The console finally launched in the U.K on Friday, and courtesy of a
very accommodating pal I was able to get my hands on one for a few
hours that evening. Even after a short time it became obvious that
this is something people are going to have to try for themselves.
Picking up the pad, you're immediately struck by how light it is. For
its size you're expecting something a bit weightier, though it does
feel very robust. The size makes it bulky but not unwieldy. It's
comfortable to hold and use, though people with smaller hands might
find it tricky to juggle using the face buttons and the touchscreen.
On that, the screen itself is the real treat here. Brilliantly clear
and bright, it's almost a surprise to see it display everything with
the same sharpness as your TV. The Wii U allows you to stream your
console game onto the pad. So if, for instance, someone wants to
interrupt your gaming so they can watch something, you can switch to
playing on the pad's screen with no issue. This is the sort of
innovation you feel could become quietly revolutionary, especially
considering that it'll work at a range of up to 25ft. Quite apart
from being able to take games with you into different rooms (finally,
a home console you can play on the toilet. The future is brilliant),
built-in Lovefilm and Netflix apps will make streaming films in bed a
tempting proposition, and surfing the internet should be simple too.
For anyone that doesn't have a dedicated tablet, the Wii U could
prove to be an ideal substitute.
The touchscreen also proves to be an entirely natural way to navigate
menus, much more so than the slightly skittery Wii pointer. The
screen isn't as touch-sensitive as you'd find on an iPad, instead
making use of a stylus that slots into the back of the controller. It
feels nice and precise though, with the pad easy enough to hold in
one hand. Small functions, like being able to use the pad to change
channels on your TV, are a very nice touch as well. Overall you
realise that, as a selling point, the GamePad isn't too bad at all.
There's something that just clicks when using it, and after no time
it feels completely natural.
But how does it work for gaming? Nintendo are clearly pushing the
social side of the pad first and foremost, with their minigame
compilation Nintendoland filling the Wii Sports role of introducing
people to the new controller's potential. As a collection it's
typically charming, a virtual theme park that acts as a love letter
to Nintendo's past. The games themselves range from the chaotically
brilliant to the surprisingly dull, depending on how many people you
have playing at a time. My own experience was with two other people,
one on the pad and two with Wii remotes. The GamePad player will
typically have a different role to play. For instance in the riotous
Mario Chase the GamePad gives you an overview of a mazy stage in
which you run and hide, while the other players on the TV have a
limited view and have to hunt you down before the time runs out. It's
a neatly balanced concept that comes to life after a few drinks, with
a lot of shouting and giggling as you chase each other around the
level.
Other games in the collection provide plenty of laughs. The Pikmin
dungeon-crawler is charmingly tricky, while a Zelda-themed slash 'em
up has you using the GamePad to fire arrows at onrushing enemies.
Sadly Nintendo run the risk of over-explaining everything to players.
Each game is preceded by lengthy tutorials telling you the exact
rules for each player, what the controls are, and it all flits by so
fast that you can go in fairly confused. Things click easily enough
in practice, but it highlights the downsides of Nintendo's
explanation-driven approach when marketing the console. It's tricky
to communicate, but the best way to sell this to people will be to
simply put it in their hands.
I sampled a couple of the other launch titles as well. New Super
Mario Bros U is what you'd expect from a brand-new 2D Mario game,
offering some brilliant platforming challenge and a great
multiplayer. Given that this is Nintendo's first console to support
HD, you can imagine it looks pretty wonderful as well. Everything's
so bright and colourful you can't help but smile. Though it lacks the
striking style of Rayman Origins, you get the impression that
Nintendo and hi-def graphics are going to be a very nice match
indeed.
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 has already been out on the PS3 and 360 for a
few weeks, but Namco have upped the ante for the Wii U release. It
looks just as good, if not better, than the other versions, showing
off the console's graphical muscle, but it's the Wii U specific modes
that stand out. Mushroom mode sees the stage littered with Mario
mushrooms, that make the characters larger or shorter, all while
thumping remixes of Nintendo tunes play over the action. The
characters have alternate costumes based on Nintendo characters as
well, adding a hell of a lot of charm. There's nothing like seeing a
massive Mario-suited Kuma battering into a tiny Yoshimitsu in a Link
costume to have you in tears of laughter.
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Outside of Mario, the big launch title is clearly Zombi U. Ubisoft's
survival horror exclusive has been developed with the console's
features in mind, and it shows. The game has you stalking through a
deserted London, fending off attacks from the rabid undead hordes.
The GamePad is used to access your inventory and tools, but all in
real time. There's no pausing to manage your items or solve puzzles,
meaning you're constantly on your guard. What little I saw of the
campaign seemed suitably tense, bringing to mind games like Bioshock
and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. It includes some Dark-Souls style twists, with a
brutal difficulty level making death almost inevitable, and online
components that will see your game world crossing over with those of
other players'. It also includes some interesting multiplayer modes;
Capture the Flag has one player strategically controlling zombie
placements on the GamePad, while the others survive in first person
on the TV. It's fun when it clicks, but that will take a while. It's
clear that Zombi U's real strength seems to be in its single player
campaign.
And that's lucky, because the Wii U is strangely lacking in solo
titles at the moment. It's launched with a handful of third-party
ports, including Assassins Creed 3 and Darksiders 2, but it's unusual
for Nintendo to release a console without a big first-party title
that has solo players in mind. While you can play through games like
NSMB and Nintendoland yourself, they'll be at their best with some
mates round and a few drinks down. This has been designed as a party
console first and foremost, and it seems you're best keeping pals in
mind if you're going to pick one up for gaming, at least until the
big first-party titles start dropping. Then again, I wasn't able to
touch on the online modes during my time playing. Reports suggest
that the Miiverse, Nintendo's stab at a sort of Wii U social network,
is an absolute joy, with the potential to change the online side of
console gaming.
Even as a bit of a Nintendo fanboy, I have to admit the Wii U has
surprised me. For months I'd been telling myself this wasn't for me,
that Nintendo didn't really know what they were doing with it. But
having had one in my hands I can say that Nintendo might have
convinced me they were right all along. It's now much easier to see
why this touch screen integration might be the next big thing, one
that will doubtless be copied in some way when Sony and Microsoft
bring up their own next-gen offerings. However, as with the Wii the
real key to its success will be to get people trying it. A few hours
playing on a Wii U has done more to convince me it's worth buying
than 18 months of marketing and explanatory videos ever could have.
And as far as first impressions go, that's not too bad at all
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