I agree with Allegro that the sailing in the original version was part of the experience and I enjoyed it. Although I understand how it annoyed some people. I like drawing maps on graph paper and writing down passwords in various formats while playing NES games so take this as you will.

I also think it's pretty funny how Nintendo responded to criticisms of the Wind Waker cartoon look at the time by saying it wouldn't need high HD upgrades to look good in the future... and then they made a HD upgrade. So what's up guys? Should have gone with the 2000 demo in the first place. Nobody ever complained about Link looking like an adult in the 80s cartoons/ comics/ manuals... so why make him a little kid...?

You kids will never know what it was like sailing the Great Sea at normal speed back in early 2003!  

I vote both, but prefer the GC version. I have both and yes the Wii U version has updates, but there is nothing quite like experiencing a game the way it was originally made. The controls to me feel smoother on the GC controller, and the original graphics over the HD make it feel more like OoT and MM. In the long run, you will beat the Wii U version faster and it will look prettier, but you will never have that breath taking "windwaker" experience for the GC. If you play the GC one first then the Wii U one you get that feeling twice.

There is zero reason to play the Gamecube version at this point if you have access to the Wii U version. And I've seen zero valid reasons from people who've picked Gamecube so far.

LMAO I have been playing this game daily on the Wii U for about a week and a half. It's fun as hell! I 100% recommend the Wii U version, specifically with the comfy Pro Controller. It's a blast really, the Quick Sail feature along should sway you, plus it's a lot nicer looking. The sailing/treasure hunting gets a little tedious but nearly all of that is optional. I'm towards the end and am eagerly going to complete it this week, and will start Twilight Princess HD immediately following (to complete before BotW!).

I'm going to recommend the Wii U version, but I consider it a closer call than others here would say.

As you can see, there's a few die hards who insist the original look is superior, and they aren't necessarily wrong. Frankly, they didn't just improve the graphics in the Wii U version, they completely changed the look of the game. Whether you prefer the old or the new look comes down to personal taste. The original looks like a 2D drawing, like a cartoon. That game is the ultimate perfection of the cel shading style, and the original intended look of the game. When they updated the graphics, it stopped looking like a hand drawn cartoon. Now it looks like the world and everyone in it are beautiful porcelain dolls. I mean, they really do, to my eyes. They now have very clear "depth" to them that they didn't before. For my taste, I would have loved an option to select between the old lighting and the new, but as it stands, you'll have to look at some videos and decide for yourself. One thing that's unarguably better though is the resolution. It's hard to look at the original after seeing the new and not pine for a higher running resolution of the old lightning (which emulators can give you at least).

The sailing was "improved". I'm okay with the speed, and I'm okay with speeding up the change in wind direction, but having wind direction not matter at all? It just doesn't quite "feel" the same when you don't get the feeling that you're actually following the wind or that it even matters. I don't know... maybe if the new sail let you pick wind direction and "quick played" the music to change it instead of manually playing the song every time, it would have been a good compromise? They took out the entire Tingle Tuner mini-game. I mean, it wasn't much, don't get me wrong, but I never like when game content is out and out removed. I certainly wouldn't base my decision on THAT, but it's worth mentioning. The Tingle Bottle is a great use of Dark Souls style messaging, implemented in a way that fits the island theme of the game. My first message was to beg someone to save me from the belly of a whale. King's Quest fans should get that joke. Miiverse is a great thing, and I was very disappointed to hear it won't be coming to Switch.

All things considered though, I think the HD version wins out in the end. While the implementation of some of the upgrades leaves some things to be desired and one game mode was removed, overall they did fix some of the bigger complaints about the original and provided a lovely graphical upgrade/alternate look. If nothing else, you can always consider getting both versions.

I like 'em both. Yeah the Wii U one has the HD visuals and a few new things changed in it, but if you're gonna play it for the gameplay and story, you can't go wrong with either of them.

And hey, even though the GC game is slightly more than the Wii U one, a Gamecube itself costs a hellavuh lot less. So if money's a concern, get the GC one.

Wii u