Just what are the best Wii U Games? Yes that’s right, Nintendo released a console between the Wii and the Switch, known as the Wii U, who knew? Certainly not the marketing department at Nintendo. Still, it’s a system we love and it’s home to some amazing games, but of all of those available, which are the best Wii U games?
Join us as we summarise those that, in our opinion, are the top 5 best Wii U games. It’s a subjective list for sure, and your opinion might differ, but rest assured we’ll only mock your choices briefly before returning to our own.
Xenoblade Chronicles X
Upon playing the original Xenoblade Chronicles, firstly on the Wii then the 3DS, we found ourselves absorbed in a world full of intrigue, a battle system full of nuances and characters truly worth investing in. Itself, Xenoblade Chronicles is one of the best Wii games, nay best RPG games, ever created.
Whilst not a straight sequel, Xenoblade Chronicles X was a sideways step in the series – a sidequel if you will – but still a game that manages to captivate in different ways. With added giant robots you can pilot, even more game mechanics and a seemingly endless world to discover, it’ll keep you going even longer than the original. Whilst RPG games, and games as a whole are quite sparse on the Wii U, we still consider Xenoblade Chronicles X one of the best we’ve ever played. It’s certainly one of the best Wii U games available.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions FE
Alright, so it really wasn’t the mash up of Shin Megami Tensei and Fire Emblem that fans were hoping for, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a great game in it’s own right. Sure, they censored some of the scenes and outfits for the western release, but that doesn’t stop it being an engrossing game filled with fun content and a moderately deep RPG battle system.
It may be based around Japanese singers (idols), and it may have a few key features missing – a way to monitor active sub quests would be nice – but if you remove the tainted veil from your eyes and ignore the sensor boycott by a certain subset of the fans, a feel good Persona-lite appears, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s now been re-released on the Switch, but we’re pretty fond of the original thanks to it’s usage of that extra screen – it’s a prime example of a developer using the hardware available to it’s maximum, and it’s most certainly one of the best Wii U games available.
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate
Well honestly, you probably saw this coming. The Wii U housed one of the communities favourite Monster Hunter games in history. The first of the Ultimate series, MH3U saw a release on both Wii U and 3DS – though the former was the only version with online capabilities – and can be found crammed with content almost as a guilty apology for the poorly received Monster Hunter Tri.
Sure, the formula has been improved upon ever since, and underwater battles really rubbed some people up the wrong way, but there’s no arguing the enjoyment that can be had from sitting on the sofa with the satisfying Wii U controller in hand, whiling away the evening hunting some of the series’ most beloved monsters.
We might be a little biased towards Monster Hunter, after all it’s a series we love, but even when taking our feelings out of the equation it’s still a fantastic title easily one of the best Wii U games available.
Legend of Zelda – Wind Waker HD
Of course, there is a bigger and ostensibly ‘better’ Zelda that was released late into the Wii U cycle – but let’s be honest, that’s a Switch title. Wind Waker, however, was a Wii U original… HD remake of a Gamecube game.
Regardless, Wind Waker is truly a high point in the series on the Wii U. A wonderful open world, enhanced by the charming cel shaded visuals, a likeable cast of characters and some truly challenging puzzles mark this as one of the best Zelda games ever made. In a series punctuated with landmark games, there can be no higher praise. Playing it on the super comfortable controller and making use of that extra pad is a joy and even today as we race towards 2020, we still consider it one of the best games ever, and definitely one of the best Wii U games.
The Wonderful 101
Now for a game that really slipped through the net. Coming towards the end of the Wii U life cycle, The Wonderful 101 caught us all unaware with it’s silly humor, great voice acting and unusual touchscreen requirements.
It may not have been received well by everybody, with most having trouble with the difficulty and others deriding the sheer ‘busyness’ on screen that could make things hard to track, but it remains a fantastic example of a respected developer going ‘full Nintendo’ – no ideas were off the table here, they packed them all in, and whilst at times it can feel like a discordant mess, it’s balanced by the times where it all riffs perfectly, chaining together special moves and making an otherwise difficult game look ludicrously easy.
Sadly, this game remains one of the under appreciated gems hidden at the end of a consoles lifespan. Platinum Games, of course, moved on to some bigger and better things, but The Wonderful 101 marks a developer truly at home with the console, flexing it’s creative muscle in a lasting flourish for the Wii U. It’s a fantastic game in it’s own right, certainly one of the best games on the Wii U, and a title that’s surely due a return on modern hardware.