So the Wii U........What exactly is Nintendo playing at?

Spike Spiegel said:

You mean high def Wind Waker? Big deal.

Click to expand...

That game was phenomenal, and underrated because of the graphics. The boat stuff was meh, but the dungeons and bosses were just fantastic. This was back when Nintendo was still making some epic games like Metroid Prime.

Wind Waker was a great game, and if it was new today it would probably still hold up just fine.

Problem is...we all know it's an old game now, and the release really doesn't matter to anyone but the diehards.

I've long thought that Wind Waker was Nintendo's attempt to redefine the franchise completely. They keep going back to that iteration of Link. That version has had the strongest sense of continuity amongst any of the games. And in a lot of ways, Wind Waker is the epitome of what a Zelda game should be: it has a young, fresh spirit, graphics that have cross generational appeal and only the stingiest of the stingy Zelda fans could even begin to take issue with the game in an objective sense.

But to release that game in HD now? Today? I agree with Spike.

I was talking about a brand new game for the Wii U, not the Windwaker HD (which I wasn't aware that it was coming out)

Taiso said:

I love Zelda, but neither Twilight Princess nor Skyward Sword were the killer app system sellers Nintendo would have liked. Neither game 'put Nintendo back on the gamers' maps.' The same people bought them, the same people bitched about them and the world kept turning. The most noteworthy thing about either release was that they came out and nobody could agree on them.

Click to expand...

Although not particularly relevant, I'd just like to say that as a long-term fan of many other Nintendo franchises (i.e. Starfox, 1080, WaveRace, FZero + more) I have never really had ANY love for Zelda. Ever.

However, Twilight Princess was the first Zelda I'd ever laid eyes on in the magazines that MADE me want to get involved for the first time ever. And, I'm glad I finally did, as I loved playing that game. Obviously it also made me more open-minded about the series as a whole and made me want to try other Zelda's, ironically though, as a Wii owner, NOT Skyward Sword - but only because of the control methods implemented for gameplay.

Next port of call will probably be WW for GCN - as I neither own nor plan to acquire a WiiU... at present.

(p.s. I played TP on the GCN )

Whether a new Zelda or a rehash of an old game, it doesn't matter. Both TP and SS were 'new' at the time and neither one really set the gaming world ablaze or made anyone new care about Zelda.

The next new Zelda game is going to do the same exact thing. It'll come out and nothing much will change for Nintendo. That series is now, and forevermore will be, settled on nostalgia boulevard for old fans to bitch about and new fans to like just because 'they're supposed to.'

Nintendo is going to have to look elsewhere for answers this time around.

Here's an article from Bloomberg about Nintendo's troubles with the Wii U, past and present.

Guys let’s be honest here…Nintendo hasn’t had a “dominate” home console since the Super Nintendo.

For the past 4 console generations Nintendo has always made consoles that were nice supplemental gaming machines, but probably not strong enough to meet most people’s gaming needs.

But that’s ok, they all still had great games, they all provided lots of fun, and I don’t think any of them could be considered failures….not even the N64. I don’t think the Wii U will be any different.

Is the Wii U going to put Sony or Microsoft out of business? No, of course not. But I also don't think the Wii U's lack of success is going to spell doom for Nintendo. The Wii U will still have cool games you can’t get anywhere else...and that is what is going to prevent it from “failing”. Worst case scenario, Nintendo’s core franchises will carry the system. Maybe they will have strong 3rd party support, maybe they won’t. Ultimately, that isn’t a problem for me since I love Nintendo’s games, but other people may be understandably annoyed by that fact. Regardless though…this shouldn’t be surprising to anyone…it’s been happening for several generations now.

And in regards to Nintendo’s reliance on Mario and Zelda, there is no doubt that it is true…but don’t Sony and Microsoft rely very heavily on their successful franchises as well?

Serious question…how many new great IPs were introduced this generation that have the potential for serious longevity? Gears of War maybe? Uncharted? What else…?

And how many games were recycled from last generation and just got a fresh new coat of paint this generation?

neo_moe said:

Guys let’s be honest here…Nintendo hasn’t had a “dominate” home console since the Super Nintendo.

Click to expand...

Technically speaking, the Wii did "win" the current generation of consoles, if you were to look at worldwide system sales alone.

Wii = 100 million
360 = 76 million
PS3 = 77 million

But most people don't consider the Wii a winner because it's difficult to put together a list of great core games for the system.

Magician said:

Technically speaking, the Wii did "win" the current generation of consoles, if you were to look at worldwide system sales alone.

Wii = 100 million
360 = 76 million
PS3 = 77 million

But most people don't consider the Wii a winner because it's difficult to put together a list of great core games for the system.

Click to expand...

Wow, I did not know that.

But you're right, I was speaking from a gaming perspective, not sales...

It's worth noting that the Wii was also the only home console being sold with profit with each unit sold (not sure if the PS3 and XBox360 are still being sold with loss though).

Wow, I didn't realize the PS3 got so close to the Xbox 360 in terms of final sales. 3rd place is nothing to be proud of in a three horse race, but after its dismal start and how hot Xbox was, to get within five million units by end of cycle is actually sort of impressive.

EDIT: I misread the numbers. PS3 actually surpassed Xbox 360 in sales by end of cycle. Whoa. That's even more impressive.

Nintendo definitely climbed back to the top of the heap in terms of both profits and sales. The Wii was both affordable to consumers and didn't require such expensive hardware that Nintendo was hurting themselves producing them. It was a really nice combination for them.

It's also worth noting that they moved all those units with an upjumped Gamecube, because that's all the Wii really was in terms of specs. They knew what they had with the GC and leaned on it in order to turn a profit. It was a smart business decision.

But that doesn't matter to gamers. Nor should it. Why should I celebrate Nintendo's success if they don't turn that around and make me happier as a consumer? It does me absolutely no good that they are sitting up there on Cash Mountain in their Roman villas engaging in corporate debauchery.

I'll say this much for them, though. At least they weren't arrogant, trollling pricks about their success this time out the way Sony and publishers like Capcom and Square-Enix have been lately.

I believe Nintendo is reaching out to the fans as much as they can with their many Nintendo Direct announcements, and they're actually making great strides with the 3DS, which is still the best console out there right now. I think Nintendo is at least TRYING to put their finger on the pulse of gaming nation. Meanwhile, the fucks over at Capcom are pretty much pissing in the faces of all their Megaman, Dante and Darkstalkers fans just for loving those IPs.

As much as I'm naysaying Nintendo right now, it's only because I want them to take the success they've found with the 3DS, in this day and age of mobile gaming, and find a way to make it work for the Wii U. They are probably my favorite company of the three major console devs right now.

Nintendo Wii was not marketed to the hardcore gamers as a state of the art console, but rather to people who were not traditionally considered gamers before, and that's a much bigger population base the big N went after. The sales figure shows.

Rumors of GTA5 on WiiIU. Pretty neat.

I completely forgot about this, but has anyone played the enhanced WiiU verion of Mass Effect 3?

Anyone else try the panorama views?
I grabbed a few. I like it, but it needs work still. It helps to stand up or sit in a swivel chair. The video quality is pretty bad. It looks fine on the WiiU gamepad, but it's pretty terrible on any decent TV. You can tell it's been heavily compressed. My guess is they are trying to keep the file sizes small, but it really hurts the experience.

Nintendo was not prepared for HD games.
Seriously, what is wrong with them? They knew this was an issue with other Japanese developers for years now.

Castor Troy said:

Nintendo was not prepared for HD games.
Seriously, what is wrong with them? They knew this was an issue with other Japanese developers for years now.

Click to expand...

That makes a lot of sense. They've been getting by with upgraded Gamecube hardware for a decade. That was probably an easy transition of development.

At least they are lengthening developement instead of pushing out unfinished garbage.

Nintendo is gonna Nintendo.

NeoSneth said:

That makes a lot of sense. They've been getting by with upgraded Gamecube hardware for a decade. That was probably an easy transition of development.

At least they are lengthening developement instead of pushing out unfinished garbage.

Click to expand...

I don't think the "Guys, just wait for them to release the next Mario, Zelda, and/or Mario Kart game, and everything will be ok." excuse will work this time around.
At this rate, those games won't be out until sometime late next year. They also will need to have some new innovation to sell systems.
IMO, the Wii U is done.

They're bound to start releasing stuff come Xmas time.

Madden is skipping the WiiU this year

Oh...and



Real message sent to Wii users.

it's sad that Madden is still relevant

Magician said:

Technically speaking, the Wii did "win" the current generation of consoles, if you were to look at worldwide system sales alone.

Wii = 100 million
360 = 76 million
PS3 = 77 million

But most people don't consider the Wii a winner because it's difficult to put together a list of great core games for the system.

Click to expand...

I had no idea!

But then again, I do remember how tough it was to nab onewhen they first came out. They probably sold a hefty percent of that 100,000,000 in the first few months.

NeoSneth said:

it's sad that Madden is still relevant

Click to expand...

Makes me want to barf kinda.

Does anyone know when EA's exclusive deal is up for renegotiation?

I fucking hope the NFL does not pull that same shit again..

this really is of no contribution what so ever but... got a package from my mom for my birthday a few days ago, even after begging her to please save what little money she had and not get me a gift... but she did (because mom's never listen,) and it was lego city undercover. not sure how she knew to purchase it, im actually guessing she walked into gamestop and said something along the lines of "i want the best game for Wii-U" but either way, shortly contemplated selling it as i have heard its a rather easy game, but then realized i was a complete bastard for even thinking such a thought. opened it, popped it in, game is fucking hilarious, and mindless fun. absolutely love it so far. thanks mom. carry on.

so I shld turn this on again? cause I got at least 6 mos of dust on it... not even sure where my "controller" is..

Another kick in the nuts for the Wii U:

EA drops Wii U development after less than a year.

The supposedly shittiest company in America, which still makes money and now has the exclusive Star Wars game development rights (among other desirable franchises), says 'Not only are we not developing for it, we don't even have anything planned for it.'

This system doesn't have the appeal or market penetration of the Wii. It won't be able to coast on faddist sales or the strengths of its own IPs. As more and more devs bail on Nintendo, this console is looking less and less like the cost friendly alternative and more like a gaming dead zone.

EA's decision doesn't surprise me. They're a soulless company that only develops 'the sure thing' and treats the industry like a strip mine. Unfortunately, they are the poster child for the current state of the market.

At least the 3DS is kicking all forms of ass.

I purchased 2 games (not counting NintendoLand) and have been essentially just borrowing games from the library. (Finished Scribblenauts Unlimited and Warriors Orochi 3) and I'm working on Lego City Undercover. There isn't that many people with Wii U's requesting the games there isn't a big wait. (Wii U and PS3 have the shortest wait times, 360 and Wii have the longest...)

Warriros Orochi 3 has some crappy pop-in where characters and enemies will suddenly pop-into view. But the 2 player mode is interesting since you can opt to have one player on the gamepad screen and the other player on the TV.

td741 said:

But the 2 player mode is interesting since you can opt to have one player on the gamepad screen and the other player on the TV.

Click to expand...

I tried to play the Sonic racing game with my friend on my 108" screen. We could not for the life of us figure out how to split the main screen, instead of having one play on 108" and one play on like 5". It was ridiculous!