So why should I buy a Wii U ?

ThisRegard

Coming up to Christmas I'm sure many will be asking themselves this, and Santy has been pestering me a lot lately asking what I want.

The console and gaming history in our house over the years is quite extensive, Atari 600, Commodore 64, SNES, Nintendo 64, Gamecube, Xbox, Wii, Xbox 360, throw a gameboy and DS in there too.

Xbox 360 is only used for Sky Go and Netflix these days, Wii gathering dust under a bed.

However I've a daughter almost aged 5 who's starting to show an interest in playing some games on the 360. I'm too time poor because of the kids and life in general, but still have the draw of slipping back into a bit of gaming on occasions.

So will the Wii U satisfy an old hard core gamer, but more importantly, facilitate the two of use having a bit of fun together, because lets face it, any time I go to play a game, she'll be right there beside me.

The technical aspects of the Xbox one interest me, but the more (and don't take this as an insult) family friendly perception of the Wii U is probably going to be more suitable given the fact there's 2 young kids in the house.

Star Lord

ThisRegard wrote: »

So will the Wii U satisfy an old hard core gamer, but more importantly, facilitate the two of use having a bit of fun together, because lets face it, any time I go to play a game, she'll be right there beside me.

The second part of that question, absofreakinlutely, great console for co-op, particularly in the games that let one player play on the TV and one on the gamepad, so that they each have their own screens.

The first part, I'd say yes, but to be honest, it entirely depends on what kind of games you like. There are some fantastic games on the console, but it's a bit light on the shooters and is waiting on it's big RPG to come out (Xenoblade Chronicles X, which I think is RPG/shooter in one, could be wrong)

What games/type of games do you enjoy?

ThisRegard

A bit of everything really. I could live without shooters being honest, the main reason I played them was because they were handy drop in and play games. And on the flip side, RPGs are down the list for the very same reason, last RPG I spent any time on was the Secret of Mana, and Zelda on the DS when I was away on business.

There seems to be quite a diverse range of games out there for the Wii U since I last looked, and I didn't realise you could play on the game pad as if it was a separate screen, I thought it was just a secondary controller or something like that. That sounds great.

The second part of that question, absofreakinlutely, great console for co-op, particularly in the games that let one player play on the TV and one on the gamepad, so that they each have their own screens.

So for example what games allow this ?

Star Lord

Off the top of my head...

NintendoLand uses it brilliantly in a variety of ways that are really fun to play.

Hyrule Warriors puts one player on the TV, one on the gamepad.

Zen pinball allows you to choose between split screen, or separate screens for 2 player competitive play.

I'm sure there are others, but I've either not played them co-op, or don't have them.

Akrasia

Without trying to rain on anyone's parade, your xbox 360 is still perfectly acceptable for a 5 year old, and if you pick up a kinect sensor, your daughter will be able to play loads of childrens games that will also keep her active

The fact that the console is older means the games are very cheap and if you have a gold subscription, you'll get 2 free games a month for free, Some of these games are suitable for small children, others aren't, but there are dozens of great kids titles on the 360

I have a 5 year old boy and he loves playing
Banjo Kazooie Nuts and Bolts (you get to design and build your own vehicles and then drive them around a 3d world)
Rayman Legends (has an excellent co-op mode which is great craic for adults and children alike)
Toy Story 3
Lego Star wars
Battleblocks Theatre
Minecraft (coop is brilliant in this, you can amuse yourself by building sky castles and your daughter can put lava everywhere or spawn animals or whatever she wants to do)

For girls Kinectimals has good reviews, there's the Dance Central Series and there are Sesamie Street games that are supposed to be very good.

I don't see any reason to buy a 'next gen' (when does it stop being next gen??) system for a young child when the last generation still offers more than enough to keep them happy

In a couple of years if she wants an upgrade, the systems and games will be cheaper, and she'll be able to decide what system she prefers (probably whatever her friends have)

ThisRegard

It's not just for the kid, but myself too. And the games on it appeal to me more so for both of us being honest. When I had both the 360 and Wii set up I still played the Wii more often for the likes of the various Mario games so that's what's pulling me towards it.

C14N

As someone watching this generation play out up to now and who just put a deposit down on a Wii U with Smash Bros, I do encourage you to get one. It seems like a very under-appreciated and under-marketed console but it certainly looks worthwhile and has built up a strong exclusive library by now.

However I've a daughter almost aged 5 who's starting to show an interest in playing some games on the 360. I'm too time poor because of the kids and life in general, but still have the draw of slipping back into a bit of gaming on occasions.

So will the Wii U satisfy an old hard core gamer, but more importantly, facilitate the two of use having a bit of fun together, because lets face it, any time I go to play a game, she'll be right there beside me.

The technical aspects of the Xbox one interest me, but the more (and don't take this as an insult) family friendly perception of the Wii U is probably going to be more suitable given the fact there's 2 young kids in the house.

For this, I really do think the Wii U is the right way to go. Nintendo are seemingly the only major company out there who are in the habit of making games that are both excellent and suitable for kids. There's also the fact that local multiplayer seems to have fallen by the wayside in most AAA games. I'm a bit old fashioned in this regard, I love local multiplayer but generally stay away from online and if you're looking for something that is good and that you can play with kids (or friends for that matter), the Wii U is really the only strong option at this point. A few games that come to mind are

Super Mario 3D World, a fully-fledged Mario game (like 64, Sunshine or Galaxy) which lets you play any level on your own or in co-op. New Super Mario Bros Wii U is the same kind of deal but it's in the style of old-fashioned side-scrollers.

Mario Kart 8. You know what to expect with Mario Kart, haven't played this one yet but I've heard it's very polished and seems to be going down well with fans.

Smash Bros Wii U (in 2 weeks), the latest in the franchise. Great fun as a fighting game that's easy to pick up and fun for total novices (which is unusual as fighting games often have a very steep learning curve).

Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze (mouthful of a name) is another sidescrolling platformer, apparently a bit more challenging than Mario. Same deal, you can play it single player or co-op (2 player only though, unlike the previous which are all 4-player).

For single player games you've also got Pikmin 3, and the Wind Waker HD remake (I was about 10 or 11 when I played the original and it's one of the things that really turned me onto games). Bayonetta 2 also seems like an interesting one, more adult than most of what Nintendo offer.

CiDeRmAn

Tropical Freeze looks amazing but it is hard.
Must go back to it.

And Rayman Legends, the Virtual Console selection and the array of indie titles via the Eshop makes it a good buy.
Plus, you still get to pick up and play the Wii titles that rock, Mario Galaxy and the sequel, Mario Sports Mix, Metroid Prime trilogy (if you can find it), so many great games.

xabi

How do the old Wii games look on the Wii U, do i need to do anything special to get them to work? Do they all work?

Star Lord

xabi wrote: »

How do the old Wii games look on the Wii U, do i need to do anything special to get them to work? Do they all work?

They look the same as if you had a Wii connected by component cable, so not HD, but it looks alright.

Tomo.Murphy

Are either of the Wii U CoD games worth picking up? Haven't played any of them since MW3 on the 360 as I got a bit burned out on them. Is there any trouble finding a multiplayer game with them or is there usually a fair few people online?

cherryghost

I only have black ops 2, peaks at around 10k players but can go as low as 2k at times, though never had a problem finding a game. Local multiplayer on it is awesome though, 2 player online can work with player 1 on the gamepad and a 2nd player on the TV.

CiDeRmAn

Like or not though, the WiiU isn't the format for Call of Duty games, it's typically cheaper on the other formats and you'll find more dlc and more people to play with online.
Not a popular opinion amongst us WiiU owners but it's true afaik.
Better to own a PS3 or a 360, and pick the COD back catalogue up there for feck all in CEX.
I found the Gamepad uncomfortable and unfamiliar to use with CoD as well, I ended buying a third party pad with a 360 button layout instead and it worked a treat.

Tomo.Murphy

I have from CoD 4 to Black ops 2 on either PS3 or 360. I just remembered that Black Ops 2 and Ghosts had a release on the Wii U and was wondering if either was worth picking up. I'll probably pick up Black Ops 2 if I find it going cheap when I get the Console at Christmas. Probably wouldn't get around to playing it with Mario Kart, Smash Bros and the Bayonetta twin pack (if I decide to pick it up) though, ha.

Thanks for the replies!

CiDeRmAn

Mario kart 8 is simply one of the most impressive racing games I've ever played, and the dlc only makes it even better.
It is the kind of title that will still be played in ten years time, like Super Mario Kart and Double Dash.
Super Smash Bros I've yet to play on the WiiU but it might well be up there with Melee on the GC.

Tomo.Murphy

I've never played/owned a Smash Bros game. I didn't have an N64 back in the day and was only recently given a GC. It does look like a lot of fun though, so I might pick up the bundle with the GC controller adapter and give it a go.

As of yet I've only played about 5 minutes of MK8 in Gamestop, but I'm itching to set it up and start playing it, ha.

I don't think I've looked forward to Christmas this much in years!