I'm going to address the biggest problem I see with his argument, as everything else about this guy is pretty much covered.
He says the following are 'challenges for the player', I assume he means other options for the consumer:
Facebook: Can be integrated into gaming, as evidenced by steam. Wait you mean facebook GAMES? That's hilarious. Farmville won't replace console hits at any point now or ever in the future, try again.
Apple: Apple's coming out with phones, I fail to see how this is a threat to a home console. At all. It's not even a threat to the 3DS either, but that's a different story
Social: Yes, this definitely need some work. But again, Facebook can be integrated into gaming platforms, so can twitter, Youtube, and other social media so while this needs to be approached we don't know enough about the new console to criticize it on this front. Social isn't a rival, it's a feature that Nintendo hasn't fully adapted to yet
Cloud: Cloud's nice but has it's own issues.I'm not going to bother listing them, but if Nintendo added cloud gaming correctly I would be impressed. But again, this isn't a competitor, it's something you can integrate.
Multi-Gaming: What, like online multiplayer which this is confirmed to have a lot of focus on or MMO's which consoles never really dive into? The Market's adapting, Nintendo is too, and its console competitors haven't exactly adopted this either.

Brilliant, this is exactly how you start off this sort of approach: the customer's convenience comes first. When that isn't possible, make the customer in charge of how they handle their own convenience. Even though I still plan on buying retail,this was a good move.

A couple things I'm curious about though: have there been any announcements on the ability to install the game from the disc onto the hard drive for faster load times? Because I still want something tangible, but I don't want to go into a store and be given a piece of paper with a download code.

I'm not too impressed with Nicalis, it took them forever to release the first iteration of cave story and now they're spamming slightly different version of it all across the board, NightSky is all but dead for wiiware, and they were already taking forever on this.

Pretty terrible developer if you ask me.

I'd still buy retail because I like having something physical to show that I purchased a game, but this is a great idea nonetheless. I hope they have something where you can use the CD to install the game for faster loading times though.

I thought sales were hindered just because there were so many hit titles coming out at once, and after people were done playing new games they had either forgotten or gotten over the Zelda hype.

Personally I thought the game was pretty awesome, and the only main complaint I hear about it in person was "I don't like motion control"

This is how you do DLC, You develop the game so that it's compatible with it, but don't intend to make any until after the game is released so that the players can put in an opinion on what they want added or improved. Then you make it, fix any bugs that may have existed in-game, and ship out fair DLC.

Starting out right Nintendo

It's a fake publicity stunt/marketing ploy for easy cash (this crud should be illegal btw), Nintendo hasn't said anything about a new DK or Kirby and they would certainly not just let one slide out without saying anything.

The inclusion of Smash Bros. right next to it is just as ludicrous, for all we know Smash Bros. may only come to WiiU as the last I heard was that it wouldn't even be started until after Kid Icarus' release and therefore there's no ACTUAL details on the game other than "we want to make it".

Do I want them? Yes, but I would not only be wary to hand cash to game stores for games that have no proof of existence, but actually go out of my way to avoid giving them my business entirely just because they've lost credibility in my eyes. Without any official statements, this is just some silly gimmick for quick cash from unsuspecting gamers who may not know better.

The Swapnote Announcement was really cool.
Unfortunately I'll be fast asleep when this starts, hopefully it's one of those things that I can easily start at the beginning with when I wake up.

I think achievements are essential for a lot of games nowadays. It's just developers need to recognize where and when an achievement needs to be. I'd love a great "congrats, you beat the hardest boss in the game" award if not only to feel like it accomplished something more, but to actually show others that I was willing to spend that much time doing it. Which leads to how it needs to be implemented online just like high score games need to be updated with online leaderboards just to add more replay-ability. Achievements are a great addition and Nintendo should really consider supporting them a lot more.

They also need some way of showing which ones are harder to get, just to add even more reason to get them, which is one of my pet peeves about 360's and Steam's achievements. "Beat prologue" is not an accomplishment, nor should it be equivalent to "Beat secret end-game boss".

That being said, games that revolve around relaxing or some sort of simulation should not have achievements at all, it counters their purpose. So ultimately, the hardware should be able to support a system like it, but it should be up to the game developer as to whether or not they want to put it in.

I've never been able to use the service because I don't frequent Starbucks or McDonalds, which is a shame because while I'd like this content I'm not really willing to go in there just to do this. I've never really been fond of both their food and service.

Now if the coffee shop in my Target did it, that would be an entirely different story, at least then I could get stuff done while I download.

This is good.
If Nintendo hadn't pushed out plans for a new console last E3, Sony and Microsoft would've had no problem sticking with their consoles for at least another year, and they've been out for too long as it is.

That being said, I hope Sony and MS don't try and take Nintendo's motion innovations directly (again) and try and make their consoles some 'new' gimmick. Even so, if this turns out to be false I'm still very excited for what will be revealed this year on the Wii U's online functionality.

@Squiggle55 Exactly the point; nobody, and I sincerely mean NOBODY, is entitled to these games regardless of how high they're priced. They aren't required to buy them, and in fact not buying them because you can't afford it is exactly the case of living within your means. There IS no logical basis for pirating video games something BECAUSE it's merely an optional form of entertainment.

The whole "They have enough money as it is, one pirated sale wont affect it much" also doesn't have a valid basis, millions of dollars and tons of man hours are put into these things and just from galaxy 2 alone if everyone had paid at least $30 (not an unreasonable price in the slightest, though I think it may still go for at least $40 in some places) they lost over $35 Million in sales. Why? Because people think they're entitled to games they have no business playing if they disagree with the price.

Besides, there are solutions. You can in fact buy cheaper games on Nintendo consoles, buy or borrow used copies from stores or your friends, (or heaven forbid, WAIT until it naturally drops in price) or better yet there are free games out there if you REALLY need a fix and are in that much of a financial bind.

It really doesn't matter what way you look at it; pirating always boils down to people thinking entertainment is a right and not the privilege that it is and they don't want to pay for it.

This is why ridiculous legislation like SOPA and Protect IP come up, because some people just can't realize that if they don't have the money for something optional they should either save up or get over it.

Pirating is wrong no matter how you look at it, and if a game is overpriced then wait for it to go on sale or the price to lower. Often times price isn't even an issue, as I hear many cases of smaller $2.50 PC games get pirated a lot as well. It's just people feel entitled to not have to pay for their entertainment.

I'm not surprised about the lack of wiiware, Nintendo has a lot of restrictions on that and is supposedly a pain to work with. But they'd be missing out on a ton of sales if they didn't release it on the eshop, especially since Sonic has had a tendency to sell better on Nintendo Consoles. Hopefully the Wii U sees it when that gets released as well

It's true, especially if you factor in being a PC gamer and other HD consoles. There have been WAAAAAY too many good games out in the past couple months (something I never thought I would say), what with Skyrim, the new Zelda, battlefield 3 and CoD (I don't like them but they're certainly up there for many), 2 Mario Games, Rayman, Saints Row, and many others, developers are probably regretting releasing around now.

Usually I have a plan of attack for what games I should buy or wait for the holidays, but I don't have the cash or enough relatives to get all these games, nor the free time to play them.

Not Surprised.

why would you do the same game you made four years ago Sega?
The fans fell for the Mario and Sonic nonsense then, the audience certainly isn't going to want to buy a half-hearted sports game twice regardless of who re-occurs on the cover.

No.

A Mario or Zelda game that would fit on a mobile would be very disappointing to say the least. Nintendo uses their own systems because they have ideas that would only uniquely be experienced on their own consoles, that and they have already established they wont ditch buttons anytime soon (good thing). Going mobile would go against a lot of their innovative ideas, it'll never happen.

Reminds me of that Indie Game Fez that they announced over a year ago. It's pretty neat idea though

Please say this doesn't mean Origin, it's a cheap ripoff of Steam and this sort of competition does not bode well for Consumers.

On top of that, Steam is much more popular and linking that would drastically help WiiU way better than Origin.

I feel like they could be sued for this, simply because regardless of how crazy PETA is, they do have followers who might have been in control of people who wanted to buy the game but didn't because of it.

Would it be a good case? Probably not, but hopefully it would make them tone down their ridiculous actions a bit.

On top of that, this is clearly an attempt to cover themselves to prevent such a thing from happening, so that's about all there is to say.

What would've made for a successful launch would've been a few 1st-party games that used all of the 3DS's features. They really need to realize that 3D doesn't add much to gaming other than "Ohey, that looked cool". If they had delayed Pokemon Black and White a few months and released it as a 3DS title, bragging about online functionality and streetpass features as more important than the 3D functions, sales would increased HEAVILY. I know about 3 people who would've bought a 3DS just for that.

And now with the talk of the circle pad addition I'm unsure about my own 3DS purchase; should I have waited until a new shinier version came out that would have all the features? Really there were a lot of things that happened shortly after release that would bring uncertainty to purchase.

Oh, and DLC is MUST these days, so long as they aren't intentionally leaving things out of the final product and then making you pay for more later (half the games for 360) and are actually updates to the games that needed it (Valve frequently fixing bugs and adding features to sustain last-ability in their games).

As a greedy gamer I say yes.
As someone who wants to see nintendo succeed, I'd say only if they're showcasing a feature, as people will buy less if the free games are common and actually better than a LOT of the other games out there.

IMO, remakes shouldn't happen if they're just graphical updates. Remakes should be the opportunity to take what you wanted to do but couldn't finish last time due to time or technical constraints. If there wasn't that much that fits that bill, then add more stuff. I know SM64DS wasn't exactly a remake, but it added 30 stars, 3 more characters, unique minigames, and a local multiplayer that I really had fun with. Does it have to be that drastic of a change? No, but that was a very decent amount of content along with a bit of a graphical update. I'm not going to lie, OoT3D was just OoT + 3D, and if you were up to it a hard mode. That's it. Most games do that anyway, why not add some new dungeons or post-game nonsense? If they do that again for Majora's Mask or other big titles like Kirby 64, Pokemon Snap, or even Waverace 64 without adding more than 3D + difficulty if you want then I'm not going to pay for it.

@Aqueous it shouldn't have taken another 6 months, it should've been worked on at the same time by another team devoted specifically to the task, and if it was delayed at all it should've only been a week. And when command came out, I had loads of fun with the online, lag and cheaters weren't even a problem on my end. And yes, online games die after a while, it's unavoidable and this one would've too; it's just how things work. My point with command is they've done it before with a game that didn't really brag about its multiplayer, and yet it worked incredibly well for it.

Those are rather poor excuses, star fox command did online just fine at the same price as every other DS game. And if time was really an issue, why not put more people in the development team devoted to putting online mode in? I'm pretty sure graphics programming and online programming can be handled by two separate teams at the same time (if making an already existing multiplayer mode online would really take that much time)

That and they were bragging about multiplayer aspects that don't mean anything if the person you're playing with is right there. And even ignoring all this, a high score chart among people on your friends list and streetpass is really something that should have had time made for it, it IS one of the 3DS's selling points.

It's a fun game, but if it's meant to showcase the 3DS's appeal and many capabilities, it did a very poor job of it outside of 3D and gyro controls.

They aren't going to stop making the 3DS because some guy thinks he can sue them and get away with winnings that drastic, especially with a company that has done almost nothing with the technology Nintendo's supposedly stealing. Nintendo and other companies have put way too much into the consoles for it to be yanked out, they're either going to win this case or come to a settlement that involves them not taking the product off the shelf.

Wii U + Steam integration = Happy C7.

I want to see that happen

Sony Representatives really just need to learn when to shut, especially when they have a tendency to copy an idea a few years later themselves. "Welcome to 2006"? Really? How bout in ten years when you finally come up with something bold and original that isn't just a rip-off of something that's previously done, Nintendo say's "Welcome to 1985, when ROB, one of our greatest examples of Innovations that sparked the gaming market, was created. Congratulations on finally adding innovations to the market."

They wouldn't do that. Why? Because Nintendo actually respects their competition rather then bagging it mindlessly and then doing the same years later and calling it brand new.

I prolly sound like a huge fanboy don't I? =p

Everyone remember when Wii was a dumb name? Right after it was first announced you say?

Imagine that.

Besides, Move and Kinect are "upgrades" to the existing consoles, just like the Balance Board and motion + accessories were. Wii U is an entirely new console altogether, if anyone's missing the point of a console release it's him.

Not gonna happen.
That's like saying phones are gonna die out because everyone has a laptop with a mic. The phone is still more convenient to talk to people with, and Consoles are still more convenient than a computer to make unique games.

When Peppy says "Use the boost to get through" I'd rather not need to flail my arms forward to do so.
I hope they give an option for button control, after all the Fox isn't controlling the Arwing by shoving a box forward, he's pushing buttons and pulling levers.

But I can't complain if they do it right.

I always wanted my tv to look like a peacock.

And now it can.

They need to stop comparing meaningless phone apps to actual game experiences; Angry Birds is something you play on the bus or in an office meeting, 3DS games are something you play BECAUSE you want to have a lot of fun and actually get engrossed and entertained by it. Angry birds a distraction, not a source of lasting entertainment.
Fact of the matter is Retail games will never die to things like angry birds, and this guy should be slapped in the face for comparing the two

If I had known this I wouldn't have spent all my coins on the G&W DS game they had up. Or the posters. Or the Cards.
...

This is really expensive

I'm sure the 3ds price has something to do with it, being over $250. People need to save up longer for that. plus it's immediately after the holidays.

I find achievements more of a way to compete with friends than motivation to do specific things in the game. I enjoy a reward when I know I do something amazing, and that way my friends can look at that and actually wonder how I did it.
And their point on losing exploration value is lost when you can hide achievements, or when you bring into account players who only play until the final boss and never play again. Adding some sort of reward would motivate these players to continue looking for secrets they would otherwise not know even existed.
And as for being different, it wouldn't be difficult to make an award system that didn't look exactly like achievements, so that's also a poor point. Really this was either a poor decision or they couldn't implement a way to do it and didn't want to say so, at least in my opinion.

That being said I'm still looking forward to it. A lack of in game rewards hasn't kept me from enjoying a game yet.

Koopa the Quick aint got nothin on him

/hopeful someone gets it

It probably had to do with the fact that this focused on long-time metroid players with plot than it did the normal wii audience. When I look at this game all I see is something that filled in gaps in the plot, even with it's gameplay being as good as it was.

whoawhoawhoa

450 coins EACH?

That's a bit too steep imo

I'm going to wait for a review til I buy anything, and even then it'll have to be a real good rating. $15 is still way to steep for anything less than a full game, let alone a fraction of one

If I suddenly won the lottery I would buy this.
But that's about the only way I'm getting this.

I can see this total adding up with the other episodes that will probably happen going up to 6000 points, or $60, which is the recent price of big release new games. The difference is you can wait a month or two with those and the prices will go down, these will stay for a considerable time longer, if not forever.

I refuse to buy this game unless the majority of the reviews say "It's well worth the money" and even then only after all the episodes have been released

I read a creator referencing an apparently important series staple, but all I saw was:
"Wouldn't be a Sonic game without shoving too many un-needed characters in to make a secondary gameplay-mechanic/ rediculous plot"

Don't do it.

And third parties ask why their games sell badly...

Haven't we seen most of this in E3 demo gameplay though? Really the only new thing in this is the music, which isn't too bad. I'd like to see some of the other power-ups we haven't though, I think we grasp the concept of drilling through dirt and using the lazer to bounce off things and turn really sharply.
@ the comments involving music, Sega hasn't really been known for going too far with it, from what I've played it gets really repetitive, especially in their spin-offs where all they do is re-use old music with a menu theme thrown in.

I'd rather look forward to this than 5 episodic-games that will probably take their sweet time to become available.

Regardless, I hope they fixed the problems with the Day Stages in unleashed, and that the challenges (if any bonus ones) don't involve taking the old course and randomly placing spike traps everywhere.

I guess I can say I'm potentially looking forward to this

While this is awesome, I was kinda lookin forward to this being on itunes, not because I like itunes or anything, but I have a crap-ton of point cards for it from gifts.

I need to go buy this though anyway.

March 13th or 14th for $179

only cuz I dun wanna pay $200 for it, but in all likelihood that'll prolly be the case.

@ Bass X0
I'm not saying that this whole episode-based gameplay doesn't have it's place, TellTale games has a tendency to release them rather well being as they're presented in a storybook like fashion, it fits. While I myself haven't played these games I've heard that they're fairly good.
What I'm saying is that games such as this and other platformers shouldn't be split up because they can.

Take sonic 4 for example, it's been confirmed to be split into episodes when it's main focus is to mimic gameplay and most likely length of the other Sonic the Hedgehog games available for almost half the price of ONE episode. That's when I stopped caring about the game.

As for price, yeah it'd be a bit more expensive, I'm not saying that it would be all their prices added up though. I think that if developers added up these 5 episodes and put them all in one they'd figure out for themselves that these games are in fact not worth $50. Take Lostwinds for example, I loved the games and my only complaint was that they were way too short, both episodes together (in my mind anyway) should only cost $12.

But I'm done ranting in this post, you seem to have gotten me on this whole price shenanigan here.