First Wii U playtest

Amazon was nice and delivered my Wii U one day early, so I got a chance to test drive my premium version. Unboxing is quite unspectacular and installation of the hardware a no brainer. The setup of the console is divided into easy to follow steps. The first moment of fun came when the Wii Pad got control of the tv remote functionality, making it super easy to switch channels or change volume.Downloading the Update took about half an hour for me, it’s rumored to be around 1 GB of data, so it might take a while for most users.

After these steps, I finally got to see the WiiU in action. Actually, there’s really not very much to see, as the main menu is somewhat an updated version of the old Wii menu with some Miis running around and a 3D view. Loading times are a bit too long and make you notice them often.

If you own an Xbox 360 or a PS3, the HDMI output of the Wii U won’t impress you, but for a Wii user this is a significant improvement in image quality and resolution. It suddenly feels just right. The Wii U pad itself is bigger than I thought and the screen proves to be bright, colorful and crispy. The device is not heavy, but it’s not made for one handed use, so when you use the touchpen, make sure to put the pad on a surface or your lap.

Bundled with the premium pack comes Nintendo Land, a collection of franchise-themed minigames and integrated social functionality. The games are all sharing the same level of Nintendo polish we always expect and make use of almost all features the new console has to offer. You will move the pad, shake it, press all the buttons, use the touchscreen with your finger, draw on it with the touchpen, blow into the microphone, see your face recorded with the camera and switch constantly between the tv and the pad as your primary screen. These are a lot of options, and this is what makes the experience a bit confusing. You’re never sure what to focus on next. This is quite unlike shaking the wiimote when the Wii launched, which was a complete new control scheme too, but focus always stayed on the tv screen and the interaction felt natural most of the time. Nintendo wanted the players to stand up in front of their tv and get physical with the Wii, now with the Wii U they are gently pushed back on their sofas again.

Overall the new console feels like an updated Wii and hence the name Wii U seems like a good fit reflecting that. It’s a modernized version with same of the same basic concepts and an additional screen. Let’s hope developers take it serious enough to build exciting games for it and not just port the Xbox and PS3 portfolio with some added content (which we are seeing already). Some devs already say the Wii U has less CPU power than those from Sony and Microsoft (1.2 GHZ compared to 3.2 GHZ and 3.2 GHZ) and titles like Batman or Ninja Gaiden seem to perform noticably worse in terms of FPS. But then again the old Wii was said to be “just two GameCubes duct taped together” and it still turned out to be a fun console for most of its years.

Sorry Nintendo, but this ad really is a stinker. Not only is the idea of cubicles very old, its very negative too, as it looks like people are held in boxes and have no life other than watching TV. Plus, the music is really off and sounds totally annoying - even for Dubstep.

According to a former employee of the company, Silicon Knights fell apart due to the authoritative control of Denis Dyack, studio head. Cutting ties with Nintendo meant Dyack would have total control of the studio, without the support he would receive from the Japanese publisher. “This is the reason for the extremely high quality games that SK built a reputation on,” a source said. “Nintendo was going to put their name on the game, so it had to be ‘Nintendo quality.’
http://www.shacknews.com/article/76398/eternal-darkness-2-was-in-development-at-silicon-knights

WiiU is coming to Europe on November 30

Finally a date (November 28 for US) and a price: 299 for the basic set in white color with 8GB Flash and 349 for the premium set with 30GB Flash and a subscription plan for 10% off the Nintendo store.

I can’t wait to unbox the first new console in five years. Nintendo Land will be bundled (not in Japan), which is good. Other than that, I don’t really see exciting games coming up on launch day:

FIFA 13, Mass Effect 3: Special Edition, Nano Assault Neo, New Super Mario Bros. U, Nintendo Land, Rayman Legends, Trine 2: Director’s Cut, Toki Tori 2 and ZombiU

Mass Effect 3 is a great game, but I can’t imagine who might want to play a title that is the end of a trilogy and released on other consoles months ago. How many people actually played ME 1 and 2 and didn’t buy 3 yet?

New Super Mario Bros. U looks like a fun game and almost identical to it’s Wii counterpart. Which is the problem. You essentially get the same game right now already. If you haven’t bought it by now, why bother?

Rayman Legends will see some good traction, that’s for sure. Not my cup of tea, but it has it’s fans, and for a good reason.

Finally, ZombiU is the game all hardcore fans have been waiting for and so far it looks promising. I’m skeptical though. First, I can’t help myself but find the Zombie hype more than over. These games have become the new WW2 shooters. Plus, I clearly remember Red Steel, which was a Wii launch title. It was, like ZombiU, developed by Ubisoft and praised for it’s mature approach and good looking graphics. In the end it had tons of issues, mostly gameplay and control scheme related.

Still, the launch games announced so far are a decent mix with some good potential. Remember the Wii launch titles ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wii_launch )? Apart from one of the best Zelda titles ever (which was delayed forever to fit the launch window), that was some pretty crappy stuff. And looking at the games to be released in the following weeks after launch, it’s quite promising: 

Aliens: Colonial Marines, Assassin’s Creed 3, Batman Arkham City Armoured Edition, Darksiders 2, Disney Epic Mickey 2, Game & Wario, Game Party Champions, Just Dance 4, Lego City: Undercover, Madden NFL 13, Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, NBA 2k13, Ninja Gaiden 3, Rabbids Land, Rise of the Guardians, Runner 2, Scribblenauts Unlimited, Sing Party, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, Sports Connection, Tank! Tank! Tank!, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Warriors Orochi 3 and Your Shape.

Can’t wait.