Wii U premium or basic..?

[Garrett]

I'm thinking of picking one up soon & was wondering if the difference is just the size of the internal storage & if so, can you use any old SD card or external drive to improve the situation..?

(Apologies for posting in the wrong section.. it's been a long day!)

 

[iprice]

I have the black WiiU Premium, but honestly there's not much difference between the two other than memory. The Premium also gets you a dock cradle for charging, which tbh is pretty pointless - just plug the charger lead into the GamePad and Bob's your uncle. Expanding the memory via SD card is probably the better and cheaper option tbh.

Oh, and whatever WiiU you get, don't forget to grab Pikmin 3. It's awesome, if only quite short. I've completed it 100% now and it's definitely the best WiiU game to date. DarkSiders II is also very good, as is NintendoLand - which surprisingly lasts longer than you'd expect. I have to admit that I enjoyed the Pikmin game in NintendoLand the most, but it's all very good.

As for HD, you can use pretty much any mobile HD that doesn't use a password protect (ie ignore WD passbooks etc.). Thing is, SD cards are cheaper and you're unlikely to fill even an 8GB one anytime soon.

 

[Fzero]

I got the Premium too, back when HMV were shifting them with Zombie U for 199

Asda were also shifting the Premiums at 199 the other month.

Might be worth waiting around until the next shop starts selling them on the deal?

Personally I like the dock too, but I guess not too much effort reaching for a cable really.

You cannot run games off SD though, you will need a USB drive for that.

SD cards are just for screenshots and Mii stuff.

Read item number 13 on: http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/wiiu/en_na/system_external_storage.jsp?menu=general_info&submenu=wup-external-usb-storage

 

[Garrett]

Oh, and whatever WiiU you get, don't forget to grab Pikmin 3. It's awesome, if only quite short. I've completed it 100% now and it's definitely the best WiiU game to date. DarkSiders II is also very good, as is NintendoLand - which surprisingly lasts longer than you'd expect. I have to admit that I enjoyed the Pikmin game in NintendoLand the most, but it's all very good.

It's the main reason I'm wanting to pick one up .. absolutely adore the series & still fire up 1 & 2 regularly in Dolphin

 

[levi]

You should enjoy Pikmin 3 then.  I've only seen a little of it, but from what I've seen it's quite a step up from the first game with loads more to do and a lot more replayability.

I can't comment on Pikmin 2 though - I got stuck on Pikmin 1, so never bothered to get round to picking up the second game.

 

[iprice]

You should enjoy Pikmin 3 then.  I've only seen a little of it, but from what I've seen it's quite a step up from the first game with loads more to do and a lot more replayability.

Not really. The graphics are certainly nicer and the story is great fun and the characters are certainly very charming, but there's no more replayability than the other games (which I too still play fairly regularly). Pikmin 3 is MUCH easier than the other games and the locales aren't very big at all once you get used to them - they are absolutely beautiful though. The wildlife is also less threatening and far fewer in number. Remember all the Snagrets in Pikmin 1 & 2 (the buried bird beasties)? There's only one in this game. There are far fewer bulborbs and bosses and other bugs too. Only the last boss really challenges - and it really is a challenge, throughout the WHOLE of the last level. There are no buried cave levels like Pikmin 2, which is a real shame and you're only collecting fruit - no rocket parts or other items really (you get a couple of enhancements, but that's about it). I also really miss the breadbugs from Pikmin 2 - loved those guys

Pikmin 3 is definitely worth getting, but it is a lot shorter than I was expecting. It's still a great game, but after waiting nearly 10 years for this sequel I was really hoping for a lot more. At least the extra missions and Bingo mode help extend its life a bit.

 

[gunrock]

I have a basic (got it recently for my birthday from the wife and kids, they picked it up from Asda (or Asda Walmart to give it its full name) for 149 GBP.

I stuck a white 320gb hard drive with it and think the extra for the memory and stand is way too much. Bought one of these to go with it:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00ABVYKJU/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1