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[SolVanderlyn]

Things to note:

• I said "experience," not "game," so you can talk about hype leading up to release, getting the system, or what have you as well.
• Don't list a game without posting anything else, or post a picture without saying what game it's from.

Ok.

For me, it was actually Wind Waker HD.

I never beat the game back on Gamecube because of - you guessed it - the massive dip in pacing during the Triforce hunt. The HD remaster fixed that up a bit, and I also had more patience in general by the time I played it. The new sail made the game a lot better. It's amazing how such a seemingly tiny alteration changed the game so much. I also liked the remastered graphics, although I know that's a divisive opinion. It ended up being one of my favorite Zeldas.

A strong runner up would Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

Spoiler

's soundtrack. David Wise is one of the best composers in the industry, and he hasn't lost his touch one bit.

What was your best Wii U experience?

 

[Neoxon]

My best in-game Wii U experience was probably the finale for The Wonderful 101, if nothing else but for the sheer amount of hype that game injected into my veins.

As for the entire ride of hype, that easily goes to Smash 4. The Pic of the Day discussions alone were worth it.

 

[SatoAilDarko]

Xenoblade Chronicles X

Followed by The Wonderful 101.

 

[_Clash_]

101 and Tropical Freeze

 

[Phoenixus]

I would say returning to Wonderful 101 after it didn't click with me the first couple of tries. The demo was difficult to grasp and the game itself isn't exactly friendly to newcomers, but when it clicks it really does. Fantastic game that deserves a Switch port solely to find more of an audience.

 

[joe2187]

Wonderful 101

because the features and use of the gamepad were actually fun and useful, and I actually preferred to use it over the pro controller.

and Bayonetta 2

because it's bayonetta 2 and Bayo 1 was my favorite game of all time.

 

[Mediking]

Mass Effect 3: Definitive Edition and AC4. Yep. Not joking.

 

[watershed]

8 player Smash on a HUGE hd tv during a party. That was crazy fun. The WiiU was great for local multiplayer in general but 8 player Smash tops the list for insane multiplayer experiences.

 

[HawthorneKitty]

Probably going on NicoNico and joining Japanese streaming communities to race in Mario Kart 8. I even had chances to use the mic (LOL) to speak to them.
lol@people that don't read op

 

[Enforced]

Definitely playing with kartgaf in Mario kart 8 and smash bros wii u.

This is my highlights moments with them. Lot of funny moments with them.

https://youtu.be/gzPifszff8A

 

[Bonen no Max'd]

Over the summer I went to visit a friend and we went through 3D World together. We've been friends since I was 4 and it was sort of a magical experience that really brought me back to a much simpler time in my life.

 

[Yagharek]

I'd have to say the satisfaction of beating Champions Road in Mario 3D World stands as a particular highlight.

I have a miiverse screen somewhere of Mario standing on the cloud before the final flag approach, and you can see all the Toads and what have you standing nearby. I think I took the screen shot because a) I had spent a good 500+ lives trying to do it and b) I had the time left to do it whilst my hands were shaking before aiming for the top of the flag pole.

I landed the jump, FWIW.

 

[KZXcellent]

Everything about Smash 4.

Every Nintendo Direct surrounding this game was great. Big reveals like Mewtwo, Cloud, Bayo, and Pacman kept things beyond exciting. The "50 Things In Smash 4" Direct is probably my favorite Nintendo stream. "BUTTONS!"

I remember spending an absurd amount of hours playing online with friends at launch.

 

[Some Nobody]

Nintendo's weird pricing issues mean I only ever thought one game was worth buying at full price before I sold it in February, but it's Xenoblade Chronicles X. My GOTY for 2015--a flawed, but excellent experience that I hope is one that gets transferred over to the Switch.

 

[Cipher Peon]

Christmas morning after getting my Wii U, playing ZombiU's multiplayer. I thought it was AMAZING, provided a unique experience I've never touched before, and thought that this was the exact definition of next gen gaming: a gameplay experience that was impossible to do before with a uniqueness that made it shine.

"If this is how the Wii U is at launch, the library is going to be AWESOME"

 

[Blues1990]

The Wii U was such an incredible streaming machine, as it made watching movies & YouTube videos a comfortable experience. I also used the internect function to view recipies from the gamepad while cooking.

As for games, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker & Xenoblade Chronicles X were both incredible experiences for the system. Toadcharmed the pants off of me, while exploring Planet Mira was fantastic.

 

[G0523]

When Mario Kart 8 came out, I was excited because of the local multiplayer fun I had with my friends. And it happened again when Super Smash Bros. for Wii U came out. 8-player matches were insane but those were mainly a novelty. Here's hoping the Switch will bring even more local multiplayer experiences because we still need them!

 

[Cert.in.Death]

The day I threw it in the trash XD

Honestly, my best memories will be of Smash and MK8 online matches, up until the disconnects

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

When I first got it. Well... sorta. I bought one at launch in 2012, but I ended up returning it before I opened it, because there was just nothing that seemed interesting on the system... which killed me, because I wanted to like Nintendo's new thing. A year later, I bought one for real, along with 3D World, Wind Waker HD, and the NSMBU+ NSLU pack, and blew through all of those games in December. What an incredible month that was -- that was at least on par with any of the experiences I had with the SNES as a kid.

 

[SMD]

Evil Luigi Kart 8 is an absolute highlight for me. What a game, best Mario Kart ever.

 

[emalord]

Bayonetta 2 and its throwing new Bosses at me like it's Radiant Silvergun again

Less technical than Bayo1 but overall more enjoyable as a full experience

 

[TheGreatMightyPoo]

The Mario Kart first DLC because of Zelda, The Wonderful 101 because I can actually draw simple shapes unlike the gaming press and Splatoon because of traversing up walls and moving like no other game in ink.

 

[Astral Dog]

Bayo2

 

[Gurnlei]

Splatoon. Aiming felt so right with the gamepad.

 

[bman94]

Definitely Super Smash Bros.

I was the only one with a Wii U on campus (at first) so my dorm room became the "Smash Spot" during college. Sneaking in alcohol and having 14 dudes take turns "smashing" at 8 player smash was so much fun. Then whenever we went on long trips and stayed at hotels, I brought my Wii U and my hotel room was the "Smash room".

Stupid dirty jokes aside Super Smash Bros. was the ultimate multiplayer experience for me. Tons of replayability, easy for people to jump in and jump out of the game, amazing controller support and just everything about that game was top tier. Having 14 people cramped up in a small room yelling their heads off because of the final kill is an experience I probably never get again and I'm glad the Wii U was able to provide that.

In terms of solo play (ironically) Splatoon was amazing. For a good while I needed my daily Splatoon fix and I would play at least a few hours every day. The online multiplayer on that is fun. I'll probably play it a lot in 2017 leading up to the inevitable Switch version which will kill the Wii U population.

Overall I feel like the Wii U was Nintendo's best effort software wise of all time. Such stellar titles with extremely high levels of quality and attention to detail. It's so much to love software wise and I commend Nintendo for putting their best foot forward when it came to quality releases (for the most part) on the Wii U despite the console sales. The console is in my top video game consoles of all time and Is my favorite Nintendo console.

 

[jeremy1456]

NintendoLand.

It convinced five of my friends to buy the system.

We would scream at each other during Mario Chase or the Luigi's Mansion game.

 

[Mattakuevan]

First thing that popped into my head was selling it towards a ps4 pro (lol).

My real answer is probably Xenoblade Chronicles X and Splatoon.

 

[xochipiltontli]

Getting up at 6 AM to play more of the Splatoon demo test thing bc of how much I enjoyed it the first time.

Edit: Or the Sm4sh tournament we had at school my senior year that I won. Or this time I threw a small party during winter break that year centered around that game, which turned out pretty awesome. Or just any time spent playing it during my first year of college. No regrets regarding my Wii U purchase between that game and Splatoon.

 

[-hadouken]

For me, it was actually Wind Waker HD.

Me too. Pretty underwhelmed by the new software (Mario Kart was super pretty, tho the handling was safe to the point of being boring). The Wii U served as my old nintendo HDMI box - did a pretty good job.

 

[Syf]

My Wii U experience was garbage and I wanted to sell it after about 3 months. Wind Waker HD was cool but bleh. Zero faith in Nintendo right now after they abandoned the Wii U so soon.

 

[janoDX]

The Smash 4 hype train. It was awesome.

 

[SmartWaffles]

Wind Waker HD (still need to go finish it)
Super Mario 3D World
Mario Kart 8 multiplayer sessions
Smash multiplayer sessions
Bayonetta 2

The Wii U is a great Nintendo console.

 

[mapachealocado]

Playing the Luigi's Mansion mini game in Nintendo Land with my friends. It was the best multiplayer experience the console gave me, even better than Mario Kart or Smash.

The screaming and sabotaging was unbelievable lol

 

[thepotatoman]

Smash 4 online For Glory.

Spent thousands of hours with friends playing the series, but they were never into 1v1 no items matches. Being able to finally get serious with it was fantastic.

 

[The Argus]

Co-op with my old roommate with New Super Mario U and Super Mario 3D World. We had been tackling Spelunky for awhile and needed a similar scratch for our itch. I doubt I'll ever have that experience again until I have a gamer kid or somehow end up with a roommate in the future.

I love/loved my Wii U because of its couch multiplayer. Pretty much every title I own is local multiplayer, something that is sadly missing from the other two and PCs.

 

[Kthulhu]

My best in-game Wii U experience was probably the finale for The Wonderful 101, if nothing else but for the sheer amount of hype that game injected into my veins.

As for the entire ride of hype, that easily goes to Smash 4. The Pic of the Day discussions alone were worth it.

Same. Also Bayonetta 2's hope was great. E3 2014 was amazing for Nintendo.

 

[IKizzLE]

Bayonetta 2

 

[blu]

WiiU was the console on which I finally finished Wind Waker, and boy, what a conclusion to an 12-year-long procrastination - beautiful and charming in all possible ways!

Most of all, wiiU has been my personal arcades renaissance, starting on a high note with Nintendoland, going through MK8, Tropical Freeze, Kirby Rainbow Paintbrush and ending with Splatoon, which I think sets a new high in modern arcade multi. Also, stepped into the new age of puzzlers - devilish, Escher-esque and adorable at the same time - Treasure Tracker being a prime example there.

Had a ton of good time with landmark 3rd parties - racers (NFS:MWU), puzzlers (Affordable Space Adventures, Human Resource Machine, TokiTori2), adventures (Stick It to the Man, Batman Arkham Blackgate), and my beloved arcades (Ultratron, Runner2, Zen Pinball 2, Nano Assault Neo).

Alas, the list of experiences would not be full without mentioning the glaring absences: a new mainline Metroid.

 

[Quasar]

My ebay experience as I sold it for more than it cost me

 

[OrbitalBeard]

Playing through Pikmin 3, Tropical Freeze, Mario Kart 8, Bayonetta 2, and Splatoon.

These weren't just the best Wii U experiences I had, they were pretty much the only good experiences for me. Really happy we can finally move on from this console. Bring on the Switch.

 

[425kid]

First time of 4 player Mario Kart 8 200cc (all of us going in blind and had never played 200cc prior). That was a great night.

 

[LiveFromKyoto]

So many I can't decide.

Wind Waker HD wound up being my favourite Zelda.

Holiday Nintendo Land marathons with family & friends - that game was so underrated, anybody could have a good time with it. It's still the go-to every time my little cousin comes by, Mario Chase is literally his favourite game.

Staying up all night playing Mario Kart with my girlfriend...then waking up in the morning discovering she'd stayed up even later making all kinds of miis...Joker, Darth Vader, you name it.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution. With the gamepad features, I enjoyed that version so much more than the PC. It basically made me get a PS4 in anticipation of the sequel.

Discovering Radio Free Nintendo, because I needed a safe space that was going to actually talk about Wii U, and not just deride it (the first year of GAF after launch was all but unreadable).

Skipping school for two straight weeks to play Black Flag. I think my system clock reads 198 hours for that month, my body was basically numb by the end.

Playing through Resident Evil: Revelations late every night one summer. I was really ready for that game at that point in my life.

Nano Assault Neo. Still my favourite twin stick shooter.

Getting absolutely everything there was to get in both NSMBU & Super Luigi U. I'd never truly 100%ed a Mario game like that since the NES.

Getting to experience Zombi U at launch.

Soooo many virtual console games...throughout its lifespan, the Wii U was mostly a VC machine for me, and I never had any problem with that, it was great. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, every Mega Man game, Advance Wars, Fire Emblem, Super Metroid, New Super Mario Bros DS, Breath of Fire II, New Adventure Island, Ghosts n' Goblins/ Super Ghouls n' Ghosts...more than I could ever name here.

And hopefully...Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Really hoping that turns out to be the perfect send off to a great , if under-appreciated system. It will always be the record of a certain period in my life.

 

[A Link to the Past]

Off-TV play. It was fun to play Wind Waker when I visited my dad while we relaxed.

 

[Inuhanyou]

It was Bayonetta 2 and Mario Kart 8. By far.

Unfortunately my positive Wii U experiences were few and far in between. Hopefully Switch is better

 

[The Xtortionist]

When NateDrake recorded the Tropical Freeze remix of Stickerbush Symphony prior to release and the hype nova that ensued (post 1403)

 

[silva1991]

Bayonetta 2 and it's the only must buy on the system.

 

[Yabberwocky]

Out of all the amazing games the Wii U has/had (there were a lot), I agree, OP, Wind Waker HD was definitely my favorite experience of the lot. I'd never had the opportunity to play it previously, and I loved every moment of it. The quality of life additions that came with the remaster were appreciated. It was also the rare Zelda game I played for the story and characters, as much as everything else. I sacrilegiously quite liked the bloom, too, because I thought it simulated the haze and the glare that comes with the sun by the ocean. It gave me flashbacks to my beachy sunburned youth, ha.

Bayonetta 2 was the other highlight, I still can't believe we got a Bayo sequel, let alone such a great one. I also had a blast with The Wonderful 101, Mario Kart 8, and Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze. All of them had fantastic soundtracks, too.

 

[mAcOdIn]

My favorite game was Xenoblade X but I don't know if I can say that was my best experience because playing it was such a chore as you needed the Gamepad to use the map and the gamepad sucked, and sucks power, so I was constantly getting up and grabbing the pad, setting it back on its charger and sitting down, or using it until it died and then having to decide if I wanted to call it a night or forego the map during long sessions.

Same issue I have with my number two game, Splatoon, once again I was always fighting the gamepad.

Bayonetta played well though.

 

[Laurel_McFang]

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze mostly because nothing on the Wii U really moved me. Super mario 3d world felt surprisingly limited. Mario Kart 8 was nice, but not reviting. However D.K. Pulled the punches. Was genuinely the best game on the system was just too much fun. Pikmin 3 bingo mode is also awesome.

 

[poodaddy]

My favorite experience was honestly going through the e shop and buying all my favorite SNES games of my childhood to go through em all over again and see if they still held up, they did; I can't stress enough how important the e shop is to me and my continued gaming. And yes I know about emulators, but I just prefer buying and replaying my favorite games in a more "official" fashion for some reason, it's difficult to describe why.