MLGG: Pop Culture News, Reviews and Interviews

The Wii U was definitely not a success in terms of its sales figures; though hardly Nintendo’s biggest failure, after the astronomical audience its predecessor – the Wii – attracted, it was an undoubted flop.

Part of the blame can lay with the naming convention that Nintendo went with; many consumers were confused as to what the Wii U and it’s games actually were. People perhaps assumed that, like Wii Fit perhaps, it was a mere add on for the Wii. Though of course its price tag said otherwise, which also didn’t help.

Its unique double screen set up also baffled consumers who’d been drawn in by the sheer simplicity, accessibility and immediacy of the Wii Remote and games such as the initially bundled Wii Sports.

So perhaps Nintendo’s console was doomed to fail, but refinements to the design did lead to the Switch, which – prior to release, a bit like the original Wii – felt like a hail Mary from a video game platform holder that could well have been on its last legs.

Of course, history tells us otherwise with the almost impossibly huge success that is the Switch.

But I digress. The thing is, the Wii U is actually – even now – a capable, even impressive console that allows for some unique mechanics with many games; though several have seen success in slightly altered form on the Switch, still others are so integrated with the extra functionality of the Wii U GamePad that they are pretty much locked to the system.

In just a few weeks time, on the 27th of March 2023, the Wii U eShop is closing – which means that access will be lost to a reasonable number of games that have yet to appear on any other system. Perhaps they never will, again due to the unique functions of the Wii U.

There are plenty of games that are worth downloading on the Wii U and I’ve actually covered the best ten – in my humble opinion – in an article for Retro Dodo, which you can read here.

If you’re a Wii U owner, I’d urge you to check it out and make sure you’re not missing out on any games that you’ll perhaps lose the chance to play forever.

Though I myself was late to the party, I’m a big fan of the Wii U and it does sadden me that its support and connectivity are winding down even further than they already have been.

Check out my recommendations for what games you should definitely get hold of and make sure they’re backed up too.

I guess, as with so many other things in life, you don’t really know what you’ve got until it’s gone. The Wii U eShop is one of those things, but you still have time to make sure you’ve grabbed what you need before the shutters are pulled down forever.

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