To the Wii U, that is.

I know the console gets a lot of hate - deservedly so in a lot of cases, given the console's many crippling problems. But Super Mario 3D World has changed my perception of the console...not entirely, but somewhat.

I bought the Wii U on launch day. I spent £275 on the Premium Nintendoland model, and bought NSMBU and COD: BO2 not long after. I had a decent couple of months, sinking about 40 hours into it. But once I got through those games.... nothing else was out. I kind of stopped playing it.

In fact, I went for 7 months without turning the console on this year. Seven months. I checked the activity log - no time logged from earlier this year until December.

But then I picked up SM3D Land. I've also updated the console to slightly pacier firmware. Miiverse is quicker. And I've started playing with the console's capabilities more. I signed up to Netflix last month and realised the Wii U is an amazing Netflix machine - and this evening I watched Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind on the gamepad in bed, which was decent as an experience.

Now I've put 25 hours into the console since December - and next month I plan to buy Rayman and Zelda: WW (unless anyone has better recommendations?).

Yes the console's marketing has been dreadful. Reading those secret dev posts yesterday made me cringe hard. Nintendo are morons.

The reason for this post? Well, if anyone is looking at their Wii U gathering dust - there are some good games out there. Go get one  - SM3DW if you haven't got it already. There are good experiences waiting if you look for them; it may just change your perception of the console.

Positive Wii U thread?

Does not compute. Site must be broken.

OT: SM3DW is grand. Everybody that plays it seems to adore it. Also, yes, Netflix on Wii U is awesome and navigates silky smooth. Off-tv watching is pretty cool, I was actually surprised at the picture quality on that!

Not sure if Pikmin is your type of game but buy it anyway. That game was fantastic. Took the spotlight right off of 3D World for me. Wish I'd have gotten it at launch.

A change from the negative Wii U threads. I like it.

OT: Still gonna wait until Smash...

Vita fans understand.

I have to admit, Super Mario 3D World is the first game on WiiU that's made me consider buying it. It really does look like a lot of fun... got too much to play at the moment though.

secret dev thread wasn't that bad. The debug machine was a little slow and under documented(at launch!). other than that the dev basically wished for a bigger epenis.  

7 months without using your wii U? Pikmin 3 would like a word

Clearly to compensate for his real one!

Anyway, I agree with the OP... Hopefully 2014 will bring the games the wiiU deservers without any delay

The silly thing about the "Nintendoom" movement, from the beginning, is that they were all gleefully ignoring the simple fact that until Mario 3D World came out, Wii U did not, in point of fact, have a true "system seller". It didn't have a "must have" game. It had many GOOD games. But nothing that people were gonna say "Man now I need a Wii U" for. And even then, a lot MORE people will be finally saying "Man now I need a Wii U", when games like MK8, and Smash Bros., and X come along, depending on their tastes. MK8 and SBU are both going to be major system sellers, I know this because I've lost count of how many people IRL and online that I've heard comment to the effect of "I'll get a Wii U, but I'm waiting for MK/SB to come out before I do". And X, well, if Xenoblade was any barometer, X will be one of the best rpgs of the generation, so for rpg fans that's a big deal (as is SMT x Fire Emblem).

But put simply, Wii U didn't HAVE much in the way of a "killer app". Mario 3D World gives people not only a better glimpse at what the system is capable of graphically (while only scratching the surface, of course), but it also did a pretty solid job of integrating the Gamepad functions (as did Pikmin 3, to an point). So if you think 3D World made a difference, then just wait a few months till MK8 comes out.