Minecraft Wii U Edition Review

Before you start reading this review I’ll have to be honest, I’ve never played a Minecraft game before until I played Minecraft Wii U Edition. And while I won’t be able to compare the Wii U version with the PC or Xbox versions I hope this review will still be useful to Nintendo players thinking about picking up Minecraft for the Wii U. Minecraft Wii U Edition includes most of the features found in other versions. It supports both online and offline play, splitscreen multiplayer (up to 4 players) and a variety of skins and map types. The amount of content is pretty impressive, especially when you consider the game sells for only $29.99.

To give Wii U owners something special Mojang included the Wii U exclusive Super Mario Mash‐up Pack, which includes 40 Super Mario skins. These skins feature characters like Mario, Luigi, Peach and Bowser. The number of available Super Mario skins is impressive. To give Minecraft Wii U Edition a noticeable Nintendo feel there’s also a Minecraft Super Mario World for players to explore, remade to look like the Mushroom Kingdom. The amount of attention that went into creating the Mushroom Kingdom in Minecraft Wii U Edition is impressive. The game can also be expanded and comes with other skin / map packs for other games like Skyrim, Mass Effect and others. Minecraft Wii U Edition also comes with standard map / skin mods, like the Festive or Spooky skin / maps.

Graphically the game looks good, though I had to get use to the game’s camera – which had moments of making things awkward while playing. I’ve seen many screenshots of Minecraft for the PC and Xbox, but it wasn’t until I actually played the Wii U version that I gained an appreciation for the game’s graphics. It’s pretty impressive to see how big your worlds/creations can be. The game ran stable even when I zoomed out and looked down on the entirety of my created world. To me the Wii U version is graphically sound, with very little lag or trouble rendering even the most complex Minecraft structures. I do think the textures could be a little higher on the resolution, but overall it looks like the same quality as Xbox 360 screenshots I’ve seen.

Online mode is a blast, featuring both Battle and Tumble modes. I had fun with both of these, and the best part was I could bring a friend along for the ride. You and a friend can go online together to take on opponents from around the world. The ability to have a local friend splitscreen online with you is similar to how Call of Duty does it, with both players on one coach playing matchmaking together. This is a nice feature for the Wii U, as only Call of Duty, Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros offers budding-up splitscreen style to go online. I did experience some lag while using the games online modes. While not consistent, I also experienced times where the game would drop me completely. This isn’t the biggest issue, as its pretty easy to find a new match or lobby online.

Having never played a Minecraft game before I was amazed at the quality of music I was hearing. Playing any of it’s different modes reveals dozens of ambient music themes that go from classical sounding to epic ballads. I especially enjoyed the music that accompanied the Super Mario themed level. Majong and Nintendo included dozens of the the best Super Mario tracks, from the original NES version to Super Mario 64. If you’ve played any of Mario’s greatest adventures you’ll hear something you recognize.

In conclusion Minecraft Wii U Edition is a great deal for Nintendo gamers. Not only is it crammed with content, but has almost unlimited replay value when you consider the game’s creative / free mode, online modes and local splitscreen offerings. I appreciated Majong’s efforts to inject Super Mario into Minecraft, giving the title a Nintendo quality that matches the Wii U and it’s audience. While having the option to create mods or skins would’ve been nice I still feel that the Wii U version is full enough to warrant it’s $30 price tag.