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Wii U: Disappointment or Failure?

I dunno... I mean, it has amazing games for sure. But I would say that every Nintendo console has at least one game better than anything on Wii U.

Many would argue it has the strongest entry in a lot of series. Best Mario Kart, best Smash (not Melee but whatever), hell, I'd say New Mario U might be the strongest 2D Mario platformer. Then you get in to oddballs like Bayonetta 2 and Splatoon that don't directly compare to many games, but when comparisons are made they tend to come out pretty favorably.

Granted, if you want any third parties that aren't Platinum games, it's a literal wasteland. It's just tough to say every game on the Wii U has been outdone.

*Edit*

As an aside, I love the comparison somebody made earlier between this thread's title and J Jonah Jameson style of reporting. We just want to know the truth about the Wii U!
 
It's more or less what I expected and it's delivered enough great exclusives that I'm not too disappointed with it. I still play mine almost daily. Financially it's a failure though, for sure.
 
Pretty vague question: disappointment or failure on what front?

All I know is I love the Wii U and its library and, with Wii backward compatibility, it's the Nintendo console I like the most.

Now, commercially, they royally screwed up launch, the Wii U never recovered, and the future is worrying (not even talking about the console, but what's after it).
 
Disappointment initially, but for marketing standards. I mean, I said "no console?". I really didn't understand the thing in the announcement
 
Both.

It was clear the thing was in deep shit as early as three months from launch, but as little as a year out it was clear that the thing was beyond even the dreamcast in levels of complete failure.

Its still my favorite console just because it offers something that I cant find elsewhere, which is why my pc takes a massive shit on both the other systems this gen, but its clear that the thing is dead in the water at this point.
 
I'd say it's more of a failure than a disappointment. It seems like the first party games are generally great, but Nintendo definitely made many mistakes.
 
Failure commercially, but Software wise it has some of Nintendos best games ever made.

Mario Kart 8 for example is a masterpeice in game design.

Well I mean, it's Nintendo, obviously the hardware is going to feature some excellent first-party titles. While I definitely agree that Mario Kart 8 is a paradigmatic shift of what a Nintendo AAA title should be, the over-all catalog still pales in comparison to the SNES/N64.
 
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It's a console with so many "niche" (it's well said?) games. Some people will love games like Yoshi yarn or Toad's game but that's not what the general audience wants...or not even the general audience, original Nintendo audience that was on the boat for games like Golden Eye, Perfect Dark, Banjo-Kazooie, Rogue Squadron, Metroid (Prime) and many other "mature" Nintendo exclusives. WiiU is so focused to a kind of player they forgot there are other kind of nintendo fans that like their more "mature" games (people like me).


What they did with Metroid is unforgivable.
 
Commercially: Failure.

Anything else: Dissapointment.

That said, I love my WiiU and the games I have for it. Some of the best I ever played. The only disappointments come from the scarce selection of total games available for it and Nintendo's unwillingness to compete or get with the times. That and the mind-boggling slow OS. I'm still baffled that in the age of iOS, Nintendo thought this was somehow acceptable (let alone how slow it was at launch, dear christ).
 
I think what interests me about Wii U is that it and the N64 are somewhat similar in terms of number of quality games (after you take out traditional sports games - AKA, only wrestling, extreme sports, and arcade sports games taken into account).
 
Wii U has been a commercial failure, but Nintendo has supported it with some of their best work to date (and just about the most polished experience console gaming has to offer). It's hardly a disappointment to me.
 
Quality wise: It has some of the best first party outings out there. This includes unique titles such as Splatoon and cult hits such as Bayonetta 2. However it is an even more third party minded system than the Nintendo 64 with virtually every notable title being first party. Outside of Zombi U, Sonic Colors, and soon to be Rodea: The Sky Soldier, every notable title on the system was first party.

Commercial wise: It was the biggest hardware generational decline in probably ever. Nintendo went from having the fastest selling gaming hardware of all-time to a console that had sales comparable to the Dreamcast. Assuming that Nintendo gets their shit together, the Wii U will probably be seen as Nintendo's darkest days.
 
Both. Technically disappointing, which is one causes of the lack of major third-party support. Should have come a hard-drive, today....not having adequate storage would be the equivalent to Carl's Jr telling customers BYOHP.
 
The Wii U is great, no other console even comes close to offering real console experiences, Dumbed down PC games don't count.
 
Well, obviously its a failure on the sales front, but what I'm worried about is the chilling effect Wii U might have on future Ninty home console sales.

I mean, the die-hards will be there no matter what, but if I'm a Wii U owner who expected better third party support, I wouldn't be as inclined to pick up their next thing. Like how Saturn's early death left a bad taste in the mouth of many Sega diehards, prompting them to skip Dreamcast and jump ship to Microsoft, Nintendo or Sony.

Im not much of a Nintendo guy these days (I buy only their handhelds), but I very much want to see them succeed the next time out. A console market with only 2 major players is not in our best interests at all.
 
My only disappointment is in the people who didn't buy one and the studios who snubbed it. As for the console? It's actually my favorite system and I've owned every Nintendo and Playstations 1 through 3.
 
The WiiU has the best library this gen. I don't let commercial success dictate how much I enjoy video games any more than I allow box office receipts to dictate what movies I enjoy. It's unfortunate that so many missed the boat on the WiiU, but I love the system.
 
It is more of a disappointment than a failure. If it failed, it would have been discontinued earlier like the Virtual Boy and Dreamcast.
 
Have to go both.
Its a personal disappointment and a commercial failure.
It has some great exclusives, but I either dont care about them or they are also available on 3ds.(smash, hyrule warriors)

Im so let down by it that since E3 ive been debating selling it.
The only thing holding me back is Xenoblade but honestly with what I know about that games story and how it ends, I dont think I care much anymore.
 
Man. The Wii U is the hardest console in recent memory to come to a conclusion on. So I'll break it down.

For single console owners hoping for stuff other than just Ninty games: Hot garbage.

For Nintendo game only fans: Perhaps the best console since the 64 or even the SNES.

For people who are into both Nintendo and 3rd party games: A mixed experience. Lots of missed potential. Depending on if you lean more 3rd party or more Nintendo its either a slight success or a slight failure.

For classic gaming fans who are willing to software mod: The best console ever made. Emulators from Wii, Gamecube games, Wii games, and support for every controller man ever deemed worthwhile.

Edit: I fall into the last category. Despite being mixed on the Wii U's software I love this system for it's ability to play all my Wii and GC games over HDMI. And then there is the rest of the homebrew.
 
I like my Wii U for my Nintendo and classic games fix, but I play my other two consoles more.

There are some great games to be had on the WiiU though: SM3DW, DKTF, MK8, Captain Toad and for me the best game of the console is Splatoon.

I'm not disappointed in it whatsoever as I knew what I was getting into. For me, it holds the same place every generation since the N64. I always play my Sony/Xbox of the generation foremost and use my Nintendo console for what they are.

That said obviously it's a failure commercially.
 
Absolutely love the games for it. Hated the UI.

DCK TF
Bayo 2
W 101
Smash 4
Splatoon
Pikmin 3
MK8
SM3D World
New SMB U

I've had a blast. I just wish the UI and OS were streamlined from the beginning.
 
It is more of a disappointment than a failure. If it failed, it would have been discontinued earlier like the Virtual Boy and Dreamcast.

That is an Interesting statement as we don't know exactly what the NX is and if it's timing has been changed due to the lack of predicted sales of the WiiU
 
I'd say failure. I'm not disappointed in it since I love all of the games I got for it. It certainly got crushed by the competition though.
 
The Wii U's a failure by every definition, but I think it's been one of the best consoles I've used in a long while. If it wasn't for the fact that Nintendo seems to be ending support for the system early, it would rival the Gamecube as my favorite console. I guess it's going to be another Dreamcast/Gamecube scenario where the console will be held to high regards years after its demise.
 
I love my wii u.
Don't care about the numbers . After the nesit is the best jome console ninty has released but if people prefer to play smartphone games or ubisit games... i say it again it is not my problem.
The console has fantastic games and I dtill have to buy somf games. Just mk8 is worth the buy..
 
Absolutely love the games for it. Hated the UI.

DCK TF
Bayo 2
W 101
Smash 4
Splatoon
Pikmin 3
MK8
SM3D World
New SMB U

I've had a blast. I just wish the UI and OS were streamlined from the beginning.

finally someone who lists the good games and stops there. I'm sick of people listing every fucking wii u game, including flawed titles such as nitnedo land, lego games, last gen ports and zombieU. Cheapens the argumetn.
 
Sometimes I ask myself why I bought a PS4 instead of a WiiU. I'd say it is a commercial failure, but still a very nice console!
 
IMO The Wii U has had a much stronger library than Wii, despite its popularity. Then again I loved Gamecube as well.

In terms of sales it's doing badly, but personally I definitely think it's a great purchase, despite technical and infrastructural shortcomings. If you love high quality Nintendo games it's a no brainer, unlike the Wii which had very spread out first party releases.

Still no point for the tablet. Would've done much better without it. Although Nintendo's hardware has unfortunately been gimmick focused since the DS.
 
This is exactly how I feel about the console.

As somebody with a PC, I wouldn't bother with any console other than the Wii U. For those without a computer I can understand going with other consoles, but if you're just looking for exclusives the Wii U stomps the opposition out pretty easily. It's just not a good console for somebody who wants a sole video gaming mecca.
 
As somebody with a PC, I wouldn't bother with any console other than the Wii U. For those without a computer I can understand going with other consoles, but if you're just looking for exclusives the Wii U stomps the opposition out pretty easily. It's just not a good console for somebody who wants a sole video gaming mecca.

I don't think it stomps the ps4 for exclusives. You could argue it's better and I just might agree. and it certainly doesn't win with console exclusive games either. I don't think shenmue for example is coming to wii u?
 
It's a commercial failure but it's a hell of a lot less disappointing than ps4 and Xbox one. Those consoles still aren't worth the price of admission, while wii u runs away with all the awesome games.
 
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