Kogorn733

@Quorthon

I don't think it is the fans who are at fault per se, but the fault of Nintendo's marketing department. MH4 showed that Nintendo can take a third-party game and make it appeal to its fans. If Nintendo made a habit of doing that for more third-party games, then it could slowly start healing its third-party image problem.

As much as I HATE Microsoft's presence in the gaming industry, Microsoft knows what its doing when it markets games. Advertisements for games like Sunset Overdrive appear everywhere; on tv, movies, billboards, etc. Large, effective, relentless campaigns can make products feel like must-buy purchases. Nintendo has advertised on the web, but only through its own outlets. I don't think I've ever seen a Nintendo advertisement on Gamespot, IGN, or another unaffiliated website. Nintendo should take a leaf out of Microsoft's book when it comes to third-party games, or its own for that matter.

I think Nintendo's main problem is that it feels it needs to scramble to preserve its family-friendly image, when really such an effort is completely wasted because everyone and his mother knows Nintendo has plenty of family friendly products. Nothing is preventing Nintendo from advertising to different audiences, or having a 13+ section on its webpage for more mature/third party games, and it should do so. There's no need to have "one front;" its a complete waste of time.

If a genie appeared and offered to grant three wishes, one of them would definitely be to ban gaming on mobile phones and smart devices, as its killing the sophisticated side of the video game industry (especially in Japan).

I support this. This developer has made great games before and they're interested in expanding. So if they're gradually learning how to make better and better games, it makes more and more sense to charge more.

Affordable Space adventures had a similar price, and it was one of the best eshop investments I ever made on Wii U. I would definitely pay $20 for an Eshop game of similar caliber and quality, which this looks like it is.

I hope every day that countries will introduce restrictions on microtransactions that are similar to the restrictions on gambling and that would cause the mobile gaming market to tank.

@Quorthon

"There is no benefit to waiting until 2017. None."

Except to show that Nintendo has faith in its products and to preserve the goodwill of consumers who bought the Wii U and gave it the benefit of the doubt. Abandoning ship too early in the video game market has never been a good idea.

@kensredemption

Here here!

I hate people who say the Wii U is dead, and I hate these doomsaying analysts. The fact is that despite all of its disadvantages, the Wii U has managed to do respectably and has, on average, a far greater selection of exclusive titles than any of the new consoles out right now. While I don't imagine it surviving much past 2017, abandoning the Wii U too early in favor of the NX is going to do nothing but damage Nintendo's goodwill among the people who bought the Wii U and stuck with it to the end. Nintendo promised to give us an amazing gaming experience with it and it should, and delaying Zelda just to release it on the NX too would be an insult.

I do not, however, think that that's why Zelda U was delayed. I'm guessing Spring 2016.

I hate, hate, hate, HATE Nintendo's shareholder with a passion for forcing them to do this stuff

I haven't found any other opportunities to secure a Nintendo adapter at a good price, and one of my old GC controllers is worn out anyway, so I pre-ordered this as soon as I saw it.

I'm just freaking tired of people getting offended so easily here in the West. People need thicker skin.

There are view creatures more vile, more despicable, and more worthy of our scorn and hatred than the scalper.

Nintendo did well, but missed out on a LOT of potential revenue this holiday season with its overly cautious attitude. I don't know whether it was the marketing team's fault or what, but the lack of accross-the-board discounted Wii U bundles, especially in light of the XBox One discount, was puzzling. In addition, I agree that Nintendo probably missed out on a lot of potential sales by releasing too limited a stock of Amiibo and gamecube adapters.

I understand Nintendo wants to be careful, but the holidays are THE time in the video game industry, and the period where you want to take risks and be a little reckless.

Mobile phone gaming can and should be stigmatized, given the unscrupulous business models that game companies tend to pull in that area.

@Pinemeowth

I have to agree with you here. Sorry Nintendolife.

Nintendo appealing to what I affectionately refer to as the "mobile phone and tablet peasantry" would be a sad day for gaming as an art form.

My Wii U is so stable right now that it can hold three horses, two asses, an ox, several ducks, and a chicken. Maybe next update I'll be able to get the dragon in as well.

Anyone with a basic knowledge of statistics can tell that this "study" is practically worthless. I'm going to wait for sales numbers from Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, and NPD k thx.

The reviews for this game are disappointing. I may still buy it for library/collector purposes, but not until it takes a significant price cut.

The worst thing is that, apart from Lost World (which I personally thought was a great game, but some disagree), Nintendo got very little out of exclusivity deal with Sega. I wish Nintendo had found a way to exercise more control over/collaborate more with Sega on these games, like it's done with some other third party studios that have published for the platform.

That, or included some clause in the exclusivity agreement that guaranteed Sega was devoting its best efforts to the project. My guess is that in between wanting to rush the game out for the tv show and in allocating resources elsewhere, Sega greatly half-assed most of the games in this deal.

There's plenty of room for improvement...As someone who considers the Wii U my primary system, I'd probably rate it a B-, mostly due to Nintendo's (even still) lackluster marketing efforts, the lack of a game that makes full use of Amiibo figurines (putting their future at risk), Nintendo's hesitance to use its war-chest to take risks with the Wii U (i.e. by acquiring IPs from failing studios like Capcom), and the shortage of retro games on VC.

That being said, the lack of third party so-called "AAA titles" is irrelevant to me. Year after year, publishers change fewer and fewer things about them other than graphics. Occasionally you see masterpieces like Last of Us, but most of them (sadly, excluding Last of Us) are also available on the PC, where there are more workarounds for the increasing number of bugs in such "AAA titles." Furthermore, many of these publishers frankly do not respect their consumers. They push the market more toward cloud gaming and DRM and away from ownership, implement microtransaction systems that basically scam players, and outright lie to consumers when they present their games before release. I haven't bought a product by Activision-Blizzard in years, only Bioware titles from EA, and precious few Ubisoft titles (ZombiU; Rayman Legends). These publishers are creating a bubble that I feel will burst in the next 5-6 years, and when it does, companies that favor gameplay over graphics, know how to manage their money, and who respect consumers, such as Nintendo, Indie developers, and a few third party developers, will have the last laugh.

Triple A titles on other consoles have become, for the most part, garbage in everything but graphics, and the ones that aren't, other than Last of Us, I can just get on PC. They get released full of bugs, and are increasingly starting to nickel and dime the player. A lot of the companies that make or publish them are focusing far too much on their shareholders to the detriment of their customer base. Plus, they are pushing things in the direction of "always online," which is fine for PC but should never become the norm on consoles.

Lydia, if you do another 150cc challenge could you do the Special Cup? Cloudtop Cruise and the new Bowser's Castle are some of the best tracks in the game and it would be great to showcase them!

@retro_player_22

Agreed

I'm super excited for Smash (pre-ordered for Wii U; already have 3ds version) and the games coming in 2015. I've also pre-ordered a couple of Amiibo.

I am nervous, however, about the way Nintendo is introducing Amiibo. Although Amiibo are going to have some functionality with existing (and near future) games, there currently isn't anything along the lines of Disney Infinity or Skylanders that allows people to use them in a "play set" manner. Being able to train them in smash, for example, is not as cool as adventuring with them in a Subspace Emissary-like adventure involving all of Nintendo's characters.

First impressions are everything, and I'm worried that the introduction of Amiibo without many interesting applications for it are going to turn people off, and that those people will stay turned off when Nintendo introduces something a little more interesting for them.

The "launch now and support more fully later" plan didn't work so well with the Wii U (although the transition to HD set things back a bit too then), and I'm worried that Nintendo's launch of Amiibo may share the same problems.

That said, I'm still getting them

I really think the amount of negative press this game has received is entirely unjustified. The game looks a lot of fun and blends platforming with some light action/beat-em-up gameplay. Sure, the characters look a bit different, but I don't think they look bad.

Day 1 purchase with Super Smash Bros U for me!

Nintendo has the right approach here in using smartphones to strengthen bonds and bring people TO the hardware and software, and NOT to deliver it.

The day Nintendo starts delivering its full game software directly to the smartphone/iPad low-class peasantry will be a sad day indeed. The only way to move such people back to dedicated gaming consoles is to leave them exposed to scam-based freemium and other crap exclusively for long enough that they will eventually be driven back to the higher quality products.

Let's not overhype it people! I'd rather be pleasantly surprised than surprisingly disappointed.

As such, I"m assuming this is probably gonna cover the new pokemon games, smash, and captain toad, but not much else.

Brand awareness, marketing, and advertising are crucial to making sales in ANY industry, let alone video games. I really don't get why Nintendo's marketing department changed so much for the worse. Nintendo used to advertise all the time! I remember seeing commercials for different games on the NES, SNES, and N64 in between shows I watched as a kid, and elsewhere. Now, I see barely any of their ads, and the ones that exist are either hidden in magazines, or focus so much on this "family gaming" aspect Nintendo is going for (which really doesn't exist). In contrast, I see commercials for different games on the PS4 and XBox One on tv constantly, and even before each movie I go to see in theaters.

Of the 3 current gen systems, I only own a Wii U, and I really want to see the console succeed. The problem, I feel, is Iwata. Iwata is creative and has a lot of great ideas when it comes to game design, but he has little business acumen, doesn't take risks, and doesn't really have Hiroshi Yamauchi's vision and global appeal. Iwata doesn't have to leave the company, but he should go back to game design. Nintendo really needs someone from the Pokemon Company (which collectively has more business acumen) to move up to run Nintendo as a whole, or needs to hire a CEO from outside.

So now I'll have Google AND Nintendo telling me when and how long I should eat, poop, sleep and exercise?!?!? WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WHEN THEY DON'T AGREE!?!?! Just crap myself??

The differences on the Wii U look great, but like a previous poster, I'm very disappointed that there's no real adventure mode. Subspace Emissary was a very unique experience, and I'd have preferred for there to be something like that over things like 8-player smash, the board game, etc. And an adventure mode will probably be too big to add on as DLC

WHY IS THERE WORK ON FRIDAYS?!?!

While I'm angry at them for developing an exclusive for the XBox One (I will never EVER forgive Microsoft for the poopoodoodoocacapoopledoople they tried to pull with their restrictive system, or the parity monkey business that goes on behind the scenes), they are one of my favorite game developers out there. You can tell in their style that they have a ton of fun when creating them.

I'm still hoping this will come out for VC at some point :/

This looks awesome, can't wait!!!!

This looks good, but I might wait to buy, considering I'm already planning on getting Stealth 2 and need to pick up my pre-orders for Bayonetta 2 and Fantasy Life later this month.

@liljmoore

An old, but interesting article partially on that subject and the subject of Capcom's troubles in general: http://n4g.com/user/blogpost/zerocrossing/524017

Capcom has been acting foolishly the last 5-7+ years. I'm not surprised.

It sometimes takes multiple tries to get thing right. Just because a particular game in a series doesn't sell well doesn't mean you should retire the series...it just means you need new ideas for the series. Look at what happened with Zelda! Four Swords Adventure sold terribly, and then Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword knocked it out of the park. Every series has its bad spats, and its a waste of the goodwill associated with the series to retire it early because OMG LOW SALEZ.

@Nintenjoe64

I don't think this is true. Nintendo has waited a long time to release sequels/further games in some franchises (i.e. Starfox), but other than Earthbound, I can't think of very many occasions where Nintendo "retired" a major series indefinitely due to alleged lack of sales.

This is so dumb. Parent should just freaking do their jobs so companies wouldn't have to deal with overly zealous rating agencies and crap like this.

In the meantime we always have Monster Hunter 3 on the Wii U I suppose.

To be honest, I don't think there really is any excuse for not localizing games anymore. If the localized version comes out later, fine (that's to be expected). Especially with Nintendo needing to expand it's library for the Wii U, not localizing this game would be a really stupid.

Additionally, unlike many other games, even those Nintendo itself has released (Donkey Kong Country: TF) this game actually intends to use the gamepad in a unique way. Not localizing this game is like throwing a whole bunch of positive PR for the gamepad in the trash.

@Fazermint if that is the case, then Nintendo should pay KT to localize the game. Increasing the number of quality titles for the Wii U should be their #1 priority.

Already own Pikmin 3 and Tropical Freeze, but I'll definitely be picking up Animal Crossing and perhaps Starfox/Pacman.

They definitely chose a perfect selection for the last week of the sale.

@Bizzyb

I would love for there to be some kind of antitrust/competetive challenge against these "parity clauses." If they're not illegal, they should be.

It's monkey business like this that has made me promise never to buy a Microsoft console-related product, ever (unlike Microsoft, I doubt Sony has such a clause and I believe that Sony generally means well). There's not only this, but Microsoft's attempt to convince everyone that streaming/digital only was the way to go with video games and their restrictive DRM system. While they change their policy on XBone, I will never forget that they tried to institute that regime.

I'm happy the PS4 is doing well and the Wii U is improving (and I think it will eventually do well).

I'm also glad that the XBone is failing in Japan and want to see it crash and burn...miserably.

Why Destiny continues to sell well, despite being a mediocre game, is a mystery to me. Must be the drugs (http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/why-gamers-cant-stop-playing-first-person-shooters)

@Gerbwmu

I think it will be more of an evergreen title. The Bayonetta series, while amazing, is a very "niche" series. Other than the people who are fans of the original and/or followed Nintendo directs on it, the concept of the game might seem strange. I think after more of the reviews come out (which are really good) and word of mouth spreads that sales will greatly improve.

23 years ago I saw a commercial on tv for the original NES and begged my parents to buy it. When they refused, I showed up at pre-kindergarden the next day, stood up on a table, and yelled out the question "who has a Nintendo?!?!" A kid in the class replied that he did. We've been best friends ever since.

This company has done amazing things with unique and multifaceted franchises, and has consistent managed to entertain gamers of all ages. While some may disagree, I'm personally of the belief that one doesn't really "grow out" of Nintendo.

This is a company that knows first and foremost that games are meant to be both works of art and FUN, and has encouraged and/or purchased interests in developers that believe the same. It has its flaws, but it's flaws are greatly overshadowed by the works of art it creates, and for the fun memories they bring.

Here's to another 125 years, Nintendo, and may you continue innovating, entertaining, and creating for over a century more!

Assuming I have none of these titles and can only pick 1-2, which ones would you guys recommend? I play a lot of RPGs but I haven't played any games in these series.

These are disappointing offerings. I was expecting ALL the old school metroid games (NES, Super Metroid, Fusion), Pokemon X/Y and Nintendoland in addition to Wii Fit U.

There's really no good excuse for X and Y not being on here, to say the least.

I still don't understand why people seem to hate this Sonic game so much. While I was a bit skeptical at first, even after the E3 preview, the more and more that's been revealed, the better and better it looks and seems. I'll definitely be picking it up.

There are many well-written reviews on both sides (such as this one), but I would not recommend the Polygon review. Most of the Polygon review basically consists of something along the lines of "this is not like other Legend of Zelda games," which shows a distinct lack of awareness and attention for what the game was designed to be (coming straight from the mouth of Miyamoto himself).

Keep in mind that Sakurai never said a solution to problems managing ice climbers with the 3ds was impossible, just not a priority. Ice Climbers could still be added in at a later date. I personally would pay up to $9.99 for DLC that added ice climbers (yes I know that's overpriced, but I like them ).

Ice Climbers aside, not all decisions regarding the character roster were good ones. Dark Pit for example, seems like a waste of a character slot. Are there really any notable differences between the two aside from appearance?

On a side note, I'm glad my favorite diversion in the super smash bros series continues to be possible in this iteration: (creating a CPU match with four Jigglypuffs at max difficulty and setting items to hammers only, and just watching the chaos).