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[Oddduck]

Lets see if it translates to Wii U sales. They've easily got the best games on the horizon and they did everything right. Probably the best showing at an E3 for my money.

The problem is too many of their games are releasing in 2015. It feels like Wii U is mostly relying on Smash Bros this year, and I'm not sure how far Smash Bros will take them.

Now, 2015 on the other hand looks great for Wii U.

 

[1000 Branches]

This is a very short-sighted way of looking at things. Nintendo operates at the scale they operate at because they make money and they have money to spend. One of the ways that Nintendo makes a lot of money is through platform licensing fees (IE third party games). The Wii generate brought literally billions of dollars in licensing revenue to Nintendo, as did the DS. A Nintendo that is operating without those billions of dollars is going to have to make some hard choices. It also means that their own software becomes riskier. If you're a publisher and you put out a game that you need to sell 2 million units of, selling 500k is a huge miss. If you're a platform holder where that 500k drives hardware sales and those buyers buy some more of your games and some third party games that give you licensing fees, the risk is massively mitigated. Selling only to people who already have your hardware and only selling the games you yourself release is a big big big blow to your ability to generate cash. And that cash plays through not only in development, but also in longer term R&D for example for future console hardware.

But this is not an immediate process, it's a long and slow one. The way of saying "well, I like the games they're working on, so obviously there are no negative consequences to losing and spending buckets of money" just means you'll be surprised when or if sudden changes happen in the future while everyone else saw them coming.

This isn't me saying Nintendo is in immediate danger of catastrophic collapse, but rather that your position appears to be that if you like the games, the actual performance of the games and the hardware doesn't matter at all. And it does.

I understand the business side of this equation- trust me, I do!- but I have also resigned myself to the Wii U (and to a lesser extent, the 3DS) absolutely missing the boat this generation as far as third party support goes. I do not expect them to get third party games. I do not expect these consoles to sell (especially relative to their predecessors). Financially, I expect this to be the toughest period in Nintendo's history. So do not get me wrong, I do understand how this is financially a trying situation for Nintendo to be in.

However, speaking purely as a gamer, I am satisfied. And it looks like my satisfaction is guaranteed at least for the next couple of years. Maybe (and hopefully, for Nintendo's sake), they manage to get their next system right, especially with regards to third party support. But as for the Wii U and 3DS, they seem to be doing just fine within the definitions of what these two systems are.

 

[Outtrigger888]

What i really liked is how open they are with information.

Telling us theres a Metroid planned for wii u/3ds, and revealing Star Fox, even though it was a prototype. As well as letting the tree house people go into depth with their games.

 

[Sammy Samusu]

I'm not a big fan of Smash but that tournament was all sorts of fun.

The scarf guy, lol.

 

[Nightengale]

Never had any doubt (in terms of games.)

They've upped their ante this year definitely, but this was clearly just Nintendo focusing on what it does best, which is delivering excellent content that's beautifully Nintendo.

As for other platform-related challenges, eh. Doesn't really matter that much.

 

[Forkball]

The real winner of E3 was 2015.

 

[Shyakugaun]

All Conferences were good, as far as Nintendo "winning" something, lol nah, Everyone has there Opinion though so fuck it.

 

[1000 Branches]

The problem is too many of their games are releasing in 2015. It feels like Wii U is mostly relying on Smash Bros this year, and I'm not sure how far Smash Bros will take them.

Now, 2015 on the other hand looks great for Wii U.

Smash+Kart. But yes, that's still only two games, albeit massive selling ones.

This happens year after year. Everyone complains about Nintendo and how they don't do things right or never change, then Nintendo comes out and announces a small clip of a new Zelda, or some live event and suddenly everyone goes crazy and says Nintendo "Won" or Nintendo's back!

Seriously, every time Nintendo see's this praise it's only further convincing them to never get serious and do shit that makes sense.

- Compelling Hardware
- New IP's
- Standard control scheme that doesn't force a gamepad
- Account's that actually hold game licenses
- more VC content
- ETC!

This is the stuff we will either never see, or see very late from Nintendo, as long as we keep praising them every time they lift a finger.

This is just my two cents, i understand some are satisfied with Nintendo's current state, i am simply speaking to those who usually talk about Nintendo changing, restructuring, going third party, etc.

Did you, er, watch their E3 this year at all?

 

[Exterminieren]

You should absolutely care about how the Wii U is selling if you want people to buy it thus getting more third party publishers to take interest and justify putting titles on it outside of Nintendo's output.

Wii U could sell 10x the amounts of consoles next year and it still wouldn't get resounding third party support, in exactly the same way that the Wii didn't. Third party developers are, by and large, entrenched in PS4 and Xbox One development- there is going to be no shift to Wii U, no matter what the console does.

It's a simple market reality, and we really should all accept it by this point.

 

[axisofweevils]

I definitely think that Sony / MS will try to emulate the Treehouse approach next year. It was by far the best part of E3.

 

[DragonSworne]

Maybe (and hopefully, for Nintendo's sake), they manage to get their next system right, especially with regards to third party support. But as for the Wii U and 3DS, they seem to be doing just fine within the definitions of what these two systems are.

Except that it's impossible to just suddenly get third party support. Nintendo needs to be working on third party relationship right now and they are doing jack shit.

Nintendo's next system is going to struggle even worse than the Wii U did to get third parties.

 

[BassForever]

Smash+Kart. But yes, that's still only two games, albeit massive selling ones.


Did you, er, watch their E3 this year at all?

Nah man those new ips they showed don't count for reasons

Nintendo dominated this e3, splatoon has me more excited then any other game on the show floor... And they had smash bros there.

Except that it's impossible to just suddenly get third party support. Nintendo needs to be working on third party relationship right now and they are doing jack shit.

Nintendo's next system is going to struggle even worse than the Wii U did to get third parties.

I think the way they're partnering with people to let them create can'd games like bayo 2 and devils third combined with them letting companies like tecmo koei and atlus create hyrule warriors and smtxfe will go a longer way then getting late or down ports of ps4/xbo 3rd party games. More people are likely to pick up an exclusive like hyrule warriors or bayo 2 then they are a clear down port of assassin's creed

 

[BotoxAgent]

The problem is too many of their games are releasing in 2015. It feels like Wii U is mostly relying on Smash Bros this year, and I'm not sure how far Smash Bros will take them.

Now, 2015 on the other hand looks great for Wii U.

2015 looks pretty dang good for all three consoles.

 

[bryehn]

Does it matter if it translates to Wii U sales? Why would you as a gamer care how well or badly the Wii U is selling if it continues to get great games regardless (which, as this E3 amply demonstrates. it is anyway)?

Because if it doesn't sell, next year won't have nearly as many quality titles to show as Nintendo prepares to transition to their next console.

 

[BinaryPork2737]

The digital event itself was a little disappointing, especially since I felt that it focused too much on the Wii U and had relatively little time for the 3DS, along with shitting on fans in the robot chicken segments.

But the treehouse streams had some of the best parts of E3 because they featured a lot of actual gameplay. That's the direction E3 should go in.

 

[ironcreed]

An All Digital E3? What ever shall the journalists do when they lose all their free shit?

LOL, too bad and so sad. But hey, at least Nintendo was still very much there with their games and were doing the interviews and all that jazz. They quite simply just nailed it.

 

[1000 Branches]

Except that it's impossible to just suddenly get third party support. Nintendo needs to be working on third party relationship right now and they are doing jack shit.

Nintendo's next system is going to struggle even worse than the Wii U did to get third parties.

How in the world do you know that they are doing jack shit? If they are courting third parties for their next console, then it won't have absolutely any affect on Wii U, will it? Third parties have abandoned it- regardless of whether Nintendo is courting them for their next console (which they probably are), they aren't getting back on board with that console at all.

So if your evidence for 'Nintendo is ignoring the third parties' is the current state of the Wii U- which is a given, and a constant- then I'm sorry, but that's some very shaky ground to be standing on.

 

[Teknoman]

Does it matter if it translates to Wii U sales? Why would you as a gamer care how well or badly the Wii U is selling if it continues to get great games regardless (which, as this E3 amply demonstrates. it is anyway)?

Sales should matter a little to a gamer, unless you want to end up with a Sega situation. Of course with Nintendo, that doesnt seem nearly as possible.

Edit: What kills me about third party support is that its like a political race. In the beginning, you have all these great third parties talking up the system, how promising it is, and how they enjoy its features. Then nothing.

 

[Exterminieren]

Except that it's impossible to just suddenly get third party support. Nintendo needs to be working on third party relationship right now and they are doing jack shit.

Nintendo's next system is going to struggle even worse than the Wii U did to get third parties.

You don't attract third party support with flashy stage shows. You attract third party support by cutting deals, and back room discussion. We have absolutely no idea whether Nintendo's actually doing this or not, and it's entirely irrelevant to their E3 presentation.

 

[qizah]

I completely agree.

Nintendo's format was by far the best out of anyone at E3. I much prefer a pre-recorded video with announcements and the Live Treehouse format. It's informative, straight to the point and without the fluff bullshit we're accustomed to from E3 pressers.

On top of that it's crazy to think that Nintendo not just one, but two new IPs (maybe 3 if you include Project Robot and Project Guard) with Code Name S.T.E.A.M. and Splatoon, both of which look fantastic.

Nintendo letting the young talent have some more freedom is definitely a good thing. I'm liking this shake up at Nintendo. I hope it continues into 2015 and for their new platforms.

 

[Boogybro]

Does it matter if it translates to Wii U sales? Why would you as a gamer care how well or badly the Wii U is selling if it continues to get great games regardless (which, as this E3 amply demonstrates. it is anyway)?

It absolutely does matter, in every sense of the word. That seems like a silly thing to say.

Good publicity could lead to a snow ball effect, hopefully.

 

[Solidsoul]

Smash+Kart. But yes, that's still only two games, albeit massive selling ones.


Did you, er, watch their E3 this year at all?

Still can't own a Wii U without a gamepad.

Where is all the N64 VC, or even half the library the Wii's VC had? (I am aware you can go to Wii on the Wii U)

Yeah, i suppose there is new IP...but is it IP that's really going to change the direction Nintendo's going in? Not at all. Nintendo will continue to remain a distant third to the twins.

 

[axisofweevils]

The digital event itself was a little disappointing, especially since I felt that it focused too much on the Wii U and had relatively little time for the 3DS, along with shitting on fans in the robot chicken segments.

But the treehouse streams had some of the best parts of E3 because they featured a lot of actual gameplay. That's the direction E3 should go in.

I don't think they were shitting on fans but a certain type of games journalism. Nintendo has had a hell of a lot of disinformation spread about them in the last year, so it was pretty cool to see them fighting back in this way.

 

[gngf123]

Because if it doesn't sell, next year won't have nearly as many quality titles to show as Nintendo prepares to transition to their next console.

I just want to remind people that before this E3 a lot of GAF predicted that Nintendo would be doing that already, even predicting that Zelda U would be cancelled to work on a Zelda for their next console.

When it comes to Nintendo this place likes to make some very crazy negative predictions.

 

[Buddha Beam]

I absolutely agree. Nintendo dominated E3 this year- where others were flashbangs- people talked about them for the duration of the conference, and that was it- Nintendo completely dominated E3 for a period of three days, by completely redefining what E3 is. Absolutely brilliant.

I agree with this. I noticed that during E3, gaming side was largely dominated by Nintendo news. They definitely at least got GAF's collective attention.

 

[Teknoman]

Still can't own a Wii U without a gamepad.

Where is all the N64 VC, or even half the library the Wii's VC had? (I am aware you can go to Wii on the Wii U)

Yeah, i suppose there is new IP...but is it IP that's really going to change the direction Nintendo's going in? Not at all. Nintendo will continue to remain a distant third to the twins.

Gamepadless WiiU will never happen. Its the "soul" of the system.

 

[1000 Branches]

Still can't own a Wii U without a gamepad.

Where is all the N64 VC, or even half the library the Wii's VC had? (I am aware you can go to Wii on the Wii U)

Yeah, i suppose there is new IP...but is it IP that's really going to change the direction Nintendo's going in? Not at all. Nintendo will continue to remain a distant third to the twins.

Ignore the Gamepad? So far, no big game outside of ZombiU needs the Gamepad.

The VC sucks. No argument there. I fail to see why this is relevant, outside of yes, being indicative of an overall lethargy within Nintendo.

And now you are shifting the goalposts for these new IPs again. I see.

 

[The Technomancer]

I agree with this. I noticed that during E3, gaming side was largely dominated by Nintendo news. They definitely at least got GAF's collective attention.

While Nintendo did well, I'm also going to say thats on Sony and Microsoft's heads. You just can't get that much discussion out of a CG trailer.

 

[Briarios]

I have to agree. It was vital for Nintendo to come out and show they were still relevant, and the company did far more than that. I was really looking for Sony to wow me and Microsoft to change my mind - and, I had expectations they would. Instead, my interest was captured by Nintendo. Totally unexpected.

 

[Moonlight]

Yeah, i suppose there is new IP...but is it IP that's really going to change the direction Nintendo's going in? Not at all. Nintendo will continue to remain a distant third to the twins.

I feel like this is criteria that is impossible to satisfy by design.

 

[DXB-KNIGHT]

I really loved Treehouse and I want more in the future.

 

[Asd202]

Sure Nintendo has great lineup of exclusives but if you take 3rd party games into consideration their lineup falls short to both PS4 and Xbone.

 

[gogogow]

Wii U could sell 10x the amounts of consoles next year and it still wouldn't get resounding third party support, in exactly the same way that the Wii didn't. Third party developers are, by and large, entrenched in PS4 and Xbox One development- there is going to be no shift to Wii U, no matter what the console does.

It's a simple market reality, and we really should all accept it by this point.

Yep, pretty much, it's not short-sighted or whatever. People are just being realistic. Do people really think that Wii U owners do not care about sales? They do care, they always hope for the best, but at a certain point people needs to be realistic and accept that thrid parties aren't coming back. At least Nintendo is committed in supporting the Wii U with a lot of games. I personally think the Wii U will sell better, but it's not gonna do gangbusters and compete directly with PS4 sales. Whatchu gonna do then? I'm gonna buy and enjoy the games Nintendo are gonna release for the Wii U. What more can you do?

 

[Shyakugaun]

I will say though Nintendo E3 seems to have riled up all thier fans on the Internet, im seeing Nintendo guys being the most vocal they've been in years lol

 

[HF2014]

I kind of agree that Nintendo got better exclusive for 2014 and 2015 than other competitor.

On my buy list am for the Wii U, i got

- Captain Toad
- Bayonetta 2
- Yoshi
- Splatoon
- Mario Maker
- Zelda
- Sonic Boom maybe
- MAYBE Hyrule Warriors...i think i got to give this game a chance ...even if really not DW fan

 

[The Technomancer]

I feel like this is criteria that is impossible to satisfy by design.

Well no, Nintendo could make something aesthetically and philosophically functionally similar to say...Assassins' Creed to try and get more of that "18-30 male dude" audience. Its just incredibly unlikely.

 

[BassForever]

Still can't own a Wii U without a gamepad.

Where is all the N64 VC, or even half the library the Wii's VC had? (I am aware you can go to Wii on the Wii U)

Yeah, i suppose there is new IP...but is it IP that's really going to change the direction Nintendo's going in? Not at all. Nintendo will continue to remain a distant third to the twins.

Even if they did all these things it wouldn't save the wiiu or drastically turn around its prospects, heck removing the gamepad would probably create poor will between Nintendo and their hardcore fanbase who bought in day 1 and largely love the gamepad.

And if fan art is an indication then splatoon is a top 10 nintendo ip already

 

[hawk2025]

Still can't own a Wii U without a gamepad.

Where is all the N64 VC, or even half the library the Wii's VC had? (I am aware you can go to Wii on the Wii U)

Yeah, i suppose there is new IP...but is it IP that's really going to change the direction Nintendo's going in? Not at all. Nintendo will continue to remain a distant third to the twins.

Twins?

 

[FloweryMarston]

because of Nintendo's massive presence at E3, with the digital event, treehouse and the invitational, this was the first E3 that i didn't come out frustrated. I mean, Sony and MS had a lot of fucking amazing games that are at the top of my list of most anticipated, ubi had a great showing too, and EA had lots of great games coming, but a lot of them were in prototype state, which was underwhelming. But after the first day of e3, usually it's over, you only have nintendo's conference, and then you have to scramble through a lot of live events from the press that show 10 minutes of gameplay from a game that you are looking forward, and sometimes they don't even show it or show the same thing that appeared at the press conference. With treehouse, i had tons of hours of content of pure gameplay, the crew at treehouse was fun and entertaining, they were honest and excited to show the games they've been worked on.

Please sony and microsoft, do this next year, please!

 

[gogogow]

I kind of agree that Nintendo got better exclusive for 2014 and 2015 than other competitor.

On my buy list am for the Wii U, i got

- Captain Toad
- Bayonetta 2
- Yoshi
- Splatoon
- Mario Maker
- Zelda
- Sonic Boom maybe
- MAYBE Hyrule Warriors...i think i got to give this game a chance ...even if really not DW fan

Kirby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[The Technomancer]

Sure Nintendo has great lineup of exclusives but if you take 3rd party games into consideration their lineup falls short to both PS4 and Xbone.

Eh, third party games are increasingly irrelevant to me, and I think a significant chunk of people. These days it seems to be one of three categories:

-Big budget bland thing from Ubi/EA/Activision that I have little to no interest in
-Cool looking indie title that I'll also be able to grab on PC
-Cool looking indie title that will be console exclusive

And that last category isn't enough to make me care about third parties that much

 

[Nightengale]

It's refreshing to see Nintendo's approach vindicated.

There was never anything bad about what they wanted to do ( in the end, games are still announced, demo-ed and playable), the important thing was execution, and they did it very well this time.

 

[Moonlight]

Well no, Nintendo could make something aesthetically and philosophically functionally similar to say...Assassins' Creed to try and get more of that "18-30 male dude" audience. Its just incredibly unlikely.

I got the impression from the second part of the statement that 'direction' was in reference to Nintendo's financial performance rather than their design philosophy. From that standpoint, a 'new IP that will change their direction' seems rather nebulous.

 

[ironcreed]

The problem is too many of their games are releasing in 2015. It feels like Wii U is mostly relying on Smash Bros this year, and I'm not sure how far Smash Bros will take them.

Now, 2015 on the other hand looks great for Wii U.

I don't know. I am pretty excited for Hyrule Warriors, Bayonetta 2 (and replaying 1 with the added Nintendo fan service), Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker and Smash. Then in 2015 it only gets better.

 

[1st Course]

Lets see if it translates to Wii U sales. They've easily got the best games on the horizon and they did everything right. Probably the best showing at an E3 for my money.

Ofc it won't. Some of the biggest games this year are skipping the system (Destiny, FIFA, Batttlefield etc). Nintendo E3 showing was good for Nintendo fans but unfortunately it doesn't do much for non-Nintendo fans.

 

[birdchili]

Third party developers are, by and large, entrenched in PS4 and Xbox One development- there is going to be no shift to Wii U, no matter what the console does.

perhaps not the AAA blasty/movie-stuff, but you'll see more diverse ubiart-style stuff from the big companies. definitely a plus for any console.

Still can't own a Wii U without a gamepad.

you don't want a wii u without a gamepad. it would just make the system less desirable/interesting.

is it IP that's really going to change the direction Nintendo's going in? Not at all. Nintendo will continue to remain a distant third to the twins.

an online multiplayer tactical shooter with a pile of new ideas? i dunno... that's a change in direction. not going to put them in first or anything, but it looks brilliant, frankly.

 

[Shyakugaun]

I kind of agree that Nintendo got better exclusive for 2014 and 2015 than other competitor.

On my buy list am for the Wii U, i got

- Captain Toad
- Bayonetta 2
- Yoshi
- Splatoon
- Mario Maker
- Zelda
- Sonic Boom maybe
- MAYBE Hyrule Warriors...i think i got to give this game a chance ...even if really not DW fan

lol Captain toad

 

[Souless Squirrel]

I thought it was the best event out of big 5 they showed off a bunch of new things, talked about the future of games people have been craving, threw in a little 3ds love, and gave people some great super smash moments.

The Wiiu has a bright future for gamers although sales wise I'm not sure. We'll have to see how Wiiu is doing a few months after the Mario Kart 8 numbers.

 

[Exterminieren]

I got the impression from the second part of the statement that 'direction' was in reference to Nintendo's financial performance rather than their design philosophy. From that standpoint, a 'new IP that will change their direction' seems rather nebulous.

Well, a new, heavily promoted shooter IP might do the trick.

I don't think Splatoon's quite what he's looking for, though.

lol Captain toad

I'm noticing a fair bit of sniping from you. What's inherently wrong with looking forward to Captain Toad?

 

[Interceptor]

Sure Nintendo has great lineup of exclusives but if you take 3rd party games into consideration their lineup falls short to both PS4 and Xbone.

I agree. But as someone with a gaming pc 95% of these 3rd parties will be avaiable on Steam as well. I buy consoles for exclusives. The Wii2 is rocking it here.