Sonic Lost World - Nintendo Exclusive

[Dr. BUGMAN]

Nightmarens content. They seem to be reskins of existing bosses' what-have-you. This might be the of the rare times I preorder a game for a system I don't plan on owning for the foreseeable future.

[G.Silver]

Well that isn't a turn off. Is this the first (very, very short) video of any boss encounters at all?

Also, is that John Dimaggio I hear as the voice of Mushu?

[gr4yJ4Y]

I'm with you Bugman. I don't own the system but this makes me consider pre-ordering the game. I'll have to wait and hear more details first though.

[big_smile]

The NIGHTS pre-order bonus is baffling. As much as I love the game, there's no denying that it only appeals to very a small audience. I doubt many of the Sonic fans who became interested after Sonic Adventure and Sonic X would be excited by NiGHTS.

I've got nothing against the bonus, it just seems an odd tactic for boosting sales. They should have gone with offering bonus playable missions for Tails/Knuckles/Shadow.

^_^

[G.Silver]

The NIGHTS pre-order bonus is baffling. As much as I love the game, there's no denying that it only appeals to very a small audience. I doubt many of the Sonic fans who became interested after Sonic Adventure and Sonic X would be excited by NiGHTS.

Clearly you're underestimating the legions of fans NiGHTS gained after they released Journey of Dreams.

[Esrever]

DLC sales skew older, so if this preorder bonus is going to become pay-for DLC later, maybe they are trying to make it appeal to the older buyers specifically?

[big_smile]

Most of the Sonic pre-order bonuses aren't released as DLC (e.g. the Casino Night bonus for Sonic Generations and Metal Sonic from SASRT [Although they did make it to Steam]).

However, I'd imagine there are a lot of older players who don't own a Wii U, but might pre-order the game just for the sake of getting this bonus (as witnessed in this very thread!). If that's the case, it's a stroke of genius. Although, I wouldn't have thought such players make up a large audience.

[Wombatwarlord777]

Billiards ahoy at about 3:50. This whole game seems to be a big love-letter to the scrapped elements of the Saturn years.

[Majestic Joey]

This game looks really good. I may have to finally buy a nintendo wii now even thoughing I hate the wii mote and motion sensor controls. Hopefully this game can be played with a regular controller. Also has anybody played Muramasa the Demon Blade for the wii? that was a game I always wanted to get but I never could convince myself to get a nintendo wii.

[Rob-Bert]

^ It's not for Wii. It's for Wii U. It doesn't use a Wii Remote, it uses the GamePad.

[Majestic Joey]

I just looked it up. Wii U is a new system!? How did I not notice that? I thought it was an add-on like a sega cd or 32x.

I feel really dumb now.

[G.Silver]

Joey, that took courage to admit, and really, really drives home the image problem that Nintendo has right now. Sure, we've all HEARD of people who didn't know what the WiiU was, but when it turns out you actually know one? Oh, Nintendo... :(

The good news is that when the WiiU crashes and burns horribly and you pick one up for less than $99, it will play both Sonic Lost World AND Muramasa the Demon Blade.

[Jingles]

Joey, that took courage to admit, and really, really drives home the image problem that Nintendo has right now. Sure, we've all HEARD of people who didn't know what the WiiU was, but when it turns out you actually know one? Oh, Nintendo... :(

I can't wait to explain the 2DS to people.

"It's a 3DS that's not 3D but plays 3DS and 2DS ga- no, shit, not 2DS games, 3DS and DS games, but it's not really a DS-"

[G.Silver]

I don't know, "It's a 3DS that costs less and doesn't have a 3D screen" seems like an easy explanation to me.

But I also thought "The WiiU is a new console from Nintendo" was an easy explanation, too.

I really like that they're doing the 2DS. It's a bit weird that they're basically admitting that the 3D is non-essential, but that's what we're all thinking anyway, and if it's cheaper and gets the sensitive eyes of more young children in front of the new Pokemon, I say go for it. It seems weird that they're dropping the clamshell design, but considering that there aren't any other clamshell designs on the market it probably isn't really a significant feature for most people. Probably harder to fit in a pocket, though.

[G.Silver]

So the WiiU has a $50 price drop announced, which is pretty much all I was waiting for. Except they're also doing a bundle that includes a (download only) Zelda come September. Will they do the same with other games, maybe the ones I'm planning on buying? Nintendo, why you gotta do this to me? I wanted to give you my money now!

[Dash]

The 2DS is a really bizarre move, but I guess if the majority of the public can deal with tons of Android devices with different options, why shouldn't they be able to handle this? The design reminds me of those Leapfrog game devices which are quite thick, sturdy, and kid friendly. It might also double as a comfortable cheap system for those who don't care much for the 3D effect and just want to get in on the games as cheaply as possible. Couldn't they have just lowered the price a bit on the current models to get more sales though? I would think that'd be a hell of a lot easier, but I'm no marketing executive.

I hope the Wii U picks up some steam. I have actually had one since last fall and gotten a lot of use out of it. I know I'm in the minority though. It's kind of maddening, as I wonder what they did with all that downtime the Wii had before Wii U launched. Sure, the earthquake probably had an impact on things, but you would think with all that time they would have been prepping some really special games.

I actually had a friend who knew of Wii U and that it was a new system, but didn't know it was released and available for purchase. This conversation was in May. Fair enough, as Nintendo should really be thinking of this fall as a second launch.

[Crisis]

I'm probably gonna pick up a 2DS and Wii U by the end of the year, pending confirmation of UK prices. Although now that Nintendo is basically admitting that 3D is just a gimmick, it feels like there's even less reason for developers to target their platform versus iOS/Android.

[G.Silver]

Maybe they want to make a game that they can charge more that 99 cents for?

[Dash]

On the Google Play store it's really insane how wonky the ratings get for a game that charges any more than free, and god forbid more than a dollar. I guess folks love micro transactions. I mean, it's also crazy that on a 3DS/Wii U you have to deal with higher prices AND a system based account system that isn't even guaranteed to transfer owned games between Nintendo platforms without nominal extra fees(something that consoles in general are having issues with..) . There are flip-sides, like Club Nintendo is pretty cool, and the digital point promotion is already more useful than the Xbox Rewards ever were, but yeah. Sadly I feel that even if they did all the things people wanted them to do, they'd still give them shit, because it's Nintendo.

[Rob-Bert]

Nintendo could announce that they were giving away a free 5-star turkey dinner with gravy, fresh mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, mixed veggies and fresh stuffing with every system...

...and people would STILL complain that they forgot the parsley.

[big_smile]

NIntendo have huge back-log of titles which I am guessing lots of people haven't played. They should offer a Netflix subscription style service.

It would help slash their costs as they wouldn't have to worry about distribution. Plus, they'd have a steady stream of income and could probably slash the cost of their hardware further allowing them to lure back their consumers which have switched to mobile.

Subscriptions worked for film and music but there isn't a good game equivalent.

--

The new 2Ds is really ugly. It's like Nintendo's in denial about all the advances the iPhone has made in slimming down gadgets. I doubt any modern day consumer would look at it and consider it to be a portable gaming device.

It's also only $40 cheaper, so it's to hard see the appeal of the device.

[Esrever]

You will understand who the 2DS if and when you ever a parent who has two sub-eight-year-olds who want to play Pokemon. The primary appeal of the design is it looks like a toy that you could drop a lot without breaking it.

The iPhone and its ilk are luxury devices and most American families do not buy them for their children.

[big_smile]

That's an excellent point and I guess it explains the Leapfrog aesthetics that Dash picked up on.

Still, I think this would do better for the kid market if it had a lower price tag. I know Nintendo has to at least break even on the hardware, but maybe they should have gone for slightly smaller screens and released it at $99.

I also think they should have a better job of presenting it as a 'for kids' option, because at the moment, the new system looks like an admission that 3D is just a gimmick.

On a side note, it's kind of sad that kids today can't be expected to look after electronics and need specifically designed 'rugged' options. Taking care of an electronic device is an important lesson in responsibility! ^_^

[Crowbar]

On a side note, it's kind of sad that kids today can't be expected to look after electronics and need specifically designed 'rugged' options. Taking care of an electronic device is an important lesson in responsibility! ^_^

What d'you mean "these days"? Kids' stuff has always been built to be robust. Remember the Game Boy?

[Frieza2000]

Oh look, they're finally releasing Sonic Xtreme.

I think this was absolutely the right move. Another Unleashed/Colors/Generations game would probably have felt stale. I certainly didn't want to play another after finishing Generations anyway, much as I did enjoy it. I was always curious how Xtreme's style of levels would work out, and they seem to be doing a pretty good job of making them fun to play. I'm not sure how many Sonic fans this reference is going to draw in, but I guess every sales point helps (since it hasn't been spelled out in this thread yet, I'm pretty sure that "Lost World" is a pseudonym for the famous "lost" Saturn game). With its emphasis on slower, more precise platforming and exploration, it's definitely a step in the right direction. I hope this is the only one of these that they do, though. It's a nice diversion, a break from the usual to help them get their creative juices flowing, but I wouldn't want this to become the model.

That opening cutscene was...the scenario of Sonic accidentally releasing Agathea the Fire God by his brash impatience is fine and all, inasmuch as we apparently still need to put up with stories about Eggman harnessing the mojo of infernal deities (sure are a lot of these in Sonic's world!), but the dialogue just reminded me that these are bastardizations of the characters I once loved and I hate every one of them.