Kotaku: You Can No Longer Ignore The Wii U

If you don't have a Wii U, it's time to get one.

This is our Kotaku review update for the Wii U, the gaming console with a screen in its controller that we've been telling you since November 2012 is not yet a must-have.

It finally is.

We can't deny that there are drawbacks to owning a Wii U. If it's your only console, you can kiss the chances of playing the next cutting-edge Assassin's Creed, Batman or Grand Theft Autogames goodbye. Unless you're a big Sonic fan, you're not really going to find many big-company non-Nintendo games that you can only play on Wii U or play on Wii U at all. Get another system if you want to enjoy blockbusters from Activision, EA, Ubisoft, Take Two and the like. There are also huge genre holes on the Wii U that are likely to get bigger what with a dearth of realistic sports games, a rarity of RPGs, and a slowdown of new shooters.

We are at peace with this.

We can live with these problems. They're overwhelmed by what the Wii U does right. And that GamePad controller is actually pretty great. So is the optional (and recommended) Xbox-style Pro Controller.

There was a time when the Wii U simply cost too much for the amount of great games it had on the system. There was also a time when Nintendo TVii might have been a big deal. (This was around the same time!). That was the past. That was a past when you could merrily skip the Wii U and be ok.

Today, however, if you skip the Wii U, you're missing out.

Please recognize that we don't make console recommendations based on the future. We're not telling you to grab a Wii U now because there's a Smash Bros. a few months from release and a gorgeous open-world Zeldafarrrr out on the horizon.

Nah.

We are recommending the Wii U in the present. We are recommending the console of surprise feature-adding Pikmin 3 patches...the console of the wonderfully weird and eminently crowd-pleasing Nintendo Land...the console of... this.

Kotaku is getting it right- it took the Wii U a while- nearly a year and a half- but it's finally done it, it finally warrants a purchase. It has, without a doubt, the best library of all three current generation consoles right now, and while that won't last forever (once the multiplats for PS4 start rolling out, Wii U will be left behind), it will always be a significantly appealing prospect simply because of the sheer wealth of options and great games that it offers. To anybody who hasn't bought in yet- you should do it. The Wii U, and everything about it, represents a significantly different ecosystem and take on console gaming than any you are used to so far.

What's so different about the WiiU?

It certainly isn't the gamepad, because that just serves for pretty much anything the 3DS has done. Then you have Nintendo's first party, which wasn't exactly absent with their previous platforms.

It's from loltaku though.

What's different is it now has a whole load of games, worth playing. Sure, the Gamepad is a failed gimmick (although Off TV Play is cool), but the Wii U becomes appealing purely on the strength of its software library, which is entirely exclusive to it.

But they're just one of many saying it ;)

Yes I can, and I will continue until the 32 gb version of the WiiU is roughly $200.

The only reason is smash bros.

Oh, that's what you were referring to.

"represents a significantly different ecosystem and take on console gaming than any you are used to so far"

That's a really fancy way of saying it has games available.

Knock yourself out.

@freedomfreak: You get W101.

I don't disagree with the assertion (the exclusive lineup alone, currently, is better than any other "next-gen" console) but seriously...

lolKotaku

I'm an English major, I have to feel like I'm contributing something valuable and worthwhile to society somehow.

Yeah, W101 is chill.

lol

Fair enough.

How? Most of the stuff they showed at E3 isnt even coming this year. Why shouldnt I wait until then when the console will definitely be cheaper?

What about buyers remorse, does the article cover that?

Because the article clearly says it's not talking about games in the future, it's talking about the games out now, and what's out now is more than enough to justify a purchase.

TVii doesnt work, my Games which I downloaded to my old WiiU are locked to that console, Nintendo over charge for repairs, The Gamepad has had minimum use outside of games like W101, ZombiU and playing 2 player mode Online in games like CoD. Maio Kart 8 from what I can tell cockednup 2 player mode with having it split screen rather than having one screen for each player.

Nope still loads to fix.

It's pretty damn easy to ignore it.

@charizard1605:

If that were true, then I'd be interested.

Maybe you don't know about the sheer wealth of games it has. Or maybe they just don't appeal to you, idk, I can't speak for why you personally are not interested in a Wii U, man.

Definitely seems to go hand in hand with what I was saying last night.

Lol, we can definitely igonre the Wii U. Outside of the usual Ninty rehashes, there's also not a lot on it to play because good 3d party is almost non existant on the Wii U.

Sales represent this and will probably stay the same. Wii U will (has) end(ed) up as one of the biggest failures of Nintendo.

How silly of me to keep forgetting that sales represent a system's quality, when all is said and done.

Yes, and as much as I think the core enthusiast's opinion on the Wii U has definitely changed- I mean, you can see it on websites, and on message boards like GAF and stuff- I still think the message hasn't gotten to the average gamer (or if it does, it won't change their mind). I mean, just see this very thread as an example, see how many people are still shitting on it, not a whole lot of them for legitimate reasons, most happen to be engaging in hit and run trolling.

Still ignoring it, it has no games I want or care about

Decrease the console price to $149 and then i'd agree

@Wasdie: "Yes I can, and I will continue until the 32 gb version of the WiiU is roughly $200."

In the same boat $199 and I'm in. Might wait for the next Nintendo console the "Wii US" or "Wii All"

@charizard1605: that doesn't really answer his question, the wii and game cube had similar 1st party outputs.

So how is the wii u different to previous ?

As I mentioned to Wasdie above, you can buy one for $199. Right now.

Want to put your money where your mouth is?

I have to admit.. If ever there was a time to purchase the Wii-U.. it's now.

They have great titles available.. and a few gems I want to check out (Bayonetta 2, Toad Treasure Trackers, Starfox, Yoshi's Wholly World, and Of course Celda Wii-U)

..but the problem is.. a console is an investment. And I don't see the investment side outside of those titles I just mentioned. The PS4 has a ton of great software coming out (next year) and I already own one. I don't know... Maybe if I can find a Wii-U for $150 or less, I'll pick one up this holiday season.

I love mine so far. Backwards compatibility is awesome(playing Xenoblade right now) and there's lots of great exclusives.

I wish it got more multiplats, though. :(

It isn't time to stop ignoring loltaku, let alone their questionable advice.

The only difference between the WiiU now and a month ago is an E3-ish informercial showing a bunch of games they'll still be showing off come next E3. Nothing of note has launched since then, and nothing recently save for MK8.

You're eating up hype. Almost as bad as reposting Kotaku crap.

Where did I say it's different to previous Nintendo console? It's a Nintendo console, it's exactly what a Nintendo console always is.

Not like the PS4 or Xbox One have any of those right now either

Right. When you grow up and can have an actual articulate discussion, come back and talk to me.

The point, yet again, is not its future potential (although that is surely worth getting excited over as well), the point is that in the here and now, the Wii U exists as a cheap purchase with a whole lot of great games, which means it's worth a look, it's worth a buy, especially since the other two consoles have crap to play at the moment.

I don't know if this is lo enough, but you can get a Wii U for $200 now.

Already have one but I was literally ignoring it. The dusts will be off come smash time though.

This is SW. Everyone has an agenda here. Everyone takes their sound bites and platform of choice like a political party. SW is a departure from the "swing voter" that is the average gamer. The average gamer looks to the core gamer for advice on what's cool and what is not cool.

WiiU was uncool, but the XBone showed the world what uncool really is and now the WiiU is somewhere between uncool to that girl who everyone made fun of until she came back from summer break her sophomore year and started looking hot as **** as a junior. Who knows what peoples opinions will be next year?

Same here. I'd be more than okay to buy them for my WiiU(if they weren't gimped like past multiplats) instead of the Xbox or Playstation, but there's nothing coming for it.

It's what keeps me from making this my go-to console.

@charizard1605:

Very tempting, I've stated before being on the fence. It's the initial investment upfront that stops me. Is their a wii u pro controller bundle?

^ ^ This.

lolKotaku

No, that you'll have to buy separately unfortunately. If you look hard enough, a Wii U Pro controller is pretty cheap to find, although do not buy them from eBay, no matter what.

I agree too, but at this point, I've reconciled myself to the fact that the Wii U is an entirely different ecosystem of games than either the PlayStation/Xbox/PC. It's going to get its own different games that no one else gets, and the games it gets are not ones the other guys get either.

I guess that's why it's easy to justify it as a second console purchase (or a secondary machine next to the PC).

Maybe. Hopefully. Two months ago, I would have fought you tooth and nail that the perception of the Wii U would ever change, and I mean, look where we stand now. So what you're saying certainly is possible, if Nintendo stays committed to the Wii U long enough, if they don't ditch it ala Sega and the Saturn, for example.

We'll see, it'll certainly be interesting to watch over the coming years.

Oh, I'm not holding out on it. But one can wish. One can dream.

Im not buying a refurbished unit. I don't buy used electronics as in the past they've never worked out for me.

Nintendo's refurbed units are literally units that they sent to stores, but stores returned to them because the inventory wasn't moving. These things are coming with a year's worth of warranty, so you are covered in case something goes wrong, functionally, there is no difference from buying a new unit, and no reason why you shouldn't actually purchase one.

But you know what, fair enough, wait for a little more, and the Wii U will inevitably hit $200 new for some bundle or the other. As a matter of interest, how much would you pay for the PS4 or Xbox One?

That really doesn't make much sense

So you want people to buy defective equipment that is checked by people who don't even work for Nintendo?

I own one and I still ignore it.