I have a long history as a Nintendo supporter. I've owned every console they've released since the SNES. I bought a Wii at launch and loved it. I fell out of love with the Wii after Wario Land since there was nothing interesting to me coming out for it for almost a year after that game. I bought a PS3, sold the Wii and went on. I owned a 360 for less than a year. There weren't many interesting games on it for me and I refuse to pay for online play.
With the announcement of the PS4, I decided to buy a Wii U. The reality, to me at least, is that the PS4 doesn't seem much better than the PS3. I recently replaced my PS3 due to Blu-ray drive failure and have no desire to "upgrade" to a new system that lacks backwards compatibility. The Wii U made sense to me since it allowed me to catch up on the Wii games I missed and to also have a next gen console. Nintendo had a clear advantage here. The Wii to Wii U change is obvious. Jumping from 480p to 1080p is startling to say the least. The PS3 to PS4 is less obvious and a much harder sell, for that reason alone.
What interests me most is how well the other new consoles will do against the PS3 and Xbox 360. The older consoles will be cheaper than the next gen alternatives, have large libraries and will be sharing games with the PS4 and Next Xbox. The video game market is in for one interesting transition.
I have to go with The Wonderful 101. That game screams fun and was the deciding factor in my Wii U purchase.
I'm torn on the Wind Waker remake. If they fix the search for the Triforce near the end, I'll be happy. not only was that not fun, it killed all momentum the game had built up.
Seeing all of this Advance Wars love makes me teary eyed. AW was my introduction into the turn-based strategy genre and is one of my favorite games of all time. Here's hoping we get another installment soon!
The good news: The Wii U library is less likely to be filled with awful, generic-looking graphics. I really hate how almost every game that uses the Unreal engine looks similar.
I remember this one evening, back in the day, in which me and five of my best friends went out for burgers and then to the local arcade, each armed with a $10 on a mission to beat the Tower of Doom. We did and it was glorious.
I played as the cleric. I've always loved that in D&D clerics only use blunt instruments so as not to cut flesh. Bashing through bone and tissue is fine, though.
@Squiggle55 Except I'm not part of the new generation. I've owned a console in every generation starting with the Atari 2600. With the advent of digital and the difficulty of dealing with Gamestop and having no other alternative, I'm pretty open to non-physical copies of games. I also don;t need the bulk of a gaming collection. I've even gotten into the habit of selling classic games that I now own through digital services.
My approach is simple: digital for titles I love, such as Zelda; physical for games I don't see myself keeping forever. I don't shy away from download-only titles either, especially after my two favorite games in 2021 being digital titles. Both approaches have advantages but sometimes digital is better since i don't have to deal with Gamestop, especially on titles that they won't get in if there are no preorders and preorders are not available since the title is under their pricing threshhold.
The most vulnerable part of current consoles is the disc-drive, which is also the most expensive piece to repair/replace. I do whatever I can to minimize use of it. Last year, my backwards compatible PS3 had a Blu Ray drive failure. It was cheaper to trade in the old system and buy a new one than to have it repaired. Thanks to the wonders of digital, I easily downloaded my older titles and went on with my day. In fact, if I had more digital titles, the drive's death would have been a non-issue.
For the record, I'm an old-school gamer. I was in college during the 16-bit era.
@SpaceApe I think a large part of it is that there are tons more PS3s and 360s out there. Those systems have been around for, what, 7 years or so.
I bought the game yesterday and love it. I plan on checking out the Co-Driver mode with my wife tonight. I also have the PS3 version and the Wii U version looks much better.
I bought a 1TB off of Amazon for $64. It works really well. I tend to like a lot of download-only titles so it made sense for me to buy it. I have a basic Wii U I bought for $200 so the combined cost of the items was less than $300. If nothing else, I see myself needing a lot of space for VC games!
I've put many hours into Burnout Paradise and didn't get any of the DLC. I'm not too worried. The biggest draw for me is the second driver mode which will allow my wife to get into the game with me.
It's an asinine approach especially considering how frequently Nintendo iterates on its systems. I recently had my PS3 laser go out and it was cheaper to trade in the old console and get a new, improved console than to have the older system fixed. I traded in the broken system and a few hours later, my entire library was available on the new system and I was back in business.
Comments 264
Re: Talking Point: The Next-Gen Console War is Wii U's to Lose
Great article! You make a lot of valid points.
I have a long history as a Nintendo supporter. I've owned every console they've released since the SNES. I bought a Wii at launch and loved it. I fell out of love with the Wii after Wario Land since there was nothing interesting to me coming out for it for almost a year after that game. I bought a PS3, sold the Wii and went on. I owned a 360 for less than a year. There weren't many interesting games on it for me and I refuse to pay for online play.
With the announcement of the PS4, I decided to buy a Wii U. The reality, to me at least, is that the PS4 doesn't seem much better than the PS3. I recently replaced my PS3 due to Blu-ray drive failure and have no desire to "upgrade" to a new system that lacks backwards compatibility. The Wii U made sense to me since it allowed me to catch up on the Wii games I missed and to also have a next gen console. Nintendo had a clear advantage here. The Wii to Wii U change is obvious. Jumping from 480p to 1080p is startling to say the least. The PS3 to PS4 is less obvious and a much harder sell, for that reason alone.
What interests me most is how well the other new consoles will do against the PS3 and Xbox 360. The older consoles will be cheaper than the next gen alternatives, have large libraries and will be sharing games with the PS4 and Next Xbox. The video game market is in for one interesting transition.
Re: Feature: The Biggest Wii U Games of 2013 - Spring Edition
I have to go with The Wonderful 101. That game screams fun and was the deciding factor in my Wii U purchase.
I'm torn on the Wind Waker remake. If they fix the search for the Triforce near the end, I'll be happy. not only was that not fun, it killed all momentum the game had built up.
Re: Intelligent Systems Isn't Done With Advance Wars Just Yet
Seeing all of this Advance Wars love makes me teary eyed. AW was my introduction into the turn-based strategy genre and is one of my favorite games of all time. Here's hoping we get another installment soon!
Re: Epic Games Rules Out Unreal Engine 4 For Wii U
The good news: The Wii U library is less likely to be filled with awful, generic-looking graphics. I really hate how almost every game that uses the Unreal engine looks similar.
Re: Talking Point: What Games Are You Playing This Weekend? - Easter Edition
Tons of Skyward Sword and a bit of New Super Mario Bros. U.
Re: Video: The Wonderful 101 Was Looking Good at PAX East
The Wonderful 101 is the reason I bought a Wii U!
Re: Feature: The Making of Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom & Shadow Over Mystara
I remember this one evening, back in the day, in which me and five of my best friends went out for burgers and then to the local arcade, each armed with a $10 on a mission to beat the Tower of Doom. We did and it was glorious.
I played as the cleric. I've always loved that in D&D clerics only use blunt instruments so as not to cut flesh. Bashing through bone and tissue is fine, though.
Re: Talking Point: The Download or Disc Dilemma
@Squiggle55 Except I'm not part of the new generation. I've owned a console in every generation starting with the Atari 2600. With the advent of digital and the difficulty of dealing with Gamestop and having no other alternative, I'm pretty open to non-physical copies of games. I also don;t need the bulk of a gaming collection. I've even gotten into the habit of selling classic games that I now own through digital services.
Re: Talking Point: The Download or Disc Dilemma
My approach is simple: digital for titles I love, such as Zelda; physical for games I don't see myself keeping forever. I don't shy away from download-only titles either, especially after my two favorite games in 2021 being digital titles. Both approaches have advantages but sometimes digital is better since i don't have to deal with Gamestop, especially on titles that they won't get in if there are no preorders and preorders are not available since the title is under their pricing threshhold.
The most vulnerable part of current consoles is the disc-drive, which is also the most expensive piece to repair/replace. I do whatever I can to minimize use of it. Last year, my backwards compatible PS3 had a Blu Ray drive failure. It was cheaper to trade in the old system and buy a new one than to have it repaired. Thanks to the wonders of digital, I easily downloaded my older titles and went on with my day. In fact, if I had more digital titles, the drive's death would have been a non-issue.
For the record, I'm an old-school gamer. I was in college during the 16-bit era.
Re: Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara Coming To Wii U eShop This June
I have so many fond memories of this game. I'll definitely be picking this up. Here's hoping for Pro Controller support!
Re: Criterion: Support Need For Speed: Most Wanted And DLC Could Happen
@SpaceApe I think a large part of it is that there are tons more PS3s and 360s out there. Those systems have been around for, what, 7 years or so.
I bought the game yesterday and love it. I plan on checking out the Co-Driver mode with my wife tonight. I also have the PS3 version and the Wii U version looks much better.
Re: Hardware Review: Oyen Digital MiniPro 1TB Hard Drive For Wii U
I bought a 1TB off of Amazon for $64. It works really well. I tend to like a lot of download-only titles so it made sense for me to buy it. I have a basic Wii U I bought for $200 so the combined cost of the items was less than $300. If nothing else, I see myself needing a lot of space for VC games!
Re: Wii U Version of Need For Speed: Most Wanted Unlikely To Get DLC Support
I've put many hours into Burnout Paradise and didn't get any of the DLC. I'm not too worried. The biggest draw for me is the second driver mode which will allow my wife to get into the game with me.
Re: Talking Point: This Fan's Tragic Tale Highlights The Problem With Nintendo's Approach To Download Purchases
It's an asinine approach especially considering how frequently Nintendo iterates on its systems. I recently had my PS3 laser go out and it was cheaper to trade in the old console and get a new, improved console than to have the older system fixed. I traded in the broken system and a few hours later, my entire library was available on the new system and I was back in business.