Ultimate Paradise

http://kotaku.com/5392452/nintendo-profits-plunge

It's about time really, what with 90% of the Wii's games being shovelware and them coming out with yet another DS revision with half-assed PSP stuff rather than making a real new portable console.

I hope they stay in the red for long enough to force them to fall back on their non-casual fan base.

So, is it a curve? Nintendo starting strong, starts to slack off so they start suffering, then pick back up again? Same thing as the drop during the end of the N64/Gamecube era.

I'm hoping this makes them try and get more franchises off the ground and back into the action(F-Zero, Kirby, Star Fox, etc.)on the Wii.

Osh.

dreamcast.....

New Super Mario Bros Wii

The Wii feels so supplementary. Not that that's always a bad thing, but I tend to notice that even when I want a bunch more games on the Wii than on, say, the PS3 or the DS, I look at Muramasa, then I look at Bayonetta, and it's pretty clear which I'm going to go for first.

Though the Wii does have some games that I just really want, like New Super Mario Bros. Wii (though I can't quite figure out why), and No More Heroes 2.

And for the most part, my hopes of awesome new things being done to games like Star Fox have been dashed by Animal Crossing... Super Mario Galaxy 2 looks cool and all, but it's not exciting in the least because it's just the same concept again, plus Yoshi.

Yoshi and Koopalings.

Yoshi, yes.

Koopalings are all ugly and stupid.

The thing is that aside from local-only multiplayer with the two toads feeling tacked on, it doesn't, from what I've seen, have anything new. Especially considering New Super Mario Bros. on the DS really bored me.

I also hope this serves as a wake-up call for Nintendo to do less casual stuff. Especially since fans have been crying out for the return of certain franchises, only for Nintendo to basically respond with "lolno".

so...

(http://www.mattjmcd.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/high-five-300x300.jpg)
high five? anybody?

Lemmy wouldn't like that, he'd smash you in the head with his guitar once he's done with his latest tour with the rest of Motorhead.

But yeah, I'm renting it.

I am rather pleased at this news. You can't ride the casual train forever.

I'm looking forward to a serious Zelda game aimed at long-time fans, something along the lines of the awesomeness of OOT. If this forces Nintendo to pull their heads out of their asses and brings Willard his long awaited Zelda... then there shall be much rejoycing.

I don't have a problem with the recent Zelda games, but I kinda wish Nintendo wouldn't use it as a crutch so much. Same with Mario. They've got plenty of other series that could produce some really good games if they actually put the effort in.

I'll say it now, I kinda prefer the cartoony weird Link more than the realistic Link. I haven't played Wind Waker, but the graphic-style always interested me.

FFFFF-

Okay, I see the appeal of the style... WW is worth the play by the way, check it out if you can. Its just that I've yet to see anything that lives up to my expectations after playing through both N64 Zelda games...

TP was good, but not that good.

The Zelda games that I've played are LoZ, Zelda II, LttP, OoT, and TP. None of them wowed me like everyone else, most of them bored me in an hours worth of play-time.

The problem with TP was that it was overhyped too much. People were expecting it to be the best thing since OoT, so it was never going to live up to their expectations. It was a good game, it just wasn't ever going to be good enough.

To this day, I still think my favourite Zelda game is Majora's Mask. I just don't see the big deal with OoT, apart from being the first 3D Zelda.

I should probably try MM, for all I know I may just be among the crowd who prefers the less-popular games.

I agree with everything here.

Also, While the main aspect of "Toon" Link that prefer over Twilight Princess Link is that he's a kid rather than him being cell shaded, I wouldn't mind seeing them try and take a similar cell shading style to the more anatomical adult Link of Twilight Princess and see what it looks like.

Mmm... TP just seems like yet another 3D Zelda game. Majora's Mask deviated from OoT by forcing you to manage your time wisely and by placing the bulk of the game's content as optional content, but the structure of any individual scenario was largely derivative of OoT, with the only difference being new maps and a few new items. Still, the format of the game deviates enough from OoT to be entertaining in its own right, but it still feels a bit too much like its predecessor.

Wind Waker however, took after OoT a hell of a lot more, and started to make the game structure increasingly tedious. The only thing that really kept it from being grating to me are the features that many people actually hated: the ocean overworld and the aesthetic. And then comes TP, which does less with its overworld, has an aesthetic that is far from comfortable, and once again, follows the same old structure. It works for two games, perhaps three, but the fourth one... ugh...

Also, I really liked the mood and direction WW went towards above the others. The aesthetic just seemed nice, comforting and a hell of a lot more welcoming, but still was serious to ultimately, a respectable degree.

This news saddens me. I grew up with Nintendo.

But it also pleases me. Might force Nintendo to stop allowing publishers to put half-assed shovelware on their system. Nintendo is part of the problem, but my main gripe with the wii has always been the fact that developers half-ass all the stuff they do for it, not taking the system seriously, thinking it's just another "Ooh, soccer moms will love this collection of pop-cap games with pointy-waggly controls olo" system. Developers need to learn how to develop for the wii. It will never ever be capable of graphics like those on the PS3 or 360, but look at Mario Galaxy. Look at Metroid Prime 3. Those are some stunningly beautiful games. TP's graphics never seemed special to me, since they rely on the good ol' next gen colors, dull-gray and ****-brown.

So I think the wii's problem is a two parter. 30% of it is Nintendo, just shoveling crap onto their console, with dollar signs in their eyes. 70% of it is the developers actually developing said crap.

This news of the big N's sales gives me a feeling of anticipation.

My biggest problem with WW was the lack of things to do on the Ocean. Most of the islands just seemed to be put there just for a Heart Piece or a Treasure Chart. Only a few of the islands actually had much going on. I didn't mind the actual sailing much, I just wish there were more interesting places to go...

Anyone here looking forward to Spirit Tracks?



I don't know, TP has its moments. It does suffer from quite a lot of next-gen murkiness, though. I'll give you that.

There wasn't much to the overworld, but I have to admit that I did have fun sailing around at random while hunting enemies on watchtowers. Honestly, if the game had a larger amount of enemies and more watchtowers/islands covered in different types of these enemies, the overworld might have been pretty fun to travel across. It at least seemed a bit more distinctive than TP's.

I agree with this.

I am. And yeah, TP definately isn't the worst dull-gray and ****-brown using game I've seen, far from it. I guess I just kind of went in to it expecting a few more colors than it delivered. I blame WW for spoiling me with it's vibrant and vivid colors.

One of the things I felt was missing from TP was a full-on stealth section, like the Gerudo Fortress in OoT or the Pirate Fortress in Majora's mask. They would've been pretty fun with the new bow-aiming controls. I think there may have been something similar just before the Arbiter's Grounds dungeon, but you just got swarmed with enemies if you were spotted, IIRC, rather than getting chucked outside and having to start again.

Too many of the items were underused as well. The Spinner was a fun item and the Arbiter's Grounds was one of the most fun dungeons in the game (along with its boss fight), but it had barely any use outside the dungeon. Same kind of deal with the Ball and Chain and the Dominion Rod.

The sales could also be related to the fact that Nintendo relies a lot on the DS dominating the market. I can easily vouch that my DS collection is more vast than my Wii collection, and I enjoy it more. Maybe with four DS's out there, people are finally saying "**** it"

That could be it as well. I personally still have my original phat DS, and it has served me very well to this day.

I loved Arbiter's Grounds' boss fight. The music as well.

That's what I mean, Nintendo keeps falling back on their old ideas and simply re-issuing them and that rumored new Wii revision is only strengthening that impression more.

My only main issue with the DS Phat was that the screen was a bit dim. The DSi is pretty good, but I still think the DS Lite is the best one overall so far.

Is that the Wii-HD, or whatever they call it?

I have been thinking about getting a new one... it's definately showing signs of old age. But it still works, and then I think "If I have the money to spend on a new DS, I may as well spend it on a PSP since my DS still works..." then I buy nothing.

Yeah, and sadly I think that's the only thing new about it and the Blu-Ray player.

Yeah, that is kind of stupid... Pretty much the same console, only with the ability to show better graphics... Better graphics and nothing else should not be a reason to price it as an entirely new console... I'll probably still cave in and get it, but it is kind of a dick move.

I agree it's a bit of a lame move, but hopefully it might mean that more developers will make games for it. How many multi-platform games aren't given a Wii release? Granted some of thsoe games also require decent online service, but still...

Yeah. And when they do get a wii release (Or a wiilease), it tends to be vastly different than the PS3/360 versions, developed by someone entirely different, and it's usually not very good.

Don't Wii releases of multi-platform games often get made with a PS2 development kit? It would mean developers don't have to totally redo the graphics for the Wiilease from the ground up every time.

We're NOT going to start a gimmick of Nintendo using Elmer Fudd talk, no.

I think so, yeah... I know that a lot of them are ported to the PS2, anyway. So it's kind of weird the games aren't good... I loved my PS2, it had some really great games on it, and if the games are made kind of like they'd be made for the PS2...

Sorry. It's just such an obvious joke to replace any Re- with Wii.

I would love to see this. I would expect the game/gameplay to reflect the fact that Link is older too.


^

and


This, and anything that can be woven into the game that augments the feeling of travel (bustling cities/towns, encountering multiple NPCs/enemies in the overworld that aren't just/don't feel like random spawns, different methods of travel, etc.) is welcome by me.

anyone? come on, you know you want to.

Am I the only one that disliked the look of WW? The game itself was alright, I personally find it over rated by Zelda fans, but still alright. But I never did like that the cel-shaded look.

I really liked the cel-shaded look. Then again, I'm a gamer who prefers vibrant colors to realism so...

QFT

Good. Snaking destroyed MKDS's online mode, and I'm glad it was eliminated in MKWii.



QFT indeed. Look at Okami. Hugely unrealistic, but one of the best-looking games I've ever seen.

I think too much importance is placed upon realism, yet I think it is confused with believability, something I feel is more important than any other stylistic aspect of a game.

Nintendo tries to hard to be casual. I'm glad to see that there's a chance they may learn from their mistakes. Casuals care about quality games too, just look at Halo. No one can shut up about it, and it doesn't seem casual at all. >_>

A game is meant to entertain, nothing more or less. You generally wouldn't want a FPS set in WW2 where everyone looks like they were made for a PowerPuff Girls episode [Who am I kidding, that would be great to have Him in a WW2 setting] since that could ruin the 'in actual moment' mood the gamer is looking for. Then again, what is seen as entertaining differs from person to person.

I would love to play a game that is entirely about kittens, and as a kitten you attack your human 'owners' and plot your iron-fist rule over the house. You would watch out the window for birds and go on 'missions' where you would be either looking for items in the house or completing certain tasks, even those a kitten could never accomplish in real life, like the assasination of your owners. Eventually you would move out of the house and fend for yourself in perhaps a city/urban/farm enviroment [picture a grand-theft auto style enviroment, very sandboxy, but with exquisite detail]. You would communicate with other animals and perhaps kill them in your effort to survive... For a game like THAT, well then hell yes, it would be funny to see a realistic looking cat pounce on to its owners back and sever said owners jugular in a fit of rage... I love cats. I need this.

Maybe I'm hoping for too much, but this game would be addicting and fun.

I agree with this.

Not one word about my kitten wish...

Glad someone openly shares my viewpoint though ^_^

I'm not a cat guy <_<

Lol I'm too much of a cat guy XD

Willard: Chaotic evil. Cosmic horror. Loves cats.

WE'RE LIKE POLAR OPPOSITES

Gotta sig this at some point.

BUT YOUR STILL SO AWESOME...

THEREFORE WILLARD = FAIL?!

Damn.

Willard...I too...

AM A CAT GUY.

I **** love cats.

I love cats! And catgirls.

YES.  -sml
Imagine the game I described where you're a cat... that looks like this:

(http://www.anupojoy.com/silly%20cat%201.jpg)

I love cats, dogs, tarantulas, scorpions, lizards, snakes, buzzards, and hyenas.

(http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd138/subzero9285/Sub/giant_millipedes_092802.jpg)

<3

(http://fractalontology.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/nautilus.jpg)

I **** hate you, Jake. >_>

I love millipedes. ^_^

High five!

Centipedes are cooler.

^5


They aren't nearly as cuddly though.

This is the truth but millipedes are still cool.

so yeah i agree with willard's first point

If they existed, decipedes would be much better than anything. And this is coming from a guy who hates bugs.

Nintendo needs to scrap Zelda and get their asses to work on a new F-Zero, Star Fox, or Kirby Wii game.

Nope, try again.

Dismantle Zelda.

If any of Nintendo's three major series were going to get axed it'd probably be Metroid. I might be wrong but I don't think it's that popoular in Japan.

Mario, Zelda, Pokemon. I thought those were the main series.

Alright, but those three are all still more popular than Metroid, right? And apart from those three, Metroid's the only one that gets regular/semi-regular releases isnt it?

That I'm not objectionning. Well, maybe except Kirby, too, but that's all, really.

Maybe, but I'm not sure Kirby is as popular as it used to be. I'd say it's about the same level as Star Fox or F-Zero now.

I would cry if Nintendo axed Metroid. The games are great, and Samus is my favorite video game female character.

If Nintendo absolutely HAD to scrap the new Zelda game, they better start working on that damn Kirby wii game.

Kirby has unfortunately become a second-tier series in terms of what Nintendo considers to be top-priority.

That needs to be rectified, for Kirby is incredible.

*steps in*

If I had a choice Pokemon would get the ax.

*steps out*

METROID

MORE METROID

Any, at the least, decent new game for any franchise that I care about would be nice.

Or maybe a new idea that has potential.

There are too many Pokemon games already... fun as they may be...

What's wrong with Zelda?

Whoops, meant to bold the second part about F-Zero, Star Fox and Kirby. Even though I wouldn't miss Zelda for a little while, especially if it's just more TP.

I still don't get what the problem with TP was...

The issue isn't what was wrong with it, it's simply not wanting more of the exact same. And the Dungeons in TP were overall lacking, particularly the ToT.

I disagree, but whatever...

Still, wasn't TP supposed to be the last console Zelda as we currently know the series?

*shrugs*

But I agree with you on enjoying TP, I loved every second of it.

Word, although I only really like Red and Blue tbh.

http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/wii/home/960633.html

And TP was pretty good. The dungeons save for the first one and Arbiter's Grounds did very little for me.

My love for Arbiter's Ground is nearly beyond my capability to express.

Arbiter's Ground was my favorite, and I hate desert levels.

Which was Arbiter's Grounds again? Was that the one in the desert with the Mirror and the Sages, or was it the one which was stuck in time?

The Desert/Mirror/Sages one.

Regardless, I liked 'em both. And the Sky one, even though it was basically another Hookshot dungeon. The ones I could've done without were the Snow one, the Forest one, and the Lake one. Those three have been done to absolute death. I loved the Twilight realm, though.

I agree with all of that, basically.

I quite liked Goron Mines as well.

Goron Mines was mmh. It was cliche, but it wasn't Zelda cliche.

I can deal with cliches most of the time.

Gonna have to take back what I said. The Sky one was my favorite. Then Arbiter's Grounds.

How was it not Zelda cliche? It's a basic lava/fire/volcano area. Do Dodongo Caverns, the Fire Temple and Dragon Roost Cavern ring a bell?

Anyway, while I have nothing against "elemental" dungeons, I agree that Nintendo should be more imaginative with their dungeons. Or at least have the same areas but give them a new twist like in Arbiter's Grounds. They should also give you items that aren't just used in the dungeon they're found in and for, like, one heart piece outside the dungeon. *coughSpinnercoughBallandChaincoughDominionRodcough*

You know what would absolutely rule? A free-roaming Star Fox game. I haven't played a great flying game since Crimson Skies, and a free roam in space would kick ass.

Failed Star Wars Galaxies.

Why not go the whole hog and make a Starfox MMO? In space.

MMO for a rail-shooter? Nah.

I take back quoting the free-roaming part. If it were free-roam, makes sure to have majority of the actual action be on-rails.

All-range mode: the game? Mmm... Nah. An innovation to the Star Fox series I'd prefer to see implemented first is four-player co-operative. Then maybe the other dorks wouldn't be quite as useless.

I wouldn't mind some Assault-style on foot levels, but they should definately be in the minority.

Could work. It wouldn't be on Xbox, but I'm certain Xbox players would love it. Slippy is pretty much the closest thing to an Xbox live user there can be.

Why MMO? You wouldn't have to get out of the ship, just like Crimson Skies, the game could be played entirely from the ship.

If there were any times you'd be out of the ship, it should be like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgXSq2J1YL8

If at all.

Since when did staying in the ship/switching to different vehicles not count as being fodder for MMOs?

Not really anything important, but...

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/console/index.html

I would gladly take black over white. >>

WE ARE RICH AS ****. HERE'S A TON OF **** YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT.

This, for everything.

...I'll post an exception when I think of one.

Women.

lolno

oloblackjokes

Go right ahead; you've shown no qualms about giving people ammo before...

It was an opportunity that I couldn't resist. It's like if you'd posted something about KFC, or if Hawk was talking about tea, or even if Omar was talking about sweets. It's just too damn easy.

What.

And I was gonna do a joke like that, but decided not to because it's stupid.

Yeah, racist jokes in geneal are too easy.

You may as well make fat jokes; easy to do, yet you're likely to offend someone you know.

Unless they know that you're not serious, and tend to make said jokes themselves.