ejamer

Eh... So the sound and graphics aren't great, controls work but don't feel good, and build quality is only so-so? When you can still get GBA SP consoles in good condition for similar (sometimes lower) prices it seems like this is really only going to appeal to people who actively want to emulate, not anyone who own actual GBA games.

Until Nintendo actually DOES something to improve the supply and availability issues, these words aren't worth the ether they are digitally published on.

Amiibo isn't a bad idea. The distribution has been a huge turn off though.

@Robo-Knight
They've put out three games for 3DS - a set of original tables, Marvel tables, and Star Wars tables. I know it's not the same as constant DLC, but it's still pretty awesome for people who want a pinball fix on the go. (It would just be more awesome if there weren't significant bugs left unfixed in some games.)

I'm not sure what to think.

Wii U and 3DS support is slow, the quality of ports is relatively low, and there are often bugs or issues that are simply ignored instead of being fixed. Certainly I should feel happy about this news - or about any support coming to the Wii U platform - but it's hard to get excited about announcements from Zen Studios given the circumstances.

(To clarify: I don't even blame Zen Studios - Wii U development probably isn't that profitable or a high priority, and I understand that. But the whole "it's better than nothing" approach doesn't really work for me.)

The DLC (that is, unlocking the full game instead of sticking with the free version) is on sale this week. Totally worth full price in my opinion, and a steal for just $5...

The discount on Lucadian Chronicles is a very good deal - lots of gameplay for $5, anyone who enjoys strategy or card games in real life should check it out!

Don't believe me? NintendoLife review gave it an 8/10.
https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/wiiu-eshop/lucadian_chronicles

Aw... a retail release for Shovel Knight was the best news I had heard all day!

Digital will be much cheaper, but I'd still rather own physical.
Definitely interested in the 3DS retail release.

Great news! It would be nice if the install could come from a disc instead of being downloaded... but either way this is awesome for people like me who prefer owning physical media.

Wow. Glad to have a backlog, because if that's the future count me out...

Imported Fatal Frame 2 (Wii) from Europe.
Imported Fatal Frame 4 (Wii) from Japan.

Finally getting the chance to buy a game in the series locally? Awesome!

I like what Zen Studios does. But I'm not keen on supporting their Nintendo-based efforts because the level of ongoing support is so poor.

I don't really blame them - it makes sense to focus support on platforms that bring in the most revenue, and between the small install base and extra work required to port tables to Wii U I'm sure it doesn't fit that description. The end result isn't really satisfactory to anyone though.

Still jealous that North America never received these awesome rewards.

(We got different, also awesome rewards.... but the soundtracks are very appealing to me.)

This is hard to believe - Zelda games have never been delayed previously, have they?

Oh wait. Just about every Zelda game ever has missed the initial date. So yeah, this was pretty much expected from day 1. Keeping my fingers crossed about Xenoblade X - if that game arrives this year I'll be thrilled.

Toki Tori 2 remains a fantastic game - probably one of the Top 10 for Wii U released so far, and that's pretty impressive because it's going against quite a few first-party, full retail games to make that list.

Oh, boo. I had enough credit for Might Switch Force 1 & 2 on Wii U is they were both 75% off... but the second game isn't. Maybe pricing in the US is different than Canada?

(Both are still great value at $2.50 per game, but I'm not sure if I want to buy extra funds to double-dip on the first game when I already own it via 3DS.)

Too bad - at first I didn't care but watching the trailer convinced me the game would be worth trying. Looks much better than Harmoknight, not as interesting as Drill Dozer.

Too bad it's skipping Nintendo platforms. I'll buy via Steam someday when it sells for less than a buck.

Wow, what a loaded week. Tons of good games and great discounts. Makes me excited to see what North America (my region) is going to get.

Awesome prize!

I'll buy Might Switch Force 2 on Wii U for sure.

Maybe Shantae... but I haven't finished the DSiWare release yet so not really in a rush.

As long as Nintendo gets paid, they don't care.

The only way for consumers to put pressure on retailers and/or Nintendo to fix this is by refusing to buy/support the artificial limitations on supply that is making these items such hot scalper finds.

Looking back a bit closer, Europe got a better selection of physical rewards while North America got better digital rewards and (I think) better prices most of the time. In both cases, there was a lot of "not so great" options and people usually didn't appreciate what was being offered.

But yeah, I think ringtones and wallpapers were the worst rewards of all.
(Yes, I actually did buy one of the wallpapers... Yes, it was a waste.)

So much silly complaining...

Europe has had a whole bunch of great Club Nintendo rewards that never came out in North America. The same is true in reverse, and I think the "end of life" digital rewards in particular are fantastic in North America. Yet so many seem focused on finding greener grass instead of appreciating what is right in front of them.

This article should be good for helping us all move past that pettiness though: clearly the grass is greenest in Japan, and we should all be jealous of gamers from that region.

Because people are asking, the game was selling for $70+shipping via KickStarter. That's just for the basic game though - a bunch of the figures shown in images above aren't included unless you shell out $140+shipping for the deluxe bundle. Some figures are also KickStarter exclusives (I think) so if you buy later do your homework first to know exactly what you will/won't receive.

Hard to say what pricing will be like after release. Most board games that go through KickStarter are available online after release - sometimes for slightly lower prices if you look around before buying. The license will probably make this quite desirable though, so it's hard to say how long stock will last or what pricing will be like.

I remember looking into this when they were still taking KickStarter orders.

The actual game didn't look that exciting and was prohibitively expensive... but as fan service it looked fantastic. These pre-production photos seem to reaffirm that last part.

Can't win with core consumers, so why bother trying to meet their needs. Surely people will buy whatever Nintendo cares enough to offer anyway.

Sounds like a recipe for success. Or alienation. Take your pick...

Can't win with core consumers, so why bother trying to meet their needs.

Sounds like a recipe for success. Or alienation. Take your pick...

No loss for Europeans at all. I spent several hours trying to get it to work before finding out that It simply doesn't in my region, regardless of how I try to configure it. If they can't make it work in Canada's limited market I can't imagine them getting it to work across all of Europe.

Neat idea that was ultimately a failure and a waste. Having an option to remove the button would be awesome. Until then it's just another ignored "feature".

All I want is Xenoblade. If they put that up for download by the end of the year, I'll be thrilled.

Get Close (Wii U) looks awesome, but I don't have anyone to enjoy the game with right now.

Moon with a discount and all episodes seems like a good deal for the full package - but I've already got the DS original.

Not a terrible week, but not sure I'm buying anything. :/

Change is in the air...

YouTubers control access to huge audiences, but only have as much power as the original content creators allow them. It will be interesting to see how this ends in a year or two.

The game was pretty great. Slow start, but fantastic finish to the half and then the entire second half was thrilling.

@Platypus101 I enjoyed seeing both Lenny, and Missy too actually... but it just felt weird and out of nowhere. As one of the people watching with me commented, even when Missy was at the peak of her popularity she didn't rate a Superbowl halftime, how she got on 15 years later is a mystery.

@DKS04Saturn
I think that Gold/Platinum rewards will be listed in April...so that should be before we need to cash in all Club Nintendo coins. I think.

I also noticed this and thought it was probably a smart use of the strap.

The special effects were great and the overall show was solid - but it was weird. That whole beach scene? And since when have Lenny and Missy been relevant artists? Odd stuff...

Very excited about this. Slightly less excited than if it had online features fully intact... but still very excited overall.

It's amazing that people can still complain. A handful of nice, exclusive physical items and over 100 digital games you can download, and some people still aren't happy.

Yes, I would have loved to see Art Academy Sketchpad or some CD soundtracks offered. That doesn't mean the huge list or possible rewards isn't fantastic value already.

My only question is what the Gold/Platinum rewards will be. Don't want to buy a digital reward from this list and then find out that could have been my Platinum reward instead... so will probably hold off on buying anything for now.

@cyrus_zuo
"... A 180 degree direction turn on firing is painfully slow b/c of the controls. ..."

This probably won't change your comment, but I'm pretty sure you can do an instant 180-degree turn also - can't remember the buttons, maybe by tapping both L+R? This is very helpful in some circumstances.

@Quorthon
"It's attempting to control a market that was once a haven of free expression."

That stuck out to me. At first I wasn't sure why... then I realized: this isn't about free expression, it's about revenue.

I can't back your statement because nobody is losing their right to express themselves. Nobody is losing their right to earn a living. All that is being lost is 30-40% of ad revenue when their content relies on using source material from Nintendo to exist.

I think those percentages seem high in most (not all) cases, but the idea that YouTubers should be free to use content other parties have created to generate profits without any need for approval or a license doesn't make sense.

Meh... not sure I care.

YouTubers don't deserve to keep 100% of the profit when their work is derivative and relies on broadcasting video of games that people want to see. But of course they are going to fight any change that affects their income.

Nintendo is (IMO) asking for too much of a cut though, and is also putting too many conditions on use of their content - especially when they are the first and only company taking such a stance. But it's their content and they are fully within their rights to make those demands.

Guess we'll have to wait and see what happens.

There is no prerequisite to be able to criticize, but it's good practice to consider if what you are saying has value before saying it. When criticism turns into an attack against someone, either personally or professionally, it's worth questioning if the act of sharing that criticism is worthwhile.

Also, although tudsworth has some valid points I disagree with his claim that most committed gamers could articulate their opinions better than most game designers. Sometimes yes, usually no. It very much depends on the specific people in question.

Finally, although I suspect that Quorthon is right about where the bulk of the code is coming from that still shows the ability to work and get something done. Actually setting up a company and publishing a game digitally on the Wii U is something that very few of us have done, and takes some effort/commitment. Hopefully that experience and base of knowledge builds, and hopefullyhis ambition to create something more unique and interesting will increase as well. (If not then I'll continue to not buy - no skin off my back.)

Oh wow, the Curve Studios games are very tempting!
Pricing isn't exactly cheap even with the sale, but their games look well worth the asking price and it's a studio I have a lot of respect for. Stealth Inc 2 has especially caught my eye...

@faint
Worse than what? He is new at this. He is still trying to create something - and even if it is starting out with stolen assets there is work involved. Maybe what he's creating isn't valuable now, but surely he's learning some important lessons and (if his attitude and work ethic improve) then he'll only end up creating better content in the future.

I guess it just feels like some people make things more personal than they need to be. Some of that is brought on by his work, some by his poor attitude in response to the criticism... but some is also uncalled for pile-on.

Pretty short list of games... probably leaving lots of people disappointed. Oh, there is that Metroid thingy though. Has anyone heard if it's any good? Apparently the crawling controls are broken or something..

I'm also keen on Gunman Clive 2 so that makes two awesome games that I'll be grabbing. Not a bad week at all.

@ricklongo
People have every right to criticize, but it's more constructive to criticize the work and encourage the person in most cases.

Also worth noting that criticizing is much easier than creating, so until people speaking out actually create something they should be careful with their words.

The funny part about all the people who are like "good, I don't like that dev" is that their opinions don't matter. Enough people do like his work, and even if nobody did he's still got every right to develop and release games anyway. (Just as long as the games and assets are actually his.)

Pulling the game (and possibly reworking/renaming) is the only reasonable option. That said, people don't always follow reason, so good on Ninja Pig Studios for making the right move. Confirm that the name is ok and change (or give credit for) the assets, and there is no reason this game couldn't be re-released later!

Hopefully the code won't just be abandoned - building on and modifying things you've done in the past is a normal part of development. Despite some negativity, Ninja Pig Studios will learn from what happened and develop and/or publish more games in the future.

(Edited for clarity.)

@KinoMana
No longer in need of a code, and don't have an extra that I'd be able to trade either. But thanks for the offer.

@KirbyKirbyKirby
This is a great question. Hopefully there is a way around the connectivity issue with the digital re-release!

As someone who owns the retail game, I'm thrilled that it's being released digitally on Wii U. What a fantastic deal for anyone who wants to just play the game!

The funny part is that, although taking a hit right now, the resale value of a sealed physical copy will probably rebound because it's still something that has a relatively low print run and is desired by collectors. Just look at the article earlier today discussing how Zelda Ocarina of Time (physical) is highly desirable despite having a digital version freely available.

Collectors can still collect, gamers can enjoy playing... it's the best of both worlds.

I understand the 5/10 because the game is incredibly old-school and won't appeal to all gamers... but BoF is a classic RPG with lots of charm that I still enjoy. The distinct characters with unique abilities (both in and out of battle) and the many mini quests you embark on made it memorable and enjoyable for me.