Is The Wii U Overhated/Underrated?

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So many people seem to talk about it as if it's this generation's Virtual Boy or something.

When all I see as a decent console that's just so happened to not sell as much as expected.

Personally, I don't think the solution is to release the NX so soon -- which could only infuriate those who haven't even had that much time to enjoy something they've already paid good money for.

Maybe Nintendo just needs to rethink their advertising approach?

Part of the issue is the image that Nintendo has nowadays in the eyes of so-called "hardcore" gamers (note the sarcastic quotes there). God forbid they actually be seen playing a KIDDIE game *eyeroll*.

Yet at the same time, this console's gimmick isnt even close to as easily understood by people as the original Wii's stupid arm waving with the remote, which anyone could understand in an instant, thus allowing even super-casual players to enjoy the console (however, this also caused a seriously ridiculous amount of shovelware to be released for the console).

The Wii U really does have some very, very good games on it... it's the first game console in many, many years that I *dont* somehow dislike, and where I dont hate it's library (as opposed to something like the PS4, which I bought for LittleBigPlanet 3 and pretty much never, ever use otherwise). I get frequent use out of it, very frequent indeed. But it just doesnt draw in the super-casual group like the previous one, but ALSO doesnt draw in much of the hardcore crowd, because... because... because.

I personally think it's very underrated. Nintendo right now is the only console-maker that has a library with some actual creativity to it. In other words, a console that's not made of gritty FPS games. Heck, the other 2 are so uninteresting that they have nearly identical libraries. Only the few exclusives are different.

For me, the biggest titles that I like with the Wii U are Mario Maker and Splatoon. Those games are *fantastic*. They sure arent the only games I have for the thing too. The ability to play Wii games on there as well (though I only have a couple of those since I didnt like the console) as well as the VC stuff really adds to it.

The whole situation though sucks, really. Nintendo going forward with the NX already might be something they *have* to do, I"m really not sure. One thing they cant afford is to be seen as irrelevant in the industry, so they need to be sure to take steps to prevent that from happening too much.

Honestly, as long as they can continue to support the Wii U for awhile, I'm good with it.

Of course... the nature of the NX is unknown, at least to me. I just hope it's not another arm-waver or some damn thing like that. But I guess we'll all find out soon enough.

I think a huge part of Nintendo's problem- they think they have to be different. So the console gets a gimmicky bulky "touchscreen controller" which honestly didn't work well. It made the Wii U more expensive and many games don't even use it at all! Third party companies hated on Nintendo early on, so Nintendo lost a ton of support. Then they did the whole Amiibo nonsense.. which is literally physical DLC at times. People love to collect stuff, so the stuff sold like crazy- probably a big reason Wii U didn't end sooner (in my view at least).

It's no secret that most people buy Nintendo consoles for the first party exclusive games- honestly the best out there. Microsoft and Sony have very few exclusives this gaming generation. For me at least- this generation of gaming (Xbox 1, PS4, Wii U) is pretty meh compared to previous consoles. So many remasters and remakes, rather than new games. Game makers know games that are 1-2 years old will sell still, so they will fancy it up with "HD graphics" to appeal to the gamers today. It usually works and it's unfortunate really. Originality (when it comes to console games at least) is extremely low and has been for a few years. Most of gaming has resorted to e-sports shooters, MOBAs, MMOs, mobile free-to-play with in-app purchases and a few others. That's what sells well- so companies don't want to take risks.

Anyway, back to Wii U. A rumor I read today- Wii U production might end this year. If that's true- Wii U will have the shortest lifespan of any Nintendo console ever. It's a bit sad that Nintendo has to do this for various reasons. I know they wont go bankrupt anytime soon- their handhelds sell quite well still. The past few years- it really feels like handheld stuff and Amiibos are the big reason Nintendo isnt in money trouble.

Nintendo has already stated that they're not stopping production this year. The group that stated it in the first place was just a business publication, which apparently has been wrong about numerous Nintendo-related things before. In other words, the rumor isnt true.

As far as them being different, the state of the industry seems to say that, really, they have no choice. A third entry into the "do the same damn thing" group along with the other two isnt likely to end well.

That being said, there isnt actually anything wrong with that controller. Even I dont dislike it, which is saying something, since I hate everything. It does it's job well enough.

The problem isnt so much on Nintendo's own end; their own games make fine use of the thing. The problem is the same issue the Wii faced; third party developers these days tend to be about as creative as a sack of bricks, and havent the foggiest damn clue what to do with something new like that. They didnt know what to do with the Wiimote, and so a million really, really awful arm-waver "party" games were released. Nearly all of which were terrible. Yet at the same time, if those developers focus just on the other two, they're already up against uncreative competition that's already strong there.

And honestly, I have to wonder if the other two are going to be facing similar problems soon. Alot of people recently seem to be buying even the other two consoles just for a couple of specific games, as I did, and then pretty much doing nothing else with them. Those consoles keep farting out the same stuff, over and over and over. This kind of downhill slide is inevitable.

All three, frankly, have dug themselves into a rut at this point. Sony and Microsoft are trapped in a world of ever-increasing, utterly ridiculous production costs, that punish anything new, because too much effort into a NEW idea that actually matches the crazy graphics everyone expects could destroy the developer/publisher in question if that idea fails.

Wheras Nintendo is stuck in a different rut, having kept their core fans, but having a very, very hard time attracting the more hardcore players, as well as other problems.

I keep hearing, over and over, that an industry crash is likely approaching, and really, the more I think about things like this, the more I can believe it. The BIG companies have yet to take all that much damage yet, for the time being they're still secure enough, but... if things keep going as they are now, it'll only be a matter of time before the consoles are just one big money drain. While the effect is currently slow, more and more players appear to be getting bored with them. Which is what happens when you do the same damn thing over and over for years on end. Hell, I used to be a big console gamer myself, but nowadays, well... I almost didnt buy *any* of them. I bought the PS4 *just* for LittleBigPlanet, it has literally no other function. And since Mario Maker came out, I havent touched it. And the Wii U I bought simply because I'm an impulse buyer with too much free time. The consoles held no other attraction to me, though the Wii U grew on me as certain games released for it. Every single person I know has had similar reactions. Most dont have any of those consoles, simply not wanting them or seeing a reason to get them when, particularly for the PS4 and XBone, they're so incredibly similar to the PS3 and 360, and those that do took a LONG time before they bought one, yet even still are relying heavily on the previous consoles. None of this used to be the case. This situation is one I hear repeated on forums and such frequently.

Honestly, feels like half the damn industry is just falling apart these days. Though, that's basically been my view on it for... a good few years now. At this point, I think I actually might be rather amused if the AAA side of the industry had a collapse.

Another thing to note about Nintendo- their refusal to accept the streamers and youtubers. I read an article recently about how a speedrunner's Mario Maker's levels were deleted- no reason was given apparently. The guy had "poo" in his name, but other levels have vanished from other people too. Nintendo is stubborn and makes people jump through hoops just to be able to make YouTube videos for certain games. They are hurting themselves, just as much as their fans for this nonsense. If Nintendo had legit reasons for removing the Mario Maker levels- they should say them (but havent yet). I realize they make the games, so they make the rules on how the stuff is out there. However their reaction to this is a bit harsh.

Nintendo wouldn't be doing the same thing though. I honestly feel they could have all their great first party games- Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Smash Bros (and so on) along with all the third party games the others do. I feel Nintendo is usually at a disadvantage because of the weird controllers, as well as too many gamers addicted to violence. Also- I still don't understand why companies are willing to do handheld stuff but not console stuff for Nintendo. In my view- Nintendo should try to get some of these companies to do console stuff more. So many RPGs on handhelds compared to consoles these days. I remember when RPGs were commonplace on both. Now console RPGs are generally multi-genre stuff, like the MMORPG or the shooter RPG or stuff with "RPG elements" that really don't belong in the genre.

As for a gaming crash- it could happen and maybe it would fix some things. There is so much wrong in gaming. It's unfortunate that in-app purchase crap is common now and probably not going anywhere. Same goes for DLC. Some DLC is fine- when its priced right and it actually expands the game. However the costume DLC and other crap that is overpriced needs to go.

I find the touch screen controller to be clumsy and useless for many games. It's honestly not great for the small size of my hands.

But there are some games that make good use of it. Just not enough of them. I feel it is a gimmick, and unnecessary. I prefer the old-fashioned hand controllers over either the gamepad or the wiimotes.

My favorite Nintendo console was the N64. I miss it

It surely is underrated. Of recent consoles I have a PS4 and a Wii U and I honestly think that my Wii U have been used 10 times more than my PS4.
Really, the Wii U diversity of games is the only big light of hope that I had in this generation for game industry. The amount of games on PS4/XOne that rely on attempts of impressive graphics (and for me most of them are not even THAT impressive) and other visual appealing elements to attract attention while not delivering anything new or good in terms of gameplay is ridiculous... Don't get me wrong, I do think it is nice to play something that have some good visuals (although for me a good graphic is not necessarily realistic) but when the graphics of a game is its most commented feature or when it is in fact the most notorious aspect of it, we have a serious problem here.
The Wii U suffer way less from this evil. Even games that are basically "more of the same" (like the mario games) are clearly games with such a well polished gameplay and a outstanding focus on the "have fun" element that I don't even need to think to answer which one is the best console of this generation.
Oh, and not to mention the ones that are games like we've never seen before like Splatoon, Mario Maker (although this is basically Mario, this thing is brilliant) and Xenoblade Chronicles X.

As a big Nintendo fan, I have to admit I'm disappointed with the Wii-U. I can count the number of good exclusives on the fingers of one hand: Mario Kart 8, Super Smash Bros, Super Mario 3D World, and maybe Bayonetta. There are a couple of nice non-exclusives, but for those you're much better off buying a PlayStation or Xbox. I'm disappointed they still haven't released that new Zelda game and even more disappointed they're releasing these remasters of old Zelda games instead for the price of new releases. So I'm hoping the NX will be everything the Wii-U wasn't!

On the other hand, I'm STILL playing Mario Kart 8 after two years...

So I agree the Wii-U has some pretty awesome games but their number is way too small.

PS. Someone should explain to me why Mario Maker is fun. It sounds like the most boring concept of a game ever: other people making levels you can try to complete. Where is the sense of progression etc.?

I think it is underrated personally.

Too many people judge it based on graphics and the controller. If they played the plethora of original titles they would be surprised of how original the system is, along with the great games and the backwards compatibility for original Wii games, plus the Virtual Console. I really like the system, but to each their own.

Lots of people like building stuff- which is why games like Minecraft and Mario Maker are so popular. I personally don't like to build things much, but playing random levels seems fun. Plus I'm a huge Mario fan. I don't own a Wii U yet, but perhaps might get Mario Maker once I buy a Wii U. As for progression- it's not like other games, but I would bet its there. Every game doesn't need the standard "start here, end here" format to be good.

One major upside I've yet to see mentioned about the Wii U compared to the other two current consoles is online multiplayer. The main thing that alienates me from the PS4 and Xbox One is the fact you have to purchase an additional service to play online games. It just feels like such an unnecessary purchase since both Steam and the Wii U let you play online for free. You've already got to buy an expensive console, and an expensive game. Do you really need to pay extra to fully experience your game?

And even then once you actually do pay for online multiplayer, you will just find that any time you do well in a game you are guaranteed to have someone send you expletives or other such signs of their rage that you were somehow better than them. It makes me glad that there isn't really a way to do something like that on the Wii U, and if someone does find a way to do so you can just laugh at the extremes they go just to convey their rage at you.

Paying for online isn't a huge deal to me. I pay for online on PlayStation 4- but it gives me free games each month. Every game isnt something I love- but it does add up to be a good value. Plus it gives discounts on games, which is nice too.

If I recall correctly though, you lose those games if you quit the service. (looked it up just now, and yes, you do).

In other words, they arent ACTUALLY free. You merely have access to them as long as you keep dumping money into the service. Stop paying and you lose them. Even if over the course of having the service you've given them like 500 freaking dollars (or whatever currency).

It really, really is best NOT to rely on Plus as a place to get games. There can be alot of problems with games that are only temporarily there. I dont even touch them, myself. Dont use a Plus account either, because feh.

Considering that dramatically superior services with LOTS of benefits (Steam and it's MASSIVE sales; trust me, 15% off a game on Plus is nothing when you're on Steam getting 40-80% off. That these sales are extremely frequent just makes it better) are totally free, the two console ones that arent end up not really being all that good. The whole reason they get away with it though is because most console gamers have simply gotten used to it. They dont really know any better. Alot of people that put equal focus into console AND PC will refuse to touch them, since chances are, they've already used a variety of much, much better services.

I mean, really, even EA with Origin doesnt require that you pay them monthly yet will still give discounts and even genuinely free games (as in, you dont need to keep paying for them; they're smaller games, but so far they've still been good ones). Think about that for a second: EVEN FREAKING EA DOESNT DO IT.

Hm. When I think about it that way, which I really hadnt until just now... that really doesnt paint Sony or Microsoft in a very good light. Not that I exactly liked them to begin with...

Steam has huge sales- but honestly it's the same old crap in nearly every sale. As a longtime gamer and Steam user- there is rarely anything I absolutely need on sales much. I've learned that buying tons of cheap games is a waste of money. Impulse buying is what so many gamers do and then they wonder where there money is. Plus so many times people whine about "nothing to play" even when they own hundreds of games. Makes no sense really. I like to play and finish games, not just start many and leave them unfinished. Overall...gaming is flooded with garbage these days, especially mobile and PC. Easier to make games, so more people doing it = less quality. Plus Steam has turned into a joke due to early access and greenlight games.

Hm... I dunno what in the world you're buying to have come up with that one.

I'll put it this way: I'm WAY more of an impulse buyer than most. What's more, I'm an impulse buyer with no real spending limit. If I want to buy it, it's mine; the price really doesnt matter that much. Frankly while I know OF the sales, they never determine my choices. I just point them out to people when I see one that someone I know might want. But otherwise? I dont really give a fart if it's $10 or $80; it's mine either way.

Over the last week, hmm, I went a little overboard, about 10 games bought I'd say (I'll refrain from buying more for awhile though while I obsess over those), but...

I'll say this: I cant remember the last time I bought a game and DIDNT like it. I also cant remember the last time I said "there's nothing to play". I did USED to say that though, back when I did consoles only. Games on those release WAY too freaking slowly.

A game being cheap doesnt mean they are bad; that being said, a game being EXPENSIVE doesnt mean they are good. I, personally, LOATHE the AAA side of the industry. It's like a disappointment factory. If it's made by a really major developer/publisher... I'm instantly suspicious of it. This is one of the reasons why PS4's Plus means nothing to me, as it has nothing I care about (and those few that I do, I probably already own on PC if there is a PC version). That graphics have no effect on me regardless of how impressive they are just furthers this. Frankly, I'll take old Atari 2600 games over most recent AAA games. And I mean that literally, I have an ancient Atari unit sitting next to me. It gets used. The recent consoles... not so much. So yeah, AAA = unimpressive as far as I'm concerned.

But games by smaller devs? You bet I'll buy those up. I've got hundreds upon hundreds of hours in games that cost 20, 10, or even 5. Or in the case of something like Dwarf Fortress, nothing at all. Smaller devs tend to care about substance rather than flair, though of course... you always get some that dont (the sort that pollute Greenlight with stupid).

Whereas AAA games... Feh. Lucky to get 10 hours. Of gameplay easy enough to be a cure for insomnia. They're all fluff and flair these days instead of depth and challenge. But that's a whole other rant.

Of course, there are always some exceptions to these rules; there are certain games/series by certain really major developers that I'll *always* buy (Monster Hunter, for instance.... I'd also say Anno, but the most recent one was a travesty; glad I didnt grab that) but mostly, I dont care about the AAA side. THey're mostly FPS games or story-based whatever, so... bah.

I think one problem alot of people on Steam run into though is buying games they dont REALLY want. They "fall" for the sales, instead of buying a game because they really WANT to play it. I end up getting to every game I buy sooner rather than later (though on rare occaisions I might forget about one) and... yeah, as I said, I've not regretted one in a long time. But then, I dont fall for the sales since I dont need them. But when you combine impulse buying with someone that doesnt have much to throw around, and then combine that with Steam Sales, well... you have purchases that dont make a whole lot of sense.

Though, there's one other MAJOR aspect to this. I often hear players saying things like "there's too much crap on PC/mobile" or "early access games are all bad". This has not been my experience as a PC player OR someone that plays games on tablets (in my case, most of those games on tablets are bullet-hell shmups, roguelikes, or other super-difficult things). But there's a reason for this: even as much of an impulse buyer as I am, I *always* research a product before I buy it. I think alot of people dont do this. They get wowed by some trailer or pretty screenshots, and just buy the damn thing, and then later they wonder how said game could be so very bad. This goes both for finished products AND early access. I do alot of early access games myself.... I've been doing those since LONG before the term "early access" existed (it used to always be called beta testing, and it was harder to do; you usually had to actually put in a sort of application for a chance at doing it...). Those even moreso though, require that you research. I've not had any bad experiences with early-access games, specifically because I research the game and developer. For most games of any sort, there's usually info EVERYWHERE. But alot of gamers these days dont even bother to look. My friends do this, it's almost painful to watch. They go "HOLY SNORKELING CATS, BATMAN!! ! Look at the pretty cinematic whatsits on the newest [insert overly popular yet shallow series here]! !! That'll be the best game ever!" Then they buy it, and a week later they're done with it. Or, in some cases... like Battlefront... it's beyond the level of a mere disappointment. And then I facepalm. Pretty hard, usually.


On the note of leaving games unfinished when bought, that one I can sorta understand; I personally avoid it for one simple reason: I almost never buy games that are story-based. There often is no "beat the game" condition. Or, in many cases, the win condition is so ridiculously hard to get to that it could take 1000 hours and i'd come nowhere near it, so it's a game I'll just come back to over and over, as time goes on. Or, the other major type, is just things like arcade/score attack games, or roguelikes, anything procedural.... with those sorts, if they have a "story" mode it's usually amazingly short, and the real meat of the game is elsewhere once beaten. Like SuperHot, I picked that up recently, did the entire story mode in 3 hours. But I now have about 20 hours in it as I've been playing the "endless" mode (score attack, well, one of the modes of that type anyway) over and over. Typically that's how it goes.

For those that are specifically after story games though or RPGs (I refuse to touch RPGs myself... well, usually), THAT sort of player really indeed should slow the hell down.


Sorry, I get a bit rambly about this topic, but I tend to think the sales/publishing/distribution side of the industry is interesting, as is consumer responses to it.