Sean_Aaron

They really need to sort the server issues ASAP. Most of yesterday I found the app totally useless. If it worked having my battery drain to nothing in the course of five-six hours wouldn't bother me, but having to constantly restart the thing and achieve very little during that time isn't leaving a great taste in my mouth. On the way to work was one of my few trouble-free periods with it. It's almost impossible to say what it's normally supposed to be like given how flaky the network is and the fact that it seems to interfere with general connectivity on my phone, impacting other apps.

I like the idea, but they really didn't do sufficient infrastructure planning at all. This is one of the most popular gaming franchises ever with multiple generations of players, come on!

Darksiders II has issues, but the story is good enough I'll definitely pick up the first one if it's ported to the Wii U eShop.

I've got a lot of VC titles already on both Wii and Wii U so without the ability to play NES carts, it has little appeal for me. The retro NES classic controller is cool, but I don't think I need more of those either. I will say that not including the NES Remix titles seems like a bit of a missed opportunity as well, though there was probably little interest in porting those games to whatever hardware is under the hood here.

I predict a fixed system with no future expansion; if they really wanted to sell a separate VC platform, this clearly isn't it.

I think the difference is that this AR app has become far bigger than any like it before, so it's highlighting issues that might not otherwise have gotten public attention. I'm not sure what form legislation would take exactly. Requiring publishers to collect IMEI from devices using lures so that perpetrators could be more easily apprehended might be one thing, but short of removing that functionality completely I don't know.

Maybe he's just more concerned about user's privacy being respected, hence the "who is sending what?" question. It's not a non-issue, so people shouldn't be dismissing it out of hand.

My daughter has been done with dedicated handheld gaming for awhile and hasn't touched Pokemon in ages - skipped the last game. Pokemon Go she's all over. Just downloaded it and out the door hunting for them (today is UK launch).

I've never played one of these games, but I've downloaded this app and I'll give it a go - something I never did when my kid owned them. Anecdotal sure, but I think you'll find a lot of people more willing to give it precisely because it runs on hardware they already own. Update: my ex-wife, my partner and my partner's oldest teenage son all have this app now; none of us past Pokemon fans.

The Japanese PC Engine library rivalled the NES one; in fact it's barely edged by the Famicom in number of titles in the Japanese Wii shop and I can remember times when there were more PC Engine games than NES ones. Overseas the platform was a shadow of its true glory.

What was the holdup? Also are we going to get a discounted price if we owned them on Wii?

Reading that it sounded like they want to try apps that don't require physical input first. Makes sense to me, though they already make Bluetooth controllers so selling something like the Pro Controller with a phone stand doesn't seem like it would be a big deal.

This was my thinking: lower-cost and trying to bring back the younger generation, because there's little point targeting adult gamers who seem to largely spend on twin-stick shooters and third person action titles with a heavy emphasis on violence. The more durable cart format would tend to support the kid market as well.

And yes, I know there's other games out there besides that, but unless you're completely blinkered that's what most of the development revenue gets spent on and these are the biggest sellers, which is why ever year is a sea of sequels.

If kids are playing these games it's because their parents take little interest in their activities. It's nice to think that Nintendo would try to carve out that niche. Making another gaming PC that sits under your TV would be a doomed effort from day one, I don't know who would want one that doesn't already have one. Here's hoping that's the case. It's not a machine I'm interested in, but then it's not really for me anyway. Nintendo needs to take the long view to last another 100 years.

I'll get it eventually, but I'm playing through the Fire Emblem GBA and DS games I have in the VC first. Too much backlog!

@Arctic_Nights Not all of us. I live in Scotland so I can at least hope we'll quit the UK this time around. Sad for the people that will be left behind, though.

Fab, totally getting this tomorrow.

@Pahvi They are rumours, but other than the new Zelda that's all we've got: Nintendo playing it safe and trying to further capitalise on the Wii U's big hits by putting them on the NX. Now I can understand trying to sell to a broader audience, but MK8 and Smash were system-sellers on the Wii U, but they didn't lift it enough. Who exactly do they think didn't buy a Wii U and really wanted to play those games?

As far as Sony goes I bought a PS3 because the main game I wanted was there along with a lot of other titles I couldn't play on PS4, so in my case, no they did not address their problems with dumping backwards-compatibility.

@Captain_Gonru Yep and missing from his comment was a compelling reason for a current Wii U owner to switch. Thus far all I've heard is that existing big sellers on Wii U are being ported to NX, which suggests a lack of backwards-compatibility and a lack of compelling trade-in offer for Wii U owners. All this adds up to me staying put.

The only way I can see getting a machine that isn't backwards-compatible would be if the VC content was there alongside most of the more compelling Wii U games, I could play my old Wii discs and simply switch my eShop purchases over. If Nintendo truly wanted Wii U owners to upgrade they'd be offering something like that, but somehow I doubt it will be the case.

If the Wolf Link amiibo was in there I'd pay twice that. When is Wolf Link going to be sold separately?

I don't know why anyone would ever think Nintendo is going to make a machine to try to woo the publishers of the big games on the PC console twins. People who want to play those games have those machines already, the titles that sell there are not an asset for Nintendo. The idea of the NX being more focused on Nintendo/indie devs sounds great; if it's a nice backwards-compatible replacement for Wii U or offers some kind of trade-in aspect for Wii U owners that would be awesome.

Darksiders II wasn't perfect, but I enjoyed it; being able to play the first part would certainly be cool. Hopefully the pricing will be more reasonable than what they tried to pitch the DSII download at.

Still waiting for The Pinball Arcade or Woah Dave or even that light arcade would be nice.

I'm surprised they haven't made loads of these already - so much more interesting than a Perspex box!

@Blastcorp64 Agreed. You only need to look at the slow pace of modern first-person and third-person shooters compared to the dawn of that genre to see how much game design has to be compromised to work with a standard joypad. The Wii was a breath of fresh air and brought a comparable interface to the mouse and keyboard to home consoles. Shame that people didn't leverage the gyroscope on the Wii U Gamepad the same way; I've pretty well stayed away from that style of game as they tend to just use the gimped controls you find on the other machines. I think Doom would work really well on the Wii U, but I guess I'll just have to get the Mac version instead...

Honestly some of you people need some perspective. Not having a dedicated games system isn't the end of the human race. And the grumpy old man routine is a bit much too. I'm sure someday dedicated handhelds will become kitsch and have a following; the question is whether or not Nintendo will around to cater to the hipsters of the future.

@PlywoodStick or progress? I assume you don't have kids, so you you should know that grade schoolers have been expected to use PowerPoint for school reports for nearly a decade in the UK. Can't say I see anything odd about having a tablet device for class work - unless you think they're going to be using pen-and-paper for another century?

My daughter's 3DS which is now collecting dust is the last dedicated handheld I could see getting. Mostly she watches YouTube on her iPad, but if she plays games it's there or on the Wii U and I'm glad we still have the occasional session of Nintendo Land or Mario Kart together. I probably wouldn't have given her one when I did, but her school started requiring them for coursework, so there wasn't a lot of choice.

My partner's kid used to use his DS regularly and she was considering getting him a 3DS, but since he got an iPhone he's glued to it and a 3DS would just be a waste of money.

Just anecdotal evidence I know, but I still think Nintendo should have embraced mobile earlier. There's no real reason to compromise on controls if you support Bluetooth controllers; especially given the presence of APIs in the mobile OSes.

As far as making money goes it's tougher on Android due to a fragmented marketplace arising because of forked OS variants, lack of unified hardware specs and lack of a single online shop (though Google Play is the biggest), so despite the smaller user base, iOS continues to be more valuable for app developers. I think Nintendo could do pretty well carving out their own niche in the mobile space and sell peripherals as well. A genuine Nintendo SNES-style Bluetooth joypad would be pretty cool!

But the fact is that taking a long view, unless they can get the kids today on board, profits can only go down - "hardcore gamers" don't live forever. If they can establish a strong mobile presence and keep the brand alive with the youth then they can continue to be relevant. Survival of the company is what they're most concerned with, not the form of the medium.

That sounds good enough to me, think I'll get it tonight!

They should really integrate Miiverse with Miitomo; I'd probably look at it more.

Four-player top-down shooter looks cool. I've got a gamepad and two pro controllers; if it supports the cc pro that would let me do the full four-player experience, but I'm sure Remote will do in a pinch.

Looks groovy, though I prefer sprites to whatever you call this quasi-flash cut-out look. Should be another good addition to the party roster.

@Yorumi The analogue stick did not "just make sense" - even after Sony followed suit with the dual analogue controller and then dual shock there were very few games on the original PlayStation that required one.

There are games where it offers a bit more precision, but I'd argue even today you'll find very few games that actually need analogue controls. I really hate the analogue triggers on the dual shock 3 - shame no third parties made a controller that ditched them.

For my money off-screen play is the only justification for the screen on the gamepad I need; the fact that it has motion sensors for aiming is the icing on the cake. I do wish Zombi U had used them...

I've been thinking for awhile now that there's no way this will be a machine like Sony's or Microsoft's - if they wanted to do that they wouldn't have made the Wii and trying to win over people who already have those machines seems pretty hopeless anyway. No, this will have to be something different.

If Nintendo wanted to ensure proper third party support they'd make a Windows PC with off the shelf parts and brand it Nintendo NX. The only way Nintendo is going to get serious third party support is to let big publishers dictate to them, which is likely why EA didn't support Wii U very well and is why you probably won't see a big change this time either. Nintendo games sell Nintendo systems; this will be doubly so launching in the middle of their rivals' lifecycle.

To be honest I'm not sure how NX will be a success without being something so innovative it's a "must have" system, but I do know having Mario Kart and the new Call of Duty won't matter.

Well if Nintendo bombs their next console release they would make a good purchase for Microsoft for their IP...of course if Nintendo wants to continue to be independent I think they should consider taking the company private to get the shareholders off their backs.

The central problem seems to be that the games are a vehicle for selling toys rather than vice-Vera. The amiibo model of making a game and the having a figure do something in it like unlock a skin may seem of little value, but it's clearly a better experience to make a good game and have figures as an add-on than to try to build a game around selling people figurines. I have some amiibo because they're cool-looking figures and they unlock some game content, but I don't feel hard done by if I'm not actually using them for anything, e.g., amiibos for Smash.

I tried a Skylanders game - swap force I think? My partner's kids were into them and it was just a generic brawler and had an end boss fight that wouldn't end. Can't say I was very impressed by it. The mechanics of upgrading characters was neat, but the game itself was uninspiring.

I'd love to see someone rip-off the original Chibi Robo if Nintendo cannot be bothered to give us the GameCube original on Wii U. This however is just another platformer on the pile for the platform, which is great for fans of that style of game; not so good for me and a bit shameless in knocking off the character design.

@skywake Except that for a lot of indie games, unless something has changed in the past decade, you won't get more than a handful of reviews, so every score is very important as is how it's determined.

For big publishers they get the coverage so it's less of an issue, outside of examining the treatment of the output of these companies, again going back to one of the points of this article being how games are designed with an eye to getting a good score, rather than anything to do with art or player experience. I fail to see how that mentality benefits the industry or players.

Nice to see more Wii VC, hopefully that trend will continue.

One only need look at Amazon or iTunes ratings to see the immediate problems with basing a decision on aggregating scores without reading the review: scores do not indicate the reviewer's agendas or biases.

If there are only a few you could end up with an average score that is wildly skewed one way or another. I cannot use a score for this reason. If someone doesn't like a game, film, whatever you need to know WHY that is, similarly if they do like it. If you're blindly basing purchases on numbers then you're still going to get burned.

I also think it's worth checking on this site how well Nintendo-published titles score versus third party ones and in particular how often Nintendo gets a pass for failures where third parties do not. I'm not saying there's a conspiracy or anything weird like that, but I do think it's possible there are biases that express themselves in scoring and tone. I can say for myself unless a game is truly terrible I've noted that I tend to be more forgiving of indies than big publishers, so these biases will be present whether the reviewer is conscious of it or not. If you "don't have time to read reviews" then you don't really need the score either.

@Whopper744 I totally forgot about that game! Why aren't they showing that at E3 as well - it is being diverted to NX as well?

Damn I just got a pair of blue Speedo trunks. Still, summer's not here yet so I could still get the NES Remix pair in the next month or two...

I can't believe there won't be a Direct at least to go with this industry show. At the very least I expect some VC content and maybe some new DLC for Wii U - they have to release Skyward Sword in the eShop and Majora's Mask, surely?

I'm just hoping we'll get a surprise Direct with a "last gasp" of Wii U content. I honestly don't care if it's anything more new aside from the new Zelda, just give us some more VC content like Skyward Sword to see the system on its way into the sunset.

And regarding the "life support" comment, I would only see shutting off Internet and eShop connections in that light and that's very unlikely to happen for years, even if the NX is a runaway success. That's certainly not something I'd be willing to place any bets on.

It's okay, it just needs this easier way to add friends to expand a bit.

@Titan_Clocker no reason you couldn't have both; cart is just for the slow-net territories. DS and 3DS have been using what amounts to an SD card for many years and it takes up a lot less space than an optical drive. I wouldn't buy carts myself, but I can't say that the time is right to remove the physical media option.

Makes sense. Less moving parts, etc. I expect that all software will still be distributed as download if desired.

System could still be two-in-one if the gamepad controller has a cart slot, just put your game in there for on-the-go play.

I definitely think bigger participation in things like Wreck It Ralph is a good thing. As long as the respect and quality is there, why wouldn't Nintendo license? It's not like they're shy about figures and keychains and the like.

Mobile gaming is controversial around here, but that really needs a big push to keep brand recognition high. They cannot afford to bet the company's future on their own dedicated kit. Otherwise the next Wreck It Ralph may well have an audience of kids scratching their heads and asking "who's Mario?"

@Pahvi I had thought so, but I shouldn't have thought it would take this long!

I'm still waiting for Dot Arcade to come to Europe...should I give up hope?

@Asaki That's what I've been told by people who have both.

@Randomname19 I've been told it will and I'm looking forward to cashing in my Kickstarter rewards from backing Twilight Zone and Star Trek the Next Generation. If you're a backer at a high enough level, don't forget to message them via Kickstarter to get reward codes for the eshop!

I have both Zen and will be buying the Pinball arcade. I'd probably have all the Zen 2 tables (bar South Park because the license is off-putting), but they don't do enough bundles so it's taking awhile. Hopefully they'll bring the Alien tables to Wii U since they're coming to all other platforms.

TPA next week please, I have the credit card ready to buy all seasons! According to the folks on the Pinball Arcade Fans forum the Wii U version looks better than Xbox 360 or PS3, so hopefully we'll have an update to add lighting controls and other improvements in the near future.

Unless you're planning a trip to Vegas or one of the other arcade museums to be found you're unlikely to ever play a fraction of these. I like some of Zen's stuff, but the intent and feel is different: they are not trying to be real pinball machines.

I played loads of the tables in the Pinball Arcade in real life and short of buying a mansion and tracking down real machines to put in it, this is the next best thing. I have almost all of them on iOS, but this is the console version I want. I'm hoping a future update will put the dot matrix display on the gamepad and add pro controller support, but until then this will be just fine. I hope a European release is in the offing soon!

I've already got Captain Toad. I did take advantage of the Other M discount as long as I was buying the new Star Fox games. I'll keep an eye out, but nothing to see here in the current run. Good for people who haven't bought the bulk of Nintendo's releases day one like me.