It's Not Wii U, It's Me

[Malacite]

[cidbahamut]

Re: It's Not Wii U, It's Me

No.

[Icemage]

Re: It's Not Wii U, It's Me

Catchy and funny. Geek and Sundry is a pretty cool YT channel.

That said, too early to bury the Wii U yet despite its terrible sales. Let's see what Nintendo has in store at E3 and how they do this holiday with the PS3, Xbox 360, PS4 and next Xbox all on the market. If they fail then and still don't have any good games, then maybe it's time to get out the shovels.


Icemage

[Etra]

Re: It's Not Wii U, It's Me

That was just awful.

[Malacite]

Re: It's Not Wii U, It's Me

lol E3... Nintendo never has anything good at E3, gotta wait for TGS usually for their best material.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: It's Not Wii U, It's Me

lol E3... Nintendo never has anything good at E3, gotta wait for TGS usually for their best material.

Er... Nintendo hasn't had a TGS showing in several years. They usually had their own event shortly after. In years prior, E3 was usually where they had the biggest showing (and usually the best, minus the last two) Usually, they have the own event shortly after TGS. Its not too terribly surprising Nintendo's backing out of E3 this year, given how successful the Nintendo Directs and having smaller events have been at generation hype. Even from the perspective of retailers and the press, E3 was making less and less sense each year anyway. I'm actually rather surprised MS and Sony haven't followed suit yet or having Direct-like presentations.

Its really better for everyone, not only is it more accessible to the gaming public, but retailers and journalists as well. And if you miss the main stream, they have the video streams posted on their eShop services and Youtube within hours of the presentation - so no one really misses anything.

[Icemage]

Re: It's Not Wii U, It's Me

Er... Nintendo hasn't had a TGS showing in several years. They usually had their own event shortly after. In years prior, E3 was usually where they had the biggest showing (and usually the best, minus the last two) Usually, they have the own event shortly after TGS. Its not too terribly surprising Nintendo's backing out of E3 this year, given how successful the Nintendo Directs and having smaller events have been at generation hype. Even from the perspective of retailers and the press, E3 was making less and less sense each year anyway. I'm actually rather surprised MS and Sony haven't followed suit yet or having Direct-like presentations.

Its really better for everyone, not only is it more accessible to the gaming public, but retailers and journalists as well. And if you miss the main stream, they have the video streams posted on their eShop services and Youtube within hours of the presentation - so no one really misses anything.

Nintendo really shouldn't back out of E3 this year. They need that mainstream exposure, and Nintendo Directs don't give them that. The fact that they're not holding a main conference there is baffling to me, unless they're calculating that they can't compete with Sony and Microsoft's announcements.

Nintendo ditches main E3 conference, still there with games, press events, N-Direct - NeoGAF

At E3 this year, we are not planning to launch new hardware, and our main activity at E3 will be to announce and have people experience our software. Many people are certainly very interested in learning more about the Wii U titles that we are going to announce. We will use E3 as an ideal opportunity to talk in detail mainly about the Wii U titles that we are going to launch this year, and we also plan to make it possible for visitors to try the games immediately. As a brand new challenge, we are working to establish a new presentation style for E3.

First, we decided not to host a large-scale presentation targeted at everyone in the international audience where we announce new information as we did in the past.
Instead, at the E3 show this year, we are planning to host a few smaller events that are specifically focused on our software lineup for the U.S. market. There will be one closed event for American distributors, and we will hold another closed hands-on experience event, for mainly the Western gaming media. Also, I did not speak at last year’s presentation, and I am not planning to speak at these events at the E3 show this year either. Apart from these exclusive events for visitors, we are continuing to investigate ways to deliver information about our games directly to our home audience around the time of E3. We will share more information about them once they have officially been decided.

You're correct about TGS though. They've not been there in several years, but I suspect they may make an appearance there this year as well. Even in Japan, they can use all the exposure they can get because there's still a ton of consumer ignorance about the Wii U.

EDIT: It occurs to me that this is Nintendo's equivalent of folding in poker. They know they don't have a good enough hand to beat Sony and Microsoft at wresting control of the hype-train of E3, so they're trying something else. I still think it's unwise, but the only way the move to de-emphasize E3 makes sense is if they don't believe that what they have to show will be compelling enough to outshine new consoles with new software from the competition.

Icemage

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: It's Not Wii U, It's Me

Nintendo really shouldn't back out of E3 this year. They need that mainstream exposure, and Nintendo Directs don't give them that. The fact that they're not holding a main conference there is baffling to me, unless they're calculating that they can't compete with Sony and Microsoft's announcements.

With Gamescon, PAX East, Pax Prime, TGS, San Diego Comic Con, TGS and even GDC, DICE and (hell, I'm feeling generous) the Spike Award all out there - why do we even need e3 anymore? A decade ago it was just e3 and now its nigh-impossible for e3 to even start without most of the games being leaked anyway. There is nothing special about e3 now and there's a fair amount of the press that doesn't want to go out because its easier to follow the press releases that physically be on the floor.

And mainstream exposure? its not like anyone is lacking for news on the internet. Billy Bob out in No Internets, Nowhere might have to hold out for his issue of Game Informer for the latest news, but me getting their e3 issue each year is a damn waste of paper at this point. I'd much rather they stuck to their usual in-depth exclusives with developers since that's all they really have going for them now.

I think the games will still speak for themselves. Gamers want to hear about the games. The press and setailers come to hear about the games and see them. Roughly half, if not more, of Sony and MS's conferences are watching executives pleasure themselves on stage, talking about shit you don't buy, services you don't want and things that are not games. Hell, they bring out people for celebrity endorsements and think that impresses anyone. Most people are still wondering what the hell Usher had to do with MS's conference or why pro-athletes are needed on-stage to play a sports title.

MS's conferences have been near-irrelevant in the last two years, while Nintendo and Sony have really just had mediocre showings. MS is having their Xbox press event just weeks ahead of e3 so I seriously doubt there will be many huge announcements between that and e3. Epic's next game is already a farce, touted as the next Gears and met with apathy and is almost forgotten now.

I think you'd have to be living under a rock not to have heard about the next Zelda 3DS game, though.

[Malacite]

Re: It's Not Wii U, It's Me

As long as MS doesn't have Usher again, I think it'll be mostly OK.

Dear lord he was awful.

- - - Updated - - -

As long as MS doesn't have Usher again, I think it'll be mostly OK.

Dear lord he was awful.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: It's Not Wii U, It's Me

As long as MS doesn't have Usher again, I think it'll be mostly OK.

Dear lord he was awful.

No, he's not awful - it was just the question of why he was even there. Yes, he helped choreograph some stuff for Dance Central 3 - its just not a reason to waste people's time with a celebrity endorsement. That sort of thing doesn't sway gamers. We want to see developers out on stage, or at least the suits we don't want to kill on sight.

Sony and MS could stand to get some more likable faces out on stage. Its actually a shame Sony let David Jaffe get away because as outspoken as he is I like the guy and I'm inclined to think he's the sort of guy people would gravitate toward during a presentation. Then again, he's not one for bullshitting and pulling the wool over your eyes, so maybe that's why.

[Icemage]

Re: It's Not Wii U, It's Me

With Gamescon, PAX East, Pax Prime, TGS, San Diego Comic Con, TGS and even GDC, DICE and (hell, I'm feeling generous) the Spike Award all out there - why do we even need e3 anymore? A decade ago it was just e3 and now its nigh-impossible for e3 to even start without most of the games being leaked anyway. There is nothing special about e3 now and there's a fair amount of the press that doesn't want to go out because its easier to follow the press releases that physically be on the floor.

These things have been said year in and year out, but you know what?

Mainstream press do not generally cover PAX, GamesCom, TGS, SDCC, GDC or DICE because they are gaming-related conventions (SDCC and NYCC get some coverage but often more for their links to comic book subculture than their gaming elements). E3 is more than just gaming; while the computer and console gaming industry has dominated E3 for decades, the fact is that other sorts of electronics still get shown at E3, and that's reason enough for mainstream media to cover it beyond simply a passing interest in gaming.

That is what makes E3 unique among the annual industry conventions, and it is why, despite the yearly predictions of E3's slide into irrelevance, it continues to garner more press coverage than any other event on the calendar.

More to the point, E3 is the focal point of where the world will be watching for gaming news, with not one but two new consoles being more or less officially unveiled to the public at large.

And mainstream exposure? its not like anyone is lacking for news on the internet. Billy Bob out in No Internets, Nowhere might have to hold out for his issue of Game Informer for the latest news, but me getting their e3 issue each year is a damn waste of paper at this point. I'd much rather they stuck to their usual in-depth exclusives with developers since that's all they really have going for them now.

We're not talking about you, or me. We're talking about the people that Nintendo need to reach to sell more Wii U. What they're doing right now with Nintendo Direct works fine for communicating with existing owners and the rabid fanbase who will eventually purchase one but just don't have the funds or inclination right now. What it doesn't do is help Nintendo dispel the general ignorance of the console by the public, the apathy, the "is it a peripheral for the Wii?" problem, or anything else along those lines.

I think the games will still speak for themselves.

If that's what Nintendo's banking on, they're screwed.

Look, I love the way Nintendo makes games, but...

Right now, Nintendo is staring at a big list of anti-exclusives that looks very much like what happened to the Wii, only without the casual hypetrain. EA, evil as they may be, look like they're trying to Dreamcast the Wii U single-handedly. Except now they're joined by a lot of other publishers. THQ is gone, so their Wii U support disappears with them. Only Ubisoft, Warner Brothers, and Activision are still supporting the Wii U at any notable level so far, and none of them can be described as enthusiastic about it (see: Rayman Legends delay + multiplatform, absurdly low Call of Duty numbers, and you can't help but wonder what WB think of the LEGO City Undercover sales). Capcom has produced two ports. Squeenix is making Deus Ex: Director's Cut, which at least shows some effort - and I have a terrible suspicion that they're going to get burned on that decision because there won't be the sales to support it. Everyone else? Bethesda/ZeniMax? Take Two? Bamco? Konami? Not a peep out of any of them.

Having Nintendo games is great as long as Nintendo manages to release them. But between Pikmin being 9 months late and the rest of their game roster delayed until who knows when, and no other games even on the near horizon, there isn't much being produced by Nintendo themselves for the Wii U. And with third party support (or lack thereof) being what it is, what reason does anyone have to buy the console today?

Nintendo needs to give people reasons to buy the console. Without an install base showing up that is willing to buy games without the Nintendo name on them, those games will continue to skip the Wii U, and Nintendo cannot turn that around without expanding their audience beyond simple Nintendo die-hards. This is a lesson that the 3DS should have taught them, but it feels like the first year of the 3DS never even happened for Nintendo and they learned nothing.

I think you'd have to be living under a rock not to have heard about the next Zelda 3DS game, though.

If you're not an avid follower of video game news, chances are you probably haven't. The only 3DS game announcement I've seen that looks like it's broken through to mainstream awareness is Pokemon X/Y.

At any rate, Adam Sessler says it better than I can.

Icemage

[Malacite]

Re: It's Not Wii U, It's Me

IM beat me to it, but yah... Wii U is looking more and more like Dreamcast 2.0, only without the really awesome games like Shenmue

EDIT: Just to add to what Ice said, let's not forget that we only got Xenoblade, Last Story & Pandora's Tower only because of a constant barrage on Nintendo demanding they be ported over; Nintendo had no intentions originally of sending those titles our way.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: It's Not Wii U, It's Me

IM beat me to it, but yah... Wii U is looking more and more like Dreamcast 2.0, only without the really awesome games like Shenmue

EDIT: Just to add to what Ice said, let's not forget that we only got Xenoblade, Last Story & Pandora's Tower only because of a constant barrage on Nintendo demanding they be ported over; Nintendo had no intentions originally of sending those titles our way.

Yes, back up Icemage's points with total asspulls.

NOA's proir CEO - Tatsumi Kimishima - made that call, not NoJ. SMT X Fire Emblem and X were just reconfirmed for US release the other day and we got Fire Emblem just two months ago to kick off a swarm of RPGs this year for the 3DS. Kimishima thought there was no viable market RPGs in the US, he's clearing out his desk and returning to Kyoto to be replaced by Iwata - who will assume role of CEO in both regions now.

Also I think Icemage might find this interesting:

Rumor: Next Xbox DRM is up to the individual publisher - Destructoid

Make note that the rumor isn't whether or not there will be a DRM but what kind of DRM publishers can choose. It comes in flavors EA and Ubisoft happen to love quite a bit. This after Sony said there was no always-on and then there was... maybe. There's no denying Gaikai is a DRM of a sort, at any rate. This is going to be elephant in the room both MS and Sony are hoping the gamers and the press will ignore - but we know the more astute within the press can't.

Maybe Nintendo does know something. Maybe they'll ride the elephant.

[Icemage]

Re: It's Not Wii U, It's Me

What does DRM have to do with the Wii U's troubles? Seems to me like you're just trying to redirect the conversation. Even if you try to do so, it's not like Nintendo's record is particularly good with DRM. The fact that their online presence is so technologically backward that they literally don't have the technology in place to implement some of the more insidious forms of DRM like always-online doesn't mean they have a good DRM policy (own two Wii Us? Buy the content twice, have a nice day.).

The problems Wii U has right now are legion, and it shows in the sales numbers. No significant software. Absolutely terrible reputation in the gaming enthusiast community. No immediate hook for less dedicated gamers. Terrible marketing and branding.

Where does Nintendo go from here? I don't know. I know they have good software coming "eventually", but by the time they get their ducks in a row will it even matter? I totally want to play Bayonetta 2 and Wonderful 101 and probably most of what Nintendo's working on, but none of that really makes any difference in the grand scheme of things if Nintendo can't figure out who they want to market the console to and get some focus.


Icemage

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: It's Not Wii U, It's Me

The situation is not as grim as you're painting it. I mean. if you're celebrating Vita's surge of indie games and you've missed the ones announced for the Wii U like every other day now I can't help you there (though I am wary of Eternal Darkness' spiritual successor since Dyack is involved with Precursor Games) . They still need retail games like Vita, but I hardly think AAA publishers were ever serious about supporting Wii U in the first place. A world where its just Nintendo, the odd third party title and indies might be the difference the system needs.

Its clear being too similar to Sony and MS platforms isn't helping them. And if you think it does just look back at the Gamecube to see how weil that worked out.

Did you know Retro City Rampage was more successful on Vita than other platforms? There's a world of indie developers out there starving for that kind of captive audience and they're not finding it on iOS and sometimes not even on Steam (where Greenlight has proved at times to be a detriment more than an asset). What's working for Vita may very well work out for the Wii U and we don't entirely know what the details of the summer patch may bring there. I think they account system will be updated when Miiverse is integrated into its other target platforms. As it stands the functionality still has yet to arrive on 3DS and Smartphones.

As for E3, I looks like Nintendo is still having a media event on the presentation day. The difference seems to be, again, that Nintendo will just be talking about games while MS talks up their media hub bullshit and drags a celebrity out on stage. Be honest, which would you rather see? The press getting an advanced hands-on with games or hear about how essential Kinect is and entertainment streaming partnerships are?