¡Felicidades por el Príncipe de Asturias, señor Miyamoto!

I wish more video game masterminds were not only as talented, but also as humble as he is. And Nintendo's games most of the time are labours of love, so that confirms that everyone involved gives their best, as all team work should be.

Of course this award also benefits the videogame medium as a whole.

¡Gracias por el Príncipe de Asturias, señor Miyamoto!

@Teejay

Yes, you can never tell. If Wii Play did not come with an extra wiimote, its sales would be much, much lower.

If this increases the game's sales significantly, it would be well deserved for Wayforward, and it could pose an interesting situation:

Give free DLC and you will get more money (and a lot better rep) than if you make paid DLC.

It is great that they are not only adding more levels, but actually listening to feedback and improving all of the game itself. It pains me to admit I don't have this one yet. Or Pushmo.

Gotham City? It looks like Legotham City to me.

It is nice to see changes made to the Lego formula, although it will be a bummer if you can only use the heroes here.

@Mandoble:

Metroid Other M was criticized more because of its story (trying to be complex, actually), more than the gameplay itself.

As for Zelda , you are taking the sales of a six month game vs the sales of a game that was released 6 years ago in two different consoles, and it was even recently discounted.

Not to mention the best selling game of all time, Wii Sports, is a super simple game.

Maybe if the author could compare the sales of the DS games or the VC Zeldas to the longer Zeldas he could have a point about the shorter games being more profitable or attractive to "casuals".

If a main Zelda lasted 20 hours, it would last most dedicated gamers a single weekend, which would be a joke. A nice world is to be enjoyed, and you need time for that.

I also dislike games that link themselves by their story in order for you to buy each of them (Assassin's Creed), specially when you have to pay full price in a yearly basis.

Wiiware, eShop or WiiUware, I just want to see this published. It would be a damn shame since I have heard the game is great and it is finished already.

In my case, a Mario at launch is a good thing, as long as it is not the only one. I got a N64 at launch with Mario 64, enjoyed the hell out of it, and then I got bored of it (even if it is awesome) and got a PS1 instead.

After that, I learned to wait until there were several must buy games to finally consider getting a console. And I don't see me considering New Mario Mii one of those must buy games.

Even if it will be the 4th New Mario title, it is still only the second same screen multiplayer Mario, and if they refine the formula or are willing to go a little wild with it, a lot of people will no doubt pick the console because of that. But as the article implies, a great launch does not necessarily mean momentum. If Nintendo really wants the hardcore back, they will have to offer many things to get and keep that.

I have never played any Wonder Boy games, so I hope this is a good place to start.

It sounds great that even if Sega is not in its best shape, they will still take the effort to translate this and release it in the West. Will definitely get it. Thanks for the review.

As long as basic colors can be used, I am good for it. I am color blind, but the AR color stuff in the fishing game was fine. What I wouldn't like is just a glorified tech demo like Spirit Camera. I can smell some new Zelda puzzles involving colors and the camera itself.

That Dream Radar sounds like the closest we will get to a new Pokémon Snap, at least on 3DS. With the added benefit of increasing your game's dex.

The sad thing is that I can see them overpricing both downloads just because they have Pokémon in the name. While also making DS owners upgrade to the 3D system.

And I still need a whole list of catchable Pokémon in each of these new sequels in order to give them my money.

@BalrogtheMaster

No, it is a Sonic game, so no matter how bad it is, that is James' territory.

It would be nice to have some extra grip for those demanding games that make us sweat and lose control. Although the "ornamental" description implies it is just for looks, and not something that will improve performance.

That news really made my day, if only for Pikmin 2. I borrowed the first one and it was a great experience, so I am preordering the second one for a measly $20.

And I guess there are still Wii owners without Brawl and even DKCR. It took 4 years for Brawl's price to drop, while it took DK "only" two. They really should set a timeframe for price drops, kinda like the Sony Greatest Hits collection.

I guess Bulbasaurus Rex does not know the difficulties of learning a language that is not his native one.

Anyway, I have been hearing about this one for ages and now we are not able to play it, even if the game is complete? That really sucks. It feels like all of their work on the Wiiware version was wasted. Smells like fan petition in the near future.

@TBD

Thanks for clearing that up. So the prices I saw are just for shipping? $70 for shipping outside of US/Canada is a lot of money.

Ouroborous is right, although the website itself lists it as $8 USD if you live there. $30 would be for Canadians, and $70 for the rest of the world.

I have no idea what Thomas was thinking, since he put the wrong price twice in the article.

I am eager to see the launch titles. Not really interested in another NSMB and Pikmin 3 is not a system seller for me. I am actually more excited for being able to play Xenoblade Chronicles, as my Wii is unable to read it.

My experience with the N64 showed me that a single game, no matter how awesome it is, will not be enough. I played Mario 64 four times and I got bored of the system after that.

I see the Wii U having a bunch of demos, apps and minigames in the box, like the 3DS, but not a proper game included.

@JuLeDos

He reviewed it because I am sure everyone at NL thought it would be a bad game, as CB admits in the introductory paragraph.

A nice interview, sounds like they are really committed to this one.

Most Pokémon games are aimed at kids, so it only makes sense if this is a strategy game for kids. I had no idea it would be this close to release. Waiting for reviews anyway.

The different players in multiplayer sounds great, since Nintendo already tried the "normal" formula with NSMBW, so they can go a bit more daring and creative with a sequel.

Besides the enemies themselves, Subcon is actually a rather conventional world when compared with SMB3 onward: deserts, ice plains, sky worlds, caves, etc. Although a veggie that turns into a rocket is something really unique!

Isn't it sad that the only game I know is actually Urban Champion?

In any case, that would be the only one I would never get. My interest has been piqued to pick Pictobits. I need to read the reviews for the other two.

Then why didn't they make the sticker white and less noticeable? They love spreading rumors and make people go crazy with guesses!

Anyway, I don't see why having an extra pair of rechargeable AAs ready is such a hard thing for some people. But I would rather have a built in battery like the 3DS or the PS3 controller.

Sales never mean if a game is good or bad, and that should be the important part. It is not like Nintendo will stop making Zeldas. I can only see Nintendo building upon this new Zelda approach.

I got the game at launch and for months it was inside my Wii, and I loved it. It is a Zelda game, so not a franchise for the masses, and it was a different and experimental Zelda, so many fans would be turned off by it. Notice that none of the comments here disliking SS actually admit to having played it and not liking it, it is just being dismissed from the start. Well, except you Mardt.

TP might seem a better game sometimes, but it is just a refinement of the old OoT formula, while SS tried to shake things up and proved how cool it is to feel like you are wielding a sword.

To sell 3 and a half million copies in five months on a single system that it is being overshadowed by Nintendo's new console and new portable is no small feat. Specially while at the same time it is garnering a ton of critical acclaim.

@Cloud-San-VII

"Of course Iwata didn't say that Animal Crossing 3DS won't feature add-on content"

So no reason to be sad then.

Kudos to Nintendo for that. Another company that has earned my respect is Squenix/n Space for announcing a whole year of daily free missions for Heroes of Ruin.

Sounds good.

Still I think that characters like Dillon or Sakura Samurai are pretty young and they can still evolve into something bigger, although not of the caliber of Mario or Zelda.

And why include only starring characters? IMO Groose is one of Nintendo's most interesting characters ever.

This one screamed tech demo all the way. The Iwata Asks even made it sound interesting, so it is sad to see that the technology itself limited it.

I don't hate Mario but I am excited for this one. The graphics look cute and polished. The lack of Oswald pics makes me wary that he may not be a playable character. Hopefully I am wrong.

I agree that the New Mario games seem to lack a little of the magic of the older 2D games, but still the Wii version has multiplayer, something that gave a whole new dimension to 2D Mario games and that final Bowser battle is IMHO the most epic Bowser battle ever.

Since usually Mario sells millions at launch, and keep selling consistently for years afterward (at the same price), I don't see this hindering 3D Land's further success, and while both games sell this may allow Nintendo to turn their attention to other franchises, as their core Mario series base is covered. The spin off titles are just that, and they are not always even developed by Nintendo.

Finally, as many other people I agree with Corbs. With the Wii U being released this year and a lackluster presentation last year, this E3 should be used as a spotlight for their new home console.

Those 200 items may allow for a lot of varied multiplayer matches, so in the long run that is more interesting to me than an RPG mode that I will beat once and never touch again.

That sounds nice. Besides the game looking interesting, to connect each day and seeing something new is a nice prospect. I did enjoy that with DOA Dimensions.

Awesome news. It is true that the display gets cluttered with so many icons. I know you can make them smaller but I prefer that they are easy to see.

The best news is actually the patching ability. I never play MK7 online as I get disconnected an awful lot, but still nice to see they can fix glitches and unfair advantages.

I want to see the games announced before getting excited. I am curious about Air Ride. Depending on the disc's size, it would not be crazy that they would include one of the Wii games. I would just like more bang for my buck than with Mario's Collection, which was basically a $30 booklet for me.

Glad for you Europe. The game is really awesome, and that Japanese language option sounds cool. The US localization was pretty good, though.

Wariowoods is right. How can I judge a game from seeing 4 pictures? No wonder it uses the same graphical style as the other "New Mario" games, since it is a sequel.

It would be nice if they can come up with depth of field gameplay, in a similar vein to Mutant Mudds, and take advantage of the 3D. And they will have to really set it apart from the Wii U one.

Overall, I vastly prefer the EAD Tokyo approach to Mario that reached its pinnacle with SMG2. Still no reason to bash on this one so soon.

This one looks promising, so I hope they can deliver.

For that same reason, I hope some reviews are available before the preorder bonus is gone. As a curious sidestory, I got KOFXIII last week and it got the OST discs, which were actually a preorder bonus back in November.

I never got this one, but I have heard great things about it, and it is around $20 now, so it will be a matter of time to get it. I should unwrap Solatorobo and play that one first.

Of these I bought EBA and Rhythm Heaven, the latter a total steal at $5, EBA was around $10 more expensive but still a great purchase. I would love to get Picross DS but I have never seen a bargain price for it. Quite the opposite, as that cart is out of print. Picross 3D is much cheaper, though.

Of course it is a bad excuse, like when Miyamoto was asked why Princess Peach could not be a playable character in New SMB Wii, with Brawl having solved that "issue" more than a year before.

I never played the old ones, so I do not know what I could be missing.

I would love to see a game changer. A 3D Mario ( I do believe that would show off the HD graphics a lot better than a 2D where polygons are small and not that interesting) hopefully coming back to the SM64 gameplay. That touch screen could even act like a map, enabling huge open world levels.

If they want to do the crowd pleaser, they can make it a downloadable title, but the meat and potatoes should be a polished, innovative Mario. And if they will make a 2D Mario, please make it a sprite based game that takes advantage of the HD like Rayman Origins.

If all they can come up with is New Super Mario Bros MIi, then I will pass.

Has anyone thought that Super Mario 4 could mean just a 4 player game, like the Wii game? Still a better name than NSMBM

Pretty awesome stuff. It may not go "deep" but sure there are tons of neat and obscure references that prove the guy does his homework. Thanks for sharing, James

@Gamesake

He is saying "on the Wii" since no Wii third party game is eligible for coins. Of course it is great to see that they are opening up more to support third party 3DS games, as the abundance of third party Iwata Asks also show.

@Zeeroid

I can see Nintendo doing an exception (two if PT is ever picked up, and chances are Xseed or another company might do it) if they want to bring these coins to NA.

Anyway, nice catch for having people give Pandora's Tower a chance. Now we have two more things to envy NOE for.

I wouldn't mind a release of PT in the US, as the game sounds very interesting. I am getting the other two Rainfall games anyway. I do agree that it is nice to support an experimental new IP from an up and coming studio.

Also interesting to point out that Disaster Day of Crisis got average reviews in Europe, and yet a lot of US fans still want that game so bad. Pandora's Tower looks like a similar case, although its reviews show it as a stronger, more intriguing game.

I love how some people are talking as if they already know all the new things in these games. I am curious if there will be something special for people that bought B/W.

I will wait for more before passing my judgement.

Look at the article's title. Wasn't that what Nintendo said regarding the Operation Rainfall games?

I can see Capcom waiting for a decent WiiU install base and then release the game with all the DLC in the disc, similar to the PS2 version of RE4. Or the PS3 port of Mass Effect 2. Late version, but definitive version.

I can still get the game on PS3 if I am interested. And it is hard to ignore the mistakes that Capcom has done recently, and their gigantic greed regarding DLC. Thanks to Sony_70 for showing me some things I did not know.

@ChosenOne25

I am starting to think the same. I just hope they have so many good ideas in store that both systems will have plenty of good games. They said they are learning from the 3DS launch, and that one only had three average first party games.

So the only good games Chicken reviews are the ones every one expects not to be good. Maybe I will get it later on, I could never beat Toki Tori anyway.

@Alienfish:

Galaxy 1 allowed you to fly when you unlocked the red stars, so there you go. Besides you get to see Mario with black overalls when you do!

I do believe all games are pretty good (some better than others of course) and that most people tend to lean towards 2D or 3D, and thus appreciate or love more those kind of games.

It really helps having played the games when they were released and were the top of the industry. After beating Galaxy 2 I borrowed Sunshine and I was amazed to see such a bad and annoying camera, so maybe if I had played the game when it was released (like I did with Mario 64) I would have appreciated more.

SM3DL is a great game but I still like Galaxy 2 more. Yet I am still aware that it would be different from the galaxy games. Overall the difficulty was only frustrating in a few stages, which has been a staple of Mario, with the exception of the Lost Levels. I recently played SMB3 again and was surprised to find out that stages I held as impossible to beat when I was a kid, were no big deal now. The difficulty is the same, we are just getting better at it.

Finally, excellent article, Chicken. You really should write some of these more often.