mookysam

Larger companies have to consider if it is worth using the same amount of manpower to localise a niche title when it could be better spent localising a title that is likely to sell more and make more money. Smaller publishers manage it because they are focused only on their niche but for a big publisher like Nintendo they have to make more money to cover their company overheads and ensure they can continue bringing lots of different titles over.

I think the Vita will have quite a few years left in it because it is so well supported in Japan. There is a lot to trickle down and be localised. It is now a niche system in the west but it is successful in its niche. Small companies like NIS must find some degree success in releasing the sorts of games they do here or surely they wouldn't bother. Sony have given up on the Vita so it is already companies like NIS' playing field.

The 3DS is less well supported by third parties but gets a big, big push from Nintendo. How much longer it has legs I guess depends on how quickly they decide to shift gears to its successor. Still some big titles to be localised though.

@Tsurii I thought I had read a few years ago that IGA had been forced into a menial desk job at the company after Castlevania Judgement bombed.

Good news. So many indies struggle on the business side of things so it is great that they have that pressure taken off of them. A physical release would be lovely methinks.

@Mogster I think the NX version could actually maybe perhaps be a port of the 3DS version! No mobile hardware is powerful enough to run UE4 and if the NX is a console/portable hybrid then I reckon it will be primarily a handheld rather than the other way round.

I'm pleased that it is coming to the PS4. I've wanted to play another console Dragon Quest ever since VIII. Of the two versions I think it is more likely to get a worldwide release simply because of the vast PS4 market in the west compared to Japan.

On the 3DS version I like the SNES styled graphics on the bottom screen. Very cool.

They look lovely. Isabelle is adorable but the K.K. Slider one is cool.

Very sad news. While we never knew him personally, he was not afraid to poke fun at himself and in doing so endeared himself to people in a way other company leaders do not. I always enjoyed his "Iwata Asks" series (laughs) and the insight they brought to the design process of many Nintendo games.

The enormous success of the DS and Wii was his greatest achievement and will be his enduring legacy.

RIP Iwata.

Terribly sad news RIP Iwata you'll be missed.

I have a couple of my favourite characters, which look nice on my shelf and I think are great, but the current stock situation is really draining the fun out of even wanting any more. It's also driving the worst kind of consumerism given the sort of behaviour and buying habits it is promoting and of course the ever present scalpers. I agree with you Tom; why are Nintendo producing more and more new characters when they can't even satisfy demand for earlier amiibo? It's rather baffling.

Nintendo are missing a trick. Amiibo could and should be a huge hit with kids but they don't even get to shop shelves in the UK. What is already a big success could be enormous. I went to my local Argos recently and the large amiibo shelf was completely empty. In GAME, they only had a few Donkey Kong and Peach.

I think it's quite possible this will be localised. I don't know if the 3DS can do the original game's visuals justice but the addition of new party members and scenarios sounds nice.

I love the IGA metroidvanias. Symphony of the Night, Dawn of Sorrow and Order of Ecclesia are wondrous. The most perfect examples of the genre (sorry Samus, you know I still love you). I hope Michiru Yamane will be on board to compose the music

Oh great, stretch the resources of police and social services even thinner!

I agree that it is wrong for children to consume unsuitable material but this is not remotely the way to deal with the issue.

@unrandomsam

There were a lot of the Jedward ones on TV. The thought of them still makes me cringe.

I still think DQ7 will get a release. Square-Enix have been releasing the mobile ones and are now localising Dragon Quest Heroes, so they haven't completely abandoned the franchise in the west. If nothing else Nintendo have a pretty barren release schedule and could localise this like they did with Bravely Default and Fantasy Life.

None of the above. I think Super Mario Sunshine could be a good fit though, even without the analogue shoulder buttons.

I'd love for this to come to Europe (along with DQ7 and the DQ monsters remakes ) I'm not sure I'm keen on the character designs compared to the originals though. In Theatrhythm Final Fantasy it was so the different art styles of the original games could be homogenised, but the Dragon Quest designs have always been consistent.

I reckon this could see a mobile port...

It's a shame it seems the Japanese VOs won't be included. The English dub is hideous!

The Pikachu one is cute.

I miss the genre. I recently played the first Spyro and though dated in some ways it was still good fun.

It seems there has been quite a lot of focus on side-scrolling NES styled platformers in recent years, so it is nice to see the N64 era platformer (complete with chunky visuals!) get a bit of attention from indies.

Really looking forward to this. I love Yoshi and Kirby's Epic Yarn was lovely.

F-Zero X would actually be really, really nice in 3D so that would be a particularly good candidate for me. My vote has to go to Super Mario 64, however. That game is glorious. I wonder if Nintendo have anything planned for the 30th anniversary of Super Mario Bros...

@CanOn-CanOff

I'd love a Donkey Kong 64 remake (or virtual console release!) They could replace the Rareware coin and Jetpac arcade mini-game.

"Battle with Magus " is one of the best battle themes of all time.

I can understand the disappointment many feel. Yes, it's disappointing when something you have been looking forward to is not released in your region - this is something Europeans can particularly sympathise with. However, I can't help but feel the several thousand internet forum-goers are but a drop in the ocean in the grand scheme of things. In any case, petitions and pleas for the release of certain products do not always translate to comparable sales and companies have been stung by this in the past. For a business with known problems maintaining profitability in recent years is it worth it? I believe, however, it is more an issue of allocating stock globally than anything, with respect to their streamlined manufacturing capabilities.

If folk want to boycott buying a New 3DS at all, that is their right, but the XL is still a lovely piece of hardware that people shouldn't miss out on.

Anyhoo, Thomas nice balanced article as usual.

Disappointing for those who pre-ordered but does this mean Nintendo will indeed be manufacturing more?

I hate the stereotype. What an utterly ludicrous question to ask.

Personally I think Tingle is awesome.

The gem prices are too high, but I have no idea how it compares to the pricing structure of Candy Crush Saga. Are the coins streetpass coins? Also, how does this game compare, gameplay wise, to Pokemon Link Battle?

The load times are currently horrendous so it's good to hear it'll be fixed!

Zelda has always pushed the hardware it's on and I'm excited to see what the power of the Wii U will allow Aonuma and his team to accomplish.

Castlevania! I've wanted the physical version for absolutely ages but it is rather hard to come by. I won't get it right away but it's nice to know it's there.

What is the Castlevania price in GBP?

I love handheld gaming. There's something wonderful about having everything you need to game self-contained in one little unit and I'm still legitimately impressed by it. Handhelds have the ability to be suck me into my own little world more than when gaming through the TV partly because I am less prone to distraction. I actually rarely game away from home, but it's nice to sit or lie comfortably without having to be tethered to the TV. If I need a break but can't turn the game off I can just put a handheld to sleep and not worry about wasting electric.

I've been gaming on handheld platforms since the GBC and these days find that they command more of my gaming time, on average, than any of my home consoles. I'm especially fond of the Vita but my favourite handheld of all time is the DS.

Ugh I hate having to go to GAME for these things. What ever happened to distributing Pokemon online?

I absolutely loved mid-to-late 90's Rare (and Viva Pinata ) This could have real potential given the talent involved and how 3D platformers are pretty much non-existent these days outside of Mario. A Wii U release would be nice to pad out the library.

I really liked the swimming in the original. It made traversing the great bay area very quick, which was handy for a certain part of the game involving some eggs. This change will bring Zora Link in line with Goron Link's fast movement ability, however. I wonder if they'll place magic pots around to compensate?

After a mad dash to register Club Nintendo codes I ordered one of these. The game has lovely music. I like the little triforce symbols on the CDs.

I have particularly fond memories of playing Nintendo games at Christmas. My Dad got me an N64 for Christmas '97 and I can remember how wonderful and amazing Super Mario 64 was, as well as Diddy Kong Racing (especially the Christmas themed tracks!). My favourite series to play at Christmas is Zelda. I loved playing Majora's Mask when it first came out and spent all day Boxing Day playing it whilst stuffing my face full of mince pies.

This is a nice surprise! I wasn't expecting any more news or footage until next year. It looks great.

What a horrendous waste of plastic. Nintendo download code cards are quite prominently featured on shelves in GAME stores so it seems odd to have a "boxed" version for these games.

Many 2D games I've played have looked lovely on my TV despite their low resolution but many have looked equally as manky. I'd rather just have an HD resolution.

As per my review I think it's a brilliant game. I play a lot of older games and find that dated graphics and whatnot are not an immediate deal breaker for me unless they horrifically affect the playability. There have also been big advances in game design thanks to technological improvements, but that doesn't mean older games can't be enjoyed on their own merits.

I played a little Resident Evil (playstation) on my vita. I was actually surprised that something so old and dated looking was able to make me jump. The controls certainly take some getting used to. I'll continue playing it this weekend but only at night. Bwahaha.

I love this game! The Impact! theme is just crazy.

The top of my circle pad fell off when I played A Link Between Worlds. I had to glue it back on with superglue but it's still quite loose so I don't see it surviving this.

@SilentHunter382

The Vita version is also on sale and is a little bit cheaper.

I'm looking forward to this. A month's delay isn't much in the long scheme of things and if it irons out any bugs then it can only be a good thing. Great price, too.

Cute but vile at the same time.

I think the Treehouse coverage was a stroke of absolute genius. Extremely engaging, informative and showing actual detailed gameplay. It even sold me on games I wouldn't normally be interested in. I hope more companies have rolling coverage like this next year.

I couldn't select a favourite reveal. Nintendo had a very strong showing. Zelda is of course very exciting, but Xenoblade X's gameplay demo at the Treehouse really impressed me too. That world was enormous!

Who "won" E3? I think Nintendo had the best show versus the other two platform holders traditional conferences. Nintendo showed lots of gameplay and lots of exclusives. Across the board it seems as though 2015 will be a stellar year for gamers.

Sounds really interesting.

Zelda looks absolutely gorgeous. Only a small trailer but it's impressed me the most out of anything I've seen thus far. Hopefully we'll see a little more over the next few days.

Xenoblade X looks like it is shaping up very, very nicely. The trailer didn't particularly wow me but the live demo really showed the game off well.

On the handheld front I'm still playing Final Fantasy X HD. Nearing the end of the story, but mainly doing side stuff - currently capturing monsters for the arena. I also started a replay of Ocarina of Time 3D which I play when my vita is charging.

Console wise I'm replaying BioShock Infinite on 1999 mode. The worst part so far was the very beginning because I hadn't yet got the shield or access to gear (clothing that grants various passive abilities), but other than that it's not giving me too much trouble.

My main focus is Final Fantasy X on the Vita. It looks great and and runs very smoothly. I also like the music remixes! Excellent remaster and a perfect fit for the vita, too.

I'm also slowly progressing through my replay of BioShock 2, this time on hard (which is actually a piece of p***). I wanted to replay it before I play the Bioshock Infinite DLC.