HyperSonicEXE

Maybe I'll try the SS3D again, but my head is somewhat active when I play, so with MM3D, it got to be something of an eyesore...

@PlywoodStick
Just as an armchair Business Analyst, I'd tend to agree.
My dad worked in radio as an engineer, so I have seen the ad revenue generation model before. And long story short, it's stable but not entirely viable. I think Nintendo knows this already and is simply going to make mobile phones another avenue for them to sell their games, eventually.

Somebody help me out — isn't the industry saying right now that the mobile game model and revenue streams won't be viable in the coming years?
I still say that Nintendo would do just fine in making games akin to the Sonic ports done by Whitehead and charging premium prices (premium as far as mobile games go).

"You also, however, use amiibo to collect and save game-altering tokens to use in future sessions."

Final nail in the coffin, in my mind.

But I am enjoying the expressions from Rosalina in screenshots being posted on the internet, so there's that.

Yeah, the Core is dwindling in numbers. The Wii U sales numbers are exactly in line with the downward trend that has been happening all along. The Wii lucked out with its appeal of a simpler control scheme.

If anything, with Bluetooth controllers, this is a step in a sound direction for gaming.
Because let's think about what they COULD have done. They could have gone QOL/VR, and the market really isn't ready for those. With smartphones, there is a far better chance for traditional games. Some of which, like a very active Pokemon Snap 2 wherein you move the phone and the phone's gyroscope and/or camera (s) translate your motions, might actually be better than the use of a controller or bulky GamePad.

NikkithemeNikkithemeNIKKITHEME
And a Rosalina handkerchief!

Gah, freaking Club Nintendo, man.

Ah, so that's why I find the recent games formulaic - it is a formula.

At least SM64, SMS, and SMG1 had the decency to make it an adventure.

It's too early to be calling doom for Nintendo or its brand of games - there are bluetooth controllers, we know NOTHING about NX, and the positive reviews from substitute products just might finally help get Nintendo's stuff together.

Here's hoping Nintendo brings bluetooth controllers and REAL gaming to the mobile arena as they advertise their usual wares in the mobile space.
And here's hoping for healthy competition - new studios making games with story and not shoehorning gimmicks, or perhaps executing games well as Nintendo is less oft to do lately, like no arena battle stages in MK8.

I want this to be a win-win.

Last I saw was the mockup of two ugly blue and red bipedal dinosaurs, so I'm very relieved.

Floating islands and pipes in the cave level caught my attention, too. BK was pretty big on pipes, so that's a good sign.

Probably going in June in Austin. Don't think I'll be able to fit into my too small tuxedo just yet, but I'll be well-dressed!

Is it weird that I have no interest in 2D Shovel Knight, but 3D sounds fun?

Like the characters, settings, and combat would be more appealing.

@LUIGITORNADO
Meh. That's like saying Fifty Shades of Grey affects moviegoers or book readers. Not everyone partakes in one production or another. And even if they do, it still depends on what the appeal is to the individual, and even then, that isn't in any way visceral until the individual takes it and makes it so in their own personal life. Gaming deserves the same treatment and lack of snap judgments.
And we'll get that equality just as soon as we ignore these haters and bullies with their double-standards.

Shinobi Box?
What's in the box?

@SuprisedStar
Yeah, Nintendo's been using "New" way too much. Kinda shows just how detached their creative processes are from reality.

I'm still of the opinion that the '90's contained many of the best games, some spilling over into 2000-2002.

@Ryno
"Here's our new hardware, the Wii U! ...why does everyone think it's an enhancement to the Wii?"
"Aha, here's the New 3DS XL! ...ah, no, it's not a new design or something, it's an improved console. Please understand...?"

Seriously, Nintendo needs new EVERYTHING. New marketing department, New directors, just scrap darn near everything except the franchise heads/story drivers and the supply chain.

If the series icon for Rayman doesn't give it away, the lack of space between Mewtwo's and Rayman's portraits does.

@Mus1cLov3r
Because in order to trade my 3DS XL to Gamestop, they'd require a charger as part of the trade in.
I have one 3DS XL and one charger, leaving me with 0 for the New one.

@TristanRW
That's another thing, though certainly not as egregious on Nintendo's part - I'm having a hard time justifying this purchase on usage. Though they may yet have something substantive later on! So that's fine.

@Sir_JBizzle
They wouldn't? Well! They should mention that in the trade in terms, because that's just...urgh!

One more thing:
If Gamestop is advertising a hotly-desirable trade in deal, and have System Transfer instructions in store, then they are prepared to accommodate that, and I commend them if so.

1. I don't want to go to Target, I don't want to go to any other store, for whatever reason I want. I'm the consumer. That's MY decision. It's MY money. And in this case, Gamestop offered me a deal for hardware that I would no longer need. So that's my choice.
2. Gamestop has also been in the business for a while - pretty sure they can model for inventory considering they were around for the DSi.
3. You're on a Nintendo site, your anecdotal sample size is n = GARBAGE. Nintendo's target market is consumers of all walks of life, including those that don't necessarily eat, sleep, and breathe this stuff. Memory cards are typically not essential when the hardware has internal memory. Chargers are required to power the bloody unit.

And now you're not even reading what I wrote. I wasn't willing to sit there at the Gamestop and make them wait on me to do a transfer.

Pretty much the only thing you've done in this discussion is put down Gamestop at every turn. You have no grasp on business and refuse to listen. Don't bother replying, because I won't respond in kind.

@russellohh
1. That's yet to be determined, because Nintendo does distribute stock, and was in on North America's exclusivity contracts of the amiibo and, for a more relevant example, Xenoblade Chronicles that got distributed only to Gamestop.
2. Gamestop is exclusively a videogame retailer. It makes far more sense for THEM to have stock than anyone else, regardless of personal opinion and experiences (my experiences are a mixed bag as well), and
3. You are not in the majority, and that's irrelevant. There is no need for most people to own more than one charger. Furthermore, the system does not use AA's or something, so it cannot function properly without one. There was no reason for Nintendo not to include a charger, that costs MAYBE $1 to produce.

This should have been a simple business transaction, and it was anything but.

No, and I would have been on impulse, but now I'm just an upset customer. Here's the scenario:

Did my taxes last night. Refund. Huzzah!
Browsing NintendoLife, read "midnight launches at Gamestop, trade in 3DS XL for $100 credit."
Oh! Well, alright! Why not?

NINTENDO GAVE ME REASONS WHY NOT:
1. The New 3DS XL doesn't come with a charger,
2. The Gamestop only received enough to cover preorders, so no impulse purchases or regular buys, and
3. Transferring all my data would have taken a minimum of 30 minutes, which is much longer than I would want myself or anyone else (much less poor retail staff) involved in the process.

So instead of being an Early Adopter and proponent of Nintendo's products, I find myself empty-handed, with time wasted on backwards business practices, and now an opponent.

I shouldn't be surprised but I can't believe Nintendo's even recycling renders now. Especially when they already made new one just for this game!

There's already unity. You were all unified in abusing wavedashing and other exploits in Melee and sticking only to Fox, and now you're all unified in spamming Diddy Kong's down throw and up air in 4.

Sorry. Competitive scene just sucks like that, and the designers need to also shoulder some of that blame, especially when the "Hoo Hah" just got added to Lv. 9 Diddy's AI with this last update.

I'll stick to fun local, party play, thanks.

When they get back to Genesis basics and stop using Dimps, who clearly can't do their job, then I'll be happy to buy a Sonic game. I've been buying the smartphone ports of 2D Sonic games and they still beat the tar out of today's Sonic games.

Not watching it.
There's only one major source of Capitalism right now, and as far as the majority population goes, businesses' practices are reigned in well enough by government.

However, Capitalism does have some very major issues - people. People in government screwing up the rules, people in management positions caring only about the shareholders and not the STAKEholders, etc.

Communism and Socialism at least have fundamental flaws that keep them from working. Valiant effort.

Capitalism, there is no reason that we shouldn't be evolving rapidly as a society due to its proper use, save for one reason - greed.

In response to Peach's:
"Okaaaaay...this is the part where I get taken to the "friendship dungeon," isn't it?"

Nintendo would have to have a very slim profit margin per product for this to be the correct strategy.
And I bloody guarantee they're making good profits per unit of software, and all the recycled hardware and manufacturing setups they're using.

Amen, Alexey!

I wish they'd done this with all those leftover Mario, Peach, and Luigi amiibo.

Spray them with metallic paints, slap 'em on a Mario stand, and reuse them. The unsold amiibo are just wasteful, otherwise.

Did not know that about the timer. That's nuts!

Anyway, the best way to do it is without. Much more fun.

HOLY MOLY
This is going to take some careful consideration!

I just can't understand why someone would watch a Let's Play.

I'd rather play the thing, or if I'm going to watch, watch my best friend or someone close to me.

It's absolutely foreign to me, and proof that Nintendo should just go ahead and invest in well-made movies, because apparently, young kids just don't play videogames that aren't shooters or mobile any more.

1. Nintendo doesn't need the press of these comments,
2. The new guys need training,
3. And Dark Pit and Lucina were highly questionable calls (plus whatever bad moves we can confirm were his to call, like almost not including GANONDORF),

So I think he can consult a bit, but it's time for new blood that's classically trained.

@midnafanboy
They are simpler and have a more characteristic color mix, so they'll be more consistent, both in production quality and fan appeal.

It's tough to find a good Peach Smash amiibo, one that captures the render essence and is nearly flawless, but I'd personally sooner spend time and money getting a good, detailed Smash one than getting this plain-Jane one.

Now, if they'd used the new MP10 Peach render with the lips...

@Sforzando
I play Star Fox, and most LoZ games that don't do weakspots are extremely obvious about the item or weapon, so I don't mind that so much. I just wish it made sense! If their face (the soon-to-be-mask) was glowing, well that'd be one thing.
But one of Majora's eyes, just really big? There are 2 eyes on the mask! And to emerge from an ancient warrior's neck/back (couldn't tell), or a mechanical beast, or a fish's mouth, just doesn't make any sense at all!

The weakspots are a definite eyesore,
But this is not. Swimming without the force field in the original was a death wish. Those bony fish would eat you alive just for trying to get to the next fetch quest. It'd be like riding Epona, and Poes are attacking you, but you cannot see them in time and you have no Bow.

And I hear complaints about "savescumming," and yet this was never an issue in every other LoZ?
Seriously, it's these kinds of complainers that make it hard for Nintendo to listen to The Core base of dwindling fans, and get these games back on the right track before passing them off to the mass market.

Emotionally, the price of failure at Romani Ranch is just too high — I'm on the fence.

"cash in alongside MP10"

JUST GIMME THE ROSALINA WIIMOTE ALREADY
FFFFFFFFFF

Summary:
Nintendo's consoles won't be profitable another gen, so while we're figuring out our next move, here's a big push for each of your favorite franchises and a foray into mobile possibilities while we get the next hardware started.

Hopefully it's a spiffy, pocketable, high-horsepower handheld with an HDMI port and some USB ports, and can use the Wii/Wii U's controllers.

Hot tip, not able to see if it works or not:
"For those with the Wii U release of BN 2 go into the Network menu. Don't actually do anything, just go there and then back out. Then look at what happens to your chip sack."

BEST BATTLE NETWORK! YEAAAAAAAAAH!

If she didn't also wanna play SMB1, then she's no good for ya, Jimmy!

@Tsuzura
I didn't get one either.
Really, I think Nintendo might only be sending these special things to the target market, not the old Core.
They should be doing two mailings - one to the target market about the experience and what they want to see, and a second to the Core regarding issues, possibilities, purchase decisions, etc. After all, the Core are the Gatekeepers, now.

That's part of being an executive. You try to get in on the frontline and keep updated as much as possible, but usually, the lower management and actual frontline keep you up to date just at a baseline level, what's going on and what has changed — no details, no learning for you. You have to manually dedicate time to do such things. It's hard.

I envy no CEO, and look forward to being one still.

Give me 64's characterization and modes with Melee's mechanics and Wii U's balance/roster.

@DiscoGentleman
No, it is not, it is a Known Issue because some unintended after-effect alters the balance of the game. In this case, being hit with a small item in mid-air, for example, a Red Shell (which surprisingly happens in this game) will cause a player to be "stalled" for twice or more the intended amount of time, sometimes not allowing this player that had otherwise been doing extremely well relative to the rest of the players the ability to recover. So no reason other than, not luck or lack of it, but the sheer lack of planning on the part of the design of the game. If you're unable to adapt to not being able to take advantage of this flawed game mechanic, that is your personal problem.

Known Issues cause trouble for games, whether they be tabletop, card, videogame. That is the literal definition of that term as it pertains to game design.

I have Reddit's hidden stats chart from June - appreciated as the article is, a proper graph suffices, and all I can see online is the Heavyweights dominating. As many "subclasses" as there are, they may as well have individual stats, not tied strictly to the "Main" weight class.

My dislike of Coins and Backdraft is indeed an opinion, and if Items cannot be retooled to perform the same functions (which I doubt highly), then I'd be more than happy to begrudgingly see them stay if it meant a better game for everyone.
In fact, the idea of tying drift/weight to the Kart parts is so that anyone may be any desired configuration with their favorite character.

If it's an opinion to give people a complete set of options, what they want, then I will defend that.
And I fail to see how that makes the game worse for the wear.

@DiscoGentleman
Except for Coins and Backdraft (which probably aren't going away, now), everything else is a Known Issue. Those things literally make the game worse as they are, and this would correct them. Additionally, there would now be room for character-specific vehicles as MKDS did (more or less).
Most people don't even care about stats and weight classes, especially when that data isn't bloody presented in the game itself beyond a vague stat chart (Whyyyyyyy do the characters themselves still have unique stats?).
And being hit in mid-air is just a bloody given.

8 updated a lot, took some steps forward, took some steps backwards, but is a pretty solid game.

Still, though, the most fun is had playing 64.
What 9 needs to do, is take 8, and fix the following:
*Remove stats so that everyone is balanced in 3 weight classes
*Keep parts, but only so people can choose inside/outside drift and Light/Medium/Heavy (which takes care of the roster issues)
*Disable being hit in mid-air
*Battle MUST include arena-like fields, tracks optional
*Remove Coins and Backdraft, rebalance Items (since that's THEIR PURPOSE) accordingly

And that'd be the best MK game.

Yay for Shantae! Looking forward to HGH, and you -know- it'll be better with the Wii U Gamepad! Just sayin'.

Big thanks to everyone who donated! Even if we didn't hit the next Stretch Goal, now they won't have to sweat the fees and such, and have a little more breathing room.