Top Ten Third Party Wii U Games

If you know anything about Nintendo, you know its third party relations regarding its home consoles are... well, I don't want to say "total garbage", so I won't be that cruel. I also won't say "complete bullocks", "absolutely embarrassing", "insanely incompetent", or "beyond selfish" either, so don't think you'll see those phrases on this site. I think the nicest word to use would be "anemic."

Regardless, there are indeed plenty of third party games that are available on the Wii U that are worth playing. Of course, while most of them are available on other platforms, these Wii U versions are special for a number of reasons, as you'll see with this top ten list for tonight. These games are the ones that I deem the best of the Wii U third party bunch. Let's get started, shall we?

10) ZombiU

I kick off this top ten list with a title that I stated had the best use of the Wii U GamePad yet. I still find this true. Just don't come into Ubisoft's Wii U launch title ZombiU with the idea that it's a traditional shooter. Like many foolish professional review sites who will remain nameless but have a spot for games, you will find yourself disappointed by your own untrue expectations. ZombiU is a survival horror with an emphasis on both surviving and horror. You utilize the GamePad as your Bug-Out Bag, where all of your ammo and helpful items are stored. However, using this bag does not pause the game. This means that a zombie can attack you at any point. All it takes is one bite. For a truly scary game that is great to play in the dark (if you like to squeal like a girl when you're scared like I do), there is no better choice on Wii U than ZombiU, one of the freshest ideas in the genre in a long time.

9) Armillo

Something that tends to be overlooked when referring to third parties on the Wii U is the Nintendo eShop. There an abundance of clever yet nowhere near as triumphed games are released on a steady basis, though the storefront does not get as much action as the PlayStation's, truth be told. Fuzzy Wuzzy Games launched Armillo on the Nintendo eShop last summer, and it really does hearken back to the era of Nintendo 64 3D platformers. However, don't think it is a relic of the past and doesn't add its own spin to the genre. You control the titular character through spherical planets with hazardous aplenty to reunite Armillo with someone special to him. The level design alone shows the creativity that sparked in the developers, offering some clever platforming challenges and interesting mechanics to keep Armillo feeling fresh from beginning to end.

8) Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2

Speaking of overlooked games, you might laugh at Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2 being on this list. You might say, "Wow. The Wii U really is struggling with third parties if you had to put a game based on a cartoon on it." Nevertheless, Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2 is a really well made 3D platformer that has a lot of ingenious ideas in its level design and design in general. The game is a huge step up from what the original Ghostly Adventures offered, and while it doesn't innovate in any special way, this sequel is highly competent, a blast to play, and has really tight platforming action. For overlooked games, definitely check out Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2.

7) Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed

Released at launch for the Wii U, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed saw Sonic and his Sega cohorts speed onto destructible tracks that dynamically altered themselves throughout each race. The ability to shift between car, boat, and plane at specific points in each race opened up the possibilities of the track design immensely. Nonetheless, the track design being spectacular is just one great bullet point for this arcade racing game featuring familiar Sega mascots. The actual racing feels supremely tight, offering a terrific amount of speed and control. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed on Wii U has special features such as off TV play and exclusive mini-games. It is a fantastic racer that gives Mario Kart a run... er, race-- for its money!

6) Stealth Inc. 2: A Game of Clones

Currently a timed exclusive for the Wii U eShop, Stealth Inc. 2: A Game of Clones brings with it 2D puzzle platforming goodness and a level of challenge that makes each completed test chamber a serious accomplishment. With lots of content in the way you can beat the target times on each test chamber, collect special costume pieces for your robot, and build your own levels, sharing them with the Wii U Stealth Inc. 2 community if you deem your level appropriate, this is a downloadable game that will last players a long while.

5) Batman: Arkham City - Armored Edition

To get this out of the way, while it's not exactly the same content, it is very much the same game. Sorry, Reggie Fils-Amie! Anyway, I very much enjoyed the original Arkham City on the PlayStation 3, and this updated Wii U version, utilizing the Wii U GamePad in some very clever ways (i.e. gadget management, encrypting The Riddler's locked doors, and more), was a perfect excuse to return to the desolate and crime-ridden city streets. Batman: Arkham City - Armored Edition is very much a phenomenal port (albeit late) of the seventh generation original, and if you have never played any version of the game or want another excuse to do so like I did, Armored Edition is a fabulous game to sit down and be the bat with.

4) Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Director's Cut

Another game that makes stellar use of the Wii U GamePad, Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Director's Cut uses the GamePad as a radar, a means to loot enemies, accessing the player's inventory, a special window view for sniping, and a lot more. This action/stealth thriller was a splendid addition to the Wii U library, and it definitely needs more love from Wii U owners. Whether you're a casual player or someone more seasoned at shooters and stealth games, there is something for you in Human Revolution.

3) Guacamelee: Super Turbo Championship Edition

"Metroidvania" is a term that describes games that are similar in design and formula to the Metroid and later 2D Castlevania games. Guacamelee: Super Turbo Championship Edition is such a title, but it uses the many luchadore moves at our hero's disposal to not only fight off enemies in the game's combat rooms, but also to break through special doors, access new areas, and explore throughout the game world. Guacamelee is a game that doesn't take itself overly seriously, and it brings players a wide variety of nods to games both retro and modern. The added fun of co-op only sweetens the deal, offering the ability for two players to suplex and piledrive opponents simultaneously. Simply put, Guacamelee: Super Turbo Championship Edition is a must play for any fan of and anyone looking for an atypical type of Metroid.

2) Rayman Legends

If you followed Rayman Legends' rocky release, you know that the game was delayed to make ports for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. What was an exclusive for Wii U owners was held back for these reasons, understandably making many Nintendo fans irked, myself included. Regardless, the game finally released to critical acclaim but low sales unfortunately. Even with the other versions of Rayman Legends, the Wii U edition is what I consider the definitive version. The levels where you perform swipes, taps, holds, and touches to manipulate and maneuver platforms for a human or AI partner felt the greatest and most satisfying on the Wii U version. The other levels were platforming nirvana, too, especially those well done musical levels. While New Super Mario Bros. U is the king of 2D platformers level design wise, creativity-wise Rayman Legends has got the portly plumber's game handily beat.

1) Shovel Knight

Combining the gameplay of such NES classics as Mega Man, DuckTales, and more, Shovel Knight is a modern retro classic. Its design emanates high quality and even higher standards. Levels are intricately designed, offer plenty of well placed obstacles, and the entire game itself feels like such a cohesive and enjoyable package. The team at Yacht Club Games really know their stuff, and it is fully evident in every inch and pixel within this amazing 2D run-and-dig action platformer. I am absolutely thrilled that Sony platform owners will get the chance to try out this excellent game. The more players that get to experience Shovel Knight, the better!

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There are other third party games worth mentioning that didn't make it on this list: Trine 2: Director's Cut, Mighty Switch Force, Toki Tori 2+, Ittle Dew, DuckTales Remastered, Scram Kitty and his Buddy on Rails, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, and my controversial pick, Sonic: Lost World. The Wii U may indeed be any abyss for third party content, but it isn't a wholly horrible place for publishers other than Nintendo.

SuperPhillip Central Best of 2014 Awards - Best Download Only Game

This is a first for SuperPhillip Central. I've never had a Best Download Only Game award before, but here it is this year! I've been able to review and experience so many different digital games this year across a fair amount of platforms. I'm of the opinion that indie games and digital games are just as important as full-scale releases, and I hope you do, too! Here's the five download-only games I enjoyed most for 2014!

5) Super Mega Baseball (PS4, PS3)

Baseball isn't football, so I don't care for it that much. However, playing baseball games that aren't entirely simulation-like in structure makes for a very entertaining time. Super Mega Baseball is one game that released late this year that combines a wacky arcade aesthetic with accessible gameplay. However, don't think this is some dumbed down baseball experience, as Super Mega Baseball presented plenty of options and detailed mechanics to make for a game that swung for the fences and hit a home run.

4) Armillo (Wii U)

Reminding me of a mascot-driven N64-era 3D platformer (and I don't say that in a bad way), Armillo featured the titular character rolling around spherical planets in order to clear each level. Perhaps because it reminded me so much of games in my favorite genre that I grew up on that I hold Armillo to such high regard. Still, its creative design, fun levels, and amount of content made for a game that I really enjoyed.

3) Stealth Inc. 2: A Game of Clones (Wii U)

Temporarily a Wii U eShop exclusive, Stealth Inc. 2: A Game of Clones was a 2D puzzle platformer that brought a robotic hero through the testing chambers of an industrial facility. Using different tools to solve chambers full of deathly traps and means for our hero to wind up in a crushed, incinerated, or sawed apart heap, Stealth Inc. 2 crafted ingenious puzzles that wracked my mind in solving them, fun platforming challenges, and a stunning presentation.

2) Guacamelee: Super Turbo Championship Edition (Multi)

Guacamelee: Super Turbo Championship Edition was released on a multitude of home consoles this past year. It was designed as a Metroid-style adventure that used luchadore moves for combat and allowed for insane combos. However, these moves were also helpful outside of combat, great for finding secret little alcoves on the map and various upgrades. The ability to team up locally with a friend or family member, humorous dialogue, and myriad of game references added to just how fantastic Guacamelee was.

1) Shovel Knight (Wii U, 3DS)

Winner of the Biggest Surprise of 2014, Shovel Knight took the classic Mega Man style of gameplay and made it its own with amazing level design, polish, and new game mechanics. Everything about Shovel Knight was crafted with stunning care, creating a 2D action platformer that delighted every step of the way. With it releasing on PSN next year, PlayStation system owners will get the chance to see what the big deal is when they get to play Shovel Knight, my favorite download-only game.

SuperPhillip Central Best of 2014 Awards - Top Five Biggest Surprises

Plenty of times I've hyped myself up on a game in dramatic, frenzied fashion only to have a cloud of disappointment blow up in my face. Then there are the times that are much better-- when I don't think much about a game (if I think about it at all) and when I finally play, I'm floored by how good it is. These five games on this list were games that either weren't looking so hot initially, were completely overlooked by me until I played them, or had quality that was so much higher than what I was expecting. Here are my top five biggest surprises of 2014.

5) Armillo (Wii U eShop)

I'm a lover of 3D platformers, so Armillo seems like it would be an easy game to see coming, right? However, Fuzzy Wuzzy Games was a studio I hadn't heard of or knew of their past work. What Armillo ended up being was not just a fantastic game in its own right, but one of my favorite indie games of the year on any platform. It plays so well, is full of wonderful ideas, and it made me smile on a number of occasions. Definitely a title I'm glad I tried despite not thinking much of the developer at first.

4) Fantasy Life (3DS)

I had loosely followed this next game on my list prior to its release, and this was back when the game had more of a cel-shaded art style. Fantasy Life managed to blow me away with its immense amount of content, things to do, places to go, creatures to defeat, materials to acquire, crafts to make, and a story that brought with it lots of humor and well-written dialogue. It's not hard to be astonished when you go into a game not knowing much about it, but it's hard to be as impressed with Fantasy Life as I ended up being.

3) Hyrule Warriors (Wii U)

The only Dynasty Warriors-styled game I enjoyed (and that was just a little bit) was Dynasty Warriors Gundam. That game was mighty repetitive, despite the premise of thousands of mobile suit mechs fighting one another on one battlefield. Thus, I didn't think I'd like Hyrule Warriors as much, even as a fan of the source material. It wasn't as repetitive as I thought it would be. It was, dare I say, actually fun to grind in, whether it be character experience levels, rupees, or materials. Hyrule Warriors became one of my favorite games of 2014, and here I thought it'd be just another rote Dynasty Warriors experience.

2) Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2 (Wii U, PS3, 360)

Here comes a game that I had low expectations set, and they were more than met and exceeded! While Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2 doesn't do a lot that is new, it's a massively well made, cleverly designed, and polished game. After the original last year, I wasn't too sure how a sequel would pan out, but the more streamlined approach, better level design, and just plain greater amount of fun overall. It's for these reasons that Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2 is one of the games that surprised me most this past year.

1) Shovel Knight (Wii U and 3DS eShop)

Coming to PlayStation platforms next year, Shovel Knight dug his way onto the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS this past year with critical acclaim and great sales to boot. I expected some Mega Man wannabe whose only merit was tugging on the nostalgia heartstrings of 8-bit gamers of old. Boy, did my ignorance blind me! Shovel Knight isn't a marvelous Mega Man wannabe-- it's its own beast, and it's quite a mighty one, too. One that I've played through more times than I care to admit just because the game is so polished, well put together, and hits all the right notes throughout its campaign.

Armillo (Wii U eShop) Review

Our first review of July is an indie game that many were following ever since its announcement. It's the Wii U eShop title Armillo from Fuzzy Wuzzy Games. Will you have a ball playing Armillo, or is it a game better left for roadkill on a desert highway?

Letting the Good Times Roll,

One Armadillo at a Time

The Nintendo eShop on the Wii U started off slow with but a trickle of support in the early goings. Now, we're seeing an abundance of new software that really showcases the amount of work Nintendo is putting in with indies to develop for the Wii U. While indies aren't a 100% replacement for big third-party studios and their games, their titles fill a hole that Nintendo can't possibly fill on its own. One such developer to fill the gaps in Nintendo's release schedule is Fuzzy Wuzzy Games. Their first Wii U project, Armillo, rolls onto the Wii U eShop and is a surprisingly well made game.

Armillo has you playing as the eponymous armadillo, rolling around large spherical planets that make up the levels of the game. What makes Armillo so brilliant is how it creatively uses a simplistic control scheme (left stick or accelerometer to roll, one button to charge, one to jump) and premise, and creates so many different scenarios based off of both where you're constantly amazed by what obstacle and challenge awaits you next.

Careful, Armillo. You don't want to catch
a cold out there in the rain!

At its core, Armillo is a 3D action-platformer with a lot of puzzle elements to it. When you're not carefully maneuvering around narrow pathways, leaping off of moving blocks which precariously hover over black pits, avoiding getting pushed off a platform by an enemy, dodging the lasers and fireballs of automated turrets, or smashing through blockades, you're doing a lot of work with your mind too. You're finding the right colored key for a locked door, pushing blocks around in a particular formation, rolling across switches in the correct order to open gateways, and discovering hidden paths that lead to alternate routes.

Each planet successfully feels
like its own unique place.

Throughout the game, Armillo earns new abilities and comes across new power-ups. He can grow to massive size, making once impassable roadblocks able to be passed through like they weren't even there; he can don a helmet that fires a laser or stream of bullets at foes and obstructions in the path; and he can explode into the air like a firework, perfect for taking out airborne distractions.

Who needs a theme park when you've
got a wild ride with Armillo?

Armillo's adventure lasts five worlds, each spanning four levels apiece. Levels themselves last around five minutes at most for a first go-around, and every final level of a world is boss level. Armillo's campaign is really at a perfect length, as it doesn't end too short and it doesn't overstay its welcome. It's just enough to make for a meaty adventure, well worth the price.

Even after the game has been beaten (which takes a few hours), you're nowhere near finished with Armillo, as there's plenty to unlock. The game's Critter Shop allows orbs found in levels to purchase new goods, such as extra health, extra lives, and lasting abilities that can be found nowhere else in the game. Special items resting inside levels unlock so-called Secret Levels, further giving players incentive to replay levels .

This level has the climate changing
from hot to cold and vice versa. 

Unlike the 3D sphere-traversal levels Armillo's story mode possesses, these Secret Levels are pure 2D affairs. These require much more skill and dexterity than what is found in the story. As these levels are timed, you need agile thumbs, quick reflexes, and a cool head. That said, these levels don't control and tightly as their 3D counterparts, unfortunately, so sometimes the more precision-based jumps can become an effort in aggravation.

The Secret Levels are enjoyable and challenging,
but the latter is partly due to how Armillo handles.

In addition to simply beating the 3D and 2D levels of Armillo, you can attempt to earn a gold medal on each and every level in the game through scoring enough points. At the time of this writing, some of the medals are glitched, not authorizing the awarding of a gold medal despite the fact that you've earned more than enough points to break the threshold required. This will undoubtedly be patched, so it's not that much of a long-term concern.

The worlds and areas Armillo rolls about on are full of impressive details, satisfying textures, and cool particle effects here and there. While Armillo generally runs at a steady 60 frames-per-second. at certain inexplicable times, and especially when a lot is happening on screen, the frame-rate will take a quick, noticeable hit. It's nothing that destroys the experience, but it is easily apparent to the eyes. Armillo's soundtrack consists of electronic music, and the highlight and real treat to the ears comes in the Secret Levels, where chiptune music is king (or queen, if you prefer).

Did you know that synchronized rolling
is a retired Olympic event? Look it up!

Armillo is a game that looked impressive mid-development, and it's such a welcome thing to have the game defy the already positive expectations I had for the game. It's charming, it's a wonderful value, and it mostly plays superbly. The amount of content for the low price is staggering, so it's no question that you should definitely roll on over to the Wii U eShop and pick up Fuzzy Wuzzy Games's Armillo today.

[SPC Says: 9.0/10]