HaNks

well at least someone said it, MK8's downfall (and it's a pretty huge issue) is BALANCE, namely item balance. the balance of a game like this is much more important that the check boxes many of you seem to be using as criteria. and that's before we even dig deep into the mechanics.

MK8's big problem is indeed the randomness and how much of the time it's literally impossible to put in a good showing when you're stuck in the pack. doesn't matter if you're a skilled racer, most the time you're done for as the items start flowing, no way you're ever getting close to the front. the lack of dangling hurts people in the pack way more than the 1st person, half the time you win races not by racing well but just by getting into 1st at the right moment and everyone else destroys eachother. it isn't rewarding or balanced in that sense. even MK7, while not the best MK, is a lot more balanced than 8.

taking 'snaking' out of the series was a mistake, especially with things like 'firehopping' popping up in mk8. that was the whole fun on the DS version, especially with online. double dash with online would be the perfect MK.

it's out of double dash & DS (voted double dash). it certainly isn't 8, 7 is better than 8. 8 might be new and shiny but it's balancing is way off compared to the better entries. i still enjoy playing it though, no hate intended.

3750 stars for a t-shirt, LOL.

look at that cheeky villager, doesn't even realise he's been discontinued.

4000 stars for a few tiny badges is really pushing it, the box looks nice though.

mario kart bundle is great value.

i could care less, but it's bound to be important for a particular segment of the internet.

the most important question is - where is ness?

not impressed with this whole ameebo thing tbh...seems like a cash-grab, something the kids and hardcore nintendo fans will buy without a second thought.

nice! but still no ness....or toad!

they are lagging behind the rest of the industry, time to remove those region restrictions (at least for physical media) right now.

@Cosats yo this isn't what i'm talking about...i'd like to be able to disable gamepad streaming/sync from the console itself. as it stands there is no way to do this, it is always synced to a gamepad (even if the gamepad is totally off/out of range) and putting out a wireless signal.

still waiting on an option to totally disable the gamepad and its streaming function. it runs all the time, regardless of whether you want to use it or not.

@Andyv01 SNES/GBA would be a good start. chances of N64 VC when it's not even on wii U yet seem pretty damn slim...

again ergonomics are out the window, that's the most dissapointing thing about these new models. maybe one day nintendo will make a comfortable handheld again. all the other improvements look great, but i'll need to be sure of a quality grip before making the upgrade, ideally something that upgrades the shoulder buttons like on the hori wheel. the ZL/ZR buttons look like a nightmare, even more troublesome than the standard L/R.

concerned about the ergonomics, considering how i find both the OG and XL uncomfortable. i use the hori wheel on the OG model which is a godsend. they're adding a second set of shoulder buttons which look even trickier to reach than the standard L/R...i'm going to need to hold one before giving any judgements, but it doesn't look good.

would love to upgrade to a new model but it'll be entirely dependant on grips being available. the standard one is ideal in that the screen is slightly larger than the OG, which was always a tad too small. the XL i always found way too large given the resolution, totally kills the image quality.

i wonder if these new models will get SNES/GBA virtual console lol

cool story we'll have to see how good the game is. the e3 showing was basically nothing, though what's been said is encouraging.

that £39.99 as a sale price for NSMBU is crazy, i saw it on deals this week for half that price, physical copy, brand new. and it's still available for under 25...

also there really needs to be n64 & GCN titles on the wii U. GC code already runs on the system after all. maybe hire some more people or contract emulation specialists to help with releases, like the GBA thing. there really is no excuse for how badly Nintendo have handled VC.

i would buy some VC games if the ones i wanted were cheaper or on sale. instead i'm buying nothing.

they look alright quite good i guess but they don't support rumble do they? it would also always have to be tethered to a wii remote?

i think i'd rather stick with a wired gamecube or wavebird over this. hopefully they patch in support for games like mario kart in the future

such an uncomfortable system for a game like smash, i'll be sticking to the wii U version.

seems like he was struggling with addiction again lately, sad stuff RIP.

methinks the UK price will be closer to £100 than £50...

nintendo forgot about ergonomics in their handhelds after the gba/ds phat. the 3ds/3ds xl in particular is a big step back in this regard. gamecube pad is GOAT, just needs a few adjustments to make it the ultimate controller. hopefully they revisit and refine that design in the future.

links awakening all the way. incredible title considering the hardware limitations and one of the very best zelda games.

should go to greater lengths to promote the digital versions (of everything!) with price cuts, bundles etc. physical options are nice, but nintendo is still years behind with their digital offerings & ecosystem.

so good! oh and 50hz? smh...

wii U is owning 2014...bayonetta 2 (could be best action game ever) and smash. more than enough for me. i love that toad is getting his own game but will have to wait for that one.

still isn't 100% clear what's going on, especially in different regions. ideally it would be:

1) all bayonetta 2 copies to come with download code for the first (the message @ e3, everyone buying the second game gets the first one free)
2) special edition priced higher to include disc copy for the first game but no download code

as it stands it seems like the first is true for the US, whereas europeans will have to pay more but get a physical copy (i was down for this anyway). why not bundle a code with standard copies as to make the promotion all inclusive? this may be the case anyway, but it's poor communication.

OS level party chat/voice chat

@Marshi spoilt, unthankful and rude? i think it's totally fair to voice a preference for having a physical copy of the first game. just because it's 'free' doesn't mean we can't have an opinion, money is being spent on the package either way.

however, it is ridiculous to not buy the second game in light of us. has to be a day one purchase considering they are including the first game, digital or otherwise. fantastic value, well done nintendo.

they can just have a special edition with the physical bayo 1 disc in other regions, maybe with a figure, bayo 2 themed pro pad or something? then at least people have the option. no problems having a code for the normal version to keeps costs down.

i would have paid more to have it on disc too, hopefully a special edition with physical bayo 1 could still be on the cards.

game looks terrific, hope it's early 2015.

big step up from past two years @ E3. splatoon looks great. shame they didn't show more zelda U, unveil was brief considering it was almost shown last year...

would have been better on disc, at least for people buying the physical version. oh well, its FREE!!! amazing value considering work put it on the port

watch dogs looks cool...but MK8! MK8! looks like nintendo hit it out the park and there's online play...don't get much better than this

good stuff. now for OS level communication options, or is that too much to ask...

thanks for the review. echo some of the comments about the version though - SNES or bust.

nintendo need bigger changes than the current leadership/managament are willing to accept. i don't see any turnaround on the horizon, on the contrary, iwata is leading them to failure by ignoring the wider market, particularly the west. always insisting that nintendo can do their own thing, at their own pace.

nintendo is increasingly out of touch with the western market. it's going to take time and a lot of the right people to turn it around. buy/form/collaborate with more western studios, whatever is needed...just look at the barren wii U release schedule.

a new f-zero with MK8 level visuals! *drools

you've used grabs from GX though...i think the artwork in X is far superior, as is the soundtrack.

very fair price considering the extra free game.

would be nice if there were proper chat options (text or voice) at OS level, something you could use while gaming. has become a standard feature everywhere else...

demo is so good, loving the music in this game. got in the birdie zone but took some adjusting, the camera is a little awkward to manipulate at first.

@Cyberbotv2 sounds alright as a RRP, digital copy would certainly save on costs and shouldn't bother casual buyers. digital MK is actually rather handy, i wouldn't mind it myself.

i guess they can afford to start higher but i think it'll be a good seller once it starts to get price cuts. uk sweet spot is definitely around £200, £250 is really pushing it.

@Cyberbotv2 seriously? the wii U isn't exactly flying off shelves and bundles are meant to drive hardware sales. nintendo should get the cost down as much as possible to sell some wii Us, the market is very price sensitive atm.

priority has to be moving as many systems as possible. it doesn't take much more for it to be profitable, another game or two tops. either way the price will come down to what people are willing to pay. £200 seems to the sweet spot in the UK, the mario/premium bundles sold much faster with sub-£200 deals.