Bring back good stuff: The Wii U

I’ve just got my Wii U down from the loft. I’m a bit cross with myself for putting it up there. Being Nintendo hardware it of course just worked. Even though it is eight years or so old. And the games are still awesome. Its interesting that the devices have held their value quite well, and there are also plenty of Wii U games for sale in the second hand shops around town too. I think there are quite a few people out there who see it as a bit of an unrecognised gem. It certainly gives you a gaming experience unlike any other, with some very interesting asymmetric game options, particularly for party games.

The other wonderful thing about the Wii U is that it runs all the original Wii games, so that I was able to fire up Wii Sports again and have a few games of tennis. Wonderful fun.

Zelda Guide

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild The Complete Official Guide, Standard Edition

By Piggyback

I suppose it's an admission of defeat to buy a game guide. But actually I like them for the pictures as much as anything. And sometimes they are useful because they let you know that something is possible, rather than telling you how to do it. 

My official guide for the Zelda: Breath of the Wild arrived today and I really like it. Lots of detail and lavishly illustrated. If you've got the game I reckon you'll get a lot out of this guide, whether you need it or not.

Injustice: Gods Among Us

Thanks, but I’ve been around long enough to know those…..

Number one daughter recommended “Injustice: Gods Among Us” as a good game. She reckons it is a good way to find out who would win in a fight between Superman and Batman. Since you can actually do that.

Yesterday I got hold of a copy. And she is right. Great game. I was expecting a good beat’em’up, but actually it is much better than that. There is also an engaging story mode that tells of Superman gone bad and even though it uses a Parallel Universe as a narrative device (quite the story telling mot du jour at the moment – hello Star Trek and Dr. Who), this does mean that you can have more interesting fights.

I got the game for the Wii U, figuring that the platform could do with some love at the moment. It works very well, with the Wii U controller either duplicating the video screen or showing you the player moves. I really like using the Wii U to play games. It now feels very natural to have a screen in your hands as well as in front of you. In fact, with Wii U consoles now available for around 150 quid I reckon they are a bit of bargain at the moment. Hopefully Sony will do something with the PS Vita and Microsoft with Glass to make the experience available on their platforms.

Anyhoo, we spent a happy afternoon working through various superhero permutations. Recommended.

Wii U Nintendo Land Coin Drop

The Wii U is growing on me quite a bit. Mostly with NintendoLand. I’ve worked my way around all the mini-games now and they are all fun. The Donkey Kong themed game, where you have to tip the controller to roll a little wagon (containing your head on a spring) over a fiendish obstacle course, is great fun if a bit frustrating. And I’m spending a lot of time on the throwaway mini-game which involves dropping coins (which you win for completing games) into a playfield where they bounce down to targets (the blue bits at the bottom of the screen).  This is determinedly eight bit, even down to the sound and cheesy graphics, but is still tricky and horribly addictive.

Wii U Fun and Games

I swore I wasn’t going to get a Wii U. Of course not. Silly idea. Another console under the telly. Why would I want to do that?

Indeed.

But it is very nice. A lot nicer than I expected. And even better after the enormous update that it insisted on performing just after I’d plugged it in. Actually the thing that got me excited in the first place was the potential for media management that the device brings. The large controller with a screen is a great way to browse for and view media, and you can also use it to turn your telly on and off. If Nintendo play their cards right (historical fun fact – they used to sell playing cards before they sold video games) they could make this into a proper media hub with the benefits of dual screen that the controller brings. Microsoft have “Smart Glass” which is a big step in the same direction, but Nintendo sell you a complete solution all in one, rather than relying on you bringing a Smartphone to the party. If it all comes together, say in three or four enormous updates, I can see folks in the family really appreciating the ability to find and play media on Netflix, Love Film and the various iPlayeresque services.

The hardware is impressive. The remote screen is very good and there is no noticeable lag between it and the main screen. The fact that it is a resistive touch screen doesn’t cause problems, and even makes it easier to use a stylus where required. The worst thing about the shiny black devices is that they really do attract fingerprints and dust. However, we finally have a Nintendo device with proper video output. The HDMI plug just goes straight in and produces nice looking video and surround sound.

The games are great too. If you get a Wii U you must get NintendoLand. No ifs, no buts. You’ll also need to dig out 4 Wii controllers too (preferably with Motion Plus) to get the full five player action, but it is worth it. The “asymmetric” games are great. My favourite is the one based around Luigi’s Mansion where you have a ghost (who uses the big controller see where everyone is) sneaking up on players who have only got there torches to see what’s around them. I don’t think NIntendoLand will have the same long term appeal as Wii Sports did, but it will really make all your Christmas parties go with a swing.

We also had a go at Zombie U, which is quite frankly terrifying, Super Mario which brings Mario into high definition and adds some very interesting variations with players able to use the controller to change platform the environment and finally Tekken, which is, well, Tekken.

One surprising thing about the Wii U is the number of launch games available. The actual arrival of the console has been fairly low key in my opinion, perhaps because they haven’t made a huge number, but the range of games available is very impressive. Some of them (step forward EA with FIFA 13) are just Nintendoised versions of their offerings on other platforms (and in the case of FIFA it’s FIFA 12 too) but some look very interesting.

If you want a glimpse into an interesting video game future then the Wii U is well worth a look.