Grazza

Best point in the thread. I urge everyone to take this seriously. More excellent points. Like Aneres11, I'm only commenting in this thread because I was tagged. Personally, I think N-Europe is a fantastic site (not just forum!) and have never even considered not posting. Regarding the Nintendo situation, I'm completely in the middle. I find them a very diminished company since the GameCube days, but are still good enough to be worth bothering with. I'd be playing other consoles like crazy if my gaming needs weren't being met, but between the Wii U and 3DS (and even DS) I genuinely don't have any spare gaming time (ever played an Etrian Odyssey? ) As for the problems here, most of them could be solved with something very simple - manners, tolerance and consideration for others. The world in general is becoming extremely intolerant, I feel, with celebrities, scientists and other public figures hounded out of jobs for saying something that doesn't tow the line. Thus it saddens me when people say they cannot tolerate some of the posters on here. Honestly, I thought we were one of the older forums, and so should show a bit of maturity on this matter. If someone is not your style, that is exactly what the Ignore feature is for. Or just grow up and realise that everyone has their own issues. What the Ignore button should not be an excuse for, however, is harassment. If someone is repeatedly being harassed it is not fair for the bully (because that's what they are) to be able to keep doing it as long as the other person doesn't get a notification. The third thing I wanted to talk about is manners in general. I'm not going to name anyone - we all know who tends to get involved in heated debates, and I find them to be good posters, often with interesting points to make. But the moment you use phrases like "Only an idiot would think that" or "Your point's rubbish" you are turning it from a discussion into an argument. The insulted person will naturally fight back and want to "win". @Rummy often warns that he could be stricter, but it would be applied across the board. As someone who considers himself in the middle, I can see it's definitely not "PS4 fans" or "Nintendo fans" who are to blame, but something that would most definitely be applied to both sides. Now let me say something about N-Europe. I know how the moderators and administrators run this site - they are the complete opposite of control freaks, and actually believe in trusting people to have a certain level of maturity. When you consider how restricted something like Miiverse is, or even other good Nintendo sites, you can see how much freedom we have on this forum. They could be stricter, but I understand the reluctance to - it's not a sign of weakness, just that they want to give people a chance. If push comes to shove, I would suggest stricter enforcement of rules, but in the meantime, it might be better if we just behaved ourselves a bit more.

Exactly. I suspect Metroid was not shown at all for the same reason Zelda was not shown again. They just don't want to promise anything more for the Wii U and are probably glad they never confirmed a Metroid Prime for it. I'm pretty sure all will become clear when we find out more about NX. As I say, I can't find the exact quote, but didn't Retro Studios strongly imply they were working on a Metroid game? "What you want us to be working on" or something like that. Mind you, I've no idea why they said "Can you dig it?" either (jokes aside).

It's certainly a good console with (I agree) the best Zelda game. When the next one's out, it honestly could have the two best Zeldas. I also think I'd miss the GamePad if it wasn't there. I've got so used to using it for the web browser, eShop etc. I'm not actually saying the next console should have one, but I can definitely see why they had the idea for it in the first place. I downloaded a few SNES games the other day and they're absolutely brilliant on that 6" screen, and I love having GBA on there too. With the NX, I can't wait to boost my Virtual Console collection even more. A Red Dwarf reference (S1, ep 2 "Queeg") always makes me grin. : peace:

So, I finally got round to trying this! Always thought it looked good, but I'm afraid I put it to the back of my mind until now. After E3 this year I thought I'd try some of the demos of independent games. This wasn't one showcased this year (for obvious reasons) but I saw there was a demo anyway and tried it. I thought the other games I sampled were a mixed bag, but this... I was gobsmacked at the quality. Downloaded the full game and it's brilliant. The graphics are absolutely stunning, making use of the Wii U in ways I have only previously seen by Nintendo. Textures are like Super Mario 3D World, and as has been said, the game is silky smooth. Musically, the soundtrack is some sort of techno - not something I know much about, but it's suitably pulse-pounding. Twin stick gameplay is not something I'm used to, but it works extremely well. I think part of this is not having too many types of gameplay to focus on - it's just enough to suit the game, but not enough to overcomplicate it. Overall the game reminds me of a true arcade experience - easy enough to pick up but will take a while to master. There's just something very satisfying about it. I am genuinely surprised an independent developer has as much mastery over 3D as this, and can't wait for their next game.

I'm a big fan of what gets called "fan service" nowadays. I just genuinely don't see any negative side. It's pretty sad that games can have extreme violence and hardly anyone notices, but a flash of boob or hip puts people off. Belly dancing should always be sensual and sultry. If you take that away, you lose something. To me, the first three games just had a wonderfully uninhibited feeling rather than anything explicitly sexual. They're certainly not vulgar. The image FK posted is beautiful: [spoiler=] If they were more covered up, you wouldn't be able to appreciate their body shapes as much. Take a look at Risky Boots, for instance (2nd from left) - yes, she has fantastic boobs, legs and hourglass hips, but I also like her latissimus dorsi just as much! It's pure aesthetic enjoyment.

I'm afraid to say I've only just realised who they are, but yes, they are brilliant! I finally tried Nano Assault Neo yesterday and was blown away by the quality. I've never seen an independent developer before who can put out a 3D game as polished as that. Seeing they're doing this as well, I'm looking forward to it even more.

Just to be clear, I don't look down on 2D Zeldas. A Link Between Worlds was a great game. My point is more that, from now on, handheld Zeldas won't need to be that style every time. Top-down Zelda is an art form in its own right, but I'd argue it's better when kept as pure 2D (pixel art). Link's Awakening and Minish Cap fully embrace 2D, and so I quite agree they are classics. Just my opinion, but as soon as top-down Zeldas started to use polygons, I became less keen on them.

I'm not necessarily saying there would be more games, just that all Nintendo's staff could be focused on the same system. In the past, console and handheld games have been very different things, but the difference is beginning to disappear. As I understand it, Nintendo staff have traditionally been shuffled between various Zelda games - handheld and console. However, assuming Nintendo's next handheld is similar to a portable Wii U, will we still need the thing that is "Handheld Zelda"? Will we need top-down games like A Link Between Worlds? Even if they're done occasionally, there will not be as much need for a sub-console experience. Mario, too. Super Mario 3D World is so similar to 3D Land it might as well be considered a direct sequel. And New Super Mario Bros started on handhelds, but now flits between handheld and console. In future, I'm sure there will be less need to separate the two.

Oh, I do completely agree with you. I've been disappointed with more Directs than I've enjoyed; I just think there's reason to believe they could get it right next time. For example, I could certainly believe they've had difficulty adjusting to HD development times. It's like with the PS2 - I played both ICO and Shadow of the Colossus - they seemed like they were made by a very capable team, and I had no idea the 3rd game wouldn't be out until the PS4. Regarding Nintendo, I would hope that once they've got their HD game engines sorted (ie. for Metroid, Zelda), they have got a good base to work from and aren't too proud to keep putting out games on a regular basis. Not everyone agrees with the Call of Duty/Assassin's Creed model, but it least it gives fans something to play. Another thing is the (probable) merging of handheld and console. Assuming Nintendo is going to be one system from now on (like iOS), it will give us a chance to see how much developing for two systems really was limiting then. It might be genuine, or it might have been an excuse, but at least we'll get to see either way. I've just been browsing the Wii U eShop and it's actually quite impressive. I can't wait to have a handheld that can play all the games I've built up from Nintendo over the years - SNES, GBA, Wii U eShop. Anyway, those are three reasons I'm optimistic about NX, but you're right. I'm not going to pretend it's good if the reveal doesn't have the promise. If they just show Donkey Kong Country Returns 3, they can forget it! That's very true. I think what we've seen so far indicates a return to TP-quality, if not the true magic of OOT/MM/WW. Quite honestly though, that would still be extremely welcome from my point of view.

True, but (maybe I'm naïve) I honestly think they have a fresh chance every time. I'm beginning to think what matters most is the ethos for each console. For example, I really didn't like the Wii at all. It had some good games (the days when they used to make Metroid ) but the whole idea for the console overpowered all that. The 3DS, I absolutely loved, and have very little - if any - complaints about (apart from the fact there's no 2D Metroid!). The Wii U, I think, was envisaged from the start as a "bridge" console - not massively for casuals, not massively for the core. It didn't really work as the audience for NSMB, Nintendo Land, Donkey Kong etc didn't want the console as much as Nintendo thought they would. Regarding Zelda "Wii U" (cough), what we've seen so far shows me they do understand what to do next. I'm really looking forward to that one. What's going on at the moment isn't good, but it all seems very calculated to me. I don't agree with the plan Nintendo had for the Wii U, but I'm confident they have the talent to execute a much better plan... if they're allowed to. In a nutshell, I can't wait for the NX. I hope it's like the 3DS, but even better - brilliant hardware with Metroid, Zelda and the other great games well underway. Even the 2011 "Twilight Princess HD" demo shows they have some phenomenal talent working there. Now is the time to allow them to show their stuff. : peace:

Same here. This is one of those examples where it's better to look clean and smooth (which it does) than detailed. I honestly don't there's any way previous Star Fox games look better when this is so hi-res. Now, do the graphics look fantastic? No, I don't think so, but that's the result of having to stream a full game to two screens. I've never said the Wii U is perfect hardware, but it is what it is, and I see no reason to think Star Fox Zero is making worse use of it than it could.

One of the things that makes a great multiplayer game is when it's flexible about how many players there are - 1, 2, 3 or 4, it shouldn't matter. When I think back to the most multiplayer fun I had in gaming - Gauntlet, Double Dragon, Golden Axe, Streets of Rage - it didn't really make any difference how many of you there were or what abilities each player had. It was just for fun. This, to me, is what holds the multiplayer Zeldas back. Because Zelda is about puzzle solving, they keep that in the multiplayer ones. In my opinion, they'd be better without it. Whilst I enjoyed Four Swords on GameCube, that was mainly because it was just a great celebration of 2D Zelda, with the best graphics and music we've seen in the top-down games. But really, when I played the DSi version, I saw the folly of the whole idea. Carrying other Links about, activating this, activating that... it honestly would be much more fun as a 1-4 player action game - inspired by Zelda, but not limited by it. I can just imagine it now - everyone discussing who's going to use Fire Arrows, who's going to use Ice Arrows etc, then going through the levels together and fighting the enemies. I think it'd be more fun than having to co-operate in such specific and restricting ways.

This is my feeling on the matter. The Wii especially made me cautious of buying Nintendo consoles, so I waited until I was sure there was enough I wanted for Wii U. Last year's E3 did that for me - the Zelda showing, combined with the already-released games, made for a pretty good line-up. In my opinion, the Zelda delay announced in March is the thing that has tipped the balance. This year's E3 has merely confirmed the suspicions that started to arise back then. The Wii U had a handful of critically-acclaimed games over the past year and was on its way to being seen as a console that'd be more appreciated in the future. However, the events this year - the Zelda delay, no possibility of a Metroid Prime, seemingly no more big games planned - has reduced the system's potential. That's what this is all about, not just one 50-minute show.

I would love to have versions of their classic games, Twilight Princess for example, that can be upgraded every now and then. Better textures, higher resolutions and frame rates etc. Ah, that's a couple of quotes now along these lines. Kensuke Tanabe: http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2015/06/next_metroid_prime_home_console_title_would_likely_now_be_on_nx And here's the Reggie quote: http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2015/06/18/nintendos-reggie-fils-aime-talks-amiibo-and-the-skylanders-deal/ They certainly lend weight to the idea of NX being a home console, although (and I'm by no means the first to say this) I still think it might be both at the same time. Not a hybrid, just a choice between a handheld and console that both play the same games.

Wow, this takes me back. My friends used to have the original for their computers in 1989!

I know there's a lot of negativity around at the moment, but I have to say, I can't wait for the next Nintendo handheld. I love the idea of having something of similar power to the Wii U in my hands.

The delay was announced in August 2005. To the best of my knowledge, it then disappeared and was only revealed as a Wii game at E3 2006.

I don't agree with this type of sentiment, that Nintendo is a slave to its past success etc. Nintendo could either aim for that massive "casual" audience like it did with the Wii (and don't get me wrong, I'm glad it's not at the moment) or cater to more traditional gamers. I'd say it's not actually doing either. This, for example - is Nintendo really good at talking to Nintendo customers? Thing is, we use those "old things" as yardsticks. Just because Nintendo is re-using some existing assets at the moment (eg. the multiplayer Zelda, Animal Crossing board game) doesn't actually mean it's catering to the fans. In an era where Nintendo won't make a Metroid or F-Zero for either of their games machines, how can anyone honestly think they cater to the existing fans too much?

I do suspect Ganon was always meant to be in this one. Last time we saw the game, it looked like the "Full Hyrule" experience rather than anything more alternative. Good news, I think, purely because it's the first HD Zelda.

I suppose there are four options for how much power it'll have: True Next Gen Scenario: Nintendo gets the next gen started before anyone else with a machine that is PlayStation 5/Xbox 4 level Verdict: Extremely unlikely Late to the Party Scenario: A PS4/Xbox One-level console that can run current-gen games (as long as the developers adapt to the architecture) Verdict: Unlikely Wii U Turbo Scenario: What the Wii was to the GameCube. A machine that can easily play Wii U games, but gives Nintendo a chance to change controller. Verdict: Possible Step Back From Wii U Scenario: The first stage of the NX platform is a handheld that can run facsimiles of Wii U games, but is not quite as powerful. Better machines will follow, and have exclusive games, but will absorb everything this handheld builds up in the first place. Verdict: Likely

I hope the NX reveal is like the 3DS, where they showed Ocarina of Time, Kid Icarus, Animal Crossing etc. All the games looked good and didn't take too long to be released. It just seemed like they had a plan. Assuming it'll be fairly expensive, I really think they need to get the proper fans on board straight away, and should ideally have all these games well in the works for it: Metroid Prime 4 Twilight Princess HD F-Zero Animal Crossing Zelda

Another point about Nintendo going 3rd-party is that their games would get much more exposure. Let's say, for example, a Sony site runs a "Top 20 PlayStation 5 Games" feature. Nintendo releases Metroid Prime 4, it's critically acclaimed, and so gets into these lists. That's going to make the average gamer notice it much more than they did Metroid Prime 3, which was on an extremely successful console. I'd have no problem whatsoever with Nintendo going multiformat. My only doubt is whether they'd make high-budget games. If they don't now, why would they for other consoles?

For me, this sums up the whole problem with Nintendo nowadays. Wii U has been at five E3s. Back in 2011, did they say "The Wii U isn't going to have games like Metroid Prime because they're time-consuming and expensive. Enjoy your 2.5D platformers!"? No, they just showed us a fantastic HD demo of Link fighting a giant spider (which also didn't turn into a game). It's like many of the staff at Nintendo understand what would excite people, but they aren't being allowed to do it. I don't expect everything all the time, but for these experiences not to have been planned and developed over a four-year period is highly questionable. The anger being expressed by some isn't because there are no good games to play - it's because they've played us for fools the whole time. The distinct feeling is that Nintendo never had the intention of delivering, but were happy to let us believe otherwise. I can't find the exact quote, but weren't Retro Studios asked a couple of years ago what they were working on? Their reply was something like "What everyone wants us to be working on". Definite implication that they were working on a Metroid Prime for Wii U. Switching development to NX now makes a lot of sense... The idea that these projects weren't started years ago, less so.