The Wii U - Is It For Me? First Impressions

Well, for a change we have a post that doesn't involve this contest. Aren't you glad? Okay, I'm just being funny (unsuccessfully I'm sure). I do hope you've been enjoying my posts so far. Today, I've decided to direct a post away from games, contests, and all that. This time, it's all about the hardware, or rather one of the pieces of hardware I don't own.
I've got a whole timeline of game systems and games to go with them. At some point, I may cover some about them and my favorite games from each. But for now, this is all about one console that I've yet to own.

I admit I wasn't exactly thrilled when Nintendo announced their replacement for the Wii. I'd had my Wii for a couple of years already, and I honestly thought there was more life in it than what Nintendo was giving it. I mean, any of the Wii U titles probably could have been easily made for the Wii, and I think one of them originally was (Pikmin 3 if I'm right). And with the Virtual Console, I figured the Wii could have gone on for a bit longer.

So, initially, I was dead-set against the Wii U. To me, it was just too soon to replace the Wii. Then I softened somewhat, knowing I'd probably buy it anyway. Well, I am a gamer after all, and when all the good games came out, they'd now be coming on latest consoles. So, I knew it would be inevitable that I would buy one.

A couple of years have gone by since the console hit America, and I bet you're wondering why I still haven't got one.

To me, there just weren't enough games to make it worth my while. There was Pikmin 3, some Mario games (Kart, 3D World, etc.), and a remade Legend of Zelda game. Granted, Wind Waker was a great game, but when I already have it on my GameCube and the disc still works, an HD remake doesn't really scream 'buy me!' At least it didn't to me. So, as far as exclusive titles, I don't think there's enough yet, but the upcoming Smash Bros. game might change my mind.

Of course, the Wii U has one feature that catches my eye - the Virtual Console. Hearing they brought Earthbound to it really got my attention, although most of the games are ones I already own on my Wii. Still, the fact that they're releasing titles that weren't part of the Wii's library wins them a few points. Adding the Game Boy Advance games also won the system some points too, but I personally think they should have saved those for the 3DS. Hey, what's wrong with putting handheld remakes on a handheld? But whatever the reason, that addition to their VC library makes it a bit more appealing.

Well, finally, I got to try some demo versions of the Wii U. Thank goodness stores still do that. I played the Super Mario Bros. title on one, and I wasn't really impressed to be perfectly honest. I didn't really care for the two screens, one on the TV and the other on the controller. Granted, it wasn't something I was used to, and let's face it, it takes a while to get used to strange controls. How many of us didn't take to the motion controls on the Wii when it first came around? So, I was willing to give the benefit of the doubt.

Then, most recently, I tried out the new Hyrule Warriors game on the other demo. This time, it was a bit more impressive. Maybe I actually found the game fun, maybe I finally got used to the new controller. I don't really know, but after a few minutes, I started thinking that maybe this was the game that would prompt me to buy the newest console.

Do I own it? Not yet. Let's face facts, $250 is still a steep price. And I still think that the existing game library is a bit lacking. But based on my first impressions, I can see myself owning a Wii U at some point. Hopefully, that point comes in the near future. One thing I do wonder is the intention to bring Nintendo DS games to the Virtual Console. I wonder how they plan to incorporate the touch screen aspect of it because, as far as I know, the screen in the controller doesn't use one.

So, what are your impressions on the Wii U? Do you own one? Do you think they could have held on with the Wii for a while longer?