I haven't played ZoE, from the GB quicklook I guess the closest other game is something like Senko no Ronde?

There is room for improvement with the current consoles, especially with the framerates but I think the bigger obstacle to good framerates are developers, not the systems. They are cramming so hard to make prettier and prettier games that they are going past what the consoles are capable of, framerates are going down in the constant drive to be prettier than the previous game. Of course that cramming costs money too. Without this "must be bigger" mentality there wouldn't be a big issue with a more powerful console, people would just use it as headroom and maybe for some better algorithms but with it every last percent of system power has to be pushed into making the game prettier, at the cost of absolutely everything else.  On the PC devs have the freedom of targeting whatever specs they want and it seems that fewer and fewer are doing anything meaningful with the top end. I recently replaced my PC with a much newer one and I can't tell the difference, all the games already ran at decent settings without framerate drops. More demanding games? Maybe the textures are a bit less blurry from up close but steps have gotten waaaay smaller than previous generation gaps.


I can't really think of how a technological next gen would improve things but I'd wager devs would still sacrifice framerate for graphical quality so it still wouldn't fix the 30FPS that have plagued the HD consoles. If your dev costs double next gen that's because you want twice as much in your game. Yet game lengths or complexities aren't going up. If devs were more willing to ignore the graphical fidelity and save money by cutting corners there they might be more profitable.

Awesome episode guys.

So awesome in fact you made me look like a complete maniac in public. Let me backtrack. As I do every Monday morning I was listenening to this weeks podcast on my walk to work this morning. I walk to work usually around 7 AM so the streets and roads are usually pretty empty. While turning the corner towards my building I was listening to James' rant about Sony's corporate structure being a comedy. I burst out laughing when he detailed Kaz Hirai's gradual change in appearance, and at that precise moment a lady was turning the same corner but in the oppposite direction. Being sleepy and having my headphones on made me completely oblivious to this fact and we kinda bumped into each other as I was laughing.

The look she gave me afterwards was of complete disgust. Thinking about it this afternoon I realised what that look meant. That poor woman assumed I had been hiding at a random corner at 7 am in the morning to scare unsuspecting pedestrians and then to laugh in their faces, lol.

Thanks alot James!

Hey James, how about Wii 7 for a name for Wii U? ;P

That would have to be the name for the WiiU successor, actually.

I love me some Shinobi III.  My first actual Shinobi game was the original title put on my parents Amiga computer, and boy, if you think Shinobi III is slow/clunky, you should give that game a shot to see what it originates from.  I always felt in III that you can get a good movement and rhythm going once you get acquainted with the controls, and it always felt incredibly satisfying when you did. 

I think sometimes games make it too easy to make you feel like a badass, which cheapens how cool it should feel when you pull off incredible stunts (Probably my primary complaint playing Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II). 

I have an unopened copy of Shinobi 3DS that's been put on the backburner due to the Wii U launch.  Anyone able to comment on how it compares to prior entries?

Edit: Also, let's be honest here, people.  Most video game console names are completely silly.  Let's stop acting like "Super Wii" would be the silver bullet some people on these forums believe would be a marketing boon compared to "Wii U".

Super Wii isn't a good name but unlike the suffix U the Super prefix at least makes it clear that this is a new system, not an accessory for a current one.

Especially with the U Draw around...

Hey, it didn't stop Microsoft from naming Windows version 6.1 "Windows 7".

Super Wii makes it sound like it's 1991 again.


Man...that Gulf War.

To be clear, I would prefer the Wii name be dropped altogether. But as that's unrealistic, I think Super Wii is clearly preferable to Wii U.

They should just call their next system 'The Nintendo'. That way grandparents the world over can finally, after decades of calling every console ever released 'The Nintendo', refer to a video game system and actually get the name correct. Admittedly, this will only work if the family member of said grandparent actually owns a Nintendo console as oppose to a Microsoft or Sony one; but at the very least it gives them a 1 in 3 shot at getting the name right.

Plus, it has the added benefit of being anything other than Wii U.

Well, they really should give a better name to their next console. Or just number it like Sony does.

I'm looking forward to that. It gives me a good reason not to play Okami HD over Christmas.

They would probably just call it "the Xbox" at this point.

I think after the Wii U they will drop the Wii branding. Possibly the same with the DS/3DS type of names.


They could have gone with Mega Wii hehe. Bring back some of the Sega fanboys, well, if there are any left.

I listened to a way different podcast that is not of comedic nature and about a different subject. Even though the guys are clearly experts on their fied I couldn't help but compare the two podcast and RFN is just in another league. The mailbag discussions were so deep and rich. Stellar episode.

And James, your way from a slightly annoying guy on your first appearance to the comedic master of this podcast has been awesome. You have been on a roll for the last months. Maybe it is just creativity building up while Jon is gone...

Super Wii would be a terrible name, nothing good about it at all. Wii U is not a bad name, it actually fits. "Super Wii" sounds like just a revision of the Wii (i.e. DS Lite).