Console gaming general discussion thread

[Anastasia]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6d1A2row6I

That's kinda nostalgic.  Looks like they pretty much took the NES mechanics.

I liked what Tim Schafer had to say about the game.

What did he have to say?

In any case, it looks nice and it's a good game for a remake. I'm interested and hope it lives up to the old game.

[Dracos]

Aye.

Albeit it is capcom and they have an amazing track record for weak remakes lately.

[Grahf]

http://gematsu.com/2013/04/microsoft-creative-director-defends-always-online

Hooooo, boy. Either way this is not going to end well.

[Kt3]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/matthickey/2013/04/10/report-xbox-exec-now-ex-microsoft-exec/

It appears it didn't end well for him.

And it probably won't end well for the consumer either.

[Anastasia]

I think he bombed PR more than proving the fans right.

[Grahf]

As much as I vehemently disagree with Orth's comments, I don't believe he should have been fired, or forced to leave his job over them. I did expect that he would be made to either way, but still.

I think that even though he defended always on, that it was the somewhat flippant way he did so, not to mention his follow-up with the whole "why would I live in those places?" that landed him in really hot water. Even if he was only joking those comments came off as incredibly condescending to the point where people were going to cry foul over them.

[Brian]

When you represent a company, they don't tend to appreciate you making them look like jerks.

It sucks, but if he wanted that exchange to be private, he should have kept it private.

Edit: Also keep in mind that the execs tend to answer to a board of directors.  They can flip out over anything that could threaten the all-important investors.

[Grahf]

It sucks, but if he wanted that exchange to be private, he should have kept it private.

It boggles my mind how many people don't seem to understand this basic lesson. If he'd have made this as a forum post, or a series of private messages, or even texts we'd probably never had heard about it. And even if we had, if they'd been done privately he could at least say that he made the comments with the expectation that they wouldn't reach the public; now, whether anyone would actually find that to be a legitimate excuse in an age where the only way to make sure that your comments aren't made public is to scrawl them in a cave or something is another story, but at least he could have claimed privacy.

[Dracos]

"Hey all, have I got a deal for you.  I will get you 400 channels direct to your TV every month.  Countless content available right to your door.  Every big football show.  Just 40 dollars a month.  You don't even have to worry about hardware or setup, we'll take care of that for you."

versus:

"Comcast is requiring always on.  It's the future.  Only lamers wouldn't be able to get it.  #Dealwithit"

Not saying that's the picture here, but it's important to realize that phrasing the same statement in different ways has very different effects and a company is totally in the right to fire someone for broadcasting what is currently well declared to be still private information about a project still in development that could still transform into a lot of different things before launch.

There's no way he shouldn't have seen this coming.  Microsoft has been being aggressively defensive with launch details on this to the point of juvenile security measures.

[Grahf]

So, according to Nintendo's Sataru Iwata, one of the reasons that the Wii U didn't sell as well as expected was because people were confused about whether it was a new console or just a peripheral.

I'm not going to lie. My immediate kneejerk reaction to this is to call complete BS. I know that a lot of people are saying things like "well, parents that are seeking to buy something won't know the difference." But I can't imagine a world where a kid asks for one of these and then doesn't explain at least a little to the parents, likewise a world where even if the kid says nothing that the parents aren't then told what the score is by someone in an electronics store who wants to sell them one. On top of that, if you're old enough to buy the system yourself, you've probably been keeping track of what was happening with it and know that it's a brand new thing.

Granted, I could be wrong. Wouldn't be the first or the last time. However, I think that the underwhelming sales so far can mostly be attributed to the fact that all-in-all it's an underwhelming system with no games that make it a must buy.

Thoughts?

[Brian]

Actually, I find it slightly more plausible.  People who don't pay particular attention look at the wii U box and see what looks like a Wii with a new peripheral.

You're right that anyone with more than the most cursory of knowledge on the subject would be better educated.

But that's an easy trap to fall into.

I don't know if I believe that's the only reason the console didn't do better -- it does have plenty of other failings to choose from.  No inherent Gamecube compatability (seriously, Nintendo?  Seriously?), absurdly short battery life for the big controller, less potential with the new controller than had been hoped, and most importantly of all, lackluster developer support.  It doesn't matter how awesome your new console is if people don't develop for it.

Granted, that last is a bit of a chicken-and-egg issue, as you get better console sales if you have developer support, but you get more developer support if you have better console sales.  That's just how the market works.

So ultimately, I blame Nintendo on not raising awareness and promoting it enough.  And by not promoting it enough, I mean failing to launch their new flagship without any executive crew on board.  No new Zelda, no new Metroid, no new blockbuster IP -- hell, not even a Starfox reboot?  Like people haven't been rabidly champing at the bit for that for years already?

And that lukewarm Mushroom Kingdom Murder Simulator re-release doesn't cut it, in my book.

I admit, I own a WiiU, because instead of having a significant other, I have piles of video games to try and fill the void in my life.  But it's only been turned on a total of four times in the last, I think, six months since I got it.  I have ZombieU, and some day I will play it.  So far?

What games can I only get on the WiiU, or are best on the WiiU vs. any other console?  The little time that wasn't playing The Cave was just running Skyward Sword, which is a Wii game, not a WiiU game.

[JonBob]

I actually didn't know much about the WiiU until I asked a friend, such as being able to re-use the controllers from the Wii. I also heard that right now they have a lot of small apps/games where they're trying out a lot of the new control schemes so that they don't release a big game that sucks to do things in.

[Kt3]

Debut trailer for Wolfenstein: The New Order.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9vXzCV4g4s

I'm not sure why I have such a good feeling about this game when nothing about the gameplay has even been hinted at.  Must be the Jimi Hendrix.

(of course, it may very easily be that Bethesda hasn't given me a reason to hate them massively, unlike Activision, EA, and Capcom, so I assume it's going to be a good game)

[Grahf]

I think that it should be said that I haven't exactly kept a close eye on The Last of Us. But if the reviews are any actual indication then it may be a good game, a very good game even.

That being said, I cannot express in words just how sick and tired I am over people going absolutely apeshit because a couple of reviews out there are daring to give the game less than perfect scores. Yes, how dare those reviewers actually express their own assertions regarding a game, like they are paid to do. Off with their heads!