I'll be honest, it might've made sense to make this thread sooner but I didn't pretty much entirely because I had a few games to get to beforehand. And now that we've had some time to put Wii U in the past...why not?
Also, I had to stop pretending I liked certain games as much as everyone else, because based on what I played, no matter how good they are, I didn't.
1. Shovel Knight: I think with Specter Knight, this has already cemented itself as my 2nd favorite game of the decade (behind the original Xenoblade). Shovel Knight, on day 1, was and still is the best retro inspired indie game I've ever played, and maybe the best out of the entire type of platformer it is trying to be. A genuine gameplay masterpiece on the level of Portal or the best Mario platformers, that should be studied by every single person trying for anything similar (or most things that have typical video game challenge). And then they added two more DLCs for free and are still making more. And the latest one was nearly as good as the original. Plague of Shadows not nearly as much, but it's still very good by most standards I think and is probably great for certain people.
2. Rayman Legends: The best Wii U game. That might sound dumb since it's not number 1, but Shovel Knight I like more as a game. But in terms of taking advantage of what makes the Wii U unique and interesting, nothing did it better while fitting in perfectly as a traditional video game quite like Rayman Legends. It took Rayman Origins, which itself took from all the 2d co-op platformers around the time (Kirby is the only survivor of that genre apparently :V), and then integrated touch and gyro controls for an entirely different experience for player one compared to every one else, and it worked wonderfully. That's on top of just being an improved version of an already excellent game with Origins, but with so much more content.
3.Breath of the Wild: Do I need to even bother to say while Breath of the Wild is great? There’s not much I can say that isn’t obvious at this point. It’s a profoundly well made and fun open world game, whose flaws are easy to ignore because of how much better it is than most of the genre. But it still has problems and things I wish were different, it’s just that what we got was so good and unique and different even in its own genre that it didn’t matter…outside of not being the best game I played on Wii U. But I do still kinda wish something else existed in the entirety of modern video game releases that actually was a traditional 3D Zelda. The last game like that was probably Darksiders 2, 6 years ago.
4.Wonderful 101: After playing several more Platinum Games’…games, I still feel Wonderful 101 was my favorite. Compared to Bayonetta, Wonderful 101 is a more awkward game to learn and control, but I just prefer how different attacks are done in it more than the fighting game-like, button combination memorization focused gameplay Bayonetta does. It’s more my thing, and it’s the one Platinum Game where I feel like their ridiculous storytelling is actually consistently worth your time (barring Nier of course). It’s just such a satisfying and fun and awesome game, if I could I would be playing it again right now.
5.Hyrule Warriors: If I had no life, I would probably spend so much time on these Warriors games after this. This is I believe like my 3rd or 4th most played game ever, and I never touched the paid DLC. It is such a perfect catharsis game, just simple enough where I don’t have to think while playing it and still be a badass, but not so simple that it’s boring. It’s not for everyone, but this hit a perfect sweet spot that worked perfectly, even if it’s not an amazing game in the ways you normally expect.
6.Guacamelee: This is basically the best Metroidvania that is neither Metroid nor Castlevania (unless you count Cave Story, which I don’t). I love almost everything about this game, and it’s exactly what Metroid fans should’ve played during that long gap without new Metroid games. Just pretend Samus became a luchadore! :V
The fact that it’s also a pretty good beat em up between the Metroid-y parts was a perfect addition to the whole thing.
7.Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Director's Cut): Finally got to this one this year and I loved it. While I already loved the original release back in 2011, I got distracted and never finished it. But I am glad I got this new version, which adds some really good and useful Wii U Gamepad support and fixes those terrible “don’t bother unless you only focus on upgrading your combat capabilities” bosses. I played it purely as a stealth game (instead of half stealth half action when I first played it), and thanks to the power of manual saving, I loved it. Despite any frustrations, or a meh story, or my concerns of any stealth game, or the time where my file corrupted and I had to start from the beginning, I still thoroughly enjoyed playing through it all. Outsmarting guards using all these cool abilities, especially when you knock all of them out without killing anyone, is so satisfying and I love everything about all these abilities you get and all the different ways you can approach things.
8.Super Mario 3D World: Blah blah blah, it’s not as ambitious as other 3D Marios, yeah I get it. I hated Nintendo’s obsession with trying to turn all their Mario games into Mario 3/World love letters. But that doesn’t mean the games are bad, and 3D World I felt had so many genuinely fun and interesting levels from the beginning (well at least world 3) to end that it made up for Nintendo’s square peg, round hole ideas for 3D to 2D Mario. Cat Mario is maybe the best powerup since the original flying ones and I just enjoyed it a ton.
9.Pikmin 3: Almost certainly the best Pikmin game. I was quite frankly, not good enough for the first Pikmin when it was new, so I did enjoy Pikmin 2 far more. But Pikmin 2 also could get stupidly unfair as well. But even though 3 arguably goes in the opposite direction, it wasn’t annoyingly easy. It was just the amount of challenge I wanted, or at least closer. And between that finally playing with the Wiimote controls I heard about for the Wii releases of 1 and 2, it’s definitely my favorite of the series. I do love this take on strategy games, and it makes me sad again that no one bought Little King’s Story. But Pikmin 3 is a good second place for this subgenre.
10.Splatoon: I haven’t played 2, but I still feel like there’s so much more they can do with Splatoon. Which says a lot, since the original was still great. From the outside of the whole PS4 and Xbox One, I remember so many games coming out a little bit before Splatoon that were all clearly trying to be the definitive next gen online multiplayer shooter. Titanfall, Destiny, Evolve etc. And they basically all disappointed people for various reasons. So it was funny to watch this kid friendly, paint ball-like shooter become a big deal despite being on a console most people didn’t have, that had the quality and good innovation these other shooters tried and failed at. It’s such a simple and brilliant idea, that I’m surprised everyone didn’t see Splatoon’s success coming as soon as it was announced. It is just a ton of fun, which I only occasionally get from online shooters. It has a lot of problems and I wish there was more to it sometimes, but like BOTW, it is so new and fun that it doesn’t matter much. It’s shocking how well so much of it works in the first game. Like who would ever thinking of swimming through colorful ink? But It fits so naturally in the game that I can’t imagine how the game could even exist without it.
I respect your choices for your list all of those games are great in their own right.
I hope you don’t mind if I create my own.
#1 Smash Bros Wii U -easily the main reason I booted up the console as it road off into the sad sunset
#2 Mariokart 8 -best MK to date and showcased legitimately good DLC for the 1st time in Nintendo History
#3 Bayonetta 1 & 2 -an amazing surprise and the the beacon of a beautiful relationship with Nintendo and Platinum Studios
#4 Xenoblade Chronicles X - Monolith creates a massive world with awesome mechs and monsters. Only the story and UI were shy of amazing but as a complete package it was a must have
#5 Super Mario 3D World - not the mainline 3D Mario Title we all wanted but a solid couch co op romp that was polished and fun
#6 Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE - a seriously underappreciated gem in the Wii U’s otherwise bland third party lineup
#7 Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze- 2D Platforming done right, the king of swing nailed it
#8 Pikmin 3 - beautiful, fun and well polished a blast from beginning to end
#9 Legend Of Zelda- BOTW, WW and TW each of these games were amazing to have available in the console and each were truly a masterpiece of their time. Unfortunately for most BOTW was a day late and a dollar short given the switch launched with it I doubt many played it on Wii U, WW and TW were remasters but genuinely enjoyable in their own right.
#10 Nintendo Land- 5 player mini games have never been as fun, or available 😂although some mini games weren’t memorable. Chase Mii, luigi’s Mansion and animal Crossing brought a whole room together. A lack of DLC really killed the simple and fun concept and metroid had promise.
1.) Super Mario Maker
2.) Zelda: Breath of the Wild
3.) Super Mario 3D World
4.) Mario Kart 8
5.) New Super Mario Bros U
6.) Super Smash Bros Wii U
7.) Wind Waker HD
8.) Star Fox Zero
9.) Shovel Knight
10.) NintendoLand
Zelda Breath of the Wild
Xenoblade Chronicles X
Super Mario 3D World
The Wonderful 101
MarioKart 8
Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze
Bayonetta 2
Bayonetta
Yoshi's Wooly World
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate
Pikmin 3
Tokyo mirage Sessions#FE
Zombi U
Super Mario Maker
Splatoon
New Super Mario Bros U
New super Luigi U
StarFox Zero
Paper Mario Color Splash
Lego City Undercover
Super Smash Bros for Wii U
NintendoLand
Project Zero V
Captain Toad Treasure Tracker
Hyrule Warriors
Game & Wario
The Legend of Zelda Windwaker HD
The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess HD
Sonic Lost World
Devil's Third
Pokken Tournament
Fast Racing Neo
Rodea the Sky Soldier
Art Academy Atelier
Kirby and the rainbow curse
Deus Ex Human Revolution
Mass Effect 3
Rayman Legends
Shovel Knight
Ninja Gaiden 3 Razors edge
Resident Evil Revelations
Tekken Tag Tournament 2
Need for Speed most wanted U
Splinter Cell Blacklist
Darksiders remastered
Darksiders 2
Sonic All Stars Racing Transformed
Batman Arkham City Armored edition
Batman Arkham Origins
etc...
This list mostly represents the games I've played the most and had the most fun with.
1. Mario Kart 8 - I hadn't been following the pre-release build up, and I wasn't going to get it Day 1, but then the free download of another title was announced, and I did something I'd never done before and pre-ordered. So glad I did because it became my GOAT, and the experience reignited my gaming passion. Just perfect gameplay and the most irresistible replay slo-mos. Love this game so much.
2. LoZ: BotW - I haven't actually played my Wii U version yet but, seeing as the Switch version is my GOAT-1, I don't have any qualms about placing this at 2. This game epitomises what an adventure game should be. Magical. The engine should be used for a Tolkien game.
3. Super Mario 3D World - Terrific gameplay, terrific visuals, terrific presentation. This was my daughter's first gaming love and we've spent so many hours playing this together.
4. FIFA 13 - probably not the best FIFA package ever but, as my most played Wii U game so far, the core experience was good enough for me and the online seasons mode was as close to a gaming addiction as I've ever come, just a shame more hours than I would have liked were probably spent waiting to find a match.
5. Super Mario Maker - Not played as much as I'd have liked, but it's an essential experience and I hope to get more time out of it as my kids get a bit older.
6. Wind Waker HD - I had some annoyances with this at the time, but overall, on reflection, it's a great adventure game and looks and sounds sublime.
7. Watch_Dogs - My most played 'gritty' game. A really solid open world TPS with a novel hacking mechanic to add some fun to the GTA-style gameplay.
8. Splatoon - This could have been higher up my list, but the lack of off-TV play was a big hindrance for me, plus I was getting too many connection issues which put me right off trying to get into it more.
9. Runner 2 - Just loved getting in the zone with this. Loved the gameplay, loved the music - can hear the trampoline sound effect in my head just thinking about it.
10. Super Smash Bros. U - Not played this very much either, but Smash Ultimate has pushed me back to it and finally getting it installed on my HDD is a big help. Great fun.
Guacamelee, Art Academy: Atelier, and Wii Fit U are also worthy of recognition as closely missing out on the top 10. Yoshi's Woolly World didn't quite do enough, but leads the pack between it and DKC:TF, Kirby, and Captain Toad.
But there's so many other games that I think could feature on my list if only I'd played more of them. The Assassin's Creed games are waiting for me to finish the Ezio Collection first; I love Splinter Cell but am waiting to play Double Agent and Conviction before I get to Blacklist; Twilight Princess HD is waiting for me to finish Majora's Mask 3D; Hyrule Warriors is waiting for me to finish Majora's Mask 3D, Twilight Princess HD, and Skyward Sword; Wonderful 101 and Tokyo Mirage Sessions are sitting on my shelf never played; XCX, Bayonetta 1 & 2, Star Fox Zero, Darksiders 1 & 2 and LEGO City Undercover are barely started... and that's just a slither of my backlog. I really could have waited another couple of years for Switch, no problem.
I only have time to shortlist everything, so this might be subject to change. There are some titles that I don't own/haven't gotten to yet, and a couple of games that I'm reserving for the Switch.
1-2. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD/The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD
3. Xenoblade Chronicles X
4. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
5. Hyrule Warriors
6. Super Mario 3D World
7. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
8. Super Smash Bros. U
9. New Super Mario Bros. U
10. Batman Arkham City: Armored Edition
Honorable mentions: Pikmin 3, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Nintendo Land, Year Walk, DuckTales Remastered
1. TLOZ: Windwaker HD
2. Mario Kart 8
3. Splatoon
4. TLOZ: Twilight Princess HD
5. Super Smash Bros. 4
6. Nintendo Land
7. Super Mario 3D World
8. Freedom Planet
9. Guacamelee!
10. Mario Party 10
Reading: Too much Watching: Not enough Playing: SMTV
1. The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD. A timeless classic with great art style and the best Zelda formula for me. The little adjustments were thoughtful and done well. This isn't my most played game on WiiU but its the one that brought me the most joy. I enjoyed Breath of the Wild but this still ranks as my number one Zelda of all time.
2. Yoshis Woolly World. I loved seeking out every secret in this wonderfully charming platformer. Solid gameplay great level design and plenty to do. Was surprised a port of this never happened and with Crafted World not far away I doubt it'll happen any time soon.
3. Mario Party 10. Spent many hours playing this with the wife. Great selection of mini games and still my favourite of the series. It looks rrslly great as well. Super Mario Party is great but if it's going to compare to 10 for me its going to need some updates for sure.
4. Mario Kart 8. I don't think I need to explain why this is here. Its Mario Kart 8.
5. Shantae and the Pirates Curse. Love the general feeling of fun running through the game. Great pixel work and I much prefer the MetroidVania approach to abilities etc. Genuinely funny as well.
6. Devils Third. Massively flawed but super enjoyable. I like the combination of first person shooting and third person action. Its not the best looking game but the world it portrays is cool. Deserves a sequel that builds on everything but i think the name is to toxic sadly.
7. ZombiU. Lots of neat little ideas set it apart from most of the genre. Had a lot of fun with this throughout the WiiUs lifespan.
8. Bayonetta 2. Oozes style. Some great set pieces and it plays well with satisfying combat.
9. Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Like the follow up more but this was a great entry point in the series. The story line is great and the near future setting stands out on the WiiU. Interesting take on the genre.
10. Smash 4. A great multiplayer game with lots of content but the lack of a single player story mode meant this never had the lasting appeal of other entries for me.
Honourable mentions go to Lego City Undercover, Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Fox Zero all of which could easily have beaten Smash 4 to 10th place if they had all had slight adjustments.
1. Smash 4
2. Mario Maker
3. Mario Kart 8
4. Splatoon
5. Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze
6. Super Mario 3D World
7. Nintendo Land
8. Pikmin 3
9. New Super Mario Bros U
10. Hyrule Warriors
1. Wind Waker HD
2. Yoshi Wooly World
3. Mario Kart 8
4. Wii Fit U
5. Tokyo Mirage #FE
6. Smash 4
7. Wonderful 101
8. Lego City Undercover
9. Lego Jurrasic Park
10. Runbow
The Wii U is still the world's best console. Buy one today!
@gcunit While the LEGO games have been degrading in quality over time, Jurassic Park is worthy of its price. The performance and content is great for a LEGO game released only a few years ago.
Reading: Too much Watching: Not enough Playing: SMTV
1. Breath of the Wild
2. Xenoblade X
3. Wind Waker HD
4. Mario 3D World
5. Mario Kart 8
6. Splatoon
7. Bayonetta 2
8. Rayman Legends
9. Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze
10. Star Fox Zero
1. Breath of the Wild - Hands down this is a game I keep going back to. Even though it is on the Switch this was the swan song of the system.
2. Xenoblade Chronicles X - While the story was somewhat lacking, who cares when you are running around in a giant robot in a massive world that sometimes just leaves you in awe of the sheer size of it.
3. Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate - Tried the demo when I first got the console and hated this, but then picked it up cheap and fell in love with the sword/shield combo. I still need to clear some hunts, but I tend to spend more time just wandering the open plain.
4. Mass Effect 3 - For all the game's flaws and disappointments (mainly why just one when we could of had them all), it was nice to finally get closure on the story. It wasn't my Sheppard (he resides in the ether of my old 360), but it was a Sheppard. The online multiplayer kept me busy during one of the many dry spells of the system.
5. Batman: Arkham Origins - Again, not a perfect game (mostly due to the forced unlock process) but a game that I have gone back to time and again, even over Arkham City. Nothing is more satisfying than entering a room of goons and systematically taking them down.
6. Super Mario Maker - A Pandora's box of Mario levels, plus the tools to make more. 'nough said.
7. Mario Kart 8 - A surprise game that I've enjoyed with my kids, and the DLC additions were a joy.
8. Hyrule Warriors - A game I keep finding myself going back to just to mindless destroy another 1000 enemies underneath my boot, sword, horse?!?, book, and giant 8-bit candle.
9. Shovel Knight - A Christmas present that just keeps giving, it is like getting a classic game anthology in a single package. I cannot heap more praise than already has been thrown at this gem.
10. Earthbound - I know this wasn't born on this system, but it was the system I got to first play it on. It was an opportunity for me to relive a part of my childhood, going on an adventure. "Fuzzy Pickles" indeed.
1) Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE
2) Guacamelee: Super Turbo Championship Edition
3) Lego City Undercover
4) Super Mario Maker
5) Hyrule Warriors
6) Shovel Knight
7) Yoshi's Woolly World
8) Paper Mario: Color Splash
9) Super Mario 3D World
10) Rayman Legends
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Topic: Top 10 Wii U games
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