Nintendo Download: 9th April (Europe)

Downloading Pokémon Rumble World solely to get 50 stars and complain about microtransactions in the survey. Will be deleting it as soon as it has downloaded.

On another note, where's the Wii U VC? I was really hoping Mario Kart Super Circuit was going to arrive but instead we get nothing

"Swords & Soldiers 3D (CIRCLE Entertainment, €6.99 / £5.59, was €7.00 / £5.90)"

Wow, a €0.01 discount!!! Must-buy of the week!

This seems pretty empty this week. After everything they said about Wii, N64 & DS VC for the Wii U last week, you'd have thought they'd make an effort to have something up for the second week.

I hope we don't go for weeks only getting a single random game here and there.

What other games can you download for free to get the 50 stars ?

I would have got no-so-Affordable space adventures but the price puts me off, i'll wait for a discount

When is Paper Mario coming on vc?

@XyVoX 3DS: Pokémon Shuffle, Ironfall Invasion
Wii U: Zen Pinball 2, Tank! Tank! Tank!

@sisibakbak Spend that extra tenner!

Not surprised about the 3DS game releases (or lack of). There really does not seem to have been many good games (or at least any that I am interested in) that have been released to the 3DS for a good while now. The last good release (any 3DS game release) for me was Majora's Mask.
I have been playing my Vita recently instead and some of the games (although not many - and I have not touched it in almost a year) that I have missed out on, now that the 3DS releases have slowed.

@sisibakbak
????? Xenoblade without a moments thought

Can anyone tell me where I go to redeem stars from digital download games by doing the questionnaire?

@rippertnl April 23rd

This week's download is actually terrible.

Affordable Space Adventures! Absolutely.

@Deanster101 Assuming you mean you want to obtain stars from the digital questionnaires. Go to "My Account" on the Club Nintendo tab and then "See All My Registered Games & Systems".

@MajinSoul thanks

What a let down after last week. Maybe they just want to give Space Adventures no competition.

It's too rich for my blood at the mo anyway, I'll wait til it lives up to it's title.

Wow, what a week.

unAffordable Space Adventures but must have more money first.

@Grumblevolcano
Whoa free survey? Is it the same with Pokemon shuffle?

Wait... is that discount for real? 1 cent?? lol wow, so tempting

Nothing for me this week. Is interested in Affordable Space Adventures but not at that price.

I want Affordable Space Adventures but I can't afford it.

I wish Afforable Space Adventures was (much) more affordable.

Will patiently wait for a sale later in the year.

No Wii U Virtual Console line up is a bit of a bummer too. It is the Easter holidays Nintendo!

There was no Wii U VC announced last week either IIRC...

Maybe they want it to be a surprise

@Grumblevolcano I feel like Nintendo could lead the world in changing the way microtransactions work - because nintendo doesn't need the money to start up their company - they can reserve the MTs and make everyone else look like a bunch of money grubbing losers. Just sayin. In Miyamoto I trust.

@Grumblevolcano I'm with you on the vc issues.....who'd have thought we'd have access to Mario kart ds before super circuit after we complained months ago!?!
Also, looks like you started something mentioning free stars
in fact, nintendolife......You can STILL register and claim stars in Europe right now-no deadline reached yet!! Article to correct your previous announcement possibly??

Might check out Pokémon Rumble World to see if it's any good. I did get some fun out of Shuffle, after all. Quell Memento will be on my discount radar, the predecessor is really nice and relaxing.

Quiet week, but that's okay, my backlog keeps me busy anyway.

Affordable Space Adventures got my vote, but likewise the price is too high. That's the most expensive eshop indie, isn't it?

The sale on World Rally Championship has caught my eye. What do others think of this one?

Quell Momento gets my vote. Loved the first one "reflect". Will also be getting the free Pokemon one too. Enjoying Shuffle without spending money so.......

@gcunit - the rally game is pretty tough IMO. I play a fair few racing games on various consoles and a portable version of the series of the same name it ain't!
That said, if you like racing and a challenge then it's a good price. Wish I hadn't paid full whack on day one but there you go lol

Pokemon Rumble World, still haven't played Shuffle.Waiting for unaffordable space adventures discount.

@ULTRA-64 @outburst Yes, free games give you 50 free stars each upon completing the survey.

I will buy Not So Affordable Space Adventures when I can Afford it

nothing really this week

I'll give pokemon rumble a try, though I will probably get annoyed with microtransactions and stop playing very quickly. Other than that, there isn't anything of interest.

What the hell is Guac' a Mole?

I'm extremely disappointed by the number of people saying they will wait for a sale before buying affordable space adventures.

@luke88 Thats because the game isnt affordable. For an indy game this is daylight robbery no matter how good the game is.

Is there some kind of witty sarcasm going on with Affordable Space Adventures and its price tag?

@gcunit I picked up a retail copy (so I could sell it if I didn't like it) of WRC cheap and am happy with it. Have you tried the demo? Many people were put off by the demo and I can see why as it takes some getting used to. They should have used earlier courses and the first car for the demo to provide a gentler introduction. As the game doesn't provide true analogue control I find it much easier to play using the d-pad rather than the circle pad.

The game feels like a stripped back experience compared to home console rally games, but the basic driving is fun once you get accustomed to the handling. I would only recommend it at the reduced price and in the absence of anything else like it on the 3DS, but I am glad I took a chance on it.

@Grumblevolcano don't worry man, I knew that! I was referring to the wave of questions you sparked when you mentioned it

No WiiU discounts and no WiiU VC? Mmmh...

Man, what a bunch of sourpusses concerning Affordable Space Adventures. If Nintendo had made that game and put Mario in the pilot's seat, you not only wouldn't complain about the price, most of you would happily pay three times that for it.

All you guys are going to do is convince KnapNok and Nifflas to take their games to other platforms. $20 is not only perfectly acceptable price for a larger indie game like this, but it's also totally commonplace. Axiom Verge is a $20 title. Mercenary Kings is a $20 title.

Seriously, now. And you wonder why major 3rd parties didn't stick around.

The game has an 86% rating on Metacritic, and that's still not good enough? I guess this will just be another developer that will end up being happier with the open arms of Steam or PS4.

@Marshi

This is why you guys need to learn to play games on other platforms than Nintendo. See my comment above--this is a totally reasonable and even commonplace price for an indie game. You guys want everything to be Spikey Walls or Meme Run or what's the problem, here?

My god, no wonder the developer exodus from Nintendo consoles continues.

Too many of you guys have no idea how much games cost, and way too many have no concept at all about how much cost or effort goes into making them.

The modern Nintendo fan is a curious creature. It will easily spend $50 on a plastic figurine they will never open, but $20 for a full video game with hours of enjoyment is "too much money."

I'll be getting space adventures.maybe it's cos I get paid weekly but all this talk about the price just seems bizarre to me,especially with it being exclusive ,using the gamepad etc.

Tempted by Heavy Fire purely cos of its low price but I'll check reviews first for some info.

Other than that, nothing really.

@Quorthon It's especially ridiculous when it's only a few weeks after mario vs dk was at the top of the eshop charts.£18 or so for what was basically mini land mayhem with some online and crossbuy yet people think a new original offering with gamepad functionality is unacceptable at this price makes me despair

Nothing for me this time round.
Picked up a few games off the eShop over the last 10 days so gonna enjoy catching up with those ... got Disney Infinity 2 on sale too, so lots to be playing.

@McoobabWATP

Yeah, I just don't get it. Every single person here complaining about the price of Affordable Space Adventures looks like a crybaby to me who, evidently, wants every non-Nintendo game to be the equivalent price of a candy bar, complains when the companies leave because they don't get sales, but have no problem paying full price of any Nintendo-published game, and no problem paying way more, on secondary markets, for plastic toys they aren't even going to use.

Seriously. At this point, with this audience, complaining about the price of Affordable Space Adventures could not be more pathetic.

Mario vs Donkey Kong Metacritic average: 69%.
Affordable Space Adventures: 86%.

All this does is further back up my point that Nintendo fans will always pay more for lower-rated software with the Nintendo logo on the front than higher-rated software from literally anyone else. No wonder 3rd parties and indies are walking away. It doesn't matter what quality their software is. Nintendo fans apparently do not care.

Why without Virtual Console game this week?

Based upon what I've seen, Affordable Space Adventures looks like it will live up to its moniker, even with the questionable accolade of being one of the most expensive indie games on the eShop. It uses the gamepad in a pretty interesting way and, really, isn't that what Nintendo sold the console on in the first place - new ways to play using the Gamepad?

Besides, I've spent more on worse games, so it'd be pretty damn rich for me to complain about a decent game being a bit on the pricey side.

WiiU? More like Wii-hog-retro-consoles.
Maybe it may sound off-topic, but while the WiiU has Nintendo 64, Nintendo DS, NES, SNES and Game Boy Advance, the 3DS is stuck with GB, GBC and NES which are are barely supported anyway.
Just give us actually portable GBA titles, Ninty!

Affordable Space Adventures will be mine once it comes to NA. Loving the co-op cleverness. If it looks interesting to you, go buy it. It's an exclusive title uniquely suited to the Wii U. The developers are willing to stick their neck out for you as they will get no other income from this than from Wii U owners.

Weird about VC, though. In the NA Nintendo Direct there was a schedule of N64/DS releases that I thought was weekly. Did the other one's have that? NA seems to have skipped some key VC enough that maybe this week we'll get some of the missing stuff? Zero Mission? Please?

As for people paying more for stuff with their favorite characters on it. It's hardly a Nintendo exclusive phenomenon. It's hard to start a new franchise anywhere. Like movies, TV, and books people generally buy what they know they'll probably enjoy, revisiting characters they have an emotional attachment to.

Not saying it's preferable. Those with more experience in a medium lament reboot after reboot at the movies and book sequels that run the series into the ground before telling a proper story. The american TV goal of having potentially unlimited seasons ends almost every excellent show long after the spark has died.

At least with video games there are different ways to play with familiar characters or different stories to overlay on top of familiar game mechanics, or sometimes both. Plus, there is the dramatic technology boosts that have helped freshen up games over the years as well. Movies and TV have had that to an extent but the change in the experience has been much more dramatic over the relatively short history of video games.

Well, I guess I will only download Pokemon Rumble World or Quell Memento for 3DS and nothing tempting to download from discounts, other than The Keep, which I have. I don't like microtransactions, but if this new Pokemon game will be at least tolerable as Pokemon Shuffle, I wouldn't mind. Affordable Space Adventures looks interesting, but too expensive for me, I will wait for good discount.

@Quorthon
I think I speak for most people when I suggest all the rage about Affordable Space Adventures' price is because of the sheer irony in that title. Gunman Clive could well be titled "Affordable Western Adventures" and it would work. It's not because of the joke; rather, calling a game "affordable" is also kind of a statement.

Also, yeah, you mentioned Meme Run and not an even cheaper game like the aforementioned Gunman Clive? The latter's pricing is a slap in the face of the gaming industry on its own.

ASA. Gotta love a game that actually uses the Gamepad and fun co-op. £16.99 seems fair.

@aaronsullivan

My point on the "you'd buy it if Mario was in it, regardless of price" goes back to one of the few things Michael Patcher said that seemed spot on:

Even a broken clock is right twice a day, so at some point, he was due for a comment that made too much sense.

The other part of that is that 3rd parties and indies don't struggle to get sales or attention on other platforms nearly to the level as on Nintendo platforms. The "established franchises sell better" comment, while true, misses the point. This is a well-known phenomenon, and no, it has nothing to do with fabled "Nintendo quality." It has everything to do with the focus of the fanbase being primarily "Nintendo and nothing else."

It's why I have changed my tune and now side with the "Nintendo should go third party" camp. When even Nintendo fans are only using the systems as "Nintendo boxes" instead of "video game consoles," why even bother making hardware? Their games will sell better on other platforms, which I'm sure we'll see when they start appearing on mobile.

@AlexSora89

I love Gunman Clive--but games like The Letter and Spikey Walls sold ridiculously well because of their low prices only. To say that "Gunman Clive's price is a slap to the face of the game industry" is a statement awash in ignorance, sorry to say. It could only be said from someone who does not have any clue what goes into game development. Gunman Clive is made by one guy, is not a very big game, likely cost very little to produce.

That is the exact opposite of a major AAA title like Grand Theft Auto, which now commands a Hollywood-level $100,000,000 budget, which pays for artists, programmers, voice actors, motion-capture actors, audio guys, music licensing, vehicle licensing, and countless other things. Do you honestly think that game should be sold for $3?

Frankly, I think Horberg Productions under-sells Gunman Clive. That's easily a $5 game. He's devaluing his product.

You have no idea how much time, effort, or expense went into Affordable Space Adventures. You likely have not played it, and on top of not understanding how pricing in the industry actually works, have no way to really measure it's value.

Taking the word "Affordable" in the title and running it against the developer is unimaginably cruel on the part of the people here. For one thing, it completely ignores the point behind the title--that you are flying in a rickety "affordable" space ship (and that "low-cost" frequently indicates "questionable quality"), it is not called "Affordable Cheap Game."

By all means, though, if you guys can't handle paying $20 for this because you're too busy paying twice that for every other Amiibo you aren't opening or using, then so be it. I look forward to seeing how the game changes and improves when this attitude drives it to PS4, XBO, Steam, and mobile.

At the end of the day, would you want to work for free at your day job? Would you want to flip all those burgers for no pay? I sincerely doubt it. And game developers deserve to be paid for their work, particularly when they have gone the extra mile like KnapNok and Nifflas have here.

@Quorthon
"Mario vs Donkey Kong Metacritic average: 69%.
Affordable Space Adventures: 86%."
Kind of a poor example as the complaining about the price of Mario vs Donkey Kong was much more dramatic than the mild hand-wringing going on in these forums. (You see, the price was "double").

Also, I've noticed a lot of your arguments extrapolate forum goers on fan sites out to the general market which is pretty absurd. As far as I've seen reported in the past the percentage of console owners that care enough to read, let alone comment on a video game article is very low.

"This is a well-known phenomenon, and no, it has nothing to do with fabled "Nintendo quality." It has everything to do with the focus of the fanbase being primarily "Nintendo and nothing else.""
Where is the data to back this up?

Yes, I've seen third parties struggle on Nintendo platforms consistently across generations but there are a variety of reasons for this including misreading the market and the audience on Nintendo platforms. From assuming they want kiddie games to throwing in waggle instead of button presses, to late inferior ports. Much of which are Nintendo's own fault in managing perception and bad third party relations, but none of which require a fanbase who wants nothing else but Nintendo games.

@Quorthon
I'm not entirely against Nintendo as a third party only. I think it would be a shame because they push much harder against hardware conventions than others. In my mind we are far from settling on the "one true way" to control all games.

On the other hand, I think Nintendo could do some outstanding work on other platforms and push boundaries in different ways.

Either way, I'm hoping being on the edge of failure keeps them frosty.

@Quorthon
Good point, maybe my praise towards the Hörberg brothers is kinda fanboyish (to the point I agree with your statement about GC being worth five bucks), but then again they're more humble than the majority of the industry. And I'm not talking about Rockstar's usual output, either, as I'm well aware of the care that went into their games (such as the players' crimes being reported on the in-game TV in the latest GTA game, which is pure genius right there): Grand Theft Auto V is well worth the money it's sold for. And so is a Super Smash Bros. game, as the WiiU entry has been best described by youtuber Boogie/Francis as having "enough content to make you wonder if other developers are even trying".

Allow me to nuke any room for misunderstandings here - I'm not attacking the devs for the pricing. They created an excellent indie game, and it's okay if they sell it at that price. My nitpick here, as cruel as you might think it may be, is aimed at the title, rather than the price. Now, I know there's a fifties-ish sci-fi setting that needs an adequate feel, and I wouldn't mind if the wording of the title was spelt out in the opening monologue. The word "affordable" should be in any, any part of the game, just not the title. Seeing you quoted Pachter, I'll be blunt and put it on a purely economical standpoint - it's bad marketing, pure and simple. Being gaming the expensive hobby it is, especially during this long economical crisis, I couldn't even think of a single gamer who would notice a game called "Pricey Megaman Western Simulator" without running away from it before seeing that it's just two bucks, which is part of Gunman Clive's success. Heck, they could even have kept the word "affordable" and re-phrased the title, in order to make clear the game has an in-universe affordable ship: "A Cheap Starship"; however, while "adventures" refers to the ones the protagonists live, the word also suggests it's a metaphor for the game itself (for example, StarFox Adventures).

In any work of fiction, clarity in the interaction between the narrative universe in which the tale is told and the audience witnessing it, is key. Ever heard of Phalanx, a SNES shooter? Look it up, see that box art and wonder how you could ever think of a shoot-em-up.

Of course, anyone who works hard deserves to be paid, and ASA's devs are no exception; however, all the mockery ASA is getting is because of - to quote Heath Ledger's Joker - a very poor choice of words. Of course, anyone can title his of her own work of art whatever he or she wants (what with art being the epitome of freedom of speech), but must also be ready to face the consequences coming from any lack of clarity.

I seriously hope I didn't come off as either cocky or ignorant again, because that wasn't my intention.

@aaronsullivan

I long celebrated Nintendo going against other hardware conventions, but these days, they seem to do it "just because" with no, dare I say, exit strategy. I have long called up the old Nintendo mantra of "well, we make the hardware for the games we want to make." I remember than when looking at the Wii U and Wii and all the nothing they did with those systems. It took 5 years for Skyward Sword to back up this concept. I still don't see why the GamePad is better than anything else. I think they wanted to sell on gimmicks (worked for the Wii), but in doing so, have lost touch with much of the industry.

As noted other times--the Playstation brand is 20 years old. The Xbox brand is 14 years old. Nintendo cannot sell on nostalgia to these legions of people who never grew up with them--and they try too hard to sell on nostalgia. There are millions of gamers who have never known Nintendo's franchises. As someone who grew up with this company, I find it sad, but also fully understand how it happened.

I think, at this point, the only way for them to reach those people, would be to have their games appearing on other hardware. No one who grew up with the PS1 or PS2 is likely to understand why Zelda is so popular. To them, instead of Zelda or Mario, there was Sly Cooper, Ratchet & Clank, and Jak & Daxter.

At this point, I just think they could influence the industry a lot more by putting their games on the Playstation and/or Xbox.

@AlexSora89

First off, Phalanx is my favorite banjo simulator. Secondly, that they didn't use the old guy with the banjo for the GBA port was a mistake!! Usually when I buy a video game, I look at the cover and rate it on a scale of 1-50 on "banjoness." No banjo? Instantly scores a 1. With a banjo, it instantly scores a 50. The rest of the details don't matter. (Actually, a few years ago, when I discovered Phalanx, I sought it out largely because of the cover. I've bought a lot of games for silly reasons over the years because when you collect games the way I do, part of the fun is inventing reasons to buy something. At least for me.)

Okay, I see what you were going for now. I ehhhhh ...partially agree. I can see your point, that people may see "affordable" in the title, and completely miss the point of the game--as we're somehow seeing here, in a place where we have had ample time to learn about this game and know better. Branding can be a problem. I defended the Wii U's moniker for a while, but like my feelings about Nintendo going third party, I have also changed my view and agree that Wii U was a foolhardy name coupled with terrible marketing and a total misunderstanding of who their audience was going to be. Now I feel the "Wii" moniker is just plain tarnished, if not dead, and the sooner they drop it, the better. I don't expect NX to be "Wii" in any capacity.

So yes, you did come off a little ignorant in your original post, and I'm sure I came off rather aggressive in my response (it's nothing personal, some things just set me off). I'm big on supporting indies and gaming in general. I am a developer, but due to my free-wheeling harsh nature, have not mentioned anything about it here except to one person, who was kind enough to be supportive of my team's game. The note about proper naming was an issue last night when my team met as we have just been approved for PS4 development, and are planning a relatively quick, but hopefully engaging title to break in the PS4 dev kit (and we'll port it over to Wii U, too), and while I'm usually pretty good with game titles, we're having a tough time on this one.

I'm that stereotypical "criticizes because he cares" jerk. I love Nintendo, I am a Nintendo fan, but many of Nintendo's practices drive me nuts, and Nintendo fans frequently annoy me to the point that I want to set fire to a my Shulk Amiibo and put it on YouTube. I don't like seeing such a promising title dismissed so simply, or for people who have no problem forking over $40 for a toy they aren't going to open suddenly turn against a $20 price for a game they can enjoy for hours and hours. These guys worked hard to deliver a game that will hopefully be defining on the GamePad. Nintendo still treats Amiibo collectors like crap.

As Nintendo fans, we all wanted the naysayers to be able to look past the silly name of the Wii U. I think we should be big enough to do the same for the word "Affordable" in Affordable Space Adventures. Your point about marketing is valid, now that I see where you were coming from. I hope you can see where I was coming from.

@Quorthon
Disagree about the intent on the gimmicks and the utility of the GamePad, but...

Yeah, could be Nintendo would be more influential as software only.

If the next generation of console and handheld hardware flops, we will probably find out.

Maybe Nintendo mobile games could get some momentum on their franchises going. A couple big hits could introduce new people to the games and generate some new interest but there's a lot of unknown factors and uncharted waters there.

Will someone who never had a Nintendo console and is core gamer enough to potentially want the richer Nintendo games be enticed by the games on their phone? Would it have to be a gargantuan hit for that to happen? Or will it just generate more interest in Nintendo games on mobile? Or both or whatever. Too many unknowns, for me at least, to venture much of a guess.

@aaronsullivan

I'd like to point out only that regardless of platform, since the N64, 3rd parties have struggled largely equally on all Nintendo systems. From the "what the hell was Nintendo thinking" N64 to the "hardcore-centric" GameCube to the "Casual Fad" Wii, the problems are largely the same.

The bigger issue with the Wii was the casual audience simply not knowing anything about gaming, what to buy, what to support, or where to learn about them. Even if 3rd parties don't go the "kiddie" route for Nintendo systems, they struggle. Several high-profile adult-centric games were released on GameCube, Wii, and Wii U, and they all fell short in sales. The kiddie games, however, seemed to fare pretty well--Skylanders, Lego games, etc.

Nintendo is also to blame, especially over the last two generations, for simply not giving developers the tools they expected per the generation. Wii and Wii U both woefully underpowered, unable to handle modern game engines, unable to handle online gaming to a similar capacity, weak user accounts (this was never more clear to me than the bizarre extra steps necessary for my girlfriend and I to play Call of Duty online on the Wii U compared to the PS4, where we could each sign into our own profiles right from the start).

This has been something I've noted for years: Nintendo fans buy games differently than every other gamer or group of gaming consumers. The GameCube is a perfect example of this--it had largely the same 3rd party support as competitors, but noticeably worse sales with one exception--Soul Calibur II. Which, surprise, surprise, sold because it had Link in it (that Link just fit better than Heihachi or Spawn is beside the point).

All gamers look for recognizable franchises first, and most console owners look for 1st party exclusives as a key in their choice of console--but over the years, it has become quite clear that only Nintendo fans focus on 1st party to the detriment of every other game that might come to the platform. In many cases, they even ignore other Nintendo games that aren't predictable "typical" Nintendo games (the MZP titles being a primary focus)--games like Sin & Punishment and Xenoblade Chronicles and the immortally amazing Eternal Darkness.

If you look at the top sellers for all consoles over the years, the Xbox and Playstation consoles feature both 1st and 3rd party in their best sellers. Nintendo consoles almost exclusively feature Nintendo games. Regardless of your feelings on "Nintendo's quality," it's very clear that consumers and Nintendo fans treat Nintendo hardware differently.

I can hardly blame third parties for walking away from an audience that won't even bother looking at them. I can hardly blame third parties for half-assed ports (sometimes) on Nintendo systems--for one thing, the hardware may be lacking (and has been in some capacity for 4 generations now!) and for another, they have sales statistics that tell them Nintendo fans "don't care."

I know it sounds like I'm generalizing, but I'm taking general information and patterns. No, this doesn't mean it refers to all of you. Surely, I'm not the only person to have purchased Splinter Cell on the Wii U. However, the general mass of Nintendo gamers are backing these trends, and in general, Nintendo fans did not support games like Splinter Cell.

@aaronsullivan

I think Nintendo will do well on mobile to the point that by 2017, I expect them to be putting a very solid focus on the platform. I highly question Iwata's belief that people will play the mobile games and then decide to get the console.

The Catch-22 is, if the game is good enough, consumers won't see the point of the console. If the game is poor quality--same point of view, different reason. Maybe they have some brilliant way to bridge this giant gap. I just don't see it yet. Although, I'm eager to see where the company goes.

I wonder what happened to that Horse Racing solitaire game which was being made by the people from Pokemon. I was looking forward to that but there hasn't been any news lately.

@Quorthon
I won't lie, I'm looking forward finding out what Nintendo games I'll be playing on my phone. Very curious what they'll do with it.

As far as the argument about why third parties don't succeed on Nintendo platforms I think many of the reasons you listed and the ones I listed are stronger than the idea that Nintendo fans just don't want anything but Nintendo games. Especially when talking about the entire base of console owners. I'm just not so sure that those who prefer Nintendo enough to only buy first party games are enough to be the chief cause of third parties failing to sell well when compared to all the other factors.

@DadOfFour1972 @sean2000

Thanks for the input guys. Looks like I'll just look out for a copy on eBay some day, I really don't need to be buying anything other than my ideal games right now, indulged far too much recently as it is.

@aaronsullivan

I did a huge, exhaustive analysis on this once (one of the longest user blogs over at GameInformer at the time), and ultimately, my conclusion is that the only connecting factor between the similar treatment of 3rd parties on N64, GC, Wii, and Wii U is the fans and gamers.

Nintendo has a big problem in this--by and large, they are not seen as a place to get third party games by gamers or Nintendo fans. The exact opposite of the NES and SNES. Exact causes are up for speculation or my ridiculously lengthy analysis. I don't think the problem is "just the fans," by the way, only that in the end, their buying habits are what is recorded. Nintendo also has a problem dealing with 3rd parties in general and a huge problem in recent years of making "current gen" hardware that developers want to use.

@quorthon
My only argument was that it doesn't seem to me to be the primary cause as you previously framed it.

@Jetset

Oh on the new one? We're only just starting. Our sales were dismal on the current one, so we have to scramble to fund the PS4 dev kit. I have no idea how long it'll take right now, but with the (valid) criticism we received on the current game, we know what to do differently on the next one.

I will say, though: Beat-em-up.

We're planning on putting a demo of it on our website when the fighting engine is ready. If I haven't completely turned everyone here against me, maybe I'll put it up here!

@aaronsullivan

That's my bad. My posts are damn long enough and my follow-up analysis (which I wrote on a blog elsewhere) had a three-way tier of blame: Nintendo, fans, and third parties themselves. The buying habits of the fans being the big decider in how Nintendo behaves, but Nintendo's backwards approach to consoles and half-assed dealing with third parties is a major point, and third parties are only rarely to blame.

I don't think any 3rd party plans to lose money on Nintendo consoles. That'd be absurd, but some do go in, shall we say, sans excitement. I think a history of 3rd parties struggling on Nintendo consoles coupled with Nintendo's often confusing messages and hardware concepts simply rubs developers the wrong way.

@Quorthon I have an xbox one, ps3, ps4 and ps vita thank you very much. And on all those platforms there is not one indy game at £16.99. There is Ori and the blind forest at £15.99 but that is quite frankly worth every penny with production values far exceding that of Afordable space adventures. Perhaps it would be wise to not assume everyone is a fan boy.

@Marshi

You should definitely open your shops more often. Because I bought Mercenary Kings on the PS4 at $20 and as I said, Axiom Verge is also $20.

Well, unless you're a PSN+ subscriber. $2 off.

Your post is silly and wrong. Plus, you big silly, Ori's price comes to $23.81 under current exchange rates. Honestly now.

@Jetset

Ha, you didn't know because no one (but one person) here knows. It's on the Wii U. My Wii U name is Ab-Duk'Tor or ResidentProber, I don't remember which of those is actually used for finding people. If you want to know more, shoot me a message on there. I don't mind being targeted by angry Nintendo gamers here, but it wouldn't be fair for me to allow that anger to be directed at my team because of me.

Axiom Verge LOOKS amazing and soundtrack is incredible luckily haven't got a PS4 yet but have a Vita which its coming to soon.

@Quorthon
Why didn't you say you were a developer sooner? No wonder my argument made you nervous! I'm sorry if I rubbed you the wrong way. And I agree with you on how Nintendo themselves made a dumb move with the WiiU name. And of course I can see where you're "coming from", as you said before!

Look, I'm no stranger to arguments on the internet, either (I used to snark daily on an Italian website where users post anonymously their secrets, and many people who defended the anonymous confessers got rather... aggressive). But as long as I find myself able to see (read: notice) the faults in anything I say, I can apologize without any problems, which is what I intend to do right now. As for me, see my first comment on this article - I don't support EVERY single one of Nintendo's choices, but I'm still a rather loyal fan ("loyal" as in "I still play Nintendo games", not to be confused with "I only own Nintendo consoles", as my Xbox 360 can demonstrate). So, no hard feelings, huh? In fact, I read your reply two hours ago when I was at my Krav Maga lesson, and the fact I cleared things up was a huge relief. And I look forward to see how you commented on the DLC article, which I'm going to comment right now. See you there!

I always feel a little bit sad when there is nothing on Virtual Console on the weekly update

look at that virtual console overload.
i cant handle it!

Wow......This post escalated quickly.

All rubbish where is 3D OUTRUN on the AUSTRALIAN Eshop

@Quorthon wow you sound like quite the douche snobby brat. You are a developer? congratulations, so am I and 100s of people I interact with on a daily basis. Sorry to burst your bubble, but that doesn't make you special, or more entitled to an opinion (however wrong it may be in this case) than anyone else, nor does it mean you deserve any special treatment.

Developers deserve to be paid for their job, that is very true and an excellent argument against all sorts of piracy (downloading illegal music and movies from the internet, using emulators on your smartphone, using custom firmwares on your console, etc.), but an awful argument against customers making a decision on what they do or do not want to purchase. So what if the crap sony paid in dev-kits for is also $20 or more on PSN? Most people get indie games for free or well below their MSRP on pretty much every platform BUT Nintendo's, and that matters quite a bit. Customers decide what is or isn't worth the price tag for them and can decide whether they want to invest the time and money on it or not. Mario vs Donkey Kong and Affordable Space Adventures are vastly different games, to the point they are very likely completely different markets and sets of people. Also, Mario vs Donkey Kong was made on a considerably bigger budget than Affordable Spaces Adventures. That doesn't make either one more or less deserving of attention, praise or sales. Their quality, target audience and price point does, and matters a lot more, whether you like it or not.

@DGGames

What a childish post. I never said I was special, nor did I ask for special attention for it--indeed, I have done the exact opposite and almost never mention that I am a developer, and do not promote that here. I stated where I'm coming from. If you can't even be bothered to understand that extremely obvious point, what value does the rest of your comment hold? Looking at the grammatical nightmare that makes up your post, it appears that said post doesn't contain much value. Or comprehension.

@AlexSora89

I have only rarely brought up my developer status on here, and never to promote it. I'm here to talk Nintendo stuff and get Nintendo news that doesn't get covered by places like GameInformer. I initially signed on because I found the practices and attitude of Rcmadiax and his ilk to be reprehensible and couldn't hold my tongue anymore. From a consumer standpoint, they were selling turds and expecting gamers to be happy with them "because they're cheap and what's the harm?" And that developing for Nintendo should be a golden opportunity, not lazy money stream for crap.

Last generation changed my "Nintendo fan-ness" a bit, in that the Wii fell so far behind the rest of the industry, I moved to the X360 as my primary game console. This generation, PS4--and rather soon at that. In every generation, I have always bought Nintendo hardware first and foremost, and if there's something else, I get that later. Last generation was the first time my primary gaming platform was not the Nintendo machine. And this generation, it happened within the first year of the PS4 being out--so the fastest I ever bought "competing" hardware in order to get the games I'm never going to be able to play on the Wii U.

Sure, I grew up with the NES and SNES--but not just with Mario and Zelda. There was Contra and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mega Man and so forth. Secret of Evermore. Bubble Bobble. So many games.

I'm glad we found our understanding! The internet has a way of preventing that. No hard feelings, and I'm not sure you have anything to apologize for. You never said anything to me that should hurt my feelings.

What time will affordable space adventures be available?????

@MightyKrypto Well, they likely wanted to change to the infernal .99 pricing regime that's standard on the eshop, and adjust for the strong Pound.