Messages

376

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Updates will render it useless?

« on: April 16, 2013, 09:14:05 PM »

I would think they would make the original O/S hold more space than is necessary so if the O/S did become bigger, it did not effect the user in anyway.  Someone who has already filled up their basic and has to delete things to upgrade would not be happy. 


I also find it ironic that the Wii U is flash memory, but Nintendo recommends you not use flash memory.  Instead they want you you to use an external hard drive for the Wii U because flash memory is less stable. 

377

TalkBack / Re: Canceled Mega Man FPS Developed by Former Metroid Prime Leads

« on: April 13, 2013, 11:06:13 AM »

I'm not sure I would have liked this.  But it makes me sad to know of all these cancelled Mega Man's as a fan of most of the games developed in the series. 

378

Nintendo Gaming / Re: What do you want with the Wii U virtual console.

« on: April 13, 2013, 10:46:47 AM »

As for the genesis controller, does the Wii U use the Wii classic controller for VC games?  I just question that, because I even think there were articles on this site that mentioned reputable people that sold genesis (and all classic system) controllers that would plug into a wii remote and be available for games.  Not the cheapest thing in the world, but I really doubt that Nintendo will replicate controllers from Sega systems. 


I wish there were more rewards, and I wish it was available already.  It's nice that you can use club nintendo points on select games, but I wish they would do like a buy 3 get 1 free or somekind of reward for using the service.  And I appreciate $.30 games, but it's annoying that the service can't be used yet (except for those games) because there aren't many Wii U games worth playing at this time.  When the games release I'll be playing Pikmin 3 (hopefully). 

379

TalkBack / Re: Several Online Wii Channels Shutting Down in June

« on: April 13, 2013, 10:40:05 AM »

Knew this would happen at somepoint, but it feels too soon to me.  The Wii U will barely be 7 months old and they are shutting down all the services for the Wii?  I could partially understand it if the Wii U was going gangbusters and they needed the servers for that, but it seems they are shutting these servers down to make them inactive. 

380

TalkBack / Re: Castlevania Review Mini

« on: April 13, 2013, 10:28:19 AM »

I just beat Castlevania like 4 months ago and I thought it was great.  I actually think the block look of NES and SNES games look pretty good on a HDTV.  It's the N64 which I think looks pretty hideous with its first generation of 3D gaming.  It just looks terrible. 


Castlevania has some pretty difficult boss fights and sometimes cheap enemy placement.  But I think it does parallel arcade games pretty well.  The game can be beat in a couple of hours and generally repetition is the way to get better at the games. 


I thought the control was pretty solid despite being limited to say whipping in one direction which is something I found enjoyable.  Clearly the reviewer didn't find the game as enjoyable as me.  The final comments seem to indicate that the game is worthwhile.  I think that's why I generally prefer reviews without a score.  People have a hard time getting past 5/10.  There are cons to this game, but there are positives to this game as well.  I would recommend it to people that miss old school game design. 

381

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Shigeru Miyamoto asks the gaming public and media to give the Wii U some time

« on: April 06, 2013, 08:17:03 AM »

I get that Nintendo has done a poor job communicating that this is a different console.  They shouldn't have used the Wii name.  People at my work who have a Wii don't even know this console exists or how it is different than a standard Wii.

I get that it's disappointing that there hasn't been many games recently and Xbox/PS3 are getting exclusives. The next consoles from them are going to struggle as well.  Those systems will have game lulls up front as well.  And will probably struggle to get off the ground at the $400-$500 price points.  I know Wii U sales have been historically bad, but I'm not convinced this isn't the new norm. 

What I don't get is that Wii U, while not necessarily great support, has better 3rd party support than the Wii had.  Batman, Deus Ex, Assassins Creed, Ninja Gaiden?  These may be ports but they are great ports of great games.  When sales pick up, it'll be hard for 3rd parties to ignore the Wii U.  It's just the nature of the industry now that exclusives only come with moneyhats.

The Wii U has standard control scheme which was my big issue with the Wii.  NSMBU was 10x better than NSMB Wii just for the fact that I could play it without motion controls. 

Maybe I'm just older and have less time for video games, but I'm not that disappointed in the Wii U.  The games I've played for it are top notch.  It looks amazing.  I'm not sure if the PS4/Xbox720 will have better physics engine, but once you're at 1080p there isn't much to be had on a graphical level.  I won't own a 4k TV anytime soon so owning a 4k capable console isn't going to help me now.

It seems to me that the return of standard controls and HD Nintendo games are worth the price of admission to me. You know there will be more Mario 2D and 3D.  You know there will be Zelda, Metroid, Mario Kart, other Nintendo games exclusive.  If you still are a Nintendo fan after all this time, it seems to me like you shouldn't have expected what the last few consoles have not produced.  That being the best 3rd party experience amongst the consoles.  The games will come, they just aren't there now.

The Gamecube is one of my favorite consoles of all-time.  The games were just fun on it.  Their were some great 3rd party exclusives and the Nintendo games were excellent.  It sold like crap, was a running jokeline, and missed most 3rd party games.  So what?  I just want to have fun and I can have that with the Wii U.  It's a video game system, it's not the cure for cancer. 

382

TalkBack / Re: Embracing the Digital Future on the 3DS

« on: April 02, 2013, 08:10:17 AM »

I have 0 retail DL 3ds or wii u games and don't plan on getting any.  It really comes down to cost for me.  I'm not necessarily opposed to download, I just always get games cheaper retail.  For example, there is always buy 2 get 1 free game sales which is 33% off.  Plus, non Nintendo games almost always hit $19.99 within a year of physical cartridge release (then bundle with B2G1).  Then there is the option of buying used games.  Gamefly has some great game sales where items come in excellent condition for $10-20.  If they want me to embrace digital, they need to embrace $20-40 for full download titles at release (Wii U).  Then it would make sense for me. 


They started having "sales" on the Wii U which is a good start, but I still think 20-25% off doesn't get me excited.  Especially when you figure I might hate the game.  When I had a Gamecube I was in college and dirt poor.  I bought over 50 games a year and figured I netted a cost of $100 a year because of my ability to buy things cheap and sell things high.  I now have a good job and don't really sell games as much anymore (and rebuilt my gamecube collection).  But I still pride myself on making good deals and this last year I sold about a dozen games at a profit. 


I also don't believe I've ever lost a physical game and still have an NES, Coleco, SNES, Genesis, etc. all set up.  So knowing the game will work in 30 years if I just have a working Wii U is a big deal to me.  With download, they'll eventually shut the service off for the Wii U even if Nintendo is still around and has a Wii U 12 DL service going. 

383

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Would you play a game for 50c...

« on: March 31, 2013, 08:47:26 AM »

I think it depends on the quality of the game and the exact specifics on how it is unlocked. 


Some modifications that may make people more on board is what if you paid $.50/$1.00 a day that you played the game.  MMOs have gotten away with a pay to play model so it's not new.  I've considered subscribing to iRacing as an old NR2K3 fan.  That uses a monthly fee and is a pretty solid game. 


I think it comes down to value, pricing will obviously be more dynamic in the future. 


Would everyone really be upset if the next Zelda was $.99/day or $4.99/week to rent?  Especially if they still give you the option to buy for $59.99?  What if they gave an updated dungeon every 3 months to bring people back into the game rather than start a completely new Zelda?  I know we like to think we own the games, but every generation it seems they push us more and more towards a rent model and unique content is released download only.  I think the key to this model working is the developer bringing updates to keep bringing you back to the game. 


What if instead of Zelda (since Zelda is considered AAA), what if say the latest Need for Speed Most Wanted was released at $.99/day $4.99/week?  I would personally love that.  Great way to download and try out full game versions that I'm not that interested in paying $59.99 for. 

384

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Need for Speed Most Wanted U: It's deserves your purchase!

« on: March 31, 2013, 08:30:38 AM »

As someone thinking about trying out a Criterion racer, should I get this or Burnout Paradise? 

385

TalkBack / Re: Mega Man 3 Review Mini

« on: March 18, 2013, 11:09:26 PM »

I love Mega Man.  I played Mega Man's 1-10, X1-X3, GB 1-5, before running out of steam on X4.  I'll get back to it sometime.  But the controls are so precise that I think the game has aged great.  It has a clean look which doesn't make it an abomination on HDTVs. 


3 is in the running for best Mega Man ever.  I don't think any Mega Man was supposed to have a completely logical run through of bosses.  The game was made to redo levels and try weapons on new bosses.  16 bosses is just awesome.


I don't think it's bad, but 3 is much harder than 2.  If I want to spend an hour on Mega Man and beat it, 2 is the way to go (Normal diff).  The game is logical and is just downright easy.  I think that's the best thing about 2 is that it is so easy to get into and back out with some quick retro goodness.  3 will take time to beat and many more level/boss replays.  But I still think it is great and has aged quite well. 

386

TalkBack / Re: Call from EU: Most Wanted U and Game Pricing

« on: March 05, 2013, 08:17:31 PM »

I own a PS3. But I want this game on Wii U. Never played it on my PS3... mainly because I'm patient. I have too huge of a backlog to plow through to worry about buying a lot of these games on my previous gen console - since I knew several of them would make their way to the Wii U anyway. I realise I'm in the minority on this, but it's definitely my situation. Same could be said for Darksiders II, Tekken Tag 2, FIFA '13, and Ninja Gaiden 3 - each of those I own on the Wii U, and I never once played them on my PS3. I'm patient like that. No big deal to wait.

So yeah. I can't wait to play Most Wanted on Wii U - a clearly superior version compared to the PS3 and 360 versions.

Your saying previous gen like the Wii U version is better.  That's the bigger problem.  These are previous gen games.  Whether you play them on a Wii U or not doesn't make them current gen. 


I was interested in Darksiders 2, but then got the PS3 version for $9.99.  The PS3 version runs smoother and shows more detail.  Yeah, it lacks the DLC, but you'll have to wait awhile to get the Wii U version at $9.99. 


Picked up Epic Mickey 2 for $10.99 for the Wii.  The Wii U version somehow doesn't support pointer controls?  One of the few games that is truely better with those controls.  Really makes no sense they left it out. 


Need for Speed with a logitech wheel is >>>>>>>>>>>> than a Wii U version with gamepad.   

387

General Gaming / Re: Backwards Compatibility - Good or Bad?

« on: February 27, 2013, 07:38:30 AM »

I figure they think it would eat into sales of re-releases or just wouldn't appeal to a big enough market.  Nintendo is very much into big mainstream hits so some fringe product that appeals to geeks does not seem like it would be on their radar.  Someone like Reggie probably has no idea about any retro videogame scene at all.  The funny thing is that someone is making money of off systems like the Retro Duo and replacement SNES controllers and replacement NES cartridge connectors.  There clearly is SOME market and, if not embarassingly overpriced, an official Nintendo version of that stuff would probably squash the third party stuff.  If you were interested in a Retro Duo and a new legitimate Nintendo version of that product existed isn't that the one you would get?  Let's not ignore the used game systems that sell on eBay that Nintendo currently gets $0 from.  The products exist and someone is buying them and Nintendo doesn't make a dime off any of it.

The ironic thing is re-releases led me to pick up at least 3 systems and at least a hundred games of the past.  I started buying VC games, then realized Nintendo would never release them fast enough and they would never release many of the games I want to play.  I think they could make $100 million easy on it, but they'd have to use the Disney re-release approach.  Release a limited amount, like 2 million NES systems, add some cool collector packaging, and then people would scoop them up.  Since the NES is so cheap they could probably make a profit of $40-50 an NES which would add up to $80-$100 million on hardware.  Then re-release about 20 games from the era at a price of $20 could add to the profit.  They could also encourage 3rd parties such as Konami to rerelease say Contra and make even more $.  The key would be to keep it limited, so the NES systems sell out quickly and it doesn't really affect current console demand.  Then you re-release a SNES in 5 years, etc, keeping the re-releases limited. 


Most of the games, I'd re-release are so popular they probably wouldn't even affect re-releases.  By that I mean, most people that would actually buy a VC release of Super Mario 3 probably already own a version of that game for some system.  Embarrassingly, I have Super Mario 3 for NES, GBA, Super Nintendo, Wii x2(I bought the digital version and disc release).  I don't think I'd buy it again for Wii U, but I'd strongly consider it for the 3ds if they released a digital version.  People like to play these games on new systems and generally the price isn't too prohibitive to re-buy. 

388

General Gaming / Re: If you could only play one genre

« on: February 20, 2013, 08:31:14 PM »

At first it was platformers for me.  That's what really starting me in gaming and I still love them a bunch.  Then it was adventure games, Zelda/Metroid and I still love the a bunch.  But, now I'll have to be the oddball and say racing.  I love getting into racing games.  If I had to look at my PS3 collection, I'd guess the majority are racing games(obviously having a wheel that works with PS3 and PC is key).  And I always thought Mario Kart was the best game on the Wii. 

389

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Official Sales Thread

« on: February 20, 2013, 08:00:32 PM »

They want it to come in 2014 or even 2015.  I think that is the casual and general public's mindset on the new systems right now.  They don't want new systems.  They just discovered the 360 and PS3 since they had been on Wii until 2010.

Up until this gen, the game systems had always hit the $99 price point.  Obvioulsy, more people will jump on with a lower price point.  I think the Xbox 1 only hit $150 but that was essentially killed off becuase of the Microsoft lawsuit.  Then this gen comes around and xbox 360 and PS3 have only officially hit $200.  I know specific sales they've been cheaper, but it hasn't been MSRP below that.  I think that holds alot of would be buyers out. 


I really wish that Nintendo would have brought out a couple of AAA games in the first 6 months to get people excited about the system.  But at one point their was a rumor the PS4 would be $300.  Alot of people were waiting for the PS4 and Xbox 720 announcements before buying a Wii U.  If the new rumor is true (don't know if they've confirmed it yet) that the "best" PS4 will be $529, I can't see it selling well initially.  Game consoles are a luxury device.  That's a lot of dough to drop especially with the economy still faltering. 

390

TalkBack / Re: Ubisoft Wii U eShop Sale Begins

« on: February 20, 2013, 07:49:40 PM »

Toys R Us usually has a B2G1 free sale in the April/May time period.  If you can wait for that, you can get the physical copy and get 33% off. 


That's another reason I'm meh on DLC.  The sales just don't seem that great.  3/4 of the games I received for the Wii U came with the Target B2G1 sale before Christmas. 

391

General Gaming / Re: Backwards Compatibility - Good or Bad?

« on: February 20, 2013, 07:41:05 PM »

Ian,
I've often wondered why Nintendo or other publishers don't rerelease older consoles.  Like Nintendo releasing a 25 year anniversary version of the toploader (updated with modern outputs).  They could probably sell it for something like $79 with two controllers.  Then they could also release a classics collection, I.E. Mario 3 cartridge for $19, etc.  Since there wouldn't be any real development and the cost would be neglible, it would be all profit. 

Ceric,
PC may be held back from a technical standpoint, but losing BC would make any new PC useless for me.  Heck, I think 90% of the time I use a PC for personal reasons it could run on Windows 2000.  And computers are silly fast anyway for almost anything you do.  Businesses or power users might like a bump in power but realistically most people don't even use their current computers to their full potential.

392

General Gaming / Re: Backwards Compatibility - Good or Bad?

« on: February 16, 2013, 04:03:29 PM »

Backwards compatible is great for everybody.  Consumers get access to more content.  Hardware makers have games available while a lineup of next gen games is being developed. 


I think the problem is specifically for Sony/Microsoft, is that the PS3 and Xbox 360 are very complicated systems and hardware is not increasing at the level it once was.  They used to say that you needed a system 10x as powerful to emulate an older system.  The PS4, Xbox 720 will probably be 2-3 times as powerful as current gen.  And unless they used a similar architecture, it's going to be very difficult to emulate.

393

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Official Sales Thread

« on: February 15, 2013, 12:46:15 AM »

I think the Wii U really needs the PS4 and Xbox 360 to come out this year.  They will struggle like the Wii U with rumored $400 prices and development time of learning a new system leading to a lack of games. 

Wii U struggling now isn't that big of a deal since it's the only next gen player, but it needs to get some great games and momentum before the PS4 and Xbox 360 come out.  It may be a good time to price drop then as well to really get some strong momentum while the PS4 and Xbox 360 are struggling. 

If PS4 and Xbox 360 delay to fall 2014, then Nintendo may be screwed.  Wii U can't compete even with a 10 million user base against the user bases of the PS3/Xbox 360.  Of course those systems are going to sell more multiplat titles.  They can port easily between the two and they both cost less than the Wii U.  Wii U would flounder for 2 years and not be on the radar for the "next gen" battle.  That's the risk of releasing first. 

394

General Gaming / Re: IGN up for sale

« on: February 15, 2013, 12:36:25 AM »

I liked IGN when they had Matt Casamassina.  I thought he did a great job for the Nintendo channel and was relatively fair.  When he left, I couldn't really get into any of their other content. 

395

TalkBack / Re: Nintendo Needs to Stop Caring About What Other People Think

« on: February 11, 2013, 07:48:22 AM »

i think its funny that alone the nintendo 3ds has sold way more 3ds's in 3 years than sony sold ps3's in 6 years.for all the bad comments that are to come its true look it up yourselfs, lol.nintendo needs to stop thinking bout everyone else.

Just to clarify, that is Japan only.  The PS3 has sold much more globally in 6 years than the 3DS in 3.  The 3DS is also in a different position than the Wii U.  The 3DS is the defacto handheld.  The Vita has sold about as much as the Wii U despite being out much longer.  The 3DS gets most of the good 3rd party handheld games.  Okay, so it doesn't have a new Madden.  Excluding first party games, the 3DS still owns the Vita in software support which is a big reason it's still so popular.

I am not sure where to put this but if one thing about the Wii U that needs a price cut it is the Pro controller. Nintendo needs to cut that thing down to $29.99 and let more people purchase them. This way more third parties can just port over their games and use only the pro controller.

Really doubt this can happen.  I wouldn't complain since I don't have a pro yet, but the pro is essentially a gamecube controller with bluetooth.  The gamecube controller sold for $34.99 and bluetooth is like $15.  So they are right in the expected range.

396

TalkBack / Re: Nintendo Needs to Stop Caring About What Other People Think

« on: February 10, 2013, 11:12:02 PM »

Any way to do that would involve cutting into that profit margin. You're devoting resources toward that by either cutting costs for third parties or outright paying them for support.

I just wanted to clarify.  Businesses only care about net income.  If you have to spend $50 million to make $100 million you do it every time.  And certainly Nintendo has a pile of cash so it's not like their internal development would suffer at all. 

397

TalkBack / Re: Nintendo Needs to Stop Caring About What Other People Think

« on: February 10, 2013, 10:43:02 PM »

Any way to do that would involve cutting into that profit margin. You're devoting resources toward that by either cutting costs for third parties or outright paying them for support.

If third parties aren't bring you the games, you have no profit margin to worry about. 


I'm not saying everyone should get a deal, but that they should make sure that some high profile games come to the Wii U or have exclusive content.  [size=78%]Case in point.  GTA V is almost certainly not coming to the Wii U and will likely sell at least 10 million units.  10 million x $12 is $120 million in potential royalties just for that game.  [/size]


Now, yes, the Wii U doesn't have the user base to absorb all those sales.  But who knows how many people would buy a Wii U if the Wii U had "the best" version of GTA V because of gamepad implementation.  Then we could get into a whole new scenario.  What if 1 million people buy a Wii U because they need the best version of GTA V.  Then that's another $300 x 1 million = $300 million.  Now that's revenue, not profit, but those are new people who will buy other Wii U games including Nintendo published games.  The Gamecube sold about 18 million systems.  That's about how many people would buy a console just for Nintendo games.

398

TalkBack / Re: Nintendo Needs to Stop Caring About What Other People Think

« on: February 10, 2013, 09:47:33 PM »

Fixed... and yeah. Your point? That there are a lot of companies that don't admit to their mistakes.

The point is very simple.  It's fun to go rah, rah, screw third parties, long live Nintendo since obviously on a Nintendo board we all love Nintendo games.   


But as a business decision it is stupid.  Last I heard, Nintendo charges a licensing fee of about $12 a disc.  So assuming the Wii has a userbase of about 85 million, if they sell 1 third party game to the entire population this year that makes them over $1 billion dollars.  You want to go tell your boss to ignore a possible billion dollars a year because your tired of being a bridesmaid? 


It seems to me the better method is to figure out a way to make the Wii U more enticing so that the billion dollars grows. 

399

TalkBack / Re: Nintendo Needs to Stop Caring About What Other People Think

« on: February 10, 2013, 08:38:46 PM »

Frankly, Nintendo has shown with the N64 and the GameCube that they have the ability to support a system on their own.  And that's all they need to worry about.

I would be mighty fine with this.

Yes and no.  I believe Nintendo could make a profit with no third party support, but it wouldn't be close to the piles of cash they were pulling in with the Wii.  So from a business perspective, if they want to maximize value they need to make real concessions to big third parties to get some exciting stuff coming in.  But like most Japanese led companies, they refuse to admit mistakes.  So we likely won't see any changes to their third party approaches for the Wii-U. 

400

TalkBack / Re: Nintendo Needs to Stop Caring About What Other People Think

« on: February 10, 2013, 02:54:40 PM »

Nintendo needs to make more games.  What I disagree with is that Nintendo is trying to cater to third parties.  They have loosened some of their restrictions, but I don't see how they are incentivizing 3rd parties to make Wii U games. 


This has always been the issue as Sony and Microsoft work with developers and incentivize them to produce games for their systems.  Nintendo never has.  The poor economy has led to fewer risks in the industry, these developers aren't going to go out of their way to support Nintendo until it is proven profitable.  Wii U Sales have tapered off quite a bit from the holidays and it is hard to make money on anything but a budget game with an install base of 4 million.


Not that I expect Nintendo to care or to do anything different.  The gamecube made a profit and I'm sure Nintendo will make the Wii U profitable.  It just may be the "gamecube" of this generation but it will be profitable.