Some background, first. I doubt I am the "average" Wii U user/purchaser, so this may help those similar to me, who may be on the fence. I'm a 32-year-old married guy (with no kids) who used to play a lot of PC and console games many years ago, and I still own a GameCube (which I got on launch day), N64, and PS2. I fell away from gaming and totally skipped the PS3/XBox generation of consoles. I was tempted by the original Wii and for a couple of Christmases considered getting it as a present for my wife, but it always seemed to "kiddy" and gimmicky. A member of family ended up getting one, and although some of the games were fun, some (such as Mario Kart) were quite frustrating as I do not like to tilt but prefer a traditional gamepad approach, which was not possible it seemed. Plus the Wii graphics were pretty poor, so, I'm glad I skipped it.
When the Wii U came out I thought it looked interesting, but it got mixed reviews and there were not too many games around for it the first Christmas so again I skipped it. I was also not too sure about the gamepad.
Fast-forward a year, and in between, we have seen the release of the PS4 and XBox One. I didn't register for a launch-day PS4 but ended up realising that although I skipped the PS3, I really wanted a PS4. For some reason I have simply never liked the XBox much. Christmas came and went and no-one had a PS4 in stock (as I write this review, Amazon still don't!). I ended up finding one in stock in my local Game store last weekend and went for it, buying just the console there and everything else from Amazon. I wasn't really sure what I would think, having been away from console gaming for about ten years, but it is very, very good. The Sony "experience" - i.e. the main console aspects - is great, with everything slick and effortless. It was easy to get set up with a PSN account and get gaming.
("What", I hear you ask, "this sounds like a PS4 review!" - sort of :o) Seeing as the main competition for the Wii U right now are the PS4 and the XBox One, I wanted to put this into perspective.)
After having my new PS4 for only a day, I realised something very interesting. Yes, the graphics are great. The gameplay is great. The console is superb. But - there's something missing. There aren't all that many games around yet, as you might expect so soon after launch, but I bought eight games and they are mostly single-player, or a second player that is not quite as important (Knack). Proper two-player games are rare (Injustice is awesome) and more than two players? None in sight; despite the PS4 supporting four controllers, it seems everyone expects you to play online.
Hence I made up my mind to also get a Wii U, and ended up in the strange situation of owning both these consoles, which I did not originally expect. My reason for buying the Wii U was not primarily the graphics - I knew the PS4 would be far better. As I play on a 1080p projector with a seven-foot screen, I crossed my fingers that the graphics would not be too bad. Rather, I bought the Wii U for the gameplay - and for the Nintendo stable of games, i.e. Mario.
I was surprised how excited I was waiting for the Wii U to arrive. Probably more excited than getting the PS4! Plus, I bought seventeen games at the same time, which gives a lot of variety. First impressions of the Wii U upon unboxing were not good. The gamepad seemed cheap and somewhat flimsy, and to some degree so did the console. It also has, confusingly, not one but two power bricks - one for the console and one for the gamepad. It would have been nice to have the power unit inside the console, and charge the gamepad from the console - never mind. Also, although it came with a sensor bar, I have not yet found out what that is for...
Upon turning it on, I was struck with just how awful the interface is. It's somewhat embarrassing! I felt like I had decided, at the tender age of 32, to buy some Lego - no, Duplo! Whereas the PS4 feels very slick and mature. Still, it's all about the games, right?
(I should also mention that for some reason the first HDMI port on my Pioneer amp that I used was not liked by the Wii U. After half an hour of fiddling I found one it liked. I have no idea why. Plus it's wi-fi only, so I ended up buying a LAN adaptor - shame on you, Nintendo, for not including a LAN port.)
Then began a long-drawn-out and frustrating sequence of events: register a Nintendo account, but no, can't do that until the system has updated; where's the update option? Hidden away behind the maddening, childish interface... now tie it to a Nintendo Club account... create that... doesn't work... aaaaargh!
For anyone else in the same situation, it seems you have to log into the new Nintendo Club account before you can then link it to the Wii U Nintendo account (why two accounts? I have no idea...) Also, if you are registering for stars, the Wii U will not show up for a day or so. Yup, I found that out with a lot of Googling. Bizarre.
All in all it was about an hour and a half of fiddling around with the online sign-ups, updates, etc. before I could even think about playing a game. Nintendo seems to have no idea what they are doing in this area, and could learn a lot from Sony (and no doubt Microsoft). They should also improve the terrible interface while they're at it, or risk totally alienating gamers like myself who are not children (even some of the games are clearly designed with kids in mind, e.g. Zelda, mentioning parents... cringe.)
Still, when I finally did load up a game, the graphics were pretty good. I chose Super Mario Bros. 3 first, and although nice enough, I wasn't really taken with it. But then next I tried Mario 3D World, and oh wow. Buttery smooth, great full-HD graphics, nice textures... and really fun to play. I cannot really tell the difference between the Wii U and the PS4 on this game, because of the nature of the game (ultra-real games like CoD will obviously be superior on the PS4, but fun games look just fine on the Wii U). The only problem is after half an hour of gaming, the controller died (flat battery already). Boooo... I prefer the Pro controller anyway, and that lasts a whole lot longer. I'm not yet convinced about the point of the gamepad.
I've not tried all the games I bought yet, but over the course of a few evenings I have found myself using the Wii U a fair bit, slightly more than the PS4, perhaps. Some of the games are really fun, others quite nostalgic. My wife also grew up with Mario and so it's nice to be able to play together - something which is very enjoyable, as Nintendo don't seem to have lost their knack for that. We're very much looking forward to Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. U, which they really should have launched already if they wanted better console sales.
So, in conclusion, if you want a game purely to play ultra-real FPS games then the Wii U cannot compete with the PS4 and XBox One. But if you want to play fun, multi-player games - especially if you have kids - the Wii U is actually pretty decent, with good graphics, good controls, and all-round good fun. It's also very good value for money right now, as I paid £757 for a PS4 with 8 games, 2 controllers, and PSN Plus subscription, but only £638 for the Wii U with 17 games, 2 Pro controllers, classic controller, and LAN adaptor (with the exception of the PS4 console, all from Amazon). That's pretty good value for money.
Just ignore the horrible interface, and grit your teeth through the online registration farce (and all the tedious surveys when you register games) and you'll be happy. The Wii U certainly deserves a place alongside the "next-gen" consoles, but I do think maybe Nintendo should give up making consoles and just release their games on PS/Xbox, like Sega ended up doing.
I can't speak for kids (who I assume would like it?) but I'm happy overall and am glad I bought it, although my initial experiences made me think I would regret having done so, and it took a couple of days for that to wear off as I settled into enjoying the games.
It would be five stars based on the high quality of graphics (please take that in the described context!) and gameplay, measured against the low price, but I deducted one star for the appalling interface and online woes.
Summary:
- Graphics: 4 stars (high-res - full HD, 1080p - smooth and slick, but not as powerful as next-gen consoles for ultra-real games)
- Sound: 4 stars (shows up as surround on my Pioneer amp, but somehow not as immersive as the PS4; this however is highly subjective and likely down to the games)
- Build quality: 3 stars (simply because it looks/feels cheap and plasticky)
- Interface: 1 star (simply shocking - I can't believe they released this to the world)
- Online experience: 1 star (frustrating, fragmented, not well thought-out, no LAN port)
- Gameplay: 5 stars (again subjective, depends on the game, but overall this platform is great fun, especially multi-player)
- Exclusivity: 5 stars (many titles, mainly Mario ones, only on this platform)
- Value for money: 5 stars (recent price drops have made this a good buy and some games are a steal)
We have a surprise for you
Find out all personalised promo codes that you are eligible for. Click here.
What other items do customers buy after viewing this item?
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
From the manufacturer
New Super Mario Bros. U and New Super Luigi U
With an all new way to play, New Super Mario Bros. U brings back classic characters like Mario, Luigi and Toad, but brings in a new character to join in the platform fun – you! Use your Mii character to tear through this 2D side-scrolling Mario adventure, with a giant world map packed with new courses and challenges, the likes of which are only possible on Wii U.
In New Super Luigi U take control of Mario’s Brother Luigi as the 80+ stages from New Super Mario Bros. U gets a re-shuffle and a revamp
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
Fly through levelsSwoop through levels and cling to walls when Mario transforms into Flying Squirrel Mario, or gently float through the air while hanging onto Tiny Balloon Yoshi. |
A new way to play MarioAn extra player can jump into the action using the new Boost mode, using the Wii U GamePad to create platforms out of thin air to help others navigate tricky stages or access hidden or hard-to-reach items. |
Become LuigiNew Super Luigi U, a massive add-on for New Super Mario Bros. U, features Luigi. All 82 courses from New Super Mario Bros. U have been retooled with new challenging designs and features for this adventure. |
Nintendo Wii U
Discover a wealth of exciting new ways to enjoy home entertainment with Wii U, Nintendo's home console. With a revolutionary new touch screen controller, precision motion controls, and full HD graphics, a whole new world of play styles and gaming possibilities is available to you.
Gamepad
Wii U features a touch screen built into its GamePad controller, providing a second window into your gaming experience and allowing for new and innovative single and multiplayer gameplay. Its unique Off-TV Play function allows you to play selected games without the need of the TV screen, so you don't have to switch off when a family member wants the telly for themselves.
Nintendo in HD
Wii U is the only games console to bring you Nintendo's world famous brands in up to 1080p high definition. Mario, Zelda, Pikmin and more have never looked so good.
Miiverse
Miiverse is a network service that brings players together. You can use Miiverse to link up with your friends, join special communities, hear directly from game developers, and even share your own handwritten messages and pictures drawn using the GamePad touch screen!
Nintendo eShop
Nintendo eShop allows you to buy and download any Nintendo Wii U game, including indie games exclusive to eShop and a wealth of NES and SNES classics, via Virtual Console.
The HDM1 lead never worked. We had to buy a new one. This was really annoying as it took us a while to figure out why the Wii U wasnt working when we first receive it .
Images in this review
