Tag: Talking Point - Page 13
Talking Point The Problems With My Nintendo So Far, and Why All's Not Lost
A slow start
Just recently we ran some polls to gauge your opinions on My Nintendo, as the service is now a little over six months old. The majority of the Nintendo Life community that voted are unimpressed with it, to put it mildly, with a high percentage opting for the two most negative answers in the relevant polls. It's not new for an initiative...
Talking Point Nintendo Has No Set Formula for Hardware Reveals, But NX is Testing Fans' Patience
Remember to count to 10
As someone who spends their days immersed in the weird world of Nintendo, at times I can't decide whether the current online climate is entertaining, frustrating or baffling. Perhaps a mix of all three. I'm referring, of course, to the ongoing obsession with Nintendo NX, with a lot of vocal online followers of the big N...
Talking Point The Pros and Cons of Nintendo's NX Secrecy
Time ticks down for a reveal ahead of planned March release
In recent days there have been some interesting observations around the web, namely that the current timeline for reveal-to-release of the Nintendo NX could be the shortest in the company's history. That's assuming the system arrives in March 2017 as planned, and if you also disregard some...
Talking Point Nintendo's Continued Commitment to the 3DS Makes Sense
Sales in the US enjoy a boost as Nintendo keeps the portable going
It wasn't that long ago that we had a rather encouraging 3DS Nintendo Direct, even if the short term memory of some means it may as well have been a decade ago. The reaction to it was generally positive, a reward for the fact that Nintendo revealed some genuine surprises, including...
Iterative generations and shrinking technical leaps change the game
It's been a slightly peculiar week in the gaming industry. Nintendo made an appearance on stage with Apple to announce Super Mario Run, which was both smart business and a strange landmark moment; it's not often you see Shigeru Miyamoto pitching a Mario game on someone else's stage...
Talking Point The Inevitability of Super Mario Run, Nintendo's Ace for the Mobile Market
Nintendo's giving mobile a run for its money
When the Nintendo and DeNA corporate partnership was announced in early 2015, the most obvious concept that came up in the Nintendo Life team's conversation was a Mario runner. It's hardly rocket science - franchises such as Rayman and Sonic the Hedgehog have had multiple runner iterations of different...
Talking Point The Scale of the Mobile Industry Makes it an Important Market for Nintendo
Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem are only the beginning
As the Summer months drift towards their conclusion (in the Northern Hemisphere, at least) we head into Fall / Autumn, and what that brings is a period of great intrigue in the world of Nintendo. On the one hand the company will eventually need to spill the beans on its NX system and - in one...
Talking Point What Approach Should Nintendo Take With Its NX Reveal?
Sudden and viral, a Direct, or a conventional press-focused event?
The silly season of rumours has been underway for a while now with the Nintendo NX, and some have recently focused on how the system will be revealed. It's a welcome change of pace from figuring out what the system is, admittedly, and it's raised an interesting question - how should...
Talking Point The 2017 Role of the 3DS Was Established in its Nintendo Direct
Ports, updates and occasional big-hitters to keep it ticking
It's not uncommon that, with new hardware around the corner, console manufacturers keep some content trickling onto the soon-to-be last-gen hardware. Often they rely upon third-party multi-platform titles, as we saw with PS3 and Xbox 360 after the arrival of their successors, though in...
Talking Point Mario's Cameo in Rio Showcases Nintendo's Enduring Brand Power
A much needed reminder of the big N's ongoing popularity
Sports fans have no doubt spent decent chunks of the past two weeks tuning into various events from the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. For many observers sports like Synchronised Diving, Handball and Taekwondo are only particularly interesting once every four years, as dedicated athletes have their...
Talking Point Nintendo's Future in Shared Gaming, From StreetPass Plus to Pokémon GO and AR
Playing up to the big N's strengths
If reports and common sense are correct, we're likely only 4-8 weeks from seeing Nintendo's next tilt at the gaming hardware market. Most bets - based on sources, patents and logic - are on a system that will primarily operate as a portable but also be usable on the TV, yet regardless of those reports a new...
Talking Point Nintendo NX Deal Is A Vindication Of Nvidia's Shield Program
A mutually beneficial agreement that could be a boon for gamers
Reports that Nvidia's Tegra tech is going to power Nintendo's apparently portable NX console triggered a fairly familiar reaction online yesterday. Perhaps not all that familiar to those of you under the age of 20, but veterans will surely have gotten a sense of deja vu as the
Talking Point Recent Sales Results Show That amiibo Needs Games For Success, Not Just Collectibility
A quiet quarter in sales is a rare market blip for the range
Nintendo's Q1 financial results were some of the most uneventful in recent memory; we're not expecting a President's Presentation or Q & A as they aren't the norm for the company's Q1 reports. What the financial results brought were losses and low sales, which weren't surprising in the...
Talking Point Considering the Angles of a Portable and Dynamic Nintendo NX
Detachable controllers, a home 'base' station? It fits some expectations
Earlier today our network colleagues at Eurogamer published details representative, potentially, of the Nintendo NX system that's currently out in the wild in dev kit form. Citing multiple sources it outlined a number of key details that you can read in summary here, though...
Talking Point Free and Early Access Downloads Like Metroid Prime: Blast Ball Make a Lot of Sense
Working harder for sales
Poor old Metroid Prime: Federation Force - following its bizarre and poorly received E3 2015 reveal it's been kept largely out of the spotlight, only emerging in the past week with Nintendo opening the doors for previews and, somewhat surprisingly, releasing Metroid Prime: Blast Ball for free. Essentially a bonus / training...
Talking Point SEGA Has the Right Idea With Its Upcoming Sonic Projects
Looking to the past for answers to the future
As many of you are no doubt aware, SEGA made two major announcements during its Sonic anniversary bash that gave a lot of insight into the near future of the Blue Blur. Sonic Mania appears – for all intents and purposes – to be the sequel to Sonic & Knuckles that many have been asking SEGA to...
Talking Point Nintendo's NES Classic Edition is Just One Way to Revolutionise the Virtual Console
It could be the beginning of a new approach
It was certainly a surprise today when the NES Classic Edition was unveiled (called Nintendo Classic Mini: Nintendo Entertainment System in Europe), a tiny little system that uses HDMI and will give access to 30 games right out of the box. With its extremely small form and accompanying classic-style...
Talking Point The Viral Reaction to Pokémon GO is a Surprise Gift for Nintendo
And it's not even a Nintendo game, in the typical sense
Pokémon GO was an app that bored quite a few observers during a lengthy E3 Q & A this year, a session most entertaining for Shigeru Miyamoto's "who's your daddy" moment when he unexpectedly announced a release date for the Plus add-on - to the bemusement and surprise of Niantic and...
Talking Point A Front-Row Seat For The Yo-Kai Watch Multimedia Juggernaut
Damien McFerran on witnessing the birth of a brand
Despite being involved with Nintendo Life, there are elements of the wider Nintendo world of which I am largely unaware and, until very recently, Yo-Kai Watch was one such element. Naturally, I knew of the series, its popularity in Japan and the
Talking Point Where Does The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Fit Into the Zelda Timeline?
Considering some clues
After Nintendo's glorious reveal of the new 2017 Legend of Zelda title - Breath of the Wild - we were given lots of trailer and gameplay footage to marvel at. Naturally, these kinds of revelations spark much debate and theorising amongst series enthusiasts, including where it could belong on the almighty Zelda timeline. Now...
Talking Point Our Hopes For Nintendo's E3 2016 Legend of Zelda (and Pokémon) Bonanza
Beyond gameplay, Nintendo can emphasize its unique strengths
Well, it's finally here. After 18 months of near-silence and zero footage, Nintendo is going to lift the lid on The Legend of Zelda for Wii U and Nintendo NX (and also show some Pokémon Sun and Moon). It's the Wii U version that'll be on display, due to the ongoing secrecy around the...
A Link to the Future
We've already discussed, long before now, how Nintendo's approach to E3 has caused understandable disappointment for some. Even after the company expanded its plans with more streams and games, when we polled Nintendo Life readers there was still disappointment. The promise of E3 discounts on the eShop has helped lift the mood a...
Talking Point Five Years of eShop Progress Doesn't Mask Nintendo's Next-Gen Challenge
Gamers want a lot, it seems
Earlier this week the 3DS eShop - and the eShop as a broader brand - celebrated its 5th Anniversary, and we shared a rather cheerful article in praise of the progress made with the store. Though Nintendo was relatively early in the download scene with the Wii and DSi stores, both had a number of issues and over-stringent...
Talking Point In Praise of the 3DS eShop, Which is Now Five Years Old
A vital landmark for Nintendo's modernised download sales
Today (6th June) brings a notable landmark for fans of download games - the 3DS eShop has turned five years old. Five years with hundreds of game releases, most of them by CIRCLE Entertainment and EnjoyUp Games - we're joking, of course, but both of those publishers and more deserve a hat tip...
Freakyforms Deluxe joins VVVVVV and Citizens of Earth in eShop abyss
Homebrew is an interesting part of the gaming scene. On the one hand it can be used by fans with coding skill to do intriguing things with hardware, but it also violates terms of use in the act of tampering with the system. Nintendo often moves - rather effectively - to shut...
Talking Point Considering the Possibility of the Nintendo NX Having Virtual Reality Features
Damien and Tom mull over the realities of the situation
Well, here we go again. Reports (which may or may not be accurate) are claiming that manufacturing of the NX was pushed back to early 2017 to make improvements to the 'console and handheld' integration and to factor in Virtual Reality features. It all seems feasible, if still far from certain...
Even if it costs us a few laughs
Teddy Together, somewhat unintentionally, was a wonderful announcement to brighten our Tuesday here at Nintendo Life. Randomly and out of the blue Nintendo of Europe announced the overtly cute kids game for a 1st July release; our reaction was to stare unblinkingly and then tease it repeatedly in private...
The spirited Level-5 series needs time
The Yo-kai Watch franchise is enormous in Japan, to the point that in late 2015 Level-5 was able to reference 10 million games in the series being shipped. That number will have also included some sales from the first game's launch in North America, though based upon its absence from NPD's results and...
Nintendo's range offers a variety that rivals can't match
Disney may be one of the most powerful brands and wealthy corporations in the world, with numerous companies and divisions under its ownership, but it evidently won't tolerate a struggling product. While Nintendo will keep a system like the Wii U, for example, slowly ticking along until its...
The fun toy-making side of Nintendo
To break the Talking Point rule I'm going to start this one in first person. Late evening on 3rd May I was browsing around the web when I came across the trailer for the PocketC.H.I.P., a Super Handy Fun Computer that uses a $9 micro-PC within a relatively simple casing and has a price tag of $60 ($49 as an early...
Talking Point The 3DS Faces the Challenge of Taking Nintendo Through 2016
Fan-pleasing releases should help
This isn't really how it was supposed to turn out. A lot of expectations, from fans, to writers, to tech-industry analysts that are paid a lot of money for their opinions, reckoned the NX - in some form - would land for the Holiday season this year. The industry changes rapidly, however. In the last couple of months...
Talking Point What Would You Like to See From Pokémon Sun and Moon?
Louisa Bhairam outlines her hopes for the new Pokémon titles
Details of the next instalment in the Pokémon franchise should start to come out very soon, and we're interested in what you would like to see from the newest addition to the Pokémon family, or just the future of the series in general. To get you thinking, I've thought of some areas...
Talking Point Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem Could Provide Nintendo's Mobile Breakthrough With Fans
Targeting Nintendo gamers of various types
Following Nintendo's financial reports and Tatsumi Kimishima's President's Presentation this week, a relatively clear picture has emerged of what will be the core areas of focus for Nintendo for the rest of 2016. Mobile and the 3DS (and perhaps amiibo) are likely to be at the forefront in terms of major...
Talking Point Nintendo Needs to Excite A Mainstream Audience in 2016
The hardcore fanbase isn't enough on its own
This week could be an interesting one for Nintendo fans. With E3 creeping ever closer the company will be revealing its annual financial report - beyond profit figures this means details on sales and projections, and will also bring us Tatsumi Kimishima's media briefing and investor Q & A. It's the...
Whether we like it or not
When Nintendo launched the Game Boy in 1989 it stuck with that core model for a surprising amount of time, not unleashing the Game Boy Pocket until 1996, and the Game Boy Color arrived as a new generation in 1998. The big N would gradually speed up its policy of iterating portables in years to come, adding improved screens...
Talking Point The Great Star Fox Zero Controls Debate Highlights Important Lessons
Simplicity and instinct matter when playing games
Star Fox Zero isn't far away, yet rather than unquestionable hype about the first series entry for over a generation, much of the talk is over its control scheme. As the Wii U heads towards its retirement it seems like an apt conflict - innovation vs familiarity, instinctive play versus unfamiliar...
Talking Point My Nintendo's Pros, Cons and Areas for Improvement
Looking forward after a positive start
The My Nintendo loyalty programme has been live for a week in the West, finally delivering a Club Nintendo replacement. There's been plenty of positivity in the reception to it so far, yet there's no hiding the fact there's also discontent - the download / digital-only aspect of it is one sticking point. Due...
Talking Point My Nintendo and Its Account System Start The Process of Unifying Platforms
One happy family
It's only in recent years that Nintendo's embraced connectivity and unified platforms in a meaningful way. Though it dabbled with extensions, add-ons and cables in past pre-broadband generations, the Game Boy range and home consoles retained distinct identities from each other. That's continued a great deal in this generation with...
Talking Point Nintendo Wants Us to Download More and Move On From Discs - Will It Work?
It's a tough sell
Nintendo is in an interesting position in terms of how it sells us retail games. On the one hand it continues to produce handsome special editions and 'first print' runs not only to appease fans, but also to promote amiibo or emphasize the significance of a particular release. On the other hand it's had a tough generation in...
Timing is everything
Well, Sony has finally put its cards on the table in terms of Virtual Reality. Following Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive's release details the PlayStation bosses confirmed an October arrival for its headset, at $399.99 for the basic offering. The PS4 add-on is arriving after its biggest rivals and, predictably, at a lower price...
Probably won't, but it's nice to think about it...
After following Nintendo for a number of years certain trends jump to the fore. Introducing new IPs is a minefield - Splatoon had buzz from day one, but Code Name: S.T.E.A.M's 2014 reveal was greeted with 'where's Advance Wars' questions and it struggled at retail. Too much of one franchise does...
Talking Point Nintendo's Fortress of Secrecy Needs to Tighten Security for the Year Ahead
Sharing isn't always the best policy
It seems that not so long ago Nintendo's ability to keep secrets was legendary. When leaks or early slip-ups emerged in past years it was normally a trusted partner that spilled the beans - examples included the occasion when a TT Games employee tweeted a picture of the re-designed Wii U GamePad prior to its...
Particularly on the 3DS
Nintendo, for reasons covered frequently on previous occasions, can no longer rely on sheer volume of releases for 3DS and, in particular, Wii U. What it can do is share its passion for its hardware through its own game releases and how it delivers them to fans. In its 3rd March Nintendo Direct broadcast the company did just...
Release window discrepancies point to varied regional broadcasts
Thinking back to some older Nintendo Direct broadcasts between Europe and North America, the formula used by both was often largely the same - there'd be shared segments from Japan led by former company President Satoru Iwata, and then regional sections that specified local promotions...
Talking Point The New 3DS Can Revive the Portable Family With Help From Pokémon and amiibo
Pokemon amiibo cards could print money
Nintendo knows how to bury bad news. Not long before the Pokémon Direct and the reveal of Pokémon Sun and Moon, it announced cuts to its estimated profits and sales. Net sales could be the lowest in 15 years for the
Talking Point Pokémon and Mega Man Show Us Extremes of Nostalgia's Value
Will you be putting down the cash for all three gen 1 Pokemon games?
This week brings a delicious nostalgia overload on the 3DS, with Pokémon Red, Blue & Yellow making their way to the portable on 27th February, while Mega Man Legacy Collection lands on 23rd February. That's nine games across the two franchises, considering all the parts in...
Its sales may not match Mario's, but its influence could be greater
The Legend of Zelda is now 30 years old, based upon its original release on the Famicom Disc system, a version that even pointed to the future with use of the Famicom's - admittedly limited - controller microphone. An adventure game of that scope understandably captured the hearts...
Talking Point The Time is Right for a Nintendo Direct
Silence isn't always golden
As we reach mid-February we've realised something - this is our first article of 2016 with the words 'Nintendo Direct' in the headline. Internally we thought there may have been one in early- to mid-January when there was a hefty amount of downtime and maintenance for the Nintendo Network, though little emerged from it...
Talking Point My Nintendo Can Be a Tipping Point in Nintendo's Approach To User Accounts
Good for this generation, potentially vital in the next generation
Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima gave a presentation to investors this week, and some of the most interesting details revolved around the new Nintendo Account system and the related My Nintendo programme that'll replace Club Nintendo. Though it's succeeding a much-loved and...
Talking Point The New Nintendo 3DS is Yet to Have a Real Chance to Revive the Portable Family
A sloppy release strategy and underperforming games have undermined it
The New Nintendo 3DS is approaching its one year anniversary, yet today's financial results and official sales figures brought home a cold reality - the system is struggling. That, frankly, shouldn't be particularly surprising, and we'll take a look at the figures behind that...
