On November 30th 2012, Nintendo of Europe launched the Wii U and the new generation of gaming hardware was officially ushered in.  Coincidentally, today is the 8 year anniversary of the Wii in Europe too.

After a strong start, Wii U sales dropped quickly and the console has strugged at times during the months that followed.  Just before the Wii U celebrate its first anniversary in Europe, Microsoft and Sony released their new consoles and they quickly outsold the Wii U's LTD sales in certain territories (such as the UK).  

While the hardware sales may have struggled, the software side of things has certainly been much better.  In the last twelve months we've seen the Pikmin franchise return, we've seen a HD remake of one of the most beloved Zelda titles (depending who you ask) and recently the first 3D multiplayer Mario title, Super Mario 3D World, has been lavished with praise from fans and critics alike.

With this in mind, our staff have looked back at the last twelve months to examine how they thought it went and to ponder what the future holds for Nintendo's console.  We posed a few questions to our staff as starting points.  Some staff members answered these, while others gave a freer response.

Derek Wheatley

The Wii U has been raked over the coals in the last year (for sales, software etc). Do you think its just?

Yes, and it hasn’t been helped by non-essential console buying games. Sure, there have been some good games, but it’s been a case of either:
A) They’re already/will be soon available on one of the other consoles.
B) It’s good, just not good enough to justify buying the Wii U

We all know Nintendo has a couple of key franchises, but fail to utilise them at one of the most critical points in a consoles lifetime – its launch. The quickest we got was Super Mario Bros. U, which was a fun game but didn’t scream “I am going to be the reason why your wallet is empty this Christmas”. We saw the sales of the Wii U go up by 600% when The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD was released, why couldn’t we have a killer app to begin with?

How do you see the next year going?
Up. I hope. With new games being vaguely hinted at but effort appears to be concentrated on the 3DS, it seems it may take a little more time to hit full steam. And with next gen releases imminent, it may be too late.

Nintendo said they would learn from the 3DS' launch, do you think they did? And do you think there's a chance for a boost in the same way the 3DS eventually had?
I don’t believe so no. What they seem to have avoided is a massive price drop which lead to Nintendo firing out the Ambassador rewards.

What games have you bought?
I have 6, but bought 3. Nintendo Land came with the console, DuckTales Remastered I got as a review copy, Super Mario Bros. U was a Christmas gift. Darksiders II, Assassin’s Creed III and Pikmin 3 I got myself.

And considering it's been out a year. I think that rather pitiful. Especially since I could've bought them for my PS3/360. I only got some on the Wii U to try and make my purchase justified.

What are you looking forward to in the next year?
A reason to plug in my Wii U. I’ve completed the games I currently own but none of the new releases have inspired me enough to fork out the cash. In true Nintendo fanboy style, I want a new Zelda, “proper” 3D Mario and something decent with Pokémon.

Did you buy on launch, or did you wait until it was cheaper?
I bought it on launch, and I regret it. It’s been unplugged for months, a flannel on the GamePad to stop it getting too dusty. I wish I waited to see what would happen before stepping into the water.

Do you think the GamePad has been put to good use?
Like the bottom screen of a 3DS, it mainly gets used as an inventory/map screen, but with far more neck movement. It may start out with a bit of innovation, but I am willing to be the majority of these things will have been tried and tested by developers when they began making 3DS games and as such we won’t see much in the way of groundbreaking functioning. Only Nintendo will lead the way in that regard.

What works well with the Wii U and what doesn't?
To be honest I’m not a big fan of always having to look down and up constantly. With games like ZombiU it was added to the atmosphere, but in the midst of combat in other games simply pausing the game and going about it the recognised method felt more natural.

With the release of the PS4 and Xbox One, do you think 3rd party support is going to deplete further?
It’s more than likely. Nintendo try to be different and they pull it off. However it comes at the cost of alienating developers who would rather be content with making a game and making it portable to three consoles instead of making a game portable to two consoles and having to work on an additional interface because the third has gone rogue. Developers may get round to working on such a transition for a game but that takes time. And some gamers can be impatient.

Mark Lee

As with most consoles launches, there is always excitement. For all the worries I had about the name 'Wii U', I remembered how little the name 'Wii' mattered in the end. And with a range of different software experiences that I couldn't get on other systems, I knew the Wii U would be a sound investment on day one. We all loved Nintendo Land in our house and everyone felt that tangible Nintendo magic once again as we laughed our way through Mario Chase, Donkey Kong's Crash Course and more.

What I didn't anticipate though was the barren months that followed. Sure, it kind of comes with the territory of owning a Nintendo console, but when Rayman was pushed back (and multi-formatted) and then Scribblenauts went MIA, I was worried. Coupled with the VC being a barren wasteland, I was as frustrated as many other gamers.

Thankfully those worries vanished as I came to dedicate substantial time to the games I did have. Due to Miiverse and Off-TV Play I found myself putting more hours into my games all while being able to sit with my family in an inclusive environment. No longer did I have to retreat to our man cave and put up with SD graphics or PSN/LIVE online trolls.

This wasn't what I'd seen as a strength of the system at launch, but the Off-TV function and Miiverse made my gaming experience truly personal again - especially with the opportunity to post pictures and discuss games in a super-friendly, inoffensive manner. (The Miiverse deserves more praise!)

The Wii U has since gone on to offer an improved library, with varied software on the eShop and at retail seen in titles such as Disney Infinity, Batman Origins and a strong hand from Ubisoft. Supported by the unique titles Nintendo are known for in the guise of Wii Party U, Wii Sports Club, the Wonderful 101, Wind Waker and Super Mario 3D World, Wii U now feels like that true HD Nintendo console we all wanted a year ago.

With great content to come in 2014, the Wii U has been eerily similar to the 3DS' first year, but just like that system, hopefully we can sit down in 2014 and say that the dark times were truly vanquished by a wealth of quality experiences.

João Lopes

There's no denying that Nintendo made a lot of mistakes with Wii U and while it's easy to say that in hindsight, a lot of them were obvious before launch too. It's a complicated subject that could spawn a gigantic wall of text, but suffice to say that starting from hardware decisions all the way up to marketing and branding, there were plenty of dubious decisions that lead to a confusing product that doesn't seem to be appealing to any crowd.

I can see all of these missteps, why the console isn't setting the charts on fire and I certainly remember the deserted release schedule during the first months. Yet, I can't help but love my Wii U. Since its release, it was never turned off for too long and not only am I having a blast playing solo, the little machine is, much like its predecessor, a multiplayer beast. Me and my friends have spent countless hours hunting ghosts in Nintendo Land, playing "Pictionary" in Game & Wario, lamenting our bad luck at a dice throw in Wii Party Uand throwing each other off cliffs in both New Super Mario Bros U and Super Mario 3D World. I think the amount of laughs and screams is usually a good indicator of how much fun is being had in this context and I'm sure my neighbours have something to say about that.

So yes, if I was calling the shots maybe I wouldn't sacrifice "brute force" for a small console with low power consumption and I probably wouldn't design it so similar to the Wii. I would also market it, crazy I know, but it could work. Despite its interesting uses and Off-TV play, something that might be very useful to some, I probably wouldn't have gone for the GamePad either, focusing on evolving the Wii remote and nunchuck concepts, one console generation is not enough to see a concept reach its full potential.

I'm just a customer though and in that capacity, I can say that in one year, Wii U managed to deliver a catalogue that's not just respectable, it's damn good. Without third party support, Wii U will always be lacking in quite a few genres and the chances it will be a successful console seem very slim, but unless you really dislike Nintendo games (and if you do, why are you reading this?), Wii U already shaped up into a great, dare I say must-have platform.

Now excuse me, Super Mario 3D World is calling me.

Aaron Clegg

I vividly remember my own acrid, musky smell as my pyjama'd one-year-ago self waited up past breakfast and lunch for my Wii U to arrive, and it's something of an appropriate image for Nintendo's latest. You'd have to prod it to figure out whether it's awake - or indeed alive - and some would say we're essentially still waiting for it to really 'arrive'. Regardless, I've had my system 12 months now and the experience it has given me stands in happy contrast to the way Wii U is perceived by those outside the circle.

Excluding Virtual Console titles, I've racked up a good 9 titles, with Super Mario 3D World imminently in the wings. My own casual rule of thumb goes something like a console treats you well if it can on average provide one worthwhile title per month, so on that basis Wii U has been no basket case. Yet even saying this undersells just how much fun I've had with the likes of ZombiU, The Wonderful 101, and Pikmin 3. These are the types of games that will establish the legacy of a platform. Ultimately, it's games like these that need to be pumped out to create a successful system.

The next 12 months still resembles something on an unfinished picture, but Mario Kart 8 will certainly be Nintendo's biggest momentum-creator, and from a personal angle I'm supremely hyped for Bayonetta 2. A consistent stream of quality games is what put 3DS on a path to success, and it is the only thing that will put Wii U - or any system - on one as well. I think it's plainly obvious that Nintendo's pointed failure to market the console to the mainstream in a clear and simple way has been they key factor in it not finding its feet. But I also think it is through this prism that much of the negativity towards Wii U from within the gaming community is directed, rather than from a serious examination of the games on offer. The only way to cure these attitudes is through more quality games, and this can already be seen to be having some effect with the release of the sterling Super Mario 3D World. In a year from now, I hope the view that great gaming experiences can already be had on Wii U will be the consensus, not the exception.

Jonathan Stanley

I bought my Wii U on launch last year specifically with the idea of reducing my gaming time in mind. I sold my Wii some time after Mario Galaxy, purely because I needed the money. And then with Wii U approaching I kind of thought "if I'd have stuck with Wii, I probably would only have picked up the big Nintendo releases, so that's maybe 3 games a year...this could be a good choice with Wii U, have a games console to play the games I know I'll love, but keep it to a minimum."

Fast forward a year and I haven't been such a committed gamer in years! I've really enjoyed my time with Wii U, I've more than got value for my money having spent full price on launch, and probably averaged 70 hours a month on Wii U from launch until July.

It's clearly not without its problems, specifically making use of the GamePad controller and the way it's advertised. People talk of game droughts with it, but here were 30 on launch day, and some really stellar titles. The issue I felt was that amongst all those games, there wasn't one that sold the concept of what Wii U was. Nintendo Land didn't. ZombiU didn't. There was no Wii Sports, where you switched it on and everyone just got it. They clearly tried to make a 'DS' home console, but kind of half baked the idea. Even if people felt like there was a software drought, if there had been that one big game I think it would have made up for those concerns.

The PS4 and Xbox One are exciting multi media machines capable of housing incredible games, but really I'm just a gamer who can do without fancy bells and whistles, which is why I think Wii U has suited me, it's all about the games (although a DVD functionality would be nice...) more than the others,and games that I know I will enjoy before I've even played them.

Nintendo just need to sort their advertising out for this instead of just hoping people will hear about it, and get the right message across too. I still remember the launch adverts, and seeing the ZombiU one with the guy frantically trying to put the code in on the door before a zombie catches him and eats him...and I couldn't believe they would be so stupid! "Play our console, it's so difficult to use this game pad that if things get to pressured then you're likely to die." When in fact it was a very good game.

I feel whatever mistakes there are have been Nintendo's own doing, but it's been a very satisfying year with Wii U personally and I'm looking forward to Mario at Christmas and then some big hitters coming our way in 2014.

And a final heart warming tale, recently I've moved in with my girlfriend, who isn't a gamer at all, spare going all gooey eyed over the villagers in Animal Crossing. However every Saturday night when she is watching Strictly and X Factor, I'll be sat next to her on the sofa all snuggled up and playing Zelda to my hearts content in the GamePad. Put that on an advert and people will be buying the console for their partners! Possibly...

Happy Birthday Wii U, looking forward to seeing you take your first big steps in 2014.

Sam Gittens

Has it really been a year already? Evidently it has but I feel the need to question how long I've owned a Wii U for because to me it feels as if only now is Nintendo's console truly proving its worth thanks to the release of big titles including The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD which has rightfully boosted sales due to it being an amazing remake of a past classic; and the literally just released Super Mario 3D World which I'm still in the process of playing/enjoying whenever I get the chance.

But I have also been spending time with my PS4 as while I enjoy writing for N-Europe, I have no particular allegiance to any one console; indeed it has taken this year for the reality to sink in that if I am to enjoy all types of games - for me this includes multi-platform titles in addition to console exclusives - I cannot 'game' on Wii U alone.

While it's true that the console has had a rather turbulent first year in terms of sales - or lack of - it seems that now the tide is changing thanks to a concerted effort by Nintendo to finally get a decent amount of advertising out there. After seeing next to nothing for months it's refreshing to see at least first-party titles getting the positive press that they not only deserve but that they 'need' to succeed and more importantly make a greater success of the console in the long-term; I only hope that this effort continues through the busy commercial period that's almost upon us, right into the new year and beyond.

It's easy to see how 2014 could easily be 'the Year of Nintendo' especially when you consider that in the first quarter fans - including myself- can look forward to the likes of Mario Kart 8, Donkey Kong Country Returns: Tropical Freeze plus many more titles that will hopefully follow on as we get further into the year, the newest iterations in the much-loved Super Smash Bros series will surely draw in fans of all ages while the third-party exclusives including Bayonetta 2 plus the ever spectacular project 'X' by Monolith - creators of Xenoblade for the Wii - will surely be one to watch.

Satisfying current Wii U owners is merely part and parcel for Nintendo, of course its existing install base is important to them but we aren't the ones who need convincing of the GamePad's merits for they are clear to see to us; more of the general public will hopefully be finally coming to realise the existence of the brilliant Wii U as the advertising will certainly help in addition to the new bundles which will be very tempting to potential consumers in the crucial coming weeks.

Its certainly been an interesting year overall for Nintendo's latest home console, the market is changing fast though as the recently released consoles from both Sony and Microsoft will certainly make an impact of their own on many gamers wallets. But regardless of sharing shelf space with two other consoles which are deemed to be 'more powerful' on paper, in practice it will be mainly the first-party titles plus the exclusives which will sell the Wii U to many more buyers well into next year - hopefully beyond - and for the handful of multi-format titles that do make it across, I think it will be a pleasant surprise to see just how many players will buy those titles on the console that gives them not one, but two perspectives from which to both view and play their favourite titles... that's the Nintendo difference.

A home console with a controller that has a built-in touch-screen? Madness surely... but wait, what is this device that's now sitting in front of me that has become a part of my daily life? It's the Wii U GamePad of course, the controller that will likely go down in video-game history as the controller that ultimately changed the landscape of gaming forever; I'd expect no less from the company that not only changed the history of what is now one of our favourite pass-times but lest we forget that they are largely responsible for inventing the industry... never count Nintendo out, this is a lesson 'for the players' that needs to be learned because the company from Kyoto has certainly learned theirs.

Bring on 2014 and all the games across multiple formats that come with it!

Adam Marshall

The Wii U has been raked over the coals in the last year (for sales, software etc). Do you think its just?

Unfortunately yes, Iwata said they had learned their lesson after the 3DS launch but instead, they made the same mistakes again.

They got so many things wrong with the console.

The console needed a system seller at launch to showcase what the console was capable of and to grab the attention of all gamers. Nintendo Land was never going to be that game.

How do you see the next year going?

Its going to be a struggle with 3rd party support pretty much dead.

Mario Kart 8 & Smash Bros 4 will be two very good reasons to buy the console no doubt but is it too late?

Nintendo said they would learn from the 3DS' launch, do you think they did? And do you think there's a chance for a boost in the same way the 3DS eventually had?

They didn't learn a damn thing from the 3DS launch. They have two games that could give it the boost it needs, Mario Kart 8 & Smash Bros 4. Both are system sellers, universally loved by gamers. Lets hope Nintendo advertise them properly and don't screw up the online modes.

What games have you bought?

I have eight; Nintendo Land, COD: Ghosts, COD: Black Ops 2, New Super Mario Bros U, ZombiU, Sonic All Stars Racing Transformed, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate & Need for Speed: Most Wanted.

Held off on buying a few games with Christmas & my birthday coming up.

What are you looking forward to in the next year?

DKC Tropical Freeze, Mario Kart 8 & Smash Bros 4.

Did you buy on launch, or did you wait until it was cheaper?
I bought it at launch, when looking back, I think it was too expensive (£350 for ZombiU bundle) but I have had hundreds of hours of enjoyment out of it over the last 12 months.

Do you think the GamePad has been put to good use?
No, not really. Nintendo have yet to release a game that demonstrates why it was needed.

As I don't have a tablet, I mainly use it to browse the Internet while watching TV. I don't find it that comfortable so use the Pro Controller when possible.

With the release of the PS4 and Xbox One, do you think 3rd party support is going to deplete further?

Definitely, there is really only Activision, Warner Bros, Sega & Ubisoft left.

Ubisoft will be out of the door once Watch_Dogs is released with Warner Bros & Activision not far behind.

Nintendo need to start throwing cash at 3rd parties to get more exclusive content.

So now that you've heard what our staff think of the first twelve months of the Wii U's life, let us know what you think using the comments section below.