Just 10 Days Since Launch, Zelda: Skyward Sword HD Is Already Amazon's Third Best-Seller Of 2021

This is why we don't get new games... smh

It'll be interesting to see the sales of this game, tbh.

@15roundTKO Would make more sense if we wouldn't know about the existence of BotW2

I have a feeling that this game has heavy influence on BotW2, so I hope it does well. I just got my job back recently so I haven't gotten SSHD yet, but I'm looking forward to it. Also, I'm still hoping WWHD and TPHD are coming to the Switch as well. Fingers crossed. 😬🤞🏽

Animal Crossing is such a juggernaut. An early 2020 game is still dominating in 2021.

Still a better Zelda than BOTW. Sure BOTW was more Open World, but in term of dungeons, story, enemy variety and many other things it was inferior even to Skyward Sword as a Zelda game.

@MarinoKadame I don’t think so.

Great start for a great game. Not bad for a game that nobody wanted. No body makes up the mind of gamers and I'm so happy for it. A great game will always sell. No matter how many times it is released. Fans will always buy a great game.

I wonder if a lot of people that bought a Switch and loved BOTW just thought "Hey, that surely is more of that!" and were dissappointed. I mean i hope not, just wondering.

Fantastic game. I’m loving the button only controls. I’m looking for that propeller fan

Nintendo are playing to the new kids on the block, The Switch Lite owners who haven't played the original and think 'port' is one side of a ship, which it is.

It needs the new Steam handheld to sell well, so that Nintendo wakes up and smells the coffee.

@zool Yeah... That won't happen. The Steam console could do just fine but the Switch will still sell either way. Specially because they appeal to different markets. Valve themselves admitted that too.
Also, what's wrong with a Zelda remake selling?

@StefanN @SeaFishelle If people are disappointed, they can easily resell their copy and get most of their money back (unless they bought it digitally).

Is this the part where Skyward Sword haters go, well so much for Zelda sticking to open world, Since SSHD is so successful they aren't continuing what botw started.

I thought people hated this game though 😉

@NintendoByNature To be fair, the og Skyward Sword was one of the worst selling Zelda games. It "only" sold 3+ Million units.
Why is now different? Probably Switch, nostalgia and Zelda getting a bigger audience after BoTW.

@SeaFishelle Yeah...and i feel i'm one of those people. BOTW made me like Zelda and i always wanted to try Wind Waker because i love the look of it. I'm definitely interested in trying out Skyward Sword but i don't know if a linear adventure will be to my taste, when the visuals (for me personally) aren't a huge plus.

I started playing Skyward Sword last weekend. Loving it so far. First playthrough. Quite a thrill to walk into my first proper 3D Zelda dungeon in, oh, more than a decade? (I mean, Breath of the Wild didn't have dungeons. And the other Zeldas I've played since, um, Wind Waker on a hand-me-down Gamecube back in 2009 were all 2D.)

so much for the online rage at Skyward Sword HD LMAO

I wonder if this is ‘self-evident’ enough for @SortingHat?

I wasn‘t sure at first, if I was going to buy it but decided to do so. And it is awesome! Really enjoying it so far and I gotta say that I really miss classic dungeons. Hope they will include some in BOTW2.

I’ve been gaming on Nintendo since the 80’s. I’m still playing SS 10 days later. I can say that only the very best Nintendo titles have kept me playing consecutively for that long. There’s no disputing that for many people, this a special game!

When do we find out the winner of Nintendo's Zelda memories competition?

I love this remaster. I played the first one all the way through, but it felt stiff, clunky and ugly....the weakest 3D Zelda by a long shot. This remaster fixes all those issues and I can truly say I really enjoy the game now, its on par with the others...and dare I say, I even enjoy the motion controls, haven't even tried the button controls once, as I'm doing very well without them.

@jowe_gw Or the game is simply much better than the Wii version. That's the reason I'm enjoying and I played the first one all the way though. This remaster is a HUGE improvement, making the game quite enjoyable the 2nd time around.

@jowe_gw nothing wrong with an old Zelda game getting a facelift and selling at full price. More money for Nintendo I guess, but not my money.

If it was a remake then maybe it would earn the full price. But for each port we get, it's one new game less.

It's nice to see Skyward Sword getting the recognition it always deserved

Didn’t buy it and I was not expecting to play it, but I did borrow my brother’s copy to demo it. I like it a lot and will probably finish it. I honestly think it’s a masterpiece and would gladly purchase a copy at some point.

@zool
To be fair, I doubt Nintendo would want to spend their resources or money into making a brand new Zelda game or spin-off every year. The whole point of these ports is pretty self-explanatory and they don't necessarily take up a slot for a new Zelda game.

@The_New_Butler yes you are probably right, that's why we have had so many Wii u ports over the last four years. And a shortage of new games.

Overhyped for sure. Its a good game but I'm not paying $60 dollars for a 10 year old game that has better controls and slightly better graphics. I'll wait to get it on sale

Now they just need to work on stocking issues for Zelda & Loftwing Amiibo

Get ready for Breath or the Air where “wacky” NPCs interrupt you every minute as you solve puzzles that only have one solution.

@ModdedInkling Nintendo make and publish games that's what they do. And they make consoles so that the games they make can be exclusive to their console. Nintendo make money to make a profit to investing in new games.

In five years time when we have new Nintendo consoles and the existing game cards are not compatible and BotW gets a makeover and a full price tag, you will be happy to hand Nintendo the full price for a 10 year old game that will then be in 4k?

I really can't wait until I have some time to get into this. I never finished the Wii version because I just got frustrated with the controls and hand holding crap. Plus it looked like a blurry mess on Wii.

Awesome news and like other Nintendo games this gen., no matter how much "controversy"and artificial rage surrounds it, it still comes out selling well. Can't wait for Metroid Dread to prove this yet again. 😀

I'm genuinely curious about how many bought Skyward Sword "blind" seeing it's Zelda off the back of enjoying BotW and have had a very rude awakening this past week...!!

@MarinoKadame it’s better than a I remembered and much more accessible with the new controls but better than BOTW? Can you tell me who your dealer is?

@Ravenmaster well, time heals all wounds, & soon enough people will remember that it remains the worst 3d Zelda, a contender for the worst Zelda period. Especially since this remaster failed to address many of the prevailing issues in the game's design, but hey! it's less talky now

I wish Nintendo would release a demo, I know I don’t want to play this game again using motion controls but I’d like to see if the “button”-only controls are any better.

Skyward Sword is better than BotW in my opinion. Then again, I didn’t enjoy BotW and stopped playing it halfway thru. Dungeons and a developing story is what I like from my Zelda games.

I'm glad to see a decent sized audience now get to appreciate it, compared to the 3.5m in the first place on Wii. That means there's over 17m BotW gamers who'll have never played this before. That alone makes this release worth it. Never mind how it ties in with BotW2.

@Snakesglowcaps

I agree with that commenter. BoTW was great for a lot of people, but I am not one of them. Open air style is not enjoyable, I much prefer a tight and linear title, like the other 3D titles have been

I’m happy this is selling well because maybe it will convince Nintendo to bring over some of the other zeldas. I’ll probably get skyward sword eventually but I’m in no hurry. I’ve played it once thru and had my fun with it at the time. It is my least favorite Zelda tho for the motion controls, repetitive boss fights, and I didn’t like the open world really at all.

This game will end up selling a lot more than the original release. Good, it's a masterpiece.

@Snakesglowcaps Not all of us like open world Zelda! And I loathed the collapsible weapons and recipe making in BOTW.

@zool
It's a very subjective case and really depends on what's being brought to the table; case-by-case, never generalized on what I'll buy. Besides, I thought you were talking on the context of Nintendo Switch releases rather than talking about overpriced re-releases in general.

In Skyward Sword's case, I will admit that it feels overpriced, but that $60 price tag has become so freakishly common around Nintendo that it's not worth complaining about anymore. They're gonna keep doing it and we just have to accept it.

@tntswitchfan68
What are you talking about, the original skyward sword didn't sell well at all. Great games don't always sell even if they're on a popular system (except the switch though).

@15roundTKO yeah. All those other new games we've had on the system don't exist. And it's definitely the same people at Nintendo who handle ports as develop new titles. After all, Nintendo is a small indie company with only a handful of staff after all. Lol

@MarinoKadame I don't know if it's better or just different. I loved both games for their experiences. Love the dungeons in SS, but was so grateful for the freedom given to explore and roam in BOTW.
...now...
If we could somehow combine the two...

@jowe_gw the original came out very late in the Wii's lifecycle and I think the biggest legitimate reason is the fact that standard definition gaming was on the way out when SS released, most people had already migrated to the HD systems of the day. Now with it being on a current system I think its just getting better exposure. And I'm sure BOTW helps the sales of all Zelda games regardless.

Oh well. I'm still gonna wait for this to be on sale.

@drewber2635
"waiting for a sale" on a first party Nintendo game, and a Zelda title to boot - enjoy that 15% discount in five years.

I know a lot of people are mentioning how the original didn’t sell well, but you have to keep in mind it was one of, if not the last, first party Nintendo game released for the Wii. It came at a time when 480p was very very old, and the Wii motion control gimmick had worn itself thin (even though I loved and still love the motion controls in skyward sword, then and now).

It really should also have been released for the Wii U as a launch title with 1080p visuals; it probably would’ve boosted its own and the Wii U’s sales that way, but they both turned out to be duds sales wise…

The other thing to remember is the atrocious E3 demo where they famously had to ask everyone to turn off their WiFi on their devices (at a tech gaming convention no less) to reduce interference to get the MotionPlus controls to work right. That moment is also what really killed Skyward Sword when all the media outlets picked up on that story, and people were certain it had awful controls before it even came out. It was a huge embarrassment to Nintendo, probably cost them a lot of sales, and IIRC is the reason we have Nintendo Directs now rather than demoing games live - they can control the surroundings precisely in prerecorded videos and make sure the game looks and behaves perfectly.

The motion controls weren’t perfect by any means, but weren’t nearly as bad as everyone made them out to be - the WiiMote had to be calibrated every 30 minutes or so, I found, but thankfully they’ve made it even more reliable on the Switch where resetting the cursor is a push of a button and calibrating is no longer a thing.

@ModdedInkling You said ''it's not worth complaining about anymore. They're gonna keep doing it and we just have to accept it''

Well I don't accept it. I work hard for my money and I want value when I spend it. I see this as a cash grab, I've already paid full price for the original. Look deep into some YouTube reviews and there are more honest ones out there. The reviewers that receive free game codes normally give the higher scores and avoid discussing the price.

I just don't buy Nintendo ports unless they have extra content or a realistic price for an old game.

@stiligFox BUT it was released and gamers paid full price for it. That is a consideration Nintendo has conveniently over looked with this port.

@drewber2635 @Curbie This is an early enough release that we may see some Black Friday discounts on physical copies, but yeah, we will probably have more luck getting it cheaper used than new.

For digital, I doubt we will see a Black Friday discount (at least not this year).

@15roundTKO what do mean... I play new nintendo games 1st party all time. U try garage builder, or mario kart live home circuit. Those are unique and original games.

@15roundTKO except Nintendo is working on new games. They take their time. Re-releasing this game to give new, and old, players a chance with it is cool. It's not like they are constantly putting it out on everything like Skyrim for years and years.

Dang people hate on Nintendo for making their own business decisions and act like they are entitled to lead them with their constant complaints. People are so mad about this I'm surprised they aren't trying to meet the fans in public and protest and spit at them for liking a game...

@zool Nintendo had no part in the development of this port, so your assertion that we got this instead of new games is laughable. Nintendo farm this kind of thing out purely because they know development of brand new games takes a long time these days.
Also I dunno where you're buying your games from but I don't think anyone is spending $60 on SS, I managed to get my copy for £35ish which is just over $48 according to Google... much cheaper than other 1st party games.

Must be an excruciatingly slow year for gaming if a remastered port of a ten year old game is that high up in the list for the entire year. Yikes.

@Harmonie

If a game is good, what difference does it make how old it is?

If Metroid Dread is a mega hit like BOTW they can do a port of Other M where it’s sales would 95% be due to piggybacking off of Dread so they can make Metroid Existential Dread that’s about maternal instincts and Adam told in long boring cutscenes in the most linear Metroid map yet.
When they reveal what BOTW2’s actual name is people will realize this Skyward Sword port was about asserting narrative control so they can steer things back towards Aonuma‘a vision of Zelda. If they didn’t do this then a BOTW2 that seems to be focused on a web of islands in the sky would be largely rejected but now they can go “Oh we saw how well SSHD sold so we wanted to do game that was more like that rather than one more like BOTW that was focused on its chemistry engine in a sprawling underworld as you might have thought we hinted at in the teaser (laughs)”.

@jowe_gw I mean..you're probably not wrong

@SalvorHardin
I can assure you that the sequel to Breath of the Wild will be much more similar to Breath of the Wild than to Skyward Sword.

The explosive success of Breath of the Wild will ensure that the open-air formula is the future of 3D Zelda games, though it's nice to know that the old formula is still popular too. The inevitable Switch ports of Wind Waker HD and Twilight Princess HD should also sell extremely well.

This comes to show that those bitchin and moaning about it being a port are a minority when it comes to sales (or they just like tu argue and buy it either way)

@Whatsmyname I'm just saying it's a game that has been out for ten years. A game that was released on one of Nintendo's best selling systems ever, of which the last generation's system was backwards compatible with. So... it's not too hard to have played already. I understand there is an audience still of people who are younger or took a long break from Nintendo, or never got SS for whatever reason, but enough to sell this much? Kinda ridiculous.

Definitely says a lot about ACNH since it came out well over a year ago.

Liked this game a lot when it came out on Wii, 9/10 for me, but still probably my least favorite 3D Zelda. I’m happy for those enjoying it, but selfishly I hope it doesn’t sell well. Nintendo’s focus on remakes really is getting out of hand, IMO.

@Harmonie
You're also forgetting the people who did play this game on the Wii and really liked it and were excited about it getting an HD release. This is the group I'm in. If a game is good, then it'll always be good and people will buy it. What's so surprising or perplexing about that?

Skyward Sword HD was developed by Tantalus, not Nintendo.
Tantalus made fantastic games like The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD, Mass Effect 3 - Special Edition, and Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Director's Cut for Wii U.
They are an Australian 3rd party and Skyward Sword HD wasted approx. less than 1% of Nintendo's resources, so get over it or continue sounding dumb.

@Otoemetry takes a long time these days. So what is different from those days?

@zool,

You are only looking at this from your own point of view, a lot of Switch owners would have never owned a console before, so this is all brand new content, the Steam deck will be niche at best, and is after a totally different demographic.

@eatdogs,

Nintendo are making very good business decisions with the Switch and it's software, of course the core fans are oblivious to these facts, and also that they represent a small fraction of the overall Switch market.

Ok, is it just my Joycons, but I have to reset my controller all the time, anyone else have to re calibrate all the time?

@johnvboy should I be looking at things from your point of view? Because that is what you have just given me, your point of view.

My point of view is from my perspective and those similar to me; long time Nintendo gamers. Me from the release of the N64, others before that. I have never owned a console that did not have Nintendo printed on it.

But I feel that Nintendo can't please everyone, and yes a big new market of younger Lite owners has emerged and Nintendo thinks it's Christmas every day.

But from where I sit, I spend my money on Nintendo games and third party games. Most always physical and just a handful of indi games. I do not buy ports of games Ive already played unless they have enough new content.

So from my perspective I see a lack of new games from Nintendo and most of the third party ones need a more powerful Switch to get the best from them.

When all the kids Switch Lites are sitting in cupboards gathering dust because they have moved to some other fad, and the serious gamers have moved to Steam or the new Sony handheld (yes I think they are working on one) Nintendo will look back and think 2020/2021 was the year we took our eye off the ball.

@ryancraddock you might want to update this, it’s now overtaken New Horizons.

Though it’s still below Minecraft: Java Edition, but I’m guessing that’s not counted as it’s a download code, not physical?

@Bunkerneath yeah, constantly. Way more than I did in the original Wii game - pretty much every time I need to point at something, though it’s a lot easier to do on the Switch since you don’t need to place the controller on a flat surface for 10+ seconds every time...

@zool
2020 was the biggest year in Nintendo's history and 2021 looks to follow a similar path. I assure you that they will look upon 2020/2021 quite fondly. 2010/2011 are the years that Nintendo probably doesn't view so fondly, as that's when mobile gaming exploded and Microsoft/Sony launched Kinect/PS Move, while Nintendo did little in response.

Also, the idea that there are tons of Switches lying around collecting dust is a myth - software sales are way too high for that theory to hold. Skyward Sword HD being one of the year's biggest launches thus far further disproves that myth.

I want Nintendo to bring a Zelda 3D Allstars with OoT, WWHD and TPHD for 60 bucks.
I know, I know, but I'll keep dreaming.

Come on, guys! Monster Hunter Stories 2, The Great Ace Attorney and Neo: TWEWY also came out this month, and they're all fantastic games!
I know Zelda is Zelda, which involves quality, but... it's an old game... a lazy remaster without new content... and for 60 bucks... It doesn't deserve to sell this much, imo.

@zool Can't agree more - that's what happened to them when they relied too much on casual/new customers during the Wii era and got the boot from them during the Wii U era. Maybe Switches won't collect dust, but if Nintendo is after appeasing new customers while gouging out older customers, they may be in for a shocker when those new customers don't return. Also, they seem to alternate between a good and bad era, so they should watch out. In an ideal world, Wii U's digital games should have been forward compatible or at least upgradable to the Switch for a fee (definitely not $60) - that way, those who were loyal to Nintendo during their darkest times would actually have gotten a pat on their back. Also, Wii ports should have been $40 or less. But Nintendo's community themselves wants to blow money on Nintendo, so they continue these practices. A paradox actually. Nintendo has created a fanbase who love to get gouged.

@ryancraddock you’re welcome!

@15roundTKO Yeah. With news like this, there is no point in making new games anymore.

Just sell a old 5$ bargain bin game like a brand new 60$ game again. People are all over it.

I would love BOTW 2 to be a fusion over old school Zelda gameplay with BOTW open world and mechanics. The most recent trailer seems to suggest a balance. Definitely SS vibes

@jowe_gw the difference is that now you don’t need a controller upgrade to play it. People often forget that in order to play SS you needed Motion+, which hindered its sales by quite a grand margin

@zool your comment is so so wrong. One remaster = one less new game? First of all, the developer of the remaster doesn’t make “new games”. They specialize in ports. It’s not like EAD used their time to make this game. It was developed by Tantalus.

Also, the money that this game makes is used to finance NEW GAMES made by Nintendo.

So, you’re wrong. One old game = one more new game.

@ShadowofTwilight22 Do you really think that makes it worth full price? Seriously? I mean, Xenoblade Definitive Edition did MUCH MORE than that, and still many people complaint about the price, and didn't sell very well... (being a way better game than this one)

Whenever I see someone complaining about Metroid Dread's price again, I will remember people defending the price of this XD.
Oh well, sometimes is impossible to understand the people...

@zool
That's completely up to you to skip out on it. If you don't want to waste money, then don't waste money, simple as that. Your opinion is your opinion.

Skyward Sword HD is just a game for those who struggled with the original version or those who want to have Zelda games all on one console. It didn't need to go to the scale of something like Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition to be worth buying for those people.

Besides, I haven't heard long-time Nintendo fans complain about The Wind Waker HD's price or Twilight Princess HD's price. All the developers did was make the games slightly shorter and less tedious, add Wii U GamePad functionality, and improved the textures (but not improved frame rate). Sure, a few extra items here and there with Hero Mode bring added in and amiibo for TPHD, but at the end of the day, no one ever really complained about those two games' remasters despite adding nearly the same amount of content as Skyward Sword HD.

@San_D I couldn't agree more. 😀

@15roundTKO
"Let's make a new game"
"Do you really expect that game to sell?"
"Not at first, but think of how much money we'll make in ten years when we remake it with minimal effort!"

@Nicolai I'm sure games are totally made with this mentality! /s

@AgentLA I mean... it's a remaster. At worse it should be the same experience than the og game since it's a rerelease.

@zool Do you think that point of "one rerelease means one less new game" is like... A thing? Why? These rereleases are not done by the same team that do new games in the first place...

The actual explanation is that new games take a long time and they still need to release games between them. That's basically it. Taking less time is a big reason why spinoffs and rereleases are done in the first place since they are perfect to avoid droughts.

@CromAstronomy Fair. It was a very late Wii game. It should have been a Wii U launch title.

@fafonio I don't know what influenced more with the low sales. The requirement of Motion Plus or the fact that was a really late Wii game.

I love this game. Worth every penny 😊

@MarinoKadame
Like I've been saying, BotW was a great open-world game, but a really crappy Zelda game.

@KBuckley27 It’s pretty clear Nintendo fans aren’t using any form of critical thought when making their purchases. Cigarettes and alcohol are still “best selling,” items, and game makers understand the addictive nature of their products so Nintendo knows people will buy it out of addiction more than anything else.

@15roundTKO this had no impact on that at all

@BloodNinja or this is a really enjoyable zelda game and people want to play it. No one gives a damn about if you think I it’s not good the sales speak for themselves

@Brutchie-bear “The sales speak for themselves,” is proving my point that Nintendo fans will buy anything without critical thought...

@BloodNinja why do you regularly post on a Nintendo site if you don't like Nintendo? To each their own but if you dislike Nintendo and its fans so much you do realize there are websites for the other platforms right?

@zool nintendo isn't the only party that does this. Master chief collection, gowIII:remastered, ffvii:re, metro redux, tlou re, gears of war ultimate, etc. Everbody does it, and in no way does it take away from new games being developed, hence why there are teams.

@Heavyarms55 hey if you like remakes, remasters, revisions, deluxe editions, reskins, ports, and shovelware, you ARE in good shape Nintendo-wise. Endless choices of those, and most at 59.99! After the first year of switch, that's 99% of what "new" content has been released. It's a disgrace.

@CromAstronomy I enjoy hearing opposing thought, and I've made a lot of fine acquaintances here. I dislike the company, and I dislike it when people buy things without thinking about it. Then it's touted as "best selling," like the company did something great. No, people are buying a brand-name item, regardless of how good the item may or may not be. The only thing the company is doing now is riding on the coattails of it's name-brand. It literally doesn't need to make anything of quality, anymore. Just look at the state of the joycons, and the low-quality specs of the console itself, as examples.

@SKTTR YAAAAASSS SAY. IT. AGAIN!

@jowe_gw The Wii had Twilight Princess at launch so there's not need for Skyward Sword to also be a launch title. But it would have been much better had SS come our around the two year mark when the Wii was still going strong. By the time it came out, the system was in terminal decline and many people had stuffed their Wii's in a closet.

@drewber2635
If you haven’t played the switch port how can you decide if it is overhyped

@fafonio don't bother, they don't listen. They ignore all the facts of modern AAA games development compared to the way ports are done just to sling mud at Nintendo, there's no telling them how wrong they are because otherwise their entire world view would come crashing down. It's very common with that kind of conspiracy theorist mindset.

@jowe_gw if you believe that then I guess you believe Santa's little helpers make the games. 😲

@Curbie you can get Breath of the Wild new for 40 dollars on Amazon and Best Buy. Most first party games on the Switch are actually not MSRP right now on most sites except Age of Calamity to be honest.

@Whatsmyname TBH, that's the group I'm the most baffled by. If the remaster was sold at a discounted price I might understand double-dipping, but going all in to pay another $60 for a game that you already own? That just makes no sense to me.

If the three GCN/Wii Zeldas had been bundled into a bundle, I might have understood. But Nintendo doesn't do bundles very often. (Metroid Prime Trilogy desperately needs to become the standard). So you're just straight-up paying $60 for just one game you already own.

I will mention that I did purchase Twilight Princess HD, but I pretty much got it for the bonus OST, and if I had known it was just a small portion of the OST I wouldn't have done it. What a rip-off.

@Harmonie
Not everyone who played the original still has the game though, I know I don't. I think the bottom line is, if you like a game you'll get it. Doesn't matter if it's brand new or several years old. Just look at all the people clamoring for Nintendo to put other consoles on their online offerings. Gaming is just a hobby and a very niche one at that. There's really no rational thought that can validate or invalidate a purchase.

@zool Wow. So you are wrong and condescending. Amazing.

The teams that do the ports are not the same. Nintendo already announced a new 3D Zelda game in development, one that got a new trailer this very E3. It's mainly that it takes quite a lot to do a game like BoTW2.

Besides, new games usually sell more than ports (unless you are Mario Kart 8 Deluxe).
Again, Nintendo is not stopping BoTW2 development to work on this. They are not cancelling other games to publish this. Stop with this stupid lie.

@CromAstronomy He seems to enjoy it a lot too. He uses the "I'm an old fan that is upset at Nintendo. Oh and I have friends here too! So going to this website critizeing everything possible Nintendo does is totally justified!".
He once said that Nintendo did a lot of derivative Mario, Zelda and METROID sequels... I didn't know how to respond to that.

He blocked me (and report me apperantly) for calling him out (he took calling his points "stupid" and as a personal insult) and I decided to hide his comments while I'm logged in (best desition I could have made).

@TheFox Ok... At first I thought I forgot an "U" after "Wii" but apperantly I didn't.
I said that Skyward Sword should have been a launch title for the WII U (released in 2012, with HD, came with a gamepad... remember?). It would have been a better desition than what we got to be honest.
Like, putting the game in HD, adding some gamepad features or something and suddently it's a Wii U launch title. It's what they did with Twillight Princess and BoTW. They should have done this or, as you said, released Skyward Sword earlier in the Wii's life.

@Whatsmyname That honestly irritates me. People complain when Nintendo rereleases an old game but also demand the return of the Virtual Console.
A service that is literally selling old games again, that was critized for selling the games at very high prices and that was probably cancelled due to not doing all that amazing in terms of sales.

@jowe_gw yes Nintendo give other developers the franchise on their games to developed and port new games. I assume it is Nintendo's funding that make things happen, and Nintendo say what games are to be made. So if we get to many ports that is what Nintendo want.

@jowe_gw happens all the time round here. “I’m sick of all these old games and ports Nintendo!!!!” Two posts later “where’s Metroid Prime Trilogy HD???!???!? Where’s Eternal Darkness HD???!!??!” “I demand Virtual Console!!!!” Jokers.

@zool Ugh. The other dev teams are there, with funding too and doing new games right now.
Is Nintendo giving money to other devs to do ports and remakes? Yes. But, again, that doesn't mean the other teams are not getting money and are not developing games right now.
Remember, your point here wasnt't that there are "too many remakes". You said that Nintendo funding ports means not getting new games but that's just not true.
Ports/remakes take less time to develop and are cheaper. That's why between big games we get a lot of those, to fill the calendar.
Same with spinoffs. Did you stopped and thought about how many Mario spinoffs are? Hint: Much more than mainline Mario games. And the reason why is the same than with ports/remakes.

@jowe_gw the ports from Wii u are so that Nintendo can get some money back on the games that previously didn't sell well because of the poor console sales.

So how many new games do you think is a reasonable amount to expect from Nintendo each year?

@1UP_MARIO
really? I've tried button controls but really dislike them. Thus said, I never had any problems using motion controls be it on the Switch or Wii.

@zool What are you talking about? Weren't you the one complaining about ports? Why are you saying a justification for the Wii U ports and asking me about the reasonable number of games to expect from Nintendo each year?

@BloodNinja well said, the defective joycons are unforgivable, especially at 80 dollars a set.

@jowe_gw Sorry, I blame Nintendo for giving the Wii U such a confusing name.

@jowe_gw I guess both. Among other factors, but I’m glad this remaster came out. It lets the game shine a lot more than it did when it came out.

@BloodNinja
"Critical thought"? Gaming is a niche hobby, nowhere close to needing critical thought. If you like the game then buy it. If you don't, then don't buy it. It's really that simple. No need to bash people for liking a game that you don't. That's the beauty of having so much variety, if the latest release isn't your cup of tea, then you can be sure that there will be several more new releases right behind it with hopefully something that fits your gaming sensibilities.

@jowe_gw the ports were a way for Nintendo to recoupe lost money from poor sales. Not as you suggested to fill a gap between the new games.

So my question was if you are correct then what is a reasonable amount of new games to expect from Nintendo each year?

You see I've played all the ports when they were on the Wii u and I don't want to play them again. So I rely on new games, so give me an amount?

@Whatsmyname That’s a lot of critical thought for a non-critical thought argument.

@zool Well... No. Ports are not only done for that reason only. They did port games that probably made money back on the original platform after all. Twillight Princess was ported to Wii U despite being the best selling Zelda game before BoTW.

Anyway, I usually expect Nintendo to make arround 3-5 new games a year.
The higher number usually happens new console launch year or when the stars allign and multiple teams end development at the same time.
And I'm discounting games that Nintendo publishes, promotes heavily or 3rd party exclusive in their platforms but are not developed by their teams (example: SMTV, No More Heroes 3, Monster Hunter Rise, etc.).

@TheFox Don't worry. The mistake you made is compleatly normal and shows one of the big reasons why that console failed. If a Nintendo fan gets confused imagine how casual buyers felt XD.

@WiltonRoots I highly doubt that the exact same people who are complaining about the number of ports, are also asking for ports. If they are, that’s crazy, but I haven’t seen evidence of it yet.

@15roundTKO Indeed! Also your chat handle is amazing

@BloodNinja
Why would one exclude the other?

@Whatsmyname It’s your argument, not mine, so you’ll have to answer that question. You said critical thought isn’t required, then proceeded to send me a small paragraph of seemingly critical thought. So which is it? Thought or no thought?

@BloodNinja
It seems you're mistaken. I was responding to your earlier comment about how Nintendo fans don't use critical thinking when making their video game purchases. I never said that critical thinking isn't required ever in any situation, just in this situation about video game purchases.

@Whatsmyname Ok. Do you need some justification or something?

@jowe_gw 5 is ok I would think 6 a year, one every two months. And maybe I would buy 3 of those. Pokémon, AC and Mario Party and Splatoon are not games I would buy.

But this year I have only bought 1 Nintendo game so far, so from my perspective things Nintendo aren't looking good.

@BloodNinja
No, of course not.

@Whatsmyname Thank you.

@BloodNinja
Do you need justification? It's ok if you don't like the game, but do you need others to not like it to validate your opinion?

@Whatsmyname No sir/ma’am, I’m comfortable enough with myself that I don’t need justification from others. Why do you ask?

@BloodNinja
The same reason you asked me.

@Whatsmyname I doubt we are asking each other for the same reason, but it’s possible. I was just curious about your response, nothing more.

@BloodNinja
What in my response suggested I needed or was seeking justification?

@Whatsmyname The continual justification of the original statement. I thought you were reaching a point where you were seeking my justification in the matter, but I am happy to be corrected if I misread you.

@BloodNinja
Is that how you feel when responding to others, that you're seeking their justification?

@Whatsmyname No. I just enjoy conversation. None of my friends outside this website even play games, so I don’t have anyone in my physical social circle that I can talk to about gaming nonsense.

@BloodNinja
So why would you assume that others are seeking justification with their comments and responses instead of just enjoying conversation?

@Whatsmyname I didn’t assume. That would look like, “you are obviously seeking justification.” That’s an assumption, and a rather accusatory one, at that. A question isn’t an assumption. I asked because I did not want to assume.

@BloodNinja
But you asked nonetheless. Instead of asking if I enjoyed conversation like you, you went with justification first. I find that interesting.

@zool What that has to do with ports or Nintendo apperantly cancelling games due to rereleases that you mentioned earlier? Ugh.
Also, not liking games Nintendo publishes that year doesn't mean they are suddently bad.

@zapswitch It got a second chance and look at how well it does.

@Whatsmyname It made more sense in the context of the initial reply. If I all of a sudden changed course and asked about conversation, it may have come across as odd, as it was out of context.

Skyward Sword is tearing up the charts! This is awesome news for a fan of the game like myself.

@BloodNinja
I fail to see how my initial reply suggested I was seeking your justification. Especially seeing how it was a complete opposing view to yours on the matter of critical thinking. It was merely a suggestion to keep a positive outlook for future games that might suit you better and to not insult others for liking and buying games that you don't find appealing.

@Whatsmyname You’re starting to hear what you want to hear, instead of simply hearing. My initial argument was that Nintendo fans are not making critical thought decisions regarding their Nintendo products. I likened it to cigarettes and alcohol, which are also “best selling,” yet the quality of those items is questionable. I stated that as an example where something that can sell well can still be a bad product.

The result of this is that Nintendo keeps making the same garbage and recycling the same ideas ad nauseam, because the only feedback they utilize is whether or not people buy the product. If anything, I’m being directly insulting to Nintendo, and a more accurate synopsis would be that I’m questioning what I’m seeing with regards to sales figures.

Supposedly, Skyward Sword is one of the least liked Zelda games. At the very least, it’s incredibly polarizing, with people either loving it or hating it, historically. So, with that in mind, I came to the conclusion that the fans aren’t questioning what big N is doing. It has literally nothing to do with whether or not I find something appealing.

You came across as seeking justification, out of repetitive replies, which is why I asked and you clarified.

@BloodNinja
Hardly anyone bought Skyward Sword upon its original release on the Wii, so why would Nintendo even consider this game an option for re-release if they're only going off of if people buy the product or not? And the inverse is also true. Mario Kart is consistently a top seller, but they haven't announced any plans for Mario Kart 9 yet. Why is that?

Also, you mention that Skyward Sword is polarizing and people either love it or hate it. That's true, and the people who loved it were eager to buy it again, but you also have to account for the people who never played the game before that are interested in it. The people who maybe played it but didn't like the motion controls so they bought it wanting to try the new button controls. And also the people whose first introduction into the Zelda series was BotW and now are greeted with another game in the series.
All of these factor into the sales of the game. But sales alone don't make a product good, that only comes from a personal viewpoint after experiencing the game firsthand.

It's ok if a game you don't like sales well. That just means you weren't the target demographic. Not every game is meant for every gamer. But let others enjoy what they enjoy and just be mindful of what you say and how you say it. That's all.

@zool,

Course you can look at things from your own perspective, weather or not this indicates that Nintendo have taken their eye of the ball is another matter.

I have also owned pretty much every Nintendo console since the Nes, so I am a huge fan as well, does this somehow entitle me to expect Nintendo to run it's business just for me, no of course not, however I have little issue with them as far as the Switch is concerned, but there are those armchair business experts who think they are doing things wrong, but one look at the sales of the Switch and it's software suggests widening their net a little was correct.

@WiltonRoots,

Yes the usual suspects are as consistent as ever when it comes to ports, of course they totally miss the fact most Switch owners would have not played these games before.

@San_D,

Incorrect, when Nintendo last relied on the more casual customers with the Wii, software sales were good but not amazing, with the Switch they are getting both amazing hardware and software sales, they have pretty much knocked it out of the park this generation.

@jowe_gw,

Yes hypocrisy is rife in here, they on the one hand hate any port, then moan their is no virtual console service to sell them the same games over and over, you couldn't make it up if you tried.

@BloodNinja,

Get what you are saying but have issues with it, you suggest people are not being critical towards Nintendo, but this is based on the fact your own personal critical opinions have any validity in the first place, other than on a personal subjective level, which is not how any of this works, just as the people who do not share your issues are not right or wrong either, better to let them get on with enjoying their games in peace.

@15roundTKO Riiiight. Don't know what reality you live in, but not the same as me. Sounds like I got the better end of that deal.

@johnvboy each of us have our own ideas of what we would like from a company we buy from. Some will stick with the company through good and hard times, and maybe they will juggle their time between other consoles. Others will trade in what they have for the latest console, this year Switch next Xbox etc and all that's ok, it's choice.
But companies don't want us to sit quietly and suck it up, we are in the age of 'how are we doing', 'would you recommend us' tell us how we can improve' etc. Positive criticism is better for a company than saying nothing.

The casual gamer is well catered for by Nintendo, but at a cost to the serious gamer, who might well look else where for some of their games. The promise of a BotW game every 5 years is not good enough.

@zool,

Would never suggest you should sit their and be quiet if you have issues, not that you would anyway, it's just not everybody will share those views, and that goes for older and more recent Nintendo fans, I have loved the Switch and continue to do so, but I do get some people's concerns as well.

I class myself as a pretty serious gamer, and I have been more than catered for in terms of software released for the machine.

@NintendoPete you get use to it. I’ve played it on the wii with motion and didn’t really like it. Now with button controls and right analogue stick for the sword inputs, it’s more precise. Also I love playing on the couch with a pro controller

@Whatsmyname I don't know why you keep putting this back on my game preference. I'm looking at sales numbers which have nothing to do with my preferences. It's got nothing to do with how much I like or dislike the game, and everything to do with the unrealistically favorable bias towards Nintendo that fans have. it's called "brand-loyalty," and it's such a powerful force that people will willingly buy mediocre products just because it's from their favorite company.

Again, this has nothing to do with my preference, so I'm not sure why you are trying to have that conversation.

Heck, take a game I love, Dark Souls. It's my favorite game. Have you ever spoken to a Dark Souls fan? I mean a super fan, like the Nintendo fanboys on this site. They give the game an unrealistic amount of positive praise, and foam at the mouth if you say anything bad about it. From Software (the developer) created a lot of brand loyalty, there.

I, on the other hand, can see the game in a more balanced fashion. I'm happy to talk about it's flaws, and what it does well. But sometimes, I wonder about that when speaking to certain users on this site. They speak as if Nintendo can do no wrong, and when you bring up factual statements regarding faulty engineering in the joy-con, or the low-quality specs that the Switch possesses, it gets ugly. And for literally no reason other than fierce "brand loyalty."

So when I see a game that's usually met with a negative response from the Zelda community, and see that it is supposedly selling well, I question it. That has nothing to do with my gaming preferences. In fact, I am considering trying it when it's on sale for a reasonable price for what it is.

Last time I brought up brand loyalty on this site, I was told it's fake (which cracked me up) so here is a small amount of information on the subject. The psychology behind it is fascinating, and it is CONSTANTLY used on consumers:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brand_loyalty

@BloodNinja
But you don't seem to acknowledge at all what this particular Zelda game does well. You haven't even played it and just assume that it's a bad game because of what you heard others say about it. So it is very much about your preferences and that's why you consider its status as a "best seller" as some sort of blight on gaming in general.

You claim to be a levelheaded person who can easily talk about the flaws in your own favorite game, but you refuse to even entertain the idea that maybe other people can see past the flaws in this game and actually enjoy it for what it is. It baffles you so much that this game is doing as well as it is that you even call into question the critical thinking of people buying it.

Brand loyalty is real, there's no doubting that. But brand loyalty doesn't just spring up overnight or happen by chance. You have to do quite a few things correct consecutively to gain the loyalty from the consumers for your brand. And that loyalty can be lost as well but just because you don't see the reason for someone being loyal to a certain company doesn't mean it's wrong. The same way you can acknowledge the flaws of Dark Souls and still call it your favorite game, others can acknowledge the flaws that Nintendo has and still find enjoyment in their games.

@Whatsmyname I've done my research on the game, you should always assume that someone knows something that you do not know

I'm realizing now, that the truth is you really have nothing to say. I'm not sure why you keep responding to me by simply replying what I stated and then attempting to apply it to my argument. Why not just say what you believe is true, instead of re-hashing what I'm saying to you?

@BloodNinja
Like you said, you should always assume someone knows something you don't. Have a nice day and I hope Skyward Sword being a top seller on Amazon ceases to perplex you so much.

@Whatsmyname Exactly my point, you’re just parroting at this point. Nothing perplexing about it, I already stated what I thought was going on. Keep choosing to ignore it, I really don’t mind!

@BloodNinja
I already addressed it. You confuse "top seller" with "good product". And since you can't bring yourself to actually accept Skyward Sword is a good product for some people, you choose cognitive dissonance to explain away what you can't accept.

@Whatsmyname Literally repeating my own arguments to me in different words, this is quite delicious.

@BloodNinja
Cognitive dissonance, right on cue.

@Whatsmyname In order for me to recognize that, I need to agree that what you are saying is something I'm repeating. Quite the opposite of dissonance, if you actually know what the term means! Doubtful, so I'll try to educate you one last time:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance

So you can literally copy and parrot all you like, and throw out cognitive dissonance...

But what's funny, is you've been disagreeing with factual statements this whole time, so I can't help you with your problems, mate.

When I realized that you literally have nothing to say, other than parroting what I'm telling you, placing you in the ignore list became easy.

@BloodNinja
Whatever helps you feel safe, mate.

@johnvboy That's what I said - Switch is equivalent to the Wii, at least in terms of sales and attach rates. What I implied was that a lot of these sales are from the new crowd and they may not be around for the next generation (like Wii U). On top of it, Nintendo continues to treat their loyalists badly (limited time releases, overpriced remasters, previous generation ports, etc. etc.), yet some of them continue to give them money. I am not even getting into the subjective discussion of whether I like their releases since 2020.

@San_D,

The Wii does not have a similar software ratio though, the main Nintendo franchises on the Switch, are selling in much larger numbers, and as of the moment to a smaller installed user base.

I also feel your casual gamer argument is a little detached from reality too, as games like Mario Galaxy on the Wii initially sold great with the first title, this was down to adverts pushing the motion control elements of the game, then the casuals buying into this only to realise at it's core it was as tough as any previous more traditional Mario 3-D game, just look at the sales of the second galaxy game to see more evidence of this, they are much lower than the original despite being seen as a superior title.

Mario oddessy has sold more on the Switch than both galaxy games combined, just as both Breath of the wild, and Animal Crossing have both outperformed their Wii counterparts.

Also not sure about all these loyal Nintendo customers that are being treated badly, who are you talking about, yourself perhaps, a few people in the internet, I am a very loyal fan and do not feel I have been let down by Nintendo with the Switch, or is it all those loyal fans who loved the Wii U so much, you know when Nintendo looked after them, they just never bought the console or it's games.

Still not getting it for this price.

@ShadowofTwilight22 For a full price? Yes.

Compare and contrast Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition with a new engine, massively improved textures, new character models, redone soundtrack, QoL improvements, entire large new area, quests and story post-game.

All for the same msrp as this and, unlike this and other first-party games, it actually drops in price over time.

That's not even going into the quality of the original games.

Cya
Raziel-chan

@johnvboy Right, unless the ratios match to the 3rd place of decimal, the trends are not similar enough.
The very fact that Nintendo charges $60 for a 10 year old game with a few uplifts and locks fast travel features behind $25 artificially scarce toys and then their fandom just laps it all up is the sign that they are milking their loyal fans. Not to mention that to get ports of immediate previous generation games on Switch you have to pay $60 even if you owned those Wii U games. Even then you, as a loyal fan don't have any problem with Nintendo's business practices - okay, I get it. I do not consider myself a Nintendo loyalist though (thank heavens) because I don't want to be stuck in a Stockholm syndrome situation. I do think Nintendo is very good as a developer, which is why I play some of their games, but they appear to be extremely egregious as a business, which sticks out very, very badly, especially in the modern age, and I am fast losing interest in giving them any business.

@San_D
Why wait? Just go ahead and stop giving them your business and then stop coming to this site.

@San_D,

I think you are confusing loyal fans with a small minority of people who are notoriously hard to please, their concerns are valid on a personal level, but do not represent the real world in the slightest.

Also not making up the software ratio is much higher in the Switch, it's just the facts of the matter.

I probably will not buy Skyward sword as personally I do not see the value in it, but that does not mean I have the right or would even be correct in labelling everyone else who has no issue with the game, or it's price somehow stupid or easily pleased.

And bravo for you, if you do not like Nintendo's business decisions, vote with your wallet, and boycott their consoles and games, its your choice at the end of the day.

@Whatsmyname Who said I am waiting? I have spent half of my usual spend last year, and this year, it's at a negligible level. Regarding me infesting this site, if you don't like my opinion, please feel free to report and then let the site decide if I am welcome here. As I said, I do like Nintendo as a developer, so I visit here to get news about that - simple.

@johnvboy I agree with you, it's not my concern that 10 million other people are buying this game. And I will definitely vote with my wallet. Problem is, since 10 million people have bought it, Nintendo starts making business decisions on the basis of this success and repeats this. I guess if you don't see value in this particular package, probably similar ones in future won't please you either (of course there could be exceptions). I am not saying it has to be the universal opinion, but when there is a group of users who are raising concerns about Nintendo's business practices, that should not just be considered whinging, which seems to be the default response of fanboys to everything critical towards Nintendo.

@San_D,

So, put yourself in Nintendo's position, would you make decisions based on the majority of customers, or the minority, not saying either side is right or wrong, as this is all subjective at best.

@San_D
Then you can't really form an opinion can you? If you're not buying the products, then you can't really say one way or another how the quality is. And if you are buying the products but still complaining about how you don't like them, then that makes you a hypocrite.

@Whatsmyname What? Your logic is like I can't form an opinion about whether I want a game because I haven't bought the game. Or I have to buy these games and I have to like those.

@johnvboy Of course, they are a billion dollar corporation and they will think through their pockets, and I am saying exactly that. I do not want to put Nintendo (the business) into a pedestal that whatever they come up with is gold and whatever they do is to make people smile (which is pretty much the sentiment of certain sections of their fandom). I think calling out on cynical practices actually does them good. And then if you say, yes, all they do is bring smile to that 10 million faces, then the Donkey Kong fans among them may want to have a word with you.

@San_D
No, you're right. Everyone is allowed their own opinion. I lost sight of that. My bad.

@Whatsmyname That's okay, no harm in liking something, no harm in criticising something either if you don't like something. Peace.

@San_D,

Never had an issue with people calling Nintendo out as you put it, it's just the insinuation that people were correct about all this in the first place, no problem with people thinking their business practices are somehow unfair on a subjective level, it's just when it's out across on an objective level, I do not agree.

So much for Skyward Sword HD not being worth bringing to the Switch and being a waste of time. The ones mad at this game for being made and brought over really are just spoiled babies after all always making fuses over nothing and the same.

@BloodNinja or maybe the game is just good my dude.

@Brutchie-bear It may be good, but it sure isn’t for me!