Sheikah

But people still do want improved graphical performance, it's basic human desire for technological advancement. It's not because marketing made people want it - if I look at a screenshot of Banjo Kazooie on the N64 vs a screenshot of the Xbox HD remake I can clearly see an improvement. I haven't been brainwashed to think this. :p You could argue that there are some things that are more important than graphics to sell a console - e.g. the Wii had a great pull with motion sensing. But either way, having good hardware certainly helps on top, particularly in ensuring the console can receive many titles people want to play.

You say we're conditioned by these companies to expect graphical improvements, but I'd argue it's more of a natural expectation and progression that happens with pretty much everything. As with phones, tablets, MP3 players and TVs, we expect them to improve in terms of size, performance and where applicable, visual quality. Marketing wouldn't work if we as consumers didn't actually want these improvements - we'd otherwise just stick to a Nokia 3310 and be happy enough with it. It sounds like you're suggesting that before marketing decided to make us want better graphics, we never actually wanted it. Which I'd say to be really quite untrue, not to mention probably impossible to prove. That's why when marketing is hurling around technology that they refer to as 'next gen', I don't really see it as an evil corruption of the term. There are certain technologies such as having an SSD to drastically cut load times and improve system performance that are now affordable that weren't in the previous generation. Technology like that I might therefore consider to be a next gen feature.

I wouldn't say the term 'next gen' has been corrupted like you're suggesting; taken literally as you're suggesting it should be it would mean 'a series of consoles released within a specific time frame'. I don't really see what information that conveys to the public and is pretty arbitrary if we're being honest. As it currently stands, 'next gen' is certainly a term that marketing has helped shape and they no doubt use it to tout the new features of their consoles. But at the same time, it does have merit in that people anticipate certain key features from future consoles, and would perceive those features as 'next gen' technology. It's not something that only marketing can comprehend, or even use to describe things.

But that's just it, you're pretty much pinpointing the problem. When people throw around the term 'next gen' they aren't referring to the timeline a game came out because that's a pretty meaningless statistic, especially if a particular game like Megaman, as you rightly pointed out, isn't even trying to be anything radical or new. Next gen is more a term people often follow up with the words 'graphics', 'hardware', 'technology' or maybe even 'peripheral', if the peripheral in question is really neat and new. People might refer to a 'generation of consoles' to recall competing consoles of past eras (e.g. Xbox / GC / PS2) but when people use 'next gen', I don't think they're so much referring to a release schedule, rather particularly nifty attributes or a standard that they expect to see in future consoles. So I can appreciate people might not think the WiiU conforms to their current pre-conceptions of what is 'next gen'. @tapedeck yeah I agree, it's more of a marketing / consumer buzzword thing. But I'd still say the public are interested in features considered to be 'next gen'.

Indeed, an unspecified leap in graphical power is the one main constant that has been observed throughout pretty much the whole timeline of video game history, which is why I can see why people might think the WiiU doesn't stand alongside other 'next gen' consoles, rather seems more in line with existing consoles. A number of ports of existing PS3/360 games to WiiU helps strengthen the view that it fits in more with the current gen, I think. The only distinguishing factor here may be the tablet controller, and I guess it's up to people to decide whether that reclaims the next gen banner for it or not. There's also the potential to see the WiiU as 'not next gen' based on it potentially being shut out of a number of next gen multiformat titles as the Wii was, on account of developers perhaps not wanting to make less resource intensive versions of their games for another console.

Out of interest then, do you believe a console has the right to be called next gen simply for coming into existence at a particular time? If so, a stripped down NES equivalent released tomorrow would therefore be 'next gen', which I think we can all agree would be pretty ridiculous. I think people focus too literally on the word 'generation', like you would when referring to generations of people. In tech talk I don't think anyone using the term 'next gen' is really ever referring to the timeline in which a product was released, rather the fact that it contains modern/futuristic elements. Edit: yep, I just scrolled up and saw someone pasting dictionary definitions for "generation". Heh.

Yeah, there's no doubt that most of their Mario and Zelda titles these days follow a cookie cutter formula. The trouble with their innovation this gen is that it's not as good as last gen. I mostly have 3D off on my 3DS and I'm not really interested in a tablet controller. If people have the option of having a console that plays the same multi format games but they look a lot better and run smoother, with a far better online experience then they will get the games on that console. Equally, if there are two very high spec well established and popular consoles then developers are going to make powerful games that run on those consoles. Then there's either the option of making a scaled down version for the WiiU or skipping it altogether. That's why it's important to have a console with a level of power in the same ballpark as the other consoles.

You are almost exactly the same with anything Nintendo, always aggressively pushing your two cents in the form of badly formatted posts down people's throats. There really is irony overload in this topic.

Near that quest in area 10 where you have to hook a gold fish, near where you fish there's a log and you can find worms and frogs by. Seems to be unlimited too.

Heh, got the circle pad for the original 3DS at Game yesterday, only £5 new. Makes playing the game a lot more comfortable.

@Oxigen_Waste, like I said, you need only look at charts to see that console and handheld games are always dominating the charts not only in the UK but also in Europe. By a long shot too. If you're going to say that the figures are due to 'nearly all PC gamers pirating' then you'd have to start making up figures for PC sales which pretty much eliminates any chance of a discussion. There are some really popular PC games but that doesn't negate the fact that console gaming is much more popular, at least legally. And to say that the UK market is an isolated oddity whereas your experience in Portugal is reflective of Europe is pretty much false when you look at EU sales. Portugal must be very much the odd one out.

Those profitable games you mention, a lot of them have a subscription. They're mostly profitable because each individual pays an exorbitant sum over their playing life relative to the cost of people buying only the game on consoles. It's not like they have the majority of gamers worldwide playing them. Most people don't want to play MMORPGs, let's be honest. Even though they globally have a lot of players, there's no doubt that overall in Europe most money in gaming is spent on consoles and handhelds relative to PC gaming. One need only look at the charts. It's more all eggs in one basket when you look at MMORPGs - lots of players divided between a few top long-running titles, relative to console gaming which has millions forking over cash for sequels released every 1-2 years. Game devs make their money in different ways here, and I'd still definitely say there's more money to be made in console gaming. Plus, I'd imagine quite a number of PC gamers have a console, but I don't think anywhere near as many console gamers have a proper gaming rig PC.

Thing is though, most good modern PC games make it to the PS3, but a lot of original PS3 games don't go to PC. I would argue the sheer quantity of PC games that don't go to consoles that you are referring to are not likely to bother people. If people really want it it will go to consoles, as that's where the money is. Also if we're being fair, a good PC with quality parts will run you at least £700 (mine was about £800), and then there's also the fact that a lot of PC titles aren't optimised well for HDTVs with shitty sized HUDs (Witcher 1+2 being prime examples, even with a custom patch). Sure you can build a PC for cheap to best the PS3 now, but the PS3 now sells for only £130 and includes a Blu Ray drive, something that costs £35-40 on its own. I can totally understand why people would opt for a console, even if within a few years there will be more affordable PC options that exceed them in performance. People are buying a system that will be cheaper, at least initially, with fully integrated and unified online features as well as exclusives and minimal hassle. Importantly as well you are looking at a minimum of 10 years value for the initial spend given the lack of need to upgrade anything.

Why shouldn't Snake have sounded the same as Big Boss? They near enough looked the same, and I thought Snake was pretty much his clone / genetically based on him somehow.

I thought MGS4 was the end? They're not doing a Halo cash cow are they? Prequel would be decent though since MGS3 was the best game of the lot.

Personally, I think FFXIV should be on the trash pile. :p

I think the Nexus 4 is a really good phone and the price is great. I don't see how anyone who bought one now would be disappointed tbh.

If only they brought back Pokerap on the show too. That would have been gravy.

Cheers, that's really helpful.

Oh wow. People should definitely pick VLR up.

Hell yeah. Robb is certainly one to watch.

So, as someone who has never properly delved into MH, can anyone give me some tips/things to do from the beginning of this game?

* lol. =0

He he he. Well done @Rummy. I take it back about your scum detection skills, spot on. *

Mine has come today from ShopTo (3DS). Gonna crack this open later.