The Wii U may be floundering when compared with its competition, but that doesn't mean Nintendo's latest system is devoid of worthwhile software. 2015 proved to be a stronger-than-usual year for the Wii U, with Super Mario Maker taking the top spot.
To be fair, Nintendo's build-your-own-levels toolkit isn't quite on the same scale as The Legend of Zelda or traditional Super Mario games, but it served as a welcome change of pace from the system's typically sparse release schedule.
Granted, the secret to Super Mario Maker's success wasn't just a lack of competition: whereas most games are busy trying to get gamers to play in an extremely specific manner, Super Mario Maker constantly rewards true creativity. True, there are plenty of auto-scrolling and ridiculously difficult levels tucked away in the game's online library, but there are more than enough genuinely fantastic levels to play through as well.
Now, you can use that same level of creativity and inspiration on your desktop wallpaper. That's right: Nintendo has just released a Super Mario Maker wallpaper generator.
Obviously, the wallpaper creator isn't quite as complicated as Super Mario Maker itself: it's mostly a drag-and-drop affair, as individual pieces can't be shaken and manipulated like those in the main game. Mushrooms can still be added to enemies and Mario himself to power them up, and pipes can be squashed and stretched ... but that's about it.
Even so, it's fun to play around with the different sprites. The ability to switch between the game's four different visual styles is a great touch (though the New Super Mario Bros. skin looks a bit off), and smaller touches like drop shadows make the wallpapers look like they came right out of the actual game. The only real drawback is that Nintendo has yet to release an English version of the website: everything is still being handled through the publisher's Japanese portal. It's easy enough to navigate — mostly thanks to the numerous pictures — but expect to go through some trial-and-error on your first time through.
If you want to take a crack at making your own Super Mario wallpaper, head over to Nintendo's official site — who knows, maybe it'll be good practice for the full game!
