[zoukka]

The worst 3D Zelda in HD

Surely you jest.

[grebby]

The most exciting thing out of it for me was Monolith's trailer. Everything else didn't really blow off my socks. Don't get me wrong, it's good news we have things like Mario confirmed. But really? Of course Nintendo are making a new 3D Mario and Mario Kart.

Yoshi's Epic Yarn is cool, but at the same time seeing Epic Yarn in the title is a little worrying. I'm sure it will be a nice, fun little game but that's about it. I don't think it's unreasonable to suggest that it's not going to be groundbreaking, but hey who knows! I'd like to be wrong on that.

The one thing that really made my eyes roll is the part about Zelda. Every damn time Aonuma says the whole 'Rethinking the conventions of Zelda' line and it's become a joke at this point. The fact that Aonuma is at the helm once again makes me doubt that there will be any significant changes to the series' conventions.

It's strange, for the first time I'm not super thrilled about Nintendo's first party stuff. I'd really like this to change. I guess E3 is where they'll go all out.

X, Bayonetta 2 and W101 are very exciting though. Can't wait to see more of each title.

[Mileena]

Surely you jest.

I've not played SS and TP yet so its the worst I've experienced.

[PapaJustify]

Zelda Wii U 2015

I would cautiously guess on November 2014.

It's untypical for Nintendo to talk about games so early if they are over two years away.

[bkfount]

This pretty much confirms Wii U will not be a failure.

I'm just glad they lifted the secrecy and told us a bit of what's in the pipes. Consoles have slow launch years, but the lack of details made everyone cry failure.

[gamergirly]

Surely you jest.

It's definitely a charming entry in the series with tons of character and exploration. The main quest is a little too short but I think most people can get over the cellshaded look in the series now too

[Des0lar]

Iwata did specifically say at the end that a 3rd Party focused Wii U Nintendo Direct is coming as well as a 3DS focused Nintendo Direct. Thats the benefit of this format for Nintendo now. They can release these whenever. We just have to wait for the unexpected oh yeah tomorrow watch this message

Yeah sure, if they can deliver on that front that's great. But right now, I can just comment on what they have been showing this Nintendo Direct.

[megalowho]

This was definitely something they needed but it also felt like admitting their problems. There was a time where console makers didn't have to talk about projects that early. They have to do that cause there is nothing else. To think they have to basically tell us when a game development is starting, like they did with smash bros, or go shot some footage of a team working on something for Bayonetta... This felt way too much like a "wait wait we aren't ready at All for all that but pleeeeeaaaase, wait, pleeease. Look, people are working right now on something there, don't go! We have cookies!" Fortunately they had a trailer of Xenothing. And it looks badass.

I kind of like that they did that. So many publishers are so coy about what teams are working on, even if there's no need for all the secrecy. Felt a little desperate since Iwata kept apologizing, but overall I wish more game announcements and updates were handled that way instead of big PR to-dos.

[Daedardus]

I've not played SS and TP yet so its the worst I've experienced.

Well 'worst' in it's relative meaning I hope? Like: 'not the best I've played but still good'?

[Striek]

They only solved one complaint, which was secrecy about their forthcoming titles. Fortunately that complaint was very valid and very big, and they actually surpassed expectations (mine anyway!). They addressed the OS, but thats just words at the moment.

They didn't address user accounts and third-party support, their solution for VC is fucking terrible, and we still don't have any more games with release dates. So...on balance no, not even close. But it was still a really awesome ND.

[zoukka]

I've not played SS and TP yet so its the worst I've experienced.

Oh ok, I actually would say OoT, WW and Majora are my favourites in that order followed by TP and SS.

The sense of scale and exploration is just unmatched in WW.

[Mr E.]

One of the big changes that seems to have slipped under the radar is the user created community's they plan to bring.

I imagine creating a Fifa community for your friends would be a great idea. Your own private forum for which ever game you like sounds like a great feature.
Easy to post screen captures, leaderboards, etc straight from in game is a great addition.

Mii GAF anyone?

[Parallacs]

Wow the WiiU is following the exact path the 3DS did.

-Start with a weak launch (though I thought NintendoLand was GOTY).

-Follow that up with a long dry spell

-Have one or two good games trickle in

-Drop a huge pile of awesome games

-Drop updates to make the system more functional

-Beef up the eShop

This all seems obvious right now, but why were people so convinced the WiiU was doomed?

[Ydahs]

I couldn't be happier with this Nintendo Direct. We heard about advancements to Miiverse (user communities, mobile access), were given a VC launch date, were treated with some great trailers, received an insight into the next Zelda, finally rewarded with a Wind Waker HD remake and Xenoblade. Oh my, I can't believe it, XENOBLADE. Possibly the best Nintendo Direct we've been given.

We also got confirmation that Smash Brothers, Mario 3D and Mario Kart WiiU will all be making an appearance at E3. Hopefully that means we'll get a few more reveals there too. Retro, please?


So, they basically addressed everything except for user account transfers. Oh, and third parties.

[Mihael Mello Keehl]

Wow the WiiU is following the exact path the 3DS did. -Start with a weak launch (though I thought NintendoLand was GOTY). -Follow that up with a long dry spell -Have one or two good games trickle in -Drop a huge pile of awesome games -Drop updates to make the system more functional -Beef up the eShop This all seems obvious right now, but why were people so convinced the WiiU was doomed?

Yep way too similar. almost like deja vu. Maybe its intentional who knows what nintendo is on.

[MrT-Tar]

Eh... HD remakes and more Mario addresses Wii U's problems? Besides Wind Waker specifically none of this is really a surprise.

Can you honestly say that you saw Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem? That came completely out of the blue.

[SparkTR]

They reassured me that they have some good stuff for the future, but right now I'm still disinterested in getting one. I need some more dates on these things, because they seem a while off. In the meantime Sony and Microsoft will have their E3 onslaught, and I feel that's going to convince me to put money into one of their systems, not Nintendo's.

[gamergirly]

Wow the WiiU is following the exact path the 3DS did. -Start with a weak launch (though I thought NintendoLand was GOTY). -Follow that up with a long dry spell -Have one or two good games trickle in -Drop a huge pile of awesome games -Drop updates to make the system more functional -Beef up the eShop This all seems obvious right now, but why were people so convinced the WiiU was doomed?

I think it was more of a saying than anything. You do have those who don't mean well for the company but for disgruntled Nintendo fans, they wanted Nintendo to bring out the big guns, reshow why they fell in love with the company, and secretly in their hearts "flip off" Nintendo's competitors

[DGRE]

Wasn't this the Wii U Nintendo Direct, with a 3DS Nintendo Direct to follow? I think this one included 3rd party games. IMO, it did enough. Its kind of establishing itself as a Wii U successor, which is nice. New iterations of 1st tier Nintendo titles from the Wii and whatnot. I did expect more because adding that to the sparse Wii U lineup just makes the Wii U lineup look a little less empty, but whatever.

Every single game we saw was 1st Party, Nintendo published, or a Nintendo collaboration. Iwata specifially said at the end of the NA Direct that a 3DS Direct and a Wii U 3rd party direct would be coming soon after this one.

[SephCast]

Desperate Nintendo is Best Nintendo

[jokkir]

Wow the WiiU is following the exact path the 3DS did. -Start with a weak launch (though I thought NintendoLand was GOTY). -Follow that up with a long dry spell -Have one or two good games trickle in -Drop a huge pile of awesome games -Drop updates to make the system more functional -Beef up the eShop This all seems obvious right now, but why were people so convinced the WiiU was doomed?

Aw yeah, price drop incoming

[I NEED SCISSORS]

I think with the new Xeno game they showed they can visually exceed the current gen consoles if they try. That was all I really wanted to see at long last, and allays some of my fears that third party comments had set in motion. Virtual console I don't much care for since emulation is already available to a good standard on nearly every other system I own. The (re)-announcement of the 3D Mario, Mario Kart, Zelda and Yoshi Wii U would have usually been a bit hollow since it was just name dropping with no other info attached, but the promise of E3 playable demos gives it a bit more substance. I understand they don't want to blow their load just yet.

2013 still seems slightly thin to me since they cannot really rely on third party exclusives as much any more and a lot of release dates are still up in the air. I will eventually buy it purely for the Nintendo games, but might end up waiting until 2014 when things are more definitive. There is also the remaining concern that once PS4/Durango arrive, the mindshare will just dip significantly and the console will die within a couple of years. But at least it's not in a Vita-esque situation of vaporware and crushed dreams any more.

[Meier]

Certainly for me. Now it's just a matter of timing. They need to release some of this new stuff in 2013 to regain lost momentum. I imagine the dev cycle of a high-end 3DS game is much shorter than a console title so they're behind the 8 ball in that regard. They have to get out Wind Waker, etc. before the release of the PS4 and 720. Don't waste the head start.

[Steve Youngblood]

Wow the WiiU is following the exact path the 3DS did. -Start with a weak launch (though I thought NintendoLand was GOTY). -Follow that up with a long dry spell -Have one or two good games trickle in -Drop a huge pile of awesome games -Drop updates to make the system more functional -Beef up the eShop This all seems obvious right now, but why were people so convinced the WiiU was doomed?

Nobody (mostly, I'm sure you could quote a couple of people doing so) earnestly suggested that Nintendo is or was doomed. It was just observed that the launch itself was lackluster in terms of both software and sales, and that the horizon didn't look to rectify any doubts about it going forward.

[Cipherr]

Let's be honest here: What is coming, are great games, but everything is first party. Who really doubted that good first party games are coming? The only suprise is FExSMT.

I dont give a crap if a game is first or third party. Only that its a good game.

I dont just up and lose interest just because its first party. The stuff they showed looked good. The stuff I have seen of Bayo 2 in the dev video looks good and promising, so I'm interested. Don't care who is publishing it.

If you dont like a franchise or genre, say so. But just popping up with "BUT THEY ARE ALL FIRST PARTY" doesn't say or mean anything unless you are implying first party titles cannot be good games or are magically and inherently bad.

Nobody (mostly, I'm sure you could quote a couple of people doing so) earnestly suggested that Nintendo is or was doomed. It was just observed that the launch itself was lackluster in terms of both software and sales, and that the horizon didn't look to rectify any doubts about it going forward.

I genuinely thought they were doomed. Look at how they launched this POS. No games, big ass gaps in release schedule. Its a hot mess, and its still not out of doomed territory as far as Im concerned.

[VariantX]

I think most of complaints centered around simply not knowing what I was going to be getting for $350 past Q1-2 and they've been somewhat addressed, so i think ill be in the market for a Wii U someday soon. I'm not enough of a Nintendo fan to jump out and make a purchase on blind faith that the games that I would want to play and invest my time in will come raining in. The original Wii saw to only amplify those fears when nothing but a constant stream of child-focused titles, crappy test games, shovel ware, and Nintendo's relentless family focused marketing, plagued its library aside from a few diamonds in its lineup. Now that the library seems to be balancing out with more gamers games, I'm somewhat less worried for its future.

My other complaint still stands, the lack of an account system where your purchases are tied to the account, not the hardware. It makes digital purchases a risky proposition for the customer. If your system is damaged in anyway and is rendered unable to play games, you have to jump through ridiculous hoops to be able to play the games you purchased with your money. If my ds/wiiU gets damaged to the point I should have to replace it, why does nintendo need to get involved when virtually every other company that deals with digital content empowers the consumer to work through that problem in less than an afternoon?

[grimshawish]

Clear their struggling with HD but also very clear the restructuring is part of something thats been taking place over the last year or so.

Nintendo is repositioning itself very effectively.

[Huff]

So should we start organizing operation rainfall 2 yet or what? Then we can get some of these games in 2014/15 when they release

[slightconfuse]

Love that Nintendo is Putting up a fight This gen. Lots of cool stuff announced

[orioto]

Wow the WiiU is following the exact path the 3DS did. -Start with a weak launch (though I thought NintendoLand was GOTY). -Follow that up with a long dry spell -Have one or two good games trickle in -Drop a huge pile of awesome games -Drop updates to make the system more functional -Beef up the eShop This all seems obvious right now, but why were people so convinced the WiiU was doomed?

Except for a small difference. The 3ds finally regained the nds audience and demographic, where the Wiiu still has nothing to touch what was the Wii in 2005.
With all those cool games it's still in track for a NGC+ success, as far as we know.

[TruePrime]

Nope.

Wind Waker HD is a flop for me as I have no desire to purchase the worst 3D Zelda again.

Fire Emblem X SMT - is a yes simply for Mich and that it's being head up by Atlus.

Will buy X for the name, but am disappointed its more like Blade then Saga.

I still need to see the new Zelda and some more 3rd party stuff before I jump in.

[Striek]

Wow the WiiU is following the exact path the 3DS did. [.....]

What are you trying to say though? The 3DS post-launch was a disaster area. Massive price drop, company losses. Are you saying that a repeat of that is good/expected? Why on earth do you think Nintendo emphasised pre-launch that they had learnt from the mistakes they made with the 3DS? Then the Wii U comes out and most people would say its doing worse than the 3DS so far.

Very few people were saying the Wii U is doomed, but that it was/is doing very poorly at the moment and Nintendo has their work cut out for them to right the ship. You think Nintendo want to drop the Wii U price like they were forced to with the 3DS?

And remember, the 3DS is still not living up to expectations.

[evilromero]

Because it's almost like they granted every wish GAF had and spoke to gamers quite honestly. Also megatons in the form of SMT x Fire Emblem, HD Wind Waker and "Xenoblade HD".

Those aren't megatons unfortunately. For a small core Nintedo audience, yea sure. But I don't enjoy FE or SMT, and while X looks really cool I'm just not a fan of jrpgs. Once again, Nintendo missed an opportunity to give longtime fans what they really want- badass Metroid, Star Fox, F-Zero and titles that appeal to western tastes. And I'm sorry, but it's not news that they told us they are working on a new Mario, Mario Kart and Zelda. SHOW us. Also, no Wii Sports? No cool racing titles like 1080, Wave Race or Excite? Instead a handful of quirky titles and features that unfortunately won't have the kind of core appeal Nintendo is looking for. Yoshi should have been in beautiful 3D HD graphics. Feel Good games have all tanked at retail and I don't see Yoshi bring any different. So as a Nintendo fan I'm even more disappointed now than I was before. I'll be waiting until at least this summer for a game on Wii U that really appeals to me. Maybe longer. The VC is something I already indulged in on the Wii, so what new experiences can I expect?

[Steve Youngblood]

I genuinely thought they were doomed. Look at how they launched this POS. No games, big ass gaps in release schedule. Its a hot mess, and its still not out of doomed territory as far as Im concerned.

I guess another addendum to this conversation is that for people who are throwing around the word "doomed," it helps to define what that entails.

[Des0lar]

I dont give a crap if a game is first or third party. Only that its a good game. I dont just up and lose interest just because its first party. The stuff they showed looked good. The stuff I have seen of Bayo 2 in the dev video looks good and promising, so I'm interested. Don't care who is publishing it. If you dont like a franchise or genre, say so. But just popping up with "BUT THEY ARE ALL FIRST PARTY" doesn't say or mean anything unless you are implying first party titles cannot be good games or are magically and inherently bad. .

THat's not my point. Who doubted that Nintendo had good first party games? I sure didn't so all of these great looking games don't really surprise me. For a console to be a great console though, they need third party games as well.

[zoukka]

Those aren't megatons unfortunately. For a small core Nintedo audience, yea sure. But I don't enjoy FE or SMT, and while X looks really cool I'm just not a fan of jrpgs. Once again, Nintendo missed an opportunity to give longtime fans what they really want- badass Metroid, Star Fox, F-Zero and titles that appeal to western tastes.

Evidently those games did not appeal to western tastes now that they are looking stone cold.

[Huff]

The WiiU WILL have first party support! Take that all you naysayers!!

[Pociask]

They addressed a lot of my complaints. On using Nintendo Directs:

On that subject, Nintendo should aim for three announcements - studio x is working on y, first look at y, and release date of y.

They also seem to be thinking the same thing I discussed for Zelda:

Developing the next [Zelda], Nintendo needs to turn it up to a high boil to get rid of every single unnecessary element, and then let it simmer for as long as possible to make the best possible game. My essentials list would be something like Link, Zelda, Ganon, Master Sword, Bow and Arrow, Bombs, Triforce. I would put everything else on the chopping block - bomb bags, dungeons, rupees, a traveling store, companions, instruments, horse riding, etc. I'm not saying get rid of those things - but be willing to get rid of those things. Edgar Allen Poe asked the writer to question the inclusion of every single sentence. That is what I want Nintendo to do with Zelda. We'll see what happens.

[uNsIs]

always mario, always zelda, how nintendo can focus on core gamers with these game?

[evilromero]

Evidently those games did not appeal to western tastes now that they are looking stone cold.

Brilliant. So instead we get 101, Game & Wario, Yoshi and Pikmin 3. Games that are sure to appeal to the core audience, am I right? Don't get me wrong. I'll probably play those because there's little else on the menu, but I still ask, where are the experiences that gamers like me want from Nintendo? They are wasting so many opportunities with those IPs.

[spock]

Great showing by the big N. This seems in line with what I posted in another thread on a possible 2013 Holiday setup. My gut tells me they will have more then 2-3 cross spectrum major IP's release for the holidays in conjunction with a price drop. Also perhaps some kind of additional holiday bundle and something else we dont know about yet. (VC games bonus, etc)

E3 will probobly show some of the western wanted releases. (metroid or something along that flavor)

They are going to attack MS & Sony with a crazy value proposition of a sub 300 price (299) and a kill em with games angle. First party high quality games at that. Strategy wise their just playing to their strenghths and weaknesses. Very Smart. The fact theyeven talked about certain problems and how they dropped bomb after bomb further indication of a specififc strategy they have in mind. I get a very art of war vibe.

It's also looking like they are going to CRUSH it hard in japan with the WiiU/3ds line up. I have a feeling Sony is going to be in trouble this coming gen. MS and Nintendo feel solid though.


I find those calling things remakes, rehashes, etc a bit funny. If MS or Sony talk GTA, or Halo, or any of there existign franchises they would call it a megaton, yet because these are Nintendos big guns which they are not interested in, they dismiss em.

[BD1]

Not everything, but that may be soon.

The 1st party stuff is excellent and exciting. No surprise there. It's 3rd party support that is most worrisome. Iwata did mention at the end a 3rd Part Nintendo Direct is coming soon, so hopefully we see some good announcement of support soon.

[SweetTeddie]

They showed some awesome games, but they were all first party. It seems like the Wii U will have awesome games, but they'll mostly be published my Nintendo. Also, lets hope they improve the OS even further than what they promised and get their account system at parity with MS and Sony.

[evilromero]

always mario, always zelda, how nintendo can focus on core gamers with these game?

Ugh, by showing them and blowing us away? We want to see sprawling 3D worlds that light our imaginations ablaze. So far I haven't seen anything graphically that takes advantage of the scope and power that the Wii U could offer.

[JWong]

Not interested in watching it, but did they address Price Drop? Third Party? Strategy to counter Sony and Microsoft next gen?

[zoukka]

Brilliant. So instead we get 101, Game & Wario, Yoshi and Pikmin 3. Games that are sure to appeal to the core audience, am I right? Don't get me wrong. I'll probably play those because there's little else on the menu, but I still ask, where are the experiences that gamers like me want from Nintendo? They are wasting so many opportunities with those IPs.

I know how you feel about F-Zero and Metroid. I still believe Metroid isn't dead though.

But besides the obvious Nintendo 1st party titles, 101, Bayo2, X and Yoshi all interest me. Oh and the Megaten-FE game too.

Ugh, by showing them and blowing us away? We want to see sprawling 3D worlds that light our imaginations ablaze. So far I haven't seen anything graphically that takes advantage of the scope and power that the Wii U could offer.

The Xenoblade sequel looked quite ambitious. I'm hoping the next EAD Mario and Zelda will blow out the bank at E3. Mario Galaxy did so for the Wii and 3D Land for 3DS.

[Syrinx]

No. Western third-party support still remains an issue, and one that I frankly think is a ship that has sailed. Also, I still wanna see Retro's game.

But boy, I'm a lot closer to buying a Wii U now than I was yesterday.

[ape2man]

YES, have to buy WIIU now.

[REV 09]

i just see a bunch of old nintendo franchises or HD releases...and a few eastern games, so no. Basically, if you were a prior nintendo fan then you may be satisfied, but they are hardly expanding their audience with these announcements.

[Htown]

That X trailer fucking guaranteed my WiiU purchase.

Because holy shit.