zt, question about wii u...

[marigirls]

I remember reading here you pre-ordered it. Did you pick it up yet? What do think about it? I was able to get it for my son for Christmas but I am just interested to see from someone who has it what the think about it.

[inkiemama]

yes do tell, I strongly doubt I'll get it but I'm easily changed lol

[zt]

I did indeed pick it up and I absolutely love it. The Xbox 360 has been my favorite console for about three years now. Getting the Wii and PS3 didn't change that one bit. But now that I have the Wii U, I barely touch my Xbox. Well, okay, that's changing slightly because I've already gone through my new Wii U games, but my point still stands. When you connect this thing to the internet, it really comes alive, unlike any console before. Nintendo has its own social network set up called Miiverse. You can bring up the Miiverse at any time and get access to communities based around all of the available games. So, if your son is in the middle of a game and he gets stuck at a hard part, he can just bring up Miiverse, ask for help, and get an answer within minutes. People also share a lot of drawings on there, which is surprisingly fun. And the whole thing is strictly moderated, so it's safe for kids. Of course, there are a lot of parental control options as well, which you will probably want to look into because the controller does allow video chat.

I can go on and on about this thing if you really want me to, but the bottom line is: this thing is fantastic. I was expecting a lot out of it and they still managed to surprise me with how good it is. There is one thing I should warn you about, however. For various reasons, Nintendo decided to release the console without 100% functionality. It will work just fine out of the box, but none of the online features (such as Miiverse, the store, internet browser, etc.) will work until you download the update. That's a bit over 600 MB, so it could take a while if you have a slow connection. Because of that, you may want to consider getting it set up before actually giving it to him. Or you can just let him deal with it. Ha ha.

Just out of curiosity, did you happen to get the black Deluxe version by any chance? Hopefully you did. It is $50 more than the white console, but it also comes with Nintendo Land ($60 value), controller stand and charger ($20 value), a stand for the console itself (so it can rest on its side without fear of tipping over), 32 GB of memory (only 8 GB on the white one), and 10% off all digital purchases for TWO years. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the white console, but the Deluxe is definitely a better deal. And I don't know if your son will want to download games or if he'll even be allowed (not sure how old he is), but if he has the white console, he will need to get an external hard drive for it soon.

Anyway, I hope that helps. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask and I'll do my best to answer.

[marigirls]

Thanks zt! I was hoping to hear rave reviews on it and you really made me feel good about this purchase. I was able to get he black one, the last one they had too. I am now more excited for Christmas to have him play this game. He already has a 3DS so he knows all about the Miiverse. I know he is going to love it. He's 12 years old but since I will be monitoring the games it will be set up in our family room instead of his bedroom.

[inkiemama]

hmm now I have a lot to think about lol

[zt]

Do it, inkiemama! Join us! Ha ha.


And you're welcome, marigirls. If your son enjoys his 3DS, then I think he will really enjoy the Wii U. It takes a while to get used to the controls, but it allows for some excellent experiences. It's almost like playing on a big 3DS but with way more features. And since you got the Deluxe version, he'll have Nintendo Land to play with, which is a lot of fun and it supports up to 5 players. Unfortunately, there aren't many Wii U game sales aside from the buy-1-get-1-40%-off that some stores have, but if you need to get a game for him, I highly recommend Scribblenauts Unlimited. It's an extremely fun game that exercises your imagination, critical thinking, and vocabulary. It was the first game I played for Wii U and I had a blast. Everyone says New Super Mario Bros. U is great too, but I'm biased. Ha ha. Of course, I guess you don't really need to get him a game because you've already earned a ton of Cool Mom points by getting the console.

[inkiemama]

yeh... DH informs me that we will be getting this for our yongest son for his brithday next year.. in JUNE. So there will be alittle more time for more games... and fingers crossed for another Zelda

[zt]

Well, there will definitely be another Zelda, but I unfortunately don't think one for Wii U will be by June. I'm willing to bet that they will announce one that month, however (during E3).

[inkiemama]

can't wait! I've played them all (yes ALL of them) on all platforms hehe.

[zt]

Very nice! Although I own several, I've only played a few and the original NES game is the only one I've actually completed so far. LoZ2 was too confusing as a kid, so I gave up on it. Same goes for Link's Awakening DX. I got pretty far in Ocarina of Time, but I got stuck somewhere and there weren't any useful online guides at the time (and my N64 was going bad anyway), so I moved on to something else and eventually just left it behind. And I've dabbled in the 3DS version of Four Swords, but I haven't been able to get into it yet 'cause it's not exactly a great singleplayer experience. I own a few others, but I think those are the only ones I've really attempted so far. Sometime soon, I plan on having a marathon and going through the entire series...except for the first one since I've already beaten it two or three times.

[robofinch]

My friend and I downloaded the Four Swords game last year during the Zelda Anniversary, and almost finished it before we both forgot about it haha. It CAN be done single-player, but it really does take a load off knowing there's someone else there to back you up on the boss levels.

Now I kinda want to finish it.. The only Zelda game I've ever managed to finish is Minish Cap. Loved that one!

I was going to wait before getting a Wii U since I don't really play console games much anymore, but at least if I ever start up again, I know which one to go to!

[inkiemama]

Ocarina of time will always be my first love lol

[zt]

Ocarina of Time was great and I still regret not finishing it. I will soon, though. Probably on the 3DS because I doubt I'll be able to pick up where I left off.

As for Four Swords...I don't know if I'd be able to tolerate playing it alone. I watched my wife play a lot of it and it just looked like such a pain. Thankfully, we each have a copy of that free version (she has my old DSi), so we can eventually play it together when I get around to it. But for now, I've got Assassin's Creed 3 and she has her new Lumia 920.

[inkiemama]

my husband and I did four swords together, was pretty good fun. Almost felt lost at the end... now he has Black Opps and I'm getting him Halo 4 for Christmas... I think he'll be tied up for a bit!

[zt]

Random question, but do either of you have an America Express card? If so, you can link it to the Xbox Live account and they will give you $25 in credit if you beat Halo 4 by the end of December.

I'm in the middle of Assassin's Creed 3 right now. Thanks to Black Friday/Cyber Monday, that was only $35 even though it came out less than a month ago. And I got a handful of other games for less than $100. I already have enough to last me for the rest of my life, but I can't help myself!