Topic: Nintendo Optimism

[NWR_insanolord]

Right now is a hard time to be a Nintendo fan, or at least a Nintendo console fan. The Wii U is struggling, with relatively few games and an uncertain future. But this thread isn't for pessimism and assuming the worst. If you want that, might I suggest most of the other threads in these forums, or nearly entirely the rest of the gaming media. Here, as we get down to the end of the year, we should try to look on the bright side. I'm not suggesting blind, baseless optimism, but I hope members of our community can share some positive thoughts about the present and future of Nintendo.

[Khushrenada]

Well, I think one of the most positive things about the future of Nintendo will be that eventually they will make a new console thus finally putting the Wii U out of its misery at some point and whatever that console is, it surely will be better than this one.

Am I doing it right?

[Ceric]

Monster Hunter 4 for Wii U.

Their is a lot of good in the base console design.  I think the Gamepad is a worthwhile addition and will be an asset to Wii U2.  I'm trying to finish Earthbound and my living room is destroyed so I just took my Wii U to the bed room plugged it in and using it with no TV.  Thats awesome.

[ejamer]

Optimism for Wii U is easy.


When it comes to overall quality, Nintendo is far and away my choice of publisher with a handful of incredible dev studios.  First party exclusives are the number one selling point for Wii U - and those games alone are enough to justify the (relatively low) cost of a new console.


Games like Super Mario 3D World are prime examples of this: an incredibly experience that I can play alone or with my whole family, that can't be found anywhere else. Nintendo manages to put out a couple of these "must play" titles pretty much every year, so what we have now is just the start. And don't even get me started on anticipation for the Xenoblade sequel. The Wii game was something I adored and dropped hundreds of hours on; the upcoming Wii U sequel looks gorgeous from early videos and is squarely at the top of my most wanted list.


On top of first-party gold, there has been surprisingly decent indie/KickStarter support of the eShop with many games announced for the next year or so. There are also still a few third parties worth keeping an eye on. Will Monster Hunter make another Wii U appearance? I don't know... but if it does, that is another game worth playing for hundreds of hours.  Will Atlus publish a handful of amazing niche titles like they did on the Wii? Who knows... but I wouldn't count them out. So while pickin's might be slim once you get past Nintendo's own offerings, there are at least some games and hope for more.


Finally, I love off TV play. Between my wife and two kids, gaming time can be limited. Being able to play many Wii U games in the same room as my family without requiring the TV is huge for me.


So yeah... there's at least some stuff for gamers to be happy about with Wii U.

[azeke]

I like videogames!

more than bitching on forums

[Adrock]

I'm pretty happy with Wii U so far. I buy a game, have my fun, and go about my merry way. While there was a rough patch earlier this year for Wii U owners, I have to say I'm pretty content with what is offered now. I still have The Wonderful 101 to play through so I'm actually backlogged on Wii U. Admittedly, I don't really require a constant flow of releases. I fit in gaming where I can and even then, I have to feel like playing something which isn't always the case. I understand people's frustrations with software droughts, but it hasn't really affected me. Next year is going to be bananas. I don't know if I'll be able to devote the time I want to Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros.

The load times could be better. Otherwise, it's a great console. I definitely see myself ranking it above the original Wii.

And if we're including 3DS as well in terms of Nintendo optimism, it's bangarang. The XL is beautiful and I've had so much fun with it so far. Nintendo mishandling Swapnote was super lame, but to be fair, I barely used the app. I'm extremely comfortable with my choice to stick with Wii U and 3DS until at least the first PS4 redesign. I have more than enough games to play between the two.

[Sarail]

Definitely agree with you, Ceric, on Monster Hunter 4 for Wii U. I really hope Capcom do that again with this new sequel.

As for the console, I'm quite happy with my purchase. There were some rough spots in the beginning with mine - system crashes/freezing, GamePad not syncing properly - but those two problems have been sorted out with all of the firmware updates. Mine's a very stable system because of it.

I've had some really fun experiences with the console, too - both single-player and multi with my family and/or friends. Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge was a brutally hard experience, but I had a blast all the way through. The almost 100 hours that I poured into Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate were fantastic, too - and I'm nowhere near finished.

Mario 3D World has blown me away with its brilliant gameplay, music, and graphics. I also purchased LEGO City Undercover back earlier in the year, and I just recently got around to starting the game. I had no clue I had that charming of a GTA-like sandbox game sitting on my shelf for so long. Bloody fantastic experience.

And to finish, I'm in love with the Pro Controller. So much so that I bought an adapter that allows me to connect it to my PC - which I'm using to play Steam games and Final Fantasy XIV: ARR. The Pro feels excellent in my hands...almost as good as the GameCube controller. Ergonomically, it's the best controller of the three new consoles. Just wish it had a tiny mic built in - that would help with games such as Mario 3D World requiring me to use the GamePad for GamePad-specific levels (curse you, Captain Toad!) Don't think I don't appreciate the GamePad, though. Games like Nintendo Land knock it out of the park using it, Miiverse has very creative uses, and Off-TV play is king. Premier League football on the telly while I play Mario on the 'Pad? Yes, please.

Brilliant job, Nintendo. Thank you.

[Ian Sane]

The 3DS is a great system with a good steady lineup of games and healthy third party support.  No matter what Nintendo has remained on the ball regarding handhelds and even little hiccups like the DS and 3DS had in the beginning get ironed out.  Realistically handhelds face competition with smartphones but Nintendo has dodged that bullet for now, largely by making the 3DS really appealing for dedicated gamers that want more out of portable gaming than Angry Birds.  No matter what happens in the console front, it seems that Nintendo will be making handhelds in the near future and will be making great games for them.

As for the Wii U, I played it recently at a friend's house.  Pikmin 3 is awesome, as I hoped it would be.  X will probably be great as well and despite being incredibly nervous about where they'll take it, I'm excited about a future Zelda reveal, assuming it resembles that demo trailer from a few years ago.  Better to have Zelda HD late than never.  I will own a Wii U at some point, it's just a matter of when.

[lolmonade]

I gotta say, all things considered, I'm actually (mostly) happy with what I've gotten out of Nintendo this year.
 
Wii U - I know the lineup was sparce, but I don't have the opportunity to be a full-time gamer, so as usual, I ended up only having the opportunity to purchase a few Wii U games, most of which I enjoy immensely.  I have some quibbles about Wii U's slow transition between menus, and the snail-like pace that virtual console games are appearing on the E-shop, but it's a great 2nd-tier console to own, and I love the gamepad & off-tv play.  My only concern with the Wii U is that I don't know what kind of longevity I can expect out of it, and am concerned about how antiquated it'll feel once I get my hands on a PS4
 
3DS - Everyone knows how stellar a year of gaming it's been for 3DS.  No need to re-tread familiar roads.

[Pixelated Pixies]

I like videogames!

I dig music!

(underwhelmed audience)

I'm on drugs!

(crowd cheers)

[nickmitch]

I'm optimistic for Nintendo.  The Wii U is a slightly different consideration.  At the end of the day, Nintendo still makes the best games.  I'm just not sure if the company is making the kind of games that will bring people to the console.  This is beyond a 3D Mario, Zelda, and Smash Bros (easily Nintendo's "big three").  But those franchises may not be enough anymore.  (Although, maybe Smash Bros is.)  I still think Nintendo not only can but likely is making those games, whatever the hell they may be.  That being said, it may be too late for the Wii U.  I think Nintendo can scramble together a replacement, with better specs and a few additional features (e.g., better range on the GamePad, better support for two GamePads, etc), but I don't know if that's even a good idea.

[Spak-Spang]

I know I have been negative on the Nintendo Wii U recently, and on Nintendo in general.  But they are still my favorite game company.

Some things people need to remember about Nintendo that are positive.

1)  Even Nintendo's most derivative sequels are playable, imaginative and generally well crafted games.

2)  Nintendo designs their games for their hardware only which means that when you play a Nintendo game on a Nintendo system you are getting a great experience that is usually a great experience on that system.

3)  Nintendo's games still have vast appeal, and lead the market in all age gaming that can actually appeal to ALL AGES.

4)  Nintendo's handheld systems still rock. 

5) 2014 has several great games lined up that will make you happy to own a Wii U.

[Shaymin]

I like videogames!

I dig music!

(underwhelmed audience)

I'm on drugs!

(crowd cheers)

When did a Ford Nation rally break out?

Anyway, it's very easy to be optimistic about WiiU since they're the only console that won't put up with the fee-to-pay bullhockey that is infecting every other console on the market like a virus. Plus it's guaranteed a good amount of quality software and I can play it in my preferred form factor.

[Phil]

I'm enjoying the Wii U, and I'm sure it's going to continue getting support from Nintendo. Can't wait for Smash, Mario Kart 8, DKC, Yarn Yoshi (if that's still being worked on), and X. I'm excited to see what else is coming next year.

[lolmonade]

I like videogames!

I dig music!

(underwhelmed audience)

I'm on drugs!

(crowd cheers)

When did a Ford Nation rally break out?

Anyway, it's very easy to be optimistic about WiiU since they're the only console that won't put up with the fee-to-pay bullhockey that is infecting every other console on the market like a virus. Plus it's guaranteed a good amount of quality software and I can play it in my preferred form factor.

I'm cherry-picking here, but didn't Tank!Tank!Tank! go Free-to-Play?

[Fatty The Hutt]

10 Reasons Why Buddy From TimeTech Would Pick Wii U Over PS4 or X-Bone Right Now

[smallsharkbigbite]

Nintendo will be that eventually they will make a new console thus finally putting the Wii U out of its misery at some point and whatever that console is, it surely will be better than this one.

I'm a Browns fan.  What I've learned from being a Browns fan is it can always get worse. 


Back to the topic though.  The 3DS is all kinds of awesome and could break into my top 3 consoles of all time by the end of this gen.  Others have pointed that out though.  The Wii U is the first HD Nintendo console and their games look really good on it.  I like the Gamepad and offscreen play more than I thought I would.  As long as MK8, DKC, SSB, and a Zelda get released on the Wii U I'll be happy with my purchase of it. 

[Oblivion]

10 Reasons Why Buddy From TimeTech Would Pick Wii U Over PS4 or X-Bone Right Now

He has some facts wrong and he's cherry picking other reasons. This is clickbait, through and through.

[Khushrenada]

Well, something he mentions and something I was going to be serious and post about it, is Nintendo's online gaming. Now, I know there is a lot of criticism for how some of it has been implemented such as friend codes, lack of unified accounts, slow to release VC games.

Yet, in some things, Nintendo absolutely has nailed it. Free online gaming for any of their games is fabulous. The fact that Nintendo has never been interested in charging for online gaming or has ever made any signal that they may want to do so in the future is an awesome gesture to those who buy their products. Especially when you consider how profits and sales have been done and this could be seen as another way to bring in revenue and yet they have still stayed to the course of keeping online gaming free.

At the same time, it may be that when people are unhappy about the service or wish they made changes to it, they can sort of shrug and say at least it is free and not have to worry too much about trying to improve it more. Thus, I can't help but wonder if they tried to focus more on that area if they wouldn't have better ammo to use against the PS4 and Xbox1 and convincing more people to buy their console. Perhaps it would get more people to buy a third party game on their consoles since it might be more appealing to be able to play it online against others for free instead of having to pay a subscription fee to do so on another console.

[nickmitch]

10 Reasons Why Buddy From TimeTech Would Pick Wii U Over PS4 or X-Bone Right Now

He has some facts wrong and he's cherry picking other reasons. This is clickbait, through and through.

He has some points, but saying "HD enough" really sucks the credibility out the whole article.

[Oblivion]

Well, something he mentions and something I was going to be serious and post about it, is Nintendo's online gaming. Now, I know there is a lot of criticism for how some of it has been implemented such as friend codes, lack of unified accounts, slow to release VC games.

Yet, in some things, Nintendo absolutely has nailed it. Free online gaming for any of their games is fabulous. The fact that Nintendo has never been interested in charging for online gaming or has ever made any signal that they may want to do so in the future is an awesome gesture to those who buy their products. Especially when you consider how profits and sales have been done and this could be seen as another way to bring in revenue and yet they have still stayed to the course of keeping online gaming free.

At the same time, it may be that when people are unhappy about the service or wish they made changes to it, they can sort of shrug and say at least it is free and not have to worry too much about trying to improve it more. Thus, I can't help but wonder if they tried to focus more on that area if they wouldn't have better ammo to use against the PS4 and Xbox1 and convincing more people to buy their console. Perhaps it would get more people to buy a third party game on their consoles since it might be more appealing to be able to play it online against others for free instead of having to pay a subscription fee to do so on another console.

The problem I see with this is that while, yeah, it is free... I can name the number of good online games on the system on less than two hands. Not only that... the communities for those games are tiny and not varied whatsoever.


For example: Black Ops II. While the other consoles + PC versions had half a million people playing at any one time, the Wii U version had, at the most that I ever saw, 5000 people online at once. And on a daily basis it was close to 1500. While that may seem like a lot most of them played DM or TDM so I couldn't usually play the other game modes.

[Nemo]

Amount of games I want to play on Wii U  >  Amount of time I have to play games

I played part way through Pikmin 3. My semester is almost over and I really want to get back to it.

I've played some 3 player and 2 player Mario 3D World. Amazing! Can't wait to play more.

Nintendo Land: Luigi's Ghost Mansion and Mario Chase with 5 players so fun! the DK single player one was pretty good, too!

Earthbound, only about 6 hours in, but soooo good.

Little Inferno: although it's a one player game, played through it with a friend. There was a lot of humor in the game. We had a lot of good laughs. Well worth it.

Fluidity: it's a fun game. I maybe got half way through it.

Need for Speed & Assassin's Creed 3: haven't really had time to play these ones at all.

Darksiders II: only played a few hours. It's good but not great.

Arriving December 25th: Rayman Legends and ZombiU

Sheesh. I almost wish there were LESS games. I'm sure I'll evenutally get New Super Mario Bros U (and/or Luigi) and probably Wonderful 101.

Also, I think Miiverse is fantastic. I like drawing with the stylus and seeing what others have drawn. (This is particularly good for me, as I'm kind of an artsy guy.)

For me, I think this has been a good year. Probably better than the last few years of Wii lineups. 2012 had Xenoblade (in the US) and nothing else for me. 2011 had Skyward Sword and nothing else for me. 2010 had 6+ games that I thought were really good.

I'm sad that the Wii U isn't doing better (comparable to sales and image of PS4), but I'm having a blast with the games I have and am confident that next year will be just as good for me.

[Adrock]

Also, I think Miiverse is fantastic. I like drawing with the stylus and seeing what others have drawn. (This is particularly good for me, as I'm kind of an artsy guy.)

I don't think Miiverse gets the recognition it deserves. It's a really great way to connect players who are playing the same game as you.

[nickmitch]

And not get called a *** in the process.

[shingi_70]

Miiverse is probably one of the most innovative concepts of this generation. Nintendo Games are still pretty good which is saying a lot.

Nintendo doesn't get a lot of press or credit for their push of indie developers as much as Sony has and even Microsoft has.