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Child Item

It seems to be Nintendo's Christmas...

Shiminay

I've seen several people now say that the WiiU is the best option if you wanted a new console this Christmas because of the Mario game.

Similarly I've seen such hype for the latest Zelda game on DS' that it seems that this Christmas is Ninty's for the taking.

So as someone who considers Nintendo devices as "kids toys with some average offerings for their parents too" has the game (*ahem*) really changed that much?

Context (and with a note that tongue is firmly in cheek as I type all this):

I'm a PC Gamer first and foremost, until consoles offer me a mouse and keyboard as an interface, this will always remain so. I have a 360 which was gathering dust until a couple of months ago when I played GTA V on it. It's now gathering dust again cause I don't want to pay to play multiplayer. I don't regret owning a 360 one bit, it served it's purpose admirably when I worked a minimum wage job and couldn't afford a gaming PC. The last Nintendo item I owned was an original GameBoy and I don't mind admitting I played it all the time.

However, if I'm missing out on what seem to be absolute masterpieces of the gaming art because I have mistakenly labelled Nintendo as the haven for filthy casuals and children, then I owe it to myself to at least investigate

I played the Wii, it was grand, but it became nothing but a dust gatherer for almost everyone I know who has one. It was never anywhere near accurate enough for me to take it's control interface seriously. I couldn't understand why Wii Sports Golf was about 100 times more accurate than Tiger Woods (which insisted on the additional accuracy thingy) and so I said "this is all horse-sht and doesn't work" and moved on. This belief was re-enforced by how much better Kinect and Move did these motion gimmicks, but it was never anything more than a gimmick for me and was never going to be a real means to play a game for me.

I've not owned a handheld of any kind since my Gameboy with the exception of my phone. I play quite a few games on the move on my phone, but having to carry around another device would annoy me, so that sorta rules out even the idea of a DS of any flavour. However, everyone I know with one swears by it and there's no denying they've made an incredible device.

So I ask you gamers of Boards, do you think that Ninty really has the best to offer this Gamer this Christmas?

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ShadowHearth

Just heads up for those who are looking for Wii u. I was just in gamestop and they had Zelda and Lego city bundles for 269eu. Good price if you are looking for brick and mortar shop and have a few things to trade in.

CiDeRmAn

I'd love to consolidate the handheld collection with a few bit's and bobs.
I'm pretty happy with most of the Ninty jewels in there as it is, but am lacking the more modern devices, so no DSiXL, 3DSXL or 2DS as yet, I hope to rectify this over the next year.
The AGS-101 GBA:SP is a stunning machine and it's a great way to access you entire Gameboy franchise games on one machine with a great display.
Also available is the original GBA, some find it more comfortable to handle, but with a new screen meaning the games look fantastic as well.
The Micro is really really nice but it will only play your GBA titles, plus it's charger is bespoke and hard to replace, new faceplates will cost a bomb too.

I'd love to find the remodelled Snes Jr and Nes redesign, they would be class to have, look good too.

FutureGuy

I go home giddy thinking about playing...Mario 3D World. Not anything on my Xbox One.

Says it all really.

Retr0gamer

I've near enough 150 DS games.

I still need a few more titles to complete the collection

So many good games on that system.

ghostchant

Retr0gamer wrote: »

I've near enough 150 DS games.

I still need a few more titles to complete the collection

So many good games on that system.

I have about the same, and find more I need to buy with alarming regularity

murphyebass

ok not a short post but its an interesting topic... my apologies if I drift a bit.

3DS is hammering its one competition. ie the Vita.

Wii U on the other hand has had 2 very popular consoles in the 360 and PS3 to deal with for the first year

Also has had poor marketing campaign and lack of titles to deal with.

Unfortunately the Wii U now also has the new song and MS consoles to deal with which judging by the figures in the past few weeks isnt good news for Nintendo.

The way I see it the Wii U has fallen into a strange place. Its not even trying to compete. Its place is as a second console.

eg.

I own a 360. I never had a PS3 as I couldnt justify having two incredibly similar consoles for the sake of a few exclusive. I had a wii for a while at least as a second console to play first party nintendo games.

I will continue to own a 360 as I'm not buying the PS4 (instead of xbox one due to owning a Vita) until Xmas 2014 due to a hefty price tag and a poor launch line up.

My new Wii U will accompany my 360 nicely for now allowing me to play a bit of everything.

All that said unfortunately not everyone is in the position that I'm in, ie able to buy a couple of different consoles.

So to answer your original question...

It may seem to be Nintendos year but unfortunately the proof is in the sales and Wii U is not fairing well. PS4 and Xbox One despite as I've already mentioned hefty price tags and lets face it pretty poor launch line ups like most consoles have at launch these days including the Wii U are still selling really well.

All of THAT said does it really matter to Nintendo if Wii U doesnt fair as well as the other big two? Probably not. Nintendo unlike Sega back in the Saturn/Dreamcast days has a huge amount of income from the 3DS.

Would it like more sales? Up until recent marketing campaigns I'd have said its hard to tell whether they cared at all about selling the Wii U.

I think if Nintendo continue on its current marketing buzz and keep the big titles flowing like Donkey Kong, Mario Kart, Zelda, etc.. it'll grow cause people will distinguish it from the original Wii.

Hopefully the people with the balance boards and wii sports plastic bits and bobs buy in as well cause lets face it thats why the Wii sold in massive numbers rightly or wrongly.

Lastly I'm not ignoring the PC gamer in this situation but I think another poster put it that they didnt own a 360 as they had a PC. I'm kinda with them. I'm not a PC gamer as I have 360.

I think the Wii U is partner to either a 360, PS3, PC, Xbox One or PS4.

Dont get me wrong I think the Wii U can be bought and used on its own and I'm sure it is in a lot of cases but realistically people want one of the big 3 lets call it PC, MS or Sony machine.

How about Nintendo starts to really play on its "Only on Nintendo" branding a bit more.

Or change it slightly to if you want to play this game eg Mario 3D you'll have to buy a Wii U.

Retr0gamer

In terms of sales it's not nintendo's with the WiiU (3DS sales are a different matter). In terms of for gamers and the games Nintendo produced this year they have absolutely knocked it out of the park.

It's a pity the WiiU will end up as the next gamecube barring some miracle. Maybe Nintendo will see that the Wii was a freak fad and not something they can bank on and try to change their game next time.

It was a very reactionary console which is not like Nintendo at all who excel in shaking things up. They saw the tablet market as a big competitor (particularly when the 3DS wasn't doing very well) and tried to follow its lead with a tablet controller.

richymcdermott

I wonder does nintendo have a place in the home console market.
I was a defender of nintendo even with all the questionable decisions They have made. I wonder are they just better off making handheld devices and just make their games for the other 2 consoles.

I know they will never do that and they have stated in the past if they were in a position where they couldnt make hardware they would take their games with them.

The wii as much as I loved some of its titles was a fad that died down very quick and I do not think nintendo will ever produce another console like that for the living rooms again.

They are also their own worst enemy , with the money and resources they have aswell as some of the titles they have that just print money on their name alone there is no reason why nintendo cannot be number 1 , they choose to play it safe and try to stand out at the same time.

If you were to ask me couple of months ago how I thought the wii u would do I would of told you I still thought the wii u would do well but after having a full year on the market , I cannot see wii u getting a firm grasp on the market.

Sure it will have quality titles but with them hoping to sell 6.5 million i think the number was by march I cannot see it happening.

Sony have done a amazing job as they do hyping up and marketing their console with little to no mistakes and quickly addressed the problems and fixes from last generation I can see wii u being the next sega saturn

3d world is already the worst selling 3d mario game in japan and with knack outselling 3d world in the uk its just bad news after bad news for nintendo.

Turtwig

richymcdermott wrote: »

3d world is already the worst selling 3d mario game in japan and with knack outselling 3d world in the uk its just bad news after bad news for nintendo.

I wouldn't even read too much in that yet. Emphasise the yet. Nintendo games tends to be slow burners and have long shelf life.

GTR63

Retr0gamer wrote: »

I've near enough 150 DS games.

I still need a few more titles to complete the collection

So many good games on that system.

I have like 46 & thought I was bad, when I think of how much that cost

Need about 10 more to complete my collection(Okamiden, 999 & Ace Attorney Investigations top that, along with both M&L RPGs)

AlmightyCushion

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

I'm always left a little confused about the perception that Nintendo games are for kids. Many of them are considerably more mature than any bloody, foul-mouthed shooter one could care to mention. True depths can exist beneath any type of aesthetic or presentation, on any format, in any genre. Some of the most engaging, challenging and intelligent games ever made have existed in bold primary colours: many of which were from Nintendo.

It's pretty much just the graphics and design on their main games. When you think of a Sony/Microsoft console you think of games like Battlefield, CoD, Halo, Crysis, MGS etc. when you think of a Nintendo console you think of Mario, Pokemon, Zelda etc. The former titles have realistic graphics whereas the Nintendo games have more cartooney graphics and styling. It's not the content, it's just the way the content is presented.

MadYaker

I'm a PC gamer too for years now and the last console I owned was a gamecube. I still have it and play it from time to time. Super Mario Sunshine, LoZ The Windwaker, Mario Kart double dash, timesplitters 2 (still the best offline multiplayer fps ever imo) all awesome games that I really enjoyed playing. I think it would be foolish to dismiss them as solely for children. Although if I had young kids id definitely rather they were playing Mario Kart instead of COD.

But I think the two bigger consoles have kind of a choke hold on the market atm. Everybody buys an xbox one or a ps4 because thats what their friends are getting and they want to play online.

If I was rolling in cash id buy a Wiiu but for me none of the new consoles really interest me that much. Right now they aren't doing anything that my PC can't do better. I might pick up a PS3 cheap after xmas to play The Last of Us and Uncharted and MGS and other good exclusives.

johnny_ultimate

Posts moved here, had meandered well and truly off-topic!

WolfForager

For me Nintendo consoles have become Nintendo Exclusive Games machines. That's all well and good if you like Nintendo games and are willing to pay €350 to play them, but many like myself are not. There's something that Nintendo games have that some refer to as "That Nintendo Magic", the Holy Trinity of story, gameplay and nostalgia, which makes alot of people go mad for Nintendo games, I appear to be somewhat immune to this Magic, possibly from growing up in the Playstation era. I remember playing Mario on my NES when I was very young and on my Gameboy and from what I recall i simply loved those games, however that didn't carry on over the years.

Another thing that'd hold me back from getting a Wii U would be its poor sales. There's no question that the sales have been abysmal (not Vita levels though, which is one positive I suppose) and that makes me think that Nintendo's home console could be refreshed alot quicker than originally planned. This would leave you with a console that would only play games from a 2 year period.

Sadly I'm not into portable gaming at all so I'd never buy a 3DS, 2DS or a Vita (unless I had loads of cash to spare), so my opinion there is simply moot.

Also regards this being "Nintendo's Christmas", not a chance. The Xbox One and PS4 will have the market tightly sealed up into early next year. (Home Consoles)

CiDeRmAn

Well, I've been playing Nintendo hardware since the GB, as an adult, and have found their games to be consistently brilliant.
The qualities they have imbued in their titles are commonly called child like but this ignores the other titles on their machines that are anything but.
So, we have Resident Evil remake, RE4, the whole Metroid franchise, Enternal Darkness, Blastcorps, Killer 7 and so on.
If these "childish" genres were irrelevant then we wouldn't have seen the other formats furiously trying to produce their own and failing again and again.
Much of the reasons to own a non Ninty console seems to be to be able to play games that tend to be that bit better on PC.
Nintendo do seem to be incapable of producing a non Mario Kart/F Zero racing game of note, which is a pity

FutureGuy

The more I think about it, the more a high-end gaming rig, a Wii U and a 3DSXL makes more and more sense.

NTMK

FutureGuy wrote: »

The more I think about it, the more a high-end gaming rig, a Wii U and a 3DSXL makes more and more sense.

Its the only combo im entertaining atm though imo a 3DS should be a part of every gamers set up the XL version is a wonderful machine

Daith

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

Nintendo do seem to be incapable of producing a non Mario Kart/F Zero racing game of note, which is a pity

Wave Race 64 was brilliant! Pity they never went anywhere with it.

Shiminay

FutureGuy wrote: »

The more I think about it, the more a high-end gaming rig, a Wii U and a 3DSXL makes more and more sense.

This is the conclusion I'm coming to. I think we can all mostly agree that any Cross Platform games are best played on the PC and that barring a few exclusives, you're not missing a whole lot by not having an XBox or PlayStation, but to not have a Nintendo device, you're missing out on some all time greats.

Now, before we start the arguments about how one console's exclusives are better than another's, remember we're talking very generally here - I think, for example that The Last of Us was an exceptional game and I actually gave some serious consideration to picking up a PS3 second hand just to play it. I've never felt that way about a Mario or Zelda game though because I think it's just really sad that Nintendo appears to have absolutely no new ideas and that all they can do to keep afloat is make another Mario or Zelda or Pokemon game and cash in on that nostalgia.

So whilst this still hasn't convinced me that my next tech spend should be anything other than an SSD and new graphics for my PC, it's put the Wii U and definitely the 3DS/XL on my "keep an eye out for a cheap second hand one" list.

danthefan

I'm getting a 3DS XL for Christmas. It's gotten to the point where I feel I'm missing out on too many quality games to not get one.

Still have zero interest in the Wii U.

Also have a PS4 and a PC.

Retr0gamer

Shiminay wrote: »

I've never felt that way about a Mario or Zelda game though because I think it's just really sad that Nintendo appears to have absolutely no new ideas and that all they can do to keep afloat is make another Mario or Zelda or Pokemon game and cash in on that nostalgia.

Not really true. Mario has been constantly reinventing itself as a franchise with the Mario Galaxy games being some of the most inventive games this generation. Zelda does really need a shake up and has largely been tha same thing since Ocarina but apparently A Link Between Worlds is a big change in direction for the series with it being far more open and non-linear. Then there's other stuff like Xenoblade which has beenthe most progressive JRPG in the last 10 years.

Nintendo can seem to rest on its laurels with series like Zelda and Pokemon but they constantly use other characters like Mario to try out new ideas and they keep Kirby and Wario for all their crazy leftfield ideas and those two franchises make up most of nintendos most interesting games.

johnny_ultimate

Shiminay wrote: »

I've never felt that way about a Mario or Zelda game though because I think it's just really sad that Nintendo appears to have absolutely no new ideas and that all they can do to keep afloat is make another Mario or Zelda or Pokemon game and cash in on that nostalgia.

Well here's where you definitely show you haven't given Nintendo games a fair chance recently! While certainly I would welcome Nintendo giving space to some completely new franchises, the simple fact is they remarkable use their familiar brands and sequels as their channels for new ideas. Zelda and Mario games often contain more new ideas in a single level than most completely new games manage in dozens of hours. What the core Mario games particularly excelling at is providing a near-constant stream of fresh ideas, rarely recycling or repeating mechanics from one moment to the next. Yes, often the core formula is the same, but the magic is how they continually manage to make it feel new and exciting. It's telling that after playing somewhere in the region of a dozen Zelda games, A Link Between Worlds is still almost constantly surprising me with new ideas alongside its obvious nostalgia value. Metroid is another series that has constantly been taken in unexpected but fascinating new directions. They may return to the same characters time and time again, but they certainly do not mindlessly recycle.

richymcdermott

Other than mario 3 and the galaxy games I find mario games in general very monotnous. They are well crafted games but I always seem to be bored when trying to give mario games a chance.

More of a case the character is over used than rehashes the games themselves.

Now the NSMB series is milked to death

krudler

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Not really true. Mario has been constantly reinventing itself as a franchise with the Mario Galaxy games being some of the most inventive games this generation. Zelda does really need a shake up and has largely been tha same thing since Ocarina but apparently A Link Between Worlds is a big change in direction for the series with it being far more open and non-linear. Then there's other stuff like Xenoblade which has beenthe most progressive JRPG in the last 10 years.

Nintendo can seem to rest on its laurels with series like Zelda and Pokemon but they constantly use other characters like Mario to try out new ideas and they keep Kirby and Wario for all their crazy leftfield ideas and those two franchises make up most of nintendos most interesting games.

Agree, Mario Galaxy 2 is basically blueprint on how to craft a game from a long existing franchise and make it seem completely fresh. The level design is amazing in it. Zelda will always have the Zelda staples, it wouldn't feel like a Zelda game without the stuff you expect but it does take more than a few new gadgets and dungeons to progress.
I really hope they go Wind Waker style redesign for the next one, same with Metroid. Metroid Prime was a stunningly good example of how to take a 2D franchise, make it 3D while keeping the feel of the previous games, considering many have tried and failed. Its worth owning a Wii just to play those games.

Shiminay

One of the comments made by JP McDaniels about what he's hyped about for the Christmas (his answer was Wii U despite having one since launch day and despite having both new consoles) was that at no stage did he feel that the latest Mario ever repeated a mechanic from level to level and that he thought to be able to do that was an astounding feat. He said the 2 things he was looking forward to most this Christmas were more Mario and the new Zelda DS game.

Mr.Saturn

I would be finally leaning toward a Wii-U. With Mario 3D World up and running, and Super Luigi and Mario Bros U as stocking filler, and soon to be followed by Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, there's a good 4-5 months of 100% completion fun to look forward to.

deathrider

NTMK wrote: »

Its the only combo im entertaining atm though imo a 3DS should be a part of every gamers set up the XL version is a wonderful machine

I don't get the attraction with the XL. As I mentioned earlier in the thread, I love my DS and I'm looking forward to getting a 3DS. However, the XLs are huge and kinda defeat the purpose of being able to just lob one into my pocket to play on the bus.

Retr0gamer

Shiminay wrote: »

One of the comments made by JP McDaniels about what he's hyped about for the Christmas (his answer was Wii U despite having one since launch day and despite having both new consoles) was that at no stage did he feel that the latest Mario ever repeated a mechanic from level to level and that he thought to be able to do that was an astounding feat.

It's not really an astounding feat for nintendo, they specialise in having simple play mechanics and then creating levels around those levels that fully explore all the fun you can have with those simple mechanics. Sure Mario is only about running and jumping everywhere but Nintendos mastery of level design makes sure that every level you play will feel completely different from the last.

Retr0gamer

deathrider wrote: »

I don't get the attraction with the XL. As I mentioned earlier in the thread, I love my DS and I'm looking forward to getting a 3DS. However, the XLs are huge and kinda defeat the purpose of being able to just lob one into my pocket to play on the bus.

The bigger screen does look an awful lot better on the XL. My GF has an XL and I'm so jealous when I compare mine to hers.

NTMK

deathrider wrote: »

I don't get the attraction with the XL. As I mentioned earlier in the thread, I love my DS and I'm looking forward to getting a 3DS. However, the XLs are huge and kinda defeat the purpose of being able to just lob one into my pocket to play on the bus.

I have Large hands and the normal 3DS gave me cramps if i played for 30mins-1hr xl doesnt have that problem for me

I dont dont really play it as when im out but i normaly have a backpack with me so it not a problem