U, for instance, the map screen will show selected messages other users have left after playing specific levels. These Miiverse messages can also be integrated into the games themselves. It has also been interesting to use the message counts as a rough gauge of the popularity of various games: Thousands more people are talking about ZombiU than the Wii U version of Ninja Gaiden 3, for instance. So far, reading through these threads has felt like a more-focused, more-polite, much-less-cynical version of an average gaming message board. You can even show your approval for specific notes with a “Yeah!” that acts like Facebook's Like function. There's a system in place to flag inappropriate content, or to note content that contains spoilers (which will then have to be actively expanded to view). There are huge content threads devoted to each game and app on the system, where people can post typed messages or hand-drawn notes. Miiverse is probably best described as a simplified cross between Facebook and a massive, Nintendo-focused message board. Hopefully this is only a one-off issue and other games will let players send friends the kind of direct match invites that gamers are used to on other gaming services. Only if both players enter the same match code in the online menu at the same time will they be set up against each other. The only way to do this is to come up with an arbitrary “match code” and share it with your friend by some other means. Setting up a match with a specific person is another matter. Playing with strangers over the Wii U was a pretty smooth experience: the game recognized my Nintendo Network ID immediately and placed me in a relatively lag-free friendly match after just a few seconds of matchmaking. Multiplayer mishapsThe only Wii U game I have access to that supports actual online multiplayer, rather than the Miiverse messaging functions mentioned above, is Tekken Tag Tournament 2. You can easily add any interesting-looking Miis you find to your local Mii Maker, or click through a specific message to find out more about your fellow players in Miiverse. Nintendo’s filtering police seem to be doing a good job on that score). I encountered a lot of fan art and a lot of overzealous praise for each game, but also a few messages that were surprisingly negative about Nintendo's launch software (though not obscene. Still, it’s nice feeling like part of a community of Wii U players, and I had a great time clicking around the various Miis and seeing what they had to say about each game. I can’t help but feel that Nintendo is using its plaza not just for expanded social networking, but also as a form of ad space for retail games. At first, this screen (known officially as WaraWara Plaza) was filled with preloaded robots from Nintendo talking excitedly about features like “System Settings.” By the next day, though, my plaza filled up with real people gathering around icons for games I owned and a few I didn’t. Once you’re connected to the Nintendo Network, your Wii U home screen will fill up with Miis from around the world, gathering around large icons representing games and apps they’ve played. You can protect your ID with a password that’s required each time you use it, or set it up to log you in automatically every time you turn on the system. Signing up for an ID takes a few minutes and requires some very basic personal information (like an e-mail address). The Wii U represents Nintendo’s biggest push into the online space yet, and part of that push is replacing the inconvenient, frustrating, and game-specific Wii Friend Codes with a unified online infrastructure called the Nintendo Network ID. We spent a little over an hour downloading that update and a few more days tinkering with the new features it unlocked, so we can now report on how the Wii U handles some important functions aside from playing games. When we reviewed the Wii U earlier this week, we were forced to give it an “Incomplete” verdict, as we were waiting on a day-one system update that would unlock a large number of the system’s promised features.
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