Phantom_R

Is this the rhythm game one? Oh boy! Good rhythm games are hard to come by.

The interface looks exactly like Style Savvy. I mean, not that I play Style Savvy....

Somebody glue this mess back together.

Ugly Nintendo sweaters!?

After trying the demo... wow. This could not have been a more shameless clone of Risk. Although while World Conqueror is fueled by devouring battery life, Risk devours friendships, mercilessly and irreparably.

An interesting note:

The Link from Skyward Sword is the second chronologically--it's stated that there was another hero before him, and an image of that hero shows that he has a scarf. So if this is meant to be canon in any way to the timeline (like both Four Swords games) then this might be the first Link.

Any smartphone game is usually enough to drive me back to Nintendo...

I still think they're promoting the disc version too much. I mean, not requiring a disc is nearly the whole reason why I played the original, like, twice, and the Wii U version, like, every day.

Another week, another Lego game for every console.

Nothing breeds customer confidence like selling a product for $220 and then slashing the price by $70 not a month later.

I didn't know Blockbuster was still around--I haven't seen one in the US in well over a decade. Oh well. It's always sad to see someone going out of business, especially just before Christmas, but that's just how the world works. Markets have to evolve.

It was obviously an error. Not even Sakurai is ever sure when his games will be finished.

If this is the same soundtrack Japan got, then expect some very freaky remixes. They took a lot of, um, artistic licenses with many of these. The kind with 90-second techno introductions.

Balloon Fighter is so overpriced for nothing. Starship Defense has been on here before. And Lost Levels is much easier to control on the 3DS than the Wii. Mario's Picross is a steal though.

It'll be interesting to see what happens in the Xbox/Playstation rivalry this gen. They're both offering basically the same games and experiences as each other and their predecessors while only Nintendo is providing anything different.

The Louvre, huh? I wonder if they'll run into the Rhythm Thief.

The Legend of Zelda is to generations today what things like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings were in the past.

Nintendo games in general tend to be like that, although if you hand Pokemon Red and Blue to your little cousins playing X and Y results may be mixed. But over the years I've noticed that they've been learning to appreciate the quality I've been showing them over the overwhelming quantity they're showered with.

I'd even go as far as saying that Nintendo is the link between Japanese and Western cultures. Without them we wouldn't have gotten interested in Japan's creative works--at least not to the extent we are today. You have to try really hard to overestimate Nintendo's cultural impact, between societies or generations.

You can definitely notice that Nintendo is going all-out right now: among Awakening, New Leaf, 3D World, A Link Between Worlds, etc., they've taken up more of an "anything goes" policy, where anything that's fun and new gets thrown into the game. Kid Icarus: Uprising is the ultimate embodiment of this.

It's Nintendo's new way of not having to contend with the Xbox One and PS4, which are providing nearly identical games and experiences. Nintendo's strategy is bound to win... but only if you can get a non-believer to take the plunge.

I mean, my brothers and their devout Xbox fanboys didn't even know that the Wii U was a new console until I played Nintendo Land with them, and even they were convinced.

It's up to us to sell the Wii U. There's my proof. Nintendo's given us the tools and we need to do the converting.

Oh, those crazy Sony fanboys!

Yeah, that... that's "conception" alright. Though I've got to recommend taking a bit more than 18 years to get it over with.

Happy frickin birthday, Wii U! I bought mine the day after Christmas even though it had nothing I wanted--but hey, I knew I'd buy it eventually so I figured I'd get it over with.

And man, I never thought Nintendo Land would be SO MUCH FUN. The Wii U has just so many little things to do that I'm always doing something different every day.

Can Layton solve the mystery of why his North American and European localizations are so completely different???

If you download the trial version, then you can keep the full game if you just buy the $20 Fit Meter. Even if you won't play it much, that's still a great deal and a small investment for those of us who have an old Balance Board.

Those little houses got me thinking... what if Nintendo made collectible replicas of Animal Crossing furniture so we could all obsess over REAL Animal Crossing houses? Or are we not prepared to spend that kind of money?

Aonuma's recent video appearances have revealed that is secretly one hilarious little man.

@mariobro4 Curling is basically Extreme Frozen-Water Floor Sweeping, which many people do not find to be as engaging as basket-weaving.

Oh, gods. This is exactly the kind of thing I'd put on my resume for agents and editors... I could write something terrible for The Legend of Zelda if that's not, like, by default already taken. If not then IT'S MINE!

As an improv actor, I can say: Wayne Brady is black Jesus.

Someone still doesn't have a Wii?

@JuanitoShet Well, I'd rather be a smartdonkey than a dumbdonkey. Too many people who are attracted to these games aren't the most virtuous folks you'll come across.

Although I will say that GTA is some grand fun with that cheat that makes all the cars try to crash into you. That trumps beating innocent old women any day.

@ferrers405 Considering the amount of crude misogynist sex jokes GTA makes, I wouldn't put it above the coherence of your average stoner film.

Absolutely not. My IQ is a little too high for that kind of "entertainment"

I can't imagine anyone--especially in this day and age--wanting to replace Shantae with a male lead. She's a half-genie who fights by belly dancing and whipping her hair back and forth. If that doesn't sound awesome to you... get out.

Theatrhythm will never be half as good as Rhythm Thief, but a sequel this expansive may warrant a purchase for the 3DS's inferior rhythm game.

@rastamadeus It's a matter of getting what you pay for. There's a reason why cheap downloadable software isn't held up to the same expectations as full-price retail titles. You're not getting $50 of game out of Angry Birds Trilogy.

This is $50 for a game you can get for $3 or free elsewhere. You should be taking that absurd price tag into consideration for this review...

No, Reggie, the consumer doesn't know that you have a new system, because your commercials are so vague. I've been asked by more than a few people how I fit those discs into my gamepad.

He's no golden Wii remote.

Nintendo really has a way of making people regret buying their systems...

Hero Mode is an effortless tack-on. It doesn't challenge the player's skill--it challenges their patience by making them constantly leave dungeons to stock up on health. Not one other detail in the whole game changes.

@WingedFish Now THAT'S how you get kids to go to church.

Devs take online play out of Wii U titles because they don't want to pay server space for a game that won't make money because nobody will buy it because it doesn't have online play.

Does that answer your questions?

Gah. If I wanted to forcefully shove down every button on my 3DS at once I'd play Mario Kart 7.

Mini Legos... why doesn't that sound like a good idea to me?

@Dogpigfish Europe gets more promotions because they're more reluctant to buy games. And complaining about a big game like SMT4 costing an extra $10 is kind of silly when you consider that Wii games are $50 and you still buy those. Plus, that's how much 3DS games can cost in Europe anyway.

The only question here is why the 3DS doesn't have a video chat feature.

@FuseBlues Oh, it's just a generalization!

The UK is a messed up place where everybody is addicted to the yearly FIFA update for the 360. There's really nothing else they care about.

It's not about sequels. It's about continuing to promote these good games once the system takes off instead of giving up on them--think of "evergreen" titles like New Super Mario Bros., which Nintendo never stops advertising. Older 3DS games like Dead or Alive: Dimensions and Rhythm Thief should be re-advertised now that the 3DS has a way bigger install base, and once the Wii U is thriving the same should be done with games like ZombiU.

Makes you wonder... when you see an eShop game with 100 ratings, how many times has it actually been downloaded?