micronean

micronean

Proudly gaming since 1987...

Comments 156

Re: Mario Kart Month: An Outsider's View Of Super Mario Kart

micronean

@Takerkaneanite6
Super Mario Kart is a great game, don't let the others fool you. There's a reason why it is still spoken about and played. The controls are responsive, the tracks are challenging, the items are well balanced (i.e. no blue shells or bullet bills), and it's very dependent on skill.
But as it's such an old game, some people may not be used to the physics of 2-D racing or the graphics, but that is their problem--not the game's.

Re: Ronimo Games: PS4 And Xbox One Are More Of The Same, But Wii U Is "Something New"

micronean

Really, the PS4 and Xbox One aren't bringing anything all too different to gaming. The only "new" things they bring to the table are slightly more detailed graphics and options to stream your game. That's about it. Their strength lie in the NAME that backs those machines up, and the corporate 3rd parties that are drawn to them. but really, Sony and MS software is just what PC games were in the 90s that are played on a different platform.

Nintendo is no better though. but at least they do bring in a different interaction with their software, with remotes, touchscreens, and the balanceboard+pedometer. But, yes, they do somewhat seem to be held back by sticking to their legacy of family computing. That is where they are restrained by the reality of business and their OWN corporate identity.

Re: Review: Ice Hockey (Wii U eShop / NES)

micronean

I liked ice hockey a little more than Blades of Steel. But I haven't played either of these games since 1990. I'd like to see how they hold up.

but now you know WHY EA sports was so revered back in the day. Their NHL games were truly groundbreaking, as was the first FIFA. They changed the console sports software landscape completely.

Re: 3DS Faces a Renewed Vita Challenge in Japan as Home Consoles Underperform

micronean

I think there would be more PS4s sold if there was more stock. But, that said, it's not like the basic model was flying off the shelves. And, let's face it, the Japanese gaming market is all portables now. There will not be any PS2 level of sales anymore for home consoles, which means the Xbox One will be a niche product at best in Japan, while software production will not reach the levels of previous generations.

Anyone who bets on Indie-developed software is going to be the real winner by the end of this generation, and--surprise surprise--that is Sony and Nintendo. Microsoft, a few steps behind.

Re: Airtight Games Feels That Murdered: Soul Suspect "Doesn't Fit" On Wii U

micronean

That seems to be a pretty obvious answer. Of course a game is going to work better when it's made especially for that system. Heck, I'd be surprised if a half-arsed port would work better than the original version.

I think everyone here already knows the real truth about why some games "don't fit" on the Wii U: Because developers don't care to make the effort to make it fit!

Re: Less Than 5% of Those Polled by the Game Developers Conference Have Wii U Plans

micronean

I think those chart numbers mean the MAIN platforms developers have in mind to make games for, but it wouldn't mean that they couldn't port their creation to other systems--especially from smartphone to 3DS.

Also, to stay in business, developers need to make games for as many systems as they can anyways. And we don't know if those that answered the poll are just rogue developers who can only afford to do smartphone games.

Re: Feature: Breaking Down What Nintendo's QOL Platform Could Mean

micronean

The problem with this stuff is that, where I'm from, people couldn't care less about being healthy. They care more about adding another serving of dessert, or another 10 bacon slices to their burger.
This is another Japanese mentality venture (one that will sell in Japan), but irrelevant to people in the west.

Re: Talking Point: The Wii U's 'Relevance' Is About Sales, Nintendo's Strategy Has Remained Consistent

micronean

I think the causes of Nintendo's failure (if one can call it that) are pretty simple. Today's 3rd party games are effectively PC software. They are just reluctantly "dumbed down" for consoles in order to recoup production costs.

Nintendo is not a PC-centric maker. Therefore, they get shunned, and worse, Console-centric software development has woefully diminished the last 10 years.

Should Nintendo change their philosophy, and allow for the PC-gamers to infiltrate its environment? I, for one, hope not.

Re: Review: F1 Race Stars: Powered Up Edition (Wii U eShop)

micronean

@Seandaddy
If all this time Codemasters hasn't worked on the Nintendo version of this game, chances are they will never touch it again. Also, codemasters is notorious for abandoning their games. For their flagship F1 game, it has been to release only one patch, and then move on to the next year's game. They are terrible on their customer base.

Re: Interview: Codemasters - F1 Race Stars: Powered Up Edition

micronean

No thanks.
I have no trust in codemasters after all their botch jobs on the F1 series. Their sales numbers are atrocious, and the reason they don't say anything about future of Wii U is because they really have nothing in store, not even a port of GRID.
Heck, their forums have been down for two months now. They said it was because their contract ended with their forum supplier expired. But what kind of healthy professional business forgets to negotiate a contract? And it was only one month since F1 2013 had been released!!
I have no faith in Codemasters, and unbeknownst to many people here this new powered up edition is the exact same copy they released in Japan 6 months ago. They haven't done a single different thing with it, and never mind that the roster is already two years old, despite having the F1 license, and, therefore, the power to update the rosters.
I used to support Codemasters. I used to have faith in them, but now they are simply trash.

Re: Talking Point: Nintendo's Wii U Struggles Bring a Challenge, Not Doom

micronean

@joeb1kenobi
A portable device that can also be played at home seems like a great idea. I thought so too...but then (as I live in Japan) I see the poor sales of the Vita TV--which is exactly the device we're talking about. You can play vita games on the machine when you go out, and at home--and has access to PSN. And yet, sales have been woeful. In a market where portable gaming is king, I thought something like the Vita TV would be a no-brainer and have the best of both worlds, but it hasn't happened that way--and I don't know if would work for Nintendo either. The solution may have to do less with a new product and more with how they design their business structure and working relationships...

Re: Satoru Iwata Explains Reduced Projections and "Large Margin" 3DS and Wii U Sales Misses

micronean

Now I understand why Nintendo's advertising was so poor this year. They must have known their projections were falling below expectations and decided to "penny pinch" throughout the year. Understandable, sure, but I find it very alarming how many millions upon millions of sales are needed to be profitable. The gaming industry doesn't feel sustainable to have 3 manufactuers in it. The costs are going completely overboard!

Re: Nintendo Confirms Major Reductions In Sales and Financial Projections

micronean

Even if the Wii U sold twice that number in December, it would hardly make a dent in Nintendo's financial sheet. I think this is troubling not just for Nintendo, but for every hardware maker. If Nintendo--who has the best-selling system for 2013--can't create a healthy company, what hope does MS have, or Sony? The video game industry looks like it's only profitable if ONE company is in it. It's finally making sense WHY the xbox 360, PS3--and even Wii--still need to be supported, and why they'll continue to live on for another year, if not more.
It's very alarming to see that both hardware and software developers are on the knife-edge when it comes to profits, where they have to sell millions upon millions of its product just for the best-case scenario of breaking even. The video game industry cannot go on like this.

Re: Review: Double Dragon (3DS eShop / NES)

micronean

We're missing context here. Double Dragon was one of the earliest beat-em-ups to come to the NES, and one of the earliest "hit" arcade games to be ported. At that time, ports were ALWAYS crippled versions of the originals. Double Dragon was actually one of the better ones--and you could say this was the first "good one", which opened the way for the better arcade ports (the contras, turtles, etc.)

It's not the best beat-em-up on the NES--no one said it was. There were certainly other better ones, like DD 2, Battletoads, or Ninja Turtles. Double Dragon is more of a period piece, a prototype, of the kind of games the NES would have from 1987 onward; the real golden period of the NES (Which, in my opinion officially took off with the release of SMB2).

Re: A Third-Party "Secret Developer" Gives an Inside Story of Working on Wii U

micronean

They all sound like excuses, especially the communications part. I mean, if you have to resort to using a computer translation, then you are just being lazy. Hire a real human Japanese translator! If you are constantly working with Japanese hardware developers (i.e. Sony, just as much as Nintendo), then you should really have Japanese-speaking engineers on your payroll. I mean, come on!
These people may be good coders, but it sure looks like they never left their basements and got any common sense. None of these problems cited seem to be unsolvable, as long as you change the way you do things and ADAPT! Don't just go the "Microsoft Windows" way and throw more code into the bucket. To me, this developer just wanted to get a game--optimized for xbox--rushed to the Wii U as quickly as possible, and didn't feel like investing the time to make it easy for Nintendo to help them. It sounds like an American "me first" mentality.
I'm glad Nintendo doesn't bend over backwards for these clowns. This kind of attitude would make Nintendo's consoles into a derivative handicapped step-child of the Sony's and Microsofts rather than being their own.

Re: Pokemon X and Y Come Out on Top in Japanese Software Rankings for 2013

micronean

it's amazing to see the difference in sales numbers between portables and home consoles in Japan. This isn't a trend, it's not even about game quality, this is a lifestyle. I now become even more curious about the sales for the PS4 in Japan. Maybe it really will be anti-climactic, as it's obvious the Japanese only care for portable and mobile gaming...

Re: Talking Point: The GamePad and its Role Defining the Wii U

micronean

I got the Wii U because of the gamepad. It's the only thing that's truly different in this "Next-gen". The PS4 and Xbox one are pretty much the same thing as their 2002 iterations, just with upgraded graphics cards (and higher failure rates). I don't care to share or stream online, and I certainly don't care to talk to my console in order to turn it on or change the channel.

Re: Nintendo Picks Up 10 Nominations for Spike VGX Awards

micronean

@kkslider5552000
You can't do that. The VGAs (or vgx, or whatever they want to call it) is strictly a promotional vehicle for the xmas shopping season. It has nothing to do with any actual awards, it's more about who developer spent the most money on their video game trailer time.

If they could, I'm sure they would place some 1-800 telephone number right at the bottom of the trailer so you could pre-order the game immediately.

Re: Nintendo Financial Reports Bring Minor Profit, 3DS Success and More Wii U Struggles

micronean

this is basically a report of what happened this summer. It should not be a surprise for anyone to see these numbers. Even the Europe numbers, we just saw some UK retailers drastically reduce the price of the Wii U, and then remove them altogether. It's the next report (the Fall/winter one) that will really tell the tail if Nintendo has turned it around, but before then, we'll probably see the signs come Christmas shopping trends, and the Sony/MS launches.

Re: Rayman Legends Lands With A Thud At Japanese Retail

micronean

just from looking at the Japanese miiverse numbers, there's almost no fans on games like W101, or Rayman. It just doesn't appeal to the japanese for some reason. Yet minigames like Nintendo Land and Game & Wario are among the most popular. That's all they seem to like at the moment. Publishers should just send all their minigame shovelware over to japan, then. LOL!

Re: Eiji Aonuma Explains Why He Thinks Fans Came To Love Wind Waker's "Toon Link"

micronean

I remember the criticism of the art style. As WW was one of the last "Marquee" titles of the GameCube, its competing systems had already made the dark, realistic looking games, the norm (the Halos, the GTAs). Nintendo basically freaked everyone out by doing the cartoon art style, and so the gaming community became overly critical about the GameCube's ability to compete with the new era of "dark" games, never mind the stigma of being a "kiddie" system.

However, as WW was one of the best games of its generation, people kind of relaxed about the graphical style. Imagine what it would have been like if WW had only been a so-so game...