My opinion of Nintendo's Wii U

There has been a lot of talk lately about whether or not the Wii U will survive once the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One launch this holiday season. Some developers are saying that they will not develop for the console, as they don’t think it’s a wise investment. Bob Summerwill of EA (voted the “world’s worst company” by the Consumerist for the past two years), thinks the system is “crap.” The internet is littered with people telling other people not to buy the Wii U because it “sucks.”

I have very mixed feelings about the Wii U, and about Nintendo as a company, but I love my Wii U.

I bought the Deluxe Set of the Wii U on launch day. I have loved Nintendo for over 14 years; I didn’t know it as a child, but I missed out on a lot of games because I was so faithful to Nintendo. When the Wii happened and I started dating a guy (now my fiancé) who had a PlayStation 3, I realized that the Wii did not have enough games to satisfy my hardcore gaming needs.

Many Wii U owners feel the same way. It’s a great system. The GamePad is extremely innovative and has lots of potential. However, riding on Mario and Zelda sales is only going to work for so long.

Nintendo seems to be focusing on the 3DS a lot more than its newest home console. Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon would be perfect on the Wii U. The controls would be awesome, and the graphics would be better. Luigi’s Mansion is a beloved franchise, and releasing a Wii U version would be a really smart move for Nintendo. Even though I’ve played through most of it on the 3DS, I would love to play through it again in my living room.

It’s as if they’re ignoring their new console and then wondering why system sales are poor. Release games that people care about, and your system will sell. Thankfully, there are many great titles coming to the Wii U this year and early next year, including Mario Kart 8, Super Smash Bros. Next, and Super Mario 3D World. A new Zelda is in development for the Wii U, but it was not mentioned at E3 this year. However, how long can Nintendo survive on Mario and Zelda sales? Where’s Metroid? Where’s F-Zero? Where’s Star Fox? They own so many great franchises that they could do so much with.

There are a lot of problems with the Wii U, besides the lack of games. Firstly, the name is part of its downfall. The name of a console normally isn’t that important, but in this case, it is confusing consumers. “Wii U? Does it play Wii games? Is it just an HD Wii?” These are things I have actually heard while perusing GameStop.

I believe they should have given their new console a whole new identity with a name that no one would expect. Personally, I like “Revolution,” which was the codename for the Wii. “Wii U” is confusing a lot of ignorant consumers. Some people still don’t know just what this console is. Associating their new console with the Wii is not convincing hardcore gamers to buy it; they are scared it’s just going to be an HD version of the Wii with a bunch of terrible kiddie games.

Another big problem the Wii U is having is that popular games like Call of Duty aren’t getting the same DLC as the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 are. This is aggravating gamers because they are trying to enjoy their new Nintendo console, but they feel like they are missing out on things that PS3 and 360 gamers are getting. They really need to step up their third party support if they want to survive this generation.

It’s 2013 and Nintendo has yet to release a console that plays CDs/DVDs. This may not seem like a big deal, but it is. Games are most important for a game console, but it’s nice to be able to watch Blu-Rays or DVDs when you want a break from games.This forces Nintendo loyals to go out and buy a PS3 or 360, or even just a BD or DVD player, when they shouldn’t have to. At least we have Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Amazon Instant Video.

The graphics are good, but they aren’t going to stand a chance against the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. If they can deliver on games, maybe, just maybe, they will be able to compete with the gorgeous graphics on the PS4 and XBO. Graphics aren’t everything.

Currently, the price is too high to justify buying the console when there are so few games for it. People have no incentive to buy the Wii U when they can spend their money on an Xbox 360 or a PlayStation 3 and have hundreds of great games to choose from. Plus, people are now saving their money for the new consoles being released this holiday season.

Do you own a Wii U? What is your opinion of it? Which upcoming Wii U games are you most excited to play? Comment below.