Bye Bye Wii U

In less than five weeks there will be a shiny new Nintendo Switch under my TV. Until that time my only home for Italian plumber hijinks and Hero of Time adventures will be my 3DS. But what about the Wii U I hear you ask… It’s gone to the Game, traded in so that some young pup can enjoy the same wonders I’ve experienced for nearly four years… But also to fund my Switch purchase because I’m a ‘responsible adult.’ Ugh.

I loved my Wii U. I can freely admit that I’m a little bit biased towards the greatest entertainment company that ever was and ever will be. Just a little bit. The Wii U flopped, failed and is generally seen as the biggest screw up they’ve ever had (apart from the Virtual Boy). It sold just over 12 million compared to the Wii’s 100 million. It began its life confusing the flip out of parental folk who barely knew it was a new machine and assumed it was some crap tablet add on for that little dust magnet they used to play golf with. It launched with a Mario game and a bunch of stuff people could already play on their PS3. Then there was nothing of interest for months afterwards, fan boys like me were anxiously waiting to spend money on something, anything to play.

Eventually the games came but by then it was too late. It was a machine kept near exclusively by those of us who need Mario and Zelda in their gaming diets. But that’s enough doom and gloom for now because as mentioned I loved mine. Here’s why…

Bundled with the machine was Nintendoland, a collection of themed mini games set to show off the idea of having a separate screen in your hands whilst your mates looked at the TV. There weren’t half as many sessions as I wanted, with my friends preferring things like conversations.. But when it was played it was nifty. Mario Chase and Luigis Ghost hunt were fricking hilarious, especially when you had a loved up couple shouting at each other, as they tried to catch you running round a maze. Epic.

Mario Kart was another multiplayer favourite but you already know what Mario Kart is . I bring it up just to note that I used my Wii U for two to four player local gaming. I could play against my wife and my mates. I don’t even have a second controller for my PS4. The Wii U carried on that Nintendo tradition of playing and having a laugh with people in the same room. People who could challenge me and people who were so bad a tie-wearing monkey could beat them. (You know who you are, both of you)

There was plenty of solo gaming too and my collection wasn’t too shabby before I traded. It was really great for the humble platformer, a genre confined to indie productions and retro gaming. I’ve said in a previous blog about how great Rayman Legends and Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze are. Super Mario 3D World is another gem despite some folk hating it. It’s nothing like the 3D Mario template laid down by Mario 64 but instead it takes the formula of the original Super Mario Bros. and makes that 3D. I’m pretty sure that sentence made sense… Captain Toad isn’t a platformer really, but it’s great and I don’t know which other paragraph to include it in. A charming puzzler that has you studying levels and twisting the camera to reach your goal.

“But those games are for kids,” cry the idiots among you. Well shove some Bayonetta 2 in your face and let’s see how tough you are. What. A. Game. It’s utterly insane and if you follow the story whilst taking in the weird sexual jokes then yes you might wonder how the hell I like it. Play it. Die, fail, learn the controls, and go back. Probably die again. Keep playing, keep learning and in time you’ll find a game that is a ferociously fast ballet of swords, kicks and…. demons summoned through portals made from the hair suit you wear. Anyhoo, it’s amazing and easily one of the most fun games I’ve ever played.

Splatoon!! I can’t not mention Splatoon. Nintendo get accused of relying on the same characters and the same games, which at times is a fair point. Splatoon is probably the only real new IP they created this gen but it’s a good one. The PS and Xbox are filled with online shooters, usually involving gruff military blokes controlled by screaming teenagers in online matches I found about as appealing as rubbing raw onion in my eyeballs. Nintendo’s equivalent is a colourful explosion of mayhem in which you win by spraying ink everywhere. You don’t have to run up and shoot people in the face but you can. You can also avoid shooting anyone and just swim and spray your way to victory. No shooter offers as much variety in play style or allows such a variance in skill level to just have fun. It is all of the fun.

There’s way too many games for me to talk about here. It was great for Indies, with the likes of Little Inferno, Gaucamelee and Runner 2. You also had access to the vast catalogue of Virtual Console titles. I got introduced to Fire Emblem this way, had my first of Minnish Cap and also replayed some classics like Metroid Prime and Super Mario 64. There was plenty of gaming joy to be had. With so much love you’d wonder why I sold it, but I’m happy with my choice. It’s recycling. A new Nintendo awaits and I’ll love it at least as much. Goodbye Wii U, Hello Switch.