Wii U - General Discussion Thread

Troopa said:
Speaking for myself (obviously), I was a huge Nintendo fan until the Wii. I had the NES, SNES, N64, Gamecube. Loved them all.

I don't think the problem was the Wii itself, though I honestly don't like motion control gaming. It had plenty of great games to be played with a regular controller.

My issue was that I was getting more into shooters. And for console shooters, the Xbox was the system to have. I played over 5,000 games of Halo 2 and Halo 3.

But I'm tired of shooters. Seems like Microsoft and Sony are so focused on shooters, racers and action-adventure. I find myself yearning for the colorful platformers and games like Mario Kart with my friends. So I plan on getting a Wii U soon and I'm excited to jump back into the Nintendo camp. I'm glad they've stuck with their family-oriented style and I'm also glad they've improved their online gaming.
Click to expand...
I'm kind of the same. Nintendo platforms were my only or main consoles until the PS2 gen. I still got the GC first, but ended up playing PS2 most. Last gen I got a Wii first, but hated the motion controls and sold it off after getting a 360. Eventually got a PS3 in early 2012 and that's been my main platform since.

I'm a bit sick of FPS, and totally done with competitive MP in them. But I loved Borderlands 2, and still love the campaigns in games like Halo or Killzone, and third person shooters like Gears and Uncharted.

I got a 3DS and Wii U to get some variety mixed in. 3DS has been great with stuff like Fire Emblem, Animal Crossing in addition to Mario and Zelda etc. Wii U I haven't found anything I want to play other than platformers really. I do need to check out Pikmin when it's cheap (or see if a Redbox around me has it) and I'll probably grab Wind Waker HD eventually (just need a break from Zelda as noted above). Stuff like Wonderful 101, Lego Undercover etc. just doesn't appeal to me. But again, that's on me for letting my prior Nintendo fandom get me to impulse buy a Wii U when the games weren't there for me yet.

I've lately been getting the variety in game line up on Vita as that's a great machine to play the indie/psn games like Guacamelee, Spelunky etc. on as I'm just not apt to sit down and play those types of games when I can game on a console on the big screen. But I love them when out and about or when my fiancee is using the TV etc.

So my fandom has shifted from Nintendo to Sony in the PS2 era, then it shifted to MS with the 360 most of last gen, and now it's back to Sony as I love the PS3 and Vita--and especially love PS+ as it gets me to try so many games I would never buy. I've decided I'll definitely keep one of the Nintendo platforms around for a while though. More likely the Wii U as there will at least be a Zelda coming for it and I have a feeling the 3DS won't get much more that really interests me--though again a Metroid would change that. Plus I just don't really need two handhelds and there's just much more that interests me on Vita.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
It's important to note that most of the games announced last year are released or almost released. Only Mario Kart, Smash Bros., and Hyrule Warriors remain, and I highly doubt Nintendo is devoting every single developer to those games. There will likely be a Nintendo Direct within the next few months where they will announce a bunch of games.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
DNukem170 said:
It's important to note that most of the games announced last year are released or almost released. Only Mario Kart, Smash Bros., and Hyrule Warriors remain, and I highly doubt Nintendo is devoting every single developer to those games. There will likely be a Nintendo Direct within the next few months where they will announce a bunch of games.
Click to expand...
Of course they aren't devoting everything to those games. The problem is that they tend to announce game a year or more in advance so how many games announced over the next couple of months will come out this holiday? Maybe 1 or 2 surprises at the most and most everything else will be 2015.

What big hitters do they have left? I mean, Mario Kart and Smash are it right? People have been talking Zelda up but it hasn't actually been announced. People are just assuming it's going to be announced this E3.

 
Every platform holder hasn't really discussed what they're releasing in the latter half of this year, so that means we should have a good E3 with lots of announcements and updates on games.

 
In terms of Nintendo heavy hitters they could pull out of their sleeve:

Zelda--that's definitely coming to Wii U. Well, unless they are planning on abandoning it in late 2015 and then they may just shift it to a launch title for whatever they put out next.

Star Fox
Animal Crossing (got a portable and console installment last gen)
Metroid (doesn't sell big, but has passionate fans)

Unless I'm having a brain fart, that's about it in terms of the big hitters. Bunch of smaller stuff they could bring back like Punchout, Kid Icarus, Star Tropics, Eternal Darkness (think that was 2nd party), Earthbound etc. But none of those will impact console sales much. Mario Kart, Smash Bros. and Zelda U are the three they have left to really try and move some consoles. Maybe a Metroid if they can give it more appeal than the Prime games had in terms of sales. Perhaps if it had a well regarded multiplayer (not unheard of given the DS game, though that wasn't very good) to go with the outstanding single player.
 
dmaul1114 said:
In terms of Nintendo heavy hitters they could pull out of their sleeve:

Zelda--that's definitely coming to Wii U. Well, unless they are planning on abandoning it in late 2015 and then they may just shift it to a launch title for whatever they put out next.

Star Fox
Animal Crossing (got a portable and console installment last gen)
Metroid (doesn't sell big, but has passionate fans)

Unless I'm having a brain fart, that's about it in terms of the big hitters. Bunch of smaller stuff they could bring back like Punchout, Kid Icarus, Star Tropics, Eternal Darkness (think that was 2nd party), Earthbound etc. But none of those will impact console sales much. Mario Kart, Smash Bros. and Zelda U are the three they have left to really try and move some consoles. Maybe a Metroid if they can give it more appeal than the Prime games had in terms of sales. Perhaps if it had a well regarded multiplayer (not unheard of given the DS game, though that wasn't very good) to go with the outstanding single player.
Click to expand...
I'd be interested in an Earthbound for Wii U. I'd also get Zelda and Metroid. The only other thing on that list would be Animal Crossing. My daughter already has that for 3DS and if it's anything like the Wii version it will just be the 3DS version with a few add-ons.

 
I did have a brainfart--Pokemon.

They've never done a mainline one on a console, but they could do a battle arena one, or a Pokemon Snap sequel (would make a lot of sense with ability to use the gamepad as a camera.

Or they could buck the trend and make one for consoles--even go the MMORPG route with it. But highly unlikely given their "protect the kiddies from predators" approach to online gaming.
 
Remember that X and Bayonetta are on the horizon as well. Yes they are coming from Moniloth and Platinum but at least there is a little more variety on the horizon. But as far as in house Nintendo and what they could do...

Zelda Wii-U- it's coming. We know it. Hopefully an E3 reveal.

Star Fox- I pray for this every night in my sleep.

Animal Crossing- Unless I can bring my 3DS town to the Wii-U I;m going to pass. I've put in plenty of hours in Corneria and I probably wouldn't feel like starting up a new town.

F-Zero/Wave Race/1080- I would love one of these franchises to come to the Wii-U. The 64/GCN was loaded with great racers and bringing at least one of these to HD would be sweet.

Kirby- There has been a lot of Kirby love over the past several years but seeing Kirby on the Wii-U would be fun.

3D Donkey Kong- Obviously DKC just had another entry but if there was an open world Donky Kong game, ala DK 64 minus colored bananas, I bet it would be well received.

Obviously there are a lot of smaller titles/franchises that could be great on the Wii-U. Hopefully Nintendo is ready to open the floodgates.

 
I'd probably buy an AC game day 1 but the problem there is the 3DS has AC covered, I can't imagine the game getting any better. If there was a Wii U version then it would have to be significantly different from the 3DS version and significantly upgraded to get my money.

The problem with Pokemon is there is already a robust battle system in the 3DS games so I doubt Pokemon stadium 3 is coming. I have been hearing that game freak will not do a console RPG so I wouldn't hold my breath on that. But then again stranger things have happened.

I am sure there will be a new kirby game for the Wii U eventually
 
Blaster man said:
Of course they aren't devoting everything to those games. The problem is that they tend to announce game a year or more in advance so how many games announced over the next couple of months will come out this holiday? Maybe 1 or 2 surprises at the most and most everything else will be 2015.
Click to expand...
Nintendo has a policy of only announcing games a year or so out after the Smash Bros. Brawl disaster.

As for Earthbound, I am not so sure. NoA resisted doing a VC as long as they could, NoJ never did a VC for it despite it being in Smash Bros. Masterpiece, and from what I heard Mother 3 did not sell well at all.

Similar problems are with the other franchises. Pokemon XD, Battle Revolution, the F-Zero gane based on the anime, Other M, StarFox Command, etc. all did pretty poorly, which is causing sone executives to be hesitant to bring another entry.
 
dmaul1114 said:
I'm a bit sick of FPS, and totally done with competitive MP in them. But I loved Borderlands 2, and still love the campaigns in games like Halo or Killzone, and third person shooters like Gears and Uncharted.
Click to expand...
I was considering a Xbox One, but I realized that most of my favorite 360 games (except for Halo) were also on the PC. I have Borderlands, Borderlands 2, Tomb Raider, Castle Crashers, and so on available on the PC.

And now... the biggest Xbox One game (Titanfall) is also coming to PC. So I feel less and less of a want for the Xbox One.

Additionally, many of my friends have jumped on the Wii U train, so for the sake of fun multiplayer in the future I'm looking to get one. I'm thinking a game like Monster Hunter is something I could really get into too.

 
I've never understood why a proper Pokemon game has made it to a Nintendo console.  I'm not a fan of the series, but it seems like a proper Pokemon game on Wii U would be the one thing at this point that would be a true system seller.  It's the only really popular series they have that hasn't been done to death in recent years on the console side.

I hope there's an Animal Crossing game announced sometime soon, I haven't played any since the original since they've been so lazy with the series but I'd be ready to play a new one, and off TV play would definitely be a good fit for that game.

 
Josh5890 said:
Remember that X and Bayonetta are on the horizon as well. Yes they are coming from Moniloth and Platinum but at least there is a little more variety on the horizon. But as far as in house Nintendo and what they could do...
Click to expand...
Well, in terms of sales those are both pretty niche titles that aren't going to move units obviously. Personal interest wise, I'm mildly interested in X--never played Xenoblade. But from what I've seen it looks like it has turn based or automated (think KOTOR or Dragon Age 1) battles and I'm not a fan of that much. Bayonetta I couldn't care less about as I just don't like that genre, and can't even get into the easier/simple games like God of War.

rlse9 said:
I've never understood why a proper Pokemon game has made it to a Nintendo console. I'm not a fan of the series, but it seems like a proper Pokemon game on Wii U would be the one thing at this point that would be a true system seller. It's the only really popular series they have that hasn't been done to death in recent years on the console side.
Click to expand...
Well the reasoning before was all the going out and meeting other people with the handheld to battle and trade Pokemon with. They've just failed to embrace online, worry about kids running into predators etc. That said, there is online play and trading etc. on the X and Y on 3DS, so it's not out of the realm of possibility that they could put out a console version with robust online. That would move systems and signal that they were finally getting their heads out of their assess about online gaming in general.

Javery said:
Yes. Exactly.

Super Mario Universe. It practically names itself. You're welcome, Nintendo.
Click to expand...
I don't see it being a good move personally. Neither NSMBU or SM3DW moved consoles. They need to give Mario a break and spend development resources on some other IPs that may move Wii Us.

 
dmaul1114 said:
I don't see it being a good move personally. Neither NSMBU or SM3DW moved consoles. They need to give Mario a break and spend development resources on some other IPs that may move Wii Us.
Click to expand...
I disagree. A break - sure. But the "break" just being the time between developing new Mario games is sufficient. So, like 2 years from SM3DW maybe? I think what a lot of people want is a new Super Mario 64/Mario Sunshine type game - i.e., a more "open" world (or at least a hub to explore). Even Mario Galaxy didn't really fit that mold. So going back to that would be different enough from NSMB and 3D World (and even Mario Galaxy) that it would a good refresh for the series. Make it so Nintendo!

Plus, at this point, I'm not sure if any one game is a "system seller". They just need to have a robust overall library. I mean, what was a system seller on the Wii other than the pack-in? They'll have the requisite Kart and Smash games out soon - everything else is just for depth. But yeah, like a lot of you I don't get why they don't have a mainline Pokémon on consoles. Maybe they want to keep that as a killer handheld IP? Maybe they think if they release it on the Wii U as well it dilutes its power as the one game that can singlehandedly keep them in the lead on the handheld front? I dunno...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Well yeah, 2-3 years down the road a new Mario could do well probably.  But at that point they'd be likely holding it as a launch title for the next console rather than putting it on Wii U.

But one in 2014 or 2015 is pushing it given that NSMB 2, SM3DL, NSMBU and SM3DW all came out in the past couple of years.  Not to metion all the other games staring Mario.

As you note, they need variety.  Give Mario a rest and focus on other IPs the next couple years and see if that added variety can move some consoles and make the Wii U failure at least sting less.  There's nothing they can do to change that it's a sales failure. All they can do at this point is minimize the damage by trying to sell as many as possible, but put out some great games to get some buzz back and improve the chances of doing better the next go around in 2-3 years if they can get the hardware, marketing and launch window software just right.

 
Zelda Wii U.  Seriously, Nintendo.  Don't make us wait the console's entire lifespan like you did with Skyward Sword.  (Not that I would have wanted them to rush it, and in retrospect that honestly might have better served as a launch title for the Wii U.)  

I also agree with the Pokemon thing.  Pokemon Stadium 3 anyone?  Or better yet, a sequel to Colosseum.  Seems like they have all these really cool ideas once in awhile (Colosseum, Super Mario Sunshine, Luigi's Mansion) that make for outstanding games, and they just totally abandon them and go back to things they've done a dozen times.  Or they try to follow them up (Battle Revolution, Galaxy, Dark Moon) and end up hybridizing them with the traditional formula so much that what really made them stand out is lost (storyline, open world, and immersiveness, respectively).

Zelda seems to be the one exception that manages to habitually strike a good balance between following a well-developed formula and still keeping it fresh by trying new things.

 
You do realize most people hated Sunshine, right? And FLUDD being in Brawl didn't improve things. Luigi's Mansion was a cult game until Dark Moon came around.

While Colosseum was highly successful, the far more story driven and refined Pokemon XD didn't sell anywhere near as well, which is one reason why Battle Revolution was made the way it was. Though apparently both games did better in America than Japan. I would have to look at the sale figures again, but I think PokePark actually outsold both GameCube games in Japan.

Though you could argue that Colosseum did well soley because of the pre-order bonus offering Jirachi, which Nintendo doesn't do anymore. Now, they just send Event Pokemon out on WiFi during the theatrical showings of the movies. I am actually surprised they haven't connected it to the data broadcasts of the anime yet.

And Zelda WiiU was announced already, though nothing has been shown yet. Wind Waker and Hyrule Warriors were/are just tiding over fans until then.

 
A pokemon game would surely move units, and not Pokepark, that was the biggest pile of crap game I have ever seen.

The trouble is I am having trouble thinking of how they are going to make something out of it that connects to the mainline games but is not already in the mainline games since the battling and tournaments have now moved to the 3DS games.  Previously they had a reason to make Pokemon Stadium games as there was no online battling besides peer to peer in the handheld games, but now the handheld games have it all, so there is no need for a console stadium game.

The only thing I can think of is doing another Pokemon XD type game, which I would absolutely love them to do. But it would have to be a full RPG game.

If they just make a console spinoff game, it probably won't sell, and real Pokemon fans won't buy it. I know I only buy the mainline RPG games now, mainly because the spinoff titles have been really bad the last few years.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
It depends on the game. I am not a fan of the Mystery Dungeon games, but the last entries were highly regarded.

And I know a LOT of people that are dying for a new Pokemon Ranger game.

Nintendo tried Pokemon Rumble, but for some reason stopped supporting it almost right after it was released.

While older fans would love a new Ranger or XD-like game, apparently the kiddies don't (or Nintendo believes the kiddies don't want them).

 
Wait... people hated Mario Sunshine?  The same game that has a 92 on Metacritic?  I loved that game and played the crap out of it back in the day.  It wasn't as revolutionary as SM64 and not as charming as the Galaxy games but it was still really really really good.  Also, getting all of the blue coins was pretty challenging.  I'd actually love to play a 16:9 HD rerelease!

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Javery said:
Wait... people hated Mario Sunshine? The same game that has a 92 on Metacritic? I loved that game and played the crap out of it back in the day. It wasn't as revolutionary as SM64 and not as charming as the Galaxy games but it was still really really really good. Also, getting all of the blue coins was pretty challenging. I'd actually love to play a 16:9 HD rerelease!
Click to expand...
Internet, contrarians, etc. It's far from my favorite Mario title, but that's not saying much bad at all in terms of overall quality as a game.

 
Mario Sunshine is one of those polarizing games people seem to love or hate.

I liked it ok, but it's at the bottom of my list of 3D Mario games.  I didn't like Fludd that much, and some of it was just more difficult than I like.

I'm personally just not that interested in HD remakes in general as I'm just not super big on replaying games.  Too many great, new games I'd rather play for the first time.

I'd be interested in a Mario Galaxy HD collection, but really just because I never played the 2nd one and don't really want to play it in SD (nor have to buy a nunchuck as I only have a Wiimote and classic controller pro as far as Wii controllers go).

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Mario Sunshine is kind of like Superman Returns. Critics loved it, but was despised by a lot of fans. The horrible plot didn't help matters.
 
I like Mario Sunshine more than Mario 64 and would buy it again to play on the wii u gamepad (off tv, of course).

Unfortunately, it looks like it would have to be a disc release instead of gamecube games hitting the virtual console.
 
DNukem170 said:
Mario Sunshine is kind of like Superman Returns. Critics loved it, but was despised by a lot of fans. The horrible plot didn't help matters.
Click to expand...
Since when is plot relevant in a Mario game?

Good point by SaraAB about being able to get the full breadth of experience on 3DS for Pokemon now though. I never really thought about that before, but I guess this is the first time where their consoles have to compete with their own handhelds. Hopefully the new Smash Bros and Mario Kart won't fall victim to that. There are some games that are just meant to be played on consoles.

 
spaboolly said:
Since when is plot relevant in a Mario game?
Click to expand...
Normally it isn't outside of the RPGs, but this game tried to have an actual story with cutscenes and everything, but it depended on everyone but Mario being idiots, specifically Peach and the Isle Defino residents. It soured a lot of people.
 
DNukem170 said:
Normally it isn't outside of the RPGs, but this game tried to have an actual story with cutscenes and everything, but it depended on everyone but Mario being idiots, specifically Peach and the Isle Defino residents. It soured a lot of people.
Click to expand...
Then some people took it way too seriously.... And Peach has been kidnapped how many dozens of times? Pretty sure she was always an idiot. I didn't like Sunshine as much as 64 either, but at least it tried to do something different and it was the go-to Mario game for the Gamecube. Aside from Paper Mario, which I also wouldn't mind seeing on Wii U, provided it isn't a repeat of Sticker Star (another example of blending something that was unique into a generic mold). If people want to play a typical Mario game, there are plenty to choose from.

Just saying that Nintendo (much as I love their usual menu) could stand to mix things up a bit once in a while to sell a few more consoles. The innovation of the Wii and Wii U is cool, but it's pretty pointless if they can't come up with innovative games to match the console's capabilities.

(Forum just randomly erased half my post... odd.)

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I always wondered what a new Star Tropics would be like. I mean honestly traveling around a pretty decent sized ocean map in a sub, visiting islands, exploring caves filled with danger. Sure it could be a little Wind Waker like, but focus more on exploring deep caverns, solving puzzles, fighting monsters, etc.

There is potential here. If it's really good, people will buy it.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Ideally a new Star Tropics could be their more light hearted answer to Uncharted.

Give it more realistic graphics, give it an Indiana Jones vibe with exploring items and delving into caves, temples etc. on islands solving puzzles and hunting for treasure, stumble across some ancient mystery to add to the plot.

Hire some western developer to write it and make it, put a couple guys from the Zelda team on it to help with the caves/dungeons/puzzles.

They could do similar with Star Fox. Get the developer behind the Star Wars Rogue Squadron/Rogue Leader games to do a slightly more realistic one, with more plot etc.


Stuff like that individually isn't going to move a bunch of consoles, but get a handful of those new types of games out (even if it's reviving long ignored IP rather than totally new) along with Mario Kart, Smash Bros, Zelda U etc. and it will at least improver their chances of getting up to 15 million or so sold and minimize the harm done and build back some good will among their core fanbase (i.e. longtime fans like me that are finally getting disenchanted with them) and make them more likely to take a chance on their next console.
 
spaboolly said:
Since when is plot relevant in a Mario game?

Good point by SaraAB about being able to get the full breadth of experience on 3DS for Pokemon now though. I never really thought about that before, but I guess this is the first time where their consoles have to compete with their own handhelds. Hopefully the new Smash Bros and Mario Kart won't fall victim to that. There are some games that are just meant to be played on consoles.
Click to expand...
I don't think Mario Kart will fall victim to that, there is no way you can replicate the control experience of Mario Kart on a handheld. Its meant to be played with a real controller. Plus they have the steering control with the Wii remote, that can't be done on the handheld. Smash, I am not sure about that one but if the controls don't work well then some people won't play it, but the 3DS one is sure to be a huge seller. In Pokemon you are basically just walking around and pushing the A button the whole time, so that was easy to replicate on the handheld.

The point of the stadium games was to show your Pokemon in 3D, but again, that is now being done on the handheld, although the 3D is very poorly done with all the framerate lag in X & Y however seeing my Pokemon in 3D on the big screen is not enough for me to buy a stadium type game. This is why I doubt they will be making one.

Its very true that Nintendo has created competition for itself by making the 3DS so good, and so many good games on it.

As far as Pokemon ranger, I will not be buying another one, the game does too much damage to the 3DS's touch screen unless they radically change the formula. Its a good game, but that circling mechanic is very bad for the touch screen of handhelds, and I use screen protectors. Also, any Pokemon spinoff that doesn't connect to the main games for some reason just seems.... pointless.

 
Yeah, the competition with themselves from the 3DS is a huge issue.

They have to get to a unified platform the next go around.

Be it just having one platform that's some handheld console hybrid that streams to the TV or has a dock. Or getting the portable and console on the same architecture and having all the games be cross buy/save with the portable just playing the games downscaled (like a lesser PC with settings on medium, vs. a high end with them on max).

That gets rid of the competition, gets all their games on both platforms so they have an appealing library on both even with limited third party support. And, in the same architecture case, still gives some reason to buy both. Cross buy/save is awesome on PS3 and Vita for games that support it. It was fantastic playing Guacamelee on Vita when out or the fiancee was using the TV, then picking up where I left off on the PS3 on the big screen later. I'd be likely to buy both if Nintendo got it right. But a hybrid single platform probably makes more sense.
 
For sure.

Honestly gaming going mainstream is the worst thing that could have happened to the hobby for those of is that have been gaming for decades.

It shifted the lowest common denominator of the market, has killed/diminished genres, is killing portables etc. as everyone wants to chase the CoD/madden crowd and stuff that doesn't cater to them doesn't sell and gets abandoned.
 
dmaul1114 said:
For sure.

Honestly gaming going mainstream is the worst thing that could have happened to the hobby for those of is that have been gaming for decades.

It shifted the lowest common denominator of the market, has killed/diminished genres, is killing portables etc. as everyone wants to chase the CoD/madden crowd and stuff that doesn't cater to them doesn't sell and gets abandoned.
Click to expand...
Agreed, mainstream gaming brought about serious money/investors and the industry shifted from investing in new IPs to chasing the sure thing.

"Greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures, the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge, has marked the upward surge of mankind and greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the U.S.A." - Gordon Gekko

 
dmaul1114 said:
For sure.

Honestly gaming going mainstream is the worst thing that could have happened to the hobby for those of is that have been gaming for decades.

It shifted the lowest common denominator of the market, has killed/diminished genres, is killing portables etc. as everyone wants to chase the CoD/madden crowd and stuff that doesn't cater to them doesn't sell and gets abandoned.
Click to expand...
Whoa Whoa Whoa,

What exactly is wrong with the "CoD/Madden" crowd? They love their games and will pay to play their games, each and every year. Neither are common denominator either, both games are incredibly complicated with great online communities, though I would readily concede they see very little year over year development.

Nintendo seems to want to make one or two versions of major titles for each system, which given that they generally get hardware and licensing profits makes sense, but if you are a developer, having a cash cow like CoD or Madden is a must.

Besides, what is so bad about giving the customer what they want? Right now Nintendo's platform woefully under serves online gaming and they are effectively two generations behind, which seems to be OK to Nintendo, they dont really seem to be interested in that market.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Javery said:
Wait... people hated Mario Sunshine? The same game that has a 92 on Metacritic? I loved that game and played the crap out of it back in the day. It wasn't as revolutionary as SM64 and not as charming as the Galaxy games but it was still really really really good. Also, getting all of the blue coins was pretty challenging. I'd actually love to play a 16:9 HD rerelease!
Click to expand...
Yeah, even though I'm an old dude who remembers playing the original Mario Bros. game in the arcade, Super Mario Sunshine was pretty much the first Mario game I spent any amount of time playing. I had an NES in college with the pack-in SMB or whatever it was and while I thought it was fun, I never played it that much. Not being able to save progress soured me on consoles (though I know some games had battery saves - in fact I think I also had Zelda II). I had moved on to computer games at that point after my Atari/Colecovision phase and skipped NES/SNES/N64. I only played that original NES for a few weeks while I was recovering from a knee operation.

So I guess in the same way that younger CAGs might be nostalgic for SMB3 or Mario 64 from their childhood, I'm nostalgic for SMS (though from my early-30's ;)). That would be an insta-buy for me as an HD remake (more so than Wind Waker). But I'd prefer they just make a sequel or a new Mario game in a similar style.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
foltzie said:
Whoa Whoa Whoa,

What exactly is wrong with the "CoD/Madden" crowd? They love their games and will pay to play their games, each and every year. Neither are common denominator either, both games are incredibly complicated with great online communities, though I would readily concede they see very little year over year development.

Nintendo seems to want to make one or two versions of major titles for each system, which given that they generally get hardware and licensing profits makes sense, but if you are a developer, having a cash cow like CoD or Madden is a must.

Besides, what is so bad about giving the customer what they want? Right now Nintendo's platform woefully under serves online gaming and they are effectively two generations behind, which seems to be OK to Nintendo, they dont really seem to be interested in that market.
Click to expand...
kill3r7 pretty much nailed what I was getting at. There's nothing wrong with the CoD/Madden crowd themselves. They like those games and play the shit out of them.

The problem is that market is so big, everyone but indies from the most part focused on them and trying to put out the next $100 million+ profit game. Few developers are taking risks and trying new stuff, especially not at the AAA level. There's too much playing it safe, too many sequels or games that just ripoff other popular games etc.

Nintendo tries to do something a little different, but mostly fails as the market is just so focused on shooters, racing games, sports sims etc. that few other things sale other than some big WRPGs and some action/adventure games like Uncharted, Tomb Raider and Assassin's Creed.

To be fair, Nintendo is very guilty of playing it safe lately as well. Their games differ from those, but there's been VERY little innovation from them and a ton of just pumping out Mario games, Zelda games etc. Great games, but games that feel like the same thing we've been playing for ages with new level designs and better graphics each generation. So more or less the same we're getting on other platforms, just in different genres.

Anyway, I'm just more disenchanted with Nintendo as I've been a fan of them longer and I'm more burnt out on their franchises than Sony's stuff or the third party stuff that's mostly only on Sony/MS. I just picked up a PS4 at Costco today, and will have to do a lot of thinking about whether I need to keep the Wii U around. I'm leaning toward selling it and keeping my 3DS for my Nintendo fix. Though I'll probably just wait until after E3 and see how Wii U and 3DS game announcements pan out.

But I feel a bit overwhelmed having the PS4, PS3, Vita, Wii U, and 3DS. For someone that games 5-15 hours a week usually depending on work etc., that's just too much hardware and too many game libraries to keep up with. I have a few more PS3 games I definitely want to get through, then I'll probably ditch that and just skip the remaining games (mostly PS+ freebies anyway) that aren't in anyway must plays for me. And I'll at least get rid of one of the two Nintendo platforms as I just don't need both. But one would probably be good to keep around to complement the PS4/Vita pair.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
dmaul1114 said:
For sure.

Honestly gaming going mainstream is the worst thing that could have happened to the hobby for those of is that have been gaming for decades.

It shifted the lowest common denominator of the market, has killed/diminished genres, is killing portables etc. as everyone wants to chase the CoD/madden crowd and stuff that doesn't cater to them doesn't sell and gets abandoned.
Click to expand...
I think the indie games market is what's taking over the spaces abandoned by the big developers.

 
Blaster man said:
I think the indie games market is what's taking over the spaces abandoned by the big developers.
Click to expand...
Yeah, they just need to get bigger budgets so they can fill that midtier void that's left from all the big developers going after the AAA market and not taking chances with B level games that cost a lot more to make than the average indie, but not nearly as much as an AAA game.

But the indie stuff is definitely a big part of what's pulled me toward Sony. Nintendo and MS have decent indie support for sure. But Sony gets pretty much all that stuff and more. And the Vita is particularly great for playing a lot of it as I have a hard time getting motivated to play a small indie game on the big screen when I could fire up a full on PS3/4 or Wii U game and enjoy the graphics etc. But that matters little on the small screen so I enjoy a lot of lesser graphics indie stuff more on portables.

 
dmaul1114 said:
But I feel a bit overwhelmed having the PS4, PS3, Vita, Wii U, and 3DS. For someone that games 5-15 hours a week usually depending on work etc., that's just too much hardware and too many game libraries to keep up with. I have a few more PS3 games I definitely want to get through, then I'll probably ditch that and just skip the remaining games (mostly PS+ freebies anyway) that aren't in anyway must plays for me. And I'll at least get rid of one of the two Nintendo platforms as I just don't need both. But one would probably be good to keep around to complement the PS4/Vita pair.
Click to expand...
i understand where you are coming from. I have all of those consoles as well as a PS2 with a BIG stack of games I want to burn through. With a full time job and being a full time student at night, gaming time is short. I don't mind having the variety in consoles though since that way if there is a game on a system I would die to play, I'm not out in the cold.

My thing that I have to be careful about this generation is my game purchases. I'm making a solid effort to actually save a few bucks here and there. I have a bad habit of picking up games to either complete a collection (i.e- all the Ratchet and Clank's or Dragon Quest games) or because it is a "great" deal (wow $30 for Cathrine :pS3:. it is going to be OOP soon) P.S- Cathrine is still sealed 3 years later. I've tried a new rule where I don't buy anything for a console if I have more than two unplayed games from the same console on my shelf. So far I'm doing good but my achilles heal is JRPG's. I probably have a good 60-70 that I still haven't played and all but 10 are untouched. I usually beat 3 games from that genre a year if I'm lucky.

 
Blaster man said:
I think the indie games market is what's taking over the spaces abandoned by the big developers.
Click to expand...
I was just thinking the same thing reading this thread, indie game developers are essentially doing what the big developers did twenty years ago. Development costs were lower, you could sell a few hundred thousand copies and still call it a success. Now it seems if it doesn't break 1mil (or even 2mil sold as you pointed out eariler in this thread) it can't be called succesful from a financial point.

Higher development costs marks the need for cash cow franchises. Too many medium-sized game developers have gone under in the past 5 years (some that were around for decades), more than the past 10 years prior to that point (at least it seems so).

Less popular (though still high quality) games that could come out (like a new Star Tropics reinvented) would please the core audiences (which I don't think has changed much in the past 20 years), but would be unfortunately a losing short-term financial battle. It could win the war though, a risk in need of taking to find out.

 
One of the problems with the indie stuff, of which I'm thinking stuff in Wii Shop, eShop, and on the PSN, is that it's really hard to find good stuff among the crap.

On the PS3 there were a few well-done games by independents. Pixel Junk stuff, I thought, was really good. I also liked some of the early stuff like Calling All Cars - it was just arcade-like fun. Crash Commando was also like that. I bought a lot of games that looked good but turned out to be Target Wii-style Junk. When you buy enough junk you start thinking it's all junk.

 
This is why I think Nintendo could be in a great position if they would just get their act together.  They need to make the last-gen technology work in their favor.  Presumably it doesn't cost as much or take as long to develop for the WiiU - they should be pumping out many many many more games - there should at least be a huge release every single month for the WiiU so you can barely keep up.  If the in-house studios can't work that fast, farm it out - license the IP. 

Don't let something like Hyrule Warriors happen though (c'mon, you just know this isn't going to be any good).  Create a quality control team to oversee everything and lay out a game plan (kind of like Marvel is doing with the cinematic universe).  Put proven guys on the QC team (like Miyamoto but not him) who can offer suggestions and polish. 

TAKE RISKS.  New ideas that are fun will eventually rise to the top.  Maybe Really Fun New IP Game doesn't sell like crazy but it gets good reviews and good word of mouth.  You know RFNIPG2 will just kill it 2 years later.  I don't know... I just want them to get out of the rut (like they did with the 3DS).

 
Isn't the dynasty warriors series as a whole pretty lowly regarded outside of its base of fanboys?

It's a type of gameplay I have zero interest in, so I can't speak from personal experience.
 
DNukem170 said:
How do you know Hyrule Warriors won't be any good? We've seen one 30 second video and that's it.
Click to expand...
It will be about a 7.4 with the main comment being, "this game will appeal to Dynasty Warriors fans but those looking for a new Zelda game will need to wait a little longer."

Write it down!

I don't know (obviously) but I kind of sort of know.... ya know?

 
Josh5890 said:
i understand where you are coming from. I have all of those consoles as well as a PS2 with a BIG stack of games I want to burn through. With a full time job and being a full time student at night, gaming time is short. I don't mind having the variety in consoles though since that way if there is a game on a system I would die to play, I'm not out in the cold.

My thing that I have to be careful about this generation is my game purchases. I'm making a solid effort to actually save a few bucks here and there. I have a bad habit of picking up games to either complete a collection (i.e- all the Ratchet and Clank's or Dragon Quest games) or because it is a "great" deal (wow $30 for Cathrine :ps3:. it is going to be OOP soon) P.S- Cathrine is still sealed 3 years later. I've tried a new rule where I don't buy anything for a console if I have more than two unplayed games from the same console on my shelf. So far I'm doing good but my achilles heal is JRPG's. I probably have a good 60-70 that I still haven't played and all but 10 are untouched. I usually beat 3 games from that genre a year if I'm lucky.
Click to expand...
PS+ is the big contributor to my backlog. But it does keep me from buying so many games since I have so much free (or hugely discounted) stuff to check out.

I've thankfully never been a collector (I sell after beating) so I've never had a compulsion to complete a series etc. I too mostly steer away from long games. Maybe 1 or 2 a year. I'd just rather play a bunch of shorter, unique experiences in a year, than slog through a handful of 40-80 hour RPGs. I play a few as I like the stories, quests, big world to explore etc. But a couple a year is enough.

That's a big part about why I love indie games/PSN/XBLA games. A lot of great 3-10 hour experiences that I can knock out in a session or three even in a busier week/month.

Billytwoshoes said:
Less popular (though still high quality) games that could come out (like a new Star Tropics reinvented) would please the core audiences (which I don't think has changed much in the past 20 years), but would be unfortunately a losing short-term financial battle. It could win the war though, a risk in need of taking to find out.
Click to expand...
The problem is the mentality that everything needs to be an AAA success that makes millions and millions in profit. For something like Star Tropics they'd need to scrap that and make it a mid-tier release with a smaller budget that can make a profit from selling a couple hundred thousand copies.

If it blows up and sales a million plus, then expand the budget for a sequel. That's the way things should be done. Not giving most everything an AAA budget, and having the handful of success surpass losses on the failures--and having the company go under if you have a couple big failures in a row.

Brad Bishop said:
One of the problems with the indie stuff, of which I'm thinking stuff in Wii Shop, eShop, and on the PSN, is that it's really hard to find good stuff among the crap.

On the PS3 there were a few well-done games by independents. Pixel Junk stuff, I thought, was really good. I also liked some of the early stuff like Calling All Cars - it was just arcade-like fun. Crash Commando was also like that. I bought a lot of games that looked good but turned out to be Target Wii-style Junk. When you buy enough junk you start thinking it's all junk.
Click to expand...
I really don't agree with this. There's plenty of crap released at retail too. And in the internet age we have tons of reviews of every game, gameplay videos (including whole game streams), review aggregating sites etc. It's super easy to make informed purchases of both retail and digital and indie games and rarely buy something you don't like.

Especially for the popluar digital and indie games like Bastion, Journey, Guacamelee etc. Plenty of resources to be informed. And most digital games have demos so you can try them out anyway.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top