8 DX's roster is less than stellar, but it makes up so much ground with all its options that it makes Wii's roster look kind of boring, honestly. Wii might have more iconic characters, but 8 DX has more variety. And even beyond the fan-favorites Wii DOESN'T have, like Shy Guy and Metal Mario, 8 did the impossible and finally made the Koopalings playable! (Who offer 7 more character's worth of gameplay variety even if they come as a package deal)

I do very much miss Diddy and Birdo (and 5 babies + PGP sucks), but 8 DX has so many other cool options to choose from that it really doesn't hurt that bad. Plus, the DLC characters literally only add to the roster because they weren't base-game in the first place. If you don't like Link or Inkling, you didn't have to buy them! (But you got them for free in 8 DX, so why complain?)