@LzQuacker It sounds to me like you have more of a personal problem with Let's Players. Your argument deteriorated to 'they simply don't need it.' That is an opinion that I don't agree with. I believe that any kind of publicity is good publicity, no matter how big or small.

Secondly, the reason why many of the bigger youtubers are upset is because this ad revenue claim discourages them to invest time in the creation of a video when they could play something non-nintendo and make adsense money. Sure, smaller youtubers can make videos without feeling the hurt because they never had the audience to generate profit in the first place. As a result the likelihood of a great Nintendo product reaching the eyes and ears of a wider audience is decreased. You'd be a fool to believe that Let's Plays have no profound impact on sales.

Face it, the decision makes them look desperate. Let's plays are a much stronger form of advertisement that costs them nothing to make outside of developing the game.

Does Nintendo need let's players? Maybe?
Does this hurt Nintendo? Probably.
Are youtubers making a big deal? Probably.

@DrVollKornBrot It looks boring because at its core it's still the same turn based RPG. I'll admit that I'm a bit disappointed with the shallow character customization (compare to Battle Revolution 2007.) I'll probably end up buying this game regardless.

@19Robb92 I can't believe I didn't realize that Retro was a subsidiary of Nintendo. Either way, I can't imagine Retro making another Mario game after the large amount of Mario games we've seen in recent months. The only time Capcom got together with Nintendo to 'officially' work on a Zelda title was for Minish Cap & Four Swords which was around 2004. Does anybody know if they got together for another project since?

There is absolutely no way Nintendo would let a 3rd party developer touch The Legend of Zelda or Super Mario Bros. Those are the only two remaining IP's that are still developed first party. Almost all of Nintendo's IP's have been thrown out to 3rd party developers. I'm willing to bet that it is Star Fox U. It's been far too long and Star Fox U would act as a great introduction to the use of the game pad for newcomers.

@THIZZLERS209 There is no Star Fox Wii.

I'll gladly take #4 any day.

@SwissChris There is most certainly a need to buy this game. Sega All Stars is a great game but it lacks the same level of polish that Mario Kart games have. It would be foolish to turn down a racing game that is, without a doubt, going to have a huge online community.

I'll admit that I'm a little disappointed that there pulling away from the stage show. Watching the Nintendo conference became something more than just business; it was like a holiday, a treat that I looked forward to every year. Sure the NintendoDirect will take its place, but it won't be the same as the stage show and the magic that came with it.

I will reserve all judgement of this strategy until I see how it plays out. This may very well be a more effective course of action.

I'll admit that I'm a little disappointed that there pulling away from the stage show. Watching the Nintendo conference became something more than just business; it was like a holiday, a treat that I looked forward to every year.

I will reserve all judgement of this strategy until I see how it plays out. This may very well be a more effective course of action.

This makes me a little worried. Could the quality of Mario Kart U be jeopardized as a result of being released so soon? It's definitely a system seller, but it will come at a cost.

This isn't a surprise. Anybody who thinks otherwise needs to learn more about the industry in general. Nintendo and its subsidiaries have a ton of projects to work on all while concerning themselves with their future prospects. As the demand for quality games becomes higher, the greater the demand for resources and time to develop them will become.

Let's hope that the development of Mario Kart Wii U doesn't get jeopardized for the sake of bolstering the Wii U's lineup sooner rather than later. Mario Kart 3DS's potential suffered for the sake of boosting the handhelds sales.

Coming home from high school and playing Animal Crossing on the GameCube in 2004 created some of the best memories ever. Wild World and City Folk didn't hold my attention for too long, unfortunately. Now we are here in 2013 and I am prepared to invest time I don't have into this lovely series.

@DarkKirby Exactly. Let's just hope some innovation finds its way into the series so that it may be a worthwhile experience.

@DarkKirby Exactly. At its core the game is going to be the exact same with 3D and some possible stat balances (I hope.) I'd like to see GameFreak try something different aside from the turn based RPG engine.

This raises some red flags. The guys at GameFreak had to reach as far back as Gen 1 and mess with Mewtwo just to make something new? It makes me wonder what other bold changes they've made. At some point they have to realize that 'more' Pokemon can be a bad thing since many of them never get used for various reasons. Take a moment to think about that.

Wake up GameFreak. Pokemon needs to 'evolve' in more ways than just one. Here is an idea, make it an action RPG and reboot the series starting from Red and Blue versions and release it on the 3DS/Wii U. Profit. Point is, Pokemon needs to break new ground like the Mario series did with Mario Galaxy. I'm pleased that X&Y are in 3D, but I'm afraid it won't be enough to win me over if there aren't major stat balances made.

So seeing a remastered Chip N' Dale isn't just a pipe dream after all. I'm quite fond of the co-operative play.

These are some weird times. Again, the Nintendo presentation at E3 2013 is going to have have a major influence on hardware and software sales. The unfortunate reality is that the market is shrinking and there is no way of telling what the outcome will be for any major developer.

An easy solution to making the NSMB series more enjoyable would be to:
1.) Change the god awful soundtrack. Music is key to provoking emotion and engrossing the player into the experience.
2.) Expand the character selection and give them unique abilities/attributes much like Mario Bros. 2. Make Peach, Toad, Luigi, Mario and maybe even Wario playable and suddenly you've got yourself an entirely different game with a different storyline.

I'm curious if GameFreak will make a bold move similar to the jump from G/S to R/S/E in terms of the reallocation of stats, typing, abilities and moves. This series is in dire need of balancing to make the older Pokemon relevant again. Why not? The game is getting a 3D makeover, so why not give the entire game a complete overhaul?

Ubisoft's lack of faith is somewhat understandable. However, the decision make it multiplatform is premature. I guarantee you that Ubisoft along with everybody else who is skeptical will change their mind after Nintendo's presentation at E3 2013. The massive amounts of unnecessary hysteria is obnoxious. E3 couldn't come any sooner.

I thought it was a bit strange that Sega worked extremely hard to give Sonic a new image along with an entirely new direction with the Sonic Adventure series just to ditch the concept after two and a half games (counting Sonic Heroes.) If it is indeed an Adventure game, let's hope it stays true to its style by keeping a similar engine and soundtrack. Fumie Kumitani and Jun Senoue (Crush 40) definitely played a major role in making a compelling atmosphere for the series.

Oh, and I wonder if James is feeling the hype?

As I've said before, It's going to be an amazing E3 this year. Once some big Wii U announcements are made and more of the great 2013 3DS titles are released, all of the doom and gloom talk will cease. It's safe to say that Nintendo made a big mistake launching both the 3DS and the Wii U prematurely without having a strong enough lineup of system sellers within a reasonable launch window. Shouldn't they have known that developing HD games takes a lot more time, money and resources? Nevertheless it's good news to hear that they've made the necessary adjustments to streamline their development. While that may come at a cost, there is the promise of big Wii U titles on the horizon. I may be dusting off my Wii U and 3DS much sooner than I expected.

I believe Majora's Mask deserves to be a fully remastered Wii U title. The HD remake of Wind Waker is a great example of a step in the right direction.

It's not all gloom and doom. We've got a solid lineup of releases coming out this year and a very exciting E3. Things will turn around.

First I'd like to point out that this is an extremely well written article and an excellent read.

I believe used game sales truely are the last hope for brick and mortar businesses. Game Dude, my local independent video game store has the largest collection of used video games I've ever seen in my entire life; which seems to be doing quite well. It is extremely convenient to take a roughly twelve minute drive down the road to pick up a used copy of a game released over a decade ago and have it tested in store to show it works. I stopped buying used games online after receiving a bad copy of Starfox Assault and Mario Kart Double Dash.

@LordJumpMad That's because it is. The more I learn about this game the more obvious it becomes.

@belmont Pokemon Colosseum looks far more superior and that was released March of 2004. I guess GameFreak didn't want to be over ambitious for time and financial reasons. We would've had to wait longer for this game if they decided to develop the games aesthetics on the same level of colosseum or battle revolution. On a marketing level, the decision to make X&Y look low quality leaves Nintendo and GameFreak with an excuse to make a HD console based battling game for the Wii U. It's all gimmicks.

I'm torn. One side of me is happy that GameFreak finally listened to us fans and ditched the sprites. The other side of me is disappointed that the engine appears to be exactly the same. I was hoping for Pokemon to evolve at its core to give us a fresh and unpredictable experience. Perhaps it may be too early to judge but by the looks of it, it appears to be just another Pokemon game with a 3D makeover. It's up to GameFreak to prove me wrong.

@Voicesoffcamera
Exactly. Pokemon evolved after the original gold and silver versions when they introduced the GBA versions, Ruby and Sapphire. It's about time they do it again, a decade later. I'm hoping for the obvious: Fully orchestrated OST, 3D models, balancing of stats and a new game play mechanic (or engine) that gives the series some novelty. I have faith GameFreak will break away from the predictable cookie cutter story of a trainer who embarks on a journey, meddles in an evil corporations plan and becomes Pokemon Leauge Champion.

I'm ready for another trip down nostalgia lane.

Zelda. <3

"The plane system eliminates this problem entirely by restricting the action."
I don't like restrictions. Plus I didn't really see a need to fix something that wasn't really broken to begin with. It's not like all beat em' up games were frustrating to the point of being unplayable and throw away because of that miniascule issue. If anything, the 3D feature would have inadvertenly corrected the problem and made it easier similar to how 3D made Starfox easier to target enemies. Over all, I believe most games these days aren't giving the player enough credit by holding the players hand a bit too much and take the difficulty out of everything.

"Also, I don't know about you, but when I play with others, we skip the story."
So instead of giving the players the option to choose that mode to watch the story or skip it, they chose not to include it at all due to the possibility of having the story overlooked? Bummer. I would've liked a continuous flow of stages to progress through rather than being forced to select a single mission from the mission mode, play for 10 mins then have to revisit the mission select again. It's extremely intrusive and its a chore. It also doesn't help that at the end of each mission, the 3DS's take a lengthy amount of time to communicate with eachother before allowing you and your friends to gear up and proceed with the next mission.

Thank you for engaging in this discussion with me, Jon. This is what makes Nintendo Life the best.

@Jon Then in that case, they should've just used battle mechanics similar to that of ToS and Brawl's subspace emissary instead of trying to correct a miniscule flaw. I believe the purpose of Co-Op Story mode would enable all of the participants to enjoy the story together.

9? Err... I bought this game day 1 along with three friends and we were disappointed with it's lacklustre multiplayer features. The most notable beat em' up games allow all of the players to progress through the story mode together like TMNT: Turtles in time or Scott Pilgrim. Not this game. You'll find that out of the box you and your friends are limited to a single character and a single mission which means that in order to find more enjoyment in the multiplayer feature, you or the host must clear the story mode first which is different from traditional beat em' ups. There is also another issue I have with this game, the frame rate. As soon as a second player joins in, the frame rate drops dramaticly and it only gets worse if you get more friends to join. COP also introduces a new frustrating mechanic. If you've played Guilty Gear Isuka, you will likely be familiar with the mechanic which allows you to switch between different foreground and background planes for the players to fight on. The same mechanic can be found in this game which seems to be unnecessary and vitiate the pace of the game. If you can get passed the disappointing multiplayer, clunky plane mechanic and the occasional drop of frame rate in the single player mode, this game will be right up your alley.

Unfortunately for COP, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is not only more fast paced but executes these RPG-esque elements far more effectively and manages to stay true to the traditional beat em' up genre. I give it a 7/10.

When I close my eyes and listen to this, I imagine a fully 3D Pokemon adventure. This will make a nice addition to the Pokemon anime OST collection.

I've got nothing.

I wonder if they will ever consider rebooting the Pokemon series in 3D?

I'll pass on this one. Maybe Nintendo will reveal a 3DS title next E3. Here's to hoping for something that is a bit easier on the eyes. Cheers!

Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles.

As a competitive player, I can say that this has its pros and cons. I mean, as long as there are hackers and hacked pokemon in circulation (GTS) none of it will really matter.

I believe that battling weaker Pokemon in the end game wasn't really much of an issue in terms of obtaining EV's. B&W made a change so that you obtain the effort value immediately after the battle, not after leveling up. Also, I really enjoyed using the link features with friends to get EXP boosts from missions to stack it with the Lucky Egg to make leveling up easier. Simply put, adding that special place or cave where the player can battle Pokemon of equal level renders those features nearly useless depending on how you look at it. So why bother including them in the game? Throw the Lucky Egg and EXP boost way, you won't be needing them anymore.

@Geonjaha
You are absolutely correct. Most Pokes are outclassed by others that do the same exact job but do it better. Most of the time the obsolete Pokes aren't rewarded with a new special ability or additions to their movepool to give them a fighting chance. GameFreak just keeps haphazardly adding new Pokemon and inadvertently raises the bar higher for the competitive scene without making the necessary adjustments to keep the older Pokemon relevant.

Meh. Take your time Nintendo. I'm sure it will be worth the wait.

GameStop midnight release baby.

Excited. So very excited.

Sounds 'dreamy.'

Next thing you know they will start doing countdowns for franchise cancellations.

A week of Garfield (NES). Sometimes a game is so bad that it is good, but in a bad way. We will also test our Hauppauge HD PVR on Kirby's Return to Dream Land in preparation for our 'Co-Op gaming reviews' series.

Conkers BFD and Starfox Adventures are gems. I'll never sell those games.

@shinpichu I never said they all were. I'd like to recommend that everybody not fly off the hinges and make assumptions about my taste just because I don't share the same opinion. I'm merely pointing out that the number of Pokemon with underwhelming design is becoming significantly higher with each release of a new gen that introduces new mons, particularly Gen V. Its just an observation. Pardon me if my opinion rubs you the wrong way.

FYI, I took off my nostalgia glasses long ago.

It appears that GameFreak and Ken Sugimori lost inspiration and run out of ideas. That thing is absolutely atrocious. Perhaps its time for GameFreak to hire on some new talent or reassess the time frame in which they expect Ken to come up with new monsters and present them. Overall, generation V had some weak designs in comparison to previous generations.