker and Kirby and the Rainbow Curse.

The Pro controller is very good and has amazing battery life. However - and I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority in this - I prefer the Gamepad. It lies in my hands perfectly.
I'd only buy the pro controller if you intend to play local multiplayer.

And buy the DLC for Mario Kart 8.
 
G

Grettir_the_Swole

Member
The Wii U supports external hard drives and USB sticks. I recommend buying a Wiimote if you don't already have one and also investing in a classic controller for Wii titles. The Wii is pretty easy to collect so I would also consider looking into classic Wii titles as well.
 
D

Drilbit777

Member
I played over 80 hours of zelda Wii U before getting a switch and it was great. There is some slowdown when you take down bigger enemies but other than that i had no real issues
 
S

Sixfortyfive

He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
Triggerhappytel said:
Few random thoughts:
- Should I get a Pro Controller?
- How long should I expect the GamePad battery to last (it was a second hand console)?
- Are any of the Virtual Console (SNES/DS) games worth investing in? I never had a DS.
Click to expand...
1) If you can find one for cheap, yes. Otherwise, the original Wii Classic Controller Pro is arguably more worthwhile since it's more versatile (usable for Wii / Wii U games) and probably cheaper.

2) 3 to 5 hours w/ stock battery, 5 to 8 hours with extended battery.

3) I wouldn't bother with NES/SNES/N64 VC if you're picky about emulation quality (bad lag and bizarre filters). Not sure about the other consoles represented.

If you get NSMBU, look for the combo disc that also has NSLU included. You get both games on one disc plus some extras (patch already included, superplay videos). I've only seen this version sold as a system pack-in though so it might not be that common.
 
O

ozfunghi

Member
Pikmin 3
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Bayonetta (1 +) 2
Pikmin 3
ZombiU
Pikmin 3

there are still some WiiU games i need to try out that come recommended:
SM3D World
Captain Toad

And perhaps:
Kirby
Paper Mario
DK Country TF
Yoshi's Wooly World

I also enjoyed SC Blacklist.

I can also recommend Pikmin 3.
 
B

Boy Wander

Member
4 of the games on your 'maybe' list are better than the games on your definites list.

Pikmin 3, Tropical Freeze, Wonderful 101 and Bayo 2 are all awesome and should be considered essential in my opinion. Hyrule Warriors is ok but I wouldn't rank it alongside these 4, but I can see how if you're a big Zelda fan it would be good as fan service.

Digital Recommendations - Affordable Space Adventures, Guacamelee, Toki Tori 2, Stealth Inc 2, Scram Kitty are all essential imo.
 
L

Llyranor

Member
Other posts have given good advice already, but I will just say that I finished BOTW with around 120+h playtime on Wii U and loved it.

Yes, the framerate is not perfect (and I play PC games at 144fps so I am somewhat picky with framerate), but the game is just so good that I was able to overlook it and it didn't really hamper my enjoyment of the game.
 
C

C.Mongler

Member
TheMoon said:
no, you cannot.

the SD card is solely used for Wii Mode (has the same function as it did on the original Wii since Wii Mode really is just a full-on Wii inside your Wii U) and some select few Wii U games that export images to the SD card like Art Academy or the Mii Maker or the now-dead Animal Crossing Plaza (import in that case).
Click to expand...

Whoops; sorry, I'm an external drive guy myself so I never really paid attention to storage solutions beyond that.

That said you can apparently use an SD card on the Wii U to save Smash Bros. screenshots and pictures of your Mii; how exciting!
 
R

RayearthRob

Member
Good digital games
Unepic

Retail games
Xenoblade X

Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The game was made for the Wii U, it's a great version.

Few random thoughts:
- Should I get a Pro Controller? I only use pro contr. For multiplayer.

- Are any of the Virtual Console (SNES/DS) games worth investing in? I never had a DS.
The fire emblem games are awesome.
 
J

JinjoUnchained

Member
Sell MK8 and use the proceeds to buy Scram Kitty and His Buddy On Rails. That's all you need from the Wii U library.

Kidding. Pikmin 3 is and Capitan Todd are mandatory.
 
T

Triggerhappytel

Member
Thanks everyone. Looks like I need to buy a decent memory stick and after some consideration the following have been upgraded from 'Maybes' to 'Alright you bastards you've peer pressured me into buying these':

Donkey Kong: TF
Pikmin 3
Splatoon
Maybe Mario Maker if I can find it at a decent price
 
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