If you lot don't have a Wii U, information technology's fourth dimension to go 1. This is our review update for the Wii U, the gaming console with a screen in its controller that nosotros've been telling you since November 2022 is non however a must-take. Well, it finally is.

It is because the Wii U finally has so many good games that it's possible to forget some of them! For example, someone might ask a Wii U owner which games are bang-up on Wii U and they'll mention this ane:

And this one....

Only they'll forget that this one existed.

Or they may not even know that this ane is out.

You've heard nearly the one that remixes old Nintendo games, right?

Take you seen this ane?

Would you lot believe that this Nintendo console is even edifice upwards a stack of indie games worth splurging on?

Long ago in the year 2022, nosotros knocked the Wii U for its sluggish operating system. Nintendo sped it up a flake. Information technology wasn't enough, so Nintendo kept tinkering. Today, we can praise the Wii U for its new offset-upwardly menu that lets u.s.a. get to its games a bit faster.

One time, nosotros knocked the Wii U for having a pitiful amount of internal storage, 32GB max, (well, actually only 29GB). And... we still recollect that'southward likewise paltry just maybe you're cool with plugging in an externally-powered USB bulldoze to give y'all extra storage?

Once, we complained that the Wii U GamePad controller bombardment died too quickly. Information technology even so does (but you tin can buy a better battery).

We can live with these problems. They're overwhelmed past what the Wii U does right. And that GamePad controller is actually pretty swell. And so is the optional (and recommended) Xbox-style Pro Controller.

The Wii U launched with a agglomeration of services, but what nosotros weren't sure about at first was how well they'd run long-term.

Skilful news!

The Wii U eShop is piece of cake to navigate, constantly filled with sales and regularly updated with new and sometime games alike. The Virtual Panel back-catalog could apply some lamentatory upward, but who are nosotros to slight a console that now lets yous download everything from Earthbound to Accelerate Wars to Golden Sun to Metroid Fusion?

The organization's social network, the Miiverse, is somewhat insane but information technology'southward also the warmest, friendliest customs you lot tin find on a console. From the panel, you tin can go into a message board for a game and find that people are cartoon pictures celebrating information technology. And sometimes those pictures make it dorsum into the games. Cheery! Seriously, information technology'southward a nice touch.

Back in the former days of 2022 or then the coolest thing about the Wii U was that it was giving you lot Nintendo graphics in Hd.

And then that became a clichéd reason to exist excited about the Wii U.

Oh, whatever. It's really nice to see Nintendo graphics in HD!

Note: On the occasion of writing near the Wii U here at Kotaku nosotros don't always mention two games that many of our readers love. Nosotros volition do that here to further bear witness off how cool the Wii U is.

Commencement, we are mentioning Monster Hunter 3: Ultimate right here.

2d, we are mentioning Ass Kong Country: Tropical Freeze here.

The best thing about the Wii U is that you can play most of its best games without even turning on your Television set. Trust us. This is great. It'southward great for playing panel-quality games without a Tv, exist it in your bed or in public places (especially if you're really handsome)...

Information technology's also great for playing Wii U games while someone else in the business firm is using the Television receiver that the panel is hooked into. Call u.s. crazy, but this has become the norm for many of us Wii U owners at Kotaku who routinely trade stories about playing this or that Wii U game via the system'south controller screen without turning on the TV. Do we do this just because nosotros can? No, nosotros do this because it turns out to exist an awesome option.

We even have people on staff who play games on the GamePad while they themselves are using the TV. Oh, the multitasking insanity!

We can't deny that there are drawbacks to owning a Wii U. If it's your but panel, you lot can kiss the chances of playing the side by side cutting-edge Assassin'southward Creed, Batman or Grand Theft Auto games cheerio. Unless you're a big Sonic fan, you're non really going to find many big-company non-Nintendo games that you can simply play on Wii U or play on Wii U at all. Get another system if you want to enjoy blockbusters from Activision, EA, Ubisoft, Take Two and the similar. In that location are also huge genre holes on the Wii U that are likely to get bigger what with a dearth of realistic sports games, a rarity of RPGs, and a slowdown of new shooters.

Nosotros are at peace with this.

There was a time when the Wii U only cost besides much for the corporeality of great games it had on the system. There was likewise a time when Nintendo TVii might have been a big bargain. (This was around the same fourth dimension!). That was the by. That was a past when yous could merrily skip the Wii U and exist ok.

Today, nonetheless, if you skip the Wii U, you're missing out.

Please recognize that we don't make panel recommendations based on the futurity. We're non telling yous to grab a Wii U at present because there'due south a Smash Bros. a few months from release and a gorgeous open-world Zelda farrrr out on the horizon.

Nah.

Nosotros are recommending the Wii U in the nowadays. We are recommending the console of surprise feature-adding Pikmin 3 patches...the panel of the wonderfully weird and eminently oversupply-pleasing Nintendo State...the panel of... Game & Wario, one of the weirdest pieces of software ever made by Nintendo. Okay, perhaps that's a scrap much.

Only still, do we now recommend that you get a Wii U? Are we at present pretty certain that you'll take a good time with it? Practice we finally experience like the system has hit its stride?