Topic: Wii U eShop Recommendations thread

@jariw: Yeah I have it on PS4 and I agree it's a great game. But even though it's great I won't double purchase it lol. Thanks though for the suggestion.

@jariw: I've heard of and about both "Aperion Cyberstorm" and "Assault Android Cactus," but their vague release windows worry me.
I hope they do come out, but I was looking for something I could get now.

^ Try Scram Kitty and his Buddy on Rails.

Ok I will ask again since it seems people just skipped my question. I have $5 eShop credit any suggestions?

@Tasuki:
I would wait until this week's eshop update, or next week's, to see what holiday sales might show up.

@Tasuki do you have Ufouria: The Saga? It is a platformer NES game. I personally really like it a lot, (I think I have a bit of a bias, but it is pretty fun) the story is also kind of random and funny in a way. I believe the English translation is completely different from the Japanese version.

I don't know what's on sale in the US or the prices but Gunman Clive, Armillo, Swords & Soldiers, OlliOlli and XType Plus are all cheap and cheerfull. You should be able to get some NES classics too like Super Mario Bros 1-3, Punch Out, Duck Hunt, Zelda, Mega Man 2, Star Tropics, Excitebike and Castlevania III.

hey guys I'm interested in a couple of games on sale, Armillo, Stealth inc 2, The Swapper, Duck Tales Remastered, Shovel Knight....

Shovel Knight I'll probably skip because I want the retail version with manual so, of the others do you recommend them?

Stealth inc and The Swapper look so similar, which one is the better option? I don't want to get both.
Is Armillo good? It looks very fun but it has mixed reviews.
And finally would you recommend Duck Tales if I never played the Nes version?

Thanks!

From these games, I'd recommend Stealth Inc. 2. It's a fantastic game, if you like puzzle platformers. You're correct that some of the puzzle mechanics are similar to The Swapper, but Stealth Inc. 2 has many different puzzle mechanics depending on what kind of abilities you have achieved. Stealth Inc. 2 also has a very cool 2-player mode (brilliant use of the Gamepad), and a level editor. Stealth Inc. 2 also includes puzzles in the hub world.

Armillo had frame rate issues in the initial release version, but those issues have been fixed by now. It's an ambitious game, but it's lacks some polish here and there, but it has a very low asking price. The sound design is absolutely top notch.

I played Duck Tales Remastered without having played the original game. The best thing with that game for me was the soundtrack remake by Virt. It's a game that feels low on content by today's standards. Compared to Shovel Knight, Duck Tales doesn't stand a chance IMO. Unless you want an easy game for kids/unexperienced players. Shovel Knight is a more difficult game, regarding the player skill level requirements. Duck Tales only get difficult towards the end.

Personally Stealth Inc. 2 is one of the best games on the eShop. It's a gadget based metroidvania game with a strong emphasis on trial and error. It's easily 15-20 hours of content in story mode alone.
The Swapper might look similar but it's a lot slower than Stealth Inc. 2, more puzzle-like and a lot less action oriented. It's a good game but, while I played the hell out of SI2 when it was released, I could never play The Swapper for more than half a hour per session.
On the other hand, Ducktales Remastered was a waste of time and money. Even at a discounted price, I wouldn't rebuy it (especially nowdays that there are a ton of better platformers on the eShop).
I haven't played Armillo but I'm going to buy it before the sale expires because at that price you can't really go wrong. And it's a WiiU exclusive, which is always nice.
I think my final purchases of the year will be Armillo, The Swindle and Pumped BMX+.

@jariw: @spizzamarozzi:

Thanks guys! The Swapper looks very atmoshperic but I don't want 2 puzzle platformers so Stealth Inc it is.
I'll give Armillo a chance and thanks for your advise on Duck Tales, I'll skip it.

There's also this other game that is not for sale but looks great, Affordable Space Adventures, have you played it? Do you recommend it?

YES!!!!!!!!!!! It was my favorite eShop game of 2015, together with FAST Racing NEO and Runbow.

If you have ever wanted to know what the potential uses of the Wii U Gamepad, Affordable Space Adventure is the answer (dual screen gameplay is required). It's a fantastic game to play in single player, and it's even better in co-op multiplayer. And it's TRUE co-op. Simply put, it's a game that every Wii U owner should play!

BTW, there was a free update recently with 5 extra super-hard levels. Brilliant game!

@jariw:

Sounds Awesome! Thanks! I'll add it to my wishlist!

Jariw is correct in saying Affordable Space Adventures is THE game that showcases the GamePad like no game before or since has done, BUT I still found it to be really slow and too contemplative for my taste.
I mean it's good, it's high quality, it's highly creative, clever, ingenious etc but it's a game I'm not really drawn to very often, and I think it gives its best when three people are playing it, because it was designed to be a co-op experience.
Still, it's one of those exclusive you must have - I just wouldn't rush to buy it and I think there are many game that would give you more "instant gratification", especially in single player.

If you already have Scram Kitty (which is kind of a holy cow around here), Stealth Inc. 2 and plan on buying Shovel Knight physically, I recommend you check out Guacamelee STCE, OlliOlli, EDGE, Might Switch Force and Steamworld Dig. These are all high quality and offer good value/longevity for money.
And Cave Story, if you want to venture into WiiWare territory - that is one of the nicest games you can play on any platform, any year.

@spizzamarozzi:

Thanks for your comments. There's something about Affordable Space Adventures that I like, maybe the controls or the multiplayer option. It looks similar to the Swapper, both puzzles adventures, slow tempo, moody atmospheric, but for some reason in ASA I can see myself enjoying it and getting bored with The Swapper. Still I'll wait for a sale but earned a spot in my wishlist.

Scram Kitty is actually the first game I bought on the WiiU eshop. Guacamelee and OlliOlli are on my wishlist and already have Mighty Switch Force and Steam on 3ds. Didn't know about Edge, I'll check it out. I played the demo of Cave Story long ago but couldn't get into it for some reason.

Anyway I ended up buying the following games on sale:

1. Dungeons & Dragons
2. Stealth Inc
3. Armillo
4. Life of Pixel (this one has mixed reviews but looks very fun to me)
5. Lone Survivor (instead of the Swapper I chose this, at least it has more replay value)

I also got interested in Human Resource Machine, but it was a bit expensive even with the discount. But definitely adding to my wishlist. Thanks for your comments guys, you were great help!

One more question, Giana Sisters... is it good?

@soma: eh, de nada.
Good choices on your purchases. I actually got Life of Pixel for myself too last week and I'm enjoying it.
Giana Sisters is not good. I found it very dull and boring and it's simply poorly designed. It's the first game I deleted from the hard drive when I needed space. There's at least a dozen better platformers on the eShop at the moment, so I would stay away from it.

@spizzamarozzi:

Wow! That's a shame the trailer looked very good. I'll avoid it then, thanks!

I got Life of Pixel too and I'm having a retro blast with it. Actually completed it 100% a few days ago, and I'm inclined to speedrun this whole thing to get into the Top 10 online leaderboards (currently 16th).

I got a bunch of games that were/are on sale. Human Resource Machine is great as well!

Don't know about Shiftlings and Canvaleon yet. Mixed feelings. Takes some time to get into. Very challenging games. They have nice graphics though.

Legend of Kay is 'kay so far (for a 7,49Euro 3D action adventure)
and Star Sky starts off interesting but it's super-short and very limited gameplay-wise.

But back to Xenoblade X first.... I'm 40hours in and hooked.

As for Giana Sisters... I didn't like it much. I loved the C64 original and DS sequel, but the Wii U version is too different and not very fun. It's not Giana anymore.

@SKTTR: You know I've played Canvaleon and really liked it, but admittedly it makes a terrible job at presenting the challenges gradually. You are simply thrown into the overworld map with zero directions and zero knowledge of were to start with, so you have to experiment a lot before you find a path that you can really beat - some are more doable than others but the game doesn't tell you. In the beginning, you'll also be playing the first stage a lot, just to grind for butterflies. The grass-themed stage, which is usually the easiest in every platform game ever, is perhaps the hardest.
The big turning point for me was after I beat the first boss and unlocked the first power-up (although I don't remember what it was). I think the first path I chose was the Cave (North-East of the map) which leads you to some ice-themed stages and a narwhal as a boss. It was only at that point that I started to grasp the basics of the game and how camos work (and that it's better to make your owns than purchase the pre-made ones).

The thing is, you have to play through each level at least once, badly, to see what kind of camo you need to be the level properly. There's a hidden room underneath the shop (I think you access it by pressing down twice on the store's door) where there's a exposition of most tiles used in the game, so you can try out your camos and see how well you blend with the background. This aspect of the game is still unforgiving though, because you can't edit a camo you already made, so if one doesn't work well enough you have to start from scratch (and waste a lot of butterflies). In general, the game requires a lot of trial and error.

There's a huge free update that is going to be released during the winter (it was postponed a few weeks ago) which will fix a few of the cynical choices (trial and error camo making, but also the vertical scrolling camera) and add a lot of different game modes to make the game a bit more accessible. I'm pretty confident you are going to like the game eventually.

@spizzamarozzi: I beat one or two, or even three levels in every direction, and I tried to beat the grassland path, mountain area so many times, it's crazy. And now you say it's the hardest path? How ironic and such a time waste.

I get it, you unlock a new skill by beating a boss at the end of a path, right? I just want the double jump, no matter what it takes. Would reduce the games difficulty by half. Where is it? I'd be disappointed if I beat a road to a boss (well, every road is hard) and then only get some useless skill. I don't use camo at all, it never works and I think it's broken.