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Posted By Shaun K. about 8 months ago
Episode 9: Wi(i)ll U Play the Game?
Welcome back to the show where we introduce the debate and you continue it. This week’s topic: Justin, a.k.a. JewWario, joins Shaun in examining the recent Wii U news and discussing the system’s future prospects.
Thumb Wars is a weekly show hosted/produced by Shaun Kronenfeld dedicated to starting and encouraging dialogue and debate on a wide variety of topics within the video game industry. Look for a new Thumbs Wars every Sunday. Comments, opinions, and thoughts are not only welcome, they are the entire point. Feel free to follow Shaun on Twitter @bigred_13 if you feel so inclined.
Seeing how the WiiU is coming out reminds me so much of how I need to work to afford the console.
Love the fact I won´t need screen-peek anymore if that´s how the screen will work and I also look forward to more games that will utilize WiiU to it´s fullest potential in the near future.
Now what could be that bad things be about it (aside from being console expensive)?
I think the WiiU will be a strong console and its launch library looks very impressive, definitely one of the best ever. I do intent to get one of course, probably not at launch what with Christmas around the corner and my birthday shortly after I don’t think I will have to worry about buying one myself. I do doubt that that it will be as successful as the Wii, due to the lack of anything for the casual family gamers who only ever played Wii sports and crappy little party games; they have next to no reason to get this. Coupled with the brand confusion, I can’t foresee it being the thing everyone talks about and becoming the sales giant the Wii was. Though for the people actually into games, I think it will become massively popular, I see no reason to not get eventually for any true game enthusiasts other then some grudge against Nintendo, or fanboying of a different company.
You guys should happy about the price, quite frankly I don’t think you realize how cheap the WiiU will be in the US! In Sweden the price has been confirmed at almost 600 dollars for the premium version. Over here that is still considered quite reasonable
As for the rest I really think it’s shaping up very nicely, I miss a good classic rpg or adventure game. I’ll probably get it at launch but I wont be buying any games for a while since none of the launch titles really interest me. I mean sure, I agree with you that looking at the system it’s a great lineup but most of the titles are ports and I’ve already played them all, which is something I think goes for a lot of prospective buyers out there.
I hope this will be a great success for Nintendo, they have a great opportunity to really corner the market since both Sony and Microsoft have proven unwilling to unleash the true power of next gen gaming for quite some time to come. I think the market will welcome a new and more modern system with fresh abilities, including the more serious gamer community.
Well after finally seeing more detail information on the WiiU I must say I’m much more optimistic about this one, but after getting burned by the N64, Gamecube, and Wii, I’m a bit leery to trust Nintendo with my money out of the gate. I think I’ll wait and see what happens. I mean, they promised online with the Gamecube, I went out and bought one at launch, with a broadband adapter. I’m sure you’ll appreciate how little use that adapter got.
I have been holding off on buying Mass Effect 3 because of time and price..
I played the first 2 on PC. I wonder if it will be better to get the wiiu version or stick with PC.
I’m left handed, so I’m worried just how much the touch screen will affect me.
It is sometimes hard using the DS with the control pad on the left. Ya, most games have options for left handed people, but it just doesn’t feel the same using the buttons as a pad…
It seems to me that Nintendo ist trying to play catchup with Sony and Microsoft on the console market with the Wii U. The graphics are comparable to 360 and PS3 games and online functionality, something which Nintendo completely failed at with the Wii, is finally arriving in the 21. century.
Being able to use your old controllers is a plus, since those things cost about 50 Euro each and I’d hate having to buy new ones just to play the new console.
Adding memory to the console using a USB drive or SD card is a nice feature, but the Wii already had that. You could even play games from a USB drive using homebrew software (USB Loader GX). And USB can be painfully slow if the drive is ancient and the system only uses USB 2.0. I havent’t found any information which states that the Wii U will use UBS 3.0.
NOT getting Nintendoland with the basic console is a kick ion the balls for all those who want to buy that console. Basically Nintendo made the 8GB version pointless, since 50 bucks more for a charging station and a game are not that bad. And black is cool xD
But for me two things will decide if this console is worth buying:
- how does the new controlscheme handle? I’ve heard accounts which go both ways. Some say it’s fun, others say it’s ackward and distracting constantly switching between two screens.
- what about copy protection? The Wii was easy to crack using Homebrew software or modchips because it used the same system the Gamecube used. I installed a Wasabi modchip fairly easily and could play copied games easily. Coupled with a DVD-drive which read Wii DVDs my collection swelled quickly
A stolen collection is no collection at all.
The most amazing thing about the Wii U is the sheer amount of control options there are to choose from, effectively making the Wii U an all-in-one console for virtually any game and style. The tablet being used as a second screen to accompany the main game, the Wiimote being used for games that use motion controls, and the Classic Controller and Wii U Pro Controller work for basic, familiar gameplay we’ve come to know and love.
Unless future consoles from Microsoft and Sony prove to be more powerful than the Wii U by a vast amount and therefore making the Wii U to support games of such graphical power, there is virtually no real reason for any 3rd party game developer to make anything exclusive to those systems since every possible control option is featured on the Wii U. Well, except maybe controller-free Kinect play.
Don’t forget that the Avengers Kinect game is also going to be a launch game for the Wii U. And the Wii U is the only other system getting it. So even Kinect games (or at least this Kinect game) appear to be capable in some fashion or another of making the transition.
I agree with Shaun and J.W. about almost everything they’ve said, except the launch lineup. Having games like Mass Effect 3 and Darksiders II is not that great when systems everyone already owns like 360 and PS3 already have those games. Also, when the Wii U launches those games will be cheaper on old consoles (even cheaper used) than the Wii U’s versions. Wii U versions might be better and worth the price, but they have kept a lot of uses of the gamepad for those games under wraps. Assassin’s Creed 3 Wii U is not as helpful as Wii U having Ubisoft’s support. These already released cross-platform games build Wii U’s future potential with third party developers to astounding heights, but offer no exclusitivity at launch.
Furthermore, I see so very little first-party support for Nintendo’s new console. We have the token Mario game and Pikmin. I know Zelda is resting and Smash Bros. is in the planning stages, but so many of Nintendo’s franchises are not visible on the horizon. No Star Fox, No Fire Emblem, no Kirby, no console Pokemon, no Harvest Moon, no F-Ze-GOD WE NEED ANOTHER F-ZERO! Captain Falcon now has a fanbase 5 times bigger than the amount of people who have actually played an F-Zero game.
Finally, I don’t know what Microsoft and Sony are cooking up. Remember Dreamcast? Dreamcast was great and revolutionary for the time, but none of it mattered next to the devastatingly unpredictable awesomeness that was PS2. I do not want the Wii U to meet that end, but since it’s only somewhat more powerful than 360 and PS3, that fog surrounding PS4 and Nextbox looks dark. I’m not sold because I don’t know if it will survive and compete with them.
That said, this is definitely Nintendo’s system capable of beating them. The only part of their plan I’m not sure of is the games.
It is worth keeping in mind that this is the first Mario game to launch with a Nintendo system since the N64. So even if its ‘just’ a NSMB title, that is still a big deal. And at least the ports you mentioned are either more recent or more impressive than the ones the 3DS got saddled with at launch. Go wiki the titles available at launch for say the 360, PS3, or Wii and then compare them to what the Wii U will have and see if the difference does not stand out. I mean NSMB, Zombi U, and Rayman Legends alone would each be potentially killer apps for any launch library but taken as a whole…
The point we where making was that for a LAUNCH library the available selection of titles was impressive. Obviously the Wii U is going to need more games, including exclusives, going forward. No question. But as starts for consoles go this is about as ideal as one can realistically expect. Its got a good mix of titles that will appeal to both casual and hardcore gamers alike and features a number of games with the promise of good length.
I mean if you haven’t played Darksiders II, ME3, or AC3 by the time you get a Wii U, just imagine how much content alone those games bring to the table. And who knows how meaty NSMB, Zombi U, and Rayman Legends will end up being. One of the biggest problems that consoles often face at launch is the fact that many launch titles are often glorified tech demos with little meat to them. It is not just a lack of games to play but the lack of appeal or stay power of the ones available. When the 3DS came out there was honestly not a single game I wanted to play and that was one reason I held off on buying it. At the very least, the Wii U will have an easier road when it comes to that particular problem. Which is no small positive.
Thanks for the comment and I hope you keep engaging and enjoying the show.
Actually, good point. I do not immediately recall a launch lineup for a system that I was blown away by.
I actually have not played a single game Wii U is porting over. Haven’t played Mass Effect 3 or any AC past the first one (have AC2, but haven’t played yet). Over the summer I saw Gamestop was selling ME3 used for 25 bucks, but now the sale’s over and it’s back to 35. That said, if the Wii U sells ME3 at competitive prices like 40 or 50, I might actually buy it for Wii U, if I buy a Wii U.
But ever since the 3DS I have made a promise to myself that ports do not count as legitimate reasons to buy a console (resisting the 3DS and OOT3DS with all my willpower).
I agree that ports of previously released titles that have been out for several months do not have as much value as new titles or original games or the like. I would add two things however:
a. To be fair, the AC3 port is coming out essentially the same time as the PC version and only a month after the PS3 and 360 versions. So I don’t it counts in the same way that I do say the Darksiders II or especially ME3 ports.
b. The ports themselves are also as much meant to serve as a promise of what is to come. So that say should Darksiders III ever happen or when the next ME or Dragon Age comes around it would be expected they would likely launch simultaneously on the Wii U with the other console releases. And in that sense at least, there is real value.
Sony and Microsoft’s next consoles will almost certainly stumble right out of the gate. Microsoft’s subscription encourages gamers to defect to other systems, and Playstation launches are prohibitively expensive.
I think the Wii U will dominate this generation.
1. It will have a solid install base before competition arrives.
2. It already supports Unreal 3, CryEngine 3, and possibly eventually Unreal 4. Developers will be reluctant to leave what’s so cheap and familiar to them.
3. The touchscreen/ tablet design facilitates porting ONTO the system, and prevents the reverse (unless the game was designed from the beginning to go both ways.)
That’s not to say the Wii U is perfect. Maybe the Wii U doesn’t *need* to be able to multitask, but with all those screens, it definitely *wants* to. And I doubt its got the power to run two tablets and an HD screen with all the streaming media and Wii or VC games it theoretically could.
While that is indeed an impressive lineup for launch titles it remains to be seen how that turns out. After all Sony promised to have far more games out by now and we all know how that panned out.
Overall I’d say that it does seem like a step in the right direction, it’s not just an underpowered system with a motion gimmick like the Wii is, however it’s the games are going to make or break this for me and I’ll just have to wait and see if there are enough that interest me to spend $300+ on a new console.
It’s a good enough Launch to get it off. No idea why the Regular Bundle doesn’t come with the game though. Basically everyone will get deluxe and no one would buy regular, espicially if they want nintendo land (Assuming a casual would just buy the console for that, they will do the maths and if Wii U Games are $50 or more will find it cheaper to get the deluxe version, if Nintendoland is $40 alone, slightly different story. But I still think the regular bundle is pointless.)
Long term sustainability is going to be a concern. Motion Controls are going to be the exact same as the Wii (Maybe with one or 2 Motion Plus games once every blue moon.) The key thing is the Game-Pad, show that this thing is exclusively for the Wii U and why it works for that console.
The biggest hurdle is probably going to, once again, be third party support. And it’s off to a good start with the launch, You’ve got Assassin’s Creed 3 and Black Ops which are going to be some of the most wanted games for the Christmas season. The question is how much longer can they hold onto those 3rd parties. My biggest concern is 1-2 years down the line. I go into a store and see Nothing but Shovelware titles on the store, which is what I get with the Wii with like Just Dance 3, Zumba Fitness 2 and The Black Eyed Peas Experience among others. I essentially want it so there is atleast one good game among the lineup that I could see and pick up if I want it to. It’s hard having to go through 10 stores seeing Just Dance Kids in all of them and The game I’m trying to buy, The Last Story, in only one of them.
I think the WiiU will do okay until E3 2013 when the next Xbox and Playstation are announced.
I disagree. The preorders and invigoration from third-party developers alone show a great sign that the WiiU will be a strong contender along side the PS4 and Xbox720. Plus, as Egann pointed out, even when the next Xbox and Playstation consoles are released, the WiiU will be the cheapest option by far and be far ahead of the curve in terms of the number and quality of games.