@aaronsullivan Kudos for a sensible post. I agree that gamepad is great and loved the implementation in games like BatmanAC and even ME3. Watch Dogs is the perfect game for gamepad integration but it bothers me that Ubi has been so dodgey in talking or showing anything. I think we will see it and likely have minimal unique features for gamepad....like AC4. Very happy we are still getting the eShop only Child of Light game. In the end WiiU will have a great library and a number of good 3rd party games. I just love it when 3rd party game is well developed on a Nintendo platform. Honestly for 3rd party WiiU has gotten good support since launch but like you, I am worried for 2014 and beyond so I think its up to Nintendo, Indies, and the occasional japanese colaboration to carry the system as western devs are likely going to bail. Its sad because I would love to play every game on WiiU as I love both two screen gaming and offTV gaming.
@Yamitora1 When hackers reverse engineered the gamepad they found it can be firmware upgraded and could be streamed thru wifi. Also there appears to be two channels supported. I am happy Iwata doubled down on Gamepad now show us something Nintendo!
I agree...make a gamepad 2.0 slimmer, maybe even slightly less screen size (with same resolution) and use the bigger battery.
In an interview Shiggy said 'We make hardware to be able to have the specific features we need to apply our software vision'. I am paraphrasing, but in the past this has always been true....until now?
I just don't get it as Nintendo has always been able to implement unique hardware into their games but suddenly now they are dumbfounded? Whats odd is so many gamers have been able to envision how the gamepad could be used for all sorts of games.
You want a system saver how about pokemon mmorpg with the ability to import the pokemon you raised in x/y and use them in the game. How about Nintendo kisses blizzards ass ang gets a Star Craft WiiiU with exclusive gamepad async play and online.
How about getting Magic 2014 on WiiU or better yet make a Pokemon TCG where you play the cards on gamepad and battles play out on screen in 3D.
Last console saving idea.....A true football sim....like old Sierra Sport Football. Support 2 gamepads (the system can) and also online play. The 'coach' calls the plays on gamepad and can also audible, use gamepad for roster management, to draw up custom,plays, select a hot route or wether to blitz or drop a defender. Then again the game plays out in realistic, game presentation style. So the idea is interactive football. Tell me hardcore gamer/sport fans in the US arent't ready for this type of experience?
Keep the gamepad, make it better and fearure it in unique games and it would be a hit.
Hopefully this is still coming as Ubisofts games have been pretty good. i have ZombieU, Rayman, and AC4 and they did great on those games. You know everyone talking about ps4 and xb1 fast sales but lets remember WiiU had fast start as well. I think this year will be very telling as far as the environment for gaming. WiiU already at 5.5mil units with DK and MK8 out before watchdogs. I would expect WiiU to be close to 8mil units by then.....XB1 and PS4 likely won't be much higher at that point. No other sandbox game is announced for WiiU so it could do better than expected. BTW Child of light is still confirmed for WiiU but isn't it supposed to be digital only?
@readyletsgo I agree....WiiU VC iscuking hard....it seemed on Wii many games from Nintendo and 3rd parties were released every month. That and nothing past SNES yet....the damed WIIU is essentially an HD Wii and can run Wii and GC code natively. Having the damned GC greats on my gamepad would be a great way to pass the time between major releases.....Nintendo should have a team selecting and preparing these games and stop half assing it. Everyone talks about their warchest I wish they would open it and satisfy their fans.
@jrob23 i don't agree with everything you said, but I do agree about Wii having many good 3rd party games that were lost in the shovelwear blizzard. There are truly over 100 very good games for Wii but like 400 that are complete doggieoopsie. Games like No More Heroes, Red Steele2, Zak and Wki are all excellent 3rd party exclusives that likely sold poorly because of no recogznition. What happnened to the old Nintendo seal of quality.
I am not really a big online multiplayer fan but I think the lack of features in WiiU games is getting old and hurting system and game sales. i mean the WiiU is just always beeing seen as less than. Some games are built for local multiplayer like M3DW which is fine but when games have online on every other version its inexcusable. I would like to see more games use cross platform multiplay and that would solve the problem of not enough WiiU players to support online infrastructure. When companies do local co-op or multiplayer the don't always support async play. Honestly a game like splinter cell BL would have been so cool with local go-op with async. The WiU could be so much better if devs, including Nintendo were using the features it provides more.
@AtlanteanMan Yes yes and yes......especially now that Sega owns Altus. Sega was a lot like Nintendo with their hardware designing, always willing to try new and different things. Sega has always been seen as far more edgey and 'hip' yet has family and mascot series as well. Then they should make a portable/console hybrid that plays both WiiU and 3DS....they could rule the world!
I am not sure flash sales are that viablle for Nintendo, but what does need to be looked at is making older digital titles competitive versus used at retail. Buy 2 get one sales, lower prices in general on older titles and maybe a more sassy rewards club (then say DDP which no ones seems to use) would all be helpful.
Silcon Knights was truly doomed by the failure of To Human which they worke on and hyped for years but then never delivered.....if it had been a financial sucess they would have never started the suit against epic. The other interesting point is how well Nintendo has handled 2nd party arrangements like they had with Rare and SK.....I wish Nintendo would take an interest in a new western dev and turn out some great stuff like those two teams did.
@AtlanteanMan I like your list more than the OPs......
Yes yes and yes to Advance wars on WiiU but I would like it on 3DS as well with game save share form campaign and then cross play wifi multiplayer.
Suiko.....one of my faorite series but mostly been on Sony other than the DS strategy game....still nothing meaningful since ps2 era.....i would take a new game in any system.
Sega baffles me with their overall decisions...they have just bailed on so many great franchises.....Skies of Arcadia 2 would be awesome. Shenmue was the model for sandbox adventure games and had a pretty solid fighting system. The would need to do either a 1/2 HD remake or do a mini movie to get most players up to date on the story.
While making the rpg wish list how about Tales of Symph HD remake comes to WiIU as afterall both games were Nintendo system developed and I another big wish is Baten Katos III as a card battling rpg using gamepad would be awesome.
@Luna-Harmony Nintendo could easily make a 3DS emulator for WiiU and then allow us to use digital purchased games on either sysyem and move our saves thru a cloud. Once upon a time they had the GBA player for Cube and that did a pretty good job emulating gba and allowing you to plug in carts and even do cable link with another gba......I really think in a future generation Nintendo is going to have a single portable system with HDMI connectivity so its home and away and that is how they could rule the world again!
Whats funny is major publishers who invented the genre can't make and sell good 2D/2.5D platform games any longer (not counting Nintendo) but 1/2 the Indy games coming out are platform games and people eat them up. It can still be done and done well. Mark of the Ninja was damned near my favorite game of 2013.....awesome and so many cool gameplay styles and options....and thats the key.....SOTN and the GBA/DS games got that and were a blast because of all the weapons,spells,items you could find and unlock that enhanced the gameplay. Maybe Konami/Capcom should consider a digital model with smaller games, lower prices, and installments? BTW MOF on 3DS is very underrated.....I was turned off buy poor reviews but got it cheap and was very surprised.....it is more combat oriented but is still great....very nice 2.5D grafx, tight controls, good, mixed up, convoluted story.....more platform beatem up than metrovania but still well worth a look either on 3DS or ps3.
It seems like WiiU sold what like 300K units it Japan alone in December? The US sales are going to be higher than that so if WiiU actually did over 1 mil for the month worldwide then that is its best month since NOV/DEC of 2012. Remember everyone was selling they will tank hard once ps4/xb1 is launched but even in the face of great sales for those 2 new systems the WiiU is having a great month...................just forget about XB1 in japan....ps4 will do crazy numbers in Feb when it gets released, but two generations of XB have failed hard in Japan and nothing is going to change....It really looks like Nintendo has improved the situation in Jap and USA but are still really struggling to move WiiU's in EU/UK........
Well it does suck that this is happening right when everyone is opening their new machines and trying to get their pack in downloads like the Zelda bundles and such.....I think this is likely more related to them going live with the PokeCloud in japan than just high user demand.....the system already has high utilzation with millions of 3DS being sold every month so its more likely they launched this new service and it threw a wrench in the works............Also before totally ripping Nintendo....lets just remember when PSN got hacked (twice) it was down for extended periods both times (like what a month the first time)....Target got totally pawned a few days ago, and also our glorious government after 3 years and $700mil still can't get the healthcare exchange website right.....so just chilll....play whatever games you got and lets hope the service is back up soon!
Well it does suck that this is happening right when everyone is opening their new machines and trying to get their pack in downloads like the Zelda bundles and such.....I think this is likely more related to them going live with the PokeCloud in japan than just high user demand.....the system already has high utilzation with millions of 3DS being sold every month so its more likely they launched this new service and it threw a wrench in the works............Also before totally ripping Nintendo....lets just remember when PSN got hacked (twice) it was down for extended periods both times (like what a month the first time)....Target got totally pawned a few days ago, and also our glorious government after 3 years and $700mil still can't get the healthcare exchange website right.....so just chilll....play whatever games you got and lets hope the service is back up soon!
I like a lot of this article and see it as more reasonable than a lot of analysts. Were I disagree is with Nintendo just copying to do something new and the design as a failure. Are we really ready to give up on two screen gaming so quickly? After barely a year and no great software examples are we calling it bunk? I hope not because I actually like dual screen gaming and I and others have put forth many great game ideas so eventually devs will make them. So the question is will we have dual screen gaming in the future as a norm....if so then WiiU will be seen as a pioneer despite its sales performance.
I have really been thining the same thing....handheld/console convergence is the future and a future Nintendo could dominate. Vita was supposed to have hdmi out and then whiffed on it and now is tryin Vita TV....the key is one device design. I though a slimmed down gamepad sized handheld and then an vita tv sized box U keep connect to your hdmi and usb devices. Come in range and the portable links with the box and streams content to your hdtv....who wouldn't want that?
If you look at VGZ charts momentum is building...lthe system did close to 250K global he last week of November alone. So each month has improved especially in US and Japan (which Japan has no other new console). EU and UK still have little lift. The question is an they keep the momentum they have built? If they can keep selling say 600k-1mil a month global then the sysyem will be a moderate success probably selling close to N64's 35mil. Nintendo seems to have not just an adveftising problem but management ones as well. Let me elaborate:
1. Many 3rd parties have said Nintendo did nothing during the design of WiiiU to consult them for ideas.....which Sony and M$ both did.
2. Wii momentum and development ended in 2010 with Zelda SS the only major in 2011. Yet Nintendo had no major 1st party at launch.....which Wii, GC, N64, Snes and Nes all had....funny 3DS same problem and same horrible start.
3. They did such a horrible job naming and marketing most consumers didn't even know what it was.
4. They kept whiffing with E3.....first by bowing out of a major presentation and then by really dissapointing by hyping Retro and a new 3D mario and then delivering news of 3D World and DKCTF...which are going to be great games ut were not what fans were wanting?
5. They couldn't get any co-operation for major announcements at e3 for games like COD which took months of rumors before lamely confirmed. Why couldn't they go to activison and say lets do a promotion with a new WiiU Zapper....notthing suprising. It was admitted that games like GTA5 and Crysis 3 had builds running on WiiU but nothing.....Nintendo should have went to Rock Star and thrown money and an offer to publish WiiU version....do something. They did no joint promotions even with strong supporter Ubi who could have showed off Splinter Cell, AC4, and Rayman which all turned out very good.
6. Whatever the hell happened with EA...people blame EA who beyond just pulling support also trashed the console and in a way its supporters. I don't think this just happened due to poor sales and/or orgin....something bad and ugly must have went down between Ea and Nintendo...say what you want but if anybody needs anyone more is Nintendo and not EA...as they will keep selling millions od units on orher systems while Nintendo get no Madden, Fifa, NFS, ME or Dragon Age.
7. While the libray has more dpeth than people want to admit with great exclusives like Lego City, MHU, Pikman, W101, 2 Mario games, Zelda WW as well as some good 3rd party releases like Batman, nfsmw, injustice, rayman, deus ex, ac4 and 2 cOD games the system is totally lacking in other areas mostly sports and racing.
8. VC is moving so slow on WiiU and has done nothing to excite other than get Earthbound releases.....No N64, no GC, why not bring DS and 3DS to wiiu?
So bad moves have been made. The WiiU is not terrible spec wise and the gamepad is not a bad concept but needs better utilzation. If I was their CEO this is what I would do.
1. Go kiss the donkey of some key 3rd party companies and titles. Throw some money and even help porting engines like dice to WiiU.
2. Colaborate like they did with Sega on F-Zero, SSB with namco , and SMTxFE with Altus...titles that the don't want to or have time to develop they should farm out and then oversee and publish. Criterion did awesome on NFSMW...imagine them doing a new waverace or excite bike/truck.
3. Do a major cross over 3DS/WiiU title like Pokemon, Animal Crossings, how about Advance wars.....make it so you can cross play/buy and also move your campaign and online battles between home/portable. 3DS over 40mil now...why not entice those gamers onto wiiU.
4. Get a marketing team with a clue that knows how to build hype.
5. Keeping a steady stream od 1st and 3rd party exclsusives is a must.
6. Get off your donkeys on VC and bring something more than nes/snes.
Last idea is for the future.....everyone says WiiU2 must come soon but that would be a horrible move....but how about this....as we know WiiU is not super powerful, nor uses a lot of watts of power. So in a few years when 3DS is winding down make a discless WiiU handheld....that uses a slimmer, trimmer Gamepad design and runs WiiU games and maybe has more ram and flash.....and has a wireless module with hdmi for hdtv second screen and usb3 ports for Hd and sd slot.....now I could play offTV anywhere, come home and go dual screen....so in the next generation Nintendo makes one console that is portable and home......the have always dominated handhelds..if they could make a portable strong enough to do 1080P then many portable users would see no need to buy a home console and Nintendo could rule the world again.
I just think people forget the reason to own a console and play games and that is to have fun and enjoy being a gamer. I have been a gamer since the dawn of gaming and have owned just about everything ever made. Sony and MS execs have been saying this all year about the non-wow factor of next gen graphics. Still the nee HD twins are a big boost over current gen and eventually we will see some impressive games with improved grafx, but more importantly depth and features. WiiU is a niche machine and to me pretty slick and well concieved. It will get lots of good games in its life but Nintendo just isn't going to be a market leader. The system already has some very unique content like MH, Lego city, ZombieU, 2 mario game, Zelda WW, Pikman and W101. Add to that some solid more conventional games like 2 Batmans, AC3/4, COD, rayman, injustice, nfsmw, ans deus ex. Yet because of snubs by EA and 2K WiiU has almost no sports and little racing. So entire genres are missing and this makes it hard for WiiU to be the goto system for all needs or players. The problem is also many WiiU gamers don't care so no imcentive to bring certain genres to WiiU.....I think WiiU could do an awesome golf game with wiimote plus and gamepad both used....soocer, football, and baseball could all really do great things with the gamepad....I just hope in its life someone tries.
If WiiU could keep 111K units a wek going then the future will be fine. 5-6mi WiiU a year will really be enough to guarentee its gets lots of good games in its 5yr life. What else is good is software unit sales of over 800K and Mario World only out for 1 day when chart compiled. What these charts show is a signigicant drop for ps4 after a steller week one and then a great week one for XB1...once all the preorders and people willing to stand in line falls off for these new systems I think demand will soften significantly. The longevity of ps360 will be a damper on sales in 2014....Sony was smart to delay Japan release of ps4 till 2014 as that will help when numbers slumping in western markets. Nintendo is doing what they need to now with more visability, better prices, and games games games.....just keep it up and 2014 might be better than people think.
I know this is a UK/EU centric site but let me say WiiU has a solid retail presence in the US......Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Gamestop all have good game selection with all the current and many older releaes. Best Buy, Walmart and Gamestop all had updated kiosks with new demos and videos of all new releases including 3rd party. The Zelda and Mario/Luigi bundles are selling well and Skylanders bundle can be had for $275 (which is essentially $200 for a basic as Skylanders sells for $75 here). Nintendo will not drop support for WiiU before its time. It will get its 5 years as it woul dbe suicide for them to can it early unless they truly are done making consoles. Whats amazing is that Vita (which I also own) has done similarly horrible have awful sales weeks and even less quality software than WiiU even though it has been out twice as long. I never hear anything about it in the news or people saying it will be dumped....if anything Sony has doubled down pushin it as a ps4 companion device and making it a good platform for indy titles and ps1classics. Even if WiiU falls short on sales it is still a good place for Nintendo to cut its teeth on HD gaming...eventually they will do something outstanding with the gamepad. In some ways WiiU is very under appreciated....OffTV play is super if you need/want it, the variety of input devices like WiiMote, pro controller, balance board really offers devs a lot of options when they utilize them. Unity and HTML5 make Indy development easy......I think when the library fills out and it gets even cheaper it couod sell better later as people look for an alternate choice to the HD twins.
Obviously Nintendo made some mistakes with the first 8 months of WiiU but in last 4 months things have tightened up considerably. Nintendo has not owned every generation in consoles. Nes, Snes, and Wii were incredible succeses but N64 and GC and now WiiU were only moderately sucessful. So what? Those older systems still has awesome games and WiiU will also. Meanwhile what has always buttered Nuntendos bread and kept them in the black is handhelds. Whifh they have entirely dominated every generation. Even with stiff competition from phones and tablets Nintendo is still on track to sell 75-80mil 3DS and is once again trashing the competition (vita). So they will be fine...just keep innovating, and making great games and they will keep rolling on.
Actually I believe AC3 got all DLC? Rayman sold poorly on all systems but actually sold better on WiiU than ps360 and they have 75mil bases compared to 4mil for WiiU. ZombieU sold over 400K which isn't bad for a launch game on a new console. Splinter Cell sold like poo on all systems but was really weak on WiiU. W101 selling poorly is a real shame as it is a cool spin on an action SRPG......hopefully things pick up for 3rd parties because not all the ports are crap...some of them have been good and deserve better support.
Check out Plex which is a free multiplayform media server. You can install on your pc and it will setup a local web service that youmcan access withmthe wiiU web browser and watch your videos thru the browser on tv or gamepad. I agree though in that I wish Nintendo or anyone would make a decent media player and put it on eShop for 5-10.....it would be a hit to be sure.
@rjejr Agree that the W101 sales were sad.....which is too bad because it is a very cool and unique action SRPG. Also not all ports to WiiU have been poo. Batman AC, NFSMW, Injustice, AC4, Deus EX are all excellent ports. With B1 the port would be easy because platinum has already mastered WiiU and aleady has an engine up and runnin for B2 that the B1 assets could be plugged into. Will they do it...maybe...it would be a good move to build awreness before the B2 release.....if it sells a few 100k it might help launch B2 to bigger sales. Honestly if B2 tanks as bad as W101 sales wise I think Nintendo needs to buy Platinum games because they want 'core' gamers and need to build more titles to attract them and eventually Platinum might sell better on WiiU.
The problem with these analysts is they just don't understand real gamers. As long as 'core' gamers continue to be then there wiil always be products and games for us. I am of the opinion that casuals are not ruining gaming just expanding it....honestly there is jusy so little of depth on mobile gaming that nothing can touch a game like DKCR or Mario...or zelda, or all the jrpgs or ac or any of it....I own ios devices and driod devices....the best hope for a gaming phone is if sony or microsoft or nintendo would make it and then get real games on it......surely it will happen someday but until the its 3DD all the way.
@Peach64 I have thought the same thing with a gamepad about 80% the size of the current one. I have large hands so don't mind he gamepad size as it is suprisingly slim and light.......I too love it for OffTV as it is the ultimate handheld in the living room. Not sure they should make a no-gamepad model at this point as it would further confuse consumers. I think making games that better utilize 2 screen console gaming is the best strategy. Every type of game that could really show of gamepad with no one has made. Imagine a depthful rpg like skyrim or draon age on WiiU with all menu and character management on gamepad...or a damend SRPG like Fire Emblem or even Advance war or Starcraft. How about a battling card game like the upcoming Hearthstone from blizzard. A game like eye of judgement would be cool if it supported multiple gamepads and online play and let you play the cards on the gamepad but battles played out in realtime on the Tv. Just doing somethng that requires the gamepad and is appealing would help so much. They need to work on handheld to console ideas and games as they have this 35mil installed 3DS base they could be won to WiiU with the right type of cross play/buy experiences. I just hope they wake up and figure out how WiiU ganepad could be used.
Yeh I was wishing Nintendo would make a 3DS emulator for WiiU using the TV as top screen and gamepad as bottom screen. As it looks like they are heading towards a unified account system then they could allow to download your 3DS eShop purchases to WiiU and play them on that system. I think it would really help to boost WiiU sales as it would entice many 3DS owners to finally make the jump into a WiiU and would also encourage more digital sales as people would want the digital versions over carts if they could play them on both the handheld and console. I still have the GBA player they made for GC and that was a cool idea letting you play GBA/GB games on your tv thru the cube. Nintendo usually gets around to stuff like this in the life of the system so here is hoping we get more cool stuff like this on WiiU in the coming years.....GC virtual console is my biggest wish as I would really love to be able to play GC greats on the gamepad
Really now is the time to jump in as the library is unreal and the XL is so much of an upgrade over the original. Prices are great in the US as Meijer currently has it for $180 and target is going to be doing the new black XL for $150 in an upcoming sale. If you are an RPG fan this is the best system to own and lots of other stuff as well....sports and racing are the only genres lacking on 3DS.
I am happy they made a return to a more old school Zelda as the two DS games just didn't do much for me. This reminds me a bit of Minish Cap with camera and art style.
Well I was excited by the combined NNID news as I really hated having to buy $$$ cards for two different device. I really this is a prelude to a true account based eShop as I have both a 3DS and an XL and it seems wrong to not be able to have my purchases on both (sony lets me do this with psp/vita/ps3). Zelda 3DS and Mario 3D look great and even the Mario Party game looks nice and the multiplay from one cartridge is great. I don't think we will see another direct till after new year as the limeups are set and they are not going to want to announce or show anything new to compete with the holiday lineup. The WiiU drought is over and in addition to the excellent Zelda WW and Mario 3D the WiiU also got competent versions of AC4, COD Ghosts, and Batman AO. Those games in addition to good games like Deus Ex, Rayman, W101, Splinter Cell and Sonic give people plenty to buy/play on WiiU this xmas. January direct will be ready to show off DKC, MK8, more X and maybe a few new announcements.
@ACK.....Actually not sure if U have played AC4 on WiiU but the really did a good job on it. i have tried it on ps3 and am playing in it on WiiU and WiiU framerate not nealy as slugish in vongested areas as ps3 was. Textures and effects are better as well. I have played a lot of AC on both xbox and ps3 and sligish framerates arr somewhat the norm in yhe cities. I saw an online video of wiiu ansd it kept showing hiccups in cut scenes but in my actual play there are zero hiccups. There was a huge 1.1gb update that I am sure is a core components install.....I am guessin some of the comparison sites didn't install this update or reviewed before it was available. AC4 on WiiU is a very good port and is the best version thise side on the ps4.
I really think jany in the industry want to kill off Nintendo as a console manufacturer. Imagine how much Nintendo's great games and franchises would benefit Sony, Microsoft, Apple, or Google. WiiU has improved so much from launch. The system now operated much quicker and MiiVerse is so unique and appreciated by fans of the system. The eShop is much friendlier than PSN and Nintendo will get to unified accounts and even said they would support cross play/buy if devs (peimarily indie I assume) want it. People tha dog the gamepad most likely have never really played on it. I think it is a great device and playing OffTV is the feature so many people don't appreciate until they use it. I do a lot of handheld gaming at home and Gamepad has eaten into a lot of that time. Playing something like AC4, COD, Rayman, Zelda in your hands can't be matched on a true portable. Being sble yo just switch down from yoir hdtv to offTV is so handy for crowded households. Nintendo comtinues to have the most unique experiences. Whats wierd is Wii hardly got any multiplats and WiiU has already gotten a lot and people still whine and cry....2 batmans, cods, ac....games like me3, nfsmw, deus ex could never be on Wii. So lets all take a deep breath and see how the sales do thru xmas. I think the bundles, especially skylanders for kids will do very well. I get annoyed with those that want Nintendo to emulate the HD Twins.....why as those systems are essentially the same minus their exclusives and they are both essentially compact PCs....so get any one of the 3 and a WiiU and you will be all set.
I have it for WiiU and have also tried it on PS3 and can say without reserve the frame rate on WiiU is much better in congested areas than on ps3. There is a large 1.1gb update on first run and I wonder if the reviewer installed this update as it is critical to performance. He fails to mention that the AC series has always chugged in congested areas and if you have played the series you will find AC4 on WiiU no worse than any of the other games and IMO better until we see ps4/xb1 versions.....I am loving it and it does look peticularly sharp offTV.
Nintendo has made some mistakes with WiiU and while they are righting the ship this may just be a down generation for them like GC was. First off they were behind in online services and HD development. They are making progress....the eShop is a little more than 2yrs old and already looks and runs smoother than the bloated PSN. They still need to make their games more online featured but they are learning and leading with 3DS with good online in games like Star Ox, MK, and now Pokemon. Shiiggy admited they weren't ready for HD and that is really pathetic considering nothing of meaning came out for Wii after Zelda SS in 2011....so my question is WTF were your teams doing? Conceptually WiiU is good and better for core gamers than the haters that haven't tried it will admit. I have gamed since the beginning of games and owned just about every pc, console, handheld ever made....lso I have seen a lot. So expect in the coming years Nintendo's stuff will look great in Hd and have more online....right now they seem a little confused as to how to fit in. Their tremendous success with casuals with the Wii was a one time phenomina and I think they know that, the last time they made a play for core gamers was GC which was a great little system but failed commercially compared to the ps2. The WiiU concept could be a universal system for families and core gamers but honestly the specs are a little weak to impress core gamers. Also Nintendo just doesn't seem to be able to maintain good relations with Western 3rd parties and has a poor rep with core gamers since Wii and has already lost that market to $ony/M$. So they are sort of stuck......what they need to do is what they are doing with 3DS and that is to just make great games across the spectrum.....3DS appeals to kids, teens, adults, familes, core gamers because it has games for everyone. Just do that for WiiU and people will be drawn to good games there are enough two generaion households to accomodate the model if the games for all parties are available. Meanwhile Nintendo needs to do a lot more to work with 3rd parties than just sell units. They need to advertise, they need to colaborate and they need to in some cases pony up money to get certain titles. I personally think their best strength is their vast llibrary of IPs many of which they leave dormat for ever...why not outsource some of them that they can't develop internally and then publish them. This would encourage 3rd parties to develop on the system and give them expsosure to the system and Nintendo in a more likely to succeed environment. Whatdev wouldn't want to colaborate on something like starfox, metriod, fzero or another great franchise?
I really have mixed feelings about DLC......most muliplayer stuff is either cosmetic or its uptrades that give players willing to pay an unfair advantage in match play. Compelling players to buy it....I like the concept of single player missions but only if the game is beefy to begin with and the DLC comes out at a time when extending the life of the game makes sense. Value for content matters too as often mission DLC for full price games is $10-$20 which is a lot for what often turns out to be a few hours play....extra complication is brought on whena year after release the GOTY version comes out with full game and all DLC for $30.....am I the only one that thinks its a raquet made to take advantage of impulse purchasers?
Agree Deus EX very strong reboot of a great 2 year old game, but for my money AC4 is the best 3rd party game on WiiU....it is technically nealry flawless....Better textures, lighting, effects, and framerate than ps360 versions, get this quick load times (I think the 1.1gb update on first boot is a core component install), all extra functions like uplay, comapnion app, and online are working and its an awesome game. Right now GOTY considered IMO. Ubi really deserves credit for making this great on WiiU so please support it...worlds better than AC3 both as a game and as a well executed game!
I agree with others.....Red Steel 2 was great in its own right and the unique style and art direction should be left as they are....,thinking the same thing though which is why not Red Steele 3 on WiiU.
Got this Thursday for WiiU and it rocks....best multiplat port to date. I played the prologue on ps3 and there is more than a little difference.....WiiU much better textures, better lighting, better effects like smoke/fog/water and most importantly betterl framerate......anyone who is saying this is marginally better than ps360 is drunk because this is a true step up when you actually play them. Also on first run it does a 1.1gb 'update' which I am convinced is essentially like an HD install of core compenents....great, quick load times and no real problems with popup or texture loads, not cutscene hiccups. The only real difference I can see between WiiU and Ps4 videos is character facial rendering. If you own a WiiU you really owe it to yourself and Ubi to BUY this game.
I had WD preordered and paid for at GameStop but with the delay am going to trade it for AC4 or Ghosts.....the lack of reviews is annoying but I think there is really a concerted effort industry wide to squeeze Nintendo out of the console market. Many good WiiU games coming out now with so liitle attention...meanwhile ps4/xb1 getting hyped to high heaven when their launch lineups are all muktiplats and indies coming out on ps360. Aso the AC4 commercial does show WiiU box but Ghosts and Batman commercials make no mention. I think its because everyone is planning on dumping WiiU next year and don't want sales or recognition that they are publishing for it. I honoestly beleieved Nintendo could right the ship with WiiU but I just don't know anymore as 3rd parties hate them and retailers don't even understand the product......meaning it is Nintendo vs. the gaming world.
Square has just botched this game all the way. Its easy to see why they have been struggling and their CEO got sacked/stepped down. I was excited for this because I didn't get to it on ps360 and it looks like they gave it some love. It was likely ready at mid year when it was supposed to come out and given the sever drought I would have snapped it up at 50-60. Now price isn't the only issue as sept,oct,nov are loaded and there is just no funds for it. The game should have never been delayed for ps360 because they won't care so it is going to sell poorly across all systems. Most people that want FPS on WiiU are going to likely go for COD ghosts in Novemeber. Nintendo has not been the system for 3rd parties for 4 generations now and I just don't think it will change with WiiU.....its to bad because I love the gamepad and offTv play and would love to see games like Skyrim, dragon Age, Tomb Raider and FF games on WiiU. I have supported Ubi and will likely get Sonic, Batman and Ghosts but this game will be a budget buy.
The remarks are sort of cryptic are they not? First he says no gamepad specific features then says this alternate team is doing optimizations for the beast that is the gamepad? Imdon't get it.....you would think the 2nd screen app features would be put on the gamepad for sure right? Ubi has been a mixed bag lately. Black List looked the best on WiiU and used the gamepad well, still load times were horrible and Online was broke for all systems at launch but ps360 got fixes quick while WiiU waits. AC4 groups says they worked hard to opitimize and are proud of frame rate results ( heres hoping). Rayman is brilliant and it is obvious WiiU was lead system. I have WD pre-ordered for WiiU as I won't buy ps4 until late 2014 so I hope they do a decent version without choppy framerate. If it reviews well then I will keep it and with a game so big OffTV will be a plus, if it blows then I will not open it and trade it towars Mario or Sonic. Last thing on load times.....seeing that 90% got 32gb WiiU Why don't the games do a partial install to flash (like a lot of ps3 games) putting several gigs of textures or engine resources on flash and streaming the rest from disc? Then You could delete the installed data after done with the game....seems this would help those lon loads as surely that flash has to be faster access than disc and used in combination should provide a speed up.
Put me in the category of people who just don't give a damned about online gaming whatsoever...maybe it is a generational thing....I am an old school, dawn of time gamer and I just hate about all things online. In so many ways online features are tacked on and are shallow....obviously MMORPG, Head to head sports games or squad FPS games are games meant for online and make sense. I liked the first Batman a lot on x360 but never got to the second one....I will wait to see how this pans out but actually am more looking forward to 3DS version.
This is my favorite SMT series.....I am in US and played the first one in the overclocked 3DS version and then picked up the second for DS.....this series has a great story if you are at all interested in overthrowing God!
Feels strange to not be voting for a Nintendo game on this list but I have been wanting WD for too long now and just hope Ubi integrates the gamepad in cool ways as I feel they will....they are on a roll with the very solid SC BL and Rayman both coming off great on WiiU. The WiiU party controller bundle is a great idea as I don't have a wiimote+ (just the original add on that makes the controller huge) so to get that and the game for $50 is great.....Zelda going to be my first full game digital purchase as the 2 weeks early I can't resist plus get $5 back with DDP
I love how Zelda always inspires such passionate discussions with everyone having different opinions......my favorite has to be OoT and it amazes me when you consider what a programming marvel that game is....it was delivered on a 32MB cartridge.....The 3DS remake was awesome.
I like how so many people view WW positively when it was so contraversial at launch....I found the animation amazing for its day and think the WiiU remake with 1080p 60fps is going to really translate well to the modern gamer.
I just never couod get into MM as I didn't like the format but wish they would 3DS it because the moon crash replay mechanic might work better for me on a handheld.
TWP was excellent but as others have mentioned I think it is best played on GC withh wavebird as motion just wan't ready as it is with SS...
Funny but what it did have 2K football and Crazy Taxi and maybe Sonic Adv and Soul Cal at or near launch if my memory serves.....pretty great actually. Sometimes one awesome game like Zelda with N64 or Mario with SNES is better than a bunch of crap that isn't worth 50-60 but you buy anyways to have something to play. I thought X360 was decent at launch but 4 months after it got Oblivion which was super and kept me busy most of 2006. PS2 was horrible with the great Fireworks simulator and PS3 was so bad I didn't buy until 2008 when the MGS4 bundle came out. GC was actually pretty good with SW Rogue Leader and Waverace and a few other decent games and Wii was good with the ever popular Wii Sports and the TLP upgrade (which I actually played on GC because it was out a few months earlier and didn't use motion controls). So certainly launches vary but what always follows is drought where only a few titles trickle out. As my other post stated I think things are trickier this time because the entrenchedness of ps360 and so many AAA coming out in 2014 for new and current gen and PC. Many gamers won't see a reason to upgrade until xmas 2014 or 2015 when the real next gen exclusives start to roll and no backwards compatibility for xb1 and ps4 certainly doesn't help. I still think WiiU can do well in the next few years with a price and the Nintendo advantage but what would be great for the next Wii is if they beefed up the hardware but kept the gamepad compatible so the could sell a core unit cheaper and let you still use your WiiU gamepad....
But super those 15-18 titles are not all exclusives and many of them are coming to current gen, to pc, and many of the BIG ones are even coming to WiiU. Each system is getting about 2-3 exclusives at launch with XB1 getting Forza and Killer Instinct....big woop. What you and any other veteran player should know is launch lineups are generally weak and most systems aren't even worth owning until about 18 months out. I have owned every system since the Atari 2600 and the has been the way it goes. Best two systems for original or exclusive content this Xmas will be WiiU and PS3.......Also WiiU had a similar amount of titles at launch with many of 2012s big releases like AC3, COD,ME3,Batman AC as well as a few exclusives and some good Eshop like Trine2 and others. No denying this year has been rough for WiiU but the 3rd and 4th qtrs are looking up considerably.
Comments 519
Re: Ubisoft's Updated Line-Up Still Includes Watch_Dogs as an Upcoming Release on Wii U
@aaronsullivan Kudos for a sensible post. I agree that gamepad is great and loved the implementation in games like BatmanAC and even ME3. Watch Dogs is the perfect game for gamepad integration but it bothers me that Ubi has been so dodgey in talking or showing anything. I think we will see it and likely have minimal unique features for gamepad....like AC4. Very happy we are still getting the eShop only Child of Light game. In the end WiiU will have a great library and a number of good 3rd party games. I just love it when 3rd party game is well developed on a Nintendo platform. Honestly for 3rd party WiiU has gotten good support since launch but like you, I am worried for 2014 and beyond so I think its up to Nintendo, Indies, and the occasional japanese colaboration to carry the system as western devs are likely going to bail. Its sad because I would love to play every game on WiiU as I love both two screen gaming and offTV gaming.
Re: Poll: Have Your Say on Satoru Iwata's Nintendo Strategies
@Yamitora1 When hackers reverse engineered the gamepad they found it can be firmware upgraded and could be streamed thru wifi. Also there appears to be two channels supported. I am happy Iwata doubled down on Gamepad now show us something Nintendo!
Re: Talking Point: Is There A Future For The Wii U Without The GamePad?
@AdanVC
I agree...make a gamepad 2.0 slimmer, maybe even slightly less screen size (with same resolution) and use the bigger battery.
In an interview Shiggy said 'We make hardware to be able to have the specific features we need to apply our software vision'. I am paraphrasing, but in the past this has always been true....until now?
I just don't get it as Nintendo has always been able to implement unique hardware into their games but suddenly now they are dumbfounded? Whats odd is so many gamers have been able to envision how the gamepad could be used for all sorts of games.
You want a system saver how about pokemon mmorpg with the ability to import the pokemon you raised in x/y and use them in the game. How about Nintendo kisses blizzards ass ang gets a Star Craft WiiiU with exclusive gamepad async play and online.
How about getting Magic 2014 on WiiU or better yet make a Pokemon TCG where you play the cards on gamepad and battles play out on screen in 3D.
Last console saving idea.....A true football sim....like old Sierra Sport Football. Support 2 gamepads (the system can) and also online play. The 'coach' calls the plays on gamepad and can also audible, use gamepad for roster management, to draw up custom,plays, select a hot route or wether to blitz or drop a defender. Then again the game plays out in realistic, game presentation style. So the idea is interactive football. Tell me hardcore gamer/sport fans in the US arent't ready for this type of experience?
Keep the gamepad, make it better and fearure it in unique games and it would be a hit.
Re: Ubisoft Refuses to Comment on Watch_Dogs Wii U Cancellation Rumours
Hopefully this is still coming as Ubisofts games have been pretty good. i have ZombieU, Rayman, and AC4 and they did great on those games. You know everyone talking about ps4 and xb1 fast sales but lets remember WiiU had fast start as well. I think this year will be very telling as far as the environment for gaming. WiiU already at 5.5mil units with DK and MK8 out before watchdogs. I would expect WiiU to be close to 8mil units by then.....XB1 and PS4 likely won't be much higher at that point. No other sandbox game is announced for WiiU so it could do better than expected. BTW Child of light is still confirmed for WiiU but isn't it supposed to be digital only?
Re: Nintendo Download: 23rd January (Europe)
@readyletsgo I agree....WiiU VC iscuking hard....it seemed on Wii many games from Nintendo and 3rd parties were released every month. That and nothing past SNES yet....the damed WIIU is essentially an HD Wii and can run Wii and GC code natively. Having the damned GC greats on my gamepad would be a great way to pass the time between major releases.....Nintendo should have a team selecting and preparing these games and stop half assing it. Everyone talks about their warchest I wish they would open it and satisfy their fans.
Re: Nintendo President Satoru Iwata "Has Earned The Right To Fail", Says David Jaffe
@jrob23 i don't agree with everything you said, but I do agree about Wii having many good 3rd party games that were lost in the shovelwear blizzard. There are truly over 100 very good games for Wii but like 400 that are complete doggieoopsie. Games like No More Heroes, Red Steele2, Zak and Wki are all excellent 3rd party exclusives that likely sold poorly because of no recogznition. What happnened to the old Nintendo seal of quality.
Watch the language -Lz
Re: Interview: Codemasters - F1 Race Stars: Powered Up Edition
I am not really a big online multiplayer fan but I think the lack of features in WiiU games is getting old and hurting system and game sales. i mean the WiiU is just always beeing seen as less than. Some games are built for local multiplayer like M3DW which is fine but when games have online on every other version its inexcusable. I would like to see more games use cross platform multiplay and that would solve the problem of not enough WiiU players to support online infrastructure. When companies do local co-op or multiplayer the don't always support async play. Honestly a game like splinter cell BL would have been so cool with local go-op with async. The WiU could be so much better if devs, including Nintendo were using the features it provides more.
Re: Talking Point: Nintendo's Wii U Struggles Bring a Challenge, Not Doom
@AtlanteanMan Yes yes and yes......especially now that Sega owns Altus. Sega was a lot like Nintendo with their hardware designing, always willing to try new and different things. Sega has always been seen as far more edgey and 'hip' yet has family and mascot series as well. Then they should make a portable/console hybrid that plays both WiiU and 3DS....they could rule the world!
Re: Talking Point: An Unplanned Flash Sale Looked Like Retail Download Genius from Nintendo
I am not sure flash sales are that viablle for Nintendo, but what does need to be looked at is making older digital titles competitive versus used at retail. Buy 2 get one sales, lower prices in general on older titles and maybe a more sassy rewards club (then say DDP which no ones seems to use) would all be helpful.
Re: Silicon Knights Loses Appeal in Epic Games Lawsuit
Silcon Knights was truly doomed by the failure of To Human which they worke on and hyped for years but then never delivered.....if it had been a financial sucess they would have never started the suit against epic. The other interesting point is how well Nintendo has handled 2nd party arrangements like they had with Rare and SK.....I wish Nintendo would take an interest in a new western dev and turn out some great stuff like those two teams did.
Re: Feature: Nintendo Games We'd Love to See in 2014
@AtlanteanMan I like your list more than the OPs......
Yes yes and yes to Advance wars on WiiU but I would like it on 3DS as well with game save share form campaign and then cross play wifi multiplayer.
Suiko.....one of my faorite series but mostly been on Sony other than the DS strategy game....still nothing meaningful since ps2 era.....i would take a new game in any system.
Sega baffles me with their overall decisions...they have just bailed on so many great franchises.....Skies of Arcadia 2 would be awesome. Shenmue was the model for sandbox adventure games and had a pretty solid fighting system. The would need to do either a 1/2 HD remake or do a mini movie to get most players up to date on the story.
While making the rpg wish list how about Tales of Symph HD remake comes to WiIU as afterall both games were Nintendo system developed and I another big wish is Baten Katos III as a card battling rpg using gamepad would be awesome.
Re: Matters of Import: Grappling With Attack On Titan: The Last Wings Of Mankind
@Luna-Harmony Nintendo could easily make a 3DS emulator for WiiU and then allow us to use digital purchased games on either sysyem and move our saves thru a cloud. Once upon a time they had the GBA player for Cube and that did a pretty good job emulating gba and allowing you to plug in carts and even do cable link with another gba......I really think in a future generation Nintendo is going to have a single portable system with HDMI connectivity so its home and away and that is how they could rule the world again!
Re: Talking Point: Is The Castlevania Series Finished With Nintendo?
Whats funny is major publishers who invented the genre can't make and sell good 2D/2.5D platform games any longer (not counting Nintendo) but 1/2 the Indy games coming out are platform games and people eat them up. It can still be done and done well. Mark of the Ninja was damned near my favorite game of 2013.....awesome and so many cool gameplay styles and options....and thats the key.....SOTN and the GBA/DS games got that and were a blast because of all the weapons,spells,items you could find and unlock that enhanced the gameplay. Maybe Konami/Capcom should consider a digital model with smaller games, lower prices, and installments? BTW MOF on 3DS is very underrated.....I was turned off buy poor reviews but got it cheap and was very surprised.....it is more combat oriented but is still great....very nice 2.5D grafx, tight controls, good, mixed up, convoluted story.....more platform beatem up than metrovania but still well worth a look either on 3DS or ps3.
Re: Nintendo Dominates Festive Hardware Charts in Japan
It seems like WiiU sold what like 300K units it Japan alone in December? The US sales are going to be higher than that so if WiiU actually did over 1 mil for the month worldwide then that is its best month since NOV/DEC of 2012. Remember everyone was selling they will tank hard once ps4/xb1 is launched but even in the face of great sales for those 2 new systems the WiiU is having a great month...................just forget about XB1 in japan....ps4 will do crazy numbers in Feb when it gets released, but two generations of XB have failed hard in Japan and nothing is going to change....It really looks like Nintendo has improved the situation in Jap and USA but are still really struggling to move WiiU's in EU/UK........
Re: Nintendo Acknowledges Network Issues and Suggests Patience
Well it does suck that this is happening right when everyone is opening their new machines and trying to get their pack in downloads like the Zelda bundles and such.....I think this is likely more related to them going live with the PokeCloud in japan than just high user demand.....the system already has high utilzation with millions of 3DS being sold every month so its more likely they launched this new service and it threw a wrench in the works............Also before totally ripping Nintendo....lets just remember when PSN got hacked (twice) it was down for extended periods both times (like what a month the first time)....Target got totally pawned a few days ago, and also our glorious government after 3 years and $700mil still can't get the healthcare exchange website right.....so just chilll....play whatever games you got and lets hope the service is back up soon!
Re: Nintendo Acknowledges Network Issues and Suggests Patience
Well it does suck that this is happening right when everyone is opening their new machines and trying to get their pack in downloads like the Zelda bundles and such.....I think this is likely more related to them going live with the PokeCloud in japan than just high user demand.....the system already has high utilzation with millions of 3DS being sold every month so its more likely they launched this new service and it threw a wrench in the works............Also before totally ripping Nintendo....lets just remember when PSN got hacked (twice) it was down for extended periods both times (like what a month the first time)....Target got totally pawned a few days ago, and also our glorious government after 3 years and $700mil still can't get the healthcare exchange website right.....so just chilll....play whatever games you got and lets hope the service is back up soon!
Re: Tech Site The Verge Thinks The Wii U's Failure Won't Change Nintendo
I like a lot of this article and see it as more reasonable than a lot of analysts. Were I disagree is with Nintendo just copying to do something new and the design as a failure. Are we really ready to give up on two screen gaming so quickly? After barely a year and no great software examples are we calling it bunk? I hope not because I actually like dual screen gaming and I and others have put forth many great game ideas so eventually devs will make them. So the question is will we have dual screen gaming in the future as a norm....if so then WiiU will be seen as a pioneer despite its sales performance.
Re: Tech Site The Verge Thinks The Wii U's Failure Won't Change Nintendo
@theBluntKnight
I have really been thining the same thing....handheld/console convergence is the future and a future Nintendo could dominate. Vita was supposed to have hdmi out and then whiffed on it and now is tryin Vita TV....the key is one device design. I though a slimmed down gamepad sized handheld and then an vita tv sized box U keep connect to your hdmi and usb devices. Come in range and the portable links with the box and streams content to your hdtv....who wouldn't want that?
Re: NPD Results Deliver a 3DS Milestone And Modest Wii U Sales
If you look at VGZ charts momentum is building...lthe system did close to 250K global he last week of November alone. So each month has improved especially in US and Japan (which Japan has no other new console). EU and UK still have little lift. The question is an they keep the momentum they have built? If they can keep selling say 600k-1mil a month global then the sysyem will be a moderate success probably selling close to N64's 35mil. Nintendo seems to have not just an adveftising problem but management ones as well. Let me elaborate:
1. Many 3rd parties have said Nintendo did nothing during the design of WiiiU to consult them for ideas.....which Sony and M$ both did.
2. Wii momentum and development ended in 2010 with Zelda SS the only major in 2011. Yet Nintendo had no major 1st party at launch.....which Wii, GC, N64, Snes and Nes all had....funny 3DS same problem and same horrible start.
3. They did such a horrible job naming and marketing most consumers didn't even know what it was.
4. They kept whiffing with E3.....first by bowing out of a major presentation and then by really dissapointing by hyping Retro and a new 3D mario and then delivering news of 3D World and DKCTF...which are going to be great games ut were not what fans were wanting?
5. They couldn't get any co-operation for major announcements at e3 for games like COD which took months of rumors before lamely confirmed. Why couldn't they go to activison and say lets do a promotion with a new WiiU Zapper....notthing suprising. It was admitted that games like GTA5 and Crysis 3 had builds running on WiiU but nothing.....Nintendo should have went to Rock Star and thrown money and an offer to publish WiiU version....do something. They did no joint promotions even with strong supporter Ubi who could have showed off Splinter Cell, AC4, and Rayman which all turned out very good.
6. Whatever the hell happened with EA...people blame EA who beyond just pulling support also trashed the console and in a way its supporters. I don't think this just happened due to poor sales and/or orgin....something bad and ugly must have went down between Ea and Nintendo...say what you want but if anybody needs anyone more is Nintendo and not EA...as they will keep selling millions od units on orher systems while Nintendo get no Madden, Fifa, NFS, ME or Dragon Age.
7. While the libray has more dpeth than people want to admit with great exclusives like Lego City, MHU, Pikman, W101, 2 Mario games, Zelda WW as well as some good 3rd party releases like Batman, nfsmw, injustice, rayman, deus ex, ac4 and 2 cOD games the system is totally lacking in other areas mostly sports and racing.
8. VC is moving so slow on WiiU and has done nothing to excite other than get Earthbound releases.....No N64, no GC, why not bring DS and 3DS to wiiu?
So bad moves have been made. The WiiU is not terrible spec wise and the gamepad is not a bad concept but needs better utilzation. If I was their CEO this is what I would do.
1. Go kiss the donkey of some key 3rd party companies and titles. Throw some money and even help porting engines like dice to WiiU.
2. Colaborate like they did with Sega on F-Zero, SSB with namco , and SMTxFE with Altus...titles that the don't want to or have time to develop they should farm out and then oversee and publish. Criterion did awesome on NFSMW...imagine them doing a new waverace or excite bike/truck.
3. Do a major cross over 3DS/WiiU title like Pokemon, Animal Crossings, how about Advance wars.....make it so you can cross play/buy and also move your campaign and online battles between home/portable. 3DS over 40mil now...why not entice those gamers onto wiiU.
4. Get a marketing team with a clue that knows how to build hype.
5. Keeping a steady stream od 1st and 3rd party exclsusives is a must.
6. Get off your donkeys on VC and bring something more than nes/snes.
Last idea is for the future.....everyone says WiiU2 must come soon but that would be a horrible move....but how about this....as we know WiiU is not super powerful, nor uses a lot of watts of power. So in a few years when 3DS is winding down make a discless WiiU handheld....that uses a slimmer, trimmer Gamepad design and runs WiiU games and maybe has more ram and flash.....and has a wireless module with hdmi for hdtv second screen and usb3 ports for Hd and sd slot.....now I could play offTV anywhere, come home and go dual screen....so in the next generation Nintendo makes one console that is portable and home......the have always dominated handhelds..if they could make a portable strong enough to do 1080P then many portable users would see no need to buy a home console and Nintendo could rule the world again.
Re: Soapbox: Even With The Arrival Of PS4 And Xbox One, I'd Still Pick The Wii U
I just think people forget the reason to own a console and play games and that is to have fun and enjoy being a gamer. I have been a gamer since the dawn of gaming and have owned just about everything ever made. Sony and MS execs have been saying this all year about the non-wow factor of next gen graphics. Still the nee HD twins are a big boost over current gen and eventually we will see some impressive games with improved grafx, but more importantly depth and features. WiiU is a niche machine and to me pretty slick and well concieved. It will get lots of good games in its life but Nintendo just isn't going to be a market leader. The system already has some very unique content like MH, Lego city, ZombieU, 2 mario game, Zelda WW, Pikman and W101. Add to that some solid more conventional games like 2 Batmans, AC3/4, COD, rayman, injustice, nfsmw, ans deus ex. Yet because of snubs by EA and 2K WiiU has almost no sports and little racing. So entire genres are missing and this makes it hard for WiiU to be the goto system for all needs or players. The problem is also many WiiU gamers don't care so no imcentive to bring certain genres to WiiU.....I think WiiU could do an awesome golf game with wiimote plus and gamepad both used....soocer, football, and baseball could all really do great things with the gamepad....I just hope in its life someone tries.
Re: Wii U Console Sales Climb in Japan as 3DS XL Maintains Dominance
@ikki5
If WiiU could keep 111K units a wek going then the future will be fine. 5-6mi WiiU a year will really be enough to guarentee its gets lots of good games in its 5yr life. What else is good is software unit sales of over 800K and Mario World only out for 1 day when chart compiled. What these charts show is a signigicant drop for ps4 after a steller week one and then a great week one for XB1...once all the preorders and people willing to stand in line falls off for these new systems I think demand will soften significantly. The longevity of ps360 will be a damper on sales in 2014....Sony was smart to delay Japan release of ps4 till 2014 as that will help when numbers slumping in western markets. Nintendo is doing what they need to now with more visability, better prices, and games games games.....just keep it up and 2014 might be better than people think.
Re: Former Sony Developer Feels The Wii U "Won't See Another Christmas"
I know this is a UK/EU centric site but let me say WiiU has a solid retail presence in the US......Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Gamestop all have good game selection with all the current and many older releaes. Best Buy, Walmart and Gamestop all had updated kiosks with new demos and videos of all new releases including 3rd party. The Zelda and Mario/Luigi bundles are selling well and Skylanders bundle can be had for $275 (which is essentially $200 for a basic as Skylanders sells for $75 here). Nintendo will not drop support for WiiU before its time. It will get its 5 years as it woul dbe suicide for them to can it early unless they truly are done making consoles. Whats amazing is that Vita (which I also own) has done similarly horrible have awful sales weeks and even less quality software than WiiU even though it has been out twice as long. I never hear anything about it in the news or people saying it will be dumped....if anything Sony has doubled down pushin it as a ps4 companion device and making it a good platform for indy titles and ps1classics. Even if WiiU falls short on sales it is still a good place for Nintendo to cut its teeth on HD gaming...eventually they will do something outstanding with the gamepad. In some ways WiiU is very under appreciated....OffTV play is super if you need/want it, the variety of input devices like WiiMote, pro controller, balance board really offers devs a lot of options when they utilize them. Unity and HTML5 make Indy development easy......I think when the library fills out and it gets even cheaper it couod sell better later as people look for an alternate choice to the HD twins.
Re: Cliff Bleszinski Thinks Super Mario 3D World Is "A System Selling Title"
Obviously Nintendo made some mistakes with the first 8 months of WiiU but in last 4 months things have tightened up considerably. Nintendo has not owned every generation in consoles. Nes, Snes, and Wii were incredible succeses but N64 and GC and now WiiU were only moderately sucessful. So what? Those older systems still has awesome games and WiiU will also. Meanwhile what has always buttered Nuntendos bread and kept them in the black is handhelds. Whifh they have entirely dominated every generation. Even with stiff competition from phones and tablets Nintendo is still on track to sell 75-80mil 3DS and is once again trashing the competition (vita). So they will be fine...just keep innovating, and making great games and they will keep rolling on.
Re: New York Times Critic Identifies Super Mario 3D World and Wii U as Highlights of the Season
@FutureAlphaMale
Actually I believe AC3 got all DLC? Rayman sold poorly on all systems but actually sold better on WiiU than ps360 and they have 75mil bases compared to 4mil for WiiU. ZombieU sold over 400K which isn't bad for a launch game on a new console. Splinter Cell sold like poo on all systems but was really weak on WiiU. W101 selling poorly is a real shame as it is a cool spin on an action SRPG......hopefully things pick up for 3rd parties because not all the ports are crap...some of them have been good and deserve better support.
Re: Nintendo States Its Wii U Case With a Holiday Infographic
@DIE4GOD
Check out Plex which is a free multiplayform media server. You can install on your pc and it will setup a local web service that youmcan access withmthe wiiU web browser and watch your videos thru the browser on tv or gamepad. I agree though in that I wish Nintendo or anyone would make a decent media player and put it on eShop for 5-10.....it would be a hit to be sure.
Re: Fan Campaign for Bayonetta Wii U Release Kicks Into Gear
@rjejr Agree that the W101 sales were sad.....which is too bad because it is a very cool and unique action SRPG. Also not all ports to WiiU have been poo. Batman AC, NFSMW, Injustice, AC4, Deus EX are all excellent ports. With B1 the port would be easy because platinum has already mastered WiiU and aleady has an engine up and runnin for B2 that the B1 assets could be plugged into. Will they do it...maybe...it would be a good move to build awreness before the B2 release.....if it sells a few 100k it might help launch B2 to bigger sales. Honestly if B2 tanks as bad as W101 sales wise I think Nintendo needs to buy Platinum games because they want 'core' gamers and need to build more titles to attract them and eventually Platinum might sell better on WiiU.
Re: iPhone Gaming Controller Could Mean "The End Of Nintendo", Claims Investment Site
The problem with these analysts is they just don't understand real gamers. As long as 'core' gamers continue to be then there wiil always be products and games for us. I am of the opinion that casuals are not ruining gaming just expanding it....honestly there is jusy so little of depth on mobile gaming that nothing can touch a game like DKCR or Mario...or zelda, or all the jrpgs or ac or any of it....I own ios devices and driod devices....the best hope for a gaming phone is if sony or microsoft or nintendo would make it and then get real games on it......surely it will happen someday but until the its 3DD all the way.
Re: Talking Point: The GamePad and its Role Defining the Wii U
@Peach64 I have thought the same thing with a gamepad about 80% the size of the current one. I have large hands so don't mind he gamepad size as it is suprisingly slim and light.......I too love it for OffTV as it is the ultimate handheld in the living room. Not sure they should make a no-gamepad model at this point as it would further confuse consumers. I think making games that better utilize 2 screen console gaming is the best strategy. Every type of game that could really show of gamepad with no one has made. Imagine a depthful rpg like skyrim or draon age on WiiU with all menu and character management on gamepad...or a damend SRPG like Fire Emblem or even Advance war or Starcraft. How about a battling card game like the upcoming Hearthstone from blizzard. A game like eye of judgement would be cool if it supported multiple gamepads and online play and let you play the cards on the gamepad but battles played out in realtime on the Tv. Just doing somethng that requires the gamepad and is appealing would help so much. They need to work on handheld to console ideas and games as they have this 35mil installed 3DS base they could be won to WiiU with the right type of cross play/buy experiences. I just hope they wake up and figure out how WiiU ganepad could be used.
Re: Review: The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (3DS)
@aaronsullivan
Yeh I was wishing Nintendo would make a 3DS emulator for WiiU using the TV as top screen and gamepad as bottom screen. As it looks like they are heading towards a unified account system then they could allow to download your 3DS eShop purchases to WiiU and play them on that system. I think it would really help to boost WiiU sales as it would entice many 3DS owners to finally make the jump into a WiiU and would also encourage more digital sales as people would want the digital versions over carts if they could play them on both the handheld and console. I still have the GBA player they made for GC and that was a cool idea letting you play GBA/GB games on your tv thru the cube. Nintendo usually gets around to stuff like this in the life of the system so here is hoping we get more cool stuff like this on WiiU in the coming years.....GC virtual console is my biggest wish as I would really love to be able to play GC greats on the gamepad
Re: Review: The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (3DS)
@aaronsullivan
Really now is the time to jump in as the library is unreal and the XL is so much of an upgrade over the original. Prices are great in the US as Meijer currently has it for $180 and target is going to be doing the new black XL for $150 in an upcoming sale. If you are an RPG fan this is the best system to own and lots of other stuff as well....sports and racing are the only genres lacking on 3DS.
Re: Review: The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (3DS)
I am happy they made a return to a more old school Zelda as the two DS games just didn't do much for me. This reminds me a bit of Minish Cap with camera and art style.
Re: Feature: The Big Nintendo Direct Summary - 13th November Broadcasts
Well I was excited by the combined NNID news as I really hated having to buy $$$ cards for two different device. I really this is a prelude to a true account based eShop as I have both a 3DS and an XL and it seems wrong to not be able to have my purchases on both (sony lets me do this with psp/vita/ps3). Zelda 3DS and Mario 3D look great and even the Mario Party game looks nice and the multiplay from one cartridge is great. I don't think we will see another direct till after new year as the limeups are set and they are not going to want to announce or show anything new to compete with the holiday lineup. The WiiU drought is over and in addition to the excellent Zelda WW and Mario 3D the WiiU also got competent versions of AC4, COD Ghosts, and Batman AO. Those games in addition to good games like Deus Ex, Rayman, W101, Splinter Cell and Sonic give people plenty to buy/play on WiiU this xmas. January direct will be ready to show off DKC, MK8, more X and maybe a few new announcements.
Re: Call of Duty: Ghosts Wii U Performance Reportedly Drops Below PS3 and 360 Standards
@ACK.....Actually not sure if U have played AC4 on WiiU but the really did a good job on it. i have tried it on ps3 and am playing in it on WiiU and WiiU framerate not nealy as slugish in vongested areas as ps3 was. Textures and effects are better as well. I have played a lot of AC on both xbox and ps3 and sligish framerates arr somewhat the norm in yhe cities. I saw an online video of wiiu ansd it kept showing hiccups in cut scenes but in my actual play there are zero hiccups. There was a huge 1.1gb update that I am sure is a core components install.....I am guessin some of the comparison sites didn't install this update or reviewed before it was available. AC4 on WiiU is a very good port and is the best version thise side on the ps4.
Re: Talking Point: Nintendo's Resilience Against Wii U Criticism Emphasizes Its Longevity
I really think jany in the industry want to kill off Nintendo as a console manufacturer. Imagine how much Nintendo's great games and franchises would benefit Sony, Microsoft, Apple, or Google. WiiU has improved so much from launch. The system now operated much quicker and MiiVerse is so unique and appreciated by fans of the system. The eShop is much friendlier than PSN and Nintendo will get to unified accounts and even said they would support cross play/buy if devs (peimarily indie I assume) want it. People tha dog the gamepad most likely have never really played on it. I think it is a great device and playing OffTV is the feature so many people don't appreciate until they use it. I do a lot of handheld gaming at home and Gamepad has eaten into a lot of that time. Playing something like AC4, COD, Rayman, Zelda in your hands can't be matched on a true portable. Being sble yo just switch down from yoir hdtv to offTV is so handy for crowded households. Nintendo comtinues to have the most unique experiences. Whats wierd is Wii hardly got any multiplats and WiiU has already gotten a lot and people still whine and cry....2 batmans, cods, ac....games like me3, nfsmw, deus ex could never be on Wii. So lets all take a deep breath and see how the sales do thru xmas. I think the bundles, especially skylanders for kids will do very well. I get annoyed with those that want Nintendo to emulate the HD Twins.....why as those systems are essentially the same minus their exclusives and they are both essentially compact PCs....so get any one of the 3 and a WiiU and you will be all set.
Re: Review: Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag (Wii U)
@Kyoto
I have it for WiiU and have also tried it on PS3 and can say without reserve the frame rate on WiiU is much better in congested areas than on ps3. There is a large 1.1gb update on first run and I wonder if the reviewer installed this update as it is critical to performance. He fails to mention that the AC series has always chugged in congested areas and if you have played the series you will find AC4 on WiiU no worse than any of the other games and IMO better until we see ps4/xb1 versions.....I am loving it and it does look peticularly sharp offTV.
Re: Video: Experts Believed Nintendo Was In Trouble Back In 1990, Too
Nintendo has made some mistakes with WiiU and while they are righting the ship this may just be a down generation for them like GC was. First off they were behind in online services and HD development. They are making progress....the eShop is a little more than 2yrs old and already looks and runs smoother than the bloated PSN. They still need to make their games more online featured but they are learning and leading with 3DS with good online in games like Star Ox, MK, and now Pokemon. Shiiggy admited they weren't ready for HD and that is really pathetic considering nothing of meaning came out for Wii after Zelda SS in 2011....so my question is WTF were your teams doing? Conceptually WiiU is good and better for core gamers than the haters that haven't tried it will admit. I have gamed since the beginning of games and owned just about every pc, console, handheld ever made....lso I have seen a lot. So expect in the coming years Nintendo's stuff will look great in Hd and have more online....right now they seem a little confused as to how to fit in. Their tremendous success with casuals with the Wii was a one time phenomina and I think they know that, the last time they made a play for core gamers was GC which was a great little system but failed commercially compared to the ps2. The WiiU concept could be a universal system for families and core gamers but honestly the specs are a little weak to impress core gamers. Also Nintendo just doesn't seem to be able to maintain good relations with Western 3rd parties and has a poor rep with core gamers since Wii and has already lost that market to $ony/M$. So they are sort of stuck......what they need to do is what they are doing with 3DS and that is to just make great games across the spectrum.....3DS appeals to kids, teens, adults, familes, core gamers because it has games for everyone. Just do that for WiiU and people will be drawn to good games there are enough two generaion households to accomodate the model if the games for all parties are available. Meanwhile Nintendo needs to do a lot more to work with 3rd parties than just sell units. They need to advertise, they need to colaborate and they need to in some cases pony up money to get certain titles. I personally think their best strength is their vast llibrary of IPs many of which they leave dormat for ever...why not outsource some of them that they can't develop internally and then publish them. This would encourage 3rd parties to develop on the system and give them expsosure to the system and Nintendo in a more likely to succeed environment. Whatdev wouldn't want to colaborate on something like starfox, metriod, fzero or another great franchise?
Re: Shin Megami Tensei IV DLC Joins Game in 25% eShop Discount Until 11th November
I really have mixed feelings about DLC......most muliplayer stuff is either cosmetic or its uptrades that give players willing to pay an unfair advantage in match play. Compelling players to buy it....I like the concept of single player missions but only if the game is beefy to begin with and the DLC comes out at a time when extending the life of the game makes sense. Value for content matters too as often mission DLC for full price games is $10-$20 which is a lot for what often turns out to be a few hours play....extra complication is brought on whena year after release the GOTY version comes out with full game and all DLC for $30.....am I the only one that thinks its a raquet made to take advantage of impulse purchasers?
Re: Nintendo Download: 7th November (Europe)
@Cohort
Agree Deus EX very strong reboot of a great 2 year old game, but for my money AC4 is the best 3rd party game on WiiU....it is technically nealry flawless....Better textures, lighting, effects, and framerate than ps360 versions, get this quick load times (I think the 1.1gb update on first boot is a core component install), all extra functions like uplay, comapnion app, and online are working and its an awesome game. Right now GOTY considered IMO. Ubi really deserves credit for making this great on WiiU so please support it...worlds better than AC3 both as a game and as a well executed game!
Re: Take A Look At The Red Steel 2 We Never Got To Play
I agree with others.....Red Steel 2 was great in its own right and the unique style and art direction should be left as they are....,thinking the same thing though which is why not Red Steele 3 on WiiU.
Re: Video: This IronFall Tech Demo is Rather Impressive
Cool enigine..best looking grafx of this type on 3DS.....hope they license for bigger projects.
Re: These Wii U Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag Screenshots Look Very Pretty Indeed
Got this Thursday for WiiU and it rocks....best multiplat port to date. I played the prologue on ps3 and there is more than a little difference.....WiiU much better textures, better lighting, better effects like smoke/fog/water and most importantly betterl framerate......anyone who is saying this is marginally better than ps360 is drunk because this is a true step up when you actually play them. Also on first run it does a 1.1gb 'update' which I am convinced is essentially like an HD install of core compenents....great, quick load times and no real problems with popup or texture loads, not cutscene hiccups. The only real difference I can see between WiiU and Ps4 videos is character facial rendering. If you own a WiiU you really owe it to yourself and Ubi to BUY this game.
Re: These Wii U Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag Screenshots Look Very Pretty Indeed
I had WD preordered and paid for at GameStop but with the delay am going to trade it for AC4 or Ghosts.....the lack of reviews is annoying but I think there is really a concerted effort industry wide to squeeze Nintendo out of the console market. Many good WiiU games coming out now with so liitle attention...meanwhile ps4/xb1 getting hyped to high heaven when their launch lineups are all muktiplats and indies coming out on ps360. Aso the AC4 commercial does show WiiU box but Ghosts and Batman commercials make no mention. I think its because everyone is planning on dumping WiiU next year and don't want sales or recognition that they are publishing for it. I honoestly beleieved Nintendo could right the ship with WiiU but I just don't know anymore as 3rd parties hate them and retailers don't even understand the product......meaning it is Nintendo vs. the gaming world.
Re: Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut Will Cost $20 More On Wii U Than On PS3 And 360
Square has just botched this game all the way. Its easy to see why they have been struggling and their CEO got sacked/stepped down. I was excited for this because I didn't get to it on ps360 and it looks like they gave it some love. It was likely ready at mid year when it was supposed to come out and given the sever drought I would have snapped it up at 50-60. Now price isn't the only issue as sept,oct,nov are loaded and there is just no funds for it. The game should have never been delayed for ps360 because they won't care so it is going to sell poorly across all systems. Most people that want FPS on WiiU are going to likely go for COD ghosts in Novemeber. Nintendo has not been the system for 3rd parties for 4 generations now and I just don't think it will change with WiiU.....its to bad because I love the gamepad and offTv play and would love to see games like Skyrim, dragon Age, Tomb Raider and FF games on WiiU. I have supported Ubi and will likely get Sonic, Batman and Ghosts but this game will be a budget buy.
Re: Ubisoft Explains Wii U Watch_Dogs Visuals as "In Between" Current and Next-Gen
The remarks are sort of cryptic are they not? First he says no gamepad specific features then says this alternate team is doing optimizations for the beast that is the gamepad? Imdon't get it.....you would think the 2nd screen app features would be put on the gamepad for sure right? Ubi has been a mixed bag lately. Black List looked the best on WiiU and used the gamepad well, still load times were horrible and Online was broke for all systems at launch but ps360 got fixes quick while WiiU waits. AC4 groups says they worked hard to opitimize and are proud of frame rate results ( heres hoping). Rayman is brilliant and it is obvious WiiU was lead system. I have WD pre-ordered for WiiU as I won't buy ps4 until late 2014 so I hope they do a decent version without choppy framerate. If it reviews well then I will keep it and with a game so big OffTV will be a plus, if it blows then I will not open it and trade it towars Mario or Sonic. Last thing on load times.....seeing that 90% got 32gb WiiU Why don't the games do a partial install to flash (like a lot of ps3 games) putting several gigs of textures or engine resources on flash and streaming the rest from disc? Then You could delete the installed data after done with the game....seems this would help those lon loads as surely that flash has to be faster access than disc and used in combination should provide a speed up.
Re: Batman: Arkham Origins Will Be Cheaper on Wii U
Put me in the category of people who just don't give a damned about online gaming whatsoever...maybe it is a generational thing....I am an old school, dawn of time gamer and I just hate about all things online. In so many ways online features are tacked on and are shallow....obviously MMORPG, Head to head sports games or squad FPS games are games meant for online and make sense. I liked the first Batman a lot on x360 but never got to the second one....I will wait to see how this pans out but actually am more looking forward to 3DS version.
Re: Devil Survivor 2 Hits Pre-Order Target to Confirm EU Release
This is my favorite SMT series.....I am in US and played the first one in the overclocked 3DS version and then picked up the second for DS.....this series has a great story if you are at all interested in overthrowing God!
Re: Feature: The Biggest Wii U Games of 2013 - Autumn / Fall Edition
Feels strange to not be voting for a Nintendo game on this list but I have been wanting WD for too long now and just hope Ubi integrates the gamepad in cool ways as I feel they will....they are on a roll with the very solid SC BL and Rayman both coming off great on WiiU. The WiiU party controller bundle is a great idea as I don't have a wiimote+ (just the original add on that makes the controller huge) so to get that and the game for $50 is great.....Zelda going to be my first full game digital purchase as the 2 weeks early I can't resist plus get $5 back with DDP
Re: Peter Molyneux Reveals His Favourite Zelda Title Of All Time
I love how Zelda always inspires such passionate discussions with everyone having different opinions......my favorite has to be OoT and it amazes me when you consider what a programming marvel that game is....it was delivered on a 32MB cartridge.....The 3DS remake was awesome.
I like how so many people view WW positively when it was so contraversial at launch....I found the animation amazing for its day and think the WiiU remake with 1080p 60fps is going to really translate well to the modern gamer.
I just never couod get into MM as I didn't like the format but wish they would 3DS it because the moon crash replay mechanic might work better for me on a handheld.
TWP was excellent but as others have mentioned I think it is best played on GC withh wavebird as motion just wan't ready as it is with SS...
Re: Reggie Has Seen The Xbox One And PS4 Launch Lineups, And He Says "Meh"
@Rafie
Funny but what it did have 2K football and Crazy Taxi and maybe Sonic Adv and Soul Cal at or near launch if my memory serves.....pretty great actually. Sometimes one awesome game like Zelda with N64 or Mario with SNES is better than a bunch of crap that isn't worth 50-60 but you buy anyways to have something to play. I thought X360 was decent at launch but 4 months after it got Oblivion which was super and kept me busy most of 2006. PS2 was horrible with the great Fireworks simulator and PS3 was so bad I didn't buy until 2008 when the MGS4 bundle came out. GC was actually pretty good with SW Rogue Leader and Waverace and a few other decent games and Wii was good with the ever popular Wii Sports and the TLP upgrade (which I actually played on GC because it was out a few months earlier and didn't use motion controls). So certainly launches vary but what always follows is drought where only a few titles trickle out. As my other post stated I think things are trickier this time because the entrenchedness of ps360 and so many AAA coming out in 2014 for new and current gen and PC. Many gamers won't see a reason to upgrade until xmas 2014 or 2015 when the real next gen exclusives start to roll and no backwards compatibility for xb1 and ps4 certainly doesn't help. I still think WiiU can do well in the next few years with a price and the Nintendo advantage but what would be great for the next Wii is if they beefed up the hardware but kept the gamepad compatible so the could sell a core unit cheaper and let you still use your WiiU gamepad....
Re: Reggie Has Seen The Xbox One And PS4 Launch Lineups, And He Says "Meh"
@SuperKMx
But super those 15-18 titles are not all exclusives and many of them are coming to current gen, to pc, and many of the BIG ones are even coming to WiiU. Each system is getting about 2-3 exclusives at launch with XB1 getting Forza and Killer Instinct....big woop. What you and any other veteran player should know is launch lineups are generally weak and most systems aren't even worth owning until about 18 months out. I have owned every system since the Atari 2600 and the has been the way it goes. Best two systems for original or exclusive content this Xmas will be WiiU and PS3.......Also WiiU had a similar amount of titles at launch with many of 2012s big releases like AC3, COD,ME3,Batman AC as well as a few exclusives and some good Eshop like Trine2 and others. No denying this year has been rough for WiiU but the 3rd and 4th qtrs are looking up considerably.