Having moved to China where the regional version of the 3DS is quite limited in terms of software, having an NOA 3DS with available downloads has been the only way I could get these games. Importing would tack on an extra $100 per game, so I'm all for digital download options. That said, I like physical copies for my older systems. Ilooking to replace a Genesis to play my older games. Although I've never had a Nintendo console die (though I have had a new SNES I had to return due to a hardware failure - no color output, oddly. The manager was nice enough to award me a brand new N64 as a replacement, since they were out of SNES units....kept me a Nintendo fan for life), I couldn't keep my games if my 3DS died, I don't think. And the 3DS seems a lot more complicated (read: susceptible to eventual hardware failure) than the older systems.
Having moved to China where the regional version of the 3DS is quite limited in terms of software, having an NOA 3DS with available downloads has been the only way I could get these games. Importing would tack on an extra $100 per game, so I'm all for digital download options. That said, I like physical copies for my older systems. Ilooking to replace a Genesis to play my older games. Although I've never had a Nintendo console die (though I have had a new SNES I had to return due to a hardware failure - no color output, oddly. The manager was nice enough to award me a brand new N64 as a replacement, since they were out of SNES units....kept me a Nintendo fan for life), I couldn't keep my games if my 3DS died, I don't think. And the 3DS seems a lot more complicated (read: susceptible to eventual hardware failure) than the older systems.
@PlywoodStick It's likely legal issues...couldn't secure rights to music from the composer. Couldn't find who owned the copyright for x. Better to miss out on a gameboy title than face a much more expensive series of international lawsuits later on, unfortunately.
It's interesting....for me, Super Mario World is the clear winner of all the 2D marios.
But for best 3D....Super Mario 64 felt so far ahead of it's time, and still controls easier than most modern platformers despite the crazy controller it released with. It was the first 3D platformer that felt like the camera wasn't constantly an issue for me. But Galaxies proved that there was still life in 3D platformers at all, and had really good use of motion controls - it was the game the system felt designed for. Galaxies 2 was arguably even better, but not quite as revolutionary at the time.
And in the poll results, the 3D marios are all split while Super Mario World is clearly pulling ahead. Nintendo has had multiple amazing, genre-defining 3D platformers, and it's hard to pick which one's best. For 2D, I feel the choice isn't as difficult.
@Funky_Kong They already are the fist console maker to drop physical media...Nintendo's Ique did it here in china in 2003. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IQue_Player
NO region locking, particularly if it is a portable system people use while travelling.
Digital game purchases available (I live in China)
SteamOS and Gog.com support
MMO Friendly and has courted MMO publishers
USB peripheral support to include all PC peripherals (flightsticks, memory, etc)
System link with Wii or Wii-U games to play older titles online functions locally
Updated Streetpass Functionality
4 player+ support both locally and online
Lower-res stream-play to 3DS or gamepad
AR support and art design for easy 3D modelling. Expansion of 'miis' to use the 3D model system both for non-human characters and inanimate objects, such as buildings.
Court PC third party, indie, and especially RTS/MOBA/MMO developers for ports.
Pokemon MMORPG if it's a home console
A decent rhythm-based game or motion-controlled game at launch. Catch parents who want their kids to move and enjoy it.
(if a gamepad is used) multiplayer FPS that incorporates Battlefield 2 style team-leader map communications that wouldn't be possible on competitor's consoles due to the need for a stylus or mouse.
Sadly, this year I've started to think Nintendo needs to drop the home console business entirely. Competing with PS4 and XBONE has become prohibitively expensive from a CPU/GPU standpoint necessary to keep 3rd parties on board, and the market itself is shrinking as PC gaming grows even more. Unless perhaps game-streaming like Onlive is cheaper (and you can sell without the need for capable CPU/GPU without loss of graphical fidelity), I don't think Nintendo is ready to take the hits that Microsoft and Sony have to stay in the market. When you're fighting a company that can release a failed system (360) and then pay for every owner to ship it back to a facility, repair it to quality standard, and ship it back to their homes (at a 1.5 billion USD loss - more than the value of the entire XBOX brand at the time, to fix the red ring of death), you have to be more than just a gaming company.
I think the handheld market and MMO courting is the way to go. A device that is always online, always with you, and where interactions in the real world have effects in game. World of Warcraft coupled with enhanced streetpass functionalities. I also think they would do well to court PC third parties, which are often much less graphically intensive and openly looking for support (Neople's DFO, Crowfall, Telltale games, a sling of kickstarter projects, etc). Grab things other consoles haven't even stopped to look at, like GOG support console exclusivity. Court EA and Ubisoft and Lucasarts for older PC titles that never made it to consoles, or required a mouse or joystick and wouldn't work well with an analogue stick but might with a stylus or motion controls. Launching with Battlefield 2142, Crowfall, Sam and Max, and DFO would be amazing.
@Koz Legally, quite a lot actually. Video game restrictions in Australia and Europe would ikely require them to get rated or re-rated based on modern standards, many times third party rights-holders (publishers, depending on contractual terms, developers/musicians) are difficult to track down and come to an agreement, and quality assurance teams need to playtest on modern hardware. Some publishers might not want old games to be released - capcom might not want to call attention to Megaman Legends due to PR reasons, Nintendo might not want to release more modern titles like Double Dash if it will cut into Mariokart sales on the Wii-U due to the similarities of the title or arguably higher replayability of the VC title.
TLDR: Putting a rom in an emulator is easy. Getting the legal rights to sell a rom and QA team to approve it is difficult. And sometimes publishers don't want older versions of their IP released, for good reasons.
@Samurai_Goroh I highly doubt that.....more likely that either have a project unanounced for the NX console as a launch title, OR tried a project that fell through and had to start over. That happens occasionally :3
I'm probably in the minority here. I never bought a Wii-U, and didn't see much of a reason to before E3. Mother is real incentive - if they finish the series and offer one more game I'm really interested in, I might take the plunge. 3DS-wise, I'm excited about metroid. A good shooter designed specifically for a handheld system is rare. Prime Hunters was amazing at the time, and local co-op was my ideal play style for Reveations on 3DS. The new Zelda is intriguing, too. So for me, it wasn't bad.
That said, I think EA won E3: That trailer for SWTOR's new expansion was REALLY emotional.
@drumsandperc92 I half disagree....The traditional controller is a bit of a let-down in terms of accuracy and sensitivity. Analog is terrible, and requires programmers to work in things like aim assists.
In my ideal version, Valve partners with Nintendo. Valve's controller and matchmaking services add to Nintendo's motion peripherals, brand, games and console experience. Developers get cross-platform portability, players get a 'more traditional' buttons-style controller with analog-replacements that offer mouse-quality precision and better online play.
Would never happen, though while we're at it....half-life 3 is released as a launch title for their onlive-esque game streaming service 5 years later, which makes console upgrades irrelevant for anyone with a broadband connection.
@Quorthon By late 2016-early 2017, the tech to compete with XBONE/PS4 shouldn't break the bank for graphics/processing power. That said, if I was Sony/MS I'd announce our next console (coming 2020!) just before nintendo's launch if that happened, just to get buyers wary.
Well....at 640 coins, it was between NSMB2 or Harmoknight + Sakura Samurai for me.
Already have Rayman, DKCR, Mario Land 2, and Super Mario Bros downloaded, so I figured it was time to step back from 2D platformers for a change. It's crazy...I bought Nintendo for platformers, turned down Mario this generation, and still feel like I got a steal. o.O
If you're in the UK, apply on Nintendolife.com (use the search function). If you're in the US, go to pokemon.com , register on the site, and sign up to receive the newsletter before October 22nd. If you live anywhere else, check Serebii.net here: http://www.serebii.net/omegarubyalphasapphire/demo.shtml for details.
@Manaphy2007 Nintendo does own DK, but Rare owns Banjo and Conker, which are Rare IP (and therefore currently Microsoft's). For Diddy Kong Racing DS (which included Banjo and Conker), Microsoft's license for their characters were needed. Microsoft gave it, and Rare developed the re-release in-house with Microsoft's permission. Since Microsoft owned Rare, Microsoft was technically approving licenses for it's IP on Nintendo handheld systems.
As for DKC on virtual console....I don't think the status is as certain as it seems. The DKC games were abruptly pulled from the VC on Wii, with speculation that this was due to licensing issues. Although Nintendo owns the characters Rare created for the game, it's possible other aspects are disputed and needed to be renegotiated, or that Nintendo let it's own license expire for the game so that they could make it a wii-u exclusive later on.
While I don't believe this means that Halo will make it's way to the 3DS' successor, there is at least a precedent for releasing their IP on Nintendo systems.
I agree with the Colosseum posters....The core handheld games have catered to everyone, to the detriment of story (it's kept the same basic formula....young kid, 8 badges, become the champion....and become much more light-hearted in tone). To have another grittier teenage-targeting RPG that can throw a nice story into the mix as well would be a welcome change of pace at this point.
Although I wouldn't mind it if they returned to this a bit in the core games, too....Lavendar town in the original games was spooky. Pokemon possessed people. Team rocket tormented the soul of cubone's mother....
@Donutman To be fair....Nintendo and Microsoft actually have a history of working together for handheld systems, with Nintendo paying licensing fees for games like Rare's older stuff (Viva Pinita, Diddy Kong Racing, the re-releases of the Donkey Kong Country series on wii...). If Nintendo's next-gen handheld is powerful enough to pay Halo, dominates the market like the DS and 3DS have, and Microsoft stays out of the handheld business....we might eventually see Microsoft make a port.
I enjoyed this with friends....though as far as actual battles on the cartridge go, Stadium 2 was much better (and tough as nails if you stuck to rental Pokemon).
This was what I was hoping to hear. Developers don't want to gamble on splitting the market, so 3DS owners will still get great 3DS games that push the hardware, while new 3DS owners will get extra graphics power beyond what norm'ed 3DS can handle.
In short, current 3DS owners can still play games, with the only exception so far being Xenoblade.
@kyuubikid213 I wouldn't worry too much... The gameboy color also upgraded the CPU of the existing gameboy, but due to market reasons, games were still compatible with the original GB for years. Even some games that said 'for gbc only' on the box (pokemon silver) ran ok on the gb, and faster if you turned the sound off.
I wouldn't worry too much - a developer that wants to sell a new game will understand the value of making that game available to the existing 3DS owners that don't want to upgrade yet for a good while to come. And since we haven't had any leaks, I'm guessing Nintendo has kept this close to the vest so far....3rd party devs that want to start making a New 3DS-only game will take the ~8 months of handheld game development time to do so.
@Kawaiipikachu If I remember right, the Gameboy color had slightly better specs than the Gameboy. Game developers kept games backward compatible with the gameboy because they wanted the sales, but also gave games the extra features (color). It'll likely be the same here, sort of like pc sliding scales...insert mario into a legacy 3ds system, get the game without advanced particle effects. Insert the same game into a newer system, play the same game with advanced particle effects.
A lot of good kart racing devs in this interview...would have loved to see the Freaky Fliers devs as well, but they might be harder to track down at this point.
As an expat who will be living in Shanghai for the next year, I really hope the iQue DS currently sold in HK in traditional Chinese is ported to simplified Chinese that I can read easily. There is a limited number of titles (making the purchase mostly just for pokemon Diamond/Pearl), but the iQue DS is unlocked out of the box, so it could replace my DS Lite and play American region DS games as well.
I'm not the target audience for this (I don't own a Wii-U, and an HD Zelda wouldn't sell me on it atm), but I'll admit - GBA on Wii-U is attractive. I've started collecting the old GBA games I missed and repurchased a GBA a few months ago to play with the 'snes-style' controller I prefer over my DS Phat, but some games might prove cost prohibitive.
Of course, if Gamefreak and Nintendo announced tomorrow that a T-rated Pokemon MMO in the vein of Colosseum was coming on Wii-U, or Disney and EA launch the next Rogue Squadron and include Nintendo's console, I'd pick up a system and probably a GBA game or two to tie me over.
My save battery on DKCII for GB died last year, and after a failed soldering attempt to replace it, I'll be looking forward to returning to my favorite portable games soon.
Hopefully they'll release the Pokemon TCG RPG on VC before that battery dies out too...
@theblackdragon They do disappear after a while, but can make for some epic screenshots in places where large raids wipe/respawn, or world pvp. Here's a screenshot used by MMo-Champion to show what the headstones look like: http://media.mmo-champion.com/images/news/2013/march/OnndastaChina.jpg
@DestinyMan Based on MMO releases I played when I was in China, these games would need to have characters portray death politely. In the Chinese version of World of Warcraft, anything that dies (enemies included) requires a tombstone animation.
@bizcuthammer I know....my favorite genre too. I actually bought a 360 specifically to play Kameo from Rare. It's the spiritual sequel to DK 64, and well worth the purchase...Of course, it happened to be the only notable 3D platformer exclusive I'm aware of for the 360; so my brush away from Nintendo products didn't last long. Thank God for the Wii, Mario Galaxies, and Epic Mickey.
That's too bad....I bought my N64 for Mario 64, My GCN for Rogue Squadron, my wii, ironically, for DKCR and wii sports but much later in the game (2012). Star wars was big in my N64 and GCN libraries, I would even say it was the staying power of the N64/GCN for me. If EA creates a spectacular Star Wars game with no chance of later release on PC, it could cause me to buy a different console this generation. As for now, though, The Old Republic on PC has kept the Wii plugged into my tv for those times I want to turn back to AMAZING platformers or brawl.
Super Smash Bros Brawl. My 3DS has been off for nearly a month (longer than ever, since I owned it), but that's mostly due to time constraints. I still have to beat the last few missions of Kid Icarus, haven't finished Mario 3D Land, am halfway through my first run ever of Ocarina of Time (how did I miss this on N64?), and just unlocked the Abyss difficulty on Revelations over Christmas. My Wii is still pretty new (I tend to be a home console generation behind), and I plan on tackling Mario Galaxy and DKC Returns before the fall.
@Hyperstar96 Although this is a fan-made game, Capcom has provided weekly feedback on builds that have led to extensive revisions and QA treatments. Essentially, Capcom played the role of publisher. It's like Lego: City on Wii-U, how Nintendo gets their name on it because they assisted in the role of publishing that title, supporting development through development feedback and professional build testing, marketing promotions, and getting the product to consumers.
He's got a point....I have a hard time imagining how to innovate the F-Zero series beyond what's been done before. If we can come up with some good ideas for innovating a game without car combat (as that can be done with mariokart), perhaps we can excite the developers about working on a new project. Potential renovations and innovations: I'd like to see an expansion of the death race from F-Zero X (local multiplayer death race), Zero-gravity sequences similar to Star Wars Episode 1: Pod Racing, Boss races (fly down a track while avoiding objects flung by a boss and other attacks. At the end of the race, cue a cutscene where you eject from your car, which slams into the boss and destroys it, saving the world), A gritty dialogue-wheel driven storyline allowing a player to race for money, for freedom, or for glory, Cooperative races where cars on a team can combine with each other once a lap to double the speed gained for a single boost before disconnecting (similar to Aegis Wing on Xbox live), etc.
@R-L-A-George Yes and no....They've been in HK for a long time with the Ique brands, dating back to the Ique player (N64-like device with a unique controller and games only downloadable from a store kiosk for fear of piracy). In my experience, mainland Chinese gamers don't play consoles - they're prohibitively expensive when a pirated copy of PC games is sold for a buck from your local retailer. You can find a gameboy or a DS at a specialty electronics store in Tianjin (I found two on sale in a city of 14 million), but back in 2009 a regular DS with a copy of pokemon in traditional chinese cost around 1600 dollars worth of purchasing power (Over 250 actual USD after the exchange rate, at the time). The thought is that the units are shipped to the US after some manufacturing in Japan or China, where they are finished and resent back to China. So China pays double tarriffs and taxes, and retailers can jack the prices up due to the exclusivity of the items.
In the end, Chinese gamers have to pay nearly 6.5 times more per system of their purchasing power.
It would be like paying over $1500 for a NDS in 2009.
I suppose the upside is China has hacked GBA and NDS cartridges to death, so they generally don't pay much (or anything at all) for the games themselves.
Oh Starfox....
Wii was the revival of light-gun games, but I can't think of a decent AAA console on-rails flight-shooter released in the past 4 years ( The Old Republic's space missions notwithstanding, which were AMAZING). The whole genre needs some sort of new mechanic, IMO.Maybe the next Starfox could take a line from Aegis Wing and present coop play where ships could fuse on the fly to provide more powerful power-ups and a rear gunner in exchange for more sluggish control. The gamepad would show action happening behind your ar-wing, allowing you to fuse with your second player to fire back there.
Or, dare I say it....a return to a free-roaming rpg ala Startfox Adventures that also has new space missions incorporated into the story.
I remember my first cell phone in China was the most basic Nokia phone on the market - and came with a free chess puzzle application. It's such a simple concept, but it's challenging and addicting enough to remain compelling over a long period of time. Definitely helped out for those long bus rides between Tianjin and Beijing. I actually saved my phone after moving back to the states just to play this app from time to time....so I'll definitely be picking this one up on 3DS.
I feel that Nintendo's E3 will be completely focused on Wii-U, with maybe a single 1st-party title announcement for the 3DS. That said, it frees Nintendo to try alternative marketing strategies, such as Nintendo Direct. And by spreading out their announcements, Nintendo can keep it's name on the front page of the gaming websites virtually year-round.
I used to play through Super Mario World with my little brother that way - one person on the D-Pad and L-trigger and the other on the buttons and R-trigger. It'd be fun to try it again with a coffee table....but not for $3500.
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Re: Poll: The Tricky Issue of Retail Games as Download-Only Releases
Having moved to China where the regional version of the 3DS is quite limited in terms of software, having an NOA 3DS with available downloads has been the only way I could get these games. Importing would tack on an extra $100 per game, so I'm all for digital download options. That said, I like physical copies for my older systems. Ilooking to replace a Genesis to play my older games. Although I've never had a Nintendo console die (though I have had a new SNES I had to return due to a hardware failure - no color output, oddly. The manager was nice enough to award me a brand new N64 as a replacement, since they were out of SNES units....kept me a Nintendo fan for life), I couldn't keep my games if my 3DS died, I don't think. And the 3DS seems a lot more complicated (read: susceptible to eventual hardware failure) than the older systems.
Re: Poll: The Tricky Issue of Retail Games as Download-Only Releases
Having moved to China where the regional version of the 3DS is quite limited in terms of software, having an NOA 3DS with available downloads has been the only way I could get these games. Importing would tack on an extra $100 per game, so I'm all for digital download options. That said, I like physical copies for my older systems. Ilooking to replace a Genesis to play my older games. Although I've never had a Nintendo console die (though I have had a new SNES I had to return due to a hardware failure - no color output, oddly. The manager was nice enough to award me a brand new N64 as a replacement, since they were out of SNES units....kept me a Nintendo fan for life), I couldn't keep my games if my 3DS died, I don't think. And the 3DS seems a lot more complicated (read: susceptible to eventual hardware failure) than the older systems.
Re: Nintendo Marks Back To The Future's 30th By Releasing Wild Gunman On The Virtual Console
The telltale series of adventure games was amazing
Re: Nintendo Has "Moved On" From Game Boy Games on the 3DS Virtual Console
@PlywoodStick It's likely legal issues...couldn't secure rights to music from the composer. Couldn't find who owned the copyright for x. Better to miss out on a gameboy title than face a much more expensive series of international lawsuits later on, unfortunately.
Re: Poll: Which Is The Best Super Mario Platformer? - 30th Anniversary Edition
It's interesting....for me, Super Mario World is the clear winner of all the 2D marios.
But for best 3D....Super Mario 64 felt so far ahead of it's time, and still controls easier than most modern platformers despite the crazy controller it released with. It was the first 3D platformer that felt like the camera wasn't constantly an issue for me. But Galaxies proved that there was still life in 3D platformers at all, and had really good use of motion controls - it was the game the system felt designed for. Galaxies 2 was arguably even better, but not quite as revolutionary at the time.
And in the poll results, the 3D marios are all split while Super Mario World is clearly pulling ahead. Nintendo has had multiple amazing, genre-defining 3D platformers, and it's hard to pick which one's best. For 2D, I feel the choice isn't as difficult.
Re: New Patent Sparks Talk of Potential NX Details
@Funky_Kong They already are the fist console maker to drop physical media...Nintendo's Ique did it here in china in 2003.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IQue_Player
Re: Poll: What Do You Want From Nintendo's NX Platform?
Wall of Crazy Wishlist:
Re: Talking Point: Raw Power Isn't Vital to Nintendo's NX, But It Does Matter
Sadly, this year I've started to think Nintendo needs to drop the home console business entirely. Competing with PS4 and XBONE has become prohibitively expensive from a CPU/GPU standpoint necessary to keep 3rd parties on board, and the market itself is shrinking as PC gaming grows even more. Unless perhaps game-streaming like Onlive is cheaper (and you can sell without the need for capable CPU/GPU without loss of graphical fidelity), I don't think Nintendo is ready to take the hits that Microsoft and Sony have to stay in the market. When you're fighting a company that can release a failed system (360) and then pay for every owner to ship it back to a facility, repair it to quality standard, and ship it back to their homes (at a 1.5 billion USD loss - more than the value of the entire XBOX brand at the time, to fix the red ring of death), you have to be more than just a gaming company.
I think the handheld market and MMO courting is the way to go. A device that is always online, always with you, and where interactions in the real world have effects in game. World of Warcraft coupled with enhanced streetpass functionalities. I also think they would do well to court PC third parties, which are often much less graphically intensive and openly looking for support (Neople's DFO, Crowfall, Telltale games, a sling of kickstarter projects, etc). Grab things other consoles haven't even stopped to look at, like GOG support console exclusivity. Court EA and Ubisoft and Lucasarts for older PC titles that never made it to consoles, or required a mouse or joystick and wouldn't work well with an analogue stick but might with a stylus or motion controls. Launching with Battlefield 2142, Crowfall, Sam and Max, and DFO would be amazing.
Re: We Can't Release Virtual Console Games Any Faster As It Would Impact New Development, Says Iwata
@Koz Legally, quite a lot actually. Video game restrictions in Australia and Europe would ikely require them to get rated or re-rated based on modern standards, many times third party rights-holders (publishers, depending on contractual terms, developers/musicians) are difficult to track down and come to an agreement, and quality assurance teams need to playtest on modern hardware. Some publishers might not want old games to be released - capcom might not want to call attention to Megaman Legends due to PR reasons, Nintendo might not want to release more modern titles like Double Dash if it will cut into Mariokart sales on the Wii-U due to the similarities of the title or arguably higher replayability of the VC title.
TLDR:
Putting a rom in an emulator is easy. Getting the legal rights to sell a rom and QA team to approve it is difficult. And sometimes publishers don't want older versions of their IP released, for good reasons.
Re: Next Metroid Prime Home Console Title "Would Likely Now be on NX"
@Samurai_Goroh I highly doubt that.....more likely that either have a project unanounced for the NX console as a launch title, OR tried a project that fell through and had to start over. That happens occasionally :3
Re: Video: No Matter How Annoyed You Are At Nintendo's E3 2015 Digital Event, You're Not As Annoyed As This Guy
I'm probably in the minority here. I never bought a Wii-U, and didn't see much of a reason to before E3. Mother is real incentive - if they finish the series and offer one more game I'm really interested in, I might take the plunge.
3DS-wise, I'm excited about metroid. A good shooter designed specifically for a handheld system is rare. Prime Hunters was amazing at the time, and local co-op was my ideal play style for Reveations on 3DS. The new Zelda is intriguing, too. So for me, it wasn't bad.
That said, I think EA won E3: That trailer for SWTOR's new expansion was REALLY emotional.
Re: Nintendo Ditches Plans To Create New Hardware For The Chinese Market
Well....I live in Shanghai, and will continue to import, than. At least I can stay up to date on the 3DS.
That said, I had no idea microsoft and sony had launched their consoles here. Haven't seen any advertisements or anything.
Re: First Impressions: Hands On With Playtonic's Yooka-Laylee
@abe_hikura And 24 hours after starting....done. An easy million pounds and a day one wii-u version
Re: Nintendo NX Will Be About Creating "Fun New Ways To Play"
@drumsandperc92 I half disagree....The traditional controller is a bit of a let-down in terms of accuracy and sensitivity. Analog is terrible, and requires programmers to work in things like aim assists.
In my ideal version, Valve partners with Nintendo. Valve's controller and matchmaking services add to Nintendo's motion peripherals, brand, games and console experience. Developers get cross-platform portability, players get a 'more traditional' buttons-style controller with analog-replacements that offer mouse-quality precision and better online play.
Would never happen, though while we're at it....half-life 3 is released as a launch title for their onlive-esque game streaming service 5 years later, which makes console upgrades irrelevant for anyone with a broadband connection.
Re: Reaction: The Nintendo 'NX', and Why We Think a Unified Platform is the Future
@Quorthon By late 2016-early 2017, the tech to compete with XBONE/PS4 shouldn't break the bank for graphics/processing power. That said, if I was Sony/MS I'd announce our next console (coming 2020!) just before nintendo's launch if that happened, just to get buyers wary.
Re: Club Nintendo Goes Rewards Crazy With Final Update in North America
Well....at 640 coins, it was between NSMB2 or Harmoknight + Sakura Samurai for me.
Already have Rayman, DKCR, Mario Land 2, and Super Mario Bros downloaded, so I figured it was time to step back from 2D platformers for a change. It's crazy...I bought Nintendo for platformers, turned down Mario this generation, and still feel like I got a steal. o.O
Re: Video: Did You Know Gaming Tackles Donkey Kong Once Again
@Pod True....though that said, Kameo still impressed me after all that time.
Re: Parent Trap: Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire Demo Is Perfect For Pocket Monster Newcomers
If you're in the UK, apply on Nintendolife.com (use the search function). If you're in the US, go to pokemon.com , register on the site, and sign up to receive the newsletter before October 22nd.
If you live anywhere else, check Serebii.net here: http://www.serebii.net/omegarubyalphasapphire/demo.shtml for details.
Re: Weirdness: Sony Fan Creates Petition In Hope Of Bringing Super Smash Bros. To The PS Vita
@Manaphy2007 Nintendo does own DK, but Rare owns Banjo and Conker, which are Rare IP (and therefore currently Microsoft's). For Diddy Kong Racing DS (which included Banjo and Conker), Microsoft's license for their characters were needed. Microsoft gave it, and Rare developed the re-release in-house with Microsoft's permission. Since Microsoft owned Rare, Microsoft was technically approving licenses for it's IP on Nintendo handheld systems.
As for DKC on virtual console....I don't think the status is as certain as it seems. The DKC games were abruptly pulled from the VC on Wii, with speculation that this was due to licensing issues. Although Nintendo owns the characters Rare created for the game, it's possible other aspects are disputed and needed to be renegotiated, or that Nintendo let it's own license expire for the game so that they could make it a wii-u exclusive later on.
While I don't believe this means that Halo will make it's way to the 3DS' successor, there is at least a precedent for releasing their IP on Nintendo systems.
Re: Game Freak Confirms That The Pokémon Stadium Series Is On Hiatus
I agree with the Colosseum posters....The core handheld games have catered to everyone, to the detriment of story (it's kept the same basic formula....young kid, 8 badges, become the champion....and become much more light-hearted in tone). To have another grittier teenage-targeting RPG that can throw a nice story into the mix as well would be a welcome change of pace at this point.
Although I wouldn't mind it if they returned to this a bit in the core games, too....Lavendar town in the original games was spooky. Pokemon possessed people. Team rocket tormented the soul of cubone's mother....
Re: Weirdness: Sony Fan Creates Petition In Hope Of Bringing Super Smash Bros. To The PS Vita
@Donutman To be fair....Nintendo and Microsoft actually have a history of working together for handheld systems, with Nintendo paying licensing fees for games like Rare's older stuff (Viva Pinita, Diddy Kong Racing, the re-releases of the Donkey Kong Country series on wii...). If Nintendo's next-gen handheld is powerful enough to pay Halo, dominates the market like the DS and 3DS have, and Microsoft stays out of the handheld business....we might eventually see Microsoft make a port.
Re: Nintendo 64x64: Pokémon Stadium
I enjoyed this with friends....though as far as actual battles on the cartridge go, Stadium 2 was much better (and tough as nails if you stuck to rental Pokemon).
Re: Nintendo Confirms Development of Games That Will Have "Improved" Gameplay and "Enhanced" Graphics on New 3DS
This was what I was hoping to hear. Developers don't want to gamble on splitting the market, so 3DS owners will still get great 3DS games that push the hardware, while new 3DS owners will get extra graphics power beyond what norm'ed 3DS can handle.
In short, current 3DS owners can still play games, with the only exception so far being Xenoblade.
Re: Talking Point: Nintendo Brings Life to the 3DS With New Models
@kyuubikid213 I wouldn't worry too much...
The gameboy color also upgraded the CPU of the existing gameboy, but due to market reasons, games were still compatible with the original GB for years. Even some games that said 'for gbc only' on the box (pokemon silver) ran ok on the gb, and faster if you turned the sound off.
I wouldn't worry too much - a developer that wants to sell a new game will understand the value of making that game available to the existing 3DS owners that don't want to upgrade yet for a good while to come. And since we haven't had any leaks, I'm guessing Nintendo has kept this close to the vest so far....3rd party devs that want to start making a New 3DS-only game will take the ~8 months of handheld game development time to do so.
Re: New Nintendo 3DS Models Announced
@Kawaiipikachu If I remember right, the Gameboy color had slightly better specs than the Gameboy. Game developers kept games backward compatible with the gameboy because they wanted the sales, but also gave games the extra features (color). It'll likely be the same here, sort of like pc sliding scales...insert mario into a legacy 3ds system, get the game without advanced particle effects. Insert the same game into a newer system, play the same game with advanced particle effects.
Re: Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS File Size is 2.1GB, According to Japanese Packaging
As an expat in china, my only option for purchasing this is via download. But download I shall! ;^.^
Re: Weirdness: This Walmart Employee Got a Little Confused by a Mario Kart 8 Poster
I've got a feeling this was intentional...
Certainly made me look twice!
Re: Mario Kart Month: The Developers Who Tried To Beat Nintendo At Its Own Game
A lot of good kart racing devs in this interview...would have loved to see the Freaky Fliers devs as well, but they might be harder to track down at this point.
Re: Nintendo Will Have Plenty of Hoops to Jump Through to Release Full Console and Game Range in China
As an expat who will be living in Shanghai for the next year, I really hope the iQue DS currently sold in HK in traditional Chinese is ported to simplified Chinese that I can read easily. There is a limited number of titles (making the purchase mostly just for pokemon Diamond/Pearl), but the iQue DS is unlocked out of the box, so it could replace my DS Lite and play American region DS games as well.
Re: Talking Point: The Logic Behind Game Boy Advance on the Wii U Virtual Console
I'm not the target audience for this (I don't own a Wii-U, and an HD Zelda wouldn't sell me on it atm), but I'll admit - GBA on Wii-U is attractive. I've started collecting the old GBA games I missed and repurchased a GBA a few months ago to play with the 'snes-style' controller I prefer over my DS Phat, but some games might prove cost prohibitive.
Of course, if Gamefreak and Nintendo announced tomorrow that a T-rated Pokemon MMO in the vein of Colosseum was coming on Wii-U, or Disney and EA launch the next Rogue Squadron and include Nintendo's console, I'd pick up a system and probably a GBA game or two to tie me over.
I'll keep dreaming, then.
Re: These Sega 3D Classics T-Shirts Will Be Perfect For The Summer
Awesome! Now just show Ecco some love...
Re: Game Boy Classic Donkey Kong Land Is Coming To The Japanese 3DS Virtual Console
My save battery on DKCII for GB died last year, and after a failed soldering attempt to replace it, I'll be looking forward to returning to my favorite portable games soon.
Hopefully they'll release the Pokemon TCG RPG on VC before that battery dies out too...
Re: No Game Content "Hostile to China" Will Make It Through As Ban Lifts
@theblackdragon They do disappear after a while, but can make for some epic screenshots in places where large raids wipe/respawn, or world pvp. Here's a screenshot used by MMo-Champion to show what the headstones look like:
http://media.mmo-champion.com/images/news/2013/march/OnndastaChina.jpg
Re: No Game Content "Hostile to China" Will Make It Through As Ban Lifts
@DestinyMan Based on MMO releases I played when I was in China, these games would need to have characters portray death politely. In the Chinese version of World of Warcraft, anything that dies (enemies included) requires a tombstone animation.
Re: These Pokémon X & Y Playing Cards Would Be Perfect for Poké Poker
Can't read my, can't read my, no you can't read my Poké face!
Re: AiRace Speed Flying Onto the 3DS eShop Soon
I actually spent more time on AIRace than I did on Mariokart 7 - can't wait for the sequel!
Re: Donkey Kong 64 Required Expansion Pak to Prevent Game-Breaking Bug
@bizcuthammer I know....my favorite genre too. I actually bought a 360 specifically to play Kameo from Rare. It's the spiritual sequel to DK 64, and well worth the purchase...Of course, it happened to be the only notable 3D platformer exclusive I'm aware of for the 360; so my brush away from Nintendo products didn't last long. Thank God for the Wii, Mario Galaxies, and Epic Mickey.
Re: DICE Tested Its Frostbite Engine On Wii U, Wasn't Enamoured With The Results
That's too bad....I bought my N64 for Mario 64, My GCN for Rogue Squadron, my wii, ironically, for DKCR and wii sports but much later in the game (2012). Star wars was big in my N64 and GCN libraries, I would even say it was the staying power of the N64/GCN for me. If EA creates a spectacular Star Wars game with no chance of later release on PC, it could cause me to buy a different console this generation. As for now, though, The Old Republic on PC has kept the Wii plugged into my tv for those times I want to turn back to AMAZING platformers or brawl.
Re: Talking Point: What Games Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue Nine
Super Smash Bros Brawl. My 3DS has been off for nearly a month (longer than ever, since I owned it), but that's mostly due to time constraints. I still have to beat the last few missions of Kid Icarus, haven't finished Mario 3D Land, am halfway through my first run ever of Ocarina of Time (how did I miss this on N64?), and just unlocked the Abyss difficulty on Revelations over Christmas. My Wii is still pretty new (I tend to be a home console generation behind), and I plan on tackling Mario Galaxy and DKC Returns before the fall.
Re: Capcom Announce Street Fighter X Mega Man
@Hyperstar96 Although this is a fan-made game, Capcom has provided weekly feedback on builds that have led to extensive revisions and QA treatments. Essentially, Capcom played the role of publisher. It's like Lego: City on Wii-U, how Nintendo gets their name on it because they assisted in the role of publishing that title, supporting development through development feedback and professional build testing, marketing promotions, and getting the product to consumers.
Re: Miyamoto Puzzled As To Why Anyone Would Want A New F-Zero
He's got a point....I have a hard time imagining how to innovate the F-Zero series beyond what's been done before. If we can come up with some good ideas for innovating a game without car combat (as that can be done with mariokart), perhaps we can excite the developers about working on a new project.
Potential renovations and innovations:
I'd like to see an expansion of the death race from F-Zero X (local multiplayer death race), Zero-gravity sequences similar to Star Wars Episode 1: Pod Racing, Boss races (fly down a track while avoiding objects flung by a boss and other attacks. At the end of the race, cue a cutscene where you eject from your car, which slams into the boss and destroys it, saving the world), A gritty dialogue-wheel driven storyline allowing a player to race for money, for freedom, or for glory, Cooperative races where cars on a team can combine with each other once a lap to double the speed gained for a single boost before disconnecting (similar to Aegis Wing on Xbox live), etc.
Re: Exclusive Chinese 3DS XL Models Revealed
@R-L-A-George Yes and no....They've been in HK for a long time with the Ique brands, dating back to the Ique player (N64-like device with a unique controller and games only downloadable from a store kiosk for fear of piracy). In my experience, mainland Chinese gamers don't play consoles - they're prohibitively expensive when a pirated copy of PC games is sold for a buck from your local retailer. You can find a gameboy or a DS at a specialty electronics store in Tianjin (I found two on sale in a city of 14 million), but back in 2009 a regular DS with a copy of pokemon in traditional chinese cost around 1600 dollars worth of purchasing power (Over 250 actual USD after the exchange rate, at the time). The thought is that the units are shipped to the US after some manufacturing in Japan or China, where they are finished and resent back to China. So China pays double tarriffs and taxes, and retailers can jack the prices up due to the exclusivity of the items.
In the end, Chinese gamers have to pay nearly 6.5 times more per system of their purchasing power.
It would be like paying over $1500 for a NDS in 2009.
I suppose the upside is China has hacked GBA and NDS cartridges to death, so they generally don't pay much (or anything at all) for the games themselves.
Re: Feature: Reinventing Nintendo's Major Franchises on Wii U
Oh Starfox....
Wii was the revival of light-gun games, but I can't think of a decent AAA console on-rails flight-shooter released in the past 4 years ( The Old Republic's space missions notwithstanding, which were AMAZING). The whole genre needs some sort of new mechanic, IMO.Maybe the next Starfox could take a line from Aegis Wing and present coop play where ships could fuse on the fly to provide more powerful power-ups and a rear gunner in exchange for more sluggish control. The gamepad would show action happening behind your ar-wing, allowing you to fuse with your second player to fire back there.
Or, dare I say it....a return to a free-roaming rpg ala Startfox Adventures that also has new space missions incorporated into the story.
Re: Review: Academy: Chess Puzzles (DSiWare)
I remember my first cell phone in China was the most basic Nokia phone on the market - and came with a free chess puzzle application. It's such a simple concept, but it's challenging and addicting enough to remain compelling over a long period of time. Definitely helped out for those long bus rides between Tianjin and Beijing. I actually saved my phone after moving back to the states just to play this app from time to time....so I'll definitely be picking this one up on 3DS.
Re: Mass Effect 3 Wii U Developer Keen to Meet Expectations
Working on a big-title game from an established franchise?
Although my bet's on dragon age 3, I would love for this to be the next SW: Battlefront.
Re: Talking Point: What New Super Mario Bros. 2 Means for 3DS and Nintendo
I feel that Nintendo's E3 will be completely focused on Wii-U, with maybe a single 1st-party title announcement for the 3DS. That said, it frees Nintendo to try alternative marketing strategies, such as Nintendo Direct. And by spreading out their announcements, Nintendo can keep it's name on the front page of the gaming websites virtually year-round.
Re: Play NES With a Coffee Table Controller
I used to play through Super Mario World with my little brother that way - one person on the D-Pad and L-trigger and the other on the buttons and R-trigger. It'd be fun to try it again with a coffee table....but not for $3500.