Why MMO Strategy Games on Wii U Will Be Awesome

October 16, 2012 by Leeroy Jenkins

The first thing I thought of when they revealed the Wii U was the unlimited possibilities of the second screen. All HUD’s can now be taken down to the controller, leaving the player with a full screen of clear gaming goodness. Life meters, inventory, menu systems…these can all be (hopefully as an optional feature for those who prefer) taken off the screen and right in front of the player’s face. I feel that it will provide a much more intimate gaming experience, especially for games like Resident Evil where constant inventory exchanges can take place right in your hands.

There’s a long list of ideas already going through my head for implementing the new Wii U controller into gameplay, but being a huge RTS fan had me instantly wanting to see what a developer could do with an awesome strategy game. Now before you start scoffing at this ridiculous disposition that RTS games would actually work without a mouse and keyboard, hear me out first. I haven’t personally got to feel and play with a Wii U controller, although I heard the touch responsiveness is great. If it’s really as intuitive and responsive as an iPad, then this could make for some very rewarding game inputs.

Strategy Games on Wii U

I can already see me instantly selecting a group of units by just pointing and dragging on the screen in front of me, or quickly selecting a new build unit with just a quick gesture of my fingertip. There are many ways this can work, I just hope some developers catch on early and try as many things as they can to get it right. I’ll reiterate this again, I AM NOT SAYING THE WII U CONTROLLER IS BETTER THAN A MOUSE OR KEYBOARD. Sorry, I can already see the idiots trying to bash this idea so I just have to put that out there. What I am saying though, is that with the right implementation, MMO strategy games could become a very fun (more casual MMO strategy games) touch-based experience. There’s no way I could competitively play StarCraft 2 on this thing, but if I could kick back and casually play around on new maps and develop new strategies while sitting back on my couch with a Wii U controller in hand, then bring it on!