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Even bigger 'So how was it?' post. And so... Nintendo.
GOOD
Documentation of gamepad: This was over quickly, but the gamepad still had a thorough explanation at the beginning. The confirmation of more than one gamepad is also good.
Pikmin 3: Great to see this back and a good use of the controller too.
Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon: Again, another franchise that is great to see again.
ZombiU: Probably the best use of the gamepad so far. We don’t know yet if this will be just another zombie game or something brilliant, but I’m certainly intrigued.
3DS coverage: The only conference where coverage of items outside of the home console have worked, as Sony’s Vita plugging didn’t go well. However, there is an upcoming conference devoted to the 3DS, so I did feel that I wanted it to end ASAP, and annoyingly, it didn’t.
“THAT WAS OK I SUPPOSE…”
New Super Mario U: Its support of the controller seemed more of a novelty in this one, and when removed, it’s just another 2D Mario platformer. It doesn’t seem that special, but I doubt this will be bad.
Batman: Arkham City: Obviously this is a great game and it’s a good sign that such titles are coming to Wii U, and that Nintendo could remain having a bit of a focus on the adult game fans. Maybe. Unfortunately it has taken an old game to do that. It was like Sony's troubles, a lot of things we had already seen from Ubisoft.
Paper Mario Sticker Star: Paper Mario is very good, but it seemed like a novelty had been tagged on with the stickers.
Lego City Undercover: Reggie began by talking about going undercover to fight crime. It sounded like we were going into dark territory. And then… Lego. What a let down. That said, this actually looks quite fun, and the gamepad’s usage wasn’t bad either.
BAD
Follow us…: The constant mention of their website, following them on Twitter and their fan pages was very annoying.
No price yet?: The lack of a price yet is increasingly irritating.
Nintendo Land: Oh boy. The supposed grand finale to the show, but it just didn’t work. From what I understand, this is a minigame collection in a similar vein to Wii Sports, just documenting the controller. That doesn’t condone such a long segment that rivals Sony’s Wonderbook for painfulness. And what is especially irritating, is that each of the games is Nintendo IP themed, which is a very thinly veiled attempt at pleasing everyone for having their Nintendo first party franchise fix, when they haven’t. Speaking of which…
Where are the other franchises?: Once the Pikmin was over, it was just Mario Mario Mario Mario Mario Mario. Including Luigi’s Mansion, in that conference they showed FOUR Mario games.
Wii Fit U: I didn’t care the first time, and I haven’t changed my mind. Did it harm their conference? Maybe, but as they were quick to boast about, the original sold loads.
Let’s Dance 4: No. No no no no.
Montages: For a show that began with mentioning how short on time they were (which came up many, many, many times) so many of those 23 games that Reggie mentioned were shown in montages. That is rubbish.
AND SO…
I am disappointed, though it was no secret that the focus would be on the Wii U. Squeezing lots of IPs into Nintendo Land was not enough to fool everyone. There were only two first party franchises in there. I love Pikmin, but it’s something of a B-List franchise for Nintendo, because it hasn’t been touched in so long, so I don’t know that it will get that much attention.
I think that it is still Nintendo > Sony > Microsoft, but it doesn’t feel as if they ‘won’ at all. Sony and Nintendo could well switch places in afew minutes after putting in more thought. Because of the pretty naff Nintendo conference, it's easy to forget what Ubisoft showed off that was exclusive to the Wii U at their own conference. Somehow, despite being developers, Ubisoft somehow stole E3.
(I could put something really funny and intelligent here, but that would just be showing off.)
My blog: http://www.npollard.com/
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heg
550 posts
 - Newcastle / Blackpool
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I really just feel like Nintendo need to sort out their 3rd party stuff and that show has not convinced me that they've got their heart in doing that. A few ports of current games and then the usual rest of nintendo stuff (which, lets face it, is pretty much always fun but still...).
They need to do something a little more out there, with more focus on future exclusives that aren't Mario. Get a deal going with a studio like Valve and just let them have creative control over something that could be the next Portal. Or bring back an older cult series as a new, quirky exclusive - Mechwarrior or Dungeon Keeper or something along those lines.
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I've only missed one conference and it seems I've missed a ridiculous amount of stuff.
Best Newbie in town, voted by YOU! - Muselive awards 2008.
Winner of the Services to Mankind, and Generally Being Awesome award - Muselive awards 2010.
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I agree. It's not even how they didn't delve into the more obscure franchises, they just didn't revive ANYTHING at all.
For example, I would love a new Star Fox game. A traditional, spaceship only one, like Star Fox 64/Lylat Wars was, which is one of my favourite games ever. Nothing like Star Fox Adventures.
I would like to think that the release of Star Fox 64 on 3DS was testing the waters for interest in the series, or bringing it to everyone's attention before a new game. The Wii U would be ideal for it, as that controller could make a great cockpit with the communications with your irritating teammates and maybe a radar. It won't happen though.
(I could put something really funny and intelligent here, but that would just be showing off.)
My blog: http://www.npollard.com/
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When and what is the next conference?
Edit: What's the point of putting Mass Effect 3 on the Wii U? The final game of a series without 1 or 2.
Best Newbie in town, voted by YOU! - Muselive awards 2008.
Winner of the Services to Mankind, and Generally Being Awesome award - Muselive awards 2010.
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I really don't think Nintendo is putting themselves in a good situation. In all likelihood they're going to be lagging behind Microsoft and Sony once again in the year, which is just going to alienate 3rd party developers even more. IGN said that in an anonymous poll, developers found that the Wii U was the hardest next generation platform to develop for, which made at least one studio ignore the platform altogether. Though developers will have a one year head start, it's likely most will focus on the next Xbox and PS4, which will likely be significantly more powerful.
It doesn't help that the many aspects of the Wii U are already turning hardcore gamers off. The name itself "Wii U" just references a console that many gamers ignored for catering to families and children. During the press conference, Nintendo only showed off one exclusive mature game. Not many people are going to buy a Wii U to play Mass Effect or Arkham City since the games have already been out on the 360 and PS3 for a while now. The controller's battery only lasts 3-5 hours and the frame rate cuts in half when two are used together. Though a "pro" controller exists and looks nice, it just looks like gamers will have to give up the features of the gamepad in order to use it, making it inferior.
After such a long time, most gamers are dedicated to either the 360 or PS3 ecosystems, and won't leave to go the Wii U, especially with no mention of any improvements to competitive online multiplayer. As such, it looks like the Wii U will continue to depend on gimmicky shovelware and 1st party games to succeed, and since Wii sales are slowing rapidly due to the rise in iOS and Android gaming, it's not looking good. Nintendo should pray that the Wii U is either much more powerful than it appears to be, or that Sony and Microsoft drop the ball and release weak net generation consoles.
I really like Nintendo, I think the N64 is the greatest thing ever invented, but I jumped ship to the 360 since it offered much better online support and many more 3rd party games. Nintendo obviously makes the greatest games around, but I really think they're burying themselves here.
In my opinion, Sony had the best conference for showing the most high quality exclusive games while only having one "gimmick" (though the Wonderbook does look awful and really ruined Sony's presentation). Microsoft might have at least tied Sony if they had devoted more time to Halo, Gears of War and other exclusives, but they instead chose to talk about Nike gimmicks and sports TV and Music integration for far too long. Nintendo I think clearly lost, though the 1st party games look fun, it's hard to be enthusiastic about the Wii U.
tl;dr: Nintendo is very, very desperate, Sony "won", though Microsoft didn't do as badly as previous years.
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Sephian
9018 posts
- Subtractingbeef
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To me, that just means they're going to continue focusing on style over substance, which is not good.
They are great graphics though.
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Those are very pretty graphics and while I am excited about next gen, I am not looking forward to the prices. The current gen consoles were pretty expensive when they were all just released, God knows what the next gen will be. The Wii U has been rumored to cost up to nearly £300.
Edit: Oh, and The Last of Us looks amazing. I'll definitely be buying that.
Best Newbie in town, voted by YOU! - Muselive awards 2008.
Winner of the Services to Mankind, and Generally Being Awesome award - Muselive awards 2010.
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I would think the next lot of consoles will be reasonably priced. Obviously, the Wii U is a bit of a talking point at the minute because they still haven't told us the price, and coupling that with the ridiculous controllers and it raises some questions about how expensive this thing is going to be. Nintendo are usually fairly reasonable though.
I would be very, very surprised if Sony priced the new console out of the market. The PS3 was audiaciously priced, it took some seriously bad PR, and allowed the 360 to make some ground. You would think they'd be hoping to sort that out this time around. With the 360 only selling in the US and the UK, I would think a reasonably priced Sony console would put Microsoft well back in third place. Nintendo will sell because they offer something different.
All speculation though. Microsoft/Sony could have something up their sleeves that makes their next console a must buy. You would think MS would try to get Kinect in there from day one so that even the people who don't care about it (I think that's most people) will have one in their homes. I would imagine Sony trying to do something similar with Move, but again, who cares?
Microsoft certainly seem like they're going after the casual crowd more and more, which is pretty risky I think, and could end up alienating the majority of their fanbase who probably want more of an emphasis on games. They're basically the opposite of Nintendo, who having won the casual crowd, and now trying to win back over the hardcore crowd who lost interest with the Wii. Sony are pretty much sitting in the middle, and their emphasis on just making games (aside from that awful Harry Potter thing) is what made their appearance at E3 more interesting than their rivals.
Could be an interesting time for gaming.
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I dont think even the price would put me off getting a PS4(?) at release.
What does put me off is the inevitable technical issues these consoles will have at first. Nobody wants to spend several hundred pounds just for it to fudge up a year later.
And presumably the games won't make huge use of that additional new computing power for a while meaning games will seem only slightly better than a current gen version?
Also, internet speeds/connections in the UK really need to improve to make this work a lot better, too. I very much hope they keep the disc based system.
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The only two things that are deciding factors for me to get a console at launch are games and the price tag. If the PS4 launches with 20 titles, with about 5-10 of them being any good (according to press) and is £300 I'll buy it. Then again, if the Xbox 720 has about 30 launch titles and about 10 good launch titles, along with a price tag of £250, I'll obviously go for that instead.
Sheffield Arena - 04/11/09
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I'm just going to wait until I've seen the consoles and the launch titles etc.
Without any information I'm pre-emptively leading towards PS4 for numerous reasons; I've had all the other Playstations and they've not let me down, the online is free which is fine for me as I don't use it enough to warrant a subscription, I like the pads, and most importantly, it plays my favourite games.
If it turns out at that the next GTA games, Final Fantasy, Persona, etc. are all exclusive to the next Xbox then it's a game changer. At the end of the day, it's games that truly matter.
But Sony seem to get the better of the exclusives, with most games on both systems, so I don't see any reason to consider another console (including the price). Yet. Obviously, once we've seen them it throws everything up in the air.
Plus, I'm not convinced how long Microsoft will be in the game.
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I'm not buying the next Xbox if it doesn't get any better exclusives. Simple as that. I'm definitely going to wait a while before deciding on the next Xbox. When I first bought my 360 it had Mass Effect, BioShock, The Orange Box among many others that have now gone multi-platform. All it has left is Halo/Gears/Forza/Fable which is a strong line-up but come on, it's not really diverse is it? Microsoft can't keep depending on those four games. Can they?
Sheffield Arena - 04/11/09
Wembley Stadium - 11/09/10
REAL FAN
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To be honest I'm not too fussed about exclusives. It was really annoying when I just had my xbox seeing all the PS3 exclusives like Uncharted, Little Big Planet, Metal Gear Solid, Resistance (which turned out to be pretty boring and generic) etc. I'm a big gamer and I'd like to try all these games out but not having both at the time made it a bit hard.
It's just a lot easier not having to fork over money for all of these consoles. I'd much prefer games to be multi-platform these days.
Best Newbie in town, voted by YOU! - Muselive awards 2008.
Winner of the Services to Mankind, and Generally Being Awesome award - Muselive awards 2010.
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I can't imagine the PS4 being as expensive as the PS3. The Ps3 was that price due to the Blu-Ray player so unless there's another video format coming out within the next year or two which they will stick in there I can't see it being that bad.
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I think if Microsoft releases the next Xbox for a reduced price on contract, it'll be a smash hit. I'm already paying $5 a month for xbox live, and that's included in the contract 360's, so the price looks good even though you end up paying more over two years. It's hard to beat a console labelled as $99*.
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Leaked Wii U specs although this may not be true.
Best Newbie in town, voted by YOU! - Muselive awards 2008.
Winner of the Services to Mankind, and Generally Being Awesome award - Muselive awards 2010.
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pluginsteve :
To be honest I'm not too fussed about exclusives. It was really annoying when I just had my xbox seeing all the PS3 exclusives like Uncharted, Little Big Planet, Metal Gear Solid, Resistance (which turned out to be pretty boring and generic) etc. I'm a big gamer and I'd like to try all these games out but not having both at the time made it a bit hard.
It's just a lot easier not having to fork over money for all of these consoles. I'd much prefer games to be multi-platform these days.
Everything would be much easier if there were no exclusives, but sadly there are. And so I am going to have to take those into account when I decide what console to buy. Currently, and for the last couple of years, the 360 has been way behind in exclusives.
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That's a good point, if exclusives didn't exist anymore I would find it a lot harder to come to a decision on what console I would get as I don't care about the specs and what the console can, they all pretty much do the same now anyway.
So basically, I'd prefer exclusives to be multi-platform thus removing what made them exclusives so I don't need to get different consoles but I need them so I can decide on a console when buying one.
Edit: and thank you E3 for giving me a much needed boost to my post count and experience on this site.
Best Newbie in town, voted by YOU! - Muselive awards 2008.
Winner of the Services to Mankind, and Generally Being Awesome award - Muselive awards 2010.
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I`m interested to see if Microsoft will include BluRay this time around. It is Sony technology but as far as HD disks go it is currently the future for gaming.
Unless of course they backtrack and go cartridges with 8-bit games.
...the fact that it been chosen makes me thing it`ll be pants and were getting NSC 2. - Me, about Survival.
Its not elitism, some people are just better than others. - Joe.
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name :
I`m interested to see if Microsoft will include BluRay this time around. It is Sony technology but as far as HD disks go it is currently the future for gaming.
Unless of course they backtrack and go cartridges with 8-bit games.
Cartridges for the win. The kids of today need to know what it's like to blow on a game cartridge until it finally works.
I think Microsoft should invest more money/time into those HD-DVD things that were supposed to be the competition for blu-ray..... Just kidding. Blu-Ray is obviously the future of disc-based entertainment and has really taken off. Blu-ray movies sell pretty well now, I think it's something both Microsoft and Nintendo should be exploring.
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The only thing is they can`t put it into their systems without inevitably paying Sony. So if Nintendo and Microsoft were to do it a portion of their XBox and WiiU (I still hate this name) sales will go to Sony. And funding the competitor is any way is never a good idea.
At the same time, as games get more advanced, DVD`s just don`t cut it anymore.
Unless their looking at some sort of high-speed transfer flash drives like USB3.0 or something. But I know nothing about any of that and have no idea how feasible it could be.
...the fact that it been chosen makes me thing it`ll be pants and were getting NSC 2. - Me, about Survival.
Its not elitism, some people are just better than others. - Joe.
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Realistically, Microsoft are going to have to incorporate Blu-Ray aren't they? Unless they come up with a new storage system and just don't bother having their next console be able to play Blu-Rays.
DVDs can't fly though. Even games this generation are close to maxing out standard Blu-Rays, and many 360 games have been on multiple discs. Blu-Ray seems like the best way forward for them.
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