Why the Wii U is my favourite video game console ever – Reader’s Feature-GameCentral-Entertainment – Metro

A console worth remembering (pic: Nintendo)

A reader explains his unique reasons for being a Wii U fan and explores why it is that we get attached to consoles and not just games.

I know what you’re thinking. I’m just trying to get attention, but don’t worry I’m not going to pretend that the Wii U is actually the best console of all time. There’s a good chance I’m the only one in the world that feels this way about it, but I wanted to make the point that it does have some fans and underline that the way we feel about games and console, and pretty much anything, is shaped by our experiences and emotions and not necessarily objective fact.

As a long-time Nintendo fan, I bought the Wii U not long after it first came out (and so before it was obvious just what a failure it was) and from my experience with the Wii knew that it would be a good thing to break the ice at parties. Nintendo Land was clearly made with exactly that in mind and I had great fun with the better games, like Animal Crossing: Sweet Day, Luigi’s Ghost Mansion, and Mario Chase.

Luigi’s Ghost Mansion, in particular, is a fantastic bit of fun and it’s a real shame it doesn’t exist on any modern format, as it would be very difficult to replicate now without two Switches. But that’s not why I love the Wii U, it’s because while playing Luigi’s Ghost Mansion is when I first met my wife-to-be.

I don’t know if that sounds corny or not – I did meet her at a party and Luigi’s Ghost Mansion was 30 minutes out of a long night of merriment – but the connection between the game and meeting Sarah has stuck in my mind, so that I have an unusual fondness for Nintendo Land and the console it runs on.

I think this happens a lot with people getting exciting over birthday and Christmas presents, or associating favourite games with playing them during the summer holidays or with best friends. The games may or may not be objectively good but I think we’ve all gone back to a game we remember fondly and realised that it hasn’t aged well or… maybe wasn’t that great in the first place.

A game I know that definitely is great is Zelda: Breath Of The Wild and that’s the other thing I associate with the Wii U. I’d just started playing it when Sarah moved in with me and to my considerable delight she enjoyed watching it, making suggestions and pointing out things I’d missed.

We played that game for many nights and while we were doing lots of other things as well – we weren’t couch potatoes – the memories of those early days and the Wii U are forever entwined.

Of course, we probably shouldn’t have favourite consoles at all. It’s the games that are important not whatever bit of plastic they’re running on, but If I had to name a console where the very thought of it makes me tingle with nostalgia and pleasant memories it would be the Wii U.

Yes, there weren’t many great games, and Nintendo quickly dumped it in favour of the Switch, but it’s my favourite and I do think some of the games are underrated. More importantly, I’ll be forever grateful to it for all the happy memories.

By reader Loados

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