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[kotor22]

Once everything is ported to switch, Nintendo will have successfully wiped this thing from existence.

Wii U? More like Wii Who.

Spoiler

Im joking please dont kill me . .

 

[Pegasus Actual]

It's a piece of junk. The tablet sucks. It's not fun when you have to change focus between it and your actual screen. The remote play is laggy. Sure it has some good games but hey why you think they ported MK8 forward to Switch? Because they wanted it on a good system. So bring the good stuff forward and leave the junk behind.

After the reveal I didn't expect to like Switch very much, but it is so much nicer than the Wii U, so congrats to Nintendo for turning their hardware around.

 

[Carlius]

Extreme hyperbole dude.

hes not wrong plus whats with the use of the word hyperbole in gaf? its not even a 5 cent word worthy of sat.

 

[Uno Venova]

It's rated pretty accurately actually.

 

[DxD]

Nah. How can it be underrated when the majority don't want to play it?

It is a console for Nintendo fans only.

 

[kamineko]

I don't think I commented last time, but I really think it's terrible. I've owned and enjoyed all US Nintendo american consoles and handhelds (except VB and some G&W ofc), and Wii U is my least favorite. In terms of my own enjoyment, it has a disappointing library (for me, I know many of you loved it) considering the console cost.

It's not even one of the best Nintendo consoles ever made.

Loved the hell out of TMS #FE thought. That game, sales-wise, really is criminally underrated.

 

[Shang]

Switch is a better version of Wii U.

 

[Spman2099]

There are some good games on it, but it isn't a great system. It is okay. Fine. Not awful.

 

[Tyaren]

Can't agree with OP. On the contrary, the WiiU imo sucked. Before it I bought every Nintendo console instantly. Here I waited for some time. And not long after I actually felt it was worth getting it, it was already discontinued. The Switch is a way better console and it is getting some of the better versions of WiiU games...and even here I am waiting just a little longer.

 

[mrkgoo]

Wii U is awesome. It kind of has to be for me, as it's the only console I have from that generation.

 

[SuperLeviathan]

The Switch has already gotten/ is getting 3 of the Wii U's biggest games (BOTW, Mario Kart 8 and Pokken), and a better sequel to Splatoon.

If Nintendo does more Switch ports, it's going to be really hard to make a case for the Wii U based on software.

 

[EraErr0r1]

I'm a huge Nintendo fan and I absolutely loathe the Wii U. To list off a couple of my core issues:

Gamepad: design was incredibly flawed. People did not want to be tethered within 5 metres of their console and be forced into using an extremely low quality screen with ridiculous low battery life. Also, the dual screen concept simply doesn't work with such a large distance between the two. Plus the bulky build quality and technical components felt reminiscent of a Fischer Price children's toy.

Marketing: Some of the worst marketing the industry has ever seen saw the system dead before it even arrived. No one knew if this was an add-on or stand alone console. I didn't necessarily have a problem with the continuity of the Wii moniker, but adding a 'U' suffix was absolutely suicidal. A simple HD or 2 would've been perfectly functional and suffice. Completely misreading the market and vouching for the casuals to return and eat up the sub-par Ipad on offer certainly did not help either.

Games: Nintendo played it incredibly safe during its lifespan with some very uninspired titles. NSMBU, SM3DW & Pikmin 3 for example did not catch my imagination at all. I can't deny that there were some absolute diamonds in the rough though, but most of these games will no doubt find themselves on the switch with better remasters than the originals. We also can not forget a completely absent third party output which really exemplified Nintendo's minimal first party efforts as well.

Design: The design in general is just atrocious. Low powered console, overpriced manufacturing, forcing the user to use the Gamepad gimmick even in the system UI, no region free (bitter on this one personally as I moved to a different continent during its lifespan), an incredibly slow menu system, abysmal online infrastructure. The list goes on.

The worst part of the whole console generation for Nintendo is that they overproduced the console to the point that they could never offer a cheaper, gamepadless WiiU version as they had too many of the original model in stock. If they paired the console with a pro controller, dropped the price and packed in some decent games, they probably could've squeezed a couple more million in sales. Instead, it was left on the shelves to rot and become a piece of forgotten history alongside the Virtual Boy.

A part of me thought that Nintendo could never recover past the Wii U, even more so than during the N64 and GCN Eras. The Switch might not be perfect, but at least I can pick it up and instantly understand its concept and not grow frustrated after 10 seconds!

 

[Dynamite Shikoku]

worst nintendo effort ever

 

[Volta Mars]

WiiU was dead on arrival. The post above by EraErr0r1 just about covers the missteps and gripes I have against Nintendo in regards to it.

 

[Pancake Mix]

Bought a Wii U within the first year of launch.

No regrets, but at the same time, I'm not getting a Switch yet and I'm reduced to caring about far fewer Nintendo franchises than I used to. Loved Melee and yes, Brawl, but I've seemingly lost all interest in Smash. Not buying Mario Kart 8 again either.

Wii U had some great games, but I think it was the last Nintendo console I needed. That nearly dead last year of Wii U releases allowed me to focus on PS4 and Sony's other hardware more, and now I don't feel I need Nintendo systems anymore.

2 real years of support (2013-2014) mixed with a little outside that (BOTW on Wii U) was probably not enough.

 

[Volta Mars]

Edit: double post?

 

[Polygonal_Sprite]

A great collection of exclusive games hampered by a terrible unique selling point and sub par online experience.

Nintendo's Dreamcast.

 

[PetrCobra]

Switch is a better version of Wii U.

If it had support for two independent screens, and a stylus, it definitely would be. At the very least though, it does have much bigger potential.

 

[DECK'ARD]

Complete car crash of a console from concept to execution. Some good games inspite of itself but the only really good thing to come from it was the Switch.

Salvaging the one compelling idea from the burning wreckage.

 

[Pancake Mix]

Switch is a better version of Wii U.

Well, it was impossible to have something like Switch 5 years ago, at least at a mass market price point.

 

[Rockandrollclown]

Same issue as every other Nintendo home console. A handful of truly brilliant first party offerings with an anemic third party library. Overall a pretty weak library compared to it's competitors.

 

[goldenpp72]

Hmm, no. I really enjoyed the Wii U and certainly don't regret it, but it was one of the leanest lineups you can get and had a lot of 'good to pretty good' types of releases rather than the expected "OMG" kind of games Nintendo needs to make a system become a legend. The system itself had a bloated lame OS, was under powered, the primary gimmick was rarely used in games in a meaningful way.. I'm a big Nintendo fan, but I just can't really give the system props as one of the best. It's easily the worst console Nintendo has ever put out, and probably the worst system in general aside the Virtual Boy. One might remove the Nes and GB too if you find those have aged too much, but eh.

 

[starmud]

sadly wiiu is easly my least favorite nintendo system... my best memory of the platform is and will always be nintendo land. i still get the itch to go back and play it from time to time. its the only time for me that the platform seemed to show its strength.

i hope toad sees another solo game, treasure tracker was a gem.

i own 7 wiiu games. outside of my neo geo pocket color, i've never purchased less software for a console.

 

[atr0cious]

I just want the gamepad as a backwards compatible controller. It's got almost everything the joycons have, and it's got better gyro motion sensors. Being able to plug it in to Mk as another screen and player or splatoon 2 with the og map feed would be killer.

 

[Synth]

ITT Gaf tries it's best to hate on the Wii U. I think it's pretty obvious that popular reception plays a heavy role on a lot of gaffers perception. If you sat down with the console with it's full library of games, also understanding that it has a damn Wii built into the system, you realize it's a GOAT console. It even plays gamecube games. A lot of you are judging the execution, the reputation etc. etc. but none of that matters in 2017. What you have with Wii U is what you get now, and it is an amazingly fun system. IMHO

I think it's cute to suggest that a console would be considered among a GOAT console with the caveat that the user should be sat down to play basically every notable game in order to appreciate. Good consoles have enough good/great games that no one user needs to acknowledge that majority of even the great games to have more than enough for them to appreciate the library. If everyone has the same 20 game recommendations, because there's little beyond them, then the console is garbage. There are consoles where you can do better than that in single genre.

And the Wii library means little, when you could just throw $60 on an actual Wii instead, and actually have Gamecube games officially supported. Backwards compatibility is always great to have, but it's not a viable replacement for actual depth on library for the current generation... otherwise you may as well just use the previous console instead. Especially, if it runs in a "mode" that's separate from the rest of the system with none of its feature enhancements applied.

"I had fun with the console" does not mean it's not weak console. A console could release with a single good game, and you'd still have fun with it playing that game. The console itself was be laughable.

It's rated pretty accurately actually.

I'd actually argue its overrated, based on how often its fans will try to position it as a potential GOAT console (such as this thread). You even have stuff like people saying shit like "if you care for 60fps gameplay then you should buy a Wii U rather than a PS4 or XB1"... as though there's not significantly more 60fps games on both of those consoles. They're basically counting the console's lack of titles as a positive, because it then lacks the Assassin's Creeds, The Witchers and Destinys that add to the 30fps count on those consoles, ignoring that similarly ambitious titles like Xenoblade Chronicles X or BOTW will similarly run at 30fps, whilst the equivalents for stuff like Smash Bros, Mario Kart 8 and Splatoon tend to be 60fps on those consoles too (2D or 3D Fighters, Forza/GT, Halo/Overwatch/etc).

 

[faridmon]

Its really awful hardware. been playing it for the last couple of weeks at cousins pace. The Tablet is piece of shit, low budget-like, bulky and just plain unattractive. The system OS is obtrusive and the whole system reeks of inefficiency and inadequacy

Thank god for Switch because its a much better system in every aspect

 

[Kittehkraken]

It's a piece of junk. The tablet sucks. It's not fun when you have to change focus between it and your actual screen. The remote play is laggy. Sure it has some good games but hey why you think they ported MK8 forward to Switch? Because they wanted it on a good system. So bring the good stuff forward and leave the junk behind.

After the reveal I didn't expect to like Switch very much, but it is so much nicer than the Wii U, so congrats to Nintendo for turning their hardware around.

Since when is remote play laggy? I played the entirety of Mario Kart 8 and Twilight Princess HD on the tablet with zero lag. As well as most of my VC library.

 

[D.Lo]

I'd actually argue its overrated, based on how often its fans will try to position it as a potential GOAT console (such as this thread). You even have stuff like people saying shit like "if you care for 60fps gameplay then you should buy a Wii U rather than a PS4 or XB1"... as though there's not significantly more 60fps games on both of those consoles. They're basically counting the console's lack of titles as a positive, because it then lacks the Assassin's Creeds, The Witchers and Destinys that add to the 30fps count on those consoles, ignoring that similarly ambitious titles like Xenoblade Chronicles X or BOTW will similarly run at 30fps, whilst the equivalents for stuff like Smash Bros, Mario Kart 8 and Splatoon tend to be 60fps on those consoles too (2D or 3D Fighters, Forza/GT, Halo/Overwatch/etc).

I think Wii U is a lot more like the Saturn. Because it was broadly unappreciated in its time by the masses (for good reasons in both cases), its fans are evangelists now for every hidden gem on the system, and everything it did well.

So yeah, playing Vampire Saviour and Battle Garegga on Saturn were and are great. VF2 is probably the best game in the genre in the generation etc. But back then, would you really have been happy playing only Xmen vs Street Fighter, while PSX/N64 people got Banjo Kazooie, Metal Gear Solid and Ocarina of Time?

 

[The Real Abed]

I disagree. It did have some good games but the hardware was terrible.

The controller was a mess, the dual screen unecesaary. Just an ill conceived product. Even if they tried to make it better as time went on.

I disagree. I mean sure the Switch is such a better idea now, but I literally played my Wii U on the GamePad only 99% of the time up until I got my 50" UHDTV. I loved being able to play anywhere... well anywhere within the same room or without thick structures in the way. Yeah, the GamePad reception was terrible. That was its major flaw. I'm glad Nintendo did what they did with the Switch, but the Wii U was a nice prelude to it. I would gladly rebuy all the games I had on the Wii U if I could just to have them in a real "take anywhere" console. But I'm not mad at my Wii U for giving me just as much fun as my Wii did. And especially for mostly killing off "waggle" shit.

It just needed a better, less confusing name.

But we have the Switch now, so all is well. Except ports. Gimmie ports!

 

[AmayaPapaya]

I loved the internet browser. Hope they bring it back for the switch.

 

[Synth]

I think Wii U is a lot more like the Saturn. Because it was broadly unappreciated in its time by the masses (for good reasons in both cases), its fans are evangelists now for every hidden gem on the system, and everything it did well.

So yeah, playing Vampire Saviour and Battle Garegga on Saturn were and are great. VF2 is probably the best game in the genre in the generation etc. But back then, would you really have been happy playing only Xmen vs Street Fighter, while PSX/N64 people got Banjo Kazooie, Metal Gear Solid and Ocarina of Time?

I wouldn't really make much of a comparison between the Wii U and Saturn either tbh, and a lot of it would be for the same reasons. The Saturn had it rough in direct comparison with the PS1, but it actually wasn't software starved at all until the later years. For the first two years of its life it had pretty damn reliable third-party support from almost every publisher barring those like Square, Namco and Konami that had aligned themselves closely to Sony. It still got a lot of the big IPs that were formed that generation like WipEout, Resident Evil, Tomb Raider (and crap like Battle Arena Toshiden), etc even if it lost that support from about late 1997 onwards. The main differences I say between the Dreamcast and the Saturn was that the Dreamcast died young, whilst the Saturn lived long enough to have a miserable old age. Clinging to releases like X-Men vs Street Fighter (which you had to import) or Panzer Dragoon Saga really happened only after the console had effectively been killed by the PS1 and later introduction of the N64. It's not like the Wii U where it suffered a lack of releases throughout its life. The Saturn for example also has pretty decent genre representation across most genres (better than N64 in many ways), whilst the Wii U struggles badly in that regards, with there often being only a couple of significant release in numerous genres. The fact that the Saturn was actually considered a success in Japan also gives it library additional depth, as it stacks up surprisingly well against even the PS1 in hindsight for those types of games.

And, same with the Dreamcast, the Saturn's lineup of notable games wasn't basically a Genesis+. It has some (typically not very notable) representation from some IPs that were familiar names like Thunder Force, Shinobi, Golden Axe, and (to very limited extent) Sonic... but the vast majority of games that would make someone's recommended list of Saturn games didn't exist the prior generation. The Genesis didn't have a Sega Rally, Daytona Virtua Fighter (besides the later down-port of VF2), Virtua Cop, NiGHTS, Panzer Dragoon, Burning Rangers, Virtua Cop, House of the Dead, Last Bronx, Die Hard Arcade, Virtual-On, Guardian Heroes, Radiant Silvergun, etc... these were all brand new experiences, not just the latest instalments in IPs that had been around for a decade or more. And in regards to legacy, the Dreamcast didn't get to work immediately looking to obsolete a bunch of them. I don't think people will look back on the Wii U as a treasure trove of games that went unappreciated. In a decade if you want to play Mario Kart, you'll either just be playing Mario Kart 13 or whatever we're up to... or you'd pull out the Switch for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. This is likely to be the case for Zelda BOTW, Bayonetta 2, Smash Bros, Splatoon, NSMB and a lot of other Wii U games, which diminishes a library that was already sparse to begin with.

 

[MarkMclovin]

Yep, been saying this since day 1.

Makes me laugh how people will defend the PS4 Pro considering the shit performance difference it actually gives but will list a million things they think is wrong with the WiiU, like this thread has proven.

The WiiU easily has some of the best games released on any console.

 

[Feffe]

I bought an used Wii U for Zelda and it now is:
- My party game machine thanks to Nintendoland. I already had two Wiimotes and bought an used one. Some of my friends got interested in Pikmin and Luigi's Mansion with those addicting minigames!
- My retro machine. Hacking a Wii U is very easy and you get an HDMI Gamecube and a Retroarch box (with off tv play!) for everything from the 2D era. Also by injecting games into the the official VC emulator you have a perfect N64 emulation for selected titles (including Banjo Kazooie, Mischief Maker and Castlevania).
- My stay-fit machine thanks to Wii Fit U.

An used Wii U in 2017 is great value.

 

[Balb]

So...when will it be considered common knowledge that NSMBU is a great 2D Mario game? I get that people got sick of the NSMB line but NSMBU has fantastic level design, great mechanics and nice looking backgrounds. It also has a good difficulty curve compared to the previous games.

 

[Gamegeneral]

Great? I agree.

Criminally underserved by its advertising?

One of the greatest? Eh, It missed out on that. It had the potential, but it never reached it.

 

[Pizza]

I love the Wii U. It and the GameCube are easily my two favorite Nintendo home consoles. Especially with aaaaall the modding you could do on Wii U, it was everything good about the Wii with even more stapled on. It may have not had incredible third party support, but I sincerely love it.

 

[Zero83]

So...when will it be considered common knowledge that NSMBU is a great 2D Mario game? I get that people got sick of the NSMB line but NSMBU has fantastic level design, great mechanics and nice looking backgrounds. It also has a good difficulty curve compared to the previous games.

It's an incredible platformer which wipes the floor with all three previous NSMB games. It's a shame most people already played at least two of the other ones before U released. I get why they'd be tired of the music and aestethics.

 

[yuoke]

It's an incredible platformer which wipes the floor with all three previous NSMB games. It's a shame most people already played at least two of the other ones before U released. I get why they'd be tired of the music and aestethics.

I really wouldn't say "incredible". Maybe really solid....good, but not amazing. It's not better than tropical freeze and I would personally even have wooly world above it.

 

[MrOogieBoogie]

It really is a great console. I'm currently playing Breath of the Wild and it's a fantastic bookend to a unique console life. Even compared to the GameCube and Wii and N64, it seemed starved for software, but holy hell was the quality of the games it did have unbelievable.

Mario Kart 8
Super Smash Bros.
Splatoon
Pikmin 3
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

I honestly didn't need much more than these. It's pretty amazing to think about.

 

[phanphare]

So...when will it be considered common knowledge that NSMBU is a great 2D Mario game? I get that people got sick of the NSMB line but NSMBU has fantastic level design, great mechanics and nice looking backgrounds. It also has a good difficulty curve compared to the previous games.

it's a great game that suffers from mediocre game feel due to poor sound design. a platformer with mediocre game feel, especially a mario game, is a big negative. the best level design in the world can't mask the fact that it's not as satisfying to interact within those levels.

 

[Bridges]

The Wii U was a weird assortment of ideas that didn't really gel with each other at all. Super neat though, had one since launch and enjoyed my time with it, but it seemed more like I liked the console in spite of itself. Great library, but the pacing of releases and lackluster online functionality really left me pretty burned by the end of it.

As much as I defended the console in its time it became a dust collector after Smash Bros due to the insanely frequent gaps between notable software, the Switch has done more for its adopters and the gaming landscape in general in its first 6 months than the Wii U did in its entire lifetime. It had to die for Nintendo's sins.

Also my friends never wanted be "5th dude who taps stuff" while the rest of us played in games like Mario and Rayman, LM in Nintendo Land was the only multiplayer implementation of the Gamepad that left any kind of impression with our time with it, unfortunately.

 

[BobbyColtrane]

Bought one on launch and had some great experiences with my son (he's 7 now).

Played through Lego Marvel, Mario Kart, Nintendo Land and SM3DW with him. For me it was perfect for little kids.

 

[paragonpro]

Great games certainly, good to see nintendo is keeping that pace on switch

 

[jdmonmou]

It would've been great if it delivered on the 3rd party support. Off TV play on the gamepad was a great idea.

 

[Supreme Leader Galahad]

I bought an used Wii U for Zelda and it now is:
- My party game machine thanks to Nintendoland. I already had two Wiimotes and bought an used one. Some of my friends got interested in Pikmin and Luigi's Mansion with those addicting minigames!
- My retro machine. Hacking a Wii U is very easy and you get an HDMI Gamecube and a Retroarch box (with off tv play!) for everything from the 2D era. Also by injecting games into the the official VC emulator you have a perfect N64 emulation for selected titles (including Banjo Kazooie, Mischief Maker and Castlevania).
- My stay-fit machine thanks to Wii Fit U.

An used Wii U in 2017 is great value.

Im on the same boat mate, late WiiU owners unite!