I can kind of understand the idea that Nintendo wants Pokémon to be social as in people interacting with people directly... but let's be honest. Today, "social" means "online," not just "local play." They already put online battles and trades in...why not an online world, too?
You know who gets to decide which handheld platform is the "best"? The market does. That's why I consider 3DS to be winning in that department, even if it can't win in raw specs, feature sets, and an appeal to "hardcore" sensibilities. It's far and away the better platform for the average person's needs, though.
"Ridiculous things"? It's a FACT that Wii U isn't revolutionary, because it isn't doing anything to change the landscape of the industry, it isn't drawing in lots of new customers, and it's just falling into the pattern set by previous non-Wii Nintendo consoles.
All I'm doing is suggesting that maybe Wii U shouldn't be looked at as a revolution and instead that it should be looked at as a console that features all of DS and Wii's seco...
That's the thing though, Ocarina offered better graphics... and then the same features TWW HD is offering. TWW HD is offering even more new features and adjustments to the main experience... and unlike OoT, it actually needs them.
The fact that inflation and income have nothing to do with each other is EXACTLY why using inflation as a justification for higher prices is nonsense. It's your job to serve your customers by offering the right product at the right price, not by cramming in features to justify a higher price point.
What about between 1977 (Atari) and 2000 (GameCube)? The real dollar costs were exactly the same: $200.
Some games in the 80s were already $60. Yet they actually managed to stay constant at about $50 until last gen.
"Taking more dollars to buy products" is a new phenomenon for the games industry that comes with a difference in design philosophy.
I feel like I need to play this one again. Each of my play sessions felt markedly different, even on the same version. Really hard to quantify what I think.
To emphasize its use of the 3D Land-style approach to gameplay. I can agree that it's a really lame name, though, just like 3D Land was.
I don't think it can be overstated: 3D Land was a GREAT direction for the series, but held back by being the first 3D Mario built from the ground up for a handheld. I think 3D World will give the 3D Land direction the big budget, ambitious boost it should have had in the first place. 3D Mario's coming home, folks.
If Nintendo hasn't shown stuff that doesn't feel like a remake, I can only assume it's not there... for now.
The same types of software that sold $170-250 systems won't sell like they did then on a $300-350 system.
It's one of those "since I brought up 3DS, I suppose I probably should at least allude to the fact that Nintendo always dominates handhelds somewhere" deals.
But, again, doesn't really overlap all that much with Wii U's challenges.
Reason #6: 3DS was a handheld with virtually no competition.
But that one admittedly has nothing to do with Wii U...
I actually do like the DS4 a TOOOOOOON more, but I'm a bit biased against the Xbox controllers' asymmetrical layout, so I couldn't let that dominate the article.
I'm more than willing to be an early adopter if the value is right.
Since we've had plenty of $200-250 game consoles, I suppose my point is when the ultimate end value is basically the same - 5-6 years of game releases - why do these consoles have to be $200+ more than that?
I didn't (and still don't) care about those studios this gen even at PS3's current $300 price tag; why would I care about them for $400?
I still have no idea how to feel about this conference. I mean, I want to play all this stuff... but it's not like any of it (apart from 3D World) was particularly exciting for me.
Before someone tries to argue that the reason for higher prices is inflation:
NES in 1985 - $200
SNES in 1990 - $200
N64 in 1996 - $200
GameCube in 2001 - $200
Wii in 2006 - $250 (an increase which was purely a result of massive hype)
Wii U - $350 (due to the GamePad)
it's not inflation. It's added cost.
Try a $49 (after rebate) LG Rumor and no tablet.
And who'd they poll, exactly?