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Post by reaper on Sept 13, 2012 12:41:37 GMT -5
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Post by reaper on Sept 13, 2012 12:50:42 GMT -5
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Post by dschroll on Sept 13, 2012 13:55:20 GMT -5
I don't get this. If you already have a TiVo, why would you want your WiiU to act like a TiVo? Can't you just use the TiVo you already have? And if you don't have a TiVo, why would you go buy one for this? Just to get some added functionality on the WiiPad? Its not a DVR. It just interfaces with your DVR. I would look at TVii like google TV. It tries to centralize all of this video content and make it accessible through one device. The Wii U controller will change your TV channel or DVR channel and it will pull content off the web and push it to your controller as you're watching stuff on the TV.
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Post by reaper on Sept 13, 2012 14:38:44 GMT -5
Oh, I see.
PREDICTION: No one will use Nintendo as a media hub. The attempt will be poorly executed, poorly supported and greatly outclassed by other companies.
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Post by UsualNoise on Sept 13, 2012 14:42:51 GMT -5
Yeah, ever since I switched my home to use Windows 7 Media Center for all our cable TV recording and watching I've been super happy. I can't imagine the WiiU making any sort of impact for me personally for TV. I'm sure some folks out there will find it useful though, if it's done well (big if).
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Post by reaper on Sept 13, 2012 14:46:35 GMT -5
I just got a chance to watch the new zombieU trailer. I'm really surprised that you are interested in that game, Dave. The core game is pretty much like so many games on xbox. Left 4 Dead, Dead Space, etc. OK, so now you can look at the controller in your hand for a map or your inventory or instead of looking at your screen when you control a turret. Hrmm...
I was pretty underwhelmed and not really "getting" the big appeal of that game... especially for someone who typically likes more playful and disney-esque games or unique and interesting approaches to games. It didn't look all that innovative to me.
I get the feeling the designers were in a room and asked, "OK we got this 2nd screen, what do we do with it." Two people said a few ideas and that's what they went with... the obvious, off-the-top-of-the-head angles.It's not to say they are bad angles but I... I must be missing something. Cuz frankly, the interface to the game in Dead Space 2 looked more innovative on 1 screen than this did on two.
What's up?
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Post by reaper on Sept 13, 2012 14:47:42 GMT -5
Yeah, ever since I switched my home to use Windows 7 Media Center for all our cable TV recording and watching I've been super happy. I can't imagine the WiiU making any sort of impact for me personally for TV. I'm sure some folks out there will find it useful though, if it's done well (big if). I do the same. And I stream all of my content from the PC to the TVs through the xbox or straight to the iPad over WiFi. Very little desire to put the WiiU in the path, personally.
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Post by reaper on Sept 13, 2012 14:49:26 GMT -5
BTW, Dave. I'm not trying to burst your bubble with the game/system. I am just a little worried that you are looking for a good reason to justify a WiiU purchase and may be disappointed when you get it home. Just trying to save you from the buyer's remorse situation. Not that you wouldn't be happy long term with the WiiU... but initially, I just wonder if the zombie game is really right for you.
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Post by fatty on Sept 13, 2012 14:54:29 GMT -5
I wonder if there is any way to watch TV off of the tablet? For example, my wife might be watching TV in the bedroom off of one of the DVR tuners, and I could watch the other DVR tuner on the tablet? It would be nice to be able to be in the same room without having to watch her Without A Trace reruns.
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Post by oldskoolboarder on Sept 13, 2012 16:36:07 GMT -5
I wonder if there is any way to watch TV off of the tablet? For example, my wife might be watching TV in the bedroom off of one of the DVR tuners, and I could watch the other DVR tuner on the tablet? It would be nice to be able to be in the same room without having to watch her Without A Trace reruns. W/O a trace? Wow, those're old... I'm curious how this TVii works. I'm wondering if they just added s/w capability to make it like a Roku/Boxee box. That would be smart. Hulu and Amazon Prime are pretty much s/w add-ons. Now the Tivo thing is interesting because it's probably like the new Tivo Streamer that pulls stuff off your Tivo and probably accesses said tuner. BUT, I can almost guarantee you that it only works w/ Tivo Premiere so I'm fucked regardless of the thousands of $ I've spent on past Tivo hardware. As a side feature, it's might be nice if WiiU is the only box on your TV. But for most, like me, it's part of your whole entertainment system, so you already have those features in your TV, Roku, AppleTV, Tivo etc. Eh. UPDATE: There's a connection to i.TV that I've tried on iOS. Let's just say that I've deleted i.TV because it's pretty much useless. www.theverge.com/2012/9/13/3326864/nintendo-tvii-i-tv-partnership-video-hands-on
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Post by dschroll on Sept 13, 2012 22:52:50 GMT -5
No extra gamepads initially for sale for Wii U:
When Nintendo finally revealed Wii U would support up to two GamePad controllers, one of the first questions many fans asked was "How much will one of those cost?" After Nintendo's Wii U launch presentation earlier today, I caught up with Nintendo of America president and COO Reggie Fils-Aime to ask just that. Much to my surprise, Fils-Aime said gamers wouldn't have to worry about it - Nintendo isn't planning on selling GamePads as accessories in North America.
"We have deliberately not announced the availability of the GamePad as a separate, standalone accessory here in the United States," Fils-Aime told me. "The reason for that is simple - there are no games in the launch window that take advantage of a second GamePad. And [because of that], I want all of that hardware production to be focused on driving sales at retail.
"What I mean by that is that Wii U is a console and a GamePad together. If I were to take additional GamePads and make them available as an accessory, then I would have less Wii U console hardware to sell into retail. You know, probably one of your questions is whether I'm going to meet demand. The only way we're going to achieve that here in the Americas is to not have that GamePad accessory, so I can maximize my overall volume."
So there you go. One less thing to factor into your budget.
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Post by dschroll on Sept 13, 2012 22:54:11 GMT -5
"The vast majority of Wii U software will be $59.99. From a first-party perspective. Third parties set their own pricing," Fils-Aime told me, meaning that Nintendo fans would generally be paying $10 more per first-party game versus the Wii era. "There will be exceptions. Wii Fit U is not going to be a $59.99 product with the Balance Board, as an example. But certainly we believe that these games are big enough, robust enough, with enough demand to satisfy a $59.99 MSRP."
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Post by reaper on Sept 14, 2012 21:26:37 GMT -5
Nintendo on achievements:
1UP: On the 3DS, when you use the StreetPass, there are those Accomplishments. Are they going to build those into Wii U games? Like Microsoft has Achievements and Sony has Trophies. Are they going to do that with Wii U games?
BT: Those are specific to StreetPass Mii Plaza. We've had stuff like that in the past, in terms of Smash Bros. Mr. Sakurai is somebody that's been really big into that. I love the way that he handles it in Kid Icarus and the Kirby games. Or Meteos, I love that game, Meteos I still carry around...
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Post by reaper on Sept 14, 2012 21:27:56 GMT -5
1UP: No, I just heard they gave a price for it. Yeah. Is there a limit on the distance that you can take the GamePad away from the system?
BT: There is. And it's... Of course, when we're generally giving limits on things like that, and I think the same thing can be said for the Nintendo 3DS battery life... We tend to be more conservative, because we're looking at it from a performance perspective. What, really, is the range where you're going to get the best performance out of that? And you're going to get the best performance within a range of about... They had a very precise number at one point. In meters it's like eight meters. In feet it's about 24 feet. That's for best performance.
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Post by reaper on Sept 16, 2012 22:44:24 GMT -5
New Super Mario Bros. U trailer #1 Trailer:
Boost Rush Flying Squirrel Pack gameplay:
Boost Rush Easy Pack gameplay:
Boost Rush Acrobat Pack gameplay:
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Post by reaper on Sept 18, 2012 15:54:41 GMT -5
www.vg247.com/2012/09/18/zombiu-hands-on-the-dark-souls-of-zombie-games/ZombiU hands-on: the Dark Souls of zombie games Wii U was always going to get unwarranted flack among gamers for being a casual console. VG247′s Dave Cook plays the punishing ZombiU to find out why they’re dead wrong. If you’re still not convinced that ZombiU is a ‘hardcore’ game for ‘hardcore’ people, then you should at least check the game out through a friend’s purchase. To all Dark Souls fans, you absolutely need to play this game. It’s that simple. ‘ZombiU is the Dark Souls of zombie games’. You’re going to hear a lot of people say that after the Wii U launches in November. It’s absolutely true, as the game is brutally difficult, and makes no attempt to coddle players as they wade miserably through post apocalyptic London. One of the magic ingredients that makes a good survival horror game even better is making the player feel dangerously under-resourced, pathetically weak, and continually on the backfoot at all times. If this stresses you out, then ZombiU is not the game for you. It has been absolutely engineered with hardcore gamers in mind, mixing the continuous dread of games like Amnesia: The Dark Descent with unforgiving trial and error format of Dark Souls. You will die a lot, but with each death you will learn what not to do next time. Best of all, when you die, it’s entirely your fault and – sorry to put this bluntly readers – down to your own foolish haste and stupidity. It’s not that you’ aren’t smart enough to overcome Ubisoft Montreal’s sadistic challenge, it just takes a lot of practice. That’s part of the problem. Wii U does have casual players who may take a punt on ZombiU – because, zombies – and that could lead to a lot of copies being traded in shortly after launch. Our hands-on session starts with a dreary slog through London’s sewer network, and up into the Tower of London’s hidden catacombs. We’ve got a cricket bat – the game’s default, unbreakable melee weapon – and a shotgun with only 30 bullets. There’s also a flashlight that runs down mercilessly fast, and it takes ages to recharge. Once it’s off, the sewers are seriously pitch black, which is why the Wii U GamePad’s radar screen is helpful for spotting movement in the dark. Slow movement is the key, as your cricket bat will only down a zombie in about six heavy hits. That’s a lot of attacking needed for just one enemy, so you have to avoid confronting packs of the buggers if you hope to survive long. You could of course hit them with your firearms – but wouldn’t you know it – gunfire attracts the horde to your location with every single shot, so that’s not a dependable tactic either. Drawing out zombies one by one using flares does help thin out groups if you have to kill a few of them, or you could lay mines in a tight bottleneck, fire a few shots, and stand back as they rush towards the sound and blow up in meaty, bloody chunks. There are many ways to play ZombiU, but several truths remain throughout: never ignore your radar and make sure you’re alone before using your inventory. Opening your backpack is activated by simply swiping down on the touch screen, but it renders you immobilised. You can then drag your favourite items to the hot bar and organise loot gathered from corpses. You only have so many slots, so resource management is yet another problem facing your survivor. This is where both the respawn and safehouse mechanics come into play. Safehouses do exactly what they suggest – they are respawn zones that play home to crafting benches and lockers that can be used to stash precious loot. Lockers are crucial, because when you die and respawn as a different survivor, you lose everything – save for your cricket bat, flashlight and a pistol with just six rounds. Back at your point of death, your previous survivor reanimates as a zombie carrying all of your gear. They aren’t painted on the map either, so say they’re holding that super-upgraded firearm that you spent ages crafting, chances are you will never find them again and the weapon is lost. This poses a tough choice when faced with an area swarming with the undead. Do you avoid potentially dying and losing your favourite gun – by trudging all the way back to your last safehouse in order to stash it away – or do you rush in hoping that you’ll make it through alive? You have to constantly make these difficult decisions every step of the way. You’ll ask yourself, ‘Do I walk blindly through the dark undetected, or use my flashlight to see threats even if it leaves me exposed?’ There are times when you may even think, ‘Do I take the long, dangerous, but silent melee route, or do I risk detection by shooting those zombies to create an easy path?’ Everything must be considered. Even travelling through water is a risk. When wading through water, your survivor lifts their backpack overhead to keep it dry, leaving you utterly defenceless and unable to attack. Rushing through the ravaged streets of London is a recipe for disaster and should be avoided at all cost. Every inch of the game smacks of Dark Souls, and this comparison is highlighted further by ZombiU’s messaging system, which lets you walk up to walls and leave graffiti tag messages for other players online. These aren’t actual words, but symbols. So you could select the ‘stairs’ icon and a ‘thumbs down’ – to basically say ‘don’t go downstairs’. There are many symbol combinations geared towards highlighting hazards or killer loot, so it will be interesting to see how these are used – or abused – once servers go live. Finally – and this is a stroke of genius on Ubisoft Montreal’s part – once one of your survivors dies and then reanimates as a zombie, there’s a chance they will also spawn into your friends’ game too. So you can hop on Miiverse and say, ‘hey I died at this location holding a brilliant weapon. Go find me to claim it’, and vice-versa. It’s a neat way of sharing weapons and collaborating with other players to beat the game. It’s hard to step back from comparing ZombiU to Dark Souls, but the parallels are blatant. This isn’t a bad thing however, because survival horror games are supposed to make surviving a struggle, and this is one of those rare games that actually delivers that feeling. If you’re still not convinced that ZombiU is a ‘hardcore’ game for ‘hardcore’ people, then you should at least check the game out through a friend’s purchase. To all Dark Souls fans, you absolutely need to play this game. It’s that simple.
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Post by fatty on Sept 18, 2012 22:59:20 GMT -5
1UP: No, I just heard they gave a price for it. Yeah. Is there a limit on the distance that you can take the GamePad away from the system? BT: There is. And it's... Of course, when we're generally giving limits on things like that, and I think the same thing can be said for the Nintendo 3DS battery life... We tend to be more conservative, because we're looking at it from a performance perspective. What, really, is the range where you're going to get the best performance out of that? And you're going to get the best performance within a range of about... They had a very precise number at one point. In meters it's like eight meters. In feet it's about 24 feet. That's for best performance.Eh, I guess it understandable but I was hoping the distance would be longer, would have been nice to use it in another room. Good impressions on ZombieU as well. That reminds me, need to go back and play Demons Soul.
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Post by dschroll on Sept 19, 2012 16:10:55 GMT -5
Wii U GamePad
The Wii U GamePad has limited "best performance" range from the console of about 24 feet (8 meters). [1] The Wii U GamePad must plug into the wall to recharge (not the actual Wii U console) and uses its own AC adapter -- it is not USB-based. [2] Standalone Wii U GamePads will not be available for sale in North America at launch due to lack of games that support multiple controllers, but they may be available in the future. [3] Replacements for broken Wii U GamePads will be available in North America for a yet unnannounced fee. [4] In Japan, individual Wii U controllers cost ¥13,400 (about $172). [5] The Wii U GamePad can still serve as a map and inventory management tool if you play a game with the Pro Controller. [6] The Wii U GamePad will run 3-5 hours on a full charge and takes 2.5 hours to fully recharge. [7]
Multitasking
You can access the Internet Browser on the GamePad while playing a game or watching YouTube or television. When accessing the browser during gameplay, the browser will automatically provide search results relevant to the title. [8] You cannot watch Netflix or Nintendo TVii on the GamePad while you're playing games. [9]
Wii Backwards Compatibility
Wii games will not be displayed at an increased resolution ("up-rezzed") on the Wii U. Wii disc and Virtual Console games will appear in standard definition on your television. [10] Wii discs and Virtual Console games are accessed via "Wii Mode," which is an option on the Wii U GamePad menu. [11] Keep your Wii handy if you want to complete a data transfer from your Wii to your Wii U. Both consoles and an SD card are required to move your old content to your new machine. [12] Wii games cannot be played on the GamePad screen -- that goes for Virtual Console titles as well. [13]
Wii U Internal Software
The digital features built-in to the Wii U on launch day will include an Internet Browser, access to the eShop, video chat and Nintendo TVii. [14] While the 3DS featured a suite of built-in games like Face Raiders and Find Mii, the Wii U will launch with no built-in games. [15] You will be able to expand your memory via USB with external Flash or Hard Drives. [16] The Wii U eShop is will be region-locked so you can only download and play North American games in North America. There has been no confirmation on whether disc-based Wii U games will region locked. [17] The Wii U can take screenshots of TV and games and share them over the Internet.[18]
Wii U Games
First-Party Wii U launch titles will run at 720p at launch, not 1080p. [19] Most-Third Party Launch titles will run in 1080p, and 60 frames per second. [20] Standard Wii U pricing will be $59.99 in the US. [21] Most first-party Wii U games will also be available digitally unless they require an accessory like the microphone in Sing Party. [22]
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Post by oldskoolboarder on Oct 1, 2012 0:22:46 GMT -5
OK, here goes. Via Club Nintendo, I got on the Wii U Experience invite list. I took my 2 kids and their cousin to demo the system and a bunch of games in San Francisco. Very cool experience.
Entrance I pre-registered but somehow my confirmation got stuck in a SPAM filter. Finally figured it out though. When we arrived, we all got badges to connect us to some photos they took. They corralled us together before entry, making it more exciting to enter the room.
There were kiosks all over, showing off different games. I'll give impressions from what I can remember and played.
Wii U Sports They were showing this game with the Wii Fit Board. I wasn't that interested but my nephew pretty much lived at this game station.
NintendoLand I didn't get to play many of the worlds but I did play the Metroid area with my kids. They used the Wiimotes so I could get some hands on with the Gamepad. I'll give details on that below. Regarding gameplay, it was more fun that I would've thought. I flew the ship while shooting the kids' characters on the ground. You use the 2 sticks to control direction and rising/falling of the ship. You also move the controller around to change view on your screen. My view was completely separate from the kids, like I was playing a completely different game. Definitely a bit disorienting, mostly because it's not what you'd expect from a gaming experience. There's some potential there with the gameplay mechanics.
I also played the Pikmin-oriented game, mostly because I'm a HUGE Pikmin fan and still PISSED nothing ever came on the Wii. There were 5 of us (including the gamepad) and we moved together to break down objects to get to the boss area (I think). This was the first game I played walking in so I didn't get to pay too much attention as I was a little overwhelmed at first by the crowd and watching my kids.
Super Mario Bros U The first thing I noticed was the graphics. You could tell immediately that it was playing at 1080p. I wouldn't think it would be a big deal but it was. TBH, I might consider a Wii U just to play at this higher res. Granted, the Xbox 360 and PS3 already do this...so it's sad we had to wait this long to enjoy it. The demo guy explained that the 5th player on the Gamepad could create blocks to help the other 4 get to other places on screen. In practice it seemed pretty cool. I was able to pick up the new acorn power up but couldn't get a good hang of it with the little play time I had. Other than VERY VERY good graphics, not much of the gameplay seemed much different that the past few games (including the 3DS). But I suppose it's a formula that works. The interesting feature was that you could still play this game only the Gamepad, thereby allowing everyone else in the room watch TV at the same time. Apparently, many games will have this feature, which seems 'kind' of cool if you have family arguments of who gets to use the TV for their purposes.
Scribblenauts Unlimited I played this a little. The graphics again were fantastic, granted it's more cartoony so that's not a hard thing to achieve. I love Scribblenauts but I honestly wasn't that grasped by the new gameplay which is more of the exploration type vs the straight out finish a puzzle and then move on. This is one of those games where you can play just on the Gamepad, where the graphics look very good. This was definitely beta s/w because I made it crash and they had to reboot it...
Pikmin 3 Better graphics once again. Took me a while to remember the controls. I watched many play the standard collection mode. They added a new rock Pikmin that are used to break crystal structures. Very much the same gameplay as previous games. When it was my turn, I opted for Boss Battle to try something different. I still like this game and look forward to seeing what other new features are there. The Gamepad is used to scan the entire planet map to plan out your routes, a feature I can see as very helpful in these type of games.
Game & Wario This was a nice surprise. I've always loved Warioware games on the DS and Wii. This is apparently made up of about 12 minigames, 4 of which were playable. They had a hide a seek game where one player w/ the Gamepad was a 'thief'. The other 4 players would watch the main TV screen where apples where distributed in a crowd. The thief would then steal them and all 4 players would have to guess the identity of the thief. There's a skiing game where you ski on the Gamepad almost like an iPad. Eh. I played arrow shooting where the Gamepad was a crossbow and you used the touchscreen to load the arrow and move it around to aim. That was actually kind of fun.
Rayman Legends I didn't play as I normally don't like the series. My son didn't like it either.
Batman Arkham Seemed interesting but I honestly think the PS3 looks better. I didn't play but the player who did was using the Gamepad in some kind of stealthmode where you could xray your surroundings and use the Gamepad to locate things. That seemed like a natural use of the Gamepad.
Just Dance 4 This series is a bit of a favorite in our house. Mostly because it's pretty fun and we work up some good sweat. AND, when you video someone doing it, it's kind of funny taken out of context of the game. With the Gamepad you can add another player who can change the moves in song and also cause a freeze moment. My daughter loved this game.
Singstar Never played it.
Wonderful 101 OK, definitely my favorite surprise. It has the most plain sign and now I know why. Seems the original name was PS-100 and it just changed. I was intrigued because the graphics were so clean, intense and very much like a well drawn comic book. The game is almost a mash of Pikmin (you have a group of superheroes w/ their own strengths), Infinity Blade (hack/slash gameplay), and Viewtiful Joe (graphics). I mentioned Viewtiful Joe and the demo guy mentioned this was a Platinum Games title, which apparently has the some of the team members from Viewtiful Joe and Okami. You use the Gamepad to control your team and make moves. I was a bit overwhelmed because the game used the touchscreen, both sticks and the L/R shoulder buttons (and there are 2 on each side). You can use the touchscreen to implement moves like Inifinity Blade on an iPad, but you can also use the right stick to do the same. I LOVED this game, this would definitely be a launch title for me.
Wii U Gamepad I made sure to play a few games that used this. The feel in my hands was pretty good, not too heavy, weighted properly when it was in the horizontal position. Bear in mind there are a few games that have you hold is sideways, like Game & Wario. The screen resolutions looks very nice for some games. However, my biggest gripe on the screen is that it felt cheap to touch. The screen 'gives' a little, much like my old Palm Treo 600. Maybe it's a pre-production unit, who knows. At the end of the day, there's really no reason this damn Gamepad couldn't be an app on an iPad or Galaxy Tab. The buttons and sticks could be saved for a revamped Wavebird controller. Combining a controller with a screen is nice but to me, it's adding cost for a novelty that doesn't yet have a need. Remains to be seen if there's a game that justifies this 'marriage'.
3DS XL They had a stand with a few out for demo with the New Super Mario Bros 2. I do have to admit that it's a MUCH better experience vs my original 3DS. If mine ever breaks, I'll get this. The only negative is that having the dual analog stick would make it the size of a damn laptop.
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Post by oldskoolboarder on Oct 1, 2012 10:24:53 GMT -5
Any yes, I did look for pre-order locations and everything is sold out, except 3rd parties on Amazon. Trust me, it ain't worth the premium over MSRP.
If anyone sees pre-orders open up for the Deluxe bundle, let me know. At $349, I think that's the best option since you're only tied to Nintendoland, which is a fairly decent title.
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