I’ve been pretty happy with the new Wii U console so far, but not as a game machine – it’s pretty much my go-to device for watching Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime videos now, even with a somewhat clunky and slow user interface. While the pack-in game, NintendoLand, is fun with friends and it’s cool seeing Mario in high-def in New Super Mario Bros. U, there hasn’t been anything that’s wowed me the way Wii Sports did back when the original Wii came out. I’ve heard ZombiU is worth checking out, so that might make it to my Christmas Wish List, and I’m intrigued by the whole Skylanders phenomenon, so could possibly get the starter set for that, but most of the other launch titles are available on the XBOX 360 and PS3, so I’ll probably keep getting cross platform games for those consoles until I hear that they’re better for the Wii U, something that hasn’t happened yet. Am I sorry I bought the console? Of course not. We all know the reason for buying Nintendo consoles: to play Nintendo games on it! And as soon as Zelda U, Metroid U, Mario Galaxy U, Pokémon U, Pikmin U, Starfox U, Smash Bros. U, Animal Crossing U, etc. are released, any reservations I have about the console will at least be temporarily put to rest.
As for the touchscreen/motion control gaming? Not as annoying as I would’ve thought. I’ve found that – at least on the games I’ve played so far – the use of the motion controls is much more downplayed than with the original Wii, and the use of the touchscreen is (so far) pretty novel and creative. It’s kind of like playing with a huge DS, where your TV’s the top screen and the touchscreen/controller is the bottom screen. Pretty cool. But my favorite use of the second screen is (again) when watching videos – where info like the director/actors/year of release/synopsis is always available on the GamePad, so I don’t have to pause the video on the big screen while I look for that kind of info. Again, not a glowing endorsement for the gaming side of the machine, but a cool feature nonetheless.
So how ’bout you BOTreaders? Do you have or plan to get a Wii U? Going to wait for the next XBOX or Playstation? Or happy with what you have and aren’t really interested in the next consoles just yet?
Played with a WiiU at BestBuy a few weeks ago. Different, but possibly in a good way. Not sure yet.
it’s definitely different, TCG, and in more good ways than bad, at least so far. i’ll have to reserve additional judgment until more games that i want to buy get released.
and check you out – you just achieved the Shades of Firsting! wear them well: these have two lenses for each eye (the lower ones show the world in 8-bit):
😎
Also wouldn’t mind having an Xbox again. I miss racing in Forza. 🙁
i’ve been reading great reviews for the new (more arcade-y) Forza. with my recent, more limited videogame budget, i probably won’t get it, but i’m tempted!
I’m going to show my age here big time, but I was really annoyed when keyboards started to come out with a “windows” key. That really messed up my mad skillz at Doom, Hexen and Quake!
Oh man, I remember tha… wait, old? I’m not old, am I? I’m only 20!
Maybe my family’s just a bit behind on technology. How modern is Nintendo64?
Regardless, thanks for the nostalgia trip.
the Nintendo 64 was an awesome console, Calvin! i still have fond memories of Mario 64, Zelda OoT/Majora’s Mask, Mario Kart 64, F-Zero, Paper Mario, Wave Race, Jet Force Gemini, the list goes on…
I still play Doom in my computer. Earlier this year Steam had a sale on all the Doom games so I got them, forgot how much fun they were, also forgot how hard they were!
i’ll have to check Steam to see if they have those for the Mac, TPC. thanks!
agreed, Jim: that Windows key was SO annoying back in the day! now i wanna go find copies of Doom/Hexen/Quake for my Mac just to give ’em a whirl again. add Descent to the list, too.
Oh maan! Our Wii doesnt even work, since we have digital tv instead. My fave game is Epic Mickey, and me and my sister are often complaining since we never get to play it… About the Wii U, dont think so. Expensive, and wont use it?..
i’ve wanted to play Epic Mickey for some time now, DAS, but i’ve heard mixed reviews on it so have held off. i love old school Disney, though, and the story with Oswald sounds awesome. sadly, i’ve heard even worse things about the recently released Epic Mickey 2, so i’ll probably wait for that to hit the bargain bins before i pick it up.
Nintendo has disapointed me with their releases on the Wii and DS (especially the DS). Mario and Zelda games that were way to easy, had a lack of new and/or exciting elements and such that I have completely drifted away from them. I have not bought, and will not buy a 3DS. I have no intention of buying a Wii U. I really don’t like to say it, but I’ve had more fun with the 6 PS3 titles I own than with the 12 or so Wii titles.
The upside is I’ve completely come back into PC gaming, which has brought me some good times with games like StarCraft 2, Saints Row the Third, Sleeping Dogs and recently Magicka.
while i love my Nintendo consoles, i share your disappointment with some of Nintendo’s decisions lately, Chibby. i would’ve much rather had a new Mario Galaxy or something actually new, than another New Super Mario Bros. side scroller. i haven’t even finished New Super Mario Bros. for the 3DS (Super Mario 3D Land is pretty awesome, btw) which just came out a few months ago and i’m playing it again on the Wii U! ridiculous.
I only play my PS3 now a days, not much time to invest in a new system. Still, the Nintendo U does seem interesting, maybe I’ll get a chance to play with it at Best Buy sometime.
definitely worth checking out, TPC. i do like the touch screen as it adds some new types of game play mechanics, but it definitely doesn’t feel like “next gen” gaming. guess we’ll have to wait for XBOX 720/PS4 for that.
I haven’t even tried the Wii U, to be honest, I’m scared to. Because I’m pretty sure I will want it LOL. And I want my Xbox first. Yes, I want it only for one game that I can’t live without….DSQ knows the one I mean.
I love my Xbox too. And the only upgrading I plan on doing any time soon as far a consoles go is finding a 120GB hard drive for my Xbox. Or Or one of the newer 360s if absolutely necessary and I can get one cheep enough.
I need a 360. My game is calling out to me and I have no system to play it on!
What game is it?
Lollipop Chainsaw! I NEED IT!!!!
i’d say if it was down to a choice between the Wii U and 360, i’d go with the 360 all the way, Pixie! while the Wii U is cool and will eventually have some awesome first party titles, the 360 has a TON of amazing content right now. and you’ve totally piqued my interest about Lollipop Chainsaw. gonna have to look into that. 🙂
I . . . I don’t have a video game system at all (ducks quickly).
I either use my laptop, borrow my SIL’s Wii, or go to the arcade.
I may regret this, but: any recommendations?
They still have arcades? The last one in Philly closed up about 10 years ago. I miss it, it was a great place to go during lunch.
We have one or two–excellent places to unwind.
All our comic book stores are in trouble, though.
sad to hear your comic shops are in trouble. 🙁
ooh! an arcade!? wish i had one near me to unwind at, Sarah W! as far as recommendations, my favorites (in order) are:
1) XBOX 360
2) iPad
3) 3DS/DS (mostly for Pokémon playing)
4) PS3
5) Wii U
I’ve tried several times to get into gaming, but it just really hasn’t stuck. The only thing I use our Wii for is Netflix. Everybody else in my family plays games on it, but I’m not interested (or coordinated) enough. We aren’t looking to get any new gaming systems except for the gaming computer Taranchilla bought himself on CyberMonday that should be arriving any day now. He’s been working for it and saving for it for almost a year now. The Wii U sounds interesting, but we’re not planning on getting one anytime soon.
it’s probably a good thing that you aren’t that into gaming, Shanna, as it’s expensive and a huge time-suck! i wish i had time to game more, but i find that i have even less time to play now that i’m working on JEFbot full-time. hope to hear more about Taranchilla’s gaming PC in the future! 😀
Stopped using X-Box after Halo 3… QUITE a while back, huh. Though I’ll check out the WiiU. It’s my dream come true… as a laid-back internet browser. Hah!
i haven’t used the Wii U’s browser, ROM!, so i can’t comment much on it, but it’s a great Netflix/YouTube/Amazon Prime/Hulu viewer!
Dammit, Bot! I do like the commercial for it though.
heheh. sorry, Anime fan. i’m sure it’ll be worth buying a year from now but at the moment, i just don’t find it strong enough to pull my attention away from my other consoles. (though i am pretty excited about Pikmin U coming out soon!)
Meh. Nintendo HAS NO place in our homes in LatinAmerica!!!!!
As far as I know, most of us Latins do not like Nintendo. Don’t know why… except that we hate the “kiddie” games. Sony and MS have a strong market over here.
Personally I have a PS2 and the only reason I haven’t gotten a PS3 is because… IT DOESN’T PLAY PS2 OR PS1 GAMES!!!!!!!! I have a HUGE collection of PS1 and PS2 games and are NOT interested in playing online. I play for my pleasure, not to compete with strangers! And for reasons I don’t understand (but don’t complain about) I can still get NEW PS2 games so I see no point of getting a newer console (specially if the rumors are true that the new consoles are going to promoto online gaming and downloading of the games. I love my discs and boxes – collector boxes all the way!!!)
that’s interesting, JCB. i’ve heard that the original NES was pretty popular in Latin America but i guess that didn’t translate into love for N64/Gamecube/Wii? ah, well. glad to hear XBOX and Playstation are doing well over there!
and i’m with you – while i do download some games now, i much prefer owning the actual disc! not that it really matters – so many games require you to download huge patches to fix the game or make it better before you can even start. hate to think of what will happen when those patches go offline in the future and you’re stuck with a buggy game.
Th
This is probably blasphemy but I haven’t had a Nintendo console since the NES. I’ve had a playstation since I was six and have bought every iteration of the console since. I keep my ds around for Pokemon but I don’t really have any reason for a wii or any other Nintendo console. If I want to play I will but I don’t own one and probably never will.
Same here. The only Nintendo system I’ve ever owned is a GameBoy Advanced.(my little brother got a DS a few years ago and my other brother has a 3DS, but I’ve not really had much interest in them) I just don’t really have much interest in Nintendo’s games in years.
but, but… they’re so good, Fijiman! yeah, i wouldn’t say they’re for “hardcore” gamers anymore, but they’re just fun! but yeah, if you have no investment in Nintendo’s games or characters, i could see how you’d skip their hardware.
*gasp* blasphemy, dj! although i can’t really judge since i’m a huge Nintendo fanboy and will pretty much buy whatever console they put out just so i can play their first party titles. but i know if they ever release a real Pokémon RPG or MMO for the Wii U, you’ll probably be first in line to get it, no? 😀
guilty on that one.
also if they do to pokemon what they did with Spyro and Skylander model. holy crap I’d be broke.
for reals.
I own a Playstation 2, a Playstation portable, an Atari Lynx, a Sega/Nintendo plug-in and a TurboExpress. I also own a handheld Gauntlet by Tiger, a Wizards and Warriors by Acclaim and a handheld blackjack game. At this moment, I’m not looking to upgrade. My position is subject to change if I move into a larger apartment with more storage space and drop back to only working one job (giving me more time on hands).
time – even more than money – is the biggest investment it takes to getting the most out of a console, Rainey! so, yeah. until you have that free time, it’s really not worth getting a 360/PS3/Wii U. hope it makes financial sense to drop back to one job soon!
Honestly the Wii U doesn’t really pique my interest much. I think the controller is actually what turned me off the most. I have enough trouble focusing on a single screen in games, having to do two at once might be too much for me. That, and the thing looks horribly uncomfortable to use for long periods of time.
That said, I’m itching for the new Xbox. The 360 has already been out what, two years longer than the original? It’s time for an upgrade. If they don’t announce it at the next E3 I’ll be very surprised. Same for Sony, although I don’t own a PS3 at the moment. That will likely change once The Last of Us comes out in May. Cause that game looks amazing.
i thought the same thing about the controller before i got it, Alexander, and i must say: it’s pretty cool! much lighter than you’d think for long gaming sessions, and the touchscreen is better than i thought it’d be, too. yeah, sometimes it gets confusing as to which screen to look at, but you get used to it, just like a DS. and it’s kind of cool to be able to play some games (like New Super Mario Bros. U) solely on the controller. you don’t even have to have the TV on! the biggest problem with the system is that the graphics (at least so far) are nothing beyond what you’d see on a 360 or PS3, and i heard they cheaped out on the CPU, so it’s not even as powerful computing-wise as those two consoles. so, for true next gen, we’ll have to wait for the next XBOX/Playstation, which i’m excited for, too!
It’s a twofer!!! So funny. I’m the same way, I can’t stand “something” until it’s re-imagined!
yeah, it’s easy to diss something until you actually see and/or use it, FunnyShaffer. 🙂
My only interest in the wii u would be to get the new tekken game on it. The wii u version comes with Nintendo themed costumes and that’s kinda cool.
Besides I just got a ps3 and that’s keeping me entertained for now.
getting the PS3 is a good choice at the moment, 52pickup. so many exclusives on that machine that are awesome: the Uncharted, God of War and Ratchet and Clank series among them!
Yeah, my favorites are the InFamous, Little Big Planet, and Jak and Daxter series.
We’ve got a PS3, Wii & Xbox 360. Most of the games I play are on the PS3. The Wii was awesome when it first came out but we don’t play it as much anymore. The Kinect thing is AWESOME!!! It amazes me Microsoft can make something as great as that & as horrible as Windows. 😉 We used to watch Netflix & Amazon prime videos on the PS3, but we just got a Samsung smart tv & have been watching them there.
If you liked Spyro, you’ll like Skylanders. The concept of using the figures is neat and the game is really fun. My son & I play it a lot!
Probably won’t get a Wii U for Christmas, don’t see anything there that makes me drool. Now if they had a new special Uncharted just for the Wii U then I’d buy it! Yes, that’s why I bought a PSVita and it was totally worth it! 😉
sadly, i’ve only played with my Kinect like once or twice, Richtpt, and it sits under my TV collecting dust now. the only game i really liked was Dance Central, but i’d only play that when friends are over, and they got bored of it quickly. all the other games i played (Kinect Adventures, Fable, Star Wars) just felt so simplistic and i found myself wanting to use a real controller just to get through them! am i missing something? is it better when you’re playing with kids? am i not playing the right games? let me know!
and glad to hear Skylanders is cool! i loved Spyro back in the day, so i’ll probably pick it up or ask for it for Christmas. i’m just afraid the whole “figures” dynamic will get crazy expensive.
also glad to hear you’re liking your Vita! been holding off on getting one, but when i do, that Uncharted game’s at the top of the list. 🙂
If I plan on getting a Wii U, it will not be until around Christmas 2013 at the earliest. One lesson I learned out of being burned by buying subpar consoles in the past is that you want to wait at least a year to see if the console has any longevity, what games are actually being released, and see if there are any good games other than the slew of lame launch titles.
very smart rule for buying consoles, MacDiver! though i feel you have less chance of getting burned by Nintendo systems than others, only ‘cuz you know you’ll be getting awesome Mario/Zelda/Metroid/Kirby and other Nintendo titles, so if you’re into those things, you won’t be disappointed. that said, i know i’ll be getting the next XBOX and Playstation consoles, due to them having their own exclusive titles and me not having any self control when it comes to new systems! 😉
The only reason I plan to Wii-u is Metroid. It’s been the main reason I own a console at all. The Prime trilogy made for Wii was really fun, and very well converted tot he new control system for the first two games.
On a side note, the Emerald City con dates are on sale. you gonna be there again?
i loved the Prime games on the Gamecube and Wii, Maesonic! so awesome and atmospheric. if they get Retro to do another one for the U, i’ll definitely be pre-ordering it. 😀
and, yes – i’m all set for Emerald City! not sure where i’ll be on the floor yet, but i’ll be sure to cover that in a blog post about it, as i have some cool news to talk about for that show. should have that posted this week or next. thanks for mentioning!
Im waiting for hard-light based motion-controlled holographic interface devices. Those I will buy.
ha! can’t wait, Maryz! 😀
The Wii-U looks good, don’t know if I’ll get one though. I haven’t been using my Wii that much (still play my 3DS often though), and no launch titles in particular have really caught my eye, but once the console gets going for a bit (and prices drop) I might get one.
yeah, i’m loving the 3DS, GG11, though i haven’t had much time to play, lately. 3D Ocarina and Mario Land is awesome, and i can’t wait for a real 3DS Pokémon. 🙂
Now if that isn’t fancy :3 (Sent from Atlantis (HOW THE F*CK DID I GET HERE?! I thought this’d be over after the GPS thing))
how’s atlantis, G.L.? i’ve always wanted to visit. 🙂
I have a lovely reverse-compatible PS3, and no time to play the games I do have. So no, I’m not looking to upgrade. My nephew might find that in a birthday gift package next August, though…he’s better (at age 6) at the Wii than all of us in the house. Mildly depressing.
same here, T – i have a reverse-compatible PS3 and don’t even have time to play the modern games, much less the games i never finished from last gen! and the Wii U would make a great gift for your nephew; Nintendo Land’s fun for kids, and by next year, their library will just get better.
Ok I read far enough into the post to see the Skylanders bit. It is a fun game and worth a play BUT don’t do it or you’ll be dragged in like I was. I have little skylanders everywhere. The original 32, a few special edition copies and then they released Giants. Which has another whole set of figures plus all the actual Giants I have all of them that have been released so far. Lots of scouring toy stores and trying not to get ripped off too badly on e-bay. Each little figure is 10-15 (retail) bucks unless you can find them in 3 packs for 20$. The Giants are solo and are 15-20 a piece. Needless to say, I’ve spent WAY more than I intended on with these little guys. I enjoy the game endlessly, as does my husband, but I think if he sees another little figurine come in soon he’s going to cut up my credit card. >.>
see, this is what i’ve been afraid of, Lexie – that i’ll become obsessed with collecting all the figures for the game, so thanks for confirming my fear! once you finish the game, is there incentive to play it again with new figures? is it like Pokémon, where you can keep playing the game with new pokés for fun?
Oh yeah, it’s totally replayable. It’s a lot like the old Spyro games where there’s a ton of things hidden to find and challenges to complete within levels. They’ve also set up arenas to play with. Pit your skylander against your buddies. For now it only seems to be local, not online multiplayer, but it is fun to PvP with your little characters. I honestly have no idea if the multiplayer will ever be available, but if it were it could add more amusement and replayability. Although there are rumours of a third installment. Giants is the second. And yes, thankfully the original 32 can level up farther and play in the giants world.
I’m not sure if I’m going to get a WiiU… I’m working on getting a new computer right now, so I can play all these sweet new games on PC.
i think PC gaming is the true “next gen,” Eptha, and if i had the time and money, i’d probably get back into it. have fun gaming when you get it!
Hey bot, I’m returning to reading your comics yet again! took me a while to catch up. I don’t know how you find time between gaming, comic production, and your photo shoots if you are doing those anymore. I’m sure you are probably buried under piles of electronic devices by now. 😛
glad to have you back, Heavycannontank! happy you’re all caught up now.
and the sad truth is that i don’t have a lot of time for gaming anymore. i try to steal 30 minutes here and there (i’ve recently started Mass Effect 3, Borderlands 2, Nintendo Land and New Super Mario Bros. U) but it feels like it’s going to take a few months to finish even one of those! aagh. i’m hoping to have more time for video gaming once i get caught up on most of the things i want to do for this site. until then, i’ll continue to be buried under all these gadgets and games. 🙂
Bender sold all his SNES games a few years back and now sticks to Starcraft II and whatever random free games he can find online that aren’t horribly lame. Now, when I become a pharmacist in a year and a half, all monastic asceticism is 100% out the window.
sounds like you made a smart move, Bender_Sastre – i’m just not sure what single game i’d choose if put to the choice. maybe Mass Effect 3 for now, just so i can see how that story turns out. and pre-congrats on becoming a pharmacist!
Hmmm! Don’t really have the nostalgia factor, cuz I was always Kicked Off!