Euphorio

Yeah it was a real short, but totally sweet game. Once you get the upgraded ship, I just didn't really feel like going back through the same story. It has plenty of room to expand, but for right now, it is TONS of fun, and the ridiculous chaos that can occur during combat is like nothing you play on the app store.

It's worth the money, and I'm sure it will have expansions and become even greater in the future.

I'm on board here. Certain games more than others, but recently I played through Bioshock Infinite, and at one point I actually screamed out "oooOOH MY GOD" from sheer terror.

But, in puzzle games and intellectual games, I find myself discussing philosophy with my TV

I wish I could put input here, but the complaints seem to be stemming from the designers themselves..and I have no experience or knowledge of the industry insiders...

but I do entirely agree that it's a tough topic, and that women are definitely subjected to scrutiny and belittlement in the gaming world. It's not fair, and it's not right. Stereotypes have taken a strong grip on games, and it's a real, REAL problem

Yep I'd love to play the Digital Devil Saga....also I really want to play Shadow of the Collossus....I heard that full experience is just moving and unbelieveable. And that it's the closest case to wonderful storytelling that could only be done through a game.

I don't actually know about XCom though. It wasn't without it flaws, for sure. After they did rant about how great it was for a while, they did end up mentioning the many different technical problems that the game had. It's definitely a top game, but I'd question its validity as the BEST game of the year. It was nothing terribly groundbreaking, and I don't really feel it defines the year as a whole. It just has an advantage, as it came out near the end of the year.

Well, as stated, there's a possibility that the Wii U completely tanks, and then you're looking at a fiscal crisis for Nintendo. If their main investment fails to garner market attention, it would painfully hinder the pockets of Nintendo. Sure, they're sitting pretty with the 16.8 Billion, but after a major failure, it would cast huge doubt on their future. That could leave the door open for someone to move in on the company.

As for Disney, I completely agree that they may shoot for Square Enix far before they consider Nintendo. The major series' of Square just perfectly fit with the Disney Philosophy. I don't know all that much about Sega, but I really hope not. I'd rather see a Final Fantasy-themed leg of Disney World...not Sonic

So I was listening to the podcast tonight, and as I'm listening about Disney buying up God and everything, it made me wonder:

Who really would benefit the most from buying Nintendo?

The two companies they brought up were Apple and Disney, which made me think: that would not be a terrible move on Apple's part if they swiped up Nintendo. Given, Apple already has a quasi-gaming console in both the iPhone and iPad, but with the Nintendo purchase, they'd have an easy in for the actual consoles. Also, it'd be a short step for them to create their major at-home media device like they wanted to do with Apple TV and such. And Nintendo uses touch screen controls pretty liberally, which Apple has proven to be an expert with. I don't feel like it'd be too far out of mind for Apple to make that kind of jump in order to compete more directly in all aspects with Microsoft. Plus, the syncing of the Nintendo consoles with all of your apple gear? that's a serious network in one house, for sure.

Now I'm no business expert, and I'm well aware of the dangers of major company purchases. But it does seem like a viable strategy for a major company. Any thoughts or insight would be greatly appreciated!

oh yeah, no I totally agree with you there. The Wii sold far better than anyone expected, but that was partly because of the novelty of the system and the cool little peripherals that went along with it. Also, it had a relatively low price point. The Wii U, on the other hand, isn't bringing too much to the table other than the fact that you get a quasi-portable game player in the shape of the one controllers. But I would attribute that to innovation rather than solid games and a large core-gamer fanbase. For example, the Gamecube carried no novelty along with it. And it was definitely the worst console of that generation. In the same vein, Microsoft and Sony both saw what happened with the Wii, and will both now integrate movement commands and active participation into their next consoles. I can practically guarantee that. If you take away Nintendo's hardware innovation, you are left with a console that doesn't carry enough good games to be worth purchasing.

On the other hand, I do appreciate Nintendo's innovation. They seem to change the face of gaming first, but then the other companies create their own iterations that completely stomp Nintendo's.

They are to consoles what 98 Degrees was to Boy Bands

It's just, I don't feel the games lost their luster with us growing up. I feel that it's just what time does to the memory. I was a wee lad back in the days of the N64, but I'm sure theres an adult who played those games, and they thought the exact same thing as you. What I'm saying is that they would also think that those games suck now even if they loved them back then. Times have just changed. I mean hell, I thought the game Flying Dragon was the best fighter to happen to any system ever, but I will never play it again because I know it probably sucked, and I'll probably hate it. Some things are better left preserved in memory rather than trying to rekindle their greatness

@TruthTellah said:

@Hailinel said:

@TruthTellah said:

@MonkeyKing1969: I think it's part of the next generation. But it's in an odd spot that does leave people wondering whether it's the latest in the last generation.

It still reads very Dreamcast to me, a console which also struggled with being between the last gen and next gen. But we didn't really realize that chasm until the PS2 came out and started to get some amazing games. So, I think the Wii U will at least be considered a next gen console for a while, but only time will tell whether it is truly part of the next gen cycle.

Pretty much this. And we can bet that whatever the case, Nintendo probably already has an R&D division somewhere in a secret Kyoto facility plotting out whatever console comes after the Wii U, and guys in suits are already discussing how long to wait before launching the console that comes after.

And despite what Dreamcast-like comparisons might arise, Nintendo will have another console after this. Their financial situation is pretty much the polar opposite of Sega's in the Dreamcast era.

I wouldn't necessarily go so far as to say a new console after this is a given. They definitely have improved iterations of the Wii U in the R&D phase, but that doesn't mean a full new console release. Nintendo still being a company that makes games in the future is a given. Nintendo continuing to invest into consoles may not be in the cards depending on the next outing. They have many people invested in the company, and if they start thinking that doubling down on games will work better than making dedicated hardware, they may just go that direction. They're certainly in a position to stay afloat no matter how it goes, but that doesn't mean they won't realize that a different course of action will be more profitable in the long run.

In a lot of ways, I'd think this would actually be better for them. Great Wii Games are few and far between, but think about the sales they'd acquire if they started dishing out the Mario Franchise to the 360 and PS3. People love those games no matter what, and I'd really argue that those are the only reasons their consoles even do mediocre. They have no 3rd party support, and most of their games come straight from Nintendo itself. If you take out the Console and force them to sell on a seperate system, they'd do rather well. I'll guess that the Wii U runs the same route as the Gamecube. There just won't be enough there to really garner any attention