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Raise Shields

by Zachary Miller - September 12, 2012, 7:55 pm EDT
Total comments: 19

I've been hurt before.

Tomorrow's the Big Day, isn't it? The day we learn all about the Wii U. Pricing, release date, what's in the box, what the launch games will be, what kind of online services we can expect to see upon plugging the thing into the wall, and maybe even some surprise announcements like what Retro's working on. We might also see almost none of that. For Thursday's Big Reveal, I'm keeping my expectation at rock-bottom levels. I don't want to be disappointed; I want to be elated. But, given past experience (especially lately), the best thing for me to do is remain cynical and jaded so that the slightest exceeded expectation gives me reason to celebrate.

It's a little bit sad that that's where we're at, but there's certainly precedent for adopting a "how low can you go" attitude about Nintendo. Remember the 3DS launch? Nintendo said a lot of things that ended up not happening on Day One. Remember how we'd be able to exchange messages with people on our Friends List? I'm fairly certain they didn't mean "with a separate program that we're going to release almost a year later." I think they probably meant send messages in a PSN, XBLA, or even (gasp) Wii-esque way. But that capability clearly wasn't built into the system—otherwise a simple system update would've patched that onto your Friends List. Instead, they had to craft an entirely separate program (Swapnote/Nintendo Letter Box) to make that ability a reality. And it took forever.

The 3DS wasn't capable of going online for two months after its release. Two months. There was no eShop in the beginning—remember? There was no internet browser. Sure, launch games and launch "window" games like SSFIV and Dead or Alive were online-capable, but that was third-party responsibility. Nintendo's first online 3DS game was Mario Kart 7, which came out at the end of the year. All of this means that when the 3DS was launched, Nintendo was basically still working on it. We were all beta testers. Hell, the vast improvement that is the 3DS XL more or less vindicates the critics (like me) who said that the 3DS Taco was not a final product. It's the Nintendo DS all over again.

While some of you may dispute this point, I full well believe that the 3DS' launch library was crappy. Ubisoft went all-in of course, with scaled-down ports of console games. Nintendo's own big pushes were Steel Diver, a sequel to Nintendogs that nobody asked for, and Pilotwings Resort—the only interesting game on the list. But there wasn't a killer app. Ocarina of Time 3D was technically a launch window game, but it still took awhile. Star Fox 64 3D wasn't a launch window game. They probably could've put Super Mario 64 3DS at launch and it would've been a million-seller. If you're releasing a system that caters to N64 ports and also has an analog stick, how do you ignore Super Mario 64? (I'm surprised nobody complained about this before.)

The 3DS' launch does not give me too much hope for the Wii U launch…especially after E3.

If nothing else, E3 was puzzling. Look past the game announcements and new hardware (Wii U 360 Controller), and there was a stunning lack of detail. What, exactly, were the launch games going to be? How exactly would Miiverse work, and would it be across all games? Would it be a system-level thing? How do you access and control it? Will it be there on Day One? Will the Wii U's version of Swapnote be more flexible and intuitive than the 3DS one?

None of those questions were answered. Instead, we got Nintendo Land and a virtual fireworks display. We learned about games we already knew about. The few games that were new—like Project P-100—weren't mentioned in the press conference at all, even though it's exactly the kind of game that Nintendo should've been highlighting. And with four press events (a pre-show Nintendo Direct, the main presser, the 3DS presser, and the developer roundtable), it was pretty clear that Nintendo didn't have a clear direction to follow this year. The real giveaway is that they spent a curious amount of time in each presser bemoaning the fact that they didn't have enough time to really go through the boatload of information they had to give away, but then spent a considerable amount of time in each presser reiterating things we'd already heard in previous events!

Thus we didn't get much information, not really, on the Wii U, which is what tomorrow's Nintendo Direct must be intended for. But I'm not sure Nintendo knows how to play this. They've been keeping this one unusually close to the chest, as they did with the 3DS, and that ended in disaster (for everyone involved). Surely they've learned some things after that botched launch, but E3 suggests they really haven't.

I predict we'll get the launch price and date, what's in the box, and a list of launch-day games. Other games will release during a 3-month "launch window" and a few of those will probably be pushed back. They'll vaguely describe the online services that will be available on Day One, but there won't be a lot. It's already been confirmed that the eShop will be there, but how populated will it be? Will we have access to everything currently on the Wii Shop Channel? I also believe that they will not talk about how your VC and WiiWare games will transfer over. We'll probably have Netflix and Hulu Plus, since those are already on Wii, but YouTube and Amazon Video will have to wait. I'm not sure how Miiverse will play out. At E3, it was a focus, but Nintendo hasn't said anything about it since. I doubt it's ready for prime time.

Call me a cynic, and believe me, I hope I'm wrong, but anything that exceeds these rock bottom expectations will make me very happy. What do you think, dear readers? Am I being too hard on the Big N?

Talkback

purevalSeptember 12, 2012

Your attitude and mine match up pretty well. I do not expect to hear about anything new at all. Retro's game will not be mentioned in the slightest. As much as I want to be excited for this system, I just can't bring myself to do it. For the first time ever they are launching a system where I do not care in the slightest about any of the Nintendo games that will be on it. It is a weird feeling.

Retro DeckadesSeptember 12, 2012

Quote from: pureval

As much as I want to be excited for this system, I just can't bring myself to do it. For the first time ever they are launching a system where I do not care in the slightest about any of the Nintendo games that will be on it. It is a weird feeling.

It's a curious thing indeed, as it seems that for some reason, I am more excited for the Wii U than I have been for any other Nintendo console since the N64, and we're both going on the same information. However, if you were to ask my why, I don't know that I could provide you with a solid reason for my anticipation.


Sure, I can say that I'm excited about a couple of games like Pikmin 3 and New Super Mario Bros. U (the first NSMB game that I'm actually really looking forward to), as well as offerings on the e-shop and of course the prospect of finally seeing many beloved Nintendo games displayed in HD,  but barring that, there's little else I can say.


I think that Nintendo's lack of information sharing has something to do with that position, but there's still enough there for me to somehow get excited about what I've seen. I'm sure I'm a little hyped on the Wii U's potential, which admittedly is not the best thing for one to be hyped on, but I'm OK with it.

ejamerSeptember 12, 2012

I'm hopeful. Goods news would be welcome, and any specific details offered would be better than what fans have received so far.


But I'm not optimistic. So far there has been nothing about Wii U that grabbed my attention in a good way and it would take a near-miracle to change that during a press conference.


The big question for me is whether it's worth trying to follow the conference live or just look up the results later in the day. Currently leaning towards the latter...

ShyGuySeptember 13, 2012

Don't give up the faith!

house3136September 13, 2012

One thing that would impress me, is if Nintendo showed actual live gameplay of Wii U without the remote being tethered to the console. Not at the event necessarily, but in a demonstration or video format. If Nintendo proposes that the Wii U and GamePad can perform such functions without lag, it would be nice to actually see them before it launches in two months. Seeing the video chat function and actual online gameplay with something such as BlOps2, would also go a long way in demonstrating that Wii U can officially do what Nintendo promised it could more than a year ago.

LandStalkerNigelSeptember 13, 2012

hmmm... I can't blame you. Ive been a nintendo fan since... forever. But watching them mess up anything since basically the N64 came out, I cant help but feel like tomorrow might be a big disappointment, especially with recent releases like the 3DS. I personally wasn't even expecting any type of explanation for anything online tomorrow.

loopsuSeptember 13, 2012

I just had a thought. Maybe nintendo knows the news won't be mind blowing. Think about it for a second. The conference is being held at 10am eastern time. That's pretty early, and if you're on the west coast like myself, it's at 7 am. How many people are actually going to watch it when it's that early? I mean you'll obviously be able to watch it later if you want, but it seems to me that nintendo doesn't even want people to see it. Then again, maybe Nintendo just wants to make it as close as possible to Japan's conference...Food for thought anyway.

UncleBobRichard Cook, Guest ContributorSeptember 13, 2012

Early - but plenty of time to make the evening news. :D

ShyGuySeptember 13, 2012

My faith was rewarded!

ejamerSeptember 13, 2012

Pleasantly surprised by this event. I don't think there were any monstrously huge announcements that changed my mind about getting a Wii U in the near term... but there were a lot of good small announcements, and I'd probably consider buying the system next year after seeing how things shake out.


Also, Monster Hunter officially coming to 3DS in the West is probably the best news I've heard this year.  :)

Retro DeckadesSeptember 13, 2012

Well Zach, did Bayonetta 2 win you over?

Nope. The system's too expensive, I can't play VC games on the GamePad, nobody said two words about the online infrastructure, all they did was reiterate that Miiverse is a thing that exists, and there are only TWO confirmed launch day games? This is horrible. Expect my next Nerds & Men to be ALL ABOUT THIS.

Fatty The HuttSeptember 13, 2012

Quote from: Halbred

Nope. The system's too expensive, I can't play VC games on the GamePad, nobody said two words about the online infrastructure, all they did was reiterate that Miiverse is a thing that exists, and there are only TWO confirmed launch day games? This is horrible. Expect my next Nerds & Men to be ALL ABOUT THIS.

If you are serious about the Nerds and Men column I think it would only be fair to have a guest columnist do a counterpoint writeup, preferbly in the same article. Maybe Neal would be interested? Could be a fun, spirited debate. And Talkback.

Quote from: Halbred

Nope. The system's too expensive, I can't play VC games on the GamePad, nobody said two words about the online infrastructure, all they did was reiterate that Miiverse is a thing that exists, and there are only TWO confirmed launch day games? This is horrible. Expect my next Nerds & Men to be ALL ABOUT THIS.

I'm a big supporter of raising shields, but I can't agree with this. I'm happy. Well, that could be because I just placed my Wii U preorder but... there are things to enjoy in life, you know? Like an irresistible Premium SKU value proposition, 007 Legends, MH3U, Bayonetta2, and COD:BO2!

TJ SpykeSeptember 13, 2012

There are more than 2 confirmed launch games. These games have been confirmed for launch (limited to retail):

Nintendo Land
New Super Mario Bros. U
Darksiders II
Assassin's Creed III
FIFA Soccer 13
Just Dance 4
Mass Effect 3
Tank! Tank! Tank!
ZombiU
Madden NFL 13
Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge

I've seen unconfirmed reports that Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two and Call of Duty: Black Ops II will be launch releases too. And I am sure other launch window games will be out on launch day too.

SarailSeptember 13, 2012

GameStop was a sloppy douchebag today and wouldn't let me preorder Darksiders II. Why? Because it's not in our system or on a release list. Well, check and direct and let's begin, GameStop. Get your crap together.

I did go ahead and give a nod to NSMBU and FIFA '13, though. Guess I'll go back later to get Darksiders II. :P

Retro DeckadesSeptember 14, 2012

As much as I enjoy hearing Zach's perspective on things (even though he continues to go to the "Metroid: Other M was a bad game" well far too often when I am convinced he very much enjoyed it), my attitude is more in line with Carmine's on this one.

To be honest, very little surprised me about this event. I would love it if the system were cheaper (hell, while I'm at it, I'd love it if EVERYTHING was cheaper), but there's enough there for me to feel justified spending the $350 for the premium model. I like the incentive of their download program, and today, for the first time, they really got me interested in Nintendoland, which I'll be getting packed-in with my system.

Oddly enough, many things that a gamer like Zach may see as a shortcoming, I don't. Only two confirmed launch day games? That's actually OK by me, as I don't spend as much time gaming as I used to and I am hoping to completely finish one game before moving on to the next. If it's a selection issue (read: where is ZombiU), well you'll just have to wait, much like with any other game. Does anyone remember the launch of the N64? There were only two game released at launch for that system, but I played Super Mario 64 for months. I wish I were that easy to satisfy these days.

I'm also quite excited about the e-shop, which will likely have some great games at launch as well. As far as the VC, I find it hard to believe that Virtual Console games will remain forever unplayable on the game pad. This being Nintendo, I can't rule that out, but that has to be an easy fix should they decide to implement that in the future.

Anywho, at the risk of sounding like a Nintendo apologist, I can understand Zach's disappointment, but he should bear in mind that the price of the system will eventually drop, more games will be released, and more features will be revealed, so from this point on, for someone with his perspective on the Wii U, things will only get better.

ejamerSeptember 14, 2012

I don't really agree with comments about pricing being too high. This article seems to back me up.
http://gamasutra.com/view/news/177337/Sizing_up_Wii_Us_price_tag_against_history.php


Does that mean I value the Wii U enough to buy at launch? No. But I can understand why pricing is what it is, and the numbers seem reasonable to me. Heck, PS3 consoles are just starting to hit $200 during sales - and with Wii U I've already got enough accessories and extra controllers at home that I can do multiplayer games at no extra cost.

My rage has tempered slightly after reading all of the site's awesome coverage. There are still things I'm...worried about. But I'm cautiously optimistic now.

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