The Wonderful 101, the colourful and crazy Wii U exclusive from PlatinumGames, was a divisive release. Some sang its praises from the rooftops while others struggled to enjoy it, while it's never been reported as much of a sales success.
That seems like a pity, and we're certainly fans having awarded it 9/10 in our review; we regret nothing. Once mechanics are mastered what you have is an action / strategy hybrid that's ludicrous in scale, with set-pieces and boss battles that simply don't know when to quit. It's not a game easily forgotten.
Now we want to play it again, too, as the PlatinumGames YouTube channel has randomly uploaded the 'Director's Edition' of the bombastic final trailer that came before the game's launch. It supports 720p / 60fps, so it looks great.
Even though it's in Japanese we're still going to give this a spoiler warning, as some late-game battles and levels are shown. If you already have the game it may make you want to have another playthrough; if you don't have this in your Wii U collection, you should certainly consider it.
Comments (83)
It was a great game. Played three times through. Meaning to play it again.
I couldn't get into it but I didn't hate it either.
Whoa. OK. I initially read this thinking Wonderful 101 was getting a re-release on the SAME CONSOLE. I like it, but that would've not been a good choice.
This is one of those games that I have been meaning to finish but might have to get back to now.
But the game itself didn't run in 60fps...Or so I thought? I don't remember it having a consistent framerate in quite a few spots.
I've still to pick this up but I'll definitely get it eventually.I enjoyed the demo enough to convince me I'll have fun with the full game.It wouldn't hurt to re-release it at a budget price and give it some promotion on the Eshop.
So does this mean there's an update in store?
I put this game on hold when Splatoon came out, but seeing the trailer makes me want to get back to it sooner.
the wording implies the game wasn't 60fps. if that's the case then wow. i have no idea what the resolution and framerate is of any nintendo game but for some reason, start caring about it on games from other platforms. it's like you're brought into the realm of nintendo thinking when you play a nintendo game and think of it as fun or not, instead of up to a certain technical spec or not.
One of the best games on Wii U and Platinum's best work to date.
ah, didn't read that "Trailer" part at the end, thought the game was being re-released. Might have repurchased and replayed it for that.
@sinalefa Maybe we'll get an NX Directors Cut w/o the touch controls. Not that I ever used them, right stick all the way. OK, maybe the occasional item, but very infrequently. I hated using the screen, opening those doors outside the ballpark was greatly annoying.
@rjejr i played the game but haven't finished it yet with the persistent thought in my head that i wished i could draw these shapes in mid air with the wiimote.
@rjejr
So you have gone from wishing a sequel to wishing a remaster on a more powerful console? No wonder you like Sony
Right stick was the default (and only) method for multiplayer, so it was a great idea to get used to that.
Also forgot to paste this in the PS thread:
http://the-wonderful-101.wikia.com/wiki/Alice_MacGregor
I still need to finish this game...
Watched the vid -
1. Japanese sure do like their gratuitous butt shots
2. 3 years old and it still looks much better than Star Fox Zero
3. Remembered I haven't played Bayonetta 2 yet, can't wait. But I have to finish XCX first, if that's even possible.
I tried W101, didn't like it. I gave it a few shots but just couldn't get into it. It did seem like a good game though.
I love this game so much, until now is my favorite Wii U game.
Like Pikmin, this was one of those games where I tried the demo out but it just didn't click with me. Perhaps it's something I'd like if I played more of it until I get used to it.
@Jamotello Wiimote and nunchuck could have worked really well, except for those Gamepad screen sections I didn't like. I know my kids and I played multiplayer but can't recall what other controllers we used. Pointing would have made the most sense though. More sense than Metroid Other:M where we coudlnt use the nunchuck and had to turn the wiimote to point. I own M:OM but still haven't played it b/c of the awkward controls.
@sinalefa I don't recall Alice Mcgregor is, but somehow I knew if I watched that trailer your avatar would be in there somewhere. Now I know. It's ok, grumble volcano is using a random blue haired anime girl so I can still get my Kos-Mos fix.
@Jamotello Ah, that wasn't my intention. A lot of Nintendo's trailer uploads back in 2013 weren't 60fps (if YouTube was even supporting it back then) so that's why I highlighted it.
Love this game!
Haven't played this yet but going to pick it up at some point (just started xenoblade).......... Looks like a cross between pikmin and bayonetta,is it anything like that?
Wonder Red for Smash 4 confirmed?
@sandman89 pretty much, though more like Bayonetta with viewtiful joe humor. Nonetheless, excellent game and will likely be remembered as wiiu's best hidden gem. Though, as the article implies, it does seem divisive - reading boards around the net, people either love it or hate it. But, if you enjoyed Bayonetta and Viewtiful Joe, chances are you'll enjoy and its discounted.
And again ... kind of hard to watch videos on this site when there are 2 video ads playing at the same time.
I like demos. Having played loads of them, I can say that there have been quite a few games that I had been thinking of buying but after playing the demo I changed my mind.
101 was not a game I was going to buy, but I did play the demo and I enjoyed it, but there was not quite enough gameplay to send me rushing out to get a copy.
Now I am wondering if I should give it a go or is the demo as good as it gets.
Wow, I thought Platinum Games announced a Director's Cut version of the entire game.
It's a nice game, actually... I should get back to it some time.
@rjejr
I find funny how you have actually played the games but don't recall the characters. Grumble's avatar is Lana, the (admittedly generic anime looking) girl from HW.
Awesome game.
Warrior of dearth!
@crimsontadpoles I felt that way too when I played the demo, but when Club Nintendo added it as a prize, I thought I'd give it a shot. ...and boy am I glad that I did!!
I tried the demo... And wanted to like it, but it does not do it for me... I found it confusing and I am not in to strategy...
I thought the game was getting a director's cut trailer :0
spoiler free actually; the later scenes from the game is a perfect show of how varied and nutcracking is the game
Its control scheme is so wierd :/
I tried getting into this game but at the time is was so buggy that I couldn't get passed the beginning. Maybe I should go back and see if anything has been fixed.
@Blastcorp64 thanks, I never got round to playing vuetiful Joe either!😂
Good game and all, but...slow news day?
@OorWullie The game is even more fun than the demo and it already is at Budget price (at least in the US) at $30. It was by far my favorite Wii U game...until I got into Xenoblade X.
@crimsontadpoles I was the same. I was going to buy W101 at launch, but then I played the demo and backed off. However, when I found a copy for $23 I decided it was worth the gamble. It quickly became my favorite Wii U game and stayed that way until Xenoblade X. You should snag it and give it a real try.
Ah I love this game! So Much fun and really unique!
I got this free with MK8 but it got forgotten amongst some better games but I do think it's good. It's just not as much fun as Bayonetta 2 or Mario Kart 8. I'd rank it above Transfomers Devastation, about level with MadWorld on my Platinum games scale. It's amongst the best production values on Wii U.
For those of you that couldn't get into TW101 I recommend looking up Saur's YouTube tutorials (3-part video) and reading Platinum's Blog, Entries 25 & 26 (Tips & Tricks).
You may be thinking to yourself that having to do so much work in order to "get" the game may be a bit much but you get what you put into the game. Think of the inputs as you would a fighting game and learn to draw with the right analog stick while holding the L button and you'll be mastering the mechanics in no time. Edit* It's also not immediately obvious but the first 2 abilities you should purchase are block and dodge - you don't start with either of those abilities.
I considered the first play through of the game as a warm up - also don't be afraid to play through the game on easy the first time around!
A flawed gem, but I love the aesthetics so damn much. I'd rather they DON'T do a sequel though. Rarely doing a sequel is what makes Platinum great. They don't go for more of the same, but start with something new (nearly) every time.
This game was originally given a 7/10. Since when was it given a 9?
@zool - the game gets better as you play and that seems to be the general opinion of most who have played it. Pretty common to see "the demo doesn't do a good job of showcasing the game" as well. I would say if you liked the demo then you would enjoy the game. Especially at a very discounted price. Pretty easy to find this game fairly cheap.
I will have a look.
Funny enough, this was the game that convinced me to get a Wii U day one. Admittedly it ended up not being available as a launch title, but it was originally planned to be available within it's launch window, and it was the game I was eagerly waiting to purchase.
Wonderful 101 was a fantastic game; a couple of issues here and there, but upon becoming familiar with it's controls and ideas resulted in an amazing experience. The characters are likeable, the style is charming, and the story is filled with moments that had me pumped. The ending alone had me screaming out how epic it was.
There have since come games that I prefer on my Wii U, but I'll always remember the initial excitement and intrigue that drew me towards the game, and in turn; the Wii U. Wonderful 101 still sits comfortably within my top 10 favourite Wii U games and I truly do recommend it to anyone who has yet to play it.
@sinalefa "No wonder you like Sony"
Ouch, burn, pawned and all of that stuff. Good one.
@beautifulstrong Err... no. There's even a link to the original review in this very article.
I played it about 3 hours and I was done. Just could not get into it
I too thought there was some "Director's Edition" re-release of the game coming.
@sinalefa Oh thanks. You know it's likely at 1 time that I knew that. But to be fair to me, blue haired anime girls are a dime a dozen in JRPG, and I've played a lot of JRPG.
Have I ever showed you the wall clock in my sons bath room? (I probably did but forgot that too. So sad.)
Played the demo 4 times through and each time seemed more and more infuriating than the last.
Had the option to get this for 12$ used and passed.
Don't regret that choice for a second.
Drawing those stupid symbols, with the stick or screen, was literally the worst design choice.
It reminded me of the QTEs from Bayonetta 1 (which were way more annoying on the Wii U than the 360).
@Peach64
I second the 'no Platinum sequels' mentality.
Korra (crap), Transformers (better), Bayonetta (good), Bayonetta 2 (better).
With TMNT, Scalebound, Nier: Automata, Star Fox Zero and more to look forward to (some much more than others), Platinum should keep moving forward. Doing another sequel would likely make a much better Wonderful 102 / 201, but sequels are what Bungie, Naughty Dog, Ubisoft and Oddworld Inhabitants (et al) do.
Platinum moves forward, they need to keep moving forward.
It's cheap for a first party Wii U game, so I will eventually get it.
@zool
"I like demos. Having played loads of them, I can say that there have been quite a few games that I had been thinking of buying but after playing the demo I changed my mind.
101 was not a game I was going to buy, but I did play the demo and I enjoyed it, but there was not quite enough gameplay to send me rushing out to get a copy."
perfectly explaining why demos are not effective
damn click bait. the title suggests a re-release
I might get it one day, but I'm not really a fan of the controls (from the demo I tried) or the game's aesthetic.
Like many others, I couldn't get into this game. I enjoyed its irreverence, but the gameplay was clunky.
This should be in every Wii U owners list got content in the game for anyone if you stick with it.
This game has extremely poor control - the drawing mechanism does not work. As a result, you play the game avoiding transforming into another form.
This game is the first game making me realise that doing calculus is easier than adjusting to the frustrating control.
@Spin @Jamotello Inconsistencies aside, the game runs in 60fps. Trust me, it's something I've never failed to notice.
I gave this game enough chances but couldn't finish it. It just annoyed me like there's no tomorrow. Even when I finally learnt the controls and the gameplay became smooth it didn't do anything for me. Obviously a hidden gem to some but a miss to me. I hope I picked another game as my MK8 freebie.
Platinum best work by far!!
@rjejr
"But I have to finish XCX first, if that's even possible."
It's possible. I beat the game... finally. And it was everything I'd hoped it would be. I still play, would love to get a Lv. 60 Skell but I just don't have the patience to scrounge up all those mats.
The question is, what game to play next? Fire Emblem Fates releases in 4 weeks, so I've got a little time. Back to Stella Glow? Tales of Zesteria? Or maybe... perhaps, Xenoblade Chronicles 3D...? What I really want to know though, is if you ever played The Last Story. My brother says he loved it as much as Xenoblade...
the most original exclusive on WiiU so far and one of the best game on WiiU overall. Bloody entertaining
@hcfwesker Well, you could always give AdGuard (either install or browser plugin) or Adblock Plus (browser plugin) a try. For videos there's also a YouTube Adblocker plugin for Firefox and Chrome if you don't want to block the entire site.
Before the Wii U launched, this was one of my most anticipated games and I had it preordered for weeks. But when it launched....eh. I tried and tried and tried and just couldn't 'click' with it, a real shame as I love Pikmin and the style of this game really appeals to me. Nowadays it sits sadly unloved in my pile of Wii U games. Maybe this is a sign that I should give it another chance. I do want to like it.
Is it just me or did they actually mention Wonder Pink's oppai?
Best ending ever, I was crying with laughter at how cheesy and hilarious it is! That's it I'm gonna play this again.
@JaxonH "is if you ever played The Last Story."
No, I didn't like the graphics in that one, or the story in the other JRPG, the one about killing monsters in a tower and feeding their hearts to your girlfriend. Very glad I played XC though. And XCX now. I'm 2 dagabah squashes away from getting my skell license, about 55 hours in, preparing to do "Close Comrades" affinity mission so I can start chpt 7, w/ or w/o my skell.
If I had free time I'd play Witcher 3 or Bayonetta 2,but I'm sure you would have finssihed them by now if you were interested. Maybe you can start a never ending Yokai Watch addiction?
@rjejr
Nice. My in-game counter says 458 hours but I have left my system on many times to collect FrontierNav revenue so that's not really accurate.
I've never heard of you passing up a game over graphics- especially The Last Story, a game supposedly better than even Xenoblade and which I thought looked par for the course as far as Wii games go. Then again I'm still reading your complaints of Star Fox Zero so what do I know.
I liked Pandora's Tower but got sidetracked before it ever sucked me in. From what I hear it was a solid JRPG, but nothing that could rival The Last Story or Xenoblade.
@JaxonH Pandoras Tower, that's the one, thanks. The Last Story didn't have bad graphics, I worded that wrong as usual, it looked great for a Wii game, but I recall it having normal looking people shooting normal looking guns. And it was brown. Very very brown. I think Vagrant Story turned me off of brown. I know Vagrant Story is supposed to be a great classic Square game, I bought it day 1, but it was 1 long dull boring dungeon grind w/ about 20 good minutes at the beginning and an hour at the end. I think the similar name and brownness of the original trailer just turned me off, and I never got turned back on.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0UNe8bNfEo
Also possible it came out about he same time I was playing Star Ocean: The Last Hope, which looks a little different in this trailer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ywY4S5Q0MM
I had also just finished playing White Knight Chronicls 1 and half of 2 - still haven't finished - so I didn't really need a brown JRPG at the time Last Story released. I sitll have half of Arc Rise Fantasia to finish also. Worse voice acting in any video game ever, but graphics and story are really good. Too bad I'm stuck at a boss who self destructs and kills me when I beat him. And I used up all my items beating a flower right before I got to him:-(
Last Story looks good in hindsite, but my hours are limited. 458 hours, your insane.
@MrA-Game
Oh yea the ending. That ending was epic, funny and cheesy all at the same time.
I always kept wondering when that boss battle would end haha! That was one helluva fight!
I really want to go replay this game on a harder difficulty this time. One of the best games on the Wii U, sadly it is overlooked by many.
@LasermasterA Just seeing "Press A - save world" gets me every time hahaha
@MrA-Game
And the name of the finishing move xD
@rjejr
The thing about The Last Story is.... it's a Sakaguchi game. And the last one he ever made, aside from that mobile iOS card game
@Jamotello Nah man, you're just weird. Poorly running games stand out on all platforms. Nintendo isn't immune. When a game runs like crap, such as Mega Man X2 on the VC, it's blatantly apparently.
@mjc0961 i don't think that's just me giving nintendo a pass. it might be by design. there are things a dev can do that can make both framerate and resolution less distracting or even apparent, just don't ask me to name them. noticeable fps and resolution is something i see more often on other platforms so whatever measures can be taken, not every dev takes them. i never notice either resolution or framerate on a wii u game. that means that it's probably part of their policy in house and maybe even hardwired into the wii u itself to implement those measures. for me, a wii u game looks great. that's the resolution. the animation is smooth, that's the framerate.
My only regret with this game was taking a 'casual' approach. There's so much to discover if you don't!
I still have to finish it, but I totally agree it is great!
Glad I picked this up early, it is getting more difficult to find for a decent price now.
I need to pick this up sometime! It's not easy to find :-/
@JaxonH "Sakaguchi"
Thanks. Didn't know about the guy, but apparently all my worship of Square during the 90's was meant for this guy. Now I want to play it. It's on my Amazon wish lit, but with my current backlog it could be years before I play it.
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