The Wii U First Birthday Vote Thread

10. NEED FOR SPEED MOST WANTED U - Yes, it's an EA game, and yes it's lower down the list now as it lacks the DLC the other consoles got, but it deserves this place in the list since it was the first major multiplat that clearly showed the Wii U was more powerful than the PS360.

9. LITTLE INFERNO - A lot more to this clever game than just burning things in a fire.

8. THE CAVE - I really loved this game and spent 30 hours on it in order to unlock everything. A dark, mysterious tale featuring a talking Cave. Sure, the Wii U gamepad implementation is rudimentary and could be better, but this game is amazing. (Yes, I know I'm the only one voting for this in the top 10.)

7. TOKI TORI 2+ - Extremely clever game. Now includes free DLC that any other publisher would have charged at least £10 for.

6. SONIC RACING TRANSFORMED - Not Mario Kart but a good substitute.

5. PIKMIN 3 - Engrossing strategy game. Really enjoyable.

4. THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: WIND WAKER - Yes, it's a port, but yes, its Toon Link in HD.

3. NEW SUPER MARIO BROS U - Bah-Bah music aside, this is the best 2D Mario in decades.

2. LEGO CITY UNDERCOVER - I've spent 30 hours on this and still nowhere near finished. Probably the funniest game I've ever played. Absolutely hilarious.

1. SUPER MARIO 3D WORLD - A lot of people weren't keen on this when it was revealed at E3. What a difference six months make! Never doubt EAD.

. The Legend of Zelda Wind Waker HD
My top vote being a 10 year old remake is no comment on the Wii U having no games but this is one special game, near perfect to begin with but made even more beautiful than before with HD graphics, improved controls and fluidity with the gamepad AND ADDED A FREAKING SELFIE MODE!!!

2. Nintendo Land
The perfect showcase for the gamepad, numerous single player games that can become addictive high score challenges (DK's crash course in particular) and some of the most brilliant multiplayer experiences that really shake up the old formula.

3. Rayman Legends
Probably the best 2D platformer for around 15 years or so, so much charm and clever design, a great graphical style and real time waster in the form of the daily/weekly challenges.

4. Super Mario 3D Land
Incredibly fun and creative, full of ideas you'd only see in a Mario platformer with some brilliant nods to the franchise's history as well and a fun multiplayer mode.

5. Lego City Undercover
Hands down the funniest game I've ever played, scripted incredibly well, gameplay was a little basic but the collect-a-holic side of me loved how much there was to see and do.

6. Pikmin 3
A real beauty of a game, by no means re-invented the Pikmin wheel but was still full of some great moments, locations and creatures. The challenge maps and DLC add a nice bit of length to the game.

7. New Super Mario Bros U
Did well not to suffer from NSMB tiredness with so many of the series being released in quick succession, the definitive NSMB game, the challenge mode was a long time coming and the squirrel suit was rather cool.

8. Wii Party U
Does exactly what it says on the tin (box), a really good party starter with some multiplayer modes that make full use of the gamepad in some unique ways, the main criticism is that it just doesn't do it enough with some non gamepad modes that could have easily been done on Wii or some that seem tacked on.

9. Sonic and All Star Racing Transformed
Mario Kart 8 will have a lot to live up to, an incredibly fine tuned racing game that was great in multiplayer but could have done with some more Sega love.

10. ZombiU
Perhaps a little harsh on this not to give it a proper chance but atmospheric and a great advertisement for what the Wii U gamepad can do, the fact that I was too scared to play it is testament to how well it set the scene.

5. Trine 2 & Chasing Aurora
(both 1 point, 1 voter, 0 first places)

Trine 2 voter said: It's very pretty, and some of the set-pieces are entertaining.  Growing a plant to charm a giant snail?  Charming.

I say: It is undeniably gorgeous - for a long time my best-looking game on Wii U. However, Trine 2 was too simplistic and, in some cases, unfair. Back to the drawing board.

Chasing Aurora voter said: I love the graphical style, and it's a great 5 minute time-filler on the GamePad. But I never convinced more than one other player to join in.

I say: Not played it, though I was tempted for a while. The fact that it's a far better multiplayer game put me off.

4. The Cave
(3 points, 1 voter, 0 first places)

The Cave voter said: I really loved this game and spent 30 hours on it in order to unlock everything. A dark, mysterious tale featuring a talking Cave. Sure, the Wii U gamepad implementation is rudimentary and could be better, but this game is amazing. (Yes, I know I'm the only one voting for this in the top 10.)

I say: Yes, The Cave voter, you were alone in this one. Despite being made by the great Ron Gilbert, something about its reviews put me off... but I'm glad you enjoyed it.

3. Cloudberry Kingdom
(5 points, 2 voters, 0 first places)

Cloudberry Kingdom voter 1 said: I had fun through 250 levels before checking and discovering that they were randomly generated.

Cloudberry Kingdom voter 2 said (this is me, everyone!): It's a blast but the Story Mode wears thinner than thousand-year-old cling film by the end. There are enough other modes to keep you going, though, and a lot of neat gameplay moments. One that I hope people buy into during the Christmas sale.

2. DuckTales Remastered
(7 points, 1 voter, 0 first places)

DuckTales Remastered voter said: Now this is more like it. The reviews for this game still baffle and sadden me if I stop to think about it (which I don't). What we have here is a lovingly recreated game in every sense of the word, with some amazing remixes of a classic soundtrack. The cutscenes were annoying if you're as rubbish as I am, but they were a welcome addition (the first time) and they were at least skippable. Yes, this game is pretty basic, but therein lies the charm. I'm pretty sure every man and his dog would still have gone apeshit if WayForward had deviated from the original template.

I say: One that will benefit from the Christmas sale for me. It looks swell but the reviews that our voter mentioned put me off.

1. Little Inferno
(8 points, 2 voters, 0 first places)

Little Inferno voter 1 said: A lot more to this clever game than just burning things in a fire.

Little Inferno voter 2 said: This is a tricky one. As a game I think it's more than a bit pants, but as an experience I enjoyed it very much indeed. I first played this when Wii U launched, which was a bitterly cold winter's day, and I was playing it on the GamePad in front of an actual roaring fire. I got sucked right into the dystopian atmosphere, loved reading the letters from your creepy neighbour, and followed the minimalist story to its conclusion. This game is all mouth and no trousers, but at least the mouth wasn't spurting a droning monotone.

I say: Voter 2 has it right for me: it's not a great game but the experience is fun. The replay value is next to none once you have all the combinations sorted but it was a quirky, kooky stocking filler for Wii U gamers early doors.

Trine 2 (1): I have 1 Dishonourable and that goes to Trine 2. There are very few games that have filled me with as much hate for the whole world and everything in existence as much as this. The game is all style with no substance. How many crate stacking puzzles is it ok to include? Apparently as many as they can be bothered to include. Then there's the dodgy physics, worse jumping than LittleBigPlanet? It can't be done you cry! Then you play Trine 2 and something dies inside you. Is this the worst game I've ever played? I might just go out on a limb and say yes (Sorry Journey, you're a close second).

Trine 2 (2): For a while, the only game I had to play on the Wii U.  Not a good one.  Once the awful voice acting and script have sunk in, you're left with puzzles that amount to "create boxes with wizard, jump up them with thief, bash goons with knight".  Proof, were it needed, that great graphics are nothing without a solid game behind them.

Trine 2 (3): I didn't get on with this at all. Everyone kept saying that the artwork was magnificent; I'd actually argue that it was cluttered and confusing. The "correct" solution to a puzzle was negated by Magic Geoff (or whatever the wizard's name was) levelling up his "make boxes" thing and then the multiplayer chums spamming the "make box and jump on box" tactic. So if you need a dishonourable mention, this is also it.

Game & Wario (1): Whoever released this game at full price deserves the sack. The exact opposite of Nintendo Land - bland minigames that you never want to play again. "Gamer" however, is the one bright spot, but it is one gem floating in a sea of crud.

Game & Wario (2): A collection of highly variable minigames, with more below the acceptable line than above.  Its saving grace, the Miiverse game, was more due to Miiverse's quality than the game's.  Next time, stick to "Wares", chaps.

Game & Wario (3):I was so, so sure this was going to be the best multiplayer game in the world but, despite two or three absolutely cracking little games it never fully delivered like the Wario Wares of old. Also, this is the game that got me kicked off of Miiverse for a fortnight

Game & Wario (4): Failed to showcase the hardware in the same way Nintendo Land did with some poorly designed games, the only real saving grace is the MiiVerse drawing game.

The Wonderful 101: How could you do this to me, Platinum?  The "hilarious" national/gender stereotype characters and the camera were flies on top, but the turd underneath was the mission length.  They were too long, and the activities within too samey.  I got bored before finishing the second mission, and never finished the game.

Boom Boom: First NSMBU, and now he's back for SM3DW?  HE IS A RUBBISH BOSS, NINTENDO.  STOP BRINGING HIM BACK.  The Koopalings only avoid a similar mention because Ninty chucked them out for SM3DW: I am sick to the back teeth of three-jumps-to-kill spiny tortoises.

Assassin's Creed III (1): Technically magnificent but utterly soulless. Miles and miles of photo-realistic forests and colonial-era townships that all feel exactly the same as eachother. An expansive and well written script that'll be damned before it lets me deviate. For all the freedom it gives you in its world, the missions are just cut scenes with button prompts.

Assassin's Creed III (2): a horrible glitchy mess, it was unplayable

Mass Effect 3 (1): Why oh why didn't they just give us the trilogy? Seriously, how many extra keystrokes would it have actually taken?

Mass Effect 3 (2): Mass Effect 3, along with the other two, is one of my favourite games of all time, and I'm a colossal fan (I even have lots of Mass Effect clothing). Releasing just the third game is not right at all - it's just wrong to play the game without taking a character and progressing the save file throughout the trilogy.

Resident Evil: Revelations HD: I absolutely loved this on 3DS, but man, that port . . . You can't just reskin a 3DS game's textures and whack it on the Wii U. The mouths, man, the mouths! Its like a cast of sex dolls flopping about, being manipulated like terrifying marionettes.

Game Party Champions: There’s nothing that’s even moderately fun round here. A right waste of effort.

Chasing Aurora: The very definition of ‘style over substance’. Lightweight. Vacuous. Empty. 

Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Wii U Edition: as there’s nothing to do you do arcade once and unlock nightmare and you’re done

All the shovelware at launch [no comment added, but hear hear]

Batman: Arkham City Armoured Edition: I found it a wee bit too complicated for my gaming tastes. One man's vast array of gadgets is another man's nightmare. 

Need For Speed: Most Wanted U: I've never played a free-roaming racing game before this, and I'll never play another. Which dickhead thought it was a good idea to remove races from a locked arena? Getting shunted off course and instantly losing your chance in the last lap of a race is as pustule-burstingly infuriating as a home-straight blue shell up the wazoo in Mario Kart Wii.

Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams: Despite the hypnotising pretty (which is actually ugly and confusing when moving), this hard to control mess proceeds to infuriate over twenty-odd bland levels with its wretched gameplay.

Little Inferno: As lightweight as half an amoeba, gamewise.

The Wonderful 101: A brilliant game if you spend the time on it in order to learn its techniques. Most wont put in the effort. A bit too niche and complex to ever be featured in my top 10.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Director's Cut (2 HM's, this one comment): Nobody asked for a port of this game, but this is a port done right. And the Director's commentary is stunning.

Nintendo Land: Addictive minigames, with far more depth than you expect. 

Miiverse: We're not allowed to mention apps., which is fair, but this deserves its place in the sun for being quite simply the best thing on the console for most of the launch year.  NSMBU made great use of it, and it singlehandedly rescued G&W from the brink of utter turgid awfulness.  A classic, especially for those who like drawing puns.

Mass Effect 3: Mass Effect 3 was left out mainly due to some already dismissing it and they are right if you are going to play mass effect you want to play the whole trilogy not just one that cost just as much at launch as the trilogy. I have played on the U the interactive comic at the start is decent enough and feels a bit like you’re giving a report to the admiral but isn’t a patch on 60+ hrs gameplay you would get from 1 & 2. The actual game plays the same as the other version with a few gamepad features but nothing that really changes the experience. So in the end this is still an amazing game and a must play if you haven’t got other means to do so.

Batman: Arkham City Armoured Edition: Batman Arkham City this was left out for similar reasons as mass effect 3, okay you don’t need to play asylum to know what’s going on but what I played of the Wii U version which was just Harley’s Revenge the Wii U features didn’t do anything for me or change the game in a meaningful way. It’s still great and well worth playing if you haven’t already done so but for me not something to praise the Wii U for.

Injustice: Gods Among Us: This attractive and fun beater was in my Top Ten whilst I decided where to put Super Mario 3D World. It's as meaty as these kinds of games always are - if you can find it cheap, do so.

And the commentless ones:

ZombiU

Assassin's Creed IV

Toki Tori 2+

Skylanders Giants

Bit Trip Presents Runner 2: Future Legend Of Rhythm Alien

Darksiders II

Trine 2

Joint 28th: Call of Duty: Ghosts (1 point, 1 voter)
Joint 28th: Chasing Aurora (1 point, 1 voter)
Joint 28th: Trine 2 (1 point, 1 voter)
Joint 28th: Wii Fit U (1 point, 1 voter)

27th: Call Of Duty: Black Ops II (2 points, 1 voter)

Joint 25th: The Cave (3 points, 1 voter)
Joint 25th: Wii Party U (3 points, 1 voter)

Joint 23rd: Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Wii U Edition (4 points, 1 voter)
Joint 23rd: Toki Tori 2+ (4 points, 1 voter)

Joint 19th: Assassin's Creed III (5 points, 1 voter)
Joint 19th: Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (5 points, 1 voter)
Joint 19th: Cloudberry Kingdom (5 points, 2 voters)
Joint 19th: Game & Wario (5 points, 2 voters)

18th: New Super Luigi U (6 points, 3 voters)

17th: DuckTales Remastered (7 points, 1 voter)

Joint 15th: Darksiders II (8 points, 2 voters)
Joint 15th: Little Inferno (8 points, 2 voters)

14th: Need For Speed: Most Wanted U (17 points, 5 voters)

13th: Sonic Lost World (18 points, 3 voters)

12th: Zombi U (21 points, 5 voters)

11th: Batman: Arkham City Armoured Edition (23 points, 5 voters, 1 first place)

10th: Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (31 points, 5 voters)

9th: Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (37 points, 9 voters)

8th: The Wonderful 101 (39 points, 7 voters)

7th: Nintendo Land (41 points, 8 voters)

6th: Lego City Undercover (45 points, 8 voters)

5th: The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD (59 points, 7 voters, 2 first places)

4th: New Super Mario Bros. U (63 points, 11 voters, 1 first place)

3rd: Super Mario 3D World (73 points, 8 voters, 4 first places)

2nd: Rayman Legends (74 points, 9 voters, 3 first places)

1st: Pikmin 3 (80 points, 11 voters, 2 first places)

Achievements Unlocked!

Mario's Best Friend

Axis1500! Having given the two big Mario games a combined total of 18 points, Axis walks this.

... And Representing Tails

Stu_the_great! With a silver and bronze to the Wii U's two games with Sonic in the title, he just snatches the gong ahead of Cube.

Most Nintendo Points Spent This Year

Please welcome back to the stage... Stu_the_great! A (comparatively) massive 13 of the 52 points he gave out went on eShop exclusives.

Biggest Nintendo Fan

A joint winner - this award is shared between Jimbob and Jolly Smurf. They both gave 44 of their 55 points to Nintendo-published games.

Third Party Lover

(that sounds rude) For the third time tonight, it's Stu_the_great! Of his 52 points, 32 went to games that were not published by Nintendo.

International Man Of Mystery

Step forward, Dusty Knackers! Not a word of commentary surrounded his votes. May you receive this award in the spirit that it was intended to have!

Most Verbose, Loquacious And Circumlocutory Voter

Brilliantly, there are only three words in this - narrowly beating Buskalilly is andyman949!

There Are Other Machines Out There, You Know

This is for Cube. Of the 55 points he shared out, 17 were for games that he played on other formats.

Don't Hate The Player, Hate The Game

Another shared prize, this goes to Balladeer and Buskalilly. They both had four dishonourable mentions. Wow, guys!

I Can Haz More Votes?

Jimbob claims this award, with four honourable mentions. Who says the Wii U has no games?! Oh, that's right - the media.