It's a thread! (Games discussion, etc.)

[JG]

Did you ever finish Xenoblade Chronicles X?

No.  And when the hell am I supposed to with Paper Jam, Twilight Princess HD, Hyrule Warriors Legends, Bravely Second, and SFZ all hitting about this time?  And that's just the Nintendo stuff (Dragon Quest Heroes, Uncharted, and King's Quest have been played since XCX came out.)

This is what I meant by wishing Nintendo would space things out a bit. Way too many big name games in 1Q and early 2Q.  Only thing known for 3Q or 4Q is Legend of Zelda, so the summer is likely to be vary bare (like the last few years).  I don't think North American release dates have been set for DQ 7, 8 or 11 on 3DS or Paper Mario Color Splash on the U.  All announced for this year but Wikipedia doesn't have firm dates for any of them, meaning some will undoubtedly bump to 2017 (almost a certainty for DQ11 at this point)

[Moge]

Without 3rd-party support Nintendy can't afford to sit back on their laurels like the SNES days. I'm fairly certain they're going full hog right now in developing NX titles.

[JG]

Without 3rd-party support Nintendy can't afford to sit back on their laurels like the SNES days. I'm fairly certain they're going full hog right now in developing NX titles.

I sure hope so. Its a few years since the last Mario series main title, since Mario Team got roped into helping both develop and test Zelda Wii U.  If they hadn't I'm sure we'd have seen a New Super Mario Bros 3 this year or last.  Sure would be nice to see a new Mario title as a launch title for the NX.

It's my understanding that over half the Nintendo developers and QA are on the Zelda Wii U project, which is why Nintendo's turned over so much of their IP to their second party companies (particularly for remakes) and the occasional third party company (Donkey Kong in Activision's Skylanders series)


Actually, I don't think 3rd party support matters as much anymore to the success of a video game system.  I think that's a legacy opinion: true in the 80s and 90s, not so very much now.  Sure, third parties rule the sports games (EA) and a few other niches, but because the hardware (at least between Microsoft and Sony) is so much more alike now than earlier generations, the same third party titles usually show up on both (if not all three) and they are practically indistinguishable except for a few minor features. What matters now is first and second party titles. Those are your unique games and what should distinguish success from failure (but doesn't always.)  I mean, think about it.  You don't look at the systems and decide which is best based on how well they play Madden, Arkham Knight, or Assassin's Creed. You look at what each has got that the others don't, be it Mario/Zelda, Halo/Gears of War, or GTA/Metal Gear/Uncharted.

(This is why I think Microsoft's in a world of hurt.  They have the weakest second party support of the three, and now that they've outright cancelled the Kinect their hardware is basically an underpowered PS4. Over time they'll lose third party licensees to Sony's more capable hardware, and the only way to make it up is with stellar first party titles. Halo 5 didn't get it done last year.)

And Nintendo didn't sit back on their laurels in the 90s. They were pushed HARD by Sega. If anything, Nintendo is more relaxed now, in the last ten years than their first twenty of video game making, because they entirely dominate the handheld video game sector.  The Wii U has not been the success they hoped for after the Wii, but they're still making money hand over fist with the 3DS. And with Amiibo raking it in, I get the impression that Nintendo is willing to be more risky with the NX than they would have been ten years ago (when the Wii itself was rather risky.)  If NX fails, they can still fall back to 3DS and survive. (I don't think this is the position they should take, but appears to be the position they're putting themselves in.)

[Moge]

Zeruda U delayed to 2017 noooOOOOOOOoooo

[JG]

Pissed. 

Neither Zelda nor NX make it until March.  Only so they can rework Zelda as an NX launch title, which they said they weren't going to do and that Zelda would come out well in advance of NX.

Granted, Nintendo has new Pokemons this year so they won't be a total disaster at Christmas time, but those were supposed to be summer and Zelda in the fall.  These delays from Nintendo are getting to be discouraging.

 

[Moge]

Nintendo's press site updated Zelda's U release date from "March 2017" to "2017"

The NX launch line-up better be awesome. You getting one day 1, JGOO?

[JG]

Nah its impossible to get these things day 1. I only had to wait about 3 weeks for the U though, since there were far many more ready for distribution than the disaster of a rollout regarding Wii (took about 3 months for that one.)  Nintendo learned lesson with Wii.

Given that its still 10 months off; I'm not all that worried that the time supposedly changed from March 2017 to just 2017.  This isn't the first time the website has changed a game's release date when it wasn't yet firm.  Plus being vague provides wiggle room (though they shouldn't need it) and allows for a bigger statement at E3 when they announce the firm date.    (I'm wagering Friday, March 24, 2017.)

Of course, the disappointment in delay of NX and Zelda carries down to other IPs, too. In other words, we probably won't see a new Mario main stream title in 2017 if Mario Team is still roped into Zelda through the end of 2016.  This would put over 4 years between console releases (3D World landed November 2013.)  Four years and five years for your top two properties isn't solid strategy.

[Moge]

The Wii U certainly sold well initially but it's not like it was flying off the shelves.

At the bare minimum i expect to see another New Super Mario Bros game at launch. Honestly i'd rather play another 3D World but 2D Mario games in general sell better.

Nintendo having absolutely nothing to show besides Zelda at E3 is very worrying. I hope they've got an awesome Direct lined up to blow all of our expectations out of the water.

[JG]

Well they'll be bringing Paper Mario Color Splash to E3 as well, but the early previews are not promising as its clearly more like the much-disliked Sticker Star than the earlier N64 and GameCube games. (Thousand Year Door still being the measuring stick and the clear best of the four so far.)

They'll also show up with Metroid Federation Force though it didn't look anything like a Metroid game last year - as if they attached the Metroid name merely to draw sales.  I'm anticipating universal hatred for this title.

I don't think its been announced, but they'll probably show off Pokemon Sun and Moon, too, since its now their primary Christmas offering.  Might be the Japanese version they show off though.

Might see a handful of new games added to the "Nintendo Selects" series, which have been solid sellers.  New Super Mario Bros U and Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon oughta make it in this bunch but I'm not sure what else.  It would do them some good to include Xenoblade Chronicles, as it remains the only New 3DS-required game so there isn't that much to showcase the newer hardware, but I don't think they will.

I'd suspect an announcement on some new Amiibos too.  I'm thinking it'll be a Zelda series this time, because its got enough characters to support a series*, it'll cover for the Zelda Wii U snafu, and it'll support the all-but-announced rerelease of Link's Awakening. The Hyrule Warriors Legends DLC for Link's Awakening drops right about that time and the rumor mill is churning about why Nintendo would devote a DLC pack to a game well out of circulation unless there was a rerelease on the horizon. I'm quite sure it won't be the emulated version but a total remake with new graphics and such. I'm thinking this might be the first big push by Nintendo for a digital-only release, too. Seems like the perfect opportunity to experiment with a digital-only sales model - obviously they have digital versions of cartridge games for years now, and the smaller eShop only games are naturally digital-only, but I'm not sure they've ever tried it with one of their big name properties that they would otherwise ship in cartridge-form.

Those are my opinions anyway. We'll see how much of it comes true.



* Plus, if you look at the Wolf Link Amiibo base, it has a distinctly Zelda themed logo unlike any of the other Amiibo series. I think this is a sign we're in for more.

[Moge]

Which camp are you in for SFZ?

Love it or hate it?

[JG]

Given the two, I'd have to say hate it. I don't terribly do, but its a clear disappointment in my book.

Its really hard to get good at the controls, difficult to do barrel rolls and loop-di-loops, lock-on targeting keeps targeting friendlies instead of foes, its a bother to keep switching between TV screen and gamepad to see where I'm flying or shooting and the slightest movement of the gamepad causes your shots to go way off target. I couldn't even complete the first stage without using a continue its so difficult to control correctly. Add in a much more fragile arwing (only capable of about three hits or two collisions) and you're spending all your time just trying to avoid stuff rather than saving the galaxy.

I appreciate that they've taken a more 3D approach to battles (you have to fly high then dive bomb the enemies at the end of stage 1), but otherwise its no better than Star Fox 64, aside from fancier graphics, two new arwing modes, and a few extra stages between Corneria and Venom.

If you get it, be prepared to spend a lot of time in practice mode.

[Moge]

What other games beside BoW wetted your willy at E3? RE7 and Horizon were the other two most interesting games i saw.

[JG]

What other games beside BoW wetted your willy at E3? RE7 and Horizon were the other two most interesting games i saw.

Outside of BotW, Ever Oasis for 3DS was the most exciting for me. Reminds me very much of a Tales game (RPG basis, real-time battles.) I like the whole Egyptian/Berber character design, too - its different. It's still early but I think this may have leapfrogged Dragon Quest XI as my second most anticipated game of 2017.

I liked what I saw of Dragon Quest VII as well, getting the same 3D treatment as IV, V, and VI. But its coming along too damned late. It's been out in Japan for over 3 years, and VIII has been out for 10 months. Square Enix is taking too long to do translations and trampling their own release schedule - can't have VII, VIII, and XI all come out late 2016. They haven't said so, but everyone else (especially Nintendo) is acknowledging that only VII will hit this year, with XI next year, and possibly VIII late 2017 but just as likely early 2018. (!)

I saw no other software that excites me, though I appreciate the fact that every time a new Pokémon game comes along Nintendo is fully funded for the next couple of years to do stupid stuff like Donkey Kong and Wario games.  I don't recall any games of importance to me from the Sony or Microsoft camps - they seemed too focused on hardware, trying to take advantage of the fact that Nintendo wasn't. That's not to say games like RE7 won't be interesting to others (particularly the VR version) - I just don't care. Like I don't care about yet another Batman Arkham series game.

Of course, very disappointed in what was shown about Paper Mario: Color Splash as most fans of the series are. Backgrounds are too realistic instead of papercraft like in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam (which looked great because of the papercraft terrain.) Its got another stupid card-based battle system like the much-despised Sticker Star. And its another one where Mario appears to go solo instead of with a companion like the earlier games, assuming you discount the Navi-like Huey. Would not at all be surprised if this is the last we see of Paper Mario outside of cameos (i.e., next Smash Bros)

I did think it rather surprising that Nintendo has said nothing and showed nothing of Metroid Prime: Federation Force. After getting panned at E3 2015 (and for 12 months since) I think even Nintendo has realized this is a game fans of the series don't want while it has little attraction to gamers who aren't Metroid series fans, and have greatly lowered expectations on its sales target (probably much fewer than 200,000 carts.) On the bright side, Nintendo has come to realize that a true Metroid game featuring Samus Aran is a must on the NX to recover the series.

Hooray for Wario and Waluigi amiibos though. Please allow some outright dirty, underhanded cheats when these are used, Nintendo.

[Moge]

Nintendo making so much bank off of filthy Pokemon GO money. I can only hope all this will go toward an even better specced Nintendo NX.

The Paper Mario series lost me after The Thousand Year Door. I tried the Wii game for a few hours but it didn't click with me.

You still play your XB1 or PS4, JGOO? Haven't heard of peep from you regarding these systems.

[JG]

Nintendo making so much bank off of filthy Pokemon GO money. I can only hope all this will go toward an even better specced Nintendo NX.

Doubtful. Hardware specs are almost entirely tied to how close you are to hardware suppliers. Sony has their own massive hardware unit and Microsoft has a very close relationship with Intel.  Nintendo doesn't stand up to either of those so their hardware will always be weaker. To make NX as powerful as one of these new Xbox Scorpio or PS4 Neo systems or whatever they hell they end up being called would mean a $500+ price tag, and that's not good for sales.  Good news for them is that console graphics are approaching technical limits; new Xbox and PS4 won't look that much better than existing models, and so I expect NX to look more like Scorpio and Neo than Wii U does to XB1 and PS4 today.

The Paper Mario series lost me after The Thousand Year Door. I tried the Wii game for a few hours but it didn't click with me.

Yeah Nintendo has totally mismanaged the Paper Mario series. Original and especially Thousand Year Door were amazing and every fan wants another one like those.  Yet they drop the RPG style battles and partner in Super Paper Mario, then go with some goofy sticker-based attack system in Sticker Star.  I get the feeling they want to experiment with Paper Mario series, and leave the more classical RPG styles to Mario & Luigi, Fire Emblem, etc. which is dumb because the market is flooded on the 3DS and bare on the Wii U.  That said, Paper Mario was a delight in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam. As I've said before, I totally expect Color Splash to be the last in the series with Paper Mario thereafter relegated to cameo appearances in things like Smash Bros series.

You still play your XB1 or PS4, JGOO? Haven't heard of peep from you regarding these systems.

Ain't been nothin' worth playin' on 'em lately.  And uber-busy at work from April to end of June so I've only had an hour or so an evening to march through a few Hyrule Warriors Legends stages (I've cleared the Adventure, Great Sea, and Master Quest maps and about half done with Termina.)

My workload has been lightened up a little in the last two weeks though so I've been thinking more about King's Quest, and would probably be started it anew were all the chapters out already (they aren't).  Might resume the Nathan Drake series while I wait.  And if Microsoft stops the snoozefest on its 2016 release schedule and Games with Gold selection it might get me to turn the XB1 on again, but likely won't until Gears of War 4 lands.  I haven't played the Wii U either since StarFox (which I never finished) and probably won't until Color Splash.  Hyrule Warriors gives me enough for now, and when that's done I'd like to look into Bravely Second.  There just isn't much to play right now that hasn't already been released or is still several months away.

[Arizona]

Marie beat Callie in Splatfest so I'll be throwing the game in the garbage now

[Moge]

Marie beat Callie in Splatfest so I'll be throwing the game in the garbage now

That's a good idea. I'm considering selling off my Wii U what with all the juicy new NX deets leaked today.

[JG]

I'm considering selling off my Wii U ...

I'm usually a Nintendo defender but I really can't blame you.  There's nothing else worthwhile coming to Wii U besides BotW which will likely be better on NX.  I'm still going to get Color Splash but I expect to be disappointed by it and expect it to be what its undoubtedly not going to be.

Might get more value trading it in on Thanksgiving week though. That's usually when GameStop gives an extra 20 or 30% on trade-ins.

[Moge]

I think i might catch Splatoon Withdrawal symptoms if i sell my system, but NX rumors point to a September reveal. At that point everyone will flood to sell off their system, thus less

[JG]

And if Microsoft stops the snoozefest on its 2016 release schedule and Games with Gold selection it might get me to turn the XB1 on again, but likely won't until Gears of War 4 lands.

Well played, Microsoft.  Beyond Good and Evil HD as free 360 Game with Gold for second half of August is something finally worthy of attention.

If you missed it first time around on ye olde cubic gaming system, its of the same vein as Zelda's Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask or StarFox Adventures.  Probably in the teens if I were to put together a list of best games I've ever played (which means quite good.)