The RFN gang talks though one of the most exciting Nintendo Directs yet.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/33965
We start this week's show with just three members present, but have no fear, the quartet is soon complete. Jonny begins with a return to the improperly maligned Assassin's Creed 3, a Wii U launch title that deserves more attention as the numerical sequel approaches in just six more months. James picked up Yoot Saito's Aeroporter, the Guild 01-associated luggage stacking puzzler, but he finds little to recommend even at the reduced eShop price. Gui continues the bargain warnings with escapeVektor on 3DS, a likable but glaringly flawed Pac-Man successor that was, until recently, on sale. Since Jon didn't have any New Business this week (he's been getting a head start on Mega Man, hedging his bets by playing both candidates), we had enough time for Jonny to come back around with a glowing review of Saints Row: The Third, an open-world game that finally recaptures the spirit of the "sandbox game".
For the second half, we celebrate an unusual dump of announcements for this time of year, as Nintendo hosted a Direct video event to trump all others. The focus was on 3DS, of course, and although we'd like to have more reason to be excited about Wii U in the year 2013, it's hard to complain about the lineup of sequels, revivals, and digital releases unveiled last week. We run through most of the notable tidbits and speculate on how this will affect the resurgence of 3DS as well as Nintendo's plans for E3, now just a few weeks out.
Urgent reminder: voting on the next RetroActive will end mere days after this podcast launches, so delay not in submitting your vote, good citizens! You can stay informed about the winner and get a link to the upcoming forum thread by connecting to the RFN Facebook page and following NWR's official Twitter account. You can also help keep the show interactive by filling up the mailbag, as Listener Mail is sure to return next episode.
Nintendo Direct never have actually bad news, only good news, right? Except perhaps when we learn that a game will come out much later than previously announced, like Pikmin 3. But when a ton of new games get announced, that's great news. And yet it never seems good enough for some people. I think saying that those people are "bitching" is appropriate.
The teams are hard at work creating new Wii U games. You guys just need to be patient. There are third party games out for the system to fill the gaps.
And for Lindy, you're opinion is welcome. Just don't bash Iwata when you don't know that the F*ck you're talking about. Then not give him credit for the Wii, 3DS, and DS success. If console/handheld generations were super bowls, Iwata has coached his team to three super bowl victories. DS won last handheld gen, Wii won last gen, and 3DS will win this gen.
Then say the Wii U sales are tanking worldwide, with no numbers to back it up, then you make it seem like the Vita is doing better than the Wii U. When the Wii U is kicking the Vita's ass worldwide, yet you only cherry picked the Japanese sales. You sounded like you worked for IGN PlayStation team or something.
The Vita is tanking worldwide, not the Wii U.
Nintendo is not perfect, they make mistakes, but please know what you're talking about before you speak about Iwata losing his job.
You guys should get a "mute James Jones laugh button". :-X
I guess I am the mute button.
Your right. Be simplier just to delete the whole track. :PI guess I am the mute button.
Don't you do it Gui! Don't you push that button!
Learn to reply noob. :p
@Furious Francis:
Wii U at 3.45m units worldwide
http://www.joystiq.com/2013/04/24/wii-u-shipments-miss-targets-at-3-45m-fy14-forecasts-of-9m/
Vita is almost doubling Wii U's install base in Japan
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=546116&highlight=japan+sales
And this perhaps sorta accurate estimate has Vita at 4.62m worldwide
http://www.vgchartz.com/analysis/platform_totals/Hardware/Global/
Of course, Vita has been out since December 2011, so it has 11 more months on the market than Wii U. Overall, Wii U is selling faster, but in recent months Wii U sales have slowed to a crawl while Vita sales are picking up. Couple that with the fact that...
Epic isn't providing Wii U support for Unreal Engine 4, no Frostbite 3
http://www.destructoid.com/gdc-unreal-engine-4-and-frostbite-3-won-t-support-wii-u-250006.phtml
We still don't have confirmation of a Madden for Wii U, etc. I'm sure I could sit here and find some more negative press about Wii U if I looked, but really, does all of this sound like a console that's THRIVING to you? Maybe not TANKING totally, but THRIVING? No, Wii U is a console that's struggling. Struggling mightily at that, and things are only going to get tougher - beyond the die-hard Nintendo base - when Xbox and PS4 come around.
Am I all doom and gloom on Wii U? Not at all. I expect Nintendo to come riding in with the cavalry the second half of the year, and for sales to pick up. But once they blow their wad with the big glut of games that will be released 2nd half 2013/first half 2014, it'll be interesting to see where it goes from there.
@Razorkid
Man, Operation Rainfall! I hadn't even thought of that. Good point. I wonder if that whole fiasco got NCL to thinking that maybe NOA is out of touch with their own market? It's hard to tell who pulls the strings on what games go where (NCL ultimately, but internal politics certainly play a role), but you have to wonder.
