Wii U discussion and upcoming news

[Sean]

Yeah there's quite a few games that Nintendos of Europe and Japan have that we don't and probably won't be getting anytime soon. I know it happens occasionally the other way around, like how Europe didn't get Mario Kart Super Circuit until MK8's second DLC pack came out, but this ought to be better synchronized across all major regions

Hell, Sega of Japan actually freaking put up the first Sonic Advance. Literally the only instance of Wii U VC support on their end. We probably won't be seeing that either

It's pretty silly how I get easily annoyed over re-releases of old games I probably already own or can easily emulate on a PC

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

Iwata's words on the VC release rate

http://gonintendo.com/stories/237606-iwata-on-the-challenges-of-virtual-console-releases-working-with 

 

 

IWATA ON THE CHALLENGES OF VIRTUAL CONSOLE RELEASES, WORKING WITH 3RD PARTY CONTENT
02 July, 2015 by rawmeatcowboy |  Comments: 11
Coming from Nintendo's investor meeting with Iwata...
Iwata: Virtual Console itself is a service that began when we developed Wii so that consumers can play past titles on new platforms, and we continue to distribute various titles now. However, back when we started this service, there were some points that we could not sufficiently foresee about how big this business would grow to be and how the business would expand. For example, Virtual Console titles are generally developed based on the original game software, but this does not mean that we can develop numerous Virtual Console titles simply if we have the original game software. Development of Virtual Console titles require detailed manual work, such as testing if the software runs smoothly on each platform, or making sure the content is appropriate under the various standards currently in place. Thus, we occasionally receive opinions that our pace of releasing new Virtual Console titles is slow, but if we use much of our human resources on such detailed manual work, we would not be able to develop new titles, so we are currently researching how we can efficiently develop Virtual Console titles with limited human resources. One of the big issues for our system development is how to resolve the situation in which we can only release a few Virtual Console titles at a time when we release new platforms.
In addition, regarding the possibility of making all titles available on Virtual Console, I can say that it is possible for Nintendo titles with a few exceptions, since we generally have the intellectual property rights for such titles. However, as to third-party software publishers’ titles, if they are producing the software based on a license from another copyright holder, for example, we may not be able to easily use the same title for the system that exists now because we do not have a license from the copyright holder at the time. This often becomes a problem with reruns of TV shows or Internet broadcasting. Therefore, since we can only release Virtual Console titles of third-party software publishers if they come to an agreement with the copyrights holders upon negotiating terms and conditions that were not included in their original contract, please understand that there are some titles that we cannot easily release despite many requests. We will make our best efforts to satisfy our consumers with our Virtual Console title lineup.

[Sean]

Yeah I can understand that Nintendo would want to put more care in making sure that individual VC releases operate properly. (though they're still not perfect; SM64's ending sequence on the Wii U doesn't sync with the music at all, and in Tubba Blubba's castle in Paper Mario (when the bridge is destroyed) there's a huge amount of sound lag that I never noticed in the N64 version) It's not actually the slow release schedule I have problems with, since it's not like I want a bunch of VC to release at once and have my wallet suffer for it, but rather I'm confused by the region differences and why it takes nearly a year for NOA to get titles that NOE already got and vice-versa. Like, I can understand it happening with third parties, but first-party titles? Come on, step it up, America and Europe/Australia should at least have roughly the same catalog.

I know I've said this like 50 million times in this topic already but I just reeeaaally want Golden Sun: Lost Age to come overseas so I can finally play both games back to back. I have the first, and am kind of waiting on it. But yeah like I said, this is all stuff I can just emulate on a computer. I'm not as mad about it as I'm probably making it out to be in my posts, I just don't get why Nintendo does perplexing shit like this

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

Well, at least in regards to the N64 ones, each region as a general role gets their own version unless its a previously non-released game. Which means each version is done separately, especially due to the whole 50 HZ 60 HZ thing, though it seems like most cases the EU guys would love to get the NA 60 HZ version

[Milo]

Personally I'm of the opinion that they should just use a standard emulator for most/all of their games, like how Sony does with their PlayStation games. That or at least bring in a third-party to handle the emulation process if they're taking such a long time doing it themselves-I mean, they've outsourced their GBA games to Sega/M2, and they're doing a really good job with them.

 

Having each game needing its own unique emulator for the service -and doing all of it by themselves, on top of that- just seems to be a deliberately archaic way of doing things, and a waste of resources. It's detrimental to the actual library of VC games because working on an individual emulator for each title is partially responsible for the drip-feed schedule of the service, and if the recent Wii U VC N64 games are anything to go by (darker screens compared to the original release and input lag, among other errors), it doesn't correspond to quality emulation for each available game. Granted, N64 titles are still finicky when it comes to emulation, but emulating anything from the fourth generation (Gen/SNES) and earlier should be pretty solid by this point.

 

Games with special emulators I think should only be reserved for games that either require more work on the emulation that the standard emulator can't provide or has bonus material added to the original release. (The Wii VC port of Sonic & Knuckles being reworked to have the "digital lock-on technology" of the original cartridge apply to the Wii VC ports of Sonic 2 and 3 is one example of this I can think of).

 

Not too surprised about the bit on needing to re-negotiate licenses for third-party games on Wii VC to be available on Wii U VC, though if the licenses were arranged to have the game available on the Virtual Console in general, without any distinction for the specific platform the game would be available on, this wouldn't be necessary. That way, games would be forward compatible for future platforms that run the Virtual Console service. I'm hoping that if Nintendo are re-negotiating licenses, they are aiming to have this be the case, so we don't end up having to start a new game library from scratch all over again for future Nintendo consoles and handhelds that run the Virtual Console service.

[Radiant Hero Ike]

Well hey, I'm excited for OoT. I can get it for 2 bucks!

I would, however, like to see more games I don't already have. DK64 was a good choice, for example. I mean, I DO already own it, though it's on the Nintendo 64. Save states will make things much easier for me.

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

Well hey, I'm excited for OoT. I can get it for 2 bucks!

I would, however, like to see more games I don't already have. DK64 was a good choice, for example. I mean, I DO already own it, though it's on the Nintendo 64. Save states will make things much easier for me.

Don't forget the remappable controls and no lag, though control isn't quite as fine, but managable 

 

 

Also there is no such thing as a universal emulator for the N64, if you look at any fan attempt at an emulator you'll see that 95% of the games have issues due to their special coding, needing the expansion pack or needing the memory pack. Most don't play well if at all, have varying issues(from texture glitches to not running at all, much worse than the mild issues the Nintendo VC ones have that you can play fully at least). N64 games are not simple to work with, Nintendo's method may be slightly archaic, but it works. Can't argue with them outsourcing more of it though, especially if they did it in conjunction with some of the third parties they would like to use some of the games they want on VC

[Mr Useful]

Can anyone help me with a problem that plagued my win u for the past day? The gamepad is acting weird. It seems to work but only registers specific buttons and inputs and specific times. For example the a button and control dont work in the home menu but it works when playing Smash Bros, the control stick strangely only works in parts of the home menu, and the shoulder buttons and plus button seem to consistently work while the touch screen refuses to work.

Does anyone have any advice or ideas on how to fix the problem? Any help would be appreciated.

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

Well looky here, what are we getting here

http://gonintendo.com/stories/238036-mario-tennis-hitting-wii-u-vc-tomorrow

 

Mario Tennis hitting Wii U VC tomorrow

 

08 July, 2015 by rawmeatcowboy |  Comments: 3 

 

The game that made Mario™ a sports legend!

The Mushroom Kingdom's finest hit the court in this wild multiplayer tennis game from Camelot, the talented developers behind Golden Sun™ and Mario Golf™! Put some power and spin into your shots to claim victory on your own. Or go head-to-head with up to three friends in multiple modes such as Ring Shot, Exhibition, and more!

Mario™, Luigi™, Bowser™, Princess Peach™, Toad™, and Donkey Kong™ lead off the all-star, 14-character lineup, including some fan favorites this game popularized, like Daisy™. The fast-paced action will have you unleashing vicious volleys, lifesaving lobs, ballistic backhands, and electrifying supercharged smashes! Don't forget: this is tennis with a Mario twist. Take the Piranha Challenge and brave the barrage of bouncing balls, or try out the Bowser Stage to attack opponents with Green Shells. It's easy to see why this sports classic has stood the test of time.

 

Always considered grabbing this one, maybe I will, especially with it having DK and DKJr

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

Well, looks like Europe is getting another wii download title(while NA hasn't had one in months ), and its a slightly rare/heavily scalped title due to being Pokemon so at least Nintendo is starting to do smarter harder to find selections

http://gonintendo.com/stories/238410-pokepark-wii-pikachu-s-adventure-coming-to-european-virtual-cons

PokePark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure coming to European Virtual Console

 

14 July, 2015 by yoshiller | Comments: 0

PokePark Wii – Pikachu’s Adventure will be available for download in Europe via Virtual Console starting on Thursday, July 16th 2015. It will cost £17.99 / €19.99, and a Wii Remote will be required to play the game.

 

Now if only they would start doing rare/third party N64 games, I would love Goemon, or Mischief Makers, or heck Beast Wars Transmetals(despite the long odds)

 

Edit oh and you guys are getting Mario and Luigi Partners in time as well

http://gonintendo.com/stories/238415-mario-luigi-partners-in-time-coming-to-european-virtual-consol

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time coming to European Virtual Console

 

14 July, 2015 by yoshiller | Comments: 0

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time is scheduled for release in Europe for Wii U Virtual Console on Thursday, July 16th 2015. It will cost  €9.99 / £8.99.

Source

 

Edited July 14, 2015 by Mando

[DarkRula]

Wow. NoE really favours the Virtual Console it seems.
Just hope NoA sees the need to update as well.

[PaddyFancy]

To no-one's great surprise, Project Cars on the Wii U has been canned, saying the game is too much for the Wii U.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/gaming/news/a659443/project-cars-officially-cancelled-on-wii-u-it-was-too-much-for-the-console.html#~pj5Qu7SfKJH1Xo

[MegasonicZX]

Its probably for the best anyway, there are probably only a few people with wii u's who'd actually play the game and if they did they most likely have a PS4 to play it on already (or PC).

[DarkRula]

I don't know what's going on with that any more, but apparently it was promised to be on WiiU? And many people funded in good faith it was?
I have no idea, what with interviews and such, but it just means the WiiU misses out on a game in a genre it needs more of.

[Milo]

Writing was on the wall for months, considering the amount of grief the Wii U was giving to them when they tried to port it. So for the game being cancelled is not too surprising to me.

That said, it just makes developer Slightly Mad Studios absolutely dishonest. Studio head Ian Bell said the Wii U version of the game was always touted as a "maybe" two months ago, but the game's PR for the past few years tells a different story.

The company claimed such a version of the game was possible for the past two-three years when they were accepting funding for the game. People in defense of Slightly Mad Studios have also claimed the studio made no goals or promises about a Wii U version-on the contrary, this overview pitch PDF for the project when it was announced back in January 2012 holds a fair amount of references to a Wii U version in development (see pages 16, 19, 28, and 36). In addition, this Neogaf post is basically a timeline of PR statements about the Wii U version-specifically, that the Wii U "is more than capable of providing the core Project CARS experience" and that the game will "showcase the hidden power that the Wii U has". The aforementioned overview pitch for the PDF even has this:

So at one point in time, people could fund the game under the assumption that the Wii U version was not only being made, it was also definitely possible (Wii U version of the game was announced in January 2012, a different PDF about the features/capabilities of the Wii U version was posted in May 2012, and crowdfunding for the game ended in December 2012).

Had they canned the Wii U version along with the PS3 / 360 versions of the game in late 2013 when they decided to move the game to next-gen platforms, I would cut them a lot of slack. But they continued to spin a vague line about the status of the Wii U version for another year and a half before finally cancelling the project, which to me reeks of serious deception on SMS's part.

Edited July 21, 2015 by Gabe

[Willsy]

Considering that the PS4 and Xbox One somewhat struggled to run the game, I would personally dread to see how poorly a Wii U version would turn out. The minute I saw that those versions even dropped into the low thirties in terms of framerate, I knew the Wi U version was dead, and it is for the best in my opinion. Its CPU is simply put, a piece of junk, so I am not surprised that it cannot handle the physics either. Had Nintendo opted for a better CPU (which they really should have), not only would Project Cars still be coming to it but games that struggled to run on the system would have run better. I really hope that with NX they know the CPU still needs to be decent despite the GPU doing the brunt of the work. 

[PSI Wind]

Considering that the PS4 and Xbox One somewhat struggled to run the game, I would personally dread to see how poorly a Wii U version would turn out. The minute I saw that those versions even dropped into the low thirties in terms of framerate, I knew the Wi U version was dead, and it is for the best in my opinion. Its CPU is simply put, a piece of junk, so I am not surprised that it cannot handle the physics either. Had Nintendo opted for a better CPU (which they really should have), not only would Project Cars still be coming to it but games that struggled to run on the system would have run better. I really hope that with NX they know the CPU still needs to be decent despite the GPU doing the brunt of the work. 

That's not the problem. They said the Wii U was capable of running the game just fine. They couldn't get it to run at 60, so they told Wii U owners it'd be 30 FPS and it's still coming. A better CPU would have released the game on it, but it'd still run like ass considering how the X1 and PS4 versions ran.

Edited July 22, 2015 by PSI Wind

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

King K.Rool's complete legacy is now entirely available on the Wii-u in NA(well other than DKL but that's on 3DS)

http://gonintendo.com/stories/238986-north-america-dk-jungle-climber-slated-for-wii-u-vc-tomorrow

North America - DK Jungle Climber slated for Wii U VC tomorrow

 

22 July, 2015 by rawmeatcowboy | Comments: 0

 

 

Spin, Swing, and Fling Yourself into Adventure!

 

 

King K. Rool™ is up to no good again, and it's up to Donkey Kong™ to swing into action. Using a simple control scheme that makes the game fun and easy to play, players of all skill levels can swing and climb to new heights.

 

Donkey Kong and his friends decide to take a well-earned vacation at the beautiful Sun Sun Island. After enjoying a splash in the ocean, a hungry Donkey Kong and his friends see a massive banana floating atop a mountain. Without hesitation, they race off for the mountaintop, wondering what kind of adventure they'll find! Play as Donkey Kong, or choose to play as Diddy Kong™ in Adventure mode. Players can look forward to new moves, new items, and a bunch of mini-games that are sure to make them go bananas!

 

 

 

http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/Xa0YAXm9S_tEzs80av_qC7c-U5HyY_uQ

 

[Sean]

http://www.gonintendo.com/stories/239365-3-kirby-games-hitting-wii-u-vc-this-week

Two of those games are most certainly going to be Crystal Shards and Squeak Squad, since Europe got those a while back. I'd like the third game to be RTDL, but with Nintendo's neglect of the Wii section of the eShop, I worry that they would rather pretend that Wii games on the Wii U never happened in the first place. It could also be Canvas Curse, which would make sense due to Rainbow Curse being a thing.

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

http://www.gonintendo.com/stories/239365-3-kirby-games-hitting-wii-u-vc-this-week

Two of those games are most certainly going to be Crystal Shards and Squeak Squad, since Europe got those a while back. I'd like the third game to be RTDL, but with Nintendo's neglect of the Wii section of the eShop, I worry that they would rather pretend that Wii games on the Wii U never happened in the first place. It could also be Canvas Curse, which would make sense due to Rainbow Curse being a thing.

I'm really hoping for return to Dreamland, I reallly want it

http://www.gonintendo.com/stories/239365-3-kirby-games-hitting-wii-u-vc-this-week

Two of those games are most certainly going to be Crystal Shards and Squeak Squad, since Europe got those a while back. I'd like the third game to be RTDL, but with Nintendo's neglect of the Wii section of the eShop, I worry that they would rather pretend that Wii games on the Wii U never happened in the first place. It could also be Canvas Curse, which would make sense due to Rainbow Curse being a thing.

I'm really hoping for return to Dreamland, I reallly want it

[MegasonicZX]

Man I just want them to hurry up and release mischief makers so that everyone can experience how great that game is

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

Man I just want them to hurry up and release mischief makers so that everyone can experience how great that game is

I bought a physical copy a few months ago, but I'd definitely double dip.... just too bad Square Enix has control of the franchise, they don't even know Marina exists

[MegasonicZX]

I bought a physical copy a few months ago, but I'd definitely double dip.... just too bad Square Enix has control of the franchise, they don't even know Marina exists

Wait really? I didn't know square owned mischief makers, I thought it just belonged to treasure.

[Marcello]

http://www.gonintendo.com/stories/239365-3-kirby-games-hitting-wii-u-vc-this-week

Two of those games are most certainly going to be Crystal Shards and Squeak Squad, since Europe got those a while back. I'd like the third game to be RTDL, but with Nintendo's neglect of the Wii section of the eShop, I worry that they would rather pretend that Wii games on the Wii U never happened in the first place. It could also be Canvas Curse, which would make sense due to Rainbow Curse being a thing.

America doesn't have Return to Dreamland? That was like one of the first games here

[JaidynReiman]

America doesn't have Return to Dreamland? That was like one of the first games here

We still don't have Golden Sun: The Lost Age either.