Mnemoidian

@Mirado:

However, I maintain that the WiiU at least as the potential to deliver on a very unique experience, namely that of asymmetrical gameplay. Whether or not it will be fully utilized is unknown for now, but I still think my point stands: if you are into PC gaming, you are missing out on more if you forgo a WiiU vs that of a new Playstation or Xbox (assuming, as most people are, that neither does anything radical with the underlying hardware beyond an attempt to catch the PC's fidelity).

Agreed, but based on the Wii, I'm not willing to open my wallet for Nintendo untill it has proven itself. Also, you are not taking into account my third point, about the console likely being as outdated as the Wii is today, in 1-2 years. (Then again, if they do a good job, then those 1-2 years may be good enough).

You do have a point on the PS3/Xbox/PC having a lot more of the same experience vs the Wii(U?). And that is why I'm even thinking about it. (That, and Bayonetta 2! :P)

Unless you're really into console shooters or have some aversion to platformers,

That is a part of it, for me, I guess. I grew up playing the NES and SNES, playing every platformer I could play backwards and forwards, left and right. I'm pretty ok with the platformers I've played, and the ones that dribble over to the other platforms are more than enough to scratch the occasional itch.

But we're spiraling rapidly off topic.

You're right. I do hope that Bayonetta 2 is awesome and that it sells amazingly. I'm disappointed it's on a platform I don't believe much in (but could be convinced?), but I think it's awesome that there will be more Bayonetta :)

I also think it's a pretty good choice for Nintendo, as it shows that they are serious about supporting 3rd party developers. And if anything, Bayonetta fans should show goodwill for Nintendo "saving" Bayonetta 2 from apparently being canceled by SEGA?

Anyway, here's to Bayonetta 2, and hoping that Revengeance scratches my Platinum itch, so I don't have to spend €300 on this ;)

(And yeah, I'm terrible at being brief today :| )

@Mirado: Sorry, I might have come off a bit off there (I was trying to be brief... but I'm bad at that).

Your list of games is largely great (though there are some that I'm not interested in, I'll allow that they are probably good games anyway), but if you look at release dates:

2 games from 2012. 5 from 2010. 1 from 2008. 2 from 2007. I realize that is not an exhaustive list, but about half of them are first party properties (if not outright inhouse developed). I don't think I am out of line when I say that the quantity and quality of games have been generally higher if you look at the entire catalogue for this generation (not individually! I don't want to get into a fight about Game A being better than Game B. That is far too subjective to opinions.)

And especially 2011 and 2012 have been dire years for the Wii, and it was specifically this time period that I was talking about, which I forgot to include - my bad.

Whereas by not picking up a Nintendo system, you're losing every Mario, Zelda, Kirby, Metroid, Donkey Kong, Pikmin, Fire Emblem, and Smash Bros game, amongst others.

Well, I've got a 3DS, so I get plenty of "Nintendo experience" there. As a contrast, I've felt that they've handled the DS platform much better than their Wii platform. Then again, the (3)DS provides a set of unique features that are not available anywhere else - unlike the Wii.

For my taste, I feel that my PC can replicate more of the PS3 and 360 experience (and in some cases, do a hell of a lot better thanks to dual 6970s) then I ever could of the Wii/WiiU.

I too favor the PC greatly, but it's only in the last year (or 2) that the PC has started getting a decent amount of releases and could really be considered a contender to the consoles, before then, I felt like the PC was delivering a largely different experience.

Honestly, if I could go back, I'd probably not pickup a PS3. *shrug*

As for 3rd party support; we'll have to wait and see. But Nintendo publishing Bayonetta 2 is a step in the right direction.

Agreed. If anything, I've been expecting this kind of thing for a while - and worrying about it from the perspectie as someone who favors the PC. With a new generation comes exclusives and timed exclusives. Which means the PC will probably go back to getting scraps.

Which is a damn shame.

But yeah, I can't say I feel great about putting down €300 (which it'll inevitably be) for a "current gen" console when I already have a PS3, XBox360 and a high-end PC. Especially when, as said, Nintendo haven't impressed me with the Wii. I just don't see the value.

But Bayonetta is a step in the right direction. If they continue like this, maybe they'll change my mind? Maybe.

@Chicken008:Well, while I'm not raging, I'm a bit bummed out about this (because I don't have any plans to get a WiiU, and am a fan of Bayonetta).

The reason why is because I'm not sure if I consider it to be worth dropping $300 to play Bayonetta. Some of my thoughts on the matter:

1) I already own a PS3 and Xbox. The WiiU is reportedly marginally more powerful. Few developers are going to make exclusive games for the WiiU. I also don't think I can squeeze a WiiU onto my shelf...

2) Nintendo has a terrible track record of supporting their latest console. Despite it being "the best selling console of the current generation" - where are the games? And Nintendo has always been notorious for getting handling third party developer support poorly, the Wii being the most recent (and best example).

3) My faith in Nintendo's timing on releasing the WiiU is low. It feels to me like Nintendo is playing catch-up with Sony and Microsoft, and that, assuming that the next generation is a decent leap in processing power, we'll be back in the situation we are today, where the next generation Microsoft and Sony (and sometimes PC) consoles are getting the "A version", while the WiiU is getting a special "B version" (or, like today, no version at all).

What this boils down, to me, is that the WiiU is a "wait and see". I'll probably wait forl the next batch of consoles to see relative powe. I'll say this though - Nintendo has managed to find a find a game that puts WiiU on the map for me, so it's not as unlikely anymore? :)

First hit when googling "Intel HD 4000" is: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-HD-Graphics-4000-Benchmarked.73567.0.html

This benchmark of the Intel HD 4000 claims that it can run Mass Effect 3 at "1366x768 pixels with all graphics options active, 4x texture filtering" at just over 30 fps.

Mass Effect 3 and Borderlands 2 both use Unreal Engine 3, so seems somewhat likely, I guess?

@Asurastrike: He also says (05:20) that "vehicles are largely underutilized, mostly serving the purpose of getting from A to B." (before saying they are also a welcome change of pace).

To be fair, at 9.0, it's supposed to be pretty difficult to find large faults - unless the rest of the game is so amazing that it can carry a crippling flaw - so I don't find that objectional? And they needed to write something as a negative. Was that or "buggy", I suppose?

Then again, I think numbers on reviews are unneccesary voodoo, so what do I know?

I realize that people don't like IGN (personally, I don't really care either way), but, without playing the game, this seems like a fair (video) review, which brings up some flaws, but largely gushes on what they seem to think is a great review?

That's a lot of question marks, but I am a bit confused. :P

I'm rather disappointed that Bayonetta 2 is a WiiU exclusive, as I've had little to no interest in getting a WiiU - seems like it's offering the same experience I'm having with the Xbox/PS3 today...

Wonder if it's a timed exclusive, or real exclusive... as it feels like an odd fit.

Doing my third pass (over 10+ years?) through the Wheel of Time books (to refresh myself in time for the last book, next year).

Currently on Book 10: Crossroad of Twilight, have been keeping the pace at about one book per month - though I'm being a bit too fast, finishing them at a rate of about 1.5 books/month. Which is annoying, as I've projected that I will be out of books long before the last book is out in January.

Woe is me! I'll have to read something else in the gap :(

@dudy80: @GunslingerPanda: IMO: they never get really "bad", but they do drag on a bit in book 8-10 (the prologue in Book 10 is almost 10% of the book!), before it picks up again. Books 12 and 13 get pretty insane - and have some great payoffs. If Brandon Sanderson can pull off Book 14 even near to what he did with 12 and 13, it'll be so worth it.

But I can see how it would put off some people! :)

@mandude: Considering the evidence against Wheel of Time is rather overwhelming, in my opinion (see my previous posts in this thread), how do you figure?

And how does the number 2 figure in?

Also, today's hidden quote is

<!--. X . X X I T X -->
<!-- In time, waves washing against the fingers of Geiran's Grasp will call them back into the sea. The difference between you and the sea is that the sea does not stop. -->

@Nomin: On Obsidian's forums, they suggested it could be "ETERNITY", getting an I before the T today seems to support that idea.

@theimmortalbum: Hang on now, don't be talking spit about Fall of Cybertron, that's a pretty good Transformers game!

And yeah... early review ;)