In a continuation of my collection lookout series, I take a look at the Wii U games I feel are the most conspicuous absences to our library.
It may now feel like a distant memory, but just a decade ago, Nintendo’s future in the world of video game consoles looked quite murky.
After the Wii achieved incredible success and became the company’s best-selling home video game console at the time, Nintendo followed it up with one of the biggest console flops in recent memory in the form of the short-lived Wii U.
While unclear advertising, a questionable launch title choice and a lack of third-party support, the Wii U was an emphatic commercial failure, selling just over 13.5 million units worldwide during its lifespan from November 2012 to March 2017.
Nowadays, the Wii U’s legacy is even more fragmented due to how Nintendo hedged their loss, with just about every first-party title worth playing on the Wii U having since been ported to the Switch – Nintendo’s best-selling console yet.
With that said, I’ve long been a fierce defender of the console – its graphics mark a massive improvement over the Wii while the GamePad controller paved the way for the hybrid gaming experience that the Switch has made commonplace.
And while many of the heavy hitters have simply been ported to the Switch, I still prefer the Wii U versions of Super Mario 3D World and New Super Mario Bros. U, both of which make impeccable utility of the GamePad and allow for an experience that can switch between two screens.
Although our library of 23 Wii U games features most of the system’s most recognizable titles, there remains a handful of games I’m still specifically seeking for the console – even though one of them has indeed been ported to the Switch.
Here are the Wii U titles highest on my current lookout list:
1. Xenoblade Chronicles X
As someone who’s relatively unitiated with Japanese RPGs despite my favorite game of all-time in Tales of Symphonia being part of the genre, Xenoblade Chronicles X looks like an ideal way to introduce myself to a more recent canonical addition to the genre.
I was originally made aware of the series, as is the case for many, through playing Super Smash Bros for Wii U, with Shulk available as a playable character to represent the series.
While I’m aiming to stay intentionally ignorant on the specifics of the plot and gameplay, the title offers plenty of promise for what I’m looking for – a vast open-world atmosphere with a journey that begins in the aftermath of a planet-destroying battle with aliens.
Although the game was ported to the Switch and Switch 2 early last year, Xenoblade Chronicles X remains one of the console’s more recognizable games that have stood the test of time, and would be a worthy addition to our library.
2. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD
Previously released in 2006 for both the GameCube and Wii, the fan-favorite was re-released in high definition for the Wii U in 2016, echoing the HD re-release of The Wind Waker in 2013.
While a strong game for the Wii and initially a launch title for the system, Twilight Princess also holds the distinction of being the final first-party game released for the GameCube during its lifespan. Though the ports are mostly indistinguishable, the Wii version is a mirror image of the GameCube port, as the normally left-handed Link was changed to match the Wii’s motion controls as most players are right-handed.
Originally released right around the time high definition in games was becoming commonplace, getting a fully revamped experience for such a classic game makes the Wii U port seem like the definitive way to play Twilight Princess among its three variations.
Yet with the game being released quite late in the Wii U’s lifespan, Twilight Princess HD is the toughest and most expensive first-party Wii U title to find. Complete-in-box copies sell for over $100 on average, according to PriceCharting.
3. Mario and Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games
A somewhat forgotten series that saw a collaboration of two of the biggest icons in gaming history, Mario and Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games serves as one of the two Winter Olympics games in the series, and the only one to be released on the Wii U.
My experience with the series revolves around the final title of the bunch, the Tokyo 2020 game released for the Switch in 2019, just before a licensing deal with the International Olympic Committee expired in 2020.
While no one would mistake that game and the series at-large as a riveting, must-play experience over a decade later, it remains a unique title that has always left me with a good amount of intrigue – especially considering the rarity of official Olympics-licensed media.
Additionally, as someone who has always preferred the Winter Olympics to the Summer Olympics, the idea of playing with a cast of recognizable characters through several exciting sports that are typically viewed on a quadrennial basis is certainly appealing.
While I’ve yet to come across the game in a store, complete-in-box copies typically sell for under $20 – so it shouldn’t break the bank once I do find it.
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