Wii U Latest News and Discussion

[Wolfe]

@Classic -- I shared a few thoughts last month, and I've spent some time playing it by myself since then. The game is more pinball-like than I expected (I never tried Canvas Curse), and it's fun to draw ramps and juggle Kirby in the air between rainbow ropes. Like any Kirby game, the barrier to finish most levels is pretty low; the challenge is to navigate all the obstacles with grace and skill, and to get all of the collectibles.

We haven't finished it yet, but we've been savoring it. Like Captain Toad, it doesn't seem to have the length of a full-priced title. What it does have is full of sugary cuteness, though. Based on the enemy profiles (one of the collectibles) and journal entries, you can tell they had a fun time making the game. The music is a strong point, too.

I think it's better with a friend. I don't think I would have bought it just for myself -- my wife loves Kirby games so we got it to play together.

 

[Brend]

Cheers @Wolfe, sounds like I'll enjoy it casually at least, Managed to get it for £26 on pre-order here so I suppose that backs up the budget motif Nintendo are doing with some of their characters right now. Perhaps Yoshi's Wooly World will be the same.

@Classic -- I shared a few thoughts last month, and I've spent some time playing it by myself since then. The game is more pinball-like than I expected (I never tried Canvas Curse), and it's fun to draw ramps and juggle Kirby in the air between rainbow ropes. Like any Kirby game, the barrier to finish most levels is pretty low; the challenge is to navigate all the obstacles with grace and skill, and to get all of the collectibles.

We haven't finished it yet, but we've been savoring it. Like Captain Toad, it doesn't seem to have the length of a full-priced title. What it does have is full of sugary cuteness, though. Based on the enemy profiles (one of the collectibles) and journal entries, you can tell they had a fun time making the game. The music is a strong point, too.

I think it's better with a friend. I don't think I would have bought it just for myself -- my wife loves Kirby games so we got it to play together.

 

[Com Fox]

I'm actually a bit conserned about Nintendo making PC and Mobile games. Mainly because I don't know how exclusive Nintendo will get with PC and Mobile games or if there'll be PC and Mobile versions of already existing games.

 

[Brend]

Nintendo have said that there will be no ports of games that will exist on Nintendo hardware exclusively so no need to worry.

I'm actually a bit conserned about Nintendo making PC and Mobile games. Mainly because I don't know how exclusive Nintendo will get with PC and Mobile games or if there'll be PC and Mobile versions of already existing games.

EDIT: It appears as though Kirby has had a name change over here:

 

[Brend]

So, some pretty large news dropped a few days ago. Zelda Wii U has been delayed till 2016.

This has of course, raised the question on whether it is being held back to launch alongside the NX( ) but all things considered, it's a damn shame and now Holiday 2015 looks very empty for the console.

That being said, Nintendo have also said Zelda will not be at E3 either since they are focusing only on Wii U games coming out in 2015, so surely that means we will get some new game announcements?

 

[Wolfe]

The eighth generation is the generation of delays, isn't it? I'm not bummed out about it. The Zelda series is hit-and-miss for me, so I'm concerned that it wouldn't live up to the hype anyway. Also, I have my eyes on XCX, which could be a real feast of an RPG to last the year.

I don't think the NX will launch in 2016, though we'll probably get our first glimpses of it by then.

 

[Com Fox]

I think it's too early for th NX.

Mario Maker looks to be apart of the "holiday line-up" and I'm sure Nintendo has surprises in for this year like they had with their other game announcements in the past 2 years.

 

[Wolfe]

The thing about the NX is that no one wants Nintendo to make the mistake Sega made, betraying consumers with "back to back" hardware launches (although Nintendo is arguably already guilty of that several times over on the handheld side of things). Although it will have been four years since the Wii U launched, I don't think that length of time is comparable to previous console generations. Games take so long to make nowadays that four years won't be enough time to deliver a robust software library or exploit the potential of the Wii U's innovations, much less the strides Nintendo has made with now-standard features like online connectivity.

The GamePad is a sorely misunderstood piece of technology, to the point that Nintendo themselves don't even seem to be aware of its potential. They've done a terrible job of marketing it to consumers and developers, which isn't very surprising. I was skeptical of the GamePad and Wii U myself -- it wasn't until after the XBone's shockingly tone-deaf unveiling in the summer of '13 that I began to pay attention to the Wii U.

Even if the Wii U is considered a disappointment, I don't think launching a successor next year is going to help matters. Based on the way Iwata talked about the NX, Nintendo appears to have the same idea.

 

[Brend]

If Nintendo gives up on the Wii U they will be panned either way. The critics are gonna hate, that's the truth. If Nintendo keep what they are doing with the Wii U and use it as a platform to 'experiment' with new franchises and revamping old ones then as an owner I will be fine. Those looking through the window will never see the Wii U has 'enough' at this phase.

 

[Wolfe]

Nintendo has announced a new kind of amiibo that's just as useful in-game but infinitely more cuddle-able. Yoshi's Woolly World will launch along with three new Yarn Yoshi figures in the fall.

The three figures - one for Green, Pink, and Light Blue Yoshi - are all woolly and squishy. They appear to have a circle on their bottoms where you're meant to set them on the GamePad rather than a big plastic base.

Aside from hugging, the woolly amiibo will also let you play as Double Yoshi in the game. You control both characters at once, letting you slurp up the second Yoshi into an egg, and toss him to new areas.

Nintendo also revealed that Yoshi's Woolly World will feature two modes built for hardcore players and those who prefer to just relax on their Yoshi adventures. "Classic" mode features the kind of challenging platforming you'd expect from Mario's sidekick, while "Mellow" mode gives you control of Winged Yoshi, who can fly around at his leisure.

You can swap between both modes in the middle of play - sounds like a good way to retain that low-key Yoshi charm while making it a bit more appealing to skilled players.

I'm glad to hear Good-Feel intends to offer a bit more challenge for experienced players, while making it accessible Kirby-style for others. It should be a great game for my wife and I to share, like Kirby's Epic Yarn.

And those are the best amiibo yet. Hard plastic figures aren't terribly interesting beyond what they offer in a game, so it's cool that Nintendo is exploring other ideas.

 

[Com Fox]

I love these .

I am I the only one who likes Mario Party 10? I really do enjoy the Minigames and I find Bowser and amiibo Party to be a blast.

 

[Brend]

Splatoon amiibo and Yarn Yoshi will be my life.

 

[Wolfe]

Anyone else checked out Affordable Space Adventures on the eShop? It's a very eerie and moody sci-fi game, like the beginning of Super Metroid, with a Portal-style sense of humor and some great physics-based puzzles that thoroughly utilize the GamePad screen.

I'm up to level 30 and it's not just playing around anymore. I have to bypass these guys with a limited backup booster and most of my normal systems disabled so they won't detect me.

The game throws a bunch of different situations at you, but in bite-sized pieces with generous checkpoints. I rather like it so far. 👍

 

[Com Fox]

Looks a bit too complex for me . I'm not very good at complex games...

 

[Wolfe]

@RESHIRAM5 -- No worries, it's as user-friendly as Windows!

Edit: One thing, though...it only took me two sessions to complete it, which I just did. My playtime came out to about four and a half hours. That's not terribly lengthy for $20, but on the other hand, I think I'll come back to it again later.

And it's still a gem of an eShop game. 👍

 

[Brend]

I had my eye on ASA but the pricetag in the UK is insane: £17! You could pre-order Splatoon over here from certain retailers for only £5 more!

 

[Wolfe]

For sure, there's a bit of irony in the name of the game.

 

[Brend]

Well, today was incredibly lucky day. I managed to secure a pre-order for this.

I have no idea what to do with it for now, by total chance I got it within the 3 minutes it was avaliable on Amazon UK. The value attached to this thing is mad!

 

[Com Fox]

You could always use it...

I never get the point of buying amiibos just to never use them. I use all my 3 amiibos and train them for Smash combat (though Lv.50 amiibos are way too OP )

Well, today was incredibly lucky day. I managed to secure a pre-order for this.

I have no idea what to do with it for now, by total chance I got it within the 3 minutes it was avaliable on Amazon UK. The value attached to this thing is mad!

 

[Brend]

Obligatory N1NTEND0 IZ TEH D00MED post:

http://nintendoenthusiast.com/news/nintendo-market-cap-at-24-billion-highest-in-4-years/

This is very good news, I think most of the credit lies within Amiibo and N3DS.

 

[Wolfe]

@Classic -- This was just uploaded today.

 

[Brend]

Holy crap, that looks incredible.

 

[Wolfe]

I honestly wasn't expecting that many cars and tracks, or so many details for a 3D game from a small indie team. They've put a ton of work into it. 👍

 

[Brend]

Love the Scud Race vibe I'm getting from it the most.

 

[Com Fox]

What game is that? I'm usually not much into Arcade Racers but I might pick this up. Probably fill the void that I mght no longer get PCars Wii U.

 

[Wolfe]

@RESHIRAM5 -- It's simply called The '90s Arcade Racer, inspired by (Sega) coin-op games from that period. There is no release window yet; it was supposed to launch last summer but they ran into complications and had to redo some stuff from scratch with a new programmer. They've used the extra time to add some of the new tracks in that video.

 

[Brend]

So, who's picking up Splatoon this weekend? I am hoping to get notification of my Game, Amiibo + T-shirt bundle being dispatched soon. I am so unbelievably hype, can't wait to get my squid on.

What's everyone been playing recently? I haven't been on my Wii U much recently since I feel a bit off with MK8 recently and the 3DS has been stealing my time with the SEGA 3D classic titles.

 

[Com Fox]

So, who's picking up Splatoon this weekend? I am hoping to get notification of my Game, Amiibo + T-shirt bundle being dispatched soon. I am so unbelievably hype, can't wait to get my squid on.

What's everyone been playing recently? I haven't been on my Wii U much recently since I feel a bit off with MK8 recently and the 3DS has been stealing my time with the SEGA 3D classic titles.

I likely won't, doesn't look like something that'll keep me in.

I've still been at it with MK8 and have gone back to 3D World to pick up the missing Green Stars and Stamps

 

[Wolfe]

I spent the month playing Xenogears (the PSX game). I loved it, and it kind of boggles me that I never played it before.

I am strongly considering Splatoon on launch day, at the very least to support a fresh IP. I'm really not a multiplayer shooter guy, but the Global Testfire was more fun than I expected and I know I'll enjoy the singleplayer platforming levels.

By the way, I saw the North American eShop has a new tile for "Future Releases" under the "Coming Soon" category...you don't suppose they'd stick Xenoblade Chronicles X in that spot if the English version was still six months away or so? I can't recall the timeline for other games to have appeared there. Can anyone else?

 

[Brend]

I spent the month playing Xenogears (the PSX game). I loved it, and it kind of boggles me that I never played it before.

I am strongly considering Splatoon on launch day, at the very least to support a fresh IP. I'm really not a multiplayer shooter guy, but the Global Testfire was more fun than I expected and I know I'll enjoy the singleplayer platforming levels.

By the way, I saw the North American eShop has a new tile for "Future Releases" under the "Coming Soon" category...you don't suppose they'd stick Xenoblade Chronicles X in that spot if the English version was still six months away or so? I can't recall the timeline for other games to have appeared there. Can anyone else?

In the EU eStore its always been there.