@Superstick I take it you mean 'not a traditional, typical, overdone platformer', right? Good, just so we're clear. God forbid Nintendo try and change up a 25 year old franchise. Have fun with your New 3DS, Majora and Xenoblade. So many 'new games'.
Ah, Europe. Getting Fire Emblem, Golden Sun 2 and 3 DKC games MONTHS before NA, and still complaining about 3 Castlevania games, on a service barely anyone buys GBA games. It's almost comical how so few people buy the GBA VC games (most just complain they're not on 3DS) and so many complain they're not available in your territory.
Alot of the 3DS' lull at this stage can be contributed to the rather stellar first party efforts planned for the Wii U and rightfully so. I can only imagine Japanese devs are going to continue pushing the portable (considering sales) though Western devs still look at the hardware with disdain. Apparently, not having a 5'' HD screen is a huge detractor for uninspired devs. Maybe a SM Sunshine 2 could be on the way (no new Mario game for the 3DS announced yet).
Spent the last two hours playing Millennium Girl and Luigi's Mansion 2 and I might get Bravely Second (played the Default demo, not super into it, but SE has me intrigued with town layouts, battle art and improved questing. I just hate job based RPGs. Much prefer stories with purposed, driven characters, competent in their direction and abilities).
Old Zelda and old Xenoblade on 3DS. New Zelda and new Xenoblade on Wii U. Between Wooly Yoshi, Zelda, Xenoblade and the truly HD Shantae, I'm thinking 2015 will be spent catching up on backlogs (on the 3DS, mainly).
@Bolt_Strike And I'd say changing things up just to be different is dishonest and disingenuine. In example, Final Fantasy dropping turn based combat for ATB was smart. Dropping ATB for action RPG is disingeuine. It looks like Final Fantasy, sounds like Final Fantasy and because Square Enix makes it, can be called Final Fantasy. But I'll be gded if it doesn't play like Devil May Cry. If it looks like Mario, sounds like Mario and Nintendo makes it but it plays like Call of Duty, why call it Mario? Then again, if it plays like Mario and Nintendo makes it, why not call it Mario? Naughty Dog made Jak and Daxter and Ratchet and Clank. Different games, similar play styles, control schemes and stories. But because they were story based games, they could use different characters and sell them as different games (despite the fact that 80% was ripped straight from earlier Crash games). It's the same way with Star Wars, Star Trek, Transformers, Fast and the Furious and other series (horror is particularly terrible for it). As long as the story is different or continuous, reusing resources and characters is fine. How many games have released since Galaxy? Two? It's funny how so many complain Mario is in karting games, sporting games and platformers, like the games are that similar. Mario Kart is as dissimilar to NSMBU as Grand Theft Auto is to Gran Turismo, but because Mario is in both, it's apparently inacceptable. It's called a licensed property and if Sony had anything remotely as interesting, they'd have that front and center too (Crash burned out, Kratos is old and tired and Sackboy has now seen his third entry on the PS3). The difference between Sony and Nintendo: realism vs timelessness.
@Quorthon Sony WANTS to franchise those IPs (the Jak and Daxters, Sly Coopers, Uncharteds, God of Wars, LBPs) but Naughty Dog, dev for most, doesn't write disconnected stories like Nintendo does. They write interconnected tales that hearken back to earlier events. Like Halo, MGS, Gears of War, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Batman: Arkham, Assassin's Creed, Splinter Cell and dozens of other games have done. The only difference is, in order to be 'immersive enough', those games have piggybacked other series' in order to remain relevant. Assassin's Creed on next gen systems is a horrible game, the 7th or 8th in a series that branched off story wise from an identical premise in Prince of Persia (a series that saw 6-7 releases itself before interest plummeted). Instead of focusing on gameplay and exploration, Ubisoft turned the game into a tech demo, one completely overshadowed by offerings from Konami, SEnix, Naughty Dog and so many others. If those are the kind of games you feel make PS4 a more viable option, you should get a PS4. I personally haven't seen much more than Bloodborne, 1886 or Ys that I'd even consider and my anticipation for XBCX and Zelda far outweigh the first two, while Ys is playable on the Vita, as most PS4 'exclusives' seem to be. Sony is still riding the PS3, because, like Nintendo, are run from Japan. And in Japan, outside of 5 games that have managed to sell fairly well (3 of them remakes), the rest have been outsold considerably by the PS3 version. You mention 6 remakes in the Zelda series, despite the fact that the Zelda series is over 27 years old. 2 on the NES, 1 on the GB, 3 on the GBC (1 remake), 1 on the SNES, 2 on the N64, 2 on the GBA (1 remake), 3 on the GC (1 rerelease), 2 on the Wii (one rerelease), 2 on the DS, 3 on the 3DS (1 remake, 1, a pending remake), 2 on the Wii U (1 upmake and 1 pending release) and 13 Virtual Console rereleases. In total, 36 Zelda games. 23 retail releases. As in, 23 full priced releases (something you seem to think, in the case of remakes and rereleases, should be basically given away, despite the fact that discs cost money to make). 23 full priced rereleases over 27 years. Assassin's Creed. Debuted no earlier than 2006 (the PS3 was released in November 2006). Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed II Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Assassin's Creed: Revelations Assassin's Creed III Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag Assassin's Creed Rogue Assassin's Creed Unity Assassin's Creed Victory Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines Assassin's Creed II: Discovery Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy Assassin's Creed: Lost Legacy Assassin's Creed: Recollection Assassin's Creed: Multiplayer Rearmed Assassin's Creed III: Liberation Assassin's Creed: Utopia Assassin's Creed: Pirates Assassin's Creed Memories Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China Assassin's Creed Identity In 8 years, not counting multiple versions of the same game across multiple platforms (as you've included in your Zelda list), 22 seperate titles, with 10 full priced, retail releases. Including multiplatform versions (don't go back on your statements now, counting Ocarina on the 3DS as seperate from the N64 version), Ubisoft has released over 40 Assassin's Creed games in 8 years. 5 AC games ANNUALLY. Including VC, Nintendo has released fewer than 2 Zelda games annnually. You look at Nintendo milking their flagship titles and have this narrowminded attitude towards their business philosophy. It's clear you don't understand the concept of 'milking it'. And, further more, while Nintendo has had Zelda graphic novels and a TV series, Assassin's Creed has had more graphic novels, more comics and more films in those 8 years than every Nintendo property combined, minus Pokemon (that isn't a first party license itself). My point is simply this: if you're gonna get mad at the frequency of Nintendo's release schedule and saturation of top properties, focus your anger on the ENTIRE industry, as it's not just Nintendo doing it. At the same time, companies like Wayforward, Level 5, Atlus, Monolith, Platinum and Capcom have created some excellent Nintendo exclusive content (and many brand new game series. I'm not sure if you've noticed this or not, but Sony DOESN'T make many of it's own games (if ever). They outsource all their new IPs, just like Nintendo. Everything is second party now. Nintendo is very hands on and have no fewer than 8 licenses that have made them money these last 3-4 years. Realistically, when your games redefine the standards in platforming, adventure, action and exploration, focusing on building those properties into multimillion dollar ventures is smarter than discarding them entirely. Disney does it with Mickey and friends, Saban does it with the Power Rangers and Game Freak does it with Pokemon. The PS1 wasn't Sony's big gun, releasing all those new series. It was the PS2 that had all the sequels. One sold fewer than 100 milion systems, the other sold more than 150 million systems. And that's what you fail so intensively to realize. For games, Sony is years behind Nintendo and tries to fill the niche of the day instead. Nintendo's timelessness and consistency has been held back by technical missteps and shortcomings, not creative vision. As a company, Nintendo is games centric, not an offshoot of a media conglomerate. And their approach to their properties has reflected that, year after year, for over 3 decades now.
Then there's my most anticipated downloadables, namely Shantae: HGH, Cryamore and the eventual NA VC releases of Golden Sun: TLA, MMBN2 and Metroid: Zero Mission. And who can forget about Oddworld's Nintendo home console debut??
Xenoblade X (bigger and more epic than the original) Zelda (open world, open play styles) Yoshi (Kirby's Epic Yarn without obnoxious motion controls) I'll wait for reviews for Devil's Third, Star Fox and Splatoon, but likely pass on the latter two and the rest of the games in this list. For downloads, ASA pales in anticipation to Soul Saga, Tale of Two Brothers, ANNE and about a half dozen others. Nintendolife clearly has a strong connection with the devs, but I'm just not feeling it. Mighty No. 9 (considering the love shown for Azure Striker Gunvolt) is a surprising absence.
If your PS3 up and dies on you and you send it back to Sony, you better hope someone is feeling generous, because (technically) they CAN NOT deactivate that system for you. What does that mean? If you want to replace that PS3, you'll have to rebuy everything. One of each of the 4 systems (PSP, PS3, PS Vita, PS4) is all you get and if you want another, you have to deactivate the old one and (GASP) TRANSFER to the new one OR redownload everything. Acting like Nintendo is trying to muscle it's customers and that Sony and Microsoft (anti-backward compatible) are saints and trendsetters, you're sorely mistaken. Apple leads the way, but currently, only Steam is entirely free of hardware restriction. And at that, still has all the prerequisites and circumstance of typically standoffish PC gaming.
The fact of the matter is, aside from the slightest few outstanding games, Shantae is right at the top of the eShop on both platforms. Certain levels, to be honest, are far more frustrating on the handheld (the secret dungeon and the temple escape, in example). The backgrounds are much easier to appreciate on the big screen and the text far easier to read. The platforming solid and the music is enchanting. Some sections feel a bit unfair, both I'd argue the balance is near perfect. Harder than Ducktales, more forgiving than MSF!, Shantae is Wayforward's best effort on both systems. It's just better on the Wii U. And for anyone complaining about using items during boss battles.. either get better and don't use them or set yourself up before the fight starts. Oh and save the super spiked balls you pick up for the boss fights. It makes them alot easier.
At the same time, Shantae is full of strong, competent female leads. Shantae, Sky, Rottytops, Risky Boots and is packed with plenty of ripped, shirtless males as well. I can't imagine a tropical resort / desert kingdom like the one in these games where everyone would be dressed in baggy clothes. Unless those people like getting sweaty and smelling terrible.
Star Wars is sexist because of the Slave Leia outfit. Oh wait, no it's not. Shantae is sexist and overrated because characters wear skimpy outfits. Oh wait, no it's not. Not sure if anyone saw Aladdin, but Aladdin, Jasmine and the Genie were all dressed pretty much exactly how Shantae is dressed. Oh and for the MM Zero jab, Shantae is a new game. Not a VC re-release of a game in a series that has more sequels and spin-offs than Mario, Zelda and Metroid. COMBINED. It's funny to me, people know that movies and video games cost tens of millions (if not hundreds of millions) to make. And yet, getting a 6 hour interactive experience with tons of replay value, at the cost of a movie ticket and some popcorn, is somehow a rip-off.
Lol at the 1st party complaints. Uncharted vs Uncharted 2 vs Uncharted 3 2 of those games barely sell and most Sony first party stuff reduces to half price or less in the first 3-6 months. Because no one cares to replay them. Halo. Forza. Final Fantasy. Mario. Zelda. Games that are so defining when one considers their genres. Halo still sells for 20$ or more in most used shops. And the Nintendo titles are the same way. Because you can tell the difference (easily) between the different games. Even those MS games don't have that ability. But you know FF VII from X. IX from XIII. And not just across generations. The same goes for Zeldas and Marios. Sunshine vs 64. 1 vs 2 vs 3. World vs World 2. Ocarina vs Majora. TP vs WW. Nintendo likes remaking games. But they HATE sequels. Because it's Miyamoto's expression as an artist, not some programmer's fascination with movies and comics that we see. Nintendo has branched out from there, for sure. But as long as Miyamoto's still on the team, Nintendo's first party titles will be held in reverence and their value will stay strong. You can talk about Nintendo 'rigging prices', but when you see MK Wii selling for 50$ used, try and tell me it's all Nintendo.
I had the option of spending 25$ more and getting one of 3 XLs, but decided to save some cash and put it towards eShop cards (Etrian Untold and Night Sky for less than 20$).
169 is a 'hot' deal?? WOW. You wanna know my hot find?? 110 CAD for a red 3DS (not XL) and Luigi's Mansion. With taxes and gratuities. 169? Get out of here. 20% off all used consoles, 35% off all strategy guides, Buy 2, get one free. Forget the 'big guys' and find a smaller shop, one where the employees know the difference between a Wii Classic Pro that looks like a GC controller and a GC controller. Where they know the original Xbox requires a DVD playback kit to watch movies. The 3DS CAN handle SD cards up to 128GB (not 32, as suggested elsewhere). And that the Wii U Gamepad is not, in fact, a portable tablet.
'Already' on sale? The game will have been out 2 months by the time it goes on sale. Smash was only out for 7 days before going on sale for Black Friday. Early adopters that complain when games they just bought go on sale, as if the developer owes them money or something.
I find Nintendo takes Marvelous AQL's approach to porting and 'emulation'. What I mean is, when Muramasa was being carted over to the Vita, the devs didn't want it on another console, as they felt like it was wasting resources. They chose portable because they considered that any game they had should be able to be experienced both on a TV and on the go. They chose the Vita for the screen (OLED) and for the improved resolution. The game could have sold ten times the copies on the PS3, but they argued that, if you wanted the home console version, you would own the console it came out on. It's the same with Sony and Microsoft. They have many different platforms, but certain titles are platform exclusive. They try and feed as many channels as possible, and the quality of the ports have suffered tremendously in the past (PS1 emulation on the PS3 and PSP, PS2 emulation on the PS3, Xbox emulation on the 360), so much so that Sony and Microsoft have foregone those avenues entirely, instead re-rolling them out with their PS Now and Live services. Really, everyone's doing it. It's just more noticeable with Nintendo, as there isn't a sea of crappy retail discs to wade through before settling on VC.
Cool. Enjoy the DKC Trilogy, Golden Sun: Lost Age and early access to another Fire Emblem.. while complaining that the sky is blue and that, after dozens of indies decided to swarm the eShop, the first truly inconsequential week of the new year still gives a quality retail release. But yeah, there's NOTHING. I voted nothing, because I'm in NA, where we're still getting jobbed to the Euro crowd. Nice Club Nintendo gear. Guess I'll try and save enough coins for a grossly overpriced t-shirt..
Overly easy, short and 3 to 5 times pricier than on mobile platforms? Yeah, I can't imagine why it hasn't broken the bank on the Wii U. In all seriousness though, this entire article makes Nyamyam sound like Ubisoft. Tons of 'stress' and 'issues' and 'burnout' just sounds like the team was waiting for a bigger fish to bring more water to the pond. Gamers don't like being ripped off and to be blunt, Tengami doesn't do enough more to warrant such a price increase. Maybe the team did more, but I personally find it incredibly ignorant to ask the community the top price they'd be willing to pay, before adding 20-30% to that. That's not a gratuity. That's an attempt to exploit your paying customers because the user base is small. I paid for it. I loved every minute. And I won't look at or touch it again. Really, what more can be said about the profundity of obscurity?
Sell the Link costumes seperately from the Zelda costumes? Honestly, I wouldn't want to pay more (they would charge more, don't kid yourself) to not get Zelda's best costume and still have to pay for that terribly low res Ocarina skin. This way, people get to play as their favorite character from their favorite Zelda game. I prefer the Twilight Princess Link, but to have both Skyward Sword costumes and no motion controls? Great idea.
People talk about older games with this gleam or twinkle of nostalgia in their eyes, which is surprising that the Wii U is so preferred. More so for myself, as I would rank them: Melee Smash 64 Brawl 3DS Wii U And at that, it's not even close. As fighting games, they're dreadful. As multiplayer games, they're all pretty equal. But for single player, that's where they really seperate. By that logic, the Wii U version is by far the least fun, the most congested and the least exciting of the bunch. Nintendo basically removed everything that made any of the past single player modes fun and engaging and has really pigeonholed the series as multiplayer only. Moving forward, Nintendo will have more difficulty selling systems with the next iteration, seeing as many non-Nintendo gamers are solo or enjoy storylines or cinematics. Keeping options open and not handcuffing themselves would have been smarter. For what it does, Smash is great. For a full game, it's subpar.
Smash Wii U: aka, the most overrated, overhyped game in years, if not decades. Not only is it not in the top 10 for games of the year, it isn't in the top 25. Such a shame that fan service for an underachieving handheld and a dead fish could beat out other, genuinely engaging and entertaining experiences. Then again, as gaming is less about doing anything or accomplishing something significant than ever before, it's not surprising that Nintendo would roll out stuffing over turkey.
A guy with Dragon Quest monsters, nude, but with wreaths and candy canes thinks it's impractical for Shantae to go out in the snow in her recognizable costume? I don't think they're going for incredibly sexy but cute and rather humorous. Anyways. Speaking of the half-genie heroine, I spent about 2 hours or so with her on my Wii U today and while 3DS advocates can bemoan a lack of cross buy and whatever else they complain about, I will support Wayforward's continued backing of the Wii U with their solid platformers and fun, modernized, throwback style. Oh and there are definitely some sales out there. Many of Activision's games, Knytt Underground, Stick it to the Man, in addition to other, earlier offers. I'm certain Amazon, Best Buy and Toys R Us' Boxing Day deals would have trumped the eShop (not like half of Wii U owners don't complain about that either) and sold Nintendo a few more systems at the same time.
Sorry, 17000+. JBizzle def takes the cake. I didn't hit up as many VC games, never got Mario Kart, Wonderful 101, Rayman Legends or MH3 and still ended up with almost ten disc games (in addition to 9 DS games, 7 Xbox, 3 Gamecube, 26 PSP, 20-30 Blu-ray movies, 8 20$+ graphic novels, 2 DSs, a PSP, an Xbox, a new GC, and 10-14 new controllers between all the systems. And over 400$ on Wiiware..) Yeah. Good times, but not free. Alot of time and effort went into earning the money to acquire those codes.
14000+ points? Yeah, I hit the eShop pretty hard. Living in a fairly small town with no game store, no place to buy new games at all and having a good enough job where dropping 40-100$ monthly is hardly noticeable contributed. Used six codes this month, will get Shantae for less than 10$ cash. It was a fun promo and provided more benefit than CN (considering that every transaction, whether DLC, VC or full game gave points) and definitely helped some transactions easier to stomach (65$, enough to put you over for 1 and a second on top of that) and upped my VC library more than expected. With a kid that likes to mess around with my media, whether throwing the cases, sitting on them or generally knocking them over and around, digital is a blessing. I don't need extra stuff to display. I need to maximize my space. DVDs, Blu-rays, N64, GC, DS and SNES stuff is all I want to manage.
Nintendo may have a host of great, exclusive retail games on both systems now, but yet another eShop exclusive is about to feed Sony more digital sales. I'd have bought a Vita for Shovel Knight (and Persona 4, Dragon's Crown, Muramasa Rebirth, Senran Kagura, Virtue's Last Reward, Ys Celceta and the next Ys, etc..) had I known it was a timed exclusive. Going forward on the steam of Japanese devs, Vita looks much brighter than 3DS, which is getting into remake season with Xenoblade and Majora. To be frank, the Final Fantasy X, X-2, Jak and Daxter, God of War and Sly Cooper remakes / collections are much more appealing. As are the smoother, more detailed, easier to play versions that are on both handhelds. Hopefully, the enhanced 3DS helps Nintendo close the gap. With the focus turning further toward the Wii U, I think the 3DS might be Nintendo's last dedicated handheld. So.. kill both systems next year (retail wise) and drop the next system, a Fusion of both handheld and home console, in early 2016. Encourage indies to support with digital content that can be played on all 3. And for god's sake, Nintendo NEEDS to learn to build a significant online presence. I hate online gaming (it's a convenient way for extroverted, poor people to meet new 'friends' and keep in touch with old ones) but it's undeniable Nintendo's rep has suffered by keeping gaming in the 80s for 30 years.
Just got X4 on PSN, so with Zero and 7, I've pretty much swept the eras of MM in a day. Now Capcom needs Battle Network 2 out here. So incredibly improved on the original.
PAL versions..? Try mandatory subtitles in many more languages, and voice acting. From a smaller company that doesn't have it's own resources to properly translate. Or how about the fact that not all PAL releases (not even all European releases) use the same ratings board. Without a rating, they can't sell the game. It's not North America's fault for having a larger audience and a streamlined ratings board.
I have never owned a Pokemon game. That said, I did play a borrowed Gameboy Color and Pokemon for 10-15 hours over a weekend and Gale of Darkness on GC for 20-25 hours when that was still fairly new. Not a big fan, don't mind them though.
Low stock probably just means low interest in the first place. I know, given some of the upcoming games on PS4 and with the New 3DS XL pending release, if I didn't have a Wii U, I wouldn't buy one. Not even for 150$. Maybe when Zelda or Xenoblade came out, but 2014 was incredibly sparse (once again) filled with polarizing games like Smash and Mario Kart and terrible 3rd party games like Planes, Watch Dogs and Just Dance. The future looks better for gamers and much worse for Nintendo, if sales numbers are any indication going forward. I saw the UK data. This generation is already over.
I'm moderately surprised amiibo wasn't another flop, especially in the US. Then again, a mini plastic toy that does nothing but sit around never sounded that appealing to begin with.
If I could sell my digital copy of Smash, I would. Were it physical, some 'lucky' kid would get it for a dollar. amiibo, the controller and the adapter are all useless. Good on Nintendo for making money, but what did people expect? It's not like Wii Us and Wii U games had been flying off shelves when all this garbage came out. Of course Nintendo was ill-prepared to meet demand.
Nintendo designed handheld / console with Sony tech? Nintendo aren't film makers. Sony has a film studio. This partnership makes sense. Look at how the news portrays the Wii U / Nintendo: constantly mixing up the console names, getting basic facts mixed up and confused (online, BC, feature sets) and basically all consumed with Sony (who made their TV, computer, or cell phone) and MS (who made the operating system for that computer). Aside from Sony (whose top guy owns and plays the Wii U), no one in the industry has the knowledge and respect for Nintendo. And to Arad's credit, the comics that those stories were based off were cheesy in and of themselves. Created in the 60s, 70s and 80s, it's funny how 'divergent' is a four letter word when concerning Arad, but Nolan's Batman films are basically just Heat starring Batman, Nolan and Burton changed the tones of their heroes and modernized their settings, something Marvel strongly objected to. Arad was just the company's mouthpiece and got caught turning a 60s comic into an early 2000s film. Mario is tricky, not having a plot to speak of. BUT, go all Wreck it Ralph on it and it could be great. Imagine, Super Mario RPG with cameos and all.. as a film. It was already in 3D. It had tons of new characters. Mario and Bowser fought AND teamed up. The Princess was a fighter and there were some wonderful comedic and emotional hooks. Rewrite that story and I think it could be phenomenal.
I agree with the 'foot in the door' comments. Metroid, Star Fox, Fire Emblem would be great features. Zelda would be a great series. And Kirby was a decent little show. Sony has probably the most respect for Nintendo in the 'mainstream' media world and has distribution centres in places most companies have to pay milions to get at. Put it on the Wii U / 3DS for a nice discount and I'm all for it. Heavenly Sword, an overhyped slasher with next to nothing as far as a plot is concerned, has it's own movies. Halo too, but at least Halo has a plot and some history. Silent Hill and Resident Evil have been dragged through the mud numerous times and between Mass Effect, Dead Space, Dante's Inferno and Dragon Age, EA's basically guaranteed it'll be somewhere in the middle to upper end of the spectrum.
Worst Mario / video game movie ever? Avi Arad is a big name director and Charles Martinet as Mario in a high def 3D animated flick would be gold. Put Miyamoto (who has film experience now) and Koji Kondo as advisors on the project, and it could be a fantastic film. People forget about stuff like Street Fighter, King of Fighters, Tekken, DOA, Super Mario Bros and countless other turds that live action has produced, but the Sony distributed Spirits Within, Advent Children, SF Alpha movie, Tekken anime and Bayonetta animated films were all quite well done. DOA wasn't even that bad (the ending was horrid, but until Donovan fights, it was fun and entertaining).
In fact, were Bungie still making quality software and not churning out garbage like Destiny (clearly not the evergreen gem they were hoping for) maybe that would seem like a reasonable statement. After Reach and ODST, I was more than glad that 343 was given the chance to burn that dying tree to ash and restart the series. In fact, when Halo V finally launches, I might bite the bullet and join the true next gen. The Wii U just isn't quite there (at least 3rd party). Then again, with SFV, Uncharted IV and the next Ys game PS4 exclusives, MS still has quite the hill to climb.
@Kaze It's simply a case of comparing new games vs old games. Many Halo fans likely still have their original copies of the 360 games and Master Chief being handcuffed by the XOne (vs AC having 3 systems and a far greater advert budget) it's not surprising. Just as November's Smash sales were likely 80% Wii U and GTA V was almost entirely the newer consoles, the data can be very misleading. Were these games released simultaneously and completely new and original, the sales would be different. Like buying a box set of something, the HD collections will never sell as well as the originals that people have already purchased and played before.
Just like the Wii, it looks like the Wii Us swan song will be the Legend of Zelda (which could be the case for the 3DS in NA this March if Majora's Mask tanks). Profits are up due solely to amiibo and Nintendo's worst selling console looks to live up to it's rep. I want the thing to succeed, I just know it won't. Not the way Nintendo's doing it.
No interest in amiibo or any of the games that use them. They look a lot better than the Disney Infinity figures and don't require a base (for Wii U and New 3DS) but like Smash, all they'd do is increase my system's resale value. Lesson learned: if you know a gamer, that gamer has a job andit's the holidays, go with accessories or gift cards. Or keep the receipts. Mine was a digital card. And guess what? 'No refunds on DLC or digital game purchases'.
@Zapkido 'No nostalgic bias' 'Has none ofthe charm every other Paper Mario has' You understand the concept of the word 'no', yes? Clearly, there's a bias there. If you'd never played a Paper Mario, or an RPG, your comment would make sense. As it stands, it does not. Critics compare and contrast every element of a game to itself, to it's series (if applicable), to it's genre and to other games. Which is why, even if a game isn't that great in it's genre, it can still be a great game. Mario Kart 8, in comparison to GT3, isn't a good racer. As a game, it might be better. Mario on the NES might be terrible in comparison to a recent platformer but is still a better game. I'm not saying Sticker Star should be lauded, worshipped or acclaimed. Just that, you're clearly only comparing the game to it's own series, something that only results in nostalgic bias.
Anyone who has played Tengami on the Wii U will attest to this fact: Paper Mario seems tailor made for the Wii U. And, should the big N decide to get away from the typical combat of the Paper games, there could still be plenty of paper folding, fabricating and manipulation going on. I like the idea of an RPG with a touch focus, similar to how Mario RPG had that button for dodging, countering and minimizing attacks. So much Nintendo could do with the Wii U, but I don't think they've scratched the surface. amiibo, Zelda U's map, Wind Waker's inventory, Toad's various implementations, Game & Wario's obvious uses, Nintendo Land and a handful of others have given it a shot, but it feels like a burden more than an asset. Which is sad, because it's potential is so much greater than many other available control options (on the Wii U and otherwise).
Sonic's recent outings aren't technical marvels (far from it) but at least Sega is trying something different. Playing Sonic 3 might still be fun, but spending 300$ to play it is absurd. With new hardware, change is necessary. If you don't change, there's no point in creating. Even on the NES, Mario changed so much. It's obvious Nintendo has found a groove, but I'm not happy with their stagnation. Give me Mario? More Paper Mario, Mario Golf, Tennis, Strikers, Baseball, RPG then. More forward progression and diversity. I love Mario, but I don't like beating a prize horse. Platformers from Nintendo should be coveted affairs, not a monthly occurrence.
@minotaurgamer Nice DK pic. DKC fan? Rare sold their souls to Microsoft, maybe that's where you should game. Making and remaking a small handful of games bought Nintendo a shot and for over 10 years, their consoles failed with the N64 and Gamecube. 2D Mario, for it's install base, was just as much a flop as Galaxy and then, at least multiplayer, level design and emotional connections were apparent. You say 'as much love as the 3D games', but fans have shown they don't want variety, diversity, story, connection, or gameplay. They want the exact same Mario Miyamoto created 30 years ago. Unlike companies like Kemco and even Atlus, Nintendo (or rather Miyamoto himself) is progressive. As a designer, artist and inventor, idling hasn't gotten him this far. Innovating has. We wouldn't have Metal Gear, Sonic, Megaman or tons of other games for his past contributions, but gaming has changed and so has he. If anything, Nintendo has been reeling him in for too long. He needs to be freed from Mario and given more opportunity to reinvent Nintendo's future, so they can stop relying on their past.
@ZenTurtle Your entire comment is contrite, closedminded trash. If it's a game..? Is Minecraft not a game? Ugly Mario..? 8-bit, 30 years old. What's with the quotations around new? NSMBU had over 20 new frames of animation for each playable character and was the first HD Mario. Ever. And finally, how do you suppose 4 distinct Mario games, real time switching between art styles, fully fleshed level creation and HD graphics would work on the 3DS?? Maybe you could download some levels to the handheld, but you're so far off in your estimations, it's hilarious.
Imagine Zelda, Metroid or even a Nintendo exclusive Castlevania / Megaman / Contra Maker!! The addition of these new styles pretty much guarantees I'll be picking up this title. Pushmo World's user created stages are the only levels I've really played in that game and this looks like more manic fun! I hope there's some pre-generated stages to try too (the ones in the video looked insane).
New 3DS with a loss, Vita almost triples last week's sales. With more games coming more frequently and the allure of cross-buy with both PS3 and PS4, I almost wouldn't be surprised to see the Vita overtake the 3DS once the holiday excitement cools. Nintendo did see a nice boost for the Wii U, but so did most every other system. Comparatively, the jump wasn't overly impressive and unless this positive trend continues, 2015's first quarter will be roughest on Nintendo.
Comments 491
Re: Video: The Latest Japanese Commercials for Kirby and the Rainbow Curse Are Full of Cuteness
@Superstick
I take it you mean 'not a traditional, typical, overdone platformer', right?
Good, just so we're clear.
God forbid Nintendo try and change up a 25 year old franchise.
Have fun with your New 3DS, Majora and Xenoblade. So many 'new games'.
Re: Gallery: Here's a Batch of Awesome New Year Art from Japan's Biggest and Best Publishers
The first Atlus one, Capcom and Bandai Namco.
It would have been tough for Capcom to go with anything but MH.
Re: Nintendo Download: 8th January
Ah, Europe.
Getting Fire Emblem, Golden Sun 2 and 3 DKC games MONTHS before NA, and still complaining about 3 Castlevania games, on a service barely anyone buys GBA games.
It's almost comical how so few people buy the GBA VC games (most just complain they're not on 3DS) and so many complain they're not available in your territory.
Re: Feature: The Biggest 3DS Games of 2015
Alot of the 3DS' lull at this stage can be contributed to the rather stellar first party efforts planned for the Wii U and rightfully so. I can only imagine Japanese devs are going to continue pushing the portable (considering sales) though Western devs still look at the hardware with disdain.
Apparently, not having a 5'' HD screen is a huge detractor for uninspired devs. Maybe a SM Sunshine 2 could be on the way (no new Mario game for the 3DS announced yet).
Re: Feature: The Biggest 3DS Games of 2015
Spent the last two hours playing Millennium Girl and Luigi's Mansion 2 and I might get Bravely Second (played the Default demo, not super into it, but SE has me intrigued with town layouts, battle art and improved questing. I just hate job based RPGs. Much prefer stories with purposed, driven characters, competent in their direction and abilities).
Re: Feature: The Biggest 3DS Games of 2015
Old Zelda and old Xenoblade on 3DS.
New Zelda and new Xenoblade on Wii U.
Between Wooly Yoshi, Zelda, Xenoblade and the truly HD Shantae, I'm thinking 2015 will be spent catching up on backlogs (on the 3DS, mainly).
Re: Feature: The Biggest Wii U Games of 2015
@Bolt_Strike
And I'd say changing things up just to be different is dishonest and disingenuine. In example, Final Fantasy dropping turn based combat for ATB was smart. Dropping ATB for action RPG is disingeuine. It looks like Final Fantasy, sounds like Final Fantasy and because Square Enix makes it, can be called Final Fantasy.
But I'll be gded if it doesn't play like Devil May Cry.
If it looks like Mario, sounds like Mario and Nintendo makes it but it plays like Call of Duty, why call it Mario? Then again, if it plays like Mario and Nintendo makes it, why not call it Mario?
Naughty Dog made Jak and Daxter and Ratchet and Clank. Different games, similar play styles, control schemes and stories.
But because they were story based games, they could use different characters and sell them as different games (despite the fact that 80% was ripped straight from earlier Crash games).
It's the same way with Star Wars, Star Trek, Transformers, Fast and the Furious and other series (horror is particularly terrible for it). As long as the story is different or continuous, reusing resources and characters is fine.
How many games have released since Galaxy? Two? It's funny how so many complain Mario is in karting games, sporting games and platformers, like the games are that similar.
Mario Kart is as dissimilar to NSMBU as Grand Theft Auto is to Gran Turismo, but because Mario is in both, it's apparently inacceptable. It's called a licensed property and if Sony had anything remotely as interesting, they'd have that front and center too (Crash burned out, Kratos is old and tired and Sackboy has now seen his third entry on the PS3).
The difference between Sony and Nintendo: realism vs timelessness.
Re: Feature: The Biggest Wii U Games of 2015
@Quorthon
Sony WANTS to franchise those IPs (the Jak and Daxters, Sly Coopers, Uncharteds, God of Wars, LBPs) but Naughty Dog, dev for most, doesn't write disconnected stories like Nintendo does. They write interconnected tales that hearken back to earlier events.
Like Halo, MGS, Gears of War, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Batman: Arkham, Assassin's Creed, Splinter Cell and dozens of other games have done. The only difference is, in order to be 'immersive enough', those games have piggybacked other series' in order to remain relevant.
Assassin's Creed on next gen systems is a horrible game, the 7th or 8th in a series that branched off story wise from an identical premise in Prince of Persia (a series that saw 6-7 releases itself before interest plummeted). Instead of focusing on gameplay and exploration, Ubisoft turned the game into a tech demo, one completely overshadowed by offerings from Konami, SEnix, Naughty Dog and so many others.
If those are the kind of games you feel make PS4 a more viable option, you should get a PS4. I personally haven't seen much more than Bloodborne, 1886 or Ys that I'd even consider and my anticipation for XBCX and Zelda far outweigh the first two, while Ys is playable on the Vita, as most PS4 'exclusives' seem to be. Sony is still riding the PS3, because, like Nintendo, are run from Japan. And in Japan, outside of 5 games that have managed to sell fairly well (3 of them remakes), the rest have been outsold considerably by the PS3 version.
You mention 6 remakes in the Zelda series, despite the fact that the Zelda series is over 27 years old. 2 on the NES, 1 on the GB, 3 on the GBC (1 remake), 1 on the SNES, 2 on the N64, 2 on the GBA (1 remake), 3 on the GC (1 rerelease), 2 on the Wii (one rerelease), 2 on the DS, 3 on the 3DS (1 remake, 1, a pending remake), 2 on the Wii U (1 upmake and 1 pending release) and 13 Virtual Console rereleases.
In total, 36 Zelda games.
23 retail releases.
As in, 23 full priced releases (something you seem to think, in the case of remakes and rereleases, should be basically given away, despite the fact that discs cost money to make).
23 full priced rereleases over 27 years.
Assassin's Creed. Debuted no earlier than 2006 (the PS3 was released in November 2006).
Assassin's Creed
Assassin's Creed II
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Assassin's Creed: Revelations
Assassin's Creed III
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
Assassin's Creed Rogue
Assassin's Creed Unity
Assassin's Creed Victory
Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles
Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines
Assassin's Creed II: Discovery
Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy
Assassin's Creed: Lost Legacy
Assassin's Creed: Recollection
Assassin's Creed: Multiplayer Rearmed
Assassin's Creed III: Liberation
Assassin's Creed: Utopia
Assassin's Creed: Pirates
Assassin's Creed Memories
Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China
Assassin's Creed Identity
In 8 years, not counting multiple versions of the same game across multiple platforms (as you've included in your Zelda list), 22 seperate titles, with 10 full priced, retail releases. Including multiplatform versions (don't go back on your statements now, counting Ocarina on the 3DS as seperate from the N64 version), Ubisoft has released over 40 Assassin's Creed games in 8 years.
5 AC games ANNUALLY.
Including VC, Nintendo has released fewer than 2 Zelda games annnually.
You look at Nintendo milking their flagship titles and have this narrowminded attitude towards their business philosophy.
It's clear you don't understand the concept of 'milking it'.
And, further more, while Nintendo has had Zelda graphic novels and a TV series, Assassin's Creed has had more graphic novels, more comics and more films in those 8 years than every Nintendo property combined, minus Pokemon (that isn't a first party license itself).
My point is simply this: if you're gonna get mad at the frequency of Nintendo's release schedule and saturation of top properties, focus your anger on the ENTIRE industry, as it's not just Nintendo doing it.
At the same time, companies like Wayforward, Level 5, Atlus, Monolith, Platinum and Capcom have created some excellent Nintendo exclusive content (and many brand new game series. I'm not sure if you've noticed this or not, but Sony DOESN'T make many of it's own games (if ever). They outsource all their new IPs, just like Nintendo. Everything is second party now. Nintendo is very hands on and have no fewer than 8 licenses that have made them money these last 3-4 years. Realistically, when your games redefine the standards in platforming, adventure, action and exploration, focusing on building those properties into multimillion dollar ventures is smarter than discarding them entirely.
Disney does it with Mickey and friends, Saban does it with the Power Rangers and Game Freak does it with Pokemon. The PS1 wasn't Sony's big gun, releasing all those new series. It was the PS2 that had all the sequels. One sold fewer than 100 milion systems, the other sold more than 150 million systems.
And that's what you fail so intensively to realize. For games, Sony is years behind Nintendo and tries to fill the niche of the day instead. Nintendo's timelessness and consistency has been held back by technical missteps and shortcomings, not creative vision. As a company, Nintendo is games centric, not an offshoot of a media conglomerate. And their approach to their properties has reflected that, year after year, for over 3 decades now.
Re: Feature: The Biggest Wii U Games of 2015
Then there's my most anticipated downloadables, namely Shantae: HGH, Cryamore and the eventual NA VC releases of Golden Sun: TLA, MMBN2 and Metroid: Zero Mission.
And who can forget about Oddworld's Nintendo home console debut??
Re: Feature: The Biggest Wii U Games of 2015
Xenoblade X (bigger and more epic than the original)
Zelda (open world, open play styles)
Yoshi (Kirby's Epic Yarn without obnoxious motion controls)
I'll wait for reviews for Devil's Third, Star Fox and Splatoon, but likely pass on the latter two and the rest of the games in this list.
For downloads, ASA pales in anticipation to Soul Saga, Tale of Two Brothers, ANNE and about a half dozen others. Nintendolife clearly has a strong connection with the devs, but I'm just not feeling it.
Mighty No. 9 (considering the love shown for Azure Striker Gunvolt) is a surprising absence.
Re: Talking Point: Five New Year's Resolutions for Nintendo
If your PS3 up and dies on you and you send it back to Sony, you better hope someone is feeling generous, because (technically) they CAN NOT deactivate that system for you.
What does that mean?
If you want to replace that PS3, you'll have to rebuy everything.
One of each of the 4 systems (PSP, PS3, PS Vita, PS4) is all you get and if you want another, you have to deactivate the old one and (GASP) TRANSFER to the new one OR redownload everything.
Acting like Nintendo is trying to muscle it's customers and that Sony and Microsoft (anti-backward compatible) are saints and trendsetters, you're sorely mistaken.
Apple leads the way, but currently, only Steam is entirely free of hardware restriction. And at that, still has all the prerequisites and circumstance of typically standoffish PC gaming.
Re: Review: Shantae And The Pirate's Curse (Wii U eShop)
The fact of the matter is, aside from the slightest few outstanding games, Shantae is right at the top of the eShop on both platforms.
Certain levels, to be honest, are far more frustrating on the handheld (the secret dungeon and the temple escape, in example). The backgrounds are much easier to appreciate on the big screen and the text far easier to read.
The platforming solid and the music is enchanting. Some sections feel a bit unfair, both I'd argue the balance is near perfect.
Harder than Ducktales, more forgiving than MSF!, Shantae is Wayforward's best effort on both systems.
It's just better on the Wii U. And for anyone complaining about using items during boss battles.. either get better and don't use them or set yourself up before the fight starts. Oh and save the super spiked balls you pick up for the boss fights. It makes them alot easier.
Re: Review: Shantae And The Pirate's Curse (Wii U eShop)
At the same time, Shantae is full of strong, competent female leads.
Shantae, Sky, Rottytops, Risky Boots and is packed with plenty of ripped, shirtless males as well.
I can't imagine a tropical resort / desert kingdom like the one in these games where everyone would be dressed in baggy clothes.
Unless those people like getting sweaty and smelling terrible.
Re: Review: Shantae And The Pirate's Curse (Wii U eShop)
Star Wars is sexist because of the Slave Leia outfit. Oh wait, no it's not.
Shantae is sexist and overrated because characters wear skimpy outfits. Oh wait, no it's not.
Not sure if anyone saw Aladdin, but Aladdin, Jasmine and the Genie were all dressed pretty much exactly how Shantae is dressed.
Oh and for the MM Zero jab, Shantae is a new game. Not a VC re-release of a game in a series that has more sequels and spin-offs than Mario, Zelda and Metroid. COMBINED.
It's funny to me, people know that movies and video games cost tens of millions (if not hundreds of millions) to make. And yet, getting a 6 hour interactive experience with tons of replay value, at the cost of a movie ticket and some popcorn, is somehow a rip-off.
Re: Guide: The Hottest Boxing Day 2014 Deals for Wii U and 3DS
Lol at the 1st party complaints.
Uncharted vs Uncharted 2 vs Uncharted 3
2 of those games barely sell and most Sony first party stuff reduces to half price or less in the first 3-6 months.
Because no one cares to replay them.
Halo. Forza. Final Fantasy. Mario. Zelda.
Games that are so defining when one considers their genres.
Halo still sells for 20$ or more in most used shops.
And the Nintendo titles are the same way.
Because you can tell the difference (easily) between the different games.
Even those MS games don't have that ability.
But you know FF VII from X. IX from XIII. And not just across generations.
The same goes for Zeldas and Marios.
Sunshine vs 64. 1 vs 2 vs 3. World vs World 2.
Ocarina vs Majora. TP vs WW.
Nintendo likes remaking games. But they HATE sequels.
Because it's Miyamoto's expression as an artist, not some programmer's fascination with movies and comics that we see. Nintendo has branched out from there, for sure. But as long as Miyamoto's still on the team, Nintendo's first party titles will be held in reverence and their value will stay strong.
You can talk about Nintendo 'rigging prices', but when you see MK Wii selling for 50$ used, try and tell me it's all Nintendo.
Re: Guide: The Hottest Boxing Day 2014 Deals for Wii U and 3DS
I had the option of spending 25$ more and getting one of 3 XLs, but decided to save some cash and put it towards eShop cards (Etrian Untold and Night Sky for less than 20$).
Re: Guide: The Hottest Boxing Day 2014 Deals for Wii U and 3DS
169 is a 'hot' deal??
WOW. You wanna know my hot find??
110 CAD for a red 3DS (not XL) and Luigi's Mansion. With taxes and gratuities.
169?
Get out of here.
20% off all used consoles, 35% off all strategy guides, Buy 2, get one free.
Forget the 'big guys' and find a smaller shop, one where the employees know the difference between a Wii Classic Pro that looks like a GC controller and a GC controller. Where they know the original Xbox requires a DVD playback kit to watch movies. The 3DS CAN handle SD cards up to 128GB (not 32, as suggested elsewhere). And that the Wii U Gamepad is not, in fact, a portable tablet.
Re: Review: Shovel Knight (Wii U eShop)
'Already' on sale? The game will have been out 2 months by the time it goes on sale. Smash was only out for 7 days before going on sale for Black Friday. Early adopters that complain when games they just bought go on sale, as if the developer owes them money or something.
Re: Nintendo Download: 1st January (Europe)
I find Nintendo takes Marvelous AQL's approach to porting and 'emulation'.
What I mean is, when Muramasa was being carted over to the Vita, the devs didn't want it on another console, as they felt like it was wasting resources. They chose portable because they considered that any game they had should be able to be experienced both on a TV and on the go. They chose the Vita for the screen (OLED) and for the improved resolution.
The game could have sold ten times the copies on the PS3, but they argued that, if you wanted the home console version, you would own the console it came out on.
It's the same with Sony and Microsoft. They have many different platforms, but certain titles are platform exclusive. They try and feed as many channels as possible, and the quality of the ports have suffered tremendously in the past (PS1 emulation on the PS3 and PSP, PS2 emulation on the PS3, Xbox emulation on the 360), so much so that Sony and Microsoft have foregone those avenues entirely, instead re-rolling them out with their PS Now and Live services.
Really, everyone's doing it. It's just more noticeable with Nintendo, as there isn't a sea of crappy retail discs to wade through before settling on VC.
Re: Nintendo Download: 1st January (Europe)
Cool. Enjoy the DKC Trilogy, Golden Sun: Lost Age and early access to another Fire Emblem.. while complaining that the sky is blue and that, after dozens of indies decided to swarm the eShop, the first truly inconsequential week of the new year still gives a quality retail release. But yeah, there's NOTHING. I voted nothing, because I'm in NA, where we're still getting jobbed to the Euro crowd.
Nice Club Nintendo gear. Guess I'll try and save enough coins for a grossly overpriced t-shirt..
Re: Year in Development: Nyamyam
Overly easy, short and 3 to 5 times pricier than on mobile platforms? Yeah, I can't imagine why it hasn't broken the bank on the Wii U.
In all seriousness though, this entire article makes Nyamyam sound like Ubisoft. Tons of 'stress' and 'issues' and 'burnout' just sounds like the team was waiting for a bigger fish to bring more water to the pond.
Gamers don't like being ripped off and to be blunt, Tengami doesn't do enough more to warrant such a price increase.
Maybe the team did more, but I personally find it incredibly ignorant to ask the community the top price they'd be willing to pay, before adding 20-30% to that. That's not a gratuity. That's an attempt to exploit your paying customers because the user base is small. I paid for it. I loved every minute. And I won't look at or touch it again.
Really, what more can be said about the profundity of obscurity?
Re: Hyrule Warriors DLC Costume Sets Now Up for Grabs in North America
Sell the Link costumes seperately from the Zelda costumes?
Honestly, I wouldn't want to pay more (they would charge more, don't kid yourself) to not get Zelda's best costume and still have to pay for that terribly low res Ocarina skin.
This way, people get to play as their favorite character from their favorite Zelda game. I prefer the Twilight Princess Link, but to have both Skyward Sword costumes and no motion controls? Great idea.
Re: Poll: Which is the Best Super Smash Bros. Game?
People talk about older games with this gleam or twinkle of nostalgia in their eyes, which is surprising that the Wii U is so preferred.
More so for myself, as I would rank them:
Melee
Smash 64
Brawl
3DS
Wii U
And at that, it's not even close.
As fighting games, they're dreadful.
As multiplayer games, they're all pretty equal.
But for single player, that's where they really seperate.
By that logic, the Wii U version is by far the least fun, the most congested and the least exciting of the bunch.
Nintendo basically removed everything that made any of the past single player modes fun and engaging and has really pigeonholed the series as multiplayer only.
Moving forward, Nintendo will have more difficulty selling systems with the next iteration, seeing as many non-Nintendo gamers are solo or enjoy storylines or cinematics. Keeping options open and not handcuffing themselves would have been smarter.
For what it does, Smash is great. For a full game, it's subpar.
Re: Game of the Year: Nintendo Life's Reader Awards 2014
Smash Wii U: aka, the most overrated, overhyped game in years, if not decades.
Not only is it not in the top 10 for games of the year, it isn't in the top 25.
Such a shame that fan service for an underachieving handheld and a dead fish could beat out other, genuinely engaging and entertaining experiences.
Then again, as gaming is less about doing anything or accomplishing something significant than ever before, it's not surprising that Nintendo would roll out stuffing over turkey.
Re: Nintendo Download: 25th December (North America)
A guy with Dragon Quest monsters, nude, but with wreaths and candy canes thinks it's impractical for Shantae to go out in the snow in her recognizable costume?
I don't think they're going for incredibly sexy but cute and rather humorous.
Anyways.
Speaking of the half-genie heroine, I spent about 2 hours or so with her on my Wii U today and while 3DS advocates can bemoan a lack of cross buy and whatever else they complain about, I will support Wayforward's continued backing of the Wii U with their solid platformers and fun, modernized, throwback style.
Oh and there are definitely some sales out there.
Many of Activision's games, Knytt Underground, Stick it to the Man, in addition to other, earlier offers.
I'm certain Amazon, Best Buy and Toys R Us' Boxing Day deals would have trumped the eShop (not like half of Wii U owners don't complain about that either) and sold Nintendo a few more systems at the same time.
Re: Reminder: The Nintendo Network Premium Promotion Ends on 31st December
Sorry, 17000+.
JBizzle def takes the cake.
I didn't hit up as many VC games, never got Mario Kart, Wonderful 101, Rayman Legends or MH3 and still ended up with almost ten disc games (in addition to 9 DS games, 7 Xbox, 3 Gamecube, 26 PSP, 20-30 Blu-ray movies, 8 20$+ graphic novels, 2 DSs, a PSP, an Xbox, a new GC, and 10-14 new controllers between all the systems. And over 400$ on Wiiware..)
Yeah.
Good times, but not free.
Alot of time and effort went into earning the money to acquire those codes.
Re: Reminder: The Nintendo Network Premium Promotion Ends on 31st December
14000+ points? Yeah, I hit the eShop pretty hard.
Living in a fairly small town with no game store, no place to buy new games at all and having a good enough job where dropping 40-100$ monthly is hardly noticeable contributed.
Used six codes this month, will get Shantae for less than 10$ cash.
It was a fun promo and provided more benefit than CN (considering that every transaction, whether DLC, VC or full game gave points) and definitely helped some transactions easier to stomach (65$, enough to put you over for 1 and a second on top of that) and upped my VC library more than expected.
With a kid that likes to mess around with my media, whether throwing the cases, sitting on them or generally knocking them over and around, digital is a blessing.
I don't need extra stuff to display. I need to maximize my space.
DVDs, Blu-rays, N64, GC, DS and SNES stuff is all I want to manage.
Re: Feature: 12 Days of Nintendo Christmas - Day Ten
Further proof Nintendo fans don't want 'new'. They just want old HD.
Re: Nintendo Highlights Great Games in a Rather Pretty Infographic
Nintendo may have a host of great, exclusive retail games on both systems now, but yet another eShop exclusive is about to feed Sony more digital sales.
I'd have bought a Vita for Shovel Knight (and Persona 4, Dragon's Crown, Muramasa Rebirth, Senran Kagura, Virtue's Last Reward, Ys Celceta and the next Ys, etc..) had I known it was a timed exclusive.
Going forward on the steam of Japanese devs, Vita looks much brighter than 3DS, which is getting into remake season with Xenoblade and Majora.
To be frank, the Final Fantasy X, X-2, Jak and Daxter, God of War and Sly Cooper remakes / collections are much more appealing. As are the smoother, more detailed, easier to play versions that are on both handhelds.
Hopefully, the enhanced 3DS helps Nintendo close the gap.
With the focus turning further toward the Wii U, I think the 3DS might be Nintendo's last dedicated handheld.
So.. kill both systems next year (retail wise) and drop the next system, a Fusion of both handheld and home console, in early 2016. Encourage indies to support with digital content that can be played on all 3. And for god's sake, Nintendo NEEDS to learn to build a significant online presence.
I hate online gaming (it's a convenient way for extroverted, poor people to meet new 'friends' and keep in touch with old ones) but it's undeniable Nintendo's rep has suffered by keeping gaming in the 80s for 30 years.
Re: Nintendo Download: 18th December (North America)
Just got X4 on PSN, so with Zero and 7, I've pretty much swept the eras of MM in a day. Now Capcom needs Battle Network 2 out here. So incredibly improved on the original.
Re: Shantae And The Pirate's Curse All Set For Festive Wii U Release in North America
PAL versions..? Try mandatory subtitles in many more languages, and voice acting.
From a smaller company that doesn't have it's own resources to properly translate.
Or how about the fact that not all PAL releases (not even all European releases) use the same ratings board. Without a rating, they can't sell the game.
It's not North America's fault for having a larger audience and a streamlined ratings board.
Re: Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire Set Sales Record as Biggest Ever Nintendo Game Launch in Australia and New Zealand
I have never owned a Pokemon game.
That said, I did play a borrowed Gameboy Color and Pokemon for 10-15 hours over a weekend and Gale of Darkness on GC for 20-25 hours when that was still fairly new.
Not a big fan, don't mind them though.
Re: Best Buy and Walmart Pitch In With Festive Wii U and 3DS Deals
Low stock probably just means low interest in the first place.
I know, given some of the upcoming games on PS4 and with the New 3DS XL pending release, if I didn't have a Wii U, I wouldn't buy one.
Not even for 150$.
Maybe when Zelda or Xenoblade came out, but 2014 was incredibly sparse (once again) filled with polarizing games like Smash and Mario Kart and terrible 3rd party games like Planes, Watch Dogs and Just Dance.
The future looks better for gamers and much worse for Nintendo, if sales numbers are any indication going forward.
I saw the UK data. This generation is already over.
Re: Poll: Have You Been Able to Buy the Super Smash Bros. Controller, GameCube Adapter and amiibo You Want?
I'm moderately surprised amiibo wasn't another flop, especially in the US.
Then again, a mini plastic toy that does nothing but sit around never sounded that appealing to begin with.
Re: Poll: Have You Been Able to Buy the Super Smash Bros. Controller, GameCube Adapter and amiibo You Want?
If I could sell my digital copy of Smash, I would.
Were it physical, some 'lucky' kid would get it for a dollar.
amiibo, the controller and the adapter are all useless.
Good on Nintendo for making money, but what did people expect? It's not like Wii Us and Wii U games had been flying off shelves when all this garbage came out. Of course Nintendo was ill-prepared to meet demand.
Re: Nintendo Download: 18th December (Europe)
Demon King Box, if I had a 3DS. Maybe.
Nothing seems good to me.
As an aside.. new Club Nintendo NA games go live today!
Re: Sony Pictures Is In Negotiations With Nintendo To Make A Super Mario Movie
Nintendo designed handheld / console with Sony tech?
Nintendo aren't film makers. Sony has a film studio. This partnership makes sense.
Look at how the news portrays the Wii U / Nintendo: constantly mixing up the console names, getting basic facts mixed up and confused (online, BC, feature sets) and basically all consumed with Sony (who made their TV, computer, or cell phone) and MS (who made the operating system for that computer).
Aside from Sony (whose top guy owns and plays the Wii U), no one in the industry has the knowledge and respect for Nintendo.
And to Arad's credit, the comics that those stories were based off were cheesy in and of themselves. Created in the 60s, 70s and 80s, it's funny how 'divergent' is a four letter word when concerning Arad, but Nolan's Batman films are basically just Heat starring Batman, Nolan and Burton changed the tones of their heroes and modernized their settings, something Marvel strongly objected to.
Arad was just the company's mouthpiece and got caught turning a 60s comic into an early 2000s film.
Mario is tricky, not having a plot to speak of.
BUT, go all Wreck it Ralph on it and it could be great.
Imagine, Super Mario RPG with cameos and all.. as a film.
It was already in 3D.
It had tons of new characters.
Mario and Bowser fought AND teamed up.
The Princess was a fighter and there were some wonderful comedic and emotional hooks.
Rewrite that story and I think it could be phenomenal.
Re: Sony Pictures Is In Negotiations With Nintendo To Make A Super Mario Movie
I agree with the 'foot in the door' comments.
Metroid, Star Fox, Fire Emblem would be great features.
Zelda would be a great series.
And Kirby was a decent little show.
Sony has probably the most respect for Nintendo in the 'mainstream' media world and has distribution centres in places most companies have to pay milions to get at.
Put it on the Wii U / 3DS for a nice discount and I'm all for it.
Heavenly Sword, an overhyped slasher with next to nothing as far as a plot is concerned, has it's own movies. Halo too, but at least Halo has a plot and some history.
Silent Hill and Resident Evil have been dragged through the mud numerous times and between Mass Effect, Dead Space, Dante's Inferno and Dragon Age, EA's basically guaranteed it'll be somewhere in the middle to upper end of the spectrum.
Re: Sony Pictures Is In Negotiations With Nintendo To Make A Super Mario Movie
Worst Mario / video game movie ever?
Avi Arad is a big name director and Charles Martinet as Mario in a high def 3D animated flick would be gold.
Put Miyamoto (who has film experience now) and Koji Kondo as advisors on the project, and it could be a fantastic film.
People forget about stuff like Street Fighter, King of Fighters, Tekken, DOA, Super Mario Bros and countless other turds that live action has produced, but the Sony distributed Spirits Within, Advent Children, SF Alpha movie, Tekken anime and Bayonetta animated films were all quite well done.
DOA wasn't even that bad (the ending was horrid, but until Donovan fights, it was fun and entertaining).
Re: Super Smash Bros. Grabs Third Place in NPD Charts as Wii U Secures Its Best Week Since Launch
In fact, were Bungie still making quality software and not churning out garbage like Destiny (clearly not the evergreen gem they were hoping for) maybe that would seem like a reasonable statement.
After Reach and ODST, I was more than glad that 343 was given the chance to burn that dying tree to ash and restart the series.
In fact, when Halo V finally launches, I might bite the bullet and join the true next gen.
The Wii U just isn't quite there (at least 3rd party).
Then again, with SFV, Uncharted IV and the next Ys game PS4 exclusives, MS still has quite the hill to climb.
Re: Super Smash Bros. Grabs Third Place in NPD Charts as Wii U Secures Its Best Week Since Launch
@Kaze
It's simply a case of comparing new games vs old games.
Many Halo fans likely still have their original copies of the 360 games and Master Chief being handcuffed by the XOne (vs AC having 3 systems and a far greater advert budget) it's not surprising.
Just as November's Smash sales were likely 80% Wii U and GTA V was almost entirely the newer consoles, the data can be very misleading.
Were these games released simultaneously and completely new and original, the sales would be different.
Like buying a box set of something, the HD collections will never sell as well as the originals that people have already purchased and played before.
Re: Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Sold to Over Ten Percent of Japanese Wii U Owners as System's Sales Rise
Just like the Wii, it looks like the Wii Us swan song will be the Legend of Zelda (which could be the case for the 3DS in NA this March if Majora's Mask tanks).
Profits are up due solely to amiibo and Nintendo's worst selling console looks to live up to it's rep.
I want the thing to succeed, I just know it won't. Not the way Nintendo's doing it.
Re: Nintendo's New Response: Some amiibo "Likely" to be Discontinued
No interest in amiibo or any of the games that use them.
They look a lot better than the Disney Infinity figures and don't require a base (for Wii U and New 3DS) but like Smash, all they'd do is increase my system's resale value.
Lesson learned: if you know a gamer, that gamer has a job andit's the holidays, go with accessories or gift cards.
Or keep the receipts.
Mine was a digital card.
And guess what?
'No refunds on DLC or digital game purchases'.
Re: Rumour: Dubious Walmart Listing Suggests Supposed Paper Mario Title for Wii U
@Zapkido
'No nostalgic bias'
'Has none ofthe charm every other Paper Mario has'
You understand the concept of the word 'no', yes?
Clearly, there's a bias there.
If you'd never played a Paper Mario, or an RPG, your comment would make sense.
As it stands, it does not.
Critics compare and contrast every element of a game to itself, to it's series (if applicable), to it's genre and to other games. Which is why, even if a game isn't that great in it's genre, it can still be a great game.
Mario Kart 8, in comparison to GT3, isn't a good racer.
As a game, it might be better.
Mario on the NES might be terrible in comparison to a recent platformer but is still a better game.
I'm not saying Sticker Star should be lauded, worshipped or acclaimed. Just that, you're clearly only comparing the game to it's own series, something that only results in nostalgic bias.
Re: Rumour: Dubious Walmart Listing Suggests Supposed Paper Mario Title for Wii U
Anyone who has played Tengami on the Wii U will attest to this fact: Paper Mario seems tailor made for the Wii U.
And, should the big N decide to get away from the typical combat of the Paper games, there could still be plenty of paper folding, fabricating and manipulation going on.
I like the idea of an RPG with a touch focus, similar to how Mario RPG had that button for dodging, countering and minimizing attacks.
So much Nintendo could do with the Wii U, but I don't think they've scratched the surface. amiibo, Zelda U's map, Wind Waker's inventory, Toad's various implementations, Game & Wario's obvious uses, Nintendo Land and a handful of others have given it a shot, but it feels like a burden more than an asset.
Which is sad, because it's potential is so much greater than many other available control options (on the Wii U and otherwise).
Re: New Mario Maker Footage Shows Off Multi-Generational Madness
Sonic's recent outings aren't technical marvels (far from it) but at least Sega is trying something different. Playing Sonic 3 might still be fun, but spending 300$ to play it is absurd.
With new hardware, change is necessary.
If you don't change, there's no point in creating.
Even on the NES, Mario changed so much.
It's obvious Nintendo has found a groove, but I'm not happy with their stagnation.
Give me Mario?
More Paper Mario, Mario Golf, Tennis, Strikers, Baseball, RPG then.
More forward progression and diversity.
I love Mario, but I don't like beating a prize horse.
Platformers from Nintendo should be coveted affairs, not a monthly occurrence.
Re: New Mario Maker Footage Shows Off Multi-Generational Madness
@minotaurgamer
Nice DK pic.
DKC fan?
Rare sold their souls to Microsoft, maybe that's where you should game.
Making and remaking a small handful of games bought Nintendo a shot and for over 10 years, their consoles failed with the N64 and Gamecube.
2D Mario, for it's install base, was just as much a flop as Galaxy and then, at least multiplayer, level design and emotional connections were apparent.
You say 'as much love as the 3D games', but fans have shown they don't want variety, diversity, story, connection, or gameplay. They want the exact same Mario Miyamoto created 30 years ago.
Unlike companies like Kemco and even Atlus, Nintendo (or rather Miyamoto himself) is progressive. As a designer, artist and inventor, idling hasn't gotten him this far. Innovating has.
We wouldn't have Metal Gear, Sonic, Megaman or tons of other games for his past contributions, but gaming has changed and so has he.
If anything, Nintendo has been reeling him in for too long. He needs to be freed from Mario and given more opportunity to reinvent Nintendo's future, so they can stop relying on their past.
Re: New Mario Maker Footage Shows Off Multi-Generational Madness
@ZenTurtle
Your entire comment is contrite, closedminded trash. If it's a game..?
Is Minecraft not a game?
Ugly Mario..?
8-bit, 30 years old.
What's with the quotations around new? NSMBU had over 20 new frames of animation for each playable character and was the first HD Mario. Ever.
And finally, how do you suppose 4 distinct Mario games, real time switching between art styles, fully fleshed level creation and HD graphics would work on the 3DS??
Maybe you could download some levels to the handheld, but you're so far off in your estimations, it's hilarious.
Re: New Mario Maker Footage Shows Off Multi-Generational Madness
Imagine Zelda, Metroid or even a Nintendo exclusive Castlevania / Megaman / Contra Maker!!
The addition of these new styles pretty much guarantees I'll be picking up this title. Pushmo World's user created stages are the only levels I've really played in that game and this looks like more manic fun!
I hope there's some pre-generated stages to try too (the ones in the video looked insane).
Re: Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire and New 3DS Lead in Japan, With Wii U Sales Improving
New 3DS with a loss, Vita almost triples last week's sales.
With more games coming more frequently and the allure of cross-buy with both PS3 and PS4, I almost wouldn't be surprised to see the Vita overtake the 3DS once the holiday excitement cools.
Nintendo did see a nice boost for the Wii U, but so did most every other system. Comparatively, the jump wasn't overly impressive and unless this positive trend continues, 2015's first quarter will be roughest on Nintendo.