Topic: Wii U in Review (News & Rumor Consolidation)

[Evan_B]

I suppose pushing indie support is Nintendo's best choice right now, since they seem to be having trouble creating original content. I wish they'd release some eShop games themselves, though it is fairly early in the console's life. At the same time, that's something they could have used to push online connectivity and eShop as an application.

The way they're handling this console is just so awful.

[NeoStar9X]

Nintendo approaching them about putting their game on Wii U is encouraging.

True. It was good to see they were proactive in that regard.


Nintendo's handling of the Wii U has put me on a roller coaster ride. To the point that I actually put down money for a PS4 yesterday. Though I canceled it and went for a refund today. Ugh. I would feel better if they could actually just come out and state 100% clearly why anyone should buy a Wii U. Put it into words that make even the biggest critic say "okay that clear and straight to the point". That they can't seem to do that I think is at the core of my concern. The "need to see it for yourself" or "need to play the games" simply isn't cutting it and won't cause the narrative to change.

[MagicCow64]

Now that E3 dust has settled a bit, I feel like I've committed to riding a funeral barge out to sea with the Wii U, which I am weirdly okay with. Don't like where things are going in general in the industry, so I don't feel too bad about going down with the ship.

[Spak-Spang]

Well, your funeral barge will at least double as a party barge...as Nintendo definitely knows how to make fun party and social games.

[Evan_B]

I'm getting X before this ship sinks.

All is well with the world.

[Luigi Dude]

Now that E3 dust has settled a bit, I feel like I've committed to riding a funeral barge out to sea with the Wii U, which I am weirdly okay with. Don't like where things are going in general in the industry, so I don't feel too bad about going down with the ship.

If the rest of the industry keeps going down the same path they went last generation of taking huge losses, Nintendo will end up being the only one alive in the end.  When games need to sell over 4 million copies just to break even, there's a huge problem.  If the current dev cost are way too high to support much of the industry, the PS4/One sure as hell won't fix that. 

Nintendo at least has the games that will make the Wii U profitable in the end to survive.  Microsoft and Sony along with most third parties are basically playing a dangerous game of Jenga where they keep making budgets go so high eventually they'll collapse because there's nothing to sustain their insane cost any longer.

[ShyGuy]

Unlikely Legend of Rusty Pup coming to the Wii U.

http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2013/06/exclusive_conkers_bad_fur_day_creator_chris_seavor_is_bringing_rusty_pup_to_wii_u

Two Rare leads coming back to Nintendo.
We're putting the band back together. We're on a mission from God. /BluesBrothers

[MrPhishfood]

Although I don't like DRM I thought Microsoft was foolish to backtrack on their stance, and I thought Sony was foolish to not include it in the first place.

To quote: Cliff Bleszinski

You cannot have game and marketing budgets this high while also having used and rental games existing. The numbers do NOT work people.

[Shaymin]

GOOD.

[shingi_70]

Eh the only thing I'll miss from Microsoft are retail and digital content being treated as one.
I think Nintendo needs a big indie dev that they can use as there mouth piece like Sony and Microsoft have been able to get.
Also I think a Nintendo has a problem of not wanting to bombard their customers with ad's (though miiverse is arguably social advertising),
 
 

 
Vs

 
or
[/img]
 
Say what you will about the merits of advertising directly into the OS being good or bad, but it works to get content in front of peoples eyes.

[Kytim89]

Pity that Nintendo could not buy back all of Rare's IPs and get the actual "band" back together. 

[tendoboy1984]

Pity that Nintendo could not buy back all of Rare's IPs and get the actual "band" back together.

Retro Studios is doing just fine as a suitable replacement. Plus now they have Platinum Games.

[tendoboy1984]

Although I don't like DRM I thought Microsoft was foolish to backtrack on their stance, and I thought Sony was foolish to not include it in the first place.

To quote: Cliff Bleszinski

You cannot have game and marketing budgets this high while also having used and rental games existing. The numbers do NOT work people.

ugh, more people quoting Cliffy B. Used car sales don't hurt automakers; used DVD sales don't hurt movie companies, etc.
 
Publishers have plenty of other ways (DLC  and digital releases) to make up for the "losses" caused by used game sales.
 
As a consumer, it's my right to sell something I no longer want.

[shingi_70]

Pity that Nintendo could not buy back all of Rare's IPs and get the actual "band" back together.

Retro Studios is doing just fine as a suitable replacement. Plus now they have Platinum Games.

Retro is no where close to being a Rare Replacement from any stretch of the imagination. Also remember Tomorrow Platinum games could just as easily announce they're making a new IP for Sony or Microsoft.
 

[Oblivion]

Bahahahaha Retro is leagues better than Rare ever was and will be.

[TJ Spyke]

Platinum games could just as easily announce they're making a new IP for Sony or Microsoft. 

Technically Rare could have have too since Nintendo was never majority owner of Rare.

[MrPhishfood]

ugh, more people quoting Cliffy B. Used car sales don't hurt automakers; used DVD sales don't hurt movie companies, etc.
 
Publishers have plenty of other ways (DLC  and digital releases) to make up for the "losses" caused by used game sales.
 
As a consumer, it's my right to sell something I no longer want.

So you're suddenly a video games industry expert that can discredit the words of CliffyB, one among other industry veterans who have voiced similar views?

Your analogies aren't even comparable. In what ways is a car and a DVD movie similar to a video game both as a business and as a product? Whatever similarities you can think of, I am sure you can come up with far more differences.

[tendoboy1984]

Video game publishers spend millions to make games that see very little return. The majority of revenue is from DLC purchases and first-month sales.
 
In the movie industry, a majority of revenue comes from first-month ticket sales and (eventually) DVD sales.
 
The two industries have a lot in common.

[smallsharkbigbite]

So you're suddenly a video games industry expert that can discredit the words of CliffyB, one among other industry veterans who have voiced similar views?

Cliffy B makes video games.  He is far from a business expert.  I wouldn't go as far as say it's my right to be able to sell video games, but I would say it's my right to not buy a system that significantly limits my consumer rights.

I think this was a bad move by Microsoft.  They can pretend that they had this great plan all along with all these benefits, but it means jack since they never communicated these benefits and they backtracked on them before they were ever released. 

In my opinion, the industry needs to use the carrot instead of the stick.  I look at where PC gaming was.  Limited activation, required DRM software.  Consumers have already voted against these practices and it practically killed the PC market.  The PC market has started to somewhat recover because people see the value of having a Steam platform that gives you some benefits that physical purchases didn't and Steam competes with physical releases and is much cheaper.

That's my problem.  I don't see the benefit of treating physical purchases as digital.  You want the benefits of digital?  Buy digital.  You want the benefits of physical?  Buy physical.  Microsoft could have implemented all the changes they wants on digital games and not given the benefits to physical.  But you need to show me the benefits instead of forcing me to change.  It's not like I, as a consumer, am going to wake up and think boy, Cliffy is right.  I keep waiting for physical games sales or buying used and this game I spent $20 is suddenly worth $60 to me.  And I think that is the problem they face if they think every used game sale is a potential new game sale at $60. 

I can't resale a digital game, I'm limited with how I can share digital games, I'm limited in how I can tranfer these games if my console breaks, and the industry makes more money on a digital game because their is no retail cut or production costs.  There is absolutely no reason that a digital game should cost as much as a physical version day 1.  If they would just release digital console games at $30-40 day 1 and have the physical game continue to cost $60 they would see a large transition to digital.  But no, they want to try to force you to buy a $60 downloadable game and pretend they have to because retailers would be mad and that they may eventually lower the price.  The idea is silly to me.  And it's compounded by publishers that over-produce physical copies to the point that most physical releases hit $19.99 before they are a year old.

Show me the value of digital games, don't treat me like a criminal and pretend like I'll just fork over the money and I need games.

[shingi_70]

 Didn't see it posted here but Soul Saga an RPG is being kickstarted and one of the strech goals is Wii U.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/disastercake/soul-saga-a-j-rpg-inspired-by-playstation-classics


SO far its at 45,000 with the Wii U option being 80,000.


Looks decent enough though I find parts of it too animish for my taste.

[Oblivion]

Don't know what animish is but I hate to break it to you, but JRPG's generally are "anime-ish".

[Ceric]

On some of the early discussion.  Nintendo does have Ads in the UI.  That's what those bubbles up top are.  They are ads with human testimonial.  Its a great concept.  One that may pay off more when the system has a wider range of Non-Platformer games.

[Soren]

So you're suddenly a video games industry expert that can discredit the words of CliffyB, one among other industry veterans who have voiced similar views?

Since when are we, the consumers, responsible for the high costs of video game development? Because that's the crux of Cliffy B's "analysis".  If the numbers don't work, find a way to make production cheaper instead of blaming something that is perfectly legal.

Going digital will also not kill the used market. So developers need to focus their energies into other issues.

[shingi_70]

Don't know what animish is but I hate to break it to you, but JRPG's generally are "anime-ish".

Maybe its because I haven't played many JRPGS this gen, but I guess its more of the style of cutscenes and overly Generic anime tropes with the characters thus far. The art style really isn't the problem because I loved tales of Verperia and Symphonia.


Also it looks like the game may be coming too PS4/Vita as well, as the developer posted on a kickstarter update about being in talks with the Sony indie team.

[MagicCow64]

I am on board with the sentiment that next gen is heading for serious problems. I don't think this is going to look like the previous crash, though. If the Xbone and PS4 do poorly enough, I can see Microsoft and Sony withdrawing from the console-making game by not making new systems and transitioning to platform-based services. Or maybe if it's bad enough downsizing to software-only.

In either case, I'm not sure how this benefits Nintendo. Though Nintendo itself has a stronger foundation, I don't see how they'd benefit from a drastic shrinkage/transformation of the video game market.