Further reading: The 30 best XBLA games And: The 30 essential PSN games
However, Nintendo's newest home console carries with it six years of additional content via its Wii mode (essentially, a virtual Wii console on Wii U) with the option to look through nearly 300 WiiWare games and about 400 Virtual Console games.
Yes, they're standard definition, but these thirty games are also essential classics.
Wii U eShop games
(Launch prices listed - they're occasionally discounted for a limited time so may be lower).
1. Bit.Trip Presents Runner 2
Gaijin Games / £9.99 / €11.99 / $14.99
The original Bit.Trip Runner was one of the finest games on WiiWare and this sequel improves on it in every way. Boasting an eccentric art style, the same frustrating-yet-compelling one-more-go gameplay and a brilliant soundtrack that bops along in sync with the gameplay, this is a simple idea expertly executed.
2. The Cave
Sega, Double Fine Productions / £9.99 / €12.99 / $14.99
Double Fine Productions and Monkey Island creator Ron Gilbert have collaborated to deliver a idiosyncratic point-and-click adventure that, at times, resembles a 2D Metroidvania platformer. The hilariously snarky comments from the titular Cave (who narrates) are typical of Gilbert. Though the need for multiple playthroughs may become a little repetitive, that first encounter with the game is fantastic.
3. Chasing Aurora
Broken Rules / £10.79 / €11.99 / $14.99
A stylish indie game in which you control a bird-man creature and partake in various flying challenges. The single-player gameplay is somewhat limited - all it offers is time-based stages where you have to fly through an endless series of gates for as long as possible - but the multiplayer is among the best on Wii U so far.
4. Little Inferno
Tomorrow Corporation / £8.99 / €9.99 / $9.99
Created by the folks behind World Of Goo and cult DS game Henry Hatsworth, Little Inferno can't be defined as a game in the classic sense. Presented with a fireplace, you order various items from a catalogue and see what happens when you set them on fire. Eventually you start receiving notes and a story begins to unfold, one that's sometimes disturbing and sometimes touching.
5. Mighty Switch Force: Hyper Drive Edition
WayForward / £8.99 / €9.99 / $9.99
This is an HD remake of the 3DS eShop title Mighty Switch Force, with completely redrawn sprites and animation. The game itself isn't the most original - it's a platformer where you have to snatch various criminals in each level - but the strict time limits required for a medal means you'll be playing over and over again to perfect your run.
6. Trine 2: Director's Cut
Gaijin Games / £13.99 / €16.99 / $19.99
The most expensive download-only game currently on Wii U, Trine 2: Director's Cut is nevertheless a superb puzzle platformer in which players use the unique abilities of a wizard, a knight and a thief to progress through each level. As well as unique Wii U GamePad controls, this Director's Cut version features the main game, the Goblin Menace DLC (with six more levels) and an exclusive extra stage.
Comments
8 comments so far...
r1dogz on 1 May '13 said:
Download these game now! You'll be able to play the first one in 2 days when it finishes download!!!!!!!!!!!
beemoh on 1 May '13 said:
It's going to be interesting to see how much longevity Wii Shop Channel titles have as time goes on.
With PS4 ditching backwards compatibility and many reports pointing to the next xBox doing the same, wiping out future PSN/XBLA sales, you have to wonder if devs aiming for 'long-tail' sales might suddenly start to see the Nintendo console as a better long-term investment.
alan666 on 1 May '13 said:
Trine 2: Director's Cut is the only download worth getting.
snowdog on 1 May '13 said:
Trine 2 should definitely be at number 1. The best eShop title by far.
toaplan on 1 May '13 said:
I wish all these games were available for the Wii U virtual console...
Anyway, it's good to hear CVG recommending these wonderful 16-bit classics, such as Sonic, Mario World, Super Metroid, Contra 3, Streets of Rage 2 etc. I'd just like to add the original F-Zero on the SNES to that list, because it is a bona fide SNES classic worth checking out for any fan of futuristic racers.
F-Zero X may be superior in certain aspects, such as sense of speed and track variety... but on the other hand the original F-Zero arguably has better music and the racing is more controlled and less random - no pile-ups and crashing into multiple vehicles appearing suddenly in front of you, from seemingly out of nowhere.
Manjushri on 1 May '13 said:
I remember grueling my way through those Stars wars games on the SNES.
Awesome games, don't think I'd have the patience for them now though (or time, they took up the whole afternoon to get through!).
ricflair on 2 May '13 said:
Trine 2 the only decent game? Utter nonsense, some people are simply never ever happy.
Mighty Switch Force is a cracking game, so is Runner2 and Nano Assault - some of the prices are a bit high, but they've been on sale pretty regularly. I've got Zen Pinball 2 as well; the Fantastic Four table is brilliant, and Epic Quest is pretty good too.
Ultimately it's a bit early to be doing this for the Wii U, especially when a lot of the best SNES and N64 games are in the Wii's VC and are better than anything on the eshop. It's still waiting for it's must have game, i.e. Trials, Braid, Journey etc.
Laughlyn on 2 May '13 said:
No 'Pop'? its so simple but all too addictive lol