Topic: Wii U - e3 is over... now what?

[nickmitch]

I'm hoping at least GDC. It'll be a big chance to show off what kinds of games could be done with Wii U that couldn't before to (hopefully) excite devs. Even better would be devs doing it themselves.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Gearbox (Aliens: Colonial Marines) comments on WiiU
WiiU to provide Next Gen visuals and gameplay

There is nearly no doubt that, PC version set apart, the Wii U version will be on another level than the PS3/Xbox 360 counterparts, the Nintendo's console being able to offer "a visual result that can't be seen elsewhere on consoles today, and a gaming experience beyond the current generation", while confirming that "Nintendo coming back to a more traditional gameplay is a source of satisfaction that should seduce new gamers". Besides this, the tablet [ndt: don't know if mablette means something or is a typo | edit: see below] will offer a unique gameplay since you'll only need to point the camera towards the screen to get additional data, since a different viewpoint will be displayed on the tablet when playing normally without pointing it to the screen, allowing the player to keep an eye on what happens behind him. Other ideas are currently under development, and Gearbox is also studying ideas suggested by the community.

original text (French): http://www.livewii.fr/news/161614-Des_infos_sur_Aliens_%3A_Colonial_Marines_sur_Wii_U

[Chozo Ghost]

They should bring Borderlands 2 to the Wii U.

[ThePerm]

does launching first guarantee better 3rd party support? Having the weakest specs seems to guarantee the best sales, and having launched first seems to guarantee the best 3rd party support. xbox 360 got great third part support because it launched first, wii launched slightly before ps3, but you couldnt port games to wii. Its unclear what Sony and MS are going to do, it seems they would rather launch add-ons to their existing hardware then release new hardware, which actually could be a good strategy for them. I just hope Wii U goes uncontested next year. If I was a developer I would see it as a good idea to jump on board Wii U with all of my products.

[Kytim89]

They should bring Borderlands 2 to the Wii U.

Add Max Payne 3, Spec Ops:The Line and GTA 5 to the mix. Also, add evey non-Sony and Microsoft game that is coming out within the enxt two years to the launch line up as well and we will have a winner.

[broodwars]

I'd be pretty surprised if Borderlands 2 didn't come to the Wii U, unless Nintendo's new online infrastructure just isn't ready for primetime by then.  Saying the first game HAD a story is giving it too much credit, so it's not like Wii U owners are missing much by not playing the first (IMO) underwhelming Borderlands.  The game will be probably be releasing around the Wii U's launch.

At this point, probably every multiplatform 3rd party game releasing around Fall next year will be on the Wii U.  There's just very little reason not to.  Stuff released before then is much less likely, though.

[bustin98]

I filled out the Borderlands 2 survey that Gearbox had on Facebook last week (week before?) and said in the comments that I wanted to see a WiiU version of the game.

[Chozo Ghost]

Saying the first game HAD a story is giving it too much credit, so it's not like Wii U owners are missing much by not playing the first (IMO) underwhelming Borderlands.

Borderlands was addictive and fun and it did have a story, but that's not really the point. The point is you are a bad ass and you shoot things and blow stuff up and you can do it with 4 player co op. So yes, you are missing much if you haven't played it. If you want a story go read a book.

[broodwars]

If you want a story go read a book.

And if you want a fun game, go play something else.  I can only hope that Gearbox has truly learned from their many failings with the first Borderlands in making the sequel.  There was a good game buried somewhere under all that monotonous crap.  You just had to endure a whole lot of boring crap to get to it, at least in the main campaign.  I'll fully admit, though, that I never played more than 30 minutes or so of the multiplayer.  That said, my friends didn't pay for the game.  I did, so the lack of a compelling SP experience is irritating.

If you liked Borderlands, you should try Dead Island, though.  It's like Borderlands, only fun and better designed.  It does have a similar problem with repetition, though.

[bustin98]

Most games suffer from being monotonous. Especially just around or after the second half. You get introduced to the mechanics and abilities, and then you realize one mechanic works better than any other and rinse - repeat.

Though I have to say that I sometimes enjoy what a game is. The first Uncharted really threw me for a loop in that last chapter with the zombies. It went from Tomb Raider to Resident Evil on a dime.

Borderlands was just too long (Game of the Year Ed). The driving distances in the last section were so freaking far, I would forget which way I was going.

[Oblivion]

Was what you said about Uncharted a good thing? I kinda liked the gameplay change to keep it fresh.

[broodwars]

In all fairness to the Uncharted games (although I don't like the first one all that much.  Too many "kill rooms" with AI that doesn't act naturally and stealth you just can't perform), Naughty Dog does a pretty good job of pretty frequently changing things up by tossing new situations at the player so it doesn't just become a series of shooting dudes behind chest-high walls.  One moment, you might be doing just that; another you might man a turret and take down a helicopter; while yet another you might be doing Indiana Jones-style action-platforming sequences on top of moving vehicles; and yet another you might just be wandering around a ruin listening to amusing banter and backstory.  Uncharted 2 especially liked to change-up its experiences and mechanics quite frequently.

Borderlands is the same game at minute 0 that it is at minute 100.  The only thing it does to break up the monotony is give you that desert jeep to drive around, and from what I remember that thing controls pretty terribly for combat purposes.  Then there are the quests that both look and feel like they were phoned-in and barely given any attention.  The only thing the Borderlands crew seemed to care about was the rather-nice cel-shading (though it does nothing for the drab color palette) and the excessive amount of loot.  Great if you like that, but man that game gets tedious if you aren't as big of a fan.

[Chozo Ghost]

I can only hope that Gearbox has truly learned from their many failings with the first Borderlands in making the sequel.

What failings? The game was a huge and unexpected commercial and critical success. There were 5 DLCs released for it, and that's why there is a sequel because the game is awesome and people love it. I get that you don't like it and that's fine. You are entitled to your opinion, but that is not the opinion of the majority of people who've played the game.

[broodwars]

You are entitled to your opinion, but that is not the opinion of the majority of people who've played the game.

Gearbox's reps were quoted in last month's Game Informer basically apologizing for many of the things I've complained about with the first game, and they promised their primary focus was to address that.  They probably mentioned as much in their PAX Prime panel on Borderlands 2 a few weeks back as well (I can't remember.  Borderlands 2 isn't a game I care about).  They are major failings because Gearbox has admitted as much, despite the game's sales.

[Chozo Ghost]

Borderlands is the same game at minute 0 that it is at minute 100.  The only thing it does to break up the monotony is give you that desert jeep to drive around, and from what I remember that thing controls pretty terribly for combat purposes.

Facepalm + roll eyes = my reaction to reading this.

The vehicles were mainly for getting from point A to point B, and once you activate the teleporter thing you really don't even need them for that. You can't take the vehicles inside buildings or caves or whatever. Even though they have weapons, I found the best way to kill with them was just roadkill enemies or hop out and kill them yourself.

What breaks the monotony is that you are constantly leveling up and looking for the best weapons and equipment. You seem to have been using the same weapon or type of weapon the whole game. There are so many different guns with different characteristics which you should have been exploring. You can also use your character's unique action skills too, and experiment with the skill tree to try different play styles.

[broodwars]

What breaks the monotony is that you are constantly leveling up and looking for the best weapons and equipment. You seem to have been using the same weapon or type of weapon the whole game. There are so many different guns with different characteristics which you should have been exploring. You can also use your character's unique action skills too, and experiment with the skill tree to try different play styles.

Yeah, I was changing weapons fairly frequently, but they were pretty much just more powerful versions of the gear I was already using (ex. a sniper rifle or submachine gun with an attack of 100 and lightning damage rather than one with 89 damage).  There was really no reason to use anything else, and changing guns didn't make the experience different from what I experienced.  The scenarios really didn't change much, and the enemies pretty much attacked with the same patterns the entire game.

As for my character's unique action skill, I played a Siren and at the time I was playing Gearbox shipped the game broken.  The Siren's unique ability to deal mega damage while Phase Shifted didn't work.  Instead, you merely dealt your normal melee damage while shifted, so the ability was useless.  And by the time I discovered that, there was no way I was starting over with a new character and going through that tedious experience all over again.  By the time they patched the ability to actually work like it was supposed to, I was long since done playing.

[Chozo Ghost]

Gearbox's reps were quoted in last month's Game Informer basically apologizing for many of the things I've complained about with the first game, and they promised their primary focus was to address that

I have the magazine right here and I read what they said. Some people criticized the lack of backstory, but that doesn't change the fact the game was awesome and incredibly fun, and the fact it sold so well and spawned so many DLCs and a sequel proves it.

You weren't just saying the game has no story, you were also saying it was no fun, but like I said the majority who played it strongly disagree and the sales prove it.

[Chozo Ghost]

The first Uncharted really threw me for a loop in that last chapter with the zombies. It went from Tomb Raider to Resident Evil on a dime.

There were some clues sprinkled throughout the game that kinda led me to think there was going to be something like that sooner or later. For example, on the German sub Drake comments on how something had been gnawing on the captain, and then later on there's a cutscene with the bad guy in the trap and there was a weird footprint belonging to "something or someone".

BTW, while we're on this topic did anyone else think it was extremely odd how 70 year old corpses in a hot humid jungle aboard a severely rusted ship still had the skin and flesh completely intact? In reality they would have been skeletonized within a very short time especially in the hot humid jungle where stuff decays rapidly. But Drake didn't think anything of it.

Oh yeah, and then later on he runs into his ancestor's corpse and it still has the beard on it. WTF?! Not to mention the books and all the documents were still in perfect and readable condition and all the wooden stuff was still fine and barrels of gunpowder from hundreds of years ago would still blow up just by being shot. I mean, come on. If this were a desert or something maybe that stuff would be preserved, but this is a rainforest for crying out loud.

[broodwars]

I think you may want to check your quotes there.  I didn't say that.

[BlackNMild2k1]

bustin said it, not brood

[Chozo Ghost]

Yeah, sorry about that. I think what happened was I was starting to reply to one of your posts but never finished and then I went back to reply to this and things got mangled up.

[Kytim89]

If Gearbox's game were to e successful on the Wii U then they might do a good job with Metroid Prime 4 since they have some good FPS titles in theworks such as Colonial Marines. The series seems to do better when developed by a western developer, so why not let them do it?

[Chozo Ghost]

If Gearbox's game were to e successful on the Wii U then they might do a good job with Metroid Prime 4 since they have some good FPS titles in theworks such as Colonial Marines.

They aren't a Nintendo 2nd party. They do games for all the consoles, and even on the PC. Why would they make something that's exclusive to Nintendo? I'm sure they could be persuaded by Nintendo with huge money hat incentives, but why bother when Nintendo already has Retro who has already proven themselves.

[Kytim89]

If Gearbox's game were to e successful on the Wii U then they might do a good job with Metroid Prime 4 since they have some good FPS titles in theworks such as Colonial Marines.

They aren't a Nintendo 2nd party. They do games for all the consoles, and even on the PC. Why would they make something that's exclusive to Nintendo? I'm sure they could be persuaded by Nintendo with huge money hat incentives, but why bother when Nintendo already has Retro who has already proven themselves.

Retro has stated that they do not want to be labeled the "Metroid" company. Like I said the series seems to do better when developed by westerners and why not let a seasoned western developer bring something new to the table. Lastly, if Nintendo thought that they could make big bucks by t]handing over development to Gearbox then they would do it.

[Adrock]

You have a habit of just tossing names around. Is there a specific reason why you think Gearbox Software is the right developer to take the mantle from Retro? I get that they're a pretty good developer but what about their design philosophy compliments Nintendo's? See, in addition to just being a flat-out fucking awesome developer, Retro Studios has a really good working relationship with Nintendo and that's why Donkey Kong Country Returns, a franchise in a genre Retro never worked on, came together so well. I'm given no reason to believe Gearbox would have the same kind of relationship with Nintendo. Now, I'm not saying they necessarily can't. However, I'm curious why you're trumpeting their name at every opportunity.

Additionally, what makes you think Gearbox Software would even want to work on Metroid?