A note for Parents About the Wii U

This is a post forany parents who may be getting the wii u for their kids. And I mean 10 or under.



OK, so we all know that Nintendo is a 'family safe' company, and makes kid-friendly gaming consoles right? It's more family and youth oriented than either the Playstation or XBOX. However, with technology and youngsters I feel that I should write this post.

Mario Kart 8 has just come out, and I can imagine a lot of people are going to want to play it. As mentioned, I'm not a fan of motion control or gyro when it comes to gaming, so my control setup is more 'tradational' : the gamepad, and U Pro Controllers for multiplay...and minimizing any 'party' or accessory based games.

 A good chunk of those people may not have a wii u (yet). There is a Mario Kart bundle out, but there's also been a few others. 

Pictured above, is the Skylanders set. It includes the system plus hookups etc, a smaller hard drive (not a problem if you're playing off disc only, not downloading games). It also comes with Nintendo Land, a definite living-room pleaser. 

Some of you who may be buying the wii u, may already own a wii. It would be greatly beneficial to keep the old wii, but please note that the wii u can play all the older wii games (you can transfer save games too). Plus, all the accessories will work on the wii u. Some games may require specific controller configurations, but Nintendo seems to be pretty good at having the wii stuff work with the wii u (I haven't tried the games themselves on the wii u yet tho, that were made for the wii.) 

Controllers. that brings me to :

That's right, the new feature to the system is the 'gamepad'. Each system comes with one of these, and at the moment, only available by buying a system. You can't find them on the store shelves, and for multiplay, all the games only support one. And that screen is a touch screen. So when I saw 'be careful with the kids'. it's not making judgements about you as a parent, or your parenting skills, but merely saying: 'This is technology.' If you trust the youngsters to safely and properly handle discs (CDs, DVDs, blu-rays, and video games) as well as operating touch screen devices, then they should be absolutely fine with the wii u. 

So if the primary gamers are going to be youngsters (10 or under, let's say. Let's say no older than 11 or 12) I have a few 'safe' recommendations that are easy to pick up, and great for the entire family. And go for the lowest priced model (even the lowest priced bundle) as the young ones will be more interested in the games, so you can use the cash you save to get more titles for them.

Mario Bros. U: 5 players Everyone loves Mario!! This is very identical in style to Mario Bros. wii. Please note for multiplayer purposes, that the gamepad is the '5th' controller and is used to assist other players. If you want 2 players, you'll need the gamepad + 2 other controllers. That aside, it's a great game! Oh! There's also a wii u Mario system bundle. The Skylanders set, though, is the most cost effective. 

Mario 3D World: 4 players This is another great game, but a little bit more complex and 'advanced' compared to the one previously mentioned. Supports up to 4 players all at once (try that with the cherry!) as well as controller configurations.

Nintendo Land: 4 players This may come with some wii u consoles but I'd figure I'd mention it anyway. This is a multiplayer game, and features quite a few mini-games. Definitely for a party. Some copies may even include a Mario or Luigi remote....

Party U: 4 players. Pick up this one if you need another controller, as there are some that are sold with a controller included! This is the 'sequel' to wii Play. 

Skylanders. I'm unfamiliar with Skylanders, but there is a Skylanders system out there, which also includes Nintendo Land and the console in white (the 8GB model). I'm guessing that Swap Force is the latest game. there is also Giants and Trap Team.

Disney Infinity. This one is really popular among the younger crowd, as well as Skylanders. I'm surprised that there hasn't been a Disney wii u bundle yet....

  Lego City Undercover. Kids love video games. Kids love Lego. Kids love Lego video games!! 

Mario Kart 8. Nintendo's latest, and possibly greatest, multi-player game. Some parents may have even played past Mario Karts on past Nintendo systems.

The clasic wii mote and nunchuk. Alsoways good to have a spare remote + nunchuk combo. The Nintendo ones are best, and some copies of Nintendo Land and Party U may come with a remote. 

As you can see, lots of great titles and decent prices if a youngster has a birthday in the summer, did really well in school and is getting a generous present, or if he has a birthday in July, and has been saving hard-earned money up for a gaming system. That last one was me in the summer 1997 with buying the Nintendo 64....