Launch lineup prep for 3DS was 'lacking' - Iwata

@honorofgod: First...Nintendo doesn't have to ''prove'' anything to the American portable gaming crowd,sony,or anyone for that matter.Nintendo dominated last generation's portables,if anyone will have to make up and ''step up'' this generation in the portables it is Sony.Nintendo wouldn't be the company to criticize when it comes to older portables selling weakly...when compared on sites like amazon ds lites are only a small discount off their original price while psp's (compared to their $300 price tag) are in microscopic price percentages compared to their original selling price...now what does that say about the last generation of games? Gimmick days hmmm? Need I remind everyone of all of sony's gimmicks? The playstation 2 camera,new portable psp's cheesey ''play on words'',and the play station move which was not only a gimmick but a copied gimmick at that. oh yes...vita is really ''going out on a limb'' selling their portable at the same price as their competitor's portable... Nintendo has a MASSIVE lineup of 1st and 3rd party titles coming out within the end of the year and will have out even more by the release of vita,looks to me like Sony is the one that will need to ''step up their game''.

@HonorOfGod 'your gimmick days are over'... Gimmick days? Please, the Vita is just as 'gimmicky' as the 3DS, if it even was gimmicky in the first place. And really, Vita means 'life'? Wow, how clever, Sony. Oooo, Vita means 'life'. It sounds like a vitamin or something.

ooh Nintendo... The vita is right around the corner so you should have a ton of first party games out by now also 3rd party. Better step up your game. Its easy to get a 3DS because people are willing to trade them for anything online since they don't find them fun. Vita will have a $250 version and I expect it to sell like hot pancakes lol. Sorry Nintendo your gimick days are over.

Second @ wormkid (wormkid's quote) ''You know I never realized how whiny and picky most gamers are until I started reading comments on Gamespot.Never satisfied.No matter how many times a device launches with a bad lineup only to get the best library in years,they will always complain about the launch lineup.No matter how good graphics get,there will always be whining and picking at the tiniest specks in textures and polygons.'' I couldn't agree with you any more! Finally someone with some sense in gamespot comments! (no offense to single posters that also spoke well). The 3ds will be having one of the most impressive game libraries since the N64 with great re-imagined ports and new nintendo games! I wouldn't be surprised to even see a new nintendo ip game for the 3ds in the near future!

First @ Corrupt Gamer: What I said was the most expensive console in the MODERN gaming market (within the past few years),if you had payed attention to that instead of trying to come up with insults (over a mere $50 difference no less) to try to prove your point you might have seen that.Just because he said the launch title base was ''lacking'' that doesn't send the entire 3ds system to hell in a handbasket.When it comes to the overall success of a system the launch titles don't really matter.Is the 3ds only selling with the launch titles in it's first month? I think not.What matters most are the titles over time and 60-75% of the titles announced by Nintendo are Nintendo titles that have always been well thought of and widely purchased (Super Mario,Mario Kart,Kid Icarus,Star Fox,paper mario,Luigi's Mansion 2,etc.) and THAT is what will end up mattering with 3ds sales. You would prefer Iwata to lie about it? At least he isn't delusional and denying of that fact,he admits it and that shows some sense (in business and common sense),that is doing a lot more than many business men would do.The REAL problem would be if he denied that fact. There is nothing wrong with ports as long as they are good ports.These also aren't just the exact game put onto a different system.For example Ocarina was completely revamped with excellent graphics and MUCH more detail than the original and from what has been said the same will be done with ALL the ports to 3ds.

Wormkid_64 guess DK64 wasn't a good game, but i also never played it a long time. i only liked mario from all 3d platformers on n64, guess it works fine to have an overview of seperated levels instead of greater more open worlds. Some problem with all other rare platformers for n64. The DKC series for the SNES is great, but thats all Rare did well. But i am pretty sure that a 3D Donkey Kong from Retro would be much better ... but i would prefer another dkcr

decoy1978 I was younger and didn't pay attention to the gaming scene much when the N64 was out,so I had no idea about sales and competition and such.I just played me some good ol' DK64 and had a ball. I'd always thought that the N64 era was one of the best in both Nintendo's and gaming's history,back when 3 dimensional space was a tool to be used and people made solid games that were just plain fun.I haven't played a big semi open world platformer like DK64 since....well DK64.No one has ever seemed to get the formula as good as they did. Anyway,it is about time we saw some good games,and this holiday season,here they come!What I'm waiting on is a Donkey Kong game in the style of DK64 or DKCR,and a Metroid game,I don't care if it's first person(The 3D would be awesome!) or a side scroller like the old days.

@Sigil-otaku Im sure pokemon is fun for you and other people. And thats why I can appreciate that it is a "must have" for the people that enjoy that type of game. However, it a niche game and wont appeal to everyone, same as first person shooters dont. I might be willing to except that the first pokemon game was a must have but the way the franchise has been milked to death makes subsequent entries just another pokemon game. Im not up to date on pokemon but I remember at one point I couldnt move without seeing pokemon(insert colour of your choice). The same can be said for any franchise that doesnt do anything to advance itself. At the end of the day though, it comes down to personal taste. For me mario 64 on the N64 was a real "must have" title. for what the game was it advanced the home console market. Games like call of duty though, for me if youve played one youve played them all. They are not "must haves" as they are forgotten about in a year. Where as people are still talking about the original resident evil 15 years later. In any case I stick to my original statement that must have launch titles are rare as hell, and the 3ds shouldnt be criticised for a lack of them.

@liam82517 I'd say pokemon is a must have, namely because raising 150 creatures which can have varying stats due to there natures and hidden values is quite rewarding and a deeper RPG experience than just raising 3 or 4 main characters. There's some depth to those games and they interact with old titles so there's no reason a huge RPG experience like that is so bad. People will keep buying Uncharted (and even use it as a reason to want a PS Vita despite 3 games of it being on PS3 soon enough) so Pokemon which sees much less games per year compared to Uncharted can't be such a bad franchise in the sense of being repackaged quick releases. I can agree with you there is some repetiton but in the end you get great value for money from those games unlike some so you either like it and buy it or you don't.

@zaiwen Funny thing about what you just said about the 3DS Lite because I know it will happen! A year or 1.5 years after 3DS debut, Nintendo has a tendency of releasing a slimmer handheld. Fuah, I have to stop early adopting systems.... there really was no MUST HAVE game for me to play on 3DS and a lot of these AAA titles were just remakes I already had when I was a teen.

@liam82517 Hey, Mario Kart 3D has hang-gliders, underwater sections, and a Kart Garage which are new editions to the franchise. It's not a new concept by any means, neither is COD, for example, but at least Nintendo tries to change things up a bit for every game.

@garrett_duffman Oh well if gamespot gave a 10 it must true......... Pokemon is one of the best selling franchises of all time too, should I consider that a must have title? Calling the same repackaged guff "must have" is a testament to how lacking ingenuity is in the game market. Playing a mario kart is akin to playing the same song over and over and over and over..........

@liam82517 Must-Have is not a subjective term. 40 million sold worldwide is obviously a must have. There is no "this" or "that" to it. Mario is one of the best selling franchises of ALL TIME, so yes, EVERY installment is considered a must-have,like it or not. This is not even arguable. Also, the "kiddie" argument is so 2007. Super Mario Galaxy to got a 10.0 here on GS,in fact, every mario game has done substantially well (main installment), at least well enough to call it a must-have. I don't intend to attack you as a person, I have no Idea who you are, other than someone who takes factual data and drowns it in fallacy to the point of self-belief. moral of this story; Must have is not an opinion, its a title to be earned. Don't like it? don't debate it.

@decoy1978 agreed! i could easily get a 3DS even as i type this but i'm better off waiting for a game truly worthy to be a 3DS title & taking advantage of the handheld's features.. or i could just wait after a year for a 3DS Lite LOL

@ mrzero1982pt2 Of course a launch is expected to have some good games in it. But there is no sense in just whining all dang day about it.Games are on the way.Some people choose to sit it out until something "must-have" comes.Others,like myself,are happy to use the built in features until they got a game.It was an expensive purchase,and I wouldn't have been able to afford a game on top of it,so I found this to be the way to go,and I've had a ball. One way or another,the launch was indeed underwhelming.But we get it.Now people just need to get over it.The good games are coming this holiday season. P.S. My point before was also very general.If you just look at the comments on any article there are so many people whining and complaining about something rather than being happy for the good points of whatever the subject is.There are fanboys and haters who will never be pleased by whatever company it is they hate,even if that company were to provide them with a free,custom tailored universe with every purchase.

i still bought it but until zelda i havent really been using it

@zaiwen Well said! First day adopters do get bragging rights to test out new products before the masses, but its really a double edge sword. Lack of software lineup will make it hard for consumers to have choices in their gaming. What Nintendo should do (AND SOON) is to shore up their library ASAP otherwise, this will turn out to be Gambeboy 3D all over again and N64. Both were great machines, but lack of software put them behind their competitors. I'm not going to worry about my Day 1 purchase.... yet. But if Nintendo treats this as another N64, I'll be sad.

This is the sole reason why i never engage in day1 purchases. Whining & complaining coz the launch lineup sux isnt the reason i even purchased the console. Lessin learned: buy any gaming device ONLY when you know you there is a game truly worth the purchase to accompany it. Not buy it so you could brag you got the latest gizmo to your grandma

Grass is green, the sky is blue... thank you Captain Obvious, be sure to re-enlist....

I'll admit I own a 3DS based on Nintendo's past with handhelds and what the future "could" bring for the system, but its not a good sign when the top games so far are remakes.

Admitting you have a problem is the first step! Now Nintendo just needs to do what they say they are going to do and WiiU will be a success.

As much as I dislike the 3DS launch list, it does have potential for some really amazing games. The 3D effect is fun, but that's not the main attraction. Heck, I only use it during cut scenes most of the time anyway, but to all you dodos out there who think it's just a DS with 3D slapped on... you're wrong. Not to sound like the overly used phrase 'fan-boy', it's just that there's a ton more to the 3DS than the 3D effect.

@Rayzakk I'm aware there's more expensive consoles than NEO GEO. It was just an example of being more expensive than the "most expensive console". As for moviequest, you're wasting your time defending Nintendo. When the president of Nintendo admits the launch line-up was crap then there is a problem. Super Street Fighter IV is the best launch title and that's a port while Dead or Alive Dimensions is the best launch window title despite being a remake of 1-4. Ocarina of Time 3D doesn't make the cut as it's a lazy cash-in like Tales of the Abyss.

@vallan2 true. nintendo has released every handheld from the advance up with no true mario game. they have only been re releases, nothing original. the rpg mario games on the handhelds have not been from nintendo, but outsourced to other companies. nothing is wrong with innovation or a new game, heck look at sony with uncharted and little big planet, they will have 4 for uncharted when it comes on the vita, and lbp will have 4, spanning the psp, ps3 and vita. nintendo, like i said is a stickler for polishing something and then saying its new. anyone remember the star wars special edition films and how we were angry at that? why is no one angry at nintendo for it? its basically what ocarina of time, mario 64 ds was, and starfox 64 3d will be. i wish folks would quit giving nintendo passes and just see it for what it is. a company out for money, to make innovative systems, but never wanting to make innovative games or allow developers to make innovative games.

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Just lacking? Talk about denying lacking in its context!!

@mrzero1982pt2 I agree, I think that when a company releases a console, they should have some of their own GAMES to go with it, and something Nintendo is known for: innovation. So far, I have seen very little innovation on the games front from Nintendo. Even LoZ could have had something added to take advantage of the 3d, such as hidden items, minigames, etc., not just a remake with shinier graphics. Mario 64ds had minigames and they were a blast.

Lol at the Nintendo investor who doesn't like video games...

@garrett_duffman Im sorry countless mario games are not my idea of "must have", but if you enjoy that childish type of repetitiveness more power to you. Mario64 was the only mario game Ill give a "must have" credit to. simply because it was an innovation in gaming. The mechanics used in that game are still used today for 3d platformers. Fast forward to its re release on the ds and its not a "must have" its a nice nostalgia game. Fun but not sweating with anticipation, counting the seconds till release "must have". Its very telling that you have to resort to childish attack comments, seems most gamers like you cant take criticism very well. Maybe one day youll learn to accept that people have different tastes and move on.

having Super Smash Bros for Wii U as a launch title is a win..but it wont happen

@wormkid_64 its not that man. it is that nintendo put no time into making a decent launch lineup. yeah, they said "launch window" which meant from the day of release to e3 but thats kinda a joke. telling people "your system wont be worth crap til this game is released" is a slap to the face, yknow? almost every system has had something worth buying at launch, but the 3ds, everyone has said, even nintendo diehards have said this launch was laughable and disappointing!

You know I never realized how whiny and picky most gamers are until I started reading comments on Gamespot.Never satisfied.No matter how many times a device launches with a bad lineup only to get the best library in years,they will always complain about the launch lineup.No matter how good graphics get,there will always be whining and picking at the tiniest specks in textures and polygons. It's one thing to have a good idea for what you'd like in a future console.It's another to say "Man dis sux!" because Mario didn't come out day one or because some character's fingers look a little too square. Why are people so hard to please!?!

the launch lineup for the 3ds was laughable. like i said and everyone else before it, nintendo launched the 3ds with the fact that people would buy it because it was a nintendo product. they failed. no one wants to buy a new console and play nintendogs, or a game they have had in their home console lineup for 2 years(Street fighter). they pulled a sony with this one to consumers: "its nintendo. YOU WILL BUY IT!". we see how that came out, eh?

Urrrgggggghhhhhhhhhhhh So many people talking about crap that really doesn't matter on here :\

@CorruptGamerGX How about the 3DO at $699. Ah and you had your choice of Goldstar or Panasonic.

If you truly believe PS3 is the most expensive console ever released than your IQ must be lower than a rock, does NEO GEO ring a bell? I guess not. The Wii also launched at $250, not $200 so PS3 was not "triple" the price but 2x-2.5x (20GB=$500, 60GB=$600). LOL. PSP more expensive than 3DS at launch??? PSP- $250/PSP Go- $250/PSVita- $250 (Wi-Fi) $300 (3G) Looks like someone needs Math Summer class lessons,

if the WiiU and 3DS doesn't meet or exceed expectations by a certain point then Nintendo will probably lose the respect of people who try to hang on to the gaming franchises and i would hate to lose my respect for them

I didnt get a 3DS at launch for this reason cause I know there wasnt gonna be any games I wanted at launch.

screw the phone functionality on a Nintendo portable device... enabling 3D is already eating large chunks of battery.. just build an app where you can call people or whatever

Killzone for Vita a must have. lol Thats what gamers want a game that sales less then Wii music. Vitas Killzone isnt even being developed by the company that made the PS3 Killzones.

Ultimately,it is up to Sony to decide what they spend on each part to make a system,but Nintendo and Microsoft have no hidden advantage over Sony such as getting supplies or workers free,it is on an equal playing field,no matter how much each company chooses to spend (though I STILL haven't seen EXACT pricing that sony had to pay for the actual vita though it isn't that bad a price imo),what will end up mattering is how much the pricetag is on the shelves,and so far Ps3's have been $600 with $60-$90 games while Nintendo has been having wii $200 with $40-$50 games,it is MUCH more believable to think if any the company with the cheapest games,systems,etc. would be selling at a loss (and with AT LEAST 6 or 7 first party titles nintendo is waiting for sales in later games also).

@liam82517 .... oh, nevermind. I thought that I was attempting to have a discussion someone with any sort of knowledge of the phrase "Must have". I apologize and retract my statement.

Well, I JUST bought a 3DS yesterday and picked up a copy of Ocarina 3D, as for the people who think the Vita* may have a weak lineup, I see nothing but straight arrows: -Uncharted -LBP -WipEout -ModNation Racers I'm sure Sony has a good lineup *I also plan on getting a Vita for the holiday season

@freedomspopular, the real question is when will an investor who thinks that games are a waste of time realise that him sitting in front of the TV watching sitcoms night after night is no different? :) *Edit - actually, there's a big difference, you're more likely to learn something (Be it a skill or just some history) playing games than watching The Bold and the Beautiful.

I'm glad they realised this. I still have high hopes for the system in the long run, but for now it's not quite essential yet. However, I'm very happy with the one I won from this very website :)

Sony is selling the ps vita just as the ps3 was at a loss but they will eventually make profit from the games they would eventually sell on their system and also the cost of tech would go down as years progress. Nintendo never sells consoles at a loss hoping to earn profit later. Sony does sell at a loss but well makes up for it later on. Just look at the cost of tech and manufacture for the 3ds and ps vita. They are quite different and besides different companies have different plans for making profit whether it is instant profit or making profit later on.

@dz99ls did our eyes bleed when we tried the 3DS? no.

@regulus27,If Sony were selling their systems at a loss they wouldn't still be in business.I tend to disagree,Sony has topped several records now within modern gaming as the most expensive consoles and portables ($600 for home console it TRIPLE the cost of wii @ launch and psp was $50 more than 3ds),from what I have seen there has been no list telling how much the accumulative cost is to make the vita,and I seriously doubt Sony would reveal that they are making a large profit and would of course state that it is ''the best value'' even if it wasn't,But it is common sense to know that no company that is surviving as long as Sony is selling their product ''at a loss'',of course they are making profit and more than likely a rather large profit,but there is nothing wrong with that,they are a business and that is why they are making games,for a profit.We all know that Nintendo is usually the cheapest of the game competitors,that is a fact,when 360's were selling for $300 and Ps3's were selling for $600 wii was just $200,and the ds was only in the $100's while psp was in the $300's,Sony tends to veer about as far away as possible from ''selling at a loss''.

@garrett_duffman Thats an off a lot of meh titles. Ill give you super mario 64 on the n64, rogue squad on gamecube and Twilight princess. There may be a lot of titles that are popular but they dont fall in to the "must have" category by a long shot. Then again thats just my opinion.

Just a quick question here...why would an investor invest in a game company if he feels that games are a waste of time?