Tag: Donkey Kong

  • Quick Wii U Impressions (A Year Late)

    Photo courtesy wiiudaily.com
    Photo courtesy wiiudaily.com

     

    I finally did it. I knew it would happen eventually. I bought a Wii U. Despite dismal sales and severely lacking third party support I am a Nintendo fanboy at heart and I can only deny Mario, Donkey Kong, Zelda and the rest for only so long. I thought I would give you my quick impressions of Nintendo’s successor to the Wii now that I have put more than a few hours into the system (a lot of hours actually).

    1. The Wii U feels like Nintendo’s “Dreamcast”. Now I know when Sega released the Dreamcast it was far and above better than the PS1 and I felt was a better console than the PS2 for the short time it lasted. The Xbox One and PS4 have already surpassed the Wii U by leaps and bounds in the horsepower department. Where I am making the Dreamcast comparison is that it is something completely new for Nintendo to attempt and it feels very fresh because of it. Sega teamed with Microsoft to bring the Dreamcast into the online world and had the VMU memory card that went into the controller for a second screen experience never seen in consoles. Likewise Nintendo is accepting that online play is the future of games (a little late) and incorporated the MiiVerse which feels like a simplistic, yet fun online experience. Think of it as Xbox Live without all the dickheads.

    The Wii U gamepad has had its importance lessened over the past year with the various apps that Playstation and Xbox offer for a second screen. Smartglass is a fun add-on but has not made me need it in any way and remote play on the Vita is the closest thing to the Wii U gamepad. Nintendo should not downplay the use of the gamepad in the future. They should embrace it more because it is still unique even with Sony and Microsoft doing their best to emulate it.

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    2. When you actually own a Wii U Nintendo’s marketing of the system is even more horrible than you think. Some people still think the Wii U is a controller that goes with your Wii. Some people know it is a new system but don’t care because they think it is too similar to the Wii. Nintendo is doing nothing to help themselves in this department and it boggles the mind because while the Wii U will never match the numbers of the Xbox One or PS4 with the better marketing it could sell way better than the paltry numbers it is putting up. No commercials I have seen have played up the ability to watch Netflix on the gamepad from room to room or that you can control your TV and cable through the gamepad and Nintendo TVii. The name of the system doesn’t help matters. It is not as sexy or cute as Wii U but Nintendo might have been better served calling it the Wii 2 at least to give consumers (the ones who do not pay attention) a better idea that this is a new console.

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    3. There are actual games to play. Yes I know for people that bought a Wii U last year this was not the case and there were months with no releases at all but now that the system has been out for a year there are plenty of titles to pick up and get your money’s worth. A lot of people just spent $500 (me included) for an Xbox One for the hope that March’s Titanfall will be as amazing as we want it to be. You have Dead Rising, Ryse and Killer Instinct to hold you over until then but I will be honest and say I am counting down the days until March 11th. For $299 I now have something to play Super Mario 3D World, The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, Zombi U, Lego City Undercover, Super Mario and Luigi Wii U, The Wonderful 101 and Pikmin 3 with Donkey Kong coming in February and Mario Kart shortly after. Then comes Super Smash Bros. I know the other next-gen consoles will always offer more but for right now I feel justified with the purchase with what I just listed. Only two of those games are third party. I am fine with that. I have no problem playing the Wii U as a Nintendo game only machine especially when their releases are almost always worth the wait.

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    4. I can’t help but play the “what if?” game. Now that I am entrenched in Super Mario 3D World I am convinced that only a few changes would have made Nintendo’s console a success. If they could have just released 3D World when the system launched instead of Super Mario Bros. Wii U (which we have seen a lot of over the past few years on Wii and 3DS) there would have been a true system seller. This game is getting wonderful reviews (9.5’s and higher) and for good reason. It is the best 3D Mario since Super Mario 64 but more on that in my review when the game is done.

    If Super Mario 3D World could not be released in time for November of 2012 why not just hold off the console until it is ready? Nintendo had a whole year head start and it got them nowhere. Imagine a world where Nintendo holds off the Wii U until a September 2013 release, still two months before the Xbox One and Playstation 4, and launches with a 3D Mario game that people see is getting near perfect scores along with Pikmin 3, Lego City Undercover, The Wonderful 101 as well as third party games like Batman: Arkham Origins and Assassin’s Creed IV releasing on the system in October. Then hit them with the news that there won’t be a post-holiday drought with Donkey Kong coming in February and Mario Kart in March. I believe the Wii U could have sold the same four million units worldwide from September to January that it took them almost a year to sell.

    Oh if only for that.

  • Nintendo Reports Wii U Sales. There Is No Good News

    Photo courtesy geek.com
    Photo courtesy geek.com

    It appears the Wii U price drop had a positive affect on the console’s sales but not enough to really make a difference. Nintendo says the struggling console sold 300,000 units in the last quarter which is an almost 50% rise from the previous quarter sales of 160,000.

    Nintendo dropped the price of the Wii U to $299.99 and focused on only selling the deluxe model and it is still not the push the console needed. Total Wii U sales sit at just under 4 million consoles and is going to need a miracle to reach the 9 million Nintendo forecasted to sell before the end of the year.

    Super Mario 3D World is the only big release of the holiday season after Donkey Kong was delayed into 2014. Mario Kart 8 will not release until April 2014 and Smash Bros. won’t see shelves until holiday next year. With horrible sales there is no use in hoping for third party support especially with next-gen consoles a few weeks away.

    Nintendo is offering different bundles to push sales including one with Skylanders: Swap Force and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.

    This hurts as a lifelong Nintendo fan. I have yet to buy a Wii U because I still see no value in paying $300 for it. I have bought every Nintendo console but won’t think of getting one until it hits $199 which is what I was hoping would happen with the price cut a few months ago. I felt Nintendo needed to do like they did with the 3DS and just cut it way down to get sales moving. Alas, it did not happen and the Wii U looks like a defunct console as it heads to its first birthday.

  • Donkey Kong Country Returns Headed To The 3DS

    Photo courtesy Kotaku
    Photo courtesy Kotaku

    One of the announcements at this morning’s Nintendo’s Direct presentation was that Donkey Kong Country Returns would be making the trip from the Wii to Nintendo’s handheld. Aptly titled Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D (didn’t see that coming did you), the game will release this summer for the 3DS. Nintendo said a trailer for the game will be put up later today on Nintendo’s eShop.