Kotaku: What Nintendo is doing right.

Link

TL; DR list (read why in the link):

1. They're making some new characters

2. They're making fun original games

3. They are working with bright (Japanese) Indie developers

4. They are running an interesting online service

Miiverse?

Miiverse is the worst.

I don't agree with point 4 at all, in any form. I dislike this kotaku writer though, I usually don't agree with him because he doesn't do a lot of research in his pieces. He failed even in this article claiming and then revising the online portion of his article. Nintendo's online approach is ass backwards from Digital distribution to online gaming to hardware microphone support to Miiverse. Their notion to keep DD games linked to hardware instead of an account keep me and legions of other Nintendo fans from ever buying DD games with Nintendo.

I do support their physical games in a big way though.

As a launch owner of two Wii Us, I can back the first three options.

@freedomfreak: The Wii U version of it? I know I felt stupid being excited about the 3DS version.

It seemed perfect, a system that's handheld, can connect online, has a stylus, and over 40 million users, but Nintendo complete half-assed it there.

Both. It's pretty much the same on 3DS and WiiU. The concept is great, but it's completely messed up due to Nintendo's incompetence.

this guy gets it

Goddamn den mother mentality.

How's the multitasking on the Wii U and the general speed on getting to Miiverse from a game? I nearly made a cup of tea in the time it takes accessing the 3DS' version.

I disagree on all accounts, the only thing that Nintendo has done right at least in my eyes in the last 14 years is the LoZ games and their Hand Helds (DS and 3DS).

It's slow. At least last time I checked. It's not smooth in any way, and it needs to load in properly.

I stopped using Miiverse for that reason. You really have to go out of your way for it.
And yeah, it's slow as hell on the 3DS.

Bummer. Alright, thanks for the info. It's a complete stupid how the one console with potentially great ideas as being something other than a watered-down PC (and you know I'm not part of the insulting consoles crowds, but let's be honest) is handled by such a stupid company.

@scottpsfan14: Why thank you, I'd like to think most people agree with you on their general opinion of me.

And yes, The Police are awesome. God only knows if a few egos didn't boil over here or there and they might have lasted past seven years.

Whaaaat?

But Nintendo is racist and homophobic.

Yeah, you're not wrong. It is a cool console, but with Nintendo at the helm... Well, speaks for itself.

You could give the wii u to Sony and the ps4 to Nintendo and Sony would make the wii u work and nintendo would destroy they ps4. We have seen that Sony rarely has the best hardware but they always bring the games and exclusives. Now Sony even has equal online gaming and has MS emulating them.

So it's great to say if nintendo had better hardware but the truth is they seem to invent ways to **** up. The major problem is nintendo is very slow to react to changes in the market place. They have plan A and no plan B. If plan A does not work they make excuses not changes.

The Wii U is a Gamecube

They made new characters?

@finalfantasy94: Not many but yes. Denpa Men, Dillon, Malo, Rusty. I'm sure there are a few others.

The problem is not the hardware it's Nintendo and their frankly moronic choices. They seem to do things just to be the odd man out. They historically have issues with storage and using standard features. They also change controllers almost every gen. The biggest problems are they don't go out of their way to get 3rd party support and their online is frankly horrible. You don't have to have the best hardware to get 3rd party support and have a decent online gaming network.

To an extent the WiiU is actually like the gamecube. Both consoles have targeted older audiences(AKA the older hardcore nintendo fans), but the WiiU attempted to target the casuals to, but that has failed so far.

@scottpsfan14 said:

lol

I think, per capita, they were the greatest band ever. Out of the 54 songs they released (to my knowledge), a huge amount of them are classics.

Message in a Bottle is just so, so good. Classic Sting going full English on us is so nice in that song. I'd say their absolute best song usually depends on my mood, but King of Pain is the one I'd go to most often if I had a gun to my head.

I love it.

You made an "interesting" dinner.

This is always a nice way to say something sucks.

Nintendo really screwed the pooch with the Wii and Wii U. What they had to do was quite simple as Scottpsfan said. Simply make a true next gen console, call it the Wii 2, and price it accordingly. It wouldn't have to be quite as powerful as the PS4. Xbone specs would probably be enough. Get rid of the stupid tablet, make a real controller, and price it around $350. Then do whatever you have to do to get back in the good graces of 3rd party developers. They should have done all of this and released at the same time as the PS4 and Xbone and never made the stupid Wii U in the first place.

At that point the Nintendo console would be the default choice of most gamers. Most people only buy one console and the Nintendo one would make the most sense as it's the only place you can get Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Donkey Kong, Pikmin, etc. Imagine if you could play all the Nintendo exclusives with true next gen graphics while also getting true next versions of GTA, Red Dead, Assassins Creed, Batman Arkham Knight, Call of Duty, Bioshock, Tomb Raider, Watch Dogs, the Witcher 3, Destiny, etc. If you're only getting one next gen console wouldn't the Nintendo one make the most sense for most people under my scenario? I truly don't understand why Nintendo is so incompetent.

Miiverse is interesting in theory.

Too bad a good chuck of posts that come from it make me lose brain cells...

No online, no buy. Simple as that.

@nintendoboy16:

I admire how Nintendo has stayed alive by not directly competing against these huge companies. It's hard to be at the top when a whale enters your swimming pool.

I don't have a Wii U, Xbox One, or PS4 yet, but to tell you the truth the Wii U sounds like fun. It just should be cheaper, with a higher res screen on the gamepad, and better online integration.

um, they have online...its just dead lol. I think some kids don't know how to set it up or their parents won't let.

I doubt that people are waiting for Nintendo to take several steps back with a normal controller, and make a more expensive console that is more powerful, while still not attracting 3rd party devs. Only Nintendo games sell on Nintendo platforms, with some exceptional Nintendo-esque 3rd party games. What you are describing would be worse in pretty much every way except for visuals. And I think the Nintendo exclusive visuals look fantastic as they are. There's no upsides. only downsides if they went that route.

The Wii U gamepad is a definite upgrade from the gamecube controller and Wii controller. It's more comfy, offers wayyy more versatility. The gyroscopes work well, the screen is a nice addition and it has a mic. The triggers and buttons work better. It's better in pretty much every way. I don't get this idea of going back to a 'normal' controller. It's like riding a horse when everyone else is driving a car. Maybe it's what you're used to but that doesn't make it better.

But you already got Sunshine and 3D World isn't just a 3D version of Super Mario Bros since it's actually fun to play and it's better than Mario 64 ever was.

dead and most games dont support online. games that support online has no cloud, no stats, no rank, no dlc, no trophies/achivements, NOTHING. Wii U online is like PS2 online back in 2002.

I can agree with most of those points. The online system is iffy though so not so much that one. Browser, Miiverse, and game captures is nice at least but that's as far as it goes. Otherwise the only point that is right but also pointless imo is the new character one. It's true that there are new characters, but as he says literally right after that (and even in the portion) very few of those new characters are characters that most "core" gamers give a crap about. Dillon? Who the hell is he? Mallo? He's wearing a diaper! Rosalina? Hey, it's Peach but taller! (honestly this one is a stretch gamer wise). Mii? wtf Nintendo casual crap! I can go on and on and on...

I know... he made a good point about new characters. Too bad it doesn't matter to a good amount of the people who actually read Kotaku.

@KungfuKitten: I meant make a controller like that on the PS4 or Xbone. Of course don't make one like the Wii or Gamecube. Maybe I'm the only one, but I'd love a true next gen system by Nintendo comparable to the PS4 where you could play Nintendo exclusives but also play all the good 3rd party titles in true next gen form.

They aren't doing anything right. Wiiu is the biggest flop of a console in decades and handhelds are dead outside japan. Nintendo won't be making hardware much longer and sheeps need to face that reality.

There's only one thing Nintendo is doing right and that's Delivering on the Games.

While Sony and Microsoft duke it out on Resolution Gate or Whatever BS PR that Fanboys are eating these days.

Nintendo is Funding and Providing Amazing Games like The Wonderful 101, Pikmin 3, Super Mario 3D World, Mario Kart 8, Kid Icarus Uprising, and 2013's GOTY Zelda A Link Between Worlds.

They Also seem to be giving a lot more crap on Localizations as well, Heck Who thought Tomodachi Life was going to be coming to North America? Anyone? Also The Fact Nintendo has been Hyping up Xenoblade 2 (Project X for you all) for the past 2 years and giving North America AND Europe Earthbound just shows Nintendo is doing more on the Localization Process more than ever before, wouldn't be surprised if we see Mother 1 and 3 on WiiU thanks to Nintendo starting releasing GBA Games on the WiiU Virtual Console.

And Last Nintendo is hosting a SMASH BROS INVATIONAL TOURNAMENT at E3. That's a COMPLETE 180 from last year where they tried to take down Melee off the EVO Rosters.

Nintendo is not doing good on their console space, but they're taking MASSIVE steps towards a better future. To many these look like baby steps, but to me as a long time Nintendo fan, I can see that Nintendo is changing and it might be for the better.

You know, maybe this Wii U suck fest will be good for them.

They've learned they can't rely on casual gamers to buy their systems, however they also learned over the years that innovation really does pay off. Nintendo has always seemed willing to try new things. Maybe now they can limit their margin of error by focusing on the people who will actually look to buy their console every generation while maintaining interesting approaches on their games and tech.

Mario 64 is the 4th best 3D Mario game. From best to worst, they are

1. 3D World
2. Galaxy 2
3. Galaxy
4. 64
5. Sunshine
6. 3D Land

Nope. Mario 64 is worse than every Mario game on Wii U. Fact.