This arrived in my post today after some snow induced delay: Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury for the Nintendo Switch, together with a nice steel book, which was a pre-order bonus. That's only half of a new game for me (or a third, depending on how large Bowser's Fury is), because I already own and have completed Super Mario 3D World on the Wii U...
So, why am I bringing this up? In the past I've been quite outspoken against all the Wii U ports, expressing my disappointment on how the system slowly, but surely turns into something that was best skipped entirely. See for example my Port Machine article from three years ago. At the time I even assumed that New Super Mario Bros. U, Super Mario 3D World and Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker will most likely stay Wii U exclusive... How naive of me!
The number of Wii U titles that are now best played on Nintendo Switch has grown significantly since then and there is rarely anything left... But I also don't mind any longer – in fact I kind of embrace it and even plan to get some of my other Wii U games for Nintendo Switch as well, like Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.
And this is not just because I finally own a Nintendo Switch now. No, instead I have been slowly moving on ever since the release of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. I still have some unfinished games left on my Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, like Fire Emblem: Awakening or New Super Luigi U, but I can hardly bring myself to play any of it, because it feels archaic by now.
It's especially bad on how they handled things with many Wii U games. New Super Luigi U is actually a great example... I've played and completed New Super Mario Bros. U on Wii U in co-op and we wanted to continue with the Luigi expansion. But to play both games in multiplayer you need to use the Wii U GamePad separately, while both players need a controller of their own. You can't use the GamePad for any of the normal players, where the game kind of assumes that you're always having one more person around, who is happy to do the "Boost Mode" for you.
And since I only own one Wii U Pro Controller, because I didn't like that one too much, I'm stuck with playing on a Wii Remote, while the Wii U GamePad sits on my lap, so we can use it for platforms whenever necessary... It's highly inconvenient and it's not the only game that does that kind of weird stuff with the GamePad.
It's not that I dislike the Wii U GamePad, in fact I liked it quite a lot. I have large hands, so it was comfortable enough, and having a touchscreen for certain inputs, like changing items on the fly, was often quite convenient. But... the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller is simply so much more better and comfortable, it's hard to go back to any other controller.
I love the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. I love playing games with it. It rests super comfortably in my hands, the buttons have a good size and placing, where this controller is nearly perfect. I already own three of them and I will gladly buy more (especially Special Editions). And playing co-op games on the Nintendo Switch with Nintendo Switch Pro Controllers is just the best. Which is why I like having my Wii U games on Nintendo Switch by now, especially the ones that support couch co-op play, like Super Mario 3D World.
Another reason is that I simply love how "collectible" Nintendo Switch games are. I love the small cartridges and boxes. It's so much better than the discs that you have for Wii, Wii U and other consoles, which take up more space and also are a lot more delicate, because they are prone to scratches. This kind of makes me want to "port" my Wii U collection over already.
Well, we probably haven't seen the last of the Wii U ports now, where it's quite likely that The Wind Waker HD and Twilight Princess HD will make it over to the Nintendo Switch as well for the 35th Anniversary of Zelda later this year. And I will be happy to play these games on my Switch, then....
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