Again, I feel like I say this every month. The Wii U will NOT make Nintendo go under. They have a lot of money right now and even if they never make a profit off of the Wii U, they will still have a ton of money and still be fine.
The projections number for Wii U is worrying though. I have seen a lot of hype surrounding Mario Kart 8 and Smash Bros., but if they're only planning to sell 3.6 million units, that's a bad sign. But I will still support the Wii U. It's a great console and the games for the system have been nothing short of fantastic.
I have no doubt that Mario Kart 8 will cause a spike in sales. Whether or not the increase will maintain itself throughout the summer is the real question.
It's much too early too early to replace the 3DS and the Wii U, especially the latter with Mario Kart 8 due in a month and Smash Bros. due later this year. It could be the QOL thing, but more likely than not it will either be a 3DS remodel (3DSi perhaps?) or a Wii U redesign which has a remodeled GamePad. Then again, this is just a rumor, so I'm taking this with a grain of salt.
Nintendo is not announcing any new hardware at this E3, so a big press conference will be counterproductive. But honestly, I really liked the Nintendo Direct and Developer Direct approach from last year. So I'm excited!
@Bolt_Strike You'd be surprised, Mario Kart is a classic series. Lots of people grew up with it. And here we have Mario Kart 8, which honestly looks like the best game in the series. The recent Mario Kart games especially are making the perfect mix of new and old by offering 16 new courses and 16 upgraded retro courses. The Wii iteration sold 35 million units; I seriously doubt all of those were people aged 16 and under.
One word: Good.
Now bring this to Japan (esp. Japan, the hype for this game is crazy there) and North America and the Wii U will be flying off shelves. If I didn't already own a Wii U, I would've jumped at this bundle. I must have Mario Kart. Mario Kart is my system seller.
@DESS-M-8 Personally Mario Kart 8 looks like the most visually impressive game the Wii U has offered up as of yet. But I totally agree, the next 3D Mario game needs to be an entirely new game, NOT GALAXY 3!! Honestly, I don't want a Galaxy 3. I loved the first two, don't get me wrong, but a third one is not needed.
Although your comment with 3D World though, I felt that it's better on Wii U. I don't really see the 3DS being able to pull that game off. It was a fantastic game but I admit, it's time for a brand new Mario game.
Wow, such negativity in the comments! Seriously people, it takes about 2-3 years to develop these games and they JUST STARTED on the new one. It won't be here until late 2015/early 2016, I'd suppose. And honestly, this is hardly milking the franchise. This game will be the 16th Super Mario game in roughly 30 years, yet there has been 18 Call of Duty games in 10 years. That is hardly milking it.
On top of this, you guys made these exact same comments when 3D World was announced, and look how good that turned out to be. I'm never doubting the Tokyo EAD team again. They say they're making a new 3D Mario, it's guaranteed it will be nothing short of amazing.
This is actually pretty bad. Because now, after Mario Kart 8 on May 30, the only confirmed release window is December 2014 for Smash Bros. Wii U. Bayonetta 2, X, and Yarn Yoshi still don't have official dates. Not good. Not good. Unless they can make the Wii U one different enough, this won't do anything to help Wii U sales.
I've never played the first three...my first Mario Kart ever was DS but I was able to play Double Dash with a friend on a few occasions. All of these games are great, and Mario Kart 8 looks simply marvelous. Can't wait for May 30.
At first I thought the N64 one WAS the new one in the trailer because it's so unrecognizeable!! Can't wait to see the new one, along with the new Bowser's Castle. May 30 could not come any sooner!!!!!!
Here's something you guys don't seem to understand: dismissing Iwata will not, I repeat, NOT magically solve all of Nintendo's problems. They will still be there when he leaves, and they will still be there when a new guy takes charge. And there's always the possibility (and it's a big possibility) that a new CEO will only make the situation at Nintendo worse. Don't get rid of Iwata, it will only make the situation worse.
Wow so much negativity in the comments!! I hate to use a bad pun, but seriously people, LET IT GO. It's a SONG. It's supposed to be just a fun little video.
But you can't ignore the fact that this man brings up some very valid points about the Wii U. While the console does have quite a few fantastic games, the lineup is still very thin. Which brings me to another point...Mario Kart 8 is currently the ONLY upcoming Wii U game that has a solid release date. Let that sink in for a moment. And he was right when he says this is the chance to save Wii U...if this game doesn't cause a big boost in Wii U sales that will remain CONSTANT, then that will be a major hit for Nintendo.
All in all, this guy makes a lot of valid points in his parody. But seriously, set your fanboy rage attacks aside and just enjoy the song, because it's actually quite clever.
I'm not expecting to see a surge in Wii U sales until MK8 comes out. It's kind of depressing but at least it's still managing to sell 7,000 a week with no notable new releases coming anytime soon.
I kinda stopped using Miiverse once the 3DS community joined and once 3D World introduced the stamp system. People never use the stamps for anything creative and instead just spammed the community down with childish-overbearing stampiness. Seriously, I could never ask for help on Miiverse for 3D World because my post would quickly become buried under spam posts. Miiverse was great once but the quality has rather degraded now...
@JuleyJules To each his own, but I think the February Nintendo Direct was quite major because it talked about Nintendo's plans for the first half of 2014. If you can recall, they mainly talked about games that will be launching through May. After May, we have E3 in June. The February Direct was essentially a mini-E3 for the first half of the year.
I'm not saying a Nintendo Direct next week is unwelcome, though. I would gladly accept one. I just don't think it would show anything too different from the last one. April seems more probable to me, as that could detail the three major May releases (Kirby, Golf, Kart) and could act as a pre-E3 Direct. We'll just have to wait and see.
@ThomasBW84 I guess we'll find out Wednesday, right? I'd be surprised if it points to another Nintendo Direct, though...last month's was pretty major and we're still pretty far out from the major upcoming releases, with the exception of Yoshi's New Island on Friday. April seems more probable for the next Direct, as that's right before Kirby, Mario Golf, and, most prominently, Kart.
But you never know, Nintendo might surprise us. If it is a Nintendo Direct though, I have a vague feeling it will be rather underwhelming compared to the last one.
@ThomasBW84 This is the same box art Iwata used in his investors meeting, so it's most likely the final version. Just look at the report and go to the page where he announced the game is coming out in May. The slide has a super tiny version of this box art. Because of this, I believe that this is the final box art design.
I'll gladly take a Miiverse and eShop app, along with maybe a dedicated video app or a Nintendo news feed app. Whatever they come out with, I'll gladly download it.
No...no. Keep the GamePad. Removing it would not be smart...they may think that it would be a good strategy, but think about this...once they remove it, the Wii U literally is just an HD Wii...and there's no appeal in that. Also, removing the GamePad will make the ~5 million current Wii U members VERY pissed, because then they'll have this useless controller.
I personally really like the GamePad. Off-TV Play is fantastic and it is a wonderful feature. We really just haven't seen a good game that utilizes the screen to its full potential yet.
It all makes so much sense...the official name for the next Smash game is Smash Super Bros.! They've been waiting to reveal the name until after they revealed this! (eyeroll)
For all of you wanting Iwata to resign: stop and think for a moment. Iwata resigning/being fired will NOT magically solve all of Nintendo's problems. They will still be there once he leaves, and they will still be there once a new person takes charge and they could get worse if management changes at this point. Kicking Iwata out is not going to change anything, so I say keep him around. 2014 has lots of potential for the Wii U, let's just see how it goes.
To all the people saying the Wii U will doom Nintendo: they're currently sitting on a massive pile of cash that has accumulated from the huge success of the Wii, DS, and the ongoing success of the 3DS. The Wii U will most certainly NOT doom Nintendo.
Take these two accounts into consideration before going on an Iwata manhunt and calling doom and gloom.
Oh boy, I wasn't expecting that huge a dip for the Wii U sales projections...
I am sincerely hoping 2014 will be better for the console. I absolutely adore it and I've had a lot of fun with it, particularly with Super Mario 3D World. 2014 looks very promising. I'm hoping it will all turn out okay. As for the 3DS, it'll be fine.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to avoid gaming news websites for the next few days because I have no intention of reading the doom and gloom articles that these new financial projections are sure to bring...
Yoshi's New Island was slated for a Spring release...and we got the official release date today...does that mean we'll be getting a Mario Kart 8 release date soon??
When was their supposed "breakthrough" technology created? If I remember correctly, the Wii entered development shortly after the GameCube launch in 2001. I seriously doubt they were making motion controllers before that.
And considering the fact that they filed 8 lawsuits since December 2012, I think it's perfectly acceptable to label this company a patent troll. So pathetic...
@SavantSupreme 79,000 a week is loads better than the 5,000 they were selling a week before 3D World launch, so comparatively, the Wii U is doing great at the moment.
@Alucard83 Oh yes, because the low storage space was the reason why Wii U sales were so low in 2013. Please, as many other people have mentioned, you can easily expand the Wii U's storage. Besides I'm more of a retail guy when it comes to games so storage space doesn't really matter to me.
This place saves my Nintendo sanity. I know that I can come here and not have to deal with any absurd "Wii U has no gamez!" or "Wii U is dead!" or "Nintendo is doooomed!" statements. Thanks for all your hard work and here's to a great 2014!
At least they acknowledged the problem and kept us in the loop while they were fixing it, unlike some company that totally ignored their red ring of death disaster...
Anyway, glad it's back up. I'm not a Pokemon fan, but hopefully they'll get those apps released soon so that people can stop complaining.
Comments 409
Re: Club Nintendo Rewards Updated for May, Physical Items Return
Dang it! If only I had a Wii classic controller! I would totally download Mario Kart 64!
Re: Nintendo Announces "Mario Kart 8 Test Drive Days" At Over 2700 GameStop Stores
There not coming to Hawaii again. Figures. Oh well. I can wait for release anyway.
Re: Nintendo Reports Financial Losses As Expected, Along With Modest Wii U Sales Targets
Again, I feel like I say this every month. The Wii U will NOT make Nintendo go under. They have a lot of money right now and even if they never make a profit off of the Wii U, they will still have a ton of money and still be fine.
The projections number for Wii U is worrying though. I have seen a lot of hype surrounding Mario Kart 8 and Smash Bros., but if they're only planning to sell 3.6 million units, that's a bad sign. But I will still support the Wii U. It's a great console and the games for the system have been nothing short of fantastic.
I have no doubt that Mario Kart 8 will cause a spike in sales. Whether or not the increase will maintain itself throughout the summer is the real question.
Re: Rumour: Nintendo Will Reveal New Hardware At This Year's E3
It's much too early too early to replace the 3DS and the Wii U, especially the latter with Mario Kart 8 due in a month and Smash Bros. due later this year. It could be the QOL thing, but more likely than not it will either be a 3DS remodel (3DSi perhaps?) or a Wii U redesign which has a remodeled GamePad. Then again, this is just a rumor, so I'm taking this with a grain of salt.
Re: Theatrhythm: Curtain Call Helps 3DS XL Double Its Sales, But Japanese Retail Continues To Struggle
Nice to see the NES Remix 1 and 2 disc edition in the top ten, though.
Re: Nintendo Lifts The Lid On Its Plans For E3 2014
Nintendo is not announcing any new hardware at this E3, so a big press conference will be counterproductive. But honestly, I really liked the Nintendo Direct and Developer Direct approach from last year. So I'm excited!
Re: Satoru Iwata Speaks Of The Need To "Redefine" Nintendo's Position In The Entertainment Industry
@erv I love this comment so much because it's so true.
Re: Weirdness: Best Buy Offers "Gas Cash" Promotion for Mario Kart 8
@Bolt_Strike You'd be surprised, Mario Kart is a classic series. Lots of people grew up with it. And here we have Mario Kart 8, which honestly looks like the best game in the series. The recent Mario Kart games especially are making the perfect mix of new and old by offering 16 new courses and 16 upgraded retro courses. The Wii iteration sold 35 million units; I seriously doubt all of those were people aged 16 and under.
Re: Nintendo Confirms The Mario Kart 8 Premium Pack – Special Edition Wii U Hardware Bundle
One word: Good.
Now bring this to Japan (esp. Japan, the hype for this game is crazy there) and North America and the Wii U will be flying off shelves. If I didn't already own a Wii U, I would've jumped at this bundle. I must have Mario Kart. Mario Kart is my system seller.
Re: Nintendo Involved In Patent Dispute Over Wii U's Dual Screen Capabilities
@Raylax THIS comment. I love it too much. xD
Re: Nintendo Is Working On The Next Mario Game, But Can't Reveal If It's Coming To 3DS Or Wii U
@DESS-M-8 Personally Mario Kart 8 looks like the most visually impressive game the Wii U has offered up as of yet. But I totally agree, the next 3D Mario game needs to be an entirely new game, NOT GALAXY 3!! Honestly, I don't want a Galaxy 3. I loved the first two, don't get me wrong, but a third one is not needed.
Although your comment with 3D World though, I felt that it's better on Wii U. I don't really see the 3DS being able to pull that game off. It was a fantastic game but I admit, it's time for a brand new Mario game.
Re: Nintendo Is Working On The Next Mario Game, But Can't Reveal If It's Coming To 3DS Or Wii U
@kuribo4 Yes that's me.
Re: Nintendo Is Working On The Next Mario Game, But Can't Reveal If It's Coming To 3DS Or Wii U
@kuribo4 Don't worry man, I'm celebrating this with you. I'm looking forward to it!
Re: Nintendo Is Working On The Next Mario Game, But Can't Reveal If It's Coming To 3DS Or Wii U
Wow, such negativity in the comments! Seriously people, it takes about 2-3 years to develop these games and they JUST STARTED on the new one. It won't be here until late 2015/early 2016, I'd suppose. And honestly, this is hardly milking the franchise. This game will be the 16th Super Mario game in roughly 30 years, yet there has been 18 Call of Duty games in 10 years. That is hardly milking it.
On top of this, you guys made these exact same comments when 3D World was announced, and look how good that turned out to be. I'm never doubting the Tokyo EAD team again. They say they're making a new 3D Mario, it's guaranteed it will be nothing short of amazing.
Common sense, people.
Re: Super Smash Bros. Hitting 3DS This Summer, Wii U Launch To Take Place In The Winter
This is actually pretty bad. Because now, after Mario Kart 8 on May 30, the only confirmed release window is December 2014 for Smash Bros. Wii U. Bayonetta 2, X, and Yarn Yoshi still don't have official dates. Not good. Not good. Unless they can make the Wii U one different enough, this won't do anything to help Wii U sales.
Re: Nintendo Releases An Awesome Mario Kart Infographic
I've never played the first three...my first Mario Kart ever was DS but I was able to play Double Dash with a friend on a few occasions. All of these games are great, and Mario Kart 8 looks simply marvelous. Can't wait for May 30.
Re: Hideki Konno Emphasizes That Mario Kart 8 Balancing Means It's Not All About Luck
At first I thought the N64 one WAS the new one in the trailer because it's so unrecognizeable!! Can't wait to see the new one, along with the new Bowser's Castle. May 30 could not come any sooner!!!!!!
Re: Preview: Mario Kart 8
This game will be mine...oh yes, it will be mine...
Re: Report Suggests That June Could Be Crucial For Iwata's Future At The Head Of Nintendo
@IxnayontheCK I wouldn't be so sure about that; there's lots of hype surrounding that game.
Re: Report Suggests That June Could Be Crucial For Iwata's Future At The Head Of Nintendo
Here's something you guys don't seem to understand: dismissing Iwata will not, I repeat, NOT magically solve all of Nintendo's problems. They will still be there when he leaves, and they will still be there when a new guy takes charge. And there's always the possibility (and it's a big possibility) that a new CEO will only make the situation at Nintendo worse. Don't get rid of Iwata, it will only make the situation worse.
Re: Video: Nintendo Approves of this Mario Kart Song
Wow so much negativity in the comments!! I hate to use a bad pun, but seriously people, LET IT GO. It's a SONG. It's supposed to be just a fun little video.
But you can't ignore the fact that this man brings up some very valid points about the Wii U. While the console does have quite a few fantastic games, the lineup is still very thin. Which brings me to another point...Mario Kart 8 is currently the ONLY upcoming Wii U game that has a solid release date. Let that sink in for a moment. And he was right when he says this is the chance to save Wii U...if this game doesn't cause a big boost in Wii U sales that will remain CONSTANT, then that will be a major hit for Nintendo.
All in all, this guy makes a lot of valid points in his parody. But seriously, set your fanboy rage attacks aside and just enjoy the song, because it's actually quite clever.
Re: Yo-kai Watch Maintains Strong Run in Japan as 3DS Continues Battle with Vita
I'm not expecting to see a surge in Wii U sales until MK8 comes out. It's kind of depressing but at least it's still managing to sell 7,000 a week with no notable new releases coming anytime soon.
Re: Miiverse Gets a Fresh Update for Wii U and 3DS
I kinda stopped using Miiverse once the 3DS community joined and once 3D World introduced the stamp system. People never use the stamps for anything creative and instead just spammed the community down with childish-overbearing stampiness. Seriously, I could never ask for help on Miiverse for 3D World because my post would quickly become buried under spam posts. Miiverse was great once but the quality has rather degraded now...
Re: Feature: Looking Back on the Year of Luigi
@DoomTurtle It's an unlockable minigame BUT if you have purchased New Super Luigi U, you can play it right from the get-go.
Re: Nintendo Releases an Extended Gameplay Trailer for Yoshi's New Island
@ZephyrTortera Look, someone with a logical brain! I applaud that. We can't really judge this game without playing it, so give it a chance, people.
Re: Extended Nintendo Network Maintenance on Wii U and 3DS Scheduled For 13th March
@JuleyJules To each his own, but I think the February Nintendo Direct was quite major because it talked about Nintendo's plans for the first half of 2014. If you can recall, they mainly talked about games that will be launching through May. After May, we have E3 in June. The February Direct was essentially a mini-E3 for the first half of the year.
I'm not saying a Nintendo Direct next week is unwelcome, though. I would gladly accept one. I just don't think it would show anything too different from the last one. April seems more probable to me, as that could detail the three major May releases (Kirby, Golf, Kart) and could act as a pre-E3 Direct. We'll just have to wait and see.
Re: Extended Nintendo Network Maintenance on Wii U and 3DS Scheduled For 13th March
@ThomasBW84 I guess we'll find out Wednesday, right? I'd be surprised if it points to another Nintendo Direct, though...last month's was pretty major and we're still pretty far out from the major upcoming releases, with the exception of Yoshi's New Island on Friday. April seems more probable for the next Direct, as that's right before Kirby, Mario Golf, and, most prominently, Kart.
But you never know, Nintendo might surprise us. If it is a Nintendo Direct though, I have a vague feeling it will be rather underwhelming compared to the last one.
Re: Month Of Kong: Tropical Freeze Composer David Wise On Working With The Ape Again
I always love reading composer interviews, as a VGM enthusiast. But Wise is something special!!
Re: PS4 Launch Sales Close to Wii U Equivalents, 3DS Remains Best of the Rest
Haha wow love the Mario Kart 8 trailer playing in the background!
Re: This 'Provisional' Mario Kart 8 Box Art May Get You Into Gear
@ThomasBW84 Very true. The official DKCTF box art was altered after Cranky Kong was announced. We'll have to see what happens.
Re: This 'Provisional' Mario Kart 8 Box Art May Get You Into Gear
@ThomasBW84 This is the same box art Iwata used in his investors meeting, so it's most likely the final version. Just look at the report and go to the page where he announced the game is coming out in May. The slide has a super tiny version of this box art. Because of this, I believe that this is the final box art design.
Re: Pokémon Bank Goes Live in North America
Good, now everyone is appeased.
Re: Mario Kart 8 Drifting In For a May Release
@triforcepower73 April 17 over here. Daaaang I was really looking forward to it. Oh well, it will be my reward for surviving final exams, I guess.
Re: Nintendo Confirms Dedicated Development Team for Smart Device Services
I'll gladly take a Miiverse and eShop app, along with maybe a dedicated video app or a Nintendo news feed app. Whatever they come out with, I'll gladly download it.
Re: Mario Kart 8 Drifting In For a May Release
NOOOOO!!! Sorry I was really hoping for an April release because my birthday is in April...
Re: Talking Point: Is There A Future For The Wii U Without The GamePad?
No...no. Keep the GamePad. Removing it would not be smart...they may think that it would be a good strategy, but think about this...once they remove it, the Wii U literally is just an HD Wii...and there's no appeal in that. Also, removing the GamePad will make the ~5 million current Wii U members VERY pissed, because then they'll have this useless controller.
I personally really like the GamePad. Off-TV Play is fantastic and it is a wonderful feature. We really just haven't seen a good game that utilizes the screen to its full potential yet.
Re: Namco Bandai Will Now Be Known As Bandai Namco Around The World
It all makes so much sense...the official name for the next Smash game is Smash Super Bros.! They've been waiting to reveal the name until after they revealed this! (eyeroll)
Re: Iwata Accepts Responsibility For Poor Financial Results, Ignores Calls To Resign
For all of you wanting Iwata to resign: stop and think for a moment. Iwata resigning/being fired will NOT magically solve all of Nintendo's problems. They will still be there once he leaves, and they will still be there once a new person takes charge and they could get worse if management changes at this point. Kicking Iwata out is not going to change anything, so I say keep him around. 2014 has lots of potential for the Wii U, let's just see how it goes.
To all the people saying the Wii U will doom Nintendo: they're currently sitting on a massive pile of cash that has accumulated from the huge success of the Wii, DS, and the ongoing success of the 3DS. The Wii U will most certainly NOT doom Nintendo.
Take these two accounts into consideration before going on an Iwata manhunt and calling doom and gloom.
Re: Nintendo Confirms Major Reductions In Sales and Financial Projections
Oh boy, I wasn't expecting that huge a dip for the Wii U sales projections...
I am sincerely hoping 2014 will be better for the console. I absolutely adore it and I've had a lot of fun with it, particularly with Super Mario 3D World. 2014 looks very promising. I'm hoping it will all turn out okay. As for the 3DS, it'll be fine.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to avoid gaming news websites for the next few days because I have no intention of reading the doom and gloom articles that these new financial projections are sure to bring...
Re: Fresh 2013 UK Hardware Sales Figures Keep 3DS on Top, While Wii U Sells Less Than Vita
Funny how a handheld is still outclassing all consoles every week...and they say Nintendo is doomed.
Re: Nintendo Boasts of "Record-Setting" 3DS Sales in 2013 and Confirms Yoshi’s New Island Release Date
Yoshi's New Island was slated for a Spring release...and we got the official release date today...does that mean we'll be getting a Mario Kart 8 release date soon??
Re: Review: Monster High: 13 Wishes (Wii U)
Nintendo Life, I feel bad that you guys have to review crap like this...I really pity you.
Re: Nintendo Boasts of "Record-Setting" 3DS Sales in 2013 and Confirms Yoshi’s New Island Release Date
2014 is the Wii U's year. 2013 was the 3DS' year. It's time for Nintendo to go to desperate measures to bring Wii U sales up.
Re: Intelligent Systems Development HQ Image Emerges
Hopefully they make a Paper Mario for Wii U, and hopefully they make a TRUE Paper Mario.
Re: Dallas Tech Company iLife Thinks Nintendo Stole Its Idea For Motion Control
When was their supposed "breakthrough" technology created? If I remember correctly, the Wii entered development shortly after the GameCube launch in 2001. I seriously doubt they were making motion controllers before that.
And considering the fact that they filed 8 lawsuits since December 2012, I think it's perfectly acceptable to label this company a patent troll. So pathetic...
Re: News: Nintendo Dominates Japanese Charts At Christmas
@SavantSupreme 79,000 a week is loads better than the 5,000 they were selling a week before 3D World launch, so comparatively, the Wii U is doing great at the moment.
Re: Wii U Skylanders Bundle Deal Heading to GameStop This Weekend
@Alucard83 Oh yes, because the low storage space was the reason why Wii U sales were so low in 2013. Please, as many other people have mentioned, you can easily expand the Wii U's storage. Besides I'm more of a retail guy when it comes to games so storage space doesn't really matter to me.
Re: Game of the Year: Nintendo Life Readers' Awards 2013
Kind of bummed that Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon didn't win any awards...it was my personal 3DS GOTY.
Re: Site News: How was 2013 for Nintendo Life?
This place saves my Nintendo sanity. I know that I can come here and not have to deal with any absurd "Wii U has no gamez!" or "Wii U is dead!" or "Nintendo is doooomed!" statements. Thanks for all your hard work and here's to a great 2014!
Re: Nintendo Apologises for Nintendo Network Issues as Full eShop Services Return
At least they acknowledged the problem and kept us in the loop while they were fixing it, unlike some company that totally ignored their red ring of death disaster...
Anyway, glad it's back up. I'm not a Pokemon fan, but hopefully they'll get those apps released soon so that people can stop complaining.