Summary
Nintendo’s Wii U was released more than a decade ago, and while it’s often seen as one of Nintendo’s more divisive systems, many fans have still come to warm up to this quirky and rather creative system over the years. Thankfully, the Wii spinoff would actually have a pretty healthylaunch line-up, which was made up of a handful of new first-party games, alongside some pretty big blockbusters which had only rarely been seen on previous Nintendo consoles.
This ensured the Wii U got off to a good start, giving players a decent variety of genres to dive into while they waited for some of Nintendo’s bigger releases to drop over the course of the next few years. Still, these launch games differ quite a bit in how enjoyable they actually are to play, so it’s time to see how they stack up in hindsight when looking at their overall quality and fun factor.
The Wii U seemed to mark a turning point in the games that Nintendo allowed on its system. More specifically, it seems like they were becoming more lenient about allowing games which were a little more bloody and mature to be available, and while many people will point toBayonetta 2as proof of this, another big example isNinja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge, which was a launch title.
In classicNinja Gaidenfashion, players are able to slice and dice their enemies with only a few button presses as they jump and dash around the environment as Ryu Hayabusa. Thanks tothe touchpad, switching between Ryu’s blades and using Ninpo techniques is easier than ever, and the developers even made sure to balance out the AI and add in a co-op to ensure the game felt fresh and different for Wii U players.
Considering the slow and gradual revival offighting gamesthat took place in the 2010s, it made sense that Nintendo would capitalize by bringing a popular fighter onto their latest system.Tekken Tag Tournament 2is a spin-off from the main series where players are able to control not one, but two characters in a fight by manually switching them out. While this does make the game a little more technical and harder to get used to than previous installments, it also adds a ton of creativity in terms of combo potential and team-up attacks.
The Wii U version also comes with a plethora of exclusive content, including not only familiar outfits from theMarioseries, but also brings back the fan-favorite Tekken Ball mode fromTekken 3. While the game’s accessibility might be an issue for some, it is still an absolute blast to play such a fast-paced fighting game on a Nintendo system, especially when also considering the sheer amount of added features that are baked into the game.
While Nintendo is known for its very joyful and uplifting first-party titles,Darksiders 2provided something a little more gory and gritty for fans of more mature games. The game itself is achaotic hack-and-slashtitle where players assume control of an absurdly powerful warrior known as Death, who is able to acquire an entire arsenal of dangerous weapons during his travels across the gorgeous world of ???
What really makesDarksiders 2so enjoyable to play is how much variation there is in terms of the gameplay. Every few levels, there will be something new to unlock, which can expand how players interact with the world, such as the Death Grip, for example, which can fling Death up to certain areas with the click of a button, thanks to his brand-new grappling hook. The controls can definitely take some getting used to, but it’s well worth it to get the most out of this iconic hack-and-slash classic, which was released day one for the Wii U.
After the incredible success of the Ezio trilogy of games, many fans of theAssassin’s Creedseries wondered how Ubisoft could top these installments, considering how popular they became. What came as a result of this wasAssassin’s Creed 3, a game set in Revolutionary America which followsa brand-new assassin by the name of Connor. While the third mainline game contains some truly breathtaking environments, especially the wide and open snowy Frontier, the combat has also been greatly refined to feel a little more satisfying and responsive.
The game also contains one of the most emotional and compelling stories in the franchise, digging deep into Connor’s tragic backstory and his relationship with his father. While it may not have reached the heights ofBlack Flaga few years later,Assassin’s Creed 3is still a great entry that plays very well on the Wii U, where players can switch their weapons and take a look at the map by using their very own gamepad.
The firstEpic Mickeygame turned out to be somewhat of a surprise hit when it released on the Nintendo Wii, so much so that it earned itself a sequel, which only builds upon everything that made the original so great. While Mickey is still able to use his magical brush to fend off enemies, this time around, he’s joined by Oswald, a quirky little companion who uses a remote control to solve puzzles and manipulate robots in a few unique ways.
This allows us some pretty fun and creative levels where players must think outside the box and use their abilities together to move from A to B. Speaking of the levels, they are still just as vibrant and outlandish as they were before, with plenty of them being direct references to Disney’s history. The game definitely isn’t as much fun on single-player, but when jumping in with a friend, it’s a fantastic experience.
Whilesurvival horror gameswere obviously nothing new by the timeZombi Udropped, Ubisoft clearly made a big attempt to make this specific title feel like something unique, and the way they did this was by honing in on immersion. The first-person view mixed with the gritty visuals and reliance on the gamepad makes players feel as if they are really there, stranded in a zombie-infested London fighting for their lives.
However, if players do end up getting surrounded by a bunch of crazy zombies, they will then respawn as a different survivor. This creates an interesting dilemma where they must decide whether to go and find their corpse to retrieve all the supplies they gathered, or to instead rebuild from scratch to prevent being hounded by a swarm again. All of this results in an extremely fun gameplay loop which, even today, is still worth diving into for fans of the horror genre.
The marketing for the Wii U was honestly a little baffling, as the developers didn’t exactly make it clear what made this system so unique and different. Thankfully,Nintendo Landacted as a great introduction to the Wii U as it featured a ton of mini-games which make full use of the system’s properties and capabilities. For example, one minigame involves one player using the gamepad to control Samus' airship, while the others use traditional Wii remotes and nunchucks to try and shoot them down from the TV screen.
On the other hand, there are also a few solo attractions that are an absolute blast to play through, such asDonkey Kong’s Crash Course, where players must rely on the gyroscope to bob and weave their way through each destination. Considering the staggering amount of content that is packed in here, it madeNintendo Landwas a must-buy when it released alongside the system back in 2012.
As the years have gone by. Nintendo has only gotten better at creating long and enjoyable2DSuper Mariogamesfor their systems, and this one, which released alongside the Wii U in 2012, is no exception. While the classic four-player mode makes a grand return, there have also been a few extra items thrown in to spice up the gameplay, such as the Flying Squirrel, which can be used to traverse long environments, and even Baby Yoshis, which all have their own unique abilities.
It doesn’t stop there, though, as there are even some challenging gameplay modes which can be switched on to grant a new experience too. For example, on Boost Rush, the screen will start moving faster the more coins players collect, making for a much more fast-paced and intense style of gameplay than what some may be used to. There’s even the Boost Mode, where a fifth player can jump in on the action and use the gamepad to place down blocks and items for players to use during their adventure. Simply put, there’s a ton to do in this game, no matter whether players are riding solo or with a group of friends, making it the perfect tie-in that all Nintendo fans were eager to get their hands on when it first released.
