cornishlee

Rumours? Is that all that gets reported these days? Even if true, $5,000 is nothing for Nintendo or for major developers but I can see it being a very worthwhile offer for small developers - worthwhile on both sides.

That's a hell of a discount on Trine 2. I don't regret paying full price for it back in January though.

I spent a long time thinking about this at the time. I remember reviews were great but I was put off by the Mickey Mouse IP. Now, though, I'd snap it up.

I've maintained from day one that third party support is essential for Wii U to be the success that Nintendo want it to be,

From a selfish point of view, it's important to me too. I can't afford more than one console but I bought a Wii U not only to play my existing library of Wii games but due to Iwata's pronouncements of wanting to attract 'core gamers' and recognising the need of third party support. E3 2011 and the EA buddy act was not the only thing that seemed to back this up - a close partnership with Platinum and securing of Bayonetta 2 as an exclusive and the thrid-party heavy launch line-up both pointed to Nintendo backing up words with action.

It's still relatively early days and even if there have been more downs than ups the last few months I have to hope that Nintendo is persevering with this. They've done nothing publicly to suggest otherwise (and that 'third party focused' Wii U Direct can't come soon enough). So, in sum, I agree with this even if none of EA's franchises appeal to me personally.

@Damo
You're subtly changing the emphasis on what you wrote there but a year is still too soon. I recognise that video games remain a young medium and we can't use the 'fifty year rule' common when discussing books or even the 'thirty year rule' currently favoured by film and music critics but a year is no time at all.

@Damo
As Abevigoda explained.

Nothing can or should be considered a classic within weeks of its release. I haven't played the game so I can't say whether or not I like it but that's irrelevant.

'Wii U classic Need For Speed: Most Wanted U'.

That's the most ridiculous and premature hyperbole I've heard in quite a while. I expect better of NL.

Bayonetta

Plus new Shinobi and Streets of Rage games (not going to happen, I know).

Alternatively, an all new action IP. Have they actually developed anything worthwhile since the nineties though? That's an honest question.

@Rerun
Oddly enough, I was just trying to explain MASK to my girlfriend the other day ('no, not The Mask, MASK').

Can't say I bothered but it is a bit odd the way they let it rumble on.

Thanks for sharing the results. I agree wholeheartedly with rjejr and Peach64's comments though.

As for Rayman. I would have bought it if it came out in February - the Demo had me excited. In September, who knows? I'll probably wait for reviews and see what else is out. I'm not remotely excited for Wind Waker either though and I didn't vote for Rayman in either poll.

I'm really looking forward to when (if) Nintendo release game specific download codes to retailers over here. Competition will mean that consumers can shop around and get the best deal for a download title in the same way as a disc (and ideally quicker too - there's no reason that an online retailer couldn't simply email you a code instead of posting you one).

I was going to write something here but there's already been a lot of great comments; especially those by erv and Peach64. Frankly I'm too tired to bother adding anything to that. Well done guys.

@misswliu81
Thanks, at least I'm not the only one then!

I was alive through the whole of the 1980's. I don't remember this at all.

Makes sense. With more people switching to downloading their games then traditional retailers will have to diversify if they're to survive - selling more hardware on which you can play video games (whatever the quality) is kind of an obvious first step.

Sounds like I may need to see another review before making a decision.

Nice to know that Ubisoft are taking a sensible approach to their pricing. I hope other publishers are taking note and follow suit.

This article's a nice idea but this doesn't really address my concerns. Maybe they're peculiar to me though rather than common concerns?

The things is, so far this year I've sunk about 150 hours into Darksiders 2 and c.60 into NG3: Razor's Edge, so the time aspects and difficulty aren't something that will put me off. You'll have guessed from that that I really want a new 3rd person action title to play right now, so why not Monster Hunter?

Well, two reasons. First, the alleged importance of multi-player puts me off - I have no friends who play video games. Secondly, I find the whole hunting thing off-putting. Plots in video games do tend to be trite and they're easily ridiculed but, ultimately, they do give me a reason to perform certain actions. The idea of just going out and killing something for no good reason just doesn't appeal to me and, having played the demo, I also found the fact that the 'monsters' just sit there and wait for you to attack off-putting.

Are theses concerns legitimate or would I enjoy the game?

@ brucelebnd
Ignoring the fact that having played Darksiders 2 through twice and not noticed any major bugs, your argument is a conceit. How would people know about things like that without playing them? Which means buying them.

So, twenty years after Sega crashed and burned people are worried about the stifling of creativity in the industry?

@darkgamer001
Agreed.

@Peach64
Yes, there were various comments from Iwata about how they recognised they needed more third-party support in the next generation if they were to bring back what video gamers they had lost, referencing multi-plat titles specifically. Sadly, I bought it.

@Mk_II
Please don't trot out that sad FPS line. I don't like FPS games either but you know as well as I do that not all games on the other systems are FPS. To pretend they are is childish.

'disappointing — but predictable'

It does seem a little odd to claim it supports low-end PCs though - how low?

@aaronsullivan
Nintendoland. That would be me. You're right, I have no friends who play video games and although my girlfriend played it with me it was no more fun with two people than with one. I can see how it might be a different experience with four.

Like others have said, I'm happy to go all digital but we need greater competition before that becomes a full reality for me on the Wii U. I'm still hoping that Nintendo will start allowing retailers to sell download codes before the end of the year.

@Peach64 Good comments.

@DePapier
I love my Wii U and I've played it an average of five hours every day since I bought it (end of 2012). In terms of games though, I completed NG3, Darksiders 2 and Trine 2 fairly early on. I don't enjoy Nintendoland. I have enjoyed playing several Wii games (some that I've bought for the first time, others that I'm replaying) just as you have, but I didn't need to buy a Wii U to do that so it's a redundant argument. I do believe that the Wii U launched with a good number of quality games but unless you didn't have access to any other console (like myself) or have fairly catholic tastes (such as yourself) it's pointless to suggest that everyone should be happy with the games on offer. Clearly they're not or they wouldn't complain.
I understand your frustration at the negativity that mention of the Wii U provokes (as I said, I'm a happy owner myself) but it's not helpful to lash out at constructive criticism which is what you've done here by bringing up the "number of games" issue in response to a comment which made no reference to it.

I understand all the "no more gloom and doom" comments above but, for me at least, it's depressingly refreshing to see someone in the industry say what we've all been saying on the web - the Wii U needs more advertising and games to sell more - rather than calling for a price cut.

Makes sense - even if someone buys the IP (I still say it won't be Crytek) there'll still have to be a new system put in place if/when it goes up for download again. Nintendo would be in a bit of a dodgy position taking money for something they didn't own and couldn't pay for!

@luminalace
Completely agree. I started off thinking it was OK and wound up loving it. I'm now playing it through for the second time.

@koopakid
The original auction was for lots, predetermined by the THQ administrators, and the lot including the Darksiders IP was the one for Vigil studios who had just begun work on a new IP. That's a big risk. In the next auction, the Darksiders IP is probably going to be a standalone entity. That's a very different thing.

Sorry to hear you didn't enjoy Darksiders 2; I, for one, did.

@haiLtreTtenDo
Agreed. I really hope whoever buys the IP ports the first game to the WiiU; it's the best way to get a quick (partial) return on their investment while they develop the next game.

Actually, thinking about it, there's also a relatively easy way to create a Wii U "special/deluxe/whatever" retail edition of the first game using existing assets - add the ability to play through the first game as Death, borrowing the code from the second game.

Starting to feel like this genre's defining the U.

I'd be very surprised if this is true after Yerli's comments:

"“We had chosen Austin as the destination for [our U.S. branch], and we needed a lean and core team of expert to run the studio,” said Yerli. “At the same time, we didn’t want to continue with Darksiders 3, since that doesn’t fit with our strategy. So when I heard that [THQ laid off everyone at Vigil], I decided on Saturday morning to fly out to meet with them to see if the team would be interested to join our mission, which is significantly different than what this team has done before.”

(from http://venturebeat.com/2013/02/04/how-crytek-ceo-cevat-yerli-... )

An iOS port?!?

Risky move... I hope it works out for them.

For some reason I skipped the first one on Wii but, after no games bought in March I'm keen to see some reviews of this one.

@Gamesake
Sorry, rhetorical question referring to my avatar! My little brother and I wasted so much money in our local arcade on Warriors of Fate. I'd love to see it live again on Wii U.

Lengthy but interesting article. I'm looking forward to this and hoping it leads to the revival of some other Capcom classics (guess which).

My most eagerly anticipated U title.

@MadAussieBloke
That would be me. I don't get it. The hunting thing just doesn't appeal.

@Tsuchiya
Just barely.

Nine? I didn't expect that. Nice for Wii U owning driving game fans.

Why would they add it? Like someone else said, there seems to have been a lot of weird reporting about this game since its surprise announcement just 48 hours ago.

If it has solo missions I'd look at it but really the whole thing's null and void until something definite's announced anyway. Sounds like Sony may have a timed exclusive for the console edition so I guess we'll find out in around twelve months what Blizzard plan to do with it from there.

@ Peach64
Yep, you basically summed it up.

Personally speaking, none of these games appeal so my wait for new games continues. Sooner or later though, there will be several I want releasing around the same time. It's inevitable and because of those release schedules, I've spent the last few months catching up on some Wii games I missed at the time.

@jayblue
eShop is not on the Wii. Wiiware is a different service.

Bowled. Over.

D&D? Ducktales? I don't know how Capcom have done it but these are the first Wii U games I'm excited for in 2013. Possibly the most left-field announcements ever.

Lucky Dime Caper

@Peach64
I'd sold my Megadrive by the time Aladdin was released but I know my girlfriend has find memories of it and it does seem to be highly rated. I've never looked at the SNES version.

Feel like my computer may have been somehow rewired as a late eighties time machine overnight. Great news to wake up to though, Capcom have just announced my two most anticipated upcoming games.

@FernandoMachado
I think you hit the nail on the head - people without credit cards. That said, I'll be keeping an eye on promotions in case it's ever cheaper than using a card.