WiiU News - End of Q3 2014

[TheAdvocate]

PS4 cannot take down the WiiU in Japan:

http://www.fool.com/investing/gener...station-4-was-crushed-by-nintendos-wii-u.aspx

Original Bayonetta bundled with Bayonetta 2 for Wii U is considered the "definitive version" and not just a port:

http://kotaku.com/comparison-the-wii-u-gets-the-definitive-version-bay-1639848872

2.5D Platforming shooter Rive coming to WiiU & PC, will be a port for Xbone and PS4:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...ve-confirmed-for-ps4-xbox-one-wii-u-and-steam

Hyrule Warriors is officially out:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2469192,00.asp

http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2014/09/hyrule-warriors-review-wii-u.html

Limited edition sold out within an hour, and is selling for $350 on Ebay:

http://wiiudaily.com/2014/09/new-york-hyrule-warriors-limited-edition/

Disney Infinity 2.0 is out... (just bought this for my kids). Here is some Avengers footage:

http://wiiudaily.com/2014/09/new-disney-infinity-2-0-wii-u-footage-showcases-the-avengers-video/

Ubisoft will not be bringing Watch Dogs special editions to Wii U:

http://wiiudaily.com/2014/09/ubisoft-not-offering-special-editions-of-watch-dogs-wii-u/


Minecraft clone being developed specifically for Wii U:

http://wiiudaily.com/2014/09/minecraft-clone-being-worked-on-for-wii-u-by-mystery-developer/

Several sites lobbying for predicting a Nov 21st release for Super Smash bros. There is also now a listing/image for the SSB Wii U bundle on Amazon.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/...per-smash-bros-wii-u-bundle-appears-on-amazon

The 3Ds version is getting excellent reviews ("return to form"), which is leading to optimism for the Wii U version.

SSB gets one more controller option - the 3DS:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertc...ii-u-gets-one-more-controller-option-the-3ds/

I cannot even open this link at work, but the URL is interesting:

http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-ne...uper-smash-bros-has-a-sneaky-game-wario-stage

Finally, speaking of controllers - new adapter lets you use PS4 controller on Wii U:

http://wiiudaily.com/2014/09/wii-u-ps4-controller/

 

[mmntech]

The Wii U isn't doing that bad, all things considered. It's actually on par with the GameCube, based on year-over-year averages. I still want to get one.

The biggest issue is still the games though. Their feud with third parties is really hurting them again. Wii got a pass because it became such a big phenomenon. Though a lot of those games were arguably shovelware.

Nintendo's own games are very, very good, they're still just rehashing old franchises. Which is fine to a degree. I love me some Zelda. However, it becomes a problem when you start looking like a one trick pony.

Wii U really needs something fresh and new to inject some life into the system. Even trying new gameplay elements to established franchises. I was a little let down when I heard the next Zelda wasn't going to be an open world Skyrim type adventure after all. That would have been sweet. It would have been a perfect fit for the franchise too.

Nintendo needs to keep a close eye on what Sony is doing. Being another Japanese company who was in a similar situation a few years back, they've really reinvented themselves.

 

[Fulle]

@mmntech

I don't really see anything wrong with Nintendo's current strategy....

The Wii U isn't going to become magically more appealing to the big 3rd party devs. The Nintendo console audience is hard for them to get sales out of, the hardware requires extensive porting work, and the install base isn't huge. Nintendo's answer to the "lack of games" issue, then, was to push for more 2nd party titles like Hyrule Warriors to fill the gaps between their big releases like Smash Bros. Once the Wii U's sold more, the 3rd party devs will come around on their own.

The old franchises aren't really being re-hashed, as much as Nintendo uses the familiar to help leverage new ideas, and those familiar franchises end up evolving quite a bit. Mario Kart 8's awesome looping anti gravity tracks had a cool feel that injected some F Zero / Wipeout flavor into Mario Kart racing, with big interesting set pieces, for one of the most unique racing games I've ever played. Mario 3D World and 3D Land's platforming is a unique compromise between 3d and 2d, that I haven't seen done elsewhere. Nintendoland was also oozing with fresh ideas.

Assassin's Creed Black Flag is a good example of a game that takes a strong core franchise, and injects some new gameplay ideas (yay Pirate ship battles!), to create a both familiar and fresh gameplay experience that's a lot of fun. Nintendo does this sorta thing all the time. Some old ideas that worked well, and new fresh gameplay in the same title. That's basically what they do best.

In regards to Myamoto's comments on Zelda.... Negative clickbait articles get more clicks than ones with honest titles. Myamoto just doesn't like using general terms to describe his games. There's preconceived ideas on what an "open world" game is like, and he doesn't want people making assumptions and pigeon holing their expectations on Zelda Wii U's gameplay. He stated that Zelda Wii U "is a large world in which players can do numerous things daily.", and the world is supposed to be quite large.

Lasty, I guess we can agree that Nintendo needs to pay attention to what their competition is doing successfully. As one example, Nintendo isn't leveraging monthly services like Sony or MS, and their online storefront setup is noticeably inferior. That stuff is at the core of their sales success, so they need to get on it!
- But, they've made some progress at least. They finally have more proper network IDs, and they do have a loyalty incentives program, and lot of promotions. I just think Sony's marketing department has them schooled right now, in leveraging online services.

I honestly think Nintendo's going to have a good winter season this year. Their exclusive game lineup is pretty legit now, and the system has a lot of strong titles in development.

 

[ImpulsE69]

No mention of X? That's the only game on my radar currently for the Wii U. Wonder if it's still coming.

 

[TheAdvocate]

No mention of X? That's the only game on my radar currently for the Wii U. Wonder if it's still coming.

Oops left that off.

Gamepad for navigation:

http://www.siliconera.com/2014/09/0...s-x-will-use-wii-u-gamepad-navigation-device/

World Map detail:

http://www.cinemablend.com/games/Xenoblade-Chronicles-X-Mechs-World-Map-Detailed-67185.html

5x the size of the original:

http://arcadesushi.com/xenoblade-chronicles-x-will-be-five-times-bigger-than-the-original/

Release date mentioned with other A list titles:

http://www.gamezone.com/news/2014/0...wii-u-along-with-zelda-xenoblade-chronicles-x

And some other release info:

 

[mmntech]

@mmntech

I don't really see anything wrong with Nintendo's current strategy....

Fair enough. However...

They've been relying on the same small stable of franchises to boost their systems for a very long time now. I would really like to see something completely new. Splatoon looks good but it's just one title coming down the pipe. Plus, what's going to happen if Miyamoto retires? They really don't have anyone waiting in the wings to replace him.

One thing they really need to do is start bringing more studios under their umbrella. Especially foreign studios. They need more people working on games to fill in the gaps left by third parties. So Nintendo has to rely almost exclusively on in-house development.

The widening performance gap is also causing issues getting games on the system. Third parties won't port games to the Wii U because it's uneconomical. Due to it's differing hardware, weaker hardware, and non-conventional control scheme.

 

[Lil Frier]

Nintendo's own games are very, very good, they're still just rehashing old franchises. Which is fine to a degree. I love me some Zelda. However, it becomes a problem when you start looking like a one trick pony.

There is a part of me that agrees that there should be expansion, but there's also part of me that doesn't care.

I barely touched the GameCube, with Animal Crossing being the only title I really ever played. The same went for the Wii, which I played a bit (Mario Party 8 and New Super Mario Bros.) towards the last part of its life (last year or less). I also got rid of my DS rather quickly, so I didn't play many games on it (think I played Mario 64's remake, Brain Age, and a few others). Basically, I wasn't heavily involved in Nintendo after the GBASP and the N64 (mostly thanks to the Xbox and Xbox LIVE).

Now, I've got a Wii U. I'm playing the first Mario Kart I've played heavily since the N64. I'm playing the first Donkey Kong I've really played at all since the GBASP release of DKC. The new SSB will be my first foray into the franchise since the N64 (might have played a tiny bit on the GameCube). I never cared for the Zelda franchise, so the free Wind Waker HD title I got will be something new for me to experience, basically. Mario Party 8 (which we still have from the Wii) was the first of those games I played since the GBA installment, maybe 8 years ago?

My statement is to say that while Nintendo lives off of re-hashed titles, it's fine for someone who basically ignored the company for nearly a decade. I haven't been beaten to death by the millions of Pokémon titles because the last one I played (other than a stint on PokeMMO and a revisiting of Gold on GBC) was Sapphire, I think.

I'm totally into new releases for SSB and MP10. I'm DYING for more Fire Emblem. Wooly World is one of the first games where aesthetics really interested me (as opposed to something like The Division, where the level of realism is what gets me).

The only thing Nintendo keeps failing at, to me, is networking. There's no online chat in MK8, only crap where you use pre-made text messages before races. My friend might get a Wii U, and if he does, we'll basically have to sit with our Xbox controllers on and use LIVE to chat while we play, if anything. That they can't get over couch co-op is the thing most likely to ruin them, IMO.

They could kill it with ranked matches and a real online gaming network for games like SSB and MK8. How about a leaderboard (particularly for friends) with NSMBU/SLU/SM3DW times listed? There's so much potential, but they're acting like it's 2003 still.

 

[Fallen Kell]

Even trying new gameplay elements to established franchises. I was a little let down when I heard the next Zelda wasn't going to be an open world Skyrim type adventure after all. That would have been sweet. It would have been a perfect fit for the franchise too.

Yeah, this was a big letdown. I mean, look back at the original, which WAS an open world. You could go anywhere you wanted from the start. The only limiting factors were a few items needed from a few dungeons to complete later dungeons, or access hearts, but nothing limited you from exploring the entire overworld (other than getting beat up by strong enemies).