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[Gahiggidy]

What I was afraid would happen happened; that Nintendo would continue their policy of not revealing games they know won't release a year+ out. Even then, I thought they'd have a fan-favorite like F-Zero or Starfox for launch. Nothing innovative or huge, just a classic franchise realized in HD to keep the peasants happy. Instead we have NSMBU which will be excellent, no doubt, but kinda an odd choice for kicking off their first HD console. I was pretty sure they'd come out with something similar in concept to Nintendoland, but I thought it would be more experimental and "buzz-worthy". A single game centered around an ingenious use of the second screen.


I think its important to remember that we don't know anything about Nintendo's 2013 lineup. Lego City and P-100 could get delayed into 2013, but I expect them to hit by the end of Q1-13. That leaves a big question mark for any Nintendo games a year + from now. Very unusual for a new system launch.

 

[wsippel]

Ahh gotcha. Yeah having a dedicated Audio subsystem but with devs using crossplatform middleware that is CPU intensive, basically means there's a whole set of tech not being used. I can't see why any half decent middleware wouldn't add support for dedicated hardware (in full or part) in order to be better than their competition.

They do. The problem is that DSPs have certain limitations - they're limited to certain codecs, certain effects, a certain number of channels and so on. It's a tradeoff between efficiency and flexibility. The software pipelines are there for compatibility, for games that were not designed with those limitations in mind.

 

[bomma_man]

hey guys are we going to start another 5 month countdown? :3

5 MONTHS!

I'm going on an overseas trip from July till September so I'm hoping to be pleasantly surprised when I get back.

 

[Gahiggidy]

I tried this before with the leaked shot, but since we've got cleaner images I'm doing it again. Since if the screen changed size it was by less than a tenth of an inch, that's what I used as the basis for scaling and centering.

You should make a version of that with the gamepad morphing into the black version.

Then when watching it morph back and forth we can sing M. Jackson's "...If You're Thinkin' About My Baby It Don't Matter If You're Black Or White... ♪ ♫ ...Its black, it's white. Whoo!..♪ ♫"

 

[BlackJace]

I hope Desperate Nintendo kicks in around launch. They need to get their ass in gear in case the system doesn't sell as expected. You saw how they turned around the 3ds situation.

 

[Smiles and Cries]

What I was afraid would happen happened; that Nintendo would continue their policy of not revealing games they know won't release a year+ out. Even then, I thought they'd have a fan-favorite like F-Zero or Starfox for launch. Nothing innovative or huge, just a classic franchise realized in HD to keep the peasants happy. Instead we have NSMBU which will be excellent, no doubt, but kinda an odd choice for kicking off their first HD console. I was pretty sure they'd come out with something similar in concept to Nintendoland, but I thought it would be more experimental and "buzz-worthy". A single game centered around an ingenious use of the second screen.


I think its important to remember that we don't know anything about Nintendo's 2013 lineup. Lego City and P-100 could get delayed into 2013, but I expect them to hit by the end of Q1-13. That leaves a big question mark for any Nintendo games a year + from now. Very unusual for a new system launch.

agreed

I have never wanted to save my Nintendo launch more than I do now... seriously not a big fan of Pikmin or NSMB

I'll get AC3 for sure and that is the only thing I can be very sure about

 

[Smiles and Cries]

I hope Desperate Nintendo kicks in around launch. They need to get their ass in gear in case the system doesn't sell as expected. You saw how they turned around the 3ds situation.

they only go nuts for struggling handhelds

WiiU could be Vita for all Nintendo cares about consoles doing poorly

 

[AzaK]

They do. The problem is that DSPs have certain limitations - they're limited to certain codecs, certain effects, a certain number of channels and so on. It's a tradeoff between efficiency and flexibility. The software pipelines are there for compatibility, for games that were not designed with those limitations in mind.

Sure and while I don't know the details of Nintendo's audio DSP, I can't think how any decent system couldn't just convert either on the fly or as a load-time processing in order to get formats into those that are supported. From a developer's point of view, they shouldn't need to do anything more, the middleware should just take care of what it needs to to get maximum performance.

 

[AzaK]

agreed

I have never wanted to save my Nintendo launch more than I do now... seriously not a big fan of Pikmin or NSMB

I'll get AC3 for sure and that is the only thing I can be very sure about

Yeah. So far of the games actually demoed I'll probably get Zombi U and maybe AC3. Although seeing the demos of that, and how the protagonist can still stand amongst a crowd and kill people right in front of their eyes without anyone batting an eyelid gives me flashbacks to AC1 which I thought was a pile of shit.

Having never played any Mass Effects, I'm interested in 3 too. But 2d Mario I couldn't care less about, and pikmin, while I had fun all those years ago, didn't capture my attention with that demo.

 

[Smiles and Cries]

Yeah. So far of the games actually demoed I'll probably get Zombi U and maybe AC3. Although seeing the demos of that, and how the protagonist can still stand amongst a crowd and kill people right in front of their eyes without anyone batting an eyelid gives me flashbacks to AC1 which I thought was a pile of shit.

Having never played any Mass Effects, I'm interested in 3 too. But 2d Mario I couldn't care less about, and pikmin, while I had fun all those years ago, didn't capture my attention with that demo.

I may want to go to youtube and watch some playthroughs of Mass Effect

I can easily jump into AC3 but Mass Effect has an RPG continued story right all all of the bitching about how this series ended? Not sure

I'll get Project CARS and maybe other Racing titles that may still be coming but I doubt these are launch

 

[wsippel]

Sure and while I don't know the details of Nintendo's audio DSP, I can't think how any decent system couldn't just convert either on the fly or as a load-time processing in order to get formats into those that are supported. From a developer's point of view, they shouldn't need to do anything more, the middleware should just take care of what it needs to to get maximum performance.

Converting stuff on the fly only works up to a certain point. Modern audio middleware offers a whole range of effects that either sound differently or aren't available on DSPs at all, just to mention one example where automatic conversions won't work. The sound designers would need to go through everything by hand and touch a lot of things up to make them sound as expected.

 

[EloquentM]

you sneaky f*****s didn't even tell me <_<

 

[AzaK]

Converting stuff on the fly only works up to a certain point. Modern audio middleware offers a whole range of effects that either sound differently or aren't available on DSPs at all, just to mention one example where automatic conversions won't work. The sound designers would need to go through everything by hand and touch a lot of things up to make them sound as expected.

Sure, I'm not saying it can be used for everything but I'm not convinced that it's either ALL CPU or ALL DEDICATED. There must be some middle ground which the Wii U could benefit from.

you sneaky f*****s didn't even tell me <_<

Damn, he found us guys. Someone make another thread.

 

[Anth0ny]

There's a really good piece on Kotaku about why E3 has sucked since Nintendo started the casual revolution in 2006.

Honestly, if I was a hardcore Microsoft or Sony fanboy, I wouldn't have even cared much about E3 this year. I mean, you got Game Informer with world premiere unveals of Assassin's Creed 3, the new Gears of War and a South Park game. You've got Naughty Dog unvealing their new (awesome looking) project and Metal Gear Rising by Platinum Games at the VGAs. Really, E3 isn't that big a deal because those companies don't make it a big deal. They have a steady news flow throughout the entire year.

The same can't be said about Nintendo. Besides the odd GDC or Nintendo Direct, Nintendo shows all their cards at E3. I WISH Nintendo would reveal Retro's new game at the VGAs, or Super Mario Universe as a world exclusive reveal in Game Informer.

I really hope they start using Nintendo Direct more effectively. As in, not just third party games. I want EAD projects. I want Smash Bros. I want 3D Mario. Are we really going to have to wait a year to see what these guys are working on? What happens between launch and E3 2013? Are we expected to live off launch games that entire time? Not to mention the, you know, WAIT for those new games. It's not like they'll be on store shelves as soon as they're revealed at E3. 12 months with Pikmin, NSMB U and P-100?

tl;dr What the fuck does Wii U have coming after launch? Can they afford to wait until E3 2013 to announce what Retro, EAD and Monolithsoft are working on?

 

[Gahiggidy]

You know what's strange and sad? No one has posted in the Pikmin 3 thread in the last 40 hours.

 

[Firest0rm]

tl;dr What the fuck does Wii U have coming after launch? Can they afford to wait until E3 2013 to announce what Retro, EAD and Monolithsoft are working on?

I would bet on new Nintendo games being introduced prior to E3 13.

 

[EDarkness]

You know what's strange and sad? No one has posted in the Pikmin 3 thread in the last 40 hours.

All that hoopla years ago about a new Pikmin, when really people weren't really interested in it in the first place. This is why Nintendo shouldn't worry about this stuff. Or any company for that matter. Fans just like to talk about stuff....

 

[Triton55]

I would bet on new Nintendo games being introduced prior to E3 13.

That's a certainty, unless there aren't going to be any new games between February/March and June.

 

[Gahiggidy]

EDarkness, true, but part of the reason for the lull in interest is the overload of info from E3. If the game was shown off last month as a magazine spread with accompanying trailer, I believe there would be a lot more chatter about the game.

This makes me think Nintendo ought to experiment with using Nintendo Direct to reveal a single new game... or maybe two. Give us small chunks of new info and hype once every month and a half.

 

[Terrell]

EDarkness, true, but part of the reason for the lull in interest is the overload of info from E3. If the game was shown off last month as a magazine spread with accompanying trailer, I believe there would be a lot more chatter about the game.

This makes me think Nintendo ought to experiment with using Nintendo Direct to reveal a single new game... or maybe two. Give us small chunks of new info and hype once every month and a half.

Nintendo Direct announced and sent as video messages direct to consumers... it's like I've been saying all along, "Nintendo Channel" on the Wii was a stepping stone to full-on self-promoting direct to their consumers on WiiU. It could work for 3rd-parties, too, as a way to decrease their advertising budgets.

 

[Effect]

All that hoopla years ago about a new Pikmin, when really people weren't really interested in it in the first place. This is why Nintendo shouldn't worry about this stuff. Or any company for that matter. Fans just like to talk about stuff....

I can see how that could be pretty annoying but with the hype dying down and the game still months away not sure what people can really talk about. It's not like Nintendo is releasing any videos or detailed information regarding the game. Few people have gotten to play the demo do it only being at E3.

Personally for me I've never played a Pikmin game so this will be my first one if I don't end up getting New Play Control Pikmin 2 or track down NPC Pikmin 1. Also anyone know how well Pikmin did in the past? I always figured it did as good as the Metroid Prime games did. Successful for Nintendo (more then a million on each game) but not Mario or Zelda levels of success and wasn't really an evergreen title.

 

[Redford]

The wii remote was easy to see a one to one relationship between real sports and wii sports. So non gamers could just jump in. The GamePad looks and feels Iike a controller so it's already more "gamey". I guess Nintendo are either leaving the super casual behind or believe that the last 6 years with Wii and iOS gaming has set people up to be gamers. I.e. they won't be as intimidated. Then they add in a touch screen that will allow them to browse, watch movies, share the tv etc and I think they are covering a lot of bases. The problem now is how to sell it to people. I think Nintendoland is what they will use to sell to casual gamers. Non gamers they will sell it on the Pad's functionality.

I would look out or multiple types of ads that's for sure.

Nice post; when you break it down like that it makes alot more sense, I guess. It's too easy to look at Wii Sports and compare but at least in some sense Nintendo's reasoning can work.

I don't think it will be anywhere near as successful.

 

[Gahiggidy]

I can see how that could be pretty annoying but with the hype dying down and the game still months away not sure what people can really talk about. It's not like Nintendo is releasing any videos or detailed information regarding the game. Few people have gotten to play the demo do it only being at E3.

Personally for me I've never played a Pikmin game so this will be my first one if I don't end up getting New Play Control Pikmin 2 or track down NPC Pikmin 1. Also anyone know how well Pikmin did in the past? I always figured it did as good as the Metroid Prime games did. Successful for Nintendo (more then a million on each game) but not Mario or Zelda levels of success and wasn't really an evergreen title.

Why not regular pikmin?

 

[gamergirly]

EDarkness, true, but part of the reason for the lull in interest is the overload of info from E3. If the game was shown off last month as a magazine spread with accompanying trailer, I believe there would be a lot more chatter about the game.

This makes me think Nintendo ought to experiment with using Nintendo Direct to reveal a single new game... or maybe two. Give us small chunks of new info and hype once every month and a half.

There's been too much "Wii U is more powerful than xxconsole". Once that dies down we can have a good Wii U launch thread

 

[Effect]

Why not regular pikmin?

You can still use the gamecube (classic controller) with the New play versions right? See no need to spend a lot of money to just track down the GameCube version when the newer versions are cheaper.

Is it worth it getting 1 and 2? Are they different enough or is 2 just enough?

 

[Gahiggidy]

You can still use the gamecube (classic controller) with the New play versions right? See no need to spend a lot of money to just track down the GameCube version when the newer versions are cheaper.

Is it worth it getting 1 and 2? Are they different enough or is 2 just enough?

I prefer one, as it is short and to the point. The sequel had those caves you've probably read about, which kinda dragged on and really had little to do with the RTS element of the above ground sections. I have both, but have not been able to replay 1 since early 2002. It got scratched up by a friend's kid.


I'm not sure if classic control is available in NPC versions.

 

[clemenx]

I would bet on new Nintendo games being introduced prior to E3 13.

This is the logical answer. I'm guessing people are afraid because Nintendo left the Wii left to die with no support for like a year but people are acting as if the E3 is the only place ever where is it possible to announce things.

 

[Antioch]

This post isn't directed at anyone specifically, but just the argument that the Wii U is the 3DS all over again, which I've seen spring up multiple times since their conference. Honestly this couldn't be further from the truth. The 3DS's biggest problems were the price and the lack of system selling hardware (which doesn't mean AAA blockbuster, just a game that can sell the masses on a system). The 3DS's price was partially derived from the positive reaction to its E3 presentation, but this was because of them showing games from the first 2 years on market. So when Nintendo didn't have any of the games that were so positively received at launch, no one was willing to buy a 3DS for the price that was based on the reaction to games that would form the line-up of the first 2 years. Nintendo avoided making the same mistake by focusing exclusively on the launch window, this way they could gauge the reaction and decide on the price based on whether people would want to buy it this year, not a year or two down the line. Secondly, in terms of software line-up, GAF might not like the line-up much but considering that it represents only the first 3-4 months, I would call it pretty solid. But either way it has a broad array of games that might not become critical darlings, but have the potential for massive sales. It includes 2 games the predecessors of which sold 20 million +, the supposed equivalent of Wii Sports, a singing game by Nintendo, Just Dance 4, and an exclusive open world Lego game not tied to any preexisting franchise. For people like us, Nintendo showed Pikmin 3, Project P-100, ZombiU, and an exclusive Rayman, all releasing in the first 3 or 4 months.

When you compare that to the 3DS launch window, how can you not see that the situation is completely different?

 

[bomma_man]

This is the logical answer. I'm guessing people are afraid because Nintendo left the Wii left to die with no support for like a year but people are acting as if the E3 is the only place ever where is it possible to announce things.

spaceworld!

 

[DXB-KNIGHT]

spaceworld!

Spaceworld is no more but we have either

AUG/SEP/OCT - TON (Usually close to TGS)

OR

Nintendo Direct every two month

 

[bomma_man]

Spaceworld is no more but we have either

AUG/SEP/OCT - TON (Usually close to TGS)

OR

Nintendo Direct every two month

Yeah I know.

I just remember in the few years after it was cancelled around July everyone was like "wait until sapceworld, it might happen this year...? please?"

 

[Anth0ny]

This is the logical answer. I'm guessing people are afraid because Nintendo left the Wii left to die with no support for like a year but people are acting as if the E3 is the only place ever where is it possible to announce things.

this is Nintendo we're talking about here

the same company who went completely silent for the last year just to reveal minigames, ports and games we already knew were coming last week.

I hope I'm wrong, but I'm not taking any chances. I've joined the master race and I'm going to re play all the classics on Dolphin while I wait for Wii U.

 

[ShockingAlberto]

There's a really good piece on Kotaku about why E3 has sucked since Nintendo started the casual revolution in 2006.

...this looks a lot like something I wrote.

Like, really a lot like something I wrote.

 

[Mistle]

...this looks a lot like something I wrote.

Like, really a lot like something I wrote.

Right down to the "Santa isn't real" line

 

[ShockingAlberto]

Right down to the "Santa isn't real" line

I noticed this

Santa Claus isn't real. And moreover, you no longer get presents on Christmas day. It sucks, but this is reality now.

Christmas for gamers. Yet the reality has been something entirely different. We're now finding out Santa isn't real.

What the shit

 

[wsippel]

spaceworld!

Well, there was the "Wii3" event back in 2006 - three conferences in three countries over the course of just a few days.

 

[Antioch]

What was the consensus regarding the comfort of the redesigned controller following E3? I'm surprised I haven't heard of any impressions considering how big a talking point it was to many last year, although I may have just missed it.

 

[AzaK]

There's a really good piece on Kotaku about why E3 has sucked since Nintendo started the casual revolution in 2006.

Honestly, if I was a hardcore Microsoft or Sony fanboy, I wouldn't have even cared much about E3 this year. I mean, you got Game Informer with world premiere unveals of Assassin's Creed 3, the new Gears of War and a South Park game. You've got Naughty Dog unvealing their new (awesome looking) project and Metal Gear Rising by Platinum Games at the VGAs. Really, E3 isn't that big a deal because those companies don't make it a big deal. They have a steady news flow throughout the entire year.

The same can't be said about Nintendo. Besides the odd GDC or Nintendo Direct, Nintendo shows all their cards at E3. I WISH Nintendo would reveal Retro's new game at the VGAs, or Super Mario Universe as a world exclusive reveal in Game Informer.

I really hope they start using Nintendo Direct more effectively. As in, not just third party games. I want EAD projects. I want Smash Bros. I want 3D Mario. Are we really going to have to wait a year to see what these guys are working on? What happens between launch and E3 2013? Are we expected to live off launch games that entire time? Not to mention the, you know, WAIT for those new games. It's not like they'll be on store shelves as soon as they're revealed at E3. 12 months with Pikmin, NSMB U and P-100?

tl;dr What the fuck does Wii U have coming after launch? Can they afford to wait until E3 2013 to announce what Retro, EAD and Monolithsoft are working on?

Where in that piece does he say that it's because of the casual revolution of 2006? I agree, e3 has started to suck for us, so I think gamers shoud just forget about it. It's a mainstream media expo now and Nintendo know this more than anyone.

 

[Linkhero1]

The wii remote was easy to see a one to one relationship between real sports and wii sports. So non gamers could just jump in. The GamePad looks and feels Iike a controller so it's already more "gamey". I guess Nintendo are either leaving the super casual behind or believe that the last 6 years with Wii and iOS gaming has set people up to be gamers. I.e. they won't be as intimidated. Then they add in a touch screen that will allow them to browse, watch movies, share the tv etc and I think they are covering a lot of bases. The problem now is how to sell it to people. I think Nintendoland is what they will use to sell to casual gamers. Non gamers they will sell it on the Pad's functionality.

I would look out or multiple types of ads that's for sure.

I just don't see Nintendoland doing it for the casuals, at least not from what I've seen. The Wiimote + Wii Sports sold those non-gamers/casual gamers on the Wii because something new and innovative was introduced. The GamePad isn't really innovative at all and Nintendoland doesn't seem as appealing as Wii Sports was. People were more familiar with the games within Wii Sports, so it seems more approachable than Nintendoland.

How can you be so sure?

Were people expecting Wii Sports to be the run away success that it was? I mean don't get me wrong, it was the game we all played the most when it came out (and I was living in student accommodation with five others at the time), but were people looking at Wii Sports five months in advance and saying "Yeah, that's the killer app"?

Genuine question by the way as I can't remember the Wii's pre-launch. I recall Red Steel and the promise of 1:1 sword play being the biggest draw of the Wii before launch for me.

To be honest I'm not sure the Wii U needs one particular standout like it needed Wii Sports. Nintendo Land does a reasonable job but I think showing how Wii Fit U and Just Dance 4 use the GamePad would be just as strong this time around. I can't recall the Wii having anything like those two available for launch, or even anything as strong as the GamePad integration in ZombiU to appeal to the core.

Wii Sports was great because it demonstrated some of the Wiimote functionality pretty well and with games that would appeal a range of people. It was a party like game where you didn't have to be good to enjoy.

I see Wii Fit U and Just Dance 4 selling more Wii U's than Nintendoland would if it were a stand alone. I'm talking about selling the Wii U to non-gamers/casual gamers. Nintendoland just doesn't have the same appeal like Wii Sports did and I think you will see that at launch and with non-gamer/casual gamer friends/family.

I think NintendoLand has to be a pack in to draw the crowds like Wii Sports did.

Much like Wii Sports, it isn't the type of game that people get if they can't play it, and you're only going to play if the early adapters have access to it.

From impressions and videos, it does seem to offer some simple, and fun mini-games that allow people in the same room to communicate and have fun. And sure.. some folks may buy their own Wii U so they can be the person who gets the tablet controller.

I see where you're coming from, but I simply don't believe a bunch of minigames packed in with the Wii U will sell the console to non-gamers/casuals. Wii Sports had a variety of games people were familiar with and it demonstrated some of the controller functionality too, which was pretty innovative for its time.

 

[AzaK]

I just don't see Nintendoland doing it for the casuals, at least not from what I've seen. The Wiimote + Wii Sports sold those non-gamers/casual gamers on the Wii because something new and innovative was introduced. The GamePad isn't really innovative at all and Nintendoland doesn't seem as appealing as Wii Sports was. People were more familiar with the games within Wii Sports, so it seems more approachable than Nintendoland.

I was suggesting that there's a difference between non-gamers and casuals. Casuals being those people who were non-gamers before the Wii came along. Casuals being people who play Facebook games or Boggle and Cut The Rope on their iPhones. People who are happy to say they play games but aren't nutters like we all are. Non-gamers I consider people who just don't play games and never really think about it - the initial Wii audience.

I'm wondering if Nintendo will be trying to get those casuals onto the next-tier of gaming with NintendoLand. Offer something fun, easy to use, social and quite gamey to get them playing more. Nintendo have always said that they want to get people progressing throughout their gaming "career". It's all going to come down to marketting. Showing a social, friendly game with asymmetric gameplay might just work for those casuals and familes. I know that if my little boy was a bit older I'd really be into NintendoLand so I could play with him. In fact by the time next gen's over, he'll be well old enough to game with me so it will be a good starter.

For those non-gamers I think Nintendo will concentrate again on their Wii Fit U, drawing programs, Netflix and the more "app" like experience.

Finally, I really do have to disagree about the innovation with the controller. There's tonnes of things you can do with it that you just can't do with other game controllers.

 

[Log4Girlz]

After the E3 conference, I feel like a purple Pikmin.

 

[Linkhero1]

I was suggesting that there's a difference between non-gamers and casuals. Casuals being those people who were non-gamers before the Wii came along. Casuals being people who play Facebook games or Boggle and Cut The Rope on their iPhones. People who are happy to say they play games but aren't nutters like we all are. Non-gamers I consider people who just don't play games and never really think about it - the initial Wii audience.

I'm wondering if Nintendo will be trying to get those casuals onto the next-tier of gaming with NintendoLand. Offer something fun, easy to use, social and quite gamey to get them playing more. Nintendo have always said that they want to get people progressing throughout their gaming "career". It's all going to come down to marketting. Showing a social, friendly game with asymmetric gameplay might just work for those casuals and familes. I know that if my little boy was a bit older I'd really be into NintendoLand so I could play with him. In fact by the time next gen's over, he'll be well old enough to game with me so it will be a good starter.

For those non-gamers I think Nintendo will concentrate again on their Wii Fit U, drawing programs, Netflix and the more "app" like experience.

Finally, I really do have to disagree about the innovation with the controller. There's tonnes of things you can do with it that you just can't do with other game controllers.

I definitely agree with your first couple of points. I just feel as if "cauals" will not be willing to move on from their Just Dance and Wii Fit games to Nintendoland. I haven't seen a lot of the Nintendoland minigames in action, but if they're doing something you haven't seen done with ios/android tablets then more power to Nintendo.

While I do agree there's a ton of things that you're able to do with the controller that you can't with any other standard controller, you will definitely not be seeing a lot of innovative gameplay design from third parties. At most, maybe a map or cell phone on your GamePad.

 

[AzaK]

I definitely agree with your first couple of points. I just feel as if "cauals" will not be willing to move on from their Just Dance and Wii Fit games to Nintendoland. I haven't seen a lot of the Nintendoland minigames in action, but if they're doing something you haven't seen done with ios/android tablets then more power to Nintendo.

While I do agree there's a ton of things that you're able to do with the controller that you can't with any other standard controller, you will definitely not be seeing a lot of innovative gameplay design from third parties. At most, maybe a map or cell phone on your GamePad.

To your first point, maybe that's why Nintendo has shown off their NintendoLand games as multiplayer experiences? You don't really get that same-room social multiplayer with iOS etc and quite frankly it can't be beat. Sitting around with family having a blast playing games is awesome and the Wii is the only console I've ever had that experience on. I have to applaud Nintendo for really wanting to get people in the living room interacting and enjoying games together.

For your second point I sadly agree. There's little impetus for third parties to spend a lot of time (read: money) in making all this cool shit for a single version of the game when they can port it over, put a map on it and pretty much get a sale. It will require Nintendo partnering with publishers at first to get some good examples out there I think (They must be paying Ubisoft something for Zombi U right? A game that relies so heavily on the extra screen). Hopefully that help will get other publishers a bit excited about it and spending a bit more time on it. Hopefully some devs will, god forbid, take pride in their work and want to do their best on every console - playing to each one's strengths.

 

[Linkhero1]

To your first point, maybe that's why Nintendo has shown off their NintendoLand games as multiplayer experiences? You don't really get that same-room social multiplayer with iOS etc and quite frankly it can't be beat. Sitting around with family having a blast playing games is awesome and the Wii is the only console I've ever had that experience on. I have to applaud Nintendo for really wanting to get people in the living room interacting and enjoying games together.

For your second point I sadly agree. There's little impetus for third parties to spend a lot of time (read: money) in making all this cool shit for a single version of the game when they can port it over, put a map on it and pretty much get a sale. It will require Nintendo partnering with publishers at first to get some good examples out there I think (They must be paying Ubisoft something for Zombi U right? A game that relies so heavily on the extra screen). Hopefully that help will get other publishers a bit excited about it and spending a bit more time on it. Hopefully some devs will, god forbid, take pride in their work and want to do their best on every console - playing to each one's strengths.

Well a lot of that stuff can probably be done on your television screen, hence the "look at your GamePad" to continually remind the person playing that the action is happening on the screen.

I agree. Nintendo needs to get involved in some third party game development in order to push for them to make use of the GamePad. If third parties just place a HUD, map, etc. on the subscreen, I would be content. If third parties go the extra mile and create new, unique experiences in terms of game design through the GamePad then everyone will be happy.

 

[bomma_man]

To your first point, maybe that's why Nintendo has shown off their NintendoLand games as multiplayer experiences? You don't really get that same-room social multiplayer with iOS etc and quite frankly it can't be beat. Sitting around with family having a blast playing games is awesome and the Wii is the only console I've ever had that experience on. I have to applaud Nintendo for really wanting to get people in the living room interacting and enjoying games together.

It really is their major competitive advantage over both Apple and the other console manufacturers. I was slightly worried that they were losing it when they announced the tablet, but it seems like it's still a focus.

 

[AzaK]

It really is their major competitive advantage over both Apple and the other console manufacturers. I was slightly worried that they were losing it when they announced the tablet, but it seems like it's still a focus.

Yeah it very much is as I can't remember seeing any Wii U game being shown in a promo video with just one person playing. They even had 2 people doing Wii Fit U together. Nintendo being a game company means they have games at the forefront of their mind unlike Apple which is a phone/mp3 manufacturer that happens to have games on it. The form factor, inputs and styling have to first and foremost suit those uses, not gaming.

Well a lot of that stuff can probably be done on your television screen, hence the "look at your GamePad" to continually remind the person playing that the action is happening on the screen.

Haha yeah, but I think that's because people just aren't used to playing like that. If the actions of looking through your bag was put on the top screen, that tension of a zombie coming wouldn't be there. Whereas with the GamePad, you're looking down, adjusting inventory but you can quickly glance up like you would in real life to check your surroundings. I personally think it's a great gameplay mechanic and I'm really interested to see how the game pans out.

 

[Linkhero1]

Yeah it very much is as I can't remember seeing any Wii U game being shown in a promo video with just one person playing. They even had 2 people doing Wii Fit U together. Nintendo being a game company means they have games at the forefront of their mind unlike Apple which is a phone/mp3 manufacturer that happens to have games on it. The form factor, inputs and styling have to first and foremost suit those uses, not gaming.



Haha yeah, but I think that's because people just aren't used to playing like that. If the actions of looking through your bag was put on the top screen, that tension of a zombie coming wouldn't be there. Whereas with the GamePad, you're looking down, adjusting inventory but you can quickly glance up like you would in real life to check your surroundings. I personally think it's a great gameplay mechanic and I'm really interested to see how the game pans out.

Actually, you're 100% right. I somehow forgot that the game doesn't pause while you're looking at your subscreen. The tension is still there, which actually adds to the game more than anything else.

 

[Gahiggidy]

By the way, the Zombi U reps kept saying that there are no checkpoints. But that can't be true, as you'd keep playing the same start areas over and over each time you lost a survivor. I think what they mean is that individual survivors don't have checkpoints and when they are dead they are dead, no matter how far you made it with them. What I bet does happen is that you reach "safe houses" in between areas. So, when your current survivor is lost, you start with a new one from the last safe house you stayed in.

 

[Disorientator]

What was the consensus regarding the comfort of the redesigned controller following E3? I'm surprised I haven't heard of any impressions considering how big a talking point it was to many last year, although I may have just missed it.

I'm also surprised there are not (m)any in-depth previews of the re-designed Upad.

It seems that most agree that the new design is better than the previous one. (grips at the back seem to help)

Most reports also point-out that the controller is much lighter than it seems, something also reported last year.

 

[WhyMe6]

What I was afraid would happen happened; that Nintendo would continue their policy of not revealing games they know won't release a year+ out.

Yeah, this was what they needed to avoid. I have no issues with this happening throughout the life of a console, but at launch it's a terrible idea - you're trying to get somebody to invest hundreds of dollars in your new console, don't just show them launch games! Consider the breadth of awesome titles Nintendo had at least shown or announced by the time the 3DS launch rolled around.