This was a guaranteed buy for me even before the review. Now I am even more stoked for it. I hope this one sells very well. I love Kirby and feel that eh is under-loved in the west.
Even if MH turns out to be true, I seriously doubt that it is actually a separate product line. More likely it would have the same relationship to the NX as the IPhone has to the IPad. They will still run most of the same software. I have no doubt that some games would be targeted more at NX and some targeted more an MH, but they would still be fully compatible.
Nintendo would not have talked so much about admiring how Apple does things, spent so much money to fully integrate their development teams, and then gone back to the same broken model of having two separate platforms with separate OS systems and separate game libraries. They simply CANNOT afford to do that anymore.
Disney is unlikely to sell the IP, but I could see them letting Ron Gilbert make a new game. It would be very low risk from their point of view. If he makes a hit game then the IP is revived. If it flops then no big deal. It is not like they are trying to do anything with it themselves.
Nintendo has mishandled the Star Fox franchise since the release of Star Fox 64. Star Fox Assault was not well received on GameCube and since then it seems like Nintendo is content to just repackage Star Fox 64 in different ways. They gave it a re-master on 3DS and then gave it a re-imagine on Wii U. The poor sales should tell Nintendo that fans are not really keen on buying variations of the same game over and over.
As for Kirby, I am happy that it is selling well. Kirby is awesome, even if the games do tend to be rather easy.
I don't care for the whole Toys To Life fad, however, I can see how people who were collecting would be disappointed. I have a feeling that Lego entering the market made things too crowded. How many of these collectible video games can the market support?
I was tempted to get one of these once upon a time. In the end I decided that the screen was too small. Would be a great option for parents who don't like having to share their own hardware with the kids.
I remember being furious with Nintendo for how they handled the end of the GameCube's commercial life. I did not mind that Twilight Princess became a dual platform release. I did not mind that the overall GameCube line-up was thin for the last 12 months. I had a handful of games that I was looking forward to and I expected them to keep me busy for months after the Wii launched. That list included Twilight Princess, Lego Star Wars 2, Kirby's Return to Dream Land and Super Paper Mario. Obviously, the last two never released on GameCube. They were quietly shifted to the Wii instead. I was so angry that I swore I would never buy another Nintendo system if that was how they treated their loyal fans who stuck with a system to the bitter end. However, a few years later I finally caved in and bought the Wii. After that I bought the 3DS. Those two systems provided me with so many great games that all was forgiven.
So ... I get why Wii U fans are ticked. They invested good money in the system and now Nintendo is abandoning it early and shifting resources to the next system. I am not surprised that some people are swearing to never buy another Nintendo system. However, I suspect that many of them will eventually come back for one simple reason: Nintendo makes the best video games in the world. Once the NX is established and great games are rolling in people will realize that they really want to play those games.
I am sure that Nintendo will have a pre-E3 Direct to show fans what they have planned for the holiday season. 3DS will be the focus of that presentation and that is the right thing to do. Those are the games that need to sell well this holiday in order for Nintendo to meet its financial targets.
As for the NX launch timing, I actually prefer that new systems not launch in the holiday period. It reduces the need to have a huge shipment of systems ready for launch and hopefully reduces the number of faulty hardware units that end up in the hands of consumers. It also ensures that casual buyers who are shopping for Christmas presents do not have to compete with die-hard fans for limited hardware units. By the time the holiday season comes around the early adopters will all have their systems and Nintendo can focus on selling to the masses. It also gives them time to have second wave software ready for the system's first holiday season.
If Nintendo have a great software line-up then it will not matter what time of year they launch. The system will sell just fine.
Never mind the debate about disc vs cart, I am more concerned that Nintendo needs to include a large enough hard drive (or decent enough expansion capacity) that people can go digital only if they want to. The 8GB hard drive of the original Wii U was a joke.
If Nintendo is projecting 55 million in total software sales then they must have something else besides Pokémon that they expect will shift large numbers this holiday. My money is on a new Mario game. I would like it to be a sequel to Super Mario 3D Land, but more likely it will be a handheld iteration of Super Mario Maker that is capable of sharing content with the Wii U version.
Personally, I expect that the 3DS will continue to get software long after the NX has launched. First party games will drop off after this year as Nintendo focuses (rightly) on making the NX a success. However, third party games will continue. An installed base of 60 million ensures that it will not just die over night when its replacement comes along.
The usefulness of My Nintendo will depend on what they have lined up for rewards and ways to earn points. I really want that Zelda Picross game. If that is an indication of things to come then I will be motivated to keep earning points. However, if it mostly comes down to things like extra costumes for Mii figures then I will quickly lose interest.
I am surprised (and disappointed) that so far there is no way to earn points from retail purchases. Is that coming eventually? If not, then I am going to miss out on a lot points.
I love his games and I would have no qualms with paying $10 for Castilla so that he can actually make some money off of it. It really is a great game. Seeing as Capcom have given up on the Ghouls franchise (along with most of their other retro properties) tributes are the only way that we can get new games like this.
I am happy that Sega bought Atlus because it meant that Atlus could live on. As the article stated, there has also been an uptick in the number of Sega published games from Japan being localized (Stella Glow comes to mind). As long as Atlus titles do well I expect the situation will be good.
However, with acquisitions like this there is always the possibility that if sales take a down-turn in the future Sega could close Atlus and bring all of their IPs in-house where they would then sit unused. Konami took over Hudson, killed all projects that were in progress and have done nothing with Hudson's IPs since then.
Between now and when Nintendo unveil the NX there will be lots of these "leaks". I am choosing to ignore all of them. Nintendo will likely respond by stating that they do not comment on rumors and speculation, and really, that is the correct response. They cannot allow other people to dictate their timeline for revealing details. E3 is only three months away. All will be known soon.
In the months before the 3DS was unveiled there were lots of very convincing "concept" photos released that claimed to show the actual next Nintendo handheld. Most of them were way off the mark when the 3DS was finally revealed.
I seriously doubt that Nintendo will cease Wii U production altogether in 2016. More likely they will ramp it down and move it to a smaller facility.
NX is not going to be cheap at launch. I predict that it will come out at $400US which is not unreasonable but is not in impulse purchase range either. That will create an opportunity for Wii U to receive a substantial price cut and be marketed as a budget console for families. A package that includes a 32GB Wii U and a game for $200 could do well this holiday, especially with the fact that the Wii U line-up is very family friendly.
My response to the rage about localization issues is always the same. If you want to pass on a great game simply because they changed some minor detail of it, then that is your loss. The rest of us will play and enjoy the game.
I bet this will be one of those games that is actually quite fun to play but does not sell especially well. By the time it comes out most Nintendo fans will have moved on to being hyped about the NX instead.
Of course, we could also be looking at a repeat of Super Paper Mario where it is listed for the current gen machine right up to (and past) its announced release date and then suddenly becomes a title for the next gen machine instead.
On a different subject, I have never understood why Nintendo could not get Gameboy Advance games working well enough to sell on the 3DS. The PSP has an emulator for Gameboy Advance that plays most games at full speed with full sound and no glitches. As far as I know the 3DS is more powerful than the PSP.
A few years ago I bought several PS One classics on my PSP. Most of them are now available for me to download and play on my Vita at no extra charge. I generally find that Sony has a much more consumer-friendly approach to digital purchases than Nintendo does. They allow you to have more than one machine attached to your account and to use all digital content on both machines at the same time.
As for SNES games on the 3DS, I might consider playing a good RPG that way, but for most games the Wii Virtual Console on my HDTV with my imported SNES style classic controller (from Japan) is the best way for me to enjoy those games.
There was a time when I really looked forward to E3 as the time of year when there would be one announcement after another that blew me away. That ended a long time ago. Most of what I saw announced at the last couple of E3s I knew about as rumor before hand.
I blame the current generation of people who share their entire lives on-line. They are so used to tweeting or posting on Facebook whenever anything of interest happens in their lives that they cannot comprehend the idea that some things should not be shared with the entire internet. That just does not compute for them.
It used to be that a secret was something that you told one other person. Now a secret is something that you tell the world before anyone else can.
Considering the massive hype around Shenmue 3, this is exactly the kind of project that will get people to sit up and take notice of NX. An official sequel to an underappreciated game that fans thought would never happen. People know that NX will have Mario and Zelda. They don't expect stuff like this.
I am heading home a bit early today so that I can watch the Direct Live on my HDTV. I don't expect any big reveals. I just want a firm release date for Dragon Quest VII on 3DS so that preorders can go live.
I expect that they will announce a release date for Dragon Quest VII on 3DS and that there will be a limited edition version. Preorders for the limited edition will go live after the Direct and be sold out within 1 minute because Nintendo will (as always) grossly underestimate the demand for such things and end up pissing off more people than they please. (This rant has been brought to you by a whiny gamer who is still miffed about his inability to get FE Fates Limited Edition).
All Nintendo has to do to make me very happy is announce one new major first party 3DS game that is NOT an RPG. I love RPGs, but it is starting to get ridiculous that 90% of all big games coming to the 3DS are RPGs. A sequel to Kirby Triple Deluxe would be nice!
I am sure that the main purpose of this Direct was to show investors that they have at least one big cash cow game coming later this year. Investors are unhappy with the company's recent performance and they want to see what Nintendo is going to do to turn things around. Nintendo are not ready to announce any NX details yet, but by formally announcing this game they are hoping that investors will back off somewhat. A new gen Pokemon game is pretty much 10 million in guaranteed sales.
@Turbo857 I live in hope that Nintendo and Sega can come to an agreement eventually for Camelot to do a remake of Shining Force III on Nintendo platforms. Camelot has sworn to never work with Sega again due to SOA and SOE only releasing part 1. Maybe they would like the chance to bring the complete saga to western gamers. Now that FE is doing so well it would seem to make sense. It is probably too late for that to happen on 3DS, but perhaps on NX ...
@Soren I have to admit that any game after Shining Force III does not count as a real Shining Force game IMO, so I can understand your point. It sucks when a franchise that you love goes in a direction that you don't like. I fear for the changes that Sega is making in Valkyria Chronicles 4. It is going to end up being an action game.
@B238ben I am hoping that if fates is a huge hit then Nintendo will have renewed interest in Advance Wars as well. They could add a mini-game to the Japanese version where you get to rub your tank down with oil. Then they would remove that from the western version
@Soren With Awakening's release Fire Emblem died as a niche product and was reborn as a franchise with mass market appeal. I understand why fans of the old Fire Emblem are unhappy, but were it not for Awakening's change of direction the franchise would have been cancelled.
I am disappointed at how Nintendo handled the all-in-one option. I get that "limited editions" are limited and they only wanted to produce so many copies of the art book and pouch. However, I don't understand why Nintendo did not make the all-in-one version of the game available to purchase as a stand-alone product for $80. I think that a lot of people would have gone for that option and then Nintendo would not have the problem of trying to convince everyone to buy the DLC later when the thrill may be wearing off for some players. It was a massive missed opportunity.
Of course, it would not surprise me if Nintendo decided to make that version available at retail later on and tick off all of the early adopters who would have preferred it at launch.
On Friday I was in line at EB Games and 7 out of the 8 people in ,line ahead of me were buying FE Fates. Half of them took the option to buy a download code for the other half of the story as well. I guess this guarantees another Fire Emblem game on NX.
A company choosing to alter their own product for cultural or ratings reasons is definitely not censorship. They were not forced to do it by some kind of regulatory body. They chose to do it. There is a very big difference there.
Nintendo of America knows that the average user of a 3DS in the US is a kid. There are mature gamers who have a 3DS here, but they are very much the minority. Therefore a large percentage of the people who will be excited to play Fire Emblem Fates in the US are kids. If Nintendo left skinship in, and it caused the game to get a mature rating here, then that would have a big impact on how many copies Nintendo could sell. Removing the skinship mini-game was very much a business decision.
As a parent of kids who are coming up to the confusing puberty part of life, I would be miffed if I found out that they were playing a game in which they were encouraged to build relationships with other people by inviting them into their bedroom and then rubbing them down. However, Nintendo could have gotten around that by providing the option to disable the skinship features.
As a gamer, I would probably never use that feature anyway. It has nothing to do with personal morals. It is more that I never take advantage of the "relationship building" mechanics of any game. I am there to kill monsters, grab loot and save the world. I am not there to try and pick-up the female party members.
They don't need to have a huge line-up of games in order to keep the 3DS ticking over. But they do need to have at least a couple of big hitters that will draw attention to the system. If the came out at E3 and announced Pokémon Z and Super Mario 3D Land 2 for holiday 2016 on 3DS, both the investors and the fans would be very happy.
I absolutely agree with the idea that the NX will be a portable game device that can also broadcast to an HD TV. I think the product announced at E3 this year will be essentially a gaming tablet that looks a lot like the current Wii U controller but is a stand-alone device that you can take anywhere. There will also be a set-top box that can be used to play your games on an HD TV. Later (probably 2017) a smaller form-factor will be released that is more portable and plays the same software.
The basic idea here is that Nintendo are not going to try and complete head-to-head with Sony and Microsoft for the console market. Rather, they are going to try and keep one foot in that market while also taking a bite out of tablet gaming market (which is growing very fast). With a smaller NX they can also keep a stranglehold on the handheld game market. Crucially, since all form factors will play the same games, they will no longer be splitting their development staff between multiple machines. Every Nintendo first party game will be on NX.
Backward compatibility with Wii U is more important than you might think. They spent a lot of money learning how to develop HD games and I am sure that Nintendo would love to have a second chance to sell gamers on titles like Mario Kart 8 and Zelda Wii U. More importantly, they need the opportunity to evolve their current development tools rather than create all new ones. That will allow them to get content on the NX much faster.
If NX phase 1 is a gaming tablet (which I think it will be) then some degree of Android compatibility would be a huge benefit. Make it easy for Android developers to get their software running on NX.
Holiday season 2015 was terrible for releases in North America. There were games for kids, but nothing that would entice core gamers to buy in. Releasing Tri- Force Heroes rather than a proper Zelda game on 3DS was a big missed opportunity for Nintendo. I don't understand why Mario and Luigi was delayed until the end of January here either. Nintendo was obviously banking on Animal Crossing and Yo-kai Watch to sell hardware and it didn't work.
Personally, I am happy to see lots of RPGs in the 2016 line-up, but it would be nice to have some big games in other genres as well. If E3 comes and Nintendo has nothing big to announce for the holiday season on 3DS, then the slide will continue.
I get that Nintendo are focused on the NX, but launching new hardware is risky and expensive. You can't just throw all of your best teams at the new system. You also need to ensure that your current bread-and-butter hardware is serviced with good games so that profits from those products can prop up the bottom line until the NX comes up to speed.
NX will have two major components to it. One component (the one that will release this year) is going to be an HD gaming tablet with a fairly large screen and proper gaming controls. It will look quite a bit like the Wii U tablet controller except that it will be a stand-alone game machine with all of its guts internal to the tablet and its own memory. It will be quite a bit more powerful than the Wii U, but there will be some reworked Wii-U games available for it such as Smash Bros and probably Zelda Wii U. I am not sure how games would be provided. Download for sure. Memory carts are probably the best option for physical. Almost guaranteed that it will have some form of Android compatibility as well to make it even more appealing as a tablet.
In 2017 Nintendo will release another component that allows the NX to be connected to an HDTV. However, the second component will not just be a way to feed data from the tablet to the TV. It will also have its own functions such as storing downloaded games that you do not have space for on the tablet and streaming some forms of content to the tablet over Wi-Fi. It will also allow multiple NX machines to connect to it locally or over the internet for multi-player games.
The combination of the two will look a lot like the Wii U (and be backward compatible with the Wii U). The big difference will be that you can take the tablet anywhere.
I am sure this is one of those cases where people will be pissed off about the delays right up to the point that the game actually launches and it turns out to be pretty good. Then all will be forgiven.
There are lots of games that I am waiting for the have either been delayed multiple times or still have no definite release date (Forma 8 and Shantae 1/2 Genie Hero come to mind). I don't care if they arrive late as long as the finished product is really good.
Attractive 32 year old Sweedish girl with her own house seeks male with similar tastes. Oh, by the way, the house is full of every video game you could possibly want to play. Text if you are interested ...
********************** I bet she would get 50 marriage proposals within 24 hours.
New console reveals are always cool, but I never buy machines at launch anyway. For me that excitement is more about knowing there is a whole new world of gaming that will await me if and when I ever decide to take the plunge and pick up the new system.
More immediate for me is that fact that my current machines of choice (3DS and Vita) are both getting into that period of their lifespan when lots of late-generation titles are arriving that are geared exactly for my tastes. 2016 is the year of the RPG on handhelds and I love JRPGs. I am looking forward to Mario and Luigi, Fire Emblem Fates, Bravely Second and the two Dragon Quest localizations. There are five to six great RPGs coming to Vita as well this year. I won't have time to play them all!
There is no way that Nintendo will drop the 3DS when the NX comes out. NX will likely take some time to build up an installed base of users. Nintendo will want to have some high margin games on the 3DS to help boost income while they ride out the transition. Besides, core gamers always seem to have the mindset that as soon as the next big thing comes along no one cares about the old products anymore. That may be true for them, but it is not true for the market as whole. If Nintendo cuts the price of the new 3DS next fall then can continue to get good sales out of it for quite some time yet.
I hope that Wii U owners realize how many great downloadable games are coming to the system. Fast Racing, UkaLayLee, Shantai 1/2 Genie Hero, and Mighty #9 are all games that could have been retail releases.
Nintendo's line-up for this holiday season across both Wii U and 3DS is very lackluster. This is the period in a system's lifespan when the developers should have a good handle on what the hardware can do and they are coming up with neat tricks to push the envelope. Both of these machines should be getting games right now that rank among the best that will ever be released on the platform. Instead (at least this holiday) they have shoveled out a number of low-budget gimmick games and spin offs. Surely they have to know that Zelda Tri-Force and Amiibo Festival are not going to be big sellers.
Of course, 2016 will be much better for both machines. 3DS is getting a mind blowing number of good JRPGs in the first half of next year. I am sure there will be some surprises for the second half of the year. Wii U also has lots to look forward to. It just seems to be this holiday that Nintendo has a thin line-up.
The biggest problem for Nintendo is that they cannot rely on third parties to fill gaps in their release line-up. The PS4 is also very thin on first party games this holiday, but they have some very big third party games that Sony can use to promote the system. Nintendo doesn't have a Fall Out 4 or a Star Wars Battlefront to talk about. They only have their own games. Hopefully Splatoon and Mario Kart 8 will be appealing enough to sell a lot of bundles I guess.
Yeah, I suppose that if you want the special edition then waiting is not a tactic that will work. Those packages only go up in price. Hopefully you can find it at a brick and mortar store. Also, if they sold out that fast then Nintendo will create more. They have more than three months before the game ships to replenish stock.
I knew the comments on this story would devolve into arguing about whether or not Nintendo is greedy for selling this game in parts.
I think it comes down to this; if you are really put off by having to pay $40 each for the two sides of the game then you can either buy and play only one of them, or simply wait until you can get them both for a price that you are willing to pay (used or on sale or whatever). Or, if it bothers you enough then don't buy it at all. There are lots of other great games coming to 3DS next year.
Personally, there are lots of games that I feel are not worth the asking price at launch. For example, I will not be paying the Atlus tax for Stella Glow. If you are patient, all games will eventually be put on sale somewhere. I just wait until I see the games that I want at the price I am willing to pay. Within six months I will be able to get a new copy of Stella Glow for $40.
What I am not going to do is get all insulted that they asked too much in the first place. If the market will bear the price that they initially sold it for, then good for them.
Comments 387
Re: Talking Point: The Online Reaction to Teddy Together Shows Why Nintendo Needs To Target Kids More Directly
They should bundle the game with a fur-covered New Nintendo 3DS. It would become insanely collectible.
Re: Review: Kirby: Planet Robobot (3DS)
This was a guaranteed buy for me even before the review. Now I am even more stoked for it. I hope this one sells very well. I love Kirby and feel that eh is under-loved in the west.
Re: Rumour: Nintendo's Next Generation Handheld Is Codenamed "MH"
Even if MH turns out to be true, I seriously doubt that it is actually a separate product line. More likely it would have the same relationship to the NX as the IPhone has to the IPad. They will still run most of the same software. I have no doubt that some games would be targeted more at NX and some targeted more an MH, but they would still be fully compatible.
Nintendo would not have talked so much about admiring how Apple does things, spent so much money to fully integrate their development teams, and then gone back to the same broken model of having two separate platforms with separate OS systems and separate game libraries. They simply CANNOT afford to do that anymore.
Re: Monkey Island Creator, Ron Gilbert, Still Wants to Get the Rights to the Franchise
Disney is unlikely to sell the IP, but I could see them letting Ron Gilbert make a new game. It would be very low risk from their point of view. If he makes a hit game then the IP is revived. If it flops then no big deal. It is not like they are trying to do anything with it themselves.
Re: Kirby: Planet Robobot Stays on Top in the Japanese Charts
Nintendo has mishandled the Star Fox franchise since the release of Star Fox 64. Star Fox Assault was not well received on GameCube and since then it seems like Nintendo is content to just repackage Star Fox 64 in different ways. They gave it a re-master on 3DS and then gave it a re-imagine on Wii U. The poor sales should tell Nintendo that fans are not really keen on buying variations of the same game over and over.
As for Kirby, I am happy that it is selling well. Kirby is awesome, even if the games do tend to be rather easy.
Re: Disney Infinity Has Been Cancelled
I don't care for the whole Toys To Life fad, however, I can see how people who were collecting would be disappointed. I have a feeling that Lego entering the market made things too crowded. How many of these collectible video games can the market support?
Re: 2DS Gets a Price Cut to $79.99 in North America
I was tempted to get one of these once upon a time. In the end I decided that the screen was too small. Would be a great option for parents who don't like having to share their own hardware with the kids.
Re: Retail Executives and Analysts Voice Support For Nintendo's NX Release Window and Lack of E3 Showing
I remember being furious with Nintendo for how they handled the end of the GameCube's commercial life. I did not mind that Twilight Princess became a dual platform release. I did not mind that the overall GameCube line-up was thin for the last 12 months. I had a handful of games that I was looking forward to and I expected them to keep me busy for months after the Wii launched. That list included Twilight Princess, Lego Star Wars 2, Kirby's Return to Dream Land and Super Paper Mario. Obviously, the last two never released on GameCube. They were quietly shifted to the Wii instead. I was so angry that I swore I would never buy another Nintendo system if that was how they treated their loyal fans who stuck with a system to the bitter end. However, a few years later I finally caved in and bought the Wii. After that I bought the 3DS. Those two systems provided me with so many great games that all was forgiven.
So ... I get why Wii U fans are ticked. They invested good money in the system and now Nintendo is abandoning it early and shifting resources to the next system. I am not surprised that some people are swearing to never buy another Nintendo system. However, I suspect that many of them will eventually come back for one simple reason: Nintendo makes the best video games in the world. Once the NX is established and great games are rolling in people will realize that they really want to play those games.
Re: Retail Executives and Analysts Voice Support For Nintendo's NX Release Window and Lack of E3 Showing
I am sure that Nintendo will have a pre-E3 Direct to show fans what they have planned for the holiday season. 3DS will be the focus of that presentation and that is the right thing to do. Those are the games that need to sell well this holiday in order for Nintendo to meet its financial targets.
As for the NX launch timing, I actually prefer that new systems not launch in the holiday period. It reduces the need to have a huge shipment of systems ready for launch and hopefully reduces the number of faulty hardware units that end up in the hands of consumers. It also ensures that casual buyers who are shopping for Christmas presents do not have to compete with die-hard fans for limited hardware units. By the time the holiday season comes around the early adopters will all have their systems and Nintendo can focus on selling to the masses. It also gives them time to have second wave software ready for the system's first holiday season.
If Nintendo have a great software line-up then it will not matter what time of year they launch. The system will sell just fine.
Re: Reaction: The NX Could Benefit from Using Cartridges Instead of Discs
Never mind the debate about disc vs cart, I am more concerned that Nintendo needs to include a large enough hard drive (or decent enough expansion capacity) that people can go digital only if they want to. The 8GB hard drive of the original Wii U was a joke.
Re: Talking Point: The 3DS Faces the Challenge of Taking Nintendo Through 2016
If Nintendo is projecting 55 million in total software sales then they must have something else besides Pokémon that they expect will shift large numbers this holiday. My money is on a new Mario game. I would like it to be a sequel to Super Mario 3D Land, but more likely it will be a handheld iteration of Super Mario Maker that is capable of sharing content with the Wii U version.
Personally, I expect that the 3DS will continue to get software long after the NX has launched. First party games will drop off after this year as Nintendo focuses (rightly) on making the NX a success. However, third party games will continue. An installed base of 60 million ensures that it will not just die over night when its replacement comes along.
Re: Video: Check Out This Overview of Bravely Second
I will absolutely get this one.
Re: Poll: What Do You Think of My Nintendo and Miitomo?
The usefulness of My Nintendo will depend on what they have lined up for rewards and ways to earn points. I really want that Zelda Picross game. If that is an indication of things to come then I will be motivated to keep earning points. However, if it mostly comes down to things like extra costumes for Mii figures then I will quickly lose interest.
I am surprised (and disappointed) that so far there is no way to earn points from retail purchases. Is that coming eventually? If not, then I am going to miss out on a lot points.
Re: Abylight Is Aware Of Demand For A 3DS Port Of Locomalito's Maldita Castilla
I love his games and I would have no qualms with paying $10 for Castilla so that he can actually make some money off of it. It really is a great game. Seeing as Capcom have given up on the Ghouls franchise (along with most of their other retro properties) tributes are the only way that we can get new games like this.
Re: Sega of America Will Be Publishing Atlus Games in North America from Now On
I am happy that Sega bought Atlus because it meant that Atlus could live on. As the article stated, there has also been an uptick in the number of Sega published games from Japan being localized (Stella Glow comes to mind). As long as Atlus titles do well I expect the situation will be good.
However, with acquisitions like this there is always the possibility that if sales take a down-turn in the future Sega could close Atlus and bring all of their IPs in-house where they would then sit unused. Konami took over Hudson, killed all projects that were in progress and have done nothing with Hudson's IPs since then.
Re: Rumour: New Nintendo NX Controller Images Surface and Set the Web Alight
Between now and when Nintendo unveil the NX there will be lots of these "leaks". I am choosing to ignore all of them. Nintendo will likely respond by stating that they do not comment on rumors and speculation, and really, that is the correct response. They cannot allow other people to dictate their timeline for revealing details. E3 is only three months away. All will be known soon.
In the months before the 3DS was unveiled there were lots of very convincing "concept" photos released that claimed to show the actual next Nintendo handheld. Most of them were way off the mark when the 3DS was finally revealed.
Re: Nikkei Report Suggests That Wii U Production Will End in 2016
I seriously doubt that Nintendo will cease Wii U production altogether in 2016. More likely they will ramp it down and move it to a smaller facility.
NX is not going to be cheap at launch. I predict that it will come out at $400US which is not unreasonable but is not in impulse purchase range either. That will create an opportunity for Wii U to receive a substantial price cut and be marketed as a budget console for families. A package that includes a 32GB Wii U and a game for $200 could do well this holiday, especially with the fact that the Wii U line-up is very family friendly.
Re: Nintendo Issues Statement On Side Quest Changes In Bravely Second
My response to the rage about localization issues is always the same. If you want to pass on a great game simply because they changed some minor detail of it, then that is your loss. The rest of us will play and enjoy the game.
Re: Soapbox: It's too Early to Judge Paper Mario: Color Splash
I bet this will be one of those games that is actually quite fun to play but does not sell especially well. By the time it comes out most Nintendo fans will have moved on to being hyped about the NX instead.
Of course, we could also be looking at a repeat of Super Paper Mario where it is listed for the current gen machine right up to (and past) its announced release date and then suddenly becomes a title for the next gen machine instead.
Re: Editorial: Nintendo's Virtual Console Revolution Must Wait as We Pay Once More for SNES Games
On a different subject, I have never understood why Nintendo could not get Gameboy Advance games working well enough to sell on the 3DS. The PSP has an emulator for Gameboy Advance that plays most games at full speed with full sound and no glitches. As far as I know the 3DS is more powerful than the PSP.
Re: Editorial: Nintendo's Virtual Console Revolution Must Wait as We Pay Once More for SNES Games
A few years ago I bought several PS One classics on my PSP. Most of them are now available for me to download and play on my Vita at no extra charge. I generally find that Sony has a much more consumer-friendly approach to digital purchases than Nintendo does. They allow you to have more than one machine attached to your account and to use all digital content on both machines at the same time.
As for SNES games on the 3DS, I might consider playing a good RPG that way, but for most games the Wii Virtual Console on my HDTV with my imported SNES style classic controller (from Japan) is the best way for me to enjoy those games.
Re: Talking Point: Nintendo's Fortress of Secrecy Needs to Tighten Security for the Year Ahead
There was a time when I really looked forward to E3 as the time of year when there would be one announcement after another that blew me away. That ended a long time ago. Most of what I saw announced at the last couple of E3s I knew about as rumor before hand.
I blame the current generation of people who share their entire lives on-line. They are so used to tweeting or posting on Facebook whenever anything of interest happens in their lives that they cannot comprehend the idea that some things should not be shared with the entire internet. That just does not compute for them.
It used to be that a secret was something that you told one other person. Now a secret is something that you tell the world before anyone else can.
Re: Rumour: Beyond Good And Evil 2 Is Being Developed As A Nintendo NX Exclusive
Considering the massive hype around Shenmue 3, this is exactly the kind of project that will get people to sit up and take notice of NX. An official sequel to an underappreciated game that fans thought would never happen. People know that NX will have Mario and Zelda. They don't expect stuff like this.
Re: Feature: What We Expect from Nintendo Direct - 3rd March
I am heading home a bit early today so that I can watch the Direct Live on my HDTV. I don't expect any big reveals. I just want a firm release date for Dragon Quest VII on 3DS so that preorders can go live.
Re: Talking Point: It's Catch-Up Time for Nintendo Direct, With North America and Europe Having Different Priorities
@yuwarite
There will be nothing about NX in the Direct. It is focused on Wii U and 3DS only. WE won't hear about NC until E3.
Re: Talking Point: It's Catch-Up Time for Nintendo Direct, With North America and Europe Having Different Priorities
I expect that they will announce a release date for Dragon Quest VII on 3DS and that there will be a limited edition version. Preorders for the limited edition will go live after the Direct and be sold out within 1 minute because Nintendo will (as always) grossly underestimate the demand for such things and end up pissing off more people than they please. (This rant has been brought to you by a whiny gamer who is still miffed about his inability to get FE Fates Limited Edition).
Re: A Wii U and 3DS Nintendo Direct Is On the Way
All Nintendo has to do to make me very happy is announce one new major first party 3DS game that is NOT an RPG. I love RPGs, but it is starting to get ridiculous that 90% of all big games coming to the 3DS are RPGs. A sequel to Kirby Triple Deluxe would be nice!
Re: Etrian Odyssey V Finally Has A Release Date, And Yes, It's Coming To 3DS
This will likely be an early 2017 release in the west. The RPG goodness continues on 3DS.
Re: Reaction: The Pokémon Direct Was Short and Slick, But Had a Blunted Impact
I am sure that the main purpose of this Direct was to show investors that they have at least one big cash cow game coming later this year. Investors are unhappy with the company's recent performance and they want to see what Nintendo is going to do to turn things around. Nintendo are not ready to announce any NX details yet, but by formally announcing this game they are hoping that investors will back off somewhat. A new gen Pokemon game is pretty much 10 million in guaranteed sales.
Re: Fire Emblem Fates Becomes Fastest Selling Release in Franchise History in the US
@Turbo857
I live in hope that Nintendo and Sega can come to an agreement eventually for Camelot to do a remake of Shining Force III on Nintendo platforms. Camelot has sworn to never work with Sega again due to SOA and SOE only releasing part 1. Maybe they would like the chance to bring the complete saga to western gamers. Now that FE is doing so well it would seem to make sense. It is probably too late for that to happen on 3DS, but perhaps on NX ...
Re: Fire Emblem Fates Becomes Fastest Selling Release in Franchise History in the US
@Soren
I have to admit that any game after Shining Force III does not count as a real Shining Force game IMO, so I can understand your point. It sucks when a franchise that you love goes in a direction that you don't like. I fear for the changes that Sega is making in Valkyria Chronicles 4. It is going to end up being an action game.
Re: Fire Emblem Fates Becomes Fastest Selling Release in Franchise History in the US
@B238ben
I am hoping that if fates is a huge hit then Nintendo will have renewed interest in Advance Wars as well. They could add a mini-game to the Japanese version where you get to rub your tank down with oil. Then they would remove that from the western version
Re: Fire Emblem Fates Becomes Fastest Selling Release in Franchise History in the US
@Soren
With Awakening's release Fire Emblem died as a niche product and was reborn as a franchise with mass market appeal. I understand why fans of the old Fire Emblem are unhappy, but were it not for Awakening's change of direction the franchise would have been cancelled.
Re: Fire Emblem Fates Becomes Fastest Selling Release in Franchise History in the US
I am disappointed at how Nintendo handled the all-in-one option. I get that "limited editions" are limited and they only wanted to produce so many copies of the art book and pouch. However, I don't understand why Nintendo did not make the all-in-one version of the game available to purchase as a stand-alone product for $80. I think that a lot of people would have gone for that option and then Nintendo would not have the problem of trying to convince everyone to buy the DLC later when the thrill may be wearing off for some players. It was a massive missed opportunity.
Of course, it would not surprise me if Nintendo decided to make that version available at retail later on and tick off all of the early adopters who would have preferred it at launch.
Re: Fire Emblem Fates Becomes Fastest Selling Release in Franchise History in the US
On Friday I was in line at EB Games and 7 out of the 8 people in ,line ahead of me were buying FE Fates. Half of them took the option to buy a download code for the other half of the story as well. I guess this guarantees another Fire Emblem game on NX.
Re: Editorial: Game Localisation Isn't Just About Preserving The 'Pure' Original
A company choosing to alter their own product for cultural or ratings reasons is definitely not censorship. They were not forced to do it by some kind of regulatory body. They chose to do it. There is a very big difference there.
Nintendo of America knows that the average user of a 3DS in the US is a kid. There are mature gamers who have a 3DS here, but they are very much the minority. Therefore a large percentage of the people who will be excited to play Fire Emblem Fates in the US are kids. If Nintendo left skinship in, and it caused the game to get a mature rating here, then that would have a big impact on how many copies Nintendo could sell. Removing the skinship mini-game was very much a business decision.
Re: Let's Clarify Exactly How the Fire Emblem Fates 'Skinship' Mode Works in North America
As a parent of kids who are coming up to the confusing puberty part of life, I would be miffed if I found out that they were playing a game in which they were encouraged to build relationships with other people by inviting them into their bedroom and then rubbing them down. However, Nintendo could have gotten around that by providing the option to disable the skinship features.
As a gamer, I would probably never use that feature anyway. It has nothing to do with personal morals. It is more that I never take advantage of the "relationship building" mechanics of any game. I am there to kill monsters, grab loot and save the world. I am not there to try and pick-up the female party members.
Re: 3DS to Continue as a 'Major Pillar' of Nintendo's Business
They don't need to have a huge line-up of games in order to keep the 3DS ticking over. But they do need to have at least a couple of big hitters that will draw attention to the system. If the came out at E3 and announced Pokémon Z and Super Mario 3D Land 2 for holiday 2016 on 3DS, both the investors and the fans would be very happy.
Re: Soapbox: A Nintendo Fan's Hopes and Dreams for the NX
I absolutely agree with the idea that the NX will be a portable game device that can also broadcast to an HD TV. I think the product announced at E3 this year will be essentially a gaming tablet that looks a lot like the current Wii U controller but is a stand-alone device that you can take anywhere. There will also be a set-top box that can be used to play your games on an HD TV. Later (probably 2017) a smaller form-factor will be released that is more portable and plays the same software.
The basic idea here is that Nintendo are not going to try and complete head-to-head with Sony and Microsoft for the console market. Rather, they are going to try and keep one foot in that market while also taking a bite out of tablet gaming market (which is growing very fast). With a smaller NX they can also keep a stranglehold on the handheld game market. Crucially, since all form factors will play the same games, they will no longer be splitting their development staff between multiple machines. Every Nintendo first party game will be on NX.
Backward compatibility with Wii U is more important than you might think. They spent a lot of money learning how to develop HD games and I am sure that Nintendo would love to have a second chance to sell gamers on titles like Mario Kart 8 and Zelda Wii U. More importantly, they need the opportunity to evolve their current development tools rather than create all new ones. That will allow them to get content on the NX much faster.
If NX phase 1 is a gaming tablet (which I think it will be) then some degree of Android compatibility would be a huge benefit. Make it easy for Android developers to get their software running on NX.
Re: Talking Point: The New Nintendo 3DS is Yet to Have a Real Chance to Revive the Portable Family
Holiday season 2015 was terrible for releases in North America. There were games for kids, but nothing that would entice core gamers to buy in. Releasing Tri- Force Heroes rather than a proper Zelda game on 3DS was a big missed opportunity for Nintendo. I don't understand why Mario and Luigi was delayed until the end of January here either. Nintendo was obviously banking on Animal Crossing and Yo-kai Watch to sell hardware and it didn't work.
Personally, I am happy to see lots of RPGs in the 2016 line-up, but it would be nice to have some big games in other genres as well. If E3 comes and Nintendo has nothing big to announce for the holiday season on 3DS, then the slide will continue.
I get that Nintendo are focused on the NX, but launching new hardware is risky and expensive. You can't just throw all of your best teams at the new system. You also need to ensure that your current bread-and-butter hardware is serviced with good games so that profits from those products can prop up the bottom line until the NX comes up to speed.
Re: IHS Technology Adds to Speculation of an NX Portable Release in 2016
Here is my prediction:
NX will have two major components to it. One component (the one that will release this year) is going to be an HD gaming tablet with a fairly large screen and proper gaming controls. It will look quite a bit like the Wii U tablet controller except that it will be a stand-alone game machine with all of its guts internal to the tablet and its own memory. It will be quite a bit more powerful than the Wii U, but there will be some reworked Wii-U games available for it such as Smash Bros and probably Zelda Wii U. I am not sure how games would be provided. Download for sure. Memory carts are probably the best option for physical. Almost guaranteed that it will have some form of Android compatibility as well to make it even more appealing as a tablet.
In 2017 Nintendo will release another component that allows the NX to be connected to an HDTV. However, the second component will not just be a way to feed data from the tablet to the TV. It will also have its own functions such as storing downloaded games that you do not have space for on the tablet and streaming some forms of content to the tablet over Wi-Fi. It will also allow multiple NX machines to connect to it locally or over the internet for multi-player games.
The combination of the two will look a lot like the Wii U (and be backward compatible with the Wii U). The big difference will be that you can take the tablet anywhere.
Of course, I could be 100% wrong.
Re: Hands On: Seeking an Awakening in Fire Emblem Fates
I am waiting until the special edition becomes available for pre-order.
Re: Mighty No. 9 Has Been Delayed Once Again as Keiji Inafune Offers Sincere Apologies
I am sure this is one of those cases where people will be pissed off about the delays right up to the point that the game actually launches and it turns out to be pretty good. Then all will be forgiven.
There are lots of games that I am waiting for the have either been delayed multiple times or still have no definite release date (Forma 8 and Shantae 1/2 Genie Hero come to mind). I don't care if they arrive late as long as the finished product is really good.
Re: Ninterview: Retro Video Gaming's Heidi stopXwhispering On Building The Ultimate Game Room
*** FAKE MATCH.COM POSTING ***
Attractive 32 year old Sweedish girl with her own house seeks male with similar tastes. Oh, by the way, the house is full of every video game you could possibly want to play. Text if you are interested ...
**********************
I bet she would get 50 marriage proposals within 24 hours.
Re: Editorial: Let's Make 2016 a Year of Nintendo Optimism
New console reveals are always cool, but I never buy machines at launch anyway. For me that excitement is more about knowing there is a whole new world of gaming that will await me if and when I ever decide to take the plunge and pick up the new system.
More immediate for me is that fact that my current machines of choice (3DS and Vita) are both getting into that period of their lifespan when lots of late-generation titles are arriving that are geared exactly for my tastes. 2016 is the year of the RPG on handhelds and I love JRPGs. I am looking forward to Mario and Luigi, Fire Emblem Fates, Bravely Second and the two Dragon Quest localizations. There are five to six great RPGs coming to Vita as well this year. I won't have time to play them all!
Re: Nintendo Remains Bullish Around the 3DS and Its Future Prospects
There is no way that Nintendo will drop the 3DS when the NX comes out. NX will likely take some time to build up an installed base of users. Nintendo will want to have some high margin games on the 3DS to help boost income while they ride out the transition. Besides, core gamers always seem to have the mindset that as soon as the next big thing comes along no one cares about the old products anymore. That may be true for them, but it is not true for the market as whole. If Nintendo cuts the price of the new 3DS next fall then can continue to get good sales out of it for quite some time yet.
Re: Review: FAST Racing NEO (Wii U eShop)
I hope that Wii U owners realize how many great downloadable games are coming to the system. Fast Racing, UkaLayLee, Shantai 1/2 Genie Hero, and Mighty #9 are all games that could have been retail releases.
Re: Editorial: It's Not Fun to Criticise Nintendo Games, But It's Been Unavoidable in 2015
Nintendo's line-up for this holiday season across both Wii U and 3DS is very lackluster. This is the period in a system's lifespan when the developers should have a good handle on what the hardware can do and they are coming up with neat tricks to push the envelope. Both of these machines should be getting games right now that rank among the best that will ever be released on the platform. Instead (at least this holiday) they have shoveled out a number of low-budget gimmick games and spin offs. Surely they have to know that Zelda Tri-Force and Amiibo Festival are not going to be big sellers.
Of course, 2016 will be much better for both machines. 3DS is getting a mind blowing number of good JRPGs in the first half of next year. I am sure there will be some surprises for the second half of the year. Wii U also has lots to look forward to. It just seems to be this holiday that Nintendo has a thin line-up.
The biggest problem for Nintendo is that they cannot rely on third parties to fill gaps in their release line-up. The PS4 is also very thin on first party games this holiday, but they have some very big third party games that Sony can use to promote the system. Nintendo doesn't have a Fall Out 4 or a Star Wars Battlefront to talk about. They only have their own games. Hopefully Splatoon and Mario Kart 8 will be appealing enough to sell a lot of bundles I guess.
Re: Fire Emblem Fates Releases In North America On 19th February, Special Triple Edition Also Confirmed
@PlywoodStick
Yeah, I suppose that if you want the special edition then waiting is not a tactic that will work. Those packages only go up in price. Hopefully you can find it at a brick and mortar store. Also, if they sold out that fast then Nintendo will create more. They have more than three months before the game ships to replenish stock.
Re: Fire Emblem Fates Releases In North America On 19th February, Special Triple Edition Also Confirmed
I knew the comments on this story would devolve into arguing about whether or not Nintendo is greedy for selling this game in parts.
I think it comes down to this; if you are really put off by having to pay $40 each for the two sides of the game then you can either buy and play only one of them, or simply wait until you can get them both for a price that you are willing to pay (used or on sale or whatever). Or, if it bothers you enough then don't buy it at all. There are lots of other great games coming to 3DS next year.
Personally, there are lots of games that I feel are not worth the asking price at launch. For example, I will not be paying the Atlus tax for Stella Glow. If you are patient, all games will eventually be put on sale somewhere. I just wait until I see the games that I want at the price I am willing to pay. Within six months I will be able to get a new copy of Stella Glow for $40.
What I am not going to do is get all insulted that they asked too much in the first place. If the market will bear the price that they initially sold it for, then good for them.