Grazza

I didn't have time to post my thoughts last night. Basically, Mario Kart 8 and Donkey Kong Country Returns: Tropical Freeze look great if you're into them... which I'm not. Bayonetta 2 and X also look good in their own right, but they are the sort of game that make me feel old - far too frenetic for me! I'm just into things that are a bit slower-paced, with more exploration, atmosphere etc. That said, the games look fine and I don't want to sound ungrateful just because they're not my sort of thing. The stream was absolutely terrible and I had to watch the American one, which is a shame because Satoru Shibata talking about European releases is a highlight for me. Indeed, the news that Etrian Odyssey Untold is coming over here was my highlight - I can write that on my calendar, so I'm happy. But overall, I don't think there's anything that sums up present-day Nintendo more than NES Remix 2: "We're making too many games where Mario goes from left to right." "OK, make one where Luigi goes from right to left."

I'm not kidding when I say I know Etrian Odyssey off by heart, so I'll be here for any advice that's needed. Unless they've completely changed it, of course! Seriously, I can imagine they've changed some of the skills and prerequisites. In the original game, for example, it wasn't advisable to take Anti-Fire (or -Ice, or -Volt) up to 10, because you would actually absorb status ailments. It was much better to just put 5 skill points in, which would completely nullify the attack. Also, the Hexer and Samurai didn't really come into their own until Etrian Odyssey II, so I wonder if they've been modified to be as useful as in that game? The balance has been tweaked so many times over the series, I'm interested to see how they apply any adjustments to this game. Right, I must, must, must finish Etrian Odyssey IV before this is released!

Thank you, @\-Dem0\-! From my point of view, the best thing from the Nintendo Direct.

It's American but, to me, the European one is just unwatchable. Will miss out on any European release dates, obviously, but I assume the broadcasts will be identical when it goes back to Iwata (and he mentions the really big games, if there are any).

This is better: http://www.youtube.com/user/Nintendo

And this is basically what I'd like Nintendo to do more - utilise what they've already built in order to get more games out, even if they're similar to the last one in some ways. Majora's Mask, Metroid Prime 2 etc. It'd speed thing up so much, and we'd have many more games to play.

"We'll take the next question from the man up there with the yellow tie." "Is the Wii U doomed?"

The problem for me is that Nintendo doesn't make many games like Zelda. I'd be more comfortable with the idea of less Zelda titles if I thought we were actually going to get a lot more games full of 3D exploration, but I don't think we would. As @Retro_Link says, people have been suggesting fantastic ideas for a new Ice Climber game that isn't similar to the original, but is more about exploring a snowy mountain. That sounds great, but the way Nintendo is at the moment, I can't imagine it happening. In a similar way, Kid Icarus could have been reinvented as an exploration game. Basically, I wish Nintendo would sort its resources out and be able to offer an immersive game like this every year. Maybe if they made one graphics engine and shared assets for Metroid/Zelda/Kid Icarus/Ice Climber etc?

The latter would be awesome, actually. One of the best things they could do. I'd be as excited for TP as I was for WW. I'm letting my mind drift a bit, but unless I'm mistaken, isn't Wind Waker HD basically the new graphics engine for Zelda? They could do a lot, lot worse than getting out HD remakes of OOT, MM and TP, then use that engine as a basis for going forward. Combined with the plans for Nintendo's future machines to be based on the Wii U architecture, it might be a good time to establish a "base" graphics engine for 3D Zelda. Not only would these remakes be welcome now, they would be quite easy to tweak in future (for increases in resolution etc). The big difference between Zelda remakes and Mario oversaturation, in my opinion, is that the 3D Zeldas are very, very good games. Some of the Mario games are too, but other times it's a case of just using Mario/Luigi/Yoshi as a mascot to mask the fact the game itself doesn't seem very thrilling in its own right. Remakes of Zelda are always welcome in my book.

All future Nintendo controllers being based on the GameCube one just makes sense. There's a difference between desirable innovation and the type you desperately come up with when you're forced into a corner.

I'm absolutely chuffed that it's on at 10pm, as I'll actually be able to watch it. Semi-sensible predictions: * Majora's Mask 3D * Shantae and the Pirate's Curse release date * Etrian Odyssey Untold European release date * Confirmation some of the Dragon Quest spin-offs/remakes will come to Europe * Some more Sega 3D Classics What I really want (here we go again...!): * 2D Metroid on 3DS * 3D Zelda on either machine * And most of all, Dragon Quest XI. I want a new Dragon Quest so much.

That would be nice (remakes of I, II and III - maybe all in one game?) I don't think it will be related to VII, as surely that would have been subtitled in Japan a while ago (if it's got one)?

Not sure where to put this, but maybe Dragon Quest XI is on its way. Square-Enix are back to their alliterative ways and have registered the title "Luminaries of the Legendary Line"! http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/02/rumour_square_enix_trademark_for_luminaries_of_the_legendary_line_could_be_related_to_dragon_quest Legendary (blood)Line = Dragovian? Got a good feeling about this!

I do think this game is very slow-paced in parts though. It took me a week to do Chapter 3 and it's taken me a week just to do the Vampire sidequest in Chapter 4. It's hard to understand the reasoning behind some of the difficulty spikes. Now I'm back onto the main storyline, it feels fast-paced and smooth-flowing again; the Vampire sidequest made me far stronger than I needed to be at this point.

Whilst I don't wish to hound Iwata, there is a quote from the Twilight Princess edition of Iwata Asks that I've never forgotten: http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/wii/twilight_princess/0/9 It set alarm bells ringing even then, as Iwata kept mentioning how much it cost to make. Is this type of big, "explorable" Zelda now "off the cards"? I'm not trying to reimagine Twilight Princess as 10/10 perfect, but it was the last time we got a Zelda that delivered the type of overworld and immersion I used to expect.

Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction - Especially great if you like the character (I assume this is still the best Hulk game?) Not sure I've played many more adrenaline-pumping games than this, actually.

I'm extremely surprised at that, although I suppose it may allow for better graphics? Ah, I miss Dragon Quest.

I don't think Zelda games need a lot of story, but one thing A Link Between Worlds doesn't have much of is atmosphere. I love the game (still think it's a 10/10), but it doesn't have any areas or situations I'll remember as much as Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask/Wind Waker/Twilight Princess. I guess that's just the 2D/3D difference though.

Well said. It was exciting to own the GameCube. I remember boasting to my friends about F-Zero GX, Metroid Prime and Wind Waker (as well as others). When there was a 3rd-party release, like Prince of Persia or a Spider-Man/Hulk game, you could look forward to it and know the GC port would be pretty much as good as the PS2/Xbox version. Of course, the console didn't get everything, but you can't win everyone over. And this is without mentioning that amazing feeling of waiting for Twilight Princess, "knowing" that it'd outclass everything on PS2/Xbox (whatever the reality, it was a fantastic time, generating true excitement amongst the fanbase). Quote from Eurogamer: I don't quite agree with this. Just because Nintendo's flimsier titles don't grab me, that doesn't mean I want anything pretentious. There's a middle ground. For example, I said in another thread that many of us became gripped with Nintendo because of the immersive, atmospheric 3D worlds and stories (and yes, gameplay) present in games like Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask. Those titles weren't exactly held up as paragons of storytelling in the same way as The Last Of Us is, but gamers knew they were brilliant, and that's what counts. I don't want the wider media's validation, I just want to be enchanted again. What I'm saying is that it's not a straight choice between "high-brow" or "light". If Nintendo continues to lose fans (and let's be optimistic - it may not), it won't necessarily be because everyone wants acclaimed, high-brow games at the expensive of things like Nintendoland. There's another type of gaming experience that many value, but others (including Nintendo) seem to forget too quickly.

That's what I thought, but I was typing mine when you posted yours. Why would it though? The handheld's selling point would be that it was £100 or so cheaper. Look at it this way: Nintendo has spent resources (one of its biggest problems) making a handheld title. This game can be ported to the more powerful machine/s with a click of the fingers - it would be absolutely ridiculous not to do so. By doing this they would get added revenue from the extra sales and boost the bigger console's library in one go. People would be free to play on whichever machine suited their budget/lifestyle (with the biggest releases still requiring the most powerful console). This is the answer to many of Nintendo's problems: all its developers working towards the same goal and not taking away from each other.

I appreciate what you're saying, but why would the weaker device (the handheld, for instance) have exclusives? If the machines use the same architecture, every game could be scaled up very easily. To be honest, I haven't used iOS personally, but I assume there are different tiers and standards (I must admit, I'm surprised there is software that works on iPhone, but not iPad)? In theory, Nintendo could introduce a new standard more frequently than it currently releases new consoles. For example, a new Zelda that doesn't work on the very weakest platform, is OK on the intermediate device and is best of all on the deluxe console.

Yes, this is fascinating, in my opinion, and the main reason I'm confident about Nintendo's future. If I'm reading it correctly, Nintendo is aiming for one "platform" or "system", with various form factors. I've always thought it was crazy that Nintendo can have one successful console, then a flop straight after it. Popular one minute, then ignored the next. I'm not necessarily talking about specific consoles, but the idea in general. Apple doesn't have this, nor does Android. You don't hear people saying Samsung's Galaxy Tab 2 is a big success compared to the Galaxy 3, for example. Obviously some models sell better than others, but the point is that it's judged as a continuous platform/system. If I've understood this properly, the next system could simply be the "Nintendo". You'd download the latest Zelda and, if you had Nintendo's budget handheld/tablet, it might play in 480p; if you had their deluxe console, it might play in 1080p. Maybe there would be something in between that'd play it in 720p. We know everything from now on will be based on the Wii U architecture, so I don't think we'll ever see a traditional, "weak" handheld again (that's not meant as an insult; just a comment on how technology has moved on). This would be combined with an accounts system, which would mean that you could access all your software (including Virtual Console) whether you were using your console, handheld or something else (Super Metroid would still be in 50Hz though ). Maybe I'm getting carried away, but I honestly do see one system from now on. If they do this, and launch several models at once, they would either have to leave a successor to the 3DS later than usual, or introduce a successor to the Wii U earlier than usual (I'm hoping for the latter). Perhaps we'll see this new range introduced in 2016 or something? The only thing is, they're going to have to decide whether their future is dual screen or single screen.

Personally, I don't feel game droughts, as I play RPGs. It's taken me half a year to play through Etrian Odyssey IV and Bravely Default (plus a few others), so I can't see myself looking for another game anytime soon. I've even got Etrian Odyssey III on the DS to finish. Maybe it's just me, but I haven't needed anything other than the 3DS since it launched.

That is staggering, actually. Does anyone know how the GameCube compared to both of them at this point in time?