The final days of
the Wii-U are upon us and before the console rides of into the sunset
with one last Hurra that is Breath of the Wild, let's take this
chance to look back upon the troubled history of the Wii-U.
After it was
announced not too many people were excited about the console. But one
thing that intrigued most of us was the GamePad. It was the center
piece of the experience. It was he reason for the relatively high
price, but also the justification because it would enable unique
gaming experiences.
Now about five
years later we haven't seen too many of these unique experiences and
it is safe to say that the GamePad mostly fell short of its promises.
Still there were some great uses of the technology and it would be a
shame if we'd forget about them. So today I'd like to show you five
great uses of the Wii-U Gamepad. And now Star Fox: Zero is not on
this list. While it's use of the GamePad was unique, it also was far
from good.
5: Project Zero: Maiden of the Black Water
When it was
announced that Project Zero would return on the Wii-U I was looking
forward to how they would incorporate the GamePad. It was quite
obvious, but the use of the Pad as Camera Obscura was implemented
perfectly. Project Zero is a Japanes Horror Game in which you have to
banish Ghosts by taking pictures of them with a cursed Camera. It is
a very atmospheric series and the use of the GamePad enhanced that
even further. In a Horror Game it is ok for the two Screens of the
console to contest with each other. Being forced to look down onto
the GamePad to fight the Ghosts, makes the whole situation much more
stressful and, in the Process, increases the Horror Factor.
You'll use the
normal 3rd Person view on the Big Screen to explore the
curse areas of Mount Hikami and when you encounter a Ghost, you're
then forced to look through the lens of your camera on the GamePad.
This narrows down your field of vision considerably and creates a
threatening and stressful atmosphere. Also it felt quite natural to
use the Pad in that way.
Project Zeros use
of the GamePad is perfect way of increasing the games immersive
nature even further. Using the Pad as Camera felt natural and easy to
handle, but it also created a more threatening environment. So the
factors that contributed to Star Fox: Zeros Downfall (narrow field of
vision on the GamePad, imprecise aiming on the Big Screen) actually
enhanced the experience in this case. If you're a fan of Horror Games
and like to see your GamePad justified you should definitely take a
look at this game.
4: Super Mario
Maker
The Idea behind
Super Mario Maker is ingenious. Giving everyone the opportunity to
create their own, perfect Mario Stage is simply brilliant. But this
genius Idea would've never been as successful if it weren't for the
Wii-U GamePad. Through its touch screen it offered a great an easy to
use way of creating levels. Simply dragging and dropping level
elements has never been as easy. Little Big Planet, another game
which offered the possibility to create your own levels (with even
more tools than Mario Maker), in parts failed because of the
complexity of its level creating tool.
Mario Maker
doesn't have the same problem. With the Wii-U Gamepad literally
anyone can create great and unique stages. It is the perfect example
of a complex system simplified through an intuitive input system, and
something they should have thought more of when designing other
games.
3: Lego City: Undercover
If we're talking
about under appricated games on an under appriciated system, then we
have to mention Lego City: Undercover. The child friendly GTA
knockoff was a lot of fun even for adults. And as one of the first
games for the Wii-U it was also a prime example on how to use the
GamePad right.
The game used the
Pad in several different ways. The most boring, but also most widely
used was its function as a Map. Lego City was, of course, not the
only game that featured this, but luckily the GamePad Use didn't end
there. It also served as police communicator and had a variety of
applications. Via the GamePad you were able to track criminals, scan
for clues, get mission information and look through walls. It truly
opened up the world with countless possibilities.
Its use also
didn't contest with the regular gameplay. While during the high tense
action scenes you were always concentrated firmly on the Big Screen
the Pad would only get used during the slower puzzle solving stages.
It opened up new fields of view and you felt as if you'd truly use
some High Tech tool to find the solution to your problem. Lego City:
Undercover is a prime example of the Wii-U Gamepad and the Big Screen
working together to create a cool gameplay experience.
2: Nintendo Land
Talking about cool
Gameplay experiences. Asynchronous multiplayer was one of the biggest
possibilities of the Wii-U, which was used to sparsely. The second
screen on the GamePad allowed for one player to see something
completely different than the others on the Big Screen.
This concept was
used perfectly in one of the first games on the System, Nintendo
Land. It was a mini game collection centered around the GamePad and
it's innovative features. From the motion controls to the Touch
Screen everything was used quite perfectly.
Some of the games
also featured the previously mentioned asynchronous multiplayer
experiences. For example one Player would control a Ghost, which the
others then had to hunt. Something that wouldn't be really possible
in a split screen experience. But with the Wii-U GamePad you had the
possibilities to create such a game. While the Ghost Hunters on the
Big Screen can't see the Ghost the player with the GamePad has a
perfect view of the areal and can move freely, while remaining
invisible to his opponents until he attacks. This creates a high
intense game of cat and mouse, which is a lot of fun.
Nintendo Land is
one of two Games that focused on this asynchronous multiplayer
experience. The other one, Mario Party 10, did the same with its
Bowser Party Mode. Both games showed the promise of such a concept
and it is a shame that it was underused this badly during the Wii-Us
lifespan.
1: Zombi U
While the GamePad
and the Big Screen worked together in Lego City: Undercover in Zombi
U it was the total opposite... and it was great. Like I stated with
Project Zero in a Horror Title it can actually be beneficial, if the
two screens contest with each other. It forces you to make decisions,
which aren't always easy. Zombi U took this concept to the extreme.
The GamePad serves
as communication tool, backpack and scanner, but the hook is that the
game doesn't pause for either of these actions. So when you look at
your inventory Zombie still can attack you. Not only does your
character kneel down and look inside of backpack, but your actions on
the couch reflect this. You look down onto your GamePad. This creates
extremely high tense scenes, where you rush as much as possible with
your looting because you're completely vulnerable during this time.
Forcing the Player
to switch between GamePad and Big Screen constantly, without pausing
the action, creates incredible stressful situations, which only serve
to increase the Horror of the Game. It is a perfect use of the tools
available to create the best result possible. Knowing that Zombies
approach, but still being forced to look down onto the GamePad to
hack a door, while you can hear (and see if you take a glance) the
menace come closer on the big Screen is a unique feeling of Horror,
which hasn't been recreated by other games so far.
Zombi U is an
under appreciated gem of the Wii-U and proof that in the early games
of the Systems developers where eager to test out the possibilities
of the unique control scheme. Sadly this all fell flat with the flop
of the system, but at least we got some entertaining and unique games
out of it.
So what are your
thoughts on this subject? Is there a game that truly blew your mind
with it's GamePad use?
Let me know your
answer in the comments.
And as always
thanks for reading
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