First few days with a Wii U thoughts.


Recommended Posts

So I just got a WiiU as an early xmas present for us from the GF.

So far I really like the console as I expected, but as I expected there are some "drawbacks" as well.

Everyone says how great the controller is and how wrong anyone who says it's not has never tried it. Well now I have tried it and my experiences as far as ergonomy are not that rosy, I have fairly big hands. the only controls I can reach comfortably on the controller is the sticks ZL/ZR, I can reach the R and L buttons as well by holding far less comfortably. with index fingers on the ZL/ZR buttons.

The direction pad and YXBA buttons are much to far down to use effectively, B I can barely hit at all and in Black Ops II I usually hit A instead of B because of the terrible placement. also I don't understand the decision to not make the triggers analog... The Handle bumps on the bottom that's supposed t make it easy to hold/grip are also much to small for me and does absolutely NOTHING. they'd need to be 2-3 times as big at least to have any effect.

My GF on the other hand she thinks the whole thing is to big and can't hold it comfortably.

So, so far It's not working out for big or small hands very well.

As for the Screen, the ONLY real practical use for it I've seen so far is in Maria and being able to "disconnect" the game from the TV. I've seen no games make good use for it in any other why that couldn't have been done better by just using the screen on the TV. though I love being able to play Mario on just the screen. the menu system with the split between the pad and the TV also feels unnatural and unnecessarily... uh... not complicated but... gimmicky and just ... unnecessary. Rayman legends does make good use of the controller in how you control some of the level, however that has nothing to do with the screen and just the motion of the controller. the touch controls, don't really add anything to the game. I mean if you're buying a Rayman/platform game, then you want to play a platform game, not click other stuff while the computer does the playing.

Also patching, this console has been the worst experience for me as far as patching goes, not only did we have to wait for the huge first start patch. but EVERY game has had a patch, and my console patch experience so far is purely 360, which downloads and applies game patches in seconds. that can not be said for the WiiU. it takes quite a bit of time to both download and apply game patches. Room for improvement here, but luckily patches shouldn't be happening to often.

As for games.

Mario U is of course awesome, good old Mario game play, just plain fun, though not something I'll play for hours on end at a time, but I can put it short to long sessions every now and then. and I can just play it on the pad when I'm a bit bored doing other stuff. Was a bit hard to get into due to the controllers and bad ergonomy at the start, but I can cope now. but I would have played a lot better with a 360 style layout, that's for sure. It's also weird that you can't play multiple people with one person using the pad, but everyone has to use a wii remote. and the Wii remote is a horrible control for the game. bad button placements, ever worse ergonomy, and you have o shake it to do the spin.... seriously... that's just unplayable. I hope the pro controller works with it instead.

Cod BO II is ... well it's Black Ops II. doesn't make much use of the pad, other than the ability to display the game on it, good on them.

Tekken Tag, is pretty much just Tekken, doesn't really use the controller, suffers a bit from the bad ergonomy of the controller. probably better with the Pro controllers. we haven't played this much as it was primarily got for us to play together. and they where out of pro controllers.

Overall I'm loving the console, but nothing has rally knocked me back as super impressive over the 360. and there are some performance issues here and there. But it's got Mario and it'll have Zelda at some point, that alone makes it great :) haven't tried Nintendoland yet as I haven't seen much point with just the pad and a remote. Probably give it a whirl when I get more tired of Mario :)

Also need to figure out a way to stick the sensor bar to the bottom of the TV. but the tv is to this for the glue pads to work, and the table under it is FAR below the tv with the tv hung on the wall. and while placing it on top of the Kinect sensor seemed like a good idea, that didn't work very well since the Kinect lights confused the remote and made it all jerky and weird.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Overall I'm loving the console, but nothing has rally knocked me back as super impressive over the 360. and there are some performance issues here and there. But it's got Mario and it'll have Zelda at some point, that alone makes it great :) haven't tried Nintendoland yet as I haven't seen much point with just the pad and a remote. Probably give it a whirl when I get more tired of Mario :)

(Y) +1

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh one thing that's really stupid. Nintendo has it's European head quarters in Germany and have decided to follow German law across all of Europe, which is stupid in itself and possibly "illegal" anyway.

Well German has decided that violent and sexual content can only be viewed after 23 at night and before 3 or so at night. This means that not only can I not display the details for ZombiU at this point in time on the eShop. I can't buy the game either. :facepalm:

It also baffles me why, in the eShop, I can't use the triggers or anything to move between the screenshots for a game, but instead I have to click B, then flick left to mark the X, then click A to close it so I can navigate to the next pic and click A to open... I'm sure this is something they will change in a future update. But seriously. this shouldn't be this complicated at this point in time. it's not a hard thing to make or fix and it shouldn't have been that badly designed to start with.

on a positive not though, I like how you can enter the store on "top" of the game you're playing. to bad there's nothing in the store yet. but I like that :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh one thing that's really stupid. Nintendo has it's European head quarters in Germany and have decided to follow German law across all of Europe, which is stupid in itself and possibly "illegal" anyway.

Well German has decided that violent and sexual content can only be viewed after 23 at night and before 3 or so at night. This means that not only can I not display the details for ZombiU at this point in time on the eShop. I can't buy the game either. :facepalm:

Wait what?!?!?!?!? WTF?!

:/ I wonder what has Nintendo been smoking lately....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hawkman where do you live cause Nintendo TV is now out for the system it be nice to get your view on Nintendo Tv after a few days of using it i have seen some reviews already and most love it even if some stuff wont be comming till early next year for it . also have you tried out Zombie U . also since most of the games are ports beside zombie U i am sure down the road with Games being made for the Wii U from ground up will really shine and look better over anything else and or games that start on Wii U then are ported to other systems

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have you tried any of your old Wii games on it? I just want to know if it will make those games look better. Part of why I didnt buy many Wii games is because they look so horrible on a 55inch LED. I am hoping it does some up conversion with the new console.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There's not TVii in Norway at least. Also from what I've seen of TVi it server no interest for me as it's basically just a EPG on the Wii that uses the remote to change channel on my tuner/tv. which wouldn't work on my system anyway.

and no I haven't tried ZombieU yet since I can't buy it untill 23 tonight due to Nintendo/Germanys Retarded laws. ZombieU seems interesting, though imho it would have been just as good on any other system. but it's on the WiiU so it should have somewhat better graphics than hat's possible elsewhere. but we'll see.

Have you tried any of your old Wii games on it? I just want to know if it will make those games look better. Part of why I didnt buy many Wii games is because they look so horrible on a 55inch LED. I am hoping it does some up conversion with the new console.

I never had a Wii, to old technology. We did however buy both Zelda games from the Wii. and there's not upscale or anything, the WiiU just runs an emulated Wii with no upscale, or up-render.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh one thing that's really stupid. Nintendo has it's European head quarters in Germany and have decided to follow German law across all of Europe, which is stupid in itself and possibly "illegal" anyway.

.

While what they are doing is likely stupid, they are a company and they can do what they want with their products, not sure how it could be considered illegal..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There's not TVii in Norway at least. Also from what I've seen of TVi it server no interest for me as it's basically just a EPG on the Wii that uses the remote to change channel on my tuner/tv. which wouldn't work on my system anyway.

More then just an EPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

.

While what they are doing is likely stupid, they are a company and they can do what they want with their products, not sure how it could be considered illegal..

Well in so far as adding limits like this, they're not breaking any laws. BUT in other ways using german laws over Norwegian ones for products and services offered in Norway and thus reducing consumer protection or other benefits. they could very well be in breach of the laws.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

More then just an EPG

Except that's just what it it, a fancy EPG, that does the same stuff I already use my Harmony one for, just with a bigger screen, more info and a lot more battery. it doesn't make much sense really.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Except that's just what it it, a fancy EPG, that does the same stuff I already use my Harmony one for, just with a bigger screen, more info and a lot more battery. it doesn't make much sense really.

well if you look at just the EPG part then yes but it is a entire social integration thing say you want to watch an episode of a show opk well it will then show you what services it is available on like netflix or hulu plus or live TV or if it is recorded on your DVR and one stop shop to watch everything also when watching a live show like a new episode you can interact with it live leaving comments on scenes from the show or if you ended up coming in tot eh show late you can then see what has happened in snap shots and peopel commenting on that scene so ya stay up to date .

Sports tho i dont care much for sports i do like the idea ya get a real time play map of a live game to see what play they are calling or did call and running and live comments on stuff on the right hand side while the game is going ther is allot more to it and more coming down the road but it is Free service and well like the idea it replaces or will replace using standard dishnetwork controller and DVR interface stuff down the road and the fact it has tight integration to Miiverse is nice

Anyways you cant get it yet but when ya can test it out give your thoughts after ya usie it. also i know Nintendo plans to release a update to fix the load times of Miivirse Menu systems but how are they in your opinion in its current state

Link to comment
Share on other sites

except for the social part, my tuner already lets me do all that. and I don't need social on my tv.

tvii could have been interesting if it was netflix. but, better.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

except for the social part, my tuner already lets me do all that. and I don't need social on my tv.

tvii could have been interesting if it was netflix. but, better.

well over time it will get better but it for me be a nice replacement when i do get aq Wii U and start using TVii a replacement for are current Dishnetwork 722k system well the ugly and slow user interface it has anyways but course they need to make sure DVR integration is done well later on in an update they will have

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I will just chime in by saying ZombiU is a must play for any WiiU owner.

And I actually checked out Nintendoland for the first time just yesterday, and i have had my WiiU since Launch, and there are some fun little deviations on it, there are, but it really is just a tech demo for the GamePad.

I think anyone who already owns other consoles and picks up a WiiU will find it to be a good console. Even a very good console. But anyone looking for it to be their main console, well, they may very well be disappointed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

and the purpose of this ?

I think anyone who already owns other consoles and picks up a WiiU will find it to be a good console. Even a very good console. But anyone looking for it to be their main console, well, they may very well be disappointed.

Pretty much.

As for ZombiU, that would depend on the person actually liking that kind of game though, it's a fairly niche audience in reality.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

once thing i know from reviews and and what not Zombie brings back the survival horror in a real good way as your always in sense of danger because you dont know when you may or may not be attacked while your looking through your survival kit and such and unlike other zombie games it is more slow paced it seems .

i shal Quote dirty larry on his comment on Zombie U fromt he ZU thread

Quote:

I have to say from what I have played, it seems like for some awful reason this game is not being understood by some of the gaming press. I just cannot see how anyone could really give it a negative review. The game is pretty damn awesome IMHO.

The use of the WiiU's GamePad in this game is about as good of a use that I can possibly imagine a launch title having, and honestly I think it is probably going to go down as one of the overall better uses of the GamePad period. It is without a doubt an enhancement and an extension to the gameplay, and hardly ever feels gimmicky. The only corny use of it so far has been planks on doors, in which you have to tap to remove them. Everything else makes perfect sense. The inventory management element, you look down when you loot most corpses and cabinets, it also is the environment scanner... All of these elements really make great use of the GamePad itself. And they do add a level of tension to the game as well.

ZombiU is very much a CLASSIC survival horror game IMO as it is at times slow and deliberate. This to me is what makes it so damn good actually. It treats the genre as it used to be before it got taken over by trying to be action adventure games as well. In this regards it reminds me some of Silent Hill 1-3. It is also pretty damn brutal as far as just how easy it is to die. One misstep can and does lead to death. There are some infuriating instances early on you will probably die a whole lot in fact. It was those instances however that helped me change my overall approach to the game. This is another great aspect of the game to me. It makes no apologies for things. You do not move on until you figure out a better way. This is another nod to how games used to handle things... there really is not a whole lot of hand holding.

Perhaps the largest critique I read on the negative reviews was the combat felt clunky. This is no doubt the element I think some people are just not getting. The combat being "clunky" is very much deliberate. Call Of Duty style of gameplay this game certainly is not. It is, again, methodical. You are not powerful (at least not within the first 3 hours), and the combat reminds you of this fact. You have to be smart with things. Going in guns blazing so to speak is not going to work. You have to survey the situation, and actually come up with a plan. One that usually consists of things like finding the best area to fight from. And actually taking the time to close doors and barricade them. It is no doubt a thinking mans game, at least to get the most out of it.

I really feel this is probably one of the better survival horror video games to come out in quite some time. It is pretty damn unforgiving, and truly creates a tensions filled atmosphere where you are on edge most of the time.

So I realize not a lot of people will probably be able to even comment about playing the game, as it does not appear that we have a ton of people here on the forum that did pick up a WiiU. Only a handful. To that handful though, I strongly encourage you to pick up this game if you have not done so already. It is definitely a very unique experience overall, I also think for fans of the survival horror genre it is pretty much a must play, and it really is a great example of the WiiU's GamePad being used to enhance a game overall.

And then a Gamesite review from Kotakus Quote : WHY: A horror game that's actually scary. A survival game that's tough to survive. A first-person Demon's Souls with zombies that uses the Wii U's controller better than any other Wii U launch game So.. why not?.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't necessarily agree with a lot of that though.

Firstly on the clunky combat, sorry but combat doesn't need to be clunky or bad for difficulty, that's just bad design.

As for the controller, I don't really agree that is the best use of the controller of any game, I don't even agree that it's good use of it at all. In fact I think it's terrible usage. What they have done is moved stuff that would work just as well on the screen to the controller. For no good reason other than gimmick, and if that's all game devs are going to do, then the pad will not be anything other than a gimmick. Good use of the pad is Mario U, great use of the pad is RayMan, even if I don't agree with the all the elements there either, at least it does something unique.

What you use the pad for in zombi u, could be done just as well or better, with an onscreen semi transparent inventory that doesn't pause, like other games already do, so this element contrary to claims of reviewers, is not original or unique.

But I like the game and it's only on the wii u, however if it was on another console and used an onscreen non pause inventory, I'd probably pick that. Same thing with colonial marines. They just are me out of the game for no good reason, to do things that can already be done just as good or better and more immersely on the screen. That turns them into gimmick territory.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So I got off from work and have put in my first few minutes of ZombiU.

and yeah, cool game, but the pad usage feels unecessary and would have been better done on screen. but it doesn't take much away from the game. though there are some annoyances, like the fact that I can't close the loot screen with B. even when the loot is empty I have to drag up. and while I understand the "purpose". the purpose is stupid and not a good enough reason.

Also not sure why when using a club weapon I have to use two buttons to hit with it, but whatever,

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well if they had everything done on the big screen then it take you out of the game cause the game would pause while your looking at your survival pouch kit or what ever your looting and thus make the imminent danger go away because you could always just pause the game to loot and adjust things how ya wanted for an up coming zombie you see with everything done on the GP your focus has shifted some and you may just might forge about the zombies that could come from anywhere . Now for the Combat it is done the way it is for a reason YOU the player in the game the person you are in the game has no combat or survival skills .

Sorry missed the menu part you wrote on about the screen and being semi transparent well sorry to say but must reviews on the game disagree with you about that cause this does as i siad above give you the since of you better hurry up and yes having it done on the Tv in a semi transparent way would have sucked because despite it being see through somewhat it still hide some thing on screen a bit.

here take a read on this

http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/wiiu/zombiu/0/0 good article read

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well if they had everything done on the big screen then it take you out of the game cause the game would pause while your looking at your survival pouch kit or what ever your looting and thus make the imminent danger go away because you could always just pause the game to loot and adjust things how ya wanted for an up coming zombie you see with everything done on the GP your focus has shifted some and you may just might forge about the zombies that could come from anywhere . Now for the Combat it is done the way it is for a reason YOU the player in the game the person you are in the game has no combat or survival skills .

Holy long sentence Batman

Why would the game pause, I already said that the game wouldn't pause with on screen inventory. And games have been doing on screen inventory without pausing for ages, this is nothing new or unique. For example Skyrim doesn't pause when you go to your inventory and has a semi transparent inventory. Of course having the inventory on the screen would make me more immersed in the game, as it is now, I keep getting out of focus of the game and losing interest because I have to look at another screen. Then there's the stupid slide up to stop looting instead of just letting me hit B. causing me to have to constantly change the grip on the pad, plain bad design.

not having combat skills doesn't mean you're incompetent though, but I don't have an issue with the combat in the game, except for the stupid two button thing, but that's no big deal.

Sorry missed the menu part you wrote on about the screen and being semi transparent well sorry to say but must reviews on the game disagree with you about that cause this does as i siad above give you the since of you better hurry up and yes having it done on the Tv in a semi transparent way would have sucked because despite it being see through somewhat it still hide some thing on screen a bit.

Except that's not true. consider how litle the inventory on the pad is. the inventory on the screen could simply be a box that's 2/4ths the with of the screen, centered at the bottom, with 1/4th visible on each side, or maybe even just 1/8 for a wider box, and then it would only be 1/3rd or 1/4 the height of the screen as well, bottom aligned. So you'd have an inventory box at the bottom center of the screen, allowing you to see just as much as you do on the pad, but without ruining immersion.

Sorry it is a terrible design decision. and it could have been done just as good or IMHO better in screen. This simple fact that they're moving stuff to the pad that doesn't need to be there and is often better of not being there, moves it into gimmick land. If Nintendo wants the pad and WiiU to succeed, they need to make sure there are games that truly make use of it in unique ways and non immersive breaking ways, and not just move stuff from the screen to the pad, that's gonna make them fall flat on their faces into gimmick land.

ZombiU is a cool game, BUT not because it's on the WiiU or because of the WiiU tablet. in fact the tablets only takes away from it.

Good uses of the gamepad so far is Mario and Rayman, and BOII isn't to shabby either since it lets you take the game with you. But even then, none of them show a compelling reason for why you MUST have the pad.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

and the purpose of this ?

Pretty much.

As for ZombiU, that would depend on the person actually liking that kind of game though, it's a fairly niche audience in reality.

that's what I think of wii-u

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh one thing that's really stupid. Nintendo has it's European head quarters in Germany and have decided to follow German law across all of Europe, which is stupid in itself and possibly "illegal" anyway.

Well German has decided that violent and sexual content can only be viewed after 23 at night and before 3 or so at night. This means that not only can I not display the details for ZombiU at this point in time on the eShop. I can't buy the game either. :facepalm:

Germany, be it a awesome place, has some screwed up laws.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i've had the console for a couple weeks now. i think it's a fun system, but i only bought it as a toy. i couldnt imagine it as my main console.

The system definitely has some growing pains - system updates, eShop is a mess, tv overscan, etc.

i dont have any games for it yet, aside from Nintendoland. i want to buy a few Wii games. hopefully they work as expected.

as for the gimmicky screen - sure, Nintendo (and Devs) didnt have to move unnecessary parts of a game to the screen, but then people would be asking "so what's the 2nd screen for?" As w/ any new system, games need to make use of the gimmicks. 3DS and Vita did the same thing. Look at uncharted for Vita - they make you swipe the screen to do certain moves or fights. why? b/c it's a gimmick and a new system.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This topic is now closed to further replies.