Denngar

I was so excited for this game when it was first announced. Then it went to the Epic Store and never added multiplayer, so I'm basically out at this point. So disappointing.

@AstroTheGamosian Oh, I know, and that's probably a good thing. I'd heard bad things about the old engine and how a higher-up made it and didn't want to redo it, so I'm hoping the new TellTale will be even better.

@AstroTheGamosian YES! I'd be totally on board with at least a Mother movie. Heck, I wish TellTale Games would remake some of the classic story-heavy JRPGs so there'd be condensed versions of the game for broader consumer appeal.

@DragonEleven Fellow water trainer here. Also a bit worried about the water starter still. The leaked final form isn't bad, but I'm not holding my breath yet. Showing the middle evolutions though... ugh, what mid-evo is ever exciting? They're the awkward teen phase most of us barely tolerate. Dartrix is proof of that.

Also, sorry, but I don't like Ash-Greninja. Unless it means Ash is actually in the game, it doesn't make sense that our trainer has a pokemon mimicking the look of another trainer. Makes me feel like Greninja cheated on me ;(

I really appreciate the balance you guys brought in the discussion and the points both sides made. I guess it's why I use you guys even though I'm American and people seem to expect me to stick with American-based outlets.

The problem Alex hints at is that games these days update, and Splatoon is a VERY minor example of this, as Nintendo's fairly new to the update scene. Look at MMOs. Those update maybe 4 times a year. Do you re-review the game each time that happens? Very few outlets do. As a teacher, I can tell you that grading isn't always perfect (kids with good grammar but who write only a few sentences might score lower than a student who has poor grammar but is great at communicating and writes several paragraphs).

Unlike a movie, book, or even food, modern games are products that are being shipped incomplete, often for a reason. I actually will sometimes wait until AFTER a game has been shipped to read POST-RELEASE reviews because pre-release reviews often don't reflect what a game looks like after content updates and/or multiplayer servers are truly tested.

However, I appreciate an analysis of the game. Much like a movie review, I don't need to know all the details of the game. I don't care if the reviewer liked or disliked it. I want to know how the parts fit together. I don't need a score for that, I need some specific examples. I trust that more than a score for exactly the reasons Alex mentioned.

@Rutana Hard to feel bad for the guy. I mean really, using "Poo" in a user name at his age, and also naming his levels based on his poo-identity?

But I don't know which is worse: how stupid the guy seems for doing this, or that people pay to watch someone like him.

I'm going to suggest the opposite: Nintendo needs to be more open. As others have said, leaks are quite common these days. If Nintendo weren't known as a secret fort, people would stop trying to infiltrate it. On the other hand, if they talked to the community more (and in an open manner), the leaks would receive less press. Slowly releasing bits of information with some real meat would probably help a lot.

Look at Blizzard Entertainment- they still have some surprises, but because they show off stuff relatively early, there are fewer leaks, but tons of hype never the less.

@Kevlar44 I'm still kind of surprised Mallow doesn't have nearly the same following. I feel the two could work together as a single fighter. I mean, one's a cloud, one's a star: while one fighter's on the field, the other could be a sort of assist, with Mallow assisting from directly above with, say, HP Rain and Star Rain, and Geno using Geno Boost and "Geno Canon" from an angle, with the Star in Star Rain being Geno, and "Geno Canon" being Geno Flash but with Mallow as the ammo.

@Dankykong They put Ness in the very first game. Earthbound sold VERY poorly in the US and didn't make it to other regions, yet they included him. Fire Emblem I don't think had been sold outside Japan until after Smash.

Super Mario RPG sold quite well in the states. Well enough for Nintendo to keep pushing it after Square left them for Sony.

I'm starting to wonder if it's someone higher up at Nintendo preventing it. Perhaps they simply didn't like the game's take on the Mario World, or the fact that, as good as the Mario RPG games have been, I feel like none have made the impact the first one did, and it may be a sore spot for that person.

I live in Japan, and a lot of kids actually don't know who Sonic the Hedgehog is. It makes me feel old >.<

This has been my favorite game of the decade. I haven't loved a game like this since I was a child. I really, really would like console players (especially Nintendo ones) to experience it.

I generally prefer no voice acting in Nintendo games. Ever heard Mario talk for an extended period of time? It gets a little weird. He's too much of a cartoon to take seriously. He's kind of one dimensional, like Link, and I'm fine with that.

The other thing is that bad voice acting can ruin a game for me, but a lack of voice acting is... normal. Nintendo's squeaks and squeals for their characters probably also helps ensure games get translated faster, as there's no need to worry about localizing that aspect of the game as well.

Is it still hype if I've demoed it? I liked what I played and want more.

The title should be "Best Thanksgiving Multiplayer Games of 2015 for Wii U Players" because Smash Bros, Mario Kart, Hyrule Warriors, and other 2015 games are better than most of this list. Really, I'd never recommend local player Splatoon over Smash. I'd probably suggest Nintendo Land or even Zombie U. And where's that new 3DS Zelda game? The one thing I've heard is that that game's best with local multiplayer, but it's not on this list. =/

What I'm not seeing brought up is the fact that we now have regional Directs, rather than a unified one. Before, we had Iwata that brought us altogether. Yes, there was a Japanese version, but it was more similar to the English version. You could talk about presentations globally with ease and... well, personally, Iwata made Nintendo feel like a global product. Now, I love the fact that Reggie brings more diversity to the team, but I don't think his Japanese is good enough to seriously approach the homeland fans.

I know, there probably isn't any higher ups that speak fluent English and can do double duty, but... I'd be fine with translators too. Nintendo's always felt like a family affair to me, and having regionalized directs makes it feel like the family's going through a bit of a divorce.

I'm noticing no one mentioning how the Yokai feel other than "fun but weird." I'm guessing that means they're not "too Japanese"? Is there any in-game reference or hints that make understanding their Japanese sources any easier?