Neram

@jrob23 Good point. I totally forgot they bundled New SMB Wii with the Wii over the last couple years. I think bundling the new game with Wii U will absolutely help sales, and is a good move. It's the game with the widest appeal.

@hwrose379 New SMB 2 sucked. That's not really the best example. My point is that non-gamers find it easier to pick up and play 2D Mario, combine that with gamers who also like it and you have Mario that appeals to more people, therefore selling better.

@unrandomsam Well because Mario Kart is fun to play. All Stars Racing Transformed is clunky and has bad course design, it has too much of a learning curve to convey its appeal. Most people I've played with just quit right away. Besides, you don't know for sure if this Mario Kart is going to have the same balancing as the last one.

I think Mario Kart 8 is going to be the big system seller. It's just too bad it wasn't coming out during the holiday season when most people are actually looking to pick up hardware. I think if that game comes out as early as possible next year, then they will hit their target, but if not then I don't think they will. Super Mario 3D World looks amazing but it's a fact that 3D Mario games don't sell as well as 2D Mario, so seeing as New SMB U didn't sell well (as in the 20+ million copies that the Wii one did) that should theoretically mean 3D World won't sell more than about 2 or 3 million copies. I'm thinking most of the game's sales will go to those who already own a Wii U, or are Nintendo fans. I just don't think it will singlehandedly turn the Wii U's fortunes around and save the day, as much as I want it to. It will be Mario Kart 8 that saves the Wii U, here's to hoping the timing of that release doesn't affect hardware sales negatively.

This article's caption photo might be the greatest picture of Reggie I have ever seen.

Isn't this the same guy that said if he could make a Mario game he'd make it an ultraviolent shooter where Mario is high on magic mushrooms?

Nintendo becoming a world class industry leader on their own is reason enough for them never to sell out to any company, never mind and American one.

This game is looking better every time they release a new trailer. As if it didn't already look amazing, I can't wait for this game!

That's actually kind of cool. While obviously it means that idiots will flame eachother over which version is better, at least regular people won't have to worry about not being able to play with their friends who own a different system.

I'd like to see more of this knd of thing.

The little system that could. It may not have been technically perfect, but at least the Wi was finally something different. I think it's safe to say this system brought a breath of fresh air to a stagnating pasttime. Stagnating as in becoming less and less interesting and more niche, not necessarily a crashing industry.

It will be interesting to see what happens in the coming months and years with the Wii U, but I highly doubt it will even come close to having the same impact that the Wii did.

Godspeed, Wii.

I like to hear about developers who have passion and put as much effort into developing games from scratch as possible. I will definitely be keeping an eye on this.

@FilmerNgameR There is one, it's called Sonic the Hedgehog and it came out in 2006. It sucked, just like Sonic Adventure 1 and 2. Why would you want more of what killed Sonic? The Adventure games are like a disease that has somehow infected people to believe that they're actually good.

So pretty much it's for the same forgiving Sonic fans that enjoyed Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations then. While I don't see a problem with that, I would still like to see Sega make a Sonic game that is more accessible for non-die hard Sonic fans. I just think Sonic deserves better than this.

Great story, Damien! I was quite young when Sonic was released, so having the Blue Blur around seemed quite normal to me. However it wasn't until Sonic 3 came out that my mind was really blown. I rented it one time during summer holidays, only to have my perception of video games changed drastically up to that point. Everything from the sheer size of the game to the music captivated me. It truly felt like an adventure to be playing that game. Honestly, I don't think I've ever experienced that kind of thrill, that a sequel could be so grand in comparison to its predecessor, ever again.

The 3DS eShop sure has gotten a lot of shovelware lately. I guess all of the shovelware developers have now migrated over from DSiWare. Some of this stuff would make great Angry Video Game Nerd material. Speaking of bad games, what's the deal with Urban Champion getting re-released so much? Somebody needs to tell Nintendo of America that nobody likes that stinker of a game.

Oh no, not again. Not another James Pond. Why are thee developers coming out of the woodwork trying to cash in on old forgotten franchises? Oh right, because that's just it, they're shanelessly cashing in.

Haha! I almost feel sorry for anyone who read and believed that. Good job The Sun, you've succeeded in peddling more nonsense to your readers, who by now should be the equivelant of Weekly World News readers.

I don't mind waiting. I'd rather have quality Zelda games that come out once every 5 or 6 years than annual releases that are essentially the same thing only incrementally improved (I'm looking at you Assassin's Creed). In fact I'd like to see only one Zelda game per console. Every time there's two per platform the second one is too different like Zelda II or Majora's Mask, with the exception of Twilight Priness of course, but that was sort of an unusual case being on GameCube and Wii.

Anyway, this is good because it shows that Nintendo isn't interested in pumping out Zelda games at the expense of quality.

This goes to show which platforms have which kinds of audience. The "hardcore" gritty stealth shooter game sells the most on 360/PS3 and the side-scrolling platformer sells the most on Nintendo's system. Was killing the buzz for Rayman by breaking exclusivity and delaying really worth it, Ubisoft?

Is there seriously another "Operation" something? Those things are such a waste of time. Obviously they're going to remake the Advance Pokemon games on 3DS, just like they did with every other Game Boy Pokemon up to Gold and Silver. It's like gee, I wonder which ones they'll remake next...

I would buy an HD version of Twilight Princess, just saying.

Looks great but can't help but get Giana Sisters vibes a bit. Still though, I can't wait.

Just goes to show that Nintendo games are timeless. They can convert an 11 year old game to HD and re-release it on a platform with little to no install base and have it cause a surge in hardware sales. I don't think there's any other console manufacturer out there that could achieve that. This shows that A. Nintendo games stand the test of time, and B. There is a special relationship between Nintendo software and hardware that is unique. Like bread and butta.

They must get so excited when a new Pokemon comes out. "Yes, another opportunity to whip up some controversy! Attacking Pokemon games is the best! Besides, it's the only reason anyone knows about us, really..."

Good old PETA. While you're having fun making horrendous spoofs of Pokemon, don't forget there are real issues out there, so try not to waste too much time or resources. I'll give you guys a pointer in the right direction; television shows about hunting gators. Better get on that.

If games retailed at $40 for a console game and $20 for a portable console game it would be more reasonable for consumers plus publishers/developers would still make plenty of money. It would be a compromise, but one that I think would pay off in the long run as more people would be willing to buy new games at those price points, therefore it could break down some of that barrier for customers on the fence about a product. It's a win-win for everyone at those price points.

I'm not sure why he's emphasizing uniqueness and changing conventions now of all times. As if The Wind Waker hadn't already changed things enough. At this point I don't even care what they do with the Zelda franchise, as long as they don't make Hyrule some kind of irksome hub world where you have to travel, using some mode of transportation, to the main areas where the dungeons are kept. I would like to see Hyrule built with the focus on exploration like it used to be, wandering into new places that you can't yet access, finding a seemingly random hole in the ground, or coming across some bizarre character that you find out later serves a purpose. If they could achieve that again, yet evolve the idea, I would be happy. As for art style, I just want it to feel like Zelda. As I'm playing through The Wind Waker again I'm realizing that the cel-shaded art style and chibi character design actually does feel like Zelda, to me. It has that essense, probably because it resembles Zelda 1 in some ways. However, where it doesn't feel like Zelda is the overworld. The seafaring pirate theme does not feel at all like The Legend of Zelda, it's only when you're dungeon plundering that it feels like it. In my opinion, anyway.

After the curveball that was Skyward Sword, at this point I'm like "Do whatever you want with it Mr. Aonuma, I guess we'll see how it turns out."

My girlfriend got this for $3.75 on Steam.

@Sir420 You actually believe this stuff as real? I do hope you're joking. Zelda disguising herself as a man is absolutely not sexist at all. If she could only get away with hiding as a warrior male then why the hell is Impa a warrior female who is depicted as being strong and protective of Zelda? Is that sexist too somehow? The fact that she's being protected by another woman!? Also, there's nothing in this game that even suggest that anyone eats cows, so that is bullocks too. This smart donkey who wrote that asinine article is looking at the game from a total outside "real world" perspective, and especially a political perspective.

I can't believe you're calling us priviledged, that right there shows how you obviously don't view everyone as equal people. It's not that I'm getting defensive that my precious Zelda could have things like this, no, it's that I'm totally flabergasted that this guy would actually come up with such nonsense! I'm normally one to debate in fairness, but this is just WAY out there. I cannot believe that you seriously think of his viewpoints as real. Have you played this game? Have you done any research into the development process?
_{Watch the profanity and insults please — TBD}

Good luck with that while offering a system for $500.

One thing that gets me about journalists, or people, like this is that they're the ones coming out and saying that women, homosexual people, and people of colour are a minority. Normal people don't think like that. Nobody ever said they were a minority, unless you're the type of person that pays attention to politically driven jerks like this.

If anything, he's the racist, sexist bigot for recognizing it so easily.

If your goal is to look for sexism, racism, enslavement, and religious implications, you will find it anywhere. Seriously, look at any other game or movie, it's shocklingly easy to make yourself believe there's something like that there. If you're going in with that mindset, that's what you're going to see, because you're telling yourself that you want to see it.

Video games are under so much scrutiny nowadays, it's ridiculous. Everyone's got a damn agenda to push. It's pretty bad that this guy is digging up an old game like OoT, when social conventions were much more down to earth and there were different levels of acceptance, to support his political viewpoints of the modern day. It would be like a femenist looking back at some 1930's movie and pointing out all the things they deem sexist, it's just pointless.

That's the thing about a work of art like movies or games, they encapsulate the thoughts, feelings, and points made by the creators. So as time goes on it's easy to overanalyze these things and literally see something that isn't actually there. This guy needs to make his point, and he will stop at nothing, even if it's blatantly false.

Well no kidding, it's James Pond.

It's almost like third-parties are trying to make their games worse on Nintendo platforms so that they don't sell as good, giving them an excuse not to continue making games for their platforms.

This feels like the GameCube days all over again, the Nintendo versions of games having missing features or just being downright worse.

Hah, this is contradictory to the article below this one.

Even if Nintendo does build an install base, third-parties will look for another excuse not to publish their games on Nintendo's platform. The Wii had the largest install base last generation yet third-parties didn't release key titles on it, other than stuff like Just Dance etc. Their excuse was that they didn't want to spend money or time scaling down their projects for that console, so why would that be any different now?

Third-parties don't want to release their games on Nintendo's platforms because Nintendo's own first-party games outshine theirs, making their games look mediocre and not worth the money. So most longtime Nintendo customers don't bother buying their games because they're used to a higher quality standard.

Something like this would have been great for Virtual Console pruchases, but obviously it's a bit too late for that now considering most people have already bought separate versions of the same game across Wii, Wii U, and 3DS.

I can't help but strongly disagree with almost everything Aonuma is saying here. For the love of god, please, please stop messing around with the Zelda formula just because you're tired of making the same thing. MAKE A DIFFERENT GAME!

"Why does it have to be traditional?" Because that's what customers expect! That name, that brand "The Legend of Zelda" is a promise to your customer that they are getting what they expect. I want Zelda, so I go buy Zelda expecting that it's Zelda.

A true sequel, in my opinion, is that which carries over what was great about the previous project but amplifies and opens up the experience by adding, and only ADDING to but not changing, the formula. Never change the formula.

For the first time in... ever, i'm actually not excited, but afraid, of what the next Zelda will be like. A Link Between Worlds is looking like a disaster to me. I don't want a throwback game, nor one that twists and changes the traditions, and this new game looks set out to accomplish both those things.

Mr. Aonuma is undoubtedly talented, but Nintendo needs to let him craft his own creation instead of forcing him on Zelda.

I'm sorry, why is this on a Nintendo news site?

In other words this game is being canned. It's really too bad, I was hoping for interest to spark and development to take off. I honestly thought more people cared about this project, but obviously there wasn't enough.

I wish Nintendo would start using their new ideas for new IP's instead of tacking their franchises onto them. The GameCube days are the best example of why I don't like it when they do that. Super Mario Sunshine for instance would have been an excellent idea for a new IP, a platformer more tailored around the FLUDD water pack idea. The part everyone loved most about that game were the bonus rounds which didn't have the FLUDD pack, and not because the water pack mechanic sucked, but because people who played it were looking for a traditional Mario experience.

The Zelda franchise is another one that seems to get experimented with, probably the most. It seems as though Nintendo is too afraid to take the risk on creating a new IP and instead falls back on their same old household names lke Mario and Zelda to play it safe.

Lately the Mario franchise has been heading in the right direction, with Super Mario 3D Land and now 3D World, which are more pure Mario experiences than Sunshine or even Galaxy. I still don't understand the hate for 3D World though, it's almost like people don't want a true Mario game or something.

I'm not dying for a new IP from Nintendo or anything, but I would prefer if they used their awesome new game changing ideas on new IP's instead of messing with the consistency of their other brands.

Makes sense considering 3DS is a handheld, which people usually buy for personal use and not for sharing with multiple people.

Shigeru Miyamoto is 60 years old, cut him some slack. I think he's payed his dues at this point, not to mention done way more than EA could ever do for the industry.

I'm still baffled by this. It's almost as if developers are having a contest on who can bring back the most irrelevant and forgotten franchises from gaming history. Next we'll see a Bubsy rebirth or Magmax sequel.

Actually, there better damn well be a Magmax sequel in the works.

There's always surprise Pokemon announcements.

If Twilight Princess got re-released in HD it would need a retexture job, the overworld textures look really muddy and blurry. I hope that because Wind Waker got chosen as a re-release that doesn't mean the next Zelda game will be toony as well.

This is the biggest load of BS ever. does this guy even have kids!? The only kids I know who have iPads are spoiled rich kids, and even they play their DS systems. He's gauging his assumption that kids will jump to the iPad based entirely on aesthetic product appeal, because I can guarantee you that kids will get bored of iSh*t games a lot quicker than they would with something like Animal Crossing or Mario Kart.

Also, the main bulk of customers who make up the video game market are non rich kids who's parents are smart enough to buy what's most affordable but still brings enjoyment for their kids. Remember, people don't want to have to spend hundreds and hundreds on expensive toys for their kids. Nintendo is the only company out there who excells at offering a balance of affordable, and quality products that are kid friendly, if not orientatated. It has always been that way.

Says the guy who helped cause the video game crash of 1983.

The TVii app needs a lot of work. It's so clunky and unresponsive. It feels like beta software or something.

@TheLilK98 That's because Mother was developed by HAL who also make the bulk of Smash Bros. games. Not to mention Mother was successful in Japan. The fact that the games aren't successful or were not released in the U.S. isn't even close to an excuse for leaving them out. Being Nintendo characters is a good enough reason for them being in the game, Wonderful 101 is not Nintendo, and will likely go multiplatform anyway.

@TheLilK98 Sure, that would work, but who actually wants to see that character in Smash Bros.? He's only been in one game, which just came out last month. Hardly worthy of being in Nintendo's all-star line-up.