Super Smash Bros. for Wii U isn't bad, it just sits in the unenviable position where anything of consequence it has to offer is largely redundant with other game's offerings. The most obvious suspects to this are Smash Ultimate (clearly built on Wii U, and I would argue a general improvement in everything Wii U's going for) and Smash 3DS (developed in concert, to the point that what Wii U could do was limited by what Smash 3DS could do). Most things that set it apart from these are vestigial carry-overs from Brawl, themselves usually vestigial carry-overs from Melee. Melee's twice-left-overs aren't bad here, either, just lacking in a distinct identity.
Combing over everything, there are three main things Smash for Wii U has. The first of these is Smash Tour, which is unfortunately a justified meme for how unintuitive it is. Smash Bros. as a board game incorporating non-fighter characters is a fun idea, but the actual play experience feels like such anarchy, with so many uneven interruptions to what should be the core game loop, that it's actually pretty tricky to follow momentum at any given moment. In my experience, I'm usually just along for the ride. The second of these is Master Fortress, which basically reads to me as a tease for something along the lines of Subspace Emissary or Smash Run.
The other unique thing to Wii U is Special Orders. I actually quite like this. Master Orders are just basic challenge missions, and I feel this idea works better in Ultimate when they're in the context of Spirit Battles. But Crazy Orders is good! I love the risk-reward decision the player makes after every fight, having to decide if they want more rewards or if they wanna take the easy route and cash out. There isn't anything else like that in any of the Smash games, so it's neat to see that experimented with here.
From 2014 to 2018, I could understand Smash for Wii U being someone's favorite Smash game. I actually think it's the entry I spent the least time with myself, relative to how much content the game has to offer - but when it was cutting edge, it was good stuff. But I do think, at this point, I'd be hard-pressed to see someone running through the series new stop to call this one their favorite.
Combing over everything, there are three main things Smash for Wii U has. The first of these is Smash Tour, which is unfortunately a justified meme for how unintuitive it is. Smash Bros. as a board game incorporating non-fighter characters is a fun idea, but the actual play experience feels like such anarchy, with so many uneven interruptions to what should be the core game loop, that it's actually pretty tricky to follow momentum at any given moment. In my experience, I'm usually just along for the ride. The second of these is Master Fortress, which basically reads to me as a tease for something along the lines of Subspace Emissary or Smash Run.
The other unique thing to Wii U is Special Orders. I actually quite like this. Master Orders are just basic challenge missions, and I feel this idea works better in Ultimate when they're in the context of Spirit Battles. But Crazy Orders is good! I love the risk-reward decision the player makes after every fight, having to decide if they want more rewards or if they wanna take the easy route and cash out. There isn't anything else like that in any of the Smash games, so it's neat to see that experimented with here.
From 2014 to 2018, I could understand Smash for Wii U being someone's favorite Smash game. I actually think it's the entry I spent the least time with myself, relative to how much content the game has to offer - but when it was cutting edge, it was good stuff. But I do think, at this point, I'd be hard-pressed to see someone running through the series new stop to call this one their favorite.