ajcismo

I want to say I'm disappointed, but instead I'm simply not surprised. At what point will Nintendo brass start taking responsibility for the lack of 3rd party support? Quality game or not, alienating (ha!) an entire consumer base is not the fault of the consumer. This falls directly on the shoulders of Iwata, and frankly, I'm tired of it.

Good stuff, very funny. The RARE games for the N64 were so good, so beyond what anybody else was doing.

There is no need to say mean things when you can have your media subsidiaries like Motley Fool do it for you.

Just watched all of them, and I have no idea as to what just happened.

X has me feeling like a kid at Christmas again with excitement. The wife is all about Mario Kart 8. And we'll get Smash Bros just because its SB.

Really hoping we start getting some serious VC love from more recent consoles like N64, Cube, and Dreamcast in 2014. More VC RPGs would be nice too.

Congrats on a most excellent year. Heres to more of the same in 2014.

Love the StreetPass games. I'm completely addicted to Puzzle Swap, more obsessed really. All the games are fun 2-5 minute time killers.

@JaxonH
That's what I love about NL. We can have a debate that doesn't involve hurling insults at each other and continue on in the gaming brotherhood. Have a great New Years and may your high scores be high.

@JaxonH
As a matter of fact I do. The incredible growth of the DS and handheld market cannot be denied, and the recovery of the 3DS has been nothing short of amazing. However... Mr. Iwata took 100 million Wii's sold and turned it into... nothing. They hit this huge sales mark and went nowhere with it, they achieved their Blue Ocean goal but failed to maintain their newly captured gaming audience. Other than Skyward Sword, Xenoblade and Last Story, the last 2 years of the Wii were pretty underwhelming for a serious Nintendo gamer. My Wii became a glorified Gamecube and played more of those tiny disc gems than anything else. I hope I'm wrong, and 2014 is filled with great games and massive market growth for the Wii U and everyone keeps their job and we're all happy.

The Good: 2013 finished much much stronger than 2012, and 2014 looks very promising. Indie devs seem to really be taking a shine to the system and the media in general seems to be spinning a more positive light on its future.

The Bad: A lack of quality software for long stretches and 3rd party support that was a joke is the tip of the iceberg. Lack of advertising and lack of PR control on a crushing media really bothered me. Show some balls Nintendo.

The Ugly: Upper management at Nintendo is in its own little world, has been for the last half decade, and I believe a change is needed at the top. Everything needs a complete overhaul and if I were a shareholder, I'd find Mr.Iwata's handling of the Wii U unacceptable. He's a nice, funny guy, but I want to see some attitude come out of Kyoto.

To the staff at NL: You guys do a great job, have a great New Years and can't wait to see what's in store for 2014.

The Wii moved 1711 units? How is that thing still selling?

The 3DS dominance is like a bowl of soup... warm, comforting, letting you know everything is going to be alright.

We all know the PS4 will sell very well in Japan upon release, but I'm curious as to how the Xbone will do. Will the western media crush it like it has Nintendo? or will its NA/Euro sales give it a pass and barely a word is said?

I wish we got software like Japan does here in NA.

Tried both eShops this morning at 6am (CST) and both are still down. Not a big deal since I have to work anyways. I'll try again this afternoon.

Merry Christmas to you all. May 2014 bring many golden coins.

Never played it, but would consider it for the U if it came out. You'd think the combination of Wiimote and Gamepad would be a stellar interface for it really.

Wow, the Euro eShop looks great this week. Hopefully those of us in NA get a similar treatment... I'm looking at you LttP.
Would sure love to see that ZombiU discount (amongst others, Assassins Creed 3 at that price is worth every... uh, quid? euro? shilling?). Hopefully Santa (aka my wife) brings me many eShop gift cards on Wednesday.

We wouldn't even be having this discussion had the Wii U (and 3DS for that matter) not been handled so utterly poorly in terms of marketing and design at its launch.
What has the PSbone been doing for the last year? FLOODING all markets with big, explosive ads, hype and "articles" slamming its competition (mostly Wii U/Ninty). They show no games and no kids on the couch with mom and dad. They only show fast cars, shooting up cities and all done in classic dudebro style. They forced kids and adult gamers to talk about their new systems. Massive price tags? No backwards compatibility? Who cares? Its new! Look at those explosions!
Meanwhile, Nintendo hands out cards at Best Buy with check boxes showing the difference between the Wii and Wii U. Yeah, real effective.
Since its launch there have been dozens of articles on The Motley Fool slamming Nintendo, saying they're doomed. These have been picked up by other gaming sites (like this one). Thing is, do most people know that Motley Fool has a stake in the Microsoft Corp? Probably not, but the damage has been done.
My point isn't exactly too-little, too-late, but I'm afraid for the current team running the giant ship that is the SS Nintendo, their fate is already sealed. Nintendo used to have an attitude about its product and its competition, and I hope that returns in the near future with a buzz and vigor. I simply don't see that happening with Mr.Iwata in charge anymore.

I've never seen a major international company just completely screw up marketing and advertising the way Nintendo has these last few years. Zero production quality, its like they're so worried about turning a profit they're afraid to spend a little extra so these "ads" look like they were done by a high school A/V dept. They need some new blood at the top.

Nothing for me this week, but the background music on the eShop is sure damn catchy. Was holding out for Zelda... perhaps next week.

Love the event this weekend, went out Christmas shopping today and got 26 hits from all over the world. Completed 3 puzzles in the process, and got the wife into it on her new 3DS. NoA needs to do this more offen.

If you were a kid in the 80s and a massive fan of DK and DKjr (like this guy), "wtf" was all you could say the first time you saw and played a DK3 machine.

@KnightRider666 - I've noticed that too over the years. It really isn't that bad of a sequel considering its era. Its just so vastly different from the first two people sort of dismiss it. Like Spiderman 3.

It doesn't take a business degree or even a class or two to figure out that the Wii U has been so poorly handled by Big N that the breaking point is near. The whole "we do things our way, not concerning ourselves with competition" thing has grown old. The list of mismanagement of The U has grown from a list, to a novel. We've beaten the lack of ads, lack of software, lack of VC, lack of world gaming pulse horse to death. Major 3rd parties, most of which I can't personally stand but know they're needed, have been pushed away. Mr. Iwata, hope you enjoyed your time at the top, but its time to go. Nintendo needs leadership thats going to light a fire, inspire, and have enough business savvy to get the greatest gaming company in history back on top again.

I bought this out of nostalgia. And after playing through it remembered why I got rid of my Genesis copy in college. Did like the 3D effect tho, and the sound is nicely old-school.

Finally a golf game. Been waiting for this since that demo. Words cannot describe how bitter I am towards EA for dropping Tiger Woods' contract and crapping all over the Wii U. Wii Sports Golf will have to do.

One more negative article after another. Its so disheartening as it really is a nice system that has gotten nothing but horrible publicity since its launch day. 6 million units is going to cost Mr.Iwata his job, and rightfully so.
I tell ya though, all of this could've been avoided. Proper marketing, a steady stream of software, a name that doesn't confuse the mass public (which are idiots, sorry if that offends somebody), a VC ready to go with a killer back catalog, hardware with some juice under the hood (at least be close to what MS/Sony is doing for crying out loud), and showing some acknowledgement of what consumers want would've made Nintendo at least competitive. Bums this guy out they dropped the ball on this machine.

The only thing that I fear won't be around next Christmas will be Mr.Iwata as CEO.

Wasn't a huge fan of the original arcade machine, but I'm wondering if this does well enough if Nintendo will ever consider dusting off the old (and probably forgotten by most) NES Rad Racer for a 3DS port. If I remember right, that used 3D glasses too for effect.

I might be wrong, but I don't think he's ever even made a game on/for a Nintendo system. Of course, everyone knows MS/Sony would love Ninty franchises on their systems, they would sell a ton and without any work done on their parts. The publishers who get paid by MS/Sony are saying this all the time and use the excuse that Big N's hardware is sub-par as justification. I don't understand why his statements are such a big deal when he hasn't done anything on the systems/for the company hes commenting about?

I'd be more optimistic if there were a Smash Bros and/or Mario Kart bundle available right now. Granted, a top-notch Mario title does sell systems, but if all 3 of those Mario-led titles were out now with their own bundles... well, even the most cynical of Pachter-bot would be picking one up.

Finishing up Project X Zone. Then some Zelda Link Between Worlds and the 2nd playthru of Windwaker HD while I watch some flakes fall. Online Wii U Bowling will make its way into the weekends rotation too.

Just like the 3DS before it (and DS handhelds too), I believe many of the naysayers began their negative tone without even playing a single game on the system. Its easy to diss a Nintendo system as "kiddie" early on knowing that "more powerful" systems are on their way. Lack of advertising while the PSbox over-saturated theirs didn't help either all summer/early autumn. But its hard to ignore a 5-star/AAA/2 thumbs up Mario title, price point bundles that are an excellent value, backwards compatibility, and other features like the VC, free online and Miiverse. Now, I realize that these were all things that should've been ready to go LAST Christmas (don't get me started on the handling of the VC), for some reason Big N dropped the ball on that last year. It is still nice to see some positive news daily though.

Pretty awesome news. I'd love to see something done with Skies of Arcadia and Phantasy Star series by Atlas as well. Specifically on the 3DS but certainly wouldn't complain if Wii U was involved.

Its funny, the gaming media, err, media in general, has been completely distracted by the bright shiny new graphics and bells and whistles with the PSbox these last few months. Motley Fool has published dozens, if not hundreds, of articles bashing the hell out of Nintendo for years. It never seemed like they actually played anything on the systems (3DS/Wii U), they would just lay claim Big N was doomed then tout some stupid iPhone controller as the next big thing. I take their opinions with a grain of salt both ways, but a positive take by them is surprising indeed.

Pretty neat sounding app, although the price point struck me as a bit high until I read all of the features and content. I'd love to see something like this in NA at maybe the Smithsonian.

Snatched mine up quickly, been sitting on a bunch of coins waiting for something cool to pop up.

Very nice Damo, enjoyable read. The launch of a new Zelda game always reminds me of why I enjoy playing these games, no matter the system. The playthru confirms it.

Nice to see the Most Hated Company in America is going global in its douchery.

Urban Champion HD Super Ultra Edition with club-mix theme music cd?

@EarthboundBenjy
Military shooters dude. Seriously.

Excellent review. I lost interest in the series after it left its WWII roots. Making up its own narrative and getting away from anything historical in nature completely turns me off.

Leaving a comment because somebody should.. Phil, you lose a bet so you had to review this one?

This Batman game just never got my attention. Something seemed "off" about it, like a big budget movie sequel where everything is just "good enough" to make a buck. X3 comes to mind as a comparison, but there was nothing "good enough" about that.

@MadAussieBloke
Bar league Mario Kart would be the bee's knee's. Complete with jackets and plenty of pints.

@MadAussieBloke
I need to come hang out down under sometime. Most bars up here have Golden Tee, video slots, usually a pinball machine and the usual pool/darts.

I often wonder what would've happened if Sony and Nintendo would've kept that partnership for a SNES CD drive way back when. To me, that split will always be the turning point in modern console gaming.

Might have to figure out a way to purchase this without the wife finding out...

Thanks guys, you & Mr.Burgess made me learn something today. In all seriousness, great article, big thumbs up.

I have no idea who she is or what she's saying, but I can't stop watching.

@MadAussieBloke
Chicken AND Betamax? Sounds like a slice of Heaven.

Can't feel bad for them. They were king of the rental land around here in the 90s and early 00s. But refusing to adjust and change with the times, along with some rather unpopular policies, has made them obsolete. Digital distribution baby, wave of the future apparently.

Andre makes me feel old. Anyone else remember the Rock n' Roll Tennis ads with the Red Hot Chili Peppers in the way back?