Be Excellent To Each Other

NSMB DS was, and is, an incredible platformer. Possibly the best 2D platformer of all time, and clearly the best 2D Mario (once you correct for nostalgia).

I've not played NSMB 2 yet so can't comment.

NSMB Wii was suprisingly pants. It's pacing and difficulty was way off. There was loads of idiots at the time complaining that nintendo needed to make difficult games, and so they tried. The physics seem off. It seems a multiplayer game foremost, and it comes at the cost of single player. It's just yuk.

NSMB Wii U: I've played the first 5 worlds, but haven't started the coin hunt, and it's already a clear massive return to form. The repeat of the style to the previous games initially disappoints, but some elements are spectacular - for example the the van gogh inspired levels, the controls and Physics are sublime and the level design is wonderful. Unlike NSMB:Wii it stands as a single player experience, and the off TV play is brilliant. It may well unseat NSMB:DS as the best Mario 2D platformer. Time will tell.

I just can't agree. The physics just aren't quite right, it's too slippy-slidey*. Also, the screen is too small for the level design, so enemies appear out of nowhere and you either have to memorize everything or move forward very carefully and slowly or die all the time. I find it too frustrating over all.

*edit: Or maybe too much inertia. Something ain't right.

Interesting that I don't see the screen size problem, as thats something I have huge issues with (it's why I'm furious that all the ports of the 8bit Sonic The Hedgehog use the gamegear version).

And doubly interesting we've opposite views of the Physics in NSMB:DS. You played the Wii version? How do you find the physics in that?

Heh, I never actually had a problem with GG Sonic. Weird.

I don't know if my analysis of DS NSMB is spot on, I just know that the game frustrates me, and those are the only things I can point to.

I didn't find the Wii version that frustrating, only a bit boring. I've only played it until World 2, I think. The physics seem pretty much the same to me.

This whole new Mario games nomenclature that Nintendo is using is damn confusing....They really should rethink their strategy

Super Mario 3D World is amazingly good. Doesn't quite reach the high highs Super Mario Galaxy (as far as I've played it, anyway) and like New Super Mario Bros U the multiplayer feels tacked-on and doesn't really work, but otherwise, a must-buy if you have a Wii U.

So, a Wii U and several Mario games appeared in our house yesterday. Only played Will U party (or whatever it's called) which was good fun, even if the computer character had amazing good luck with the dice throws. Not linked it to the Nintendernet yet. But when I do, I'll give whatever username/code I need to give here.

Malc

Nintendo eShop's still not working entirely properly, unfortunately. Must've been very annoying to unwrap a new console on Christmas day, and not be able to download the bundled game, seeing as Nintendo no longer supply pack-in games on disc or cartridge.

Got to the penultimate 'world' of Super Mario 3D World very quickly indeed, hope there's more levels after the main adventure is completed. Such sweet, sweeeet gameplay though. It really is marvellous to have a game with so much gameplay punch compressed into such a short gameplay time.

What?

Our pack in game was on a disc, also I did system updates and all sorts absolutly fine.

Malc

I got mine in the Amazon Black Friday sale, and bought Super Mario 3D World and Wonderful 101 with it.

I've had so much fun with SM3DW, that 101 hasn't had a look in so far, and I'm a rabid Platinum Games fanboy who only really bought the console in preparation for Bayo 2.

Obvious User ID is obvious... Not that I foresee much online gaming in the future for me.

Well, having played though Wind waker HD, I can now make a few more observations:

Wind waker HD is rather fundamentally a better game than Wind Waker. The ability to move in first person view makes defeating the penultimate penis snake boss less of an exercise in frustration, the lack of waiting after playing a song while watching it being played again, the fast sail which means you don't have to continually get out your wand - all good things.

Having said that, It's still somewhat limited by being tied to somewhat outdated camera controls - particularly the use of the lock on button also as the put camera behind button. Many was the time that it relocated the camera rather than locking on to what the camera was pointing at. Not handy.

But the biggest problem - and one I think I may find with many wiiu games, is how amazingly bland the buttons are. Only distinguishing feature of them is a letter - ABXY, which just happen to not be in the same positions as the equivalent XBox controller button. (Yes, I know they're the same position as the SNES buttons, but those also had handy colours unless you came from a silly country)

Even at the end I was pressing the wrong button all the time.

Ah, cool. Must be just the 3DSes that have download-only bundles.

Or the Wii U does, but only on the latest bundles (my launch Premium had Nintendo Land supplied on disc.)

I have no interest in playing Wind Waker again. Just saying. Sorry, but it's not beloved in my house even though it was very pretty. I don't think I've played a Zelda that I actually love. Mind you, I've not played many. Not even that one everyone thinks is the best game ever. Man, I suck.

Wind Waker was the best one (though Ocarina of Time was also excellent) so if you didn't like it then Zelda games probably just aren't for you I reckon.

Ah well, I never said I didn't like it, I just don't love it. Them. Zelda. Zelda's. You might recall we played Skyward Sword around the same time and I grew to really enjoy it once it (finally) got going, it just took forever to get to the good parts that didn't pedantically refuse to release its hold your hand. Zelda is probably too stuck in its own conventions to make a game that I might also, one day, call a classic.

Mario 3D World is a good video game, although it's the most conventional Mario in a while, and Nintendo have been pumping out more conventional Marios quite a lot in recent years.

At least, that's based on the first chapter.

Mario 3d world just looked like generic Mario to me, and I saw a lot of it this Xmas due to my other half's younger bro getting it.

However, this is coming from a person who has never really understood the love for Mario platformers. They are good enough, but nothing that special...

I love mario, so I'm not really complaining.

Difference between this and Mario Galaxy is the wow factor, though. Mario Galaxy felt pretty revolutionary, whereas this just feels like a solidly executed Mario game like many of the other ones.

I really like Super Mario 3D World, but Super Mario Galaxy was so much more. Just pure electronic wonderland - the planets, the level design, the hub worlds, everything. Over six years on, it's still the best game I've ever played (although I count the sequel as part 2 of the same thing, if you follow what I mean).

Also, SM3DW has the gameplay issue from the traditional Mario games where you can feel 'trapped' if you don't have a suitable amount of power-ups in reserve to complete a suitably tricky level or boss encounter. The time-limited level specific power-ups in Super Mario Galaxy are superior gameplay design, really.

Anyway, 2014 for the struggling Wii U: will it be 'Dreamcasted' and put out of its misery by Nintendo (most likely to no real negative reaction, as most of its target market barely know the console exists), hit its stride at last due to reduced hardware price and growing library of nice game-type software, or just trundle on regardless, eventually selling sub-GameCube quantities of hardware but managing to keep alive? My vote's on the third option being the most likely scenario, but either way, I won't have regretted buying a Wii U, whatever happens.

Way more likely to be Gamecube 2 than a Dreamcast 2.

Doesn't sound like Nintendo are making the Wii U that easy to develop for... And they hasn't even heard of PSN or XBLA.

http://mynintendonews.com/2014/01/11/di ... for-wii-u/

Nintendo have redone their sales forecasts for the Wiii-u in financial year 2013 - 2014 from 9 million sales to 2.8 million

http://uk.ign.com/articles/2014/01/17/d ... ii-u-fails

They need to knock it down to £100 & start farming out game development to third parties for some of Nintendo's core characters so the games can get released. Sort out their crap on-line features & spend a shit load on marketing the system.

It's currently being played more than the xbox one in our family.

Malc

Says a lot about the Xbox One.

Price cut is obviously not the solution.

However its one of the things they could do 'now' without anything else being required.

A lot of the other suggestions i've seen (like using some of their back catalogue for a netflix style game service) require more infrastructure and setup work.

I think a price reduction would shift a few more consoles but not many and not enough.

Price isn't an issue for me, though cheaper would obviously be nice, and there comes a point where I'd say fuck it, and buy one anyway.

The problem is there's only a couple of interesting exclusive games and everything multiplatform has been worse than I could get on other consoles.

Shame, as I have a full set of consoles going back to the NES, and would happily add to that if I could justify it.

Says more that we own more games that can play 5 player (local) at the same time on the wii u than the cobber

Malc

Damned cobber.

heh, that should be xbone (which my phone corrects to cobber)

My kids are loving the party games on the wii u with one person on the tablet game pad. And the fact that on some games you can have effectivly have as many people playing as you want (we had 8 people playing over christmas)

The xbox one still gets used, especially when just one or 2 people want to play on it. I guess it's due to our home setup, our consoles are in the dining room, (the kids don't have TV/consoles in their bedrooms) and there are only so many hours in the day that someone can play, so compromise is often reached and group playing triumphs over single play.

Malc

A surprisingly good appraisal of the Wii-U in The Telegraph today, of all places.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/v ... Wii-U.html

Despite not being arsed at all about the Wii despite it being a total commercial success, I have succumbed to buying one of these as they're £180 on Amazon at the moment. Even though it's tanking completely. I guess I just love an underdog.

A Wii-U would have been a better choice.

"one of these" = the thread title

Big price cut announced today!

http://www.avforums.com/news/amazon-and ... rsion.9833

This is a seriously nice bit of kit - much nicer than the Wii anyway.

Had a bit of trouble connecting it to the wifi (had to perform a manual connection), but apart from that no issues. The gamepad is lovely and way lighter than I thought it'd be.

Well, ZombiU is pretty impressive. Proper old-school shuffling zombies, character permadeath, set in post-apocalyptic London with a great use of the gamepad screen for scanner, map, inventory and accurate aiming for scoped weapons. Not a bad start!

It even blips when zombies are near like the scanner in Aliens. But zombies obviously, not aliens. And the comms coming through the game pad speaker makes it seem all the more realistic!

Game pad speakers ought be used more often. RESOGUN is the only PS4 game I know that uses it which is a crying shame. And why no one of the Wii thought to copy No More Heros "telephone conversations" through the speaker I'll never know.

Mind you, at the other end of the spectrum there's Zelda: Skyward Sword whose irritating, endless sword noises scared my dog.

Killzone uses it too, when you pick up recordings.

Damn, I forgot I had that (not that I've found any recordings). It's just so boring once it gets going (nice intro as a kiddie, mind) I'd grown so very apathetic to it that I've forgot to go back. I've got so many lovely PS3 games that I can't be bothered to switch on the PS4 except to smash some Resogun.

I genuinely thought the speaker in the wiimote was a cool idea, OK the quality of the sound wasn't that great but it didn't really matter. The lights to indicate the player number were neat too.

Nice touches that I felt made a big difference, at the time the Wii came out it seemed like quite a big jump from the PS2 and Gamecube that I'd had previously.

It's even better in the Wii U as it has a pair of speakers built into the gamepad.

I played the demo of Nano Assault Neo this morning without even turning my TV on. Very clever how you can control the console from the gamepad without needing a TV - plus you can control your TV from it too without the console being on.

It's like having an oversized Vita.

It feel closer to having a giant living room DS, to me.

I meant the off-TV play. Yes, using both screens in conjunction is like a massive DS.

So, does anyone on here have one of these, or is it just me? My friends list is lonely.

NES Remix is pretty good fun. I wouldn't pay for some of the games on it outright, but it's nice having small slices of them.

Yo.

Username?

MrDaveXXVIII