Topic: The Wii U has finally done it!

(disclaimer: all of the following is all imo, obviously)

There are 2 dominant views on the Wii U's software lineup. The first group consists of those of us who feel that Nintendo's first party Wii U games are fun and made very well, so that's good enough.

The 2nd group, which I belong to, agree with the first group's view that Nintendo is still making quality games that are good at what they aim to do (I don't think anyone can legitimately argue that the games are bad or not well made...) but that something is missing. That special Nintendo magic, and charm. That feeling that gets your blood pumping and you feel like you are experiencing something not just good, but "special". That feeling that makes you want to call over your friends and experience this with them, hoping they feel the same about it so you will have someone to experience this with over the next couple of months. There are even times that you feel your life has been enriched and made better by what you're playing. It seems silly to some, but to anyone who ever fell in love in the darkness of your room at 2am exploring the land of Hyrule or the Mushroom Kingdom in 3d for the first time with Mario64, you understand this feeling very well.

Nintendo is the king of this feeling, second to none. And the lack of it on the Wii U is a big reason the people in Group 2 exist. We love Nintendo, we grew up with and support them, but we've been searching for something truly special on our brand new system we spent 300 dollars for and have been deprived. We knew it was coming. Every Nintendo system ever, including the Gameboys and DS's, have them in the lineup. Some more than others. Some are loaded wih them. (SNES n N64 for me)

Anyways, to the point! Mario Kart 8 is that gem! FInally, the Wii U has a title that is the best in it's franchise. This game is truly incredible. It goes without saying that the graphics and animations, frame rates, etc. would be better than the previous entries on a technical level, but the track design, the charm... The MAGIC is all there. This is one of those games that I will have memories of 20 years from now of my buddies and I cracking up and having a blast.

Hey, maybe I'm overly passionate about this stuff. But that's okay. Nintendo (and gaming in general) was a lost passion of mine that I have been getting reacquainted with and falling back in love with.

Mario Kart is is starting the trend, and hopefully it continues with Smash. Captain Toad has a slight chance to be a special gem but will likely be a 3d World-esque style quality 3d platformer. That's good enough. Zelda U, XCX and StarfoxU will all have a chance to showcase that magic of a title in a Nintendo series that blows away the rest in it's own series and rises to the top.

Yoshi's Yarn and Kirby's Rainbow Curse have a small chance of being sleeper classics.

Mario Maker has a chance to capture the magic of one of the most underrated titles of all time, Mario Paint. It's a lane that no other companies ever swerve into and attempted to ride. There's been nothing like it since and while MM is very different, I see enough similarities.

And, finally, Splatoon. Unlike ZU, XCX & SFU, Splatoon has the distinction of being the first game in what could likely become a long running series. That gives it a unique edge to claim that legendary feel.

Anyways, I've been rambling. I'm just very passionate and happy about how things are going- It's a great time to be a Wii U owner!

Ahem,. a slight gem? I'm gonna shine brighter than any of ya'll.

(No, this is not going to my head.)

Captain Toad!!!!!!! You better find a lot of treasure if you want to shine as bright as Mario Kart 8!!! I have faith in your little buddy! I was always pick you in SM3DW by the way!!!!!

I'm in the 3rd group: I think the lineup is good, but it isn't my kind of thing.

Of course it is just a matter of opinion and taste. If you ask me, for example, I would say W101 and 3D World have the magic, as do MK8 and even Pikmin 3.

I just don't see a point in getting Mario Kart 8 when it mostly feels like a gameplay downgrade from Mario Kart Wii

Mario Kart 8 has been the only first party title on the WII U I've enjoyed so it really is like everything an opinion.

Since you haven't played MK8, you can't tell. Stop trolling.

Mario Kart 8 its easily the best one, great online, grahics are just amazing (art design), beatiful tracks, lots of customization, yes the the item distribution could be better but its not the stupidly broken game that was Mario Kart Wii and its 15 million blue shells a race, and thank god i can use a lot of different characters and im not forced to use a Bike and Funky Kong JUST to have a fair race.

it appears you haven't played mario kart 8

I'm definitely in Group 2, I didn't enjoy the amount of rehashes Nintendo's been coming out with in the 2010-2014 period, but this next batch of games is more like the Nintendo I know and love. Between MK8, Captain Toad, and Splatoon I'm seeing a more satisfying amount of creativity in their games.

I haven't played it either and even I know that's wrong. The only downgrades I see from MKWii are the character roster and Battle Mode, everything else looks like an improvement.

Am I the only one who takes issue with the fact that most of the differentiation between Bikes and Karts was removed? Or that quarter pipes were cut. Or that trick mechanics were changed (IMO for the worse)? Or that the item mechanics were made worse?

Except I have played it, and I know that elements are in the game. Mario Kart Wii is amazing, Mario Kart 8 is somewhat similar, but removes key elements like wheelies and true inside drift. If I didn't have Mario Kart Wii, 8 would be a great purchase, but I don't so it's really not special.

I don't know about that. I definitely enjoyed playing Mario Kart Wii more (At least the first few hours with motion controls I really enjoyed. I never had any time like that with MK8).

I do know that All Stars Racing : Transformed takes the good bits of Mario Kart whilst not bothering with the bad bits.

(And it looks miles better at 1080p/60fps on the exact same TV with Anti-Aliasing). Aliasing annoys me more than anything else other than a none 60fps framerate. (Any downgrade to the graphics to get rid of the jagged edges I would always go for).

@iKhan

Mario Kart Wii was terrible in my opinion. It took a lot of skill out of the game and made it too much of a party game for my tastes. Mario Kart 8 is more of a racer which I like but still keeps luck as a factor (with items). Mario Kart 8 is also just the better game in general. I never had a race online in MKW that felt fair. I got hit by way too many powerful items often going from 2nd or 3rd back to 12th and never being able to catch up. The few times I finished in a good spot it turned out to be lag and my true placing was way lower than normal. Wii was probably the worst Mario Kart in the series (still would have given it a high 7 or low 8) MK8 is my new favorite in the series. After playing MK8 I can't imagine going back to an older version of the game (except maybe double dash). I don't know why you hate MK8 so much but Wii is not better than it by any stretch of the imagination (unless you just love party games that punish skilled players)

You forgot how 8 also removed elements like the POW block and thunder cloud

Of the titles coming out next year- all of them look like they are worth getting at some point. Maybe not all Day One gets, but they look like something I will eventually pick up. The DLC for MK8 has potential for it to make it my favorite game of all time. I already like it a lot, but if the new tracks are as good as the others, i'll really, really love this game.

I loved the POW block from day 1, but unlike most, I came to really like the thunder cloud.

This. So much this. Mario Kart Wii was filled to the brim with OP items and was just plain imbalanced to the point where skill was almost a non-factor in the game.

Now I haven't played 8 yet (aside from Gamestop demos), but I like what I see in that game. The game looks a lot more balanced and polished. The items are more balanced, kart customization choices actually matter, and the courses look amazing. This game is definitely near the top of my list for Wii U games.

I'll give you this. Mario Kart Wii has one of the worst rubber band AI's I have ever experienced. But I never ran into issues of never being able to catch up with human players. I thought MKWii had terrific item balancing, giving you exactly the item you needed in exactly the right spot. In the back you got mushrooms, golden mushrooms, bullet bills, and lightning. In the middle you got red shells, POW Blocks, mega mushrooms, green shells, blue shells, and lightning clouds, and in the front, you got fake item blocks, bananas, and green shells. So you were never completely out of the game (unless you were REALLY bad). MK Wii did have a lot of powerful items and mechanics, but if you ask me, that's what made it so fun. Everything seemed to have big impacts. I don't want to play a Mario Kart game where most of the items are like green shells, the tracks are straightforward, and unique differentiators between types of vehicles are removed. That's boring. I want to feel like I'm in an intense exaggerated Kart race. Now that doesn't mean the game can't be balanced, it just means it has to be balanced among more powerful entities. That's why I love Midways NHL Hitz series and EA's "Street" series so much. The games still feel fair and skill based, but you feel powerful, and get to see crazy stuff.

Double dash...ugh, IMO, that's one of the worst video games Nintendo EAD has ever made. The mechanics feel like oil slick was poured over all the tracks, the double racer mechanic has very little impact on the gameplay, while effectively cutting the roster size in half, and the special items, while a nice idea in concept, ended up giving you a very shallow item pool and restricting your selection of characters even further. Part of the reason I'm so reluctant to spend full price on games today is that I did spend full price on Double Dash and was horribly horribly disappointed.

Though Bob-omb battle was awesome.

@iKhan

Sounds like you just dislike the best Mario Kart games and really like the worst one. Everyone has an opinion but sounds to me like you prefer party games. While Mario Kart 8 can be a fun party game it definitely rewards more skilled players more than MKW ever did. Kart customization is so much better than what MKW had and it allows for more unique choices. Sorry you don't enjoy MK8 but it is better than MKW