It's been video game week on the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon show, with various executives making an appearance and various game-related shenanigans, including an awesome Mario rap by The Roots. Wrapping up the week, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime made his customary appearance to show off the Wii U.
Rather sensibly starting with another clarification that the Wii U is, in fact, a brand new system and not a Wii expansion, Fallon had a go at Game & Wario before some two-player fun in December release Super Mario 3D World. We learn that Fallon gets pretty excited playing Nintendo games, and that Reggie's skills in Mario's latest adventure are a little, um, underwhelming.
This is a pretty funny video, and is ultimately — in our opinion at least — a little under five minutes of seriously good coverage for the system; because games are for enjoyment, right? That certainly seems to be the message in this little get together.
[source gonintendo.com]
Comments 91
Mario Win. Gamepad fail.
that guy cant play
Did he forget his glasses? He kept walking into a wall
"Rather sensibly starting with another clarification the the Wii U is, in fact,"
clarification THAT the
I don't care how good or bad they were, having the WiiU being explained and played on a tv program is good news.
Reggie should appear on every late night show.
That was awesome :] I can't wait haaaa
Anyone else catch Reggie clipping through the ceiling by jumping at 3:45?
Good to see the Wii U getting some publicity I guess.
Jimmy sounds stoned.
@rjejr Yeah that's fixed, typos do happen!
His body is ready!
I dont really blame him for being bad at this. He kind of just jumped into Game & Wario and was given instructions how to play while playing
Just a heads up. You can't watch the video on Wii U, because NBC(or whatever site you got this from) needs a plug-in.
"Okay Jimmy you can battle these guys."
"Okay! BANG! WAIT WHAT?!"
LOL this the kind of advertisement that Nintendo needs to advertise how the WiiU works and why it is different than the Wii.
Makes you wonder just how much Nintendo paid for this obvious advertisement.
The awkwardness
It burns
Reggie is such a boss. I am a boss by extension by having my avatar be Reggie.
@SkywardCrowbar
I... I wasn't sleeping boss, I swear!
Hey at least it was fun! It also showed some people what the Wii U was like when you've got people together.... fun & crazy
Give Reggie a break he's multitasking there.
Also the game glitched and Reggie went through the wall instead of the blocks lol
What games did the other companies show off?
@KeeperBvK
Guests always go on late night shows to promote whatever project or product they have been working on. I think that they are invited onto the shows for that purpose.
"That's why I'm not letting you play", lol.
What an embarrassingly haphazard display
I actually found it quite endearing :>
Yeah.. he glitched through the blocks..
it's too obvious that Nintendo paid something so Jimmy always keeps telling that system and that game would be the coolest thing ever and so on. It's not like I agree, but it's just not appealing really believable ;D
Still it's amazing advertising and hopefully really good for the sales situation. Especially Mario really looks so great. It may just be the same as the 3DS game, but it's just going to be one of the greatest coop-multiplayergames EVER. And that's why I can't even wait playing it with friends, those sessions are going to be just epic.
Lol that was hilarious, if i didn't already own a Wii u i would have got one after watching that video. Human interaction is what Nintendo is all about and this short snippet showed it well.
By the way: say what you want against Reggie, but he actually can play that game. Maybe it's not the hardest game ever, but how often do you really see some CEO playing the product? Game designers, sure, but someone like Reggie? Shows that people working at Nintendo aren't just doing their job for a living.
@valcoholic If you aren't aware, it's highly doubtful that Falon and the show makers lets these companies on without them paying money.
It's essentially ad space for the show.
So yes. He, along with the show were literally paid to praise the system.
Jimmy Fallon seems to have sold himself on this game section and it's popular enough that big game companies are paying for the space.
@Hardy83 yah, ok, you got your point there ;D
usually those showmasters are just acting a bit more natural while fallon somehow reminds me of some teleshopping-guy
This made me realize that very few games can bring people together and at the same time have them yelling at each other the way Nintendo games do. lol. Good times.
I watched the video on MTV.com. That was a pretty good showcase. I saw the block glitch. They are working to fix that, I'm sure.
@KeeperBvK If not you would have complained for not enough advertisment.
I just enjoy that Jimmy Fallon is a gamer, he dedicated an entire week to videogames, how cool is that.
PS: Glitches can be good, i remember Sunshine.
To the people wondering how much Nintendo paid for this advertisement, I'm not sure you're aware how late night talk shows work. Half the time is spent talking with people who have something to promote: a new movie, a new tv show, a new book, a new album. When it's a video game, suddenly it's a bad thing? It's promotion, it's clever promotion and no, they didn't pay for it, the ability to promote their product on a popular tv show is the payment. Jeez, people.
This was actually quite entertaining!
Reggie should have brought a demo of Bayonetta 2.
THAT, would have caught the audience by surprise and turned some heads!
That was great BUT they missed one key selling feature. Backwards compatibility with you full Wii library & accessories! That's a big one for allot of folks out there. It also couldn't have hurt to show a more adult oriented game as well along side Mario 3D. Either way the publicity can't hurt.
Anyone else feeling a little more optimistic about the Wii U's future? I'm feeling excitement in the air. Maybe it's just me.
I love that! Poor Jimmy, he got stuck with the "expert" level character, in Nintendo's words. I agree, this is great coverage for the Wii U, especially 'cuz Mario.
Everyone remember though, that was the Super Mario 3D World demo, so that glitch will most likely be fixed in the final product. Unless you expect the game to only have 5 levels, as was clearly shown on the starting screen.
PS: Did anyone else try to listen for the underground music? I was trying to see if it was new (I really don't want this game's music to go the NSMBU route...only some new and most recycled). I just hope that for the sake of Nintendo's music reputation that it's new.
@KeeperBvK "Obvious advertisement"? Nintendo is always featured on the last day of "videogame week" on Jimmy Fallon.
Well, that at least went a lot better than the last time Reggie brought the U on this show, where Fallon seemed clueless to it being any different from the Wii.
I want to play!!
That looked so cool! Made me wish I was there playing the game with them.
It's a little disingenuous for Reggie to say the games are in 'full HD'. Rayman will be 1080p, and maybe a smattering of others, but the vast majority of Wii U games are in 720p, including 100% of Nintendo's own output.
@Akira_1975 IKR, me too. lol
I heard this on in the other room yesterday. I wanted to go and watch it, but my dad was sleeping and it was about 1:00 and I kinda was supposed to be asleep.
Can't seem to watch the video, but hey, sone publicity for the Wii U!
Can you say car crash...
Personally, I think Jimmy was faking it and wasn't really excited by or enjoying playing the games at all.
He basically has to pretend like he's so hyped etc just because it looks good and he obviously wants Nintendo to keep bringing games to his show.
Every time I see Nintendo demo it's games on the Jimmy Fallon show I just think they end up walking out with things looking worse than before they went in.
Regardless of it coming in 2014 I think it would have been a much better idea to let him play Mario Kart 8 since surely he couldn't f'k up a driving game plus it's clearly one of the best looking first party games for Wii U right now and that's useful when you're showing these games on TV.
Also, Nintendo REALLY needs to let Jimmy play these games for a bit before he demos them live so they can actually avoid these types of car crash disasters that just make the console, the controller and the games look clumsy as hell.
@moroboshi No different way that the PS3 and 360 games were marketed as "full HD".
The plethora of 720p max "HD" games is likely to be based on market research determining that more people bought the cheaper 720p "HD ready" sets than those who bought the "Full HD" 1080p and that development costs increase for the extra pixels.
@Kirk Seriously? Man I think you have misinterpreted the body language.
In spite of having to keep to a timetable, Jimmy's face and body language briefly said "I don't wanna stop" for a few seconds at the end there.
I've seen plenty of other TV shows where the MC has no interest in a subject whatsoever and the segment ends much sharper... and colder.
@Schprocket I don't recall ever seeing the PS3 and Xbox 360 sold as 'full HD', just as 'HD'.
You'd be hard pressed to find a 720p TV on sale now, except perhaps with very small sizes, and the extreme end of the bargain plasmas. 1080p has been essentially standard for years now in new TVs.
Regardless, these terms are defined, and 'full HD' means 1080p. Nintendo shouldn't use the term if they can't back it up with even their own 1st party software.
@Schprocket
We obviously observed these videos very differently...
If you look closely you will see that just before Jimmy gives up on Super Mario 3D World prematurely, Reggie clearly wanted to show a little bit more of the level but was basically forced into stopping short, he actually has a very obvious micro-expression of total disgust/frustration as he looks down at the Wii controller.
He isn't enjoying it.
He's faking it.
Sorry this video is for residents of the United States and its territories!
Really? Just go to YouTube if you can't watch it.
Good to see though the nintendo getting some exposure.
lmao this is too short for them to have shown some more good gameplay but it was more awkward then anything xD not surprised he didnt know the controls even i wouldnt with like 1 min of hearing the controls then trying it out at the same time...anyway at one point hes like " i played this before" yet he ends up looking bad sigh advertisement i guess but not good one
awkward and awesome.
That was Awesome... Wii U is gonna be Huge this Holiday... Nintendo needs more Advertising like this ... Maybe try to get Reggie & Wii U on Letterman ... Conan ect... Good deal let's Go Nintendo!!!!
@LDXD Yeah BLOPS2 dual multiplayer online would have got the casuals creaming in their seats
To everyone speculating about the "realism" of Fallon: it's all about the money. Jimmy might really love the Wii U, or he may be completely BS'ing. Either way, Nintendo gets a much needed explanation to a reasonably large audience and Fallon gets payed for it. If it felt awkward, it's because rehearsed enjoyment always feels odd.
For everyone wondering what else he demoed on video game week:
Monday - XboxOne Game: Killer Instinct
Tuesday - Playstation 4 Game: Knack
Wednesday - Watch Dogs
Thursday - Call of Duty Ghost
Friday - WiiU
And to answer your second question: "Yes. He looked just as awkward playing the other systems as well...
Mario 3D looks really fun. I don't care whether they are in HD or not.
Nintendo'd better to make Mario 3D playable online with friends.
Wow, so not only is Jimmy Fallon a bad comedian, but hes bad at video games too.
At least they got to promo the Wii U, so that's a good thing.
Why does anyone care how good jimmy is at games? Lol.
I love Jimmy's puppy-like enthusiasm. I'm guessing Jimmy's not much of a gamer, so of course he's going to be awkward when praising the console. If he was paid to say boring compliments, then surely he wouldn't do it in such an awkward (for us at least), improvised way. That's just my two-cents on it.
How many talk shows do they have in the US anyway?
Do they have a talk show straight after another talkshow and then one that follows after that
Maybe you guys have a talk show channel or something?
@LDXD do you have a talk show
They should have taken this opportunity to show Pikmin 3, not Game & Wario, which doesn't show off powerful graphics or even interesting gameplay.
jimmy doesn't play videogames.
@MadAussieBloke: Uh, actually yes. We have The Tonight with Jay Leno, then Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, and then Last Call with Carson Daly. And that's just on NBC. But I only love Jimmy.
It seems like Reggie didnt give a good explanation at all, this was very awkward and I think Jimmy was a little confused and trying to do his own thing, meanwhile Reggie is trying to take it slow and show off the system. And who cares if he is a bad gamer, he likes playing video games and it's surprising for anyone famous to do the things that he does on his show m. The guy has a fun time, give him a rest. (though admittedly this week has been very boring)
@moroboshi PS360 isn't even HD. It renders in sub-HD, and upscales to 720p. The Wii U renders in 720p (although I think some games in 1080p), and most likely upscales (I don't know since my TV is too old for 1080p).
@b23cdq Where on earth do you get this stuff from? The majority of X360 and PS3 games render 720p, more so on the 360 than the PS3 due to the Xenos having a higher fill rate than the RSX. Somes games (Call of Duty being one) render sub HD then upscale. By the way, when multi-plat games are analysed (see Digital Foundry) sub-HD games such as COD are also sub-HD on Wii U.
There are a smattering of 1080p games on the 360 and PS3, but not many. The PixelJunk games on PS3 are all 1080p, but of course, they're just simple 2D games.
There isn't enough fill rate in these old GPUs (Wii U included) to render much at 1080p. With the next-gen systems we'll see more 1080p stuff, but personally I expect there will still be a fair bit of 720p around, especially for games that want to run at 60fps. If you really want that perfect 1080/60 in all games, you're going to need a modern PC GPU.
More than 6 months after launch and still having to explain to people that it's not just an expansion. That's pretty bad. Hopefully they got the message across this time though.
There are still many "HD Ready" TV's being sold in the world, and of course, a huge chunk in people's homes, probably a large majority. Most common, LG and Samsung. Also, depending on your viewing distance most people can't tell the difference between 720p and 1080p. Wii U's native resolution, when you power it up is indeed 1080p and Reggie is absolutely correct saying it's Full HD.
That was funny, and I enjoyed it. On the other hand, they both don't seem any good at 3D platformers (have you seen Miyamoto, that boy can play!) and while the publicity is good I don't think that will have won over anyone who isn't a Nintendo fan. The appearance on the show was a positive thing, definitely, but I think it will just make Nintendo fans more excited for Mario than make anyone sitting on the fence think "man, I need to get a Wii U".
Showing Game & Wario makes sense since the Wii was known for being a great party game console, but they probably could have picked a better minigame. Gamer would have been hilarious as Fallon craps himself!
@moroboshi Really?
I wish we'd get a playable demo of SM3DW (and the other upcoming games, for that matter) prior to release. An at-release demo won't do me much good since I'm getting this game on day one xD
@moroboshi Nintendo hasent been very truthful to gamers as of late saying its a next gen console ripping people off 350 bucks for last gen hardware no games untill 2014! saying they wont be outgunned and they would have third party support but no one wants to be bothered with this thing.
@WaveBoy According to this site, Wind Waker is 30fps - http://www.gamersyde.com/news_e3_wind_waker_gameplay-14237_en.html
It's early days of course, but it would be absurd for such an old game, and one which renders so few polys, to not run at 60fps.
@P-Gamer-C I doubt the Wii U will survive beyond the end of next year. That said, it will be interesting to see how the Xbox One and PS4 do after the initial hype has died down. The console market has been in steep decline for years now. A new generation may help, but looking at the launch titles they're very much more of the same. (with the exception of the Sony Indie stuff)
The trend is towards mobile - iOS and Android. You may not like it, but that's the way gaming is going.
@MadAussieBloke
tbh, there's only one worth watching: craig ferguson's. the others are all becoming clones of each other. craigie ferg stands alone, lol.
@moroboshi I know ios is growing but people will stop playing cod or the last of us to play angry birds lol there will still be a market for the more console stuff and if consoles die there is always the pc
@P-Gamer-C There will always be a market for hardcore games, but sales have been in decline for years. With increased budgets next-gen, it will be even more vital for studios to make every game they produce a mega hit, as the alternative could be financial oblivion.
Personally I see the market splitting into two even more distinct groups. There would be a lot of small to medium sized devs, who produce smaller, more innovative games on any platform which makes sense to do so. Then there would be a few giant publishers who will spend obscene amounts of money on games which are technically well produced, but also "safe". (ie. COD clones and sports games)
I think the middle ground - devs who target consoles but don't have the budget to make COD/Assassins Creed level games, will disappear.
I hope I'm wrong, but this is certainly the way the market is headed right now.
So one can buy an extra Gamepad now then? Also Reggie so should have shown a different game instead of Mario.
I'd watch it, but it has Jimmy Fallon in it...
Just when I thought I was sick of Mario. Nintendo sucks me right back in. Reminds me of a mix up between Mario64 and SMB2.
I can't watch the video!
hey, now i love mario 3D even more, it looks awesome.
at first i was like meh, but now i want it lol.
can u only play with 4 players local? or also online?
@k8sMum The only US late night talk shows they showed in Oz were Leno and Conan... Never liked Leno's comedy style (dad jokes) but Conan was always a good laugh after coming home from the pub/club
Why can't Nintendo advertise the Wii U better? Software and hardware.
This video is aces.
Jimmy Kimmel >>> Jimmy Falon
@MadAussieBloke
leno has been on forever and hasn't changed his schtick at all. he is like a living time capsule that should have been buried a long time ago.
conan has always been funny, imo. he got screwed over badly by the network re: leno. falon and kimmel are pretty much interchangeable, like lego hosts.
as i said, craigie ferg is the only one worth the time. his main goal is to push the censors to the point they will have to go into hospital to recover. he is also the brightest of the bunch. he and conan refuse to play it safe.
Reggie- "This is going to be THE game of the holiday season"
I sure hope so Reggie! I really do!
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