Topic: Gamepad controls Wii games?

So I have had my Wii U for a good five months now, and I love it. I didn't play many Wii games as I really wasn't a fan of the controller, but may want to dip back into the library of the console since the games are cheap and there is a dry spell of retail games for the Wii U right now. Does the gamepad function as a controller for the wii titles? I know I'd love to play games like Sin & Punishment, Mad World, and Metroid 3: Corruption using the gamepad.

Nope

Nope. In order to play Wii games you have to use the Wii controls, like the Wiimote and Nunchuk or Classic Controller.

Bah that is a disappointment. Is there any chance they'll ever patch it so this could come to volition?

I wouldn't expect it.

That pretty much sums it up. In order for the games to be able to use the Gamepad as a controller the game itself would have to be remade.

Hmm, oh well. As far as the amount of games compatible with them is the Wii classic or the Wii classic pro controller the one to go with?

CCP in my opinion is much better.

Have you used either with the Wii U?

Kinda annoying that they did this, it's one of the things I assume would have been possible from the start. Purely for off-TV play with the Wii/WiiWare/VC titles that supported the CC. If it had been there I probably would have spent quite a lot of time playing Mario Kart Wii and Super Mario Kart off-TV.

............ as it is I suppose I'll just wait for Super Mario Kart to get to the Wii U VC and for Mario Kart 8 to be out.

Well, the Gamepad cannot control Wii games, but the Wii U can output to the Gamepad and there is a sensor bar built into the Gamepad. So, in a sense, the Gamepad is a miniature TV. But that's its only use in Wii Mode.

Maybe we should start a petition

That's pretty much useless to me. It doesn't make any sense at all to be honest since the gamepad has to be near the console, which sensibly shall be placed near the television. It's so aggravating that the Wii U gamepad can't function as a controller for the wii games that are compatible with a classic controller or gamecube controller. This should be implemented, especially since there are so many games on the wii that was missed by gamers who didn't enjoy the controller of the wii.

I understand your frustration, but please note that each Wii game has to be recoded in order to control using the Gamepad.

In a lot of cases, it isn't that hard to just use the Gamepad as a mini TV. You can play VC games using the classic controller, and some Wii games like NSMBW that don't require extensive use of pointer controls. Skyward Sword, not so much.

I can see why it would be difficult, I might pick up one of those 3rd party adaptors to plug the gamecube controller into the wii mote +. Seeing as that is my favorite controller that might solve my problems.

@MuchoMochi: The only thing wrong with that is if the game supports Gamecube/Classic controls that will work. If its a game that only supports Wiimote and Nunchuk like Skyward Sword it wont work.

To me it would make more sense to have the wii emulator register the game pad as a wiimote with classic controller attached. It wouldn't do any good for games that absolutely require wiimote and nunchuck controls, but would allow for games that support the classic controller to be played with the gamepad.

Edit: Ninja'd by @Tasuki

But it's not an emulator per se. It essentially is a Wii running inside a Wii U, just like the original Wii. It was pretty much a GameCube inside of a Wii. If it was an emulator, then this wouldn't be an issue. But I can't even imagine programming a Wii emulator that performs to Nintendo's standards.

Really they'd "just" have to patch the WiiMode Wii firmware to support the GamePad. Treat it as either a Classic Controller connected to a WiiMote or a Gamecube controller. It's definitely doable. The problem is that at this point even backwards compatibility is a nice extra that they didn't have to implement. We already have more than what other company would have bothered to implement.

So I wouldn't hold my breath for any further improvements.

Yeah, I didn't want to use the word software to avoid confusion between Wii games and Wii OS software