I like this game a lot. I played both Dragon Fantasy Book I and Book II on my Vita. I haven't played the Volumes of Westeria on my Wii U or 3DS yet, but I did purchase it again to show my support for this series. I'm not sure when the 3rd installment will be released, but I'm looking forward to it. It's apparently going to look like an N64 game from what I've heard.
It's the same where I live (Canada), that only lists one version. It didn't have the explanation that you'd be able to choose your path in game, so I was wondering what version it was. I looked at the US region and they have the 2 versions listed.
I voted for the hybrid idea. I basically want the NX to be both a home console and a handheld that share the same OS and the same library. How often does a Wii U game gets released and 3DS users complain, why not for the 3DS? Or more often, vice versa, since the 3DS gets a lot more games? There will also be more games to play, as Nintendo's manpower won't be stretched trying to build up 2 separate libraries. I think it's also a good idea to have the option to buy them separately, but maybe also have a bundle where you can buy both at a discount. VGCHARTZ also put up an article suggesting the home console will use High Capacity SD Cards instead of optical media, because discs are impractical for the form factor of a handheld, and the concept is that they both have to be able to play the same games, right? They also went on to say that these cards will be able to access the appropriate assets for what platform you're playing it on, so that while the portable will be able to play them, at the same time the visuals won't look like trash on the console.
Next, I voted that the NX should be released when it's ready. It's imperative that Nintendo gets a proper account system set up before it launches. The way I understand it, if my Vita were to break suddenly, I can buy a new one, log into my PSN account, put my Vita memory into the new device and be able to play it right away with all the memory intact. With the 3DS and Wii U, your account is tied to your system, so it's far more of a headache. If your old system still works at all, you can use your Internet connection to transfer your account over, but if your 3DS or Wii U were broken completely, how could you transfer your purchases over? I don't know, but Nintendo customer service had better have something in place to recover your purchases in that event. I'm not likely to use such features, but it would be convenient for a lot of gamers to have on screen notifications instead of having to boot up miiverse to see if a friend sent them any messages. Also have friend invites to help set up matches in online multiplayer games as well as voice chat. It also needs to be faster as well, especially after making a purchase on the eshop, something I do personally care about. It takes forever to process a Wii U eshop purchase.
Next, I voted for it to bring in the third party blockbusters that the Wii U and Wii didn't. I'm extremely skeptical about this possibility, however. Third parties are going to see how Nintendo have treated Devil's Third in America and are not going to want to support the NX in any way.
Lastly, I voted that I'm not sure what to think. I think it will be the hybrid system I want. I'm not so sure Nintendo will get the features in place that a lot of gamers want. Like I said, I'm extremely skeptical about third party blockbusters, after this Devil's Third debacle, I'd be surprised if third parties trusted Nintendo enough to even port low tier games to the NX.
@Quorthon You have some good points, but I don't agree that Mass Effect 3 or Deus Ex Human Revolution deserved to sell more. EA put out the entire Mass Effect collection on PS and XBox in a bundle, and Wii U owners only get the third game by itself. Even if the Wii U version of ME3 got some exclusive features, PS and XBox owners clearly got the better deal. I even bought ME3 on Wii U, but I'm not even sure what to do with it now because I'm completely unfamiliar with the plot of the first 2 games. I would have to spend hundreds of hours watching let's plays of those games to get caught up in the story before I actually start playing ME3.
And I want to say something about Deus Ex Human Revolution. Square Enix published the Kingdom Hearts remasters or remixes or whatever on the PS and XBox, while Wii U owners only get this game. Even if if DE HR is any good, KH is a way more famous series that I would rather see on the Wii U. After I got a Wii U, I would have bought the KH remasters for Wii U if that is what Square had offered us. Bringing KH to Wii U would have been a nice gesture, and I likely would have picked this game up too. I probably wouldn't have had the option of buying either of them at full price since I am a very recent adopter of the Wii U and the price at that point would have already been slashed, but I would have been still willing to buy the KH remasters at full price, then would have given Deus Ex a chance.
Right now, I'm boycotting current gen Square Enix. They don't want to localize their 3DS games and out of all the games they could have picked, they ported Deadman's Cross over to the Vita of all things. Final Fantasy Dimensions, for example, would have been a much better pick for Vita owners. Square Enix is horrible at picking the right games to port over. If I buy anything by Square Enix, I'll buy their last gen and retro stuff. Even though I loved Bravely Default, I'm not likely to pick up Bravely Second brand new because I'm not liking their actions this generation. I'll probably try to pick up a used copy so they don't make any royalties from the sale. The only royalties they'll get from me is from sales of whatever last gen games from them are still in print, and whatever digital copies of their retro games I pick up. I loved Square last gen since they weren't so hesitant on localizing their handheld games. Square Enix is probably my most hated company now, especially how they are acting this gen in contrast to how they were last gen.
You are right that some third parties deserved better sales on Wii U then what they got, but some third parties deserved all the hate they got.
@Quorthon I don't agree that Nintendo should go third party. It's undeniable that the Wii U hasn't done well. However, my small garbage can tv can't handle a PS4 or XBOne, so if Nintendo were putting games on those I wouldn't be able to play any of them. In fact, I only use off tv play with the gamepad because my tv is too pathetic to play on. Off tv play was what sold me a Wii U in the first place.
Here's another point. Even though I do like the Vita, it's totally failed in sales. Sony made several mistakes with it, but on top of that, the rise of mobile gaming helped kill it. I've been told that the Vita is the last handheld Sony is ever going to make, or at least release worldwide. If they do make a successor to the Vita, it'll be exclusive to Japan. If Nintendo quits making handhelds, mobile devices will become the "official" handheld. It would be better to suggest that Nintendo should go handheld only than become 3rd party. Nintendo is the only hardware manufacturer that is keeping portable gaming alive. Sony doesn't even remotely care about the Vita at all. The last time the PSN went down on all their platforms, they made a list of the platforms affected. PS3 and PS4 were clearly named, but the Vita was referred to as "other devices." They care so little about it that they don't even want to type the name of it. Bottom line is that if Nintendo goes 3rd party, the dedicated handheld market will die completely.
@Grumblevolcano Ah, I see. I suspected as much. When I was typing up my comment, I wrote that it was an Australian copy, but I wasn't entirely certain so I edited it before posting it. I'm completely unfamiliar with Australia's ratings, but process of elimination suggested that it was most likely from there.
It would be good if not only the NX were region free, but despite what Iwata said here, release a patch to remove region locking on current Nintendo hardware. I got a copy of Solatorobo on Amazon that doesn't work on my 3DS. The region on the game didn't match the box art that Amazon put up. When I placed my order, I looked at the box art, and it clearly showed the ESRB rating. When it came in the mail, it was perhaps a European or some other region. I think it was something other, because I think Europe uses the PEGI rating system, and it doesn't have PEGI on it, it just says "General." That all it says. I'm unfamiliar with what region that rating comes from. In any case, the region copy I got is different than the box art shown on Amazon. Amazon is a great marketplace for the most part, but they do make listing errors like that. When you have region locked consoles, it is a problem when Amazon puts up the wrong box art! My copy of Solatorobo is completely useless. Even if the 3DS was region free, it would still be useless to me if it had the CERO rating on it, because that would mean the game is only in Japanese, which I don't understand. But it definitely doesn't say CERO on it.
I still prefer to get games in my own region, because the ESRB rating is what I'm used to. What I mean is getting games that are rated by the ESRB matches the box art of the games that I already have. It isn't because I think the ESRB is superior to the other rating boards.
As for the issue of region free consoles causing companies to not localize games. Even with region locking, we have companies not localizing games. Square Enix didn't want to bring over Bravely Default, and we're probably not going to get Bravely Second. We never did get DQ VII for the 3DS, and we would never have gotten Bravely Default if Nintendo didn't fight for it and even publish it for SE in the end. So region locking does not force companies to localize games if those companies hate Nintendo of America. Square Enix hates Nintendo of America, therefore they are going to be douches about localizing games whether Nintendo goes region free or not. Square Enix really only cares about Playstation owners in North America. In Japan, they can't afford to ignore the 3DS, but they want to ignore the 3DS everywhere else. Unless it's a game like Theatrhythm Curtain Call, that requires very little translation.
It should be noted that region free systems don't work perfectly though. I got a European version of Child of Light because Amazon doesn't carry US copies. It turns out that US copies of Child of Light are Gamestop exclusives. Unless it was Best Buy, I forget. Anyway, I can't get to a Best Buy or Gamestop, whatever exclusive it was, so I picked up a copy on Amazon with the PEGI rating on it. But it comes with DLC codes that can't be redeemed. What's more, is that you are locked out of buying the DLC entirely. So the digital version I bought before is superior to the physical copy I picked up. I didn't expect the physical copy to come with DLC codes that don't work. After that experience, I find it even more important to get games in my own region.
The thing is, I don't expect the NX to play DS games, so even if it's region free, it still won't likely let me play the copy of Solatorobo that I got in the mail. DeNA should be able to help Nintendo remove region locking on current consoles if DeNA is as competent as gaming sites have made them out to be.
I think they definitely should release games more regularly, but they also need to be careful not to release games at such a fast pace that it hurts the sales of indie games. Also, a few different platforms would be welcome. I would rather see GBA games on the 3DS instead of on the Wii U (or at least in addition to), GC games should be on Wii U, and N64 games probably should have been added a lot sooner. SNES games on the 3DS would be a welcome addition. Genesis, Saturn and Dreamcast games should also be added to the Wii U's VC. For DS games that are out of print, I would rather have them on the 3DS than the Wii U. Since the 3DS can play physical DS games, I don't want them to bring DS games to the 3DS eshop that are still easily available on Amazon though, in boxed copies and a normal price. They could keep an eye on Amazon's market, and if a boxed DS game becomes hard to find or overpriced then bring it to the 3DS digital service. However, if they bother with DS games where physical copies can still be easily obtained, they might as well put it on the Wii U for the time being instead of the 3DS, for the benefit of Wii U owners that don't own a 3DS.
I'm not sure if I can agree with the person that said N64 games should be on the 3DS VC. I don't think the 3DS could emulate them properly. Doing 3D remakes of N64 games is different, because in the process they become optimized for the system. Otherwise I'm doubtful the 3DS could emulate N64 games. Maybe the New 3DS could though, I don't know.
The biggest reason I'd like the games on the Wii VC to be released again on the Wii U VC is because playing in Wii mode doesn't allow you to use to gamepad to play the game. The gamepad will display the game, but the controls don't work. I also don't see an option to store the games on the external USB unlike when you're buying games from the Wii U VC, so I don't know if you'd run out of storage space if you bought a lot of games in Wii mode. But if I could play Wii VC games on the gamepad and store the games on the USB, I would say they wouldn't have to bother. It's not like booting up Wii mode is a complicated process.
It would also be great if we got more third party VC games for the platforms that are already supported on the VC.
@Will-75 I hope I don't come off sounding judgemental, I just want to point out that there is a 3DS retail version called Rumble Blast. In my opinion, buying the retail game is a better way to show your support for this spinoff series rather than spending any money on the diamonds. I would personally play this version for free as it's marketed or not at all, but maybe that's just me.
I dl'ed it, but haven't gotten into it much. I'm annoyed at the roulette wheel format instead of being able to pick the area you want to go directly. The game can put you in a area where you caught all the Pokemon already if it so chooses. With the 3DS retail version you can freely pick whatever level you want, which I think is a better format. I thought Rumble Blast was a somewhat better game overall, but I still didn't beat it. Not being able to level them up made the final area unbeatable for me. I had caught mons from the latest stages, but the random power levels made the ones I caught not strong enough for the final area.
Despite the repetitive portion of the first game, I still loved Bravely Default and I was looking forward to the second one right after I beat it. However, Square Enix has killed all the hype I had for this game since I'm not even sure if they plan to localize it. They didn't want to publish the first game over here, and we might never have gotten it if Nintendo hadn't published it for them. Nintendo knew that 3DS owners over here wanted to play it so they fought to bring it over here. Is Square Enix going to waffle on bringing the second one over here too? I rather expect them to, and it has killed any interest I had for it. Since my interest in this game has dwindled down to 0, I probably won't be picking this one up even if somehow SE decides to bring it over here. I'll likely pick up some of their last gen handheld games instead, when they actually localized most of their games. Unless Nintendo publishes it for them again, in which case Nintendo would lose more money than Square would from me refusing to buy it.
I don't like gaming on smartphones, I certainly don't understand the appeal of gaming on a watch. Next, developers will be producing games for your Apple toasters and microwaves. I love Wayforward, but I'll have to skip this. I don't even have an iPhone anyway. That's another thing I don't understand. Why would they make it so you need both things? Just give me games for the Wii U and proper portable gaming systems Wayforward. That's what I want.
This Jordan guy is an absolute idiot. Even though his stupid game was removed from the eshop, the issue still isn't going away so trying to dodge the matter is not helping him at all. He needs to realize that and face it head on. Furthermore, if he just cooperates with Ramirez, his worthless game might be put back on the eshop so he could continue to make money from ignorant consumers that don't know better than to look for better quality games, so he's shooting himself in the foot. It really doesn't matter who thinks Ramirez is going too far or not, it still doesn't change these facts about Jordan. Of course I'm fine if the game never comes back to the eshop so whatever. Even if he originally made an agreement with Nintendo to not discuss sales figures with anyone, I'm sure Nintendo will understand that he doesn't have any choice under these circumstances. At least, I think Nintendo would have to.
@PlywoodStick I never voted in that poll. But anyway, here's my take. The thing is that, I expect Nintendo will do better than to put mainline sequels onto mobile platforms exclusively. They'll be along the lines of Pokemon Shuffle or Pokemon Rumble World. They've been making those spinoff titles as sort of a practice of what type of games they'll put on mobile. If the next mainline Pokemon game or the official sequel to Xenoblade Chronicles X or Splatoon were to be announced as a smartphone exclusive, I would completely lose all faith in Nintendo.
I'm sure they'll also be games that wouldn't benefit from having physical controls. Like in Pokemon Shuffle, you don't have to move a character around in the world with a control pad. That's the type of game that will appear on mobile by Nintendo. Here's something that angered me about Square Enix. I'm fine with games like Deadman's Cross and Guardian Cross as mobile exclusives. They're just trading card games with micro transactions, totally suited for mobile. But Final Fantasy Dimensions? Selecting battle commands work fine in it, but the digital control pad sucked so bad I couldn't play it for more than 5 hours before I completely gave up on it. That's money I absolutely wasted as I'll never play FFD ever again. I read in the reviews that it doesn't even support Bluetooth controllers, which is absolutely mandatory to move your character around.
@Kirby_Fan_DL3 Not everyone owns a Gamecube console. How am I going to hook up my old Gamecube to play it when I never owned one? Either remaking it or porting it to the VC would be my best chance of playing it.
There is also the fact that my tv is very small, dialogue cannot be read from it across my room unless it has enormous font. Dialogue from NES games are more readable on my tv than more recent games, with the font size and the text boxes they used for those old games. Seriously, with the font size that more recent games uses, I absolutely need to be very close to the tv in order to read it. This game needs to either be on a handheld system or it needs to be displayed on the Wii U gamepad in order for me to appreciate it at all.
Nintendo needs to be extremely careful on what they put on mobile devices as exclusives. Of course I have a smartphone like most people, but I don't enjoy using it for gaming. They need to put small games on mobile that the dedicated Nintendo fans that don't enjoy mobile gaming won't feel like they are missing out on anything major. They said that they won't port over any of their currently existing games to the mobile market, but Pokemon Shuffle is a perfect fit for it. They need to consider porting that one over.
Let's look at how Square Enix has approached the mobile market, and how they've angered me with some of the games they put exclusively on mobile. First of all, the trading card games like Deadman's Cross and Guardian Cross are fine as mobile exclusives. I have DQ IV-VI for the DS, so I'm not bothered by them being ported to mobile either. But games like FF Dimensions and DQ I-III are important enough games that deserves to be on dedicated gaming platforms as well. Even the Chaos Rings games seem like they belong on a proper platform. I have the early mainline FF games on other platforms, so it doesn't bother me them being on mobile. What does bother me is that they remastered FF V and VI for mobile. I'm not a graphics fanatic, but mobile users should get the same graphics/art style as I do for buying those games on the PSN. If SE upgrades the graphics for mobile users, they should also port the updated versions on the eshop and/or PSN. For whatever reason though, they decided to port over Deadman's Cross to the Vita of all things, while all the other games I mentioned remain mobile exclusives.
Nintendo can put a Mario auto runner game on the mobile market, but they cannot put the next mainline 3D Mario on there. The micro games that can be found on Super Mario 64 DS would also be appropriate on mobile as a bundle. They could make a Pokemon trading card game along the lines of Deadman's Cross on mobile, but not any of their important Pokemon games. Like I said, Pokemon Shuffle would be perfect for the mobile market, they should reconsider porting it to mobile. They could consider a Xenoblade Chronicles game that plays like Fantasica for example, but never a traditional XC game. If Nintendo were to put a super important game exclusively on mobile that I feel that I'm really missing out on because I don't like mobile gaming, I would never support Nintendo again. I would not buy any Nintendo hardware again, and for the Nintendo hardware I already own, I would only buy indies and 3rd party games. If they ever put something important like the next 3D Mario on mobile, they better make sure that it's also available on one of their dedicated gaming platforms as well with the controls that I expect.
@joey302 I have an idea as to why Square Enix won't bring their games stateside, and it isn't very smart of them. Instead of putting the money they get from the Japanese sales of their games into localizing them, they just put that money directly into developing the graphics for FF XV. While they are doing this, they are hovering on the edge of total bankruptcy.
I saw an article where a developer at SE has said that they need FF XV to succeed or they likely won't be able to continue making console games anymore, which I'm guessing means they would move exclusively to mobile if that happens. Which I think is a stupid way of running their business. Spending so much money on one game that if it flops, it'll tank their entire company. Considering the hype for this game, I have no doubt it will sell a ton of copies, but will it meet their sales projects? (Despite the hype, there is also some skepticism as well.) One thing to keep in mind, is that the more money they spend on developing the game, it has to sell even more copies for it to make a profit or even just break even. I wonder how many copies it has to sell in order to be considered a success. 20 million? 25 million? I have no idea, but I think the number they have to meet is extremely high, when they spent so much.
Yes, I played this game on my Vita, and I really enjoyed it. Just to show my support for this company thinking of Nintendo fans, I will also buy both the Wii U and 3DS versions. Unlike Square Enix, who won't localize most of their games for us.
I'm not personally angry about this, as I would want the XL model anyway, if I were to upgrade to a New 3DS. Which I will eventually, I just haven't decided when. I started off with the regular size 3DS. Last year, I upgraded to the XL, because exposure to cold temperatures damaged my 3DS (specifically the sleep mode, and I needed the sleep mode to function for Bravely Default.) When shopping online for another 3DS, the price for the standard size was obscene, so I got the cheaper XL instead. The XL felt and even looked odd to me at first, as I was used to the smaller model, but now I can't imagine ever going back.
Having said all that though, it doesn't make a lot of sense to not bring the standard size New 3DS to America, while keeping the old 3DS XL on shelves. Now that the New 3DS XL is out, the 3DS XL is obsolete (clarification: I mean obsolete from a marketing standpoint; they are still perfectly functional for anyone that can't, or don't want to upgrade to a New 3DS immediately.) Why would consumers buy a 3DS XL now when they can buy a New 3DS XL? The only people I can imagine buying a 3DS XL is someone that is unaware of the existence of the New 3DS. If a customer was unaware about the existence of the New 3DS and bought an old 3DS XL, then later found out about the existence of the superior New 3DS XL, I think they would be furious. I certainly would be, if it were me. It wouldn't be me though, as I make it a point about informing myself on products that I care about. I think Nintendo should discontinue the old 3DS XL immediately to remove the confusion, and only stock New 3DS systems. Getting rid of the 3DS XL would give consumers better options, they would be able to buy New 3DS's in regular and XL sizes. I think it's far more confusing to random customers to have both 3DS XL and New 3DS XL on shelves than it would be to have both New 3DS and New 3DS XL. I also don't think there would be much anger if they stopped stocking the 2DS. If they want to keep selling the 2DS, they need to make them as the New 2DS, so that all the systems are consistently available in the New models only. This would be the best way to remove confusion in my opinion.
@audiobrainiac I enjoyed Theatrhythm Curtain Call, but it seems stupid, what they're doing. The fact that they developed it for 3DS, means that they know that there are Nintendo fans that want to play FF games, but they won't let us have them. If they thought that Nintendo fans don't like Final Fantasy, then why develop Theatrhythm for the 3DS?
FF X/X-2 HD Remaster was just released earlier this year for PS3 and Vita; but next spring will see the game getting a new remaster for PS4! So dumb! Instead of remastering a PS3 game for the PS4, how about bringing it to the Wii U, so a different audience can enjoy it? On top of that, the PS3/Vita version was a remaster of a PS2 game! I appreciated having the game available for my Vita, so in that case I'm not going to complain about it, but that's the limit of how many times they should remaster it for Playstation systems, at least for a long time. They don't need to remaster it for every Playstation platform available. If they can re release it yet again for the PS4 in spring, the time is right to bring it to Wii U. The 3DS couldn't handle a port of the PS3 version, but it would even be possible to port the PS2 versions of FF X/X-2 to the 3DS. PS2 games have been ported to the 3DS before (Tales of the Abyss.)
I'm not hating on Sony or anything, but as a side note, I wish that they had just made the PS4 backwards compatible with PS3 games, so that 3rd parties wouldn't have any excuse to be doing this.
@Dipper723 The Final Fantasy VI remake is not likely to happen for 3DS either. They put the remake only on mobile! They also won't put Final Fantasy Dimensions on another platform besides mobile, even though the game needs better controls! Ever since it became trendy to make mobile games, Square has stopped allowing their remakes on dedicated handhelds. To be clear, I hate mobile gaming, and I hope Square Enix goes out of business soon.
Cellphone games are horrible, and I don't think Nintendo should make a phone. I can't deny the appeal of smartphones for other things, like watching movies/tv shows, music, social media etc. But a dedicated handheld is necessary for gaming, and people who won't invest in one, aren't getting the best portable experience. If they never tried a proper handheld, they may not even realize it.
Let's take a look at the business model that many phone games use. A lot of mobile gamers want games that are free to install, so developers have to make games like that, but use microtransactions to exploit you for all you've got. Let me tell you of one mobile game I tried a long time ago, called Quests and Sorcery. The game is free to install, but moving around uses up energy. You have a maximum of 20 moves, then you have to either wait to play some more, or buy potions with real money to restore it. But that was the least of it. When you encounter a monster, it might drop a locked chest. In order to open it, you have to purchase a key with real money. If you try to pick the lock, you might fail and your character will throw the chest away.
Even if you don't use any money to restore your energy, you quickly run out of areas to explore, and the game was incomplete. There's an area that's blocked off, and it seems obvious the next place to go, but there's no way through. I emailed the developers, and they told me I had to wait for an expansion of the game to continue. But instead of expanding the game, what did they do instead? Make weekly events, with boss monsters that drop locked chests, so that you really have to buy their keys! The chests these bosses drop are more unique than the ones regular monsters drop, since they're only available for a limited time while the event is on. So that really puts the pressure on to buy their keys. Now, it is possible to get all the chests during these events without spending money at all, if you get lucky picking the locks. But it's a race against time, and it becomes stressful instead of fun. But it gets even worse. With all these weekly events giving you unique equipment, you're quickly going to run out of room in your inventory. You're either going to have to throw the older stuff away, or buy expansions for your bag, using real money of course. Now the older FF games had limited inventory, forcing you to sell your obsolete equipment. However, you weren't spending real money for keys just to open the chests, so it was fine. Since you have to spend real money for keys in this game, there's a value associated with all the equipment you get, so getting rid of unique equipment is rather distasteful. But so is spending real money to expand your bag.
With 3DS or Vita games, you pay upfront, and you never have to pay again. There may be optional DLC, but it's up to the consumer if it's worth it or not. You're not forced to pay for DLC that you feel isn't worth it.
Also, it's the norm these days to make phones that are entirely touch controls, so how is Nintendo going to convince mobile consumers that having buttons and a physical control pad is a good design for a cellphone? Pullout keyboards became obsolete years ago.
Another reason it would be bad for Nintendo to make a phone, is that they'll lose third party exclusives. Despite all this gloom that the future of handheld gaming is doomed, many 3rd parties are supporting the 3DS like crazy, with exclusive games. But if Nintendo made a phone, 3rd parties wouldn't make games exclusively to Nintendo's phone eshop, they would be on Google Play, and on the App store as well. They would all be mobile multi plats, and not exclusives. I don't think 3rd parties would make even 1 exclusive for Nintendo's phone.
@Captain_Gonru The worst thing is, that I might not be able to stand by my own words. With how annoyed I am with them, I feel like a total boycott is absolutely necessary, but when the games actually arrive here, will I actually be able to do that? Considering how much I've enjoyed their games that they've actually let me play, I doubt it.
I think that's a added factor why I said they should keep their games and their whole company in Japan. That way, the temptation to buy their games wouldn't be there. Otherwise; despite my loathing of their mobile only business model, I might not be able to avoid a day one purchase either...
It may be true that Nintendo fans are too xenophobic towards anything not made by Nintendo. I was certainly hoping that Bayonetta 2, at least, would sell better. However, it's also been true that 3rd parties haven't had the best history of bringing great games to the Wii U (with the exception of Bayonetta 2 that is.) Personally, I own a lot more 3rd party games on the 3DS than the Wii U, because 3rd parties have been more willing to bring great games to the 3DS. Many 3rd parties have ported over games that were already proven to be overhyped to the Wii U, like Watch Dogs, so they were made to fail. Despite all the hype, a review I saw on YouTube suggested that it was only worth a $20 purchase, and that was the supposedly superior Playstation version. So in general, it wasn't entirely the fault of Wii U owners that 3rd party games flopped on the system, and it's something to consider if 3rd parties, at least to some extent, have sabotaged their position on the Wii U. However Bayonetta 2 should have done a lot better. So far, it seems like the best 3rd party game ever made on the system. Bayonetta 2 also gives you the first game for free, so how is that not an awesome deal?
I'm not sure how well 3rd parties are selling on the 3DS, but I assume that they must be doing better on there, or they would have given up on developing for it, and went full mobile, or tried on the Vita. Square Enix seems like the only 3rd party company that doesn't have much confidence in the 3DS. Which is weird, considering that Bravely Default supposedly sold like crazy. Atlus, in particular, has released a ton of 3DS games, so it appears that they have faith in making a profit on the 3DS. I don't have sales figures, so I don't actually know if Atlus games on 3DS are a success or a flop, but when you consider that they haven't given up on it, makes me surmise that they are doing decently enough. If Atlus was doing poorly on 3DS, I can't explain why they brought Persona Q to the 3DS. Despite the article suggesting that mobile will replace handhelds, a lot of 3rd parties still seem to prefer making games for 3DS than phones. So it's possible thay 3rd parties may be doing better with Nintendo than you think. But only on 3DS, because they are making a bigger effort on it.
Actually, considering that Square Enix prefers making games for mobile than the 3DS, they might actually be annoyed at how well Bravely Default sold for the 3DS. I have the feeling that they were actually hoping that Bravely Default would flop, so it would give them an excuse to abandon the 3DS completely. It's a known fact that Square has some kind of undisclosed grudge against Nintendo, and at this point they may be trying to find an excuse to never make games for Nintendo again, now that the mobile market is open. If even one of their 3DS games were to flop, they would say that 3DS owners never support their games, so it's not cost effective to develop for that market.
A while ago, I would have said yes, absolutely. But that's before I felt totally alienated by Square. They'll bring their remakes of Dragon Quest on mobile devices, but won't port them to a proper handheld, like the 3DS eshop or the PSN for the Vita. They can't even be bothered to port the NES versions of Dragon Warrior to Nintendo's VC. Same with FF Dimensions or the Chaos Rings series, no 3DS or Vita ports. I'd also like to say something about the FF V and VI remakes. I'm not a graphics whore, but I think mobile users should get the same graphics as what's available on the PSP/Vita. It's like spitting in the face of dedicated handheld owners. They can bring their games to mobile, but should have some kind of multi plat solution, so that Nintendo and Sony fans aren't screwed over. I won't support their mobile only business model, and I feel like my patience with them has reached it's breaking point.
At this point, I'm so fed up with SE's business decisions, that I'm actually hoping that they don't even bother bringing Bravely Second to the west or FF Explorers either, let alone this. I feel like they should just keep all of their games in Japan, and their whole company too, from now on. This is coming from someone that was a huge SE fanboy in the DS/PSP era. They supported both systems very well, but now, 3DS and Vita owners are left with only a few scraps compared to what mobile gamers get.
Before, when I wasn't so frustrated with SE, I even considered them not only expanding Theatrhythm with Dragon Quest, Kingdom Hearts, and one that features a greatest hits of their miscellaneous games; but also partnering with other companies to get the license to make Theatrhythm games for their franchises as well. For example, Theatrhythm The Legend of Zelda. In fact, when I was doing my post play survey of Theatrhythm Curtain Call on Club Nintendo, I even made a comment like that regarding the expansion of the series, in the section of the survey where they ask for additional thoughts on the game.
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Re: Review: Dragon Fantasy: The Volumes of Westeria (Wii U eShop)
I like this game a lot. I played both Dragon Fantasy Book I and Book II on my Vita. I haven't played the Volumes of Westeria on my Wii U or 3DS yet, but I did purchase it again to show my support for this series. I'm not sure when the 3rd installment will be released, but I'm looking forward to it. It's apparently going to look like an N64 game from what I've heard.
Re: Fire Emblem Fates Looks Set to be a Single Release in the West, According to Amazon
It's the same where I live (Canada), that only lists one version. It didn't have the explanation that you'd be able to choose your path in game, so I was wondering what version it was. I looked at the US region and they have the 2 versions listed.
Re: Poll: What Do You Want From Nintendo's NX Platform?
I voted for the hybrid idea. I basically want the NX to be both a home console and a handheld that share the same OS and the same library. How often does a Wii U game gets released and 3DS users complain, why not for the 3DS? Or more often, vice versa, since the 3DS gets a lot more games? There will also be more games to play, as Nintendo's manpower won't be stretched trying to build up 2 separate libraries. I think it's also a good idea to have the option to buy them separately, but maybe also have a bundle where you can buy both at a discount. VGCHARTZ also put up an article suggesting the home console will use High Capacity SD Cards instead of optical media, because discs are impractical for the form factor of a handheld, and the concept is that they both have to be able to play the same games, right? They also went on to say that these cards will be able to access the appropriate assets for what platform you're playing it on, so that while the portable will be able to play them, at the same time the visuals won't look like trash on the console.
Next, I voted that the NX should be released when it's ready. It's imperative that Nintendo gets a proper account system set up before it launches. The way I understand it, if my Vita were to break suddenly, I can buy a new one, log into my PSN account, put my Vita memory into the new device and be able to play it right away with all the memory intact. With the 3DS and Wii U, your account is tied to your system, so it's far more of a headache. If your old system still works at all, you can use your Internet connection to transfer your account over, but if your 3DS or Wii U were broken completely, how could you transfer your purchases over? I don't know, but Nintendo customer service had better have something in place to recover your purchases in that event. I'm not likely to use such features, but it would be convenient for a lot of gamers to have on screen notifications instead of having to boot up miiverse to see if a friend sent them any messages. Also have friend invites to help set up matches in online multiplayer games as well as voice chat. It also needs to be faster as well, especially after making a purchase on the eshop, something I do personally care about. It takes forever to process a Wii U eshop purchase.
Next, I voted for it to bring in the third party blockbusters that the Wii U and Wii didn't. I'm extremely skeptical about this possibility, however. Third parties are going to see how Nintendo have treated Devil's Third in America and are not going to want to support the NX in any way.
Lastly, I voted that I'm not sure what to think. I think it will be the hybrid system I want. I'm not so sure Nintendo will get the features in place that a lot of gamers want. Like I said, I'm extremely skeptical about third party blockbusters, after this Devil's Third debacle, I'd be surprised if third parties trusted Nintendo enough to even port low tier games to the NX.
Re: Editorial: The eShop's Pricing Dilemma is the Fault of Many, But Damages Creativity and Risk Taking
@Quorthon You have some good points, but I don't agree that Mass Effect 3 or Deus Ex Human Revolution deserved to sell more. EA put out the entire Mass Effect collection on PS and XBox in a bundle, and Wii U owners only get the third game by itself. Even if the Wii U version of ME3 got some exclusive features, PS and XBox owners clearly got the better deal. I even bought ME3 on Wii U, but I'm not even sure what to do with it now because I'm completely unfamiliar with the plot of the first 2 games. I would have to spend hundreds of hours watching let's plays of those games to get caught up in the story before I actually start playing ME3.
And I want to say something about Deus Ex Human Revolution. Square Enix published the Kingdom Hearts remasters or remixes or whatever on the PS and XBox, while Wii U owners only get this game. Even if if DE HR is any good, KH is a way more famous series that I would rather see on the Wii U. After I got a Wii U, I would have bought the KH remasters for Wii U if that is what Square had offered us. Bringing KH to Wii U would have been a nice gesture, and I likely would have picked this game up too. I probably wouldn't have had the option of buying either of them at full price since I am a very recent adopter of the Wii U and the price at that point would have already been slashed, but I would have been still willing to buy the KH remasters at full price, then would have given Deus Ex a chance.
Right now, I'm boycotting current gen Square Enix. They don't want to localize their 3DS games and out of all the games they could have picked, they ported Deadman's Cross over to the Vita of all things. Final Fantasy Dimensions, for example, would have been a much better pick for Vita owners. Square Enix is horrible at picking the right games to port over. If I buy anything by Square Enix, I'll buy their last gen and retro stuff. Even though I loved Bravely Default, I'm not likely to pick up Bravely Second brand new because I'm not liking their actions this generation. I'll probably try to pick up a used copy so they don't make any royalties from the sale. The only royalties they'll get from me is from sales of whatever last gen games from them are still in print, and whatever digital copies of their retro games I pick up. I loved Square last gen since they weren't so hesitant on localizing their handheld games. Square Enix is probably my most hated company now, especially how they are acting this gen in contrast to how they were last gen.
You are right that some third parties deserved better sales on Wii U then what they got, but some third parties deserved all the hate they got.
Re: Editorial: The eShop's Pricing Dilemma is the Fault of Many, But Damages Creativity and Risk Taking
@Quorthon I don't agree that Nintendo should go third party. It's undeniable that the Wii U hasn't done well. However, my small garbage can tv can't handle a PS4 or XBOne, so if Nintendo were putting games on those I wouldn't be able to play any of them. In fact, I only use off tv play with the gamepad because my tv is too pathetic to play on. Off tv play was what sold me a Wii U in the first place.
Here's another point. Even though I do like the Vita, it's totally failed in sales. Sony made several mistakes with it, but on top of that, the rise of mobile gaming helped kill it. I've been told that the Vita is the last handheld Sony is ever going to make, or at least release worldwide. If they do make a successor to the Vita, it'll be exclusive to Japan. If Nintendo quits making handhelds, mobile devices will become the "official" handheld. It would be better to suggest that Nintendo should go handheld only than become 3rd party. Nintendo is the only hardware manufacturer that is keeping portable gaming alive. Sony doesn't even remotely care about the Vita at all. The last time the PSN went down on all their platforms, they made a list of the platforms affected. PS3 and PS4 were clearly named, but the Vita was referred to as "other devices." They care so little about it that they don't even want to type the name of it. Bottom line is that if Nintendo goes 3rd party, the dedicated handheld market will die completely.
Re: Nintendo "Currently Investigating" The Idea Of A Region-Free NX
@Grumblevolcano Ah, I see. I suspected as much. When I was typing up my comment, I wrote that it was an Australian copy, but I wasn't entirely certain so I edited it before posting it. I'm completely unfamiliar with Australia's ratings, but process of elimination suggested that it was most likely from there.
Re: Nintendo "Currently Investigating" The Idea Of A Region-Free NX
It would be good if not only the NX were region free, but despite what Iwata said here, release a patch to remove region locking on current Nintendo hardware. I got a copy of Solatorobo on Amazon that doesn't work on my 3DS. The region on the game didn't match the box art that Amazon put up. When I placed my order, I looked at the box art, and it clearly showed the ESRB rating. When it came in the mail, it was perhaps a European or some other region. I think it was something other, because I think Europe uses the PEGI rating system, and it doesn't have PEGI on it, it just says "General." That all it says. I'm unfamiliar with what region that rating comes from. In any case, the region copy I got is different than the box art shown on Amazon. Amazon is a great marketplace for the most part, but they do make listing errors like that. When you have region locked consoles, it is a problem when Amazon puts up the wrong box art! My copy of Solatorobo is completely useless. Even if the 3DS was region free, it would still be useless to me if it had the CERO rating on it, because that would mean the game is only in Japanese, which I don't understand. But it definitely doesn't say CERO on it.
I still prefer to get games in my own region, because the ESRB rating is what I'm used to. What I mean is getting games that are rated by the ESRB matches the box art of the games that I already have. It isn't because I think the ESRB is superior to the other rating boards.
As for the issue of region free consoles causing companies to not localize games. Even with region locking, we have companies not localizing games. Square Enix didn't want to bring over Bravely Default, and we're probably not going to get Bravely Second. We never did get DQ VII for the 3DS, and we would never have gotten Bravely Default if Nintendo didn't fight for it and even publish it for SE in the end. So region locking does not force companies to localize games if those companies hate Nintendo of America. Square Enix hates Nintendo of America, therefore they are going to be douches about localizing games whether Nintendo goes region free or not. Square Enix really only cares about Playstation owners in North America. In Japan, they can't afford to ignore the 3DS, but they want to ignore the 3DS everywhere else. Unless it's a game like Theatrhythm Curtain Call, that requires very little translation.
It should be noted that region free systems don't work perfectly though. I got a European version of Child of Light because Amazon doesn't carry US copies. It turns out that US copies of Child of Light are Gamestop exclusives. Unless it was Best Buy, I forget. Anyway, I can't get to a Best Buy or Gamestop, whatever exclusive it was, so I picked up a copy on Amazon with the PEGI rating on it. But it comes with DLC codes that can't be redeemed. What's more, is that you are locked out of buying the DLC entirely. So the digital version I bought before is superior to the physical copy I picked up. I didn't expect the physical copy to come with DLC codes that don't work. After that experience, I find it even more important to get games in my own region.
The thing is, I don't expect the NX to play DS games, so even if it's region free, it still won't likely let me play the copy of Solatorobo that I got in the mail. DeNA should be able to help Nintendo remove region locking on current consoles if DeNA is as competent as gaming sites have made them out to be.
Re: Poll: Is It Time For a Fresh Alternative to the Virtual Console?
I think they definitely should release games more regularly, but they also need to be careful not to release games at such a fast pace that it hurts the sales of indie games. Also, a few different platforms would be welcome. I would rather see GBA games on the 3DS instead of on the Wii U (or at least in addition to), GC games should be on Wii U, and N64 games probably should have been added a lot sooner. SNES games on the 3DS would be a welcome addition. Genesis, Saturn and Dreamcast games should also be added to the Wii U's VC. For DS games that are out of print, I would rather have them on the 3DS than the Wii U. Since the 3DS can play physical DS games, I don't want them to bring DS games to the 3DS eshop that are still easily available on Amazon though, in boxed copies and a normal price. They could keep an eye on Amazon's market, and if a boxed DS game becomes hard to find or overpriced then bring it to the 3DS digital service. However, if they bother with DS games where physical copies can still be easily obtained, they might as well put it on the Wii U for the time being instead of the 3DS, for the benefit of Wii U owners that don't own a 3DS.
I'm not sure if I can agree with the person that said N64 games should be on the 3DS VC. I don't think the 3DS could emulate them properly. Doing 3D remakes of N64 games is different, because in the process they become optimized for the system. Otherwise I'm doubtful the 3DS could emulate N64 games. Maybe the New 3DS could though, I don't know.
The biggest reason I'd like the games on the Wii VC to be released again on the Wii U VC is because playing in Wii mode doesn't allow you to use to gamepad to play the game. The gamepad will display the game, but the controls don't work. I also don't see an option to store the games on the external USB unlike when you're buying games from the Wii U VC, so I don't know if you'd run out of storage space if you bought a lot of games in Wii mode. But if I could play Wii VC games on the gamepad and store the games on the USB, I would say they wouldn't have to bother. It's not like booting up Wii mode is a complicated process.
It would also be great if we got more third party VC games for the platforms that are already supported on the VC.
Re: Review: Pokémon Rumble World (3DS eShop)
@Will-75 I hope I don't come off sounding judgemental, I just want to point out that there is a 3DS retail version called Rumble Blast. In my opinion, buying the retail game is a better way to show your support for this spinoff series rather than spending any money on the diamonds. I would personally play this version for free as it's marketed or not at all, but maybe that's just me.
Re: Review: Pokémon Rumble World (3DS eShop)
I dl'ed it, but haven't gotten into it much. I'm annoyed at the roulette wheel format instead of being able to pick the area you want to go directly. The game can put you in a area where you caught all the Pokemon already if it so chooses. With the 3DS retail version you can freely pick whatever level you want, which I think is a better format. I thought Rumble Blast was a somewhat better game overall, but I still didn't beat it. Not being able to level them up made the final area unbeatable for me. I had caught mons from the latest stages, but the random power levels made the ones I caught not strong enough for the final area.
Re: Bravely Second Offers Over 100 Hours Of Gameplay, Producer Already Has Plans For Third Game
Despite the repetitive portion of the first game, I still loved Bravely Default and I was looking forward to the second one right after I beat it. However, Square Enix has killed all the hype I had for this game since I'm not even sure if they plan to localize it. They didn't want to publish the first game over here, and we might never have gotten it if Nintendo hadn't published it for them. Nintendo knew that 3DS owners over here wanted to play it so they fought to bring it over here. Is Square Enix going to waffle on bringing the second one over here too? I rather expect them to, and it has killed any interest I had for it. Since my interest in this game has dwindled down to 0, I probably won't be picking this one up even if somehow SE decides to bring it over here. I'll likely pick up some of their last gen handheld games instead, when they actually localized most of their games. Unless Nintendo publishes it for them again, in which case Nintendo would lose more money than Square would from me refusing to buy it.
Re: WayForward is Bringing Shantae and Friends to the Apple Watch in Watch Quest! Heroes of Time
I don't like gaming on smartphones, I certainly don't understand the appeal of gaming on a watch. Next, developers will be producing games for your Apple toasters and microwaves. I love Wayforward, but I'll have to skip this. I don't even have an iPhone anyway. That's another thing I don't understand. Why would they make it so you need both things? Just give me games for the Wii U and proper portable gaming systems Wayforward. That's what I want.
Re: The Man Who Created Trollface Wants A Cut Of Meme Run's Earnings
This Jordan guy is an absolute idiot. Even though his stupid game was removed from the eshop, the issue still isn't going away so trying to dodge the matter is not helping him at all. He needs to realize that and face it head on. Furthermore, if he just cooperates with Ramirez, his worthless game might be put back on the eshop so he could continue to make money from ignorant consumers that don't know better than to look for better quality games, so he's shooting himself in the foot. It really doesn't matter who thinks Ramirez is going too far or not, it still doesn't change these facts about Jordan. Of course I'm fine if the game never comes back to the eshop so whatever. Even if he originally made an agreement with Nintendo to not discuss sales figures with anyone, I'm sure Nintendo will understand that he doesn't have any choice under these circumstances. At least, I think Nintendo would have to.
Re: Fantasy Life 2 Is Skipping 3DS In Favour Of Smartphones
@PlywoodStick I never voted in that poll. But anyway, here's my take. The thing is that, I expect Nintendo will do better than to put mainline sequels onto mobile platforms exclusively. They'll be along the lines of Pokemon Shuffle or Pokemon Rumble World. They've been making those spinoff titles as sort of a practice of what type of games they'll put on mobile. If the next mainline Pokemon game or the official sequel to Xenoblade Chronicles X or Splatoon were to be announced as a smartphone exclusive, I would completely lose all faith in Nintendo.
I'm sure they'll also be games that wouldn't benefit from having physical controls. Like in Pokemon Shuffle, you don't have to move a character around in the world with a control pad. That's the type of game that will appear on mobile by Nintendo. Here's something that angered me about Square Enix. I'm fine with games like Deadman's Cross and Guardian Cross as mobile exclusives. They're just trading card games with micro transactions, totally suited for mobile. But Final Fantasy Dimensions? Selecting battle commands work fine in it, but the digital control pad sucked so bad I couldn't play it for more than 5 hours before I completely gave up on it. That's money I absolutely wasted as I'll never play FFD ever again. I read in the reviews that it doesn't even support Bluetooth controllers, which is absolutely mandatory to move your character around.
Re: Talking Point: That Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door 3DS Rumour Looks Fake, But Do You Want it to be True?
@Kirby_Fan_DL3 Not everyone owns a Gamecube console. How am I going to hook up my old Gamecube to play it when I never owned one? Either remaking it or porting it to the VC would be my best chance of playing it.
There is also the fact that my tv is very small, dialogue cannot be read from it across my room unless it has enormous font. Dialogue from NES games are more readable on my tv than more recent games, with the font size and the text boxes they used for those old games. Seriously, with the font size that more recent games uses, I absolutely need to be very close to the tv in order to read it. This game needs to either be on a handheld system or it needs to be displayed on the Wii U gamepad in order for me to appreciate it at all.
Re: Editorial: Nintendo's Heading For a Period of Major Change, and We Can't Fight It
Nintendo needs to be extremely careful on what they put on mobile devices as exclusives. Of course I have a smartphone like most people, but I don't enjoy using it for gaming. They need to put small games on mobile that the dedicated Nintendo fans that don't enjoy mobile gaming won't feel like they are missing out on anything major. They said that they won't port over any of their currently existing games to the mobile market, but Pokemon Shuffle is a perfect fit for it. They need to consider porting that one over.
Let's look at how Square Enix has approached the mobile market, and how they've angered me with some of the games they put exclusively on mobile. First of all, the trading card games like Deadman's Cross and Guardian Cross are fine as mobile exclusives. I have DQ IV-VI for the DS, so I'm not bothered by them being ported to mobile either. But games like FF Dimensions and DQ I-III are important enough games that deserves to be on dedicated gaming platforms as well. Even the Chaos Rings games seem like they belong on a proper platform. I have the early mainline FF games on other platforms, so it doesn't bother me them being on mobile. What does bother me is that they remastered FF V and VI for mobile. I'm not a graphics fanatic, but mobile users should get the same graphics/art style as I do for buying those games on the PSN. If SE upgrades the graphics for mobile users, they should also port the updated versions on the eshop and/or PSN. For whatever reason though, they decided to port over Deadman's Cross to the Vita of all things, while all the other games I mentioned remain mobile exclusives.
Nintendo can put a Mario auto runner game on the mobile market, but they cannot put the next mainline 3D Mario on there. The micro games that can be found on Super Mario 64 DS would also be appropriate on mobile as a bundle. They could make a Pokemon trading card game along the lines of Deadman's Cross on mobile, but not any of their important Pokemon games. Like I said, Pokemon Shuffle would be perfect for the mobile market, they should reconsider porting it to mobile. They could consider a Xenoblade Chronicles game that plays like Fantasica for example, but never a traditional XC game. If Nintendo were to put a super important game exclusively on mobile that I feel that I'm really missing out on because I don't like mobile gaming, I would never support Nintendo again. I would not buy any Nintendo hardware again, and for the Nintendo hardware I already own, I would only buy indies and 3rd party games. If they ever put something important like the next 3D Mario on mobile, they better make sure that it's also available on one of their dedicated gaming platforms as well with the controls that I expect.
Re: Dragon Fantasy: The Volumes of Westeria Adventuring to 3DS and Wii U This Year
@joey302 I have an idea as to why Square Enix won't bring their games stateside, and it isn't very smart of them. Instead of putting the money they get from the Japanese sales of their games into localizing them, they just put that money directly into developing the graphics for FF XV. While they are doing this, they are hovering on the edge of total bankruptcy.
I saw an article where a developer at SE has said that they need FF XV to succeed or they likely won't be able to continue making console games anymore, which I'm guessing means they would move exclusively to mobile if that happens. Which I think is a stupid way of running their business. Spending so much money on one game that if it flops, it'll tank their entire company. Considering the hype for this game, I have no doubt it will sell a ton of copies, but will it meet their sales projects? (Despite the hype, there is also some skepticism as well.) One thing to keep in mind, is that the more money they spend on developing the game, it has to sell even more copies for it to make a profit or even just break even. I wonder how many copies it has to sell in order to be considered a success. 20 million? 25 million? I have no idea, but I think the number they have to meet is extremely high, when they spent so much.
My idea could be wrong, but this is what I think.
Re: Dragon Fantasy: The Volumes of Westeria Adventuring to 3DS and Wii U This Year
Yes, I played this game on my Vita, and I really enjoyed it. Just to show my support for this company thinking of Nintendo fans, I will also buy both the Wii U and 3DS versions. Unlike Square Enix, who won't localize most of their games for us.
Re: Talking Point: New Nintendo 3DS, Operation Faceplate NA and the Bigger Picture
I'm not personally angry about this, as I would want the XL model anyway, if I were to upgrade to a New 3DS. Which I will eventually, I just haven't decided when. I started off with the regular size 3DS. Last year, I upgraded to the XL, because exposure to cold temperatures damaged my 3DS (specifically the sleep mode, and I needed the sleep mode to function for Bravely Default.) When shopping online for another 3DS, the price for the standard size was obscene, so I got the cheaper XL instead. The XL felt and even looked odd to me at first, as I was used to the smaller model, but now I can't imagine ever going back.
Having said all that though, it doesn't make a lot of sense to not bring the standard size New 3DS to America, while keeping the old 3DS XL on shelves. Now that the New 3DS XL is out, the 3DS XL is obsolete (clarification: I mean obsolete from a marketing standpoint; they are still perfectly functional for anyone that can't, or don't want to upgrade to a New 3DS immediately.) Why would consumers buy a 3DS XL now when they can buy a New 3DS XL? The only people I can imagine buying a 3DS XL is someone that is unaware of the existence of the New 3DS. If a customer was unaware about the existence of the New 3DS and bought an old 3DS XL, then later found out about the existence of the superior New 3DS XL, I think they would be furious. I certainly would be, if it were me. It wouldn't be me though, as I make it a point about informing myself on products that I care about. I think Nintendo should discontinue the old 3DS XL immediately to remove the confusion, and only stock New 3DS systems. Getting rid of the 3DS XL would give consumers better options, they would be able to buy New 3DS's in regular and XL sizes. I think it's far more confusing to random customers to have both 3DS XL and New 3DS XL on shelves than it would be to have both New 3DS and New 3DS XL. I also don't think there would be much anger if they stopped stocking the 2DS. If they want to keep selling the 2DS, they need to make them as the New 2DS, so that all the systems are consistently available in the New models only. This would be the best way to remove confusion in my opinion.
Re: Hollow Knight Hits Stretch Goal to Confirm Wii U eShop Release
Yes, I chipped in a little with the KS campaign in it's final hours.
Re: Matters Of Import: Final Fantasy Explorers Fights For Capcom's Crown
@audiobrainiac I enjoyed Theatrhythm Curtain Call, but it seems stupid, what they're doing. The fact that they developed it for 3DS, means that they know that there are Nintendo fans that want to play FF games, but they won't let us have them. If they thought that Nintendo fans don't like Final Fantasy, then why develop Theatrhythm for the 3DS?
FF X/X-2 HD Remaster was just released earlier this year for PS3 and Vita; but next spring will see the game getting a new remaster for PS4! So dumb! Instead of remastering a PS3 game for the PS4, how about bringing it to the Wii U, so a different audience can enjoy it? On top of that, the PS3/Vita version was a remaster of a PS2 game! I appreciated having the game available for my Vita, so in that case I'm not going to complain about it, but that's the limit of how many times they should remaster it for Playstation systems, at least for a long time. They don't need to remaster it for every Playstation platform available. If they can re release it yet again for the PS4 in spring, the time is right to bring it to Wii U. The 3DS couldn't handle a port of the PS3 version, but it would even be possible to port the PS2 versions of FF X/X-2 to the 3DS. PS2 games have been ported to the 3DS before (Tales of the Abyss.)
I'm not hating on Sony or anything, but as a side note, I wish that they had just made the PS4 backwards compatible with PS3 games, so that 3rd parties wouldn't have any excuse to be doing this.
Re: Matters Of Import: Final Fantasy Explorers Fights For Capcom's Crown
@Dipper723 The Final Fantasy VI remake is not likely to happen for 3DS either. They put the remake only on mobile! They also won't put Final Fantasy Dimensions on another platform besides mobile, even though the game needs better controls! Ever since it became trendy to make mobile games, Square has stopped allowing their remakes on dedicated handhelds. To be clear, I hate mobile gaming, and I hope Square Enix goes out of business soon.
Re: Talking Point: The Time Is Right For A Nintendo Phone
Cellphone games are horrible, and I don't think Nintendo should make a phone. I can't deny the appeal of smartphones for other things, like watching movies/tv shows, music, social media etc. But a dedicated handheld is necessary for gaming, and people who won't invest in one, aren't getting the best portable experience. If they never tried a proper handheld, they may not even realize it.
Let's take a look at the business model that many phone games use. A lot of mobile gamers want games that are free to install, so developers have to make games like that, but use microtransactions to exploit you for all you've got. Let me tell you of one mobile game I tried a long time ago, called Quests and Sorcery. The game is free to install, but moving around uses up energy. You have a maximum of 20 moves, then you have to either wait to play some more, or buy potions with real money to restore it. But that was the least of it. When you encounter a monster, it might drop a locked chest. In order to open it, you have to purchase a key with real money. If you try to pick the lock, you might fail and your character will throw the chest away.
Even if you don't use any money to restore your energy, you quickly run out of areas to explore, and the game was incomplete. There's an area that's blocked off, and it seems obvious the next place to go, but there's no way through. I emailed the developers, and they told me I had to wait for an expansion of the game to continue. But instead of expanding the game, what did they do instead? Make weekly events, with boss monsters that drop locked chests, so that you really have to buy their keys! The chests these bosses drop are more unique than the ones regular monsters drop, since they're only available for a limited time while the event is on. So that really puts the pressure on to buy their keys. Now, it is possible to get all the chests during these events without spending money at all, if you get lucky picking the locks. But it's a race against time, and it becomes stressful instead of fun. But it gets even worse. With all these weekly events giving you unique equipment, you're quickly going to run out of room in your inventory. You're either going to have to throw the older stuff away, or buy expansions for your bag, using real money of course. Now the older FF games had limited inventory, forcing you to sell your obsolete equipment. However, you weren't spending real money for keys just to open the chests, so it was fine. Since you have to spend real money for keys in this game, there's a value associated with all the equipment you get, so getting rid of unique equipment is rather distasteful. But so is spending real money to expand your bag.
With 3DS or Vita games, you pay upfront, and you never have to pay again. There may be optional DLC, but it's up to the consumer if it's worth it or not. You're not forced to pay for DLC that you feel isn't worth it.
Also, it's the norm these days to make phones that are entirely touch controls, so how is Nintendo going to convince mobile consumers that having buttons and a physical control pad is a good design for a cellphone? Pullout keyboards became obsolete years ago.
Another reason it would be bad for Nintendo to make a phone, is that they'll lose third party exclusives. Despite all this gloom that the future of handheld gaming is doomed, many 3rd parties are supporting the 3DS like crazy, with exclusive games. But if Nintendo made a phone, 3rd parties wouldn't make games exclusively to Nintendo's phone eshop, they would be on Google Play, and on the App store as well. They would all be mobile multi plats, and not exclusives. I don't think 3rd parties would make even 1 exclusive for Nintendo's phone.
Re: The Next Theatrhythm Game Is All About Dragon Quest, And It's Coming To The 3DS In 2015
@Captain_Gonru The worst thing is, that I might not be able to stand by my own words. With how annoyed I am with them, I feel like a total boycott is absolutely necessary, but when the games actually arrive here, will I actually be able to do that? Considering how much I've enjoyed their games that they've actually let me play, I doubt it.
I think that's a added factor why I said they should keep their games and their whole company in Japan. That way, the temptation to buy their games wouldn't be there. Otherwise; despite my loathing of their mobile only business model, I might not be able to avoid a day one purchase either...
Re: Talking Point: The Time Is Right For A Nintendo Phone
@Quorthon
It may be true that Nintendo fans are too xenophobic towards anything not made by Nintendo. I was certainly hoping that Bayonetta 2, at least, would sell better. However, it's also been true that 3rd parties haven't had the best history of bringing great games to the Wii U (with the exception of Bayonetta 2 that is.) Personally, I own a lot more 3rd party games on the 3DS than the Wii U, because 3rd parties have been more willing to bring great games to the 3DS. Many 3rd parties have ported over games that were already proven to be overhyped to the Wii U, like Watch Dogs, so they were made to fail. Despite all the hype, a review I saw on YouTube suggested that it was only worth a $20 purchase, and that was the supposedly superior Playstation version. So in general, it wasn't entirely the fault of Wii U owners that 3rd party games flopped on the system, and it's something to consider if 3rd parties, at least to some extent, have sabotaged their position on the Wii U. However Bayonetta 2 should have done a lot better. So far, it seems like the best 3rd party game ever made on the system. Bayonetta 2 also gives you the first game for free, so how is that not an awesome deal?
I'm not sure how well 3rd parties are selling on the 3DS, but I assume that they must be doing better on there, or they would have given up on developing for it, and went full mobile, or tried on the Vita. Square Enix seems like the only 3rd party company that doesn't have much confidence in the 3DS. Which is weird, considering that Bravely Default supposedly sold like crazy. Atlus, in particular, has released a ton of 3DS games, so it appears that they have faith in making a profit on the 3DS. I don't have sales figures, so I don't actually know if Atlus games on 3DS are a success or a flop, but when you consider that they haven't given up on it, makes me surmise that they are doing decently enough. If Atlus was doing poorly on 3DS, I can't explain why they brought Persona Q to the 3DS. Despite the article suggesting that mobile will replace handhelds, a lot of 3rd parties still seem to prefer making games for 3DS than phones. So it's possible thay 3rd parties may be doing better with Nintendo than you think. But only on 3DS, because they are making a bigger effort on it.
Actually, considering that Square Enix prefers making games for mobile than the 3DS, they might actually be annoyed at how well Bravely Default sold for the 3DS. I have the feeling that they were actually hoping that Bravely Default would flop, so it would give them an excuse to abandon the 3DS completely. It's a known fact that Square has some kind of undisclosed grudge against Nintendo, and at this point they may be trying to find an excuse to never make games for Nintendo again, now that the mobile market is open. If even one of their 3DS games were to flop, they would say that 3DS owners never support their games, so it's not cost effective to develop for that market.
Re: The Next Theatrhythm Game Is All About Dragon Quest, And It's Coming To The 3DS In 2015
A while ago, I would have said yes, absolutely. But that's before I felt totally alienated by Square. They'll bring their remakes of Dragon Quest on mobile devices, but won't port them to a proper handheld, like the 3DS eshop or the PSN for the Vita. They can't even be bothered to port the NES versions of Dragon Warrior to Nintendo's VC. Same with FF Dimensions or the Chaos Rings series, no 3DS or Vita ports. I'd also like to say something about the FF V and VI remakes. I'm not a graphics whore, but I think mobile users should get the same graphics as what's available on the PSP/Vita. It's like spitting in the face of dedicated handheld owners. They can bring their games to mobile, but should have some kind of multi plat solution, so that Nintendo and Sony fans aren't screwed over. I won't support their mobile only business model, and I feel like my patience with them has reached it's breaking point.
At this point, I'm so fed up with SE's business decisions, that I'm actually hoping that they don't even bother bringing Bravely Second to the west or FF Explorers either, let alone this. I feel like they should just keep all of their games in Japan, and their whole company too, from now on. This is coming from someone that was a huge SE fanboy in the DS/PSP era. They supported both systems very well, but now, 3DS and Vita owners are left with only a few scraps compared to what mobile gamers get.
Before, when I wasn't so frustrated with SE, I even considered them not only expanding Theatrhythm with Dragon Quest, Kingdom Hearts, and one that features a greatest hits of their miscellaneous games; but also partnering with other companies to get the license to make Theatrhythm games for their franchises as well. For example, Theatrhythm The Legend of Zelda. In fact, when I was doing my post play survey of Theatrhythm Curtain Call on Club Nintendo, I even made a comment like that regarding the expansion of the series, in the section of the survey where they ask for additional thoughts on the game.