Topic: Best of the Wii U eShop (Part 1 - Pre-Virtual Console)

[M.K.Ultra]

Background
I really enjoyed Khushrenada's series of polls about the 3DS eShop and was given his blessing to run a similar series for the Wii U. The Wii U e-shop will only be open for a limited time so I think it is worth looking at the games while there is still time to buy them. I will be going through the list of eShop games chronologically by release date using Nintendo's Game Store site. I will be skipping over Virtual Console releases for now, but I will cover them at the end. I am also skipping games that were released on disc, unless that disc is not available or prohibitively expensive.
Comments
The main purpose here is to see what you would recommend to others. Consider questions like: Is the game great? Does it make good use of the Game pad? Is the Wii U the best way to play it?
I also welcome any corrections to the information I found when compiling the list. The information here is for the US so I also welcome comments about differences in other regions.
Part 1 - Before the Pre-Virtual Console
This first set of games encompasses the interval from the launch of the eShop in November 2012 to the launch of VC games in April 2013. The following nine titles are up for discussion (developer/publisher, current price on U.S. eShop, demo availability, Metacritic score, Metacritic rank for Wii U)

• Nano Assault Neo (Shin'en, $9.99, demo available, 71, 121)
• Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition (WayForward, $9.99, 80, 57)
• Trine 2: Director's Cut (Frozenbyte, $5.99, demo available, 84, 30)
• Little Inferno (Tomorrow Corporation, $9.99, 79, 67)
• Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage 2 (TECMO KOEI, $49.99, 40)
• BIT.TRIP Presents Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien (Gaijin Games, $14.99, 84, 34)
• Zen Pinball 2 (Zen Studios, Free to start, 71)
• Toki Tori 2+ (Two Tribes, $14.99, 76, 87)
• Wii U Panorama View (Nintendo, $2.00 per video, demo available, only available on Wii U)

[Order.RSS]

Good idea Bungle!
I've played most of these, so will just do some rapid fire replies. The only I one I would universally recommend is Bit Trip Runner 2, the rest come with caveats.

Bit Trip Runner 2: Really fun 2D platformer/rhythm game. Looks great, catchy music, Charles Martinet does the voice iirc, and Mop It Up beat every single one of my scores by at least double the points amount. I recommend everyone on my friends list to fall off the platforms a lot to artificially inflate my scores.

Trine 2: Not a fan if playing solo. The levels in these games take forever, all the non-combat sections are puzzles based around physics which always feel janky, and the story is the most predictable fantasy stuff. It does look really nice though, and I know people like these games in multiplayer.

Little Inferno: Kinda feels like an idle game like Cookie Clicker where you combine items and burn them to score points. It's got a good sense of slightly dark humor and it does have a point to make, but I don't think it's as clever as it thinks it is. One of those games which makes discussing them difficult without giving away the surprises, but also not interesting enough to recommend on its own without the novelty of said surprises.

Nano Assault Neo: Think twin-stick shooter (Robotron, Assault Android Cactus) meets Mario Galaxy style planetoids. I really like the game, but the Gamepad use is minor (just adjusts your additional guns' positions), and I believe the (New?)3DS port has more levels including some rail-shooter style ones. Hoping this gets an expanded sequel on Switch, like FAST Racing Neo/RMX.

Zen Pinball 2: I wonder if this business model worked. There were heaps of tables, but first you had to download them all as demo-DLC, and then buy them individually. I think I got them all to try, but in the end only bought one or two. A bummer is how many of the better tables are about Marvel and other super mainstream franchises, but obviously they don't have the rights to get the actual Avengers actors likenesses and voices.
I preferred the tables with less licensing stuff, such as the Planet Mars one, but those were also the safer ones with less zany features.

Toki Tori 2+: A game I really admire, but also find endlessly frustrating. It's a mostly interconnected world like 2D Metroid, and you can go anywhere right off the bat. You unlock no new abilities, it's just about discovering how everything interacts. Exceedingly elegant in its design. However, I get impatient very quickly, because you're often waiting on enemies to walk into precise spots before trying to spring some convoluted three-step trap on them. Nothing is more annoying than seeing some bubble move at glacial speed, only to miss its target by like 2 pixels while you stand there unable to influence the Rube Goldberg interactions.
There's speedruns of this on Youtube and they make it look easy, but while I can usually see the solutions, executing them reliably was often beyond me.

P.S.: Chasing Aurora is not in the poll but was also a digital-only launch game. Never played it though.

[M.K.Ultra]

P.S.: Chasing Aurora is not in the poll but was also a digital-only launch game. Never played it though.

Good catch! I believe it has been delisted at this point on the US eShop. I do want to spotlight some of the other delisted games as well so maybe we will do a poll just for those at the end.

[Khushrenada]

P.S.: Chasing Aurora is not in the poll but was also a digital-only launch game. Never played it though.

Good catch! I believe it has been delisted at this point on the US eShop. I do want to spotlight some of the other delisted games as well so maybe we will do a poll just for those at the end.

Something like: Which delisted games should be saved from the dustbin of eShop history?

[Khushrenada]

I really enjoyed Khushrenada's series of polls about the 3DS eShop and was given his blessing to run a similar series for the Wii U.

Allow me to further impart my blessing by doing a bit of legwork for you. Here are the links and scores from NWR on these titles:

Nano Assault Neo gets an 8.5
Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition gets a 9
Trine 2: Director's Cut gets a 9
Little Inferno gets a 9
Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage 2 gets a 5
BIT.TRIP Presents Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien scores a perfect 10!
Zen Pinball 2 is unrated.
Toki Tori 2+ gets a 9
Wii U Panorama View is unrated.

Overall, a pretty strong opening salvo on the eShop based on the review scores. I’ll admit I slept on Runner 2. Maybe because I never got into any of the Bit.Trip series on Wii and then didn’t get a Wii U until Sept. 2013 so I never thought to check on the title. Wasn’t until the release of Runner 3 on Switch that I heard people talking up how great this second entry was. I actually thought it was tied to WiiWare and didn’t realize it was on the Wii U eShop which is how out of the loop I’ve been on this game.

While scrolling through the NWR reviews, I saw two other Wii U eShop games that were reviewed called Puddle and The Cave. I don’t see those titles listed in the Part 2 section. Have they been delisted? Just missed? What’s the story there?

[Khushrenada]

Finally, are these titles available elsewhere on Nintendo systems?

Yes

Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition (3DS and Switch)
Trine 2: Director's Cut (Switch)
Little Inferno (Switch)
Toki Tori 2+ (Switch)


No

Nano Assault Neo
Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage 2
BIT.TRIP Presents Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien
Wii U Panorama View


Maybe

Zen Pinball 2
-Zen Studios is releasing Pinball games on Switch. There also seems to be a lot of piecemeal offerings like individual or sets of tables one can get as possible DLC. I'd have to do more digging to see if the tables in Pinball 2 are available that way or in different packages now on Switch but not sure I really want to get into that investigation.


Obviously, the games still listed for Wii U eShop only may be a higher priority for those interested in them as we come up to nearly 4 years of Switch on the market and still no port of those titles. Will they go down with the Wii U ship and join other delisted games not available elsewhere?

[Khushrenada]

For myself, I've bought nothing on the Wii U eShop except Pushmo World. (I've also got 2 VC games.) I actually thought I hadn't bought anything at all and told Mr. Bungle that but recently remembered Pushmo World. There've been titles that interested me but never got around to it because I just never played my Wii U much and have been more 3DS focused through most of the 2010s. I've got Mighty Switch Force 1 & 2 on the 3DS and still give those games a thumbs up so I'm sure the Wii U HD ports are great. When deciding what to get, I felt the 3D gimmick (while slight) was the preferred way I wanted to play it and would be the only way for it while HD can be done elsewhere and has been with a Switch port now. I also acquired Toki Tori 2+ on Switch around April this year because it was on sale dirt cheap and just used some of my Nintendo Gold Coins to get it.

As for the rest, Little Inferno I've always remembered about because it was the next game from the studio that made of World of Goo. While curious about the game, my impression of it from back when it came on Wii U was that it was just a small gimmick of throwing different items in a fire and watching them burn. I equated it to something like a WarioWare unlockable bonus like a toy piano where you can plunk away at a few keys. Make up a song or try and play one you know. It just seemed like something that would offer slight amusement for a little while. I'm still not sure how it could be a game or what sort of progression there could be in it.

Runner 2 is the game I'm definitely putting on a wishlist and really considering purchasing. However, it is a Nintendo backed game so part of me feels I should bet on it coming to Switch especially since the Bit Trip collection is now coming that way. But I'd have thought they would have ported the game by now especially to drum up more support for Runner 3 on Switch so do I gamble on waiting that for that to possibly happen?

No real interest in the other titles although I do question the Wii U Panarama View stuff. How is this different / better than Google Maps streetview? Seems to be the same idea.

[NWR_insanolord]

Finally, are these titles available elsewhere on Nintendo systems?

Yes

Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition (3DS and Switch)
Trine 2: Director's Cut (Switch)
Little Inferno (Switch)
Toki Tori 2+ (Switch)


No

Nano Assault Neo
Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage 2
BIT.TRIP Presents Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien
Wii U Panorama View


Maybe

Zen Pinball 2
-Zen Studios is releasing Pinball games on Switch. There also seems to be a lot of piecemeal offerings like individual or sets of tables one can get as possible DLC. I'd have to do more digging to see if the tables in Pinball 2 are available that way or in different packages now on Switch but not sure I really want to get into that investigation.


Obviously, the games still listed for Wii U eShop only may be a higher priority for those interested in them as we come up to nearly 4 years of Switch on the market and still no port of those titles. Will they go down with the Wii U ship and join other delisted games not available elsewhere?

It looks like Runner 2 will be coming to Switch early next year, so that’s another one for the first list.

[Order.RSS]

As for the rest, Little Inferno I've always remembered about because it was the next game from the studio that made of World of Goo. While curious about the game, my impression of it from back when it came on Wii U was that it was just a small gimmick of throwing different items in a fire and watching them burn. I equated it to something like a WarioWare unlockable bonus like a toy piano where you can plunk away at a few keys. Make up a song or try and play one you know. It just seemed like something that would offer slight amusement for a little while. I'm still not sure how it could be a game or what sort of progression there could be in it.

The thing is, there is more to this game but telling people kind of gives away the surprise. I wouldn't compare it to a WarioWare bonus game, but more to something like a Match-Up card game + an interactive fire place DVD.
To progress you need to burn specific combinations based on hints and items you buy from a catalogue. So let's say it gives you the clue "Hindenburg", then you know you'll need to find a zeppelin, and something from Jersey and spark a fire between the two. Not sure if that specific one was in there, but there's a similar sense of dark humour to most of the "puzzles".

So what do you get for following those instructions? I'll spoilertag it here, last chance, I'm gonna ruin this for you: basically the entire game is kind of a send-up of time wasting mobile phone games. You get lists, follow instructions, burn things to earn in-game currency, complete lists, and sit around waiting for timers to respawn when you run out of currency. It's deliberately wasting your time, and all your accomplishments are literally useless since, well, you're setting them on fire.

There's another meta-textual layer at the end of it all which I won't spoil, but it does try to construct a narrative between the lines before making it explicit at the end.

So yeah, won't go into everything, but my gripe is that it's just not very clever to waste people's time... to make a statement... about games which waste people's time? Admittedly that's a reductive take on my part, but the late-game narrative bait & switch doesn't recontextualise your previous actions thaaaat much to redeem the means by which the end is reached.

Finally, are these titles available elsewhere on Nintendo systems?

No

Nano Assault Neo

While this is true, both the original Nano Assault and its enhanced version Nano Assault EX are on 3DS and offer a very similar experience.
Nano Assault NEO is also not lost to time if the Wii U eShop goes down, since it got a port to PS4 (called Nano Assault NEO X). Was the first time Shin'en published on a non-Nintendo platform, I believe.