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Nintendo’s touchpad-enabled Wii U home console is definitely a slow burner.
It hasn’t received a whole lot of great AAA-titles since it first released, but there’s still a great offering of games that make the Wii U worth dusting off. With the world of gaming now in the center of a new year, there’s plenty of new titles that are making a splash on the Wii U. These are the best new games of 2014 that Wii U owners must own and must play!
January 2014
1. Wii Fit U
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While it might be true that Wii Fit U is more likely classified as a console app than a game, it still counts as a great experience that gamers young and old need to experience. Getting your body in tip-top shape while your Wii U is powered on covers the spectrum between real-world activities and video games without much error. Thank God you kept that Wii Balance Board.
February 2014
1. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
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Donkey Kong brought along a few more of his monkey buddies along for a colder, but still infinitely fun platformer in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. The stages featured in this tough but still manageable 2D side-scroller were more vibrant, challenging and ripe with well-hidden secrets. With four separate character to play as, there’s plenty of opportunities to bring a partner along for the ride.
March 2014
Nothing to see here, gamers…
April 2014
1. LEGO The Hobbit
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LEGO video games seem to improve as they get even more releases tied to popular franchises. Those famous yellow stud blocks got tied to Star Wars, Batman, Marvel Comics, Indiana Jones etc. This LEGO-fied interpretation of The Hobbit adventures is just as good the LEGO games that came before them. Getting to experience The Hobbit’s unexpected journey, encounter with Smaug and more becomes even more of a joy with the well-known humor of LEGO games. Sure, Wii U gamers have to wait until April 22, but it’s worth the wait.
2. NES Remix 2
The 1st edition of NES Remix was the perfect nostalgic quick fix that mobile/handheld gamers could constantly play. Nintendo noticed just how awesome it was outside of the home and probably figured,” HEY! This game would be even more incredible with the Wii U gamepad!” Turns out that idea was right. This sequel offered remixed stages of classic Nintendo franchises with various characters and brand new NES stages for your minigame pleasure. The new Super Luigi Bros. and 1990 Nintendo World Championship inspired mode make this a welcome downloadable purchase for Wii U owners.
3. Child of Light
A platforming RPG? Sounds like one of the strangest video game combinations we’ve ever heard of. Thankfully, Ubisoft’s Child of Light focuses on Aurora and her friendly blue orb who traverses around several beautifully animated levels as they battle with several fantastical beasts. If you still play old school Final Fantasy games, then you’ll finally have a modern yet still classic RPG to get attached to.
May 2014
Nothing to see here, gamers…
June 2014
1. Shovel Knight
Yacht Club Games ode to old-school, 8-bit gaming comes in the form of Shovel Knight. This downloadable Wii U/3DS game is a action/adventure platformer that’s packed with charm. The miniature Shovel Knight himself is out to save the Enchantress, which means he has to deal with terrible enemies and tough-to-navigate levels. This is old-school gaming at its finest.
July 2014
1. Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition
The previous edition of this delightful action platformer was fine enough. But this new and improved update refines a seemingly perfect game. This Lucha Libre inspired adventure features the Metroidvania level progression hat gamers love. Getting the chance to suplex and piledrive the demons spawned by Death itself is so awesome.
August 2014
Nothing to see here, gamers…
September 2014
1. Hyrule Warriors
Hyrule Warriors can be summed up in just a few words – Dynasty Warriors meets The Legend of Zelda. Instead of you controlling Link and entering a series of caves and solving puzzles, you’ll use him and several other mainstay heroes/villains and kill hundreds of goons. The fun factor is pretty high here. Even though the repetition factor is also high at time, the presence of such a strong nod to Zelda’s longtime history and the game’s abundance of polish keeps this hack ‘n slasher fresh.
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October 2014
1. Skylanders: Trap Team
Another year means there’s a brand new Spyro Skylanders game to get addicted to. This year’s Trap Team comes with a pretty nifty gimmick – defeating evil foes leads to them getting transported to the real-world via physical crystal shards. Then you get to have these defeated villains fight on your side and become do-gooder’s. Get yourself that brand new Traptanium Portal and adopt some of those awesome new figurines.
2. Bayonetta 2
Ladies and gentlemen, Bayonetta 2 is clearly the front runner for the best Wii U game currently on the market. The over-the-top action gets even crazier this around, as you now have to deal with angry demons on top of those enraged angels. Bayonetta’s huge arsenal comes with brand new double katanas, a beautiful crossbow, a massive hammer and so much more. This PlatinumGames production is one of the best action/adventure games ever.
3. Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse
WayForward’s platforming halF-genie gets another run in this new installment…THIS TIME, WITH PIXELATED PIRATES! You take control of the beautiful Shantae once again as you hunt down 20 genie magic shards across Sequin Island. This island happens to feature fun platforming sequences, fun magical items to use and hilarious dialogue instances with the game’s swashbucklers. This downloadable Wii U exclusive is a retro gamer’s dream come true.
November 2014
1. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
SMASH IS BACK, SON! Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U is the ultimate love letter to retro gamers, fighting-party game heads and longtime Smash fanatics. You really can’t pass up a game that lets you fight with Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, Pac-Man and FREAKIN’ MEGA MAN! This game has everything – a huge roster, a massive single-player party mode, an incredible selection of classic tunes, MEWTWO and so much more to get addicted to.
2. Watch Dogs
Wii U owners had to wait a good while to join the hacking and blasting action of Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs. For Wii U console owners who haven’t had the chance to play this open-world shooter, now’s the time to dive into its world. The DLC is available thankfully and the great mix of undercover hacking action remains intact. Take on the moniker of Aiden Pearce and cause havoc with your hacking expertise, this time on the Wii U.
December 2014
1. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
Color as surprised by the fact that this former minigame turned into such an excellent full release. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker gives Princess Peach’s aide the main even spotlight in this fun puzzle platformer. This spin-off from Super Mario 3D World features a nice collection of stages that utilize your navigation skills to the fullest. There’s coins to collect, turnips to fling, hammers to use and plenty more instances where your adventures with Toad change up.