Topic: Wii U in the grand scheme of things.

[marvel_moviefan_2012]

Now that I have had my console for a few months and its had a couple of years to stick around it occurs to me this thin isn't just a fluke we can sweep under the rug and pretend it never happened, its here to stay we might as well accept it.

So I was curious who here who owns a Wii U can rank in amongst the previous console generations?
I was thinking for me personally despite my initial dislike of the console itself, which I still do to some extent, I have come to accept it is Nintendo's current console and does belong to their legacy. I think for me I would rank it right above Wii and N64 but still beneath GameCube, SNES, and NES. I know the generation isn't over but the games that are out, to me anyways, still feel superior to their N64 and Wii counterparts, or at least the ones I am familiar with.

What are some other peoples thoughts?


I still rank SNES at the top. If I had to rank them numerically I would do so as follows

1. SNES + Super Game Boy
GB Tetris helps put it over the top

2. Game Cube + Game Boy Player
On its own I rank it number 3 so GBA games help it a lot

3. NES
Nostalgia mostly keeps it in the running but its not aged well as a console.

4. Wii U
Super Mario 3D World is probably the greatest video game ever made. Or at least the greatest 3D Mario game ever made. Or the greatest Mario game ever made. I love this game.

5. N64
It was close but honestly this machine has aged far worse than NES. The TWO games I can still go back and replay, Super Mario 64, and Zelda, are playable on newer, better consoles so there is no reason to ever bother with this tired old geezer.

6. Wii
I won't lie I loved it at first, fell in love with the virtual console, the motion controls, the hype, the Mii's were a novelty but I liked them at first. Once the novelty faded and I got more experience on my friends 360 I slowly started to lose interest in this thing. It had some great ideas but it was the weakest of all their consoles, not just graphically but games wise I felt also. It was sort of propped up by Virtual Console but strip that away and suddenly it doesn't look so hot. I had to rank Wii U a notch above because it technically still *is* a Wii.


That is just where I rank it among Nintendo consoles, gaming in general however it does not fair so well. PS1, PS2, PS3, Genesis, Atari VCS, even Sega CD and Dreamcast do I rank higher than Wii U, and yes even those that fall beneath it as well. This is just me but I do rank Wii U a notch above original Xbox but probably tied with 360.

Where do others fall into this?


I think when it is all said and done Wii U will be remembered as a bomb compared to gaming as a whole but it will turn around and pull up there with GC and N64 for many people. I personally loved the Game Cube and wish it didn't have to morph into Wii. I almost ranked Wii a notch up just because it is technically a Game Cube but then I remembered it lacks Game Boy Player support so it wasn't a fair fight.

[NWR_insanolord]

See, I might go as far as to put the Wii at the top of my list, especially if I were including games that were technically ported from GameCube but with substantial improvement.

[broodwars]

A console ranking of Nintendo consoles? Oh geez...let me think...

1. SNES - A strong contender with the PS2 for the best library of games ever made, and it has my favorite all-time game in Chrono Trigger.

2. GameCube - A good balance of 1st & 3rd party games, including some of my favorite RPGs in Skies of Arcadia; Tales of Symphonia; & Baten Kaitos Origins. Plus, Metroid Prime.

3. Nintendo 64 - This was the console I played throughout high school, so some of the most influential games I ever played were on this console, such as Ogre Battle 64; GoldenEye; and Mario 64.

4. Wii U - It's a console I have a lot of trouble placing. There are games on it that I like & the overall quality is pretty decent, but I can't think of a single noteworthy game that I can just unequivocally point to as a favorite game like I can the other consoles. "Meh" just sums up the thing in general.

5. Wii - It's my Xenoblade console and...yeah, that's just about it. A disappointing console on just about every level.

6. NES - No one can dispute how influential it was and I had a great deal of attachment to mine back in the day. However, after revisiting its library through Virtual Console & various web shows, it really was kind of a piece of **** and its games library (strongly influenced by the arcade scene of the time) was based on bad design & cheap mechanics. Most of the worst games ever made were made for this system, and all the good games were done better on the SNES.

So yeah, for me the Wii U sits firmly around the middle of the pack. I don't hate it, but I don't love it. It's just completely un-noteworthy in every respect.

[Soren]

The Wii brought me back into gaming after I lost interest during the sixth generation so it's right next to the SNES as my all-time favorite consoles. I guess I would put it right next to the N64, but if quality games keep coming out I guess it can get one of those goofy claims like "pound-for-pound" the best consoles around.

The Wii library is stacked, though.

[Evan_B]

Great thread.

Personally, I have yet to own a SNES (that's something I'm looking forward to rectifying before I leave Japan, however) or an NES, so I can't really comment on either of them as a console, but I can comment on some of their games, having played a good deal on VC, emulators, and the like.

If we're talking about hardware, the consoles have a weird balance to me. I'll always love the N64 controller for its sheer ridiculousness, though the Game Cube is, in my opinion, one of the most comfortable controllers ever made. The Wii U Gamepad/Pro Controller is inching its way into my heart bit by bit, however. I don't think I have to say much about the Wii Remote, only that it's versatility was kind of impressive.

But libraries are a very different matter, of course. And the Wii U's life isn't over quite yet, but if XCX, Zelda, Devil's Third, and Splatoon turn out to be as good as I'm hoping (I have low expectations for Zelda, personally), in addition to some other titles (the first good 3D Mario since Sunshine, Pikmin 3, Mario Kart 8, Hyrule Warriors) and a functioning eShop- which is a huge part of a console in my opinion- with some decent exclusives (it's no 3DS eShop but it does have a few good exclusives and almost-exclusives), I'm going to put it around GCN level, which has some of my favorite titles ever but lacks some heft in library and features.

As far as the quality of games, I'd put it at SNES>GCN=Wii U>N64>NES. If we're throwing in handhelds the race becomes far more interesting, but I'll leave it at that.

[Triforce Hermit]

Don't own a Wii U so I can't judge it yet. But the Wii U library seems better then the Wii library. The Wii was a piece of crap aside from the virtual console, the backwards compatibility with GC games, Xenoblade, and Tatsunoko vs Capcom.

[BranDonk Kong]

I'm in a little bit of a different situation (though we can all be in the same situation since it's so easy to do) because my Wii U has the (Wii) Homebrew Channel installed and can play GameCube (and Triforce, woohoo!) games - and due to that I have to rank the Wii U as the best console since the N64. But treating it (and the Wii) as if there were no backwards compatibility whatsoever - and being based on how good the consoles were in their prime (not looking back and say, comparing Super Mario Bros. to Super Mario 3D World) I would say (best to least-best)

SNES
N64
NES
GameCube
Wii U
Wii

It's really hard to actually rank the consoles linearly like that though. Counting my somewhat different situation, I would put the Wii U under NES (or really tied with it).

[marvel_moviefan_2012]

I'm in a little bit of a different situation (though we can all be in the same situation since it's so easy to do) because my Wii U has the (Wii) Homebrew Channel installed and can play GameCube (and Triforce, woohoo!) games - and due to that I have to rank the Wii U as the best console since the N64. But treating it (and the Wii) as if there were no backwards compatibility whatsoever - and being based on how good the consoles were in their prime (not looking back and say, comparing Super Mario Bros. to Super Mario 3D World) I would say (best to least-best)

SNES
N64
NES
GameCube
Wii U
Wii

It's really hard to actually rank the consoles linearly like that though. Counting my somewhat different situation, I would put the Wii U under NES (or really tied with it).

Going by that logic then I could just rank my PC number one and be done with it since I have emulators for all of those consoles except Wii U, and that's only because it hasn't been emulated yet.

[BranDonk Kong]

But this is not emulation, so no, it is not like that.

[Mop it up]

I'm no fan of Wii U, I don't like the direction of the system and think the games are not as good as past games, and even ignoring the huge hole of third-party titles Nintendo haven't released as many games on it either. I don't think the library's bad overall though, just "good" instead of "great." No real stand-outs yet, but of course there are still some things to come. And I'd certainly rather have it than a PS4 or XBONE.

I'll list all systems I've owned just to put everything into perspective, in the order I like them today:

Wii - giant variety of unique and fun games
Nintendo 64 - a huge revolution, still awesome
Super Nintendo - refined the concepts introduced on NES into great things
Nintendo DS - similar to Wii, big variety, plus lots of RPGs.
Nintendo 3DS - doesn't quite live up to DS but still cool
GameCube - a painful generation during its time, a bit better after the fact
PlayStation 2 - lots of games yet nothing too special
Wii U - this'll probably move up but for now, not impressed
Sega Genesis - definitely not as good as SNES but it still has some decent exclusives
Game Boy Advance - too many ports, but still a few goodies
NES - extremely important to history, but not really fun anymore
PlayStation 1 - never been a fan, most games not worth it today
Game Boy Color - not sure if this counts as its own thing
Game Boy - too primitive for my taste, need colour
Xbox - never really liked anything besides Halo and Fusion Frenzy

[ejamer]

Wii - Don't know what some of you people are smoking to rate this console poorly. Yes, it was underpowered compared to its contemporaries... but the software library is diverse and robust and filled with interesting and unique gems. It made gaming accessible again, brought back lightgun shooters, provided full backwards compatibility with GameCube software, and introduced the Virtual Console service. If you can't have fun with a Wii then I feel sorry for you.


SNES - Took everything good about 2D gaming on NES, then polished and perfected it. Took on a real competitor in the marketplace and (eventually) dominated thanks to superb software. Has a library that is littered with classic games, many of which are still are highly respected today. Maybe I'm looking through rose-colored glasses, but it's very hard to find fault with what the SNES offered.

NES - There was essentially no competition, so gaming was the NES for a long time. Huge library with many great games. Even if the games don't always hold up well today, gaming wouldn't exist in it's current form if not for NES so it gets a respect bump.


Wii U - Hard to rate fairly while the library and legacy are still in developing, but I expect Wii U to be a mixed bag of a console. Backwards compatibility with Wii is a great start, and the ranking is buoyed by some transcendent first party software... but it's impossible to ignore how the console was an utter failure in the marketplace and what impact that had on the games library.


GameCube - Had all the tools to be successful on a hardware level, but unable to back it up with software. Almost every good third-party release on this console has a better version available elsewhere, and the same can be said for a handful of the first-party titles too. There were some gems (as always on a Nintendo console) but more misses than usual too - Mario Kart and Sunshine being two notable letdowns. Sadly, a console that just doesn't hold up well unless you rely on nostalgia.


N64 - A few remarkable classics, but the move to 3D gaming was too often filled with missteps, poor design decisions, and painfully visible hardware limitations. Too few games with several key genres almost entirely ignored. It was fun at the time and the best "party console" of the day... but very little reason to revisit the N64 now outside of nostalgia.

[marvel_moviefan_2012]

I'm no fan of Wii U, I don't like the direction of the system and think the games are not as good as past games, and even ignoring the huge hole of third-party titles Nintendo haven't released as many games on it either. I don't think the library's bad overall though, just "good" instead of "great." No real stand-outs yet, but of course there are still some things to come. And I'd certainly rather have it than a PS4 or XBONE.

I'll list all systems I've owned just to put everything into perspective, in the order I like them today:

Wii - giant variety of unique and fun games
Nintendo 64 - a huge revolution, still awesome
Super Nintendo - refined the concepts introduced on NES into great things
Nintendo DS - similar to Wii, big variety, plus lots of RPGs.
Nintendo 3DS - doesn't quite live up to DS but still cool
GameCube - a painful generation during its time, a bit better after the fact
PlayStation 2 - lots of games yet nothing too special
Wii U - this'll probably move up but for now, not impressed
Sega Genesis - definitely not as good as SNES but it still has some decent exclusives
Game Boy Advance - too many ports, but still a few goodies
NES - extremely important to history, but not really fun anymore
PlayStation 1 - never been a fan, most games not worth it today
Game Boy Color - not sure if this counts as its own thing
Game Boy - too primitive for my taste, need colour
Xbox - never really liked anything besides Halo and Fusion Frenzy

Poor Wii U wouldn't even rank if I included non-Nintendo consoles that would look something like this.

1. SNES- Greatest console ever
2. Playstation 1- spiritual successor to SNES
3. Sega Genesis- almost as good as SNES but lacking in a few key areas
4.Atari 2600- classic console that introduced gaming to many and launched some classic franchises plus still tons of fun today
5. Game Cube- tragic underdog, had better 3rd party support than gets credit for but DVD/Online features drag it down
6. PS2- technically better than Game Cube but I didn't have one when they were new so you can swap these around but nostalgia plays a role.
7. NES- Nostalgia alone keeps it in the top ten but in time that will fade.
8. GBA- between the B/C with regular Game Boy and the great e-Reader stuff GBA had the best port of the Best Super Mario Game ever made.
9. DS- Pretty strong library (this includes 3DS to some extent altough that version I never had)
10. Dreamcast As a former Die hard Sega Fanatic I have to hold onto this unsung masterpiece
11. PC- even if you strip away emulators and Steam PC has the largest and most flexible library bar none. What drags it down is WINDOWS sucks, and its competition isn't smart enough to be serious option for gaming plus keyboards are terrible controllers and sure they are customizable but often configuring all those games with all those joysticks is a nightmare.
12. Arcade if you were alive in the 80's and 90's you know what I mean if not poor you.
13. Game Boy (and color) Classic Tetris alone gets it a spot on the list
14. Game Gear (because it can also play SMS and had a TV Tuner it was the PSP of its day)
15. Sega CD/32X Sonic CD and Lunar alone make it a must have but throw in Mortal Kombat CD, Earth Worm Jim, Ecco the Dolphin and even Sewer Shark why not its still fun plus it plays those Karaoke discs
16. PS3- best multimedia machine ever created, best Netflix player top of the line Blu Ray player and plays great video games
17. Sega Saturn, a few hidden gems and arcade hits that still can't be played anywhere else.
18. Commodore 64- just check out the library and if you were a kid in the 80's chances are you had one or knew someone who did.
19. Xbox 360
20. Wii U


by the time you get down to where Wii U might show up **** most have stopped reading and/or caring.

[Evan_B]

Do you seriously thin kone or two games justifies a higher spot on a list?

[Shaymin]

The correct order is SNES, N64, Wii U, Wii, NES, Virtual Boy, Gamecube.

[Nile Boogie Returns]

1. Snes
That might just be the nostalgia typing or Super Metroid


2. GameCube
Best overall Top 10-15 games on any nintendo System not named 3DS


3. WiiU
Projected based on the software that is slated to release might even jump to 2nd place if StarFox and Metroid X are that good


4. Wii / Nes
Could never choose between the 2 as for me they parallel each other in terms of gems vs junk ratio and the overall impact that these iconic systems had on the public.


6. N64
Perhaps being in last place is not indicative to just how much magic the '64' produced. Mario 64 was a Tangible Magical Experience, Goldeneye changed me as a gamer and Ocarina of Time is still the greatest experience I've had in any media (Books, Tv, Music and Movies)




*If this list included handhelds then the 3DS would be at the top of this list.

[broodwars]

The correct order is SNES, N64, Wii U, Wii, NES, Virtual Boy, Gamecube.

Virtual Boy is a "handheld", Shaymin, not a "console".  : It would be ranked alongside the GameBoy, GBA, etc.

[Ceric]

...
but more misses than usual too - Mario Kart and Sunshine being two notable letdowns
...

Burn Him.




There was a point in the Wii life where I was playing and enjoying more Gamecube games than Wii games easily.

[ejamer]

...
There was a point in the Wii life where I was playing and enjoying more Gamecube games than Wii games easily.

Same here. But now, with both consoles having completed their time in the sun, the number of Wii games that I have played and/or want to play far outnumbers the GameCube games I will ever care about.


GameCube isn't a bad system. It's just not as good as Wii on any level - even without taking into account that Wii gives you access to the entire GameCube library.

[Mop it up]

Wii - Don't know what some of you people are smoking to rate this console poorly.

I could say the same thing about the N64, such an awesome system! But at least we agree on the Wii. *high fives*

The correct order is SNES, N64, Wii U, Wii, NES, Virtual Boy, Gamecube.

Virtual Boy is a "handheld", Shaymin, not a "console".  : It would be ranked alongside the GameBoy, GBA, etc.

But you don't hold the Virtual Boy in your hands, you wear it on your face.

It's a faceheld.

[marvel_moviefan_2012]

Do you seriously thin kone or two games justifies a higher spot on a list?

if that was directed at me, I take the WHOLE package into consideration in my ranking, that includes nostalgia, form factor, how much fun I had with the console verses how much it pissed me off, game library that interests me, commercials, bonus non-gaming features. Still to this day Nintendo lacks their competition in non-gaming features and its pretty much been that way for them since the beginning. I also combine Sega CD and 32X into one console but realistically I don't consider those consoles I usually just lump them in with Genesis and that usually places it tied with PS1. If taken separately Sega CD and 32X would be far beneath both Wii U, Wii, and even N64.


I loved N64 when it was new but I also had a PS1 at the same time and aside from Mario 64 and OOT I hardly played the N64, occassionally I would get together with friends for the multiplayer games bu literally every milti player game on the console has a vastly superior counterpart on modern hardware so no point in revisiting primitive versions.

With Atari, for comparisons sake, even if you remove the games that can be played elsewhere that machine still had a **** ton of amazing games exclusive to the unit, plus the little touches like the controller, BIG nostalgia factor but also historical significance plays into it to for me at least.


IF I was just going by game selection alone, SNES and NES would be the ONLY Nintendo console to rank all others their single libraries pretty much suck. N64 and Wii U being the worst in terms of Libraries. And honestly YES Wii is a better console, I had more fun with it and I actually enjoyed it a lot for a brief period, Wii U outside of a couple games it still trash, BUT Wii U *IS* a Wii so its still technically superior even if just barely and being able to play Game Cube games is negated by the lack of GB-Player and the Virtual Console mostly makes up for it anyways.

[Spak-Spang]

SNES
Wii  This system made gaming a fun event for any gathering...no other system has done that
N64 so many great classics
Gamecube
NES

Can't rate the Wii U

[Phil]

I didn't care for the NES despite being my first home console. Too many games were "Nintendo hard", gave me a headache, and games in most of the series that started on the NES saw better sequels on later Nintendo platforms.

[Evan_B]

*If this list included handhelds then the 3DS would be at the top of this list.

Do you really think the 3DS is that good? I mean, I love the hell out of mine, but I think the DS had a better library.

[ejamer]

Wii - Don't know what some of you people are smoking to rate this console poorly.

I could say the same thing about the N64, such an awesome system! But at least we agree on the Wii. *high fives*
...

*high five for Wii*


I feel bad about being down on N64 - but there just aren't enough games that I actually go back and play on the console these days to rate it higher. Most of my favorites have either seen improved sequels or ports, with Virtual Console on Wii giving me access to others... so the system has kind been neglected and (perhaps unfairly) forgotten.


Don't let my rating get you down though - hearing why people love different consoles is the fun part of these discussions.

[Evan_B]

Wii - Don't know what some of you people are smoking to rate this console poorly.

I could say the same thing about the N64, such an awesome system! But at least we agree on the Wii. *high fives*
...

*high five for Wii*


I feel bad about being down on N64 - but there just aren't enough games that I actually go back and play on the console these days to rate it higher. Most of my favorites have either seen improved sequels or ports, with Virtual Console on Wii giving me access to others... so the system has kind been neglected and (perhaps unfairly) forgotten.


Don't let my rating get you down though - hearing why people love different consoles is the fun part of these discussions.

Some of the N64's greatest titles aren't available on any other service, which makes me very upset. But I suppose that's the downside of Virtual Console- it does actually take effort to put a game on there.