The Nintendo Wii U is Great Thread

[BigJKO]

Yes! Iwata holding a banana for announcements should just be Nintendo's thing from now on. It's wonderful.

Also, yeah, I can see that the Wind Waker remake is quite different in looks, but I think it's pretty faithful to the art direction of the old one. I wish they'd tone down that contrast filter that's making the shadows extra strong, though.. Loved the very smooth/subtle look the old game had.

[Thrik]

The biggest disappointment with the virtual console is that it sounds like they're going to slowly trickle the same games out all over again. So it's likely that the final Wii U VC Library will actually be SMALLER than the Wii's.

I was pretty annoyed that as few weeks ago, just before I had a random urge to replay them, all the DKC games had been removed from the Wii store.

[tegan]

The best thing right now is that the internet is collectively bitching about Wind Waker HD's new graphics. It's like 2002 all over again.

Can I also express my fondness for the fact that Nintendo is just going with Iwata, reading from an autocue while standing stiff as a plank, for making their huge announcements? It's so wonderfully down to earth. He should do it, because he's the guy making the decisions. No flash, no actors, no pumping iron, just the real Iwata.

I'm surprised it wasn't Reggie, to be honest. He's usually the one doing the American Nintendo Directs. What I like most about Iwata doing these is that they clearly realized a while back that he overuses his one gesture and started poking fun at it.

[lobotomy42]

The stream only talked about the Wii U, and i don't recall it being said which system libraries would be present at the launch of the Wii U VC. I'm sure they'll start with some of the core NES/SNES stuff and branch out from there as they build the selection back up with new/updated additions.

Wait... GBA games on the Wii U VC?

Where did you read that?

In the stream, Iwata definitely mentioned NES, SNES and GBA.

[JonCole]

Ubisoft announced at today's earnings call that Rayman Legends is going multiplat and the Wii U version is delayed to September. Hooray for things no longer tempting me to buy the Wii U right now.

[Larsen B]

Who'd have thought in PlayStation era that a Rayman game would be the straw that broke the camel's back when it came to people buying a Nintendo console. What a world we live in.

I want to get off.

Super bummed about it being delayed until September. I loved the demo and was looking forward to getting it next month. Oh well.

[miffy495]

The demo at a gamestop nearly sold me on a Wii U right there. Still intend to get myself one as a grad present, but whatever. How will the multiplat work with all the gyro/touch screen business? Will it require tethering a Vita to your PS3 or using Smartglass stuff for 360? Confusing.

[Bork Laser]

It stinks that this game was delayed so close to release, but I've got a lot to keep me busy for now. Ultimately I buy Nintendo hardware for Nintendo games and I typically enjoy most of their output, so I can be patient until this launch slump ends.

[tegan]

So F-Zero's been added to the eShop as part of the 30 cent deal. This is probably the most would play for an F-Zero game, but whatevs.

[Sno]

The fact that it's been ten years since the last F-Zero game is just mind boggling to me.

GX was an incredible game, i've been starving for more of that series.

[tegan]

So Nintendo unveiled the first game to utilize the Wii U gamepad's NFC technology, Pokémon Rumble U.

 

 

 

 

You buy tiny adorable Pokémon figurines and place them on the gamepad to unlock them in-game. Like Skylanders, but with Pokémon. Wallets will be destroyed.

[Larsen B]

If they made it so you could buy a toy Waluigi and that would unlock him as a playable character in Mario Golf, Mario Tennis, Smash Bros., etc. I think then I may sell my soul to Nintendo.

 

Not a day before.

[Frenetic Pony]

If they made it so you could buy a toy Waluigi and that would unlock him as a playable character in Mario Golf, Mario Tennis, Smash Bros., etc. I think then I may sell my soul to Nintendo.

 

Not a day before.

 

Inside the toy there's a microphone, that plays "Waluigi numba one!" when you unlock him in a game.

[Roderick]

WEHEHEEEEH!

The Pokemon thing is disappointing: Rumble is hardly the best thing the franchise has ever put forth. Another dreary spin-off. /not impressed

[BigJKO]

Instead of resurrecting the Wii thread for this, here's something hilarious. I never played Wii FPS Conduit or its sequel. They announced some new iOS endless runner game, and with that news post was a link to a video of Conduit 2's cliffhanger ending that was never picked up in a third game, because of lousy sales. It is bonkers. 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpmMzfphZNE

 

I hope Conduit 3 never ever gets made and this will remain just an insane ending to a series.

[tegan]

Punch-Out!! went up on Virtual Console today! And just as a reminder, Lego City Undercover and Monster Hunter are both out this week, plus Virtual Console proper goes up sometime next month, probably the same day that Kirby's Adventure goes up. I feel like I'm going to finally be able to play some games on this thing besides Nintendo Land and Runner 2.

[tegan]

Good news for anyone who's fed up with the terrible load times for the system menu! The April update has a preview video up:

 

[tegan]

So Nintendo did a Nintendo Direct today where they discussed a few things:

 

• New Flying Pikmin that we already knew about officially revealed, still no release date for Pikmin 3 but the boxart looks great.
• The Spring update for the Wii U will be released next week
• The Wii U Virtual console service will be released the following week, and include quite a number of middling NES games at launch.
• but fuck that because, due to overwhelming demand voiced through Miiverse, Earthbound is coming to Virtual Console later this year.

I have never been so excited.

[miffy495]

I have made the decision. As I finish my degree work this week, I'm celebrating with a Wii U. Buying one tomorrow on my way home from handing in my final paper. You win, Nintendo. You promise me Earthbound, you get my money.

[Sno]

So glad to see Earthbound finally getting the re-release it deserves.

[tegan]

The monumental thing about Earthbound is that it was just assumed it would never happen due to the crazy amount of shit in that game that infringes copyright laws.

My secret fantasy is that EA will join the bandwagon and pay Volkswagen royalties or something so I can finally get another release of Beetle Adventure Racing, the secret best game on the N64.

 

Also, just as a heads-up, Kirby's Adventure is now on the eShop for thirty cents as of a few hours ago.

 

Oh, also, Iwata confirmed in the Nintendo Direct that N64 games are indeed returning to the Wii U virtual console, they just don't have a date yet. They also restated that yes, GBA games will be coming as well. I hope they put Gamecube on VC eventually. It would be nice to only have to own two consoles to play Nintendo's entire catalog.

[shammack]

The monumental thing about Earthbound is that it was just assumed it would never happen due to the crazy amount of shit in that game that infringes copyright laws.

 

I wonder if that stuff is going to be taken out? That would be a shame, but I guess it's better than the game not being available at all. I still have my SNES cartridge, but sooner or later the battery is going to give out.

[mikemariano]

Meanwhile, Mother 3 and Earthbound Zero...

[syntheticgerbil]

I think the copyright stuff was just a rumor if I'm correct. Is there any solid proof of threat for copyright issues?

[tegan]

I don't think anyone ever made any actual legal threats, but there was certainly lots of opportunities to. Literally the first piece of background music (the name selection screen) is mostly sampled from Monty Python's Flying Circus.