I'm leaning more and more towards a pass on Yoshi's New Island, partially because the term "New" is in the title. And I'm.. not a fan of the "New" series in the least (New Super Mario Bros). Nothing about this game really stands out so far.
I doubt we're getting a Nintendo Direct in January. Nothing new is happening between the December direct and Bravely Default which was already covered.
I wouldn't be surprised if it's for mobile judging by their recent track record. And if that turns out to be the case, I'm not interested - no matter what they present. As much as I love Level 5, from Dark Cloud to Professor Layton, I'm not interested in gaming on my phone.
This does seem to reflect poorly on Nintendo, especially to new owners who may not have had similar experiences like this before and who may think what they just shelled out money for doesn't work properly.
At some point, you have to call a spade a spade... and Nintendo dropped the ball here whether we like it or not. The bottom line is that the network issues shouldn't have happened in the first place. It shouldn't have happened on Steam or the PlayStation Network either for that matter — but that does NOT absolve Nintendo of their responsibility to maintain their services. This was the busiest time of the year and Nintendo failed to adequately prepare their server capacity.
That may not be a big deal to some, but for developers, they absolutely cannot get back the eyeball impressions they lost during Christmas and the day after for their games in the eShop, some of which are only available in the eShop.That level of traffic doesn't just happen everyday.
So Nintendo messed up. Let's hope everything is fixed so we can move forward.
Fire Emblem Awakening is my Game of the Year. I was blown away by everything in the game, especially the presentation. Can't wait to see what Fire Emblem x Shin Megami Tensei is like.
@WingedSnagret @SirQuincealot I would be cautious about how easily you can access Pokemon from the Bank within Pokemon X/Y.
Like every previous Pokemon game in the main series, I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't have access to download Pokemon from the Bank until you reached a certain point in the story. This has historically prevented players from moving Lv.100 Pokemon into a new file (from the Bank this time) and then rampaging through the game uncontested.
In Blank and White, you couldn't transfer up Pokemon from gen. 4 until after you beat the game.
@WingedSnagret @Cartographer @RetroRider From what I've read from others, here are some ideas that I think would make StreetPass more popular outside of Japan and taking into account smaller towns:
1) Make National StreetPass Weekend once a month at the beginning of every month. This helps get people thinking about taking their 3DS with them when they leave the house on a regular basis and gets people to talk about Nintendo on a regular basis.
2) During National StreetPass weekend, send random Mii's via SpotPass to each 3DS owner every 8 hours (so 6 Mii's over 2 days). This will help out those who can't travel to a Nintendo Zone during the event as much as the players in larger cities can.
3) Add GameStop as a Nintendo Zone instead of only Home Depot, McDonald's, Starbucks, B&N, etc (places gamers don't necessarily go).
4) Increase the daily coin limit from 10 to 20 so folks in smaller towns have more time per session to interact with StreetPass games; the idea being that with more coins per day, the player can hire more Mii's in the games if they don't meet real people as frequently as some players do in larger cities.
5) And lastly, add one new game to the current collection of StreetPass games that's free. 9 out of 10 people I StreetPass have NOT played the newer games, presumably in part because of the cost of entry. If you exclude the 4 new games, that means the 2 free games are almost 3 years old now.
Fire Emblem Awakening Animal Crossing New Leaf Etrian Odyssey Millennium Girl
I have Zelda A Link Between Worlds but haven't played it yet. And though I have every Pokemon game, I don't think Pokemon X/Y has done as much in its presentation or in the user interface area to really impress me as much as my first three picks have. Fire Emblem Awakening especially is one of the most polished games I've ever played.
@linktothepichu I usually wait a minute or two in the Nintendo Zone to make sure I received the tags. And in some cases, locations that usually work will not have their Wifi enabled at that particular moment which sucks. Also in a few cases, some locations near my home have such low traffic that I think I was the first person to enter the zone with a 3DS since the network update.
@element187 I'm personally not concerned about the quantity of titles that are released for PS4 or XB1 compared to the Wii-U. Regardless of what comes out on consoles, I spend the vast majority of my time on my 3DS (over 100 games retail and download). My point was that there are a lot of franchises that sell millions of copies just like Mario and Zelda do that will not be coming to the Wii-U. There's no reason to believe these franchises won't continue to sell a ton of copies when new games are released on PS4 or XB1. This may be a deciding factor for many gamers when deciding what system to purchase. It happened in the last generation and it's already happening now as seen by the sales of the PS4 and XB1 despite the Wii-U games having higher review scores on average. Just as easily as we reading this website can say that Mario Kart 8 is a must have title, there's a lot of people out there that can say Titanfall and Uncharted and Madden are must have titles and there are more people like that and more titles like those coming out for the other boxes than there are for the Wii-U in the foreseeable future.
So again, personally, I'll get a PS4 for some games that aren't going to be released on the Wii-U, like Kingdom Hearts as I already have all the games in that franchise, and I'll buy games that interest me that are released on the Wii-U like Mario Kart.
But let's be clear, we are going to be in the minority this console generation for a variety of reasons, most of which are self-inflicted like the lack of first party support during the first year, but one of which is lack of 3rd party support. My hope is that Nintendo throws a lot of cash at some of these high profile 3rd party development studios. This may or may not matter to some people that simply read websites like this but it matters to parents with kids who want to be as cool as their friends and older brother who play on PS4 and XB1 and it matters to retailers who have the ultimate say in whether to stock Wii-U hardware and software that they perceive to "take up space" compared to the competition if that competition continues to sell at an increasingly higher rate and earn them money at an increasingly higher rate. Retail availability would in turn affect sales which affects publisher decisions to port to Wii-U in the first place and thus the cycle repeats. It sucks but it is what it is.
I hope the situation improves for the Wii-U but I'm not blind to it's faults and disadvantages.
@DarkwingLz The sad thing is the Xbox One may not need to do much more than the Xbox 360. As long as it puts out Titalfall, Halo, and other exclusives, and continues to be the platform of choice for games like Call of Duty, the masses will eat it up.
@ScorpionMG That's certainly fine. As I said, I'm only interested in Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy XV at this point. I would imagine most people who read this website are not interested in most of those games as well.
But for the masses, that list of games is a potential game changer for people on the fence about what system to purchase. Some will undoubtedly go with the Wii-U for Smash Bros and X and Fire Emblem X Shin Megami Tensei and other games we'll get. But I think a lot of people will lean towards the PS4 or XB1. Remember, many of the games on the list already have a huge following numbering in the millions based on sales of previous games in their franchises (Grand Theft Auto, Tomb Raider, sports games, Halo, Metal Gear Solid, etc.). They easily do Zelda numbers as it is. Hell, Tomb Raider sold more than Skyward Sword. And not even Mario Kart can outsell Grand Theft Auto.
@Williaint Unfortunately, perception trumps reality. And right now, the Wii-U has a negative perception surrounding it for a number of reasons that I'm sure most of us can argue for days.
The bottom line is that when Knack outsells Super Mario 3D World, that should tell us that critical review alone isn't going to save the Wii-U. Nintendo has work to do.
@Dreamcaster-X Right, this 3rd party support issue is actually what I'm concerned about the most. Nintendo has their fair share of issues in other areas (most notably online networking and account systems). But the Wii-U really needed to avoid being perceived as the console that only plays Mario and Zelda and casual games like Wii Sports and Wii Fit and for everything else, go elsewhere. That's obviously a problem consumer wise but it's also a problem publisher wise.
There's a ton of high profile third party games coming out for PS4 and XB1 in the next several months. If those games help grow the install base of the PS4 and the XB1 (and they will certainly do so), as the install base gap grows between those consoles and the Wii-U, that will give publishers less and less reason to even consider porting games to the Wii-U. And that just creates a snowball of problems, most notably how retail respond in terms of shelf space allocation.
@Aqueous That was just a typo and again, I think the overall point still stands.
In any event, gamers and parents/friends of gamers will buy the console that currently and will have games that best cater to them. So we'll see what happens.
@Baum897 Well then take Child of Light off the list - the point still stands. And I'm not saying that a PS4 can play all of those games or that I'm even interested in most of that stuff. I'm only getting a PS4 for Kingdom Hearts 3 and Final Fantasy XV and I would never touch an Xbox.
But like I said, the overall point still stands. The importance is greater or smaller for some but the PS4 and XB1 will have a larger catalog of high profile titles than the Wii-U. There's no getting around that anytime soon and it's something that consumers will take into consideration when they're deciding what console to purchase.
Just specifically on the 3rd party support aspect of this larger conversation, I'll re-post what I wrote in another thread:
For the average gamer who doesn't own either a Wii-U, PS4, or XB1, does spending hundreds of dollars on a console for Mario 3D World, Mario Kart, Smash Bros, and Zelda over the next 18 months seem like a better decision compared to what will make its way towards PS4 and XB1 and NEVER the Wii-U:
-Grand Theft Auto
-Uncharted
-Minecraft
-Infamous Second Son
-Driveclub
-The Witness
-Metal Gear Solid
-Dragon Age
-FIFA, Madden, NHL, or NBA games
-The Order: 1886
-Final Fantasy 15
-Destiny
-Diablo III Ultimate Edition
-The Division
-Deep Down
-Kingdom Hearts 3
-Titanfall
-Halo
-Thief
-Lord of the Rings
-Mad Max
-The Witcher
-Mirror's Edge
-Tomb Raider
-Forza
-Battlefield
-Need for Speed
-Gran Turismo
-Dead Rising
-Ni No Kuni 2
The lack of strong 3rd support has become the elephant in the room. When it comes to which single console is going to offer the most talked about and biggest blockbusters on a consistent basis over the next 18 months, it's unfortunately becoming increasingly difficult to recommend the Wii-U as the console to own when it so clearly does not and apparently will not for the foreseeable future have the depth of games that PlayStation and Xbox will have. Even if Smash Bros and Zelda turn out to be the best games ever (and I hope they are), for every amazing Nintendo first party title, it seems like those games will need to compete with 4 to 5 great games on the other consoles.
Could we be approaching the point where the majority of gamers decide that Mario and Zelda does not outweigh that list of games I mentioned above, which they'll have to give up?
Unless Nintendo has a ton of high profile surprises that will release in 2014 (not just be announced, but actually be released), the Wii-U may make the more expensive PlayStation and Xbox seem like a better value compared to buying a $300 Wii-U just for a handful of games.
I personally just purchased a Wii-U but I have to get a PS4 to play a lot of other games I like because they won't be released on the Wii-U.
@kyuubikid213 @Kirk @doctor_doak "I mean't the platform in general. Not Sony specifically. Highly promising games already slated for 2014 are Witcher 3, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Thief, Watch Dogs, Mirror's Edge 2, Mad Max, Metal Gear Solid 5, Diablo 3, Destiny, The Crew, The Division, Lords of The Fallen, Shadow of The Beast, The Witness, Transistor....How many of those are coming to the Wii U?? —"
^ I think this is a point that's not been made too much in this thread and to some extent, is lost against the other arguments. For the average gamer who doesn't own either a Wii-U, PS4, or XB1, does spending hundreds of dollars on a console for Mario 3D World, Mario Kart, Smash Bros, and Zelda over the next 18 months seem like a better decision compared to what will make its way towards PS4 and XB1 and NEVER the Wii-U: -Grand Theft Auto -Uncharted -Minecraft -Infamous Second Son -Driveclub -The Witness -Metal Gear Solid -Dragon Age -FIFA, Madden, NHL, or NBA games -The Order: 1886 -Final Fantasy 15 -Child of Light -Destiny -Diablo III Ultimate Edition -The Division -Deep Down -Kingdom Hearts 3 -Titanfall -Halo -Thief -Lord of the Rings -Mad Max -The Witcher -Mirror's Edge -Kingdom Hearts 3 -Tomb Raider -Forza -Battlefield -Need for Speed -Gran Turismo -Dead Rising
The lack of strong 3rd support has become the elephant in the room. When it comes to which single console is going to offer the most talked about and biggest blockbusters on a consistent basis over the next 18 months, it's unfortunately becoming increasingly difficult to recommend the Wii-U as the console to own when it so clearly does not and apparently will not for the foreseeable future have the depth of games that PlayStation and Xbox will have. Even if Smash Bros and Zelda turn out to be the best games ever (and I hope they are), for every amazing Nintendo first party title, it seems like those games will need to compete with 4 to 5 great games on the other consoles.
Could we be approaching the point where the majority of gamers decide that Mario and Zelda does not outweigh that list of games I mentioned above, which they'll have to give up?
Unless Nintendo has a ton of high profile surprises that will release in 2014 (not just be announced, but actually be released), the Wii-U may make the more expensive PlayStation and Xbox seem like a better value compared to buying a $300 Wii-U just for a handful of games.
The poor selection for North America leads to stockpiles of coins so that when something good is actually available, it sells out quickly. I still have over 1500 coins after I ordered the Zelda posters.
This isn't a hardware issue, it's a software issue. Gamers buy Nintendo hardware for the software. They always have and always will and no amount of upgrades to Apple hardware is going to change that.
@Samwise7 Well no, I don't think so. To clarify, my earlier statements were speculation on if Nintendo would not include 3D as a feature of its next generation handheld. I'm not referring to another 2DS or some other variation of the existing 3DS model - I'm referring to the true successor to the 3DS.
Whenever game companies release different models of their hardware, they usually keep changes to just price, hard drive space, or packed-in games or accessories. Honestly it's pretty unusual to release another version of an existing model that modifies or excludes a core feature like what's happening with the 2DS. (Not that the idea of the 2DS is wrong - I'm just pointing out the history here.)
Would they stop selling the 3DS and 3DSXL and only sell the 2DS or future variations of that during this handheld cycle? Absolutely not. But when the true successor does come around, they have to decide how serious they are about 3D when they know it can't work with all models. So will it be like the current 3DS with optional 3D or will it be more like the 2DS? Clearly we don't have an in-between solution at the moment because that's just a 3DS as is with the slider - which wasn't enough to prevent having to make a 2DS in the first place. I'd love to be a fly on the wall during those discussions as I find the hardware development process very fascinating.
@element187 I've already agreed that the 2DS is a great idea. I'm just taking Nintendo's message on 3D being "very much a part of its future" with a very large dose of skepticism.
Any company will say anything at a time when it's convenient to them and then go in a different direction later. Just before the 3DSXL was announced, Nintendo said they had no plans to release another model of the 3DS anytime soon. Just before a WiiU price cut was announced, Nintendo said they had no plans to cut the price. And there's a reason why they do that right? Because they don't want consumers to change their spending habits because of what Nintendo may or may not due in the immediate future.
But again, I'm in no way against the 2DS and I'm glad there's even more options for fans of 3DS games. I'm all for that. But on the subject of this article, I remain very skeptical of what Nintendo is saying about the importance of 3D in their handhelds.
@SCAR392 It seems like some of the negativity is from people who rule out picking one up for themselves because of the form factor or some other reason. But like you pointed out, it's clearly designed for a young audience, not most of the current 3DS owners.
In any case, more hardware sales will hopefully be more beneficial for all of us in the long run.
@KnightRider666 So judging from your response, I think I should clarify in case my stance on the 2DS wasn't clear.
Despite the fragmentation of 2D versus 3D and what that means to developers, I'm all in favor of what Nintendo is doing here which I stated before. I agree with the price, the system being 2D only, the target audience, and even the form factor to some extent. I'm simply wondering what this means for the successor to the 3DS because for a time, it seemed like 3D would be the future for Nintendo handhelds. Now? Not so much. So again, just speculation, no judgement passing or anything like that.
@KnightRider666 Oh I understand where Nintendo is going with this, particularly when it's to be released the same day Pokemon is coming out. I'm actually a fan of this strategy based on what they've told us so far. The 2DS clearly wasn't designed with you or I in mind.
That said, my original question is about the end game though. What's Nintendo's long term strategy surrounding their handheld business if, on the one hand, they say they're completely committed to 3D, but on the other hand, they release a model like this that essentially admits the 3D is a hindrence to a segment of the population that they cared enough about to make an entirely new model for? What happens when they release the true successor to the 3DS and they continue the implementation of 3D? Are they going to release a second model that's only 2D to go after the parent/child audience the current 2DS is aiming for? If they continue to be so on board with 3D and the young 2D only audience simultaneously, will they then be required to release two distinct models for their future handhelds? Or can they somehow create a single model that caters to the entirety of the current 3DS crowd? That's what I thought optional 3D and parental controls were for but that's not the case.
These are the sort of questions I have now since the 2DS was announced.
@b23cdq We should be thankful we're even getting this. Gaming soundtracks should be relatively easy to compile because the majority of the songs are already made for the game itself. But for some reason, very few OST's are ever produced and distributed. Considering this is a game with a global following, a download-only soundtrack is a much more realistic proposition than shipping discs around the world. I'll take this over having to find torrents for the ripped music any day.
@jrob23 I think I understand what you're asking so let me clarify.
If you're a fan of gaming in general, what you like can vary greatly. For example, I like good, fun games, period. I've been playing since 1989 on the NES. I like Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Pokemon, Pushmo, Fire Emblem, and lots of other Nintendo games. But I also like Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, Medievil, the original Spyro trilogy, the original Sonic the Hedgehog trilogy, Ratchet and Clank, Beyond Good and Evil, Halo, Virtue's Last Reward, Grand Theft Auto, Ni No Kuni, Mortal Kombat, NHL games, Dark Cloud (and anything released by Level-5 really), and hundreds more. I can't play most of those games on a Nintendo console. And that's OKAY to me. If I want Animal Crossing (currently at 300+ hours) - I know where to get it. If I want Kingdom Hearts 3 - I'll get a PlayStation 4 to play it.
Nintendo developed games are consistently high quality for the most part. But they aren't the only great games that have been released in the last 25 years. Even though I'm more inclined to buy Nintendo software before anything else, I'm not blind to the fact that there's plenty to love out there.
I think Nintendo's problem started before the GameCube with the Nintendo 64. Their decision to go with cartridges over discs alienated a lot of 3rd party developers. The GameCube just compounded what was at that point already an issue.
In any event, if you're a fan of gaming in general, you will need to own a WiiU plus another console. That's just the way it is these days and it's not going to change anytime soon.
We should not expect individuals with a strong background in finance and business to understand why gamers are so passionate about Nintendo products the way they are now.
@AlexSays You're still making assumptions. Also, please see the other points that others have made. The McDonalds vs Steakhouse comparison that was brought up is also a good analogy.
@AlexSays The two problems with this line of thinking is that a) you're assuming that a larger audience on a different device translates into more sales and b) that the audiences share similar gaming tastes and purchasing habits. Point A is fairly straightforward but point B is often overlooked. The people who purchase consoles and dedicated gaming handhelds like the 3DS and Vita are not necessarily the same people who will purchase the same games if released on ios or Android and vice versa.
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Re: Nintendo Boasts of "Record-Setting" 3DS Sales in 2013 and Confirms Yoshi’s New Island Release Date
I'm leaning more and more towards a pass on Yoshi's New Island, partially because the term "New" is in the title. And I'm.. not a fan of the "New" series in the least (New Super Mario Bros). Nothing about this game really stands out so far.
I doubt we're getting a Nintendo Direct in January. Nothing new is happening between the December direct and Bravely Default which was already covered.
Re: Missing Guild 01 Game Weapon Shop De Omasse Is Finally Getting Localised
I approve.
Re: Pokémon Bank Remains Offline in Japan as Nintendo Apologises for Issues
I'm sure we'll find something else to do with our time.
Re: Level 5 Is Hard At Work On A New Game That Will "Surprise" Us
I wouldn't be surprised if it's for mobile judging by their recent track record. And if that turns out to be the case, I'm not interested - no matter what they present. As much as I love Level 5, from Dark Cloud to Professor Layton, I'm not interested in gaming on my phone.
Re: Feature: The Biggest Wii U Games of 2014
I highly doubt Zelda WiiU is coming out in 2014 so my next pick is Fire Emblem x Shin Megami Tensei followed by Mario Kart 8.
Re: Nintendo Network Services Now Starting to "Operate Normally"
This does seem to reflect poorly on Nintendo, especially to new owners who may not have had similar experiences like this before and who may think what they just shelled out money for doesn't work properly.
At some point, you have to call a spade a spade... and Nintendo dropped the ball here whether we like it or not. The bottom line is that the network issues shouldn't have happened in the first place. It shouldn't have happened on Steam or the PlayStation Network either for that matter — but that does NOT absolve Nintendo of their responsibility to maintain their services. This was the busiest time of the year and Nintendo failed to adequately prepare their server capacity.
That may not be a big deal to some, but for developers, they absolutely cannot get back the eyeball impressions they lost during Christmas and the day after for their games in the eShop, some of which are only available in the eShop.That level of traffic doesn't just happen everyday.
So Nintendo messed up. Let's hope everything is fixed so we can move forward.
Re: Feature: 12 Days of Christmas - Fire Emblem's Awakening
Fire Emblem Awakening is my Game of the Year. I was blown away by everything in the game, especially the presentation. Can't wait to see what Fire Emblem x Shin Megami Tensei is like.
Re: Get Mythical Time Travel Pokémon Celebi When You Download Pokémon Bank
@WingedSnagret @SirQuincealot I would be cautious about how easily you can access Pokemon from the Bank within Pokemon X/Y.
Like every previous Pokemon game in the main series, I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't have access to download Pokemon from the Bank until you reached a certain point in the story. This has historically prevented players from moving Lv.100 Pokemon into a new file (from the Bank this time) and then rampaging through the game uncontested.
In Blank and White, you couldn't transfer up Pokemon from gen. 4 until after you beat the game.
Re: Nintendo of America Keen to Boost StreetPass Participation and Explore New Ideas
@WingedSnagret @Cartographer @RetroRider From what I've read from others, here are some ideas that I think would make StreetPass more popular outside of Japan and taking into account smaller towns:
1) Make National StreetPass Weekend once a month at the beginning of every month. This helps get people thinking about taking their 3DS with them when they leave the house on a regular basis and gets people to talk about Nintendo on a regular basis.
2) During National StreetPass weekend, send random Mii's via SpotPass to each 3DS owner every 8 hours (so 6 Mii's over 2 days). This will help out those who can't travel to a Nintendo Zone during the event as much as the players in larger cities can.
3) Add GameStop as a Nintendo Zone instead of only Home Depot, McDonald's, Starbucks, B&N, etc (places gamers don't necessarily go).
4) Increase the daily coin limit from 10 to 20 so folks in smaller towns have more time per session to interact with StreetPass games; the idea being that with more coins per day, the player can hire more Mii's in the games if they don't meet real people as frequently as some players do in larger cities.
5) And lastly, add one new game to the current collection of StreetPass games that's free. 9 out of 10 people I StreetPass have NOT played the newer games, presumably in part because of the cost of entry. If you exclude the 4 new games, that means the 2 free games are almost 3 years old now.
Re: Video: Nintendo Minute Highlights Its 3DS Favourites of 2013
For 2013, I'd have to go with:
Fire Emblem Awakening
Animal Crossing New Leaf
Etrian Odyssey Millennium Girl
I have Zelda A Link Between Worlds but haven't played it yet. And though I have every Pokemon game, I don't think Pokemon X/Y has done as much in its presentation or in the user interface area to really impress me as much as my first three picks have. Fire Emblem Awakening especially is one of the most polished games I've ever played.
Re: Nintendo of America Announces StreetPass Weekend and Nintendo Zone Shake-Up
@linktothepichu I usually wait a minute or two in the Nintendo Zone to make sure I received the tags. And in some cases, locations that usually work will not have their Wifi enabled at that particular moment which sucks. Also in a few cases, some locations near my home have such low traffic that I think I was the first person to enter the zone with a 3DS since the network update.
Re: Soapbox: Even With The Arrival Of PS4 And Xbox One, I'd Still Pick The Wii U
@element187 I'm personally not concerned about the quantity of titles that are released for PS4 or XB1 compared to the Wii-U. Regardless of what comes out on consoles, I spend the vast majority of my time on my 3DS (over 100 games retail and download). My point was that there are a lot of franchises that sell millions of copies just like Mario and Zelda do that will not be coming to the Wii-U. There's no reason to believe these franchises won't continue to sell a ton of copies when new games are released on PS4 or XB1. This may be a deciding factor for many gamers when deciding what system to purchase. It happened in the last generation and it's already happening now as seen by the sales of the PS4 and XB1 despite the Wii-U games having higher review scores on average. Just as easily as we reading this website can say that Mario Kart 8 is a must have title, there's a lot of people out there that can say Titanfall and Uncharted and Madden are must have titles and there are more people like that and more titles like those coming out for the other boxes than there are for the Wii-U in the foreseeable future.
So again, personally, I'll get a PS4 for some games that aren't going to be released on the Wii-U, like Kingdom Hearts as I already have all the games in that franchise, and I'll buy games that interest me that are released on the Wii-U like Mario Kart.
But let's be clear, we are going to be in the minority this console generation for a variety of reasons, most of which are self-inflicted like the lack of first party support during the first year, but one of which is lack of 3rd party support. My hope is that Nintendo throws a lot of cash at some of these high profile 3rd party development studios. This may or may not matter to some people that simply read websites like this but it matters to parents with kids who want to be as cool as their friends and older brother who play on PS4 and XB1 and it matters to retailers who have the ultimate say in whether to stock Wii-U hardware and software that they perceive to "take up space" compared to the competition if that competition continues to sell at an increasingly higher rate and earn them money at an increasingly higher rate. Retail availability would in turn affect sales which affects publisher decisions to port to Wii-U in the first place and thus the cycle repeats. It sucks but it is what it is.
I hope the situation improves for the Wii-U but I'm not blind to it's faults and disadvantages.
@rastamadeus As far as Ni No Kuni 2 is concerned, who knows what will ultimately happen. I read somewhere that there's a possibility it's already in development. http://www.gamepur.com/news/12884-ni-no-kuni-2-development-playstation-4-claims-insider.html
Re: Soapbox: Even With The Arrival Of PS4 And Xbox One, I'd Still Pick The Wii U
@DarkwingLz The sad thing is the Xbox One may not need to do much more than the Xbox 360. As long as it puts out Titalfall, Halo, and other exclusives, and continues to be the platform of choice for games like Call of Duty, the masses will eat it up.
Re: Soapbox: Even With The Arrival Of PS4 And Xbox One, I'd Still Pick The Wii U
@ScorpionMG That's certainly fine. As I said, I'm only interested in Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy XV at this point. I would imagine most people who read this website are not interested in most of those games as well.
But for the masses, that list of games is a potential game changer for people on the fence about what system to purchase. Some will undoubtedly go with the Wii-U for Smash Bros and X and Fire Emblem X Shin Megami Tensei and other games we'll get. But I think a lot of people will lean towards the PS4 or XB1. Remember, many of the games on the list already have a huge following numbering in the millions based on sales of previous games in their franchises (Grand Theft Auto, Tomb Raider, sports games, Halo, Metal Gear Solid, etc.). They easily do Zelda numbers as it is. Hell, Tomb Raider sold more than Skyward Sword. And not even Mario Kart can outsell Grand Theft Auto.
This has to concern Nintendo.
Re: Soapbox: Even With The Arrival Of PS4 And Xbox One, I'd Still Pick The Wii U
@Williaint Unfortunately, perception trumps reality. And right now, the Wii-U has a negative perception surrounding it for a number of reasons that I'm sure most of us can argue for days.
The bottom line is that when Knack outsells Super Mario 3D World, that should tell us that critical review alone isn't going to save the Wii-U. Nintendo has work to do.
Also, the Wavebird was awesome.
Re: Soapbox: Even With The Arrival Of PS4 And Xbox One, I'd Still Pick The Wii U
@Dreamcaster-X Right, this 3rd party support issue is actually what I'm concerned about the most. Nintendo has their fair share of issues in other areas (most notably online networking and account systems). But the Wii-U really needed to avoid being perceived as the console that only plays Mario and Zelda and casual games like Wii Sports and Wii Fit and for everything else, go elsewhere. That's obviously a problem consumer wise but it's also a problem publisher wise.
There's a ton of high profile third party games coming out for PS4 and XB1 in the next several months. If those games help grow the install base of the PS4 and the XB1 (and they will certainly do so), as the install base gap grows between those consoles and the Wii-U, that will give publishers less and less reason to even consider porting games to the Wii-U. And that just creates a snowball of problems, most notably how retail respond in terms of shelf space allocation.
Re: Soapbox: Even With The Arrival Of PS4 And Xbox One, I'd Still Pick The Wii U
@Aqueous That was just a typo and again, I think the overall point still stands.
In any event, gamers and parents/friends of gamers will buy the console that currently and will have games that best cater to them. So we'll see what happens.
Re: Soapbox: Even With The Arrival Of PS4 And Xbox One, I'd Still Pick The Wii U
@Baum897 Well then take Child of Light off the list - the point still stands. And I'm not saying that a PS4 can play all of those games or that I'm even interested in most of that stuff. I'm only getting a PS4 for Kingdom Hearts 3 and Final Fantasy XV and I would never touch an Xbox.
But like I said, the overall point still stands. The importance is greater or smaller for some but the PS4 and XB1 will have a larger catalog of high profile titles than the Wii-U. There's no getting around that anytime soon and it's something that consumers will take into consideration when they're deciding what console to purchase.
Re: Soapbox: Even With The Arrival Of PS4 And Xbox One, I'd Still Pick The Wii U
Just specifically on the 3rd party support aspect of this larger conversation, I'll re-post what I wrote in another thread:
For the average gamer who doesn't own either a Wii-U, PS4, or XB1, does spending hundreds of dollars on a console for Mario 3D World, Mario Kart, Smash Bros, and Zelda over the next 18 months seem like a better decision compared to what will make its way towards PS4 and XB1 and NEVER the Wii-U:
-Grand Theft Auto
-Uncharted
-Minecraft
-Infamous Second Son
-Driveclub
-The Witness
-Metal Gear Solid
-Dragon Age
-FIFA, Madden, NHL, or NBA games
-The Order: 1886
-Final Fantasy 15
-Destiny
-Diablo III Ultimate Edition
-The Division
-Deep Down
-Kingdom Hearts 3
-Titanfall
-Halo
-Thief
-Lord of the Rings
-Mad Max
-The Witcher
-Mirror's Edge
-Tomb Raider
-Forza
-Battlefield
-Need for Speed
-Gran Turismo
-Dead Rising
-Ni No Kuni 2
The lack of strong 3rd support has become the elephant in the room. When it comes to which single console is going to offer the most talked about and biggest blockbusters on a consistent basis over the next 18 months, it's unfortunately becoming increasingly difficult to recommend the Wii-U as the console to own when it so clearly does not and apparently will not for the foreseeable future have the depth of games that PlayStation and Xbox will have. Even if Smash Bros and Zelda turn out to be the best games ever (and I hope they are), for every amazing Nintendo first party title, it seems like those games will need to compete with 4 to 5 great games on the other consoles.
Could we be approaching the point where the majority of gamers decide that Mario and Zelda does not outweigh that list of games I mentioned above, which they'll have to give up?
Unless Nintendo has a ton of high profile surprises that will release in 2014 (not just be announced, but actually be released), the Wii-U may make the more expensive PlayStation and Xbox seem like a better value compared to buying a $300 Wii-U just for a handful of games.
I personally just purchased a Wii-U but I have to get a PS4 to play a lot of other games I like because they won't be released on the Wii-U.
Re: PS4 and Xbox One Surpass Wii U Lifetime Sales in the UK
@kyuubikid213 @Kirk @doctor_doak "I mean't the platform in general. Not Sony specifically. Highly promising games already slated for 2014 are Witcher 3, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Thief, Watch Dogs, Mirror's Edge 2, Mad Max, Metal Gear Solid 5, Diablo 3, Destiny, The Crew, The Division, Lords of The Fallen, Shadow of The Beast, The Witness, Transistor....How many of those are coming to the Wii U?? —"
^ I think this is a point that's not been made too much in this thread and to some extent, is lost against the other arguments. For the average gamer who doesn't own either a Wii-U, PS4, or XB1, does spending hundreds of dollars on a console for Mario 3D World, Mario Kart, Smash Bros, and Zelda over the next 18 months seem like a better decision compared to what will make its way towards PS4 and XB1 and NEVER the Wii-U:
-Grand Theft Auto
-Uncharted
-Minecraft
-Infamous Second Son
-Driveclub
-The Witness
-Metal Gear Solid
-Dragon Age
-FIFA, Madden, NHL, or NBA games
-The Order: 1886
-Final Fantasy 15
-Child of Light
-Destiny
-Diablo III Ultimate Edition
-The Division
-Deep Down
-Kingdom Hearts 3
-Titanfall
-Halo
-Thief
-Lord of the Rings
-Mad Max
-The Witcher
-Mirror's Edge
-Kingdom Hearts 3
-Tomb Raider
-Forza
-Battlefield
-Need for Speed
-Gran Turismo
-Dead Rising
The lack of strong 3rd support has become the elephant in the room. When it comes to which single console is going to offer the most talked about and biggest blockbusters on a consistent basis over the next 18 months, it's unfortunately becoming increasingly difficult to recommend the Wii-U as the console to own when it so clearly does not and apparently will not for the foreseeable future have the depth of games that PlayStation and Xbox will have. Even if Smash Bros and Zelda turn out to be the best games ever (and I hope they are), for every amazing Nintendo first party title, it seems like those games will need to compete with 4 to 5 great games on the other consoles.
Could we be approaching the point where the majority of gamers decide that Mario and Zelda does not outweigh that list of games I mentioned above, which they'll have to give up?
Unless Nintendo has a ton of high profile surprises that will release in 2014 (not just be announced, but actually be released), the Wii-U may make the more expensive PlayStation and Xbox seem like a better value compared to buying a $300 Wii-U just for a handful of games.
Re: Those Lovely Link Between Worlds Club Nintendo Posters Are Sold Out
The poor selection for North America leads to stockpiles of coins so that when something good is actually available, it sells out quickly. I still have over 1500 coins after I ordered the Zelda posters.
Re: iPhone Gaming Controller Could Mean "The End Of Nintendo", Claims Investment Site
This isn't a hardware issue, it's a software issue. Gamers buy Nintendo hardware for the software. They always have and always will and no amount of upgrades to Apple hardware is going to change that.
Re: Nintendo Download: 26th September (North America)
Etrian Odyssey for me and Rune Factory 4 for my girlfriend.
Re: 3D Gaming is Very Much A Part of Nintendo's Future Plans
@Samwise7 Well no, I don't think so. To clarify, my earlier statements were speculation on if Nintendo would not include 3D as a feature of its next generation handheld. I'm not referring to another 2DS or some other variation of the existing 3DS model - I'm referring to the true successor to the 3DS.
Whenever game companies release different models of their hardware, they usually keep changes to just price, hard drive space, or packed-in games or accessories. Honestly it's pretty unusual to release another version of an existing model that modifies or excludes a core feature like what's happening with the 2DS. (Not that the idea of the 2DS is wrong - I'm just pointing out the history here.)
Would they stop selling the 3DS and 3DSXL and only sell the 2DS or future variations of that during this handheld cycle? Absolutely not. But when the true successor does come around, they have to decide how serious they are about 3D when they know it can't work with all models. So will it be like the current 3DS with optional 3D or will it be more like the 2DS? Clearly we don't have an in-between solution at the moment because that's just a 3DS as is with the slider - which wasn't enough to prevent having to make a 2DS in the first place. I'd love to be a fly on the wall during those discussions as I find the hardware development process very fascinating.
Re: 3D Gaming is Very Much A Part of Nintendo's Future Plans
@element187 I've already agreed that the 2DS is a great idea. I'm just taking Nintendo's message on 3D being "very much a part of its future" with a very large dose of skepticism.
Any company will say anything at a time when it's convenient to them and then go in a different direction later. Just before the 3DSXL was announced, Nintendo said they had no plans to release another model of the 3DS anytime soon. Just before a WiiU price cut was announced, Nintendo said they had no plans to cut the price. And there's a reason why they do that right? Because they don't want consumers to change their spending habits because of what Nintendo may or may not due in the immediate future.
But again, I'm in no way against the 2DS and I'm glad there's even more options for fans of 3DS games. I'm all for that. But on the subject of this article, I remain very skeptical of what Nintendo is saying about the importance of 3D in their handhelds.
Re: 3D Gaming is Very Much A Part of Nintendo's Future Plans
@SCAR392 It seems like some of the negativity is from people who rule out picking one up for themselves because of the form factor or some other reason. But like you pointed out, it's clearly designed for a young audience, not most of the current 3DS owners.
In any case, more hardware sales will hopefully be more beneficial for all of us in the long run.
Re: 3D Gaming is Very Much A Part of Nintendo's Future Plans
@KnightRider666 So judging from your response, I think I should clarify in case my stance on the 2DS wasn't clear.
Despite the fragmentation of 2D versus 3D and what that means to developers, I'm all in favor of what Nintendo is doing here which I stated before. I agree with the price, the system being 2D only, the target audience, and even the form factor to some extent. I'm simply wondering what this means for the successor to the 3DS because for a time, it seemed like 3D would be the future for Nintendo handhelds. Now? Not so much. So again, just speculation, no judgement passing or anything like that.
Re: 3D Gaming is Very Much A Part of Nintendo's Future Plans
@KnightRider666 Oh I understand where Nintendo is going with this, particularly when it's to be released the same day Pokemon is coming out. I'm actually a fan of this strategy based on what they've told us so far. The 2DS clearly wasn't designed with you or I in mind.
That said, my original question is about the end game though. What's Nintendo's long term strategy surrounding their handheld business if, on the one hand, they say they're completely committed to 3D, but on the other hand, they release a model like this that essentially admits the 3D is a hindrence to a segment of the population that they cared enough about to make an entirely new model for? What happens when they release the true successor to the 3DS and they continue the implementation of 3D? Are they going to release a second model that's only 2D to go after the parent/child audience the current 2DS is aiming for? If they continue to be so on board with 3D and the young 2D only audience simultaneously, will they then be required to release two distinct models for their future handhelds? Or can they somehow create a single model that caters to the entirety of the current 3DS crowd? That's what I thought optional 3D and parental controls were for but that's not the case.
These are the sort of questions I have now since the 2DS was announced.
Re: 3D Gaming is Very Much A Part of Nintendo's Future Plans
I'll say the same thing I said on Twitter:
Honestly what's the end game? Release two versions of all future handhelds? One w/ [optional] 3D, one w/ only 2D? Where do we go from here?
The very existence of the 2DS is proof that just a single model with optional 3D is not enough to capture all of Nintendo's target audiences.
Re: Pokémon X & Y Soundtrack Coming This November
@b23cdq We should be thankful we're even getting this. Gaming soundtracks should be relatively easy to compile because the majority of the songs are already made for the game itself. But for some reason, very few OST's are ever produced and distributed. Considering this is a game with a global following, a download-only soundtrack is a much more realistic proposition than shipping discs around the world. I'll take this over having to find torrents for the ripped music any day.
Re: CoroCoro Magazine Reveals "Mega Evolution" and Three New Pokémon for X & Y
MegaMawile is going to dominate dragon types.
Re: Talking Point: Wii U and Third-Party Inconsistencies Pose Questions for Console Owners
@jrob23 I think I understand what you're asking so let me clarify.
If you're a fan of gaming in general, what you like can vary greatly. For example, I like good, fun games, period. I've been playing since 1989 on the NES. I like Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Pokemon, Pushmo, Fire Emblem, and lots of other Nintendo games. But I also like Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, Medievil, the original Spyro trilogy, the original Sonic the Hedgehog trilogy, Ratchet and Clank, Beyond Good and Evil, Halo, Virtue's Last Reward, Grand Theft Auto, Ni No Kuni, Mortal Kombat, NHL games, Dark Cloud (and anything released by Level-5 really), and hundreds more. I can't play most of those games on a Nintendo console. And that's OKAY to me. If I want Animal Crossing (currently at 300+ hours) - I know where to get it. If I want Kingdom Hearts 3 - I'll get a PlayStation 4 to play it.
Nintendo developed games are consistently high quality for the most part. But they aren't the only great games that have been released in the last 25 years. Even though I'm more inclined to buy Nintendo software before anything else, I'm not blind to the fact that there's plenty to love out there.
Re: Talking Point: Wii U and Third-Party Inconsistencies Pose Questions for Console Owners
I think Nintendo's problem started before the GameCube with the Nintendo 64. Their decision to go with cartridges over discs alienated a lot of 3rd party developers. The GameCube just compounded what was at that point already an issue.
In any event, if you're a fan of gaming in general, you will need to own a WiiU plus another console. That's just the way it is these days and it's not going to change anytime soon.
Re: Pokémon X & Y to Catch Roughly 14,000 of Your 3DS Memory Blocks
I'll be downloading either X or Y. Like Animal Crossing, it's something to play way too frequently to have a cartridge for.
Re: Disney Infinity's First Wave of Power Disc "Blind Packs" Is Revealed
My enthusiasm for this game just went right off the cliff. No thank you.
Re: Nintendo Feels That Working On Smartphones And Tablets Would "Decrease Brand Value"
We should not expect individuals with a strong background in finance and business to understand why gamers are so passionate about Nintendo products the way they are now.
Re: Retailers Preparing Multi-Region Shiny Legendary Pokémon Distribution Events
@Arcamenel Same here. No reason to actually walk in the store.
Re: Talking Point: The Wii U's Third-Party Concerns Are Brushed Off By 3DS
@MrWalkieTalkie Awesome photo
Re: Molyneux: Nintendo Is "Brilliant" At Attracting Players, But Their Hardware "Gets In The Way"
@AlexSays You're still making assumptions. Also, please see the other points that others have made. The McDonalds vs Steakhouse comparison that was brought up is also a good analogy.
Re: Molyneux: Nintendo Is "Brilliant" At Attracting Players, But Their Hardware "Gets In The Way"
@AlexSays The two problems with this line of thinking is that a) you're assuming that a larger audience on a different device translates into more sales and b) that the audiences share similar gaming tastes and purchasing habits. Point A is fairly straightforward but point B is often overlooked. The people who purchase consoles and dedicated gaming handhelds like the 3DS and Vita are not necessarily the same people who will purchase the same games if released on ios or Android and vice versa.
Re: Miyamoto: Consumers Should Have Access To Their Games "For A Long Time"
The toy company analogy is the best I've heard so far
Re: Nintendo Setting Up Thousands Of StreetPass Relay Stations Across US And Europe
I get one or more a day but I'd like to hear more directly from Nintendo about what these relay stations are