Welcome to Thunderdome

Posted: **Fri Dec 28, 2012 3:26 pm**

Hulu Plus is worthless no matter what platform it is on, so that isn't a selling point.

Posted: **Fri Dec 28, 2012 5:32 pm**

I don't even think you use the new controller on the Mario game until you need something for a 5th person to do. Everyone uses the wii remotes to play the game and the controller is used just to add blocks to help or hinder the players.

Posted: **Fri Dec 28, 2012 8:14 pm**

Leisher wrote:That's where Nintendo has failed and their catch 22. They have to "advance" the game play, but I think they took it way too far. I know so many non-gamers who loved Super Mario Bros., but when they try playing any of the newer versions they always say it's way too hard and/or that there's too much going on.

The games just aren't accessible to casual gamers anymore. I think Nintendo's developers are too close to the line that they can't see it for what it has become.

Having watched my son, from the ages of 4 to 7, play many (all) of the Mario games, I have to disagree.

You are correct in that they have generally evolved beyond a simple 2d scroller, but they didn't get any more difficult because of that.

In fact, there are moments of brilliance in some of these games.... my kid has a game called "Super Paper Mario" that I have almost posted about more than once. It is a Mario game, but the characters... look like they were drawn on 2d paper, stylistically. It generally plays like a typical side-scrolling Mario game. But then something interesting happens... you can flip the world into 3d mode. If you come up to one of those vertical brick walls ubiquitous to so many Mario games, you can flip to 3d mode and usually just walk behind it. Fireballs coming at you in 2d mode? Flip to 3d and simply sidestep them.

It is more interesting to see it than my explaining can express, so feel free to google some youtube vids of the game. There are playthroughs of every level for peeps who are stuck.

It is still a simple Mario game, but with an added dimension... pun.

Mario Galaxy is the another good evolution of the franchise. All 3d, with brilliant level design. I really can't think of anything bad to say about it.

And for peeps who can't get their skillz beyond a simple side scroller, "Super Mario Brothers" games are still being made. There were at least 2 on the Wii, and SMB-U was released for the Wii U, the first one in high def, and it is very pretty. No online multi, though.

I am absolutely not a nintendo or mario fanboy, but having watched my little kid master all of these games, I disagree with the idea that they got too "advanced."

Edited By GORDON on 1356743772

Posted: **Wed Dec 04, 2013 12:24 am**

Will fall short of predicted sales.

Nintendo is still in denial.

Posted: **Wed Dec 04, 2013 12:27 am**

The company has refused to consider licensing out its popular Mario and Zelda franchises to other platforms so far because those exclusive franchises are the biggest reason gamers buy Nintendo consoles in the first place. But if no one is buying the Wii U regardless of what exclusive games it has, Nintendo may need to rethink its strategy.

If they do, they'll very likely stop being a console company pretty quickly. They'd still do well with handhelds, but if people could get Nintendo titles on other consoles there'd be little market left for the next generation of Wii.

Posted: **Wed Dec 04, 2013 12:34 am**

TPRJones wrote:
The company has refused to consider licensing out its popular Mario and Zelda franchises to other platforms so far because those exclusive franchises are the biggest reason gamers buy Nintendo consoles in the first place. But if no one is buying the Wii U regardless of what exclusive games it has, Nintendo may need to rethink its strategy.
If they do, they'll very likely stop being a console company pretty quickly. They'd still do well with handhelds, but if people could get Nintendo titles on other consoles there'd be little market left for the next generation of Wii.

Yeah, but they need to end their Apple-like product control.

Posted: **Wed Dec 04, 2013 8:48 pm**

TPRJones wrote:
The company has refused to consider licensing out its popular Mario and Zelda franchises to other platforms so far because those exclusive franchises are the biggest reason gamers buy Nintendo consoles in the first place. But if no one is buying the Wii U regardless of what exclusive games it has, Nintendo may need to rethink its strategy.

If they do, they'll very likely stop being a console company pretty quickly. They'd still do well with handhelds, but if people could get Nintendo titles on other consoles there'd be little market left for the next generation of Wii.

I don't remember any exact numbers but back during the low points of the N64 a few financial reporters talked to one of the gaming websites(ign maybe) and they showed how few consoles Nintendo really had to sell because Mario/Zelda are such big moneymakers and they don't seem to take losses on hardware even at launch. Since most of the biggest titles on Nintendo systems are Nintendo games a small user base isn't as big a deal to them as it would be to a 3rd party.

Nintendo has always told 3rd parties to fuck off and are only going to do whats best for them and their games.

6 million isn't good compared to what the other two will do in the same time frame most likely but its like a 1/6 of what the N64 sold and Nintendo made plenty of cash.

They WiiU does seem pretty sucky right now though.

Edited By WSGrundy on 1386208170

Posted: **Fri Jan 17, 2014 1:41 pm**

Bad to worse.

Posted: **Fri Jan 17, 2014 2:43 pm**

As much shit as Sony took for the PS3, and Microsoft took for the X-Box One, nobody has mishandled their console more than Nintendo.

Wii U's are ridiculously priced compared to PCs and other consoles. I know of one family that has a Wii U. Every other family with kids I know, and between my kids, family, school, work, girl scouts, coaching, etc. it's a LOT of families, nobody else has a Wii U.

This is even worse for Nintendo when you consider they've completely abandoned the Wii. Seriously, go to Best Buy and look for a Wii game. Good luck. The one closest to my office had maybe 40-50 total and of those, there were only about a dozen titles.

The Wii U also seemed to fail to recognize that their player base was mostly kids. Kids don't need a controller with a touch screen on it. They can barely work the Wii controllers.

Edited By Leisher on 1389987894

Posted: **Fri Jan 17, 2014 3:26 pm**

Yeah... I assume I am that "one family." The WiiU is definatly a dud compared with how much time he spends on the 360.

Granted, all of his friends are on the 360 and they are always gaming in voice chat like a bunch of loser nerds.

Posted: **Fri Jan 17, 2014 3:28 pm**

fake edit - Actually, WE know another family that has a WiiU, and when we tried hooking them up over the internet playing a multi player game we eventually figured out that WiiU doesn't allow people to play that game multi over the internet, because they would have more fun if they were playing it in the same room together.

As far as I am concerned, that alone is enough to sink the brand.

Posted: **Sat May 17, 2014 10:49 am**

New Mario Kart coming out... makes me kinda want a Wii U

Posted: **Sat May 17, 2014 1:48 pm**

The only thing that could make me want a Wii U would be the sudden, inexplicable theft of all the better gaming devices in the world and the means to produce them. I still don't know what the fuck they hoped to do with that thing.

Posted: **Mon May 19, 2014 9:58 am**

Gordon, any interest in selling your Wii U?

Posted: **Tue May 20, 2014 8:48 am**

Buy.com happened to be selling the deluxe for $250 new (free ship, no taxes) yesterday on eBay, so I bought one.

I'm only buying this for Mario Kart. Which sure makes mario kart seem expensive, but damn I love that game. I played with my daughters for the first time (Wii Mario Kart) this past Sunday.

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2014 3:43 pm**

TheCatt wrote:Flop.

Called it.

On a related matter, it arrived today.

It asked me to setup a Nintendo Network ID, so I tried. "You must install a system update before you can connect to the Internet"

Then why not just do that for me?

So, then I found the place to update that... There was a timer, that started counting down, and then started counting up, a second at a time. It went from 00:40 to 1:32... then started counting back down again.

And why does this thing need a touch screen?

Edited By TheCatt on 1400701423

Posted: **Thu May 22, 2014 6:41 am**

That update took an hour.

The only game I have so far is Super Mario Brothers U

It's OK. But damn the system is slow. The pad thing is interesting in the sense that you don't need the TV to play the game, since you can use the little screen to play it instead, thus not blocking the TV from others in the family.

Posted: **Tue May 27, 2014 4:01 pm**

Well, my daughter wanted to watch TV, so I used the gamepad to play Mario while she did.

The other day it started freezing a lot. Nintendo's policy is that you send it back for 3-4 weeks and they fix it. They have no other options. So, if it freezes again, I'm sending it back to where I bought it. Fuck that policy.

Posted: **Tue May 27, 2014 5:49 pm**

I read today that Ubisoft was looking at dumping their Wii U dev group. Article said they have had no word on E3 for the Nintendo side this year.

Posted: **Tue May 27, 2014 5:50 pm**

Yeah, it's dead. But I'm a Mario Kart die hard... and it's the only way to get it.