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NINTENDO @ E3: Let the Hype juices flow

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I think it just comes down to sales. I don't think a lot of those franchises sold that well.

 

Also, I think NoA had more say back in those days and probably pushed for these type of games to appeal to their audience.

 

Bingo. Most of their western studios were dissolved when Iwata came to power. Iwata is also the CEO of NoA now too, so Reggie etc can hardly push for those types of games. AFAIK there is no one on Nintendo's Executive board from outside of Japan now.

 

Wave Race, 1080 and a new Excitetruck would be fantastic games to release at the start of next generation though. They would have a lot of appeal to those in the West whilst maintaining that classic Nintendo gameplay. Launch titles tend to sell very well too.

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I think it just comes down to sales. I don't think a lot of those franchises sold that well.

 

Also, I think NoA had more say back in those days and probably pushed for these type of games to appeal to their audience.

Good point.

 

Maybe this is the shift in Nintendo that I'd not really notice happen, but has affected how I feel about most of their output... Hmm. Even the likes of Mario with 3D World feels a lot more Japanese in it's presentation and design.

 

Dammit.

 

Also I think they have such potential to sell well, Nintendo just don't market them well enough. There's no other Jet Ski racer on the market, no other Dirt Bike game, with WipeOut gone F-Zero could and should be bigger than ever but they didn't take the opportunity, and Snowboarding only really has SSX (which ironically is a more Nintendo like Snowboarding game, with 1080 being a bit more serious and so again offers something different).

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Also I think they have such potential to sell well, Nintendo just don't market them well enough. There's no other Jet Ski racer on the market, no other Dirt Bike game, with WipeOut gone F-Zero could and should be bigger than ever but they didn't take the opportunity, and Snowboarding only really has SSX (which ironically is a more Nintendo like Snowboarding game, with 1080 being a bit more serious and so again offers something different).

 

Strange, isn't it? There's a huge hole in the market that nobody is willing to attempt to fill. It just goes along with the state of the industry, with many companies just wanting to play it safe due to the cost of development. Still, with digital distribution a thing now, they could easily make these into smaller eShop titles.

 

I remember ExciteBike on WiiWare and it was amazing. It was a fun, smaller game and had online multiplayer too! I think there should be more experiments like this, especially if they are afraid of bombing at retail.

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Strange, isn't it? There's a huge hole in the market that nobody is willing to attempt to fill. It just goes along with the state of the industry, with many companies just wanting to play it safe due to the cost of development. Still, with digital distribution a thing now, they could easily make these into smaller eShop titles.

 

I remember ExciteBike on WiiWare and it was amazing. It was a fun, smaller game and had online multiplayer too! I think there should be more experiments like this, especially if they are afraid of bombing at retail.

There really is a huge hole, and one that's there to capitalise on.

 

It makes sense actually, how the likes of Waverace and Excitebike kinda disappeared into Wii Sports, and F-Zero into Mario Kart. It does show they are very much lacking confidence in those brands, which could very much be a cultural thing.

 

It's the Western Market Nintendo really need to win back with their next console and coming out of the gates with a host of Sports Titles could very well be a good strategy if they have the vision and guts to go for it.

 

There's no real reason they couldn't captivate the sports crowd, and win back the likes of Tony Hawks, Fifa and Tiger Woods to complement it perfectly.

 

Honestly what else is there? There's that Extreme sports title coming from EA (which arguably Nintendo should have given them no reason to make), and there's Motorstorm, which we haven't seen from yet.

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Granted I wouldn't want to see Animal Crossing, Mario Strikers or Wii U Music either, but why are you up for Pikmin 4?

 

I think Pikmin 4 would get a similar reaction to the one DKCTF got, no matter how great that game turned out, and that's not one Nintendo really need. Plus Pikmin games don't garner big sales or interest.

 

I'd really like to see Nintendo dip back into their 'sports' range, I think that would be a great unexpected surprise that would be hugely welcomed by the fans and media. WaveRace, 1080, Excitebike [F-Zero/Excitetruck].

 

It's not that I desperately want Pikmin 4 though I wouldn't say no. I can picture Nintendo just seeing out the last year and a half of the Wii U by making easier games. They have the engine, might as well get the most out of it and make improvements similar to Pikmin 2 being better than the original. They can add online for starters.

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The Zelda not showing at E3 is a weird one. In December they said it would be out this year. I assume that it was far enough along to warrant this comment, which means a new trailer could easily be ready for E3.

 

I think it's either:

 

1. The game is getting a complete overhaul, so a trailer showing the old stuff wouldn't make sense.

 

2. It is indeed being prepped for NX, what ever that may be.

 

3. We are being trolled.

 

Why would you not show a big hitter like Zelda, even if it wasn't arriving soon? Something just doesn't add up....

 

For me it's either 1 or 2 - but honestly 3 would be the epicest bullshit that'd actually put them right back on the map. Imagine it - they actually show it at E3 and say it's a Christmas release - Tinternets will bloody EXPLODE! Everyone'll be talking about it, and barely enough people would really care about the troll(ofc, the issue with this would be that they have to show something pretty damn impressive to the masses, and I don't feel Nintendo have neccessarily managed that all too well recently).

 

I honestly can't understand the Zelda thing though, despite Ronnie's repeated defenses(btw I am quite amazed at that response to kav lol). To point though - who or what could possibly have got the jump on Nintendo except Nintendo? So poor management imo. They've known about the WiiU longer than anyone, they know it better than anyone, they should have considered working on it sooner than anyone. Big open world game blahblah? How have Monolith managed it with XCX? The only semi-valid argument I see for them taking long with it is the teams having/putting focus elsewhere; but again I put that down to poor planning/foresight.

 

A sequel to Excite Truck would be amazing, what a gem that was in the early Wii days!

 

Excitebots HD remake for the global market with excellent online infrastructure...??

 

(one can dream, eh @Fierce_LiNk?)

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To point though - who or what could possibly have got the jump on Nintendo except Nintendo? So poor management imo. They've known about the WiiU longer than anyone, they know it better than anyone, they should have considered working on it sooner than anyone. Big open world game blahblah? How have Monolith managed it with XCX? The only semi-valid argument I see for them taking long with it is the teams having/putting focus elsewhere; but again I put that down to poor planning/foresight.

 

It's strange that Monolith have been able to knock out XCX in such a time frame. Granted, the character models really need some work but the actual world they've created looks stunning and vast. They've also got some online implementation in the game and it's supposed to be a 100+ hour adventure. Maybe these guys should have a crack at the next Zelda? :D

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It's strange that Monolith have been able to knock out XCX in such a time frame. Granted, the character models really need some work but the actual world they've created looks stunning and vast. They've also got some online implementation in the game and it's supposed to be a 100+ hour adventure. Maybe these guys should have a crack at the next Zelda? :D

 

I know that XCX will not do for me what XC did - but XC did do for me almost what Mario and Zelda of old used to, so I would absolutely love it if they were given reigns on creating such a title. The only problem is I don't think they'd be given enough license to do it their way, and it'd end up an overhyped and underdelivered project. I definitely think if anyone can give us an awesome new Zelda with a twist it could be them, though. Might end up being MechaZelda, ofc :p

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I'd be pretty annoyed if it turned out they were trolling us and were getting Zelda out for Xmas this year. The Game Awards footage looked so rough it was clear the game needed tons of work. Let them take their time. I also wonder whether all the comments about how barren and lifeless Hyrule looked scared them enough to delay.

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If it did because it was actually the case then that's only a good thing for me. I loved TP on so many levels(I know, I say this all the time) but on the Zelda front itself it was kinda weak for me. Lacked charm, and what little of it there was was heavily stretched over a huge overworld that thinned it out incredibly. The problem with a game like Zelda is that it really is a unique and complete package, which probably makes it both so varied and yet so hard to constantly re-capture imo.

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A lot of people in the industry have commented that there hasn't been a truly great Zelda game since Wind Waker. A Link Between Worlds the exception but even that was half a game we'd already played. I would probably agree with that. Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword are obviously very fine games but judged on Zelda's high standards they both had unique but huge problems.

 

I don't think they need extra time to bring the magic back into the series (look how good MM and Wind Waker ended up with relatively short development times) but I do think mechanically they need the time to fill the world with charm, hopefully create new animations from scratch etc.

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I love TP & SS but agree with comments on their overworlds. I'd not say they lacked charm but the worlds did feel a bit sparse.

 

One thing @Ronnie and I agree on completely is that we both think the animations need a huge overhaul. Link looks so rigid in his movement that it detracts from the immersion.

Edited by Kav

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Especially having played Wind Waler recently. The animations there are so smooth (and amazing). I hope they start from scratch for Zelda U

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A portion of an interview with Splatoon producer Hisashi Nogami talking about the possibility of seeing Animal Crossing on Wii U.

 

So my very last question then is: When are we going to see Animal Crossing on Wii U?

 

Well, that's difficult for me to answer at the moment! Yup. That's pretty much all we can say.

 

What I will say is that you may have seen an announcement recently about an Animal Crossing product coming out on the 3DS... I can tack that on to the end of my response.

 

http://www.engadget.com/2015/05/29/splatoon-producer-on-making-a-nintendo-original/

 

Well it wasn't flat out denied.

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A sequel to Excite Truck would be amazing, what a gem that was in the early Wii days!

 

There was a sequel. We just didn't get it. *glares*

 

Snowboarding only really has SSX (which ironically is a more Nintendo like Snowboarding game, with 1080 being a bit more serious and so again offers something different).

 

So what you're saying is we need a new Snowboard Kids?

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It's strange that Monolith have been able to knock out XCX in such a time frame. Granted, the character models really need some work but the actual world they've created looks stunning and vast. They've also got some online implementation in the game and it's supposed to be a 100+ hour adventure. Maybe these guys should have a crack at the next Zelda? :D

 

In all likelihood, Monolith Soft probably are helping to develop Zelda Wii U. They did co-develop Skyward Sword and A Link Between Worlds after all (mostly asset/cutscene creation).

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So Animal Crossing seems to be the word on the street.

 

I remember when the development team expressed their regret at not really doing much new in regards to City Folk. But on the other hand... I wonder if it's realistic to expect a big shake-up after New Leaf?

 

I think it's kind of a double-edged sword. New Leaf was hugely popular and successful. There's probably a big urge to take a 'we shake up the formula at our peril' stance. But on the other hand, I think there's a widely-held consensus that the series is more popular and better-suited on handheld. So perhaps there is more pressure to do something different.

 

I just don't see what sweeping changes they'd make with a Wii U version. But I don't have a pretty good imagination :heh: Streamline/expand the online community aspect? I always had this idea that Animal Crossing could have a big online brochure of all the items, but it would be like a living, always-evolving economy. So rarer and more popular items cost more Bells, etc. I guess players without an online connection couldn't really take advantage of that though.

 

What kinds of ideas do other people have for a home console Animal Crossing?

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What kinds of ideas do other people have for a home console Animal Crossing?

 

Save it for the NX and use it as a hub world, replacing the Wara-Wara Plaza of Wii U. Friends who are online would be visible in your village and you could walk around to meet up to arrange to play games together, via text or voice chat. Leave notices on the notice board to help tell friends when you'll be available to play next.. or whatever!

 

An achievements system could be in place to give you items for your house, whatever game you play, or to customise your character/Mii :smile:

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Excitebots HD remake for the global market with excellent online infrastructure...??

 

(one can dream, eh @Fierce_LiNk?)

 

I doubt I'd buy it now, tbh. I would've been all over that 18 months ago. Or, better still, when it got released elsewhere when it should have arrived in Europe. :blank:

 

ExciteTruck was great and I was ready for a follow up. The delay between ExciteTruck appearing on the Wii and now is just far too great to get me in the mood again. A massive shame, as I plunged so many hours into that game.

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Is Animal Crossing Wii U Happening?! - Discussion

 

 

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As for the Pikmin 4 Vs Sport/racer title - why not both?

 

I don't see why a company as experienced as Nintendo can't churn out both types of games simultaneously.

 

And the issue of Nintendo neglecting certain franchises due to 'Sales', is Nintendo's fault and their traditionally poor marketing attempts. As uninterested as I am in the PS4, I can name one or two games and they're genre just by the massive advertising posters they have on the Underground.

 

While their social media presence (ie Splatoon on Youtube etc) has improved, they still seem a bit behind the times.

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So Animal Crossing seems to be the word on the street.

 

I remember when the development team expressed their regret at not really doing much new in regards to City Folk. But on the other hand... I wonder if it's realistic to expect a big shake-up after New Leaf?

 

I think it's kind of a double-edged sword. New Leaf was hugely popular and successful. There's probably a big urge to take a 'we shake up the formula at our peril' stance. But on the other hand, I think there's a widely-held consensus that the series is more popular and better-suited on handheld. So perhaps there is more pressure to do something different.

 

I just don't see what sweeping changes they'd make with a Wii U version. But I don't have a pretty good imagination :heh: Streamline/expand the online community aspect? I always had this idea that Animal Crossing could have a big online brochure of all the items, but it would be like a living, always-evolving economy. So rarer and more popular items cost more Bells, etc. I guess players without an online connection couldn't really take advantage of that though.

 

What kinds of ideas do other people have for a home console Animal Crossing?

 

Thought this for a long time... unfortunately. I have no desire or interest in a home console animal crossing unless it's vastly shaken up.

 

Even sticking with the current format; for me the biggest change should be within the economy and sharing of the game. The turnip game is one of the most interesting aspects of the game and the whole money thing has so much potential. Also the designing aspect is brilliant, but slightly under-utilised. Obviously you can make the design more complicated and have more features, but for me you should be able to SELL the designs, say un the shop a random persons design went in your shop, you can look at it, but it. That person then gets the money from it, encouraging design with the game more; people could then save their best artists and maybe there could be market every sunday where your 10 favourite artists display their stuff.

 

Even paying people to do jobs, real people.

 

The multiplayer was improved brilliantly in new leaf, take that ever further. Up the number of people allowed in the village (make it crazy - 30!!) allow custom games with preset rules, more control over holidays, create your own and invite other people to come and celebrate...

 

There's a thousand things they could do to improve it. But the chances are they won't. It'll be the same old shit we've done too many times before.

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What kinds of ideas do other people have for a home console Animal Crossing?

 

My guess is the next Animal Crossing will be a "base level" entry in the series. Then, when the next handheld is released (presumably the NX), you will have to buy the next Animal Crossing, of course, but will be able to transfer your progress.

 

I really loved New Leaf for quite a while, but at the same time, I can't see people wanting to collect the same insects, fish and furniture every single time, starting over again every time a new entry is released. For example, I really liked the Sleek furniture and spent ages collecting it - it seems odd that I'd have to do that again and again every time there's a new game out.

 

The Museum too - the dinosaur fossils were great, but it'd be even better if, when you bought a new Animal Crossing, your completed dinosaurs were all there waiting for you, except graphically improved. Of course, there'd have to be new rooms and fossils so that there's something to do, but that's OK - there are hundreds of real prehistoric creatures to use.

 

Overall, I was really enchanted with New Leaf and can see myself doing the same experience again (especially on handheld), but it'd be better if it had some future-proofing this time round.

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As much as I'd like to see a great big HD Animal Crossing, the truth is it fits better on a handheld you can whip out any time you want. With just how much the 3DS version sold (veeeeeeeery well indeed), I believe it should be for BOTH Wii U/3DS and have crossplay, and dare I say crossbuy (or at least a 50% off if you own a version). If it was just TV play, I can honestly say I'd still buy it, but my playtime would be erratic due to extra hassle. Not sure what others think, but I've only really played New Leaf so.

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I'm one of the few that prefers big screen AC. Nice to relax on the sofa, put some TV on the laptop and waste away the day. And I'm not a massive fan of handheld gaming anyway.

 

Having seen the Mario Kart AC track it'd be lovely to have a nice big fully 3D AC, but it'll never happen. They'll have to change it quite a bit for me to be interested in another AC game, no matter the platform.

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