I love the NA bundle and would be tempting to get if I had the money and was wiling to sell my Majora's Mask LE N3DSXL. I just hate the white hardware.
With that said, Microsoft and Sony are going to have field day with these announcements to remind gamers that Nintendo is for kids and "casuals". This doesn't bode well for the launch of NX.
I'm just getting FE Fates:SE, Twilight Priciness HD (I want to play it with good controls and I want the soundtrack that comes with the preorders), and the Smash DLC.
I have huge back log of games right now.
But no surprise here that Nintendo has yet again abandoned the "hardcore" gamer for everyone one else.
@KingofSaiyans Very few. I don't care for most violent games.
The only M rated games I have this gen are Bayonetta 1&2 and 007 Legends. Last gen I had a few more, but I don't care for most shooters, violent games and others.
Most of the games I own are E, E10+. I own plenty of T rated games too.
But what I said about "hardcore" gamers is based on NPD market data and their buying habits are clearly defined.
@faint That's because the profits made from mobile is literally split between Apple who makes 92% of hardware profits and Samsung who makes the rest. Software profits are driven by IAPs and ads, not actual software sales.
People just see big numbers and do not understand them.
King is the most profitable mobile company of all time and was seeing their profits shrink each passing year as people grew tired of the Candy Crush and other F2P games. This is why they sold the company to Activision a few weeks ago for a huge mark up. Long term King is screwed as is Rovio. No mobile game developer has a sustainable long term (5 years from now) model.
@iflywright Don't expect Nintendo to make billions on smartphones. The mobile market is extremely volatile and reaching global saturation. Very few companies have been able to make decent profits off of mobile gaming. The two most profitable companies in mobile gaming are Rovio and King (now owned by activison). All the rest are lucky to hit $10 million in a year.
NX shouldn't have any trouble getting some Japanese 3rd party support.
Western AAA blockbuster and M rated support is gone for good unless Nintendo targets NX console at the 15-35 males who buy shooters, M-rated games, and sports games. This would mean Nintendo would need to kill nearly all E and T rated games. Nintendo would also need to end it's own stable of 1st party games and focus on making M-rated games.
In order to win full 3rd party support back, Nintendo need to subsidize their development and send their employees over. Nintendo also needs to drastically scale back their internal 1st party development and releases. Sony has released less than 15 1st party developed retail games on PS4! Microsoft released less than 20 1st party developed retail games on Xbox One! None of their 1st party games compete directly with 3rd party games and release schedules. Nearly all of their 1st party games are M-rated and/or shooters.
Though with a unified OS and development architecture it would free up a ton of resources. It would also sped up development.
NX should have a big library of mostly cross platform titles. Though it would be left up to the developers.
The launch should consist of a few must have 1st party titles showing of the systems exclusive features on top of the 3rd party ports (it's rare to get exclusive 3rd party games at launch) NX needs compelling features and content you can't get anywhere else.
@faint You know what a "hardcore" gamer is right? It's not a vocal minority but gamers from across the board who gave up playing B&W games in the 90s. The game didn't sell that well.
Nearly all the gamers I know in person are truest definition of "hardcore" and play AAA blockbuster games (mainly shooters) and won't touch anything else.
Sega Master System, Amiga, and a few others blasted NES out of the park in terms of CPU power and RAM.
Genesis had 2x the CPU of SNES Turbo Graphic 16 blasted SNES completely out of the water. 3DO and NeoGeo were 1 gen ahead of SNES in power but highly expensive
Nintendo 64 was the only time Nintendo blew the competition out of the water in consoles.
Gamecube on paper had much lower raw spec sheet than PS2 and Xbox earning it the nickname as N64+ in the gaming media.
Wii purposely was made as the last SD console, while Microsoft lost $4 Billion plus on Xbox 360 and Sony lost over $6 Billion on PS3 nearly bankrupting the company.
Wii U was still bound by the contract with IBM signed in 1999 for multigenerational processor development.
NX isn't bound by the IBM contract.
As for handhelds:
GB was vastly weaker than Atari and Sega's handhelds but outsold them. GBC was weaker, but was more successful than Nintendo expected.
N-Gage was vastly more powerful than GBA, but the power was used for it's full OS, multimedia functionality and phone part. GBA wasn't a weakling, but it wasn't top of the line either.
Sony took a huge loss on PSP hardware for the 3 years in order to sell it at $250. Sony only made marginal profits in the end on PSP.
Nintendo broke even selling DS for the first 6 months, then made huge profits.
Sony was able to price Vita so low, because they used the parts in Vita for their phones and other electronics. Though memory cards prices and lack of interest from Sony's Western branches killed it.
The Point being: Nintendo consoles are traditionally weaker than the competitions more so since Microsoft can easily eat the loss on hardware and Sony can get cheap prices because they use most of the parts in their other divisions.
Nintendo cannot compete financially against the massive size of Microsoft and Sony.
@Freeon-Leon They play multiplats, while waiting for the games Sony promised such as FFVIIR and FFXV. (which Sony has been marketing) They are also gearing up for the arrival of 4K digital videos on PS4 (which Sony has been marketing)
As for the topic:
Gaming is vastly more expensive in Japan and Korea than in the West. Electricity in Japan is way more expensive than what we pay in the U.S. Etc...
Japan as of December has entered into it's 5th economic recession in 20 years, though unemployment remains one of the lowest in the world. Japanese wages have remained stagnate since the bust of the 1980s. Japanese prices are experiencing deflation Japanese work slightly more than they did in the 1990s, working more hours than their counterparts in developed countries.
Japan is really have structural and societal issues that the government is afraid to tackle.
Though these issues that affect Japan are also hitting the rest of SE Asia, especially China and South Korea.
@MattEriks Actually YCG went to Nintendo asking for an Amiibo. Co-op mode is not in the game and YCG is using the Amiibo money to pay for development of Co-oop mode. The co-op mode is exclusive to the Wii U version (other unlockables not in the base game). The Amiibo unlocks exclusive stuff in the 3DS version, which is not in the game.
So yeah this Amiibo is funding (or paying Nintendo back) for the new exclusive content in both Wii U and 3DS versions.
@AVahne To be fair we haven't seen enough of TP to make a complete assessment. Never use Youtube and Twitch videos/streams to make a judgement, because they both are heavily compressed and run at 360p by default.
@Li_Bae You know every Playstation console has launched with mediocre games only to become the dominant system within six months out (PS3 is the exception).
PS4 proved you can have just multiplats and easily sell 36M in ~2 years, including a mediocre launch selection.
Wii U, Wii, Dreamcast (West), Gamecube, SNES had the best launch software of their gen.
Hell Wii U had 23 games from practically every genre with most being decent 3rd party games.
@AVahne You know that every Nintendo handheld had dated hardware the day it launched with the competition blowing it out of the water.
Every Nintendo console was dated at launch with the exception of Nintendo 64. I mean Xbox was easily more powerful than Gamecube at launch, with PCs passing both in a few months.
Every Nintendo system to date has featured what people have called "gimmicks" on the controllers with the competition making them industry standard in the next gen.
@Dezzy It was part of the controversy of the game, when VentureBeat claimed the game was too homosexual and should be kept away from children. The author went on a big social media defense blitz and it blew up on him. He was fired and eventually the review and story was redacted. That was a fun month...
Also Ghirahim was also controversial because he was perceived as being gay in the West.
A lot of people were offended by the colorful graphics on top of it.
@Iggly They don't need too, Pespi already labels and markets both as gamers fuel and food for "hardcore" gamer. There is a whole product line from multiple food and drink companies that are making food and drinks for "hardcore" gamers.
@electrolite77 They aren't calling Sony and Microsoft out specifically, nor any developer for that matter. They are just making a general statement.
It really isn't worth risking being cut off and face possible legalities from the other gaming companies to please
Also that Forbes editorial received a huge backlash on gaming forums and the gaming media as it was relayed on IGN, Gamespot, etc...
The person who wrote that piece is supposed to be a "casual" gamer that is "detached" from reality.
Also we have more clamoring for TP HD than those demanding Nintendo cancel it.
There is has been a good amount of people and press demanding TP in HD that fixes the textures, controls, and load times of both releases. It was widely talked about how badly TP controlled on Gamecube and Wii ruining the game for plenty of fans and gamers. (if you don't remember this, then you weren't following the game at launch).
Plus all those who preorder it get the Soundtrack when they pick up (the soundtrack is really good).
I'm hoping the remake has good controls this time.
@MoonKnight7 Can you point to anything that says TP HD was unwanted?
There is more stuff showing demand than a lack of demand for it.
People complained horribly about how bad the Wii version of TP controlled and those who played the GC version complained about that version too.
TP HD has been in development for ~3 years according to Nintendo and Tantalus, it just happened to coincide with the Zelda U delay. Tantalus said they were working on a remaster major game for Wii U back in 2013, which had been in development since 2012. Tantalus revealed after the reveal of TP, that Nintendo came them in 2012 with an offer to remake TP in HD.
Granted we haven't seen much of TP HD to see how it's shaping up.
You obviously cannot remake/remaster a game as big a Zelda in such as short time.
Zelda U was said to be delayed due to Aonuma and Nintendo taking all the critical feedback from Majora's Mask 3D, that asked for many features to be incorporated into Zelda U.
Also Aonuma and Nintendo have taken all the criticism/heart to heart from Windwaker, TP, and Skyward Sword to make Zelda U. They want Zelda U to be free of the hate the last 3 games received at launch.
Add open world gameplay, you get a hugely long development cycle.
Fortune (I have a subscription) published a few articles claiming Nintendo's systems were focusing on reusing the same franchises, while Sony and Microsoft were focusing on new experiences along with their 3rd party partners.
Forbes on a regular basis calls out Nintendo for milking their existing IPs instead of creating new IPs and experiences, while praising Sony, Microsoft and others for pushing the boundaries of gaming experiences.
Time is regularly running stories about Nintendo sorely lacking new experiences, while all the innovation and new games are on Xbox One and PS4.
Wall Street Journal is heavily critical of focusing on their past, instead of letting to and moving forward like the rest of the industry.
Newsweek regular covers E3 and each E3 for the past 15 years they constantly remark about Nintendo sticking with tried and true experiences, while the competition offers new and engaging stuff.
As for main stream media: USA Today (most circulated newspaper in the U.S.) has constantly published articles about Nintendo remaking their established IPs at the expense of new IPs, while Sony and Microsoft bring next gen experiences.
NY Times always makes a remark in their gaming stories and reviews about how [insert Nintendo game] sticks close to tradition and formula , instead of trying new stuff.
All of BBC's stories on Wii U and 3DS have talked about how Nintendo has focused on their traditional game types, instead offering new types of games like Microsoft and Sony.
Kotaku, IGN, Gamespot, etc... constantly run editorials about Nintendo clinging to the same IPs and same gameplay formula instead of shaking it up and giving out new IPs like the competition does.
etc...
You can easily find mainstream articles and new stories about how Nintendo doesn't ever do anything new with their software.
Though to be fair Nintendo doesn't blacklist media organizations that runs negative press against them. Microsoft, Sony and the rest will literally blacklist your organization if you run stories about them they don't like without their permission. Kotaku was recently blacklisted by Ubisoft for publishing their articles on how broken the recent Assassins Creed games were (that's what Kotaku says). They've also been blacklisted by Microsoft, EA, Bethesda and others for reporting negative stories about those companies at one time or another.
The other gaming companies do pull ads, revenue, and other horrible stuff if you give negative reviews and/or negative stories.
You also run the risk of being sued (it's happened many of times).
Nintendo is literally the only one that doesn't censor and strong arm the press.
The point is it's not paranoia, it's actually true to a large extent due to how gaming companies treat the press.
NeoGaf is literally taken seriously by most major 3rd parties and the 3 platform holders, as they have all stated in numerous interviews over the years. They all have people hired to read NeoGaf and other forums/sites.
@MoonKnight7 Many people have been demanding Nintendo remake TP, because they claim the game was gimped by Wii and Gamecube. There are very few Remakes on Wii U from Nintendo.
@electrolite77 But Nintendo is criticized for being far worse than those 2. NPD has claimed that 3DS and Wii U libraries are putting consumers off in the west.
Both have the stigma of not having anything new.
Most remakes and remasters are struggling to sell on PS4 and Xbox One out side of TLoU and MCC. But they are known for having new and exciting games.
Is it fair? No but that's how the West has been responding to Nintendo since GCN.
They could do more remasters. I would love s few more.
But the biggest criticism of Wii U and 3DS is the unoriginality of their libraries. Most media outlets and gamers keep complaining about all the rehashes, remakes, remastered and iterative games that make up the libraries compared to the originality and creativity of the competition.
@electrolite77 The media has always reported on how Nintendo has never been able to get any real retail shelf space in the UK. Even forum goers and NeoGaf have expressed the same sentiments.
The truth is Nintendo just isn't big and rich enough to compete head to head on any level with the giant multi divisional and multi billion yearly revenue corporations called Microsoft and Sony. Both of these companies have tons of non gaming product lines they can leverage to force others to give them prime treatment. They also spend hundreds of millions in the U.S. and UK alone on shelf space.
@Benji_Nottz
UK reps wouldn't be able to get more shelf space if they tried their best.
Shelf space with retailers for a product is determined on perceived demand.
You literally show and demo your product to convince retailers to stock it.
If they don't like the product, they won't stock it.
If the product sells bad, they will remove it from the shelves.
Also Microsoft and Sony are constantly trying to out bid each other for as much shelf space as possible.
Both companies spend hundreds of millions is not billions of dollars to get as much shelf space as possible for their products and to take shelf space away from their competitors.
With every Nintendo hardware both console and handheld selling abysmally in the UK, UK retailers have no incentive to give either handheld or console any real shelf space (except Wii and DS).
I mean I keep hearing that 3DS, GB, and GBA didn't get any real shelf space in the UK either.
Wii and DS struggled to increase shelf space at their sales heights in the UK from what others have reported.
Nintendo will never get decent retail space in the UK unless they are willing to pay top Pound for the space.
It's also been reported over the past 6 months that the UK, EU and U.S. have opened investigation on Nintendo for "false" and misleading advertisements regarding Wii U and 3DS.
People seem to forget that Microsoft has been heavily advertising Xbox One as part of the Windows 10 campaign. I'm so sick of Microsoft and retailers telling me that Xbox One runs Windows 10. They also have Windows 10 banners and displays featuring Xbox One front and center. Xbox One is also the official partner of FIFA and is heavily featured in each FIFA event. Microsoft also has the exclusive deal with the NFL. Each NFL game states it's powered by Xbox One and Windows 10 at least once per game with the logos during broadcast.
Social Media and sites constantly have ads featuring Xbox One powered by Windows 10, Xbox One the official console of the NFL, and/or Xbox One the Official console of FIFA!
Xbox One also appears in Microsoft Office ads too and their other software ads.
Microsoft also has the exclusive marketing deal with EA sports.
Sony has started doing PS4 ads about PS4 being the best Blu-Ray experience ever. I've also seen PS4 ads advertising the 4K experience and next gen HD. Retailers regular advertise PS4 in the movie section as the best Blu-Ray player. I've also seen ads and displays about the PS4 being a streaming and multimedia box.
PS4 is also advertised in music ads and CDs since Sony owns one of the big 5 music studios.
PS4 is the only system advertised in theaters due to Sony owning one of the major movie studios. Sony also owns the controlling stake in MGM too.
Sony and Microsoft makes lots of non gaming products, which they can leverage to get special treatment. Retailers and others cannot afford to lose Microsoft and Sony.
Bethesda is owned by the huge multimedia company Zenimax
Nintendo isn't big enough to get these huge marketing deals with retailers and sports leagues.
Since Nintendo only makes games and toys, retailers and others refuse to give them the same deals unless Nintedo is willing to pay hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars like Apple does for support.
Wii U will be thier worst selling console in the UK slightly beating out the NES. All Nintendo hardware sell horribly bad in the UK. Wii and DS were the only ones to do descent numbers in the UK.
@Danrenfroe2016 Sammy would never agree to that. Sammy calls all the shots over at Sega, since they own Sega and aren't all that interested in dedicated gaming.
@DESS-M-8 Sonic Fighters is actually a solid fun mascot fighter that exists due to Sega formally being an arcade company at heart. It's just one of those light hearted quirky spin offs.
Sonic 3D Blast isn't bad, it's just a very slow and odd ball game that uses isometric graphics. The MD/Genesis version is "fine", the Saturn version is superior in every way. Saturn version has better resolution, better/different special stages, and a much better soundtrack. It also has some tweaks too. Though the Saturn version has longer load times.
@Chubblings
It doesn't matter if the quality of the games are bad or terrible.
Sega is already unhappy with the sales and cannot understand why those games underperformed.
The issue is that Playstation and Xbox fans still buy just as many copies, even if the game is down right terrible. same goes for hardware.
It's very rare for bad games to do bad on these platforms.
QUALITY DOESN''T MATTER TO PLAYSTATION AND XBOX OWNERS
(as sales have shown)!
The only things that kills games on Playstation and Xbox systems are:
1) Non AAA games
2) Bright colors
3) Lack of violence and guns
4) E and E10+ ratings
@Churchy Actually Sonic is more popular than ever thanks to him being bigger on mobile than on consoles.
Sega makes a nice penny off of the mobile versions.
I love the new logo.
Since Nintendo owners gave Sega the middle finger over Sonic Boom games, I think Sega took the message away that Nintendo owners don't like Sonic games.
Comments 950
Re: Pokémon Red, Blue and Yellow 2DS Bundles Confirmed for Europe, New 3DS Bundle Coming to North America
I love the NA bundle and would be tempting to get if I had the money and was wiling to sell my Majora's Mask LE N3DSXL.
I just hate the white hardware.
With that said, Microsoft and Sony are going to have field day with these announcements to remind gamers that Nintendo is for kids and "casuals".
This doesn't bode well for the launch of NX.
Re: Video: The Pokémon Company Builds Anniversary Hype and Confirms Monthly Mythical Pokémon Distributions
Yay more event Pokemon!!!
Re: Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam is Now Available to Pre-Load in North America
I'll buy the game this summer.
Or when every I get enough Meijer's Rewards Credit.
Though the game isn't reviewing well.
Re: Nintendo Life Weekly: New 2016 Sonic Game Hinted, NX Release Predictions and More
I'm for a new Sonic game.
I wouldn't mind them doing one in the vein of Lost World.
I thoroughly enjoyed Lost World (after the patches).
Re: Feature: Exciting Wii U and 3DS Games to Play in the First Quarter of 2016
I'm just getting FE Fates:SE, Twilight Priciness HD (I want to play it with good controls and I want the soundtrack that comes with the preorders), and the Smash DLC.
I have huge back log of games right now.
But no surprise here that Nintendo has yet again abandoned the "hardcore" gamer for everyone one else.
Re: Japanese Games Market Falls To Lowest Point In 26 Years, But Full Picture Remains Elusive
@zool
The Mobile market is classified as a separate market in each territory.
The buying habits and developers are different from regular gaming.
Re: Analysis: Assessing Why NX Needs to Take Over From Both the Wii U and 3DS
@KingofSaiyans
Very few.
I don't care for most violent games.
The only M rated games I have this gen are Bayonetta 1&2 and 007 Legends.
Last gen I had a few more, but I don't care for most shooters, violent games and others.
Most of the games I own are E, E10+.
I own plenty of T rated games too.
But what I said about "hardcore" gamers is based on NPD market data and their buying habits are clearly defined.
Re: Analysis: Assessing Why NX Needs to Take Over From Both the Wii U and 3DS
@faint
That's because the profits made from mobile is literally split between Apple who makes 92% of hardware profits and Samsung who makes the rest.
Software profits are driven by IAPs and ads, not actual software sales.
People just see big numbers and do not understand them.
King is the most profitable mobile company of all time and was seeing their profits shrink each passing year as people grew tired of the Candy Crush and other F2P games.
This is why they sold the company to Activision a few weeks ago for a huge mark up.
Long term King is screwed as is Rovio.
No mobile game developer has a sustainable long term (5 years from now) model.
Re: Analysis: Assessing Why NX Needs to Take Over From Both the Wii U and 3DS
@iflywright
Don't expect Nintendo to make billions on smartphones. The mobile market is extremely volatile and reaching global saturation. Very few companies have been able to make decent profits off of mobile gaming. The two most profitable companies in mobile gaming are Rovio and King (now owned by activison). All the rest are lucky to hit $10 million in a year.
Re: Analysis: Assessing Why NX Needs to Take Over From Both the Wii U and 3DS
NX shouldn't have any trouble getting some Japanese 3rd party support.
Western AAA blockbuster and M rated support is gone for good unless Nintendo targets NX console at the 15-35 males who buy shooters, M-rated games, and sports games.
This would mean Nintendo would need to kill nearly all E and T rated games. Nintendo would also need to end it's own stable of 1st party games and focus on making M-rated games.
In order to win full 3rd party support back, Nintendo need to subsidize their development and send their employees over. Nintendo also needs to drastically scale back their internal 1st party development and releases.
Sony has released less than 15 1st party developed retail games on PS4!
Microsoft released less than 20 1st party developed retail games on Xbox One!
None of their 1st party games compete directly with 3rd party games and release schedules.
Nearly all of their 1st party games are M-rated and/or shooters.
Though with a unified OS and development architecture it would free up a ton of resources. It would also sped up development.
NX should have a big library of mostly cross platform titles. Though it would be left up to the developers.
The launch should consist of a few must have 1st party titles showing of the systems exclusive features on top of the 3rd party ports (it's rare to get exclusive 3rd party games at launch)
NX needs compelling features and content you can't get anywhere else.
Re: Japanese Analyst Claims NX Could Launch As Early As October, Will Eat Into Wii U And 3DS Sales
@Spakiness
That will probably happen for VC and small eShop titles.
Though Sony didn't allow it with PS4 for any games, forcing you to rebuy them all.
Re: BOXBOY! is Getting a Sequel
@faint
You know what a "hardcore" gamer is right?
It's not a vocal minority but gamers from across the board who gave up playing B&W games in the 90s.
The game didn't sell that well.
Nearly all the gamers I know in person are truest definition of "hardcore" and play AAA blockbuster games (mainly shooters) and won't touch anything else.
Re: Japanese Analyst Claims NX Could Launch As Early As October, Will Eat Into Wii U And 3DS Sales
@AVahne
That's not true either.
Sega Master System, Amiga, and a few others blasted NES out of the park in terms of CPU power and RAM.
Genesis had 2x the CPU of SNES
Turbo Graphic 16 blasted SNES completely out of the water.
3DO and NeoGeo were 1 gen ahead of SNES in power but highly expensive
Nintendo 64 was the only time Nintendo blew the competition out of the water in consoles.
Gamecube on paper had much lower raw spec sheet than PS2 and Xbox earning it the nickname as N64+ in the gaming media.
Wii purposely was made as the last SD console, while Microsoft lost $4 Billion plus on Xbox 360 and Sony lost over $6 Billion on PS3 nearly bankrupting the company.
Wii U was still bound by the contract with IBM signed in 1999 for multigenerational processor development.
NX isn't bound by the IBM contract.
As for handhelds:
GB was vastly weaker than Atari and Sega's handhelds but outsold them.
GBC was weaker, but was more successful than Nintendo expected.
N-Gage was vastly more powerful than GBA, but the power was used for it's full OS, multimedia functionality and phone part.
GBA wasn't a weakling, but it wasn't top of the line either.
Sony took a huge loss on PSP hardware for the 3 years in order to sell it at $250.
Sony only made marginal profits in the end on PSP.
Nintendo broke even selling DS for the first 6 months, then made huge profits.
Sony was able to price Vita so low, because they used the parts in Vita for their phones and other electronics. Though memory cards prices and lack of interest from Sony's Western branches killed it.
The Point being: Nintendo consoles are traditionally weaker than the competitions more so since Microsoft can easily eat the loss on hardware and Sony can get cheap prices because they use most of the parts in their other divisions.
Nintendo cannot compete financially against the massive size of Microsoft and Sony.
Re: Japanese Games Market Falls To Lowest Point In 26 Years, But Full Picture Remains Elusive
@Freeon-Leon
They play multiplats, while waiting for the games Sony promised such as FFVIIR and FFXV. (which Sony has been marketing)
They are also gearing up for the arrival of 4K digital videos on PS4 (which Sony has been marketing)
As for the topic:
Gaming is vastly more expensive in Japan and Korea than in the West.
Electricity in Japan is way more expensive than what we pay in the U.S.
Etc...
Japan as of December has entered into it's 5th economic recession in 20 years, though unemployment remains one of the lowest in the world.
Japanese wages have remained stagnate since the bust of the 1980s.
Japanese prices are experiencing deflation
Japanese work slightly more than they did in the 1990s, working more hours than their counterparts in developed countries.
Japan is really have structural and societal issues that the government is afraid to tackle.
Though these issues that affect Japan are also hitting the rest of SE Asia, especially China and South Korea.
Re: New 3DS and Monster Hunter Continue to Lead in Japanese Charts
@Charlosa
I think Splatoon has already passed MK8 by in sales in Japan.
Not many expected Splatoon to do what it has done...
Re: Video: Here's What Shovel Knight's New amiibo-Based Co-Op Mode Looks Like
@MattEriks
Actually YCG went to Nintendo asking for an Amiibo.
Co-op mode is not in the game and YCG is using the Amiibo money to pay for development of Co-oop mode.
The co-op mode is exclusive to the Wii U version (other unlockables not in the base game).
The Amiibo unlocks exclusive stuff in the 3DS version, which is not in the game.
So yeah this Amiibo is funding (or paying Nintendo back) for the new exclusive content in both Wii U and 3DS versions.
Re: New 3DS and Monster Hunter Continue to Lead in Japanese Charts
Why is PS4 selling so well without any must have titles?
How is it multiplats are pushing PS4 to new sales records?
Re: Talking Point: Nintendo Can Exploit Its Rich History With More Remasters
@AVahne
To be fair we haven't seen enough of TP to make a complete assessment.
Never use Youtube and Twitch videos/streams to make a judgement, because they both are heavily compressed and run at 360p by default.
Re: Japanese Analyst Claims NX Could Launch As Early As October, Will Eat Into Wii U And 3DS Sales
@Li_Bae
You know every Playstation console has launched with mediocre games only to become the dominant system within six months out (PS3 is the exception).
PS4 proved you can have just multiplats and easily sell 36M in ~2 years, including a mediocre launch selection.
Wii U, Wii, Dreamcast (West), Gamecube, SNES had the best launch software of their gen.
Hell Wii U had 23 games from practically every genre with most being decent 3rd party games.
Re: Japanese Analyst Claims NX Could Launch As Early As October, Will Eat Into Wii U And 3DS Sales
@AVahne
You know that every Nintendo handheld had dated hardware the day it launched with the competition blowing it out of the water.
Every Nintendo console was dated at launch with the exception of Nintendo 64.
I mean Xbox was easily more powerful than Gamecube at launch, with PCs passing both in a few months.
Every Nintendo system to date has featured what people have called "gimmicks" on the controllers with the competition making them industry standard in the next gen.
Re: BOXBOY! is Getting a Sequel
@faint
Maybe so.
But I have heard of plenty of people refusing to play it due to it being black and white.
Re: Talking Point: Nintendo Can Exploit Its Rich History With More Remasters
@Dezzy
It was part of the controversy of the game, when VentureBeat claimed the game was too homosexual and should be kept away from children.
The author went on a big social media defense blitz and it blew up on him.
He was fired and eventually the review and story was redacted.
That was a fun month...
Also Ghirahim was also controversial because he was perceived as being gay in the West.
A lot of people were offended by the colorful graphics on top of it.
Re: Activision Blizzard Has Acquired Major League Gaming
@Iggly
I was trying to convey my disgust with food being marketing at gamers
Re: Activision Blizzard Has Acquired Major League Gaming
@Iggly
They don't need too, Pespi already labels and markets both as gamers fuel and food for "hardcore" gamer.
There is a whole product line from multiple food and drink companies that are making food and drinks for "hardcore" gamers.
Re: 'Brain Training' Games Aren't All They're Cracked Up to be
Brain Age and Brain Training already hit the fan back in 2009, when stories starting running about how Nintendo lied about the health benefits of Brain Age/ Training.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1156103/Brain-training-games-like-Nintendo-DS-dont-stave-dementia-alzheimers.html
I can't remember if Nintendo was forced to do something about it.
Re: BOXBOY! is Getting a Sequel
Is there really a demand for this in the West?
Re: Talking Point: Nintendo Can Exploit Its Rich History With More Remasters
@Dezzy
Skyward Sword is one of the most hated games of recent memory with it being called out for being all around horrible and too gay looking.
Re: Talking Point: Nintendo Can Exploit Its Rich History With More Remasters
@electrolite77
They aren't calling Sony and Microsoft out specifically, nor any developer for that matter.
They are just making a general statement.
It really isn't worth risking being cut off and face possible legalities from the other gaming companies to please
Also that Forbes editorial received a huge backlash on gaming forums and the gaming media as it was relayed on IGN, Gamespot, etc...
The person who wrote that piece is supposed to be a "casual" gamer that is "detached" from reality.
Also we have more clamoring for TP HD than those demanding Nintendo cancel it.
There is has been a good amount of people and press demanding TP in HD that fixes the textures, controls, and load times of both releases.
It was widely talked about how badly TP controlled on Gamecube and Wii ruining the game for plenty of fans and gamers.
(if you don't remember this, then you weren't following the game at launch).
Plus all those who preorder it get the Soundtrack when they pick up (the soundtrack is really good).
I'm hoping the remake has good controls this time.
Re: Talking Point: Nintendo Can Exploit Its Rich History With More Remasters
@King_Boo
Hate to break it to you, WB co-owns the rights to the series when they bought Midway.
Re: Talking Point: Nintendo Can Exploit Its Rich History With More Remasters
@MoonKnight7
Can you point to anything that says TP HD was unwanted?
There is more stuff showing demand than a lack of demand for it.
People complained horribly about how bad the Wii version of TP controlled and those who played the GC version complained about that version too.
TP HD has been in development for ~3 years according to Nintendo and Tantalus, it just happened to coincide with the Zelda U delay.
Tantalus said they were working on a remaster major game for Wii U back in 2013, which had been in development since 2012.
Tantalus revealed after the reveal of TP, that Nintendo came them in 2012 with an offer to remake TP in HD.
Granted we haven't seen much of TP HD to see how it's shaping up.
You obviously cannot remake/remaster a game as big a Zelda in such as short time.
Zelda U was said to be delayed due to Aonuma and Nintendo taking all the critical feedback from Majora's Mask 3D, that asked for many features to be incorporated into Zelda U.
Also Aonuma and Nintendo have taken all the criticism/heart to heart from Windwaker, TP, and Skyward Sword to make Zelda U.
They want Zelda U to be free of the hate the last 3 games received at launch.
Add open world gameplay, you get a hugely long development cycle.
Re: Activision Blizzard Has Acquired Major League Gaming
To be fair MLG had $45 Million in debt and counting due to it being horribly unprofitable to operate.
Activision-Blizzard's games were the main games at MLG, so it is a natural fit.
Activision agreed to absorb all the debt and give all the stakeholders a profit, in the terms.
Re: Talking Point: Nintendo Can Exploit Its Rich History With More Remasters
@electrolite77
I'm not being paranoid.
The U.S. business publications:
Fortune (I have a subscription) published a few articles claiming Nintendo's systems were focusing on reusing the same franchises, while Sony and Microsoft were focusing on new experiences along with their 3rd party partners.
Forbes on a regular basis calls out Nintendo for milking their existing IPs instead of creating new IPs and experiences, while praising Sony, Microsoft and others for pushing the boundaries of gaming experiences.
Time is regularly running stories about Nintendo sorely lacking new experiences, while all the innovation and new games are on Xbox One and PS4.
Wall Street Journal is heavily critical of focusing on their past, instead of letting to and moving forward like the rest of the industry.
Newsweek regular covers E3 and each E3 for the past 15 years they constantly remark about Nintendo sticking with tried and true experiences, while the competition offers new and engaging stuff.
As for main stream media:
USA Today (most circulated newspaper in the U.S.) has constantly published articles about Nintendo remaking their established IPs at the expense of new IPs, while Sony and Microsoft bring next gen experiences.
NY Times always makes a remark in their gaming stories and reviews about how [insert Nintendo game] sticks close to tradition and formula , instead of trying new stuff.
All of BBC's stories on Wii U and 3DS have talked about how Nintendo has focused on their traditional game types, instead offering new types of games like Microsoft and Sony.
Kotaku, IGN, Gamespot, etc... constantly run editorials about Nintendo clinging to the same IPs and same gameplay formula instead of shaking it up and giving out new IPs like the competition does.
etc...
You can easily find mainstream articles and new stories about how Nintendo doesn't ever do anything new with their software.
Though to be fair Nintendo doesn't blacklist media organizations that runs negative press against them.
Microsoft, Sony and the rest will literally blacklist your organization if you run stories about them they don't like without their permission.
Kotaku was recently blacklisted by Ubisoft for publishing their articles on how broken the recent Assassins Creed games were (that's what Kotaku says).
They've also been blacklisted by Microsoft, EA, Bethesda and others for reporting negative stories about those companies at one time or another.
The other gaming companies do pull ads, revenue, and other horrible stuff if you give negative reviews and/or negative stories.
You also run the risk of being sued (it's happened many of times).
Nintendo is literally the only one that doesn't censor and strong arm the press.
The point is it's not paranoia, it's actually true to a large extent due to how gaming companies treat the press.
NeoGaf is literally taken seriously by most major 3rd parties and the 3 platform holders, as they have all stated in numerous interviews over the years.
They all have people hired to read NeoGaf and other forums/sites.
Re: Talking Point: Nintendo Can Exploit Its Rich History With More Remasters
@MoonKnight7
Many people have been demanding Nintendo remake TP, because they claim the game was gimped by Wii and Gamecube.
There are very few Remakes on Wii U from Nintendo.
Re: Talking Point: Nintendo Can Exploit Its Rich History With More Remasters
@electrolite77
But Nintendo is criticized for being far worse than those 2. NPD has claimed that 3DS and Wii U libraries are putting consumers off in the west.
Both have the stigma of not having anything new.
Most remakes and remasters are struggling to sell on PS4 and Xbox One out side of TLoU and MCC.
But they are known for having new and exciting games.
Is it fair? No but that's how the West has been responding to Nintendo since GCN.
Re: Talking Point: Nintendo Can Exploit Its Rich History With More Remasters
They could do more remasters.
I would love s few more.
But the biggest criticism of Wii U and 3DS is the unoriginality of their libraries.
Most media outlets and gamers keep complaining about all the rehashes, remakes, remastered and iterative games that make up the libraries compared to the originality and creativity of the competition.
Re: Nintendo Games Absent from UK Top 40 to Kick Off 2016
Also Nintendo is being investigated in the U.S. and EU for false and misleading ads over 3DS and Wii U
Re: Nintendo Games Absent from UK Top 40 to Kick Off 2016
@electrolite77
The media has always reported on how Nintendo has never been able to get any real retail shelf space in the UK. Even forum goers and NeoGaf have expressed the same sentiments.
The truth is Nintendo just isn't big and rich enough to compete head to head on any level with the giant multi divisional and multi billion yearly revenue corporations called Microsoft and Sony.
Both of these companies have tons of non gaming product lines they can leverage to force others to give them prime treatment.
They also spend hundreds of millions in the U.S. and UK alone on shelf space.
Re: Nintendo Games Absent from UK Top 40 to Kick Off 2016
@Priceless_Spork
I'm not sure there are any TV ads for Wii U and 3DS that could survive the strictness of the British Public and regulators.
Re: Nintendo Games Absent from UK Top 40 to Kick Off 2016
@Ootfan98
That was due British regulators decided it was the best course of action, based on the nature of the complaints.
Re: Feature: The Biggest 3DS Games of 2016
Fire Emblem is my most wanted 3DS game, followed by DQVIIR and DQVIIIR
Why isn't DQVIIR and DQVIIIR on the list, since Nintendo is publishing and localizing them for a summer 2016 release?
Re: Nintendo Games Absent from UK Top 40 to Kick Off 2016
@Benji_Nottz
UK reps wouldn't be able to get more shelf space if they tried their best.
Shelf space with retailers for a product is determined on perceived demand.
You literally show and demo your product to convince retailers to stock it.
If they don't like the product, they won't stock it.
If the product sells bad, they will remove it from the shelves.
Also Microsoft and Sony are constantly trying to out bid each other for as much shelf space as possible.
Both companies spend hundreds of millions is not billions of dollars to get as much shelf space as possible for their products and to take shelf space away from their competitors.
With every Nintendo hardware both console and handheld selling abysmally in the UK, UK retailers have no incentive to give either handheld or console any real shelf space (except Wii and DS).
I mean I keep hearing that 3DS, GB, and GBA didn't get any real shelf space in the UK either.
Wii and DS struggled to increase shelf space at their sales heights in the UK from what others have reported.
Nintendo will never get decent retail space in the UK unless they are willing to pay top Pound for the space.
It's also been reported over the past 6 months that the UK, EU and U.S. have opened investigation on Nintendo for "false" and misleading advertisements regarding Wii U and 3DS.
Re: Nintendo Games Absent from UK Top 40 to Kick Off 2016
People seem to forget that Microsoft has been heavily advertising Xbox One as part of the Windows 10 campaign. I'm so sick of Microsoft and retailers telling me that Xbox One runs Windows 10. They also have Windows 10 banners and displays featuring Xbox One front and center. Xbox One is also the official partner of FIFA and is heavily featured in each FIFA event. Microsoft also has the exclusive deal with the NFL. Each NFL game states it's powered by Xbox One and Windows 10 at least once per game with the logos during broadcast.
Social Media and sites constantly have ads featuring Xbox One powered by Windows 10, Xbox One the official console of the NFL, and/or Xbox One the Official console of FIFA!
Xbox One also appears in Microsoft Office ads too and their other software ads.
Microsoft also has the exclusive marketing deal with EA sports.
Sony has started doing PS4 ads about PS4 being the best Blu-Ray experience ever. I've also seen PS4 ads advertising the 4K experience and next gen HD. Retailers regular advertise PS4 in the movie section as the best Blu-Ray player. I've also seen ads and displays about the PS4 being a streaming and multimedia box.
PS4 is also advertised in music ads and CDs since Sony owns one of the big 5 music studios.
PS4 is the only system advertised in theaters due to Sony owning one of the major movie studios. Sony also owns the controlling stake in MGM too.
Sony and Microsoft makes lots of non gaming products, which they can leverage to get special treatment. Retailers and others cannot afford to lose Microsoft and Sony.
Bethesda is owned by the huge multimedia company Zenimax
Nintendo isn't big enough to get these huge marketing deals with retailers and sports leagues.
Since Nintendo only makes games and toys, retailers and others refuse to give them the same deals unless Nintedo is willing to pay hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars like Apple does for support.
Wii U will be thier worst selling console in the UK slightly beating out the NES.
All Nintendo hardware sell horribly bad in the UK.
Wii and DS were the only ones to do descent numbers in the UK.
Re: SEGA Reveals the Logo for Sonic the Hedgehog's 25th Anniversary
@Danrenfroe2016
Sammy would never agree to that.
Sammy calls all the shots over at Sega, since they own Sega and aren't all that interested in dedicated gaming.
Re: SEGA Reveals the Logo for Sonic the Hedgehog's 25th Anniversary
@DESS-M-8
Sonic Fighters is actually a solid fun mascot fighter that exists due to Sega formally being an arcade company at heart.
It's just one of those light hearted quirky spin offs.
Sonic 3D Blast isn't bad, it's just a very slow and odd ball game that uses isometric graphics.
The MD/Genesis version is "fine", the Saturn version is superior in every way.
Saturn version has better resolution, better/different special stages, and a much better soundtrack. It also has some tweaks too.
Though the Saturn version has longer load times.
Re: SEGA Reveals the Logo for Sonic the Hedgehog's 25th Anniversary
@Chubblings
It doesn't matter if the quality of the games are bad or terrible.
Sega is already unhappy with the sales and cannot understand why those games underperformed.
The issue is that Playstation and Xbox fans still buy just as many copies, even if the game is down right terrible. same goes for hardware.
It's very rare for bad games to do bad on these platforms.
QUALITY DOESN''T MATTER TO PLAYSTATION AND XBOX OWNERS
(as sales have shown)!
The only things that kills games on Playstation and Xbox systems are:
1) Non AAA games
2) Bright colors
3) Lack of violence and guns
4) E and E10+ ratings
Re: SEGA Reveals the Logo for Sonic the Hedgehog's 25th Anniversary
@Churchy
Actually Sonic is more popular than ever thanks to him being bigger on mobile than on consoles.
Sega makes a nice penny off of the mobile versions.
I love the new logo.
Since Nintendo owners gave Sega the middle finger over Sonic Boom games, I think Sega took the message away that Nintendo owners don't like Sonic games.
Re: Feature: The Biggest Wii U Games of 2016
I'm definitely getting TP HD, Pokken and Zelda U on release day.
Re: Feature: Five Key Reveals and Releases That Will Define Nintendo's 2016
With Fire Emblem Fates, Pokken, DQVIIR, DQVIIIR and Zelda it's a good year for me game wise. Everything else is a nice bonus for me.
Re: Feature: Our Staff's Hopes and Dreams for Nintendo's 2016
@LUKEKUL
I know the numbers are right, I just warning you about using them in general.
It doesn't matter what price is when adjusted for inflation.
Price only matters when the product is launching and on the market.
But it still stands that 3DS is priced out of the mass market, which is hurting it's sales, among other things.
Re: Feature: Our Staff's Hopes and Dreams for Nintendo's 2016
@Mario_Fart
Well then wait to get one.
I've had my Wii U since launch and have been quite happy and impressed with 1st party and exclusive support.
I'll probably get NX at launch if I can.