Topic: First play Wii U

I finally know someone who has a Wii U. My nephew got one for his birthday! He was absolutely loving it! My son was extremely eager to have a go and instantly wanted one (although interestingly it is still below the 'phone on his birthday list). I had a look and was a little nonplussed. The game Super Mario Brothers U looked fine but I couldn't spot any real difference from the Wii version. The tablet's use in that game was a bit uninspiring , unless I missed something, making blocks is only fun to a point. The other thing was that everyone who walked in asked the same question, "How's it different to the Wii?" The answer was that it was in HD and had a tablet which meant you didn't have to look at the tv. Once that had been stated however, the conversation dried up. Are those really the only differences? What secrets and fun things should I ask my nephew about when we next see him?

If you know someone else with one, friend request them on Miiverse, then you can use the video chat to talk to them through your TV/Gamepad. I use it to talk to my nephew. You can draw on the tablet whilst talking and play hangman and noughts and crosses, or draw silly faces on each other. In fact Miiverse is a real gem in general.

Plus the browser is useful for the internet including watching video on Youtube.

Play Nintendo Land. It'll show you tons of things you can do with the gamepad.

It is the next gen Wii filled to the brim with all kinds of win

New SMB U isn't really the game to sell the idea of the Wii U. New SMB and New SMB Wii weren't really the games to sell the DS and Wii either. It's a pretty bad game to use as a measure of how good an idea the new features of a console are. That said I wouldn't even rate the boost-mode as the Wii U defining feature of that game or the fact that it was in HD. I'd argue that the thing that makes that game is the MiiVerse integration, Off-TV play which you can use when you want to watch the footy and the Super Luigi U DLC.

If you want to know why it's better than the Wii get your hands on Pikmin 3 or any of the third party multiplatform titles from last year. That'll show you the boost in visuals. Alternatively grab something like Nintendo Land and you'll instantly understand the appeal of the touch screen.

Sometimes it's things like miiverse and off screen display that may not seem to make much of a difference, but if you actually intergrate them into the way you play games it makes it hard to go back.

I had this same doubt with my Wii U console, SMB U really doesn't show u the true changes with Wii U. I really didn't like my Wii U at first, but then i started using off-screen play, saw all the interesting games coming soon. and cant wait to try online services ( Internet is down right now ) makes it get a little better every time i use it.

What sold me was actually playing it. Dont observe, simply start playing. Nintendo land while not as great as Esport does serve as a great tech demo to show off what you can do. Of course for me, monster hunter is enough of a selling point.

Also i dont know about other people, but the whole playing on the gamepad function literally sold the Wii U to me. I can sit outside and play from my wii U, i can take a bath and play on the Wii U, before i go to bed i will play off of the gamepad while lying down and then turn my wii u off and put it in its cradle.

Play nintendo land and zombi u (this one is for you, not son) an you will see why gamepad is cool

PLAY. THE. GAME.

I play my Wii U every day I'm home, even with a 200-hours-and-counting-FEAwakening-playtime 3DS. The only true way to appreciate the Wii U is to experience it hands-on and to make your own demarch in learning more about it.

Wii U is more powerful than the Wii, New Super Mario Bros isn't the best example to use, wait until Pikmin 3 or something.

Thanks for the suggestions. There's some stuff to consider here. Clearly my nephew didn't choose a game which showcased the system's differences. He also got Nintendoland, so I'll ask to see that next time
@DePapier I. shall. indeed. play. the. game. and. see. if. it's. as. exciting. as. it. looked.
However, you suggesting I should make it my ambition to discover the U for myself, is flawed. I don't buy a console and expect to have to work out its differences to previous systems. I didn't with the n64, (I got it for Goldeneye) or Gamecube (I got it for Rouge Leader). My children wanted a Wii for Mario Galaxy or was it Skylanders?! In my opinion Nintendo should be proclaiming the differences and releasing software which highlights it, rather than expecting consumers to discover it for themselves.

Something like game pad, or in the case of the 3DS, is not necessarily easy to market. Nintendo is indeed cooking up more hardware selling games as well, like Mario Kart 8. That said, it really is something that needs to be used to see how great it can be. Which is exactly why there are demo kiosks in retailers.

Why make the distinction between the two? Why isn't getting hardware and software out into the hands of consumers, either by shop demos or via friends/family, and letting people "discover it for themselves" not "proclaiming the differences"? The fans will buy it regardless, the mass market is driven by word of mouth more than anything else. If New SMB U doesn't "sell the differences" for you then fair enough but when I walk past demo kiosks and see kids playing New SMB U I don't see it that way. I see the same thing when I walk past the Apple section where people play with the iPads or when people window shop for TVs. People want to get their hands on the product and will so I don't think it's reasonable to simply dismiss that.

People did not trust a proclamation from a company that Goldeneye 64 was a revolutionary and generation defining FPS. They went to a friend's place and had a controller forced upon them. Same happened with Wii Sports, same happened with CoD and Halo, same happens with iPads and TVs. Why should we suddenly expect people to turn their backs on the idea with the Wii U? This entire thread is about that sort of scenario playing out.... just with the wrong software for the demo being had...

Yes I agree that there is room for both and the distinction shouldn't be necessary. Clearly, I didn't see a game which appealed to me. I'm glad that you have seen people crowding round booths enjoying Super Mario Bro U. You are right that I didn't trust a game review about Goldeneye but seeing it in a demo booth, or any of the games mentioned they looked like something new and exciting. I acknowledge that that is just a case of perception. This thread was about finding what else wii u can do because as I said, the question which kept coming back was how is it different to the wii. I'm looking forward to seeing some of the games mentioned in this thread to help make it clearer.

What differences are you looking for? PS4 is more powerful than the PS3 which is more powerful than the PS2. That's the only difference there.

Since the tablet is the most obvious difference over any previous system, I suppose the main thing I was looking for was how it was used, what it added to the gameplay. That's why I'm interested to see, judging by earlier replies, Nintendoland.

I thought everybody in here saw GameTrailers' E3 Reggie interview...

It should also be noted that one of the main reasons for the GamePad is in games like New SMB U that don't do anything revolutionary with it. The ability to play through a title like Assassin's Creed, Need for Speed or New SMB on the GamePad while the footy is on is a big deal. It's also something that you're never going to really understand the value of before actually using it.

In hindsight it seems obvious, I do spend a lot of time infront of the TV playing portable games and messing around with tablet/phone games and such. Why wouldn't I value this feature? Without actually owning the console though it's kinda hard to explain how much of a big deal it is.