Gaming
Games
5 reasons the Wii U is underrated
You've probably overlooked Nintendo's brilliant console - but you really shouldn't. Here's why.
The Wii U released back in November of 2012 to... well, a mixed fanfare.
On one hand, everyone was thrilled a new Nintendo console was hitting the market. On the other hand, most of us were confused as to just what the hell it was.
(It's a console. That's what it is.)
Mario has a busy year ahead with Nintendo in 2012
© [unknown]
This attitude has lingered around the Wii U since its release, with the machine suffering from lower sales than its predecessor (the ridiculously popular Wii) and a longstanding dismissal from gamers casual and mainstream alike.
But ignore the Wii U at your peril, because...
It's the best console this Christmas
The PS4 and Xbox One hit the market backed by near-obscene levels of hype, with all the swagger and bombast you'd expect from Sony and Microsoft.
But neither console has anything essential on it right now - they're both supported by solid, but ultimately lacking launch line-ups.
The Wii U, on the other hand, is backed by a year's worth of seriously brilliant Nintendo games - and a number of great third-party titles too.
Zelda, Mario, Rayman, The Wonderful 101, Pikmin, Wii Fit... we could go on. It puts the other two machines to shame.
It's a bargain... relatively speaking
Again looking at a comparison to the two big-hitter consoles, the Wii U is the affordable option. Yes, you're paying for less bang - the tech specs of the machine don't put up much of a fight against the powerhouses of the PS4 and Xbox One.
But since when has that mattered to Nintendo? The Wii was a tech weakling, yet produced some phenomenal games. The original DS and 3DS were and are weaker than the PSP and PS Vita, yet both trounced and are trouncing Sony's handheld efforts.
And when you can get a Wii U with three superb Mario games for £299? Well, the decision should already be made.
It won't scare off non-gamers
As gamers, you want to share your hobby with others. Well, unless you're a mentalist weirdo. But us normies want to share it - we want others to enjoy gaming as much as we do.
The PS4 and Xbox One - and PS3 and Xbox 360, too - scare non-gamers. Their pads are unknowable and unusable, their games are all about angry American soldiers shooting foreigners and their experience is punctuated by 14-year-olds swearing at them and then squatting on their faces.
The Wii U is a big lumbering oaf that haphazardly drags its fat legs into your living room before plodding down like a baby learning to walk for the first time. In other words, it's adorable.
Big, bright and friendly, the machine has a controller that keeps it simple (if not massive) and a selection of games that are made with everyone in mind - not just the hardcore, not just the mainstream.
It's not frightening, it's actually appealing.
It frees up the TV
You know the scene - you're trying to blitz your way through Mario's latest spree of mass murder against little mushroom people when someone else comes in and demands use of the telly.
So You Want To Be A Dancing Baker Millionaire From Essex is on - they need to see it.
In the past this meant turning off the console in a huff - but not with the Wii U. Its GamePad can play a number of titles through its built-in screen, streamed direct from the console, without you having to switch anything off or pay attention to the tripe on TV.
It's fair to note the PS4 does this too, but you have to buy a PS Vita (£150+) for that.
Mario
'Not a reason', they say, sneering in your general direction. But it is a reason. None of the home console competition gets Mario games, and Mario games are special.
Super Mario 3D World might have one of the worst titles of anything ever, but it's also - genuinely - one of the moustachioed plumber's greatest outings.
You cannot get it on anything other than Wii U, and it's genuinely, honestly, actually a reason alone to buy Nintendo's underrated device.
