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Topic: Why is the Wii U's library so lauded?

Posts 1 to 20 of 308

iKhan

I keep hearing "The Wii U has an amazing game library" or something along those lines. I keep hearing all these words of praise for the system's library. But I can't help but think that that praise only comes relative to the PS4 and XB1 having arguably the some of the worst first year game libraries [both platform (e.g. just PS4) and generation exclusives (e.g. PS4, XB1, PC, NO PS360)] in video game history.

It's no secret that I'm not a fan of Hyrule Warriors or Mario 3D World, but even putting my distaste for those games aside, relative to older Nintendo systems, the Wii U is still behind the curve.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_products_published_by_Ni...

So is the Wii U really like the Dreamcast? Low selling but beloved due to great games? Or is it simply the least worst option in terms of game selection among the 8th gen home consoles.

Edited on by iKhan

Currently Playing: Steamworld Heist, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Tales of Graces F

Nicolai

What's with the sudden influx of new cynical threads? I've seen about 10 in the past 5 hours!

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Joeynator3000

National bash Nintendo week. lol

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Eel

Nicolai wrote:

What's with the sudden influx of new cynical threads? I've seen about 10 in the past 5 hours!

Haven't you heard? Nintendo is DoOoOoOoOomed.

Or was it just the wiiu now?

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Bolt_Strike

The Wii U's library is only better by comparison to Microsoft and Sony. 8th gen in general has been pretty mediocre.

Bolt_Strike

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iKhan

Sanya wrote:

National bash Nintendo week. lol

I'm not bashing Nintendo. If anything, this topic is showering praise on Nintendo for the fact that a relatively good library this gen is underwhelming by Nintendo standards.

I'm trying to put things in perspective though.

Currently Playing: Steamworld Heist, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Tales of Graces F

Nicolai

iKhan wrote:

Sanya wrote:

National bash Nintendo week. lol

I'm not bashing Nintendo. If anything, this topic is showering praise on Nintendo for the fact that a relatively good library this gen is underwhelming by Nintendo standards.

I'm trying to put things in perspective though.

Here's my perspective:
Untitled
It's all relative, after all

Edited on by Nicolai

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skywake

Well lets just go through that list of games..... upto an equivalent point in time for each.

Wii U: New SMB U, Nintendo Land, Pikmin 3, Wind Waker HD, The W101, 3D World, DK:TF, Mario Kart 8, Bayonetta 2, Smash, Captain Toad, Hyrule Warriors, Wii Sports Club, NES Remix, Dr Luigi, Pushmo

Wii: Wii Sports, Twilight Princess, Super Paper Mario, Mario Party 8, Mario Strikers Charged, Metroid Prime 3, Fire Emblem, Galaxy, Smash, Kart, Wario Land, Animal Crossing, Dr Mario

Gamecube: Luigi's Mansion, Pikmin, Smash, Animal Crossing, Eternal Darkness, Mario Party 4, Metroid Prime, Super Mario Sunshine, F-Zero, Wind Waker, Mario Party 5, Kart, Wario World

The volume is about the same on each, what's different is the overall quality. The Wii U hasn't quite hit the highest heights that the previous two systems did, I'll give you that. It hasn't had a Galaxy or Prime type game. 3D World is still a must-have but I doubt I'll be talking about it years down the road like I do with Galaxy or Prime. What it has had though are a decent number of great versions of games. Pikmin 3 was great even if only for the micro-management the GamePad allowed and seeing Pikmin in HD. Mario Kart 8 is fantastic, miles ahead of Mario Kart Wii. Smash Bros is the same deal. I love Donkey Kong so getting another one was fantastic. And frankly I enjoyed Bayonetta 2 more than anything not named Super Mario Galaxy on the Wii.

Edited on by skywake

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bro2dragons

It's all opinions, but the Wii U's library has a lot of really creative games that pushed their respective series/genre forward. 3D World is brimming with ideas, Tropical Freeze adds a different twist to every level (keeping one of the most tired genres around fresh through the whole campaign), Pikmin 3's puzzling exponentially increased the franchise's strategic depth, Captain Toad is a totally original idea in its puzzle/platform/exploration/collectathon mixed genre, Bayonetta 2 is nonstop frenetic action the likes of which hasn't ever quite been reached before, Wind Waker HD is an improved version of what is still one of the greatest playable adventures of all time and one of the best bildungsroman in gaming, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate is an enormous game that shoved all the best elements of past entries together for a hunting treat that has yet to be matched on any other system, Wonderful 101 is a brutal-yet-heartwarming take on the action genre that creates a uniquely refreshing atmosphere while also adding shooting and pattern-based fighting levels to mix things up, and Hyrule Warriors took a familiar-but-obscure formula and painted it in Zelda colors making a niche series finally appeal to the masses and get mainline exposure at an unprecedented level for the long running series.
And those are just some of the biggest, exclusive retail releases. Smash and Mario Kart are the two biggest that didn't really add anything new to their formulas, but they are the most balanced, content heavy, accessible, and fun (I think) entries either series has seen yet.

There's also a strong cast of AA retail titles like Game & Wario, Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, or Mario Party 10 and some of the best indie games of the current and last generation available on the eShop that pad the list out nicely.

The library is small and the releases are way too far between. For gamers that have a lot of time to play, the Wii U won't be enough, and for gamers who prefer shooting, sports, or big name action titles (Arkham, Assassin's Creed, etc.), the Wii U won't have a lot of appeal. And for those (I guess like yourself), who for one reason or another don't enjoy Nintendo's typical fare, it won't be able to offer many alternatives. We've all known this for a couple years. But for what it is, it's hard to deny that the system has played host to some very quality games. You don't have to like them to see that they're well made and that's why the library gets the praise it gets. Because if you like Nintendo's games, then the Wii U will bring you some of the best that you can get anywhere. Software design-wise, Nintendo has been near the top of its game lately and that gets some people excited.

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bro2dragons

Nicolai wrote:

Here's my perspective:
Untitled
It's all relative, after all

Off topic, but no. It's not all relative. Opinions do play a big part in life, and a bigger part in online gaming discussions, but there are also facts in life that are still facts even if you think they aren't. Case in point: that turtle is not flying. If she enjoys thinking so, more power to her. But she's still not flying. Perception does not equal reality.

Bringing it back around, as I was saying earlier, you can dislike Nintendo's games or the Wii U's games, but there is a degree of objectivity in play when asserting that, say, Super Mario 3D World is a quality game. Your opinion or mine doesn't change what the game is, and anyone who pays attention to game design can see a lot of work and thought and originality went into the game, coupled with a high level of graphical polish and fidelity, responsive controls and consistent physics. These things combine to produce something of quality workmanship, even if I don't like it. I don't like the Dreamcast (a comparison the OP made), because the controller isn't comfortable for me and of the roughly dozen games I've played on it, I've yet to find one that really captivates me. But I can see the elements of those games and know that some are quality products regardless of my feelings and see the elements of the hardware and acknowledge how far ahead of its time it was, admitting that it was a quality system. Facts that are unaltered by opinion, even if opinions are the focus of the discussion in the thread at hand.

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bro2dragons

Neko_Rukiafan wrote:

@bro2dragons Uh...MK8 added anti-gravity which is definitely a new feature.

It's "new." Just like underwater driving is "new" but doesn't change anything substantial about the way the game is played. It's mainly there to allow the designers more freedom in the visual variety. Anti-gravity's spin boost thing makes it more interesting than gliding or submarining, but at the end of the day, it changes little.

Though, admittedly, the above is opinion and not fact.

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iKhan

skywake wrote:

Well lets just go through that list of games..... upto an equivalent point in time for each.

Wii U: New SMB U, Nintendo Land, Pikmin 3, Wind Waker HD, The W101, 3D World, DK:TF, Mario Kart 8, Bayonetta 2, Smash, Captain Toad, Hyrule Warriors, Wii Sports Club, NES Remix, Dr Luigi, Pushmo

Wii: Wii Sports, Twilight Princess, Super Paper Mario, Mario Party 8, Mario Strikers Charged, Metroid Prime 3, Fire Emblem, Galaxy, Smash, Kart, Wario Land, Animal Crossing, Dr Mario

Gamecube: Luigi's Mansion, Pikmin, Smash, Animal Crossing, Eternal Darkness, Mario Party 4, Metroid Prime, Super Mario Sunshine, F-Zero, Wind Waker, Mario Party 5, Kart, Wario World

The volume is about the same on each, what's different is the overall quality. The Wii U hasn't quite hit the highest heights that the previous two systems did, I'll give you that. It hasn't had a Galaxy or Prime type game. 3D World is still a must-have but I doubt I'll be talking about it years down the road like I do with Galaxy or Prime. What it has had though are a decent number of great versions of games. Pikmin 3 was great even if only for the micro-management the GamePad allowed and seeing Pikmin in HD. Mario Kart 8 is fantastic, miles ahead of Mario Kart Wii. Smash Bros is the same deal. I love Donkey Kong so getting another one was fantastic. And frankly I enjoyed Bayonetta 2 more than anything not named Super Mario Galaxy on the Wii.

You listed nearly every Wii U game from launch until the end 2014, but you skipped a ton of Wii and GC games.
If you ignore overtly casual titles, you missed (Games in parentheses didn't get a North American release):
Wii U: Game & Wario, Rumble U
Wii: Excite Truck, WarioWare: Smooth Moves, Mario Party 8, Pokemon: Battle Revolution, Donkey Kong Barrel Blast, Battalion Wars 2, Endless Ocean, Mario Super Sluggers, (Captain Rainbow)
GC: Wave Race, Eternal Darkness, NBA Courtside 2002, Starfox Adventure, (Cubivore), (Doshin the Giant), 1080° Avalanche, Ocarina of Time Master Quest, Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, Kirby Air Ride

That's a pretty significant game disparity. Even if you exclude Battle Revolution, Barrel Blast, Rumble U,and Game & Wario due to poor critical reception, the disparity is still big.Debating the quality of the games you mentioned is aside the point of the topic. I can try to convince you that MK Wii is better than MK8, but that's just going to go in circles (I'm split on Brawl vs. Smash U, the extra modes in Brawl are 10 times better, but the mechanics put me to sleep).

Now that all said, the Wii's lineup really slows down after 2007 (the GC kept chugging along), so the Wii U definitely has POTENTIAL to have a stronger library over it's entire lifespan

Edited on by iKhan

Currently Playing: Steamworld Heist, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Tales of Graces F

skywake

Neko_Rukiafan wrote:

@skywake You forgot Kirby and The Rainbow Curse.

Edit: Oh and Pokemon Rumble U.

It wasn't an exhaustive list and it only went to the end of the "second year"

@iKhan
Happens every time someone does a list. I did include some of the ones you say I didn't and quite a few actually. I didn't go into 2014 because I didn't go into the respective years for the others. Also some of those titles you mention were only available in Japan, others are either pretty average or not really worth mentioning. Some I should have mentioned. But if we're including things like the Master Quest disk? We should also be including Bayonetta 1 & 2 as two separate games....

Edited on by skywake

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jariw

iKhan wrote:

It's no secret that I'm not a fan of Hyrule Warriors or Mario 3D World

So your parents haven't bought you a Wii U yet? No one will be a fan of Hyrule Warriors who haven't played it.

jariw

Nicolai

@bro2dragons

I'm not saying I've lowered my standards to the point where they've already met; the optimism picture was more of a joke, in response to the recent cynicism in the forums. I actually have had a pretty good generation so far, and what are likely to be my two favorite games this generation haven't even come out yet.

I can't say I judge video games objectively like you do. Yes, I understand that you can, and you can use that in arguments, but there's no point, really. Games are an art, and as appreciators we should analyze what qualities in the games correspond with our instincts, not predetermined notions of quality. But that is beside the point. My original comment was merely satirical.

EDIT: jariw, HUGE Zelda fan here, and I wasn't crazy about Hyrule Warriors either.

Edited on by Nicolai

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iKhan

jariw wrote:

iKhan wrote:

It's no secret that I'm not a fan of Hyrule Warriors or Mario 3D World

So your parents haven't bought you a Wii U yet? No one will be a fan of Hyrule Warriors who haven't played it.

I'm a college aged adult. My parent's don't buy me consoles. They probably would if I asked them, but it's not really something I'm comfortable with anymore.

Anyway, I've played enough Hyrule Warriors to know it's a boring "mash-A" fest. Considering that the game is 60 dollars, I'm not going to waste my money when I have a Wii U when I already had meh experiences.

I'm not trying to be negative here. I was a HUGE defender of Hyrule Warriors before I got a chance to try it out. An action Zelda game? Yes please.

Edited on by iKhan

Currently Playing: Steamworld Heist, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Tales of Graces F

Bolt_Strike

bro2dragons wrote:

It's all opinions, but the Wii U's library has a lot of really creative games that pushed their respective series/genre forward. 3D World is brimming with ideas, Tropical Freeze adds a different twist to every level (keeping one of the most tired genres around fresh through the whole campaign)

Right, because level gimmicks that only last one level definitely push the genre forward.

Bolt_Strike

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