My sense is that we don't know nearly enough to draw conclusions yet. Myself, I am glad to see Nintendo taking online and networking seriously, if only because people like it so much. Mario Kart, Smash, and now Monster Hunter 4 have finally dragged me kicking and screaming into the world of online play, and I generally like it when properly executed. It greatly extends the replayability of games. The more serious Nintendo takes its networking the better, because once the creativity of Nintendo's developers is unleashed in the online world more fully, I suspect they will develop some neat gaming ideas around it.
However, I am apprehensive about the smartphone thing. I've played the cheapo Sonic-based pay-to-win endless runner/Doodle Jump clone games and thought, "Oh Sega. You used to be better than this." I would hate to see Nintendo water down its brand that way. I would rather see companion apps that allow you to do some minimal aspects of gaming while on a phone. For instance you could review collected information from a game, like read your scanned information from a Metroid Prime game; manage inventory in a Monster Hunter type game; View characters' current status/activity in an Animal Crossing game; View maps, etc.; view friends online and current favorite games.
More likely what we'll see will start as just a kind of account management/Miiverse app where you could view/buy on the eShop from a phone or tablet. It will be awhile before games and things actually hit the app stores and Nintendo refreshes its network and accounts. I suspect most of this will move forward slowly and conservatively alongside the next platform, which I fully expect to use a unified iPad/iPhone-type architecture for a mobile and console system. I think "NX" will be more of an operating system than a piece of hardware.
I'm VERY cautious and concerned, but I've been a Nintendo observer since the '80s, and I'm still a huge fan, so if nothing else, they've earned some patience from me in making judgments.
I really enjoyed the demo and the game's aesthetic and concept. The waiting was a little longer than I liked, but it kind of adds some suspense to the game. The aliens are actually moving somewhere out there, and the length of the wait clues you in to how many are left and where they might be. Sometimes they're closer than you think, and you're chillin' waiting for the bar to finish when BLAM, suddenly: alien in your face. But you had overwatch going, so joke's on him.
So yeah, it could have been sped up (I wonder if they'll add an option for faster enemy movement in an eventual update), but it's not without some value in the game's concept. But then, I'm one of those who likes to play with the battle animations on in Fire Emblem, so I'm not a speedrunner in any way whatsoever. That might be why my backlog is so long...
So, not a day 1 buy for me (Majora's Mask and MH4U are already destroying my social life), but could make a great inevitable summer gaming drought purchase.
So here's the thing: I love this game, and with 3U and now 4U, Monster Hunter has absolutely rocketed up my list of favorite gaming franchises to stand alongside some of the Nintendo great. But I feel like I can never get far in the multi-player side, which is frustrating because there is so much good bonus content available there. While it's well and good to do the hunts online, capture quests almost always end in failure because the players kill the monster. I also never see anyone posting egg delivery quests and those more boring types of quests in the lower levels, which means if you don't have local friends to play with, you have the annoying task of trying to complete a quest meant for multiple people to complete.
Maybe I just haven't spent enough time online, but this is my only frustration in the game, and the main reason I have tended to stick with the single player campaign (which is significantly more compelling in 4U than it was in 3U).
@Quorthon I have essentially nothing to add to your analysis besides a well-deserved slow clap. And your latter points go well beyond the world of video games, and into pretty much all popular entertainment.
@Quorthon No, that's not semantics; it's a good point. Even a female artist is working under the rubric of the male-determined game design. Nevertheless, I think my point is solid that Bayonetta probably doesn't fit in the analysis because the aesthetic is supposed to be sexy, and she's a witch whose power is not derived from "normal" things like strong, protective metals. And she doesn't really have a male comparator in the game.
In a fantasy RPG or similar type game, part of the problem is that men have protective armor that seems to be protective because it's large/thick and made of strong metals, while women in the same game seem to operate under a completely different set of physics rules when it comes to armor. It comes across as being solely for the aesthetic appeal of seeing more female skin.
I've been committing the MH sin of only playing single player. Haven't even been in the gathering hall yet. Maybe I'll jump in tonight and try to up my HR, because as primarily a bow user, I need that Hero's Bow so bad...
FWIW, the lead designer of Bayonetta was female, and it did not result in a more modest character design. But then again, Bayonetta is not a fantasy RPG character; sexiness is supposed to be her thing, so her outfits conform to that design aesthetic.
It definitely does seem different in a fantasy RPG context where men are wearing bulky metal armor and women are wearing bikinis to the same effect. Armor in video games tends to work less in a practical, realistic way, and more like cooler-looking = stronger. And for females, "cooler looking" tends to equal "more revealing."
There should absolutely be Virtual Boy games on the VC. I would buy them for kitsch throwback value alone. Also, the red/black would look cool on my red New 3DS.
I want to buy this just to support cross-buy and show Nintendo it sells well, but I just don't know when I'm going to play it when I'm currently in the depths of Majora's Mask and Monster Hunter 4 U. Plus Xenoblade is coming out... My poor Wii U is collecting dust not because it doesn't have great games, but because my New 3DS is getting all the beefy titles this winter/spring.
I suppose a new LoZ and Starfox will change that though...
I remember loving the SNES versions, but not liking the N64 version nearly as much. I think the clay visuals were great on SNES, but on N64 I remember them looking grainy and ugly, and the characters feeling too large for the screen. But that's a pretty vague memory. It might just be that the novelty of the original was lost in the N64 version.
Hunting horn as a massive ocarina of time is the best thing I've heard today. Still, as a primary bow user, I'm pumped to lay waste to monsters with the hero's bow. My contribution to this set of ideas for LoZ themed Monster Hunter weapons is the gust jar bowgun.
I think the hesitancy to bring N64 games to the Wii U VC has to do with the continued mining of that catalog for 3DS remakes. They don't want to undercut themselves on the 3DS versions of OoT, MM, and SF64 (or any others they may try to revive) by having versions of them available cheaper for the Wii U VC. I don't necessarily agree with that logic, but I think it's the best explanation for the continued lack of N64 games on Wii U. Oh well, I can always play them in Wii mode, annoying as that is.
Gotta wonder why all the sudden love for DK from NOA. I mean, I'm okay with it (he is the original Nintendo mascot, after all), just curious where it's coming from. Maybe to build up some hype for Mario v. DK: Tipping Stars?
I thought there were too many of these in the 64 days. Mario 64 nailed it, and each platform tried to have its version of the 3D platformer, but then there was Banjo Kazooie, Donkey Kong Country 64, Conker, and others that were all kind of the same thing without the Mario charm. Now I kind of miss them, as Mario is the only one doing 3D platformers these days, and the levels have become much more linear in the meantime. It works well, but I now kind of miss the old running around looking for stuff genre.
Nintendo could get in on this by remaking DKC64, or even better, an HD Mario Sunshine. Playing through Majora's Mask and OoT 3D has made me realize how much an HD remake can flesh out the look of old favorites.
It's funny how Rosalina has been welcome to the party with open arms, and shows up in all the Mario-themed games (as well as Smash). Even Daisy gets a Bayonetta costume, a Smash palette swap, and shows up in mario-themed games. But outside of the Mario v. DK series, there is absolutely no love for Pauline, who was the original damsel in distress.
@Spoony_Tech Thanks for the heads up. I don't usually do pre-orders, so I might just bite the bullet and get a bigger micro SD and do the download version.
I definitely want to play this, since I missed it on Wii the first time around, and I'm down for a good Nintendo-made JRPG. Haven't played one of those in a while. Indeed, there actually aren't very many of them.
I was under the impression that this game was going to be a digital-only release for the New 3DS. Everyone seems to anticipate getting the hard copy version (I have hard copies of some games and digital versions of others, so I could go either way), so I assume I was wrong about that? Will Nintendo make enough physical versions for everyone in the west who wants one? The limited release of the Wii game was part of the reason so few played it the first time around.
@Captain_Gonru Thanks! And as a bonus for Nintendo, it would further encourage people to purchase the Wii U version of VC games they already have on the Wii VC.
On the skin idea (although I agree it's not realistic) you could have a Rosalina skin for the princess in Mario 2 (basically just a blue palette swap). Shulk could be an 8-bit version of him in LoZ, either 1 or 2, or maybe even a bonus playable character in a Fire Emblem game.
Really, the next Fire Emblem game should have a bunch of bonus characters that are Amiibo unlockables. Doesn't have to be in the main campaign, but it would be cool to assemble a FE team of your favorite Nintendo characters in a bonus mode (Mario is a fire mage, Luigi is a dark mage, Link is an archer/swordsman, DK is a berserker, Samus is an "archer," Rosalina is a light mage, Shulk is a swordsman, and so on).
I think it would be neat if the Amiibo added bonus skins/content for certain VC games. For instance, the Luigi Amiibo could allow you to play as Luigi (the differentiated version with a higher jump and less traction) in the original Super Mario Bros. Maybe the Link Amiibo lets you start the original Legend of Zelda with the most powerful sword, or you can always shoot your sword, or select the second quest from the beginning, or some little "game genie" type thing. Donkey Kong unlocks an 8-bit DK sprite for Super Mario Bros., or let's you play as DK in the original Donkey Kong, where Mario is the bad guy (like DK Jr.). Or you could play DK Jr. as grown up DK.
It would be sort of like allowing for longer plays of some of the NES Remix concepts. I wouldn't think it would take much to implement little bonuses like that, especially if you limit it to "unlockable" content that was in the game to begin with (Zelda 2nd quest, Samus in the bikini, Luigi skin for P1 in SMB, level selects for certain games, etc.)
80s-era gamer here. Played a number of LCD handheld games before eventually getting a Game Gear. It never really captured my attention the way home consoles did, so I didn't get another handheld until the GBA, which I bought on eBay late in the life cycle. It was so good, I shortly thereafter got a GBA SP, then pretty much every handheld released after that. So I missed out on the early Game Boy generations (original, pocket, color).
I can say that in all my handheld systems ever owned, my two favorites have been my blue GBA SP (so much Fire Emblem!) and my black launch era 3DS. This past Friday I put the black 3DS into retirement (and it looks amazing considering I took it with me everywhere and never put a case on it; the serial numbers literally rubbed off) in favor of a red New 3DS XL. (definitely would have gotten the standard New 3DS in white if it existed in the U.S.)
The new one is pretty, and I like it a lot, but the back plate got pretty badly scratched within two days of having it. Not sure how. It's also very big, and less conducive to throwing in your pocket to go out and get Streetpass hits. I ordered the Zelda themed protective case for it from Club Nintendo, but who knows when that will ship. Clearly I need to find a way to protect it in the meantime.
Either way, the point is that the 3DS has been an absolute monster of a system, with a ton of incredible games. As an "ambassador," I have a bunch of VC games on my system I haven't even played yet. The system also has THREE (count 'em) fully 3D Zelda games, plus an incredible Zelda VC catalog, and can play the DS era Zelda games, making it perhaps the most Zelda-accessible system ever made. That's really all you need to know, but there's so much more available. I'm going to go ahead and put down a marker that the 3DS is Nintendo's best ever gaming system. (Historically, I have always given that title to the SNES, but I think the 3DS has finally taken the lead, in my book).
@TristanRW Was the SP really only around for one year before the DS came out? I swear I remember the SP being around for a long time before DS came around.
Also, that was a weird time when the DS and GBA were co-existing. I still think the Gameboy Micro was underrated.
@TrueWiiMaster That's a pretty good list. Sunshine, in particular, absolutely needs an HD remake, for all the exact same reasons they did a Wind Waker remake.
I generally like the remakes, since they do bring more life into old worlds I used to love exploring. It's like going back to the woods you visited when you were a kid and seeing so much more than you knew to look for in those days. It's also impressive how much longevity some of these games have. The best ones truly hold up well over time. And of course, to the extent the developers are forced to reconsider what they did well and what they did poorly, that's an added benefit to the process.
It's not like we'll ever reach a point where all Nintendo does is release remakes. They'll still keep putting out new games. The remakes are just so we don't lose incredible games in the dusty pile of old consoles in the corner that no longer work or hook up to modern televisions.
@iPWNoobs Oh man, I'm jealous of all you have yet to experience. Fire Emblem is a must, and Super Mario 3D Land. Otherwise, your list is a solid start.
I never thought there would come a day when there's a Zelda release and it's not at the top of my list. This is a testament to the power of Monster Hunter once it gets its talons in you.
@Shirma_Akayaku This is the line that Nintendo needs to walk. One idea is that to get around this problem, you release an Amiibo-based game for free, or for a substantially reduced amount of money. Then the Amiibo are like paid DLC, but without the first advancement of purchasing an entire game. The consumer knows they are getting an incomplete game because of the price, and then the addition of your preferred Amiibo allows you to build the game you want based on your Amiibo purchases.
@Blister You and I are in the same boat. I got MH3U for sale on the 3DS eShop shortly before my son was born, and for years was unable to get into. Finally, in the last few months (re-prompted to play by the MH4U demo) I got back into it, and it finally clicked.
The Monster Hunter community is awesome though. I came into Port Tanzia as such an online noob, having only played the Moga village quests (though I'm quite good with a bow, and had gotten pretty deep into Moga village quests, had some decent armor, weapons, items, etc.). The random people I hunted with to help me get through the early Port Tanzia hunting quests were super helpful in figuring out how online works.
Kind of sad I never got all the way through the Moga village campaign, but maybe I'll come back to it someday.
I will say I'm not sad to see water combat go. It was a good concept, but it always felt to me like one step too far in making fights more difficult.
Which I now see @Ootfan98 already said. I also think at that time, the Playstation brand (and still, to some extent) had a lot of caché, which is to say the kids at the time thought of it as the "cool" system to own.
And don't discount the DVD thing too much. That was right at the beginning of the DVD format taking off, so the Playstation 2 was not a case of "and it has a DVD player!" It was also one of the first widely owned DVD players of any kind. At least that was my anecdotal experience in the U.S. I knew a lot of families whose only DVD player was a PS2. It wasn't until sometime after that that DVD players became very cheap and widely available.
I don't think multimedia really sells systems anymore, since everybody seems to have some kind of streaming-based entertainment system already. Blu Ray didn't do much for PS3 (whose life cycle went very much like I think Wii U's will go), and I haven't heard much hoorah about the current gen systems' multimedia capabilities, except the streaming gameplay videos.
Honestly, I think the current market is tough to figure out, and Americans and Japanese gamers are diverging in their interests, all while the pie for dedicated game systems is shrinking due to smart devices, tablets, etc. I don't think the market for consoles or dedicated game systems will go away anytime soon, but I think the last two generations were pretty much the peak in sales terms. Ultimately, Nintendo is the only one trying to do something that can't really be done on a decent PC, which I think bodes well for them in the long run.
@ericwithcheese2 I can't disagree with you there, but that initial install base drives developers toward the system and creates a positive feedback loop.
@Yorumi Those are good questions that are interesting to discuss. The Gamecube, to me, lost out because the PS2 capitalized on the new DVD format, so people wanted DVD players, and thought they might as well get a game system with it. The Gamecube did not have that, and was just an old-school game system. So despite the fact that (I think) it was the most powerful system of its generation (or at least on par), it lost out because it didn't have the multimedia features that were popular at that time.
The Wii seems to me like it succeeded because it was the right combination of cheap, accessible, and intriguing to people. The idea of motion gaming was appealing to a lot of people because it takes away the abstraction of buttons—>actions.
But the Wii did kind of make it to market before the tech was quite ready. Motion+ was what it should have been in the first place, so I think that was part of the ultimate problem gamers had with the tech.
I think the Wii U has done very poorly (and I'm not kidding myself into thinking this thing will every truly be a success*) largely because while the intrigue is there, the price is too high, and the market for casuals is eaten by tablets, etc. So the concept is a little less intriguing, and the price is higher, with the result that tthe value proposition is not there.
*although, despite the poor sales, the console is truly underrated, as there are a lot of really good games.
@Quorthon I think the disconnect here is that you all view gaming as limited to "the Big 3," Sony, MS, and Nintendo. Motion gaming is everywhere in smartphone games. I also don't think you can say that the Wii was "universally" determined to be a gimmick. I think that may be a fashionable view among thread commenters on game sites right now, but I don't see evidence that it's universal.
Look, I get it, you like certain kinds of games, and you dislike others, and you probably generally talk to people who agree with your tastes. But there are motion games that appeal to a pretty big swath of the gaming community. Skyward Sword was well-reviewed and I personally thought it was amazing in large part due to motion control. Mario Galaxy had subtle use that was non-intrusive and fun. Other games that used the pointer function, like Trauma Center were good. Zack & Wiki was a cool concept. The third-person shooter style was really well-implemented (think Metroid Prime). Now you might not prefer it, but those games were not "shoehorned" motion controls.
These are not "gimmicks," they're ideas. You don't have to like them, but dismissing the best-selling console of Nintendo's existence as a "gimmicky" fluke just because the games don't appeal to you is not a good idea for a way forward, it's a demand that the company cater to your specific tastes.
Now the idea that developers don't like Nintendo's consoles is something that bears discussion.
Either way, I think the unified platform idea is a good one. It uses Nintendo's historical advantage (handheld gaming) to bolster the console.
@Yorumi Everything you just wrote says "I don't like it, therefore Nintendo should not do it." It just strikes me as a kind of myopic way to look at an industry and how it might move forward. Like I said, regardless of personal preferences, motion control is a mainstay in gaming now. It's not like it replaced "traditional" controls, it's just another option out there. It's not like you're mandated to buy these games if you hate the controls. (I normally hate the argument of "just go play something else," but you seem to really adamantly hate motion control, which does make me wonder why you were still using it so late into the Wii era.)
Refusing to acknowledge that different input concepts are important to the future of this industry means that the only possible way to move forward is more power, which is what we all thought would be the case in 1993. But we've more or less reached the point where more power adds more expense to development without adding that much to the actual quality of the game.
@Quorthon What I'm reading is that motion control was a gimmick and was overused in the Wii era. That doesn't really square with that definition. I agree with the notion that the gamepad is underused, but I don't think that makes it a "gimmick." I still think it's a great concept and can add a lot (just as it did in so many DS/3DS games as maps, supplemental info, etc), and there's even more to be done with it in the vein of Wii Sports Club baseball's use of it, and some of the Nintendo Land uses. It hasn't sold well, and it's underused, but there's still untapped potential there. Maybe it stays untapped, who knows, but I don't want to see it abandoned just yet.
@Yorumi @Quorthon The fact that people can't decide what is a gimmick and what is an innovation is exactly my point. Either way, it's unique and interesting, at least at first. Just because it doesn't personally appeal to your preference for "traditional controls" is not a reason to abandon an idea. Think about it, Skyward Sword would have been terrible with traditional controls; the whole concept was built around motion (and I thought it was awesome, and kind of dread going back to "traditional" for the next installment).
I'm not trying to stoke a flame war here, I just think the whole "traditional controls" vs. "gimmick" argument is a useless distinction that comes down to a few picky gamers' personal preferences, just like "core gamers" vs. "casual gamers." Different people like different things, and don't fit neatly into categories like that.
And whether it's a gimmick or not, motion controls are absolutely everywhere in modern smartphone games. They caught on, along with touch screen gaming, which was the "gimmick" of the DS.
There are all kinds of arguments about the best way to make and sell a console, but I just think the conversation is more interesting and productive when people stop throwing around these pejorative distinctions that ultimately just mean "things I don't like."
@Yorumi I disagree with the entire idea that creative input concepts are "gimmicks." I feel like that is just a pejorative term for "different from the others." When you say "release a gimmick-free console," you mean "stop differentiating your product from your competitors." Nintendo struggled in the 64 and Gamecube eras with that plan, and flourished in the Wii era by departing from it. I don't know what the business case would be for doing this.
I don't usually do this, but, the author used the phrase "increasingly less," which is a pet peeve word choice. Otherwise it's a reasonably well-written article, but I implore the author to never use this phrase again, and instead substitute "decreasingly."
Hopefully the Game of Thrones reference is an indication that it will be high budget and a rich fantasy world with a sense of pervading darkness. Otherwise, I agree with the commenters that the concepts are remarkably different.
I think Lord of the Rings is a better comparison to Legend of Zelda. An unlikely hero with an outsized amount of courage sets out to stop a seemingly invincible evil force and along the way encounters all kinds of cool environments, characters, and weapons that aid him in his journey. But just as in LotR, the LoZ show can have a kind of dark, gritty, high budget feel. You can maybe throw in a little political intrigue regarding how Ganondorf takes over the throne of Hyrule, but ultimately the narrative needs to be relatively simple with emphasis on the good/evil battle, the impossibleness of the task, and the journey from reluctant boy to awesome hero.
It's funny to me that beginner guides always caution you away from ranged weapons. I struggled to get into MH3U until I realized that deep down, I was a gunner. I've gotten much MUCH better at targeting attacks at the right spots with a bow than I ever was with a blade. With blades, I always felt like I was button mashing. With a bow, I feel like I'm strategizing and learning more about the monsters by keeping my distance. Also, it's really satisfying to shoot a flying monster out of the sky, or in some cases, shooting them off of a wall or ceiling.
Although, the first time I hit a big monster (Lagombi, I think) with Wyvern Fire from a gunlance, I had a rather "kid in a candy shop" kind of chuckle to myself.
I think these should be elite status rewards, but I doubt they actually will be. Instead, we'll get our choice of a few bargain priced titles that haven't sold very well.
@Peach64 I tend to disagree that the games that came before Majora's Mask were cookie cutter. With the possible exception of the Game Boy entries, each game that came out before that was pretty unique.
Legend of Zelda (the original)
Zelda II: The Adventures of Link (Had side scrolling and RPG-like leveling elements)
Link to the Past (similar in concept to the original, but with a large number of additions that later became part of "the formula")
Ocarina of Time (First 3D environment Zelda game that changed the whole gaming world)
I just don't think any of those are cookie-cutter. In fact, most of the console entries have been pretty remarkably different from one another. It's the handheld entries that have had the tendency to be a bit derivative.
Been playing MH3U lately (I'm a relatively recent convert to the series), and I was just thinking about how the developers seem to have put a lot into making the monsters behave very much like real animals reacting to their varying circumstances. Can't wait for the new entry.
I also want to note how I like Nintendo's good relationships with certain third party developers lately (Platinum, Capcom, Sega, Namco-Bandai) to bring big third party exclusives to Nintendo systems. In the case of Platinum, Nintendo has almost made them into a second party developer. It's a cool way to get more exclusives for the system and build those relationships so that Nintendo becomes synonymous with big franchises not maintained by them.
As an American who will be forced into the XL world with the New 3DS update, that Zelda pouch is looking pretty tempting. It's particularly valuable since I won't be able to keep the giant thing in my pocket anymore. The pouch will keep it nice and new looking.
I didn't realize ZombiU was so cheap normally. I'm not into horror games, but I heard that one's good. Got ACIII on sale a while ago (because I'm kind of an American history nerd), and could not get into the game. Way too much distracting nonsense that obscures the cool history part. Anyway, Child of Light was really good. I would highly recommend it to RPG fans, fans of cool game art styles, and those who like moody games. It's not overly long either, which I actually like.
@JaxonH I hear you. It's a great game, and I remember the parts where you have to fight while you run to the protective bubbles being pretty intense. Still, I recall the other two having more varied environments and enemies. But Prime 2 shakes up the concept a little bit in a way that a second version should. The first and third installments were quite similar, so if you're playing them in order, part 2 is kind of refreshing.
Man, that Metroid Prime Trilogy is tempting, but I just know I'll never get the time to work through them all again. Each game is amazing. Although the second one generally gets the short shrift in reviews (and it is probably the "worst" of the three), it's still an amazing game that's worth your time. Still have all three of the original games, though my GCN lives in a box now.
@grumblebuzzz Do what I did: buy a new solid state drive for your computer (if you don't already have one), get a hard drive casing for your old computer hard drive, and use your old computer hard drive in the new casing for Wii U storage. This way you upgrade your computer's drive and get a hard drive for your Wii U. Worked brilliantly for me. I even got a casing that is black with a blue light so it matches my Wii U.
I love it when a retro-vibe game doesn't go full 8-bit in its visuals. There are just too many 8- or 16-bit visual throwbacks these days (many of them are very good games, but the visual style is just overused), so this series gets points for an interesting art style in a retro-themed game.
Seriously though, the length and depth of gameplay experiences expected on Nintendo platforms this year is pretty phenomenal. Monster Hunter 4, Xenoblade Chronicles 3D, Zelda U, Xenoblade Chronicles X... That alone is probably more than I can actually play in a whole year. I almost hope they make Star Fox shorter and more arcade-style just so I don't feel like I need to sink 100+ hours.
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Re: Guide: Everything We Know So Far About Nintendo's Deal With DeNA, Smart Device Plans and More
My sense is that we don't know nearly enough to draw conclusions yet. Myself, I am glad to see Nintendo taking online and networking seriously, if only because people like it so much. Mario Kart, Smash, and now Monster Hunter 4 have finally dragged me kicking and screaming into the world of online play, and I generally like it when properly executed. It greatly extends the replayability of games. The more serious Nintendo takes its networking the better, because once the creativity of Nintendo's developers is unleashed in the online world more fully, I suspect they will develop some neat gaming ideas around it.
However, I am apprehensive about the smartphone thing. I've played the cheapo Sonic-based pay-to-win endless runner/Doodle Jump clone games and thought, "Oh Sega. You used to be better than this." I would hate to see Nintendo water down its brand that way. I would rather see companion apps that allow you to do some minimal aspects of gaming while on a phone. For instance you could review collected information from a game, like read your scanned information from a Metroid Prime game; manage inventory in a Monster Hunter type game; View characters' current status/activity in an Animal Crossing game; View maps, etc.; view friends online and current favorite games.
More likely what we'll see will start as just a kind of account management/Miiverse app where you could view/buy on the eShop from a phone or tablet. It will be awhile before games and things actually hit the app stores and Nintendo refreshes its network and accounts. I suspect most of this will move forward slowly and conservatively alongside the next platform, which I fully expect to use a unified iPad/iPhone-type architecture for a mobile and console system. I think "NX" will be more of an operating system than a piece of hardware.
I'm VERY cautious and concerned, but I've been a Nintendo observer since the '80s, and I'm still a huge fan, so if nothing else, they've earned some patience from me in making judgments.
Re: Review: Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. (3DS)
I really enjoyed the demo and the game's aesthetic and concept. The waiting was a little longer than I liked, but it kind of adds some suspense to the game. The aliens are actually moving somewhere out there, and the length of the wait clues you in to how many are left and where they might be. Sometimes they're closer than you think, and you're chillin' waiting for the bar to finish when BLAM, suddenly: alien in your face. But you had overwatch going, so joke's on him.
So yeah, it could have been sped up (I wonder if they'll add an option for faster enemy movement in an eventual update), but it's not without some value in the game's concept. But then, I'm one of those who likes to play with the battle animations on in Fire Emblem, so I'm not a speedrunner in any way whatsoever. That might be why my backlog is so long...
So, not a day 1 buy for me (Majora's Mask and MH4U are already destroying my social life), but could make a great inevitable summer gaming drought purchase.
Re: Feature: Why We're Still Playing... Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate After Dozens of Hours
So here's the thing: I love this game, and with 3U and now 4U, Monster Hunter has absolutely rocketed up my list of favorite gaming franchises to stand alongside some of the Nintendo great. But I feel like I can never get far in the multi-player side, which is frustrating because there is so much good bonus content available there. While it's well and good to do the hunts online, capture quests almost always end in failure because the players kill the monster. I also never see anyone posting egg delivery quests and those more boring types of quests in the lower levels, which means if you don't have local friends to play with, you have the annoying task of trying to complete a quest meant for multiple people to complete.
Maybe I just haven't spent enough time online, but this is my only frustration in the game, and the main reason I have tended to stick with the single player campaign (which is significantly more compelling in 4U than it was in 3U).
Re: Feature: A Summary of the Xenoblade Chronicles X Battle Presentation
@Quorthon I have essentially nothing to add to your analysis besides a well-deserved slow clap. And your latter points go well beyond the world of video games, and into pretty much all popular entertainment.
Re: Feature: A Summary of the Xenoblade Chronicles X Battle Presentation
@Quorthon No, that's not semantics; it's a good point. Even a female artist is working under the rubric of the male-determined game design. Nevertheless, I think my point is solid that Bayonetta probably doesn't fit in the analysis because the aesthetic is supposed to be sexy, and she's a witch whose power is not derived from "normal" things like strong, protective metals. And she doesn't really have a male comparator in the game.
In a fantasy RPG or similar type game, part of the problem is that men have protective armor that seems to be protective because it's large/thick and made of strong metals, while women in the same game seem to operate under a completely different set of physics rules when it comes to armor. It comes across as being solely for the aesthetic appeal of seeing more female skin.
Re: Reminder: The Free Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate DLC for March is Here, and an Awesome Video Shows it Off
I've been committing the MH sin of only playing single player. Haven't even been in the gathering hall yet. Maybe I'll jump in tonight and try to up my HR, because as primarily a bow user, I need that Hero's Bow so bad...
Re: Feature: A Summary of the Xenoblade Chronicles X Battle Presentation
FWIW, the lead designer of Bayonetta was female, and it did not result in a more modest character design. But then again, Bayonetta is not a fantasy RPG character; sexiness is supposed to be her thing, so her outfits conform to that design aesthetic.
It definitely does seem different in a fantasy RPG context where men are wearing bulky metal armor and women are wearing bikinis to the same effect. Armor in video games tends to work less in a practical, realistic way, and more like cooler-looking = stronger. And for females, "cooler looking" tends to equal "more revealing."
Re: Punching Robots (In 3D!) With The Virtual Boy's Teleroboxer
There should absolutely be Virtual Boy games on the VC. I would buy them for kitsch throwback value alone. Also, the red/black would look cool on my red New 3DS.
Re: Review: Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars (3DS eShop)
I want to buy this just to support cross-buy and show Nintendo it sells well, but I just don't know when I'm going to play it when I'm currently in the depths of Majora's Mask and Monster Hunter 4 U. Plus Xenoblade is coming out... My poor Wii U is collecting dust not because it doesn't have great games, but because my New 3DS is getting all the beefy titles this winter/spring.
I suppose a new LoZ and Starfox will change that though...
Re: Interplay Is Remastering Cult SNES Brawler ClayFighter
I remember loving the SNES versions, but not liking the N64 version nearly as much. I think the clay visuals were great on SNES, but on N64 I remember them looking grainy and ugly, and the characters feeling too large for the screen. But that's a pretty vague memory. It might just be that the novelty of the original was lost in the N64 version.
Re: Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate Free DLC, Including Link Equipment, Due 6th March
Hunting horn as a massive ocarina of time is the best thing I've heard today. Still, as a primary bow user, I'm pumped to lay waste to monsters with the hero's bow. My contribution to this set of ideas for LoZ themed Monster Hunter weapons is the gust jar bowgun.
Also, darknut armor needs to be a thing.
Re: Nintendo Download: 26th February (North America)
I think the hesitancy to bring N64 games to the Wii U VC has to do with the continued mining of that catalog for 3DS remakes. They don't want to undercut themselves on the 3DS versions of OoT, MM, and SF64 (or any others they may try to revive) by having versions of them available cheaper for the Wii U VC. I don't necessarily agree with that logic, but I think it's the best explanation for the continued lack of N64 games on Wii U. Oh well, I can always play them in Wii mode, annoying as that is.
Re: Nintendo Download: 26th February (North America)
Gotta wonder why all the sudden love for DK from NOA. I mean, I'm okay with it (he is the original Nintendo mascot, after all), just curious where it's coming from. Maybe to build up some hype for Mario v. DK: Tipping Stars?
Re: Complete First Season Of Donkey Kong Country TV Series Coming To DVD This May
Excuuuuuuuse me, princess!
(Sort of relevant...)
Re: Clive 'N' Wrench Aims to Bring Back Those Rare 3D Platforming Memories on Wii U
I thought there were too many of these in the 64 days. Mario 64 nailed it, and each platform tried to have its version of the 3D platformer, but then there was Banjo Kazooie, Donkey Kong Country 64, Conker, and others that were all kind of the same thing without the Mario charm. Now I kind of miss them, as Mario is the only one doing 3D platformers these days, and the levels have become much more linear in the meantime. It works well, but I now kind of miss the old running around looking for stuff genre.
Nintendo could get in on this by remaking DKC64, or even better, an HD Mario Sunshine. Playing through Majora's Mask and OoT 3D has made me realize how much an HD remake can flesh out the look of old favorites.
Re: Nintendo España Appears to Confirm Super Mario amiibo for Rosalina, Donkey Kong and Wario
It's funny how Rosalina has been welcome to the party with open arms, and shows up in all the Mario-themed games (as well as Smash). Even Daisy gets a Bayonetta costume, a Smash palette swap, and shows up in mario-themed games. But outside of the Mario v. DK series, there is absolutely no love for Pauline, who was the original damsel in distress.
Re: You'd Better Get a Bigger Micro-SDHC Card for Xenoblade Chronicles 3D
@Spoony_Tech Thanks for the heads up. I don't usually do pre-orders, so I might just bite the bullet and get a bigger micro SD and do the download version.
I definitely want to play this, since I missed it on Wii the first time around, and I'm down for a good Nintendo-made JRPG. Haven't played one of those in a while. Indeed, there actually aren't very many of them.
Re: You'd Better Get a Bigger Micro-SDHC Card for Xenoblade Chronicles 3D
I was under the impression that this game was going to be a digital-only release for the New 3DS. Everyone seems to anticipate getting the hard copy version (I have hard copies of some games and digital versions of others, so I could go either way), so I assume I was wrong about that? Will Nintendo make enough physical versions for everyone in the west who wants one? The limited release of the Wii game was part of the reason so few played it the first time around.
Re: Nintendo to Introduce Free Software With NES and SNES Experiences Activated Through amiibo
@Captain_Gonru Thanks! And as a bonus for Nintendo, it would further encourage people to purchase the Wii U version of VC games they already have on the Wii VC.
On the skin idea (although I agree it's not realistic) you could have a Rosalina skin for the princess in Mario 2 (basically just a blue palette swap). Shulk could be an 8-bit version of him in LoZ, either 1 or 2, or maybe even a bonus playable character in a Fire Emblem game.
Really, the next Fire Emblem game should have a bunch of bonus characters that are Amiibo unlockables. Doesn't have to be in the main campaign, but it would be cool to assemble a FE team of your favorite Nintendo characters in a bonus mode (Mario is a fire mage, Luigi is a dark mage, Link is an archer/swordsman, DK is a berserker, Samus is an "archer," Rosalina is a light mage, Shulk is a swordsman, and so on).
Re: Nintendo to Introduce Free Software With NES and SNES Experiences Activated Through amiibo
I think it would be neat if the Amiibo added bonus skins/content for certain VC games. For instance, the Luigi Amiibo could allow you to play as Luigi (the differentiated version with a higher jump and less traction) in the original Super Mario Bros. Maybe the Link Amiibo lets you start the original Legend of Zelda with the most powerful sword, or you can always shoot your sword, or select the second quest from the beginning, or some little "game genie" type thing. Donkey Kong unlocks an 8-bit DK sprite for Super Mario Bros., or let's you play as DK in the original Donkey Kong, where Mario is the bad guy (like DK Jr.). Or you could play DK Jr. as grown up DK.
It would be sort of like allowing for longer plays of some of the NES Remix concepts. I wouldn't think it would take much to implement little bonuses like that, especially if you limit it to "unlockable" content that was in the game to begin with (Zelda 2nd quest, Samus in the bikini, Luigi skin for P1 in SMB, level selects for certain games, etc.)
Re: Soapbox: Portable Gaming Forges a Special Relationship With the Player, and Nintendo is the Master in the Field
80s-era gamer here. Played a number of LCD handheld games before eventually getting a Game Gear. It never really captured my attention the way home consoles did, so I didn't get another handheld until the GBA, which I bought on eBay late in the life cycle. It was so good, I shortly thereafter got a GBA SP, then pretty much every handheld released after that. So I missed out on the early Game Boy generations (original, pocket, color).
I can say that in all my handheld systems ever owned, my two favorites have been my blue GBA SP (so much Fire Emblem!) and my black launch era 3DS. This past Friday I put the black 3DS into retirement (and it looks amazing considering I took it with me everywhere and never put a case on it; the serial numbers literally rubbed off) in favor of a red New 3DS XL. (definitely would have gotten the standard New 3DS in white if it existed in the U.S.)
The new one is pretty, and I like it a lot, but the back plate got pretty badly scratched within two days of having it. Not sure how. It's also very big, and less conducive to throwing in your pocket to go out and get Streetpass hits. I ordered the Zelda themed protective case for it from Club Nintendo, but who knows when that will ship. Clearly I need to find a way to protect it in the meantime.
Either way, the point is that the 3DS has been an absolute monster of a system, with a ton of incredible games. As an "ambassador," I have a bunch of VC games on my system I haven't even played yet. The system also has THREE (count 'em) fully 3D Zelda games, plus an incredible Zelda VC catalog, and can play the DS era Zelda games, making it perhaps the most Zelda-accessible system ever made. That's really all you need to know, but there's so much more available. I'm going to go ahead and put down a marker that the 3DS is Nintendo's best ever gaming system. (Historically, I have always given that title to the SNES, but I think the 3DS has finally taken the lead, in my book).
Re: Poll: Are You An Early Adopter With The New Nintendo 3DS?
@TristanRW Was the SP really only around for one year before the DS came out? I swear I remember the SP being around for a long time before DS came around.
Also, that was a weird time when the DS and GBA were co-existing. I still think the Gameboy Micro was underrated.
Re: Eiji Aonuma Admits That Remakes Such as Majora's Mask 3D Can Be a Painful Process
@TrueWiiMaster That's a pretty good list. Sunshine, in particular, absolutely needs an HD remake, for all the exact same reasons they did a Wind Waker remake.
I generally like the remakes, since they do bring more life into old worlds I used to love exploring. It's like going back to the woods you visited when you were a kid and seeing so much more than you knew to look for in those days. It's also impressive how much longevity some of these games have. The best ones truly hold up well over time. And of course, to the extent the developers are forced to reconsider what they did well and what they did poorly, that's an added benefit to the process.
It's not like we'll ever reach a point where all Nintendo does is release remakes. They'll still keep putting out new games. The remakes are just so we don't lose incredible games in the dusty pile of old consoles in the corner that no longer work or hook up to modern televisions.
Re: Nintendo Download: 12th February (North America)
@iPWNoobs Oh man, I'm jealous of all you have yet to experience. Fire Emblem is a must, and Super Mario 3D Land. Otherwise, your list is a solid start.
Re: Nintendo Download: 12th February (North America)
I never thought there would come a day when there's a Zelda release and it's not at the top of my list. This is a testament to the power of Monster Hunter once it gets its talons in you.
Re: Reaction: Super Smash Bros. amiibo Support Shows That NFC For The New Nintendo 3DS Is No Gimmick
@Shirma_Akayaku This is the line that Nintendo needs to walk. One idea is that to get around this problem, you release an Amiibo-based game for free, or for a substantially reduced amount of money. Then the Amiibo are like paid DLC, but without the first advancement of purchasing an entire game. The consumer knows they are getting an incomplete game because of the price, and then the addition of your preferred Amiibo allows you to build the game you want based on your Amiibo purchases.
Re: Review: Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (3DS)
@Blister You and I are in the same boat. I got MH3U for sale on the 3DS eShop shortly before my son was born, and for years was unable to get into. Finally, in the last few months (re-prompted to play by the MH4U demo) I got back into it, and it finally clicked.
The Monster Hunter community is awesome though. I came into Port Tanzia as such an online noob, having only played the Moga village quests (though I'm quite good with a bow, and had gotten pretty deep into Moga village quests, had some decent armor, weapons, items, etc.). The random people I hunted with to help me get through the early Port Tanzia hunting quests were super helpful in figuring out how online works.
Kind of sad I never got all the way through the Moga village campaign, but maybe I'll come back to it someday.
I will say I'm not sad to see water combat go. It was a good concept, but it always felt to me like one step too far in making fights more difficult.
Re: Talking Point: The New Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Network and Wii U Could Point the Way for Future Hardware
Which I now see @Ootfan98 already said. I also think at that time, the Playstation brand (and still, to some extent) had a lot of caché, which is to say the kids at the time thought of it as the "cool" system to own.
And don't discount the DVD thing too much. That was right at the beginning of the DVD format taking off, so the Playstation 2 was not a case of "and it has a DVD player!" It was also one of the first widely owned DVD players of any kind. At least that was my anecdotal experience in the U.S. I knew a lot of families whose only DVD player was a PS2. It wasn't until sometime after that that DVD players became very cheap and widely available.
I don't think multimedia really sells systems anymore, since everybody seems to have some kind of streaming-based entertainment system already. Blu Ray didn't do much for PS3 (whose life cycle went very much like I think Wii U's will go), and I haven't heard much hoorah about the current gen systems' multimedia capabilities, except the streaming gameplay videos.
Honestly, I think the current market is tough to figure out, and Americans and Japanese gamers are diverging in their interests, all while the pie for dedicated game systems is shrinking due to smart devices, tablets, etc. I don't think the market for consoles or dedicated game systems will go away anytime soon, but I think the last two generations were pretty much the peak in sales terms. Ultimately, Nintendo is the only one trying to do something that can't really be done on a decent PC, which I think bodes well for them in the long run.
Re: Talking Point: The New Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Network and Wii U Could Point the Way for Future Hardware
@ericwithcheese2 I can't disagree with you there, but that initial install base drives developers toward the system and creates a positive feedback loop.
Re: Talking Point: The New Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Network and Wii U Could Point the Way for Future Hardware
@Yorumi Those are good questions that are interesting to discuss. The Gamecube, to me, lost out because the PS2 capitalized on the new DVD format, so people wanted DVD players, and thought they might as well get a game system with it. The Gamecube did not have that, and was just an old-school game system. So despite the fact that (I think) it was the most powerful system of its generation (or at least on par), it lost out because it didn't have the multimedia features that were popular at that time.
The Wii seems to me like it succeeded because it was the right combination of cheap, accessible, and intriguing to people. The idea of motion gaming was appealing to a lot of people because it takes away the abstraction of buttons—>actions.
But the Wii did kind of make it to market before the tech was quite ready. Motion+ was what it should have been in the first place, so I think that was part of the ultimate problem gamers had with the tech.
I think the Wii U has done very poorly (and I'm not kidding myself into thinking this thing will every truly be a success*) largely because while the intrigue is there, the price is too high, and the market for casuals is eaten by tablets, etc. So the concept is a little less intriguing, and the price is higher, with the result that tthe value proposition is not there.
*although, despite the poor sales, the console is truly underrated, as there are a lot of really good games.
Re: Talking Point: The New Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Network and Wii U Could Point the Way for Future Hardware
@Quorthon I think the disconnect here is that you all view gaming as limited to "the Big 3," Sony, MS, and Nintendo. Motion gaming is everywhere in smartphone games. I also don't think you can say that the Wii was "universally" determined to be a gimmick. I think that may be a fashionable view among thread commenters on game sites right now, but I don't see evidence that it's universal.
Look, I get it, you like certain kinds of games, and you dislike others, and you probably generally talk to people who agree with your tastes. But there are motion games that appeal to a pretty big swath of the gaming community. Skyward Sword was well-reviewed and I personally thought it was amazing in large part due to motion control. Mario Galaxy had subtle use that was non-intrusive and fun. Other games that used the pointer function, like Trauma Center were good. Zack & Wiki was a cool concept. The third-person shooter style was really well-implemented (think Metroid Prime). Now you might not prefer it, but those games were not "shoehorned" motion controls.
These are not "gimmicks," they're ideas. You don't have to like them, but dismissing the best-selling console of Nintendo's existence as a "gimmicky" fluke just because the games don't appeal to you is not a good idea for a way forward, it's a demand that the company cater to your specific tastes.
Now the idea that developers don't like Nintendo's consoles is something that bears discussion.
Either way, I think the unified platform idea is a good one. It uses Nintendo's historical advantage (handheld gaming) to bolster the console.
Re: Talking Point: The New Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Network and Wii U Could Point the Way for Future Hardware
@Yorumi Everything you just wrote says "I don't like it, therefore Nintendo should not do it." It just strikes me as a kind of myopic way to look at an industry and how it might move forward. Like I said, regardless of personal preferences, motion control is a mainstay in gaming now. It's not like it replaced "traditional" controls, it's just another option out there. It's not like you're mandated to buy these games if you hate the controls. (I normally hate the argument of "just go play something else," but you seem to really adamantly hate motion control, which does make me wonder why you were still using it so late into the Wii era.)
Refusing to acknowledge that different input concepts are important to the future of this industry means that the only possible way to move forward is more power, which is what we all thought would be the case in 1993. But we've more or less reached the point where more power adds more expense to development without adding that much to the actual quality of the game.
@Quorthon What I'm reading is that motion control was a gimmick and was overused in the Wii era. That doesn't really square with that definition. I agree with the notion that the gamepad is underused, but I don't think that makes it a "gimmick." I still think it's a great concept and can add a lot (just as it did in so many DS/3DS games as maps, supplemental info, etc), and there's even more to be done with it in the vein of Wii Sports Club baseball's use of it, and some of the Nintendo Land uses. It hasn't sold well, and it's underused, but there's still untapped potential there. Maybe it stays untapped, who knows, but I don't want to see it abandoned just yet.
Re: Talking Point: The New Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Network and Wii U Could Point the Way for Future Hardware
@Yorumi @Quorthon The fact that people can't decide what is a gimmick and what is an innovation is exactly my point. Either way, it's unique and interesting, at least at first. Just because it doesn't personally appeal to your preference for "traditional controls" is not a reason to abandon an idea. Think about it, Skyward Sword would have been terrible with traditional controls; the whole concept was built around motion (and I thought it was awesome, and kind of dread going back to "traditional" for the next installment).
I'm not trying to stoke a flame war here, I just think the whole "traditional controls" vs. "gimmick" argument is a useless distinction that comes down to a few picky gamers' personal preferences, just like "core gamers" vs. "casual gamers." Different people like different things, and don't fit neatly into categories like that.
And whether it's a gimmick or not, motion controls are absolutely everywhere in modern smartphone games. They caught on, along with touch screen gaming, which was the "gimmick" of the DS.
There are all kinds of arguments about the best way to make and sell a console, but I just think the conversation is more interesting and productive when people stop throwing around these pejorative distinctions that ultimately just mean "things I don't like."
Re: Talking Point: The New Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Network and Wii U Could Point the Way for Future Hardware
@Yorumi I disagree with the entire idea that creative input concepts are "gimmicks." I feel like that is just a pejorative term for "different from the others." When you say "release a gimmick-free console," you mean "stop differentiating your product from your competitors." Nintendo struggled in the 64 and Gamecube eras with that plan, and flourished in the Wii era by departing from it. I don't know what the business case would be for doing this.
Re: Talking Point: The New Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Network and Wii U Could Point the Way for Future Hardware
I don't usually do this, but, the author used the phrase "increasingly less," which is a pet peeve word choice. Otherwise it's a reasonably well-written article, but I implore the author to never use this phrase again, and instead substitute "decreasingly."
Re: Live-Action Netflix Series For The Legend of Zelda is Reportedly in Development
Hopefully the Game of Thrones reference is an indication that it will be high budget and a rich fantasy world with a sense of pervading darkness. Otherwise, I agree with the commenters that the concepts are remarkably different.
I think Lord of the Rings is a better comparison to Legend of Zelda. An unlikely hero with an outsized amount of courage sets out to stop a seemingly invincible evil force and along the way encounters all kinds of cool environments, characters, and weapons that aid him in his journey. But just as in LotR, the LoZ show can have a kind of dark, gritty, high budget feel. You can maybe throw in a little political intrigue regarding how Ganondorf takes over the throne of Hyrule, but ultimately the narrative needs to be relatively simple with emphasis on the good/evil battle, the impossibleness of the task, and the journey from reluctant boy to awesome hero.
Re: Guide: Getting to Grips with the Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate Demo
It's funny to me that beginner guides always caution you away from ranged weapons. I struggled to get into MH3U until I realized that deep down, I was a gunner. I've gotten much MUCH better at targeting attacks at the right spots with a bow than I ever was with a blade. With blades, I always felt like I was button mashing. With a bow, I feel like I'm strategizing and learning more about the monsters by keeping my distance. Also, it's really satisfying to shoot a flying monster out of the sky, or in some cases, shooting them off of a wall or ceiling.
Although, the first time I hit a big monster (Lagombi, I think) with Wyvern Fire from a gunlance, I had a rather "kid in a candy shop" kind of chuckle to myself.
Still: bow lyfe 4 eva
Re: Rumour: Nintendo Plotting amiibo Super Mario Collection Meltdown With Gold and Silver Editions
I think these should be elite status rewards, but I doubt they actually will be. Instead, we'll get our choice of a few bargain priced titles that haven't sold very well.
Re: Review: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D (3DS)
@Peach64 I tend to disagree that the games that came before Majora's Mask were cookie cutter. With the possible exception of the Game Boy entries, each game that came out before that was pretty unique.
I just don't think any of those are cookie-cutter. In fact, most of the console entries have been pretty remarkably different from one another. It's the handheld entries that have had the tendency to be a bit derivative.
Re: Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate Director Discusses Monster Design and Animation
Been playing MH3U lately (I'm a relatively recent convert to the series), and I was just thinking about how the developers seem to have put a lot into making the monsters behave very much like real animals reacting to their varying circumstances. Can't wait for the new entry.
I also want to note how I like Nintendo's good relationships with certain third party developers lately (Platinum, Capcom, Sega, Namco-Bandai) to bring big third party exclusives to Nintendo systems. In the case of Platinum, Nintendo has almost made them into a second party developer. It's a cool way to get more exclusives for the system and build those relationships so that Nintendo becomes synonymous with big franchises not maintained by them.
Re: The Stability of 3DS System Update 9.5.0-22 May Rock Your World
This update makes the system so stable, it now makes an excellent environment in which to raise a confident, well-adjusted child.
Re: Club Nintendo Goes Rewards Crazy With Final Update in North America
As an American who will be forced into the XL world with the New 3DS update, that Zelda pouch is looking pretty tempting. It's particularly valuable since I won't be able to keep the giant thing in my pocket anymore. The pouch will keep it nice and new looking.
Re: Ubisoft Launches Yet Another Massive eShop Sale in North America
I didn't realize ZombiU was so cheap normally. I'm not into horror games, but I heard that one's good. Got ACIII on sale a while ago (because I'm kind of an American history nerd), and could not get into the game. Way too much distracting nonsense that obscures the cool history part. Anyway, Child of Light was really good. I would highly recommend it to RPG fans, fans of cool game art styles, and those who like moody games. It's not overly long either, which I actually like.
Re: Impressions: Nintendo Made The Right Call With Its Code Name S.T.E.A.M. Demo
"Nintendo never releases any new IPs."
I find the above to be one of the single most annoying things on the Internet.
Re: Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Update 1.0.2 Adds a Host of Extra Stages for 8-Player Smash
My Amiibo and I are pumped.
Re: Nintendo Download: 29th January (North America)
@JaxonH I hear you. It's a great game, and I remember the parts where you have to fight while you run to the protective bubbles being pretty intense. Still, I recall the other two having more varied environments and enemies. But Prime 2 shakes up the concept a little bit in a way that a second version should. The first and third installments were quite similar, so if you're playing them in order, part 2 is kind of refreshing.
Re: Nintendo Download: 29th January (North America)
Man, that Metroid Prime Trilogy is tempting, but I just know I'll never get the time to work through them all again. Each game is amazing. Although the second one generally gets the short shrift in reviews (and it is probably the "worst" of the three), it's still an amazing game that's worth your time. Still have all three of the original games, though my GCN lives in a box now.
Re: Nintendo Download: 29th January (North America)
@grumblebuzzz Do what I did: buy a new solid state drive for your computer (if you don't already have one), get a hard drive casing for your old computer hard drive, and use your old computer hard drive in the new casing for Wii U storage. This way you upgrade your computer's drive and get a hard drive for your Wii U. Worked brilliantly for me. I even got a casing that is black with a blue light so it matches my Wii U.
Re: Review: Gunman Clive 2 (3DS eShop)
I love it when a retro-vibe game doesn't go full 8-bit in its visuals. There are just too many 8- or 16-bit visual throwbacks these days (many of them are very good games, but the visual style is just overused), so this series gets points for an interesting art style in a retro-themed game.
Re: More Details Emerge on Xenoblade Chronicles X and Its Non-Linear World
Seriously though, the length and depth of gameplay experiences expected on Nintendo platforms this year is pretty phenomenal. Monster Hunter 4, Xenoblade Chronicles 3D, Zelda U, Xenoblade Chronicles X... That alone is probably more than I can actually play in a whole year. I almost hope they make Star Fox shorter and more arcade-style just so I don't feel like I need to sink 100+ hours.