@royeab If you want my opinion on what to do with your last 500 coins, you should go get Super Mario World as soon as you can. IMO that's one of the best games of all time.
You'll have enough coins left after that to get Super Metroid, and since you haven't played that either, I think you should. Super Metroid is another 10/10 game in my book.
Whatever Nintendo's new rewards program is, it'd better be more equipped to handle high traffic. Club Nintendo's site is embarrassingly bad for promotions like this.
If you haven't played the likes of Super Metroid, Super Mario World, Earthbound, or Super Mario Bros. 3, spend those coins on any of those right now. But if you've played all of those and you're into classic games I think you can't go wrong spending those 500 coins on the other VC titles they have available.
If you're looking for a physical reward, and have a lot of 3DS cards you wish were more organized, the 2015 case should come in handy.
Wii U: [NES] Balloon Fight (200) [NES] Baseball (200) [NES] Clu Clu Land (200) [NES] Donkey Kong 3 (200) [NES] Donkey Kong Jr. (200) [NES] Dr. Mario (200) [NES] Excitebike (200) [NES] Golf (200) [NES] Ice Climber (200) [NES] Ice Hockey (200) [NES] Kid Icarus (200) [NES] Mario Bros. (200) [NES] Metroid (200) [NES] NES Open Tournament Golf (200) [NES] Pinball (200) [NES] Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream (200) [NES] Super Mario Bros. (200) [NES] Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (200) [NES] Super Mario Bros. 2 (200) [NES] Super Mario Bros. 3 (200) [NES] Tennis (200) [NES] Volleyball (200) [NES] Urban Champion (200) [NES] Wario's Woods (200) [NES] Wrecking Crew (200) [NES] Yoshi (200) [NES] Zelda II: the Adventure of Link (200) [SNES] Earthbound (250) [SNES] F-Zero (200) [SNES] Pilotwings (200) [SNES] Super Mario World (200) [SNES] Super Metroid (200) [SNES] Super Punch-Out!! (200) [GBA] F-Zero: Maximum Velocity (200) [GBA] Golden Sun (200) [GBA] Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 (200) [WiiU] Dr. Luigi (300) [WiiU] NES Remix (300) [WiiU] Game & Wario (600) [WiiU] Wii Fit U (600) [WiiU] Wii Party U (850) [WiiU] The Wonderful 101 (600) Wii: [NES] Clu Clu Land (200) [NES] NES Play Action Football (200) [NES] Super Mario Bros. 2 (200) [NES] Zoda's Revenge: StarTropics II (200) [SNES] The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (250) [SNES] Pilotwings (250) [SNES] Super Mario Kart (250) [SNES] Super Metroid (250) [SNES] Super Punch-Out!! (250) [N64] 1080 Snowboarding (250) [N64] F-Zero X (250) [N64] The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (250) [N64] Mario Golf (250) [N64] Mario Kart 64 (250) [N64] Mario Party 2 (250) [N64] Mario Tennis (250) [N64] Paper Mario (250) [N64] Star Fox 64 (250) [N64] Super Mario 64 (250) [N64] Super Smash Bros. (250) [Wii] Art Style: CUBELLO (200) [Wii] Doc Louis's Punch-Out!! (250) [Wii] Eco Shooter: Plant 530 (250) [Wii] Excitebike: World Rally (250) [Wii] Fluidity (250) [Wii] Snowpack Park (250) [Wii] ThruSpace (250) 3DS: [GB] Baseball (150) [GB] Donkey Kong (150) [GB] Golf (150) [GB] Kid Icarus of Myths and Monsters (150) [GB] Mario's Picross (150) [GB] Metroid II: Return of Samus (150) [GB] Radar Mission (150) [GB] Super Mario Land (150) [GB] Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (150) [GB] Tennis (150) [GBC] The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (200) [GBC] Mario Golf (200) [GBC] Wario Land 2 (200) [NES] Donkey Kong 3 (200) [NES] Donkey Kong Jr. (200) [NES] The Legend of Zelda (200) [NES] Metroid (200) [NES] Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream (200) [3DS] 3D Classics: Excitebike (200) [3DS] 3D Classics: Kid Icarus (200) [3DS] 3D Classics: TwinBee (150) [3DS] 3D Classics: Urban Champion (200) [3DS] 3D Classics: Xevious (150) [3DS] Brain Age Express: Arts & Letters (200) [3DS] Brain Age Express: Math (200) [3DS] Brain Age Express: Sudoku (200) [3DS] A Kappa's Tale (200) [3DS] Chibi Robo: Photo Finder (250) [3DS] Crosswords Plus (600) [3DS] Dillon's Rolling Western (250) [3DS] Dillon's Rolling Western: The Last Ranger (300) [3DS] Fluidity: Spin Cycle (300) [3DS] HarmoKnight (300) [3DS] Kersploosh (150) [3DS] Ketzal's Corridors (200) [3DS] Looksley's Line Up (200) [3DS] Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! (200) [3DS] Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move (250) [3DS] Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword (200) [3DS] Sparkle Snapshots 3D (200) [3DS] Tokyo Crash Mobs (200) [3DS] Brain Age: Concentration Training (600) [3DS] Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D (600) [3DS] Kid Icarus: Uprising (700) [3DS] New Super Mario Bros. 2 (600) [3DS] Paper Mario: Sticker Star (700) [3DS] Star Fox 64 3D (700) [3DS] Super Mario 3D Land (600) EDIT Decided to add the Physical Rewards as well: Grill-Off with Ultra Hand! (80) Mario and Luigi Greeting Cards (300) Nintendogs Greeting Cards (300) Nintendo 3DS Game Card Case: 2015 Edition (400) 2016 Desktop Calendar (400) Animal Crossing Mini Playing Cards (600) 3DS XL Pouch: The Legend of Zelda (600) Super Smash Bros 3-Poster Set (700) Super Smash Bros 3-Poster Set v2 (700) Limited Edition 2013 Platinum Poster Set (700) Retro Mario T-Shirt (700) Fierce Deity Link Jigsaw Puzzle (800) The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D Messenger Bag (800)
I've been thinking about this awhile, and I have to just throw this out there: Does Nintendo even WANT to sell games? Clearly someone puts great care into making them, but then Nintendo just tosses them out into the wild with no care whatsoever. Then they go back to the drawing board like a bunch of confused monkeys wondering why they aren't selling anything, and why their games have no publicity, and why the Wii U is selling like paper bags full of excrement, or in other words, not very well.
There's no marketing and no ads, and Nintendo seems to believe people will flock to stores via magic or telepathy, not via, oh I don't know, YouTube? Advertisements? The Internet? The normal ways people hear about things.
I wish Nintendo put the same time and care into thinking about their marketing decisions as they put into their games. Then this idiotic nonsense wouldn't be happening and PewDie whatever and all the other YouTube stars can give Nintendo the marketing they don't care to do themselves.
Doesn't bother me. It's not like Nintendo is re-issuing physical prints of the game anytime soon, so I'll hold onto mine for a few years and likely sell it for a lot more.
It's absolutely baffling that Nintendo has taken all the ad revenue on YouTube vids up until now. Nintendo may be ahead of the curve in some things, but they're woefully behind in others. And if they really wanted to sell Wii U's, they would've done this in 2013 when their console was scraping along and selling next to nothing.
I'm pretty disappointed that Nintendo's last rewards program is disappearing, but then again, Club Nintendo has been a pretty pathetic service lately. Hopefully their next system will just use the NNID and not a completely separate account a la Club Nintendo.
I didn't write this post because of one direct. Believe me, I tempered my expectations for the Direct. I've been tempering them for a long time now. For years, even. I didn't come into this one expecting anything different. The reason I wrote that post was because I don't think it should be that way. Why are we supposed to go into every Nintendo event expecting "meh?" If that's become our default expectation for Nintendo, then there's a problem. That's why we all thought E3 last year was so surprising. It was the first time in a long time Nintendo showed drive and really kicked some ass. I just want to cheer alongside Nintendo, not feel like I have to constantly defend their bizarre decisions. They don't have to be driving themselves forward full-force all the time, but I'd like to see them push forward more than they are now.
Also, I don't get your analogy with Sega, as they haven't made a genuinely excellent Sonic game in about a couple decades.
Color me unimpressed. Splatoon was nice to see (I'm glad to see there's still some new IP coming out the doors of Nintendo from time to time, albeit much less often than usual), but everything else was stuff we've already seen. Even the new Fire Emblem, which I'm sure will be a fine game and on par with its predecessor, looks strikingly similar to Awakening. The New 3DS XL is far from "new", seeing as we've known about it for months, and it's disappointing that NoA didn't even bring over the regular size model.
Pikmin 3 New Super Mario Bros. U Super Mario 3D World Super Smash Bros. For Wii U Mario Kart 8 Wind Waker HD Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze Yoshi's Woolly World Kirby and the Rainbow Curse
I defy anyone to tell me they went out and bought these games (or plan to in the future) without knowing full well what they would be getting and how these games would play. That's because we've already seen them before. And yes, they may be the best entries in their franchises and definitely show unbelievably high polish, but that doesn't change how similar they are to their predecessors).
I don't hate Nintendo. They're by far my favorite brand. More than anything, I just want them to be a serious presence in the gaming industry again. While their games are all top notch, they're not anything new, and the Wii U's hardware, online infrastructure, marketing, and third party support are all severely lacking and tremendously disappointing. And I don't care how many times they say they aren't competing with the likes of Microsoft and Sony. By virtue of making a dedicated home gaming console, they absolutely ARE competing in that field. They need to start getting games on their platform that aren't ports of old Wii and VC games, or just a handful of indie games (and yes, it is definitely a mere HANDFUL when compared to Sony's and MS's library), or the aforementioned pre-existing formulas.
@Quorthon This is by far the best argument I've ever read that supports Nintendo going third-party. I was completely on the other side of the fence, but you convinced me it's a far better idea for them to go third party.
The Wii was a confusing departure from Nintendo's hard-core fan base, and I don't think Nintendo has ever recovered from that. Nintendo made a ton of money off of the console, but the long-term effects of the Wii's brand identity are a tremendous problem for the company. Not only has their target audience (the casuals who have never played a game before) moved on to smart devices and the like, but the Wii drove away much of the hardcore fans that made Nintendo a presence in the industry in the first place. They now face a problem of brand identity and relevance, and that is what will kill them if they're not careful.
Very solid argument. Thanks for the interesting read.
@Claytronical I think you're right to some extent, but by that logic, Nintendo would be treating the 3DS's Virtual Console with more respect too. It has a much higher install base, and is a much larger opportunity to introduce older games to people who may have missed them.
But nooope, Nintendo's been throwing scraps to 3DS VC too, and it's still missing the most obvious additions, like SNES and GBA. It's like they don't even care about Virtual Console this generation. Just like they didn't give two poops about marketing their home console.
I love Nintendo and will continue to love them until the day they're dead and buried, but the neglect they're showing towards their consoles this generation (on numerous fronts) is staggering.
Two left-field predictions I would freaking love if they included:
1) N64 games on VC, PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING. It's been TWO YEARS since they announced them. My freaking phone can run N64 games, how hard can it possibly be? 2) GameCube controller support on more than just Smash, including support on other first party Wii U games, VC games, and the Wii U's interface.
The Direct could be five minutes long and only have these two things and I would be COMPLETELY satisfied.
Kind of a slim list as far as Nintendo's more noteworthy franchises go, but I suppose that's to be expected after getting tons of awesome games in 2013 and a decent lineup in 2014. I'm more interested in seeing what Nintendo has in store for Wii U this year. But I'll definitely be getting MM3D, and most likely Codename: STEAM. Intelligent Systems is responsible for my favorite Nintendo games of all time, so I'm sure they'll do good work with STEAM.
First, the one that is less likely but would be so much more awesome IMO is for Nintendo to go ahead and start competing with the other consoles in terms of hardware; design a powerful machine with huge graphical capability and do whatever it takes to make sure third parties get back on board. The Wii U has proven that Nintendo's first parties are enough to support a console single-handedly, but not enough to make it the best selling one. An attempt at getting third parties back on board and an overhaul of online features may be the steps towards getting that title back.
The second option I see Nintendo doing is designing innovative and gimmicky hardware again (not using that as a derogatory term), hopefully without the confusing Wii brand attached to it, and probably at the expense of third parties. I would love to see that "Nintendo Fusion" idea, because it would essentially combine their handheld and console lines (which means SIGNIFICANTLY less gaps between releases) and would be an evolution of what they started on the Wii U, with the whole Off-TV play and "Controller with a screen" concepts.
Whatever direction they take though, I'll buy their new home console almost as soon as it comes out (just like I did with the last four). I can't wait to see what they do next.
Man, this amiibo craze is unreal. I wouldn't be surprised if this craze keeps up for months as more waves keep hitting the market. But I think if any of the eBay people want to capitalize on the rush and make some money, now is the time. The craze will probably wear off once Nintendo oversaturates the market with them and creates tons more than they ought to (they're well on their way, it seems, thanks to the enormous Smash roster and the variety of games amiibo supports).
I feel like the one thing that holds the most weight as to whether this movie is a success is if Mario is allowed to speak beyond his occasional yelps and wa-hoos. A video game character like Mario or Link exists to simply be an avatar for the player. I can't see how any studio could give Mario a serious amount of dialogue and not have it feel like they're trying to make Mario into something that he's not.
Nintendo talked big about its console being a better value than its competitors, but with the tremendous Xbox One discounts and bundles everywhere, I don't know how true that is, particularly in the eyes of the consumer.
Nintendo is by far my favorite game company and the Wii U is the only next-gen console I own, but man, if they were really hoping to sell Wii Us, they missed the boat by not offering a competitive price cut for the holidays ($249.99 would've sufficed). Now Microsoft is reaping the benefits of what was a brilliant move, and Nintendo is lumbering behind.
I wish Nintendo could communicate the sheer brilliance of their platform to people, because it really is an incredible machine with easily the best first party lineup. But a great game (Smash Bros.) is not going to be enough to move the units they're really wanting to move. A great game, a temporary price cut, and some clear and aggressive advertising... if put together, would've done wonders to their console sales.
IMO the Wii U is a C+. I absolutely love my Wii U for the games I do have for it, but truth be told, that's because I'd buy anything with Nintendo's seal of quality and a Super Smash Bros. game on it. The reality is that the Wii U has been my least played Nintendo console of all time.
There's a few offenders, but my biggest gripes revolve around the fact that there are HUMONGOUS gaps between Wii U releases that border on unacceptable (The entire first year of the Wii U's existence, and also more recently, Mario Kart 8 in May and virtually nothing until Bayonetta 2 in October). This wouldn't be so bad if Nintendo took their Virtual Console seriously and actually padded those gaps with volumes of classic games, but they didn't even do that (and still don't, at least not as much as they ought to). It's so frustrating. I shouldn't be able to beat a game in about a month and then have to wait another 3 or 4 for another game to play.
That said, Nintendo is my favorite game company and there's a reason for that. They deliver gameplay no one else can, and their first HD console shows they've got unbelievable artists at work in their studios. I just wish their first foray into HD wasn't marred by a lack of direction and a poor quantity of releases.
Oh well. I still really enjoy my Wii U, and I'll keep picking up Wii U games as long as they keep making them.
I like the first commercial better than the second. It shows off more of the amiibo and more effectively communicates that they work between multiple games.
These are way better than any ad I've seen for the Wii U itself.
I wish Nintendo would take its Club Nintendo membership seriously instead of feeding us average to mediocre games every month. If they're going to go all digital with their rewards, then the least they could do is give some decent games.
@Yorumi I agree with you about how the Wii U's first two years saw very little innovation, but I would also say Nintendo doesn't have a whole lot of choice in their situation. Their major titles include:
-NSMBU
-Pikmin 3
-Wind Waker HD
-Game and Wario
-Super Mario 3D World
-Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
-Mario Kart 8
-Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Even though these games don't have groundbreaking changes, all of them are excellent entries in their franchises (with the exception of NSMBU or G&W, which were passable at best, and WWHD was just a remake). You're right in saying that most of what Nintendo has put out has been relatively safe.
But what else do you expect them to do in their situation? They've got fans clamoring for new Mario Kart, new Smash Bros, new Mario, and new Zelda constantly, and that's the stuff that sells. They're focusing on getting consoles off the shelves now, and innovating later. Sure, you can definitely contest that that probably wasn't the best approach when they were planning the Wii U in the first place, but after the terrible launch and even now, two years later, Nintendo needs to get Wii Us off the shelves, and new IP like Splatoon, Captain Toad, etc. are not going to sell systems. The risk-reward is not good.
Look at the Nintendo Direct from a few days ago as an example. What made people FLIP OUT with excitement? A remake of a game from a decade and a half ago. And what game were people almost universally bummed out about at the end? Splatoon. Like it or not, nostalgia sells, and as sad as it is sometimes, Nintendo is facing an uphill battle in selling new IPs.
Nintendo is in a very unique situation in this generation, and I think that's what's keeping Miyamoto's philosophy from being the way the company is run at the moment. They're stuck in a corner with this console, and right now they're trying to kick their way out, guns blazing, with the stuff that sells.
@Yorumi I agree to some extent, but to be fair, I think Nintendo churned out the NSMB games to give their new platforms some more traction. As non-innovative as those games are (and they definitely are), they are Nintendo's best-selling franchise, and at the time of making the most recent NSMB games, they needed more 3DS and Wii U sales.
Technically there's only been 1 NSMB game per platform (aside from Luigi U, which was DLC), so I wouldn't quite call it "milking," but I agree that too many of those games came out in rapid succession.
I think Miyamoto's creative philosophy is an inspiring one, and one that I worry is declining in the games industry. For me, gameplay will always win out over story (not to say I don't enjoy the likes of Walking Dead, or Metal Gear, or Mass Effect, games that put a heavy emphasis on story every now and then), but when I get really excited over a game, it's mostly because I want to play it and have fun playing it, not necessarily for the spectacle and drama of a story.
Super Mario Advance is a nice touch, but I won't get any of them until the one that features Super Mario Bros 3 comes out. I love SMB3 and it's the only one of the Advance games I can justify getting when I already have the original on VC.
Nintendo needs clear messaging and a clear target audience for their next product. The Wii U suffered from the fact that its advertisements didn't adequately explain its value to the consumer.
Plus, who exactly was the Wii U supposed to be targeted for? It couldn't have been targeted towards the casual market due to its hefty price tag, and it wasn't really for the people out there who consider themselves "hard-core gamers" either, because the Wii U's specs weren't on the same level as PS4 and Xbox One.
In the end both of those crowds have generally avoided the Wii U, and it's pretty much become a console for Nintendo fans and them only. Which isn't a terrible thing, since Nintendo has quite a lot of fans, but they really missed their chance to reach new people with the Wii U. Their next product needs a clear goal and audience, and to be honest, I think they have a better chance appealing to the casual crowd than the hard-core one, as much as I personally dislike that.
@Kaze_Memaryu As others have said, I think you're way overstating the importance of single player in Smash. In Smash, single player has always been nice as an extra, and nothing more. 64, Melee, and Brawl never, EVER featured single player as the main attraction of the game. Brawl was probably the closest to a single player focus in the series, but even Subspace Emissary had some seriously monotonous qualities to it, and the multiplayer still received the most attention.
The only single-player things missing from Wii U are adventure mode and target smash. Race to the Finish wasn't even an addition to Brawl, so it made no sense to expect it in this game either. And IMO the addition of Orders, a functional online mode, and smaller and multiplayer-centric modes more than makes up for the two missing single player modes.
Nintendo's current pricing is good enough for the holiday season (a lot of people will probably already be enticed by Smash to go pick one up, so no need for a price cut when Smash is already going to give the system momentum).
No, I see Nintendo cutting the price early next year, maybe in March-May. That way Smash gives the Wii U an extra boost in the holiday season, and then the price cut can keep that momentum going, and maybe even make it an enticing buy for people who were on the fence during the holidays.
@Inkling I actually prefer not having multi-subject directs once a month, because it means we get the news when it happens. Before, Nintendo had to stockpile all their announcements every month to save for the Nintendo Directs, which left us with practically no news in between.
Would you rather have heard the Smash release date when it was decided on, or would you rather have had Nintendo sit on it for a few more days/weeks to save for a Direct? Would you rather have heard of Link's Mario Kart 8 bike or the Smash game/GC Controller bundle sooner on a news site, or later on a Direct?
I get what you're saying, and I do like the hype that Nintendo Directs build up, but I think Nintendo is going the right route with Directs right now. Their announcements work better when spaced out. I get some cool new piece of Nintendo news at least every week. That's a lot more frequently than when Directs were more commonplace.
@ghasfarost @CaptMcCloudAran Well, it's been twenty months since Nintendo announced N64 games and we haven't seen those yet. And they announced DS games on VC several months ago and we haven't heard anything about those. Seeing as how Nintendo doesn't even keep up with their ANNOUNCED Virtual Consoles, a GameCube Virtual Console seems to be fantasy at this point. A shame, because GC has some of my all time favorite games.
Calling it now. The Direct will be announced tomorrow, and it will air on Tuesday. And with it, all my doubts and fears about the new console iteration will evaporate.
I like how people are immediately disqualifying the idea of it being used in a Zelda game without imagining the context or looking at Nintendo's excellent track record for game quality. I trust Aonuma's creative direction, and if he puts the bike in a future Zelda game, I'm sure it'll work out fine. If he doesn't, I'm sure it'll work out fine too.
This is why Nintendo can't take risks in their main franchises; people shoot them down for thinking outside the box. And then after getting so much unnecessary hate, Nintendo delivers an incredible product (See Wind Waker or Metroid Prime).
I'm probably going to get the standard size new 3DS and sell my old XL for cheap. I can't pass up the faceplates. Hopefully it's not too hard to adjust to the smaller screen size!
My biggest concern was whether or not it would be difficult to adjust to the smaller screen size, moving from my current XL to the new standard model. I'm glad NL addressed that in this preview, and if the transition really isn't that bad, I think I'm going to be picking up the standard version. I love the faceplate idea too much to pass on it.
Hi, I have a question! So, I've never once played a Castlevania game, but I beat Super Metroid for the first time recently (only the second Metroid game I've beaten after Prime) and I'm working my way through Metroid Fusion. I like them a lot and I'm wondering if I should start on Castlevania. I don't know where to begin with it though.
So any recommendations on what game I should start with? I guess I should mention I don't want anything quite as challenging as the original Metroid or Metroid 2. I'm sort of new to this whole "Metroidvania" genre.
Also, to all of you expecting a GameCube VC, don't get your hopes up. This is the same company that promised us N64 games on Wii U 20 months ago and hasn't delivered a single one. At the rate Nintendo works with their Virtual Console, we probably won't see the DS games they promised until 2016 at least. Nintendo has handled their virtual consoles extremely poorly this generation and they're not about to put games as large and complicated to port as GameCube games on their VC, especially not before addressing the easier ones like N64, and (apparently) DS.
@Dr_Corndog I'm no expert, but my guess is that it's impossible (or at least extremely difficult) to get a new Wii U peripheral to work with the directly emulated Wii console. Since the emulated Wii Mode wasn't designed with GameCube controllers in mind (or at least wasn't designed to read GameCube controllers through the USBs), the controllers won't function with Wii Mode.
It's kind of like how Pro Controllers don't work with Wii Mode. It's a new peripheral and wasn't designed with the Wii in mind.
I'm sure Nintendo is more than capable of patching a few Wii U games to be compatible with it, but the only game they have working with it right now is Smash. Pretty disappointing, but oh well.
I'm trying to figure out if I should pre-order a physical copy or go download, and what time it shows up on the eShop will directly factor into my decision. Anybody know the official word on that? If it hits at Midnight Eastern Time, I'll definitely go with the Eshop Download.
There is literally no justification for Starfox still being that expensive. The game is a remake of a game that came out 15-20 years ago, and it can be played through in a couple hours. The Wii's N64 version is 10 bucks, so there's no reason for a remake to be 40. And a discount to 30? That's laughable; I mean, that should be its price when it's NOT discounted! Oh well, what do I know?
I'll consider DKCR3D, but all the rest I own already, besides Starfox. Not sure about Pac-Man. I haven't heard anyone vouch for that one.
And if you're a Wii U owner and you don't own Pikmin 3 or DKCTF, get those as soon as possible while they're still discounted. You will not regret it.
Thanks a million @TonLoco! I was a Platinum Club Nintendo member, and the only reason I didn't get a code was because I had the Club Nintendo emails turned off. I was pretty peeved when I found that out. But hey, thanks for sharing the love buddy, can't wait to load it up!
I don't know much about game design, but I can almost guarantee that clones take SIGNIFICANTLY less time to work on than an entirely original character. Especially one with 2 A.I.'s like Ice Climbers. So yeah, time constraint could have been a big reason they're not in.
I do think you're being way too harsh, but that's your opinion. If you really aren't going to be getting Nintendo's new hardware because they decided against putting one character in the new Smash, that's a bit crazy, but it's your decision. I disagree that Nintendo is only doing 2D platformers and not much else (see Smash, Mario Kart, Bayonetta 2, Hyrule Warriors, Pikmin 3, NES Remix, Legend of Zelda Wind Waker, Legend of Zelda 2015, Xenoblade Chronicles X, Splatoon, Starfox, etc.). Buy whatever you want, but I for one love the games Nintendo makes and I'll support their software and hardware so long as they keep giving me fresh game concepts and plenty of reasons to come back to them. And so far, they've done a really good job with that.
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Re: Club Nintendo Goes Rewards Crazy With Final Update in North America
@royeab If you want my opinion on what to do with your last 500 coins, you should go get Super Mario World as soon as you can. IMO that's one of the best games of all time.
You'll have enough coins left after that to get Super Metroid, and since you haven't played that either, I think you should. Super Metroid is another 10/10 game in my book.
Re: Club Nintendo Goes Rewards Crazy With Final Update in North America
Whatever Nintendo's new rewards program is, it'd better be more equipped to handle high traffic. Club Nintendo's site is embarrassingly bad for promotions like this.
Re: Club Nintendo Goes Rewards Crazy With Final Update in North America
@royeab
If you haven't played the likes of Super Metroid, Super Mario World, Earthbound, or Super Mario Bros. 3, spend those coins on any of those right now. But if you've played all of those and you're into classic games I think you can't go wrong spending those 500 coins on the other VC titles they have available.
If you're looking for a physical reward, and have a lot of 3DS cards you wish were more organized, the 2015 case should come in handy.
Re: Club Nintendo Goes Rewards Crazy With Final Update in North America
Dang it! Just 50 coins short of the messenger bag. That would've been my first pick.
Re: Club Nintendo Goes Rewards Crazy With Final Update in North America
Even when I'm able to load the site, it tells me I have zero coins. -_-
Re: Club Nintendo Goes Rewards Crazy With Final Update in North America
I managed to get through to the site just long enough to sign in, but then I got the whole "site maintenance" shtick again
Re: Club Nintendo Goes Rewards Crazy With Final Update in North America
Star Fox 64 3D is calling my name. I could never justify paying full price for it, but as a reward it's a lot more tempting.
But then again... those physical rewards...
Re: Club Nintendo Goes Rewards Crazy With Final Update in North America
Rewards list:
Wii U:
[NES] Balloon Fight (200)
[NES] Baseball (200)
[NES] Clu Clu Land (200)
[NES] Donkey Kong 3 (200)
[NES] Donkey Kong Jr. (200)
[NES] Dr. Mario (200)
[NES] Excitebike (200)
[NES] Golf (200)
[NES] Ice Climber (200)
[NES] Ice Hockey (200)
[NES] Kid Icarus (200)
[NES] Mario Bros. (200)
[NES] Metroid (200)
[NES] NES Open Tournament Golf (200)
[NES] Pinball (200)
[NES] Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream (200)
[NES] Super Mario Bros. (200)
[NES] Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (200)
[NES] Super Mario Bros. 2 (200)
[NES] Super Mario Bros. 3 (200)
[NES] Tennis (200)
[NES] Volleyball (200)
[NES] Urban Champion (200)
[NES] Wario's Woods (200)
[NES] Wrecking Crew (200)
[NES] Yoshi (200)
[NES] Zelda II: the Adventure of Link (200)
[SNES] Earthbound (250)
[SNES] F-Zero (200)
[SNES] Pilotwings (200)
[SNES] Super Mario World (200)
[SNES] Super Metroid (200)
[SNES] Super Punch-Out!! (200)
[GBA] F-Zero: Maximum Velocity (200)
[GBA] Golden Sun (200)
[GBA] Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 (200)
[WiiU] Dr. Luigi (300)
[WiiU] NES Remix (300)
[WiiU] Game & Wario (600)
[WiiU] Wii Fit U (600)
[WiiU] Wii Party U (850)
[WiiU] The Wonderful 101 (600)
Wii:
[NES] Clu Clu Land (200)
[NES] NES Play Action Football (200)
[NES] Super Mario Bros. 2 (200)
[NES] Zoda's Revenge: StarTropics II (200)
[SNES] The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (250)
[SNES] Pilotwings (250)
[SNES] Super Mario Kart (250)
[SNES] Super Metroid (250)
[SNES] Super Punch-Out!! (250)
[N64] 1080 Snowboarding (250)
[N64] F-Zero X (250)
[N64] The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (250)
[N64] Mario Golf (250)
[N64] Mario Kart 64 (250)
[N64] Mario Party 2 (250)
[N64] Mario Tennis (250)
[N64] Paper Mario (250)
[N64] Star Fox 64 (250)
[N64] Super Mario 64 (250)
[N64] Super Smash Bros. (250)
[Wii] Art Style: CUBELLO (200)
[Wii] Doc Louis's Punch-Out!! (250)
[Wii] Eco Shooter: Plant 530 (250)
[Wii] Excitebike: World Rally (250)
[Wii] Fluidity (250)
[Wii] Snowpack Park (250)
[Wii] ThruSpace (250)
3DS:
[GB] Baseball (150)
[GB] Donkey Kong (150)
[GB] Golf (150)
[GB] Kid Icarus of Myths and Monsters (150)
[GB] Mario's Picross (150)
[GB] Metroid II: Return of Samus (150)
[GB] Radar Mission (150)
[GB] Super Mario Land (150)
[GB] Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (150)
[GB] Tennis (150)
[GBC] The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (200)
[GBC] Mario Golf (200)
[GBC] Wario Land 2 (200)
[NES] Donkey Kong 3 (200)
[NES] Donkey Kong Jr. (200)
[NES] The Legend of Zelda (200)
[NES] Metroid (200)
[NES] Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream (200)
[3DS] 3D Classics: Excitebike (200)
[3DS] 3D Classics: Kid Icarus (200)
[3DS] 3D Classics: TwinBee (150)
[3DS] 3D Classics: Urban Champion (200)
[3DS] 3D Classics: Xevious (150)
[3DS] Brain Age Express: Arts & Letters (200)
[3DS] Brain Age Express: Math (200)
[3DS] Brain Age Express: Sudoku (200)
[3DS] A Kappa's Tale (200) [3DS] Chibi Robo: Photo Finder (250)
[3DS] Crosswords Plus (600)
[3DS] Dillon's Rolling Western (250)
[3DS] Dillon's Rolling Western: The Last Ranger (300)
[3DS] Fluidity: Spin Cycle (300)
[3DS] HarmoKnight (300)
[3DS] Kersploosh (150)
[3DS] Ketzal's Corridors (200)
[3DS] Looksley's Line Up (200)
[3DS] Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! (200)
[3DS] Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move (250)
[3DS] Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword (200)
[3DS] Sparkle Snapshots 3D (200)
[3DS] Tokyo Crash Mobs (200)
[3DS] Brain Age: Concentration Training (600)
[3DS] Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D (600)
[3DS] Kid Icarus: Uprising (700)
[3DS] New Super Mario Bros. 2 (600)
[3DS] Paper Mario: Sticker Star (700)
[3DS] Star Fox 64 3D (700)
[3DS] Super Mario 3D Land (600)
EDIT
Decided to add the Physical Rewards as well:
Grill-Off with Ultra Hand! (80)
Mario and Luigi Greeting Cards (300)
Nintendogs Greeting Cards (300)
Nintendo 3DS Game Card Case: 2015 Edition (400)
2016 Desktop Calendar (400)
Animal Crossing Mini Playing Cards (600)
3DS XL Pouch: The Legend of Zelda (600)
Super Smash Bros 3-Poster Set (700)
Super Smash Bros 3-Poster Set v2 (700)
Limited Edition 2013 Platinum Poster Set (700)
Retro Mario T-Shirt (700)
Fierce Deity Link Jigsaw Puzzle (800)
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D Messenger Bag (800)
Re: Club Nintendo Goes Rewards Crazy With Final Update in North America
Maintenance, dangit. I want these rewards!
Re: YouTube Stars Aren't Happy With Nintendo's Revenue-Sharing 'Creators Program'
I've been thinking about this awhile, and I have to just throw this out there: Does Nintendo even WANT to sell games? Clearly someone puts great care into making them, but then Nintendo just tosses them out into the wild with no care whatsoever. Then they go back to the drawing board like a bunch of confused monkeys wondering why they aren't selling anything, and why their games have no publicity, and why the Wii U is selling like paper bags full of excrement, or in other words, not very well.
There's no marketing and no ads, and Nintendo seems to believe people will flock to stores via magic or telepathy, not via, oh I don't know, YouTube? Advertisements? The Internet? The normal ways people hear about things.
I wish Nintendo put the same time and care into thinking about their marketing decisions as they put into their games. Then this idiotic nonsense wouldn't be happening and PewDie whatever and all the other YouTube stars can give Nintendo the marketing they don't care to do themselves.
**drops mic, walks out**
Re: Not Everyone is Thrilled That Metroid Prime Trilogy Lands on the Wii U eShop Tomorrow
Doesn't bother me. It's not like Nintendo is re-issuing physical prints of the game anytime soon, so I'll hold onto mine for a few years and likely sell it for a lot more.
Re: Nintendo Launches Beta of 'Creators Program' for YouTube
It's absolutely baffling that Nintendo has taken all the ad revenue on YouTube vids up until now. Nintendo may be ahead of the curve in some things, but they're woefully behind in others. And if they really wanted to sell Wii U's, they would've done this in 2013 when their console was scraping along and selling next to nothing.
Re: Club Nintendo to Close, With Replacement Loyalty Programme Coming Later in the Year
I'm pretty disappointed that Nintendo's last rewards program is disappearing, but then again, Club Nintendo has been a pretty pathetic service lately. Hopefully their next system will just use the NNID and not a completely separate account a la Club Nintendo.
Re: Reaction: Nintendo Direct Went Crazy With Reveals, and Was Delightful and Confusing in Equal Measure
@Nintendobro
I didn't write this post because of one direct. Believe me, I tempered my expectations for the Direct. I've been tempering them for a long time now. For years, even. I didn't come into this one expecting anything different. The reason I wrote that post was because I don't think it should be that way. Why are we supposed to go into every Nintendo event expecting "meh?" If that's become our default expectation for Nintendo, then there's a problem. That's why we all thought E3 last year was so surprising. It was the first time in a long time Nintendo showed drive and really kicked some ass. I just want to cheer alongside Nintendo, not feel like I have to constantly defend their bizarre decisions. They don't have to be driving themselves forward full-force all the time, but I'd like to see them push forward more than they are now.
Also, I don't get your analogy with Sega, as they haven't made a genuinely excellent Sonic game in about a couple decades.
Re: Reaction: Nintendo Direct Went Crazy With Reveals, and Was Delightful and Confusing in Equal Measure
Color me unimpressed. Splatoon was nice to see (I'm glad to see there's still some new IP coming out the doors of Nintendo from time to time, albeit much less often than usual), but everything else was stuff we've already seen. Even the new Fire Emblem, which I'm sure will be a fine game and on par with its predecessor, looks strikingly similar to Awakening. The New 3DS XL is far from "new", seeing as we've known about it for months, and it's disappointing that NoA didn't even bring over the regular size model.
I honestly just don't think Nintendo has many more tricks up their sleeves when it comes to these two pieces of hardware. The 3DS has just about exhausted Nintendo's franchises (it's seen the likes of Animal Crossing, 2D and 3D Mario, Fire Emblem, Luigi's Mansion, Smash, Mario Kart, 2D and 3D Zelda, Pokémon, Starfox, Mario and Luigi, Donkey Kong, Paper Mario, Kirby, Yoshi, pretty much everything but a new Metroid), and the Wii U has put out its big hitters too (Smash and Mario Kart). And while both of those are arguably the best and most polished entries in their respective franchises, neither of them sold the Wii U consoles Nintendo hoped they would. It doesn't help that most of Nintendo's remaining Wii U library are sequels to pre-existing franchises or entries in pre-established formulas:
Pikmin 3
New Super Mario Bros. U
Super Mario 3D World
Super Smash Bros. For Wii U
Mario Kart 8
Wind Waker HD
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Yoshi's Woolly World
Kirby and the Rainbow Curse
I defy anyone to tell me they went out and bought these games (or plan to in the future) without knowing full well what they would be getting and how these games would play. That's because we've already seen them before. And yes, they may be the best entries in their franchises and definitely show unbelievably high polish, but that doesn't change how similar they are to their predecessors).
I don't hate Nintendo. They're by far my favorite brand. More than anything, I just want them to be a serious presence in the gaming industry again. While their games are all top notch, they're not anything new, and the Wii U's hardware, online infrastructure, marketing, and third party support are all severely lacking and tremendously disappointing. And I don't care how many times they say they aren't competing with the likes of Microsoft and Sony. By virtue of making a dedicated home gaming console, they absolutely ARE competing in that field. They need to start getting games on their platform that aren't ports of old Wii and VC games, or just a handful of indie games (and yes, it is definitely a mere HANDFUL when compared to Sony's and MS's library), or the aforementioned pre-existing formulas.
Re: Nintendo Direct Confirmed for 14th January, With Focus on Spring Releases
@Quorthon This is by far the best argument I've ever read that supports Nintendo going third-party. I was completely on the other side of the fence, but you convinced me it's a far better idea for them to go third party.
The Wii was a confusing departure from Nintendo's hard-core fan base, and I don't think Nintendo has ever recovered from that. Nintendo made a ton of money off of the console, but the long-term effects of the Wii's brand identity are a tremendous problem for the company. Not only has their target audience (the casuals who have never played a game before) moved on to smart devices and the like, but the Wii drove away much of the hardcore fans that made Nintendo a presence in the industry in the first place. They now face a problem of brand identity and relevance, and that is what will kill them if they're not careful.
Very solid argument. Thanks for the interesting read.
Re: Feature: Five Key Reveals We Want in 2015's First Nintendo Direct
@Claytronical I think you're right to some extent, but by that logic, Nintendo would be treating the 3DS's Virtual Console with more respect too. It has a much higher install base, and is a much larger opportunity to introduce older games to people who may have missed them.
But nooope, Nintendo's been throwing scraps to 3DS VC too, and it's still missing the most obvious additions, like SNES and GBA. It's like they don't even care about Virtual Console this generation. Just like they didn't give two poops about marketing their home console.
I love Nintendo and will continue to love them until the day they're dead and buried, but the neglect they're showing towards their consoles this generation (on numerous fronts) is staggering.
Re: Feature: Five Key Reveals We Want in 2015's First Nintendo Direct
Two left-field predictions I would freaking love if they included:
1) N64 games on VC, PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING. It's been TWO YEARS since they announced them. My freaking phone can run N64 games, how hard can it possibly be?
2) GameCube controller support on more than just Smash, including support on other first party Wii U games, VC games, and the Wii U's interface.
The Direct could be five minutes long and only have these two things and I would be COMPLETELY satisfied.
Re: Feature: The Biggest 3DS Games of 2015
Kind of a slim list as far as Nintendo's more noteworthy franchises go, but I suppose that's to be expected after getting tons of awesome games in 2013 and a decent lineup in 2014. I'm more interested in seeing what Nintendo has in store for Wii U this year. But I'll definitely be getting MM3D, and most likely Codename: STEAM. Intelligent Systems is responsible for my favorite Nintendo games of all time, so I'm sure they'll do good work with STEAM.
Re: Club Nintendo Adds Two 3DS Game Card Cases and NES Remix 2 T-Shirt in North America
I'll probably get the shirt, but I'm not a size Large, so I may resell it to someone who is.
Re: Miyamoto: We Are Working On Ideas For The Next Nintendo System
I see them going one of two ways:
First, the one that is less likely but would be so much more awesome IMO is for Nintendo to go ahead and start competing with the other consoles in terms of hardware; design a powerful machine with huge graphical capability and do whatever it takes to make sure third parties get back on board. The Wii U has proven that Nintendo's first parties are enough to support a console single-handedly, but not enough to make it the best selling one. An attempt at getting third parties back on board and an overhaul of online features may be the steps towards getting that title back.
The second option I see Nintendo doing is designing innovative and gimmicky hardware again (not using that as a derogatory term), hopefully without the confusing Wii brand attached to it, and probably at the expense of third parties. I would love to see that "Nintendo Fusion" idea, because it would essentially combine their handheld and console lines (which means SIGNIFICANTLY less gaps between releases) and would be an evolution of what they started on the Wii U, with the whole Off-TV play and "Controller with a screen" concepts.
Whatever direction they take though, I'll buy their new home console almost as soon as it comes out (just like I did with the last four). I can't wait to see what they do next.
Re: Rosalina & Luma amiibo Exclusive to Target in US, as More Peculiar Defects Are Shown Off Online
Man, this amiibo craze is unreal. I wouldn't be surprised if this craze keeps up for months as more waves keep hitting the market. But I think if any of the eBay people want to capitalize on the rush and make some money, now is the time. The craze will probably wear off once Nintendo oversaturates the market with them and creates tons more than they ought to (they're well on their way, it seems, thanks to the enormous Smash roster and the variety of games amiibo supports).
Re: Sony Pictures Is In Negotiations With Nintendo To Make A Super Mario Movie
I feel like the one thing that holds the most weight as to whether this movie is a success is if Mario is allowed to speak beyond his occasional yelps and wa-hoos. A video game character like Mario or Link exists to simply be an avatar for the player. I can't see how any studio could give Mario a serious amount of dialogue and not have it feel like they're trying to make Mario into something that he's not.
Re: Research Firm's Black Friday Data Shows Wii U Lagging Behind in Sales
Nintendo talked big about its console being a better value than its competitors, but with the tremendous Xbox One discounts and bundles everywhere, I don't know how true that is, particularly in the eyes of the consumer.
Nintendo is by far my favorite game company and the Wii U is the only next-gen console I own, but man, if they were really hoping to sell Wii Us, they missed the boat by not offering a competitive price cut for the holidays ($249.99 would've sufficed). Now Microsoft is reaping the benefits of what was a brilliant move, and Nintendo is lumbering behind.
I wish Nintendo could communicate the sheer brilliance of their platform to people, because it really is an incredible machine with easily the best first party lineup. But a great game (Smash Bros.) is not going to be enough to move the units they're really wanting to move. A great game, a temporary price cut, and some clear and aggressive advertising... if put together, would've done wonders to their console sales.
Re: Inflated Prices and Limited Stock Cause Frustration with the Wii U's GameCube Controller Adapter
Preordered and got it day one. You never know when this stuff is going to happen, so it's best to take precautions.
Re: Feature: The Wii U is Two Years Old, But How's it Doing?
IMO the Wii U is a C+. I absolutely love my Wii U for the games I do have for it, but truth be told, that's because I'd buy anything with Nintendo's seal of quality and a Super Smash Bros. game on it. The reality is that the Wii U has been my least played Nintendo console of all time.
There's a few offenders, but my biggest gripes revolve around the fact that there are HUMONGOUS gaps between Wii U releases that border on unacceptable (The entire first year of the Wii U's existence, and also more recently, Mario Kart 8 in May and virtually nothing until Bayonetta 2 in October). This wouldn't be so bad if Nintendo took their Virtual Console seriously and actually padded those gaps with volumes of classic games, but they didn't even do that (and still don't, at least not as much as they ought to). It's so frustrating. I shouldn't be able to beat a game in about a month and then have to wait another 3 or 4 for another game to play.
That said, Nintendo is my favorite game company and there's a reason for that. They deliver gameplay no one else can, and their first HD console shows they've got unbelievable artists at work in their studios. I just wish their first foray into HD wasn't marred by a lack of direction and a poor quantity of releases.
Oh well. I still really enjoy my Wii U, and I'll keep picking up Wii U games as long as they keep making them.
Re: Video: Nintendo Releases Two Snappy amiibo TV Commercials
I like the first commercial better than the second. It shows off more of the amiibo and more effectively communicates that they work between multiple games.
These are way better than any ad I've seen for the Wii U itself.
Re: The November Club Nintendo Rewards Are Now Up For Grabs
I wish Nintendo would take its Club Nintendo membership seriously instead of feeding us average to mediocre games every month. If they're going to go all digital with their rewards, then the least they could do is give some decent games.
Re: Shigeru Miyamoto Outlines Core Nintendo Philosophies, Not "Boring" Alternatives
@Yorumi I agree with you about how the Wii U's first two years saw very little innovation, but I would also say Nintendo doesn't have a whole lot of choice in their situation. Their major titles include:
-NSMBU
-Pikmin 3
-Wind Waker HD
-Game and Wario
-Super Mario 3D World
-Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
-Mario Kart 8
-Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Even though these games don't have groundbreaking changes, all of them are excellent entries in their franchises (with the exception of NSMBU or G&W, which were passable at best, and WWHD was just a remake). You're right in saying that most of what Nintendo has put out has been relatively safe.
But what else do you expect them to do in their situation? They've got fans clamoring for new Mario Kart, new Smash Bros, new Mario, and new Zelda constantly, and that's the stuff that sells. They're focusing on getting consoles off the shelves now, and innovating later. Sure, you can definitely contest that that probably wasn't the best approach when they were planning the Wii U in the first place, but after the terrible launch and even now, two years later, Nintendo needs to get Wii Us off the shelves, and new IP like Splatoon, Captain Toad, etc. are not going to sell systems. The risk-reward is not good.
Look at the Nintendo Direct from a few days ago as an example. What made people FLIP OUT with excitement? A remake of a game from a decade and a half ago. And what game were people almost universally bummed out about at the end? Splatoon. Like it or not, nostalgia sells, and as sad as it is sometimes, Nintendo is facing an uphill battle in selling new IPs.
Nintendo is in a very unique situation in this generation, and I think that's what's keeping Miyamoto's philosophy from being the way the company is run at the moment. They're stuck in a corner with this console, and right now they're trying to kick their way out, guns blazing, with the stuff that sells.
Re: Shigeru Miyamoto Outlines Core Nintendo Philosophies, Not "Boring" Alternatives
@Yorumi I agree to some extent, but to be fair, I think Nintendo churned out the NSMB games to give their new platforms some more traction. As non-innovative as those games are (and they definitely are), they are Nintendo's best-selling franchise, and at the time of making the most recent NSMB games, they needed more 3DS and Wii U sales.
Technically there's only been 1 NSMB game per platform (aside from Luigi U, which was DLC), so I wouldn't quite call it "milking," but I agree that too many of those games came out in rapid succession.
I think Miyamoto's creative philosophy is an inspiring one, and one that I worry is declining in the games industry. For me, gameplay will always win out over story (not to say I don't enjoy the likes of Walking Dead, or Metal Gear, or Mass Effect, games that put a heavy emphasis on story every now and then), but when I get really excited over a game, it's mostly because I want to play it and have fun playing it, not necessarily for the spectacle and drama of a story.
Re: Nintendo Download: 13th November (Europe)
Europe has been getting some great Virtual Console stuff lately. PLEASE bring the DKC games and the Golden Sun sequel to the US!
Re: Nintendo Download: 6th November (North America)
Super Mario Advance is a nice touch, but I won't get any of them until the one that features Super Mario Bros 3 comes out. I love SMB3 and it's the only one of the Advance games I can justify getting when I already have the original on VC.
Love love LOVE the Tetris Attack/Pokémon Puzzle League games. They're the most underrated puzzle games that have come out on Nintendo's platforms. I highly recommend them if you've never tried them!
Re: Genyo Takeda Discusses Nintendo's Hardware Future
Nintendo needs clear messaging and a clear target audience for their next product. The Wii U suffered from the fact that its advertisements didn't adequately explain its value to the consumer.
Plus, who exactly was the Wii U supposed to be targeted for? It couldn't have been targeted towards the casual market due to its hefty price tag, and it wasn't really for the people out there who consider themselves "hard-core gamers" either, because the Wii U's specs weren't on the same level as PS4 and Xbox One.
In the end both of those crowds have generally avoided the Wii U, and it's pretty much become a console for Nintendo fans and them only. Which isn't a terrible thing, since Nintendo has quite a lot of fans, but they really missed their chance to reach new people with the Wii U. Their next product needs a clear goal and audience, and to be honest, I think they have a better chance appealing to the casual crowd than the hard-core one, as much as I personally dislike that.
Re: Feature: Does Super Smash Bros. Wii U's Smash Tour Live Up To Expectations?
@Kaze_Memaryu As others have said, I think you're way overstating the importance of single player in Smash. In Smash, single player has always been nice as an extra, and nothing more. 64, Melee, and Brawl never, EVER featured single player as the main attraction of the game. Brawl was probably the closest to a single player focus in the series, but even Subspace Emissary had some seriously monotonous qualities to it, and the multiplayer still received the most attention.
The only single-player things missing from Wii U are adventure mode and target smash. Race to the Finish wasn't even an addition to Brawl, so it made no sense to expect it in this game either. And IMO the addition of Orders, a functional online mode, and smaller and multiplayer-centric modes more than makes up for the two missing single player modes.
Re: Poll: Should Nintendo Follow Microsoft's Lead With A Wii U Price Cut?
Nintendo's current pricing is good enough for the holiday season (a lot of people will probably already be enticed by Smash to go pick one up, so no need for a price cut when Smash is already going to give the system momentum).
No, I see Nintendo cutting the price early next year, maybe in March-May. That way Smash gives the Wii U an extra boost in the holiday season, and then the price cut can keep that momentum going, and maybe even make it an enticing buy for people who were on the fence during the holidays.
Re: Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Live Nintendo Direct to Introduce "50 New Things"
@Inkling I actually prefer not having multi-subject directs once a month, because it means we get the news when it happens. Before, Nintendo had to stockpile all their announcements every month to save for the Nintendo Directs, which left us with practically no news in between.
Would you rather have heard the Smash release date when it was decided on, or would you rather have had Nintendo sit on it for a few more days/weeks to save for a Direct? Would you rather have heard of Link's Mario Kart 8 bike or the Smash game/GC Controller bundle sooner on a news site, or later on a Direct?
I get what you're saying, and I do like the hype that Nintendo Directs build up, but I think Nintendo is going the right route with Directs right now. Their announcements work better when spaced out. I get some cool new piece of Nintendo news at least every week. That's a lot more frequently than when Directs were more commonplace.
Re: Nintendo Confirms Retro Halloween Scares for the Virtual Console
@ghasfarost @CaptMcCloudAran Well, it's been twenty months since Nintendo announced N64 games and we haven't seen those yet. And they announced DS games on VC several months ago and we haven't heard anything about those. Seeing as how Nintendo doesn't even keep up with their ANNOUNCED Virtual Consoles, a GameCube Virtual Console seems to be fantasy at this point. A shame, because GC has some of my all time favorite games.
Re: Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Announcement Revealing its "True Potential" is on the Way
Calling it now. The Direct will be announced tomorrow, and it will air on Tuesday. And with it, all my doubts and fears about the new console iteration will evaporate.
Re: Eiji Aonuma Wants Mario Kart 8's DLC Master Cycle In Future Zelda Games
I like how people are immediately disqualifying the idea of it being used in a Zelda game without imagining the context or looking at Nintendo's excellent track record for game quality. I trust Aonuma's creative direction, and if he puts the bike in a future Zelda game, I'm sure it'll work out fine. If he doesn't, I'm sure it'll work out fine too.
This is why Nintendo can't take risks in their main franchises; people shoot them down for thinking outside the box. And then after getting so much unnecessary hate, Nintendo delivers an incredible product (See Wind Waker or Metroid Prime).
Re: Video: New Nintendo 3DS Unboxing And Hands On
I'm probably going to get the standard size new 3DS and sell my old XL for cheap. I can't pass up the faceplates. Hopefully it's not too hard to adjust to the smaller screen size!
Re: Hardware Review: The New Nintendo 3DS Is The Best Yet
My biggest concern was whether or not it would be difficult to adjust to the smaller screen size, moving from my current XL to the new standard model. I'm glad NL addressed that in this preview, and if the transition really isn't that bad, I think I'm going to be picking up the standard version. I love the faceplate idea too much to pass on it.
Re: Nintendo Download: 9th October (North America)
Hi, I have a question! So, I've never once played a Castlevania game, but I beat Super Metroid for the first time recently (only the second Metroid game I've beaten after Prime) and I'm working my way through Metroid Fusion. I like them a lot and I'm wondering if I should start on Castlevania. I don't know where to begin with it though.
So any recommendations on what game I should start with? I guess I should mention I don't want anything quite as challenging as the original Metroid or Metroid 2. I'm sort of new to this whole "Metroidvania" genre.
Re: Turns Out The GameCube Controller Adapter Won't Be Compatible With Other Wii U Software
Also, to all of you expecting a GameCube VC, don't get your hopes up. This is the same company that promised us N64 games on Wii U 20 months ago and hasn't delivered a single one. At the rate Nintendo works with their Virtual Console, we probably won't see the DS games they promised until 2016 at least. Nintendo has handled their virtual consoles extremely poorly this generation and they're not about to put games as large and complicated to port as GameCube games on their VC, especially not before addressing the easier ones like N64, and (apparently) DS.
Re: Turns Out The GameCube Controller Adapter Won't Be Compatible With Other Wii U Software
@Dr_Corndog I'm no expert, but my guess is that it's impossible (or at least extremely difficult) to get a new Wii U peripheral to work with the directly emulated Wii console. Since the emulated Wii Mode wasn't designed with GameCube controllers in mind (or at least wasn't designed to read GameCube controllers through the USBs), the controllers won't function with Wii Mode.
It's kind of like how Pro Controllers don't work with Wii Mode. It's a new peripheral and wasn't designed with the Wii in mind.
I'm sure Nintendo is more than capable of patching a few Wii U games to be compatible with it, but the only game they have working with it right now is Smash. Pretty disappointing, but oh well.
Re: Nintendo Download: 2nd October (North America)
I'm trying to figure out if I should pre-order a physical copy or go download, and what time it shows up on the eShop will directly factor into my decision. Anybody know the official word on that? If it hits at Midnight Eastern Time, I'll definitely go with the Eshop Download.
Re: Naughty German Retailer Breaks Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Street Date
It's okay, I can't get too jealous about this. It's just three days left to wait until launch anyway... right? Right? RIGHT???
.....I need to get some fresh air..
Re: Nintendo Confirms Final Week Details For Its Super Smashing eShop Sale
There is literally no justification for Starfox still being that expensive. The game is a remake of a game that came out 15-20 years ago, and it can be played through in a couple hours. The Wii's N64 version is 10 bucks, so there's no reason for a remake to be 40. And a discount to 30? That's laughable; I mean, that should be its price when it's NOT discounted! Oh well, what do I know?
I'll consider DKCR3D, but all the rest I own already, besides Starfox. Not sure about Pac-Man. I haven't heard anyone vouch for that one.
And if you're a Wii U owner and you don't own Pikmin 3 or DKCTF, get those as soon as possible while they're still discounted. You will not regret it.
Re: Nintendo Download: 18th September (North America)
Thanks a million @TonLoco! I was a Platinum Club Nintendo member, and the only reason I didn't get a code was because I had the Club Nintendo emails turned off. I was pretty peeved when I found that out. But hey, thanks for sharing the love buddy, can't wait to load it up!
Re: Nintendo Download: 18th September (North America)
@TonLoco I'd love one if you're willing to throw one my way! If not that's totally fine! Never tried the demo and I'm crazy excited to give it a shot.
Re: Sakurai Explains Reasoning Behind Removal Of Ice Climbers From Super Smash Bros.
@Yorumi
I don't know much about game design, but I can almost guarantee that clones take SIGNIFICANTLY less time to work on than an entirely original character. Especially one with 2 A.I.'s like Ice Climbers. So yeah, time constraint could have been a big reason they're not in.
I do think you're being way too harsh, but that's your opinion. If you really aren't going to be getting Nintendo's new hardware because they decided against putting one character in the new Smash, that's a bit crazy, but it's your decision. I disagree that Nintendo is only doing 2D platformers and not much else (see Smash, Mario Kart, Bayonetta 2, Hyrule Warriors, Pikmin 3, NES Remix, Legend of Zelda Wind Waker, Legend of Zelda 2015, Xenoblade Chronicles X, Splatoon, Starfox, etc.). Buy whatever you want, but I for one love the games Nintendo makes and I'll support their software and hardware so long as they keep giving me fresh game concepts and plenty of reasons to come back to them. And so far, they've done a really good job with that.