Topic: Nintendo Direct: Planting the Seeds of Concern

[Webmalfunction]

At least they didn't end it by ruining Mario again.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/editorial/36246

As a Nintendo fan who is often extremely critical of Nintendo, I had pretty low expectations for this monthly Direct (at least, they seem to be monthly now). I expected the big Nintendo Wii U Direct to come in January, I expected no more than one announcement, and I expected Mario Golf and Kirby to be their Spring releases. I ended up being wrong on at least two accounts, and when I'm wrong about Nintendo, it usually means they're doing something right. Here's the good, the bad, and the ugly of today's (North American) Nintendo Direct.

The Good

New Game Announcements: It ain't quite X or a Fire Emblem crossover, but Zelda Dynasty Warriors (under the working title Hyrule Warriors), NES Remix, and Dr. Luigi is way better than nothing. The first is a good opportunity for newcomers to try the Warriors series as well as the positive reassurance that Nintendo will allow other developers to give classic franchises a crack, and the latter two pad out the Wii U's eShop catalogue for the near future.

Specifically, NES Remix: You are completely justified to be wary of the price tag, but I bought the game earlier today and can report that it's a lot of fun. The visuals look pretty sharp, and the mini-challenges are a good time and surprisingly plentiful (I estimate that the game probably has at least five hours of content). It feels like 9-Volt from WarioWare got his own game.

Sonic DLC: I kind of liked Lost World on Wii U despite its flaws, and the new Yoshi's Island level is pretty fun (as I'm sure the next Nintendo-based one will be). The YI level has the look of what I expect Yoshi Yarn to look like (very fabric-y) while featuring Shy Guys, collectible flowers, eggs, and a version of the Flower Garden song from the original game. Also, it's free!

Yoshi's Island Looks a Little Better: Yoshi's New Island came out of the gate looking a little rough thanks to its somewhat questionable new art style and the fact that the remnants of Artoon is making it, but I was pleased to find out that the game is at least being produced by YI creator Tezuka and is at least being partially made by the crew at EAD. I'll have more to say on this one in the coming days, but it looks like it could turn out to be an okay game.

The Bad

Kirby Triple Deluxe: Considering the game is coming out in January in Japan, I was hoping that the North American release date wouldn't be far behind. Unfortunately, the fact that it was given a vague 2014 release date makes me think this thing isn't going to hit before April, and it probably won't release until summer in the West (I know it was a spring Direct, but I'm imagining this as an Animal Crossing scenario). At the very least, the game continues to look great.

Kart Babies: For a character roster that needs as much diversity as it can get, I'm pretty disappointed that at least four of the playable selection is made up of baby characters. Unless there are 30 characters in the game, using playable baby characters seems like a lazy way to fill the roster out. I want Mario Kart, not Yoshi's Island DS Kart.

Rosalina: I don't know why Nintendo is under the impression that Rosalina is such an impressive character. Her first appearance as a character this year (I think you know the one) felt like it was shimmied into the game, her Mario Kart reveal today isn't even her first appearance, and likely a third of the Smash Bros. cast is now going to consist of characters either from the Mario series or spun-off from it.

The Ugly

Luigi's Mansion Diorama: They're charging 1500 coins for a Club Nintendo reward that should have been the Platinum prize all along. Instead, we get the soundtrack for a Zelda game that hasn't been properly re-released since the Wii virtual Console. Come on, Nintendo.

Where is Mario Golf?: This is not coming out in spring. It should, but it isn't.

Wii U Situation: Outside of the "plentiful" Dynasty Warriors fanbase, nothing in this presentation will sell a single Wii U. It's a nice presentation for those of us that own one, but none of these 33 minutes showed a side of Nintendo that was even remotely prepared to react to the desperate Wii U situation. Maybe in January...

[Adrock]

Wii U Situation: Outside of the "plentiful" Dynasty Warriors fanbase, nothing in this presentation will sell a single Wii U.

For realsies? Not even Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U? Ehh, disagree.

This all seems pretty over-dramatic and nitpicky, but I suppose that comes with being an opinion piece.

I don't think Rosalina was really the point of the Mario Kart 8 trailer. They showed some really nice new tracks. The airport one looks especially insane in the membrane with the speed ramp and the plane flying overhead. Anyway, I really like the addition of Rosalina in Super Smash Bros. I think Sakurai approached the character in a way that most weren't expecting. She could have been to Peach what Luigi is to Mario in the series, but the addition of Luma is a nice twist.

The only thing that seemed "bad" per se was showing Hyrule Warriors, only due to how unpolished and early it looked. Comparatively to X earlier this year, it didn't look ready to be shown. X looked holy-****.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Glad I want the only one with the opinion on that Luigi diorama should have been a Platinum prize for this year in place of the bullshit choices they left us with.

[ShyGuy]

Well I certainly cancelled my preorder!

[Axe23]

"Rosalina: I don't know why Nintendo is under the impression that Rosalina is such an impressive character. Her first appearance as a character this year (I think you know the one) felt like it was shimmied into the game, her Mario Kart reveal today isn't even her first appearance, and likely a third of the Smash Bros. cast is now going to consist of characters either from the Mario series or spun-off from it."

Well, for one thing Rosalina is from one of the highest rated and best regarded Mario games ever made. For another her character design is TONS better than either Peach or Daisy. For a third, in that one game she had more character development than Peach has ever gotten over the ENTIRE series, not to mention her little story was actually very well written and sweet.

Anyway, I'm glad to see her getting more attention from Nintendo.

[Luigi Dude]

Rosalina: I don't know why Nintendo is under the impression that Rosalina is such an impressive character. Her first appearance as a character this year (I think you know the one) felt like it was shimmied into the game, her Mario Kart reveal today isn't even her first appearance, and likely a third of the Smash Bros. cast is now going to consist of characters either from the Mario series or spun-off from it.

She's a popular character among Mario fans who's been in enough recent games to be known by the general gaming pubic as well.  Just because we get some characters like the Ice Climbers and Wii Fit Trainer doesn't mean Sakurai just throws in whoever he wants.  He does take fan popularity and character request into account for many of the characters who get added and considering how popular Rosalina has become and the mostly positive her reveal has been, it looks like he was right to include her.

[Webmalfunction]

Well I certainly cancelled my preorder!

The only reason I didn't announce that I was cancelling my Mario Kart pre-order was that I never pre-ordered it to begin with!

Wii U Situation: Outside of the "plentiful" Dynasty Warriors fanbase, nothing in this presentation will sell a single Wii U.

For realsies? Not even Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U? Ehh, disagree.

This all seems pretty over-dramatic and nitpicky, but I suppose that comes with being an opinion piece.

I don't think Rosalina was really the point of the Mario Kart 8 trailer. They showed some really nice new tracks. The airport one looks especially insane in the membrane with the speed ramp and the plane flying overhead. Anyway, I really like the addition of Rosalina in Super Smash Bros. I think Sakurai approached the character in a way that most weren't expecting. She could have been to Peach what Luigi is to Mario in the series, but the addition of Luma is a nice twist.

The only thing that seemed "bad" per se was showing Hyrule Warriors, only due to how unpolished and early it looked. Comparatively to X earlier this year, it didn't look ready to be shown. X looked holy-****.

Smash Bros and Mario Kart will sell some consoles, but they won't sell consoles because of this Direct.

[broodwars]

Well, I'm glad I didn't bother waking up to watch this snore-fest of a Direct, because if Rosalina in Smash Bros. and The Legend of Dynasty Warriors (ugh...) were the big headline announcements, it was a pretty crappy Direct.  In light of the recent rant against Mario; Mario; and MORE Mario on RFN, I find it depressing that Nintendo's big announcements this Direct were more Mario (Rosalina in Smash Bros., because if there's one thing Smash Bros. needs, it's more Mario characters); more Mario (Mario franchise baby characters in Mario Kart); more Mario (Dr. Luigi, because that was a thing people were clamoring for after such a ****ty Year of Luigi); and...more Mario (the Luigi's Mansion Club Nintendo Reward).

I look forward to the January Panic Nintendo Direct, but this "Please do not look at the Mario behind the Curtain" Direct was just more of what I already don't care about. Hopefully Nintendo actually shows up to play in the New Year.

[Adrock]

Everything Nintendo does sucks. Nintendo is worst than poverty, cancer, and 9/11. Combined.

[azeke]

I like videogames!

[HairyChest]

This was not a video showcasing info from a company whos fighting for the existance of their home console. It was a video from a company whom seemed to ignore the facts of their situation and showcase software that is the bare minimum required for a consoles existance.


I was ready to cry out in a chant if they showed ANY of the following:


A proper HD mario (not a handheld sequal)
Zelda wii u video
Metroid 4
Majoras mask 3D
Starfox
Mariokart with other nintendo characters (like link and kid icarus)
N64 games on virtual console

[Weetrick]

I completely disagree about Rosalina. She is my favorite character in 3D World (lol, is this really a spoiler?) and I think she looks interesting in Smash Bros. That whole Kirby/Kart/Smash trailer was confusing as hell though.

[Adrock]

This was not a video showcasing info from a company whos fighting for the existance of their home console. It was a video from a company whom seemed to ignore the facts of their situation and showcase software that is the bare minimum required for a consoles existance.


I was ready to cry out in a chant if they showed ANY of the following:


A proper HD mario (not a handheld sequal)
Zelda wii u video
Metroid 4
Majoras mask 3D
Starfox
Mariokart with other nintendo characters (like link and kid icarus)
N64 games on virtual console

You say, "this was not a video showcasing info from a company whos fighting for the existance of their home console," then most of the things you list fall into that same category, namely Majora's Mask 3D which wouldn't even be a Wii U game.

Also, Metroid 4 is Metroid Fusion.

[Kytim89]

The writing is pretty much on the wall that the Wii U is not going to be the success that Nintendo and its fans wanted it be from the start. This being said, Nintendo should push as many high quality titles from their first and second party developers as humanly and financially possible. They need to do a little bit of money hatting. They need to bring back dormant franchises like Metroid. The Wii U should be home to so many quality titles that potential buyers have no choice but to buy it in order to play those games. Lastly, no more casual titles. Nintendo needs ten more games like X and Bayonetta 2. 

[ShyGuy]

I like videogames!

I like big budget cinematic interactive experiences... child

[ciscod]

Give me a break... For a Nintendo based site, you really look for negatives... Several games announced, new info on upcoming games .... Sports club golf .... Not bad for a " monthly " type of presentation....  How often are Sony and Microsoft doing these types of announcement

[broodwars]

Give me a break... For a Nintendo based site, you really look for negatives... Several games announced, new info on upcoming games .... Sports club golf .... Not bad for a " monthly " type of presentation....  How often are Sony and Microsoft doing these types of announcement

Quite often. Ever heard of Major Nelson or the PlayStation Blog (w/ associated weekly podcast)?

[Enner]

I had fun watching the Direct live (even if Ustream crapped out for the NA stream).

It's the little things that made me happy: Chibi Robo 3DS coming to North America and the Bravely Default side-story demo. Also, I really like Rosalina so seeing her in Smash 4 and Mario Kart 8 is great for me.

[azeke]

I like videogames!

I like big budget cinematic interactive experiences... child

Do you... Do you really?

[HairyChest]

The list i wrote was what would make me happy about the nintendo direct, not the list of things that would make wii u a success.


By metroid 4 im talking about a mainline console metroid.  Not a handheld sequal.

[Adrock]

I had fun watching the Direct live (even if Ustream crapped out for the NA stream).

It's the little things that made me happy: Chibi Robo 3DS coming to North America and the Bravely Default side-story demo. Also, I really like Rosalina so seeing her in Smash 4 and Mario Kart 8 is great for me.

I rarely ever actually watch the entire Nintendo Direct. I'm usually at work so I read the news them just watch the trailers when I get home so I don't have to use data. I've had a few close calls in recent months where I almost went over 2 GB.

I'm almost always fairly content with what's shown in these things. I don't expect earth shattering news because those are typically reserved for GDC, E3 etc. Any new game, even something that doesn't immediately call to me such as Hyrule Warriors or NES Remix, is pretty interesting to me. I don't know if I'm simply easy to please or just have realistic expectations or maybe it's because I have more important things to think about, but my reactions are neutral to good. There's next to no hype for Nintendo Direct since Nintendo announces them a day or two in advance. They're mostly just updates and I remember when no company did these. Even further back, I had an EGM subscription before the Internet was so readily available and you wouldn't hear news for months. E3 was in May and the July/August issue would have all the news and pictures. I just think it's really neat that Nintendo even has Nintendo Directs so frequently.

The list i wrote was what would make me happy about the nintendo direct, not the list of things that would make wii u a success.

So, just to be clear, if they announced any of those things, you'd be be happy yet you'd still have something to complain about since your list is not a list of things that would make Wii U a success. It just seems terribly inconsistent to essentially say Nintendo isn't doing enough in the Nintendo Direct to help Wii U, but then wish for things from the same Nintendo Direct like a Majora's Mask port that wouldn't actually help Wii U at all. That's a rigged game. Unless Nintendo announced something you want AND a variety of things for Wii U, you'd still be in here complaining about things. Fine.

By metroid 4 im talking about a mainline console metroid.  Not a handheld sequal.

You can't just change what Metroid 4 is to suit your purposes.

[Soren]

This Direct only reinforces the thoughts I've had recently that I should sell my Wii U and just go 3ds only. A new Zelda spinoff isn't going to get me hyped when I just finished Wind Waker mere days ago. shop games that don't offer  near enough content to justify their price($15 for Runner 2 and Cloudberry Kingdom is fine, $15 for approx. 5 hours  of NES remix is not ok). I'm lukewarm on Donkey Kong and ho hum with Mario Kart.

Meh.

[Ceric]

I think this direct would be seen in a better, not much better mind you, light if it had come before the WiiU numbers.  A PR Fail by Nintendo.

[eggface123]

I trade my wii u for a PS vita. Nothing in this direct is making me regret that.

[eggface123]

"Traded"