WHAT WORRIES US:
Jonathan: When they first announced the Wii U, I had visions of playing Xenoblade Chronicles and my absolute wealth of Wii Virtual Console games on the Wii U Gamepad. It was a major disappointment to hear that the Gamepad could not be used while in “Wii Mode”, but not so crushing a blow that I ran off and cancelled my pre-order. Still, I had lofty hopes of playing Super Mario Bros 3, Super Smash Bros 64, Streets of Rage 2, and other games I’ve amassed on my happy console over the years online. With the restrictive nature of the “Wii Mode”, I fear these dreams are dashed.
I feel as though the Wii U will amount to a series of high expectations inevitably lowered. While Nintendo innovates in unprecedented ways, they tend to lower the bar in others, leaving honest hardcore Nintendo fans like me happy yet duped, not blind enough to openly forgive/ignore their flaws. What these expectations are and how they’ll effect me are yet to be seen. But give me a spiritual successor to Super Mario Galaxy 2, Smash Bros Brawl and you’ll offer enough to keep me from another rampage like the one I offered on 3DS seen on the first page of this article. And give gamers like me hidden gems like Xenoblade Chronicles, or the Wii U’s next great Fire Emblem game to succeed Radiant Dawn.
I’ll be happy in the long run. I promise
Devin Kotani, Review Staff: I’m most concerned that the Wii U will be left in the same situation as the Wii once the PS4 and Xbox Whatevs come out. Severely underpowered, and incapable of getting the same third-party multi-plats, being left in the same sort of game drought as the Wii.
Clinton Nix, Chief Editor: One of my notable worries right now is that there are plenty of games for launch, and a good number of them seem interesting. However, none of them ‘jump out’ at me, or make me say “I have to have it!”
The current launch is satisfying enough for a good gaming experience, and we all know that the big Nintendo games loom just beyond the horizon.
David Rawlings, Review Staff: My fear with the Wii U is that Nintendo themselves don’t seem to care about online play with their games. The fact that Pikmin 3 and New Super Mario Bros U doesn’t have online is ridiculous. And I worry about future Nintendo games like F-Zero and Starfox being restricted to just local multiplayer.
Polling the staff read to an interesting back-and-forth between a few of us.
Steve Baltimore, Lead Reporter: What concerns me most is the Wii very few titles that were for an older gamer. Most titles seem to be made for children or casual players. If they can provide a more diverse library of titles like they did on the DS, then I would be more than willing to come on board with them.
Scott MacDonald, Assistant Editor: ^That’s a consideration for me as well; however, I’m still waiting to see if that Gamepad is going to turn out useful. From where I sit, it looks like another gimmick that will ultimately be disappointing. I’m cynical and everything is flawed!
Steve: Well one thing I hated about the Wii is the motion controls. I am not a big fan of them at all. Zelda Skyward Sword is the first game in the entire series I have ever skipped…because of the motion controls. As far as the the games go, the launch titles look like they are looking toward a more mature customer base this time… I hope they do great with it!
Scott: I’m keeping my hype-ometer in check this time around. The Wii had me psyched, and yeah, there were some great games on there, but in terms of the ideas versus the execution…I found it lacking, for the most part.
Clint: It’s funny how dividing motion controls are for games like Skyward Sword. I happened to be one of the people who loved it, at least in this particular game. The problem with physical movements is that they are interpreted differently by different people, so some people will have a hard time doing ‘what the game wants.’ The truth is, even though I loved Skyward Sword, it took Nintendo to the end of the Wii’s life to get there.
Ladies and gentlemen getting the Wii U at launch (or soon): enjoy! Do some of you agree with the thoughts we’ve offered in this discussion piece? Who among us is going to wait on Wii U for reasons like what we’ve pointed out here? Please do let us know. We’re as excited as you are, for sure!
