Hello fellow bipeds! Are you interested in getting a Wii U? Do you want to know how expensive gaming on the Wii U will be? Are you a current Wii U owner, looking for cheap and valuable experiences?

Well, in the spirit of 2013's 3DS thread, I have decided to make a guide for Gaming on the Wii U for a reasonable price.

Note: Prices will, by default, come from Nintendo for online games and Gamestop for retail games. The following prices will not always be the lowest, but they should give a good idea what to expect. This thread is aimed at American audiences.

1. Systems

A year ago, I would have recommended you buy the $350 Deluxe Wii U bundle with 32 GB of Storage. It came with a decent game, had more storage than the $300 model, and really didn't cost much more. Today, however, this model has had a $50 price cut and the original 8 GB model has been discontinued. In other words, there isn't much of a choice in terms of hardware.

The main difference between Wii U bundles is not the System itself, but rather the included game. The main bundles in existence are the Nintendo Land bundle, the New Super Mario Bros U/New Super Luigi U bundle, and the Wind Waker HD bundle. Nintendo Land is best for demonstrating the possibilities of the controller, NSMBU is probably the best value thanks to the Luigi DLC being included, and WInd Waker HD is a remake of one of the most acclaimed games of the early-to-mid 2000's. You really can't go wrong with any of the three, but be warned: Nintendo Land is far less expensive in most stores than the other choices. And if you're a self-described "gamer," you'd probably have the most fun with Mario or Zelda.

There's also a cheaper Skylanders Swap Force Bundle, but considering how it has virtually no storage, it is not recommended.

2. Other Hardware

In terms of being a complete package, the Wii U is a mixed bag. On one hand, unlike its competitors, you do not need to pay extra to access basic features such as online pay. On the other hand, the standard bundle only comes with so much hardware, particularly storage space.

The main hardware expense for the Wii U is probably controllers. The good news is, virtually every Wii-based controller works with at least some Wii U games. Wii Remote Plus controllers in particular are still very relevant, being the best way to play games like Super Mario 3D World with friends. There is also the new "Pro" controller, made specifically to play multiplatform titles in local multiplayer. I for one got one to play Injustice: Gods Among Us with one of my friends. Brand New Pro Controllers cost $50, Wii Remote Plus controllers cost $40, and the Nunchuck attachment still costs $20. These are by no means grossly expensive, but you'll want to buy controllers with certain games in mind, especially if you don't already have Wii controllers from last gen.

The other main acessory hardware expense is a hard drive. These won't be necessary for the predominantly retail gamer, but buying retail games digitally will fill up the included memory fast. The good news is, hard drives are inexpensive. The Wii U is compatible with Hard drives up to 2 TB. You can probably get a hard drive for that price around $100, but considering how games seem to all be below 25 GB large, a 500 GB drive for $50 may be more reasonable.

3. Less Expensive Retail Games

The following Wii U games are not necessarily the flagship software for the system. However, for no more than $40, these games have been considered to be solid games by reviewers. They cost roughly $15 to $40 for a new copy.

• Assassin's Creed 3
• Batman: Arkham City - Armored Edition
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and Ghosts
• FIFA Soccer 13
• Injustice: Gods Among Us
• LEGO Batman 2
• Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate
• Need for Speed: Most Wanted
• NBA 2K13
• Nintendo Land
• Scribblenauts Unlimited and Unmasked
• Sega & All-Stars Racing Transformed
• Tekken Tag Tournament 2
• The Wonderful 101

4. Retail Games with Loads of Value

The following games may not be the cheapest. However, in terms of bang for your buck, they are generally considered to be leaders in their field. For retail games that simply take ages to beat, look below.

• Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag - 20 hour campaign, with playtime being more than doubled through side-content.
• Batman: Arkham City - Despite being cheap nowadays, still offers a 12 hour campaign, extra modes, a huge collectathon, post-game content, etc.
• LEGO City Undercover - Not quite as deep as Grand Theft Auto 5, but still has a solid campaign and a ton of other stuff to do and collect.
• Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate - The current "Bang for Buck Champion" on the Wii U. Pay $40 for a game that takes upwards of 300 hours to complete!
• Super Mario 3D World - Campaign is only 8 to 10 hours, but completionists should get about 30 or so hours from it, thanks to a helthy number of collectables and challenges.
• The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD - Takes about 25 hours to play through one's first time, and still has many hours of exploring and side content to do. Note that several additions to the HD release, such as the Swift Sail, make this game actually take less time to complete than the original.
• The Wonderful 101 - Above average length for an action game, with loads of incentive to replay levels and areas.

5. eShop Exclusive Gems

Some of the best games on the Wii U are not available in stores. Keep an eye out for these downloadable gems, all for less than $20.

• Bit Trip Runner 2
• Mighty Switch Force
• Mutant Mudds Deluxe
• Toki Tori and Toki Tori 2+
• Trine 2: Direector's Cut

6. Virtual Console Classics

Of course, the Wii U improves on the Virtual Console of the Wii. Games cost $10 or less, and Wii versions of these games can be upgraded for $1 to $1.50. THe following games are all-time classics worth taking note of.

• Castlevania
• Earthbound
• Kirby Super Star
• Kirby's Adventure
• Kirby's Dream Land 3
• Mega Man 1to 4
• Mega Man X
• Super Mario Bros
• Super Mario World
• Super Metroid
• Super Street Fighter 2

7. Other Expenditures

On the Wii U, you don't have to pay for online play.

Conclusions:

To Be Concluded

Sample Wii U Bundles:

The following "bundles" are really just ideas. With a "budget" of $500, the cost of a PS4, a game, and online play for a while, let's see what you can get on the Wii U.

Nintendo Purists: Wii U Bundle with New Super Mario Bros U and Luigi DLC included ($300), Pikmin 3 ($60), Super Mario 3D World ($60), Wind Waker HD ($50), Earthbound ($10), Super Metroid ($8), The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past ($8)

Platformer Fanatics: Wii U Bundle with New Super Mario Bros U and Luigi DLC included ($300), Super Mario 3D World ($60),Rayman Legends ($60), Ducktales Remastered ($20), Bit Trip Runner 2 ($15), Trine 2: Director's Cut ($15),

Open World Explorers:

I'll just get the console second hand and when theres a new wii u 2 is out, just like I did with GameCube and wii

I'll read this later, since I already have a Wii U.

Nice thread! I'm not buying Wii U until SSB4 comes out (hopefully as a bundle this year) but I'll keep in mind about the cheap third party games you listed.

Wait, a NES game on the Virtual Console costs 10 dollars? That is a lot, don´t you think? You can get two PSOne games on PSN for that, like Silent Hill and Metal Gear Solid for example. I would pay 1 or 2 dollars for a NES game and 3 to 4 for a SNES title. No more than that.

Launch games are now available at laughable prices.
WiiU might have actually the best gaming on the cheap as of today.

Where's... I'd get started but it's missing a lot tbh, what kind of criteria are you using in terms of listing good games? I didn't even see Pikmin 3 there...

I wish Megaman X was cheaper... $8 for an old ass game like that? Fuck off... Sighh, as I wait for their next megaman sale :/

Nice guide, still waiting for a price cut though, the hardware is way too expensive here, that goes for all the consoles.
I'll probably pick up a Wii U sometime next year, I never owned a Wii so I have two generations of Nintendo games to feast on when I do make the purchase!

Actually, no NES game costs over $5. Most SNES games are $8 or less. The $10 figure really only applies to a single game, Earthbound, which got a $2 price hike because the game usually goes for about $150 for a used copy on the internet.

That said, I believe that some of the current prices are a bit too high. I have no problem paying $10 for Earthbound, $5 for Mega Man 2, or $8 for Super Street Fighter 2. Those are not cheap per se, but considering how they're some of the better games of all time, they're a good deal. What I have a problem with is that some games which really should be in the $1 to $4 range are still $5 (Balloon Fight, Urban Champion, etc.)