Ronnie

Interesting...

I'd like a 2D Kid Icarus

But the games you mention all use the same engine, whereas the difference between Majora'a Mask > Wind Waker > Twilight Princess > BOTW is massive. We saw them do a quick turnaround with OOT > MM using the same engine, so maybe once Breath of the Wild is out we'll see a quicker sequel, like @Goron_3 is suggesting.

Can anyone suggest the best way of getting one of these at launch? I seem to have missed the pre-order window. I wonder if stores will have it.

I'm sure they will do that. Just not with their two biggest games. One will do and a few others of real quality. Hell Mario Kart is probably a bigger draw to consumers anyway.

They'd be getting a tier 1 franchise: Zelda. My point is I don't think the increased number of consoles sold from having TWO tier 1 franchises release on the same day would make up for the lost boost in sales a Mario release 6 months later would provide.

Yes and you could finish all four Uncharted games in the time it takes you to finish one modern console Zelda. Big games take time to make, that's why we get a mainline GTA every 5 years. If you want iterative sequels like Uncharted and Gears then sure Nintendo can release them faster but every instalment they make is different and that takes time.

The minor hardware sales boost with Mario (and Zelda) at launch would be cancelled out by not only some people choosing one or the other but also the lost revenue from a big Mario at Xmas release and sales push. There's a bigger picture here than just the launch games, which even without Mario will probably still eclipse most launches of the last couple of gens.

That really makes no difference. Nintendo make the bulk of their money on software. Suggest to those other developers that they release their two biggest titles on the same day and they'll laugh at you. The very idea is stupid. It splits the user base and would be a huge waste of not only sales but buzz and mindshare. Nintendo will have other games apart from Zelda at launch, that'll hopefully make for a great line up.

Didn't Emily Rogers suggest there was a Luigi's Mansion game? I think she said for it was a launch game but I'm not 100% on that part. So that, Zelda and Mario Kart 8.5 would be a pretty incredible first party launch line up right there. Splatoon, Smash on the way, whatever else they're developing for the year + Mario at Christmas

Would Rockstar release GTA 6 and Red Dead 2 on the same day? Would Bethesda release Fallout 5 and a Wolfenstein sequel on the same day? Bioware with ME Andromeda and a new Dragon Age game? No, because that would be stupid. I have every confidence that Nintendo will have a packed software line up of their own, but that still doesn't mean they should put their two biggest games out on day 1. Releasing a brand new Mario game around Christmas time is the perfect way to get a big boost in sales.

A new Dark Souls game, a new Uncharted game, a Tearaway remake, a new LittleBigPlanet game, a Last of Us remaster, a new Killzone, a 4 hour Order 1886, a Gravity Rush remaster is hardly Sony going crazy. Will they finally have a big first party Christmas game this year?

It's a waste. You're combining their two biggest hitters. 1080 or F-Zero around Christmas doesn't exactly have the same prestige as a brand new Mario adventure.

Because then what? Another 3-4 years till the next Zelda and Mario games? It'd be a waste, no publisher drops two of their biggest games out on the same day, that would be stupid. MK64 wasn't a launch title. Nor was Melee. There's just no need for their two big hitters on the same day. It won't just be Zelda, there'll be other first party games there as well, just not Mario. Miyamoto already said they'll likely show it off at E3, it's the perfect big xmas game. "Game of E3" with four hour long queues won't do well? I suspect if you ask most Wii U owners if they enjoyed their system they'll tell you yes. There have been some outstanding games released for it.

Miyamoto said they may show Mario at E3, so no, definitely not ready

Their two biggest franchises released on day 1? Makes no sense, far better to have Mario as the big Q4 game. Zelda will shift consoles on its own.

Shame I was hoping for March 1st!!!

The Island escape minigame looked quite good too. Really hope we get a proper entry on Switch

Finished this last night. After the horrifyingly annoying final boss in Sticker Star, I was expecting something similar this time around but was pleasantly surprised that it was pretty straightforward, assuming you had the right type of cards (and lots of them!). The final level itself was cool and dramatic, if a bit short. The ending was really good, Huey was probably the Ninty sidekick I've enjoyed most since Midna. Oh and another example that Nintendo simply make the best end credits in the industry, particularly in the last few years. Wonderful game with a few rough bits here and there but on the whole a fantastic was for the Wii U to go out IMO.

Huge update, but like you I'm disappointed what this may mean for a Switch game. Good for the 10 million people who own New Leaf though. Also refreshing to see so much content added for free, in an age of paid DLC, season passes etc

Brilliant post @Nicktendo about some truly wonderful games

If Henry's left my town I may just cry.

According to Eurogamer the Wii U is supposed to be ceasing production this week. Obviously it will go down as a failure in the company's product line but personally I've really enjoyed mine, probably more so than any of their other home consoles. I thought it would be good to have this thread to talk about your five favourite games on the console + anything else you really loved about the console. (can I just request that this thread is kept to positive chat about the console only. There's been plenty of moaning about it in the last few years in other threads, and it'd be nice to keep this one upbeat) My Top 5: 5. Paper Mario Colour Splash I've not even finished this game yet but I can safely put it on this list. The writing is absolutely hilarious and contrary to what I was expecting there isn't too much of it. The levels are gorgeous, the action is fun and it continually surprises you and makes you smile. 4. Pikmin 3 Fruit has never looked so good in a video game!! This was actually my first Pikmin game and I fell in love with it. The sense of adventure, exploration and discovery was incredible and the mood and music tied it all together. A must play game. 3. Splatoon One of the big success stories for the console. A brand new IP, an online multiplayer shooter no less, selling nearly 5 million copies. Fully deserved too, I think the game is a breath of fresh air in the genre. Painting, swimming popping up and shooting was so satisfying and very clever. 2. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker The epitome of Nintendo charm packaged in one title, I can't speak highly enough about this game. I really hope Nintendo view it as series and we'll get a sequel on the Switch. 1. Super Mario 3D World I can't quite make up my mind whether this or Galaxy is my favourite 3D Mario. I love how each level throws a completely different experience at you from the last. Level design was amazing and it was just loads of fun to play. Honourable mentions: Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD is my favourite game of all time but I personally didn't want it taking up a spot on this list and wanted to keep it to original games only. Mario Kart 8 is the best Mario Kart to date (battle mode apart) and it's probably one of the prettiest games on the console. Yoshi's Woolly World was a joy to play from start to finish, especially later on the levels got really quirky and interesting. The Wonderful 101 was my first fast paced action game from Platinum and it was loads of fun, once you eventually mastered the controls. The OTT final battles were laugh out loud funny. Affordable Space Adventures is lovely and Shovel Knight is easily one of my GOTY but it didn't feel right putting it on this list. Ok I'll stop before I put another half dozen games here. As for the console itself, I had a lot of fun with Miiverse, integrating a social network into a home console was a really smart thing to do and I believe it was a much more innovative feature than the Gamepad/asynchronous gameplay. On top of everything though the best thing about the Wii U for me were the stunning looking first and second party games. It was a real joy to play Nintendo games in high definition and I still believe they make the best looking games in the industry.

Agree 100%. I hate it when people call for a "proper 3D Mario". An exploration based Mario game, or an expansive Mario game, sure, but not a "real 3D Mario"

Must be tricky for Nintendo, they would make an absolute fortune if they released a fully featured Animal Crossing game on mobile, with IAPs like Farmville etc, it's literally the perfect game for that platform. On one hand I'm obviously pleased games like Super Mario Run don't look like it'll shaft people with lots of IAP, but on the other I want them to make money so....