Wii U

So here we are as Nintendo enthusiasts, arriving first to the next generation of consoles instead of last like last gen, and Nintendo rolled out a launch that was impressive in quantity and to a lesser extent quality. But how do I feel after 4 months on the dual screen home experience? Not as good as the Wii's first 4.

I'm first frustrated at all the titles Nintendo assured would be here in the "launch window". What a broad range to call launch, all the way to the end of March. The problem is that a handful of those titles couldn't even get here by that time. January and February were a joke. Thankfully March on looks a lot better. The early struggles has Nintendo pulling in low numbers for January which should be the same for February, but I'm expecting March Wii U numbers to get back in the six digits.

As for the built in software, Nintendo TVii was late and it isn't even fully fleshed out yet. We still can't connect to a DVR, Netflix is still not part of it, and much of the social features are still missing. Hockey season is here and you can't follow your favorite team there yet which has me worried as Baseball season is almost upon us. Wii U Chat was a fun novelty but takes entirely too long to boot up, especially if you're accepting a call from someone while you are currently playing a game. It should get much better as recent info revealed that in the future in-game video experiences will be integrated, more than one Wii U console can be connected like Wii Speak, and Wii U Chat will be compatible to connect to mobile devices. These two apps have so much promise and potential but not having them in their final form at launch has made the Wii U look weaker than it really is.

Then there is the Mii maker app which is slightly upgraded from the Wii version but I can honestly say I haven't used it. I've brought in some Mii's from my 3DS, and that alone is cool that we can transfer Mii's, but making them has lost appeal. The Movie/TV apps YouTube, Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon are all pretty solid and I can't find much at fault with them. It becomes really convenient when you can watch something on the GamePad while someone else is watching their show on the TV. Wii Street U finally made it to the Wii U and is a pretty interesting experience, but I'm reminded that it was supposed to be here earlier along with Panoramic View, which still hasn't arrived. Then there is the basically useless data tracking app (can't remember what it's called right now) which manages to be a shell of the 3DS version. How did they lose so many of the categories and tracking features they have for the portable version?

Looking at the eShop I have to say it is very nice. Taking a page from what they did on the 3DS they update it once a week and put new spotlights on titles having sales, demos, or that are just new. It is clear that Nintendo has really made drastic improvements to the shopping experience we once had with the Wii.

How about the bread and butter of the Wii U, the GamePad experience. Love it. No latency. It works flawlessly and they've really set the bar high for other consoles that want to emulate. Often imitated but never duplicated is how I see Nintendo advances that make their way to other consoles. With a little imagination the GamePad is developers oyster. Too bad Nintendo decided to give us a small battery or this thing would have been perfect. Right now Nintendo needs to work on the console and figure out how to quicken these loading times and freezing problems. An update a few days ago didn't improve anything for me, instead I get more freezes. At least one a day now.

Miiverse. What about Miiverse. I am proud to say that I absolutely love how Nintendo made a social network just for Nintendo gamers and it is addicting. Not only that but it is fully functional and will only get better with minor tweaks and improvements over time, much like Facebook or Twitter. The internet browser is another great strength for Wii U and is easily the best yet on any console. The way it is set up to fully utilize the GamePad in a dual screen environment is genius. You can be watching a video on the TV while browsing content on the GamePad. For casual and multi-person appeal, the curtain draw feature is cute. Nintendo has finally reached the online standard we expect on gaming consoles and I couldn't be happier.

Finally there is the games. Well, we haven't gotten many of them for the last 2 months. Even eShop releases were spotty, but looking back at what we do have there is a nice collection of titles. Something for everyone and many are very good, even if they were ports from other consoles. the future looks bright from March throughout the year so maybe the always doomed Nintendo can get this Wii U moving units in the near future.

Sometimes it feels like Nintendo bit off more than they can chew with this console, but to stay competitive they had to. It's always growing pains for the early adopters regardless of the console maker so I constantly remind myself that things will get better. However when comparing my feelings of the Wii U to the Wii, it's just an evolution and not a revolution. Still love what we have coming for the remainder of the year and I'm sure these apps are going to be fully realized before too long. The Wii U is destined for greatness, but for now I yearn for more.

3.1 out of 5

Not bad. A little bit too nice to them in terms of quantity and quality in my not humble at all opinion. But your 3.1 is pretty fair to me. Kick it down to an even 3 and I agree fully. lol

Let's meet halfway and give it a 3.05.

I'm really enjoying a lot of these launch titles. I keep trying out new titles and loving them all. It's taking so long for new titles to get here I might have enough time to really give a go at all of them.

NSMBU: 7.5 sorry I'm marioed-out.
Little Inferno: 7 great gem but short and a bit pricey as such.
ZombiU: 6. Game is not for me, and I'm not impressed. Some neat ideas executed poorly IMO.
TTT2: 7 Decent but the controls seem far more sluggish than Tag for Playstation...
Scribblenauts: 7 Cool game but easily tired of it.
Ninja Gaiden 3: Can't say yet, looks pretty but yet to sit down and play it.
Chasing Aurora: 4. Stay far away. Halfass design every which way.
Nano Assault Neo: 8. Great game from shin'en. Fluid, pretty, arcadey.
Sonic Racing: 7. Good solid arcade racer but ultimately lacks personality enough for me to not care about the game.
Sing Party: 5. No DLC and we are into March. Moved on to Sing Star on PS3 and happy I did.
Nintendoland: 8. Really neat usage of gamepad here, but with no online it seems like a missed opportunity now.
Mighty Switch Force HD: 8. Awesome game though if you have the 3DS version... you have to like them bikini shots. I do!
The Cave: 5. Blah. Co-op games of this ilk are not for me.
Trine 2: 7. Better than The Cave, fun for a few hours then I lost interest.
Bit Trip2: 10. Love the game in spite of its 2 GLARING flaws (on the U version anyway).

7s are decent but I'm a collector as well as gamer, so for me many of these purchases were for "the greater good" and not necessarily my cup of tea. 8s are impressive but 9s and 10s are ones I consider favorites or timeless.

I don't expect 9s or 10s right outta the gate, though. Just frustrating that so many titles are 7s when with more polish or finesse coulda been 8s or maybe even 9s. (NSMBU, Nintendoland mostly). If online were there for those 2 titles... damn Wii U woulda been way cooler for me and my friends (most of whom live far away and have families). Didn't think I'd say that but... I moved from GR to my "hometown" so my gaming sessions are solo! lol

I am a TOTAL fanboy wait till you see these scores:

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 - 3.5/5
Darksiders 2: 5/5
Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two: 5/5
Madden NFL 13: 5/5
Mass Effect 3: 5/5
NBA 2K13: 5/5
New Super Mario Bros. U: 5/5
Nintendo Land: 4/5
Scribblenauts Unlimited: 5/5
Sing Party: 4.5/5
Skylanders Giants: 4.5/5
Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Wii Edition: 5/5
Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2013: 5/5
Batman Arkham City: Armored Edition: 5/5
Game Party Champions: 5/5
ESPN Sports Connection: 5/5
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed: 5/5
Zombi U: 5/5
Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth: 5/5
Just Dance 4: 5/5
Little Inferno: 2.5/5
Chasing Aurora: 3/5
Balloon Fight: 2.5/5
F-Zero: 1.5/5
Trine 2: Director's Cut: 5/5
Nano Assault Neo: 4/5
Transformers Prime: 5/5
007 Legends: 4.5/5

18 five stars? Yeah...I'm handing over my gamer card and regretfully accept the fanboy of the year award. The games you rated that I didn't was because I either didn't play enough of them or just played the demo. For collections sake, it is nice looking at a healthy early stack of Wii U games, but for some reason the whole GamePad idea has got me hooked and I'm probably enjoying these games a lot more than I should. My scores are even scaring me. I'm probably handing out more 5 stars than a 9 year old that doesn't have a critical bone in his body.

On Sonic racing. I agree the personality is lacking, but only if you're comparing it to Mario Kart, which I think is unfair. I don't think there is a Kart racer out there with as much personality as a game with a bunch of well known and loved characters. I'm glad they finally put together a bunch of items that make sense, some even more genius in their execution than in Mario Kart. The turbo for instance, you have to press the button to activate it but press it again before too long to break it off your car or it will blow up and slow you down. Plus those turbo pieces slow anyone around you that gets hit by them. It's the taking the power-ups to the next level idea that I found pretty awesome.

More online, especially in those games would have been nice. I don't play online much as it is, but there is a possibility that I might jump on more if those types of games were online. Nobody likes to visit me in my cramped up apartment so maybe I need to get online more. I miss the Mario Kart Wii weekly battles, followed by Bomberman Blast or Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

I find it appalling that of all the eShop offerings you list save Trine, Chasing Aurora gets the highest rating. You sir are smoking heroin. Vast amounts. Reality is looking up at you saying where the hell do you think you're going?

-durp. Nano Assault Neo rates higher. I'm smoking something, but damn its not heroin. My point stands I tell you!

lol. that's awesome. Reality is saying "See ya, wouldn't want to be ya!"

I'm rating Chasing Aurora better than F-Zero, Balloon Fight, and Little Inferno. I don't think that's too extreme. I've seen sites that rate it higher than me.

I think you're judging it too harshly. It does have some great flying physics/controls well, plus the sound and music are fitting for the mood and art style. It's really meant for multiplayer even though you can go solo and go for high scores. I wouldn't go any higher than a 3/5 because it is pretty basic, but at the same time it is an indie game so I try to keep that in mind.

I would say pick your ZombiU rating up but it's averaging 77 and it does seem to be one of those "hate it or love it" titles.

I thought Little Inferno was clever and addictive. Just short.
Chasing Aurora has good physics but ultimately with highscore games "in-the-zone" vibe is what I look for. Bubble Bobble for instance, lol. Chasing Aurora was serene and hip and it just... meh fell flat on me. I bought it, I supported, hahaha.

Balloon Fight is a grand game Fzero is Das Terd. Only Fzero worth a shit IMO is the GCN one where you could take your memory card to the arcade version and upload your game. I did it but one time, at Great Lakes Crossing in Auburn Hills MI. It was cool just doing the transfer, lol.

I suck.

I read they found the arcade version (F-Zero AX) hidden on the GameCube disc of F-Zero. Why it took this long to find it is beyond me but that is pretty cool. For me the only F-Zero game I enjoyed was Maximum Velocity on the GameBoy Advance. It came out soon after launch and I was still in stoked mode that I couldn't believe I was holding a portable Super Nintendo. That game kept me busy.

I only played the Demos, but I liked Sonic Racing and The Cave. They are both very solid from what little I played. It takes a lot for me to admit to liking any Sonic title. MK is safe, but this does have a nice Sega arcade racer feel.