Why I decided to buy a Wii U instead
Last December 22, 2014 marked my first month with the Wii U. I was originally going to post this on that date but it was a few days before Christmas so I was kinda busy. But anyway, originally I was torn between the PS Vita, the Play Station 4, and the 3DS. Unfortunately, I can't afford all of them so I need to choose only one.
Why PS4? Because out of all the current gaming consoles out there, it has the most powerful hardware. But when I did the 5 game test last month, I found out that, out of all the games it has, I'm only interested in playing The Last of Us and Infamous Second Son. For the other games, i.e. Far Cry 4 and Dragon Age Inquisition, well, I have a PC for that.
Why Vita? First. Portability. I have a long commute(aprox. 1-2 hours) during working days. So if I had a Vita, that long commute won't be as long as it feels. It also passed my 5 game test. I actually listed about 10 games or more and I can also play Legend of Dragoon on it. It's, in my opinion, the best game that I have ever played.
Why 3DS? Also portability and I wanted to play Zelda games. When I was deciding, it has 2 Zelda games, namely: A Link Between Worlds and Ocarina of Time(which I have read, is the best Zelda game out there). And 2 weeks later they announce Majora's Mask. Plus I'm also interested in playing Fire Emblem and Bravery Default. So with that, it also passed my 5 game test.
To be honest, the Wii U wasn't really in my 3 choices. It was, however, recommended by a friend. But at that time I was like "Meh! What's that?!" Yes, embarrassingly, I wasn't even aware that it existed! FOR 2 WHOLE YEARS I WASN'T AWARE THAT IT EXISTED!! It was almost too late when my friend suggested it and it was a battle between Vita and 3DS, because of portability, of course. Then one day, I came home and my parents were watching The Ellen Show. If I recall correctly, I think that was one of her Halloween specials. Before the show ended, she gave each of her guests(children in costume) a Wii U. After that, I said to myself, "What the heck, let's give this one a shot and do a 5 game test".
So I started researching the console and its games. I knew some of their properties(i.e. Mario and Donkey Kong) since I owned a Super NES before. But that was a long time ago. I searched the top games in Wii U on different gaming websites and on reddit. And out of all the games it has, do you know what convinced me into buying a Wii U? Bayonetta 2!
After seeing the gameplay of Bayonetta 2 in YouTube and hearing how the critics praised it. I was sold! I purchased a Wii U with the Super Mario Bros. U and Super Luigi U Deluxe bundle along with a Wii U Pro Controller and Bayonetta 2 of course!
When I bought the Wii U, my 5 game test consisted of the following games below. And I highly recommend them!
Bayonetta 2(Bayonetta 1 bundled with it)
Mario Kart 8
Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Super Mario 3D World
So after 1 month of playing with the Wii U, I gotta say, I freakin' love it! I have no regrets whatsoever in purchasing the it. Given it has it pros and cons, which I'm going to list below, the positive pretty much outweighs the negatives and it's still a blast playing its games.
So... Why Wii U? Even though its hardware is not as strong as the other current gaming consoles out there, it does have the best library of games as of now. Let's face it, obviously, we buy gaming consoles so we can play games. So of course it's only logical to purchase the console with the best games. Plus, for 2015, they have some heavy hitters (i.e. Xenoblade Chronicles X and Zelda U) and an underdog title (Splatoon).
Positives:
Gamepad: Sure, some people have issues with it being so big and heavy and all. But I love what Nintendo did here. Off TV play? For when your S.O. and/or Parents wants to watch TV, you can still play in the gamepad. It's pretty cool actually.
Game Library: The games, man! Wii U has a lot of great games! And they're child friendly too! I can't even wipe the stupid grin on my face when I'm playing Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker.
Backward Compatibility: Did you know that the Wii U can also play Wii games? But you need to buy a Wii Remote with motion plus in order to play them. That's a great deal, if you ask me! It's like buying 2 consoles!
Virtual Consoles: You can purchase old school Nintendo games on the eshop and play it on your Wii U.
Local Multiplayer: Nowadays, if you want to play multiplayer, you'll have to send your friends home. But not with the Wii U. You can play local multiplayer in Super Mario 3D World and Nintendoland, a 4-Player Mario Kart 8, and an 8-Player Smash in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Imagine that! 8 players all in the same room playing the same game. Think of the chaos!
Negatives:
Gamepad: It's also a negative for me since when you break the gamepad, you won't be able to use your Wii U properly and you can't buy it anywhere. Except in Japan, maybe. You will need to contact Nintendo's customer support to have it replaced. And if I recall correctly' It will cost you about $140. Also, it only has 4-6 hours of game time. But you can buy a 2550mAH battery for it on the Nintendo store. Though I'm not sure how much that is.
Hardware: It's too bad that the Wii U's hardware isn't as strong as its competitors. Imagine if that were the case!
Lack of Third Party Support: In a perfect world, we have a Nintendo console that has third party games.
The name: In my opinion, Wii U is an awful name. I told 2 of my friends who owned a Wii that I would be buying a Wii U and they don't even know that it's the Wii's successor. They thought that the gamepad was an accessory to the Wii. I also read online that there are people who are confused between the Wii and the Wii U.
As of now, I have finished Bayonetta 1 and 2, and Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD. I'm currently finishing the mirror courses in Mario Kart 8, pursuing pure platinum trophies in Bayo 2, 100%ing Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker and playing Super Smash Bros. for Wii U once in a while. And I'm waiting for my order of Super Mario 3D World. I'm still saving money for Pikmin 3, Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze, The Wonderful 101, and some Wii games.
I will be posting my impressions/opinions on different Wii U games in the future so watch out for that! I'll try to cover them all if I could. Feel free to ask me if you have any questions.