Wii U - General Discussion Thread

[theflicker]

What's that you say? Kids are fighting over the new toy? Absurd!

 

[Blaster man]

What's that you say? Kids are fighting over the new toy? Absurd!

I've been saying it would happen for a year, that having a SINGLE "cool" controller for this thing was a bad idea. You have no idea how many people here claimed that their kids are little angels and don't fight over it.

I guess that's what the "U" part is about. "U" play by yourself.

 

[Jesse_Dylan]

Yeah, I'd cry when it was the wife's turn with the cool controller, too, but the damn thing is so non-ergonomic anyway.  

But what are my other choices--holding the dopy Wiimote sideways or plugging the classic controller (admittedly nice) into the dopy Wiimote and the cord flopping all over and the Wiimote falling off the couch.  Guess I should get one of those Xbox controllers Nintendo made.  And use it four times a year.  Hm.

One interesting thing about the Wii U is that, if you include the compatible and semi-compatible Wii accessories, it is a system that has an absurd number of control options, enough to clutter up your whole damn house.

 

[Blaster man]

Yeah, I'd cry when it was the wife's turn with the cool controller, too, but the damn thing is so non-ergonomic anyway.

But what are my other choices--holding the dopy Wiimote sideways or plugging the classic controller (admittedly nice) into the dopy Wiimote and the cord flopping all over and the Wiimote falling off the couch. Guess I should get one of those Xbox controllers Nintendo made. And use it four times a year. Hm.

One interesting thing about the Wii U is that, if you include the compatible and semi-compatible Wii accessories, it is a system that has an absurd number of control options, enough to clutter up your whole damn house.

I have a plastic bin full of Wii accessories. It's pretty stupid looking. My kid can't read and is trying to play Wind Waker. I'm too busy here typing about how she's not doing well because she can't read to help her with it though.

So, now what to do with the Wii? Maybe I should sell it. I wonder if I can get a nickle for it since new ones were going for $40 on BF? Then again, mine does have GameCube backwards compatibility.

 

[Jesse_Dylan]

I have a plastic bin full of Wii accessories. It's pretty stupid looking. My kid can't read and is trying to play Wind Waker. I'm too busy here typing about how she's not doing well because she can't read to help her with it though.

So, now what to do with the Wii? Maybe I should sell it. I wonder if I can get a nickle for it since new ones were going for $40 on BF? Then again, mine does have GameCube backwards compatibility.

I felt depressed at the idea of selling my Wii (my Mom got it for me, for no reason, back when they first came out; I didn't play it much, but it's special), so I just put it in the closet. That's kind of depressing, too.

I remember when I was maybe 5 or so. I'd just gotten an NES, rented Zelda on weekends, and I'd get up early before church to play it on this crappy tube TV that made my eyes bloodshot. I made Mom read me the instruction book. I couldn't figure out what the hell the "continue, save, retry" things were all about. Actually, I still don't know!

I don't even know what age it's safe for a child's brain to stare at a TV. Maybe you should read her the instruction book, though.

 

[Blaster man]

I felt depressed at the idea of selling my Wii (my Mom got it for me, for no reason, back when they first came out; I didn't play it much, but it's special), so I just put it in the closet. That's kind of depressing, too.

I remember when I was maybe 5 or so. I'd just gotten an NES, rented Zelda on weekends, and I'd get up early before church to play it on this crappy tube TV that made my eyes bloodshot. I made Mom read me the instruction book. I couldn't figure out what the hell the "continue, save, retry" things were all about. Actually, I still don't know!

I don't even know what age it's safe for a child's brain to stare at a TV. Maybe you should read her the instruction book, though.

I don't have a sentimental attachment to my Wii. I'm probably going to try to sell it on Craigslist first. I've been trying to cut the amount of crap I own. Next on my list is to try to eBay my Wind Waker box and The Last of Us PS3 bundle box. If I can recoup a few bucks and get rid of those (instead of throwing them away/recycling them then all the better.

I used to hold onto boxes. Then I had a closet full of them and that's when I decided it was time to stop hoarding.

 

[Deader2818]

Heres an idea. Don't let kids that are to young to read play games that require you to know how to read? lol

 

[Jesse_Dylan]

Heres an idea. Don't let kids that are to young to read play games that require you to know how to read? lol

Nah, that's a crap idea mate. I learned to read playing games!

I don't have a sentimental attachment to my Wii. I'm probably going to try to sell it on Craigslist first. I've been trying to cut the amount of crap I own. Next on my list is to try to eBay my Wind Waker box and The Last of Us PS3 bundle box. If I can recoup a few bucks and get rid of those (instead of throwing them away/recycling them then all the better.

I used to hold onto boxes. Then I had a closet full of them and that's when I decided it was time to stop hoarding.

Do people really pay for boxes?? I think I have gotten rid of all my boxes except my new Wii U box and my newish 3DS XL box. I have attempted to de-hoard as well. I'm giving my 3DS to my fiancee, though, and I sure wish I had the box, ha. Maybe I'll put it in the 3DS XL box. ........

 

[Blaster man]

Nah, that's a crap idea mate. I learned to read playing games!

Do people really pay for boxes?? I think I have gotten rid of all my boxes except my new Wii U box and my newish 3DS XL box. I have attempted to de-hoard as well. I'm giving my 3DS to my fiancee, though, and I sure wish I had the box, ha. Maybe I'll put it in the 3DS XL box. ........

Yeah, if you go onto eBay and look for just the box, you can usually get at least $20 for them though I'm not sure what you'd net after fees and shipping. Maybe 4 or 5 bucks? That's worth it for me because it helps subsidize the console a little bit plus some guy that wants the box can get it. What they do with them, I don't know. I guess they're collectors replacing their box that got damaged or maybe in the case of something like Zelda, they like the art work? That is a really pretty box.

edit:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=wind+waker+wii+u+box+only&_in_kw=1&_ex_kw=&_sacat=0&LH_Sold=1&_udlo=&_udhi=&_samilow=&_samihi=&_sadis=200&_fpos=&_fsct=&LH_SALE_CURRENCY=0&_sop=12&_dmd=1&_ipg=50&LH_Complete=1

I had Ni No Kuni CE and sold that box to someone too.

 

[Jesse_Dylan]

Wow!  Guess I should have gotten the Wind Waker bundle.  Could have recouped a little on the box.  I got a good deal on the Mario/Luigi U box, though.

Speaking of the New Super Mario Bros. stuff, that's one where I was shocked to see very little text.  I kind of liked Super Mario World where you could hit the little boxes throughout the game and read text.  There was a lot of text in Mario 64, too, and Galaxy for that matter, but not in any of the "New" SMB games really.

I still want a New Legend of Zelda Wii U, something that does for the first (or second!!!) Zelda what the NSMB games do for the old Super Mario Bros.

 

[Blaster man]

Only 3 of my Wii  downloads were upgradable to Wii U.  That's a bit of a disappointment.  In addition to transferring the content, upgrading the three games, downloading Wind Waker, Downloading the Zelda book, I bought Earthbound.  I loved Earthbound for SNES and sold that game years ago.  So, how exactly does the deluxe digital discount work?

 

[Jesse_Dylan]

Only 3 of my Wii downloads were upgradable to Wii U. That's a bit of a disappointment. In addition to transferring the content, upgrading the three games, downloading Wind Waker, Downloading the Zelda book, I bought Earthbound. I loved Earthbound for SNES and sold that game years ago. So, how exactly does the deluxe digital discount work?

I love Earthbound so much.

Just head to http://ddp.nintendo.com , sign in with your Nintendo ID, and it'll keep you updated. Basically we have the rest of the year to buy stuff, and for every certain amount we spend, we can trade it in for $5. I think it's like getting 10% back or something, but I'm not good with math.

Edit: I think all my Wii content transferred! What of yours didn't? I mostly just had VC stuff, but I had a few shop titles, too. Sad to see I'm still limited to the tiny memory size of the Wii, even on the Wii U. Now the stupid 1GB SD I had in my Wii for like 6 years lives in my Wii U for the same purposes of swapping stuff in and out of the paltry on-board memory. Thought it would make use of the onboard 32GB. Oh well!

 

[Blaster man]

I love Earthbound so much.

Just head to http://ddp.nintendo.com , sign in with your Nintendo ID, and it'll keep you updated. Basically we have the rest of the year to buy stuff, and for every certain amount we spend, we can trade it in for $5. I think it's like getting 10% back or something, but I'm not good with math.

Edit: I think all my Wii content transferred! What of yours didn't? I mostly just had VC stuff, but I had a few shop titles, too. Sad to see I'm still limited to the tiny memory size of the Wii, even on the Wii U. Now the stupid 1GB SD I had in my Wii for like 6 years lives in my Wii U for the same purposes of swapping stuff in and out of the paltry on-board memory. Thought it would make use of the onboard 32GB. Oh well!

Well what I meant was that not everything was upgradable from Wii game to Wii U playable on the gamepad. My stuff did all transfer (more or less). i asked about this before but no one seemed to know - now I have the answer. When you upgrade your Wii download game to a Wii U download game (I can't for the life of me remember what these downloads are called), you keep the original Wii version on your Wii U. That means you can have 2 copies of the same game. At least in theory, you should be able to eventually upgrade to a Wii U2 and assuming they have backwards compatibility with the Wii U, you could transfer your Wii U version to the Wii U2 then have the Wii version on the Wii U or possibly even re-upgrade it to the Wii U version. Obviously this is all years down the road.

Is the stylus even necessary?

Thanks for the link. Found this, looks like it's good for a full year longer than you thought:

Limited Time Promotion Points will be earned until the end of December 2014. Points must be exchanged to receive Nintendo eShop credit activation codes by the end of March 2015. Codes must be redeemed for Nintendo eShop credit by the end of June 2015.

• ・After the expiration date noted above, Points and codes will have no value and will be deleted.
• ・Once an activation code is redeemed and credit is added to your Nintendo eShop balance, there is no deadline to use the funds.

edit:

Hah! They gave me points for the Zelda game that came with it!

The Legend of Zelda™: The Wind Waker HD

Price $49.99

Purchased with a download code

Points Earned

499pts

Date Earned

11/30/2013

 

[Jesse_Dylan]

Well what I meant was that not everything was upgradable from Wii game to Wii U playable on the gamepad. My stuff did all transfer (more or less). i asked about this before but no one seemed to know - now I have the answer. When you upgrade your Wii download game to a Wii U download game (I can't for the life of me remember what these downloads are called), you keep the original Wii version on your Wii U. That means you can have 2 copies of the same game. At least in theory, you should be able to eventually upgrade to a Wii U2 and assuming they have backwards compatibility with the Wii U, you could transfer your Wii U version to the Wii U2 then have the Wii version on the Wii U or possibly even re-upgrade it to the Wii U version. Obviously this is all years down the road.

Is the stylus even necessary?

Yeah, I guess that's true! I hadn't thought of that. I wonder if everything from the Wii VC will eventually be on the Wii U VC, though. They are being very slow so far. Why they didn't just keep the Wii VC on the Wii U, and continue adding to that, I don't know. Obnoxious.

Hmm, the stylus is kind of useful from time to time, but it's not necessary, I don't think, no. On the DS and 3DS, it's such a tight squeeze, but on the XL and gamepad, I often just drag my oily finger around instead.

 

[antlp89]

Well at least there will be less "Nintendo is doomed" in this thread now that a certain someone finally got a Wii U at "his price point".

That shit was so childish and obnoxious.  

 

[io]

Oh BTW, it DID hit my price this year io!

I have no idea what you are talking about. Since I have a Wii U I haven't paid any attention to the bundles. But you got a Wii U for $200 or $250 with 2 games? Wasn't that your criteria?

The "receipt.jpg" you posted is just a big blank box that won't load - so if you are trying to show something in there I can't see it.

But what are my other choices--holding the dopy Wiimote sideways or plugging the classic controller (admittedly nice) into the dopy Wiimote and the cord flopping all over and the Wiimote falling off the couch. Guess I should get one of those Xbox controllers Nintendo made. And use it four times a year. Hm.

Not sure why you would only use a Pro Controller 4 times a year - I use mine every time I play. I much prefer it to using the gamepad. I used it when I played Pikmin 3 single-player (and used the pad just for map), and I use the Pro Controller for Mario 3D while my son plays on the pad. My other kids had no problem playing on Pro Controller or Wii Remotes. But finally, I can control a Mario game decently on the Wii/Wii U - turning Wii remotes sideways and using d-pads is a nightmare. That's one of the reasons I got out of console gaming when the NES came out - hated those controllers. (And note that I was used to using Atari and Colecovision controllers prior to that).

Well at least there will be less "Nintendo is doomed" in this thread now that a certain someone finally got a Wii U at "his price point".

That shit was so childish and obnoxious.

Hehe - yeah, finally . Now maybe he can play some awesome games (eg, Mario 3D is better than I thought it would be even after reading the stellar reviews and has SO much content - we keep unlocking more and more worlds), and then come back and post how he is looking forward to new stuff.

I got a PS4 and an X1. What have I been playing most of the last week? Super Mario 3D World on the Wii U and Tales of Graces f on the PS3. Yeah, the "next gen" can wait (till there's some good content). My 11 year-old son wanted to play Worms so I bought him one of the ones on sale on the PS3. So he was playing that today instead of the shiny new PS4 sitting right next to it. My older son plays the X1 (otherwise I wouldn't have gotten that yet) but I think got bored of Dead Rising 3 (which, unfortunately, I bought digitally since I had a lot of MS points) and is now playing the pretty-much-last-gen Assassin's Creed IV on it.

And hell, when I came downstairs yesterday morning I noticed the Wavebird was out and Simpsons Hit & Run was in the Gamecube - so my 6 year-old must have been playing that and passing on the new Skylanders he just got for PS4 for his birthday :lol:.

 

[Blaster man]

You're right, it only came with one game obviously since it's the Zelda bundle.  That said, I ended up paying 225 for it with my 2 discounts.

 

[moopher]

I've been saying it would happen for a year, that having a SINGLE "cool" controller for this thing was a bad idea. You have no idea how many people here claimed that their kids are little angels and don't fight over it.

I guess that's what the "U" part is about. "U" play by yourself.

Easy fix, get rid of the kids.

 

[SaraAB]

We had a mess when the Wii came out, the cousins fought over it for at least 3 days straight, not my kids, live in a different house, it was their system. A couple years later now that system is in the trash can, yup they threw it out, they probably played it a handful of times.

My other cousin got a DS lite, 2 kids in the same house, needless to say that didn't work out too well either, endless fighting until the parents bought another for the other kid, they couldn't afford it either, but they bought it. Kids were happy, then they started to fight over the games...

Maybe if kids weren't so spoiled... But yeah this is my pathetic attempt to contribute cynicism to this thread. If I had kids and they started to fight viciously over something that something would be taken away real fast or sold on eBay to teach them a lesson, probably easier said than done but I would do it based on the behavior that I witness from kids these days. Or maybe I just have an especially spoiled family.

 

[Blaster man]

Saved game data, if I recall correctly, isn't locked to any particular Wii system, so you could technically pop in an SD card and copy it over to another Wii (or the Wii U) system. Of course, some games don't allow the save data to be copied, moved, or both, so it all depends on your game.

As for the stuff on your SD card, you do need to put it back onto the console before doing the transfer if you want it all moved nicely. I had numerous save files and WiiWare/VC games on an SD card, so I moved back as much as I could, and I made sure to move back the save game data, and then did the transfer. Any games you bought on your Wii can be redownloaded on the Wii U system if you had already bought it (the transfer moves your purchase history to the Wii U), so I didn't have to put all the actual games onto the console.

Problem being, taking shit away from a 10 year old or even a 7 year old and from a 3 year old are drastically different in terms of understanding and results. Take something from a 10 year old for a day and they know why you did it the next day. Certain connections in the brain have formed...


What I really need are some multiplayer games for young kids but Nintendo's demographic seems to be 7-12 and 26-40 for nostalgia. There are some early childhood games for the DS.

 

[io]

What I really need are some multiplayer games for young kids but Nintendo's demographic seems to be 7-12 and 26-40 for nostalgia. There are some early childhood games for the DS.

Not sure about the 26-40 as the younger end of that I think is firmly in the X1/PS4-loving bracket (for the most part - there are exceptions here of course). I'd make that 30-45 to include me (just barely ).

But I agree on the 7-12. My two youngest get pretty frustrated with some of the games. We had a hell of a time with Mario 3D the other night such that my wife asked me never to play it in front of them again. So me and my 11 year-old play after they go to bed. The problem is they want to play so desperately, but they can't do it so they get frustrated and upset and no one has any fun when that is going on .

The under 7 crowd would have a hard time with NintendoLand, Pikmin 3, Wind Waker, and NSMB of course. Yeah, the ability to play those games decently starts at 7 or 8. On the other hand, my oldest son (now nearly 14), who is a Halo whiz, played Mario Sunshine at a pretty young age (4-5) and did pretty good at it. He's the one that grew up on the Gamecube but now disavows Nintendo for the most part and is a Microsoft fanboy. And he moved away from Nintendo right around age 12.

But there are games for the younger kids. Skylanders is one, though of course that is multiplatform (and I got it for PS4 just to get something new for it). Maybe Game & Wario, though I haven't picked that up yet (hoping for a good price on tomorrow's LD at Amazon but not too hopeful). That one requires reading but if you tell them what to do it might work out in that it has quick simple games.

 

[DNukem170]

There's also the Lego games. They'll never be able to get 100% completion, but the basic story mode they should have little trouble with, especially if you enter cheat codes in beforehand.

 

[Blaster man]

But there are games for the younger kids. Skylanders is one, though of course that is multiplatform (and I got it for PS4 just to get something new for it). Maybe Game & Wario, though I haven't picked that up yet (hoping for a good price on tomorrow's LD at Amazon but not too hopeful). That one requires reading but if you tell them what to do it might work out in that it has quick simple games.

My only thing is that I don't want to buy all the Skylanders toys. My nieces and nephews own the Skylanders games for Xbox 360 and I think they're getting tired of buying them so if they don't move to Swap Force I may see about borrowing it from them to let the kids play. I don't think the Skylanders mania is going to last more than a couple more years.

 

[dmaul1114]

Easy fix, get rid of the kids.

:lol:

Definitely yet another story that makes me extra glad I got a vasectomy earlier this year to make sure I never have to worry about that!

 

[jedolley]

I got the Wii U mainly for my son who is 4. I figured he should be old enough to play some basic Wii games, but wanted to get the Wii U so he could eventually grow into some of the older games. In the meantime, I'm enjoying some of the "older" games 

 

[MetalSlugger]

:lol:

Definitely yet another story that makes me extra glad I got a vasectomy earlier this year to make sure I never have to worry about that!




Playing Wii U alone for a few years > carrying on your family's genetic legacy

AMIRITE

Good luck getting it reversed if you change your mind.

 

[SaraAB]

Problem being, taking shit away from a 10 year old or even a 7 year old and from a 3 year old are drastically different in terms of understanding and results. Take something from a 10 year old for a day and they know why you did it the next day. Certain connections in the brain have formed...


What I really need are some multiplayer games for young kids but Nintendo's demographic seems to be 7-12 and 26-40 for nostalgia. There are some early childhood games for the DS.



This is one post that I have to agree with, by the time the kids develop the skill to play Nintendo games, they have already grown out of the franchises and have moved on to halo and COD, at least for my area. If they haven't moved onto COD by 12 years old then they have an expensive iPhone in hand and desire little else. You see a lot of college aged and up playing Nintendo, and honestly I think they are successfully targeting this demographic more and more especially with the difficulty of their games. Nintendo games are also HARD, Mario games are too hard for me, and I am 32 years old, now I didn't spend my whole childhood playing games, so my skill is more lacking than most people. Nintendo also has rubberband AI in most of their games, and other companies do not, I mean some do, but others do not. So the games feel like they are cheating at times, and they are cheating, it just seems cheap.

I have said this a million times on here, they should be going for the early childhood education games, and they could sell billions. Targeting the 7-12 demographic in Japan May be cool and it may sell millions over there because that age group in Japan doesn't desire the violent games as early as young kids do in America. But in America it doesn't work out so well since so many 7 year olds are already entrenched in COD by that age and desire little else, so Nintendo becomes uncool so much earlier in America. You wouldn't be caught dead playing a Mario game in middle school over here. So they need to make super basic, easy games for American children ages 3-6 that have educational concepts thrown in there. The Nintendo games they make now are much too difficult for that age group and just lead them to become frustrated and aggressive towards the game. They could still make the games they are making now to target the college age and up, but they need to do something to target the fact that the ages of people who like Nintendo systems is drastically split. I think parents would be more willing to buy a Nintendo system if they had more educational games, because right now parents are choosing leap pads, innotabs, or iPads for that age group, some parents are just handing their 2 year old their old iPhone loaded with educational apps. If Nintendo could tap into this market it would be gold for them. Parents don't like all those freemium apps with in app purchases and are looking for other solutions so this would be the perfect time for Nintendo to start targeting the younger kids here.

 

[dmaul1114]

Playing Wii U alone for a few years > carrying on your family's genetic legacy

AMIRITE

Good luck getting it reversed if you change your mind.

I'll never want it reversed. I'm 35 and have never had any desire to have kids. I'm just one of those people who has always loathed kids and never given two shits about carrying on my genetic legacy. I'd rather not contribute to the overpopulation and destruction of our planet than pop out some crib midgets to carry on my legacy. Besides, my brother has 4 kids, and maybe a 5th on the way, so we're covered this generation. And as a professor, I'm more interested in mentoring graduate students to carry on my intellectual legacy.

No knock on people who have and love kids. My fiancee and I just never wanted them and would rather spend all that time and money on enjoying our own lives, traveling the world etc. I don't even like having pets, but have to conceded that as she has dogs. I work hard and I'm a big fan of being able to do whatever I want with my free time.

 

[dmaul1114]

I think parents would be more willing to buy a Nintendo system if they had more educational games, because right now parents are choosing leap pads, innotabs, or iPads for that age group, some parents are just handing their 2 year old their old iPhone loaded with educational apps. If Nintendo could tap into this market it would be gold for them. Parents don't like all those freemium apps with in app purchases and are looking for other solutions so this would be the perfect time for Nintendo to start targeting the younger kids here.

I think they missed the boat on that one. Parents aren't going to want to buy a Nintendo systems for their kids when they can get them all the educational games/apps they ever need on tablets and phones they already have in the house.

 

[Erad30]

My only thing is that I don't want to buy all the Skylanders toys. My nieces and nephews own the Skylanders games for Xbox 360 and I think they're getting tired of buying them so if they don't move to Swap Force I may see about borrowing it from them to let the kids play. I don't think the Skylanders mania is going to last more than a couple more years.

I think the kids have moved on to Disney Infinity for the most part, I was in Walmart when they were both on sale for 37 or whatever and there was still a ton of Skylanders but only one Disney Infinity for 360.

 

[MetalSlugger]

I'll never want it reversed. I'm 35 and have never had any desire to have kids. I'm just one of those people who has always loathed kids and never given two shits about carrying on my genetic legacy. I'd rather not contribute to the overpopulation and destruction of our planet than pop out some crib midgets to carry on my legacy. Besides, my brother has 4 kids, and maybe a 5th on the way, so we're covered this generation. And as a professor, I'm more interested in mentoring graduate students to carry on my intellectual legacy.

No knock on people who have and love kids. My fiancee and I just never wanted them and would rather spend all that time and money on enjoying our own lives, traveling the world etc. I don't even like having pets, but have to conceded that as she has dogs. I work hard and I'm a big fan of being able to do whatever I want with my free time.




Fair enough. My post came off snarkier than I meant it to. It's just a contentious issue for me since people were so horribly rude to us when we decided to have our first child.

FWIW I'm getting a vasectomy after the holidays, probably clamps so it'll be easier to reverse.


SO ABOUT THAT WII U

 

[Blaster man]

Maybe I'll buy Mario World. I can't remember how hard that game is.

 

[DNukem170]

This is one post that I have to agree with, by the time the kids develop the skill to play Nintendo games, they have already grown out of the franchises and have moved on to halo and COD, at least for my area. If they haven't moved onto COD by 12 years old then they have an expensive iPhone in hand and desire little else. You see a lot of college aged and up playing Nintendo, and honestly I think they are successfully targeting this demographic more and more especially with the difficulty of their games. Nintendo games are also HARD, Mario games are too hard for me, and I am 32 years old, now I didn't spend my whole childhood playing games, so my skill is more lacking than most people. Nintendo also has rubberband AI in most of their games, and other companies do not, I mean some do, but others do not. So the games feel like they are cheating at times, and they are cheating, it just seems cheap.

I have said this a million times on here, they should be going for the early childhood education games, and they could sell billions. Targeting the 7-12 demographic in Japan May be cool and it may sell millions over there because that age group in Japan doesn't desire the violent games as early as young kids do in America. But in America it doesn't work out so well since so many 7 year olds are already entrenched in COD by that age and desire little else, so Nintendo becomes uncool so much earlier in America. You wouldn't be caught dead playing a Mario game in middle school over here. So they need to make super basic, easy games for American children ages 3-6 that have educational concepts thrown in there. The Nintendo games they make now are much too difficult for that age group and just lead them to become frustrated and aggressive towards the game. They could still make the games they are making now to target the college age and up, but they need to do something to target the fact that the ages of people who like Nintendo systems is drastically split. I think parents would be more willing to buy a Nintendo system if they had more educational games, because right now parents are choosing leap pads, innotabs, or iPads for that age group, some parents are just handing their 2 year old their old iPhone loaded with educational apps. If Nintendo could tap into this market it would be gold for them. Parents don't like all those freemium apps with in app purchases and are looking for other solutions so this would be the perfect time for Nintendo to start targeting the younger kids here.

For one thing, Nintendo games being hard isn't new. There's a reason the Nintendo Hard trope specializes in 8-bit and 16-bit games.

Also, I have seen a TON of kids playing Mario games on their 3/DS systems and pretty much every parent coworker I talk to says how much their kids love Mario stuff. Well, except for one who will only buy dance/fitness games because she doesn't want them to turn into zombies.

Even had a little girl yesterday with a Pikachu snow cap and an Oshawott doll.

 

[dmaul1114]

Fair enough. My post came off snarkier than I meant it to. It's just a contentious issue for me since people were so horribly rude to us when we decided to have our first child.

FWIW I'm getting a vasectomy after the holidays, probably clamps so it'll be easier to reverse.


SO ABOUT THAT WII U

No worries man. That goes both ways though. Tons of people with kids are condescending to people who don't want them, rather than just respecting that people have different wants and desires out of life. But c'est le vie, most people have no respect for people who differ from their worldview/lifestyle.

And yeah, that Wii U rocks. Very happy I opted for it instead of getting a PS4 at launch that has no games I really care about playing coming anytime soon.

Maybe I'll buy Mario World. I can't remember how hard that game is.

It gets pretty tough.

I'd go for NSMBU or NSMB Wii. You can play that with them and they can hit the A button to go into a bubble when they're going to fall in a pit etc. and you can rescue them.

I played a good bit of NSMB Wii with my girlfriend at the time' 5-6 year old nephew. He wasn't good at it, but we could make ok progress playing that way even though he couldn't get past much on his own.

I'd say NSMB Wii is a bit easier than NSMB U too, so if you can find that cheap that may be the better option for the kids.

 

[theflicker]

I would go with Kirby if you're looking for a simpler platforming experience.

 

[DNukem170]

Yea, any of the Kirby Wii games (Epic Yarn, Dream Collection, and Return to Dreamland) would be good for little kids. Epic Yarn you can get for $10-$15 new and the game has infinite lives and continues too.

 

[jedolley]

Any recommendations on some games for a 4 year old? He's been doing the educational and toddler games on the iPad since about 18 months. So far on the Wii U he's played the Wii Sports/Resort and only the ones with the more basic gameplay (i.e. Baseball, Swordplay, Tennis). I figured I'd start him off easy and then as he gets more used to it he can move to more complex gameplay.

 

[DNukem170]

It's a Wii game, but as I explained above, Kirby's Epic Yarn is a very easy-to-play and gentle game. No way will they be able to finish the game, but it's still good.

And if your kid plays Angry Birds, that's on WiiU as well.

There's also Lego Batman 2 and Lego City Undercover, which allow kids to just rub around doing whatever they want.

Also both PokePark games are aimed at little kids.

Not sure how good or easy it is, but there is a Pac-Man platforner game on WiiU.

There's also a LOT of stuff on the Wii.

 

[Jesse_Dylan]

Not sure why you would only use a Pro Controller 4 times a year - I use mine every time I play. I much prefer it to using the gamepad. I used it when I played Pikmin 3 single-player (and used the pad just for map), and I use the Pro Controller for Mario 3D while my son plays on the pad. My other kids had no problem playing on Pro Controller or Wii Remotes. But finally, I can control a Mario game decently on the Wii/Wii U - turning Wii remotes sideways and using d-pads is a nightmare. That's one of the reasons I got out of console gaming when the NES came out - hated those controllers. (And note that I was used to using Atari and Colecovision controllers prior to that).

Why'd you get a PS4 and XB1 to not play them? I'm not really interested in any of the PS4/XB1 launch games at all, which I feel lucky about (but a little sad). Anyway--I think the Wii U Pro controller looks great, but the whole point of the Wii U is the gamepad. So, why I said I'd only use it four times a year--I meant I'd probably only use it when I was playing with someone else.

Playing Wii U alone for a few years > carrying on your family's genetic legacy

AMIRITE

Good luck getting it reversed if you change your mind.

That seems to always be peoples reaction. I tried to get a vasectomy, and the doctor kept telling me I might change my mind, or that my fiancee might change my mind. Ugh.

I'll never want it reversed. I'm 35 and have never had any desire to have kids. I'm just one of those people who has always loathed kids and never given two shits about carrying on my genetic legacy. I'd rather not contribute to the overpopulation and destruction of our planet than pop out some crib midgets to carry on my legacy. Besides, my brother has 4 kids, and maybe a 5th on the way, so we're covered this generation. And as a professor, I'm more interested in mentoring graduate students to carry on my intellectual legacy.

No knock on people who have and love kids. My fiancee and I just never wanted them and would rather spend all that time and money on enjoying our own lives, traveling the world etc. I don't even like having pets, but have to conceded that as she has dogs. I work hard and I'm a big fan of being able to do whatever I want with my free time.

I feel similar to how you do. I like kids a lot, but I don't want any, for the same reasons you gave roughly. My fiancee feels the same as well, for the same or similar reasons. Is there a trick to getting a vasectomy? I don't want to resort to having to lie to get it.

I think they missed the boat on that one. Parents aren't going to want to buy a Nintendo systems for their kids when they can get them all the educational games/apps they ever need on tablets and phones they already have in the house.

Thing is, just like with tablets/phones in general, most of the games are kinda sucky and just can't replicate a PC/console or handheld console experience. Not that anyone seems to care, though. Maybe there is still a market, but yeah, tablets and phones have become their own market and also crowded into the games market.

Maybe I'll buy Mario World. I can't remember how hard that game is.

It's pretty hard! I do not have a high frustration threshold and get a little ticked off at it. It's just such a fantastic game, though.

 

[dmaul1114]

That seems to always be peoples reaction. I tried to get a vasectomy, and the doctor kept telling me I might change my mind, or that my fiancee might change my mind. Ugh.

I feel similar to how you do. I like kids a lot, but I don't want any, for the same reasons you gave roughly. My fiancee feels the same as well, for the same or similar reasons. Is there a trick to getting a vasectomy? I don't want to resort to having to lie to get it.

I got that run around when I tried before in my late 20s. I was 34 when I had it done this spring. My primary care doctor is great and had no qualms referring me. He did note that some urologists are "squeamish" about doing them for younger males without kids, so he took a minute to think of a guy he thought would be less likely to have an issue.

I didn't lie at all to the urologist. Just told him that neither myself or my fiancee had ever remotely wanted kids, that she was having issues finding birth control that didn't cause mood or weight gain issues that her insurance would cover etc., so we felt it was time to get it take care of. He had no qualms at all and just did the exam and scheduled the operation.

Thing is, just like with tablets/phones in general, most of the games are kinda sucky and just can't replicate a PC/console or handheld console experience. Not that anyone seems to care, though. Maybe there is still a market, but yeah, tablets and phones have become their own market and also crowded into the games market.

Of course, but we are talking for toddlers through 5-7 year olds here. They're fine with simple tablet/phone/ipod touch educational games. We're not talking about them being suitable replacements for full fledged games on portables or consoles for older kids, teens or adults.

 

[SaraAB]

All of my friends and family are playing on steam now, if that is worth anything to the discussion. They won't pay $500 for a box that plays games when they already have a PC that can do just that. This goes for any console, so I am not singling out any particular one. For portable games they have the iPhone. A lot of my friends here are sinking $120 a month into their phone contracts which is why games are on the back burner. I just got done helping my mom pick out a phone so I know how much these things cost and what the monthly bills are. My friends who can no longer afford games and were hardcore gamers are now moving on to free Facebook games they can play on their PC's that they already have, sad but true. If they can find a way to occupy their time without having to sink $$$$ into it they will. They just play one fame and when it gets too frustrating without paying to play they just move onto the next game.

 

[Deader2818]

Im sorry I would not call anyone a hard core game if they moved on to free facebook games, lol.

And jesus, every time you post its like a novel.

 

[Jesse_Dylan]

Im sorry I would not call anyone a hard core game if they moved on to free facebook games, lol.

And jesus, every time you post its like a novel.

Shhh, be kind! Mine was more a novel than her's (assuming from her name she's female, but I do apologize if I chose a non-preferable pronoun).

Phones and phone contracts are absolutely outrageous. We're getting taken for a real ride in this country. I see more value and use in a $300 console than a $300 phone with a $100 per month charge. That's just me though. I pay $45 /month and got a used iPhone 4 for $100 something. That's already too much to pay, in my opinion, but hey, I'm on Cheap Ass Gamer here, so I don't need to apologize for being cheap.

I know that's just how society has moved, though, even Japan. We've lost a lot of the "casual" and intermediate gamers to phones, tablets and facebook. One would think that would actually help things in the long run, but I guess not!

 

[SaraAB]

Yeah I can't believe people are paying these prices for phones, let alone I know a family with 5 kids and 7 iPhones, one for each kid and one for each parent and they don't make any more money than anyone else in the city I am living, where 70% of people are on welfare. This family does have a rare, regular job though. I have a palm pixi plus on page plus and I pay $10 every 4 months just to keep my service alive in the rare instance I actually need to use it since this is the cheapest phone plan I have been able to find. I have an over $50 balance on it and can barely make a dent in it, at least I can keep that balance for basically forever as long as I pay every 4 months.

Heck I find more value in skylanders than these phone contracts, AT&T & verizon both charge $20 per month extra just for texting (last I checked), but what is really outrageous are the taxes NY state charges, which makes your already high phone bill go up by at least 30%. I really don't know how anyone can afford it, the only jobs available here are those in a retail store or the occasional factory/industrial job and I have done my research on this.

But it's clear to me that this is a big money sink that gamers of 10-12 years ago did not have to face, there were phones then but they weren't nearly as expensive with forced data plans and $20 extra for texting on top of the normal line charge, taxes, activation fees and so on, so something has to give somewhere. Those gamers of the PS2/Xbox era did not have this phone bill that nearly every one pays now to contend with. Not to mention the phones don't have nearly enough battery life to play the games on them for more than 15 min and make it through a 12 hour day making them utterly useless for gaming, that is if you actually want to be able to do important stuff on the phone for the day.

Another thing is if you have kids, job or no job, poor as dirt you WILL be paying that $100+ phone bill by the time they are age 13 at the latest, again, a major expense that parents of the past did not have to face. I don't know anyone who has a 13 year old kid or older and does not have an iPhone or equivalent. I'd rather spend hundreds on skylanders or Legos for the kids....

 

[Blaster man]

Knack has outsold Mario 3D World in the UK but probably not in the US.  Of course I didn't buy any physical games with the Wii U I picked up for the reasons previously discussed.

http://www.lazygamer.net/general-news/knack-has-outsold-super-mario-3d-world-in-the-uk/

 

[Javery]

I finally pulled the trigger on the Wii U bundle from Best Buy. The Nintendoland bonus was nice. I don't have any Wii remote + controllers so I needed to get one anyway. $340 shipped including tax for everything so it was basically like getting Nintendoland free and not paying any tax.

I'm all in now. Just bought Super Mario 3D World and Pikmin 3 from TRU. So Christmas is going to rule this year:

- WiiU console

- Mario Wii remote +

- New Super Mario Bros. U

- New Super Luigi U

- Nintendoland

- Super Mario 3D World

- Pikmin 3

- Zelda: Wind Waker

Any other WiiU exclusives that are kid friendly that I'm missing? I'm thinking maybe Lego City but I don't think the reviews were all that good.

EDIT: Added Wind Waker

 

[Jesse_Dylan]

I'm all in now. Just bought Super Mario 3D World and Pikmin 3 from TRU. So Christmas is going to rule this year:

- WiiU console

- Mario Wii remote +

- New Super Mario Bros. U

- New Super Luigi U

- Nintendoland

- Super Mario 3D World

- Pikmin 3

Any other WiiU exclusives that are kid friendly that I'm missing? I'm thinking maybe Lego City but I don't think the reviews were all that good.

Sounds like you're pretty much all set! I think they'd enjoy Lego City. The main complaint with the reviews seemed to be the horrendous loading times.

I think Zelda: Wind Waker is pretty kid-friendly, and even if not, well. Come on. It's Zelda. Get it for them.

Also, not an exclusive, but I picked up Rayman Legends for $25 via Amazon.com. I don't think there is a better platform to play it on (although I grabbed it on Vita as well because I'm weird and love it).

So if you want Christmas to be complete, get Zelda and Rayman Legends. Also, get whatever I'm forgetting.

Trine 2 on the eShop is a lot of fun. I can't bear to pay $15 when I already have a version of it on PC and when it's been on sale for half that on the eShop.

Earthbound is fantastic. Everyone should have that. Just because. And Super Mario World. It's on sale at the moment.

 

[wasabi5858]

pokemon rumble  u  mindless fun in quick spurts  and     kid friendly.

wonderful 101

lego city is pretty awesome.  load time do suck but game is worth waiting through it.

 

[Javery]

Thanks people - I forgot to mention that I already bought Zelda like a month ago for $35 so I'm all set!  Lego City and Rayman Legends are two really good suggestions.  If I can get either one at a discount I'll probably bite.  Wonderful 101 looks like something I'll try out when I can get it for $15 from GameFly or something.  I don't know anything about Pokemon Rumble... I need to read up on it.  Mindless fun and kid-friendly are what I'm looking for!

 

[Jesse_Dylan]

Thanks people - I forgot to mention that I already bought Zelda like a month ago for $35 so I'm all set! Lego City and Rayman Legends are two really good suggestions. If I can get either one at a discount I'll probably bite. Wonderful 101 looks like something I'll try out when I can get it for $15 from GameFly or something. I don't know anything about Pokemon Rumble... I need to read up on it. Mindless fun and kid-friendly are what I'm looking for!

http://www.amazon.com/Rayman-Legends-nintendo-wii-u/dp/B008AU4YEA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386016501&sr=8-1&keywords=rayman+legends+wii+u

Amazon.com still has it for $29.99 if you click "new" and find Amazon at the top, but it's out of stock. It's worth getting an order in, even if you find it elsewhere and cancel.