@shani That's an entirely different point, though, to say all open world games are at least partly inspired by The Legend of Zelda on NES (you should play it if you get the chance). You asked about the similarities and I gave you examples. It's clear Nintendo picked very specific elements from Monster Hunter and Xenoblade and inserted them into this latest Zelda game.
My point is that THIS Zelda game may be the one most influenced by other games. Nintendo doesn't want to admit that kind of thing, though. They want to be seen as innovators, so they distance themselves from the term "open world," even though this is clearly an open world game and that has been the selling point since its announcement. Open world with a twist, as Aonuma has said.
Them using the term "Open Air" itself doesn't make me really angry. It just seems like a hipster thing to do, and that's kind of irritating.
@Tsurii At some point there was a quote, on this site, from Miyamoto about either Monster Hunter or Xenoblade, and he said something to the effect of "They're doing Zelda better than we are." I can't find the quote right now, so I can't verify the context, but it stuck with me.
The Monster Hunter influence started with Skyward Sword. Just off the top of my head, the stamina and weapon durability restrictions are lifted from Monster Hunter Tri. In the new game there's apparently a focus on gathering, combining items and even cooking (in a whimsical manner), which are also large parts of Monster Hunter.
As for Xenoblade, just from glancing at some game footage, I can see the map system in Breath of the Wild is straight out of Xenoblade. There is, of course, the open world and the ability to run around and explore a rich landscape. The Xeno games aren't the only ones to feature that, but on recent Nintendo systems they really stood out. There's also the "lost technology" theme, which mirrors Xenoblade on Wii. Not a direct copy, obviously, but I think the influences are apparent.
Plus, the timing can't be ignored. When the new Zelda was previously pushed back from 2015 to 2016, we were still waiting on Xenoblade Chronicles X. That game came and went. Later, Nintendo recruited an army of Monolith Soft staff, and the new Zelda got pushed to 2017. That's more than a coincidence.
@TheWPCTraveler Yes. "Open air" does sound like some kind of flight would be involved. My guess is that you'll get your wish. From the fun of floating with the Deku Leaf in Wind Waker to actually flying in Skyward Sword, I'd be surprised if there was no aerial action in this new game.
I think it's a bit obnoxious. This game may end up being great, but major elements are undoubtedly inspired by Monster Hunter and Xenoblade. Sure, it's connected to the original Legend of Zelda, but that whole focus on "open air/open world" is inspired by more recent games. Attempting to claim this as some sort of innovation seems disingenuous at best.
Yeah, what exactly does "stamped on" mean? Did the author misread the term "stand" in the item description, or perhaps misunderstand the alternate facial expressions (which come on separate, interchangeable faceplates) as being something you apply with a rubber stamp?
@aaronsullivan You're not wrong, but I'm talking more about a general attitude that seems to pop up from within Nintendo. There's one particular item I can't quite remember, but it was something about a Nintendo rep scoffing at HD graphics. We have Iwata scoffing at downloadable demos. It's both a fear and a stubbornness that ultimately results in Nintendo looking very old-fashioned and stale.
I don't expect Nintendo to jump on the VR bandwagon. That's not what I'm saying.
It does tie into something I've noted before, which is Nintendo giving up on technologies or "gimmicks" far too earl — or at least not developing them properly. Video games are, by their nature, a sort of virtual reality. What "Virtual Reality" refers to is the fully immersive audio/visual almost full-body experience. Nintendo actually took steps toward that with the Wii U Gamepad in the Panorama View videos and Wii Street U. They also used stereoscopic 3D with the 3DS and improved on it with the New 3DS. Even the Wii/Wii Motion Plus technology has VR applications.
I admit the technology isn't perfect. It never it. It can always improve. Still, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect Nintendo to take certain steps forward when they've already stuck their toes in the water.
If you wait for it to become mainstream, you're already behind the curve. So much for innovation, right? It's bizarre how Nintendo shifts from taking wild gambles to being ultra conservative.
With VR, it's about taking those awkward baby steps. That's the only way the technology will ever improve. If you just wait for someone else to perfect it... well, you let them beat you to it. I'm not saying I'm dying for VR from Nintendo, but I think it's a bad attitude to just dismiss it. Nintendo has a history of doing this sort of thing now. They're always satisfied with being BEHIND the times. I guess the N64 and the Wii were anomalies.
I see a big, open world... but beyond that, it looks like a Skyward Sword sequel in style and visuals, with little bits ripped from games like Xenoblade and Monster Hunter. I was hoping we were done with the cartoon enemies (Moblins, etc), but I guess not. It looks fine. Maybe I'm just getting too old for this stuff. After playing so many Zelda games, it all just looks the same now.
I like the idea of StreetPass and have gone out of my way to carry my 3DS with me in order to get hits. I rarely get single hits and instead rely on hot spots, which gets boring. I also need to clear the queue constantly, which hurts the experience for me. I want it to save 100+ passes in the system memory so I can save them for when I have time to properly process them.
It's a flawed setup that could and should have been improved upon over time, but they really just left it as-is and never bothered to make the core mechanics better. Also, the 3DS is a fairly bulky system (especially in a protective case), so it's not a casual portable device. I wish there was a smaller alternative, like a StreetPass USB stick that would save StreetPasses and then you later plug it into the 3DS system and see who you "met."
StreetPass also should be linked to MiiVerse at this point, or I guess Miitomo (though I don't use that). It's just this isolated software that's dated and limited. It's a shame. It had potential.
No. The Nintendo Video app was always so limited, but at least these animated videos seemed sort of like a "thank you" for buying the 3DS. Added value, if you will, akin to the free Splatoon updates, until they stopped being circulated. Now the Kid Icarus videos are being offered again, but in another somewhat restrictive form. There's no reason to not just put these up as a free download on the eShop right now, without having to jump through hoops, and without the fear of the videos being removed later. It seems the biggest thing Nintendo learned from the digital age is transience. Now the Icarus videos may be coming back, and we're supposed to be grateful all over again. No. Not feeling it.
The thing is, people love to fiddle with stuff. If you give people enough room to do that, it could actually help your product. Nintendo's instant lockdown is medieval.
I don't know how I feel about all these changes. New content is nice, but I feel inundated with new weapons. Tweaks are fine, I guess, but after taking a break from the game for a while I returned to see familiar stages no longer familiar. That's weird. What you paid for is not necessarily what you get to hold on to.
I couldn't get past the graph in this article. I guess I'm more of a casual gamer, and I mainly play games to experience the visuals and to have the freedom to run around in a fantasy world. I like the Pokemon art style, and I like a lot of the designs. It LOOKS like fun, but every bit of experience I've had with the games (and the card game) make it seem like a needlessly stressful experience. I did enjoy the first Pokemon Rumble game for the Wii, and I'm well aware it's just a mindless button masher, but it was satisfying and fun. Whenever a new set of core Pokemon games is about to be released, I feel them pulling me to make the purchase, but I don't want to get sucked into an experience that ends up being more like work than play. From what I've read here, it sounds like that's exactly what Pokemon has become.
Nobody ever mentions Elebits for Wii. Does anyone even know it existed? I love that game. I still play it. With all the talk about Virtual Reality these days... although Elebits lacked the headset, it essentially featured a fully interactive environment that let you move objects, turn doorknobs, and catch creatures using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk.
I had never heard of Elebits when I found it on Clearance, but after playing it I kept wondering why there weren't more games like that... that worked that well. Skyward Sword is an example of well-implemented motion controls, but it's still a video game in the gamer sense. It doesn't necessarily bleed over into the general audience that was attracted to things like Wii Sports. The ironic thing is that Elebits came from Konami, and they arguably did a better job using motion controls than Nintendo did.
Maybe it just comes down to "having an experience" versus "playing a game." Miyamoto and Nintendo go into super hype mode with every new console or handheld, pumping all the bells and whistles and gimmicks, but by the end of each system's lifespan, the gimmicks have been nearly abandoned. I don't see Nintendo truly committing to their products. Rather, I see them all-too eager to hunt for the next craze, and failing to let their previous creations achieve their full potential.
Nintendo is too quick to abandon everything, from gimmicks to entire consoles. Motion controls were improving, and the games that used motion control right were a lot of fun. Miyamoto just got bored and wanted to move on to something else, and apparently nobody with any influence had the brains or balls to challenge him. At least, that's how I see it, from an uneducated outsider perspective. nods
Wasn't this first shown off as part of the hype for the Wii U? Nintendo's almost guilty of false advertising, or something along those lines. From dropped games to abandoned gimmicks, Nintendo now has a history of not really delivering what they had advertised.
I've actually really enjoyed this app, even though it sorely needs some updates. Well, instead of updates, we're getting discontinuation and removal from the eShop. Sounds about right for Nintendo. As a Day-One adopter, I feel like my Wii U experience has been a major letdown. Interesting ideas weren't quite ready at launch, and were never fully explored or implemented. The Wii U has really turned out to be a gimmick machine. The tablet/TV interface is great for web browsing, but beyond that there's nothing that really stands out about it. Big letdown.
I only just tried using the USB stick and found the whole thing to be rather odd. The stick looks fine and has nice, blue LED lights when connected to a PC. Getting the the connector inserted properly was trickier than it should be, though, and the whole software setup is rather bizarre. I would have much preferred an audio CD to this, which is literally 10 hard-to-access WAV files.
I'm sure this looks great on an HD TV compared to the Gamecube version (which is what I originally played). Strangely, though, some scenes (such as the cloaked Princess standing by the window) lose a bit of the creepy atmosphere in the HD upgrade. There was something about that visual distortion that kind of... made the game what it was. The Gamecube version still looks great on CRT, so I probably won't go for this at all.
This makes the fourth Zelda remake: Ocarina of Time 3D, Majora's Mask 3D, Wind Waker HD, Twilight Princess HD. It's fine, I guess, but combined with stuff like Triforce Heroes, I feel like the Zelda franchise is getting watered down.
What's with the proportions on those left images? Her legs seem to have been severely shortened, and the head is oversized. They look like fake images.
The art book and art card feature such classy artwork, but the game case and box make Xenoblade Chronicles X look like just any old run-of-the-mill robot action game. That art card should be the cover image for the game, like how the old Konami NES games featured painted cover art.
@Tsurii Well, things have picked up since the movie's in American theaters this week. I think tonight is the last night, though. I had the whole blue hair thing spoiled a month or two ago because I visited an online store that had a preorder for the figures. The only way for us to avoid spoilers 100% would be to live in Japan and see the movies right when they're released.
@Tsurii Sadly, there's no part of the recent film that hasn't been spoiled already. The promotional material and product preorders are widespread and feature all the new transformations. I wouldn't get too upset about it, though. The way things are presented in the animation, there's no big reveal or explanation. It's really just a new visual gimmick.
This is what a current generation Mario game should look like. Not necessarily the environment details, but definitely the level of detail and polish we see here. Mario's hanging out in the past. In fact, a lot of Nintendo games are. Even Splatoon looks more like a Wii game than it should, with all the rough edges and pixels. Nintendo doesn't put enough into their graphics. They just try to fudge it all the time and hope people don't notice... but it's hard not to notice when most Nintendo games look like they belong in the previous console generation.
When it comes to Animal Crossing.... the heavy promotion of home decoration in New Leaf almost turned me off entirely, as it made it seem the entire game was about that. Thankfully, in the final game it was only one piece to the overall puzzle. Unfortunately, Happy Home Designer has taken just that one aspect of New Leaf and turned it into an entire game, abandoning most of what made New Leaf so enjoyable.
It seems like Nintendo is increasingly interested in relying on gimmicks, and applying those gimmicks to existing properties. Miyamoto, etc, don't seem to care about the worlds of Metroid or Zelda. They just focus on gameplay gimmicks. Then, when they lose interest in one gimmick, it's on to the next. It's like how Nintendo abandoned motion control in favor of the super gimmicky "asymmetric gameplay" of the Wii U. It's like there's a cycle of discovery, obsession, boredom and abandonment within Nintendo.
New Leaf needs some DLC or just a direct sequel with new stuff to do, town expansions, etc... I loved New Leaf, but after completing everything, there's just not much else left to do.
If done right, almost any toy can house some kind of functional chip inside. Voice chips have been hiding in action figure feet since the turn of the millenium. It just comes down to the size and shape of the chip, and where you can (or want to) hide it inside a toy.
Comments 408
Re: Miyamoto and Bill Trinen Discuss Why Breath of the Wild is Called an "Open Air Adventure"
@TeeJay I need to get to sleep (5AM here), but real quick — what was the thing with "blocks?"
Re: Miyamoto and Bill Trinen Discuss Why Breath of the Wild is Called an "Open Air Adventure"
@shani That's an entirely different point, though, to say all open world games are at least partly inspired by The Legend of Zelda on NES (you should play it if you get the chance). You asked about the similarities and I gave you examples. It's clear Nintendo picked very specific elements from Monster Hunter and Xenoblade and inserted them into this latest Zelda game.
My point is that THIS Zelda game may be the one most influenced by other games. Nintendo doesn't want to admit that kind of thing, though. They want to be seen as innovators, so they distance themselves from the term "open world," even though this is clearly an open world game and that has been the selling point since its announcement. Open world with a twist, as Aonuma has said.
Them using the term "Open Air" itself doesn't make me really angry. It just seems like a hipster thing to do, and that's kind of irritating.
Re: Miyamoto and Bill Trinen Discuss Why Breath of the Wild is Called an "Open Air Adventure"
@Tsurii At some point there was a quote, on this site, from Miyamoto about either Monster Hunter or Xenoblade, and he said something to the effect of "They're doing Zelda better than we are." I can't find the quote right now, so I can't verify the context, but it stuck with me.
The Monster Hunter influence started with Skyward Sword. Just off the top of my head, the stamina and weapon durability restrictions are lifted from Monster Hunter Tri. In the new game there's apparently a focus on gathering, combining items and even cooking (in a whimsical manner), which are also large parts of Monster Hunter.
As for Xenoblade, just from glancing at some game footage, I can see the map system in Breath of the Wild is straight out of Xenoblade. There is, of course, the open world and the ability to run around and explore a rich landscape. The Xeno games aren't the only ones to feature that, but on recent Nintendo systems they really stood out. There's also the "lost technology" theme, which mirrors Xenoblade on Wii. Not a direct copy, obviously, but I think the influences are apparent.
Plus, the timing can't be ignored. When the new Zelda was previously pushed back from 2015 to 2016, we were still waiting on Xenoblade Chronicles X. That game came and went. Later, Nintendo recruited an army of Monolith Soft staff, and the new Zelda got pushed to 2017. That's more than a coincidence.
Re: Miyamoto and Bill Trinen Discuss Why Breath of the Wild is Called an "Open Air Adventure"
@TheWPCTraveler Yes. "Open air" does sound like some kind of flight would be involved. My guess is that you'll get your wish. From the fun of floating with the Deku Leaf in Wind Waker to actually flying in Skyward Sword, I'd be surprised if there was no aerial action in this new game.
Re: Miyamoto and Bill Trinen Discuss Why Breath of the Wild is Called an "Open Air Adventure"
I think it's a bit obnoxious. This game may end up being great, but major elements are undoubtedly inspired by Monster Hunter and Xenoblade. Sure, it's connected to the original Legend of Zelda, but that whole focus on "open air/open world" is inspired by more recent games. Attempting to claim this as some sort of innovation seems disingenuous at best.
Re: Here's What The Developer Of Elite Beat Agents Did Next
The toys look really cool. I'd like to see more about those, but the gameplay didn't really do anything for me.
Re: Metroid: Other M Zero Suit Samus Figure Can Be Posed, Stamped On
@Damo Ah, we usually say "stomp" over here. Either way, I don't really understand the usage. I guess I missed something.
Re: Metroid: Other M Zero Suit Samus Figure Can Be Posed, Stamped On
Yeah, what exactly does "stamped on" mean? Did the author misread the term "stand" in the item description, or perhaps misunderstand the alternate facial expressions (which come on separate, interchangeable faceplates) as being something you apply with a rubber stamp?
Re: E3 2016: Reggie Says VR "Needs to be Mainstream" For Nintendo To Get Involved
@aaronsullivan You're not wrong, but I'm talking more about a general attitude that seems to pop up from within Nintendo. There's one particular item I can't quite remember, but it was something about a Nintendo rep scoffing at HD graphics. We have Iwata scoffing at downloadable demos. It's both a fear and a stubbornness that ultimately results in Nintendo looking very old-fashioned and stale.
I don't expect Nintendo to jump on the VR bandwagon. That's not what I'm saying.
It does tie into something I've noted before, which is Nintendo giving up on technologies or "gimmicks" far too earl — or at least not developing them properly. Video games are, by their nature, a sort of virtual reality. What "Virtual Reality" refers to is the fully immersive audio/visual almost full-body experience. Nintendo actually took steps toward that with the Wii U Gamepad in the Panorama View videos and Wii Street U. They also used stereoscopic 3D with the 3DS and improved on it with the New 3DS. Even the Wii/Wii Motion Plus technology has VR applications.
I admit the technology isn't perfect. It never it. It can always improve. Still, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect Nintendo to take certain steps forward when they've already stuck their toes in the water.
Re: E3 2016: Reggie Says VR "Needs to be Mainstream" For Nintendo To Get Involved
If you wait for it to become mainstream, you're already behind the curve. So much for innovation, right? It's bizarre how Nintendo shifts from taking wild gambles to being ultra conservative.
With VR, it's about taking those awkward baby steps. That's the only way the technology will ever improve. If you just wait for someone else to perfect it... well, you let them beat you to it. I'm not saying I'm dying for VR from Nintendo, but I think it's a bad attitude to just dismiss it. Nintendo has a history of doing this sort of thing now. They're always satisfied with being BEHIND the times. I guess the N64 and the Wii were anomalies.
Re: E3 2016: Nintendo Reveals Ever Oasis for the 3DS
These games all look alike after a while.
Re: Reaction: Key Early Lessons We Learned About The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Wait. The wolf amiibo can only be used once a day? That's so stupid.
Re: E3 2016: Full Title Of Wii U And NX Legend Of Zelda Revealed
I see a big, open world... but beyond that, it looks like a Skyward Sword sequel in style and visuals, with little bits ripped from games like Xenoblade and Monster Hunter. I was hoping we were done with the cartoon enemies (Moblins, etc), but I guess not. It looks fine. Maybe I'm just getting too old for this stuff. After playing so many Zelda games, it all just looks the same now.
Re: Reminder: Watch The EA Play Press Conference With Push Square or Pure Xbox
Eh, the presentation is so fake. I guess I just don't have the stomach for this sort of thing anymore.
Re: Nintendo of America is Putting on Another National StreetPass Week Starting on 10th June
I like the idea of StreetPass and have gone out of my way to carry my 3DS with me in order to get hits. I rarely get single hits and instead rely on hot spots, which gets boring. I also need to clear the queue constantly, which hurts the experience for me. I want it to save 100+ passes in the system memory so I can save them for when I have time to properly process them.
It's a flawed setup that could and should have been improved upon over time, but they really just left it as-is and never bothered to make the core mechanics better. Also, the 3DS is a fairly bulky system (especially in a protective case), so it's not a casual portable device. I wish there was a smaller alternative, like a StreetPass USB stick that would save StreetPasses and then you later plug it into the 3DS system and see who you "met."
StreetPass also should be linked to MiiVerse at this point, or I guess Miitomo (though I don't use that). It's just this isolated software that's dated and limited. It's a shame. It had potential.
Re: The Rather Marvellous Kid Icarus: Uprising Anime Shorts Arrive on My Nintendo in Japan
No. The Nintendo Video app was always so limited, but at least these animated videos seemed sort of like a "thank you" for buying the 3DS. Added value, if you will, akin to the free Splatoon updates, until they stopped being circulated. Now the Kid Icarus videos are being offered again, but in another somewhat restrictive form. There's no reason to not just put these up as a free download on the eShop right now, without having to jump through hoops, and without the fear of the videos being removed later. It seems the biggest thing Nintendo learned from the digital age is transience. Now the Icarus videos may be coming back, and we're supposed to be grateful all over again. No. Not feeling it.
Re: Talking Point: 3DS Homebrew Development Causes Another Game Takedown as Nintendo Maintains Its Tight Grip
The thing is, people love to fiddle with stuff. If you give people enough room to do that, it could actually help your product. Nintendo's instant lockdown is medieval.
Re: Upcoming Splatoon Update to Include Stage and Weapon Tweaks Along With Sheldon's Picks
I don't know how I feel about all these changes. New content is nice, but I feel inundated with new weapons. Tweaks are fine, I guess, but after taking a break from the game for a while I returned to see familiar stages no longer familiar. That's weird. What you paid for is not necessarily what you get to hold on to.
Re: XSEED Games Will Be Publishing the Physical Copies of Shantae: Half-Genie Hero
Why is her skin so light? This looks like a different character.
Re: Soapbox: How The Evolution Of Pokémon Can Unexpectedly Influence Play-Through Experiences
I couldn't get past the graph in this article. I guess I'm more of a casual gamer, and I mainly play games to experience the visuals and to have the freedom to run around in a fantasy world. I like the Pokemon art style, and I like a lot of the designs. It LOOKS like fun, but every bit of experience I've had with the games (and the card game) make it seem like a needlessly stressful experience. I did enjoy the first Pokemon Rumble game for the Wii, and I'm well aware it's just a mindless button masher, but it was satisfying and fun. Whenever a new set of core Pokemon games is about to be released, I feel them pulling me to make the purchase, but I don't want to get sucked into an experience that ends up being more like work than play. From what I've read here, it sounds like that's exactly what Pokemon has become.
Re: My Nintendo's Rewards Have Been Updated for May
These rewards don't even get me slightly interested in bothering with the rewards program.
By the way, @AugustusOxy ... Doras icon. Nice.
Re: The Legend of Zelda Wii U Has Been Pushed Back to 2017, Will Release On NX As Well
They did it again.
Re: Rumour: NX Software Lineup Will "Blow Away" Wii U, Controller Streaming Gimmick "Was Made Up"
@BornInNorway81 NintendoLand 2 would be great. I really loved the first one, but as with so many things, Nintendo just abandoned it. Sigh.
Re: Weirdness: The NES Zapper Just Became Much Deadlier
Looks great. It's a nice custom.
Re: Soapbox: Nintendo Was Wrong To Turn Its Back On The Wii Remote
Nobody ever mentions Elebits for Wii. Does anyone even know it existed? I love that game. I still play it. With all the talk about Virtual Reality these days... although Elebits lacked the headset, it essentially featured a fully interactive environment that let you move objects, turn doorknobs, and catch creatures using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk.
I had never heard of Elebits when I found it on Clearance, but after playing it I kept wondering why there weren't more games like that... that worked that well. Skyward Sword is an example of well-implemented motion controls, but it's still a video game in the gamer sense. It doesn't necessarily bleed over into the general audience that was attracted to things like Wii Sports. The ironic thing is that Elebits came from Konami, and they arguably did a better job using motion controls than Nintendo did.
Maybe it just comes down to "having an experience" versus "playing a game." Miyamoto and Nintendo go into super hype mode with every new console or handheld, pumping all the bells and whistles and gimmicks, but by the end of each system's lifespan, the gimmicks have been nearly abandoned. I don't see Nintendo truly committing to their products. Rather, I see them all-too eager to hunt for the next craze, and failing to let their previous creations achieve their full potential.
Re: Soapbox: Nintendo Was Wrong To Turn Its Back On The Wii Remote
Nintendo is too quick to abandon everything, from gimmicks to entire consoles. Motion controls were improving, and the games that used motion control right were a lot of fun. Miyamoto just got bored and wanted to move on to something else, and apparently nobody with any influence had the brains or balls to challenge him. At least, that's how I see it, from an uneducated outsider perspective. nods
Re: Weirdness: Jackie Chan Backed A Motion-Controlled Fitness Console That Pre-Dated The Wii
Looks great, actually.
Re: Future Of Project Giant Robot Is Still Up In The Air, Says Miyamoto
Wasn't this first shown off as part of the hype for the Wii U? Nintendo's almost guilty of false advertising, or something along those lines. From dropped games to abandoned gimmicks, Nintendo now has a history of not really delivering what they had advertised.
Re: Mistwalker and Silicon Studio Are Teaming Up on a New Game
That art has been floating around for quite a while now.
Check out this OLD article from Kotaku:
http://kotaku.com/5196068/this-is-not-artwork-from-mistwalkers-next-game
Re: Genei Ibun Roku #FE Art Book Releases on 26th February in Japan
Sometimes I prefer the art books to the games. I'll definitely pick this up.
Re: Wii Street U Service Being Discontinued In March, Leaving eShop This Month
I've actually really enjoyed this app, even though it sorely needs some updates. Well, instead of updates, we're getting discontinuation and removal from the eShop. Sounds about right for Nintendo. As a Day-One adopter, I feel like my Wii U experience has been a major letdown. Interesting ideas weren't quite ready at launch, and were never fully explored or implemented. The Wii U has really turned out to be a gimmick machine. The tablet/TV interface is great for web browsing, but beyond that there's nothing that really stands out about it. Big letdown.
Re: Xenoblade Chronicles X Special Edition Owners in North America Highlight Issues With Soundtrack USB Drive
I only just tried using the USB stick and found the whole thing to be rather odd. The stick looks fine and has nice, blue LED lights when connected to a PC. Getting the the connector inserted properly was trickier than it should be, though, and the whole software setup is rather bizarre. I would have much preferred an audio CD to this, which is literally 10 hard-to-access WAV files.
Re: Video: Check Out a Graphical Comparison for The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD
I'm sure this looks great on an HD TV compared to the Gamecube version (which is what I originally played). Strangely, though, some scenes (such as the cloaked Princess standing by the window) lose a bit of the creepy atmosphere in the HD upgrade. There was something about that visual distortion that kind of... made the game what it was. The Gamecube version still looks great on CRT, so I probably won't go for this at all.
This makes the fourth Zelda remake: Ocarina of Time 3D, Majora's Mask 3D, Wind Waker HD, Twilight Princess HD. It's fine, I guess, but combined with stuff like Triforce Heroes, I feel like the Zelda franchise is getting watered down.
Re: Hyrule Warriors Legends Gets a Release Date and 'Female Link', Linkle
Where's the restroom? I feel a Tingle. I need to Wii. I need to Linkle.
Nintendo's long-term urine theme is finally taking form.
Re: Nintendo Is Making Female Characters Cover Up For The Western Version Of Xenoblade Chronicles X
What's with the proportions on those left images? Her legs seem to have been severely shortened, and the head is oversized. They look like fake images.
Re: Nintendo Download: 29th October (North America)
I can't believe they're still charging for 3DS themes. It's such a ripoff.
Re: A Level Made by Shinya Arino Will Be Included in the Upcoming Super Mario Maker Update
Nice work, Kacho.
Re: Nintendo Download: 15th October (North America)
Crunchyroll for 3DS, please.
Re: Preview: Fabulous Fashion and Questionable Game Design in The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes
Sounds terrible to me. It's a shame the Zelda brand is attached to this.
Re: Gorgeous Xenoblade Chronicles X Special Edition Confirmed for North America
The art book and art card feature such classy artwork, but the game case and box make Xenoblade Chronicles X look like just any old run-of-the-mill robot action game. That art card should be the cover image for the game, like how the old Konami NES games featured painted cover art.
Re: Enter a Crazy Code to Unlock a New Character in the Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden Demo
@Tsurii Well, things have picked up since the movie's in American theaters this week. I think tonight is the last night, though. I had the whole blue hair thing spoiled a month or two ago because I visited an online store that had a preorder for the figures. The only way for us to avoid spoilers 100% would be to live in Japan and see the movies right when they're released.
Re: Enter a Crazy Code to Unlock a New Character in the Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden Demo
@Yorumi No, not even that complex.
Re: Enter a Crazy Code to Unlock a New Character in the Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden Demo
@Tsurii Sadly, there's no part of the recent film that hasn't been spoiled already. The promotional material and product preorders are widespread and feature all the new transformations. I wouldn't get too upset about it, though. The way things are presented in the animation, there's no big reveal or explanation. It's really just a new visual gimmick.
Re: Early NX Reveal Was To "Reinforce Commitment" To Dedicated Hardware, Claims Nintendo's Scott Moffitt
Is that a Mario candy tin? I have one of those sitting around somewhere...
Re: Video: Rodea The Sky Soldier Takes Flight In This Fresh Gameplay Trailer
Not pretty. I can't even tell what's going on during the action.
Re: Video: Mario is Unreal in This New Take on The Plumber's Adventures
@willobee Pixelated edges... or rather, jagged edges as a result of a lack of anti-aliasing.
Re: Video: Mario is Unreal in This New Take on The Plumber's Adventures
This is what a current generation Mario game should look like. Not necessarily the environment details, but definitely the level of detail and polish we see here. Mario's hanging out in the past. In fact, a lot of Nintendo games are. Even Splatoon looks more like a Wii game than it should, with all the rough edges and pixels. Nintendo doesn't put enough into their graphics. They just try to fudge it all the time and hope people don't notice... but it's hard not to notice when most Nintendo games look like they belong in the previous console generation.
Re: Talking Point: Nintendo's Approach to Transforming Franchises Clashes With Fan Expectations
When it comes to Animal Crossing.... the heavy promotion of home decoration in New Leaf almost turned me off entirely, as it made it seem the entire game was about that. Thankfully, in the final game it was only one piece to the overall puzzle. Unfortunately, Happy Home Designer has taken just that one aspect of New Leaf and turned it into an entire game, abandoning most of what made New Leaf so enjoyable.
It seems like Nintendo is increasingly interested in relying on gimmicks, and applying those gimmicks to existing properties. Miyamoto, etc, don't seem to care about the worlds of Metroid or Zelda. They just focus on gameplay gimmicks. Then, when they lose interest in one gimmick, it's on to the next. It's like how Nintendo abandoned motion control in favor of the super gimmicky "asymmetric gameplay" of the Wii U. It's like there's a cycle of discovery, obsession, boredom and abandonment within Nintendo.
Re: Video: Avert Your Eyes, This Japanese Animal Crossing Commercial Features Shameful Groping
New Leaf needs some DLC or just a direct sequel with new stuff to do, town expansions, etc... I loved New Leaf, but after completing everything, there's just not much else left to do.
Re: Parent Trap: Woolly Yoshi amiibos Finally Turn Toys To Life Figures Into Actual Toys
If done right, almost any toy can house some kind of functional chip inside. Voice chips have been hiding in action figure feet since the turn of the millenium. It just comes down to the size and shape of the chip, and where you can (or want to) hide it inside a toy.