Buying a Wii U Monday! Need some information/advice~

[NerdHouse]

So Monday I'm heading to Gamestop and finally throwing down for a Wii U!!

I've even narrowed down the list of games I intend to get:

Wonderful 101
Super Mario Maker
Splatoon
Bayonetta 2
Hyrule Warriors
Zelda: Wind Waker HD
Super Mario 3D World
Super Smash Bros.
New Super Mario Bros. U
Captain Toad Treasure Tracker

Pre-Order:
Xenoblade Chronicles X - Special Edition
Xenoblade Chronicles X - Collector's Edition Guide


What I'd like some advice/information on is which bundle to get, what "extras" do I need, and what do I need if I wanted to focus on digital copies of my games instead of physical. For my New 3DS I have a 64GB Mini SD Card. What does the Wii U use, and what would be a decent size to get?

Just the games themselves are going to cost me roughly $600.00 BEFORE I even choose which Wii U bundle to get, so I might as well go all the way and get everything at once. I might even get a few Amiibo if any catch my eye.

Thank you, everyone!

 

[Loriii]

I think you'll be better off buying the Super Mario Maker Deluxe Set (with digital game, idea book and 30th anniversary Mario amiibo) or Splatoon Deluxe Set if you really want to have Nintendo Land but I'm leaning towards the SMM because of the unique package and the box itself being awesome. I mostly buy my games in disc copies so sorry, I can't say anything about what recommended HHD to get but I think you'll be fine with 32 gb for now since you're just starting. You wouldn't be able to play them all at the same time anyway. Make sure to apply screen protector on your gamepad or protective case if you like. If you're planning to get Bayonetta 2, I strongly advise to get a Wii U Pro controller to prevent your gamepad from wearing out and it's more comfortable to use when playing that kind of game

 

[Cress]

1. Get a Pro controller since for Bayonetta, Wondeful 101, Hyrule Warriors, and Smash (If you don't have the GC adapter), those controllers are so much more comfortable. It works well in Wind Waker and 3D World, but other controllers work just fine for those games.
2. Get a flash drive. Seriously. I don't have a lot of games or DLC downloaded and I've ran through all 32 GB on the system and a 16 GB flash drive. So it's a must, especially if you want to download games. (Wonderful 101 is pretty hard to find so you might need to download it. Problem is that 1 game is 13 and a half GB. Xenoblade X is going to mow through all of your memory completely when that comes out, so you reeeeeeeeeeally need more space.) You can also get an external hard drive which would work better. I planned on getting one but I move around a lot so I didn't find it convenient. Nintendo has a list here with more info on what to get. Others work too, but again, I don't know which ones do work since I've never used any.

 

[JCnator]

GameStop has two Wii U bundles that you might be easily finding them. One of them is the Mario Kart 8 Wii U 32GB Deluxe Edition that also includes every DLC released to date pre-installed, and another is Super Mario 3D World. Both of which are priced at $300. Here, it's a matter of personal preference, but the former is definitely easier to find as this bundle has been launched more recently.

If you're willing to look outside of GameStop for bundles, Best Buy has the Splatoon bundle (also includes Nintendo Land), while Wal-Mart does have Super Mario Maker bundle with a Modern 8-bit Mario included.

If you're looking to preorder a physical version of Xenoblade Chronicles X, Gamestop also has a Special Edition up for preorder as well, if you're willing to spend some more hard-earned cash on it.

If you never owned a Wii before, you might also want to consider purchasing a Wii Remote, a Nunchuk accessory and some spare AA batteries to access Wii Mode, leading you to Wii games (whether from the discs or downloaded off from Wii U eShop), WiiWare games, and certain Virtual Console games that didn't appeared on Wii U eShop yet. Keep in mind that some games will require you to get the Classic Controller attachment that you might have an hard time finding it on any brick and mortar retailer.

The Wii U Pro Controller is a great accessory that is compatible with a lot of games. Every game you listed but Super Mario Maker is compatible with it while playing solo, and they can be also used for multiplayer sessions, too. Heck, you can even recharge them.

As for the recommended hard drives, it's best to find one that has at least 1TB of storage capacity. You could store up to 40 25GB games, which should be plenty enough for you to play the best games the console has to offer digitally. Any hard drive that can be plugged to a wall outlet is the most reliable you could ever use. There's also the Y-cable option, but you'll have to search harder to find the right one if your hard drive isn't designed to support AC adapter at all. Even if you can use virtually any USB flash drive, I strongly recommend against using it with Wii U, as these devices couldn't withstand as many writes as hard drives would.
A list of recommended hard drives by Nintendo of America is there.

 

[Tao]

I mostly buy my games in disc copies so sorry, I can't say anything about what recommended HHD to get but I think you'll be fine with 32 gb for now since you're just starting. You wouldn't be able to play them all at the same time anyway.

You may not play all the games at the same time but with games like Xenoblade Chronicles X (which is apparently going to take up 22.7GB of space), it's going to be nothing other than an inconvenience to just use the default 32GB harddrive (I think only 27GB of that is actually usable).

I really don't understand why they put such a pathetically small harddrive in the Wii U.

 

[Loriii]

You may not play all the games at the same time but with games like Xenoblade Chronicles X (which is apparently going to take up 22.7GB of space), it's going to be nothing other than an inconvenience to just use the default 32GB harddrive (I think only 27GB of that is actually usable).

I really don't understand why they put such a pathetically small harddrive in the Wii U.

Yeah true. I kind of assume that the topic poster plan to get a mix of physical and digital copies but in that case, think it's much wiser to get a disc copy to save time (It'll take more than 24 hours to finish downloading a 22.7 GB file from where I live) and he indicated that he's gonna pre-order a special edition. Nintendo should've gone 500 GB like the PS4. In NA, you won't be able to download or play Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water if you only have the basic one. The game is around 16 GB.

 

[NerdHouse]

Looks like I'll be sticking to physical copies then. That sounds like more trouble than it's worth for this console. Granted, I did upgrade my PS4's base HDD to a 2TB when I got it, but I don't think I'll get enough Wii U games to fill that up. I might buy a few small indie/Wii VC titles (Earthbound, perhaps?) to go on it, but that's it.

Do any of the games listed, if bought physically, require a data install before playing? Or is it all just played directly off the disc?

I'll probably go with either the Mario Maker bundle or Splatoon bundle.

And yes, pre-ordering Xenoblade Chronicles X Special Edition first thing!

Thanks for the advice, everyone!

 

[Cress]

Most of those games require updates, but that's the only "data install" that they have.
Oh yeah that reminds me, the Wii U will have to update for a few hours after you get it, so that'll add a few GB to the system memory.

 

[SensaiGallade]

Along with those games, I recommend the Mario Kart 8 Black deluxe edition with a 32gb system. I think it comes with the dlc for Mario Kart 8. If your going to download games from the Eshop, then you will need a big memory card for it. Amiibo wise, you should get the Splatoon amiibo which unlocks extra content such as new mini games, clothing and weapons to use.

I also recommend you get a wii remote, nunchuk, and some rechargeable batteries for it. Also the pro controller is great too, it comes with a usb cable which can be plugged into the wii u to charge it

 

[Tao]

Along with those games, I recommend the Mario Kart 8 Black deluxe edition with a 32gb system. I think it comes with the dlc for Mario Kart 8.

That's the bundle I bought. It doesn't come with the DLC.

 

[Azza]

That's the bundle I bought. It doesn't come with the DLC.

That's what I got as well

 

[NerdHouse]

I ended up going with the Super Mario 3D World Wii 32 GB Bundle and a Pro Controller. The only other choice I had was the Mario Kart 8 w/DLC bundle (confirmed it had the DLC) and I'm not a huge fan of Mario Kart. So I got that and Super Mario Bros. U + Super Luigi U. WIll get more Monday when I have a day off work xD

 

[Loriii]

I ended up going with the Super Mario 3D World Wii 32 GB Bundle and a Pro Controller. The only other choice I had was the Mario Kart 8 w/DLC bundle (confirmed it had the DLC) and I'm not a huge fan of Mario Kart. So I got that and Super Mario Bros. U + Super Luigi U. WIll get more Monday when I have a day off work xD

Oh good! That's the same bundle I bought earlier this year. You can never go wrong with Super Mario 3D World + the other Mario games (not obvious that you're a Mario fan and into platformers XD). Congrats on getting your new console and enjoy!

 

[NerdHouse]

Oh good! That's the same bundle I bought earlier this year. You can never go wrong with Super Mario 3D World + the other Mario games (not obvious that you're a Mario fan and into platformers XD). Congrats on getting your new console and enjoy!

Well, oddly enough that was the only Wii U game that store (2nd and Charles) had in stock at the time. I will be heading to Gamestop to get more shortly.

Oh, also got Earthbound off the eShop

 

[NerdHouse]

Alrighty!!!

Back from my trip to Gamestop, I picked up the following:

Bayonetta 2
Splatoon
Super Smash Bros
Wonderful 101
Super Mario Maker
Hyrule Warriors
Metroid Prime Trilogy (Wii)

Also got a Link amiibo and an Inkboy amiibo (blue haired one).

 

[Cress]

Alrighty!!!

Back from my trip to Gamestop, I picked up the following:

Bayonetta 2
Splatoon
Super Smash Bros
Wonderful 101
Super Mario Maker
Hyrule Warriors
Metroid Prime Trilogy (Wii)

Also got a Link amiibo and an Inkboy amiibo (blue haired one).

Wow, which one are you going to play first? XD

 

[NerdHouse]

Wow, which one are you going to play first? XD

Well, I have Hyrule Warriors updating right now
Gonna take a look at the DLC before actually playing it though.

What does the Splatoon amiibo do in-game?

 

[Cress]

Well, I have Hyrule Warriors updating right now
Gonna take a look at the DLC before actually playing it though.

What does the Splatoon amiibo do in-game?

All of the Splatoon amiibos give you 20 challenges each, with a reward every 4 you complete.
The one you got gives you the entire Samurai outfit, the Squid Racing minigame, and the Hero Roller Replica. (It's the exact same as the Splat Roller, it just looks different)

 

[matt]

Purchase a game bundle box, if you need extra storage don't bother with a HDD just get a 32gb flash drive or something
I use a 16gb flash drive to store dlc etc on as I have the white console. They say don't use flash but it works fine I've had no problem s with it
Surprised Mario kart 8 not on that list

 

[Cress]

Purchase a game bundle box, if you need extra storage don't bother with a HDD just get a 32gb flash drive or something
I use a 16gb flash drive to store dlc etc on as I have the white console. They say don't use flash but it works fine I've had no problem s with it
Surprised Mario kart 8 not on that list

That may be enough for now but when Xenoblade X comes out, you're basically out of memory.

I just checked the file sizes for the game.
22.7 GB if you download it. If you want the disc version, there's a 10 GB update to make load times faster.

- - - Post Merge - - -

And you can bet that those numbers will be bigger once it comes out here since it'll most likely have the Japanese AND English voices.