Should I buy a Wii U?

Super Mario Maker has really gotten me thinking about buying a Wii U. I have some gift cards so I could get the Maker bundle for $150 out of pocket. Now, I am already sold on, and pretty damn sure I will really enjoy all aspects of Mario Maker, so no need to debate the merits of that game. I just don't know if I should buy a Wii U specifically for that one game. I haven't looked at the game selection in much detail, but off the top of my head, here is where I stand:

Super Mario Maker - yes
Other Mario games - sure
Super Smash Bros. - casual interest
Splatoon - maybe? I don't know.
Bayonetta 2 - no
Mario Kart - not really
Shovel Knight - Definitely, but I'll get it cheaper on PC
Wind Waker and Twilight Princess - I love the 2D Zelda games, but the only experience I have with 3D Zelda games is some time with Ocarina of Time on the N64. It didn't do much for me. I know it's considered one of the best, so given my lukewarm feeling on it, I'm not sure how much I'll like the other two.

That doesn't leave me with much hope of getting more use out of it. I don't know if it matters, but I currently do not own any other console, and have no plans of getting either a PS4 or Xbox One. I'm strictly a PC gamer these days.

I would get one, especially at that price. SUPER MARIO MAKER is an amazing thing, all by itself. And I gotta say, "Other Mario Games--sure" does not do justice to the experience of those games. SUPER MARIO 3D WORLD is a remarkable game. PC gaming is awesome, but man, the look and feel of SM3DW will just blow you away. It is like butter.

I am with you on the 3D Zeldas, not as good. No worries there.

If folks will ever come over, I would dig out any old Wii controllers and nunchuks you have. If you can play 3v1 (or, even better, 4v1) Mario Chase in NINTENDOLAND, you are going to be having a party.

Honestly? No.

I was in a situation almost identical to yours---with very similar preferences on game preferences. I kind of regret spending the money on it instead of something else, though I have really enjoyed Pikmin 3 and especially Super Mario 3d World. I might go back and pick up Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 from the wii store too.

The last Nintendo console I owned was an SNES when it was current, so other than playing a little but of this and that on a friend's N64, I haven't played anything between then and now.

Unless you hate games that are fun, a Wii U is a solid purchase. It's absolutely the best companion to a gaming PC this gen, since there's WAY more exclusive stuff on the Wii U than either of the other platforms. Wii U games also tend to be pretty different in tone than a lot of what's on the PC.

But I guess if you really don't care about Nintendo games, then maybe it's not so great? There's other stuff like Lego City Undercover, Wonderful 101, Xenoblade Chronicles X, and the entire Wii library that's available. And Mario 3d World is fantastic. I'm a PC/Wii U/3DS gamer, and that keeps me pretty happy, with the notable exceptions of Bloodborne and Until Dawn (and a weird interest in trying out Destiny, even though I know I'll bounce right off it).

Nintendo is probably releasing a new console this fall, the NX.

blogs.barrons.com/asiastocks/2016/01/05/...ahoobarrons&ru=yahoo

Wii U is a dead platform now. I'd wait for the new console unless you really want to play the games out for the Wii U now.

I wonder how much of a Sega CD effect this will have on their market, or if they're basically too big to give much of a shit about fractured markets at this point.

Should you buy a Wii U? For me, the answer is a "hell, yes!". Here's why:

* You know those Nintendo first party games are going to be timeless classics. Hell, after 2 years we _still_ play NintendoLand and Mario Kart 8 constantly.
* In addition to great Wii U titles, it also plays all the Wii games and that catalog is vast. On top of the Nintendo titles, you'd be surprised how many of those supposed AAA multi-system titles are on the Wii or Wii U. Assassin's Creed, Deus Ex, Monster Hunter, etc. All for usually around $10-15 new. I'm not into those, but the system offers far more than just Nintendo games.
* You can download a large assortment of NES, SNES, N64 and independent titles through the eShop
* Heck, you can flip the system over to 'Wii mode' and have access to even more offbeat (think Zombies Ate my Neighbors and that sort) NES, SNES, N64 titles through that option.

The last two reasons are why it's a keeper for me. Instead of having 4-6 systems I can play all these great titles on one. My kids are more into the Wii and Wii U titles, but love playing some older classics with me (Super Mario World for one, my son and I are on our third play through...that game is so damn good) and I'm almost through my first playthrough of EarthBound and after that I'm going to tackle Super Metroid for the first time. EarthBound's taken me awhile, because when I have time to game I'm still firing up Street Fighter IIs, F-zero, Final Fights, Mega Man, or Axelay type 16bit classics and going to town. Love it.

I could care less about the NX coming out, there's more games available for this system than I could possible ever imagine playing. Well, well, worth the cash.

If you like sitting in front of your TV with three friends and all playing together then the answer is a resounding yes. The other consoles have given up on that feature.

Mr. White wrote: * You can download a large assortment of NES, SNES, N64 and independent titles through the eShop
* Heck, you can flip the system over to 'Wii mode' and have access to even more offbeat (think Zombies Ate my Neighbors and that sort) NES, SNES, N64 titles through that option.

A while ago I downloaded NES and SNES emulators along with ROMs of every single game made for those systems, so that removes that feature for me.

Black Barney wrote: If you like sitting in front of your TV with three friends and all playing together then the answer is a resounding yes. The other consoles have given up on that feature.

If I'm going to have friends over, we're going to play couch co-op PC games. I have a good laptop and 8 controllers. Gang Beasts, Samurai Gunn, JS Joust, Super Pole Riders, Nidhogg, Mount Your Friends, etc. Nintendo games will be the last thing on our list unfortunately.

Thanks for all the input guys. I think for now I'm going to wait on it. Who knows, maybe in time, the pull of Mario Maker will be too strong for me to resist.

My three boys have been playing the hell out of Splatoon, having a blast doing it. I had to put our Wii U into a DMZ to make it run team games on the Internet, but now that that's done they are on it like fur on a weasel.

Can Splatoon play multiplayer on splitscreen? I've thought about getting it for my son and I, but it doesn't seem like we'd be able to play together.

Also, I'm an idiot, can anyone here tell me how to play Smash Brothers on cooperative mode? We want to beat on the AI together.

Mr. White wrote: Can Splatoon play multiplayer on splitscreen?

No. You can play one person on the TV and one on the console. That's the best you can do in the same room. It's a network game through and through.

Mr. White wrote: Can Splatoon play multiplayer on splitscreen? I've thought about getting it for my son and I, but it doesn't seem like we'd be able to play together.

Also, I'm an idiot, can anyone here tell me how to play Smash Brothers on cooperative mode? We want to beat on the AI together.

There's three modes. On line multiplayer, a short but fun single player mode and then the couch co-op which is just one on one and isn't that great (one on the TV and one on the gamepad). In fact you don't even get points for killing the other dude, he just looses points that are gained from shooting balloons. Still a great game and the couch mode is ok, but not nearly enough to warrant a purchase.

Mr. White wrote: Can Splatoon play multiplayer on splitscreen? I've thought about getting it for my son and I, but it doesn't seem like we'd be able to play together.

Also, I'm an idiot, can anyone here tell me how to play Smash Brothers on cooperative mode? We want to beat on the AI together.

If just fighting, you use teams. Set the mode to Team Battle and get you and your son on the same Team (i.e., flag color). We do this all the time. I am not sure if you can do Team Battle in Story Mode.