@Ambassador_Kong - "Nintendo is being punished by the devs"

This occurred to me a few days regarding EA and it's partnership w/ MS and EA saying they were doing away w/ Online Pass codes.

http://www.pushsquare.com/news/2013/05/youll_no_longer_have_to_deal_with_eas_annoying_online_pass_codes

MS is going to be all about paying more and more, EA wants in, Sony will follow suit, EA leaves Nintendo for not playing along.

The other problem for Nintendo. To quote Steelers Wheel - "Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right, Here I am, stuck in the middle with you."
"Gen" semantics nonsense aside, the WiiU is looking to me like the developers are treating it as ahead of PS3/Xbox360 but below PS4/X1, so not spending the energy and resources to develop for an in-between system.

My hope is this will be remedied by MS taking itself out of the home console market and into the all-in-One STB market as the email they sent me says, so devs will start making games for the WiiU.

It's never a bad time for photos of cute japanese girls.

So 1 (or 2 depending on your veiwpoint of X+Y) game is getting its own 90 minute conference? Not too shabby.

This doesnt look like any PS1 game I ever played. It does look like 2 Wii games - Pokepark 1 and 2.

@Ron_DelVillano @Stix_Remix - Agree on both counts. ROYGBIV is underutilized in games, and the Rayman look speaks of evil.

And for those who follow Sony, these look similar to the playable characters in Awesomenauts. If I weren't on my tab Ild link to the awesome trailer.

Speaking of idiotic comments, any follow-up on that EA twitter guy? You know the one. I kept waiting for EA to say they had been hacked, or an apology, but it never happened.

For those who want to know why NL is covering MS - it's a main competitor in the US market (not so much in Japan I hear). The WiiU will sell this holiday in a direct inverse proportion to the PS4 and X1 so the more bad news for X1 the better.

Also more directly affecting WiiU gamers - MS seems to be clamping down on piracy via running roughshod over it's consumers, and EA is changing it's online pass system on the PS3/4. SO, part of the EA vs. Nintendo issue may be Nintendo's not wanting EA online passes on it's system. No online pass, no EA games on WiiU or 3DS. Just a hunch, E3 should shed some more light on this w/ the EA presentation.

Thanks for translating all the time info. Late breakfast on the 11th

Don't forget Yoshi's Yarn Planet. Kids need games too.
And WiiFitU or some random dance/zumba game. Moms need games too.
And Wii Music U.

And for those asking for a 3DS specific ND - what OverturePT just wrote.

Should easily be the highlight of E3.

Good to see the 2 different types of special promos - BTGO on Kirby and the Denpa Men discount - in the same week.

I know Nintendo has gotten better about this lately but having owned a Wii for 6 years the discounts were very few and far between. Considering Nintendo owns most of those VC titles they've had ample opportunity to offer packaged discounts. And really, $8 for those Kirby games, how old are they now? Kirby golf should be free to begin with.

But still, going forward, I see many more 3DS and WiiU purchases than we had on Wii, and we had more than a few of those.

Not as tasteless as that headless butchered woman for a PS3/XBOX360 game. This is the reason parents buy their kids Nintendo systems.

http://www.pushsquare.com/news/2013/01/dead_island_riptides_busty_collectors_edition_is_hideous

I think those WiiU #s will look really good if/when the Xbox One releases in Japan. Though I don't know why they would even bother. Do they have fantasy sports leagues in Japan?

I've had a Wii since launch that's gotten a lot of usage and hasn't had any problems since I turned off "always-on" to prevent overheating so I don't see how a 5 month old system should need a lens cleaner.

Though we don't have any smokers in our house so I suppose a smoke filled room could be an issue.

Thanks for the article, only 20 hours after my forum thread

http://www.nintendolife.com/forums/wii-u/wiiu_basic_usd23999_at_target_online_us_may_21_2013#reply-03

I think this is somewhat of a big deal as there have been a LOT of WiiU deals, but almost all in the form of gift cards, so you still had to pay full price to get a $25 or $50 GC. This way you only need the $240.

This says only online, but Target has a price match policy, so it shouldn't be a problem in store either. OK, it will be a problem, but you should get it at that price in the end.

I'm still waiting for a Pikmin 3 bundle as I want the extra storage but not NintendoLand. And besides, buying a new system 3 weeks before E3 seems like a bad idea.

@Savino - funniest thing I read all day.

Since there weren't actually any quotes, any possibility EA representatives are confusing Nintendo with WiiU, as in no WiiU games but 3DS games are coming? Or no games with no new IP for WiiU? All we ever get are soundbites. EA is pretty big, maybe 1 division doesn't even know what games the others are publishing?

@Royalblues - "I assure you, the console is not going anywhere."

Sega and the Dreamcast say hello.

Microsoft - w/ the Xbox One - is trying to turn the paradigm on it's head. People won't buy game consoles that do other stuff, people will instead buy "One" cable-box like device that also plays videogames, DVDs, accesses the internet, etc. All-in-One. X1.

@TheRealThanos - "http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/21/4350662/new-xbox-has-no-backwards-compatibilty"

Microsoft had stated and/or leaked that today was part 1 of a 2 part presentation, the first part today covering hardware and the 2nd part at E3 covering software. Hence no big new game news. Like the ND last week

I forgot to add ESPN, the NFL, and fantasy sports to thing Americans really care about. MS's biggest hurdle selling X1 may be convincing people it doesn't run Windows 8.

What sports/tv/internet addict doesn't want one of these hooked up to their tv? I don't remember too many people killing Nintendo for WiiTV. Well maybe the EU who didn't get it.

And people who want to browse the web while playing games or watching tv will deal with always on.

Microsoft didn't cover today - price, always on, piracy. They did keep saying "cloud' over and over again so maybe always on is true.

I think many of are missing the point, Xbox One is the new Wii, everybody will buy 1, but nobody will buy any games, but Microsoft will charge $60 per year so fat lazy Americans (stereotype but true) can change the channel w/ their voice.

Apple was supposed to be working on a tv that does this, but now everybody will just buy an Xbox One.

BTW - It's called Xbox One - b/c "one console to rule them all" - tv viewer, music player, blu-ray player, and the occasional game. Not one console to rule other consoles, 1 console to rule the living room. Microsoft has been tryign to do this since WebTV about 100 years ago. They might succeed w/ X1. (I should trademark that.)

Also, Xbox One sounds like a spaceship to the moon adn AMericans still likve space travel.

WiiU should have advertised their version of Skype more.

I don't see any reason for Nintendo to work on eShop games. If they did, all the small developers would probably complain that nobody buys 3rd party games. Though Pokemon Rumble U would be nice.
And besides, if Nintendo wanted to put out$5, $10 or $15 games, well thats what VC is for. Ild rather see them get all the Gamecube Players Choice games up and running then spend resources on new games that 1000 other indies can be making.
Way way, way on down Nintendos priority list of things to do for the WiiU.

That was pretty funny.

Though in my mind it was making fun of the families in those 3 new WiiU commercials covered on here awhile back more than making fun of Kickstarter.
Where does Nintendo find those people?

Well that's disappointing. The controls sound worse than the PS3 version, both pre- and post Move support. I'm pretty sure I also played this on my iPod Touch last year and it worked fine.

This is listed as $7.99 in the US eShop (I checked yesterday and just now) but NL has it $6.99 both here and in a previous post about the US update.

@Einherjar - always a good read, and today we got 2 already. Funny thing I completely disagree w/ the 1st post - I think NL reports the news, which is 80% WiiU gloom and doom; if Nintendo wanted happy coverage for the WiiU they should put out more happy news. If they only covered happy news they would be accused of fanboism so it's really "no win" for them. And "Who cares"?, maybe game developers who don't want to spend money making games for a console nobody buys? Maybe retailers who don't want to take up shelf space w/ merchandise nobody buys? Maybe April says don't matter to you, but NPD puts them out - or in this case leaks them - for a reason.

2nd post I heartily agree, why buy a WiiU right now? Nintendo should have killed the Wii. The WiiU plays Wii games, why keep selling the Wii?

@Tornado - They should have done that 2 or 3 years ago and put the Wii to rest, instead they came out with Mini Wii w/ no internet, meaning you get about 1/4 of the Wii content. Funny thing, Nintendo actually came out w/ 2 new Wii modifications, first the silent removal of BC of Gamecube games, along w/ port connectors for games like SSBB and Mario Kart, and then the Mini. Not once in 6 years did Nintendo actually IMPROVE the Wii. Meanwhile Sony and Microsoft were constantly making obvious changes - some for the better, some not. I think hardcore gamers appreciate improvements, it shows the companies are trying.

I think I said enough about this the past 2 days (I haven't even checked my emails yet, I'll probably spend the afternoon explaining/defending myself) but 1 thing I'ld like to say from about a month ago:

After all the E3 build-up last year for Pikmin 3, and the 2 delays (launch window to Q2, Q2 to Q3) and all the NDs, I felt Pikmin 3 was slighted by announcing it's release date in a Tweet. I know Tweeting is the "in thing" right now, but I would have preferred a big "ta da" moment in 1 of the NDs. I know it's a small thing, and judging by the few replies Pikmin 3 posts get nobody cares about this game but me, but it's how I feel. I hope it at least gets a WiiU kiosk makeover like the 3DS did for Luigi's Mansion. Or a skin. Or toys. Poor rejected Olimar.

I didn't know much about this until I read about it in Game Informer yesterday and now I want it. Sounds like DMC in the Marvel (predominately X-men) universe.

BTW - GI mag listed PS3, Xbox360 and PC on June 25.

I think Nintendo fans need to choose between complaining about WiiU not getting PS4 games b/c developers say the system isn't powerful enough or PS3 games b/c developers think the WiiU is next gen. I don't think it's fair we get to complain about both, some games will have to miss the WiiU and somebody should be right.

"Let's not mess around and sugar-coat this news: it's very bad."

TW, tell us how you really feel [I'm still waiting for your professional opinion on the "no big E3 show" news. Unless you expressed it somewhere and I missed it.]

@Prof_Elvin_Gadd @Ryo_Hazuki-san @gavn64 - "the 3ds succeeded because of one thing 1st party nintendo exclusives"

The 3DS also has one other thing going for it that the WiiU doesn't - competition, or for the 3DS the lack thereof. The WiiU this holiday will be trying to sell next to: the Wii, which will probably be $99 (unless Nintendo sacrifices it for the BC WiiU); new PS4; probable $199 PS3 (PS3 has GTA 5 and GT6 and Last of Us and Beyond this year for the holdouts who may finally buy 1); maybe Xbox360 and almost certainly it's successor.

The 3DS faces the Vita and smartphones and tablets, none of which have Pokemon.

Not saying the WiiU can't come back, but Sony probably sold as many 3DS w/ it's $249 Vita and overly expensive memory cards as they sold Vitas. The WiiU is going to have to earn it on it's own merits. Which hopefully will be fulfilled beginning w/ the E3 NDs.

The ND was in-line with my expectations, knowing there will be a much better ND in a few weeks.

My only real disappointment was picking my kids up at the bus stop, and when they asked me about it I kind of drew a blank as nothing jumped out at me. My youngest was happy about the new Sonic game, but that 1 photo can only generate so much enthusiasm.

My favorite part was still that fly-over of Delfino Island - I'm still not sure if it was or wasn't actually Delfino but it was close enough that it made me happy. I still don't like the idea of Olympic games b/c they make me think that everything is just hit A+B as fast as you can to run, but the extras looked good. My kid just beat Starcup in Mario Sports Mix a couple of hours ago and who would have expected a boss battle w/ Behemoth King in a sports game? I think Nintendo can make for some fun multiplayer in that game to keep us busy until the next Sports Resort comes out.

@Damo - "Anyway, I'll be more impressed when the number gets bigger than home consoles"

Yeah, that was kind of a throw-away line.

If you're simply talking about iOS and Android getting bigger than Vita, 3DS and any other handheld gaming consoles, I'll agree with you there. Why buy a Vita for $249 when you already have a $200 smartphone in your pocket? (Though contradicting myself, I do think Nintendo should dump the home market and stick w/ handhelds, kids don't need $90 monthly contracts, they need Mario and Pokemon.)

I brought in the home console market - I did, you didn't - b/c I thought you were implying that game developers would leave the home console marker for iOS and Android w/ this line:
" ... In an industry where talent usually migrates to where the money is, that has to be of concern to Nintendo and Sony."
If you are only talking about Sony and Nintendo's handheld presence then yes, my comment is irrelevant. I thought you were extrapolating to the home market as well. Maybe when Apple makes a home console, or when Ouya releases, we can see if 99c games matter.

@RoboConker - "So you want the systems to be turn off, unplayable and the gamepad without buttons, scratched on the screen and chew up thumbsticks?"

Better than sticky from all the kids with unwashed hands at Best Buy.

@Sekuiya - "They could call it Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games 2, but I don't think that would be a good game."

Agreed. Oh well, back to the drawing board. Though I still like "Mario vs. Sonic: Winter Sports Island" but I guess the Olympic craze is what gets people to buy these games.

To whomevers it was - I don't think they'll do a proper Mario and Sonic game for the same reason Jak, Sly and Ratchet wound up together in that really bad Move game. To much time and money and energy and focus goes into those big games and there would be too much fighting to get it out the door.

Would be nice though.

@FiveDigitLP - Congrats, and don't choose Brittany, especially if it's a boy.

@LzQuacker @CrabGats - I thought my "No phone. No need." comment at the end of my rant showed I had calm down, but at no point did I ever think this was real, I was just surprised that anybody could think it was a good idea.

Thanks for the concern though

@Damo - "Given the sheer number of console developers moving over to iOS, I think it's fair to say that they're doing better financially via this method."

Well the "sheer" number is why iOS makes more in total, and the developers that move are likely the ones who aren't good enough to develop a $40 - $60 game, which is why they make more on iOS, b/c they can make a 99c game.

@Damo - "Those developers are making more money because the publisher model is removed in iOS. You're not working to create a game which then generates profits for a publisher - you're earning all the cash (minus Apple's share) yourself."

um, doesn't that just make Apple the publisher? And don't some developers also have publishers on iOS? I'm pretty sure I've seen more than one name on several of my game credits. (Well on Android, I traded in my iPod Touch.)

Anyway, I'll be more impressed when the number gets bigger than home consoles. All this says is the Vita is a flop and the 3DS needed more games this quarter. Lets see the numbers after AC:NL and X+Y come out later this year.

I hope the multiplayer isn't limited to those 3, I'm planning on playing a lot of multiplayer w/ my 2 sons, and while I know they're ok w/ female figures in games, a pink haired Brittany might be asking too much.

Oh, and I'ld be surprised if there's any online. It was good to see so many outdoor levels, I hated the underground levels in 2. Too dark and dreary. If I want dark and dreary I'll stop playing videogames and go back to my real life.

I think all of you older (older than them, not me) people are missing the point.

The people who are asking for help probably don't even really want to be playing the game in the first place, they are only doing it b/c they've heard all their lives how great it is and now it's cheap and easily accessible. They didn't - like you - save up their birthday money for 6 months and lock themselves in their room planning only on playing this. For them it's a whim, for you it was your entire reason for existing. So of course you sweated it out and worked it out, no matter how long it took; for them it's "eh", why bother. They aren't committed, they want to get back to porn and Netflix and whatever big blockbuster AAA title just came out. They don't care, they have nothing to prove to you or themselves and they just want to finish and move onto something else.

Also - probably a LOT more people got stuck on these games than didn't - and right now they are hard at work doing manual labor, not sitting in a cubicle - and they probably don't even ever play video games any more. You are the lucky chosen ones for whom video games are easy and thus a delight, but you are a small fraction of the general population.

They should have had demos since day 1 on the kiosks. This is just another reminder that Nintendo has done a lousy job marketing the WiiU.

And only at 100 Best Buys in US and Canada? They should have at least partnered w/ Walmart. Or even Gamestop.

Sorry so negative, but when Reggie made such a big deal about demos on kiosks, even if they are special E3 ones, well... it's just absurd.

I bet you'll need the NSMBU disc in the WiiU - it's probably using all the art and game engine to keep the DL small. You'll basically just be DLing maybe some Luigi art and instructions on how to set up the new levels. So maybe a <1GB DL vs. 4GB on the stand-alone disc.

I don't get the 2 month delay unless they expect people to double dip for the box after spending 2 months playing the DL. It is nice that the disc is stand-alone though for anybody who may have sold, traded, lent their NSMBU disc.

Why? WHY?!?!

They have enough of a problem supporting both a handheld and home console, now they should invest more hardware that needs to be updated every year? The "Facebook phone" just got discontinued after abysmal sales, and Samsung is catching up the Apple. They could either make "App" games for iOS or Android, or make a "phone" app for the next 3DS - I make phone calls all the time on my 7" tablet - look like an idiot but it's free and it works.

No phone. No need.

When the trailer showed that city - looking like a cross between Delfino island and Sports Resort Island - I was very excited that this could be a fun family sports game. My kids have been playing a ton of "Sports Mix" lately.

Which makes me think they are doing it a disservice w/ that name. Not only did I not know where Sochi is - thanks for making me feel like an idiot Iwata - I didn't know what it was. If they can get a good winter sports mix game w/ both Mario and Sonic wouldn't it be better to take the date out of the title and just call it "Mario vs. Sonic: Winter Olympic Sports" or "Mario vs. Sonic: Winter Sports Island"?

When my mother asks me what to get my kids for Christmas she is not going to want to hear - "Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games".

"This has been one long launch window!" Epic.

W/ the US Sept 15th date, and Pikmin 3 Aug 4, I hope Nintendo isn't counting on this as their big Sept. title. It may sell, but I don't think it will sell all that well once all the anti-Nintendo reviewers comment on how short it is, and I don't see it as a system seller either. And where's Bayonetta 2?

June - Luigi Levels
July - Wii Fit 2?
Aug - Pikmin 3
Sept - W101
Oct - WW HD?
Nov - Mario Kart?

Well I suppose Kirby's Yarn Planet will be in there somewhere. And the irrational hope for a new open world Mario. I know the WiiU is also getting W_D, AC4 and Batman Origins so it should be competitive this holiday.

I think I feel sorry for holiday shopping parents who have to buy a game for a kid that's on 4 or 5 systems. Nintendo really needs to market their exclusives better to parents: "Nintendo: Our games, our system, no confusion". Well once the Wii vs. WiiU confusion gets put to rest. Maybe they should pull all Wii consoles after E3, it's not like they're going to put out a new game for it, and Wii games can be played on WiiU. PS4 can't do that, and we'll have to wait until Monday for MS news.

@andreoni79 - "luigi is $20 dd and $30 retail"

He said it first, but keep in mind those are US only prices.

Also, the US doesn't get the box until Aug, EU in July.
Also, the content is the same, so all those buying the box for the cover art, that cover art is costing you $10. Though it might still be cheaper than laying out $50 - $100 for the external HDD. I have no knowledge of the size though.

Reggie? Is that a "pink slip" on that stack of books to his left?

Wow, finally having demos on the kiosk. But only in Best Buy? And only for a week. Not good. Well good for Best Buy maybe, they can use the foot traffic.

You can call it a koppad, everybody else is calling it a map. That's it, just a map.

We've been waiting for Pikmin 3 for so long they should have made Pikmin 1 and/or 2 unlockable. Plus the US had to wait about 2 years for NPC Pikmin 2.

Oh well, I'm just glad it's finally coming out. Even if the US is getting it a week after EU.

That was short and the ending was anti-climatic.

The EU is getting W101, Pikmin 3 and boxed Luigi first (DL Luigi is same date though)? The whole world has gone mad.

W101 a month after the EU. No fair ;-(

EU Direct news (dates probably not US applicable):

Wondreful 101 out Aug 23 in Europe.

Luigi Levels DL June 20th DISC in July

It's Wii Sports Resort 2!!!

And we're off...

You guys (and Orla) need to stream them both on 1 page with big MUTE buttons under each one so we can watch both and listen to whichever 1 looks more interesting at the time.

I already do this myself w/ 2 browsers but I'm trying to figure out ways to be even more lazy in my life.

"If developers can make more cash on iOS than on 3DS, that's where they will publish their games"

A lot of good comments here but I didn't see anybody hit on this 1 - did any ONE developer make more money on iOS then the big companies made on 3DS (what's a Vita?)? OK, the Angry Birds folk are rolling in it, but the majority of developers are not making tons of money, they are for Apple, who collects 30% from everybody, but most developers are not.

Sega, Capcom, Konami, SquarEnix are not about to give up making $60 retail games to sell all their stuff for a buck on iOS. If they're smart they'll make a few $1 games, but not all of their games will be $1.

To summarize - the thousands of companies games for iOS are COLLECTIVELY making more money than the few dozen traditional game companies, but those developers are not individually making more money.

I was happy to see the $6.99 price tag on S&S until I finally did my research and there is no multiplayer. It was a great game and I really enjoyed the single player, several times in fact on Wiiware (easy normal and hard modes), then twice on PSN w/ and w/o Move, but I won't buy it again w/ the multiplayer stripped out. For $6.99 each of my kids may have bought it for their own 3Ds and then multiplayer. Oh well.

@Ristar42 - I think I just played that level a few weeks ago on my Dreamcast. Sonic Adventure was my first and still my favorite Sonic game so a new open world game like that works for me. Though the sequels had too much of everyone else, I pretty much only enjoy Sonic.