I thought I'd use this blog to let you know my first impressions of the Wii U, as I know it hasn't been the most successful of Nintendo's systems, but I've been pleasantly surprised at what I've seen so far.
The first thing many people have been quick to criticise is the Gamepad (the funny tablet thingy), but Nintendo have actually used the Gamepad in a number of creative ways; which makes you begin to wonder how you've ever done without one.
The Gamepad has two small speakers that have really let developers get imaginative with their audio design. For instance your TV speakers may play the bass and drum beats of a soundtrack, whilst your Gamepad covers the melody lines, offering a fresh perspective that really immerses the player into a game. A lot of in-game sound FX are also played via the Gamepad speakers, something the original Wii console experimented with using the speakers on the Remotes, but with the enhanced audio quality available on the Gamepad it really does feel like a natural evolution.
The navigation of menus feels a lot more fluent thanks to the Gamepad as well, gone are the days of pointing Remotes at screens, replaced with your trusty stylus and touch screen proving far more reliable. It basically feels like you've got a home-console version of the DS, which is what I feel Nintendo was aiming for with this console, maybe it should have been called Wii DS instead of Wii U...okay, maybe my name isn't any better but whatever.
The Wii U's dashboard is pretty much identical to the 3DS, a smart design choice as it makes things uniformed and everyone will be familiar with it, and it looks better than the panels on my Xbox dashboard. Each menu and application seems to have their own soundtrack as well, so it's fun to explore and discover everything that your Wii U comes bundled with.
I feel the best application has got to be MiiVerse, basically a Nintendo themed Facebook, where users can discuss their favourite Nintendo games with a passionate and positive community. You can also post pictures you've drawn on the Gamepad and share them with the community, also by playing certain games you can unlock stamps you can use if drawing isn't your thing.
I mentioned yesterday that Mario Kart 8 seems to have started a Wii U revival, and rightfully so because Mario Kart 8 is superb, but Nintendo really have to keep the momentum going if they want the Wii U to be the success it should be. With E3 just around the corner hopefully we'll see some big announcements that'll not only attract potential buyers, but also the third party support that the console needs.
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