mike_intv

I'd say its 50-50.
With Treyarch developing, there is a chance.

For what it is worth, the analyst herein is the Director of Marketing Technology for VB. If you look at his reports and postings, he appears to be much more about what you can do with tech than the tech itself.

The age range of 7-14 is fairly standard on higher-end Lego toys. That is the target demographic.

My guess is that if it anything like my experience with Disney Infinity and Skylanders, the game is going to have limited appeal to those beyond a certain age.

I wonder how many of these $200-plus gaming sets the market will bear before the whole thing "jumps the shark."

Shelf space is limited and so are wallets.

Ironically, the trial for this was the Lego Undercover game which included toy-based DLC. Now watch the WiiU not get any of that DLC.

Maybe it is a different game for a different market.
I have not picked up the original yet — and it appears that most people play this game for a while, making it difficult to direct sequel on the same hardware.

Hmmm. I wonder if that is anything to do with tomorrow's Nintendo Direct?

I would buy this. It looks really interesting.
We need more games like this period — and especially on the WiiU.

I think iOS is just used generically in the article.
No one would just think iOS anymore. Google Play (Android) has pass iOS in some markets, so you need both eco-systems.
Just don't look for this to be on Windows Mobile. 8*>

More to the point of the article, if DeNA has been discussing this deal for five years and not turned away, it means it has long-term interest which is what is needed and what will be best for Nintendo.

This is what Nintendo said it was going to do — use existing IPs to develop games and other software for mobile devices.

The cross-ownership means both have a stake in not making trash.

This is far better than porting for the quick buck but eventually devaluing the IP — which has been the strategy of many companies.

The BAFTAs have been baffling the last couple of years for their total omission of 3DS nominations.

We were told the real reason:

"We thought about other hardware during development, but our hands were pretty full with those three platforms!"

Those three platforms have very similar architecture. Its a small digital game. The question for them to answer is whether the tech decision is a smart business decision.

@Yorumi

I just have a feeling that either NIntendo passed on this or its Sega's IP.

Back stabbing your business partner causes you a lot of problems, especially in Japan (Nintendo's actions resulted in Sony's entry into gaming).

This appears to be a tech-based move more than anything else to me.

The more I think of it, the more I wonder if this was pitched to Nintendo and it passed on it.

It seems really strange that a small company that owes its existence to Nintendo and has not released a game that did not appear on a Nintendo platform in 15 years would up and develop something for PC/PS4/XB1.

Either that or Sega hired them to do work for it. If the latter seems strange, remember that Bandi Namco does a lot of work on Nintendo first-party games.

I am not ashamed to say that I own a pair of Nintendo lounging pants like that. But I have never worn them in public and will draw the line at certain other things to get amiibos.

A great laugh for a sleepy Monday morning as the US faces its first work day of DST/Summer Time.

I am still trying to figure out what "exclusively at launch" means

Folks, why all the hostility toward @RCMADIAX.

Its not like he released Meme Run (awful) or Block Blast U (broken) or Flapp & Zegeta (second FlappyBird Clone) at $5 USD each on Wii U..All of @RCMADIAX's games can be had not much more than a five-spot.

The tabletop series of games work (which is more than Ubisoft games) and he tried on the system (which is more than EA) and he has been honest with gamers (which is more than Activision).

And he even used the infamous Nintendo Framework!

If @RCMADIAX has to make business decisions, we may not like them, but we have to respect them.

Actually, we don't know exactly what was said. Destructoid reported that it [Nintendo] didn't have comment. The "no comment" comes from the title of the Destructoid article. Given how Nintendo uses non-comments, it would be interesting to know if it was "no" or "not at this time."

The questions of where fair use ends and profit use begins are thorny ones.

Most copyright laws come from a previous era and those that are newer are actually more regressive (see Spain's new laws vis-a-vis links from news aggregation sites). So my guess is that these type of claims will continue and increase until we reach some 21st century answer for the questions above - probably around 2121.

@64supermario I meant the content providers wanting a piece of the action.

Given that so many sites used to be completely free now have pay walls or viewing limits (or both), I think this is the beginning of the end of the unfettered access to video game materials.

Is there any data on how much of a difference the "free advertising" makes on Nintendo sales?

I also wonder if Nintendo is behind the curve or ahead of the curve on this one. In other words, how soon until someone else decided that it wants a piece of PeweDeePie's action?

There needs to be some tweeking. There needs to be some expansion of content. Or it may never work. But I can't imagine the free ride of free reign lasting forever. Nothing like that ever has.

Hopefully it will also make it to North America.

Nintendo is taking this approach because the You Tubers need Nintendo more than it needs them. The "free advertising" is probably not making much of a difference in game sales.

What is disheartening is that it appears any game which had third-party help is not on the list.

That all being said, I wonder if Nintendo is behind or ahead of the curve on this. I would not be surprised if others decide it is time to get "a piece of the action."

I actually bought a physical copy after the direct — paying somewhere between the highs and lows stated (though closer to the low).

It was the only top-shelf Wii game I did not own, so I wanted to get a physical copy.

I just wish I had bought one when Best Buy was selling it for $20 new in the US.

I will hope that NoA will release the 3DS version — if I ever want to program again in BASIC.

I have been wanting this game now for two years ... so long that I forgot it about it. I can't wait til it arrives.

I wonder how much Nintendo expected to sell. I also wonder if some markets have too many and some too few.

I guess there is money to make sending from Germany to the US.

Funny that preorders for Wave 4, to the best of my knowledge, have not yet started in the US. And except for a few figures sold at Toys R Us. The Wave 3 figures have not made it out into the wild.

The amiibo situation is a difficult one for Nintendo to figure out. The figures outsold their Skylanders and Disney Infinity counterparts at BestBuy over the holidays (in the US), for example, even though the other two sets had many more figures and a much larger install base.

Plus, as a relatively small company, Nintendo cannot instantly ramp up production like Activions-Blizzard or Disney.

Finally. Retailers will only place limits to counteract bad PR and when they know they can sell out their shipments regardless. We are starting to reach that point with amiibo (thankfully),

First day buy! (Fanish comment — I am way too old to be a fanboy).

Seriously, I like the gameplay of P&D-Z on my iPad. I am looking forward to the original and the cross-over.

I wonder if this is a cultural issue — and that those in Japan tend not to think like this.

@WaLgzi

There was no posted warning or notice on the eShop in North America that I saw. And I bought the Gameboy version at 1 am UTC-5 on today (Jan. 1, 2015).

Also, while I understand business, there is also PR. Being responsible for the Gameboy version no longer being available is bad PR. Not exactly what Ubisoft needs (see AC Unity).

Two questions need to be asked:

1. Why was there no warning for North America?
2. Why did the current rights holder feel this was necessary?

Retailers appear to be taking steps to stop scalping. Toys R Us cancelled all pre-orders, then reopened with limit of 1 of each amiibo in US.

I might give this a try ... if it is at half price.
I have played worse and had fun.
But it does seem like a large missed opportunity.

I actually had two at one point (pre-sale and post-sale when pre-sale was late).
I returned the one I didn't need — but I was tempted to put it on eBay.

My guess is that the last item that sold this well for Nintendo was the original Wii. So it probably will take months to resolve the shortfall.

I am guessing the unnecessary options — like Smash Tour — caused the score to be a 9. Of course, the score really does not matter. This is the game everyone wants and is playing.

Sonic is a tie-in for a cartoon property, nothing more any more.
Expecting anything more than a THQ Spongebob game is unrealistic.

@Quorthon
Not sure what you mean by the reference to Rayman Legends?
Ubisoft's delays, move to multi-platform, and six months worth of free (beta) version to Nintendo WiiU owners combined to hurt sales on the platform.
After playing daily challenges for free for six months, why would anyone shell out $60 for the game? It was too much of a make-up gift from Ubisoft, which probably would have been better served to have released on time on the WiiU, then renamed the game for other consoles (to get around Microsoft's competition-killing us-first requirement to access its platforms — which was still strong in force at the time.).

This console is not for everyone. If you like on-line FPS games, the WiiU is not for you. If you like big adventures, the WiiU is not for you (yet, Zelda appears to be able to fill that niche).

But if you like fun gaming, the WiiU is for you. I personally don't like playing nothing but games where you go on-line to shoot the other competitors. I don't like games that are broken from the start or require massive additional outlays to fully enjoy.

My guess is that a decade from now, the WiiU will have a reputation similar to the GameCube. Considered a "failure" in the marketplace but a system reknown for its unique fun games.

I downloaded the original on my phone (free version).
It is large — 123M (or 2.5x what was allowed on the Wii).
It looks great.
It is ad-filled (free version).
After playing the time trial, I can say that it is quite different than the existing kart racers on the WiiU. It would probably benefit from proper controllers.
That all being said, the Vita version was mildly received (most reviews were in the mid-range). Thus, if it ever comes, I might look at it. But if it doesn't, I won't lose any sleep.
(And I think the rationale for probably not coming to WiiU speaks to the quality of the product.)

Back in the day, when X-Play was on G4, it sounds like this game would have gotten a 3-out-of-5.

What that meant was that if you liked/loved that genre, this game is for you. if you don't, then it is not. (The scores had meanings, they were not straight percentages, regardless of how Metacritic categorized them).

Essentially, if you read the review and ignore the score, that's what is says. And that's why I am buying this (and may even get a DC version).

I scored mine for $5.
The person trying to sell it at a Gamestop did not have a power cord, so they could not take it in. I made a low ball offer, and got it.

Funny thing about the time — the US is still on Daylight Savings time for the next few days (until the weekend). And there is no state in the Central Time Zone of the US that does not observe DST. (Most of Indiana did not observe DST until 2006).

@JarredBuzzo I wonder if the "mess up" is that Nintendo jumped the gun.

@Jazzer94 It is true that @Bizzyb is wrong about there not being interest on other consoles, but for the WiiU, there is no competing game so it should sell to those interested.

The key question is how many are interested. As the delays mount, the number is probably less-and-less, unfortunately.

@gage_wolf

If you notice, Nintendo is playing the opposite game than MS (and Sony).
Nintendo, mostly generally-acceptable (family-acceptable) games with a few edgy titles for the adults so they might buy the system and have a little bit different to play when the kids are in bed.
Microsoft (and Sony) generally start with the edgy crowd and hope to get them to buy the console since they use it to have their kids play a few generally-acceptable (family-acceptable) games earlier in the day.

Think about how MS went with Kinect and how Nintendo treated the Wii.

My biggest concern is that the developers other title is BBU which has some issues, to put it mildly.

It should be interesting to see what happens with this title — to see what it amounts to in the end. Microsoft would have to go to "look at feel" to stop it, which can be tough. It will have to change up some of the materials and monsters — then it should be OK since you can't copyright game types/genre.

"...as far as we know ..." reminds me of " we do not comment on rumor or speculation." It seems as if this is more of a PR account and may not be a definitive word. And if this is a case, why give the new game a new English title.

@accc That might be the hook for Nintendo to reject this.

It is not my cup of tea. I am not sure if it is anyone's cup of tea, or coffee, or Surge.

I too would love to know why the GamePad sound patch has never been released in North America.

That being said, it is nice to see the support for the WiiU.

Not a game changer. But another reason to think about a "New" 3DS.