Board 8 > Board 8's Top 20 Wii U Games - The Results

(+) Yeah! (+)

Total Stats: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18sFKVDrf_ePBTV8Y9T8-J7PPUc_yBV4NhgRLPK0JbbE/edit?usp=sharing
All Writeups: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1k9N7e0gcJspBy1g1moqlsy0EvQGtF6tCbHMDi2Df3hg/edit?usp=sharing

Much appreciated to everyone who voted and provided write-ups! The structure of the list is a ranking with the same variables as before taking importance in order:

• Total Points
• Total Appearances
• First-Place Points

#20. Bayonetta (2014)
Total Points: 12
List Appearances: 6
First Place Votes: 0
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/7/79c8a9ea.jpg

Writeup taken from X360 list and provided by MacArrowny
Bayonetta is my favorite character action game series, and in many ways, the first is the best of the bunch. There's a couple things that make it special. First, Witch Time is a super fun mechanic. Having time slow down when you dodge enemies is a blast. I love bullet time in any game that has it, and this is one of the best implementations, since it's somewhat skill based. Second, though there aren't a ton of them, this game has some truly massive bosses. There are three of them that are entire levels to themselves. You climb them, run around them, and hit them in weak points that're all over their bodies. I absolutely adore the spectacle of it all, and wish more character action games had bosses like these (the first boss in Revengeance is my favorite for this reason). Taking down something much bigger than yourself is an awesome feeling, especially when the base combat of the game feels as good as it does in Bayonetta.

Tag

Tag

Great version of Bayonetta, with console specific extras!

Tag

Tag

Never have played the Bayonetta series or basically any series like it yet really

#19. NES Remix 2 (2014)
Total Points: 13
List Appearances: 7
First Place Votes: 0
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/d/d7fc1fd0.jpg

Writeup provided by StifledSilence
If NES Remix was a rock festival, the poster would have Super Mario Bros, Legend of Zelda, and Donkey Kong in huge letters while the rest of the games were placed in the tiniest font imaginable. Now NES Remix 2 on the other handbetter get a bigger poster.

Nintendo went pretty much all killer, no filler in the sequel to NES Remix. This time there are FOUR Mario games to choose from, along with Kirby, Metroid, Punch Out, Kid Icarus, Zelda 2, Warios Woods, Ice Hockey, and NES Tournament Golf. The inclusion of this particular golf game is a head-scratcher considering they stuffed regular Golf in the first NES Remix. There were certainly other options available, even sports titles! Pro Wrestling anyone? That mind boggler aside, however, this roster is STACKED. Playing challenges for Super Mario Bros 2, Lost Levels, and 3 alone probably would have been worth the buy for most people. Hell, I would have bought it just for Kirby. There is a reason the majority of the titles chosen for the compilation game Ultimate NES Remix came from this game.

All of the fun challenges and remixes return for NES Remix 2, along with the unlockable Championship Mode. You play timed challenges of Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Bros 3, and Dr. Mario all in a row, mirroring the NES Championship. The catch? You need save files for both NES Remix 1 and 2 in order to unlock it. Now if we put our tinfoil hats on for a second, it seems HIGHLY LIKELY these two games were probably together as one game originally. Then for the sake of having more stuff to play on Wii U, they were split and released a year apart instead. You could argue that is totally lame, and it is. However, the fact remains that despite that sketchy business practice, the NES Remix games were two of my absolute favorite experiences on Wii U. So much so, my dumbass actually bought the Ultimate 3DS version just to play them again on the go. Im not sure what that says about me, but you should just go play these games anyway!

Tag

#18. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD (2016)
Total Points: 14
List Appearances: 9
First Place Votes: 0
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/3/31cd417e.jpg

Writeup taken from GCN list and provided by MacArrowny
The first time I played this game, I was highly disappointed, probably because it was using the terrible controls of the Wii version. I honestly dont get how anybody can stand themeven after an hour, my hands were far too shaky to be able to hit anything properly. Luckily, this was on someone elses Wii, and my own copy of the GCN version proved to be a much more enjoyable experience. Right from the beginning, the game delivers on Nintendos promise that this would be the coolest 3D Link yet. Whether hes wrestling goats to the ground or posing on horseback, Link is pretty awesome all throughout the game.

The game also had some good new items for once, which was a nice change. Wind Waker and Ocarina were notably lacking in that department, as the most interesting new items were theHover Boots and Deku Leaf. TP added a lot of fun stuff, most notably the Ball and Chain, Double Clawshot, Hawkeye, and Spinner. The items have always been the defining part of Zelda games for me, so all this new fun stuff helped the game a lot. Sadly, the coolest of these items, the Spinner, was only really useful in its own dungeon, but the rest were quite useful throughout the game, especially the ultimate sniping power of the Hawkeye.

The gameplay further contributed to the Link-is-awesome spirit of the game. Hidden Skills were all pretty fun to watch, though they didnt add much to the fun factor of the game, sadly. Otherwise, the gameplay is pretty much copied over from Wind Waker, which is a good thing, though not as fun as it was the first time I played Wind Waker. The final aspect of Link in TP is his ability to turn into a wolf. This is probably my favorite part of the game, and part of the reason that its so high on my list. Turning into Wolf Link for the first time was great, and I always looked forward to the parts where Wolf Link was mandatory. After gaining the ability to transform at will, I played as Wolf Link as much as possible at firstbut soon discovered that he completely sucks. Playing as normal Link is better in almost every single segment of the game, unless you want to run faster. For some reason, Nintendo decided to give Wolf Link no upgrades all throughout the game, and didnt design any parts of the game for Wolf Link after gaining the ability to transform. Given that Nintendo took an extra year to develop the game, one would think that they could have given Wolf Link wolf versions of at least a few of his Hidden Skills and items, but no. Midna could have learned some new techniques throughout the game, like maybe magic or some new attacks, or even a way to fight on her own without Wolf Link, but no. I was very much hoping that wed get some all-Wolf Link dungeons with accompanying bossesbut again, no. Nintendo took a fantastic idea, and just flushed it down the toilet. The laziness here is a bit of a black mark against the game.

Other than Link, Midna is also fantastic. When you first meet her, she insults you and is generally a total bitch, which is a major turn from previous companions. And all throughout the game, whenever you ask her for help, she usually just makes fun of you instead. Definitely a nice change from Navi. A while after you get her, she does something nice that kind of takes away from her character, but she goes back to being cool afterwards. Her getting all of her magic powers back was also pretty awesome. Destroying Zant in one hit was super sweet. I was also disappointed when she left without Link, as I was hoping wed see a new Twilight Kingalas. Overall, the darker flavor of TP was a lot of fun, and it was great to see Nintendo go back to this well with Breath of the Wild.

I want(ed) to get into one of the Remix games, but between all the Wii U and 3DS and compilation games, I never figured out which one to buy. And I didn't care enough to get multiple of them, so I just never bothered. But I'm pretty sure that I would have liked them a lot if I played them.

swordz9 posted...

Never have played the Bayonetta series or basically any series like it yet really

I have played 1 and 2 and I think its really the only series like it that I have played so far. I still need to get to 3 one of these days

#17. NES Remix (2013)
Total Points: 16
List Appearances: 9
First Place Votes: 0
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/0/0217bc40.jpg

Writeup provided by StifledSilence
Finally, there is a fun, safe environment where you can learn Clu Clu Land is absolute garbage without having to buy a copy of Clu Clu Land. Thank you, Nintendo!

See, NES Remix is a game that takes little sections of popular NES games and makes challenge stages out of them. The objective is to complete the challenges as quickly as possible to get the best time. You might be asking yourself hold up, isnt that just Nintendo World Championship NES Edition? To that I say nay! NES Remix has a key difference. In addition to the challenge stages are the titular remixes which add little rubs into various challenges. You might see some altered areas, different enemies, crazy color palettes, or even cameos from characters from other games. For example, you might complete a Super Mario Bros challenge as Link.

Your mileage may vary, however, on the game selection. There are challenges based around some games youd expect like Super Mario Bros, Legend of Zelda, and Donkey Kong. However, this was clearly made with NES Remix 2 in mind, so you will also get plenty of the B Team alongside of the heavy hitters. Many of these are a lot of fun in their own ways, such as Balloon Fight. But then Nintendo dug deep into the archives and pulled out some realwinners. I would guarantee each game included has its fans, but inclusions like Clu Clu Land and Golf had me wondering why Nintendo couldnt have paid some buddies like Capcom and Contra to include the likes of Mega Man and Contra in here instead.
That gripe aside, the quick pace and high score/time focused gameplay ensures a good time. I happily spent plenty of hours shaving down my times on each level. Good Wii U titles had a tendency of being scarce for long stretches, but NES Remix was certainly a bright spot for the little experimental Switch box. Now if only they would have continued the series with SNES Remix and N64 Remix.

#16. Pikmin 3 (2013)
Total Points: 17
List Appearances: 6
First Place Votes: 0
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/1/1fe3a620.jpg

No writeup provided

I bought Pikmin 3 when it was rereleased as Player's Choice, because ~6 years after buying Pikmin 2 I learned that it had apparently become "rare" and hard to find a used copy (my friend wanted one), and I didn't want the same to happen to Pikmin 3 in case I wanted to play it later, even though I didn't want to play it right then.

I still haven't played it but it's there for whenever I feel like it.

Dedf1sh posted...

I want(ed) to get into one of the Remix games, but between all the Wii U and 3DS and compilation games, I never figured out which one to buy. And I didn't care enough to get multiple of them, so I just never bothered. But I'm pretty sure that I would have liked them a lot if I played them.

I would recommend the 3DS Ultimate version. It has all of the best stuff from both original two games.

Weakest Pikmin game, but still a good time. Any sense of difficulty was completely excised.

I never thought about the remixes being separate games as I always had the physical release that was both combined lol

Tag U

#15. Hyrule Warriors (2014)
Total Points: 17
List Appearances: 9
First Place Votes: 0
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/4/440d347c.jpg

Writeup provided by tazzyboyishere
I had never played a Warriors game prior to this. I think my overall perspective on the franchise in the early 2010s was that it was a cheap slop franchise, which wasnt the fairest of reads in retrospect. I still havent played too many of the Warriors games, but its a bit wild how up and down I end up feeling with the titles Ive put time into. Fortunately, Hyrule Warriors is an up!

Hyrule Warriors is an absolutely unhinged interpretation of the Legend of Zelda universe, taking the fairly subdued nature of our heroes and turning them into wildly powerful deities. Its fairly repetitive, as is typical of the series, but playing this in the height of my Zelda obsession was wonderful. In many ways, it's a pure celebration of the franchise, with plenty of references and mechanical integration to tickle the nostalgia. There is an absolute boatload of content in the base game, with the DLC providing even further enjoyment. As bad as Nintendo was at managing this console, they had some of the most consumer-friendly DLC practices at the time, which I quite appreciated (or maybe Im remembering wrong, as I was definitely drinking the kool-aid in 2014).

It has been quite a while since I played this, and I never did get around to the updated Switch version, but this is quite a special game for me. Something I blasted through in a few days, only returning for the aforementioned DLC, and having purely positive memories of the time I spent with it. The Wii U was killing it in 2014, and this, along with Bayonetta 2 and Smash, were sort of the last hurrahs for that year. Its a shame these titles came a little too late, as the Wii U was essentially dead by the middle of the next year.

Anyway, Impa and Sheik were my favorites to use, with Impa in particular having probably the most fun playstyle Ive experienced in one of these games, and she is also my queen. Its a shame they let this small part of the franchise get absorbed by the BotW monolith without iterating on this particular title, even though Age of Calamity was still quite fun. Just another relic for the freaks like me who want things to go back to how they were.

tag

#14. Xenoblade Chronicles X (2015)
Total Points: 18
List Appearances: 9
First Place Votes: 1
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/6/6c1bc449.jpg

Writeup provided by MacArrowny
X is a very special game to me. Before it came out, I'd tried a few open world games (GTA5, Oblivion, and a number of others), and none of them really did anything for me. Their worlds were uninteresting, and exploring them never seemed particularly fun. X is different. The world is way more vibrant than any of those, and it feels like there's a reason to explore here too. The map is divided into over 100 hexagons, each of which has various missions to do, and you can tell when you've completed a hex. This system made me feel like I always had something to do when I was going out into the world to explore. On top of that, the world itself is beautiful. It's separated out into distinct regions, and all of them are super pretty. Felt like they really wanted to make the game pop, and though its fidelity isn't the best, its design is probably better than any other open world game. On top of that, you start out exploring on foot, then get to drive your Skell (big mech) around, then get to fly with your Skell. The progression of movement abilities totally changes how each area feels to explore as you go. One of the classic things that makes Xenoblade games great is running into extra powerful monsters while exploring, and that's extra the case here, since it has the Tyrant system, where there are tons of super powerful monsters scattered everywhere, and the game's a true open world, unlike the other XBs, so you can run into them at any time. Beating all the Tyrants was incredibly fun, as was completing all the open world stuff. Not many games have sucked me in like this one.

The rest of the game doesn't excel quite as much, but it's still fun. Combat is okay, and it's fun to break to the extent that you can wipe out enemies in a single turn with your Skells (mechs that you pilot). The main story and characters are okay, but the story goal of uniting all the alien races on the planet is awesome, and it's super cool to see NLA grow as you play. The side quests are fantastic, especially the ones you do for party members, of which there are 18. Affinity Missions, the quests you do for them, are all high quality, and there are a ton. Recruiting Mia in particular is an epic quest that takes dozens of hours off and on throughout the game and felt awesome the whole time. And lastly, the music is amazing. XBX's OST is a contender for one of the best in gaming, and really features Hiroyuki Sawano at his wildest. There's a huge variety of tracks, from peaceful ambiance to rocking vocal tunes. Uncontrollable and Don't Worry are my favorites, but I like pretty much all of them, even NLA's music. It's a hell of an experience, and I'd absolutely love for Monolith to put out another game in this style.

#13. Nintendo Land (2012)
Total Points: 19
List Appearances: 11
First Place Votes: 0
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/6/6626e54b.jpg

Writeup provided by ctesjbuvf
By the time Nintendo Land was announced, my expectations were unreasonably through the roof. Wii Sports is quite possibly the biggest launch title of all time and it is beyond iconic, although perhaps more so with audiences younger than us. When I saw the next console come with a launch title that had first party Nintendo franchises in it, I was very hyped.

It was not exactly another Wii Sports, but I still had my fun with it. There are twelve minigames connected to different franchises (including Mario spin-off series). Six of them are single player and they are based on Game and Watch, Donkey Kong, Yoshi, F-Zero, Balloon Fight and The Mysterious Murasame Castle. 3 are competitive multiplayer and are based on Super Mario, Luigis Mansion and Animal Crossing. The last three are co-op multiplayer and are based on The Legend of Zelda, Metroid and Pikmin.

It probably remains the greatest deal on the console that was not ported to another console. It makes quite heavy use of the gamepad, so thats not really any surprise, but among some dull minigames that are some fun ones in between. I have fun memories of playing coop Zelda and Metroid with friends and family.

The actual greatest thing still stuck on the Wii U however? Its Donkey Kongs Crash Course. If I booted up my Wii U (which has been connected since I got it basically), its the first thing I would jump to. You control a trolley through courses inspired by the original Donkey Kong. Its super gimmicky, you use gyroscope controls, analog sticks, L and R buttons and microphone to get through. Its so fun trying to through the courses as fast as possible though, there are a bunch of high risk high reward shortcuts you can attempt, but going the core intended way is fun as well. You may as well credit my points given to Nintendo Land to this minigame in particular, I love it and it hard carries.

honestly i barely played dk's crash course, i gravitated hard to the f-zero one and sometimes takamaru's ninja castle as far as the singleplayer ones went (and the pachinko lol)

definitely liked the multiplayer ones more overall, especially played a ton of the mario and luigi ones, and wanted to play more of the zelda and metroid ones (the pikmin and animal crossing ones were fine too)

#12. Rayman Legends (2013)
Total Points: 21
List Appearances: 7
First Place Votes: 0
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/c/c86a3c2b.jpg

No writeup provided

Wow, I'm surprised XCX didn't land higher.

Pikmin 3 is still a polished Pikmin game so it's very solid, but yeah I definitely prefer the less linear style that 2 and 4 went for. Winged Pikmin are great in 3, though.

Rayman Legends was a good game, no doubt, but Ill never understand why the Rayman series moved away from 3D platforming. Rayman 2: The Great Escape remains an all-time classic and one of the very best of the genre. Origins and Legends, while fun, just dont leave lasting impressions like that game did.

VectorAgent posted...

Rayman Legends was a good game, no doubt, but Ill never understand why the Rayman series moved away from 3D platforming. Rayman 2: The Great Escape remains an all-time classic and one of the very best of the genre. Origins and Legends, while fun, just dont leave lasting impressions like that game did.

I think this thing happened to a bunch of old series: They transitioned from 2D to 3D in the 90s, and then platformers as a genre kind of collapsed in the 00s before they had a chance to release too many more games. Then a decade later we started getting the "2D nostalgia" period when a bunch of these games started going back to their roots, but none of them want to make the kind of 3D platformers that they had at the mid-point in their lifecycles.

#11. New Super Mario Bros. U (2012)
Total Points: 22
List Appearances: 11
First Place Votes: 0
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/b/b4aa9f0f.jpg

Writeup provided by ctesjbuvf
By the time this rolled around, the hardcore gamer section were probably tired of NSMB games and wanted something more original. This is probably the best of them though. All the general concepts of NSMB return, most notably the successful multiplayer, which is the most frustrating thing in the world for me, but super popular among more casual players.

The flying squirrel is the primary new power up, which is essentially a gliding feature. Some tweaks are made to other power ups and some return that hadnt been around for a bit. In the spirit of Super Mario World, there is one large map with connecting exists including a bunch of secrets to find. The bonus world feature what someone like me would call actual challenges, at least to some degree, so there is something for every taste.

The game was ported to Switch and remains the most recent entry in the NSMB series that had like 4 games in 10 years. While it never truly managed to capture the heights of 2D Mario, this one came as close as it gets. I actually played it again on Switch and 100%d it because I thought it was enjoyable enough. Lower tier Mario is still very great.

VectorAgent posted...

Rayman Legends was a good game, no doubt, but Ill never understand why the Rayman series moved away from 3D platforming. Rayman 2: The Great Escape remains an all-time classic and one of the very best of the genre. Origins and Legends, while fun, just dont leave lasting impressions like that game did.

Rayman 2 is an all timer imo. Such a great game.

Origins and Legends are both fantastic games. Ill hear no slander!

It's been over 20 years since I last played Rayman 2: The Great Escape. I remember liking it (and Rayman 1) but not to the point where I considered either all timers. They were both very good games but one of the very best of their respective genre's a stretch.

-hotdogturtle-- posted...

I think this thing happened to a bunch of old series: They transitioned from 2D to 3D in the 90s, and then platformers as a genre kind of collapsed in the 00s before they had a chance to release too many more games. Then a decade later we started getting the "2D nostalgia" period when a bunch of these games started going back to their roots, but none of them want to make the kind of 3D platformers that they had at the mid-point in their lifecycles.

This is probably as correct of an answer as there is, now that I think about it.

ctesjbuvf posted...

Rayman 2 is an all timer imo. Such a great game.

Yes!

Seanchan posted...

Origins and Legends are both fantastic games. Ill hear no slander!

No slander intended! I played and enjoyed both. I even voted for Legends for this very topic. They just kinda went in one ear and out the other for me, I suppose. The main things I recall about Legends are outfit switches (I remember being able to put Rayman in Marios outfit, for example) and some levels being set to the tunes of popular songs (like Black Betty).

paulg235 posted...

It's been over 20 years since I last played Rayman 2: The Great Escape. I remember liking it (and Rayman 1) but not to the point where I considered either all timers. They were both very good games but one of the very best of their respective genre's a stretch.

The original has its charms, but its no Titan. I hope youll consider revisiting 2, though, it really is that good. Easily a top 3D platformer for me. The levels and music were amazing and really atmospheric.

Hoodlum Havoc, the third game, Ive not played but do have in my backlog. And then, Ive never played any of the Rabbids games, nor do I really have much sense of what theyre about. But my vague impression is that the series kind of shifted to focusing on that over continuing with the main series.

21-30!

21. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed - 10 (6)
21. Tokyo Mirage Sessions FE - 10 (6)
23. New Super Luigi U - 10 (5)
24. Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Wii U Edition - 9 (4)
25. Game & Wario - 9 (3) [1]
26. Pokken Tournament - 8 (7)
27. Shovel Knight - 8 (5)
28. Paper Mario: Color Splash - 8 (4) [1]
29. The Wonderful 101 - 7 (5)
30. Shantae and the Pirates Curse - 7 (4)

#10. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (2014)
Total Points: 23
List Appearances: 13
First Place Votes: 1
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/a/abc68d69.jpg

Writeup provided by ctesjbuvf
I always had a soft spot for Toad in terms of Mario characters. Someday they will humor my wish and add him to Smash. I think it comes all the way back from the cartoons. You can imagine when I was hyped that they gave him his own game, and it delivered! It even managed to break a million sales on the Wii U.

The concept started in Super Mario 3D World where there are some levels of simple Captain Toad play. That then evolved into this spin-off where the concept was built into its own game. The game is a mix between platforming and puzzle, with an interesting feature for a platformer being that Toad cant jump. Toadette has levels as well. In my headcanon Captain Toad is the same Toad you play as in various spin-offs and all the way back in Super Mario Bros 2. It probably isnt in reality, especially when you consider 3D World it makes sense that theyre not, but the other Toad was the one that first brought Toadette to Mario Kart, so I will see them as the same.

The puzzles are incredibly fun and end of being quite challenging as well. The final challenge is very difficult, in particular because its very long and messing up once requires you to start over. I had a blast playing it and I think the gimmicks and level variety managed to stay fresh enough over the whole game. It was ported to both 3DS and Switch so everyone had a chance to play this underrated gem.

I'm in the "Toad and Captain Toad are the same" camp too and I think people trying to separate them is just fanbase overthink

#9. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD (2013)
Total Points: 28
List Appearances: 12
First Place Votes: 2
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/2/21a1b913.jpg

Writeup taken from GCN list and provided by tazzyboyishere
Dictating what my favorite game is wasn't difficult for most of my life. My top 10 was very malleable, and still remains so, as depending on when you ask me, the bottom of that list could look wildly different. But one thing which has remained constant (or at least it had until I played Dark Souls) is that the number one spot was always held by The Wind Waker. I adored my Gamecube when I first got it. It was when they were selling the thing for $99, so pretty damn late into its lifespan. I mainly wanted one to play Smash, since anytime I would go to a friends house wed spend many hours playing that and doing nothing else. And boy howdy, did I get to play Smash. But I was also curious about some other games on the purple lunchbox. One particular curiosity for me was this 3D Zelda game exclusive to the console. The only other Nintendo home console my family ever owned was the NES, through which I played quite a bit of the original Legend of Zelda. I dont think Id ever beaten it at that point in my life, but I loved the lore of the world and enemies. It made sense I would be drawn to the Zelda game on my new system, though it helped that there were no classic Mega Man games to draw my attention away from it. So I got The Wind Waker for Christmas one year. I was 11 or 12, I dont really remember. What I do remember, however, is how enamored I was with this game.

Its pretty common for this era of the Zelda franchise to draw ire. Nintendo had completely misread the bubbling edge culture which had begun to dwell in the gaming space, revealing their follow-up to the dark, moody Majoras Mask to be a bright, colorful, cutesy revision of the formula. We lived in a post-Halo world, and Nintendos aversion to maturity was already well-known, with this reveal doing little to improve that image. Yet, in spite of this negative fan reaction, The Wind Waker would go on to receive unanimous critical praise, rivaling Ocarina of Time with a 96 Metacritic average. And today, it isnt uncommon to see it named as one of the best in the series. The Wind Waker absolutely was a kiddy game, but so were all the other Zelda games, to be honest. That whimsy is part of why the games are as wonderful as they are, and I think The Wind Wakers decision to lean into that image is part of why it stood the test of time so well.

The art design is perhaps the most intriguing part of the game. I personally believe its still one of the best-looking games ever made, with the Wii U HD version allowing the cel-shading to pop like never before. The sixth generation saw a lot of games using this style, but The Wind Waker looks so much better than anything else. Nintendo was relatively experimental with their Gamecube titles, and this heavier lean on coziness and/or atmosphere was present in a number of their games this generation.

The Wind Waker also boasts my personal favorite overworld in the series. This may be my hottest take ever, but the much-maligned sailing is great. Theres a particular vibe no other game has captured in those deep blue waves contrasted against the cerulean skies. There was always this sense of wonder any time you saw a structure peeping over the horizon. This feeling was almost achieved by Breath of the Wild years later, but ended up having a bit too big of a world to explore. I love how you can just sail wherever you want on the map after the second dungeon. Youll hit a lot of dead ends, but each square of the map has an island of some sort on it. There is a decent amount of padding, like with the eye reefs, but filling out the sea chart was always a ton of fun for me.

Of course, you cant talk about a Zelda game without going into some detail about the dungeons! I feel its common for people to look at this slate of dungeons relatively poorly, but outside of the fairly basic Dragon Roost Cavern, I love all of them on display. Highlights are the Earth Temple, which have some really cool light puzzles along with this imposing atmosphere, and the Wind Temple, which is an excellent achievement in vertical level design for this time of game. There definitely should have been at least one more dungeon, and the intent for that comes through clearly via the late-game Triforce collection, but what we have here is a solid group of levels.

The game has plenty of flaws when I take off my nostalgia glasses, but dammit, this is such a special game. There are so many little things to it which I dont think anyone wants to read me go into detail about, and Im not even sure I could accurately portray my thoughts regardless. Despite this being my favorite game Ive written about so far, this has been one of the more challenging writeups Ive done. It is extraordinarily easy, and is the only game in the series Ive bothered doing a 3-heart challenge for (It was pretty easy). The HD remaster has a hero mode, but that doesnt really help matters. It stinks because this is the most depth the series had seen in its combat yet, at least upon release, with a few attack maneuvers, and multiple items having genuine use in combat. I love how the grappling hook can steal spoils from enemies, making it easier to farm unique drops for sidequests. But yeah, this game does feel like its on autopilot most of the time, especially if youre paying any attention to heart pieces.

I can forgive it though. I used to play this game at least once a year, but I dont think Ive touched it since the HD version was released. Perhaps I should give it another go, ruin my childhood a bit. But I think there is something special about experiencing a flawed game at the right time in your life. The Wind Waker truly left an impact, and I love it so much, warts and all.

#8. Splatoon (2015)
Total Points: 31
List Appearances: 13
First Place Votes: 0
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/8/81afaf39.jpg

Writeup provided by ctesjbuvf
I remember when Splatoon was first revealed at E3 there were a few seconds I thought we were seeing something Super Mario Sunshine related. It was not, but Nintendo doesnt often roll out a first party IP in the same fashion because they have so many timeless well established franchises, so it still had my interest. Then in the midst of buying every single amiibo in existence I bought the game on release, which I probably wouldnt have done otherwise. Fortunately for me, it was a good game.

The focus and the selling point have been the online multiplayer. It is in its core a third person shooter, with the ink being what sets it apart. You shoot the other team ink but you also paint the surroundings and in your own colored paint you can travel in squid form. Im not much of an online gamer, but I did play some Turf War and it seems to be a great time killer and something that is fun to get good at.

What sold me more was its single player content. There is an excellent story mode where you play through levels and fight enemies and bosses. There are all very cleverly made! Its a good length. Add the charm and soundtrack to the experience and you had a very solid game there. I would buy it for its single player only, though weve already established I bought it for an amiibo.

Despite being on Wii U, it managed to be a great success, Nintendo very quickly pumped out a sequel on Switch that is essentially the same game so the Splatoon became one of Nintendos most relevant franchises today.

I came to Splatoon a bit late after it was already out, but I enjoyed it a lot. For me the single player campaign was actually a little forgettable (but still fun), but the multiplayer matches were really greatand this is coming from someone who basically only ever cares about single player.

My favorite weapon type was the paint bucket, I remember, and I wasnt too bad with it.

I got Splatoon 2 when it came out because I had enjoyed the first one, but all of a sudden the multiplayer was behind some kind of paid subscription, which I was never going to do. So the second game pretty much just ended up being a trip through single player and that was it. I still remember the original very fondly, though.

#7. Bayonetta 2 (2014)
Total Points: 42
List Appearances: 14
First Place Votes: 1
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/3/3528f557.jpg

No writeup provided

#6. Super Mario Maker (2015)
Total Points: 51
List Appearances: 18
First Place Votes: 5
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/6/66b4d78c.jpg

Writeup provided by -hotdogturtle
Super Mario Maker was obviously not the first game to have a level editor, even within its own genre of sidescrolling platformers. It was not the first game to have online level sharing. It wasn't the first game to intentionally put a greater focus on user-made levels than premade levels, nor was it the first game to try to simplify the editing process to make it more accessible to average players. But it was a good iteration of all of those concepts, plus it had Mario in it so it had more eyes on it than any other game of its type would. What resulted was a complete one of a kind game experience that was unlike anything that's come before. You might call it "emergent gameplay"; at the very least, dozens of sub-communities developed around many different styles of levels that people created. For some examples (certainly not all), there were "traditional" platformers, remakes of levels from other games, puzzles (ranging from full level scale to less than 1 screen), music or art levels, precision levels, short mechanical gimmick levels, kaizo levels, speedrun levels, automatic levels, troll levels. And those are just things that can be categorized with a quick description, there were also countless levels that defied categorization, which could only be created by someone going into the editor without a plan and seeing where their imagination took them. For months, even years, after the game came out, everything was a new discovery or fresh idea. The editor had so many different ways for objects to interact with other objects in ways that would never happen in an official game, so the possibilities were actually endless (cliche but it's the truth). The game had content for any and all playstyles. Alongside the Wii U game itself there was also the bookmark site, which was a website where you could search/sort/filter levels by a large number of criteria (game style, theme, difficulty, clear rate, etc), and click a button to save them. You could then access your bookmark list from within the game to instantly access the levels, saving you the hassle of typing in all those level codes. Miiverse integration allowed commenting on levels, which provided its own form of entertainment. There was of course also a mode to play random levels, in the form of "100 Mario Challenge". While I've always been adamant in my belief that people who limited themselves to only playing this mode were missing the majority of what the game had to offer, it nevertheless served as yet another avenue of level discovery, as if you didn't already have enough choices. Three months after the game launched, Nintendo added an update where all levels would now display the world record clear time. You like speedrunning levels? How about a game with several MILLION speedrunnable levels? Grind easy levels to pad your record count, challenge your friends on the same levels, or go for the prestigious record on popular levels to get your name shown. This once again added another layer of content to an already massive game. It is not an exaggeration to say that SMM could be the only video game that you ever play for years straight and you will never run out of content nor get bored.

It is important to note, I have chosen to write this memorial in past tense, because Nintendo has officially shut down the online servers for this game. Yes, there are unofficial means of playing online in the current year. But even speaking as a fan of the game, I believe that this loses a little bit of the spirit of the original game, in the same way that Super Mario Maker 2 on Switch loses it. Since Mario Maker is an established game now, everyone is more self-aware. Game mechanics are understood and design tropes are recognized. The first four years of SMM1 were an unprecedented period of discovery, exploration, innovation, and not knowing what the future held. THAT is the true essence of Mario Maker, and why the first game will remain unmatched no matter how technologically better any future games may be.

Mario Maker 1 will always be better then 2 IMO.
It worked better on the Wii U, the pad was the perfect device for making levels.
Maybe it was just me, but in 2 it felt like a chore to make levels after the perfection of ease 1 presented.

Xtlm posted...

Mario Maker 1 will always be better then 2 IMO.
It worked better on the Wii U, the pad was the perfect device for making levels.
Maybe it was just me, but in 2 it felt like a chore to make levels after the perfection of ease 1 presented.

I agree with this. Maker is perhaps a top five Mario game for me. Maker 2 just didnt have the same magic.

Easily one of the defining games of my life.

SMM1 was the 3rd game that I ever played for over 1000 hours, and notably was the first single-player game. (Also, due to my top two being multiplayer Smash games, they're also immeasurable so SMM was my first 1k hours with concrete proof). I did in fact buy my console specifically for this game after being fascinated by watching streamers play it for a week.

Advantages of SMM2 over 1:
- On/Off blocks are the single most important building piece for construction
- Other new objects, also new level themes (including new music in the style of old games)
- Mii customization and rewards
- Endless mode being endless instead of sets of levels makes more sense (even if the mode is still bad)

Disadvantages of SMM2:
- All the meta stuff that I mentioned in my writeup
- Lacking touchscreen support (technically exists but it's not good enough)
- Small physics/engine changes that will be increasingly noticeable the more you played SMM1
- No bookmark site
- Night mode themes, while nice in theory, are almost all designed to piss you off (dark levels, upside down screen, slippery ground, wind)
- Can't view downloaded levels in the editor
- No Costume Mario or Weird Mario

Basically SMM2 looks nicer on the surface but everything positive falls apart the minute that you actually start playing the game.

Hmm, top five should be BotW, SM3DW, Sm4sh, MK8, and DKCTF, I think? Not sure what order they'll be in. Probably something like that order.

#5. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (2014)
Total Points: 57
List Appearances: 17
First Place Votes: 1
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/9/94166d27.jpg

Writeup provided by tazzyboyishere
Of all the games to release for the Wii U, this, in my eyes, was the killer app. Tropical Freeze took the foundation brought forward in Returns and carried it to levels beyond what I would have thought possible. To this day, this is my favorite side-scrolling platformer along with Super Mario Bros. 3, and Im not sure any other game comes close to these two.

To start, the levels are basically all bangers. One huge issue with Returns is that there was a lot of bloat to it, with plenty of levels that felt redundant due to a re-use of mechanics and themes. That has been all but eliminated with TF, which is a much shorter game on the whole, with levels that feel wholly unique. There are a number of levels one can point to that really show the appeal of the game, the primary one I always jump to being Grassland Groove, which is one of the most brilliant cohesions of gameplay, music, and aesthetics Ive seen outside of games where such synesthesia is the whole point.

Donkey Kongs controls remain fairly similar, with a few new tools under his belt. The main addition to the gameplay was the inclusion of Dixie and Cranky as a second player. Dixie in particular gets a ton of use, and sort of makes Diddy obsolete, which is fine, as Diddy had the second spotlight to himself in the last game. Cranky has a much more unique playstyle that lends itself to speed as opposed to the safety you get from Dixie and Diddy. I never have been able to make too great of use of Crany, but speedruns of the game show just how valuable he can be.

And the music, MY GOD the music. Dave Wise came back to provide an absolutely massive score. Best part is, its almost all brand new stuff. A big problem with DKCR was that the tunes were mostly just remixes of past ones, and were usually not as good as the originals. TF feels far more like its own thing, moving on from the past and trying to capture a new sort of magic. I feel this is a present theme in both its music and its aesthetic design, with DK Island being relegated to its own world as opposed to being where everything takes place. And when you get to DK Island, it is a shadow of what it once was due to the frigid chaos brought by the Snowmads. It really makes them feel like a solid threat, and I think this is further exemplified by Cranky finally joining in on the action rather than sitting on the sidelines and bragging about how much better he is than you.

Were unlikely to get another DK game in this style for a while, which Im fine with, honestly. Bananza looks like an excellent evolution of DK, and Im excited to see what Retro has been cooking up with Prime 4 out soon. Tropical Freeze is a gold standard type of game, however, and were lucky to get any games even close to the level of quality this one holds.

It has been probably 9-10 years since I played Tropical Freeze. Id really like to go through it again sometime.

Regarding music, this is the track that stood out to me so much I downloaded it after I finished the game:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=95HuSMQSUVo&pp=ygUjRG9ua2V5IG1vbmcgY291bnRyeSB0ZiBidXN0ZWQgYmF5b3U%3D

It's a gooder! My favs are Homecoming Hijinx, Scorch 'n Torch, and Windmill Hills.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtMSyLdk0Q8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFP4wn0dejc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1vsBsCoK_I

new page