Pachterkid

Well no wonder nobody is buying the system. The Gamepad is pointless. Not even Nintendo has clever ideas as to how to use it. Using it for a map in Mario Kart 8? Wow! What a creative idea! Forget the damn Gamepad and just make the Pro Controller standard.

And people are asking themselves why third-party developers are abandoning the Wii U. It's okay, Nintendo; just put your head in the sand like the users of this website and pretend that you don't have a serious problem on your hands.

@Tysamu

Bayonetta 2 is one third-party exclusive. One in like 2 years of the system's life (unless you care about Lego City). Compare that to all of the other games that will never appear on the Wii U and that Bayonetta 2 doesn't really seem all that significant anymore.

Nobody's saying that Nintendo's games aren't great, but most people want to have other gaming experiences too. Nintendo should just go the way of Sega because they simply can't compete in the home console race. The 3DS is another story, though.

@Fazermint

He's not an idiot, he has 4 degrees and happens to be completely right here. You buy a Nintendo home console to play the excellent first-party content that Nintendo develops, which everybody agrees are great games. If, however, you care about great third party games like the God of War series, The Last of Us, and so on and so forth, you need another console to play them on. That's just a fact.

I love that this site reviews eShop games. It's so hard to find an informed opinion on these titles - I always wait for the review to show up on this site before I decide to spend my money. Thanks Nintendo Life

"Do you think there's a danger of the console being left behind by developers?"

Umm, this isn't a danger. It's already happening and will continue to do so. Nintendo home consoles are where you play anything with Zelda and Mario in the title. If you want any other great game odds are you'll need another console to play it on.

Third party games don't come to the Wii U. This is not a news story.

I love all things Mario, and every version of Mario Kart has always ended up being one of my favourite games on that respective system, but I lately have I just become completely fed-up with the total lack of third-party support for Nintendo home consoles. I have been a Nintendo-only gamer my entire life, but I am honestly thinking of saying “the hell with this” and picking up a PS3

Super Mario 3D World and DKC: Tropical Freeze are going to be great games, but I also love racing games and third person action/adventure games, and I’m sick of there being next to no options in these genres available to me on the Wii U. I’ve played and enjoyed Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge and Need for Speed: Most Wanted (enjoyed minus the f’ing freezes), but those are literally the only choices available to me for the system with nothing else on the horizon (real racing games, not Sonic All-Stars). And yes I know Bayonetta 2 is coming, but that was announced in 2012 and I am getting sick of waiting. Plus, Nintendo will probably make us play that with the Gamepad controller, which I do not want to do. That controller is not suited to that type of game. There is a $299 PS3 bundle with Gran Turismo 5 that I have my eye on. That would open myself up to gaming experiences that I will never be able to have on the Wii U: God of War III, DmC: Devil May Cry, the original Bayonetta that doesn’t control with a stupid tablet, and so on. The Gamepad is not a selling point. Nintendo has no idea what to do with it besides to make it a map and allow you to access things that are easier done by pressing ‘pause’ on another system.

Mario Kart 8 and Super Mario 3D World are going to be amazing, but I want to have different gaming experiences as well, and Nintendo just doesn’t offer them to me. I’ve been a gamer for 22 years and I’m rooting for Nintendo, but you’re all kidding yourselves if you don’t think that Nintendo is in trouble.

I love all things Mario, and every version of Mario Kart has always ended up being one of my favourite games on that respective system, but I lately have I just become completely fed-up with the total lack of third-party support for Nintendo home consoles. I have been a Nintendo-only gamer my entire life, but I am honestly thinking of saying “the hell with this” and picking up a PS3

Super Mario 3D World and DKC: Tropical Freeze are going to be great games, but I also love racing games and third person action/adventure games, and I’m sick of there being next to no options in these genres available to me on the Wii U. I’ve played and enjoyed Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge and Need for Speed: Most Wanted (enjoyed minus the f’ing freezes), but those are literally the only choices available to me for the system with nothing else on the horizon (real racing games, not Sonic All-Stars). And yes I know Bayonetta 2 is coming, but that was announced in 2012 and I am getting sick of waiting. Plus, Nintendo will probably make us play that with the Gamepad controller, which I do not want to do. That controller is not suited to that type of game. There is a $299 PS3 bundle with Gran Turismo 5 that I have my eye on. That would open myself up to gaming experiences that I will never be able to have on the Wii U: God of War III, DmC: Devil May Cry, the original Bayonetta that doesn’t control with a stupid tablet, and so on. The Gamepad is not a selling point. Nintendo has no idea what to do with it besides to make it a map and allow you to access things that are easier done by pressing ‘pause’ on another system.

Mario Kart 8 and Super Mario 3D World are going to be amazing, but I want to have different gaming experiences as well, and Nintendo just doesn’t offer them to me. I’ve been a gamer for 22 years and I’m rooting for Nintendo, but you’re all kidding yourselves if you don’t think that Nintendo is in trouble.

Just goes to show you how clueless Microsoft execs are.

But now all I'm thinking about is a new Star Fox game for the Wii U. Maybe Nintendo will surprise us with that at next year's E3.

@ULTRA-64

I agree. Too bad the Wii U will be buried by the PS4 by April. Nintendo had a full year to build momentum before the actual next-gen consoles arrived, and they released Lego City Undercover during that time... yeah...

It's a shame that a 1995 SNES title has a much better graphical style than this 2013 3DS effort. If they included a heavy black outline on everything that would probably help.

Also, stop putting the word "NEW" in every title that you make, Nintendo. Could you not have thought of a suitable subtitle?

Just hurry up and finish Bayonetta 2...

Because every new Mario Kart game is SO new and different from the last one in the series. And how different are the four New Super Mario Bros. titles from each other? Don't get me wrong, I own every game that I just mentioned and have enjoyed them all, but come on Nintendo, don't use this as an excuse for not bringing a F-Zero title to your struggling console.

@Samus06

I couldn't agree more. Now that it's confirmed for this game hopefully Tropical Freeze and Mario Kart 8 will follow suit.

And I bet I won't be able to use my Pro Controller with this game... or Super Mario 3D World, or Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, or Bayonetta 2, or Wind Waker HD. Why the hell did Nintendo even make that damn controller if they're never going to let us use it with any of their games? I don't want to play any of these games with a big clunky tablet controller.

People need to stop complaining and be thankful for what they're getting. It's not Mario Galaxy 3. Get over it. Super Mario 3D Land is an excellent game; better than any of the New Super Mario Bros. games, and unique and distinct from the Galaxy games. The game felt like what Super Mario World would be like if it was played in a 3D space as each level was its own self-contained obstacle course, just like in that SNES classic.

This new game is going to be excellent. I'm sure Mario Galaxy 3 will be released sometime in the future, but you know what? I wouldn't be surprised if Mario 3D World ended up being the one that sold better in the end. Compare the Galaxy 2 sales with those of 3D Land.

Some people are just never happy. For months they have been crying that there's no first party software coming, then that software gets announced and they still aren't happy.

I better be able to use my Pro Controller...

Donkey Kong 64 had way too much stuff to collect. I like collecting things in games, to a point anyways. DK64 got to the point where it was just tedious. As a child it took me 72 hours to get 100% completion, and by that time I was so sick of the game that I never wanted to play it again.

People think that DK64 was such an amazing game, but it really wasn't. Those people loved the SNES games and then, because it was a 3D platformer, they immediately thought that DK64 was the greatest thing ever made.

Nintendo Life, have you ever thought about NOT writing an article about every single rumour that comes your way? If you had just waited 5 hours on this story than you would have had conformation that you had no story at all. It seems like more and more of your articles these days are based entirely in rumour, with a sentence at the end saying that you’ve reached out for clarification, only to tell us later that nope, sorry, the rumour was completely false.

Maybe next week you’ll be writing again about that Majora’s Mask remake for the 3DS that’s never going to happen.

These days developers would simply release the game with the game-breaking-bug enact. Skyward Sword, Metroid: Other M, etc. I applaud Rare for thinking of a work-around to the problem here.

That’s disappointing that literally all of the gameplay options from the original are not present here. I had my eye on this game until I read this review and had all of that brought to my attention. Looks like I’ll just stick with the first game.

Also, the frame rate and visuals are just fine in the original.

@ferthepoet

When you're done playing with the Gamepad just put it back on the charger. Unless you're playing with the Wii U for 4 hours straight I really don't understand how the battery life can be an issue.

We do not need another 3DS revision. When you’re done playing with the system simply plug it in so it’s charged for the next time you want to use it. It’s really no big deal.

I doubt this feature will be in the Wii U version. The system has a hard enough time running non-Nintendo published games, period, so getting something like this to work properly on the machine is likely asking for too much. My Wii U has froze on me before when I was simply trying to turn the system off, so...

Couldn't care less about any of the Wii U-specific features; this is hands down one of the greatest games ever made. I suppose all of that other stuff is just icing on the cake for others.

Nintendo making another stupid decision? Simply unheard of.

I know this is meant to be a family-friendly website, so please pardon my language when I say the following: go to Hell, EA.

Then maybe you should have named the system something else, you stupid company.

Just buy the game from a store like we've all been doing for the last 25 years. Problem solved.

The game looks like garbage, and I think Nintendo knows this. The pirate game especially seems like a recipe for disaster. “Let’s shake our new strapless tablet controller up and down. What a brilliant idea! People will love having to replace their broken gamepads, despite the fact that we don’t sell such a product.” Idiots.

How about you continue to investigate ways to deliver games for the Wii U, Nintendo. I don't really care what you show or don't show at E3 or how you plan to show it, just release some games for your struggling system before the PS4 and Nextbox launch.

I love Super Mario World and it is probably my all-time favourite game in the Mario series, but how many times does Nintendo expect us to buy it? I bought it years ago when it was ported to the GBA, and then I snapped it up again when it was released on the Wii Virtual Console because playing it on a TV screen trumps the GBA screen. Why on Earth would I buy it again? Just so I can play it on the gamepad? I don't think so.

@gamereternal

Buddy, who cares about the review score? As long as you’re enjoying the game why does it really matter what other people think?

I don’t know why everybody on this site is so hung up on the Darksiders franchise and whether or not it finds a new home. I played Darksiders 2 on my Wii U last fall and the game was utter trash. Not only was it one of the most unpolished games that I’ve ever played (I encountered a game-breaking glitch 30 minutes before the final boss, among other glitches and crashes), but the whole design and concept of the game was complete garbage as well in my opinion. Why should a Horseman of the Apocalypse be solving crate-pushing puzzles? I understand it’s a video game, but come on. A Horseman should be killing things, not pushing crates and boulders, pulling levers, or activating pressure plates to open doors. Put the series in the hands of Platinum Games and we might have something worthwhile; if it’s going to be brought back in the same vein as the Vigil versions then they might as well leave the franchise to rot. Now watch how fast people jump all over this comment because I bad-mouthed their precious Darksiders 2.

I hope Nintendo doesn’t screw this up by tacking on motion control or by making us use the gamepad. Wind Waker is a masterpiece and was perfect in 2003 before Nintendo started to think that all games would be better if we had to shake our arms or tap little icons on touch screens. Just update the visuals and let me use the Pro Controller.

Last night I replayed both DKC AND DKC 2, two of my all-time favourite games. It reminded me of just how much I miss the games of childhood, when we just used buttons to control our games. Back then all Nintendo games did not need to have motion control, dual screens, touch pads, or a tablet controller. I wanted to love DKCR, but I found the pointless motion controls too off-putting. Now that I can simply push a button to start DK rolling I think I can finally enjoy this game.

Things will pick up. We all know that the next 3D Mario is in the works, plus the next Mario Kart and Smash Bros. as well. Once these games are released systems will start selling. People forget that the 3DS had a terrible launch and was completely overpriced, but now that system is thriving and has an incredible software that can’t be matched. I’m not saying that the Wii U is necessarily overpriced, but the software will come eventually, just like it did for the 3DS. Sometimes things just take time. The PS3 had an awful first year but has since almost caught up to the 360 in terms of systems sold. The Wii U is never going to match the sales success of the Wii, but honestly, who cares as long as we all get the games that we want for the system?

Just be impressed that it's actually coming out alongside the other versions of the game and not several months after the fact.

The 3DS is putting together one impressive game library, that’s for sure.

We're all entitled to our opinions here, but I have to say that I think that thing is pretty ugly. The design looks like germs under a microscope.

In my opinion Lego City Undercover is one of, if not the best games the Wii U has to offer. I’ve put over 40 hours into the game and am only at 71% completion. It’s simply a massive game and is a great value for your money. Therefore, I don’t understand why anybody would want to play a stripped down 3DS game, set in the exact same city, with technical issues and all the fog from Turok 2, especially when the first/better game was only released a few weeks ago.

Just bring me Wind Waker HD. Really couldn't care less about Pikmin 3.

Hopefully Nintendo develops this in-house and doesn’t turn to Artoon or any other third party for development duties. Yoshi’s Island DS was not very well done. Also, maybe just stick to having Baby Mario. The whole baby swapping mechanic was really annoying in the DS game.

Symphonia was a great game, but I think my personal favourite in the series has to be Tales of the Abyss. I bought it for the 3DS last fall and loved it. Great story, great battle system, and memoriable characters. It was 55 hours well spent

Very interested, though a part of me was kind of hoping for a new Burnout title. I still go back and play Burnout 2 on my Gamecube every once in a while.

I wasn't aware that the 3DS has performance issues. Wii U, on the other hand...

The lag and frame-rate issues in Sonic Racing have nothing to do with the system itself; it has everything to do with the fact that the developers' proirity was with the console versions of the game, not with the 3DS version. They probably figured that nobody would want to play a sub-par version of an HD racing game on a handheld, but I guess clearly people do want to do that.

Maybe instead of worrying about things like this Nintendo could, I don’t know, focus on releasing games for its latest console… or making sure that the thing doesn’t freeze on you during gameplay, forcing you to unplug the machine from the wall to turn it off. Just a thought.

Nintendo needs to get their s%&@ together. Plain and simple.

I like the inclusion of an easy mode, however, I think the game will be easier simply due to the fact that this version will not have motion control like the original release. Please just make the thing control like the SNES games.

@CountEkkiM Dude, edit your damn post before you hit enter. Reading that was painful...