Yoshi's Woolly World Secures Top 10 Spot in US NPD Charts

One of the best 2D platformers ever made, if you ask me.

@VanillaLake Bought it and have it wrapped up. Just feel like opening the yarn bundle on christmas and playing it all day with the wife will kind of be reminiscent of childhood. What's better Yoshi or DKC:TF?

"Yoshi's Woolly World Secures Top 10 Spot in US NPD Charts"

Good to hear that it hasn't been entirely forgotten! It's a great game!

@Smoo They are very different but both of them are better than New Super Mario Bros. U. Tropical Freeze is really beautiful, quite challenging -although you can use items to help you- and has a nice soundtrack. It's a much better game than Donkey Kong Country Returns, in my opinion. At the very least, it's much nicer and has a better soundtrack. On the other hand, Yoshi's Woolly World is not that challenging although if you never use Mellow Mode you'll have to deal with some big obstacles by yourself, there are also optional items in this game, much like Yoshi's Island (SNES). Yoshi's Woolly World is absolutely cute, not sickly sweet but wonderful. Its soundtrack is peculiar but I really like it, it's relaxed and suits better Yoshi's slower gameplay. From a point of view, we could say Tropical Freeze is more action and Yoshi is more relaxed. For anybody in the world that likes platformers, I'd recommend both of them before recommending other Wii U platformers.

I'm impressed, didn't expect it to get in the top 10 but it deserves to be present. The bigger surprise is Rock Band 4 being in the top 10 which I'm super happy about.

Thanks for the Top 10 list, it helps my argument of why I won't try to talk anyone into buying a Wii U this holiday. It's great that Yoshi is #8 being single SKU, but you know what, Halo 5 is single SKU as well, and it's #1, and the X1 ins tall base of about 13 million is not that much higher than Wii Us 10 million.

And see all those other top 10 multiple games, not a single one, NOT A SINGLE ONE, is on WiiU. 7 of them are multiplats, and 5 of those are also multi gen, on PS3 and Xbox360, so graphical power is not an excuse.

1 of the top 10 is available on WiiU, but Wii U is still $299, and Reggie says we should go look for Black Friday sales? Really Reggie, you are admitting WiiU is only worth purchasing 1 day, or 1 weekend, per year? How stupid are you?

For the record, I know there are games worth buying that didn't make the top 10 - Disney Infinity, Skylanders, Splatoon, Super Mario Maker, Lego Dimensions, and that's great, but when only 1 of the top 10 games is on a console, it shouldn't be the same price as the other current models, and it shouldn't be so much more than the old gen models that each have 5 of the top 10 games. Wii U looks like a 3rd console for $99 going by that list.

And November and December are likely to be worse.

Anybody want to buy 1, fine, it's your call, but I'm not doing Nintendo's job of trying to sell it if Reggie isn't even going to try.

@VanillaLake nice evaluation of the two platformers.

@rjejr 4 out of 5 multiplatform games on last gen are EA though, a company whose partnership with Nintendo ended very early on in the Wii U's lifespan.

@rjejr using that logic, can you tell me where I can pick up my free 3ds and PS Vita, as they have no current top 10 games and are thus worthless?

@rjejr Regardless of the install base, Walmarts Black Friday deal of a $250 WiiU bundled with Smash and Splatoon is a great buy. I would recommend that deal to anybody remotely interested.

@shigulicious @Tsurii Thanks.

@VanillaLake I agree with that, absolutely loved the game, enjoyed every minute

@MJKOP Yes, it's the best Yoshi game since Yoshi's Island, 20 years ago!

Hooray for Yoshi!

Nice! Well deserved because it is a lot of fun and cuteness overload.

@rjejr I would recommend Wii U to anyone who doesn't have one already. There's so many great games available since it's release that they won't find on any other console. Sales might not be going so good but there's still a decent library and some unique experiences.

@VanillaLake I fully agree I Love Yoshi's Island on SNES and I was so delighted this was right up there with it

@rjejr - there are some interesting points, but it's a little unfair to compare/judge Yoshi against Halo, a full on Mario platformer on the other hand would be a lot fairer.

I'd be interested to see how Halo 5 performs against SMM after a few months when the dust has settled a bit.

Awesome news, it's worth getting. There's much more of a challenge to be had, than is lead to be believed by certain review sites.

@rjejr
You shouldn't "try to sell people a Wii U" for Nintendo's sake, but if you really enjoy the console it would be untruthful to say otherwise, even if the console is devoid of multiplats.

I don't recommend Wii U to everyone, because some people I know just can't appreciate games like Nintendo makes. They want guns, or sports, and that's fine. But I still tell them how much I love the console and how much fun it's brought me. And if it's an actual gamer, I really let them know.

I had a coworker last year- big Xbox gamer, who, ya he owned a Wii but never played it that much. He bought a Wii U at my recommendation and, while he's still a Xbox gamer to the core, he's as much a Nintendo fan today as I am. And he would have never discovered that had I not said anything

@Grumblevolcano EA, Ubi, Simon and Schuster. If that's who's making the games, and you are making a gaming console, its a good idea to get those games on your console. It does help the arguement though if somebody asks me what console to get. I can simply reply - Well, do you play EA games?

@RodK79 Well I woudln't tell you where to pick up a Vita, even for free, b/c the memory cards you need are still too expensive, so the charts are right on w/ the lack of Vita games. The no 3DS games is a puzzlement though. But applying that logic I would have to agree, don't pick up a 3DS.

Though if you can give me a list of all the games that require a "new" 3DS over an old 3DS that might even things out a bit.

@shigulicious I agree, $250 w/ those 2 games seems like a good deal, and I'd reconsider my position. BUT, all caps is on purpose, BUT, Reggie didn't lower the price to $250, Reggie said the Wii U is a good deal 1 day out of the year, maybe an entire weekend if you're lucky. What kind of Pres. of a company makes a public appeal by basically saying - "We know our system is overpriced, but if you can fight your way thru to buying 1 on BF it just might be worth it." That's what he said when he said "Black Friday", in a Direct no less, not walking the floor at E3, in a Direct.

And why I hear BF all I hear is this:

http://blackfridaydeathcount.com/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2852585/Mayhem-Black-Friday-begins-Shoppers-clash-supermarkets-trying-grab-bargains-Boots-Game-Curry-s-PC-world-websites-crash-thousands-start-hunt-Christmas-deals.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/shopping-and-consumer-news/11261470/Chaos-and-violence-marrs-Black-Friday-across-country.html

Maybe each Wii U bundle can come w/ some bandages?

Woolly World is really great. I actually think it trumps Yoshi's Island because of several significant improvements.

@JaxonH @wazlon Recommend it to anyone who doesn't have a Wii U? What if they don't have a PS3, Xbox360, PS4 or X1 either? And they only have enough money to buy 1 of those 5 consoles? Do you still pick Wii U?

I'm not opposed to Wii U, I've owned 1 for over 2 years and have gotten a lot of use of it, and will continue to do so. But for how long? How long until NX? How long before Ntinedo stops making games for it compeltley? If somebody I knew had enough money for 3 or 4 consoles, then yeah, pick up a Wii U just for XCX. Or Splatoon. But people I know have jobs and bills, money is tight for everyone, for $300 for Wii U in 2015 I don't believe in it enough to recommend it.

@MarvinTheMartian Well after the dust settles a bit the X1 owners can play the other 5 games on the list that are also on X1. The Wii U owners can play all the other Wii U games that are also on the list. Which is ZERO. It's not Halo vs Yoshi (Yoshi wins hands down in my book), it's Yoshi vs Halo, NBA, FIFA, NFL, WWE, Destiny, Rock Band and AC. That's 7 against 1, AFTER Halo is done. Yoshi is good, but it isn't THAT good.

@rjejr
If a person doesn't own a PS/Xbox and doesn't have a Wii U, then it's safe to say they're not even a gamer. In which case it's not going to matter to them. And Wii U's might be $300, but they come with 2-3 games and can be purchased on the cheap from multiple retailers. And $300 is still cheaper than $350

If a person doesn't have PS/Xbox or Wii U, they don't really care about games and therefore they'll probably enjoy Nintendo games a lot more than jumping into a complex online shooter.

If a person does own PS/Xbox, then they'll probably enjoy playing games they don't have access to, and types of games they don't have access to.

@rjejr LOL! this is like a flashback to our conversation last month right? Quality Game Library...thats the reason i would recommend the Wii U. If thats not for you then i dont recommend it...simple as that "grandmother ranting" friend. No one is asking you to sell the Wii U for Nintendo LOL! and here i thought since ur boy Cloud got in SSB you wouldve calmed down but i guess you just like to rant huh?LOL! If i was looking for a console and didnt have any and you as a friend allowed me to skip the Wii U i wouldve called u a jerk...excuse me a frugal jerk especially with that SSB Splatoon bundle out....but i guess like my grandmother u just need to vent and ranting is your outlet ;P

Also did u download ur xenoblde pcks from the eshop? i already did and im so excited but why cant it be Dec 4th already?

@rjejr yeah but there isn't a single game in that top 10 that i would pay any money for. I don't need 99% of the multi-plat blockbusters because they bore me to death.

@rjejr Xenoblade 3D, though it's far from essential imo. I'd also argue Super Smash Bros - far better experience on my New3ds than my regular. I will grant you it's not been taken up nearly as much as it could be.

@rjejr That's a silly reason to not recommend the console- there's plenty of older games very much worth playing- I'd imagine that most are rated higher than what's on this list. Smash and MK8 alone justify purchase of the system. I have well over 400 hours on both those games when you add the time the rest of my family spends on it.

What? The Wii U almost doesn't fail for once? Stop the press.

@rjejr: I love reading your posts but you are already knew that. It's amazing that that Wii U is still (trying) to sell for $300.00. Speaking of $300.00 you know you can get a 500GB PS4 for $300.00 on Black Friday so when are you going to be a multi curent-gen console owner?

@WanderingPB "Also did u download ur xenoblde pcks from the eshop?"

No, I looked at them but decided to wait. I've already ordered the Collectors Ed but since I'm getting it under the tree as a Christmas gift Dec 25 I decided there was no rush. Maybe they can make better ones. Maybe somebody like Digital foundry does some tests and it isn't worth the effort?

If I was going to start playing it Dec 4th I would have though.

There is also the issue of my 8 or 9 year old external HDD holding up. The case already burned up once - smoke and smell ad everything you'ld associate w/ a fire except the flames - so I'm not sure if its a good idea to use it that much. Maybe Santa could bring me a new HDD as well then the waiting will be doubly worth it? hmm.

Oh, and about the other thing - it might be flashback to you but I never stopped the conversation. And I did turn 50, maybe its made me extra cranky? Sure has made me extra tired, I'm always yawning and exhausted. Low T maybe?

@JaxonH "If a person doesn't own a PS/Xbox and doesn't have a Wii U, then it's safe to say they're not even a gamer."

OK, real life example. Both my sisters - who have kids living at home - each own a Wii. And that's the only console they've ever owned. But the kids have been wanting another console. Do I tell them to get a Wii U in 2015? My 13 year old nephew only likes playing Madden and Cabela type hunting games. My parents - who watch their grandkids occasionally - also only own a Wii - but would like a newer console for when the grandkids stay over. They are both retired and living on SS so don't exactly have money to spend on 2 or 3 or 4 consoles, they just want 1.

These are the real life people who look to me for console recommendations. So which ever console I choose the family is probably buying 3 of - 1 for each household - and that will probably be it for the next 5 years. I'm not sure Wii U is good to go for the next 5 years. PS4 and X1 might be. Or NX in Nov. Real world decisions, not hypotheticals. Maybe you're right and Wii U is the right choice, b/c honestly I don't know what one to recommend, though I'm leaning towards PS4.

@Ryno Yeah, I know you agree w/ me on occasion, you're just smart enough to not get into any debate on things.

PS4 next year for sure, I'm still holding out for an Uncharted 4 bundle. Or maybe R&C. Have any R&C games been ported to PS4 yet? I'd rather replay those than Uncharted trilogy.

But man, Sony is trying hard. I don't follow MS enough to really know what's going on w/ X1 except Halo and Tomb Raider, which I'll play next year. But Fallout 4 was calling me, and I've never played one before, too western, and first person, 2 things I don't like. But that and Witcher 3 need to be played. So maybe my birthday in July. Or whenever I finish XCX, its the one - and only one - game that is keeping me from buying a PS4 this holiday.

Oh, and no Mini's in Target this morning, there were 2 X1 Fallout 4 boxes in it's place. that's what it looked like anyway.

@rjejr My friend i have the perfect solution for ur little memory dilemmas!

SanDisk Cruzer Fit CZ33 64GB USB 2.0 Low-Profile Flash Drive- SDCZ33-064G

its on amazon for $20 bucks! i bought one in prepration for XCX! it works great and i have had no problems just that i have to organize my storage but thats about it! but once u have it plugged in you can not plug in another one or an additional External HDD which does suck but i believe im good for awhile. becareful if u decide to go with the 128gb 3.0 model the 3.0 speed i heard causes some of the problems others get with memory on the Wii U.

i downloaded both and am not wasting anytime the hype has taken over me LOL! and yeah i know u never stopped complaining but all in good fun my friend

@rockodoodle "a silly reason"

Well I woudln't say a "silly" reason, more like a very valid reason for anybody who likes sports or FPS b/c you arne't getting a lot of either of those 2 on Wii U. 2D platformers, yes. And toys-to-life. But other consoles have those as well. There are good older games on those other consoles not on the list as well. Witcher 3 comes to mind. And Batman. And MGSV.

@rjejr
It all depends on the person. If they prefer Madden then obviously you know what console has Madden. If they liked Mario games in the past and want a console, you know what console has Mario. It just depends on the person.

I recommend PS4, but not blindly to anyone. If the person doesn't really play AAA, and say "well I used to own a Super Nintendo" chances are they're going to like the style of games on Wii U more than the AAA machine elsewhere. If they say "I used to have a 360 and loved Halo" then you already know.

If I tell a person about Wii U, I tell them there may be a new one out in 12-15 months and to take that into account in THEIR decision. But I don't make that assumption for them automatically, that just because NX is coming or just because there's no AAA that they won't want it.

I give all the facts and let them decide. I'll say "PS4 has you sports and AAA cinematic games". It's a solid system, best UI and yada yada. Wii U has all your Nintendo classics like Mario Kart and this new game Splatoon, DKC, etc, it has off-TV play, yada yada. A new system may replace it in a year, but what it has available now is solid".

And I let them decide what's best, for them.

@rjejr You are a popular person today, but I agree with most of what you are saying. A Wii U at $299 is too much, even $250 with two games is too much at this point. But at best, the NX shows up for Christmas 2016 and I think that a 2017 launch is more likely since there is nothing being talked about it.

But back to the pricing, the Wii Mini should be gone and the Wii U should be $149 or $200 with a two game pack-in. Heck if they were really serious, they would be pushing a Wii U Family Bundle like they did with the NES that included at least two games and a Wiimote.

@WanderingPB I'm a little leery of the thumbdrive. Didnt' Nitnedo say not to use them? Besides my HDD going on fire I also had to send in my Wii U for repairs a few months after I got it - no picture out to the tv - and lost all my save files.

Thanks for the info, but I'll probably just play it safe and go external plug, since I already maneuvered the extension cord there anyway. I've never used a Y cable, not going to start now.

And thanks for the news about the USB 3.0 issues, never heard that before,

@Darknyht "if they were really serious,"

A couple of other commenters and I have been discussing that as well. Does Ntindo really want to sell Wii U? Do they want to make any more? Do they want to promote a console that maybe they will discontinue in 12 months? Maybe rather then lowering the price and selling more they just sell more amiibo instead? It still costs them money to build every one. They have to pay for parts and pay for production and shipping. Lots of moeny thyehaveto lay out up fornt to maybe get som ebakc later. Or if they sellit at a loss lose money w/ every console sold.

Maybe they just don't want to risk any more money and start the thing selling well now knowing they are going to end it? ? B/c if they did, it would be $249, $199 on Black Friday. And Reggie would have aid it during the ND.

Of course they want it to sell at $300, they just don't want it to sell too well, or at less than that. They aren't entering this horse in the race.

This game is on my xmas list. Can't wait to play this with my grand daughter

@rjejr When we see it lower than $200 the NX is around the corner and they are clearing warehouse space for it.

@Darknyht Yeah, I figure they're waiting for NX, so make all the money they can off of each console now, b/c once NX gets real - shown off, games, a launch date - Wii U won't be very appealing to anyone at any price. Even if there is no BC, which there might not be.

I'm not a retail expert by any means, not even a retial sort-of-knwoedgeable perosn, but I do wonder if Nintneod just told the retailers - look, lower the price a few $, and eat the difference, but we arne't making a "price drop" announcement b/c we don't want to look bad next year when NX comes out. I know it works very differently in the EU, every store seems to have their own price, but i the US it's all about MSRP. Maybe Nintendo dropped it, they just don't want to announce it and start selling more than they are producing. Let the retailers eat the loss.

@rjejr after playing my Wii U, my brother got his son one for Christmas last year, my sister in law did the same. I helped them get a good deal, some top games, had no qualms about doing so. Same situation this year, another nephew looking to get one from Santa after playing on mine. He got a 360 last year but doesn't use it. I simply told his Mum the truth, that Nintendo will definitely reveal, & potentially release new hardware next year. Wii U may get dropped pretty quick, but the back catalogue is top notch & there are big releases still to come. So she has as much information & honesty as I can give her but she's not put off at all. It ain't my job to sell the Wii U either, but if another family gets the fun out of it we do I'll be delighted

OK, so a few people think the above top 10 list is meaningless b/c all the games not on Ninteod systems aren't good enough to buy, play or own. And I can understand that, I don't play sports games or FPS either.

But when a Game Awards show talks about the bestgames of 2015, you still have to look at it.

Bloodbourne - PS4
MGSV - PS4, PS3, Xbox360, X1
SMM - Wii U
Withr 3 - PS4, X1
Fallout 4 - PS4, X1

I'm guessing all of those consoles BTW,some may have last gen ports I don't know about.

And I really think Splatoon is a much better game than SMM and deserves to be on the list more. But it isn't, this is the list we have.

So when people are looking at consoles this holiday, they'll see X1 w/ 3 games, PS4 w/ 4 games, Wii U w/ 1 game. That's not bias, that's just facts.

It's not just about October, it's about the entire year. Going into this holiday PS4 and X1 just look stronger.

2014 I think Wii U had them both beat handily w/ Hyrule Warriors, Bayonetta 2 and SSB. But not this year. Not now. And not at nearly the same price. The futures on the other 2 look much better now.

Cool that Yoshi of all things is there, but man that's a bleak list. And I'm not even saying that JUST because PES 2016 isn't there while FIFA 2016 continues to be evergreen.

@rjejr And it's not just Nintendo. It's just that they also happen to make consoles so it looks worse.

But, man, those "awards" seem to have mostly given up on anything that isn't for manbabies with jacked-up sound systems and HD TVs.

(And I say this as someone who will always gladly play/buy/own a good sports sim!). There are lots of good games that lack the initial "wow" factor of something like MGSV, and so they'll just have to hope some parents know how to use Google.

So basically that's my long-winded way of agreeing with you entirely, but adding that there are A LOT of games on all platforms now flying under the radar. It's just that PS4/XBox were lucky enough to attract that handful of games that get any press.

@rjejr You have to take into consideration that the Nx hasn't been confirmed for a 2016 release. All that is confirmed is that it's a gaming system.

@Smoo just to piggy back on what Vanillalake said....they are BOTH great games and MUCH better than the New SMB series. DKTF IS very action paced and pretty challenging but in a fair way which oh btw, dont play this game thinking it's just a Mario platformer with DK characters coz my buddy and I habitually did that and we were in a world of hurt...for example, you dont automatically grab onto vines in DK. As far as Yoshi is concerned....the stages arent what's difficult...finding every secret and running through without taking damage (or at least having 20/20 hearts) til the end of the stage is where the challenge lies...and THAT is no joke. Lol

@World "A LOT of games on all platforms now flying under the radar."

Like this:

and this:

@amiiboacid I take everything into consideration. NX might not come out in 2016. But it might. And it might be b/c w/ Wii U games. And it might be $300. Or it might not. Wii U is $300, very limited 3rd party support. It's a tough sell.

@rjejr The Wii U is $275, which is $75 less than what it was at launch. I think that is the minimum they can sell it at while still making a profit.

@rjejr Haha, touche!

...but, like, a FREE backpack charm! This game won't be flying anywhere except off the shelves!

IDK, I heard the game isn't as challenging as it seems.

How difficult is the platforming section of the levels?
I loved the SNES/GBA one that had a good difficulty, byt YIDS was a bit frustrating at times. I never played the 3DS one.

@rjejr Just because someone doesn't own a PS4/Xbox One doesn't mean anything about being a real gamer. I have been gaming for 29 years! I will own whatever console makes me happy, and that will have ZERO impact on whether I am a "real" gamer or not. I personally don't care for first person shooters, Assassin Creed games, or sport games. However, I love Nintendo's games so I choose WiiU and 3DS. I may miss a few games but that is life. Really tired of people slamming Nintendo for simply providing good gaming experiences.

@amiiboacid "The Wii U is $275"

$275 where?

Not Toys R Us

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=49676136&camp=PLAPPCG--PID19719161:TRUS&cagpspn=plat_19719161&eESource=CAPLA_DF:49676136:TRUS

Not Amazon - yes Amazon sells Wii U first party now in the US

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MVUKM0A?ascsubtag=1ba00-01000-org00-win81-other-nomod-us000-pcomp&ref=bit_abba_def_cr_us_learnmore&tag=amz-mkt-chr-us-20&tagbase=abba

Not Walmart

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Nintendo-Wii-U-Super-Mario-Maker-Console-Deluxe-Set-Walmart-Exclusive/46332782

Ad it was available for only $299 at at launch. If people wanted a Wii U for $299 they've had 3 years to buy 1. Why now? Princess Barbie Resuce?

@MJKOP My brother-in-law bought one for my nephew last Christmas too. Still doesn't have it online though, even though I gave him a code for Guacamelee and told him our kids could vid chat. Bought he only bought it b/c their Wii stopped reading discs. He really just wanted another Wii but since this was out he got Wii U instead. I'd tell anyone w/ a big back game library for Wii to buy a Wii U if their Wii died, have to do something w/ all those games and Wimotes. I'm not opposed to Wii U ownership, just opposed to giving it my 100% seal of approval guarantee.

@8bitforever "Really tired of people slamming Nintendo for simply providing good gaming experiences."

Nobody is slamming Nintendo for "simply" providing anything. People slam Nintendo for "only" providing 1st party games. B/c it's not that "simple". Some people only have enough money for one $300 console, and while they would like to play Ntinedo games, they may also like sports games, or FPS, or whatever. Nobody slams Nintendo for having good gaming experiences, it's making people choose between "only" playing Nitneod games or buying a different system to play all the other games Nintendo consoles don't get. The top 10 games that many of your friends and relatives might be playing.

And here's the important part - it's all relative. IF PS4 only played Sony games and X1 only played MS games then that would be how the gaming world worked, you have to choose 1 system and only play th games that system gets. But that isn't how gaming works. You can buy a PS4, play Sony games, and also play lots of sports games and FPS. Or you can buy an X1 and also play MS games but also play lots of sorts and FPS, b/c each system has more multiplats than they do exclusives. Nintendo has it's own exclusives just like Sony and MS do, but Sony and MS offer so much more for around the same price.

The problem isn't Nitneod being "simple", it's Nitneod being "only" while it's 2 competitors get both, simple and only. That's the problem. And whether you like it or not, for a lot of people who like Nintendo games, but also like sports and FPS, it IS a problem.

What an underwhelming month at retail for the October in the U.S. Overall sales only went up like 2% year-over-year, despite:

A) Halo 5 release, along with the $500 Xbox One + Halo 5 bundle
B) $50 PS4 price cut, along with the release of the Uncharted Collection

Nintendo did decent, with Wii U sales now up year-over-year thanks to the newfound Mario Maker (from last month) and Yoshi momentum. 3DS sales are okay, but the lack of a huge game comparable to last year's Smash Bros. hurt the platform's hardware and software sales this year.

@rjejr The Super Smash Bros. + Splatoon bundle will be $275 when it releases. It will bring more content for a lower price. The current $300 Wii U used to be $350. The original $300 Wii U became $250 and then it was discontinued because of how poorly it sold. If people didn't want a Wii U before, they might want one now for Splatoon, Super Mario Maker, Yoshi's Wholly World, and Xenoblade Chronicles X.

@amiiboacid I agree, more people will buy that bundle at $250 then the MK8 bundle at $299. I just wish they announced it as a $279 bundle, announcements are good. Well actual announcements, not just - "wait until Black Friday and try to find a good deal." And $279 after 2 years at $299 isn't really all that great either. If you wanted both games instead of MK8 it is the way to go though.

That's a kind of funny bundle now that I think about it. both good games, fairly recent, very popular, but 1 glaring difference.

SSU has had about $60 worth of DLC since launch
Spaltoon has had many maps, weapons and gear all for free

Both launched for $60 in the US, so it isn't a matter of free-to-start vs full retail price. Two $60 games on opposite ends of th spectrum on DLC. And their amiibo support is also very different as well, but they both do have it, so that's a plus.

OK, price related question. Do you think Nintendo has any grand plans for Wii U, that this $279 bundle is going to change it's fortunes and make it successful for years to come like the $169 price did for 3DS, or are they really just waiting for NX late 2016 or early 2017 and letting the Wii U go away?

B/c if NX is due out in the next 12-15 months I'm still not sure I recommend a Wii U at $279 now. If I knew NX was 24 months away, holiday 2017, and Wii U was getting Super Mario Galaxy 3 as an exclusive, and no Zelda U to NX port, I'd recommend this bundle for $249. Still too many "if's" for me though. I wouldn't discourage a purchase at $249 for this bundle, how's that?

@electrolite77
Wii U also has good non AAA 3rd party games and indie games (I own plenty of Wii U 3rd party games).
Same goes for PC
Both are great if you want non AAA Titles and love T and E rated games.

One has to ask, why bother buying most AAA 3rd party games on consoles when you can get them on Steam at Steam sale for a few dollars???

PC is making it harder and harder to justify a console for AAA 3rd party games, when you can get them for dirt cheap on PCs at sales.

NX probably won't get EA back, or any AAA M rated Western 3rd party support for three reasons:

1) Western 3rd parties view Nintendo systems as being kiddy and "casual", not "hardcore", thus don't want to damage their brands by putting them on the kiddy and "casual" system.

2) Western 3rd parties expect platform holder to bid for their games. If you don't pay up and agree to the terms, your platform won't get them.
Right now Microsoft has paid $500M USD for EA to make Xbox One the primary system for EA games. All EA games have their best version with the most content on Xbox One including EA Access. Right now Microsoft has paid close to $1 Billion USD to get 3rd party support on Xbox One.

3rd parties might soon jump as Phil Spencer says "Microsoft is done paying for 3rd party support!".

Sony has outbid Microsoft for Call of Duty, Star wars: Battlefield (EA doesn't own the full rights), Density, Square Enix games (Except for Tomb Raider and DQ), and Ubisoft's AAA titles.

This has cost Sony over $700M USD to get full 3rd party support on PS4 and that price is set grow further over time. PS4 has more 3rd party games than Wii U and Xbox One currently.

This is also the reason why major 3rd parties refuse to support Steam for the most part, PC as whole, Macs, Linux, and Nintendo systems.

Nintendo like Apple would have to pay a huge amount probably $1 Billion to garner full 3rd party support from the major Western companies.
Neither Apple, Valve, and Nintendo want to pay the price.
This is why you cannot get practically any EA games on PC, Linux, Steam, Macs and Wii U.

3) Nintendo systems are flooded with 1st party games. 1st party games have been shown to take sales away from 3rd party games. This is why 3rd parties do not like supporting a system that is full of 1st party games.

Sony releases very few 1st party games, and only 4 full games on PS4 to date.
Microsoft has released very few 1st party games on 360 and Xbox One...
Coincidence???? No, it's in their agreements with EA and the other major Western 3rd parties.

Nintendo would have to give in to 3rd party demands to literally reduce 1st party releases to PS4 levels to get 3rd party support.

The point is getting Western 3rd party support is very expensive and comes with lots of restrictions for platform holder.s

As for Halo 5, it is the worst launch for any Halo games according to the NPD leaks.
Halo 5 is leaked to have sold just shy of 300k, (bundled and digital copies don't count in NPD).

Uncharted is leaked to have sold less than 100k.

Yoshi is leaked to have sold ~150k, which is roughly half of Halo 5.

Anyways Yoshi, Halo 5 and Uncharted probably won't chart next month.

November should see:

Fall out 4, EA Sports, new Call of Duty, Assassins Creed, and other new 3rd party titles taking up all 10 lists.

These lists keep getting more depression each year.

The cut off to make the NPD list was ~90k
NPD only accounts for the physical U.S. purchases.

@Xenocity
Your numbers are BS. Halo 5, while indeed is the lowest selling mainline Halo game ever, still managed to sell around 1 million copies during its launch. Uncharted Collection sold around 300,000, though the game was heavily bundled with the PS4. Yoshi sold a bit more, but wasn't bundled.

@westman98
This is U.S. numbers only for the month of October.
NPD counts differently than Microsoft.
NPD only counts physical retail sales in the U.S.

Platformer holders refuse to give anyone their digital numbers.
Also games bundled with hardware don't count in NPD's numbers.

.

NPD gave the bundled numbers for Halo 5 which us 935k, granted the Halo 5 systems bundle was the most popular Xbox One system sold in October.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=185310434&postcount=2919
Obviously with digital and other territories added in you get 1M.
But this is a huge drop from Halo 4 launch numbers.

Other NPD data given was Xbox One sold 303k smashing PS4 by 28k.
AC:S #3 on the list, failed to hit 400k.

You can mine NeoGaf for the rest of the numbers, now that they have an actual NPD rep giving them data.

Uncharted collection has not sold 300k standalone physical copies for October in the U.S., nor has Yoshi sold over 150k standalone physical copies in the U.S.

Uncharted collection should have already passed 300k+ in the U.S. alone as a standalone physical game since Summer.

@electrolite77
Gamers seemingly have shorter memories than the U.S. voters.

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/05/ea-microsoft-ink-strategic-partnership-for-xbox-one/

The deal Microsoft inked was leaked eventually to be worth $500M and Microsoft gave EA tons of stuff to get the best versions of EA's games and content.
EA went to Microsoft with the deal after Nintendo rejected their offer.
Microsoft a year later expanded their deal with EA to get EA access and other stuff exclusively on Xbox One
http://www.thestreet.com/story/12842481/1/electronic-arts-microsoft-deal-could-ease-xbox-one-sales-pain.html

Microsoft's bought the exclusive right to NFL content on video game systems and the use of the NFL branding on systems.
http://www.geekwire.com/2013/microsoft-partners-nfl/

Titanfall was also an exclusive deal with Microsoft too.

Microsoft also bought a 1 year exclusive on Tomb Raider, giving Square-Enix the money to make the Sequel to the reboot.
The Reboot lost Square a lot of money because it didn't meet sales projections.
http://www.cinemablend.com/games/Rise-Tomb-Raider-Timed-Exclusive-Xbox-One-Xbox-360-66738.html

Sony outbid Microsoft to become the new home of Call of Duty.
http://www.polygon.com/2015/6/15/8787135/call-of-duty-playstation-exclusive-deal-black-ops-3

This means PS4 version of Call of Duty will the best version with exclusive content. This also means Sony will pay for part of the development and pay of the marketing in exchange Activision will make sure PS4 gets the bulk of the marketing and have this biggest logo compared to Xbox One.
PS4 will also get timed exclusivity on all Call of Duty DLC.

This cost Sony a pretty penny.

Sony also out bid Microsoft for Destiny.
Sony agreed to help fund Destiny and pay for marketing in exchange PS4 get's the bulk of the marketing, exclusive content, a PS4 system bundle, and timed exclusive content.
PS4 as the superior version of Destiny.

Sony also struck a deal with EA and Disney over Star wars: Battlefront.
Sony funding the marketing of the game, in exchange only the PS4 version of the game can be shown until after launch and only the PS4 can get a special edition bundle and controller.
There is talk of the gaming getting exclusive content too.
This is why you haven't seen any media about the Xbox One version of the game and you haven't seen any ads for the Xbox One version.
http://www.dualshockers.com/2015/04/18/sonys-star-wars-battlefront-ps4-marketing-deal-might-have-forced-microsoft-to-hide-its-trailer/

Sony also bought the exclusive rights to Street Fighter V barring it from landing on Xbox One and Wii U. Though they are allowing the PC version.
Sony is funding the development of the game.
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-will-never-get-a-version-of-street-fighter-5-/1100-6427987/

Injustice is only available on PS4 not available on Xbox One.

As for Last gen:

Microsoft bought most of the deals from EA, Activision, Take Two, Namco etc...
Microsoft outbid Sony last gen for the COD deal.
Microsoft paid Take Two $50M USD for the exclusive DLC deal for GTAIV
http://www.1up.com/news/microsoft-paying-50m-gta-episodic
They paid another $75M USD to prevent Sony from buying the GTAIV exclusivity
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-paid-75-million-to-stop-gtaiv-ps3-exclusivity/1100-6262370/
Microsoft spent a lot of money getting 3rd party support for Xbox 360.
Sony eventually had to break the bank to get full versions of 3rd party games on PS3.

On PS2, Sony paid for the EA deal, the GTAIII deal, the deal for most of Square-Enix console games, they even bought Soul Calibur III exclusivity after the GC version outsold the PS2 version. This why no other system ever got SCIII.
Nearly all the games that were exclusive or timed exclusive to PS2 were bought by Sony.

Sony also offered to fund any 3rd party game in exchange for it being a PS1 exclusive, this was the main reason Square and other jumped ship.
Sony also promised them they would not make competing software to their games and flood the market with 1st party titles.

Sony has been money hatting 3rd party support since PS1 launched, and they have been publicly open about it too.

Though Nintendo did pay Capcom for the Capcom 5, until Sony offered them very big pot of money to find a loop hole in the contract to bring them to PS2, especially to get RE4.
Nintendo did offer EA money and stuff to keep them from abandoning N64 and GCN.

Dan Adelman (former eShop head) did speak out on his final interview about Nintendo

It really comes down to the business case for these publishers. Nintendo consumers buy Nintendo systems primarily for the first party content. There’s a bit of a self-fulfilling prophesy in that publishers feel that they can’t compete with Nintendo first party, so they choose not to invest in making high quality products for the platform.

He also said:

There have been cases where companies decided to pull out the stops and make a great game for Nintendo platforms only to find that consumers weren’t interested. And it could be because consumers have been burnt by third party games on Nintendo platforms before.

The last relevant part:

[/quote]For Nintendo to break this cycle, I think they need to invest and absorb some of the risk for third parties who try to embrace the features of Nintendo platforms and help communicate to consumers which games are on par with Nintendo first party games in terms of quality. [b]Sony and Microsoft spend a lot of money securing exclusives – or at least exclusive features – on the top games and since Nintendo doesn’t really do that, third parties focus on the other systems. I’m not sure about Sony, but I know Microsoft also has a team of technical people that will go work with a studio for a few weeks or even months to help them make their games as good as they can be on those platforms.['b]

[/quote]
http://dromble.com/2015/01/21/former-nintendo-executive-dan-adelman-discusses-nintendos-culture-third-party-support-and-much-more/

@rjejr sorry for the late reply but ive been working back to back doubles and actually thought i did repky to you but nope...maybe im just getting old and forgetful...i know ur 50 but everything starts slowing down around ur 30's LOL!!!

yes Ninty said no to thumbnail use but ive played 4 hours straight of Game & Wario with my family because seriously those Fronz games with the family are genius and my son loves to knock down the tower when he loses just so my brother loses points LOL! but i have had Game & Wario downloaded onto the thumbnail from the club ninty rewards and ive never had a problem running it from the thumbnail. i understand you being cautious after ur premature Wii U BBQ incident but be adventurous like when i had a Dreamcast my friend and like the Dreamcast you wont be disappointed

the moment i knew about XCX and the data packs i got it but was waiting to see their size and also remember we are getting all the XCX DLC for free here so that will also need extra space! once all that is downloaded im going to buy Fatal frame and just enjoy the ride. i dont know if this eases your mind about the thumbnail but i figured its better to have first hand experience than just reading about it ya know.

@WanderingPB Yes, it seems like a lot of people have been having luck w/ the thumbdrives. It's thumbdrive by the way, not thumbnail, thumbnail is usually used to refer to small pictures, took me a while to figure out what you were talking about . I currently have about 45GB on my external HDD so a 64GB might work but I only have 8, 16 and 32 at the moment. Though I may wait to see if I can download the packs to the internal. I wonder how big the music USB drive is w/ the game? Probably 512MB

@rjejr sorry yeah thumbdrive my bad LOL? all the XCX downloads packs together are 10gb not including the DLC which hasnt been released yet. i have only 6gb left in my internal available so my thumbdrive is a great investment and also doesnt take up any space on the back of my WiiU but like i mentioned before its the cruzer fit 2.0 speed and i bought it new soley for my Wii U. i heard another problem w/ thumbdrives is b/c of multiple rewrites and using previously used usb sticks or thumbdrives just so u know and you dont try to hunt me down incase something happens so remember buy it new. since we got a 32gb Wii U from Ninty i have very low expectations about the size of that usb w/ music and "512mb" sounds like too much memory already for Ninty...your giving Ninty too much credit LOL! but then again they did give the 3ds XL 4gb so i dunno but yeah i agree thats probably what they'll give us...besides ive had the soundtrack since it was released in Japan earlier this year and its currently in car as we speak LOL!...the hype has taken over me! good luck though in whatever u choose