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[Freezie KO]

Why would anyone expect that?

Why would anyone expect a change of strategy? I don't know. Despite two failed launches coupled with the worst and worst-selling home console they've ever released, Iwata still survived the Investor's Presentation. The same people driving Nintendo into irrelevance are still running the company. No reason to expect them to change their ways now.

 

[blu]

That was atrocious.

I got a Wii U bundle last week and set it up over the weekend. My GF and I looked through the entire catalog in the eShop for stuff to play together. She literally said: where are all the games? I said something about stuff coming later. Her response: why did you buy this if there's nothing to play? She's right. Why did I think anything would be different this time?

Mario Kart is Mario Kart; you expect one every gen like clockwork with no real surprises and it's not even coming soon. X looks like every other dull bargain bin RPG I avoid and won't see a release this year if I even cared. Super Smash Bros is almost certainly not coming out til the holidays and this long string of gameplay teases, in place of an actual game or at least a decent release date(!), is not cool. Bayonetta looks pretty good but has niche appeal at best and, again, won't be out anytime soon. Donkey Kong looks genuinely great, but it stands truly alone in this ridiculous drought. It's not enough.

I just got this thing and I'm disappointed in the little available and the paltry offerings on the way. How has anyone who has had it since launch or for months now been managing? I would lose my mind if not for my PC and Steam account.

I've been managing great with a WiiU as a main gaming machine. Thanks for asking.

 

[Zalman]

I got exactly what I expected. The only disappointing thing was the lack of release dates, but the Little Mac reveal made up for it. Good Direct for me.

 

[drbond]

Heck, seeing these announced for America would've been a start:

Not saying they would set the world on fire, but do SOMETHING with the damn console.

I'd be interested to see if the US would get that white WiiU 32GB Sports Club + white wiimote-plus bundle (maybe that will be our $199 model), but I would not discount an updated Mario Game + WiiMote Plus + WiiPartyU bundle.

Retailers have discounted the WiiParty U + remote bundle to the clearance point where the WiiPartyU game is basically being given to people for free. The Wii Party U bundle [game+stand+wiimote plus] is $39.99...and a black wiimote plus by itself is $39.99. I am going to assume they want to push WiiPartyU as a pack-in, in some way or form.

 

[Sandfox]

Why would anyone expect a change of strategy? I don't know. Despite two failed launches coupled with the worst and worst-selling home console they've ever released, Iwata still survived the Investor's Presentation. The same people driving Nintendo into irrelevance are still running the company. No reason to expect them to change their ways now.

I meant why would anyone expect that during this Direct? If there's going to be a change of direction we'll hear about it when we get closer to new hardware.

 

[DjRoomba]

Well at this point it's pretty much clear that if you like to game a lot and you love Nintendo games, then you will buy a WiiU as a secundairy console for just those titles. You'll probably play less than 10 titles on it a year. In my case, probably around 6 or 7 games at most.
But i do play those 6 or 7 games to death with my GF and son. They are fun games of an extremely high quality imo.

For all other gaming needs, i have the PS4.

What??? I think itll be more like 10 or less games for its entire lifespan

 

[Zalman]

What??? I think itll be more like 10 or less games for its entire lifespan

I already have 12 games for mine, so...

 

[Aarglefarg]

I hadn't been paying enough attention as I only realised with this that MH4U is 3DS-only. I assumed there was a Wii U version, though I understand why Capcom went with the 3DS.

 

[Freezie KO]

I meant why would anyone expect that during this Direct? If there's going to be a change of direction we'll hear about it when we get closer to new hardware.

I don't know why someone would expect that. I was saying what I did expect, and Nintendo just happened to meet my rock bottom expectations.

Of course, the "new hardware" will be QoL, so any change of direction would be moving resources away from conventional gaming. Which is a genius move coming off the 20k sales of Wii Fit U from NPD.

 

[Hasney]

I got exactly what I expected. The only disappointing thing was the lack of release dates, but the Little Mac reveal made up for it. Good Direct for me.

Yup. Weapon Shop and NES Remix 2 were also very nice for me and probably my 2 most anticipated games now. Can't wait.

 

[Gaiaknight]

What??? I think itll be more like 10 or less games for its entire lifespan

i bought 9 games alon at launch and as of today i have 31 wii u titles.

 

[KennyLinder]

i bought 9 games alon at launch and as of today i have 31 wii u titles.

Could you list them?

 

[Anth0ny]

The January 2013 Direct is a once in a generation kind of deal. There won't be any more major games announced for Wii U, unless you count weird shit out of left field like Zelda Musou.

The stuff they announced there will last them til the end of 2015 (Zelda U included).

 

[Gambit]

I was incredibly disappointed last night, simply because the fucking stream stopped. Very, very frustrating.

I had to wait till it was all over and watch it afterwards. When I did watch it, I thought it was good.

Nes Remix 2 makes me happy, as it finally features the NES games I actually like.
X is still looking good, though I think a trailer would have been a better idea than uncut gameplay. (Still my most anticipated game, however).

Bayonetta 2 looks amazing and will be a pleasure to own. I just hoped for that Bayo 1 port as well.

What annoyed me a little bit were the Koopalings in Mario Kart. They are a great addition, but only reminded me that we didn't get them in 3D World. Is it too much to ask to get them in a 3D Mario?

Also, it was interesting how Iwata refered to them as "Bowser's minions", not children. Guess Baby Bowser is an only child now.

 

[Gaiaknight]

Could you list them?

Nintendo Land
New Super mario bros
Lego City Undercover
Game & Wario
Pikmin 3
Legend of Zelda Wind Waker HD
New Super Luigi U
Wii Party U
Wii Fit U
The Wonderful 101
Super Mario 3d World
ZombiU
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate
Sonic Lost World
Skylanders Swap Force
Lego Marvel Super Heroes
Wii Sports Club
Ninja Gaiden 3 Razors Edge
Call of Duty Black Ops 2
Assassins Creed 3
Batman Arkham City
Darksiders 2
Sonic And Sega all stars racing transformed
Epic Mickey 2
Mass effect 3
Resident Evil: Revelations
Batman: Arkham Origins
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
Call of Duty: Ghosts
Rayman Legends
The Lego Movie Video game

Plus my digital games

Dr. Luigi
Pokemon Rumble U
Trine 2
Ducktales Remastered
NES Remix
Art Academy Sketchpad
Tank! Tank! Tank! (only bought the story dlc)

Might as well list my VC games also lol

Legend of Zelda A link to the Past
Super Mario World
Super Metroid
F-Zero
Earthbound
Kirby's Adventure
Punch-Out
DOnkey kong
Mega Man 2

You will probably not find very many people like me that enjoys such a wide range of genres.

 

[Raitaro]

Oh man, after sleeping on it, I'm still all over the place when it comes to this latest Direct.

Going from anger:

All I wanted was at least one new retail game for the Wii U to be shown and they couldn’t even deliver that? **sigh**

YEAH! ONE new game Nintendo, even a glimpse of what's in store for beyond 2014!

To slow acceptance and giving myself false hope:

They cannot show what does not exist.

Oh I can only hope this isn't true...If this is really true (hint: it's probably true), they must
have over half of their teams working on games for their next machine...right?

To frustration and finger pointing:

I also keep wondering why they DO manage to pump out big and small 3DS game after game when that system by now has plenty to last for years to come. If only they would release such a steady stream of smaller e-shop titles for Wii U as well to cover the gaps between big releases. It's like they were unable or unwilling to shift this 3DS focuses development cycle to Wii U in the last 2 years. At this point our "best" hope would be that fabled emulator that allows us to play DS (and 3DS?) games on Wii U...which is sad.

To seeing a silver lining again:

Though I have to admit that Little Mac's announcement up front did give me hope that this Direct would be filled to the brim with such fan-favorite things. I love that he is in Smash! (Talking about suitable Smash fighers: Capcom, bring Ryu/Ken/Chun Li as well please.)

And even feel some sprinkles of nostalgic amazement:

Super stoaked the Rusty baseball game is coming!

So glad a lot of the oddball Nintendo stuff is coming west. I miss the weirder things in gaming

I love oddball stuff that has links to Nintendo's past as well!

...

You tell me GAF, how should this nostalgic Nintendo fan who - at some point was wise enough not to put his eggs in that single N-shaped basket anymore - feel about the Wii U's future? I simply don't know anymore except that I still WISH them to be succesful and release cool games and products...

 

[Raitaro]

Also, Freezie KO here was indeed remarkably close!

No new retail games. No risks. No change in strategy. Maybe a cheap eShop cash-in like NES Rehash Volume 2. Continued droughts. Trailers for the big, expected sequels with no surprises. Overall incompetence.

Do I win anything?

You win the "most down to Earth, two feet on the ground, let's not get ahead of ourselves prediction award for realistic and slightly pessimistic people". *clap clap clap*

(I wish I could be more like you, but my inner child loves my inner image of the old Nintendo too much...)

 

[Gambit]

You win the "most down to Earth, two feet on the ground, let's not get ahead of ourselves prediction award for realistic and slightly pessimistic people". *clap clap clap*

(I wish I could be more like you, but my inner child loves my inner image of the old Nintendo too much...)

That's not a win. Personally, I much prefer still getting excited, even if something doesn't live up to my expectations. Yesterday, this thread was simply fun to read and, frankly, the content of the actual presentation doesn't take anything away from it.


Anyway, the direct once again did make me think Nintendo is aware of the Wii U's situation and won't pour major resources into it anymore. They will, hopefully, at least greenlight some smaller titles like HD-Remakes or 3DS ports or cheap cooperations like Hyrule Warriors.

But I seriously doubt they will release a new IP or a reinvention of an old one on Wii U. It would just make more financial sense to have it as part of the launch lineup of their next console. Everything on Wii U is gonna bomb, and it would tarnish any new IP.

 

[Mondy]

Little Mac in Smash, gameplay of Mario Kart, Bayonetta, X, Kirby, Yoshi, Mario Golf. NES Remix 2 announced.

Oh dear, as far as new announcements are concerned, that's diabolical.

 

[RoadDogg]

Mario Golf finally has a launch date so the direct was well worth everyone's time. Assuming there are enough courses and characters, my game of the year is confirmed already.

 

[Neoxon]

In terms of a potential price drop, $250 is the lowest the Wii U will go. No way it'll be cheaper than a 3DS XL. Be realistic, guys.

If the 3DS line goes down in price across the board, that's another story.

 

[Chairhome]

Is there a list of announced titles and release dates/windows from the direct? I watched the direct, but I just can't remember all the dates and stuff.

 

[Starwolf_UK]

Is there a list of announced titles and release dates/windows from the direct? I watched the direct, but I just can't remember all the dates and stuff.

Check the news section of your local Nintendo subsidiary for a reasonable summary.

 

[nuttyevans]

What they showed for Wii U looks really good but yeah, there's not a lot of it.

IMO I'm a big fan of the console and find plenty to keep me entertained but that's only because I have much less time for playing games these past few years and Wii U has been great for that one night a week me and the gf get to sit down for some couch co op.

But that's just me. If I was a few years younger and played games more I'd be pretty frustrated.

 

[efyu_lemonardo]

In terms of a potential price drop, $250 is the lowest the Wii U will go. No way it'll be cheaper than a 3DS XL. Be realistic, guys.

That's true, and as long as the 3DS is selling, Nintendo will try to make as much money off of it as they can, to balance their other losses, so it could be some time before it drops significantly in price...

 

[ozfunghi]

What they showed for Wii U looks really good but yeah, there's not a lot of it.

Which makes it even more asinine that they don't even show the few games that ARE actually coming. They show X, which has no release date, even did so last year. They showed an other game dated 2015 (i can't remember what it was), but still, nothing about FAST, nothing about Project CARS, etc. These are games only the avid WiiU gamers know exist. Why not show them off, put those devs in the spotlights (lubing up existing developer ties can't hurt), show WiiU owners that there is in fact more coming this year besides the 4 games we've known about for over a year now (X, Kart, Smash, Bayo2).

 

[Starphoenix]

It's like people forget E3 is a little over three months away. Last time Nintendo showed everything early, and people complained come E3 that there weren't any real surprises. Not sure what people expect sometimes.

 

[DJIzana]

Which makes it even more asinine that they don't even show the few games that ARE actually coming. They show X, which has no release date, even did so last year. They showed an other game dated 2015 (i can't remember what it was), but still, nothing about FAST, nothing about Project CARS, etc. These are games only the avid WiiU gamers know exist. Why not show them off, put those devs in the spotlights (lubing up existing developer ties can't hurt), show WiiU owners that there is in fact more coming this year besides the 4 games we've known about for over a year now (X, Kart, Smash, Bayo2).

X did get a release window... for Japan.

The 2015 game you're referring to is Monster Hunter 4.

If they blew their load now... what would they show at E3 for some of these said titles?

 

[Sadist]

It's like people forget E3 is a little over three months away. Last time Nintendo showed everything early, and people complained come E3 that there weren't any real surprises. Not sure what people expect sometimes.

You have to realize that folks would be happy to have new info during E3 if in the months towards the conference the Wii U releaselist would be crammed. Which is not.

People don't like to wait. There are other options available.

 

[popeutlal]

They've been showing the same Wii U games for so long now... getting ridiculous.

 

[ozfunghi]

X did get a release window... for Japan.

The 2015 game you're referring to is Monster Hunter 4.

If they blew their load now... what would they show at E3 for some of these said titles?

Blow their load? lol, you think they're going to blow people away at E3 with FAST and pCARS? No, obviously at E3 we'll need to see something like the new Zelda, a new unannounced IP, maybe a new Metroid. If they think they're going to "win E3" with games like FAST, they'd have to be even more out of touch than previously assumed. And you can bet, pCARS and FAST won't get any real exposure at E3 either. While their ND's are perfect to highlight these games, because they are relevant to the crowd that actually bothers to check these Directs.

It's like people forget E3 is a little over three months away. Last time Nintendo showed everything early, and people complained come E3 that there weren't any real surprises. Not sure what people expect sometimes.

There is a difference between showing games we've known about for over a year and have seen tons of footage of, while ignoring interesting smaller projects on one hand, and on the other hand trying to blow everyone away with E3-quality reveals. Why compare extremes?

 

[Brainiac 8]

Great Direct.

It was everything Nintendo said it would be, stuff we know about.

Plus Little Mac looks awesome! X and Bayo 2 will be mine.

Yoshi's New Island, Kirby Triple Deluxe, Layton 6, and that fun looking Armory RPG all will be mine also.

 

[BGBW]

Why would anyone expect a change of strategy? I don't know. Despite two failed launches coupled with the worst and worst-selling home console they've ever released, Iwata still survived the Investor's Presentation. The same people driving Nintendo into irrelevance are still running the company. No reason to expect them to change their ways now.

You do realise Directs are basically glorified press releases right? They're not going to discuss things like that in one.

 

[Stumpokapow]

They've been showing the same Wii U games for so long now... getting ridiculous.

I think they announced a lot of stuff a little too early + almost everything they've published has been delayed, which leads to the sort of fatigue feeling.

 

[DJIzana]

Blow their load? lol, you think they're going to blow people away at E3 with FAST and pCARS? No, obviously at E3 we'll need to see something like the new Zelda, a new unannounced IP, maybe a new Metroid. If they think they're going to "win E3" with games like FAST, they'd have to be even more out of touch than previously assumed. And you can bet, pCARS and FAST won't get any real exposure at E3 either. While their ND's are perfect to highlight these games, because they are relevant to the crowd that actually bothers to check these Directs.

I didn't say that.... I'm just saying they need to reserve more footage of X and Smash Bros for E3 because those games won't be out in NA before E3.

Great Direct.

It was everything Nintendo said it would be, stuff we know about.

Plus Little Mac looks awesome! X and Bayo 2 will be mine.

Yoshi's New Island, Kirby Triple Deluxe, Layton 6, and that fun looking Armory RPG all will be mine also.

Mon Hun 4 in 2015 as well!

 

[mikeyw85]

They've been showing the same Wii U games for so long now... getting ridiculous.

True. Seen so much Tropical Freeze, i'm hardly interested anymore.

 

[kitsuneyo]

It was a solid Direct with some great trailers. But I couldn't help be disappointed by the lack of new Wii U game announcements. I thought Nintendo might have something up their sleeve.

With the amount of time I have for gaming and the quality of releases, it suits me ok. But for the health of the system I wanted to see more new things on the horizon.

Spoiler

Most reasonable reaction I can manage

 

[ozfunghi]

I didn't say that.... I'm just saying they need to reserve more footage of X and Smash Bros for E3 because those games won't be out in NA before E3.

Then i don't understand why you responded to my post, because my point had nothing to do with games like X, but specifically with the smaller games that would go unnoticed at E3, but would be very interesting to see in a ND, as i specifically mentioned FAST and pCARS, not X or Smash.

Instead of showing the same big games for the umpteenth time, they could (or should) have focussed more on that type of game. As it would at least give the impression that at least "some" other games are still coming to the platform.

 

[DJIzana]

Then i don't understand why you responded to my post, because my point had nothing to do with games like X, but specifically with the smaller games that would go unnoticed at E3, but would be very interesting to see in a ND, as i specifically mentioned FAST and pCARS, not X or Smash.

What i meant was blowing their load specifically on "X" and Smash Bros. You'll likely see longer footage of those titles when E3 rolls around just because those games won't be released in North America before then. On another note, I was adding as to the other points you have mentioned as well (regarding that 2015 being Mon Hun 4 and the release window for "X").

 

[ozfunghi]

What i meant was blowing their load specifically on "X" and Smash Bros. You'll likely see longer footage of those titles when E3 rolls around just because those games won't be released in North America before then. On another note, I was adding as to the other points you have mentioned as well (regarding that 2015 being Mon Hun 4 and the release window for "X").

Ok, then you must have misunderstood me because i never meant to say that they should have shown more of X. If anything, i meant they should have shown more of the games that could easily slip under the radar. At least give the illusion/impression that still other games are coming out for the console, besides X, Smash, Kart etc...

I think they announced a lot of stuff a little too early + almost everything they've published has been delayed, which leads to the sort of fatigue feeling.

They should have focussed more on the little 3rd party support back when they actually still had little 3rd party support. This not only goes for their directs, but for their ads as well. They always advertised the WiiU as a "Nintendo box", as nobody that didn't follow or own the console, ever knew games like AC or Darksiders or Deus Ex even existed for WiiU. Escpecially if they wanted to ride the Wii name. Wii, a console that never saw games like that.

 

[Brainiac 8]

They cannot show what does not exist.

You're right, just because they didn't show anything new means that they have nothing new in the works. Good job on common sense.

 

[Brainiac 8]

I didn't say that.... I'm just saying they need to reserve more footage of X and Smash Bros for E3 because those games won't be out in NA before E3.



Mon Hun 4 in 2015 as well!

Ack, forgot about this one. I lost interest in Ultimate 3 on the WiiU pretty quick, but that was mostly because of a lack of time and how long battles can take.

Something tells me that this series will be much better for me on a handheld. So yea, I'm pretty excited about it.

 

[Albo]

I think they announced a lot of stuff a little too early + almost everything they've published has been delayed, which leads to the sort of fatigue feeling.

With how barren their early 2013 lineup looked after their post holiday plummet, they needed a way to attract peoples interest which they did for a short while until as you mentioned people became fatigued when they realised how far off those games were.

I think they're avoiding doing the same thing this year despite once again not having much scheduled for release in the first half of this year. We know very little about their 2015 lineup, and the games they showed off too early last year are STILL ways off release, could even be 2015 for some (X, Yarn Yoshi, NFC Title). They have a lot to focus on this year along with other announced games so there's less pressure on revealing games planned for 2015 and beyond. It's going to look something like this I think.

MK8 - May
Hyrule Warriors - July
Bayo 2 - August/September
Sonic Boom - October
Smash - October
X - November
NFC title - November/December

And more VC games than last year to fill in the gaps between those releases.

It's a decent lineup. And we can assume they'll reveal at least Zelda U, NFC title and other possible unannounced games at E3 or in a direct .

 

[Deleted member 752119]

Well at this point it's pretty much clear that if you like to game a lot and you love Nintendo games, then you will buy a WiiU as a secundairy console for just those titles. You'll probably play less than 10 titles on it a year. In my case, probably around 6 or 7 games at most.
But i do play those 6 or 7 games to death with my GF and son. They are fun games of an extremely high quality imo.

For all other gaming needs, i have the PS4.

This. It's sad Nintendo has dropped this far, but they are a secondary platform for most at this point.

I love their games, so I bought a Wii U. And I bought it full well knowing I'd probably only play 10-15 games on it total over it's lifespan since I bought it in November when it was already clear it was a failure. But I'll love those 10-15 games and get my $300 worth personally. So I'm not mad or disappointed. I knew what I was buying in to.

 

[MyBodyisReady]

Inazuma Eleven is out in the states THIS IS SO AWESOME. Weapon Shop is out next week I CANT WAIT. Mario Kart looks beautiful. X is going to please the fans of Xenoblade, but if you hated Xenoblade don't bother playing X.

I'm pretty pumped for whats to come, and I'm so happy we are getting NES Remix 2. I'm not bothered by the No Wii U games in March because Shovel Knight!!

 

[ozfunghi]

X is going to please the fans of Xenoblade, but if you hated Xenoblade don't bother playing X.

Cool, so you've played X? Because i know a few people dislike Xenoblade because the story got too... crazy, and so far i didn't know we 've heard anything about the story.

Seriously, people on both sides of the fence need to calm down, give the game the benefit of the doubt and judge it once it releases.

 

[Master Nairb]

As a devout Nintendo fan, even I must admit at being slightly disappointed after yesterday's direct. All I wanted was one Wii U surprise. Nevertheless I still have complete faith that the Wii U will continue to be my console of choice for 2014. Looking back at E3 last year, Nintendo announced 4 brand new games that we had not seen before. (Mario Kart, Mario 3D World, Smash Bros, and Donkey Kong) with only Donkey Kong being a real surprise. I expect this year at E3 they will show at least 4 new games again and the exciting thing is we only know about one of them - Zelda. As a gamer, release windows on all consoles seem somewhat slow right now but unlike most people, I have felt that the Wii U has done a pretty good job of releasing a really amazing game every few months for the last year to keep me interested in the system. I believe they will continue to do so for 2014.

 

[moltonasty]

Wait a sec....they said this was a "spring direct" for titles coming out in spring didn't they? Because I really don't see Bayonetta 2, X, and Smash coming out this spring.


If these titles are all coming out in spring, then this direct was fucking monstrous, because it means we'll have other new titles at the end of this year.

On the other hand, if these are titles for 2014-2015, then this was embarrassingly bad.

 

[Wiz]

Wait a sec....they said this was a "spring direct" for titles coming out in spring didn't they? Because I really don't see Bayonetta 2, X, and Smash coming out this spring.


If these titles are all coming out in spring, then this direct was fucking monstrous, because it means we'll have other new titles at the end of this year.

On the other hand, if these are titles for 2014-2015, then this was embarrassingly bad.

Spring games were just the focus. Doesn't mean that every single game shown in the direct is coming in that timeframe.

 

[Spieler Eins]

Wait a sec....they said this was a "spring direct" for titles coming out in spring didn't they? Because I really don't see Bayonetta 2, X, and Smash coming out this spring.


If these titles are all coming out in spring, then this direct was fucking monstrous, because it means we'll have other new titles at the end of this year.

On the other hand, if these are titles for 2014-2015, then this was embarrassingly bad.

They also had Monster Hunter 4, which is early 2015 - so spring was more vague than anything. There's no WiiU games after next week until May 30th.