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[Kagoshima_Luke]

If you ignore the lazy shovelware, there were plenty of games that used the Wii Remote well. Like No More Heroes, MadWorld, and Nintendo's first party games. And the Wii was far from dark times, they perhaps one of the best times. Maybe not for the pretentious "hardcore" crowd who takes the medium way too seriously, but for everyone, it was fine. If anything, another Wii or DS is probably what Nintendo needs right now after the mess the Wii U made.

I'm definitely a "hardcore" gamer, if you mean someone who plays a lot of games (it's not just a casual hobby). Pretentious? Don't know about that. I adore games like Katamari Damacy that are just off the wall and have a wide or pick-up-and-play appeal, I just couldn't stand the waggle. I think there were like four games that I thought were better with the motion controls (one being the excellent Skyward Sword). But, there were so, so many games that forced you to use the wiimote and it was just ill suited to serve way too often. Stuff like the Metal Slug Anthology - you have to shake the controller to throw grenades. Why? It's terribly slow and clunky in what is a very frantic 2D shooter. Also, the wiimote tilted sideways is one of the worst controllers I've ever used dating back to the NES.

And the likes of Wii Sports and Resort I thought were entertaining in short bursts, but totally devoid of depth. I knew something was amiss when Wii Sports was first shown on stage and the movement of the players didn't seem to be controlled (in tennis), you just had to swing the remote. I give Nintendo a tip of the hat for getting my mom to purchase a Wii and actually play some videogames. That's pretty freakin' amazing. However, she also boxed up the one or two games she bought about six months after purchasing and used the system solely for Netflix. I'm not surprised in the least Wii sales plummeted near the end. The fad was over and people moved on.

 

[JinjoUnchained]

The Wii Remote had much more utilization than the Gamepad ever did. Tilt Games, Games like No More Heroes, Most First Party Games, Arcade style games, party games, Hell the Wii gave Rail Shooters a home because of the Wii Remote. The Gamepad on the other hand, feels like a random mish-mash of ideas slapped together with no rhyme or reason. With the Wii Remote, everything felt coherent. The Wii in general IMO, was a system that came from an honest creative vision (considering the CEO who spearheaded it was a game developer himself). Sure there were some limitations and flaws, but it never claimed to be the best or most advanced, or spoke in an obnoxious "Yo Gamerz, We Got U!!!" tone like it's competition. It was more, "Hey, this is who we are, and this is what we're about. If you don't like it, fine, whatever".

The Wii U in comparison, feels like a cynical cash grab rather than a flawed but sincere product like it's predecessor. Nintendo tossed out what worked with the Wii, and instead gave us a bloated, poorly designed mess that tries to be everything to everyone, and hoped brand recognition would do the rest. The problem was that it burned fans of the original Wii by being too complex and intimidating, and it did little to changed the minds of the hardcore set who just weren't interested in the Wii.

I think the most important thing Nintendo has learned this generation was think things through before going all in. The Wii was a groundbreaking achievement in design and ingenuity as it found a clever solution to a problem that ACTUALLY existed, getting people into video games. The Wii U, feels like a half-hearted attempt to please everybody, and desperation to try and solve a problem that didn't even exist. The NX needs to have a clear foundation, and it needs to return to the honest tone of the Wii. Where it's not about being the best or the most advanced, but about being simple, clean, and fun.

I agree with everything you've said on the Wii U touch screen gimmick. But I'm still not seeing how the Wii motion controls were that much better. The motion controls did not have enough accuracy to be fully realized until the Motion Plus add-on years later. Pointer controls in theory are better than analog for reticle aiming, but the Wii was so underpowered that it didn't get third party FPS support. So on that front we only really got Metroid Prime 3 or maybe Red Steel 2. Light rail shooters like Dead Space and Sin and Punishment were great, I'll give you that. Tilt/gyro controls were certainly innovative and influenced mobile gaming, plus they led to some nice smaller titles like Fluidity and Excite Bots.

But c'mon. When the Wii came out, we all expected a new frontier of motion control gaming where you could finally be a Jedi and swing your light saber with one-to-one precision. Instead we got a lot of major titles with wrist flicks subbing in for button prompts. I highly disagree with your assertion that "most first person games" or other larger titles made use of the tech. The best you can say for Galaxy's motion controls is that they don't hold the game back. I wouldn't say No More Heroes or Mad World were any better for having them. DKC Returns controls are made worse by shoe-horned waggle. Punch Out controls better with traditional controls. While MK 8 and Brawl are near unplayable in motion control mode. And so on.

Again, I love the Wii because of the library and the quality of the games. And the Wii-mote was innovative and I also personally loved non-tethered controls. But aside from a few exceptions like Metroid Prime 3, Wii Sports, Skyward Sword, and cool some mid-tier experiments, the Wii-mote motion controls were every bit as cynical and under-utilized as the Wii U GamePad. Which leaves us with the quality of the libraries. And YMMV there, but again I prefer the Wii U library on that front.

Edit: I also agree with you on the lessons they need to learn going forward with NX. Hopefully this time we'll get both great games AND well implemented features.

 

[Jubenhimer]

I'm definitely a "hardcore" gamer, if you mean someone who plays a lot of games (it's not just a casual hobby). Pretentious? Don't know about that. I adore games like Katamari Damacy that are just off the wall and have a wide or pick-up-and-play appeal, I just couldn't stand the waggle. I think there were like four games that I thought were better with the motion controls (one being the excellent Skyward Sword). But, there were so, so many games that forced you to use the wiimote and it was just ill suited to serve way too often. Stuff like the Metal Slug Anthology - you have to shake the controller to throw grenades. Why? It's terribly slow and clunky in what is a very frantic 2D shooter. Also, the wiimote tilted sideways is one of the worst controllers I've ever used dating back to the NES.

As they say, don't blame the tool, blame the artist using it. So many of the Wii's early games used waggle for waggle's sake because developers who weren't Nintendo didn't really understand how motion controls were supposed to be used. Around mid-way through, developers began to understand the in's and outs of the Wii Remote. No More Heroes and MadWorld used it brilliantly. Rail shooters were awesome on the Wii because of the Wii Remote. And then there are games that don't need it at all like Murumassa.

And the likes of Wii Sports and Resort I thought were entertaining in short bursts, but totally devoid of depth. I knew something was amiss when Wii Sports was first shown on stage and the movement of the players didn't seem to be controlled (in tennis), you just had to swing the remote. I give Nintendo a tip of the hat for getting my mom to purchase a Wii and actually play some videogames. That's pretty freakin' amazing. However, she also boxed up the one or two games she bought about six months after purchasing and used the system solely for Netflix. I'm not surprised in the least Wii sales plummeted near the end. The fad was over and people moved on.

The reason the Wii declined later in it's life was because of a lack of evolution. Consumers wanted something fresh, more convenient, and motion controls alone weren't going to cut it. Apple came in with iOS and offered simple games for only $1-5, or in many cases, free. That convince was what slowly began stealing the Wii's thunder. Paying $50 for games you're only going to play in short bursts was becoming a dying business model. Nintendo did almost nothing to combat it. And the Wii U, with it's needlessly complicated mess of a controller and overpriced $60 rehashes was a big slap in the face to fans of the Wii and only drove them further into mobile.

For it's time, the Wii had a pretty high attach ratio, 8.89 was what I believe it was. So the conception that people only bought Wii Sports and moved on is only true for a minority.

The NX, whatever it is, needs to return to the simplicity, and accessibility of the Wii, but needs to update them for the modern era. Adopting Apple and Google's development policies is a good place to start, as well as exploring new ways of monetization and distribution like Free-to-Start, Episodic, and $2-10 games instead of just $60 proprietary discs and $15 indie games.

 

[watdaeff4]

GameCube was better in my eyes.

For all the shit the Wii gets on here, if you look past the waggle gimmick, it's library was probably better too.

 

[SuomiDude]

It could be my favorite gaming system ever. Sure I don't have the nostalgia factor for Wii U going on like SNES, but the amount of quality games is unsurpassed on Wii U. SNES has my favorite games in most of the Nintendo IPs, but there's still so few of them it can't win over Wii U.

 

[Maintenance]

Some people think the Earth is 6000 years old.

Doesn't make them right though.

 

[Jubenhimer]

I agree with everything you've said on the Wii U touch screen gimmick. But I'm still not seeing how the Wii motion controls were that much better. The motion controls did not have enough accuracy to be fully realized until the Motion Plus add-on years later. Pointer controls in theory are better than analog for reticle aiming, but the Wii was so underpowered that it didn't get third party FPS support. So on that front we only really got Metroid Prime 3 or maybe Red Steel 2. Light rail shooters like Dead Space and Sin and Punishment were great, I'll give you that. Tilt/gyro controls were certainly innovative and influenced mobile gaming, plus they led to some nice smaller titles like Fluidity and Excite Bots.

The Wiimote was limited initially, but it still worked. It's limitations came from the fact that motion controls were still fairly new, so the tech for 1:1 realistic motion controls just wasn't at the appropriate price yet.

But c'mon. When the Wii came out, we all expected a new frontier of motion control gaming where you could finally be a Jedi and swing your light saber with one-to-one precision. Instead we got a lot of major titles with wrist flicks subbing in for button prompts. I highly disagree with your assertion that "most first person games" or other larger titles made use of the tech. The best you can say for Galaxy's motion controls is that they don't hold the game back. I wouldn't say No More Heroes or Mad World were any better for having them. DKC Returns controls are made worse by shoe-horned waggle. Punch Out controls better with traditional controls. While MK 8 and Brawl are near unplayable in motion control mode. And so on.

The exaggerated sword fighting clips and Red Steel gave people the hope of 1:1 motion controls. Nintendo themselves never promised anything like that. They promised a new way to play games to get people who never played games before into the medium, and they succeeded in doing that. It's not like they were going "OMEGOD TIS IS TEH MOST ADVANCED, 1:1 PRECISE MOTION GAMEING EVAR!!" during the Wii's pre-launch. This kind of honest imperfection was part of what gave the Wii it's charm. Nintendo was saying "Hey, we're not out to be the most cutting edge, or the most powerful, or even the best, we're just out to have fun".

As I mentioned before, the blame for waggle goes to the developers, not the Wii Remote. Developers in the Wii's early years struggled to find a good use for the Wiimote, so they just used waggle as a lazy cop out, instead of learning the ins and outs of the device. Mid way through though, developers began to gain a better understanding of the controller, and started using it in ways even Nintendo didn't think of. This is similar to the DS at launch. Developers had no idea what to do with it at first besides bolting on touch screen gimmicks or a map. It was only after they gained a better understanding of the device that they used it the way Nintendo encouraged them to use it.

While a motion gesture is less precise than a button press, it does have one distinct advantage when used right, impact. Take No More Heroes for example, the basic attack is mapped to the A button, because for a main, normal attack, a button press is just the most precise and reliable option available. However, the signature finishing blows and wrestling moves don't really need the split-second precision of a button press, so gesture inputs make more sense. And these aspects are enhanced by motion because swinging the Wii Remote to chop off an enemy's head with fountains of gooey blood feels much more satisfying and dynamic than it just being a button press. This is an example of motion controls done right, and how they can enhance the experience.

Edit: I also agree with you on the lessons they need to learn going forward with NX. Hopefully this time we'll get both great games AND well implemented features.

That's kind of what Nintendo and the others are hinting at. They need to look at what the Wii got right, improve in areas where it fell short, and modernize it's design ethos for 2017.

 

[R00bot]

Some people think the Earth is 6000 years old.

Doesn't make them right though.

Nobody knows how old the Earth is. Just like nobody knows what the best console is.

 

[eXistor]

It's up there for me as well. It's a shame they dropped support for it so fast though. If they were able to keep up quality releases for a few extra years, you're looking at a mindblowingly good library of games. As it stands, it's not quite there, just too few standout games, especially these last 2 years but Nintendo's output is some of their best in years. Overall it's a great system. I'd probably say SNES>NES>GC>WIIU>WII>N64.

I'm confident this quality is going to re-emerge on NX though.

 

[TheLastCandle]

Eh, I love my Wii U, but I'd disagree.

Wii>Gamecube>Wii U>N64

I'd say the Gamecube and Wii U may be 2a and 2b sometimes though. Mario Kart, Splatoon, X, and Mario Maker are hnnnnnngggg.

 

[spekkeh]

Hmm no.

SNES > N64 > NGC > NES > WII > WII U.

It has a better library than the Wii, but doesn't have the excitement or satisfying controls of the Wii. Yes I called Wii motion controls satisfying.

I'm not at all complaining about my purchase, in fact I still rate it above PS4 currently, but for Nintendo consoles it's a dud to me.

 

[Maz]

I'd probably say SNES>NES>GC>WIIU>WII>N64.

Ranking gc/wii/wiiu above the N64 is blasphemy.

 

[eXistor]

Ranking gc/wii/wiiu above the N64 is blasphemy.

But it's by far their worst software output in their long history imo. It's always been firmly in last place for me. Not that it's a bad system, mind you, just that there are really just a handful of classics on there that I'd still play today like the 2 Zelda's, Mario 64 and Banjo Kazooie. There's good games like Beetle Adventure Racing, Space Station Silicon Valley, Goldeneye and more of course, but nothing to rival Wii's and definitely not WiiU's library.

 

[AmyS]

It's the worst console overall, and the worst first-party catalog as well.

First-Party Only
1. Nintendo 64
2. Super Famicom
3. Super NES (Japan had a lot of unreleased exclusives)
4. Wii
5. GameCube
6. Wii U


First / Third Party
1. Super NES / Super Famicom
2. GameCube
3. Wii
4. N64
5. Wii U

The N64 had industry changing games! Not only through it's 4 player multiplayer phenomenons, but its epic ground breaking games like Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time.

Absolutely agree with this.

 

[spekkeh]

But it's by far their worst software output in their long history imo. It's always been firmly in last place for me. Not that it's a bad system, mind you, just that there are really just a handful of classics on there that I'd still play today like the 2 Zelda's, Mario 64 and Banjo Kazooie. There's good games like Beetle Adventure Racing, Space Station Silicon Valley, Goldeneye and more of course, but nothing to rival Wii's and definitely not WiiU's library.

Well obviously 'the games you want to play now' has a strong bias towards recent games.

 

[spekkeh]

Yes, Gamecube is the only 'what everyone else is doing' console they have ever released.

Famicom - dpad/controller pad invented, and clever flexible chip and cart design

SNES - Shoulder buttons, modern controller paradigm crystalised

N64 - Pure 3D design, Z-buffering for clean 3D, modern analogue stick invented for 3D movement

Gamecube - Just a Dreamcast/PS2 with Nintendo games

Wii - Motion control and cheap hardware

Wii U - Tablet

If you think SNES was the peak then N64 started the decline, not GameCube...

Erm it wasn't like Gamecube wasn't trying with the superior, sadly not adopted, new button layout.

 

[Maz]

But it's by far their worst software output in their long history imo. It's always been firmly in last place for me. Not that it's a bad system, mind you, just that there are really just a handful of classics on there that I'd still play today like the 2 Zelda's, Mario 64 and Banjo Kazooie. There's good games like Beetle Adventure Racing, Space Station Silicon Valley, Goldeneye and more of course, but nothing to rival Wii's and definitely not WiiU's library.

Majora's Mask/OoT are the best zelda's ever released

Super Mario 64 is one of the best 3d marios, by far only comparable to galaxy

Oh and Mario Kart 64 actually had battle stages worth mentioning not the BS battle maps on the others.

You could actually control star fox on the N64

From a quality perspective Nintendo's output on N64 was top notch, N64 nintendo is best Nintendo 😐. I can honestly say that non of the games on wii u is worth replaying (personal opinion dont kill me), where I've have probably replayed games on snes/N64 multiple times.

Spoiler

Maybe, just maybe nostalgia plays a part. I still believe nintendo games on N64 were unmatched by any other company at the time

 

[M_A_C]

I like the Wii U a lot and think it's very under rated. The first party games on it are almost all 60 fps, look and play great. I wish it were more successful. It's a great compliment to a PC and PS4 gamer.

 

[Movalpolos]

The Wii U is the worst Nintendo console. There are less than 10 games worth owning on it.

 

[KevinCow]

TBF, two of those you should be playing on pc

What? Multi-platform third-party games are better on the PC?? Holy shit, man. This is some crazy news. We should get out there and tell everyone! They might not know!

Yes, I'm absolutely certain you would've pointed this out if I'd listed Darksiders 2 and Arkham City as two of my favorite PS3 games, and your comment has absolutely nothing to do with your immature and irrational need to shit on Nintendo at absolutely every opportunity.

Nowhere did I say that the Wii U provided the best versions of these games, just that it was possible to play perfectly fine versions of them on the system. That they're better on PC doesn't negate that fact.

And by the way, I do own both of these games for the PC. That didn't stop me from enjoying the Wii U versions.

 

[D.Lo]

I still believe nintendo games on N64 were unmatched by any other company at the time

Also true on SNES and Famicom.

But yes, N64 was the last time Nintendo had clearly the most advanced graphics hardware and software.

 

[Nintendoga]

Sorry bro but the Gamecube was Nintendo's best console since ever.

 

[Jumeira]

N64 was far superior

 

[BigTnaples]

You're insane. First Nintendo console I didn't by since the NES.



Including the virtual boy.

Eden bought the expansion pack on N64, along with the rumble pack, and the Super Gameboy for SNES.



All of those, were better than the WiiU.

Spoiler

(Okay may be exaggerating with the Virtual Boy being better, but not by much)

 

[cHaOs667]

Nah, I think even the Gamecube had a better run.

I have to agree.

The worst thing about the WiiU is - beside the name - the standard gamepad. WTH Nintendo??

 

[KratosEnergyDrink]

You're insane. First Nintendo console I didn't by since the NES.

You didn't buy it but feel to judge it's games? That's gaf!

Judging from today's perspective Wii or Wii U are Nintendo's best consoles, simply because many older games does not stand the test of time unless you like nostalgia.

 

[BigTnaples]

You didn't buy it but feel to judge it's games? That's gaf!

Judging from today's perspective Wii or Wii U are Nintendo's best consoles, simply because many older games does not stand the test of time unless you live nostalgia.

I've played its games. The ones that interest me at least.


Still a terrible console. There's a reason why it's a failure. It's not because I say it is.

 

[BarringGaffner]

man I couldn't disagree more with the OP. The Wii U was terrible from the getgo with a handful of good, but not great, games. It's been the biggest waste of money I have ever spent in terms of average cost per game per console.

The games are quite clearly b-team filler games apart from a few as Nintendo wanted to at least look like they were putting something decent out without actualy putting many resources into anything. Honestly full price for HD remasters? If these were $10-20 games it would be fine but they are charging full price for mediocre games. When I saw people on here defending Starfox I realized that some people will just always defend Nintendo.

Zelda becoming a cross-gen game is the icing on the cake for me feeling completely ripped off by the Wii U. The Wii U has been so bad that I will not be buying an NX unless some miracle happens.

I am just quite tired of feeling ripped off and abandoned by them.

 

[DocSeuss]

That's kind of what Nintendo and the others are hinting at. They need to look at what the Wii got right, improve in areas where it fell short, and modernize it's design ethos for 2017.

I'm going to be glib for a second.

The Wii didn't get anything right, and it won't happen again, and here's why.

The game had an awful attach rate. People weren't buying games for it. And see, attach rate is far more important than number of units shipped. Like, if the WiiU had an attach rate that meant people were buying FAR more games per unit for it than the Xbox or Playstation, it would be the winning console right now.

But, see, with the Wii, attach rate was so low that it was dead last.

Right, so, they still made some decent cash with the Wii. How'd they do it?

Well... shows like Good Morning America actually promoted it like it was a health thing. Most of the people I know who own Wiis actually bought them for purported health benefits. It's video games! BUT IT WILL KEEP YOU FIT! So I knew all these people who had never bought video games or would never buy video games with Wii's behind their televisions. I've encountered Wiis in the strangest places. Nobody ever actually USES them.

And... that's the thing, really. The Wii failed because people never really used it. They played it for a while, it was a cool fashion gimmick, but it turns out that most people don't want to be active and waggling a controller around for the length of time that most games require.

So, basically, the Wii's success can never be recaptured because the people who bought Wiis are wise to that success and will not buy another one. The Wii brand is not strong, the Wii idea is not strong, the Wii success can never be recaptured, because it was literally a once-in-a-lifetime fluke based on false advertising. Those people don't actually want games. They wanted a fun way to get fit. And they gave it up because most of the people who want a fun way to get fit are really just too lazy to get fit in the first place.

 

[Oblivion]

It's the worst console overall, and the worst first-party catalog as well.

First-Party Only
1. Nintendo 64
2. Super Famicom
3. Super NES (Japan had a lot of unreleased exclusives)
4. Wii
5. GameCube
6. Wii U


First / Third Party
1. Super NES / Super Famicom
2. GameCube
3. Wii
4. N64
5. Wii U

The N64 had industry changing games! Not only through it's 4 player multiplayer phenomenons, but its epic ground breaking games like Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time.

Co-signed.

 

[D.Lo]

Nintendo has had to exist as a game company and attempt to make profit through their generally superior software development in a shifting gaming environment.

Back in the SNES days, all they had to do was build on the success of their dominant Famicom. They saw what did well, and built a system that could build on that. Success.

With the advent of 3D, and it being the obvious direction of game technology, they waited until a technology was available that could do solid 3D in a consistent stable manner. They also needed to protect their investment and underlying revenue, and stuck with difficult to pirate cartridges which they controlled manufacturing for. This was a good decision to solidify revenue, and they has easily waved off multiple CD consoles previously - the N64 sold more than every CD based console ever released (eg Mega CD, PCECD, 3DO etc) with one obvious exception.

What changed was that a cashed-up (from external industries) competitor Sony entered and used their deep pockets to buy exclusives and run a loss on hardware to gain market share. They also had their own manufacturing and existing worldwide electronics distribution networks. This got worse with the introduction of another cashed-up (from external industries) competitor Microsoft, who effectively lured Sony down a giant money pit of losses with the PS360 paradigm, which has been tempered but not abandoned with the iterative PS4/Bone.

Nintendo's 'Release a new product and sell it to the market to make profit and survive' normal business model has had to exist alongside these massive market distortions of Sony and Microsoft's ability to wear multiple billion dollar losses for almost 15 years now.

As such, their strategy has been affected. They cannot really release another 'safe' Gamecube in such an environment. Ironically a new Gamecube type console would likely have done better than the Wii U, but such is retrospect.

I'm going to be glib for a second.

The Wii didn't get anything right, and it won't happen again, and here's why.

The game had an awful attach rate. People weren't buying games for it. And see, attach rate is far more important than number of units shipped. Like, if the WiiU had an attach rate that meant people were buying FAR more games per unit for it than the Xbox or Playstation, it would be the winning console right now.

But, see, with the Wii, attach rate was so low that it was dead last.

Right, so, they still made some decent cash with the Wii. How'd they do it?

Well... shows like Good Morning America actually promoted it like it was a health thing. Most of the people I know who own Wiis actually bought them for purported health benefits. It's video games! BUT IT WILL KEEP YOU FIT! So I knew all these people who had never bought video games or would never buy video games with Wii's behind their televisions. I've encountered Wiis in the strangest places. Nobody ever actually USES them.

And... that's the thing, really. The Wii failed because people never really used it. They played it for a while, it was a cool fashion gimmick, but it turns out that most people don't want to be active and waggling a controller around for the length of time that most games require.

So, basically, the Wii's success can never be recaptured because the people who bought Wiis are wise to that success and will not buy another one. The Wii brand is not strong, the Wii idea is not strong, the Wii success can never be recaptured, because it was literally a once-in-a-lifetime fluke based on false advertising. Those people don't actually want games. They wanted a fun way to get fit. And they gave it up because most of the people who want a fun way to get fit are really just too lazy to get fit in the first place.

You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about.

The Wii sold 900 million games and had a very healthy tie ratio. More Wii games were sold than PS3 games.

 

[KevinCow]

The games are quite clearly b-team filler games

I don't understand how anyone can say this. Many of the games on the Wii U are arguably the best in their series.

 

[InfiniteNine]

I think the closest they've been since the SFC/SNES is the Gamecube or Wii. I honestly believe all the consoles this gen are massive disappointments overall thus far though.

 

[Neifirst]

I don't agree that the Wii U is second only to the SNES, but the OP made some pretty compelling arguments for the quality of series like Mario, Pikmin, Kart, Smash, etc.

But off the top of my head, the Gamecube is home to at least 10 titles that I prefer to anything on Wii U apart from Mario Kart 8, and that's not even including many 3rd party games that were available:

• Metroid Prime
• Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
• Resident Evil 4
• Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
• Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
• Baten Kaitos
• Eternal Darkness
• Chibi Robo
• F-Zero GX
• Wave Race Blue Storm

 

[Milly Osworth]

Nooope.

- lame controller concept that doesnt work
- awful name
- super slow OS
- shitty eshop
- lack of games
- weak tech
- boring Mario game
- no zelda game
- mario kart lacking battlemode and innovation

I cant think of many positives

 

[Asmodai48]

N64 was far superior

 

[Enter The 36 Chambers]

Prime
prime 2: Echoes

Thought you were talking about the SNES.. I can't read, my bad.

 

[jeemer]

agreed. even though the online infrastructure is a shambles, vc pricing is a con, marketing was terrible and they didn't properly utilise the gamepad's features in the vast majority of first party titles, the wii u is easily the most time i've spent on a nintendo console since the snes.

 

[Filter]

The wiiU is criminally overlooked. And so is the Wii.

They may not have graphics parity with their generations, but the amount of good gameplay on those systems is huge.

The n64 is a great console because of a handful of truly great game. And you can say the same about the WiiU.
There are loads of people that dismiss games like splatoon, mario maker and super mario U etc. But if they don't think those games are up there with the greats, then they have worse taste than my dick.

 

[Turrican3]

While MK 8 [...] near unplayable in motion control mode.

What?!
I've been playing MK8 both online and offline for 300+ hours with the steering wheel, and this is absolutely not true.

Hell, I would likely be able to compete with the top skilled racers in time trial mode (I've spent a considerable amount of time there) if only I didn't hate fire hopping.

Anyway, excluding the 2D platforms that unfortunately I didn't own at the time, my own ranking is like this:

1. Wii
2. N64 / Gamecube
3. WiiU

- Wii comes first because of having both some the finest first party games (I'd rate Mario Galaxy and DKCR as the best 3D and 2D platform games ever) and a batshit crazy amount of innovation (IR pointing comes first due to its accuracy, but motion sensing had some very clever uses as well and I really wish they keep both of them somehow in NX)

- N64 and Gamecube shouldn't probably be tied, but since this is personal I believe nobody is going to get offended. While the former had undoubtely some genre-defining games, I feel like some of them haven't aged *that* well (yes Mario 64, I'm looking at you) compared to the Gamecube ones (Metroid Prime is still a gem). And, well, I simply can't say a single bad thing about Windwaker even though it's clearly not as good as Ocarina nor Majora.

- last but definitely not least... WiiU is hardly a "bad" console. As I just said, I've spent hundred of hours on Mario Kart 8 alone (arguably the best MK up to date) and generally speaking, there was a good amount of nice efforts from first and second party teams. Problem is, Wii got far more of them (think two Galaxies, two Retro games, etc.), especially the former ones.
Basically, to me the WiiU was the complete opposite of the Wii: a console with too many direct sequels, with an extremely reactionary controller, that tried too many times to play it safe (understandably so, due to the commercial failure, I get it... but still!), and with a basically non-existant third party support barring indie ones.

It's still my favourite platform this gen, but that's just because I don't really like where AAA western gaming is going nowadays.

As a grumpy old gamer (40+ y.o. here) Wii felt like fresh air, and I feel that's one of the most difficult achievement a game company can aim for.
So as many others have said, in my humble opinion Nintendo should try to pull another Wii/DS with NX.

 

[Ataru]

Well, it's the most censored console since the SNES.

 

[Vincent Grayson]

At least for me, it's basically just been a steady downhill slide since the SNES. I didn't care for the N64 at all, or the Wii/Wii U. Sure, the Wii and Wii U had a couple good games, but I struggle to think of anything that will stand the test of time compared to the SNES output.

The only Nintendo console I've enjoyed since the 90s is the GameCube. It had some pretty great stuff, even if it lacked a lot of solid 3rd party support. It sure as shit had a better library overall than Wii or Wii U though.

 

[Gartooth]

Completely disagree on this. The Wii U had a poor gimmick, bad hardware, a terrible OS, and crap online. The thing feels like a dinosaur that was held up by a great first party line up. Also even though it had some of Nintendo's biggest amount of quality 1st party games, there was a big lack of vision and interesting directions in game design with their system. Too many of their games felt like direct sequels in their core design to Wii and 3DS games, leading the library to not have a strong identity like N64 or Gamecube. I think only Splatoon and Mario Maker really stand out as fresh (and Zelda too if it wasnt being ported) even though there are tons of games I love on Wii U.

Despite weird hardware decisions (N64 controller, Gamecube lunchbox design) the N64 and Gamecube didn't feel outdated immediately on their release. Their first party was bold and innovative too with SM64, OoT, MM, SF64, Smash, B-K, GE007, and PD on N64. Gamecube had Pikmin, AC, LM, WW, and MP1. I think I agree with you that Wii U is better than Wii, since the only counterpoint I have in Wii's favor is that SMG1 and SMG2 stomp 3DW. I admired a lot of Nintendo's innovation with the hardware, but I don't think it ever went far beyond Wii Sports, Wii Fit, and SS.

 

[Spieler Eins]

It objectively has Nintendo's least varied 1st party output when it comes to franchises and genres. It objectively has their smallest 3rd party support. It objectively has the smallest amount of franchises changing up core mechanics from the previous generation. Rayman Legends alone destroys every Nintendo platformer after 2010 in innovation for solely coming up with a cool online concept and slightly changing up tired level mechanics. Gyro controls are basically a crippled version of the highly superior Wiimote aiming.

Speaking of Wii, that console had tons of hidden gems for fans of experimental- and mid-budget release. On WiiU, what you see it what you get. It's an undeniably bad console from most consumer's perspectives, which is ultimately reflected by sales. No marketing could have saved a console with such a poor lineup. If you had a Wii or 3DS, you basically experienced WiiU without the HD. All these platformers and mini game collections are just completely devoid of new experiences - WiiU's easily got Nintendo's least innovative and least ambitious library. Barely 2 or 3 standout titles each year are excluded from that rule. While on Wii and DS, I still stumble upon hidden gems to this day.

As a longtime Nintendo fan, I am literally unable to comprehend the argument in the OP. It's simply false. So, Wii, which was first announced with Zelda, Metroid Prime, Fire Emblem, Excite Truck, Red Steel (its quality not important here), Disaster, a real Wario, a new evolution of 3D Mario, Battalion Wars and many others was ,,Nintendo capturing grandmas with shovelware" -
While WiiU going into the race with lazy rehashes of New Mario Bros., Wii Fit, outdated 3rd party ports and highlighting rubbish like Nintendoland was Nintendo ,,just trying trying to deliver solid gaming experiences"? Sorry, but that is a delusion.

 

[Kid Ying]

Ranking gc/wii/wiiu above the N64 is blasphemy.

Yep. I would go with:
N64>Wii=snes>Wiiu>Gc

Never had an nes. Only the master system.

Also, i'm glad the Wii got some love with time. It's truly a great machine with some great games. Although i think some games are quite undeserving of praise like madworld or nmh. I think they are on the same level as stuff like devil's third on wiiu. Awfuk games that you enjoy to some extent.

Wii had some rare gems though. Fragile is one of the best RPGs of the generation and Hudson was releasing goty after goty back in time.

 

[Alpha_eX]

It was actually the DS but good shout, Wii U is great.

 

[Rich!]

I love it.

What I love is how the 3DS and Wii U are both Zelda machines. With the 3DS I have every Zelda game up to Majoras Mask (including Minish Cap, without the nasty blur filter and four swords anniversary) and on the Wii U I have Skyward Sword, TP, Wind Waker and Four Swords Adventure (GameCube via Nintendont).

I also have BS Zelda 1 and 3 on my SNES, so I'm covered

 

[Vinland]

Majora's Mask/OoT are the best zelda's ever released

Super Mario 64 is one of the best 3d marios, by far only comparable to galaxy

Oh and Mario Kart 64 actually had battle stages worth mentioning not the BS battle maps on the others.

You could actually control star fox on the N64

From a quality perspective Nintendo's output on N64 was top notch, N64 nintendo is best Nintendo 😐. I can honestly say that non of the games on wii u is worth replaying (personal opinion dont kill me), where I've have probably replayed games on snes/N64 multiple times.

Spoiler

Maybe, just maybe nostalgia plays a part. I still believe nintendo games on N64 were unmatched by any other company at the time

I was 17, 18 and a gamer when the n64 came out and while it has a small library of standout titles its library was a joke compared to the psone's. I had both. N64 Nintendo was sloppy, took too much time I between good releases, had a lot of shovel ware with fog, cross platforms were usually crap and rentals were still in and the selection was slim compared to psone's. When the PlayStation was dropping better looking games near the end of its life span while the n64 was moving projects over to the DD and ultimately the GameCube you have to be rose tinting.

And it's not like we were not informed of all this in our physical gaming magazines. But hey, it has the best wrestling games in the world. The original 3D zeldas, killer instinct and the rare fps's. So it was atleast fun to play for years.

 

[Shikamaru Ninja]

The Wii U didn't have as much first-party games as the previous consoles. We won't even mention the absent third party support. But having Splatoon, Mario Maker and Mario Kart 8 doesn't make up for the overall lack of content. Don't forget it took about two years for the few killer apps to even start showing up on the system.

 

[Gartooth]

Adding onto my previous thoughts, the N64 would only be a comparable console to Wii U if the N64 lacked prime Rare to diversify the line up and didn't have masterpieces like SM64 and OoT that sent shockwaves through the medium. Its library is leagues better even if some games haven't aged as well since then. Wii U is one of the biggest disappointments I've ever had with Nintendo even if it had Splatoon and an amazing 2014 line up.