Captain Falcon

That was ok, but it was missing the wow ending that Watch_Dogs and The Division gave in the previous two years. Farcry 4 looked really good and the guy in the pink suit seemed like a genuinely interesting, and well portrayed character. It was certainly a great opening. Ending on Rainbow Six was a mistake though. I know it said pre-Alpha but damn, it still looked incredibly early. I didn't feel like I was watching the next generation of gaming like I did with WD and The Division. Both of those were super early too but they still delivered the goods. I just felt like I was watching another 360/PS3 game. What surprised me was that the audience seemed to be clapping quite a lot and you could see them, even to the Just Dance stuff - something that was not evident in EA's show.

I think some of you guys are being a little harsh. It was all about the games - no kinect, no stupid policies that screw people over and no TV and apps gone mad segments. Just games, games, games and sure, a lot were multi-platform but what else do you expect. Ori and the Blind Forest looked fantastic.

I guess if it's your first experience, Sonic 06 and Shadow the Hedgehog will likely go on to become treasured memories if you can get past them having little in common with the thing that made you interested in the first place - Sonic Boom. It depends how far the deviate with this being a spin off but I don't hold out much hope. Sonic X was hardly aimed at me but I could appreciate what they were trying to do. This looks like an attempt at try and create a new "spunky" Sonic in line with the Skylanders image for the purpose of building that same gaming environment of plastic tat for kids. But I doubt it will ever get that far.

If a new Sonic games doesn't appeal to a massive Sonic fan (you've got to be the biggest here) in anyway shape or form, then I'm sorry but there is something wrong. If a Sonic game isn't aimed at Sonic fans, why does it even need to be Sonic in the first place? Sonic fans will be put off and others won't know who Sonic is.

It really does seem like they've mashed the Hedgehog and Werehog sections of Unleashed into one gameplay experience and yet neither aspect here looks anywhere near as good as the individual components it seems to ape - I didn't mind the Werehog on the HD games even if it was out of place. The three boss battles were borderline identical in terms of tactics and I can't be the only person put off by the lack of shadows in those interior sections. I know it's small thing but it looks lazy when so little is going on on screen anyway. I normally get a fair amount of enjoyment out of even the most derided of Sonic games but I fear I may have finally found my match in this.

What kind of numbers of games were being sold in the good days, just as a comparison? MK8 is down a lot but then it had a barnstorming opening weekend within a highly confined userbase. It wasn't reasonable to expect it to maintain such high sales the following week. We don't know the drop on Watch_Dogs either so to make comments is a bit dangerous. Whilst highly unlikely, without data, we can't say that the sales didn't improve for last week. But when the two biggest games of the year release on the same day, I'd expect a sharp drop all round the following week. And the other thing to remember is that people only have a finite amount to spend on games so if most users rushed out to buy WD or MK at launch, they aren't going to be in any hurry to throw down money on something else straight away. Tomodachi Life was never going to set the charts alight and Murdered: Soul Suspect hasn't been receiving glowing reviews either.

I'm certainly looking forward to it but I'd have to give the edge to the next iteration of Deus Ex that comes from the Universe project as that's the only game I genuinely see being improved from GamePad inclusion. I don't really see what it would add to Mirror's Edge unless you hold it up to see some kind of "Runner's Vision" that highlights paths and shortcuts. In the absence of the next Elder Scrolls, the Witcher 3 would be pretty darn welcome too... and Batman. I know they aren't coming though and I've already accepted that. That's what my new PC will be for but since none of those will be out this year, there's no rush and it gives plenty of time to enjoy whatever comes else comes out for the Wii U this year, and catch up with what I already have. As for Wii U games, just the four to my name so far (Lego City, Donkey Kong, Rayman and Sonic) but I haven't owned it a month yet and whilst there are few out left that I really want, there are some I wouldn't mind. I think the Wii U will take care of itself this E3 and if nothing else other than Smash and X make it out this year, plus the inevitable SNES Remix, then it will still be a good year for me. We can play F-Zero and Zelda next year with Metroid and Super Maro Galaxy 3/universe the following year. Throw in a proper Fire Emblem at some point and give Golden Sun a big screen outing and the Wii U will have been a worthwhile investment. It's the 3DS where I'm wondering where the games are...

I happened to book this wek off work as I plan on visiting a friend for a couple of days from Tuesday to Thursday so it's worked out quite well for todays presentations but I can't see me being able to live watch the Nintendo Digital Event. I'll make the effort for the ones for today though. Whilst game reveals are never as sexy as hardware reveals, from an actual gaming perspective, they are far more important so this should be a good year.

I'm not big fan of digital versions over physical ones anyway but their current setup makes me incredibly reluctant to purchase anything expensive or in great quantity.

Rome wasn't built in a day but Nintendo's online system must have been pretty close. Management matters because we're talkling about changing the entire mindset of the companies movers and shakers - the people who made policies governing the Wii and laid out the road map for the next 4 years of Wii U. There will definitely be some "my way or the highway" types and those who like to Nintendofy things. They don't just disappear over night. It's taken in incredible amount of time to get to where we are now and who knows how long it will take to get to where they need to be. And again, this "proven" word. For me, proven would require listening to exactly what the fans want and then deliver exactly that - not deliver it with some Nintendo spin/quirk unless it already meets all the base requirements. To that end, the amount of times they've proven they listen is still fairly limited.

It's not ridiculous when they have mostly the same management in place and we still have a limited number of examples in their favour to work with.

They seem to be listening to them now, yes. The problem was they spent a long time not listening to them (or doing their utmost to give that impression) that a lot of those fans have left. And the accounts system is still not what the fans have asked for and it's fairly import aspect of any digital ecosystem. If they listened to their fans, we wouldn't have to trot out the VC example because it would have been dealt with 7 years ago and we would be taking it for granted now instead of it being a sigh of relief each time it's confirmed. I want to believe they are repositioning themselves to be more flexible and adaptable around their decision making and various other policies but Nintendo can be pretty stubborn at times.

But people had been asking for the 60hz thing since the moment they knew there was going to be a Virtual Console facility on the original Wii. Saying it took Nintendo 7 years to listen to their fans is hardly showering them with praise. Same goes with the unified accounts - it's an improvement but it's still not exactly what the fans have been asking for since the announcement of such service. That stuff has been plaguing message boards for ages. Just because it wasn't on Miiverse or Twitter, it doesn't mean Nintendo can fein ignorance on the matter and say they didn't know the fans were asking for these things. Hoppefully, they will be become must swifter at listening to the fans, acknowledging their issues, and delivering upon what is being asked of them - that this is the sign of great things to come. I didn't bother to set up an Nintendo ID thing on my 3DS depsite the offer of SMBDeluxe because I did not agree on what they were asking from me. With the Wii U, you're quite restricted if you don't sign up so they had me over a barrel. But that isn't the way things should be and it sure as hell is not what the fans are asking for.

Nintendo are barely up to the standard of the original launch of Xbox Live in 2002. They were clearly talking rubbish when they were promising the world but I'm amazed how many people actually bought into it. You only had to look at the 3DS to see how much further they had progressed (i.e. not that much) so to suddenly expect everything to change with their new console seemed a little naive. We'd been fed the same hyperbole when it came to the Wii and the grand ambition of WiiConnect24 which equated to little more than messages from Nintendo. But I don't really care too much. I had an idea of what to expect based upon past performance, talk is cheap after all, and I knew what I was letting myself in for. Doesn't make it any better but I have no intention of getting annoyed. As long as Smash works with minimal lag, then I'm happy to do the whole messaging thing on here with Sprout, Fused, Dud and the boys like in the old days if need be. In better news, I just managed to pick up Sonic Lost World for £20 in HMV - it was the Deadly Six Edition too made better by the fact I had some vouchers from work to get it down the £10. Just need for Nintendo to send me my Gamepad back. I was eyeing up Mario 3D World in Tesco too for £40, given it's the going rate online, but I passed... for now.

That's kinda the biggest draw with me right now but given a lot of those games can be found around the £20 mark just lately, I could potentially buy two from that selection for the cost of Mario Kart and the free one... except I've gotten two games I have more interest in.

More of the same but increase the scope and scale would be a good start. I think the on rails sections need to be much faster - you're supposed to be flying these state of the art space combat fighters and yet you float through the worlds at pedestrian speeds. It needs a kick up the butt. The levels need to be bigger and more dynamic - cause and effect. Can I blow up a building to have it collapse on ground units or what if I blow a giant ship out of the sky, what can it take down with it. Are there water storage areas that can be used to flood enemies or put out fires that lead to benefits. Destroying enemy passages ways to prevent reinforcements. If you take the independance day level, you can have multiple giant ships targetting different bases that are providing certain levels of support and then the level has a strategy element as you try to protect the sections that offer most use, etc. All range mode needs to be more interesting. Some levels would be on rails with a all range boss but why can't they start on rails, have a bit section battle in all range and then swap back to rails and carry on. Levels need to offer more choices and side missions of sorts that can take you off the main path to face mini bosses and the like. A character section process that doesn't necessarily have to change the attributes of your craft, but it determines the path you take through a level would be great. It would be nice on levels like Titannia if I had the option of taking the Landmaster or Arwing with either the AI or a friend playing the other roles. Having complete freedom to choose any combination of vehicle sounds great on paper but it would be a nightmare from a game design perspective and would probably end up being worse as a result even if the potential is there. But if my character choice was the deciding factor, it would be a lot easier. And that feeds in to the multiplayer angle too with online co-op where everyone is doing something slightly different. Heck, it could have five player online with someone controlling the Great Fox on the gamepad that has a whole different gameplay style to the Arwings - that Great Fox bit being able to be done in a local campaign multiplayer mode too. Basically, there is tons of stuff you could do with it but it an important part is striking the right balance between complexity, diversity and immediacy.

I had seen that one actually and it does look good... It's probably me. I'm wanting something completely new feeling but this is Mario Kart for a reason. If it felt completely different, it wouldn't be Mario Kart any more. I think another part of the reason I'm not super enthused for it is the continued absense of F-Zero. Buying other racing games almost feels like I'm suggesting I'm ok with its fade into obscurity but this looks like it will be the closest we get for some time.

I've watched a couple of them but I never bothered to watch the ND. Not all the comments here seemed too enthusiatic for the presentation style, even if they felt the game looked good, and I didn't fancy sitting through annoying people talking, that's what work is for. I've read the very positive reviews from my trifecta of trust (EDGE, Metro and EG) but I'm still not convinced yet.

I'm glad he's back in the game - I enjoy playing Falcon but I have to admit, I seem to play a lot better with Ike, and have just as much fun too. Going with his RD design does make a lot more sense for how they portrayed the character as a relatively slow powerhouse which is more inline with the sequel rather than PoR where he was brilliant in every cateogory except Magic understandably. That said, I still prefer the PoR look. Well they could try going the whole hog and include his Awakening design too. And maybe if they were feeling extra generous, they could give us a clone in Priam. Sod it, they need to make Super Smash Bros: Fire Emblem Edition or get Namco to do Soul Calibur: Fire Emblem Edition - anything to get FE more attention and expand on all that history and potential.

Still undecided as to whether I actually want this game or not. It's out this week but I've struggled to sum up any excitement for a Mario Kart game since 64. I want to be sucked into the hype and get on board the train but I'm really quite indifferent to the series right now.

Well I've had it for a few days now and so far, I'm enjoying my time with it. Lego City seemed a bit lacking at first but that's a problem I find when starting any open world game. I had the same issue with GTA IV but really enjoyed that game by the end. And Lego is having a very similar effect. Nothing remotely ground breaking but as my first full Lego experience, only played demos of other games, I'm enjoying it far more than I suspect I would Zelda. I started playing DKC today as well and after initialling having a feeling of more of the same as soon as I could move DK, the level throws you into some water and this happened... Audio and I suddenly remember that Returns was awesome and more of the same is a fantastic offering in anyone's book. I've finished world 1 (including the K stage) and called it quits but I can't wait to get back. I was definitely in the camp of it being a waste of Retro's time and talent upon reveal but I was most definitely wrong. Rayman did arrive yesterday but I've not opened it yet. I still haven't actually finished Origins, as I was playing the entire game co-op with my brother and his life keeps getting in the way of game time. So I was unsure whether to just crack on given the game takes more than a few levels out of Origins anyway. There may not be many games I want, but for the price it cost me, it's starting to feel like an absolute bargain.

From the comments on here, they sound pretty good. I rang them up and order a return parcel so should hopefully be sorted soon. In better news, DKC turned up today and Rayman should be here tomorrow... Not that I've broken the seal on Lego yet.

Well, removing the battery has no impact. With the battery disconnected but plugged into the mains, the light blinks orange. But reconnecting the battery causes it to stop blinking. That's a nuisance and then some.

I think that's the only thing I can do now now @Hero\-of\-Time. Failing any success there, I guess it might be a repair/replacement job. Being totally honest, I'm never likely to be far enough from a mains socket for it to be an actual real issue but it should work as intended too.

I tried using a different socket but it made no difference. The power brick must be working or it wouldn't turn on at all. I was originally not using the charging cradle but trying with that makes no difference. If it rests in the dock, it will turn on but lifting it will see it go off straight away. It really seems like a battery issue to me. I've some online suggest removing and reinserting the battery but it was late last night and I didn't fancy messing around so will have to try that later. I don't have a Pro controller to test with.