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Nintendo Gaming / Let's moan about stupid wit less staff at video game retailers - ah come on!

« on: January 10, 2014, 06:00:11 AM »

I was explaining to my wife the other day that one of the pains of the Nintendo enthusiast is knowing more then the chumps who work in video game retail (both on and off line).


I know, I know, you and your cousin both work for Gamestation and studied Nintendonomics at Yale. But you are the exception or you wouldn't even be on this forum. And if you don't mind me saying so, you're wasted in retail... I digress.


I bring this up now because in the last week alone I have been thwarted in trying to by a Wii fit U meter from Game (clerk: "You have to buy the game, you can't get the pedometer by itself. It doesn't exist"
Me: "But it's on your own website!"),
Been told by somebody in a store that Nintendo no longer sell eShop vouchers (I guess they meant Wii Shop Channel vouchers. But they had an in store display of eshop vouchers so maybe they just didn't want my money)
But my favourite - I ordered a pre owned Motion Plus from CEX and received.... a wireless nunchuck adapter (but no nunchuck).
I know some of these were designed with motion plus built in but I've tested it and , nah, Wii Sports Resort says it's a useless hunk of off-white plastic.


Thank you for your compliance in my cathartic release.
Now whose got the best 'Dumb Nintendo no-knowing shop assistant' story?

2

General Gaming / The pain and anxiety of Lindemann Syndrome

« on: January 08, 2014, 07:17:22 AM »

I envision this thread (should anyone part take) as a sort of self help group. At the least it is my first step towards healing.


I have a problem and that problem is Lindemann Syndrome. And it's really started to get on my nerves.
Back in the day (before downloads) I would buy too many games (I cannot resist a bargain) but get sick of my stack and regularly sell anything I hadn't touched in 12 months. I have some regrets such as selling my N64. But in general this is how I funded most of the new systems I have bought and it allowed me to feel like I controlled my games collection, not visa versa.


But like it or not we live in the down load age. Personally I prefer to buy physical media but ALAS I cannot resist a bargain so I get well and truly sucked into online sales. And then there is PS+, the biggest bargain in games IMHO.
I know have 130+ download games just sitting on my various accounts (not counting PS3 titles because I never get to play that console) I know that some of you will have back logs that make that seem tiny, but for me this is a scary prospect. I can't sell these games and the likelihood is that I will never play most of them to any great depth because the new games just keep-a coming.
Now seriously, having this many games that are basically useless has started to weigh on my mind. I can't even give them away, so what good are they?


In December I decided to have a crack at as many of my games as I could. I never played the same game twice and played each one for about 30 - 45 mins max. Just long enough to get a feel for what in my back log was worth some attention and what wasn't. I played 53 games, 17 of which I want to go back to. So I have no shortage of things to play, and a couple of new games each month for the rest of the year via PS+.


But of course Christmas brought me 4 more games and some money, most of which I then blew in online sales on another 8 games.


I'm fascinated by this whole back log phenomenon. I see people all over the internet complaining about their back log. Growing up I would salivate over games in magazines (metaphorically speaking of course) but could only afford a couple each year. The only other way I could get games was to swap them with friends or rent them from a video shop. The notion that I have spent money on a stack of downloadable titles that are not really much good to anyone upsets me some what.


On the plus side I have no money for a while now so will just enjoy my Christmas games for at least the next 4 months. But I'm still haunted by my Lindemann pile.


Thank you for allowing me to express my sad condition. Whose next?

3

Nintendo Gaming / The Sun slams the Wii U - Water is wet.

« on: September 17, 2012, 10:05:41 AM »

5 reasons not to buy the Wii U in typical poorly worded and badly researched fashion from the Sun. The UK's premier tabloid news paper for stupid stories about video games:
 http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/fun/gaming/article4542882.ece


The general gist is that it's not as good as a PS3 and a Vita (which I have, and the comparison is lost on me) and people should hold off until the price cut.


Should earn them a few clicks, just posted here for you to enjoy the idiocy.

4

Nintendo Gaming / Wii U launch pushed back to December in Europe? RUMOUR

« on: August 10, 2012, 09:05:28 AM »

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/362352/wii-u-release-date-delayed-to-december-across-europe-sources/


So long as it's here for Christmas I don't mind.


Your thoughts?

5

Nintendo Gaming / Is 3DS XL launch weekend in Europe! Did you get yours?

« on: July 27, 2012, 07:50:39 AM »

Wahey, a new console! Well, sort of.
Picked mine up this morning, did my system transfer, checked I didn't loose my eshop credit or my mii hats then had to put it in my pocket and go to work.


But hey, it fits in my pocket!


Other initial thoughts:
I like the stylus
The 3 buttons at the bottom of the touch screen are pretty horrible. How did they manage to make them worse?
Is it just me or is the touch screen a bit of a down grade over the last one? The bending plastic cover reminds me of my old DS lite.
The top screen is lovely! (obvious I know).


I went for red, how about you?

6

Nintendo Gaming / Game and GameStation's contradictory 3DS XL offer

« on: July 20, 2012, 10:57:49 AM »

Any other UK folk interested in this offer?

http://www.game.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/HubArticleView?hubId=148256&articleId=148257&catalogId=10201&langId=44&storeId=10151


You trade in your old 3DS with Game or Gamestation and get a 3DS XL & charger for £79.99 AND
"You can transfer data from your old 3DS to the new 3DS XL".
They even link to a page of instructions on how to do a system transfer. So I called my local stores to ask about it and guess what... go on have a guess...guessed yet?...




...that's right - the staff didn't know how to do a system transfer & when I told them they said:


"Sorry we don't have wi fi in our stores.
BUT you could pay cash for a 3DS XL, do a system transfer at home and bring in your old 3DS for store credit".


"Okay" I thought and pre ordered one.


BUT WAIT! What is that small print at the bottom of the page?


"Trade-in offer only applies when the trade-in console and Nintendo 3DS XL + AC Adaptor bundle purchase occurs in the same transaction."


WHAT?


and what is the non-special-offer store credit they give for a 3DS? £70.


And now for my favourite part:
Whilst in the local store paying my deposit the staff showed me the available colours on an ipad via a Google image search. An ipad with a big fat Wi Fi signal and the words NO SIM emblazoned in capitals across the top left corner of the screen. Pretty impressive for a store that don't got no Wi Fi.


If you're interested, Game's customer service email form is
http://www.game.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ContactUsView?catalogId=10201&langId=44&storeId=10151

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Nintendo Gaming / Vita > 3DS ad dis. Honest opinions?

« on: July 09, 2012, 11:01:21 AM »

Just saw this advert in which Sony explains that Resistance Burning Skies is twice as awesome as any other portable FPS in the history of ever because of the miracle that is dual thumb sticks.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNgI7gwiaiA&feature=player_embedded


Now, I'm not interested in a flame war or baiting some Nintendo apologists. But as Resistance BS was the last game I completed it got me thinking.


I like my Vita. I like it a lot. But I didn't like R:BS. It's dull, buggy (try the melee attacks!), the touch screen controls are iffy, it's too short, the graphics on the human characters was laughable, the story was extremely poor, the difficulty spikes were very badly paced and the whole game is one long corridor punctuated by kill rooms. I played it for 2 weeks and sold it. The first Medal of Honour Heroes game on the PSP was actually more fun.


It got me thinking and I reckon that Resi Revelations with the CPP plays a lot more like a home console game (and is a much better game, although obviously not an FPS).


My conclusion: twin triggers are just as important as twin sticks.


I really hope (but strongly doubt) we see more CPP games, especially a decent FPS.
I have been waiting for a decent portable FPS since the DS was announced and I'm still waiting. ho hum.
Thoughts?

8

Nintendo Gaming / Silicon cases - any good?

« on: February 09, 2012, 11:49:52 AM »

Hi everybody, is anybody able to recommend a good sleeve for the 3DS.


I really hate the feel of playing regular games with the system inserted into the Circle Pad Pro (which I'm not crazy about comfort wise at the best of times). And I can't stand the way the little studs at the bottom of the system dig into my hands any more!


Time to get a sleeve/case, but on Amazon UK there are some crazy bipolar customer reviews.


Can anybody recommend a good one available in Europe?


Thanks in advance!