Wii U in 2014

It's now 2014 and the new generation of consoles have officially begun. The PS4, Xbox One, and Wii U are all on the market so 2014 should be interesting. However now that the initial console sale figures have been released can the Wii U survive? Let's take a look at the numbers.

The Wii U sold 3.91 million consoles world wide in its first eleven months. The PS4 sold over 4 million units in its first 6 weeks. The Xbox One sold over 3 million consoles in the same time spand. Obviously this looks bad for the Wii U. The PS4 has already sold more consoles than the Wii U, and it is brand new on the market.

Let's not forget that Nintendo has not released it's November and December sales numbers for 2013. So it is very possible that the Wii U sold very well in those two months(and if it did Nintendo needs to tell people). Let's also keep in mind that both the PS4 and Xbox One sales numbers are for launch and holiday sales, which are always good. Even still both of these sales numbers are extremely impressive.

I do believe that the sales will taper off now that the holidays are over. I doubt they will drop as low as the Wii U's were in 2013, but they should drop significantly. Even if both the PS4 and XBone have slow sales the Wii U must not slow down. It must keep selling at a high rate, or it wont last through 2015. The release schedule for Wii U games in 2014 is almost non existent. Yes it will have some heavy hitters like Donkey Kong and Mario Kart, but it needs more. Nintendo has promised that there will not be a game drought this coming year. However since Mario 3d World dropped in November 2013 nothing has been released(I know its only 2 months). I'm just concerned that Wii U owners will be game less again in 2014.

Donkey Kong does release in February so we will  wait and see what releases after that. Now is the time for it to sink or swim. With both the PS4 and XBone looking mighty impressive Wii U needs to shine now more than ever.

Nintendo Are You There?

Hello, Nintendo...where are you? Seriously this is how I feel right now. We are now in November 2013 and basicallly have not seen much from Nintendo in months. In the past two months the Wii U has had great games release like:
1. Pikmin 3
2. Wonderful 101
3. Rayman Legends
4. Deus Ex Human Revolution Directors Cut
5. The Legend of Zelda, The Wind Waker HD
6. Batman Arkham Origins
7. Assassin's Creed 4 Black Flag
8. Call of Duty Ghosts
9. Sonic The Lost World
10. Lego Marvel SuperHeros

I'm on Wii U, but nobody knows

That's the main games, but there others as well. So where the hell is Nintendo? The only commercials I've seen for any of these games was Sonic Lost World, and I'm sure Sega paid for those. All these third-party games are heavy hitters. I've seen both Sony and Microsoft have commercials for all of them. Yet Nintendo doesn't even make a commercial for its first-party games.

The average person has no idea that any of these games are on the Wii U. That's somewhat an over statement; most people don't even know that the Wii U exists. It's been out almost one year now and it's still practically unknown to the average consumer. It seems like Nintendo doesn't want the Wii U to sell. Iwata and Reggie keep trying to tell people the Wii U will be fine, but it's getting harder to believe.



The Wii U has an amazing line up of games right now. If Nintendo would just tell people about them the Wii U would be flying off the shelfes. I just beat Batman Arkham Origins (very fun game). Now I'm playing Wind Waker HD. Once I finish Wind Waker I'll get either Assassin's Creed 4 or COD Ghosts. This is what most every gamer would love to do, play the best first and third party titles back to back on one system. All Nintendo has to do is tell people that they can do that with the Wii U.

Batman Arkham Origins on Wii U

So hows the new Batman on the Wii U? It's pretty damn good. I wont go into detail about the game, since there are a lot of reviews that will tell you about the story. However I will say that if you enjoyed the previous two games you will also like Origins. Nothing was changed to the game formula, and to me that's a very good thing. The old saying "if it ain't broke don't fix it" comes to mind.

The real question is how does it look and play on the Wii U. Well the game looks awesome on the Wii U. It really is a good looking game. I did notice a few weird shadows, but in an open world game that's not abnormal. Also during some of the cut scenes there is a little slow down. Nothing major, but it is a little jarring. Other than that the game looks great. 

When I first started playing Batman Arkham Origins I used the gamepad. I actually used the gamepad until my battery died, then I switched to the pro controller. While the pro controller felt good and worked fine; I really missed the gamepad. When Using the gamepad you have access to the map at all times. You can not set a way point with the map, but it's still nice to have the map handy. This is especially handy when finding Enigma's stations. 

Also during the crime scene analysis you can use the gamepad to view the crime scene. I personally didn't care to do that, but it's a cool feature. When your in the batcave the gamepad will act as a finger print scanner. It's not important but still it's kinda fun to scan your finger and see it welcome Bruce Wayne. 

The Wii U version does not have the multi player that both the 360 and PS3 have, but from the reviews I've read that's probably a good thing. Plus it's $10 cheaper than those versions. If you like the Batman games then this one is no different. It looks great and it plays great. Don't be afraid to buy this. You will not be disappointed.

UPDATE
I felt like I needed to address some issues I found. On completing the game and going through the city I've experienced a lot of slow down. I also had one hard freeze. Neither of these make the game unplayable, but it does greatly detract from the overall experience.

Wii U Sold 1 Million in Japan

After being on the market for 33 weeks in Japan Wii U has finally sold 1 million consoles. YAY for Nintendo. Actually this isn't all that impressive. However it did make it to a million 5 weeks faster than PS3 did when it launched in Japan. So that's something to think about.

New Nintendo Franchise

Shigeru Miyamoto confirms that he's developing a new franchise, and he says it's keeping him very busy. This is good to know since Nintendo doesn't make new franchises very often. Shigeru Miyamoto is responsible for so many loved characters, so expect greatness. Here's what he said in a recent interview with Famitsu.

“I think it’s about time we brought out a new franchise. I can’t give out details, but that’s the title that’s been keeping me pretty busy lately.”

Hopefully Nintendo is working on multiple new franchises. Nintendo is seriously lacking in mature games. Both Sony and Microsoft have action and first person shooter franchises. These two genres make up most of their revenue. So Nintendo would be wise to add a few to their line up. Maybe Nintendo will release some official information before the end of the year.

Does Ouya Matter

Ouya has finally been released. Ouya was a huge sucess on Kickstarter. It had a lot of people excited about the idea of an Android gaming console. So how is Ouya and does it matter in today's gaming market?

For starters Ouya is not a powerhouse. Ouya is designed with Indie developers in mind. This means that you wont see a lot of big budget titles releasing. However Sega has a few Sonic titles and Square Enix has Final Fantasy 3 on Ouya. So there are some exceptions, but overall it will have smaller unknown games. For the record I love Shadowgun on Ouya (just like I did on Xperia Play).

Not that there's anything wrong with that. I actually like a lot of indie games. As smart phones have proven there is a huge market for these games. So time will tell of people want to play these games on the big screen.

Okay so Ouya wont blow your mind with graphics but it is a really well built(and good looking system). The OS is also smooth and attractive. Every Ouya game is "free to try" so there's no upfront money to get playing. Overall the Ouya is a good, cheap console ($99).

Does the Ouya matter? I thought the Ouya concept was great when I first heard about it. However since then both Sony and Nintendo have been making huge efforts to get Indie games on their platforms. In theory the games releasing on Ouya will also be on Wii U, PS3, PS4, and PS Vita. Plus the fact most of these games are on IOS and other Android devices.

Ouya really is a cool device. At $99 it has huge potential to make waves in the gaming industry. I just wonder if it's a little to late. Either way if you can afford to buy one you might as well, it's fun.

Third Party Developers on Wii U

So today Ubisoft came out and said that ZombiU was unprofitable for them. Therefore no plans for a sequel. One of the reasons I bought my Wii U was to play this game...and I've still yet to beat it. It's not a bad game, just not a polished or overly fun game. It's actually one of the ugliest games on the Wii U. Metacritic has ZombiU rated at 77%.

Electronics Arts has said that their 4 games have sold poorly on Wii U as well. However every game EA brought to Wii U were ports of games that were already released on all other major consoles. Not good ports either, watered down ports. Fifa and Madden both were missing some features from the PS3 and 360. Mass Effect 3 Special Edition had all the additional content at that time. However it had some technical issues and no other DLC was released. On top of that EA released a collection that had all 3 Mass Effect games in 1 case slightly before this version released. Then they charged $60 for this version as well as the Complete Collection. Which made the Wii U version look like a bad deal (and it was). The only good EA game was Need For Speed Most Wanted U. This game also released months after the other console and pc versions. Also this game got no other DLC. However this game did look better and run smoother than the PS3 or 360 versions.

I could keep listing companies that just did quick ports when the Wii U was released. When you release a game after it's been out on other consoles and pc can you really expect it to sell well? Most people have multiple game systems and they don't want to wait months for a game. Or if you make a mediocre game do companies think that will sell well?

This is the problem the Wii U has with most 3rd party developers. They were to lazy to make new games so they just ported over old games. Or they just made a mediocre game and hoped it would sell. It's no wonder your damn games don't sell! Make better games! People need to tell these developers this. People will buy games if they are new and worth buying.

A Bloodbath is coming to Wii U

Another new game is announced for Wii U. It's called Bloodbath and it's made by Freedom Factory. There isn't a whole lot of information out yet. However it does look like a gory arena style fighting game. I welcome every and all games to Wii U, so yay a new game. Also no release date is known so who knows when it will come out. Either way it's nice to have another mature game on a Nintendo platform. Check out the link below to watch the trailer.
http://youtu.be/KpjWyCAMDpE

Injustice DLC on Wii U

This has been out for a few days, but just a reminder to those who may want it. Injustice Gods Among Us on Wii U finally has dlc. This brings it mostly up to par with the PS3 and 360 versions. Hopefully all new dlc will also release on Wii U(and on the same day).

Wii U's Best Feature

Sometimes I forget why I bought my Wii U. There was one main reason I bought it, for that awesome tablet controller. Most games really haven't used the Wii U's tablet in any original way. Most companies just throw a map and inventory screen on it. Actually both of these come in handy while playing a lot more than you'd think. It's nice to be able to look down at the screen and see how much ammo you have, or where you are on a bigger map. Plus having these on the map free's up the screen of clutter.

However the main reason I like the tablet controller is for the off screen play. In case you don't know what this is I'll explain. If the game supports off screen play (and most do) you can send the picture from the TV to the gamepad and play the full game on the tablet. The screen is a good size so most games this works fine on. This works with two player games as well. Player one can play on the tv, while player 2 can use the gamepad screen. This way both players have their own screen. To be honest I really like playing on the tablet.

So you may ask "why do I need to play on the pad while I have a TV"? Well I'll give you an example. Last night I was playing Injustice on my Wii U. I had the game on my monitor and the moves list on the tablet screen. My wife wanted to use my PC (it's faster than her laptop and I have a 26 inch monitor). So I just sent the the game to the gamepad and kept playing. I've done this plenty of times to share the TV(monitor) or just so I can lay in bed(or couch) and keep playing.

This alone is a great reason to own a Wii U. It really is a great feature. It's hard to tell you why the gamepad is so great. If you haven't played a Wii U go the store and demo it. After a few minutes of playing you will really like the controller tablet.

Can Wii U survive?

Well we are past E3 2013 and where is the Wii U? Honestly I think it's in the exact same place it was before E3. It's still on the shelves waiting for consumers. People still don't have to much of a reason to purchase a Wii U. The only main stream game released recently was Game and Wario, and that got average reviews at best.

Even the games shown for the future were not very exciting. We got a Mario game that no one wants, and another Donkey Kong game. Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros were shown but are still going to be next year before a release. The other games shown were titles we already knew about.

As far as third party support went...well there wasn't any. No one talked about Wii U any except Sega with Sonic Lost World. The only time I remember seeing a Wii U anything was during the Ubisoft convention. It briefly showed a Gamepad in a dance game. Square Enix talked about it's Wii U Exclusive of Deus Ex. Then it told the world it was no longer an exclusive.

 I love my Wii U. I see so much potential in this little system. It's just hard for us early adopters to have faith in Nintendo when all you hear is bad press. I'm hopeing that once Pikmin 3 and Zelda release later this year that Wii U will start selling consoles. I can't imagine how much of a drought next year will be if doesn't start selling and selling soon.

Resident Evil Revelations HD

Resident Evil Revelations originally released on the Nintendo 3DS. Honestly this was the reason I bought my 3DS. I preordered and picked it up at mid launch on launch. Anyway it's a  great game. I think it's the best Resident Evil.

So with the HD version coming out tomorrow on Wii U, PC, PS3, and 360 am I going to buy it? Yes I am, because it's that good. I downloaded the demo off Steam and it looks and plays great.  However I will buy Resident Evil Revelations HD on Wii U. Since it was made for 3DS it makes sense to buy the dual screen version. Plus I like supporting the Wii U.

If you missed Resident Evil Revelations on the 3DS them buy it now. You wont be disappointed.

Nintendo and Sega Partnership

In case you missed it Nintendo and Sega have a new partnership. They have agreed to make the next 3 Sonic titles exclusive to Nintendo platforms. So far 2 games have been announced, Sonic Dark World and a new Mario and Sonic winter Olympics game. The 3rd hasn't been announced yet.

This is huge news for Nintendo. Lately all we hear are what games are skipping the Wii U. So having a few exclusives is a big deal. Sega announced earlier in the week that it has 7 games in development for Wii U this year. I personally think Sega is one of the best game companies around, so I'm excited for the year.

Sega also announced Yakuza 1-2 HD for the Wii U. Right now this is only announced for Japan. Hopefully they will bring it to the US and Europe as well. This may not sound like a huge announcement, but until now Yakuza was exclusive to Playstation.

Anywho here's a little good news for all you Wii U owners. There will be a lot more news soon leading up to the week of E3. Check back for more info.

PS4 and next Xbox Struggles

Both the PS4 and the nw Xbox will be out by the years end. I believe that both of these new systems could suffer from "slow sales" just as the Wii U. Before the Wii U was launched everyone was very excited. Gamestop was saying that the Wii U had "huge interest" and pre orders were through the roof. Now that its been out 6 months it seems as if no one is in a hurry to buy one.

Most people that I talk to don't seem all that interested in buying a new console. The average gamer is perfectly happy with what they already own. Plus a lot of people have gone to PC gaming. Gaming on a PC is a better investment than buying a console. Let's not forget that IOS and Android phones and tablets are everywhere. Android gaming gaming is on the rise with both Ouya and the Gamestick releasing in the next 2 months.

When you consider all of this its no wonder that Wii U is struggling. So it's not  far fetched to think the PS4 and next Xbox will also struggle.

Where's Nintendo?

It's been about 2 months since PS4 was announced. Since that time we haven't heard a peep from Nintendo about the Wii U. I thought after the conference they would have a Nintendo Direct and show off what they've been working on. Or at the very least give consumers a solid release date on previously announced games.

Nintendo has had multiple 3DS Nintendo Directs. They announced some big games and even gave them firm release dates. However when it comes to the Wii U it's been complete silence. Sure we learned that Watch Dogs, Splinter Cell, Assassin's Creed 4, and Dues Ex were coming out on Wii U. We just didn't hear it from Nintendo.

What happened to all the 1st party games? Where is Pikmin 3? When will Bayonette 2 be released? Why is Nintendo remaking Wind Waker?  Not to mention that every magazine and website keep talking about how the Wii U is already dead.

I'm hoping that before E3 we will get some news on something...anything! I love my Wii U. I want to keep loving my Wii U. I'm not one of these people who complain about it having "No Games". Of course it doesn't have tons of games, it's only been out 6 months! However I would like to know that there are some games coming out soon. Nintendo needs to stop playing the silent game. This isn't the Gamecube days. Gamers expect to hear news and hear it often.

Amazing SpiderMan 3DS Part 2

I finally saw 3 (yes 3) screen shots from the upcoming Amazing Spiderman on Nintendo's 3DS. How were they...extremely ugly! If you can find this months issue of Nintendo Power magazine the pics are printed. It is possible that the screen shots are a low-res picture. Still if this is whats coming I'm very disappointed.

The worst part is that Amazing Spiderman on 360/PS3 looks to be one of the best games of the summer. On 3DS and Wii it looks to be a quick cash in. Beenox gives a reason why it's so different from it's big brother versions. Here's a portion of the interview.

S: What is the Nintendo 3DS version of The Amazing Spider-Man like? Retailer descriptions say that only the HD versions are open-world. Will the 3DS version be close to the console versions at all?

DB: The Amazing Spider-Man for the Wii and for the 3DS is actually based of the same code base and game assets which means that they share the same game play.

We’ve optimized the experience on the Wii and 3DS to take advantage of their unique platform differences and motion controls, which means that players will have a different experience with the game on those platforms.

While the Wii and 3DS versions won’t have Spidey “roaming” between story missions, there are still plenty of collectibles, unlockables, and in-game challenges awaiting the wall-crawler, on top of large areas to sling through and intense combat with numerous enemy types. The Wii takes combat and web-slinging to new levels of immersion thanks to its motion controls, and the 3DS version will also have several unique mini-games that use its touch-screen.

If held side-by-side, all of the “level based” missions are very similar to what will ship on the Xbox 360 and PS3 platforms, just optimized to fit the Nintendo platforms’ unique capabilities.

What's so funny about this is that Gameloft just showed it's new trailer for their Amazing Spiderman game on IOS/ Android. Guess what...it's fully open world and looks amazing. Check out the trailer below.

http://youtu.be/hAma5rlQj80

So obviously they could have made a full 3D world for Spiderman to roam around. Beenox just decided not to. Spiderman on 3DS and Wii could still be a fun game...but the odds are stacked against it. Plus why spend $30 on the 3DS version (or $50 for Wii) of Spiderman when you could pay $7 for your phone or tablet.

Nintendo E3 2012

I was not impressed by Nintendo at all. I really wanted to be. I had such high hopes for the big N, but I just felt let down. First off they mainly promoted the Wii U. Which is fine, but the 3DS is actually out and making money. So they should have focused on that a lot more.

It seems like most the Wii U games are ports. There was some original content showed off, but nothing that stood out. None of the games shown looked next-gen either. They all looked like they were made for 360 or PS3. I'm not dissing current-gen consoles(I love my PS3). BUT the Wii U is supposedly "next-gen". I don't see any signs of that yet. All I see is a big tablet controller.

E3 2012

It's Tuesday and so far I'm not impressed with E3. Both Microsoft and Sony showed some very "pretty games", but nothing to get excited about. It seems like this year is all about the sequels. Which is fine, I love a good sequel. I just expect more from E3. I want to see big announcements. Plus most every game shown so far this year had already been revealed.

Today is Nintendo's conference and I don't expect to be impressed. I'm not convinced that the Wii U is a legit gaming experience. Why would I be when they wont give us any real info about it. My guess is that they will focus primarily on the Wii U and neglect the 3DS.

I'll write my feeling on the Nintendo conference later. I want to clarify, I'm not saying Microsoft and Sony didn't have anything good to show. It just seems like they are more concerned with other forms of media. They should be focusing on games.