Wii U discussion and upcoming news

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

I've always hated Refurbished because my dad has had a serious issue with Refurbished products in the past, pretty much everything he gets Refurbished dies within a few months. If you're sure Nintendo's refurbished console is better I can try it out, though I still won't be able to get it for a little while yet.

well, if it normaly dies within 6-7 months, then you will still be well within warranty, moreso if you extend it through club nintendo

[Conando]

Nintendo has sent me refurbished products as replacements for broken ones. They're in far better condition than my units had been for a long time.

[PSI Wind]

So, Yoshida, head of Sony, says he's been banned from Miiverse twice, but when you look at the reasons why, I think the writer/Yoshida meant STRIKED or got messages from the admins twice.
The first reason was because he posted his twitter in his profile. Considering I posted my tumblr in my profile before but was asked to edit it before anyone could see my profile page info and never got banned, that doesn't make sense if he did.
The second time was saying "I love PS" aka Playstation. The reason for this is because you aren't supposed to promote a product in Miiverse. This makes sense especially when you have someone from another company basically saying they love their own product. Nintendo isn't asking you to only say that you love the Wii U, they're saying not to promote your own product or someone else's as a means of advertising.

Before we get to that, though, it's important to establish that Yoshida is an incredibly prolific gamer. He owns two of every game console. Why? So he can play Japanese and US games alike. He also says that he's been banned from Nintendo's MiiVerse social network. Twice. "The first time was because I had my Twitter account in my profile and that's against the rules," he says. "The second time is because I wrote, 'I love PS.' You're not supposed to promote a commercial product in MiiVerse, so they correctly interpreted 'PS' as 'PlayStation,'" he says with a laugh.

http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/11/shuhei-yoshida-career/

Considering he laughed at it, it doesn't sound like he's upset about it.

[JaidynReiman]

Nintendo has sent me refurbished products as replacements for broken ones. They're in far better condition than my units had been for a long time.

Well, in that case I'll give a refurbished unit a chance. It'll still be a while before I buy one, though. Probably not before Smash for Wii U is out, but if things greatly improve I might be able to get Smash on release.

[Mr Useful]

I just bought Kirby and The Amazing Mirror for the Wii U Virtual Console. The port is great but the fact that there is no multiplayer is incredibly disappointing. I would have loved to have gotten a few friends over and had some fun. There are even some sections of the game where you're stuck or cant progress to a certain room because the AI doesn't know what to do and the only way to progress would be having some Human players assisting you. The most notable examples are in Mustard Mountain where there is a large block that all 4 Kirbies need to move over an entry way blocked by lava.

 

I do love the MetroidVania style of gameplay though, I hope Nintendo does another type of game like this.

[StaticMania]

I just bought Kirby and The Amazing Mirror for the Wii U Virtual Console. The port is great but the fact that there is no multiplayer is incredibly disappointing. I would have loved to have gotten a few friends over and had some fun. There are even some sections of the game where you're stuck or cant progress to a certain room because the AI doesn't know what to do and the only way to progress would be having some Human players assisting you. The most notable examples are in Mustard Mountain where there is a large block that all 4 Kirbies need to move over an entry way blocked by lava.

 

I do love the MetroidVania style of gameplay though, I hope Nintendo does another type of game like this.

Your not suppose to use the other Kirby's to move that specific block...they CAN do it, but won't react to it because its not a mandatory puzzle, you actually have to keep using stone to move the block. Its nothing too useful though, just 1-2 extra lives.

[Dejimon11]

New game kinda reminds me of earthbound

[JaidynReiman]

New game kinda reminds me of earthbound

Looking at that preview... That's a Mother game in everything but name for sure.

 

 

Wait, 3DS AND Wii U? Dang.

[Conando]

Full release details are PS4, Vita, Wii U, 3DS, and PC. It started out as a PC only project.

[JaidynReiman]

Ah, although it looks like a Mother game, its not a Nintendo game. I thought it was a Nintendo game being made by Atlus. Maybe it says Nintendo at the top because its on the Nintendo Youtube channel.

[VO.SUPER]

 

Blood and ashes, why is Japan getting this first?

[Indigo Rush]

WARNING: RANT INCOMING

 

Okay, so this has been bugging me a little about Nintendo lately. What I'm going to talk about has kind of been implemented on the 3DS, but not to the extend that it really could be. So, what am I talking about?

 

A note-taking system for Nintendo games.

 

 

I mean, for crying out loud, think about it. What does the 3DS and Wii U have in common? They both have touch-screens with pen-like styluses. What do you do with a stylus? Well, you can draw and write, correct? Yes. And how do Nintendo facilitate this? Miiverse. And Miiverse is pretty cool, so I'm in no way knocking it, though the options are kind of limited. (No color, really?)

 

But here's what's up: the 3DS has a feature on the home menu in the icon of a pencil called "Game Notes." It's a pretty easy thing to overlook, but I've noticed that it has a lot of potential. So what does Game Notes do so far?

 

Well, it's basically a very limited drawing application that's only a little better than Miiverse in terms of features - it has red and blue colors as well... but you can't change the size of your pen. There's not even a text typing feature. What. But okay, a drawing app. What's so special about that? What can you do? How could the Wii U benefit?

 

The thing is, note taking and even map-drawing has been a thing in Nintendo games since Metroid on the NES. People like to write down tips and codes or write maps to help them out - sometimes you're playing a complex RPG and need a reminder of what to do or where to go after you've been away for a while. 

 

Now think about the potential here. Let's just add a few more color options, a bigger canvas, some more tool options (stuff similar to MSPaint) and have the note pages tied to an individual game rather than the system itself (you could still access these notes without the games in the system, it'd just be organized by title rather than have no labels at all), and the option to save snapshots for reference (and to draw on!), and you've just created a rather helpful (albeit optional) mechanic that makes Nintendo unique.

 

It's using the touch screen to its advantage. It's got that nostalgic edge of drawing maps instead of just searching online. It would have options to facilitate creativity. It'll help infrequent players keep tabs on longer more complex games.

 

I mean, as an example, I used the limited Game Notes feature for Animal Crossing to draw a map of my town to take note of where I was going to place some extra bridges as well as how I was going to organize my house. I also wrote down some simple notes for Zelda: Oracle of Seasons to remind me which direction I needed to go. I can see myself making a large world map for the first Zelda. I can see myself making a map for the first Metroid. I can see myself writing down some cheat codes for the older Sonic games (granted, I have these memorized, but you understand my point.) and the list goes on and on.

 

So yeah, the fact that Nintendo, the supposed creative geniuses in the gaming industry, have never utilized this mechanic to its fullest potential, really steams me up. You have a touch screen. A touch screen. And even if you weren't using the touch-pad you could theoretically use the Wii remote as a cursor or something? But really, I don't understand why Nintendo hasn't done this. 

[Marcello]

They already did that with maps in the DS Zelda games. Phantom Hourglass had you drawing a whole map for an island even.

 

Anyway, Mario Kart 8 Bundle probably coming to Europe:

http://www.gameblog.fr/news/42526-un-pack-wii-u-avec-mario-kart-8-est-prevu

 

Also includes a one week trial for Wii Karaoke U.

[Indigo Rush]

They already did that with maps in the DS Zelda games. Phantom Hourglass had you drawing a whole map for an island even.

 

...I didn't think it was possible for anyone to miss the point, but here you are.

[JaidynReiman]

They already did that with maps in the DS Zelda games. Phantom Hourglass had you drawing a whole map for an island even.

 

Anyway, Mario Kart 8 Bundle probably coming to Europe:

http://www.gameblog.fr/news/42526-un-pack-wii-u-avec-mario-kart-8-est-prevu

 

Also includes a one week trial for Wii Karaoke U.

The whole point is that there should be a larger variety of things to do with the draw tool. It only provides a few colors, it'd be nice if they added a ton more colors at least so there's more things to do with it, maybe even additional features.

 

Lack of colors in this kind of thing drives me nuts as well, although I don't have either Wii U or 3DS I fully agree with what Indigo Rush is saying. How hard is it to add a large variety of colors? Seriously? I doubt adding a full color picker would be THAT difficult...

[Indigo Rush]

And it would be available to any game. The Wii U and 3DS have touch screens; this sort of thing should be a given.

[ProfessorZolo]

I'm not really seeing the problem. The thing on 3DS is a note taker, not a drawing app. If you want to draw, try Art Academy or Colors! 3D.

[Indigo Rush]

I'm pulling my hair out, here.

 

Again missing the point. Did you even read everything I wrote?

 

I'm not talking about a drawing app. This is about a note-taking feature that is underdeveloped on 3DS, and totally absent on the Wii U.

 

And for the record, a free built-in MSPaint-like drawing app should have been a standard feature anyway.

[ProfessorZolo]

I did indeed read the whole post.

But the feature on 3DS is barely used by anyone, and the Wii U's effortless browsing more than covers it's bases in terms of finding help.

And *why* should it have a built-in drawing app? It's a game console. It doesn't *need* to do anything other than play games.

[Indigo Rush]

 

But the feature on 3DS is barely used by anyone, and the Wii U's effortless browsing more than covers it's bases in terms of finding help.

 If you have a statistic to back up that claim, I'd love to see it. Otherwise I'd say you missed the point again. What does taking notes have to do with Internet access? Writing down information and personal goals and strategies on a notepad is not synonymous with looking for a guide online. It really isn't. 

 

And *why* should it have a built-in drawing app? It's a game console. It doesn't *need* to do anything other than play games.

Thank you for the predictable question.

Does the Wii U need any social media application?

Does the Wii U need Miiverse?

Does the Wii U need YouTube?

Does the Wii U need Netflix?

Does the Wii U need any of that?

 

No, it doesn't, but they're all features made to make the console attractive by being multi-functional. And writing and drawing are such commonplace things to do, it's absolutely baffling that a console that's trying to make a profit off of its interactive touchscreen is not taking advantage of that basic concept.

[ProfessorZolo]

Statistic? I know at least 30 people who have a 3DS. Of that approx 30, only 2 people used the note app. 4 of them were surprised to find the console even had a note app.

I might not have hard numbers, but I have experience. I think that's just as valid.

Sure, writing your own notes and looking for premade ones online are different, I agree, but the reason the features are there is the same- to help the player when they're stuck. In fact, isn't Miiverse meant to be an expanded version of the note pad? One that others can help you with?

A predictable answer to a predictable question, it seems. Of course it doesn't need any of the extra services. But if you want to write and draw, there is Miiverse for that exact purpose. So, y'know. Nintendo ARE taking advantage of the touch screen. And I believe you can get a proper drawing app for it for a couple of quid- if you want that feature.

So again, I'm not really sure what you're complaining about.

[Indigo Rush]

That's a pretty shallow group to draw a statistic from. There are thousands upon thousands of 3DS and Wii U owners, so that point is moot. I'm not saying that it's the end-all-be-all feature for Nintendo, but for a console that has a touch-screen, it seems like such a basic standard feature. And I'm willing to bet that one reason that people don't use it as much (aside from not knowing about it, lol) is because there isn't much to it right now anyway. Only 3 colors? No ability to draw on your screenshots? They could stand to make it a little more functional.

 

And also, if I don't have to pay for access to YouTube or any of those other features, so why should I have to pay extra for something that a computer has a built-in feature for? If it were Art Academy, I'd understand: that's a very deep realistic drawing app. But I'm not proposing that, I'm proposing something that's less complicated than MSPaint.

 

And only some of the reasons are the same. I believe I showcased instances where I used the app to plan out how to design my town in Animal Crossing? That's something that I can't find on the Internet, now is it? 

 

And yes, the Wii U does have Miiverse, so why on earth is it difficult or so out-of-place to expand on it a little and add a simple drawing app? Either way, I'm not so much interested in the drawing app itself as I am the note-taking app. (Also, why doesn't Miiverse even have color?)

 

What frustrates me is that it is such a straight-forward concept that wasn't even considered. It isn't ruining the console for me in any way, but I can't think of a good reason for why they shouldn't add it.

[Salamander]

Count me among those who'd like a better note-taking feature.  Even if I never use it, it's something that should be there and a facility that I'd like reason to make use of.  (For the record, I really enjoyed drawing maps in the DS Zelda games and miss it tremendously.)

 

Nintendo sometimes doesn't seem to understand the potential of their own hardware, though; they seem to come up with a bunch of ideas to put in without any sense of what they might be used for, nor any obligation to themselves to employ them when designing games.  It's a little mystifying.

[Indigo Rush]

If I could rephrase the nature of the discussion, as it is getting a little bit heated for no good reason:

 

Is there any logical reason to not have this feature implemented?

 

The only argument you could put forward is that it isn't necessary; and even so, there are counter-points to this.

 

And for what logical reason should this feature be implemented?

 

Quite more for it than against it.

 

So I don't see why it seems so unreasonable to add a more deliberate note-taking feature for the Wii U (and a slight upgrade for the 3DS). It's definitely not going to sell consoles, but it's just one more thing to add to Nintendo's favor in the console race. 

 

I just can't comprehend why anyone would say "no" to that.

[Milo]

Nintendo Passed On Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure Exclusivity

 

 

Nintendo apparently had the chance to partner with Activision on Skylanders Spyro's Adventure but decided against helping finance the venture, which would have made at least the first game in the successful game series a Nintendo exclusive.

In a detailed account of the history of Skylanders Spyro's Adventure, Polygon reports that Activision was looking for a partner for the toys-come-to-life video game. Developer Toys for Bob ventured to Nintendo of America to showcase an early development version of Skylanders Spyro's Adventure.

 

"[Nintendo] spent a long time looking and looking," said Toys for Bob co-founder Paul Reiche. "They were just like 'We have never seen anything like this before.' I've always wondered about the full meaning of that comment [laughs]."

 

But Nintendo ended up passing. "We have no idea why," said Reiche. "Clearly they have got properties well suited to this world. Why it is that they didn't rush in here will probably haunt them for the rest of their days."

 

While Toys for Bob was disappointed by Nintendo's decision at the time, it may have been for the best for the franchise in the long run, according to the studio. Still, Reiche is surprised that Nintendo hasn't made a bigger splash in the toy-based video game genre yet.

 

Pokemon Rumble U was a small step for Nintendo in that direction, but the game was only downloadable with toys sold exclusively at GameStop. The Skylanders franchise, meanwhile, has become one of the top 20 highest-selling game franchises, crossing the $2 billion in sales threshold earlier this year.

 

http://uk.ign.com/articles/2014/04/16/nintendo-passed-on-skylanders-spyros-adventure-exclusivity

 

To say "missed oppurtunity" would be kind of a stretch, especially considering if Nintendo was able to make the sequels Giants and Swap Force exclusive as well via some sort of contract. Granted, back then nobody predicted it would become a commercial success, but still...