Lens of Truth

Personally I think that's a flimsy excuse and nothing more than an excuse. If they wanted they could have no gamepad support other than off TV play (which from what we know is as simple to implement in development as the flick of a switch!). The same experience is possible. That tale washes better with internet fans though than "the Wii U isn't selling and we haven't got the money to finance a port with potentially little return". There's no reason whatever why games like Zack & Wiki couldn't be done on the Wii U. I don't see why we should treat having the option as almost like it doesn't exist (don't we always complain that Nintendo don't offer enough options?). I liked the Wii Remote too and hope some games other than Nintendo Land use it - maybe even in conjunction with the gamepad screen, like Pikmin!

I think they hoped things like Pikmin and Wonderful 101 would be finished during the launch window, but cranking the games out is taking longer than expected. With the Wii receiving such scant 1st party support for so long you'd have expected them to be deep in development. How on earth has Pikmin 3 taken this long?

Indeed, and something like the soundtrack being boring after a few hours is entirely subjective and true for 90% of games!

Of all the theories and what-ifs about the Wii U I've seen this has to be one of the least convincing! So if Nintendo had stuck with the Wiimote (which of course they have as an option) and not put a more traditional controller at the forefront (sorry folks, that's what the gamepad is!), then the Wii U would have got ports of Tomb Raider et al... hmmm. I love how people like to think up 1001 weird and wonderful reasons why third parties are dragging their heels with a new Nintendo console that's not selling like hot cakes. This goes back to the N64 and is a simple matter of sales viability + long-established Nintendo paranoia. The Wii Remote as the main control scheme again wouldn't have shifted an iota of the stigma. You know the comments/news items would be "we really hoped Nintendo would go back to a more conventional control layout this time", "our games just don't fit with that", "Nintendo shuns hardcore gamer, choses last gen waggle". They've made sure that implementing the gamepad (in a tokenistic way if you like) is the easiest thing in the world. And if of course they're so enamoured of the Wiimote, it's there!

I'm a bit surprised by the 'minor' screen-tearing too - I thought Vsync was pretty much mandatory on the Wii U. Early footage of the game had tearing galore, so I'm glad it's been reduced significantly (going on recent gameplay trailers). You can't ignore the conclusion though:

What, really??? My god, so no component out? *checks previous page*

I've been *this* close to picking up a PS3 for months now, mainly for Ninokuni, but more generally for the fantastic back-catalogue. If/when I do I'll definitely give Infamous a shot!

Yeah, it'll just be a black box anyway Perhaps they thought it best to preserve their modesty, as it's likely to be rather big. They'll still be in the final stages of finessing the form factor. Yeah I thought it was about as good as anyone could've expected from Sony. The presentation could've been punchier, but there was a lot in it and it struck me that they are striving for a very all-embracing platform. The lack of engaging games / gameplay footage (for some) is only to be expected at launch. I thought the Wii U reveal was pretty good too though. The problem was the PS4 was hyped as the second coming and the reality is almost everyone connected with gaming (and in the wider media) is jaded as hell! Unless Microsoft show off the next big thing in casual gaming or something truly wondrous I don't see it making a bigger splash.

I played the original when it first came out and always felt it to be a touch overrated, though still decent enough, as you say. It's a a hodgepodge of different ideas, none of which are fully realised. The story, setting and characters are the big draw, but even there it feels like bags of potential more than anything. I'd LOVE a sequel to see the light of day for that very reason (and the ending was practically begging for it)!

So that article speaks of Microsoft being puerile and then goes on to say: And pleeease, everyone should face the reality, whether they like it or not, that new generation stated with a fab little game called NintendoLand

I'm tempted now! Kind of miss the original 3DS. Are smudges less noticeable on the Ice White exterior?

Guess I should take a gander then! It's impossible to play this with the game pad and not end up with your eyes gravitating down to it, no matter how nice it looks on the big screen. Seems easier for me to get to grips with looking at the pad screen too

The sidekicks freed me from being encased in a snowball a few times Is there another way or do you have to run around and wait? The download was pretty quick for me. I suppose it depends what time you do it and how busy the servers are.

Woops! So it is Actual 1-14 sounds vaguely familiar, but I can't even hazard a guess.

Added a couple more to Level 1:

The situation seems to have improved on that score recently with Criterion's enthusiasm for the platform's capabilities (and saying all future titles from them will be released simultaneously) and the announcement of Watchdogs. The biggest factor will simply be whether the Wii U sells or not. And third parties don't need excuses beyond that not to support Nintendo platforms! Of course you're right though, and it does seem incredibly naive of Nintendo to think parity-plus-a-bit-extra with 6/7 year old hardware will ensure support into the future. It'll be interesting to see how Destiny turns out. It's the first and second party content that drives Nintendo platforms though, and I wanted to point out the difference of emphasis causing some of the mixed reactions. It's as simple as, if you hype something to hell and back some people will be disappointed I was pretty impressed by the footage shown and if it does release at sub-£399 then it's a bit of a bargain!

*Raises hand as someone who thought PS4's graphics were more than good enough and has always wished the Wii U could handle 1080p across the board. Part of the reason for some of those responses (and I don't think it is always "the same people") is that the graphics/horsepower has been the focus of the PS4 hype and conference and it never was with the Wii U - other than "thank god it's finally HD". I think comments (and endless internet opinion pieces) that bang on about the Wii U's graphics not being "all that" are missing the point even further.

Yeah, had a go earlier. Looks great, pretty deep 3D (a rarity these days), music is so-so by series' standards, jumping/platforming seems disappointingly floaty and not at all sure about the combat. I think I'll have to see a good few glowing write-ups before I buy it. Not bad by any means, just not sure it's my kinda 'vania.

So having played both demos, I feel this is a much better experience on the Wii U - control-wise and the graphics are a nice improvement. The thing is, I really can't get into the vibe of the game at all! I worry that if I buy it I'll end up bored and trading within a fortnight, like I did with Tri. I'm willing to be converted... For a start I'm rubbish at it! Secondly it seems very clunky and grindy. Maybe if I played online with you guys I'd get into the groove?

Despite thinking it has potential for the future, maybe 2 years down the line when it's a decent price, I feel exactly the same way (didn't think it was worth saying so in the PS4 thread!). After all that, playing F-Zero, browsing Miiverse and helping my brother unlock the last bonus level in Trine 2 was like a breath of fresh air. There's something very 'homely' about the Wii U that makes it a joy to switch on each day.

Level 1: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15 Level 2: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 11, 14, 15 Level 3: 7, 8, 9, 10, 15 Whatever 2-9 is I need to know- funky as hell! There were a couple I thought I've heard but couldn't place. Also, does anyone else think Star Fox's Corneria owes a great deal to 3-15? Both top tracks of course!

For anyone who missed it like me:

The only thing that holds the 3DS back is its low resolution imo - and having the 3D on mitigates that to a degree. Really unsure about whether to get this redo after completing and trading in the original...

Wow, that's really a testament to how great the 3DS original looks! I suppose it would be more revealing in bigger pics.