After some time away from Steemit, I have finally found the time to conclude my “best-of”-series. For those of you who haven’t read the previous parts, these articles intend to highlight the best year of (almost) every Nintendo system in terms of software. If you are curious, please check out the previous parts by clicking on the links at the end of this post.
But enough of the past, let’s focus on today’s candidate: the Wii U. Released at the end of 2012, this Nintendo console is considered to be one of the biggest flops in the company’s long-running history. Which is true when looking solely at the sales numbers. The ill-fated system didn’t even manage to pass the 14-million-mark. This is a large drop from the 100 million the Wii sold. The reasons for the disappointing performance of the Wii U are many and could fill an entire article.
While it may be true, that the console was a disaster in the sales department, it was definitely no slouch when it got to games. Yes, the Wii U was severely lacking in third-party titles, but Nintendo filled the void with high-quality exclusives; especially in the early years of the systems life-cycle. In a time when the PS4 and Xbox One mainly received ports and remasters of older games, the Wii U shined with brand new exclusives; many of which received high praise from critics.
And even though the systems life was short, it managed to make quite the impression over the few years it was on sale. This made it hard to pick the best 365 days of the console. In 2012 the launch line-up was solid and quite large, but lacked that true killer-app. That meant that this year was out. So was 2016, which hardly offered any significant releases; it already felt like Nintendo had abandoned the sinking ship. This leaves us with 2013, 2014 and 2015. All three of which had their highlights. In the end, after looking at the software line-ups in detail, I settled for 2014. It had a great mix of games from a variety of genres and felt like the pinnacle of the Wii U.
Let’s take a deeper look, at the reasons why:
The year’s first big highlight had to be Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Released in the equally chilly time of February, the new installment in the big apes’ platforming franchise was regarded as a sleeper hit. While the game didn’t perform quite as well sales-wise as its predecessor, it did shine in terms of quality. The title added both Dixie and Cranky Kong as playable characters, offered a wide array of interesting levels and challenged even the most seasoned gamers with its difficulty. A switch port was released recently, making sure that more players get their hands on this quality adventure.
Nintendo continued its quality run with the release of Mario Kart 8 in May. Unlike Donkey Kong the game didn’t just impress in the quality, but also in the sales department. The racing game saw an insane attach rate, with more than every second Wii U owner having bought the title. Which is no surprise as Mario Kart 8 is considered by many to be the pinnacle of the series. It combined features of previous installments (like the ability to ride motorbikes and use gliders) and introduced anti-gravity racing, a slew of new characters and high-quality DLC. The after-launch support even included Link as a playable character.
The Nintendo Switch is currently enjoying great support from independent developers. Lovingly called “Nindies”, these titles help the system overcome game droughts that would have happened, if it solely depended on AAA titles. The start of this “Nindie revolution” can be traced back to the year 2014 and a little title called Shovel Knight. This platformer from Yacht Club Games was a timed exclusive on Nintendo platforms (Wii U and 3DS) and, even though it was ported to other systems, enjoyed the most sales on Big N’s consoles. Of course, the retro-inspired jump’n’run wasn’t the only title this year that expressed some indie love. Shantae and the Pirates Curse, Guacamelee!, SteamWorld Dig, Child of Light and The Swapper, proved that smaller titles were here to stay on Nintendos console(s).
As mentioned in the introduction, the Wii U wasn’t exactly known for its third-party support. Large companies like EA, Activision and Square-Enix abandoned the console quickly, after their titles were met with lackluster sales. This meant that Nintendo had to get creative and come up with new ways of acquiring content from outside companies. One such way, was to lend their IP to third-party publishers/developers. As was the case with Hyrule Warriors. Nintendo gave Tecmo-Koei and Omega-Force the permission to use Link and his friends in a Dynasty Warriors-esque title. The title, which was released in September 2014, followed the formula of slashing your way through hordes of enemies. While the Dynasty Warriors titles were inspired by historical events, Hyrule Warriors let fans romp through the fields as iconic characters from the Zelda franchise and battle moblins, dodongos and lizard soldiers. While not as legendary as the main installments of the Legend of Zelda franchise, Hyrule Warriors still managed to impress its fans. Another way of acquiring third-party content, is through publishing it and in turn making it exclusive to the system. A case in point would be Bayonetta 2. This action-packed sequel to the hit game of 2010, was published by Nintendo and probably would not have seen the light of day if it weren’t for the Big N stepping in. Lucky for us that they did, as the game was met with critical praise and garnered several game of the year nominations from various outlets.
Definitely the most hyped up game for Wii U, Super Smash Bros lived up to expectations when it released in November 2014. Like Mario Kart 8 it was the most complete entry in its franchise to date. Offering tons of playable characters, stages and robust online play, it turned into a fan-favorite within weeks of release. And just like Mario Kart 8, it received a solid amount of post-launch support in the form of DLC; including playable characters like Ryu and Cloud Strife.
In the gaming world, November is the month that receives the most attention. Almost all publishers release their big guns for the year in that period. With Black Friday, Cyber Monday and pre-Christmas shopping all happening that month, it is easy to see why. But that also means that December is usually pretty barren when it comes to new game releases. So color me surprised, when I found out that Nintendo would release a big title in December of 2014. The game? Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker. A little treat of a game that puts you in the shoes of the titular character (and Toadette), as they navigate obstacles to reach a star at the end of every level. A simple premise that is made even more fun by the fact that your character can’t jump. Just like a lot of these games in this post, the title will see a re-release on Switch (and even 3DS). Look forward to playing it this July.
This concludes the final part of my series. I hope you enjoyed reading it. And I would love to hear your opinion on what was the best year for the Wii U in the comments below. Thank you for your attention and if you want to check out the previous parts just follow the links below. Until next time!
Yours
I Am K
SNES & N64: https://steemit.com/gaming/@iamk/best-year-nintendo-systems-pt-1-snes-and-n64
GBA & Gamecube: https://steemit.com/gaming/@iamk/best-year-nintendo-systems-pt-2-gameboy-advance-and-gamecube
DS: https://steemit.com/gaming/@iamk/best-year-nintendo-systems-part-3-nintendo-ds
Wii: https://steemit.com/gaming/@iamk/best-year-nintendo-systems-part-4-wii
3DS: https://steemit.com/gaming/@iamk/best-gaming-year-3ds
