robio said:

LBP: Brawl for All . . . for PS3.

It's actually entitled LBP: Battle for SupreMehcy.

Shin'en working on a second gen WiiU engine.

I'm curious what they're working on.  I enjoyed both 'art of balance' and 'Fast Racing League' on the Wii, but haven't tried Nano Assault.  The article points in the direction of online rumours that Shin'en would be working on something F-Zero related, but I think that's just wishfull thinking.  And if it should be true, Nintendo better be involved at a similar degree as they were with the original Metroid Prime.  FRL was rather good, but it was no F-Zero.  Then again, it was a full 3D game with good graphics that only weighed in at 40MB.

edgecrusher said:

Can't wait to use this on the PC:

I don't know...  Will it really be worth upgrading from my wired 360 controller?  Really, how many pc games will be optimized for the added rumble functionality?  How many PC games really need a good D-pad?  It might be a good controller, but on a platform that isn't dictated by 5-7 year lifecycles of hardware, when is the right time to make the jump?  (answer: probably when my current controller breaks)

gamingeek said:

Here in the UK you can get a Wii U premium for between £150 - £200, about the same price or cheaper than PS3 and 360 retail for. PS4 is £399? Xbone £50 more. Wii U still isn't selling as there is no awareness, no store presence and poor, if not entirely missing marketing. 20 million sales isn't garbage if you're making a profit, on software too. Xbox and GC sold around 20 million and Nintendo made more money during than period than Sony made on 100 million PS2 sales. What Nintendo need to do is treat this winter as if it's a relaunch, the true launch of the console. They need to explain what Wii U is and all the things you can do with it. They need to create a need and an image of the system being an innovative, high tech device - all of which is possible if done right.

Sorry GG, the WiiU might be £200 in the UK, just hop over the Channel and you'll see the rest of us still paying €350 for it.  You can't just pretend everyone will be able to buy a WiiU Premium at last-gen pricepoints.

gamingeek said:

BTW you can buy from UK retailers and get the console delivered to your home to most countries in the EU. Like Bugsonglasses did. He paid about £150.

Yes, I definitely see everyone going down that route...  *cough*  Besides, you'd have to fiddle with power converters and stuff.

gamingeek said:

I'm not pretending anything, I'm saying prices are rock bottom here and still no major sales increase. That's what no advertising, no awareness, no store presence, bad PR and no new games does for a platform. If Nintendo ever got their shit together like they did in the DS/Wii -era they might have a shot at doing good business. I think with DS/Wii they were new and weird concepts so they advertised the fuck out of them and really pushed them out there with non-typical consumers. Then they had this massive success and just thought Wii U and 3ds would sell based on brand momentum and name - like consumers would just carry over.

Wii U had a successful launch matching 5 month sales of 360 and PS3. But there was no software follow up post Christmas and all we saw was game after game after game not being announced for the system. This is why people have cold feet. If games were guaranteed for the system like they are with PS and XBOX there wouldn't be this cloud hanging over it. At the moment all Nintendo can do is make the system worth owning for Nintendo exclusive games and do some serious legwork behind the scenes to get third parties on board. Wii U has a decent attach rate, something like 4.3 games owned per system, but there aren't enough owners. They need a big Christmas. If they don't push the boat out in the aspects I've already talked about they are dead in the water. If they do then they can do all right in the long run.

If Nintendo turns it around, it'll be on the basis of their own software.  I really don't see them attracting a lot of 3rd party games like their competitors.  At best they'll get some 3rd parties to work on exclusive games for the WiiU, as we saw with Capcom on the Gamecube, or we'll see some installments in franchises be created specifically for the WiiU, kind of like that Overlord game the Wii got.  What is also hurting Nintendo badly is that WiiU owners don't play online.  A big part of the revenue these days is generated online, and if WiiU owners can't be arsed about it, publishers won't be inclined to give the WiiU similar support to that of its competitors.

I don't know...  I don't think Nintendo will be able to succesfully court 3rd parties.  I think it'd be more likely that WiiU sales pick up after a number of 1st party titles hit, and people like Edgecrusher decide in droves that they'd rather have a PC and a WiiU, then a PS4 or an X1.  Maybe then devs will take interest in the WiiU again.  But it'll be with games tailored specifically for the WiiU, as once again Nintendo's hardware won't be able to run the main engines in any noteworthy manner.

In the end it doesn't matter to me.  Looking back, the N64 and Gamecube both were better systems then the Wii, for me personally.  All I want is unique games and stuff that I can play with friends.

phantom_leo said:

It's actually entitled LBP: Battle for SupreMehcy.

We have a winner.

gamingeek said:

And for all the bashing around Wii U, a lot of 3rd party games have significant added value on Wii U with the ways they use the screen - look at Rayman or read the Nintendolife Splinter Cell interview. I think 3rd parties have to kill off current gen versions of games for next gen to flourish, otherwise there will be some inertia to next gen taking immediate hold. Gamers will look at next gen Watchdogs and not see the immediate difference, read interviews about the 'wind simulation' and decide to stick with the 360 game and put off next gen. Or they'll hear talk of Assasins Creed 4 being 60 FPS on next gen but they'll happily play at 30 FPS on their existing system. I think the extended lifecycles and more reliable versions of PS3 and 360 has gotten gamers into a comfy ass groove on the couch.



And frankly there are tons of people that are happy to wait a year or more for a bigger library and lower entry costs.

For the average gamer by far the biggest added value to any game will never be some extra screen, its online play. Wii U has utterly failed at that and third party companies are starting to flat out revome multiplayer modes from the Wii U version. That is Nintendo's biggest blunder. EA doesnt even want to bother with them. You get half a batman game. Even the first party titles have no online. Its an outdated system more on that front than the graphics.

No one will want a Wii U version of a game over a PS4 or Xbox version, most wouldnt want the Wii U version over the PS3 versions. I could get full online support, trophies, all the DLC, why should I get the gimped version. And thats the problem, they are not a primary system, it will be a machine that you just play Nintendo games on and the very rare 3rd party exclusive. Most people will not want to pay $350 for a secondary console.

The Iwata asks with Kamiya is amazing. Basically thank Mikami for his success, without that man who knows what would have become of Kamiya. Mikami came in and saved RE2, tought Kamiya to say "NO", to know that he is the director, he is in control of everything.

So no one has anything to say about Microsoft spending $100 million developing the Xbone controller? Nothing at all?

gamingeek said:

So no one has anything to say about Microsoft spending $100 million developing the Xbone controller? Nothing at all?

Just this: LOL