Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
I want Nintendo experts to give me some background information on the best games, is it worth it to get a Wii U or is another console coming soon, anything major thing to know about the console?

I think the Wii U is well worth it. I have the most fun with Nintendo games. You can call the Wii U underpowered, the tablet a gimmick, etc, but I've always had the most fun with Nintendo's consoles and the Wii U (and 3DS) is no exception. If it's a choice between Halo/CoD/Assassin's Creed/etc and Super Mario 3D World/Mario Kart 8/Zelda, I'll take the latter every time. I just think they're more fun to play.

That's just me. Those who aren't really into the Nintendo exclusives will probably tell you it's not worth it and that it's better to get an xbox or playstation.

Also, keep in mind that I don't have a ton of free time to play games anymore so the lack of 3rd party games doesn't bother me. If I played video games as much as I did when I was younger, I don't know if a Wii U alone would satisfy me. I'd probably want a Wii U and something else, probably a PC but maybe a PS4 instead. These days, however, my Wii U and 3DS are more than enough.
 
Apologies in advance for my terrible sense of humour.

2pshutf.jpg
 
Yea if PS3s are still selling for $270 at BestBuy then $300 for the now current/next gen is a steal - don't get this sentiment of nearly free hardware
 
I think if Wii U made a normal controller version (yes I know you can use one) but as standard I'd jump in on it (maybe with a small price cut). I know it's unlikely to happen.
 
I think if Wii U made a normal controller version (yes I know you can use one) but as standard I'd jump in on it (maybe with a small price cut). I know it's unlikely to happen.

If you don't realize then you might want to know that for those concerned about the price Nintendo's online store has refurbished Wii Us for $199.
 
I wonder where they get these refurbished products from.

I am sure they function well after a tune up and they come with a 1 year warranty but wonder where the origination is for them.

$130 cheaper than the bundle I am looking at with MK8.

Intriguing.
 
I think if Wii U made a normal controller version (yes I know you can use one) but as standard I'd jump in on it (maybe with a small price cut). I know it's unlikely to happen.

Out of all the games I played, most of them can use the Pro controller. Only a few games I've played (Nintendo World, Wonderful 101) absolutely require the gamepad. All the major titles let you use the Pro controller.
 
Out of all the games I played, most of them can use the Pro controller. Only a few games I've played (Nintendo World, Wonderful 101) absolutely require the gamepad. All the major titles let you use the Pro controller.

What's your opinion on 101? Sorry, if I've already asked before but I have no idea which game to get for the free MK8 one. Sonic or 101, both not really tempting me. Does it have Off Tv?
 
What's your opinion on 101? Sorry, if I've already asked before but I have no idea which game to get for the free MK8 one. Sonic or 101, both not really tempting me. Does it have Off Tv?

Haven't got round to 101 yet. I kinda wish I went for Pikmin or that Wii U Play game, though. 101 is 17gb! It's a monster.
 
What's your opinion on 101? Sorry, if I've already asked before but I have no idea which game to get for the free MK8 one. Sonic or 101, both not really tempting me. Does it have Off Tv?

I am a huge fan of the W101 - it uses the GamePad in fun cool ways, but that said I would get that on disc with the size of it.

I think the go to title for your free digital title is Pikmin 3 - it is a pretty tight download with tons of replay value and a great new control style with the stylus that works surprisingly well - especially for Off TV play. There is also a ton of low cost DLC to expand that game even more - plus it is the most expensive digital game at $60.

Mario U is a nice one to get as well - that was my first Wii U game I played and it was a great start to this console for me.

----------

I wonder where they get these refurbished products from.

I am sure they function well after a tune up and they come with a 1 year warranty but wonder where the origination is for them.

$130 cheaper than the bundle I am looking at with MK8.

Intriguing.

I'm guessing that they are simply returns that they can't sell as new - in most cases refurbished will be as good or better than retail - these units all are going to be hand inspected versus out of the factory that have human checks every so often.
 
Haven't got round to 101 yet. I kinda wish I went for Pikmin or that Wii U Play game, though. 101 is 17gb! It's a monster.

Ahh, I remember you saying that 17gb comment before. Pikmin is great fun! I haven't played any other entries before nor did I knew they even existed though. Unfortunately I played VERY little and partially blame the game's 'deadline' mechanic for that, I'm more of a slower adventurer especially with the maps being so utterly gorgeous!
 
Ahh, I remember you saying that 17gb comment before. Pikmin is great fun! I haven't played any other entries before nor did I knew they even existed though. Unfortunately I played VERY little and partially blame the game's 'deadline' mechanic for that, I'm more of a slower adventurer especially with the maps being so utterly gorgeous!

One thing to keep in mind is the time thing may feel like a rush but there is almost triple the amount of fruit you need in that game so you can take all the time you want and just get the fruit you need as you go day by day - my first play through I felt that time anxiety, but power tip you really have all the time you need :)
 
I am a huge fan of the W101 - it uses the GamePad in fun cool ways, but that said I would get that on disc with the size of it.

I think the go to title for your free digital title is Pikmin 3 - it is a pretty tight download with tons of replay value and a great new control style with the stylus that works surprisingly well - especially for Off TV play. There is also a ton of low cost DLC to expand that game even more - plus it is the most expensive digital game at $60.

Mario U is a nice one to get as well - that was my first Wii U game I played and it was a great start to this console for me.



Thanks, musicpenguy. 'Unfortunately' I already own Pikmin, Mario and Zelda already so it really is Sonic or 101 for me. But since I stopped playing Pikmin despite having good fun with it I think I shouldn't go for 101. Bit of a pity I went for Zelda over Mario3d before, I can't see me playing Sonic a lot at all but who knows. Maybe some hours of free entertainment... :D

----------

One thing to keep in mind is the time thing may feel like a rush but there is almost triple the amount of fruit you need in that game so you can take all the time you want and just get the fruit you need as you go day by day - my first play through I felt that time anxiety, but power tip you really have all the time you need :)

But I REALLY HATE to leave any Pikmin behind, so am already worrying after only half a day to bring them back safely. :D But it's true and really distracted me from truly exploring every corner instead was almost rushing past everything..maybe I was just extremely bad at it, could definitely be! :p Only other little annoyance was the tedious sound the Pikmin made when you shot them around. Dozens and dozens of times...
 
Thanks, musicpenguy. 'Unfortunately' I already own Pikmin, Mario and Zelda already so it really is Sonic or 101 for me. But since I stopped playing Pikmin despite having good fun with it I think I shouldn't go for 101. Bit of a pity I went for Zelda over Mario3d before, I can't see me playing Sonic a lot at all but who knows. Maybe some hours of free entertainment... :D

----------



But I REALLY HATE to leave any Pikmin behind, so am already worrying after only half a day to bring them back safely. :D But it's true and really distracted me from truly exploring every corner instead was almost rushing past everything..maybe I was just extremely bad at it, could definitely be! :p Only other little annoyance was the tedious sound the Pikmin made when you shot them around. Dozens and dozens of times...

Another power tip - you only have to have them in your squad to have them survive the night and fly up - you don't need to have them in that circle just with you - I kinda of love that Pikmin sound, but tend to cry when they cry as they die - pretty devastating
 
I just got my Wii U today and have maybe spent 2 hours playing Super Mario Bros U.

It took about 2 hours to get the console setup between downloading the OS update and transferring my information from the Wii to the Wii U. It was painless, just took a while. In hindsight I probably should have popped Super Mario Bros U in first as sometimes discs have the OS update on them. It may not have been the latest but it may have saved some download time.

The data transfer worked fine. It moved all my saves via the SD card I happened to have but I should have done a save clean out on my Wii first. A lot of the saves I have no need of. Didn't hurt anything though, just more time.

As I've only been playing Super Mario Bros U by myself the new controller feels like a waste. It's simply mirroring whats on the screen and I'd rather have a longer battery life than a screen I'm not looking at. It has an okay range but simply due to placement it pretty much only works in my living room and since I'm the only one in my house, I have control of the TV. I guess it might be 'nice' if I want to play while doing something else on the TV, but for me it doesn't work in other rooms. It'd be nice if they offered a range extender. I presume it's connecting with Bluetooth. That being said, the screen has no lag that I can tell and playing from it isn't bad at all. Until I get a game that actually utilizes it for another purpose it's just dead weight. It was nice I guess when putting in my wifi password which is something nutty like 'ZhzBaEZ3wo4NPmB$hiAd$#Cp7UMdjGsU'. Using the Wii-mote to put that into the Wii was not fun.

I'm contemplating getting Mario Kart 8 as until the end of next month you can also get Wind Waker, Pikmin 3, Super Mario Bros U, or Wii Party U for free. I already have Super Mario Bros U, Wii Party U is probably okay but I rarely have guests and it seems more of a... party game. I've finished Wind Waker a long while back but I did enjoy it... so I'm debating between Pikmin 3 and that. I wish there was a Pikmin 3 demo as I don't recall much about prior Pikmin games although I did play one.
 
Good info and keep it coming as a new owner as I am trying to convince the wife this weekend. :D
 
I picked up MK8. It's such a fun game to play online. Lots of lil hidden secrets like Luigi's reactions ;).

Since I bought my WiiU a year ago, I've been playing Pikmin, Earthbound, DK.... I haven't touched my PS3 very much.... Not interested in a PS4 just yet.

I love the purity and fun factor of Nintendo games.
 
Well I ended up buying Mario Kart 8 and opted to get Pikmin 3 as my free game. I like Wind Waker but I've already beat it so I figured I'd be less likely to replay it.

I did get the Zombi U demo and holy... it's scary. I may pick that up once I get through these other games. I like the usage of the controller screen on that game as having to take your eyes away from the TV to dig through your backpack seemed tense. I could see it being fun to have another person in the room watching the screen yelling, "Close your backpack!!!!" when a zombie starts approaching.

Oh I also used the controller screen last night as I was waiting for friends to show up to play games on the 360. My TV was occupied with us sitting in the lobby so I was able to play some Super Mario Bros. U during the hour or so wait for people to show up which was nice.

Mario Kart 8 is pretty decent of course. You can upload a highlights reel to YouTube once you're done playing a track.


Edit: Also I found an option to turn off the new controllers screen so that's nice for saving a bit of battery during games that really don't need it.



----------

I picked up MK8. It's such a fun game to play online. Lots of lil hidden secrets like Luigi's reactions ;).

Make sure to get your free game!
 
Last edited:
OK since I posted..I've done a 360 and decided to get one haha. There's a deal going here $200 + skylanders for wii u basic package. Couldn't pass it up! Also decided I'm going to bypass the PS4 completely so will have xbox one + wii u for my gaming needs. Going to get MK8, Donkey Kong + Pro controller. Excited!
 
Waiting to see what my wife has for my fathers day gift tomorrow before buying today but getting antsy with 2 of you just getting it today! :D
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.