mookysam

To echo what others have said

Region locking sucks!

I've said it before and I'll say it again; they're missing a trick not putting select NES and SNES games on smartphone devices. They could integrate NNID in app to facilitate cross-platform support. Buy the game once and play it on any device (unlikely, but still). They could even do "taster" games that sample their big console and handheld franchises to encourage uptake of the "proper" versions. It doesn't need to open a floodgate. Sony and Microsoft both have smartphone apps that let you see friends, messages, trophies etc and even connect to their consoles. Nintendo could do something similar.

I hope to finish Far Cry 3 this weekend. I didn't like Far Cry 2, but this is greatly improved. On the handheld front I've got back into Mario and Luigi Dream Team Bros. after several months of being sidetracked by Pokemon and Zelda. Nearing the end now, and when I'm finished I may start Guacamelee on the Vita.

Sadly, not really a surprise, but the fact that this will be a second year of losses doesn't bode well for Iwata. The Wii U has sold appallingly. The 3DS, whilst selling reasonably strongly is still not doing nearly enough to prop up the whole company, and it arguably shows signs of having peaked in Japan, its strongest market. Western sales must be far below its predecessors.

Just because the engine can run on multiple platforms doean't mean that games built using it will.

Why not have both local and online multiplayer? Games can and do have both.

I really enjoyed the first Lords of Shadow on its own merits, but it was very far removed from traditional Castlevania. For all intents and purposes, the classic franchise is dead. Moreover, if Lords of Shadow 2 underperforms, that might be it for the franchise altogether.

I'd be sad if they never made a Japanese-styled Metroidvania again, but that's increasingly looking to be the case. What is curious is that many indie developers are now filling the gap left in the market by Konami and even Nintendo (with Metroid).

My vote goes to Yoshi's New Island. It looks delightful and exactly the sort of game I've been missing.

Fingers crossed for a European Shin Megami Tensei IV release at some point this year. Same goes for the elusive Dragon Quest VII. All in all I don't see 2014 being as strong as this year for the 3DS, but that's okay. I have a lot of games to catch up on!

Nintendo's celebrity adverts always bemuse me. The oddest was Kim Cattrall playing Mario a few years back.

It's cheap but it isn't good value.

I honestly don't give two hoots who "wins", so long as games I want to play continue to be released. I'll probably eventually have all three. At the moment I've got a load of 360 and PS3 games still to play.

"Humorous fluff" isn't quite the phrase I'd use.

Why don't they release these for general sale? They have so many games with awesome music, they're missing a trick.

The music in X/Y is excellent. I love the Power Plant theme!

I think Black/White already made lots of long overdue tweaks and improvements to how the games play. They rejuvinated the series for me.

Now that EVs are easy to train, the last real abstract design concept is IVs, which I think should be simplified and more open to player control.

One solution to the annoyance of HMs could be to have field moves completely separate to battle moves. Now that TMs are no longer single use it feels like keeping HMs distinct is unnecessary. The design of the games also now seems to rely less on HMs.

I would agree with Pokemon X/Y being best for series newcomers, but White/Black is also a great choice, or perhaps even Heart Gold/Soul Silver. It's not just that they're just good starting points, but that gameplay wise they are the best the series has ever been. I would never recommend Red or Blue these days because of how buggy and unbalanced they are.

Miaow

EA being voted the worst company in America was one of the most absurd thing I've ever heard. Worse than the banks? Oil companies? Pharmaceutical companies? Insurance providers? Seriously, gamers, get a grip.

Nintendo's "been in trouble" for years. The difference now is that it actually is.

That's possibly the most awesome 3DS design yet. On another note Europe needs Dragon Quest VII!

It looks visually impressive but pretty generic.

Outstanding game!

They need Holly and Phil!

The Galaxy games both have outstanding soundtracks and were definitely enriched by their live orchestrations. Looking forward to the music in this.

Nintendo must turn things around in Europe this Christmas or physical retailers will simply stop stocking it altogether - if they haven't already.

Still a Nintendo under pressure could well be Nintendo at their best. 2014 could be a great year for Wii U software, just like this year has been for the 3DS.

Spelling mistakes in games do my head in. The absolute worst is when their, there and they're are confused. Even Pokemon Y isn't immune to poor spelling, with an entry in the pokedex (I can't remember which one) misspelling "lose" as "loose".

I think the real question is if Rayman was second in the Wii U chart what on earth are other Wii U games selling?

Pokemon Y. I've only got two badges yet have spent 40 hours on it so far, mainly focusing on filling up the pokedex. The past few days I've been doing crazy things like super training magikarp and mass breeding oddish.

I think Halo deserves to be there. It's incredibly important to the console FPS.
Surprisingly good list overall. The top five are brilliant games and it's good that Chrono Trigger is recognised. I would have sneaked Final Fantasy VI in there also.

So pretty.

My opinion of this has changed greatly since the initial unveiling. I'm really looking forward to it.

Amazon are currently selling the 2DS for £99 so you could get that and any game for around the same price as Nintendo's offer.

A load of my points expired but I have a lot of games to register so shall get this.

I was absolutely obsessed with Sonic when I was younger. I used to play Sonic 2 - which was my favourite game at the time - almost every weekend. After my Mega Drive died I went a little while without gaming until my Dad got me an N64, and I didn't play Sonic again until the Mega Collection came out on the Gamecube. Playing Mega Drive era Sonic brings back so many memories of my childhood and I still prefer 2D Sonic to 2D Mario.

At the moment I appreciate the balance between new console and handheld entries and remakes of older titles. There is never too long to wait for a game in the series. The release of a new console Zelda always feels like an event to me. Sometimes the wait is horrible, as with Skyward Sword, but that just made me appreciate it more. Zelda games are consistently excellent, so for me, it's worth the wait. I would hate to get burnt out on annual console releases.

I got Y. I have a weird tradition where I get the second game in the pair (Blue, Silver etc).

I've always loved Wind Waker's art style and never really understood the initial outrage. Link himself was very expressive and fit in well with the tone of the game, because everything was filtered through the eyes of a child. It wouldn't have been the same playing as an adult Link.

I remember my old DS Lite used to last absolutely ages and could be left for days in sleep mode without dying. Good times. I know that the 3DS is much more advanced, but the battery life is still a constant pain. Pokemon Y seems to drain the battery in my original 3DS like no other game, lasting around 3 hours with brightness down to 2. It's a real shame they didn't use a better battery in the 2DS.

Pokemon Y!

Now that I've finished GTA V I've been playing little bits of Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, but I want to focus on Pokemon.

Also still playing Animal crossing and Mario and Luigi.

Online stores post early to ensure customers who have preordered get their game by release day. Some games I preorder online arrive a day early, most on the release date itself, but a few have arrived a day or two after. I don't feel bad that my copy of Pokemon arrived yesterday.

High Street shops selling early is a different matter.

This just makes PETA look stupid and detracts from their very valid campaigns against animal cruelty.

I'm not bothered about chocobo racing but would like to see some "proper" Final Fantasy games on the 3DS. Square seem to be focused putting Final Fantasy remakes on ios and android rather than the dedicated handhelds.

I've been avoiding most pokemon articles and I haven't visited forums because I don't want anything spoiled. I do this with most games so everything is a surprise when I come to play them.

My copy of Y was dispatched earlier today but I wouldn't dream of spoiling it for other people.

@Humphries90

Same here. I hadn't even heard of this until I saw it on the front page. It's getting very hard to avoid spoilers.

Also, I think Nintendo is revealing far too much about this game.

I really enjoy turn based RPGs so am a little disappointed by this. We need more traditional-style JRPGs!

The prices on the eshop are too steep in general.

I've been playing Goldeneye 007 on the Wii. I should be finished with it tomorrow so will finally start The Last of Us.

On the handheld front I'm currently playing Mario and Luigi: Dream Team Bros and Animal Crossing New Leaf. M&L has brilliant 3D!

The sad fact is the Wii U is going to miss out on a huge amount of brilliant games, just like the Wii before it. As someone who loves a broad range of games, I can't restrict myself like that.

I'm sure once the first party library is built up the Wii U will become an attractive second console, but therein lies the problem. How many people say they only buy Nintendo systems for Nintendo games? How many say they don't care about "brown shooters" and mature rated games (as if that is all that is on other consoles)?

Nintendo's challenge now is not to secure multiplats, but meaningful third party exclusives across a broad range of genres. They do not have the resources to single-handedly support the Wii U!

@VincentV Nintendo refused to publish Conker's Bad Fur Day (THQ published it in Europe) and I believe Rare self published Perfect Dark.

I would be concerned if Sega were to purchase Atlus, given their attitude to the western market in recent years.

I'm glad Bravely Default has been reconfirmed for release given the lack of news recently. I don't mind that it's been pushed back because I'll have my hands full with Pokemon and Zelda!