With the Switch coming out in less than a month, the SG Staff decided to come together and reflect on the good of the Wii U. Next time, we won’t be so nice. Let us know in the comments what your favorite Wii U memory is!
Nothing really comes to mind since I acquired one late into the system’s lifespan. Though some of the best fun I’ve had on the console stems from Xenoblade Chronicles X and it’s massive open world. Yeah, Smash was and still continues to be fun, but speaking from a strictly single-player experience (global missions aside), XCX was an RPG that I really felt was worth the 100+ hours I poured into it between the main story and literally everything else.
My favourite memory of the Wii U was playing Super Mario 3D World to completion the day I got it. They all came over at 8pm and I had just been messing around in the first world. We reset the game, grabbed some beers, ordered some take-outs and selected are characters. From there it was non-stop action, passing the controllers around all five of us so we could try different characters and take breaks, and making it all the way to unlocking Rosalina. By this time the sun was only an hour or two from rising and we were only a few minutes away from collapsing in our beds, but we never regretted it because we had a blast the entire night.
Really, I think I have two. The first is that it allowed me to sink my teeth into a number of Nintendo series to which I hadn’t previously paid much attention or gotten a chance to play. Tropical Freeze, Mario Kart 8, and EarthBound were all from series I’d played a little bit, but I now had the opportunity to really get into them. Similarly, it allowed me to try a number of GBA games I’d mostly missed, like Aria of Sorrow, Minish Cap, and Metroid Fusion, and the ability to play every non-Four Swords Adventures entry in the Zelda games on it and 3DS let me go through a sizable chunk of the series for the first time or again after almost a decade. The other, though, is really the Smash speculation period. From my time as a sole blogger discussing music and possible DLC characters to joining Source Gaming, the Wii U was really the machine that defined the first couple years of my time as a games writer. It’ll most likely carry this odd nostalgia for me because of that.
The moment that Wii U really clicked with me was when I was playing Nintendo Land with my friends. The asymmetrical gameplay of Nintendo Land (specifically the Mario Run or Luigi’s Mansion games) really showed off the potential for the Wii U gamepad. My friends and I had a lot of fun with these games, and couldn’t stop playing. It was something that everyone got into and really connected with people. In some instances, asymmetrical gameplay isn’t well balanced and favors one person more than the other…but it’s a concept that Nintendo and 3rd Party developers really didn’t utilize on the Wii U. Most of the other experiences I had on the Wii U (like playing Hyrule Warriors for the first time, or Super Smash Bros.) could’ve happened on any other system. Playing Nintendo Land was something that felt was made for the Wii U exclusively, and remains one of my favorite Wii U memory.
I’ve always enjoyed the Wii U, quite honestly. Nintendo Land and New Super Mario Bros. U at launch were pleasantly fun, and Super Mario 3D World was a great experience. What takes the cake for me, however, began E3 2013, when Mario Kart 8, and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U were first shown off. Being the latest entries in my two favorite video game series, I rode those hype trains straight until release, nearly bursting with excitement. Smash and Mario Kart 8 are my favorite games on the system, so they lived up to the hype…but if I had to choose one or the other, I’d choose Mario Kart 8. I actually spent about 5 hours in my local Gamestop when the demo came out, just challenging everyone to races. It’s a shame, though, that, seemingly, my favorite Wii U games and memories will be transferred to the Switch. I’ll never forget that initial and even pre-release hype behind those games.
I’ve always enjoyed playing my Wii U system. I got it for Christmas in the year of 2012 and never really regretted my purchase. It was a fun system was loads of games on it. It’s my go to system really and is one that will be highly underrated and sought after in the years to come. I played a lot of Mario Kart 8 when that game came out and was truly ecstatic when DLC was announced for that game. The same could be for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. I really did sink hours into that game as well (and I’ve bought all the DLC including the Mii Fighter Costumes for that game too.)
I also remember playing a lot of Wii games on that to. Wii games had a pretty good resolution on the Wii U. So it was nice playing them on a console that game with the HDMI cable. This also was the system I heavily played Project M on which I also sunk hours into. The Wii U really captivated me in a way no other console could (besides the other one being the Playstation 2) and got me heavily into the Gaming Community. I have to thank it for that and all of the wonderful gaming experiences I got out of it.
- Smash Ultimate Development Timeline - May 16, 2020
- Straight from the Source: Koji Igarashi on Castlevania in Smash, Bloodstained - October 16, 2018
- Sakurai Discusses Isabelle, Echoes, and Newcomers - September 26, 2018
This’ll sound quite obvious but the day I got Smash Bros. for Wii U. I have not sunk more time into a game since Brawl. And this is after I got the 3DS version. I recently hit the milestone of 10,000 battles, and with newly discovered mods, I certainly have a long way to go.
My most memorable moment?
The moment I saw this pic in Game & Wario:
http://www.mariowiki.com/images/e/ea/GameWario_AshleyTitleScreen.png
Among many other silly, silly screens that appeared in that game. xD
Beautiful
Favorite Wii U memory: Miiverse. ALL OF IT!
Either waiting and playing “Super Smash Bros. 4” or “Child of Light”!
It was a great run. I’d miss it if I wasn’t getting the Switch!
I usually play Japanese games, so I’ve purchased the Japanese Wii U with Mario Kart 8 already packed inside through Ebay. Mario Kart 8 was the first game I’ve played, and I really enjoyed the great graphics and nostalgic stages, but never enjoyed the online racing due to cheaters cheating the game with illegal hacks. Afterwards, I was able to buy new and used Wii U games whenever I go on a vacation to Japan or through the Japanese Amazon. Smash for Wii U, Hyrule Warriors, Splatoon…there were many enjoyable games I could remember.
However, that fun time never lasted until October 2 years ago…I needed to seal the Wii U due to family issues, so I haven’t played Wii U for quite a long time. Well…to be honest, I do sneak up and play it while my family’s gone for a vacation, but didn’t have enough progress to finish the game or enjoy playing it. Sadly, I’ve completely lost the chance to play Wii U anymore, and probably would sell it off during summer time…
Splatoon was fun, but wasn’t enjoyable if you’re gonna lose for the entire game. Even I’ve never won once in the Splatfest, so it really sucked in the end. No chances to win, bunch of pro-like opponents ganging up to kill you only, even with the system to allow somebody to cheat the game by using infinite sub weapons…it’s odd that I don’t hate the game, but simply, I hated the opponents more than the game. I just hope it’ll be fair enough for Splatoon 2, but that’ll depend anyways…
But while Wii U did things that Wii didn’t, it wasn’t bad at all. I didn’t much care about any issues that everybody always complaining about. Maybe the lack of games could be the problem, but still, I really enjoyed playing Wii U, even I had less time to play it than my 3DS. I’ll miss Wii U, but will never forget its enjoyment and excitement.