Grazza

I didn't say the 3DS backfired, I said the initial strategy backfired, which it did.

I actually think it's much simpler than a matter of Nintendo vs. Sony vs. Microsoft. Regardless of competition, regardless of Nintendo's place in the market, surely the best way is to sell hardware at a very small profit (high profit would be optimum, but the public won't buy that)? That way, however successful or unsuccessful a particular console is, the company can stay in decent health. Since 2006, Nintendo's strategy has been to put a huge portion of the cost into a gimmick (for want of a better word). This worked with the Wii, but backfired spectacularly with the 3DS and Wii U. Despite both being good games machines, Nintendo put so much cost into the differentiating factor/gimmick, it was absolutely essential to their strategy that the public was enthused with it. In a world where Mario, NSMB and Mario Kart still have such draw amongst the general public (and they do - at the right price), combined with brilliant services such as StreetPass and Miiverse, not to mention the fact that the upcoming Zelda looks astounding, it's frustrating to me that Nintendo keeps exposing itself to such high risks because of unorthodox hardware.

I'm strongly in favour of HD remasters - if nothing else, it's a good way of reformatting a classic game so it fits an HDTV. Dragon Quest VIII and Twilight Princess would be welcome - anything with a good story and strong atmosphere. Would I buy Super Mario Galaxy HD? No. To me, Mario games are a test of skill, like racing games. I prefer to master the latest edition and then move on.

Got the first 275 stars. I have to say, I wasn't in a position to play this when it was first released, but I've enjoyed going back through the thread and reading the impressions from @Hero\-of\-Time and others as they played it. Regarding World 9, is it me or are the first three stages disproportionately difficult? Rainbow Run, Super Galaxy and Rolling Ride Run all gave me a workout, but then Super Block Land, Honeycomb Starway and Gargantuan Grotto were very enjoyable, as was Peepa's Fog Bog. The Great Goal Pole and Cosmic Cannon Cluster were about what I expected. Onto the next world.

I have seen this filter into other games too. I'm not sure if you played/enjoyed Fantasy Life, but to me it seemed like it was just about following prompts and making "achievements" flash up on screen every few minutes. Although not directly asking you for money each time, I couldn't help but feel it had been influenced by the mobile market. Of course, it doesn't help that when you load up the title screen, the first thing you see is "Payable Content". To think Level-5 went from Dragon Quest IX to this is very sad (and VIII before that! I've only just realised, the same developer made Dragon Quest VIII and Fantasy Life - flipping heck!! ) Anyway, I do basically agree with you that it's a tawdry business.

Got no complaints about the run button, personally. Felt very natural in 3D Land and felt very natural in this. If you're used to it from the 2D games, it works just as well in this. I do understand the question though: "Why regress?", and can only assume it's because these last two have been more isometric (not entirely, but for the most part). Whether there will ever be another full 3D Mario that requires the player to understand something relatively subtle like true analogue control... who knows?

Tried out the first one (Rainbow Run?) and thought it was a bit hard. Might collect all the Star Coins before that though.

Finished the first eight worlds. Ended up really enjoying it, with so many moments making me want to tip my hat to the developers. As amazing as 64 and Sunshine were at the time, I feel they were much more obscure - you could be wandering around for ages wondering what to do. It was incredibly immersive, but was it really Mario? And so many of the stages were relatively simple "play sets", with navigation of them quite slow and plodding. Then there is the Wii duo - Galaxy and Galaxy 2. These were good, but in all honesty I didn't love them as much as others seemed to. Though brilliant at times, and extremely creative, they could also be clumsy. Which brings me to Nintendo's modern take on Mario - 3D Land and 3D World. I feel these are underrated, quite honestly. First thing I should say is that I understand both sides of the argument - I was there at the time with this older stuff and understand how important it was. I was also quite confused and underwhelmed when 3D World was first unveiled at E3. But that's the thing. Super Mario 3D World is presented in a simple, accessible way (the fact they've managed to create a 4-player 3D Mario is astounding enough), but behind it all is a fully 3D game. As you'd expect, the Wii U is doing stuff that the N64 could never dream of. Super Mario 3D World regularly flings you up mountains and through courses that stretch miles into the distance, but because it's so fast, fluid and seamless, it doesn't have the same impact as slowly exploring Cool, Cool Mountain. This game is more about making sure things are thrilling and easily understood. I'm not trying to diminish the achievements of the past, but just pointing out how skilled EAD Tokyo are at making grand, complex things look so effortless. Anyway, it was a great game and I'm glad to have played it.

At the moment, yes, I am a Nintendo-only gamer. I should make it clear, though, that this is very little to do with fandom, and everything to do with time. Back in Gen 6 I had Dreamcast, PS2, GameCube and Xbox, so I don't feel I have a bias against any of the companies. For whatever reason, however, I just don't feel like I can fully keep up with the wider industry nowadays, and am satisfied by just having the Nintendo machines. The funny thing is I don't consider myself a big Nintendo fan and am happy to miss out on the more iterative series like Mario Kart and Smash Bros. I buy Nintendo consoles because a) they have the huge exclusives like Mario and Zelda, and b) I feel companies aiming at old-school gamers develop for them, such as WayForward and Sega (look at their 3D Classics). So no, I don't feel like this is damaging my hobby. If Nintendo did ever have to drop out, it'd be a shame, but I'd just buy one of the other consoles, because there is always someone making the sort of thing I like.

This is an example of how Nintendo could do it. Mighty Switch Force 2 is an absolutely blistering game that needs full mastery of the d-pad and buttons, none more so than in this example: However, WayForward recently developed an iOS "version" using the game's existing assets. It appears you simply stand still and solve puzzles: So, for example, I could easily see (as well as the previously suggested Mario and Donkey Kong ideas) some single screen Zelda puzzles, or maybe even some sort of Metroid blaster. At the end of the day, it's not a big deal to me. I don't play mobile phone games, but I can see why Nintendo would want to get in on it. As long as they still have some sort of traditional handheld system (ie. a successor to the 3DS), I'll be happy.

Been playing it like crazy, actually! (Although I am a mid adopter.) Played Shovel Knight and Wind Waker HD late last year, followed by New Super Mario Bros U, the "WayForward trio" and now picking up my game of Super Mario 3D World, which is great now I've got into it. Just deciding whether or not to play Captain Toad.

So, getting back into this after being distracted by the February releases. I think Super Mario 3D World is more fun if you blast through it, rather than worry about collecting everything first time round. The most fun bits, arguably, are the quick challenges that you can swiftly re-attempt if you fail. World 5 is my favourite so far, with some gorgeous beach scenes and (in particular) the Savannah level, which provides a wide open expanse - very different to the isometric platforms of much of the game. The graphics in this are absolutely incredible - by far the best I've ever seen, with depth of field effects and fantastic textures around every corner. Just shows what the Wii U can do. You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse

Probably: Star Fox - September/October Zelda - November/December

So, to finish things off, I played the Wii U version of Mighty Switch Force 2. I know most people would recommend the 3DS original instead, but this Wii version was actually better than I expected. Anything that was hand drawn in the original (menus, title screens, result screens) is now presented in genuine HD. The biggest surprise, however, was that the pixel sprites actually don't look at all bad on an HDTV. Wondering if I was just imagining it, I loaded up Shantae and the Pirate's Curse, but that still looked the same. Maybe MSF 2 was designed really carefully to look good on TVs as well as handheld? Either way, it's a great game and I blasted through it easier this time. You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse With not many unreleased WayForward games known of, I can't wait to see what they have lined up next.

Yep, totally agree with that! This and Fusion are my favourites.

Good news. Azure Striker Gunvolt is on its way: http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2015/03/prepare_thyself_azure_striker_gunvolt_will_be_hitting_europe_and_australia_very_soon

Funnily enough StreetPass and Miiverse have made me want to complete games more. Take Etrian Odyssey I and II on the DS, for example. I beat the post-game boss in both, but wasn't bothered about 100% completing the inventories. Fast-forward to Etrian Odyssey IV on the 3DS, however, and I wanted to make sure I had every "trophy" and achievement for the sake of StreetPass. I've StreetPassed a lot of people with that game (far more than the relatively small amount of discussion about it on the internet would suggest) and it's nice to see how everyone else has done as well. Sticking with that series, I haven't, however, beaten the post-game boss of Untold yet. It's extremely hard and requires more setting up than the original. Nor have I even seen the credits of III yet - it's a great game, but maybe I just haven't really had time to concentrate on it. That said, I don't 100% complete everything. Even though Fire Emblem: Awakening was very good, I was happy enough just to play the main game. More recently, Miiverse has influenced me in wanting to post "achievement" screens. I 100% completed New Super Mario Bros U and Majora's Mask 3D, the latter of which is probably the first Zelda I've done that for (strange considering how much I've enjoyed most of them when they were new). Shantae and the Pirate's Curse provided much enjoyment, with me keen to get all the wallpapers so far (there's still one to patch in). And it's only recently that I had the desire to get all the Par times in Mighty Switch Force 1 & 2 - I'm slightly fonder of the 3DS versions because there are less levels and I felt skilled for completing them. In fact, perhaps that's the secret of it. If a game is great fun and getting 100% seems achievable and worthwhile, I'll be much more inclined to do so. If the game is not so good (and maybe too long and too difficult), I'm happier to move on to something new.

My intention was to buy Out Run this week. However, with the WayForward and Sega sales, I decided it would be better to buy Wii U copies of games I already owned. With not enough money left for Out Run, I just had enough to snap up a Sega game I had been curious about - Galaxy Force II. You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse When I saw the model of the cabinet, it became clear why I had never seen Galaxy Force II in real life - the thing was a beast! It's also clear why M2 have ported it as one of the 3D Sega games - Galaxy Force II represents some of Sega's best-ever technical work, with multi-layered sprites giving a full impression of 3D models. The stereoscopic 3D is also genuinely amazing. It's interesting to see how Sega developed the gameplay of their Super Scaler games. Space Harrier was the earliest and simplest (of this type), with the player simply required to dodge and fire. Galaxy Force II was one of the last and more complex, involving depleting shields and multiple directions. In my opinion, it's Afterburner II that gets the balance best. Galaxy Force II is not my favourite Sega game, but it's certainly a spectacular one. Now, with apologies to Out Run, I'll get round to you later.

BUMP Two years later, I've kept my promise. See, no one can say I don't mean what I say. Bought this yesterday for £2 or so (all "four" MSF games are ridiculously cheap this week) and blasted through the Par times for the first 21 stages. Not recommended, to be honest (it's a great game, I just couldn't get to sleep for hours!) You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse With 42 stages (compared to 21), HD visuals and an alternative costume, I can see why most people consider this the definitive version - the hand-drawn art is sharp and a far better fit for the TV than the handheld's pixel sprites. That said, in no way do I regret having had the 3DS version instead for all these years. Even now, I'm still slightly more fond of that edition, as I've carried it around with me and listened to the music so many times - it's been like a portable music player for me! The Wii U version's "Hyper" stages are extremely difficult and so I might leave them for now. All I can say is that I hope we haven't seen the last of Patricia Wagon!

Even though the combat in Zelda games isn't difficult, it's uncannily reassuring to have all the bottles, filled with a selection of potions and fairies! I loved having seven in this game!

Not that I disagree, but you can't put a real 1080p screen grab on Miiverse - whichever image you select (TV or GamePad), the result on Miiverse is similar to what you see on the GamePad.

That'd be good. I don't have an iPhone/iPad or any other of the devices it's on (I suppose I could get the Steam version, but I don't have a controller I could plug in).

Does anyone know what is depicted at 1:02, please? Looks like Wolverine's claws, but it can't be that, can it?

True, but they do tend to chase the most popular games machine at the time. Why they put IX on DS after VIII was on PS2, I don't know, but they did (the less said about X being a Wii MMO the better!) With XI, I can't understand why they wouldn't want to put it on the most powerful console (as long as it's successful in Japan, which Sony's latest is). Personally, I just hope they put the darn thing on PS4, if only so I can play with the controller plugged in via USB!

I would get it on 3DS, @Glen\-i's advice was good in the eShop thread - this and Shantae on 3DS, MSF on Wii U (in fact, any chance the "Wii U + 3DS" logo could be added to this thread, please @Ike or @Retro_Link? It'd be much appreciated). It's a bit of a shame they didn't make a hand-drawn version of this, actually, as I'm pretty sure that's what a lot of people were waiting for, and maybe why they didn't buy it on 3DS. This is a great game I still can't stop fiddling around with. I think the hose is more fun than the blaster - it's amazing how it simulates analogue buttons!