The Wii U's Celebratory Birthday Thread

[Retro_Link]

 

So the Wii U has become 1 year old having launched on the 18th November 2012 in North America!

 

Let's have a thread to celebrate the first year of the console!!

 

I will say this now, anything that is not celebrating the Wii U will get deleted by the Mods, so don't even bother posting it ;p

 

Let's hear about and share your favorite moments and experiences with Nintendo's console...

 

Games, Features, Multiplayer, Screen-grabs, Wii U Stories from launch, when you got it home, showed family/friends etc...

Those moments where you smiled to yourself and said "OK, this is next-gen Nintendo! :D"

 

This is not a thread for wishing what Nintendo had done differently in its first year, nor is it a thread for what you are looking forward to or would like to see Nintendo doing next

 

Basically this is your best Wii U moments to date, in whatever form they may be!

 

Who knows, maybe we can even make a Main Site feature out of this?!

 

Share and Celebrate!

Edited November 19, 2013 by Retro_Link

[Hero-of-Time]

Best memories so far have been playing with the N-E community.

 

Monster Hunter Ultimate with lostmario, RedShell and Mokong was amazing. We finally had a decent voice chat option and we put it to good use. So many laughs were had, tears were shed and monsters were slain.

 

In more recent times the laughs on CoD Ghosts have been epic, mostly due to Zechs hurling abuse at Mexicans who turned out to be Spanish and him having many of his famous online fits before pulling the plug. The best of which was where a kid we know jumped into the game but ended on the opposite team. He then stole Zechs killstreak only for him to then use it against us. Many F-BOMBS were heard that day.

 

Recently finishing Extinction mode for the first time with lostmario and Zechs was an absolutely outstanding moment and one which I won't be forgetting.

 

 

Having the ability to play games on the gamepad has been a great feature. Sitting playing a game while having the footy in the background has been great and it's something I never knew that I wanted from a console.

 

Having a headset on and being able to get the sound to filter though that has also been a great addition. Having 8 sentry turrets going off in your ear, while hearing the screams of dying aliens has never been so good.

Edited November 19, 2013 by Hero-of-Time

[Retro_Link]

haha @Zechs Merquise's COD rants do sound epic

 

Maybe we should start recording them for a weekly site feature ;p

[Ashley]

My favourite Wii U memory is @Blade beating up his console.

[Dog-amoto]

I love playing games in the Winter, heating on, nowhere to go, cup of tea. So my favourite memories have to be hearing the intro music that plays before Nintendo Land and ZombiU launches. Just takes me back to having nothing much more to do than play games.

 

After the Spring update, which launched games faster, it's kind of a shame you don't hear the music for as long now

[Serebii]

My best Wii U memory:

 

The joy of playing all new games an all new way when my brother and I started NintendoLand. The GamePad is a game changer. I love it

[Kav]

Gaming with the N-E lot... MHTU in particular as well as Black Ops 2 (and Ghosts now). Mostly though, I started gaming with more of the community than I had done on the Wii. Through this I got to meet @Blade and what a good friend he now is! Love you man (it's a bromance).

 

My favourite feature of the console is off-TV play, it suits as we only have 1 TV in my place and my flatmate can watch it whilst I game! Awesome feature. The funny things is, even when he's not in or not using the TV I still play on the Gamepad only, I've found myself preferring it that way!

Edited November 19, 2013 by Kav

[Zechs Merquise]

My favourite Wii U memories/moments:

 

- The banter. Playing COD and Monster Hunter Online and enjoying some of the best banter I've ever had. A particular nod must go to the day I taught @kav82 shouting at him 'Get off the lily pad'!

- Wind Waker HD's graphics. All I can say is 'wow'. One of the best looking games I'ever played. Just sailing from one side of the map to the other exploring along the way is a joy.

- Amazing games as bargain prices. I've picked up so many amazing games this year (sixteen retail titles) and most at less than £20.

 

But my favourite so far:

 

- Completing Extinction mode on COD with @Hero\-of\-Time and @kav82 @Blade @lostmario @Hero\-of\-Time @Mokong X\-C @S\.C\.G (and many others) thanks for the amazing memories.

[Retro_Link]

Do you have any pics of your Nintendo sprite Miiverse posts @Zechs Merquise?

[-Dem0-]

Local multiplayer is what really made the Wii U shine for me. I'm thankful that I've got a lot of friends and family that come over and play together and with the Wii U it was so much easier, and games like NintendoLand took local multiplayer to another level thanks to the GamePad. Genius.

 

The Pikmin series never really stood out to me, adverts didn't catch my interest, nor did I feel the urge to buy it despite good reviews and many recommendations. That all changed when my big sis bought me Pikmin 3. No game has ever impressed me as much as Pikmin 3.

 

Miiverse is one of my favourite features and I've come across many good people from many different places because of it. Some of which I communicate with away from the console.

Oh, and the artwork on there is nothing short of amazing.

 

Off-TV play is so simple yet so effective. Very helpful feature.

[nekunando]

My favourite moment so far is possibly the enjoyment I got out of getting better at Donkey Kong's Crash Course in Nintendo Land

Be Brave!

 

At first, it seemed so difficult and reaching the end of the course felt like such an achievement.. only to realise there was more To keep playing it again and again to better your scores was great fun and masterfully speeding through sections that previously seemed impossible felt AWESOME

 

I also must give mention to Zombi U and the incredible tension experienced throughout : peace:

 

Next time I return here, I'm turning off the music just to experience the chaos!

[Rummy]

So the Wii U has become 1 year old having launched on the 18th November 2012 in North America!

 

n-EUROPE m8 yeah?! EUROPE MATE.

 

I'll maybe care to celebrate when that time comes, like a proper NEUROPEAN.

 

 

(it has been ok)

[Blade]

Well, there are lots of things about the Wii U that I loved since I got the console. It has actually taken me about 45 mins to write this message!

 

Pikimin 3, Zombi U (terrifies me to death and still yet to complete...), Wind Waker all terrific titles. My first game for the Wii U was NSMB and I actually couldn't get to sleep one night as I just wanted to play it!

 

This is Nintendo in HD and it is fantastic! I also love playing VC games on the gamepad. Such a decent way to play games!

 

For me though it is the members of this forum that has made this year for me and it all started on MH3U! Not knowing anyone @kav82- Amazing top lad, brilliant friend, and a brother.

 

@Hero\-of\-Time laugh with my dumb blondness, gaming with a fellow dee-dar in @Mokong X\-C and @S\.C\.G for the games on MH3U!

 

So yeah it's all been about the online gaming for me which has made the Wii U great. Yes, Wii U, online and great in the same sentence!

 

@Ashley punch...dropping my gamepad was certainly not the highlight! Never knew I had so much rage. Damn CoD!

 

 

 

We're all Nintendo aren't we!!?

[Ealdst]

My best moment with the Wii U came just last week, finally managed to convince one of my friends to get one and me and another friend went round his place for some Nintendo Land fun. Playing Mario Chase the guy was giggling so much like a little kid when we couldn't find him, so much so that we didn't have the heart to take the gamepad away from him and let him be Mario all evening. Heading round there again tomorrow night for a repeat session with another friend joining as well.

[Phube]

A year in the the life of Wii U, chez Phube:

 

Me: 553 hours

 

Wife: 89 hours

 

Daughter: 121 hours

 

That's 763 hours of play time (including Internetting, Miiverse etc.), not bad for a system with "No games"... in a household that doesn't game 24/7.

[tapedeck]

I've logged just over 386hrs of usage since buying the console.

 

Much of that usage has been littered with miiverse, web browsing and Netflix usage...but the majority has been off-TV gaming. Being able to play ACIII, FIFA, Disney Infinity and the VC/eShop games in the company of my family has been bliss.

 

Gaming is no longer a divisive venture in our household. I can play those single player epic titles whilst engaging with the people I hold most dear but then we can also use the system to play local multiplayer with fun titles like Nintendoland, Wii Party U and Wii Karaoke U.

 

A totally inoffensive system, built around sharing fun gaming experiences in the miiverse, this little system errs on the side of being a community in a box, bristling with opportunity and a range of titles that currently tick the core/casual boxes for me. With Mario Kart, X, Smash Bros. and DKC on the horizon, (as well as secrets!) I'm happy so far. Sure, Nintendo are a pain in the ass sometimes with their lethargic, stubborn ways and unwilling approach to charm third parties, but the first party games and the ethos behind their experiences always seem genuine and come from a good place.

 

An innocent, non-offensive place where fun is the name of the game. Wii U has frustrated with the bad news from the media. But when the gamepad is on and the games are being played, it's a lovely piece of tech.

 

Bring on 2014!

 

Special shout out to the pic-sharing features. Such a brilliant selling point to me!

 

Edited November 19, 2013 by tapedeck

[Kaepora_Gaebora]

As ridiculous as it sounds, I bought a Wii U in anticipation that my gaming would slow down this year, and I'd get on with other things, like real life...

 

Suffice to say it's been the complete opposite, I don't think I've done so much gaming before, certainly between this and 3DS in the last year! Up until July I was averaging a minimum of 70 hours a month on Wii U, so if people think there was a game drought I point them to my activity log to say otherwise. Personally I've had a great time with my Wii U.

 

My main highlight has to be Monster Hunter. That first hunt with @kav82 cleaning up and showing us how it was done, late nights with @S\.C\.G talking Nintendo whilst taking down Uragaans, and getting to experience a little bit of @Hero\-of\-Time and @Mokong X\-C, didn't get to hunt with you chaps much but when I did it was a joy to watch you in action, masterful!

 

And just recently I've moved in with my girlfriend. She's not a gamer but has been intrigued by Animal Crossing this summer, and, at her suggestion, we played abit of Wii U on our first night in together. 3 weeks later having completed Super Luigi U as a team, I've been ordered to pick up Rayman Legends to tide us over til Mario 3D World arrives at Xmas for me for us to play. She loves Miiverse, loves the touch screen, and it has been a real joy doing local multiplayer with her.

 

This console may die a thousand deaths and some may revel in "Wii U is doooommeeedd" speak, but for me this has been worth every penny spent on launch day and beyond, and I feel really positive that another fun 12 months lies ahead for me on Wii U

[Dcubed]

My favourite memory is probably me screaming like a little girl when playing ZombiU...

 

... And then proceeding to make everyone else scream when playing Luigi's Ghost Mansion in Nintendo Land!

 

BOOOOOHOHOHOHO!!!!!

 

 

Those games are legit scary! Seriously! Turn off the lights and Luigi's Ghost Mansion becomes shit-your-pants scary!

[Londragon]

My favourite memory is probably me screaming like a little girl when playing ZombiU...

 

... And then proceeding to make everyone else scream when playing Luigi's Ghost Mansion in Nintendo Land!

 

BOOOOOHOHOHOHO!!!!!

 

 

Those games are legit scary! Seriously! Turn off the lights and Luigi's Ghost Mansion becomes shit-your-pants scary!

 

After one play my 7 year old son, was too scared to play Luigi's Ghost Mansion again for about 6 months.

[Beverage]

Blast. I don't got a Wiiu so I miss out on the celebration.

 

Ashley, mate, I am just making an inquiry if you can record gameplay in Super Mario 3D World by saying "Wii U, saw that?"?

 

If you can, I may have hope to celebrate someday.

[Fused King]

What better way to celebrate than with this:

 

 

I'm officially 'with the times' now,

[-Dem0-]

Welcome to the club, @Fused King! I look forward to seeing you and your neat handwriting on Miiverse too!

[markderoos]

What better way to celebrate than with this:

 

 

I'm officially 'with the times' now,

Congratulations! Don't forget to add me! us Dutchies need to stick together

[Serebii]

So, going through Activity Log to check something and I figure "Why not bore people with my playtimes for the games I have"

 

New Super Mario Bros U/New Super Luigi U: 29:58 | Played 51 times

NintendoLand: 17:19 | Played 15 times (My friends suck )

Nano Assault Neo: 3:05 (Never got round to finishing it) | Played 5 times

Batman Arkham City: Armoured Edition: 20:20 | Played 16 times

Scribblenauts Unlimited: 13:02| Played 22 times

Lego City Undercover: 40:18 | Played 18 times

Need for Speed Most Wanted U: 20:07 | Played 19 times

F-Zero: 3:01| Played 4 times

Super Mario World: 5:12 | Played 12 times

Mario's Super Picross: 4:21 | Played 17 times

Pokémon Rumble U (Jp.) 44:22 | Played 15 times

Pikmin 3: 11:01 | Played 20 times (will likely add to this with the new DLC next month)

The Wonderful 101: 24:03 | Played 23 times

Pokémon Rumble U (English): 9:00 | Played 23 times

Rayman Legends: 10:51 | Played 15 times

DuckTales: Remastered: 3:21 | Played 5 times

The Wind Waker HD: 18:32 | Played 16 times

Wii Fit U: 8:12 | Played 58 times (I get a lot of use out of my Fit Meter and always turn on and sync when I get home)

Lego Marvel Super Heroes: 27:45 | Played 27 times

 

That's still with AC4 and Super Mario 3D World this month. I'd certainly say I got my money's worth from this console (Plus the Japanese one I had to buy to cover Rumble U and any future Pokémon game...I will be pissed if Nintendo kills the Wii U early due to this)

 

I think I have too much free time lol

[Zechs Merquise]

@Retro_Link - here's some of my Miiverse pics! I really enjoyed doing them, but there's a lot better out there than mine. There are some amazingly talented people on Miiverse.