Retro_Link

Thing is though, if the voice chat concerns were a) people talking over on another in a race' and b) swearing... surely these are going to be even worse when held back until the lobby after the race!... well hopefully some of the swearers may have had time to calm down, but still. Did anyone ever really play Battle Mode in any game after the N64 version though?... I think it was due a change.

The courses are altered for Battle mode...

Pink Gold Peach is scary as fuck! What's with the Metal Mario, Gold Mario, Gold Peach obsession....

There is a difference in that the examples you gave for Sony and ones that might be levelled against Microsoft are still video game related or at least part of the home console experience... Like Nintendo did with Wii Fit, or like getting more digital services incorporated into the system. But it's true we don't know exactly what QoL is, but it does sound like it won't be directly part if the video games devision, although it could potentially incorporate it.

It's the Strike Missions that are up-to-3-player.

That super rainbow sucking ability really does have to be Kirby's Final Smash

A breakdown of the latest Gameplay trailer from IGN who played through it...

That would have a far greater impact in front of a live audience. It's the difference between laughing with everyone in the cinema and perhaps not even laughing at the same moment when you're sat at home watching something alone. If Nintendo can engage with an audience and make them have a good time it feeds directly into how they write-up and perceive you moving forward.

It does make you think that if they had some big new IP's to show, games to wow a crowd, or some big new project like 'Nintendo Infinity' or QoL to get the press excited then they would be doing a press conference...

Personally I just enjoy the 'show' Yep, Nintendo needed one of those when it launched the Wii U to give us an idea of what this console would be about and how their franchises could look in this generation.

There's no point suddenly 'mocking' press conferences... Nintendo did them every year until last, so they must have seen some advantage to them.

But that's probably because we all largely want the same thing with regards to gameplay?.. we all want that large explorable open world full of secrets and adventure... we all share in one another's disappointment when a new Zelda comes along and we don't get it, and we all anticipate it's arrival together. Outside of changes like that Zelda would have to reinvent itself to offer something new in terms of gameplay. Art style however, people have very different opinions on.

I think the excitement of watching a Live press conference compared to a Pre-recorded 'Direct' does have a different feel. Just not knowing which developers might come out from backstage, trying to gauge the audiences and how well it's going down/things are being recieved... will there be one last announcement etc... The lights dimming for trailers, an orchestra... Will Shigsy spring a surprise appearance in a Link costume... Ultimately it's a lot more fun and a more social experience. And that's fundamentally what gaming is about.

Nice to meet you Gene Newly

How hard was it for that 4th guy down on the left to look the correct way...

I keep forgetting about NFC, but Nintendo's answer to Disney Infinity could potentially be a game changer for Wii U if they delivered such a game... a vast nostalgia trip that dwarfs what Smash Bros currently delivers to Nintendo fans. Yes the console would effectively be re-branded as the 'Nintendo Infinity box' but hey it's a second chance the console might not have otherwise, and actually shift the hardware. Lego Nintendo would also raise the roof.

Not that I doubt you, but have you got any quotes about this because I genuinely can't remember hearing anything along those lines. In fact I think the last thing I remember hearing about Zelda Wii U is that they were still deciding on a direction for it... and thus I always presumed it was likely quite a long way off still. Exciting if it's true, but Wind Waker HD only came out in Autumn of last year didn't it and I thought that game was helping Nintendo with Zelda Wii U's development... so can they really have had something to show from Zelda Wii U months before that games release at E3? I'd be dissapointed with anything less :p The Skyward Sword reveal trailer was ridiculously short wasn't it, 30 secs or so. Hoping for something more, something substantial and representative of the goal for the end game, unlike TP.

Oh don't get me wrong I think the game looks fantastic, and refreshingly so too. And I'm fine with a game not putting up a real challenge either, for thee same reason I love a number of short Indie games like Journey, The Unfinished Swan, Brothers... you can just play through them and enjoy them for what they are, the experience. I'm not sure if it's being marked down for it's lack of a challenge, or it's lack of doing anything new? perhaps both in the case of that review. But hey, the Kirby world has surely never looked better!

I genuinely don't think Zelda is even close to being enough. Not even close. Everyone's expecting it. Everyone's expecting a kick-ass trailer, a different art style, probably a different structure or an alternate perspective. As incredible as it would be to have in a Zelda game, if it gives us a huge interactive world it's still only catching up to what other games like Skyrim and Red Dead Redemption have provided. I think the best way Nintendo can wow through Zelda actually is through the art style. Is it possible to do something through that which the industry hasn't seen before and really create a huge buzz around it 'how are Nintendo doing this?'... 'this is the best art style in the industry right now'. But it will be tough, the likes of Journey, with it's sand, it's snow, the way the character interacts with it has shown me beauty I'd never seen before. A combination of some stunning, unexpected new IP and fan service with the likes of F-Zero/WaveRace/Starfox etc... could do a huge amount for them however. They're two years late with a 'statement of intent for the console' (they should have had a show-reel with the reveal), but one now would certainly inspire trust in consumers. In terms of inspiring the industry with the Wii U, they've already missed the boat, their QoL platform is the only chance they have at doing that, until the E3 in which they show off their next home, handheld or home-handheld console.

They'll do a Wonder Woman movie I feel.