SpentAllMyTokens

You must need to spend a lot of time deleting games from your sim card.

I think the best way to keep reviews above-board is to separate "journalism" (going to sponsored press events, doing dev interviews, reporting on gaming news) from "reviews." If you have different people doing those things, the person writing the review is not going to be swayed by the swag they got at the preview event. The person who manages advertiser relations should be doing no official writing for the site, obviously.

It's important to remember that the marketing departments at game companies are not trying to "purchase" review scores (at least most of the time). However, they would hope the positive associations they create at these events might turn a 7 into an 8 or an 8 into a 9 in the reviewers mind unconsciously (I would imagine if a game is disappointing, too much hype could also potentially backfire, but they wouldn't be giving reviewers press invites if it backfired more than it helped.) Reviewers attending these events is a conflict of interest, though especially in a volunteer site (or a site that doesn't pay well), those sorts of fringe benefits may be the incentive that keeps people reviewing for a site in their spare time (or instead of getting a better-paying job in another industry).

Luckily, the best way of solving this problem is to know about the problem, which NLife seems to do.

The only one of those I knew is that the SEGA soundbyte took up 1/8 of the cart. Very cool video. Glad to see there's still some "SEGAlife" left, even though James isn't around anymore.

You lost me at Angry Birds Space winning the best tablet game award. I LIKE Angry Birds, but I don't think it could be said to be the "best" when there's so much going on in the app store world.

As sad as this is, it's really the tip of the iceberg. Electronics all use tungsten, tantalum, tin, and gold. A large portion of those materials on the market are mined in the Congo by slaves who would envy working at Foxxconn. The money from selling these minerals fuel armed conflict in the country as well. It doesn't diminish this problem, but I wish more light would be shined on the bottom of the supply chain where the worst atrocities occur. I would be happy to pay more $$ for a conflict free computer.

Nights into Dreams is on PSN! Sweet!

Whole lot of BS here. It's not like Sony's made any Kevin Butler ads in at least a year. A man's gotta eat.

@Bass
Hopefully prices for VC games for systems current on there now will drop, seeing as we're one more generation removed from them, once the WiiU comes out.

At least activision takes the effort to reskin call of duty every year. Put me in the group that would have upgraded, if that was an option. If I wanted to play again, it's not like there aren't plenty of endings in the DSiWare version. Theres no need to ask people to drop more money when there are already 2 workable versions on the system

I hope so! The GBA deserves a spot on the VC!

If by "niche" early adopter market, he means "adult gamer with enough money to buy a new system," then, yes, possibly. You don't target the "niche early adopter" market - by definition, you don't have to. They buy the newest piece of tech, just because it's new and cool.

It will be interesting to see how the WiiU does and what audience ends up purchasing it, ultimately. I agree with him on that.

I don't really want art academy, and I'm sorry - I can get a giant book of crossword puzzles for like $5 at the grocery store or do crossword puzzles online at washingtonpost.com for free. Hopefully, they'll make the DK game an offer for some other retail titles in the future (what is this anyways - the original arcade version? I'd pay for that on the Wiishop).

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Nintendo developing video games!

Meh, I haven't even touched coin rush.

Hopefully, they'll make enough money off of this game to make it worthwhile. Being at the top of the WiiWare charts is sort of like being the tallest tree in a bonsai garden.

@aaron sullivan
Definitely want that. Shoot, I'd seriously consider buying an Xbox for a straight port. DKR Forever!

I'm calling bs on that picture too. I have some Genesis games that would contradict that damage. I can see the excess moisture leading to issues long term, but it's not like consoles are being spat on. I don't think that all that much damage would be done.

Meh, I already have Kirby's Adventure, Kirby's Dreamland, and Kirby Super Star on the VC. I'd rather have the digital versions, since they'll probably carry over to whatever console comes after the WiiU whereas Wii games won't work anymore. I think that's the better investment, if you're just interested in playing the games.

Nintendo's controllers have always been pretty tough. I don't imagine they'll change that now. The gorilla glass on the iPhone is pretty tough, so it's definitely possible. $170 seems high when repairs for wii and DS were $75 for the system, but it could just be a low-supply issue.

@k8smom I thought the same thing when I saw the golf game demo at E3. That one's definitely not young-child friendly.

It's a pretty nice guy move, seeing as it's a direct sequel to the DS game. Let's not pretend that the number of 3DS systems this game would sell wasn't tempting.

Because white, less memory, and no premium online service screams core gamer?

It was so they could lure people into the store with a $300 price tag, then upsell the Deluxe edition when they saw all the extras.

I don't see any issue with pricing HD games equivalently to other HD games. I do worry that the eShop prices for older games won't stay competitive with retail price drops, however.

@Metal_Slugger
I just saw that on the WiiU guide -thanks! That definitely makes the Deluxe version the one for me. I don't buy that many downloadable games, but even without including retail downloads, I'll make back at least $50 worth with games 10% off.

It will be interesting to me to see how invasive the ads will be. While I agree that Ninty needs to do more to highlight eshop games (and the Miiverse seems like a fun way to do it on your home screen - especially if they taylor the games the Miis are talking about to ones you are likely to be interested in (they can base that on your shop purchases or Club Nintendo registrations). The way PS3 shows new stuff too is fine - very noninvasive. Buying an XBox is like buying the free version of an app on the app store compared to the PS3 or (hopefully) WiiU's paid version. Ads everywhere. Plus, you have to buy Xbox Gold to use paid subscription service like Netflix. It's got a low price tag in the store - but if you want to actually use it for what it's for, it's not the best deal over time.

If I'm paying more for a console with similar power - I do NOT want to be plastered with invasive ads. I hope Ninty strikes this balance right.

tl;dr If the advertising model is noninvasive, I think the price is fine.

While it's best to wait a year or so to get a system I think (launch hardware is more prone to failure), I don't think I'll make it that long, but i'll be able to console myself if I run into sell-outs when I finally cave.

Seems reasonable enough to me. We'll just have to see how well it does and what msoft and Sony are bringing to the table next year.

Im with tbd on this one. To be honest, the GBA games for ambassadors are not polished at all and don't have any of the usual VC features. I'm sure we'll see them eventually, but who knows how long it will take for Ninty to clean them up.

Man, and I won't get home until like 6 pm Eastern tonight!

I hope they find some way to link/unlink wiis to an account. A system transfer's not too much of a hassle with two small portables with their own screens. It's a bit more difficult to understand how one would manage it with two consoles that need to be hooked up to a TV easily.

I hope they find some way to link/unlink wiis to an account. A system transfer's not too much of a hassle with two small portables with their own screens. It's a bit more difficult to understand how one would manage it with two consoles that need to be hooked up to a TV easily.

Definitely not a bad value here with NintendoTVii. I'm interested in learning more about the premium service. I would rather spend the extra money on games (plus I like how my white wii sticks out in a sea of all black under my TV). Depending on how long the "plus" subscription is for, it may definitely be worth the extra $50.

I'm looking at Game and Wario, NSMBU, Pikmin 3, Zombie U, Sega and Sonic all stars racing, and Raymond legends. Nintendo may have just convinced me to buy at launch (though, after the 3DS fiasco, I wouldn't be surprised if there's no shop or NintendoTVii service at launch. Given how little they had at E3, this could still turn out to be rushed).

It'll be interesting to see if this will work with cable/satellite/fios DVRs or just Tivo. It's handy to have everything in one place, that's for sure. It'll be nice to just see what's on netflix without having to actually go into a channel and search it.

I loooove all the "no fee" comments. Take that XBL. I just hope this isn't covered with ads, or trick you into thinking "hey, you can access this show right now," only to run into a paywall at the last second. This could easily just turn into an obnoxious money grab, by putting things that are subscription only (to subscriptions you don't have) up front on your homepage and search.

This would be the one thing that could potentially convince me to buy the deluxe package, because reggie made it sound like you'd get your subscription free with that set. Extra memory isn't in short supply for me, and Nintendoland isn't worth $50 extra over the basic set either.

Meh, I guess I'll just see the announcements and video later anyway. Hopefully they'll at least record the NY one as a Nintendo direct too, so I can watch it after work.

Half this one is over wifi. I still need to go to GameStop for keldeo.

Apple has an iPad mini; it's called an iPad touch. How many sizes of tablets are needed (nothing wrong with variety, but thats like announcing that not only will apple make a 15 in. MacBook Pro, they'll also make a 17 in. version.

Honestly, I'm just mad at apple, because my only four year old computer won't run their current OS (mountain lion), but if I just replace 5 system files it will run on my out of date computer. Because I paid so much extra for my original hardware for my computer to go out of date faster than a cheapo dell.

Anyways, I thInk the WiiU will be in trouble at anything more than $250 for the basic version. It just doesn't seem like a true upgrade over the PS360, I'm not sure what incentive people will have to buy it unless they pull an amazing launch line up out of their butt on Thursday.

It really is a great game. While not groundbreaking, the levels are fresh and fun. I've been having a really good time with it (moreso than other 2D Mario titles). No surprises here!

To be fair, there are also a lot more 3DSs out in the wild now then there were when 3D Land came out.

I hope this is just an overestimated placeholder price to start taking preorders. Also, didn't this kind of thing happen in Europe with the 3DS? They didn't announce an official price point like in the US, and it was up to retailers to set their own? I remember that launch day prices were a little rediculous, but then stores lowered their prices to compete with each other. Since the price for consoles is generally the same Euros/Dollars, I hope this isn't the price. I don't think I could justify the purchase for $350 at all.

I finally got enough coins for the nunchuck just after it sold out, but this is too good to pass up.

Definitely could happen. Even if WiiU sales are through the roof, it'll still take more than a couple years to surpass the number of 360s and PS3s in homes now. And once the next gen consoles start rolling out, the WiiU will be In the same place the wii was a few years ago. Early launch monopolies can't save a console against technically superior machines. See: the Sega Dreamcast.

Such hard hitting predictions. A new Mario game? They could have only gotten that from the inside.

This is good news - $250 is really reasonable. It will be interesting to see what the higher priced versions include. Sep. 13th can't come fast enough.

I like how they're focusing on how the social/online aspect can help games, not trying to be or integrate into full social networking. I don't have people over after school or gaming sleepovers anymore, but if being able to connect with other people playing around the world over games on he miiverse can capture a bit of that fun of sharing games, I think it will be worthwhile.

You'll have to change your bioethics the La Mulena news Drake!

I've been playing nsmb2 the past few days, but I may be able to check in late nite eastern time (10 pm ish) if people are still playing.

Very funny! I hope this becomes a series! I had never even noticed the Mario 64 one. I must have just been so excited to have completed the game that I didn't notice!

Who knows. Could be real or it could be someone just pulling what the Internet has been guessing is the most likely date.

To me, the exact launch date isn't news - it'll be out by Xmas, and I try to hold off at least a few months - launch systems are always a little less reliable.

I want some juicy price rumors to hold me over until the 13th. It would also be nice to see what Wii games will look like on the system. I know they're not being truly upscaled, but if HDMI cables improve the picture significantly, I would be a lot more interested in buying early. With the launch lineup it looks like either way I'll have some time to keep working on my Wii backlog.

Definitely going to pick this up. I played the demo a couple years ago and really enjoyed it.

This seems a bit on the long side for me too. I'm surprised a tech blog like siliconica didn't give their connection speed as a point of reference, though. This number is meaningless to me if I don't have some way to compare my connection with theirs.

Not a big deal for me either way. I'll just set it to download at night before bed.