@EvisceratorX I couldn't have said it better myself. The Wii U is the worst in Nintendo's downward trend in console sales (minus the Wii, which was an anomaly that picked up an audience that has since abandoned Nintendo), so to pretend everything is sunshine and rainbows is unrealistic. I love Nintendo and desperately want them to succeed, but I'm not going to pretend this generation has been anywhere near good for them.
@rennandovale @SMEXIZELDAMAN Hi, I'm a college student studying PR. Like every single other mainstream news website in existence, NintendoLife pays its bills through ad revenue, which is accrued when you click on an article. In order to encourage more clicks and more views, headlines have to be written that garner the interest of the reader. Writing headlines that convince you to click on them is not clickbait. Headlines are supposed to convince you to click on them. That's what journalism is.
Now granted, some headlines are more exploitative than others. But I would hardly consider a modest headline like "Xenoblade Chronicles X May Have Been Subject to a Slight Graphics Downgrade" clickbait. The words "May Have Been" and "Slight" are qualifiers that denote that the graphical downgrade is not that big of a deal. The subhead even says, "Don't worry, it's not as bad as Watch Dogs." Clearly they don't consider it anything game breaking or significantly negative. But you're reacting as if they do. If you consider that headline clickbait, I'd be hard pressed to find headlines for you that you wouldn't consider clickbait.
Not to mention NintendoLife didn't even make the comparison video. Someone else did. Don't shoot NintendoLife over reporting on someone else's work.
I love this genre beyond belief; I still sometimes play RB3 to the ground with my friends. I have some comments on this though:
I will probably get this game because I love the franchise and I want to support its innovation, but Activision needs to show that they're committed to Guitar Hero as a platform before they win me back with any future titles. If my game loses its longevity every year because a new game with a new music store and a new format/controller comes out, then why would I keep coming back?
Hopefully Activision is fully committed to this format for a while - for the sake of illustration, what happens if this game doesn't sell as well as RB4? What if Activision realizes they made a mistake and decide to go back to traditional Guitar Hero format? Then they'll probably pull their "live" platform and will end support for it. And all these GH Live and GHTV songs will be incompatible with the next game because they were made in a 6-button format, not a 5-button one.
But hopefully they're smarter than that. What do I know, maybe this game will sell well after all. I actually like the live aesthetic to this game. The on-stage experience looks unbelievably exhilarating and I love how they're trying to break some new ground with the controller. It makes sense to do that now, with the generational transition in consoles and a bit of a hiatus. But with the way Activision has handled their GH content in the past, I'm a little doubtful about how they'll handle it in the future. Hopefully they can prove me wrong.
No, Splatoon will not "revive" the Wii U. If Mario Kart and Smash didn't revive the Wii U, then Splatoon definitely won't.
And no voice chat.... In a game that pretty much requires cooperation and communication with a team? What were they thinking? It's one thing to omit voice chat from Mario Kart and Smash, two games in which your success is primarily based around your individual performance. But to exclude it from Splatoon, a game which practically hinges on your team's cooperation.... That's a new level of dumb, even for Nintendo.
@Kifa While it's true that PS4 and Xbox One are getting lots of remasters (and it's frankly gotten out of hand), there's still plenty of original content that we're aware is coming to those two consoles post-E3 that shows that the consoles are still going strong.
For PS4, there's Uncharted 4, Until Dawn, Arkham Knight, Bethesda's new game (very likely Fallout 4), Star Wars Battlefront, No Man's Sky, Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, The Division, Metal Gear Solid V, Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, Assassin's Creed Victory, Rock Band 4, Guitar Hero, Persona 5, and Rainbow Six Siege.
Xbox One has all of that (minus Uncharted, Until Dawn, and Persona 5), plus Halo 5, Fable Legends, and Forza Motorsport 6.
Wii U has Xenoblade, Fatal Frame, Starfox, FE X SMT, Devil's Third, Mario Maker, and Zelda.
The Wii U definitely has the shortest list and it's been getting shorter. This analyst has fair grounds to say that the Wii U is beginning its downward trend. Not sure what everyone is getting up in arms about - this analyst is pretty much stating the obvious.
@BLPs You did, and that's a good point. I'm not telling you what you can and can't enjoy. If you enjoy the Wii U, more power to you. I still love mine for Smash and Kart. I just don't think we'll see anything of major consequence at E3, at least not in the AAA realm. Nintendo might out with some smaller titles but I honestly hope they save their best dev teams for the next console.
@BLPs He means "unfinished" as in, he has so many games on PS4 that he hasn't finished them. Not "unfinished" as in the games themselves are unfinished. I have the same problem, and it's a good problem to have. There are plenty of excellent fully functional games - quantity and quality - on PS4. Nintendo just has quality. Although hardly even quality anymore, judging from the arguably average Mario Party 10, Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, and Captain Toad.
@Artwark Nintendo deserves the brunt of the insults from time to time. They're a stubborn company and often prove to be way out of touch with what consumers want. They need some tough love every now and then. Fortunately, if the lack of Wii U games the next couple years is any indication, they're learning from the sparse Wii U launch and getting their devs to work on an NX launch lineup.
@SanderEvers That's way too much of an oversimplification. E3 is not going to cause a bunch of Nintendo games to spring up out of nowhere. And why would Nintendo allocate their resources to make another AAA game for the poor Wii U install base when they can launch it on the new hardware and sell more copies?
You might see some more bite-sized, mediocre-average games in the realm of Captain Toad, Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, and Mario Party 10, but I wouldn't go in expecting a Metroid or a true 3D Mario. That ship has already sailed.
@PlywoodStick Nintendo has already established that they aren't bringing their preexisting "core" franchises to the mobile platform, only new games.
Yes, I do feel like mobile games will probably cannibalize their hardware sales, but I think that that's honestly a necessary problem to have. Right now the problem Nintendo faces is much bigger than console sales: it's irrelevance. If their brand doesn't have the impact that it used to, that's a big problem and it interferes with Nintendo's ability to sell products in general. They NEED the mobile platform right now, regardless of what it does to their mainline hardware. They don't really have much of a choice.
Personally I hope the mobile partnership is a sign of Nintendo focusing on software development, not hardware development. Sure they're going to be doing the NX, yadda yadda yadda, but if Iwatas quotes about it "revolutionizing gaming" again are any indication, they're going to make yet another console that's different for the sake of being different, not for the sake of the best gaming experience. It wouldn't surprise me if that leads the NX to sell just as badly as the Wii U.
Frankly their strong point has never been their consoles themselves. It's been their games. Getting their games on successful platforms (and not a sinking ship like the Wii U) will introduce more people to Nintendo and hopefully make Nintendo more profitable. The mobile partnership shows that they've started thinking this way, because now theyre going to be making games for devices that aren't their own. Hopefully they keep up that thought process and focus on what they're really known for: good games.
@Neko_Rukiafan This direction IS a good thing for Nintendo, at least for Nintendo's survival as a company. What would you rather have them do? Launch console after console to a market that cares less and less about Nintendo? Their console sales have been on a steady decline since the NES, with the only exception being the Wii. Now we're at the Wii U, their worst selling console in history and a console that is selling half as much as the PS4, even though it's been out for a year longer.
If they keep doing what theyve been doing, they will run out of money and you won't even have a Nintendo anymore. I personally don't like mobile games and won't support them, but I'd be a fool to deny that this will help keep Nintendo relevant and alive.
@BaffleBlend There's no "cloud gaming" on PS4/Xbox One. I'm not really sure what you mean by that. Games are downloaded locally, played locally, saved locally (and saved in the cloud if you want, but that's entirely optional).
And it's a shame you're skipping out on those great consoles and/or considering quitting gaming entirely just because of Nintendo's new direction. My PS4 has far more great games on it than my Wii U does - and I own just about every major Wii U title that has come out since launch. You'll be missing out on some good ones.
It's absolutely pointless to release a Mario Kart game with no multiplayer support, Virtual Console or no. Seriously, what were they thinking? They could've picked any of the DS's amazing library to start off with and chose Mario Kart DS and Yoshi's Island DS instead, arguably the two worst titles in their respective franchises (at least if you subtract multi-player from MKDS)... And the worst part is people will still buy them because they have "Mario Kart" or "Yoshi's Island" in the title.
As soon as they announced the character request form for Smash, I started imagining all the dumb kids who are going to get on there and abuse it. I personally put in a request for Shovel Knight. It would be a minor travesty if he didn't find his way in.
DS games look laughably clunky running on the Wii U. Makes you wonder why they didn't just put downloadable DS games on the 3DS store. Since, I don't know, the 3DS was actually meant to run them? Just a suggestion.
I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around how it took Nintendo 2 years and 3 months after announcing N64 games to actually introduce them to the Virtual Console. They could've done that anytime in the numerous software droughts since launch, but I guess that would've been too logical. Then again, I guess they're going to need them now because the Wii U's software lineup is only going to get worse and worse.
Do we really need DS games ported to the Wii U instead of the 3DS? 3DS would make more sense, and would look less awkward, considering, I don't know, it's a DS?
Out of all these games though, I'll probably get DK64, but that's about it.
I'm almost positive we'll get nothing of substance. If a new game is announced, it's not going to be a $60 Wii U title or anything. A downloadable budget title seems more likely.
Apart from that, we'll just be getting info on games we're already well aware of, a formal announcement of Zelda's delay, and details of DeNA's partnership. I used to be excited about these Directs but now they're frustratingly predictable.
Pretty pitiful selection on Wii U, but I guess that's no surprise. It's been that way pretty much since it launched. Just more evidence that Nintendo is letting the Wii U die a slow death.
@Quorthon Couldn't have said it better myself. People seem to forget that Nintendo isn't just hoarding all their Wii money in a vault somewhere. They have thousands of salaried employees - game developers, customer service reps, translators, writers, PR, advertising (granted, not much of it, but it's still there), website technicians, repair technicians, etc. etc. Nintendo is a big company with millions and millions of dollars in salaries to pay, investments to make, buildings to maintain, and so on. So yeah, three years of pitiful hardware and software sales will - and has hurt them. They can't make losses every year and keep riding on the coattails of the Wii's success for long.
@IceClimbers I don't know where you're getting the information that it hurts Sony in the eyes of most PS4 owners. I own the console and am just as content waiting for Uncharted as everyone here is content waiting for Zelda. Doesn't hurt Sony in my eyes at all. There will be plenty of third parties and indies to keep me busy while I wait. Which is something I can't say nearly as much for Nintendo.
I also never mentioned that a 2015 Zelda would've stopped Nintendo from being viewed in a poor light. Obviously Zelda being released this year doesn't fix Nintendo's sparse release schedule (though it would've helped). My point was that holiday exclusives are not the biggest factors that determine a console's reputation for the year, which seemed to be what you were hinting at. I'm going to be glad to own a PS4 this holiday season because I know there will be plenty of games available. Exclusive or not.
Glad we agree on how sparse Nintendo's games have been content-wise lately though. They keep putting out these budget titles and there's nothing in the $60 dollar realm besides Zelda and maybe Xenoblade that has my attention. I want to see more games with meat on their bones, but all we get is mini-helpings. That's a trend I'm almost positive will continue until the Wii U dies and the NX launches, because why bother getting your devs to work on a huge game on a dying console when you could just put those developers to work on the next hardware (which might sell better)?
@IceClimbers The difference being that PS4 and Xbox One still have plenty of holiday games from their third parties. Nintendo does not have any third parties at all. If Xenoblade is Nintendo's only headlining holiday release, it reflects poorly on Nintendo anyway, because there's still a significant lack of games in general.
Let's be fair though and assume that Nintendo has some tricks up their sleeve for E3. I'll be extremely generous with them. Say they reveal maybe one extremely impressive out of left field AAA game and 3 smaller titles to come out by the end of this year (small titles like Kirby and the Rainbow Curse or Captain Toad or Mario Party or Mario Maker). That's still, what, 0-1 games a month for the rest of the year? And most of them are in the half-AAA category, "filler" AAA games that don't have enough content to even garner a $60 price tag!
You can go after Sony and Uncharted all you want, but as a PS4 and a Wii U owner, I don't care whether the games are exclusives, I just care that there are games. And I can almost guarantee Sony and Microsoft will have more high quality holiday releases than Nintendo will this year, AAA or not.
@Quorthon Very valid point. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if most of the games padding the rest of the Wii U's life are more of the same "blah" mediocre to average $40-50 releases we've been getting for the last 4 months. Stuff like Mario Party 10, or Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, or Captain Toad. Stuff that takes little development resources and little time, so that Nintendo can give us "filler" while focusing their main development on NX.
I would even argue that's the smart thing to do, since the Wii U's terrible install base makes it downright foolish to develop any more significant AAA titles for it. Games of that caliber can't save this console from dying the horrible death it deserves - not even Zelda U.
I don't put much stock in Nintendo's ability to make rational conclusions about things, but hopefully they learned a few things from this console and won't repeat the dozens of mistakes they've made with it. This gen, they had the money to blow. But if they botch another console, I think we'll be seeing a much more financially desperate Nintendo than we are now.
Nintendo is entering the mobile business now, so why don't they abandon the stupid gimmicks on the console side (most hard-core gamers would rather just use a regular controller), and leave the gimmicks for the smartphone games? That's the audience that eats that stuff up anyway.
They've been making ridiculous decisions since the N64 days, back when they chose cartridges over discs. Then they made their next console look like a lunchbox and used miniature discs instead of regular size ones, when none of that was necessary at all. Their past few consoles haven't been so much "innovation" as just being different for the sake of being different. And if their sales are any indication, it's not working.
The Wii was the only exception, sure, but that was pure happenstance, since it captured a totally different audience that has now totally moved on. Also, motion controls were by no means 1 to 1, and in my opinion, the controls sometimes made games worse than they would've been with regular controls. (Skyward Sword)
And the Gamepad... Don't even get me started on the Gamepad. I'm convinced that the Gamepad controller is just there to be different. Seriously, Nintendo has not given any compelling reason for why the Gamepad is a necessary attachment for the Wii U. In Mario Kart 8, it's a horn. Oh, and a map. In a lot of Nintendo's other games, it's either just a second screen, a map screen, or an inventory screen. That thing is completely disposable and isn't making the console any better. They could've gotten rid of the Gamepad and used that money to build a stronger machine, a better online infrastructure, and an ecosystem that encourages third party devs to develop for it. But nope, instead they made their home console a big ass DS, except worse.
Nintendo, you want to change the way people play games? Stop focusing on making the hardware different and start working on making your GAMES different. Your GAMES are what made people love you in the first place. Get third party support back, because you clearly can't support your consoles on your own. Keep up indie support. Work on your online infrastructure. And make good games. Being different is not the same as being good.
@Superstick I feel sorry for anyone quitting gaming over this, because they'll miss out on some great experiences! Nintendo aren't the only ones that make excellent games.
I really want that too, but I think it will be difficult for Nintendo to earn back third party support while trying to develop a piece of hardware that is in essence still very different from its competitors' consoles. I think technologically speaking we're still pretty far from seeing a console/portable hybrid that functions the way we would want it to. It would be quite a feat if Nintendo could pull it off and still stay competitive in price. But I concede that technology could advance enough to make it possible in the next couple years.
Regardless, I hope Nintendo uses this NX as an opportunity to reinvent their brand and headline the games industry again, not merely make a "secondary console" as many people have used them for. Nintendo hasn't exactly been at the forefront of the games industry lately.
@Syrek24 Hahah dude, Nintendo has been making strange decisions for years. @AVahne is right in saying this is one decision that actually makes logical sense for Nintendo.
@Kaze_Memaryu So just because Nintendo is doing mobile games as a side project means you can't trust them as a company? There are a lot of things that should make someone dislike Nintendo, but this is not one of those things.
Think about it. The majority of today's kids aren't growing up with Nintendo anymore. They're playing games on smartphones and tablets, not dedicated game consoles. If Nintendo wants their IP to thrive, they need to stop trying to be so different and actually put their IP on popular touch points. I would argue that this is one of the most respectable and forward-thinking decisions Nintendo has made in years. They're a incredibly late to the mobile market, sure, but at least they're finally doing it.
@Shadowkiller97 It's not necessarily that it "has" to be revolutionary. But the way Nintendo focused on it entirely in their presentations leading up to launch (neglecting to show even the console itself) made it seem like they had some grand use for it that went beyond just being a map/inventory screen, or an Off-TV screen.
Nintendo spent so much time focusing on the Gamepad, but doesn't have much to show for it. Without it, Nintendo could've easily shaved nearly 100 bucks off their stumbling console's price tag. Or they couldve kept the price the same, and instead of manufacturing Gamepads, they could've used that money to enhance the console itself, create greater parity with its competitors, and therefore encourage third party devs to actually make games for it.
The Gamepad may be a convenience and you may enjoy it for what it offers, and that's fine. But business and sales-wise, it was a poor decision on Nintendo's part.
Pikmin 3 didn't even have said touch controls until a patch came out many months after launch. So when Pikmin 3 came out, the Gamepad was a fancy map screen and not much else. I'm glad they added new controls, but does it really make the experience better? That was my main point. It's nice that the controls are there, but the game would've arguably been just as enjoyable with standard controls. I completely agree though, the Gamepad hasn't done much to show why it's even part of this console in the first place.
@Quorthon
The 3DS software offerings are baffling to me too, especially when the DS had plenty from all kinds of studios. Theres some decent Japanese games that can be found on 3DS, but not much in the realm of Western studios. It's overall pretty rough by Nintendo handheld standards.
And I like the picture collection you posted. Nintendo obsessives like to pretend they're the only ones with colorful and innovative games, when in reality color and innovation is happening all across the industry. I own a PS4, Wii U, and 3DS, and I see more innovation on my PS4 than on my other two consoles combined.
I agree completely, and that's why I said I didn't feel it used the Gamepad "in any meaningful way." In fact, I felt that the game would've been just as good, maybe better, on a standard controller or Wii Remote or whatever, where you can just pause the game to see the map. Having it next to you didn't really add anything to the experience. It was, as you said, cumbersome and occasionally disruptive.
No Reggie, software is NOT the only factor that sells hardware. What an asinine statement. And yet you can tell it's exactly what the company believes, because there's hardly any marketing, hardly any attempt at trying to sell these consoles apart from tossing games at them (and they've barely even been doing that!).
Nintendo is a shadow of the gaming monolith that it used to be in the NES/SNES era. The more gimmicky decisions they make with their hardware, the further they separate themselves from hardcore gamers, and that's been the case since their decision to use cartridges for the N64.
Now we've come to the Wii U, and what may be Nintendo's most pointless gimmick yet. Seriously, what the hell was the point of adding the Gamepad to this console? Not even Nintendo's own games use it! Mario Kart, Donkey Kong Country, Smash Bros, NSMBU, Super Mario 3D World, Pikmin 3, Wind Waker HD, all of these games rarely (if ever) use the Gamepad in any meaningful way. In fact, I'd argue that some of these games would've been BETTER if they only needed to be played on a standard controller. Nintendo made a console with a gimmick that not even they understand.
And I hate to break it to you Reggie, but the "software sells hardware" spiel only works if you have the proof to back it up. Your console sales have been declining for generations with that mantra (minus the Wii, which was no more than short-lived lightning in a bottle), so maybe it's time to wake up and stop trying to be so different.
@theprisoner06 The dev didn't use any of those engines, so I'm not sure how that's relevant. I was pointing out that for many games, it's not easy to do. But you are certainly correct that some engines support it.
@Storytime7 It's not only a problem when Nintendo does it - nobody's saying that. Lots of people point out how remasters are plaguing the other consoles as well. But at least the remastered next-gen games don't require much manpower to port. What's troublesome about Nintendo's practice in particular is that they built these remakes from the ground up. OoT3D and MM3D required years of development and lots of manpower. When you consider the amount of effort and time it must have taken to remake OoT and MM from the ground up, it makes you wonder why that manpower couldn't have been spent on a new game, maybe two.
@Melkac But somehow that's even worse, don't you think? That means Nintendo had to build the 3DS remakes from the ground up - it took them years to do. Rather than using those teams and those years of hard work to create new games, like a new 3D Zelda or two for example, they chose to make 3 Zelda remakes/remasters in the span of 3 years. Nintendo are the only ones who get away with this, because they know people are more likely to gobble up remakes than pay for brand new titles.
Everyone threw a parade for Majora's Mask 3D - I was watching the livestream on this website and the reaction was way overwhelming. But why is Majora's Mask the major headlining 3DS release of the first half of the ENTIRE YEAR? I'm sure it plays phenomenally on 3DS, but there's something wrong when the most notable release on Nintendo's platform for months is a remake of a game from a decade and a half ago.
@Blastcorp64 I love when people in these comment sections act like porting a game is just as easy as copying and pasting. And when some even stoop to calling developers "incompetent" because they choose not to put in the extra time, money, and resources it takes to port it.
And obviously the dev of this game doesn't think Nintendo "sucks." If you'd actually listened to the developer talk about this game, you'd see that he actually truly loves Nintendo. That should be obvious just by observing this game.
@Quorthon Literally couldn't agree more. The structure of the eShop is pretty much a tangible example of what Nintendo has been doing for years and years now - giving their own games the spotlight over everyone else's. That kind of attitude isn't exactly conducive to good third party support.
@IceClimbers You're right, indies aren't omitted from the eShop home page altogether, but even when there IS a big indie game release, there's substantially more promotion for Nintendo's own games. Mario, Zelda, DK, Kirby, etc. are plastered all over the eShop screen while indies are given one or two measly tiles. I'm just saying that it's disproportionate and gives the impression that Nintendo doesn't care as much about indies as they do about their own IPs (whether that impression is actually true or not).
Would much rather see a Super Shovel Knight or a 32-bit GBA-style game than a 64 version. N64 games haven't exactly aged beautifully, and I don't know if Shovel Knight would make the transition to 3D all that well either.
@Zodiak13 I didn't like the demo of this game and I don't like the way the game feels, but I still want Nintendo to keep working on new IP. It's okay to want great new IP out of Nintendo and still not buy one when they release one.
If a game doesn't interest you, you don't have to buy it. Period. Nobody should feel obligated to buy a game they're not interested in just to urge Nintendo to invest in innovative new games. They should be doing that anyway.
I'm all for Nintendo experimenting with new IPs, but I can't bring myself to buy this. I didn't enjoy the demo; it's just not my style of game. Plus I have to get Hotline Miami 2 and Axiom Verge this month, and I'm much more excited for those. Glad some people are enjoying this game though.
This game is absolutely stunning from what I've played of it, and it's going to be a Day 1 buy on my PS4.
Of course it's not coming to Wii U. Why should it, when Nintendo spends more time/space on the eShop shouting about their first party games than they do giving their indies the recognition they deserve? (And indies, ironically, have shown more creativity, innovation, and originality than Nintendo's own games lately.)
@dublae Yes, Microsoft owns Rare, so they own Battletoads, but Phil Spencer has been teasing its return for awhile now. Wouldn't be surprised to see Battletoads at E3 this year, albeit not on Nintendo's platforms.
No. Just no to this. If any Metroid game needs a remake, it's not Super Metroid, it's Metroid II. It's the only one that a) hasn't been remade, and b) would benefit SIGNIFICANTLY from a remake on 3DS.
And if they don't remake Metroid II, they better put out a new game altogether. It's past overdue.
@sweetiepiejonus Its a Nintendo studio working on a Nintendo platform. No surprise there. And it seems obvious that the platform of choice is going to be the one they've been focusing on selling most lately (Wii U). I'm glad to hear they're hard at work, but there's no substantive information here to get excited about. That's all I was saying.
The way Nintendo handles their online infrastructure is baffling. No account system, VC on both platforms is SEVERELY lacking (especially on 3DS), and indies may be supported but they're not properly promoted.
Maybe Nintendo should take a look at their competitors for a change and adopt some of their ideas. Sony, for example, does an unbelievably good job of promoting their indies and third parties. Boot up the PS Store and boom, there's a ton of indie games, some of which are discounted or otherwise totally free despite being new releases. Sony understands that its first party studios are not the only ones making games for PS4. Indies and third parties are too, and deserve the spotlight just as much, if not more than Sony.
Contrast this with Nintendo, who despite being pretty good about spotlighting indies in Nintendo Directs and the like, typically buries its indie games in menus while their first party games completely dominate the eShop's home screen. Not once do I recall getting a Wii U notification about an indie game release, and that is a huge oversight.
Nintendo needs to treat its indies with some more respect on the eShop, especially considering indies are the ONLY third party support Nintendo has this gen. I love Nintendo as much as the next guy, but honestly thanks to indies, Sony's quantity of great games nearly (if not already) surpasses Nintendo's.
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Re: Video: Xenoblade Chronicles X May Have Been Subject to a Slight Graphics Downgrade
@EvisceratorX I couldn't have said it better myself. The Wii U is the worst in Nintendo's downward trend in console sales (minus the Wii, which was an anomaly that picked up an audience that has since abandoned Nintendo), so to pretend everything is sunshine and rainbows is unrealistic. I love Nintendo and desperately want them to succeed, but I'm not going to pretend this generation has been anywhere near good for them.
Re: Video: Xenoblade Chronicles X May Have Been Subject to a Slight Graphics Downgrade
@rennandovale @SMEXIZELDAMAN Hi, I'm a college student studying PR. Like every single other mainstream news website in existence, NintendoLife pays its bills through ad revenue, which is accrued when you click on an article. In order to encourage more clicks and more views, headlines have to be written that garner the interest of the reader. Writing headlines that convince you to click on them is not clickbait. Headlines are supposed to convince you to click on them. That's what journalism is.
Now granted, some headlines are more exploitative than others. But I would hardly consider a modest headline like "Xenoblade Chronicles X May Have Been Subject to a Slight Graphics Downgrade" clickbait. The words "May Have Been" and "Slight" are qualifiers that denote that the graphical downgrade is not that big of a deal. The subhead even says, "Don't worry, it's not as bad as Watch Dogs." Clearly they don't consider it anything game breaking or significantly negative. But you're reacting as if they do. If you consider that headline clickbait, I'd be hard pressed to find headlines for you that you wouldn't consider clickbait.
Not to mention NintendoLife didn't even make the comparison video. Someone else did. Don't shoot NintendoLife over reporting on someone else's work.
Re: Turn It Up To Eleven, Guitar Hero Is Making A Glorious Comeback On Wii U
I love this genre beyond belief; I still sometimes play RB3 to the ground with my friends. I have some comments on this though:
I will probably get this game because I love the franchise and I want to support its innovation, but Activision needs to show that they're committed to Guitar Hero as a platform before they win me back with any future titles. If my game loses its longevity every year because a new game with a new music store and a new format/controller comes out, then why would I keep coming back?
Hopefully Activision is fully committed to this format for a while - for the sake of illustration, what happens if this game doesn't sell as well as RB4? What if Activision realizes they made a mistake and decide to go back to traditional Guitar Hero format? Then they'll probably pull their "live" platform and will end support for it. And all these GH Live and GHTV songs will be incompatible with the next game because they were made in a 6-button format, not a 5-button one.
But hopefully they're smarter than that. What do I know, maybe this game will sell well after all. I actually like the live aesthetic to this game. The on-stage experience looks unbelievably exhilarating and I love how they're trying to break some new ground with the controller. It makes sense to do that now, with the generational transition in consoles and a bit of a hiatus. But with the way Activision has handled their GH content in the past, I'm a little doubtful about how they'll handle it in the future. Hopefully they can prove me wrong.
Re: Poll: Is Splatoon a Blockbuster That'll Help Revive the Wii U?
No, Splatoon will not "revive" the Wii U. If Mario Kart and Smash didn't revive the Wii U, then Splatoon definitely won't.
And no voice chat.... In a game that pretty much requires cooperation and communication with a team? What were they thinking? It's one thing to omit voice chat from Mario Kart and Smash, two games in which your success is primarily based around your individual performance. But to exclude it from Splatoon, a game which practically hinges on your team's cooperation.... That's a new level of dumb, even for Nintendo.
Re: Analyst Thinks Nintendo Is Already Winding Down Wii U Ahead Of Nintendo NX Launch
@Kifa While it's true that PS4 and Xbox One are getting lots of remasters (and it's frankly gotten out of hand), there's still plenty of original content that we're aware is coming to those two consoles post-E3 that shows that the consoles are still going strong.
For PS4, there's Uncharted 4, Until Dawn, Arkham Knight, Bethesda's new game (very likely Fallout 4), Star Wars Battlefront, No Man's Sky, Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, The Division, Metal Gear Solid V, Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, Assassin's Creed Victory, Rock Band 4, Guitar Hero, Persona 5, and Rainbow Six Siege.
Xbox One has all of that (minus Uncharted, Until Dawn, and Persona 5), plus Halo 5, Fable Legends, and Forza Motorsport 6.
Wii U has Xenoblade, Fatal Frame, Starfox, FE X SMT, Devil's Third, Mario Maker, and Zelda.
The Wii U definitely has the shortest list and it's been getting shorter. This analyst has fair grounds to say that the Wii U is beginning its downward trend. Not sure what everyone is getting up in arms about - this analyst is pretty much stating the obvious.
Re: Analyst Thinks Nintendo Is Already Winding Down Wii U Ahead Of Nintendo NX Launch
@BLPs You did, and that's a good point. I'm not telling you what you can and can't enjoy. If you enjoy the Wii U, more power to you. I still love mine for Smash and Kart. I just don't think we'll see anything of major consequence at E3, at least not in the AAA realm. Nintendo might out with some smaller titles but I honestly hope they save their best dev teams for the next console.
Re: Analyst Thinks Nintendo Is Already Winding Down Wii U Ahead Of Nintendo NX Launch
@BLPs He means "unfinished" as in, he has so many games on PS4 that he hasn't finished them. Not "unfinished" as in the games themselves are unfinished. I have the same problem, and it's a good problem to have. There are plenty of excellent fully functional games - quantity and quality - on PS4. Nintendo just has quality. Although hardly even quality anymore, judging from the arguably average Mario Party 10, Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, and Captain Toad.
Re: Analyst Thinks Nintendo Is Already Winding Down Wii U Ahead Of Nintendo NX Launch
@Artwark Nintendo deserves the brunt of the insults from time to time. They're a stubborn company and often prove to be way out of touch with what consumers want. They need some tough love every now and then. Fortunately, if the lack of Wii U games the next couple years is any indication, they're learning from the sparse Wii U launch and getting their devs to work on an NX launch lineup.
Re: Analyst Thinks Nintendo Is Already Winding Down Wii U Ahead Of Nintendo NX Launch
@SanderEvers That's way too much of an oversimplification. E3 is not going to cause a bunch of Nintendo games to spring up out of nowhere. And why would Nintendo allocate their resources to make another AAA game for the poor Wii U install base when they can launch it on the new hardware and sell more copies?
You might see some more bite-sized, mediocre-average games in the realm of Captain Toad, Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, and Mario Party 10, but I wouldn't go in expecting a Metroid or a true 3D Mario. That ship has already sailed.
Re: Feature: A Day in The Future Life of a Nintendo Gamer
@PlywoodStick Nintendo has already established that they aren't bringing their preexisting "core" franchises to the mobile platform, only new games.
Yes, I do feel like mobile games will probably cannibalize their hardware sales, but I think that that's honestly a necessary problem to have. Right now the problem Nintendo faces is much bigger than console sales: it's irrelevance. If their brand doesn't have the impact that it used to, that's a big problem and it interferes with Nintendo's ability to sell products in general. They NEED the mobile platform right now, regardless of what it does to their mainline hardware. They don't really have much of a choice.
Re: Feature: A Day in The Future Life of a Nintendo Gamer
Personally I hope the mobile partnership is a sign of Nintendo focusing on software development, not hardware development. Sure they're going to be doing the NX, yadda yadda yadda, but if Iwatas quotes about it "revolutionizing gaming" again are any indication, they're going to make yet another console that's different for the sake of being different, not for the sake of the best gaming experience. It wouldn't surprise me if that leads the NX to sell just as badly as the Wii U.
Frankly their strong point has never been their consoles themselves. It's been their games. Getting their games on successful platforms (and not a sinking ship like the Wii U) will introduce more people to Nintendo and hopefully make Nintendo more profitable. The mobile partnership shows that they've started thinking this way, because now theyre going to be making games for devices that aren't their own. Hopefully they keep up that thought process and focus on what they're really known for: good games.
Re: Feature: A Day in The Future Life of a Nintendo Gamer
@Neko_Rukiafan This direction IS a good thing for Nintendo, at least for Nintendo's survival as a company. What would you rather have them do? Launch console after console to a market that cares less and less about Nintendo? Their console sales have been on a steady decline since the NES, with the only exception being the Wii. Now we're at the Wii U, their worst selling console in history and a console that is selling half as much as the PS4, even though it's been out for a year longer.
If they keep doing what theyve been doing, they will run out of money and you won't even have a Nintendo anymore. I personally don't like mobile games and won't support them, but I'd be a fool to deny that this will help keep Nintendo relevant and alive.
Re: Feature: A Day in The Future Life of a Nintendo Gamer
@BaffleBlend There's no "cloud gaming" on PS4/Xbox One. I'm not really sure what you mean by that. Games are downloaded locally, played locally, saved locally (and saved in the cloud if you want, but that's entirely optional).
And it's a shame you're skipping out on those great consoles and/or considering quitting gaming entirely just because of Nintendo's new direction. My PS4 has far more great games on it than my Wii U does - and I own just about every major Wii U title that has come out since launch. You'll be missing out on some good ones.
Re: Review: Mario Kart DS (Wii U eShop / DS)
It's absolutely pointless to release a Mario Kart game with no multiplayer support, Virtual Console or no. Seriously, what were they thinking? They could've picked any of the DS's amazing library to start off with and chose Mario Kart DS and Yoshi's Island DS instead, arguably the two worst titles in their respective franchises (at least if you subtract multi-player from MKDS)... And the worst part is people will still buy them because they have "Mario Kart" or "Yoshi's Island" in the title.
Re: Feature: The Big Nintendo Direct Summary - 1st April
As soon as they announced the character request form for Smash, I started imagining all the dumb kids who are going to get on there and abuse it. I personally put in a request for Shovel Knight. It would be a minor travesty if he didn't find his way in.
DS games look laughably clunky running on the Wii U. Makes you wonder why they didn't just put downloadable DS games on the 3DS store. Since, I don't know, the 3DS was actually meant to run them? Just a suggestion.
I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around how it took Nintendo 2 years and 3 months after announcing N64 games to actually introduce them to the Virtual Console. They could've done that anytime in the numerous software droughts since launch, but I guess that would've been too logical. Then again, I guess they're going to need them now because the Wii U's software lineup is only going to get worse and worse.
Re: Yoshi's Woolly World Knits Up Some Release Details And An Adorable Range Of amiibo
This is one of the only amiibo I've ever wanted to buy.
Re: Nintendo DS And Nintendo 64 Games Finally Coming To The Wii U Virtual Console
Do we really need DS games ported to the Wii U instead of the 3DS? 3DS would make more sense, and would look less awkward, considering, I don't know, it's a DS?
Out of all these games though, I'll probably get DK64, but that's about it.
Re: Nintendo Direct Confirmed for 1st April, With Updates on Wii U and 3DS
I'm almost positive we'll get nothing of substance. If a new game is announced, it's not going to be a $60 Wii U title or anything. A downloadable budget title seems more likely.
Apart from that, we'll just be getting info on games we're already well aware of, a formal announcement of Zelda's delay, and details of DeNA's partnership. I used to be excited about these Directs but now they're frustratingly predictable.
Re: Nintendo Download: 2nd April (Europe)
Pretty pitiful selection on Wii U, but I guess that's no surprise. It's been that way pretty much since it launched. Just more evidence that Nintendo is letting the Wii U die a slow death.
Re: Talking Point: The Legend of Zelda on Wii U May Benefit From a Delay, But It Leaves a Blockbuster-Sized Gap
@Quorthon Couldn't have said it better myself. People seem to forget that Nintendo isn't just hoarding all their Wii money in a vault somewhere. They have thousands of salaried employees - game developers, customer service reps, translators, writers, PR, advertising (granted, not much of it, but it's still there), website technicians, repair technicians, etc. etc. Nintendo is a big company with millions and millions of dollars in salaries to pay, investments to make, buildings to maintain, and so on. So yeah, three years of pitiful hardware and software sales will - and has hurt them. They can't make losses every year and keep riding on the coattails of the Wii's success for long.
Re: Talking Point: The Legend of Zelda on Wii U May Benefit From a Delay, But It Leaves a Blockbuster-Sized Gap
@IceClimbers I don't know where you're getting the information that it hurts Sony in the eyes of most PS4 owners. I own the console and am just as content waiting for Uncharted as everyone here is content waiting for Zelda. Doesn't hurt Sony in my eyes at all. There will be plenty of third parties and indies to keep me busy while I wait. Which is something I can't say nearly as much for Nintendo.
I also never mentioned that a 2015 Zelda would've stopped Nintendo from being viewed in a poor light. Obviously Zelda being released this year doesn't fix Nintendo's sparse release schedule (though it would've helped). My point was that holiday exclusives are not the biggest factors that determine a console's reputation for the year, which seemed to be what you were hinting at. I'm going to be glad to own a PS4 this holiday season because I know there will be plenty of games available. Exclusive or not.
Glad we agree on how sparse Nintendo's games have been content-wise lately though. They keep putting out these budget titles and there's nothing in the $60 dollar realm besides Zelda and maybe Xenoblade that has my attention. I want to see more games with meat on their bones, but all we get is mini-helpings. That's a trend I'm almost positive will continue until the Wii U dies and the NX launches, because why bother getting your devs to work on a huge game on a dying console when you could just put those developers to work on the next hardware (which might sell better)?
Re: Talking Point: The Legend of Zelda on Wii U May Benefit From a Delay, But It Leaves a Blockbuster-Sized Gap
@IceClimbers The difference being that PS4 and Xbox One still have plenty of holiday games from their third parties. Nintendo does not have any third parties at all. If Xenoblade is Nintendo's only headlining holiday release, it reflects poorly on Nintendo anyway, because there's still a significant lack of games in general.
Let's be fair though and assume that Nintendo has some tricks up their sleeve for E3. I'll be extremely generous with them. Say they reveal maybe one extremely impressive out of left field AAA game and 3 smaller titles to come out by the end of this year (small titles like Kirby and the Rainbow Curse or Captain Toad or Mario Party or Mario Maker). That's still, what, 0-1 games a month for the rest of the year? And most of them are in the half-AAA category, "filler" AAA games that don't have enough content to even garner a $60 price tag!
You can go after Sony and Uncharted all you want, but as a PS4 and a Wii U owner, I don't care whether the games are exclusives, I just care that there are games. And I can almost guarantee Sony and Microsoft will have more high quality holiday releases than Nintendo will this year, AAA or not.
Re: Talking Point: The Legend of Zelda on Wii U May Benefit From a Delay, But It Leaves a Blockbuster-Sized Gap
@Quorthon Very valid point. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if most of the games padding the rest of the Wii U's life are more of the same "blah" mediocre to average $40-50 releases we've been getting for the last 4 months. Stuff like Mario Party 10, or Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, or Captain Toad. Stuff that takes little development resources and little time, so that Nintendo can give us "filler" while focusing their main development on NX.
I would even argue that's the smart thing to do, since the Wii U's terrible install base makes it downright foolish to develop any more significant AAA titles for it. Games of that caliber can't save this console from dying the horrible death it deserves - not even Zelda U.
I don't put much stock in Nintendo's ability to make rational conclusions about things, but hopefully they learned a few things from this console and won't repeat the dozens of mistakes they've made with it. This gen, they had the money to blow. But if they botch another console, I think we'll be seeing a much more financially desperate Nintendo than we are now.
Re: Iwata: Nintendo NX Will Surprise People And Change Their Video Gaming Lives
Nintendo is entering the mobile business now, so why don't they abandon the stupid gimmicks on the console side (most hard-core gamers would rather just use a regular controller), and leave the gimmicks for the smartphone games? That's the audience that eats that stuff up anyway.
They've been making ridiculous decisions since the N64 days, back when they chose cartridges over discs. Then they made their next console look like a lunchbox and used miniature discs instead of regular size ones, when none of that was necessary at all. Their past few consoles haven't been so much "innovation" as just being different for the sake of being different. And if their sales are any indication, it's not working.
The Wii was the only exception, sure, but that was pure happenstance, since it captured a totally different audience that has now totally moved on. Also, motion controls were by no means 1 to 1, and in my opinion, the controls sometimes made games worse than they would've been with regular controls. (Skyward Sword)
And the Gamepad... Don't even get me started on the Gamepad. I'm convinced that the Gamepad controller is just there to be different. Seriously, Nintendo has not given any compelling reason for why the Gamepad is a necessary attachment for the Wii U. In Mario Kart 8, it's a horn. Oh, and a map. In a lot of Nintendo's other games, it's either just a second screen, a map screen, or an inventory screen. That thing is completely disposable and isn't making the console any better. They could've gotten rid of the Gamepad and used that money to build a stronger machine, a better online infrastructure, and an ecosystem that encourages third party devs to develop for it. But nope, instead they made their home console a big ass DS, except worse.
Nintendo, you want to change the way people play games? Stop focusing on making the hardware different and start working on making your GAMES different. Your GAMES are what made people love you in the first place. Get third party support back, because you clearly can't support your consoles on your own. Keep up indie support. Work on your online infrastructure. And make good games. Being different is not the same as being good.
Re: Satoru Iwata And DeNA CEO Isao Moriyasu Discuss Nintendo's Mobile Future
@Superstick I feel sorry for anyone quitting gaming over this, because they'll miss out on some great experiences! Nintendo aren't the only ones that make excellent games.
Re: Reaction: The Nintendo 'NX', and Why We Think a Unified Platform is the Future
@Quorthon
I really want that too, but I think it will be difficult for Nintendo to earn back third party support while trying to develop a piece of hardware that is in essence still very different from its competitors' consoles. I think technologically speaking we're still pretty far from seeing a console/portable hybrid that functions the way we would want it to. It would be quite a feat if Nintendo could pull it off and still stay competitive in price. But I concede that technology could advance enough to make it possible in the next couple years.
Regardless, I hope Nintendo uses this NX as an opportunity to reinvent their brand and headline the games industry again, not merely make a "secondary console" as many people have used them for. Nintendo hasn't exactly been at the forefront of the games industry lately.
Re: Guide: Everything We Know So Far About Nintendo's Deal With DeNA, Smart Device Plans and More
@Syrek24 Hahah dude, Nintendo has been making strange decisions for years. @AVahne is right in saying this is one decision that actually makes logical sense for Nintendo.
Re: Guide: Everything We Know So Far About Nintendo's Deal With DeNA, Smart Device Plans and More
@Kaze_Memaryu So just because Nintendo is doing mobile games as a side project means you can't trust them as a company? There are a lot of things that should make someone dislike Nintendo, but this is not one of those things.
Think about it. The majority of today's kids aren't growing up with Nintendo anymore. They're playing games on smartphones and tablets, not dedicated game consoles. If Nintendo wants their IP to thrive, they need to stop trying to be so different and actually put their IP on popular touch points. I would argue that this is one of the most respectable and forward-thinking decisions Nintendo has made in years. They're a incredibly late to the mobile market, sure, but at least they're finally doing it.
Re: Reggie Fils-Aime Highlights Nintendo's Strength in Franchises, and Goal for Wii U to "Stand Up To Time"
@Shadowkiller97 It's not necessarily that it "has" to be revolutionary. But the way Nintendo focused on it entirely in their presentations leading up to launch (neglecting to show even the console itself) made it seem like they had some grand use for it that went beyond just being a map/inventory screen, or an Off-TV screen.
Nintendo spent so much time focusing on the Gamepad, but doesn't have much to show for it. Without it, Nintendo could've easily shaved nearly 100 bucks off their stumbling console's price tag. Or they couldve kept the price the same, and instead of manufacturing Gamepads, they could've used that money to enhance the console itself, create greater parity with its competitors, and therefore encourage third party devs to actually make games for it.
The Gamepad may be a convenience and you may enjoy it for what it offers, and that's fine. But business and sales-wise, it was a poor decision on Nintendo's part.
Re: Reggie Fils-Aime Highlights Nintendo's Strength in Franchises, and Goal for Wii U to "Stand Up To Time"
@StarDust4Ever
Pikmin 3 didn't even have said touch controls until a patch came out many months after launch. So when Pikmin 3 came out, the Gamepad was a fancy map screen and not much else. I'm glad they added new controls, but does it really make the experience better? That was my main point. It's nice that the controls are there, but the game would've arguably been just as enjoyable with standard controls. I completely agree though, the Gamepad hasn't done much to show why it's even part of this console in the first place.
@Quorthon
The 3DS software offerings are baffling to me too, especially when the DS had plenty from all kinds of studios. Theres some decent Japanese games that can be found on 3DS, but not much in the realm of Western studios. It's overall pretty rough by Nintendo handheld standards.
Re: Reggie Fils-Aime Highlights Nintendo's Strength in Franchises, and Goal for Wii U to "Stand Up To Time"
@Quorthon
And I like the picture collection you posted. Nintendo obsessives like to pretend they're the only ones with colorful and innovative games, when in reality color and innovation is happening all across the industry. I own a PS4, Wii U, and 3DS, and I see more innovation on my PS4 than on my other two consoles combined.
Re: Reggie Fils-Aime Highlights Nintendo's Strength in Franchises, and Goal for Wii U to "Stand Up To Time"
@Quorthon
I agree completely, and that's why I said I didn't feel it used the Gamepad "in any meaningful way." In fact, I felt that the game would've been just as good, maybe better, on a standard controller or Wii Remote or whatever, where you can just pause the game to see the map. Having it next to you didn't really add anything to the experience. It was, as you said, cumbersome and occasionally disruptive.
Re: Reggie Fils-Aime Highlights Nintendo's Strength in Franchises, and Goal for Wii U to "Stand Up To Time"
No Reggie, software is NOT the only factor that sells hardware. What an asinine statement. And yet you can tell it's exactly what the company believes, because there's hardly any marketing, hardly any attempt at trying to sell these consoles apart from tossing games at them (and they've barely even been doing that!).
Nintendo is a shadow of the gaming monolith that it used to be in the NES/SNES era. The more gimmicky decisions they make with their hardware, the further they separate themselves from hardcore gamers, and that's been the case since their decision to use cartridges for the N64.
Now we've come to the Wii U, and what may be Nintendo's most pointless gimmick yet. Seriously, what the hell was the point of adding the Gamepad to this console? Not even Nintendo's own games use it! Mario Kart, Donkey Kong Country, Smash Bros, NSMBU, Super Mario 3D World, Pikmin 3, Wind Waker HD, all of these games rarely (if ever) use the Gamepad in any meaningful way. In fact, I'd argue that some of these games would've been BETTER if they only needed to be played on a standard controller. Nintendo made a console with a gimmick that not even they understand.
And I hate to break it to you Reggie, but the "software sells hardware" spiel only works if you have the proof to back it up. Your console sales have been declining for generations with that mantra (minus the Wii, which was no more than short-lived lightning in a bottle), so maybe it's time to wake up and stop trying to be so different.
Re: Here’s Why Axiom Verge is Not Initially Coming to Wii U
@theprisoner06 The dev didn't use any of those engines, so I'm not sure how that's relevant. I was pointing out that for many games, it's not easy to do. But you are certainly correct that some engines support it.
Re: Review: Metroid: Zero Mission (Wii U eShop / Game Boy Advance)
@Storytime7 It's not only a problem when Nintendo does it - nobody's saying that. Lots of people point out how remasters are plaguing the other consoles as well. But at least the remastered next-gen games don't require much manpower to port. What's troublesome about Nintendo's practice in particular is that they built these remakes from the ground up. OoT3D and MM3D required years of development and lots of manpower. When you consider the amount of effort and time it must have taken to remake OoT and MM from the ground up, it makes you wonder why that manpower couldn't have been spent on a new game, maybe two.
Re: Review: Metroid: Zero Mission (Wii U eShop / Game Boy Advance)
@Melkac But somehow that's even worse, don't you think? That means Nintendo had to build the 3DS remakes from the ground up - it took them years to do. Rather than using those teams and those years of hard work to create new games, like a new 3D Zelda or two for example, they chose to make 3 Zelda remakes/remasters in the span of 3 years. Nintendo are the only ones who get away with this, because they know people are more likely to gobble up remakes than pay for brand new titles.
Everyone threw a parade for Majora's Mask 3D - I was watching the livestream on this website and the reaction was way overwhelming. But why is Majora's Mask the major headlining 3DS release of the first half of the ENTIRE YEAR? I'm sure it plays phenomenally on 3DS, but there's something wrong when the most notable release on Nintendo's platform for months is a remake of a game from a decade and a half ago.
Re: Here’s Why Axiom Verge is Not Initially Coming to Wii U
@Blastcorp64 I love when people in these comment sections act like porting a game is just as easy as copying and pasting. And when some even stoop to calling developers "incompetent" because they choose not to put in the extra time, money, and resources it takes to port it.
And obviously the dev of this game doesn't think Nintendo "sucks." If you'd actually listened to the developer talk about this game, you'd see that he actually truly loves Nintendo. That should be obvious just by observing this game.
Re: Here’s Why Axiom Verge is Not Initially Coming to Wii U
@Quorthon Literally couldn't agree more. The structure of the eShop is pretty much a tangible example of what Nintendo has been doing for years and years now - giving their own games the spotlight over everyone else's. That kind of attitude isn't exactly conducive to good third party support.
@IceClimbers You're right, indies aren't omitted from the eShop home page altogether, but even when there IS a big indie game release, there's substantially more promotion for Nintendo's own games. Mario, Zelda, DK, Kirby, etc. are plastered all over the eShop screen while indies are given one or two measly tiles. I'm just saying that it's disproportionate and gives the impression that Nintendo doesn't care as much about indies as they do about their own IPs (whether that impression is actually true or not).
Re: Interview: Yacht Club Games Talk Drawing in 8-bit and Aspirations for Shovel Knight 64
Would much rather see a Super Shovel Knight or a 32-bit GBA-style game than a 64 version. N64 games haven't exactly aged beautifully, and I don't know if Shovel Knight would make the transition to 3D all that well either.
Re: Review: Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. (3DS)
@Zodiak13 I didn't like the demo of this game and I don't like the way the game feels, but I still want Nintendo to keep working on new IP. It's okay to want great new IP out of Nintendo and still not buy one when they release one.
If a game doesn't interest you, you don't have to buy it. Period. Nobody should feel obligated to buy a game they're not interested in just to urge Nintendo to invest in innovative new games. They should be doing that anyway.
Re: Review: Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. (3DS)
I'm all for Nintendo experimenting with new IPs, but I can't bring myself to buy this. I didn't enjoy the demo; it's just not my style of game. Plus I have to get Hotline Miami 2 and Axiom Verge this month, and I'm much more excited for those. Glad some people are enjoying this game though.
Re: Here’s Why Axiom Verge is Not Initially Coming to Wii U
This game is absolutely stunning from what I've played of it, and it's going to be a Day 1 buy on my PS4.
Of course it's not coming to Wii U. Why should it, when Nintendo spends more time/space on the eShop shouting about their first party games than they do giving their indies the recognition they deserve? (And indies, ironically, have shown more creativity, innovation, and originality than Nintendo's own games lately.)
Re: Remake Request: Super Metroid 3D on Nintendo 3DS
@dublae Yes, Microsoft owns Rare, so they own Battletoads, but Phil Spencer has been teasing its return for awhile now. Wouldn't be surprised to see Battletoads at E3 this year, albeit not on Nintendo's platforms.
Re: Remake Request: Super Metroid 3D on Nintendo 3DS
No. Just no to this. If any Metroid game needs a remake, it's not Super Metroid, it's Metroid II. It's the only one that a) hasn't been remade, and b) would benefit SIGNIFICANTLY from a remake on 3DS.
And if they don't remake Metroid II, they better put out a new game altogether. It's past overdue.
Re: Next Level Games Employee Suggests He's Working on a Wii U Title, Then Stealth Edits the Post
@sweetiepiejonus Its a Nintendo studio working on a Nintendo platform. No surprise there. And it seems obvious that the platform of choice is going to be the one they've been focusing on selling most lately (Wii U). I'm glad to hear they're hard at work, but there's no substantive information here to get excited about. That's all I was saying.
Re: Next Level Games Employee Suggests He's Working on a Wii U Title, Then Stealth Edits the Post
Is this really even news? Of course Next Level Games is at work on Wii U games. I would imagine most of Nintendo's studios are.
Re: Talking Point: Nintendo's Right to Take Its Time With 'Digitalization' in Gaming, But Should Revolutionise the eShop Now
The way Nintendo handles their online infrastructure is baffling. No account system, VC on both platforms is SEVERELY lacking (especially on 3DS), and indies may be supported but they're not properly promoted.
Maybe Nintendo should take a look at their competitors for a change and adopt some of their ideas. Sony, for example, does an unbelievably good job of promoting their indies and third parties. Boot up the PS Store and boom, there's a ton of indie games, some of which are discounted or otherwise totally free despite being new releases. Sony understands that its first party studios are not the only ones making games for PS4. Indies and third parties are too, and deserve the spotlight just as much, if not more than Sony.
Contrast this with Nintendo, who despite being pretty good about spotlighting indies in Nintendo Directs and the like, typically buries its indie games in menus while their first party games completely dominate the eShop's home screen. Not once do I recall getting a Wii U notification about an indie game release, and that is a huge oversight.
Nintendo needs to treat its indies with some more respect on the eShop, especially considering indies are the ONLY third party support Nintendo has this gen. I love Nintendo as much as the next guy, but honestly thanks to indies, Sony's quantity of great games nearly (if not already) surpasses Nintendo's.
Re: Review: Flipnote Studio 3D (3DS eShop)
@mr12calvin Yes, I'm sorry, it's a North American code. I'll edit my post to reflect that.
Re: Review: Flipnote Studio 3D (3DS eShop)
Anyone want a free code? I don't think I'm going to get a whole lot out of this game, so I'd like to see someone else enjoy it!
For North America:
A079-B645-2BEC-0U4Q
Reply to this comment once you use it so everyone knows it's used up. Happy gaming!
Re: Rose Colored Gaming is Working on a New Line of Portables With Diverse Emulation Options
Do want.