Dcubed

Time for N64 VC games!? Remember Shibata, no 60hz = no buy! I don't even care that much about the games being rendered in 1080p, 60hz support OR NO DEAL! You have ONE job here! DO NOT mess this up!

Yeah, basically any modern Receiver will support it. It requires HDMI (it will not work at all over Optical) and it is the very highest quality sound format there is (all Blurays support either 5.1 LPCM or a lossless equivalent like DTS Master Audio). All Wii U games only support either 2.1 LPCM or 5.1 LPCM and nothing else. 5.1 LPCM support for Wii U games is mandatory (though a few games have a weird sound mix where they only use the front speakers, like NSMBU, despite actually outputting 5.1 LPCM - probably cause they thought "oh it's a side scroller so we shouldn't have sound coming from behind the player" ) It is well worth investing into it if you really care about the sound quality! I tried out the PS3 version of Resident Evil Revelations (which is DD only) and compared it to the Wii U one and the difference was night and day! : peace: Not to mention that your Blurays will thank you

You do realise that LPCM is actually the highest quality sound you can get right? It actually kicks the crap out of Dolby Digital! (LPCM is pure uncompressed "master" quality audio, while Dolby Digital is a heavily compressed format - in fact, DD is made by downconverting from an original LPCM source) You really need to get a modern HDMI Receiver! I would never want to go back to DD after hearing proper uncompressed 5.1 LPCM!

The GBC was the GB equivalent of the DSi and the New3DS. Doubled CPU clock speed, extra hardware gimmicks, exclusive/hybrid games and 2/4x the RAM. The original GB's life was extended because of Pokemon and the GBC existed because the GBA (known as Project Atlantis then) was behind schedule and suffering development hell. Likewise, the DSi was released in order to buy time for them to get the 3DS done and the software made for it. All of them have had the same 2/2.5 year lifespan and the New3DS will be no different. It will also get another mainline Pokemon game that pushes it as well. And I do suspect that you might be right about the NX handheld and console coming out the same year like GBA and GCN, but definitely not at the same time (even though they share the same architecture, they are not the same hardware spec and will have plenty to differentiate them), but I do think it's possible that they might both be 2017 (March 2017 for handheld, Nov 2017 for console) but I wouldn't be surprised to see the console slip into early 2018 though. Either way, that's much too far out for Zelda Wii U to get shifted over to the Wii U's successor. Again, it's like Skyward Sword, not Twilight Princess here.

This is a Skyward Sword situation, not a Twilight Princess one. The first "NX" platform that will be released will be the 3DS' successor, not the Wii U's one. It has been out much longer and is due to be replaced first, as has been the case with every single handheld Nintendo has ever produced. As I keep repeating, you're thinking business realities when you should be thinking R&D realities. New hardware (and software for that hardware) takes time to develop and while the time gap between the two may well be shorter than in the past due to the fact that they're gonna share the same hardware architecture (and OS for the most part), it will still take more time to develop a console after making the handheld. That means that even with a delay to Xmas 2016, Zelda Wii U will be due to release more than a year before the Wii U's successor is due. They're not gonna sit on it for that long (it's exactly just like how Skyward Sword came out roughly a year before the Wii U came out - they didn't hold off on releasing it for Wii now did they?) Think back to how the 3DS was unveiled. It was announced slightly before E3 2010 and first unveiled there, then released in Feb/March 2011 - roughly 2.5 years after the DSi launched in Japan (and 2 years after it launched in the west). Likewise, the GBA followed a similar pattern after the GBC. The console always comes after the handheld because they need time to develop the hardware/system software/SDKs and the launch software to go along with it. Right now they are knee deep in Wii U game development (the tech know how will transfer directly over to the joint NX platform though, because it's said to be based on the Wii U's hardware architecture); so when they are done with this wave of Wiii U software, their teams will start to mainly focus on NX/4DS development - just like they always do (the last year of a Nintendo console/handheld's life is always relatively barren because that is their transitional period). So following Nintendo's usual R&D pattern, 2015 will be the Wii U's last big year, then they unveil the 4DS at E3 2016 (as Iwata just said they would with the NX) and probably release it in March 2017 worldwide. That same year at E3 2017, they'll announce the Wii U's successor and probably release it in either November 2017 or March 2018 (depending on feasabilty).

Exactly. It was an easy one to predict, not only because of the way it looked to be in such an early state, but also because of historical precedence. Not really when you consider the fact that they've released three remakes/remasters (OOT 3D, MM 3D and TWW HD) and A Link Between Worlds during that time. Not to mention that EAD doesn't work the way that most developers do... (Basically they have a pool of production staff who are drafted onto each game as is needed - so staff who are currently working on Splatoon, Starfox Wii U or MK8's DLC will be put to work on Zelda Wii U when they're finished doing what they're currently doing - likewise, when they were developing the likes of Pikmin 3, or New Super Mario Bros 2/U or Nintendo Land, they weren't actually doing any production work on Zelda U; just basic prototyping).

Told you all that there was no chance in hell of a 2015 release. It looked waaaaayyyy too early in development when they showed off gameplay (the world had practically nothing in it and reeked of pre-alpha jitters) It'll come out around Xmas 2016 and will be considered the Wii U's swansong. The next year, support will die off and the next Nintendo console will be released in either November 2017 or March 2018 (the "NX" machine that is due to be revealed next year is the 3DS' successor, not the Wii U's one - the new handheld has to be announced and focused on first).

Oh I'm looking forward to the highlights of this week! Sadly I'm out as usual for this "odd" week, but it's gonna be a fun one to watch later on!

All very true. SEGA have always struggled for a place in this world though. Times just happen to be especially hard for them right now But at least they've been having some success as of late. Their PC efforts have done well for them, as have smaller projects like the Miku games and the SEGA 3D Classics But yeah, there's another one that have fought tooth and nail to not lose themselves completely. Even though they've been through godknowshowmany upheavals and changes and they've had a few unsuccessful attempts at setting their sights higher and more mainstream, they've always generally tried to keep a grip on who they were and never abandoned their past at least!

Iwata Asks for Xenoblade 3D! Some choice snippets... (Yup! We finally have proof that the game sold more outside Japan than within!) It's a shame that we don't hear anything from Monster Games in this one... Always annoys me when they do an Iwata Asks about the games that are developed/co-developed by their western studios and they can't get them to join in... (I know that it's more difficult to pull off because of timezone/geographic issues, but still ) Even so, it's well worth a read for some more fascinating insights! : peace:

All very true but the bolded is especially true. That is by far the biggest mistake that they all made and we all saw it coming a mile off. Capcom especially is a really baffling case because they actually did have some success early on in the generation when they did stick to their guns and eventually lost grip on reality (outside of a few exceptions, like Monster Hunter and Ace Attorney, where the execs actually just bloody left it alone like they should've done with everything else!) Don't forget about Atlus too! They've stuck to their guns and have been going nowhere but up as a result!

Yeah... That was fun! I really should play Frantic more!

Hey @Clownferret I've sent you a friend request, please be sure to add me!

That's not the RRP. It's a full priced title $59.99/€59.99/£49.99 RRP as far as we know... Which makes this listing suspiciously cheap...

Sounds like a good port all round, if not much else. From the screenshots I've seen on the JPN eShop though, the S3D effect is really disappointingly weak though Considering that this is the main thing I was looking forward to with this version and that Monster Games' previous games (Pilotwings Resort and DKCR 3D) both had really strong S3D effects (something that would've looked fantastic with the massive vistas of Xenoblade), it's a real bummer to me to see the effect looking so shallow by comparison I'll probably still get it though, just cause, but I reckon that the Wii version will remain the version of choice, especially when it comes out as a Wii U eShop download and you get the addition of Off TV Play (since the game supported the Classic Controller, it'll be fully playable via the Gamepad's buttons/sticks when it does eventually hit) and the massive loading time improvement that'll probably put it on par or even a little better than the New3DS version! And of course, the Wiimote & Chuck control scheme is still the way to go Anyone who disagrees is clearly wrong, because how the hell are you supposed to comfortably move and select arts at the same time when using a CC Pro!? (and no, camera control is no problem at all) So basically, HURRY UP AND RELEASE THE WII VERSION ON THE WII U ESHOP ALREADY!!!

Oooh! Frantic Mode!! This should be fun! Count me IN!!

English Q&A is up http://www.nintendo.co.jp/corporate/release/en/2015/150317qa/index.html Some snippets... On the Club Nintendo replacement that DENA is co-developing... More re-iteration that they refuse to port existing games/release multiplatform titles and why... And more re-iteration that these mobile games are not really being considered as huge revenue drivers, but advertising tools first and foremost... All interesting (and comforting) stuff, but it still feels like a slippery slope to me... Either way, give it a read - more interesting stuff within!

The weird thing here is that voice chat is nothing new to Nintendo... Even on the original DS, voice chat was a very common feature in 1st party titles (ever since Metroid Prime Hunters onwards) and they had voice chat in quite a few Wii titles like Animal Crossing Wii. Yet for some strange reason they've actually moved away from it, even with games where it should be very doable like this one

Because it plays nothing like any other shooter out there? In a sea of samey COD clones and Gears alikes, Splatoon is a genuinely unique take on the genre.

It's totally understandable why people would get upset in this case. On a technical level, voice chat should really be very much doable - net-code wise, it's very much like a standard FPS/TPS game, so it is an expected feature. It's not like Smash Bros or Wii Sports Club where they're really performing miracles with the netcode and corners absolutely have to be cut... But on the other hand, I hardly ever use voice chat anyway so it personally doesn't bother me.

Yes. My usual USB HDD is mains powered. The other one I tested is powered by the two USB ports (Y Cable) Both had exactly the same stuttering problem Internal storage works flawlessly though So weird. I've never seen this happen with any other game (be it Wii download, Wii U Retail, Wii U Download Exclusive (save Armillo) or Wii U VC. My USB HDD has always worked flawlessly with every other game!

Hey guys, I've been playing the download version of Kirby's Adventure Wii and I've just discovered something unfortunate... (I know that it's not actually a VC game, but this seems to be the most appropriate place to put this...) It seems that the game suffers from some performance problems when running off a USB storage device - you get this sort of annoying stuttering effect peppered throughout that seems to crop up randomly (it consistently happens in certain levels though). I kept thinking that I swore this never happened with the original disc version, so I compared it with my disc copy and yup! I was right, the disc version runs near flawlessly (apart from a few brief moments of minor slowdown during a few of the super move sequences, but I knew that anyway); while the download version sometimes just stuttered like crazy (especially in level 4-2). I thought that it might be a problem with my hard drive (it's self powered and has never given me any trouble, but it is 2 years old now and has seen a lot of use with my Wii U, so I thought that it might be about to give up the ghost), so I tried it with another one that I had lying around (it's Y Cable powered but hasn't been used nearly as much as my main Wii U one and has never had any real performance issues) and yup, exactly the same problem - same stuttering, same places (again, level 4-2 is particularly problematic) There is some good news though! Moving it to the internal storage seems to fix it completely. It's so bizzare! I've never seen this happen with any other game other than Armillo (and that got a patch to fix that up - but that's very much an amateur production anyway, so I can understand it happening there) and every other Wii download game has worked flawlessly on USB storage so far (even games that rely heavily on streaming like DKCR and Metroid Prime Trilogy). I mean, these Wii games aren't designed to run off anything other than disc, so I was surprised that the other download games (and I own them all so far) worked flawlessly, but I don't really understand why suddenly Kirby (and only Kirby) seems to have stuttering problems I assume that it must come down to how the game's engine works (must be some strange kind of streaming going on), but if anything I would've thought that it would be the Metroid Prime games that would suffer from that kind of thing! Such a shame, cause the sped up loading times are very nice! You do get a good experience when running from internal storage, but it's pretty shocking that this actually can even happen when using a USB HDD!

Well, even Namco have lost themselves a tad. Plenty of exploitative microtransaction crap, a bit of factory belt style production (the way that they really pump out Tales games is simply insane) and the quality of their titles can be really very much hit and miss (even long established series like Ridge Racer and Soul Calibur have been really very shakey in recent times...) But they're not all bad at least. A bit rocky, but they've at least managed to keep a hold of their staff and let them (mostly) make the games they want to make (and from a programming/art production standpoint, they're some of the best in the business - their work on Smash Bros Wii U/3DS, Mario Kart 8 and Wii Sports Club was exceptional!). And as far as their publishing efforts go? Not too shabby either, a little bit meddling in some cases like Dark Souls 2, but far from the worst. Their recent efforts on PC have also been really very good as well and they're also generally very respectful of their past too (barring a few unfortunate exceptions like Tales of Phantasia iOS...)

Very true (and you know how I've felt about them for a long while). But even this seems like a low that I never thought they'd ever stoop to! Metal Gear without Kojima isn't Metal Gear. I'm not a fan of how the series has progressed ever since MGS4, but this is just disgusting to watch - and also explains a lot about why they've taken certain things in a direction that I have not been happy with With this now, they literally have gone and driven out ALL of their visionary directors/producers that made their name. They can't even claim that they've kept even one now! So sad to see. And the independant route isn't even necessarily one that'll work out for someone with even as much clout as him - Koji Igarashi (Castlevania) left recently, wanting to make another game in the same vein as the Metroidvania Castlevanias and is currently working for hire on mobile junk while he seeks an opportunity (I really hope he lands on his feet, I know I would back a kickstarter of his )

They could well do. Nobody really thought that they'd do a second wave and yet there it was, out of nowhere! I really hope that they do a 3rd performance. There's still so much in the well that is still untapped! No Mystic Quest DLC? No Chrono Cross? No FF Crystal Chronicles? And so much wonderful Chrono Trigger music still to go...