E3 2011 Discussion Thread

It's that time of year again. Direct any and all E3 discussion to this thread, por favor.

 Let the good times roll!

The first new thread since E3 2010!  How exciting! ;)

Is anyone else looking forward to Age of Empires Online?  I just found out about it and it's gonna be a freemium game, meaning it's free to play but there are in-game real money upgrades.  Supposedly you get a full 40 hours of gameplay for free, though.  I LOVE AoE so I'm pretty stoked about this.

On a related (although un-E3 note) I'm also excited about the Civilization game that's coming to Facebook.  I've never gotten into a FB game but this might be the exception, as long as they don't dumb it down too much for the casual audience.

In terms of gameplay, it looks pretty good. As far as the new art style is concerned, however, I can't say I'm much of a fan.

But I do love the series (I made it a point to grab my forgotten copy of AoE III last time I went to my parents' house), so I'll probably check it out regardless.

Oh yeah there's so much going on in this union that we had to create a seperate thread for E3, for the love of God people just keep in there. Anyone who doesn't will get suspended from the union for 10 days :P.

But seriously, I already outlined everything I'm expecting from this E3 and the one thing I'm mostly hyped about the Sony NGP/Vita.

*Copy/Pastes what was written in OT Thread*:

---From Nintendo---

- The next console. Whatever the **** is it going to be about and what's up with all these rumours about the controller having a touch screen and a camera? Dazzle me Nintendo, because you sure lost me with that Wii.

- A redesign for the 3DS. I know it's crazy/impossible/etc, but the main reasons holding me off from buying the 3DS are not only the lack of good games (and when I say good, I mean good to ME) but it's awful design (IMHO) and crappy battery life. Mainly I'm waiting for what was supposed to be the real 3DS, much like the DS Lite is what the DS should have been and much like Windows 7 is everything Vista should have been.

- Zelda SS. Yes, I still care.

---From Microsoft---

- Whatever the hell they can announce to stay relevant, I don't give a rat's *** about Kinect unless you do something good about it for a change. Like using it wisely in one of your big games. But even after that I highly doubt that I'll ever buy one of these things.

- Announcement of a successor to the 360. The Xbox 360 became old to me quick, it's best years were 2005-2008 and the first half of 2009 to me. Now it's in dire need of upgrading, and no I don't want the Xbox 360 S even if it's a much better hardware and is pretty much what the 360 should have been from DAY 1. I'm not re-buying the same thing.

-Handheld? Nah...

---From Sony---

- What else can you give me to play to play on that PS3? Because I'm loving it . Uncharted 3 and inFamous 2 FTW!

- NGP, or should I say Playstation Vita? Whatever it's called, I've never been excited that much about a handheld in my life. Beats the hype for the DS, PSP and even 3DS easily. Show me the final hardware, the features, the games and a reasonneable price AND TAKE MY MONEY!!!

- On a unrelated (to E3) note, get your acts together and fix the PS Store already!

---Other---

- Ninja Gaiden 3, Batman Arkham City, Soul Calibur 5, Assassin's Creed Revelation  , Battlefield 3, MGS Rising, MGS Peace Walker ported to PS3 (please).

- PLEASE CAPCOM, localize and release Ace Attorney: Miles Edgeworth 2 out of Japan 

- WTF is wrong with you Ubisoft? The prince of persia games were all made here in Montreal, yet the Americans (and not us Canadians) get the PoP trilogy on PS3? What a load of ****....

Ok sorry for the double-post and I know this is a Nintendo Union but I gotta post this. Sony is releasing a couple of videos about the NGP showcasing some of its games, guys you gotta check this out:

http://kotaku.com/5807969/sony-gives-us-a-little-taste-of-the-ngp-in-action/gallery/1

Cross-online play between NGP and PS3? Sony this is so good I'm ready to forgive you for providing your network with the lamest security and making it easy to expose our credential and adress information :D.

EDIT:

YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES :D :D :D

The only thing that turns me off about the NGP is the touch screen stuff.  I'm sure the device will be really powerful with amazing graphics, but what's the point of the touch screen?  When I think hardcore gaming that's certainly not what I think of.  I'll probably hold off on getting one of these until I learn more about what exactly it's going to do.

 

The only thing that turns me off about the NGP is the touch screen stuff.  I'm sure the device will be really powerful with amazing graphics, but what's the point of the touch screen?  When I think hardcore gaming that's certainly not what I think of.  I'll probably hold off on getting one of these until I learn more about what exactly it's going to do.

murlow12

Did you watch the videos on the link I posted? They showcase a few touch screen implementations like in the next Uncharted game. Plus since you were thinking about getting a PSPGo you'll be happy to know that every PSP games on PSN (meaning, the only games you can get on the PSPGo) will be compatible with the NGP. Plus, most (if not all) will be compatible with the NGP's 2nd analog stick. One of the best games what would benefit from that is Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker.

Lebs, have you seen the 3DS in person? I wasn't too excited about its design until I saw it for myself ... it's actually pretty sleek-looking in person.REVOLUTIONfreak

Well I got to admit, no. You're right it may look a little better in person but if it still doesn't in pictures for me, I dunno. If I get the chance I'll check it out, but I'm still positive that I'm not buying that one for sure.

I'm not really in a hurry for the 3DS so give it a year or maybe two and we'll surely have a re-design. Plus by then the selection of games might be terrific and some of the greats that are coming out this year might be cheaper too.

[QUOTE="murlow12"]

 

The only thing that turns me off about the NGP is the touch screen stuff.  I'm sure the device will be really powerful with amazing graphics, but what's the point of the touch screen?  When I think hardcore gaming that's certainly not what I think of.  I'll probably hold off on getting one of these until I learn more about what exactly it's going to do.

lebanese_boy

Did you watch the videos on the link I posted? They showcase a few touch screen implementations like in the next Uncharted game. Plus since you were thinking about getting a PSPGo you'll be happy to know that every PSP games on PSN (meaning, the only games you can get on the PSPGo) will be compatible with the NGP. Plus, most (if not all) will be compatible with the NGP's 2nd analog stick. One of the best games what would benefit from that is Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker.

I watched the first video with the fat guy talking, but he didn't really say much.  It doesn't help my skepticism about the touch screen at all.  And the 2nd video is almost an hour long so no thanks! :P

I still think it looks great, and you're right about the downloadable stuff.  Really no reason to consider a PSP go anymore, although I still like the design.  IF the NGP is ourtageously expensive ($300+) then I would probably stil consider a PSP Go for the right price.

 

[QUOTE="lebanese_boy"][QUOTE="murlow12"]

 

The only thing that turns me off about the NGP is the touch screen stuff.  I'm sure the device will be really powerful with amazing graphics, but what's the point of the touch screen?  When I think hardcore gaming that's certainly not what I think of.  I'll probably hold off on getting one of these until I learn more about what exactly it's going to do.

murlow12

Did you watch the videos on the link I posted? They showcase a few touch screen implementations like in the next Uncharted game. Plus since you were thinking about getting a PSPGo you'll be happy to know that every PSP games on PSN (meaning, the only games you can get on the PSPGo) will be compatible with the NGP. Plus, most (if not all) will be compatible with the NGP's 2nd analog stick. One of the best games what would benefit from that is Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker.

I watched the first video with the fat guy talking, but he didn't really say much.  It doesn't help my skepticism about the touch screen at all.  And the 2nd video is almost an hour long so no thanks! :P

I still think it looks great, and you're right about the downloadable stuff.  Really no reason to consider a PSP go anymore, although I still like the design.  IF the NGP is ourtageously expensive ($300+) then I would probably stil consider a PSP Go for the right price.

 Honestly, as much as I love my DS/3DS, I think Nintendo and Sony need to start putting more emphasis on the portable aspect of their devices. Nintendo was onto something with the Gameboy Micro, in the sense that it truly felt like a portable device. Meanwhile, the 3DS and NGP, while not huge in size, are just big enough so that I don't want to carry it around in my pocket. And certainly, I don't want to carry a bag if I don't have to. It just seems like such a tough market right now for a gaming handheld, with everyone leaning toward the portable phone and Angry Birds.

On a completely different note, I am strangely excited for the eShop to launch tomorrow. Not because I give two ****s about the Pokedex app (speaking of which, why won't Nintendo just call it what it is: an app?), but because I'm really looking forward to playing Super Mario Land on my 3DS. I have no idea where my old cartridge of the game is, so it's a must-have for me.

Murlow believe me when I say that you can only regret buying a PSP Go from this point forward. I'm not trying to sell you a PSVita (which I hear is probably the final name for NGP) but once it's games will start coming out you'd feel bad for buying a portable that plays last gen games while you could have done the exact same on the PSVita, only you'd also have the Vita's library of games and the ability to play PSP games with the 2nd analog stick (Which will be a world of a difference!). It's like buying a DSi today instead of a 3DS.

As for the price, I do believe at least one SKU will be under 300$ because Sony will simply not be able to sell the PSVita otherwise. I don't expect it to be at 250$, it'll still be more expensive than the 3DS (though if they do price it at 250$, yikes look out Nintendo!) but not by a whole lot.

I don't think either Nintendo or Sony are aiming for the Angry Birds-sty|eportable platforms, they still need to distinguish themselves from that. But if they do want to end up doing this, the solution is simple: make a smartphone. Sony is already at that with the Xperia Play and the whole ''Playstation Certified'' line of phones (which I'm not particularly attracted to). I just don't see Nintendo succeeding in this area otherwise.

The going is tough for the Portable platforms and the future is really uncertain for everybody if you ask me :P. But now Nintendo cannot be called the Portable King anymore and this is simply GREAT, expect awesome games to pop out from everywhere! lebanese_boy

what did everyone think of Microsoft? I was disappointed that the only new games they showed for their biggest fanbase was Halo 1, and Halo 4. I find it hard to believe that there are people that back up Microsoft's list of exclusives when they barely have anything coming from internal studios any more. What is Rare doing? What is Microsoft Game Studios doing? Are 343 and Lionhead the only one's making first party games?

Finally ... too much Kinect, way too much. Why is Lionhead's new game on-rails Fable?

*sigh* oh well, I don't have a 360, but that was still pretty sad imo.

what did everyone think of Microsoft? I was disappointed that the only new games they showed for their biggest fanbase was Halo 1, and Halo 4. I find it hard to believe that there are people that back up Microsoft's list of exclusives when they barely have anything coming from internal studios any more. What is Rare doing? What is Microsoft Game Studios doing? Are 343 and Lionhead the only one's making first party games?

Finally ... too much Kinect, way too much. Why is Lionhead's new game on-rails Fable?

*sigh* oh well, I don't have a 360, but that was still pretty sad imo.

Phantom5800

Anyway, I'll recap.  I totally agree with you, Phantom.  Even though we got the 3 main franchises (Halo, Fable, GoW) it was still underwhelming.  I'm a little intrigued for Halo 4 but nothing else excited me.  And please, God, no more Kinect!  Gesture-based gaming is dead to me.  I have exactly ZERO interest in ever owning a Kinect or PS Move, and my Wii may never get turned on again :P

You guys are right about the portable console vs. phone debate.  They're such different markets that I'm not terribly concerned about the death of portable gaming consoles just yet.  I have a bunch of games on my iPhone but nothing that I would want to sit down and play for more than 15 minutes at a time.  For example, a few of the Final Fantasy games have been released on the iPhone for like $15, but I'd rather have them on my DS, even if I have to pay a few bucks more.  The battery just doesn't last long enough on the iPhone to waste it playing an RPG.

[QUOTE="lebanese_boy"]Murlow believe me when I say that you can only regret buying a PSP Go from this point forward. I'm not trying to sell you a PSVita (which I hear is probably the final name for NGP) but once it's games will start coming out you'd feel bad for buying a portable that plays last gen games while you could have done the exact same on the PSVita, only you'd also have the Vita's library of games and the ability to play PSP games with the 2nd analog stick (Which will be a world of a difference!). It's like buying a DSi today instead of a 3DS.

As for the price, I do believe at least one SKU will be under 300$ because Sony will simply not be able to sell the PSVita otherwise. I don't expect it to be at 250$, it'll still be more expensive than the 3DS (though if they do price it at 250$, yikes look out Nintendo!) but not by a whole lot.

I don't think either Nintendo or Sony are aiming for the Angry Birds-sty|eportable platforms, they still need to distinguish themselves from that. But if they do want to end up doing this, the solution is simple: make a smartphone. Sony is already at that with the Xperia Play and the whole ''Playstation Certified'' line of phones (which I'm not particularly attracted to). I just don't see Nintendo succeeding in this area otherwise.

The going is tough for the Portable platforms and the future is really uncertain for everybody if you ask me :P. But now Nintendo cannot be called the Portable King anymore and this is simply GREAT, expect awesome games to pop out from everywhere! REVOLUTIONfreak

Oh don't be naive REV, we are people who play serious games big games but those other games are meant to appeal to a wider audience. And appeal they do. Anybody can play the likes of Angry Birds and Cut The Rope and these games are sometimes selling more than Zelda.

I'm not encouraging these kind of portable games, unlike many people on these forums who think they know a thing or two about how a portable game should be, I don't want a stripped-down version of what a game could be just so I can call it portable. I do believe that bringing the same kind of experience you get on a home console is what should go into a portable one. The one thing I'm afraid of is that developers see the cheap games like angry birds take over and that they abandon their high-budget games to go and make those kind of games inwhich I can't stand playing for more than 5 minutes. That's not the future of gaming that I want. Luckily for me, there's still the PSVita and Sony and all of the developers who work on that platform share the same vision as me.

BTW the PSVita will start at 250$ USD, almost exactly like I predicted. Hot competition for Nintendo, could Nintendo be in danger? We'll see how they'll react, I think Nintendo might drop the price of the 3DS by at least 50$ for the holidays that's for damn sure. I think everybody can finally shut up about the price and quit complaining, the PSVita is going to be a much serious competition to Nintendo than the PSP ever dreamed of.

My recap for the day:

• Microsoft: meh, Halo 4 was cool
• EA: Overstrike looked good imo, I love Insomniac so it's a no brainer unless I see gameplay that I don't like
• Ubisoft: Well ... their e3 conference is usually pretty bad anyway. But I do like seeing Ghost Recon and Assassin's Creed. Far Cry 3 looked interesting too.
• Sony: Awesome imo. Most of it we've already seen or known about, but the rest was great to see and hear. God of War: Origins (the psp games remastered for ps3), Sly 4 (omg yes!), Vita price point (still need to see more games, but I'm tempted), Ico & Shadow of the Collosus (awesome, sad that there was no Last Guardian though)

Pretty good so far overall, probably more than I'll be able to play (let alone afford), can't wait to see what Nintendo shows tomorrow morning.

[QUOTE="REVOLUTIONfreak"][QUOTE="lebanese_boy"]Murlow believe me when I say that you can only regret buying a PSP Go from this point forward. I'm not trying to sell you a PSVita (which I hear is probably the final name for NGP) but once it's games will start coming out you'd feel bad for buying a portable that plays last gen games while you could have done the exact same on the PSVita, only you'd also have the Vita's library of games and the ability to play PSP games with the 2nd analog stick (Which will be a world of a difference!). It's like buying a DSi today instead of a 3DS.

As for the price, I do believe at least one SKU will be under 300$ because Sony will simply not be able to sell the PSVita otherwise. I don't expect it to be at 250$, it'll still be more expensive than the 3DS (though if they do price it at 250$, yikes look out Nintendo!) but not by a whole lot.

I don't think either Nintendo or Sony are aiming for the Angry Birds-sty|eportable platforms, they still need to distinguish themselves from that. But if they do want to end up doing this, the solution is simple: make a smartphone. Sony is already at that with the Xperia Play and the whole ''Playstation Certified'' line of phones (which I'm not particularly attracted to). I just don't see Nintendo succeeding in this area otherwise.

The going is tough for the Portable platforms and the future is really uncertain for everybody if you ask me :P. But now Nintendo cannot be called the Portable King anymore and this is simply GREAT, expect awesome games to pop out from everywhere! lebanese_boy

Oh don't be naive REV, we are people who play serious games big games but those other games are meant to appeal to a wider audience. And appeal they do. Anybody can play the likes of Angry Birds and Cut The Rope and these games are sometimes selling more than Zelda.

I'm not encouraging these kind of portable games, unlike many people on these forums who think they know a thing or two about how a portable game should be, I don't want a stripped-down version of what a game could be just so I can call it portable. I do believe that bringing the same kind of experience you get on a home console is what should go into a portable one. The one thing I'm afraid of is that developers see the cheap games like angry birds take over and that they abandon their high-budget games to go and make those kind of games inwhich I can't stand playing for more than 5 minutes. That's not the future of gaming that I want. Luckily for me, there's still the PSVita and Sony and all of the developers who work on that platform share the same vision as me.

BTW the PSVita will start at 250$ USD, almost exactly like I predicted. Hot competition for Nintendo, could Nintendo be in danger? We'll see how they'll react, I think Nintendo might drop the price of the 3DS by at least 50$ for the holidays that's for damn sure. I think everybody can finally shut up about the price and quit complaining, the PSVita is going to be a much serious competition to Nintendo than the PSP ever dreamed of.

1. Calling my argument naive doesn't make your argument any more valid.
2. I never claimed that games like "Angry Birds" don't appeal to a more mass audience, and I don't really think it's my place to say that it's a good thing or a bad thing. Yes, it introduces more people to gaming ... cool. But yes, as you said, it encourages developers to dumb-down their efforts in development as a result, and who wants to be stuck with carbon copies of the same gimmicky game? This was Nintendo's big mistake with Wii, and thankfully, they seem to be (finally) realizing this.
3. The "Nintendo vs. Sony" discussion has been beaten to death, so I don't want to dwell on this too much. However, I will say that, as someone who has annoyingly been waiting all day for a 3DS system update that shouldn't even have been necessary, Nintendo has a bit of a problem on their hands. At the same time, I don't think they're problems they can't (and won't) effectively address. What Nintendo has consistently one-upped (har har har, punny) Sony over the course of the past few years, is their marketing. Nintendo knows how to market a product, and they know who to market it to. They know that the infant market is still their's, that casual buyers dig a nice gimmick, and that despite the "love hate relationship" fans have with the company, they'll always stick by the brand no matter what mess-ups they run into. Nintendo knows how to make **** shine, and that's how they managed to milk Nintendo DS for everything it was worth for seven years as opposed to the Gameboy Advance's meager three. (Which isn't to say that the platform wasn't worthy of seven years, just that the technology was incredibly outdated by the end of its life cycle.)With some rebranding and a few interface changes (Nintendo really needs to pull a Microsoft and revamp their interface ala Xbox Live circa 2009), they'll still come out on top. After all, technology doesn't make for a good gaming experience, a game makes for a good gaming experience.

I agree with your third point REV, after all Sony's marketing for the PSP was a complete joke and kept the console from ever gaining any big success (outside of Japan that is). But from what we've been in the last two years, Sony's marketing has greatly improved and hopefully this means that the PSVita will get a better shot than the PSP, it'll be good for everybody. Also for the Angry Birds thing, it wasn't about anything you said, I was just talking.

I was calling your argument naive because you're drawing out the mobile phone games simply by taste, ''You don't believe that people will play these games as seriously and as time-consumming as a game like Zelda''. Where do you get that from? My uncle plays Ninjump on his iPhone longer than I spend one session of play of Ninja Gaiden Sigma on my PS3 :|. Some people spend an unbelieveable amount of time on Angry Birds because of it's ''addicting'' gameplay. I mean, I too don't understand how someone can literally sit down and play Angry Birds for at least half an hour but I won't say that this kind of thing doesn't happen. The mobile space isn't simply playing an ''interesting'' role REV, whether you like it or not its sales are rivaling those of PSP and DS combined.

You don't believe they'll ever be dominant, believe so my friend as they already are. You can put that number of DS units sold to rest, around 200 million iOS devices (iTouch, iPhone, iPad) have been sold so far and I'm not even counting Window Phone 7, Nokia and Android. Mobile games are selling like hotcakes, it's time to finally aknownledge it as a legit platform.

So.... Wii U..... What a terrible, terrible name. Although the new Zelda game for Wii U look awesome from the literally five seconds you saw it. Also I'm loving the Zelda music stuff, must get for me.bededog

Totally agree.  It's like they wanted to outdo themselves with the previous worst console name ever.  I really don't think Nintendo is interested in appealing to me any longer.  I guess I'm too old to be in their target audience these days.  I'm still intrigued by the console, but certainly wasn't wowed.

.....

WHAT THE **** IS THE DEAL WITH THE ****ING CONTROLLER?? WHAT??? HOW... WHAT??? AND WIIMOTE?? WHAT??? HUH??? WHICH?? HOW THE HELL WILL IT EVER BE COMFORTABLE?????? AND HOW MUCH WILL THIS ***** COST ALONE? WHAT ABOUT MOTION SENSING??? WHAT??? WILL WE HAVE TO BUY WIIMOTES? OLD OR NEW ONES? THIS ***** BETTER NOT USE AA BATTERIES!!!!

Ok this controller has really left me clueless, I mean back when the Wiimote was announced I had faith in it. But now I see this thing and I'm like WHAT???

What were you guys expecting?? It's the same company that gave us the name Wii and didn't give 2 ***** about what anybody else said. So of course they'll milk the name for all its worth.

I'm happy that the console looks to be at least on par with the Xbox 360 and PS3, so at least it'll get most multiplat games and won't be left behind. Hopefully this also means the end of motion sensing gimmicks. I loved the Wiimote + Nunchuck but so few games utilized it well. TBH I don't think I can name one that utilized it to its true potential.

The console is in full HD, perfect. I've seen the Zelda demo thing but apparently it's just a reworked stage of Zelda TP to show the potential of the WiiU. Please Nintendo don't make this to be a successor to the Zelda Spaceworld 2000 demo (thumbs up to those who know what I'm talking about) and please give us a Zelda game that looks like that! Other than that, I think Nintendo may be on to something, I actually want to see more about this console. Deffinitely looks more interesting than the Wii is at the moment, I can say that much.

I will be LIVID if that Zelda demo doesn't turn into a game. You're right, lebs, Spaceworld was bad enough.

 As a whole, I'm pretty content with Wii U. The name is a little corny, but I understand their logic behind it. It's their cheap way of continuing the Wii brand (in the same way that the 3DS is an extension of the DS brand). After all, they have no real reason to kill a successful brand name.

The controller itself is very intriguing, but what I don't really understand, is if the system is only supposed to use one controller? They only demonstrated the console with one controller unit; the others were all Wii remotes. And can I just say, that the console itself truly is a "Wii60"? It looks like the two system had an ugly lovechild. 

Oh, and lebs, I don't buy into the idea that all 200 million of those people download and play games. Everyone in my family owns a smartphone, and not one of us (myself included) have downloaded any video games for our phones. It's the reality of a multimedia device - just because it has a feature, doesn't mean you're going to use it. 

The Wii U has an interesting name. It certainly has a lot of potential yet that was only the controller they showed. It is was good to see some solid third party support easpically from EA. I also have more interest in the 3DS with the games they showed like Super Mario, Mario Kart, and Luigi Mansion's 2. One complaint is that they didn't announce ANY games for the Wii besides Zelda. It looks like the Wii is goiong to suffocate before and after Zelda releases. HyruleanLink

So you didn't see the Kirby game after the conference? That actually looked really good imo.

The WiiU, I think, is a really good name considering the Wii is such a recognizable name now; everyone knows what the Wii is. The controller is really interesting, but from all I've read, you will only have one of them which could end up poorly. I know I'd like to have more than one of those (at least 2). Imagine 4 Swords on the WiiU (though it would be expensive for everyone to have one of those controllers). At least it supports all the Wii stuff, and seeing how 3DS recently was able to transfer DSi content, I have no worries that the WiiU will have something similar.

The only thing the WiiU needs in my opinion now is a revamp to the UI and a new improved online service. I don't think it will happen, but I am praying for usernames and more integration with the entire system; along with an improved friends list. It really has potential, but it all depends on what Nintendo does with it.

[QUOTE="HyruleanLink"]The Wii U has an interesting name. It certainly has a lot of potential yet that was only the controller they showed. It is was good to see some solid third party support easpically from EA. I also have more interest in the 3DS with the games they showed like Super Mario, Mario Kart, and Luigi Mansion's 2. One complaint is that they didn't announce ANY games for the Wii besides Zelda. It looks like the Wii is goiong to suffocate before and after Zelda releases. Phantom5800

So you didn't see the Kirby game after the conference? That actually looked really good imo.

The WiiU, I think, is a really good name considering the Wii is such a recognizable name now; everyone knows what the Wii is. The controller is really interesting, but from all I've read, you will only have one of them which could end up poorly. I know I'd like to have more than one of those (at least 2). Imagine 4 Swords on the WiiU (though it would be expensive for everyone to have one of those controllers). At least it supports all the Wii stuff, and seeing how 3DS recently was able to transfer DSi content, I have no worries that the WiiU will have something similar.

The only thing the WiiU needs in my opinion now is a revamp to the UI and a new improved online service. I don't think it will happen, but I am praying for usernames and more integration with the entire system; along with an improved friends list. It really has potential, but it all depends on what Nintendo does with it.

I will be LIVID if that Zelda demo doesn't turn into a game. You're right, lebs, Spaceworld was bad enough.

 As a whole, I'm pretty content with Wii U. The name is a little corny, but I understand their logic behind it. It's their cheap way of continuing the Wii brand (in the same way that the 3DS is an extension of the DS brand). After all, they have no real reason to kill a successful brand name.

The controller itself is very intriguing, but what I don't really understand, is if the system is only supposed to use one controller? They only demonstrated the console with one controller unit; the others were all Wii remotes. And can I just say, that the console itself truly is a "Wii60"? It looks like the two system had an ugly lovechild. 

Oh, and lebs, I don't buy into the idea that all 200 million of those people download and play games. Everyone in my family owns a smartphone, and not one of us (myself included) have downloaded any video games for our phones. It's the reality of a multimedia device - just because it has a feature, doesn't mean you're going to use it. 

REVOLUTIONfreak

There's no doubt that this controller will be expensive, probably more than a PS3/360 controller. I think I read somewhere that they were going to limit 2 of those controllers to be able to connect to the console at the same time just for that and because it wouldn't make sense to promote 4-player games with such an expensive controller. Thus keeping Wiimotes in the loop, I may need to switch to at least one of those Wiimote+ controllers at some point.

As for mobile games: I was just throwing that number in there, but the fact is that games in the App Store have enjoyed tremendous sales. I mean, I remember reading at some point that Angry Birds sold around 200 million copies and that was months ago and that's just Angry Birds! And I'm still JUST talking about Apple and it's App Store, we haven't even touched the rest of the games and the other download services. Many in my family have an iOS device and each of them have bought at least one game on it, that I can vouch for. But of course not all 200 million iOS users have bought games, some of them have not even downloaded a single app!

IGN has reported the death of friend codes.

Hurrah!

IGN has reported the death of friend codes.

Hurrah!

REVOLUTIONfreak

IGN has reported the death of friend codes.

Hurrah!

REVOLUTIONfreak

http://wii.ign.com/articles/117/1174844p1.html

Sadly this may be false news, hopefully I'm wrong but what I've read on Kotaku tells a different story: http://kotaku.com/5810167/ubisoft-is-kissing-friend-codes-goodbye

This basically means that it's coming only from Ubisoft and Nintendo clearly never said a word on that matter. But I'm siding with Kotaku on that one; if Ubisoft decided to do it this way, it doesn't mean others will. And this definitely doesn't confirm the death of friend codes. IGN jumped the gun too quick, but tbh I've never had any faith in IGN reportings in the first place.....

Wii U...what an awful name.  You guys hit the nail on your head about continuing the brand, but that's exactly what turns me off.  I thought this whole "hardcore approach" was a distinct effort to get away from the mom/grandma console that was the Wii, but obviously the name "Wii U" proves that that isn't the case.

If they wanted hardcore gamers like me to get excited about it--and also to forget how bad they screwed us with the Wii--they should have taken the Wii name out completely and shown us that they wanted to start from scratch and do something completely different.

To me, the Wii U looks like a slight graphical upgrade from the Wii and nothing more.  At this point I can't see myself buying one, which is a HUGE statement coming from a guy that has bought EVERY Nintendo home console almost immediately after launch.  I'm embarassed to say that I even waited in line for the Wii on launch day, which I certainly will not be doing again for the Wii U.

This has become a constant thing, but I have to say it again: Nintendo, you disappoint me.

Not to pile on, but I just saw a G4 interview about Skyward Sword and now I'm not very interested in that, either.  Supposedly flying on the big bird is the main focus of the game, very similar to sailing in Wind Waker.  While I loved WW, I absolutely HATED the sailing and I can't imagine why Nintendo would want to copy that aspect of it.  The Nintendo rep that was being interviewed even said that it was similar to WW!  Did they not hear any of the critisicm about that game.  To be honest, I'm still gonna play it eventually b/c I have always loved Zelda, but I don't think it'll be a must-have launch-day purchase for me.

 

Wii U...what an awful name.  You guys hit the nail on your head about continuing the brand, but that's exactly what turns me off.  I thought this whole "hardcore approach" was a distinct effort to get away from the mom/grandma console that was the Wii, but obviously the name "Wii U" proves that that isn't the case.

If they wanted hardcore gamers like me to get excited about it--and also to forget how bad they screwed us with the Wii--they should have taken the Wii name out completely and shown us that they wanted to start from scratch and do something completely different.

To me, the Wii U looks like a slight graphical upgrade from the Wii and nothing more.  At this point I can't see myself buying one, which is a HUGE statement coming from a guy that has bought EVERY Nintendo home console almost immediately after launch.  I'm embarassed to say that I even waited in line for the Wii on launch day, which I certainly will not be doing again for the Wii U.

This has become a constant thing, but I have to say it again: Nintendo, you disappoint me.

murlow12

Personally, I'm very excited for Wii U, assuming they provide quality content. And really, I'm not too concerned this time around. I was impressed to see Activision and EA so firmly behind Nintendo, with Assassin's Creed being announced and EA making it a point to have a presence at Nintendo's conference. Nintendo was doing some flaunting, and I think it was wise of them to send that little reminder to Sony and Microsoft that despite criticism in the industry, Nintendo still owns the show and dictates the direction of the video game world.

I don't know about dictate, but Nintendo definitely holds a large amount of influence over which direction the VG Industry might take in general.

But I have to side with REV on that one murlow, I think you need to give it some time because you might end up liking it in the end. As far as the graphics go, I'm pretty confident it can handle at the very least Xbox 360 which is a must for a home console at this point. They might end up even better than the 360's, who knows?

But I'm mostly excited about the PS VITA, really I think Sony will get it right this time. People are excited about it even while there weren't many games announced for it. Can't wait to see those.