The Eve of the Next Generation

With today being the eve of the first "real" next generation console, I figured that now was the time to type up a post concerning my thoughts on the PlayStation 4.

I figure that most of you reading this know well about the PS4 already, but let me give you the TL;DR version. The PS4 runs on x86 architecture (PC) hardware rather than the PS3's cell processor (which makes it easier to develop on), has more RAM, better graphics, etc. You might wonder on why I chose a PlayStation console this time around. Was it because Microsoft screwed up E3 so bad? No. I just prefer Sony's exclusives more than Microsoft's this time around. Lastly, I just think that the console is a better value. Even though online play now has a fee, I've already gotten several dozen games for free on Sony's PlayStation Plus service. In all honesty, Sony's camp this time around just seems like a no brainer compared to Microsoft's obsessive buying habits with games and its huge focus on entertainment rather than games.

The PS4 at launch barely has any first party games. I'm fine with that. Looking at their first party titles, I'm more interested in games such as Infamous Second Son, The Order, Killzone, etc. more than any Microsoft exclusive at this time. Killzone Shadow Fall looks fantastic, and the third party titles available at launch such as Battlefield 4 and Assassin's Creed IV will keep me held over. Not to mention that I still have quite a large backlog of PS3/360/3DS games so I probably won't too annoyed that I'm not getting a steady stream of games. Unlike the PS3, the PS4 already has several games in development for it before launch. Comparing that to the PS3, almost nobody at launch knew how to even work with it.

I already went over Sony's new Dual Shock 4 controller since it was released a few weeks ago, and I have to say, I'm really looking forward to seeing all of the features in it. The controller currently works with the PS3, and while it's not a huge difference, using the controller throughout extended play periods is more comfortable than it was with the DS3. The touch pad, share features, and rumble obviously didn't work with the PS3, so I won't be able to get the full experience with the controller until tomorrow. You can see my impressions of the controller in the video below.

 

I want to give a shout to the PlayStation Vita here because apparently all PS4 games will able to be streamed on it. It finally gives a lot of people a reason buy a Vita since it means that you can play your PS4 all over the house and anywhere with WiFi. I'm really hoping that the feature works fine without any or minor lag.

To conclude, I can't wait to crack open and play my PS4 tomorrow. I have my charge station, games, and 2nd DS4 controller ready. And I'm really, really looking forward to blasting through Killzone's campaign, Battlefield 4's explosive multiplayer, and pirating it up in Assassin’s Creed IV. 

E3 2013 Predictions - Nintendo

I've recently have seen a lot of guys doing some E3 predictions so I'd figure that I would go ahead and do my own as well.  E3 2013 has a lot on the line for "the big 3".  

Nintendo while still living in a pile of money is currently having issues with low sales of the Wii U.  Sony is also in financial turmoil with a similar situation as Nintendo.  The PlayStation Vita has been on life support for over a year now.  But the PlayStation 4 is currently gaining steam due to the recent blunder that was the Xbox One reveal event.  And speaking of that, Microsoft has a lot of convincing to do to make sure that the Xbox One will not be ignored by gamers.  While I'm sure the mainstream gamer (CoD lovers, sports lovers, TV lovers, etc.) is pleased, myself and actual gamers are not a big fan of the "always online" thing that they want to do.  It is worth noting that Microsoft is promising many exclusives to the XBO so it may still be worth buying... in a few years.

So yeah, we ALL know that a lot questions need to be answered on the end of "the big 3".  I'm mostly concerned about Nintendo so I'll only be focusing on them.  I will watch all 3, but I really only have the time to write about one company, so Nintendo it is. 

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With the exception of the 3DS doing well now, negativity about the Wii U seems to be one of the hottest topics on a lot of gaming sites. It has become rather obvious that most of the media and game devs like to be cynical and jump to conclusions.  Michael Patcher seems to love talking about the Wii U and Nintendo's failure.  Oh, and EA.  The Nintendo Direct during E3 will be either Nintendo's doom to the Wii U or the beginning of the success of it.  To get back to my original topic, I'll be shooting out some predictions on what Nintendo may announce.

NOTE: I want to make a point that I'll mainly be talking about the Wii U.  I feel the 3DS is already a well-established console and that only brief mentions of the console (3DS) will be mentioned this year.  I know they will mention Pokémon X/Y along with probably the USA version of Shin Megami Tensei IV.  I can also see them talking about other 3DS Nintendo based games such as Mario & Luigi, Mario Golf, etc.  I'm really drawing a blank when it comes to the 3DS and new games.  =(

1. Wii U price drop.  The recent "recall" of the basic white 8 GB Wii U console is making this rather obvious.  I'm predicting that the basic model will become the premium model in terms of pricing ($299).  Another guess is that the current white console when recalled will have the 32 GB flash memory added and then the premium console will be available in white as well.  A doubtful guess is that another model with more memory (64 GB, 128 GB) may take the place of the current premium console but I highly doubt it as of this point.  That will likely happen in a year or two though.

2. Nintendo 3DS remodel - Okay, this is a huge guess.  But the original 3DS model already has a few design flaws with it.  The main two being the exclusion of the second analog stick (which would later be added in with Circle Pad Pro accessory -- BUT is only usable for a few games) and a slightly new design.  The original 3DS design while good, has the issues of making two marks on the sides of the top screen thanks to it laying on the bottom touch screen.  I would actually re-buy my 3DS if a model like this is announced.  Yes, the 3DS XL is good.  But is still big.  I want a portable console, not a tank.

3. Smash Bros reveal & more.  This is technically confirmed but the rest of this is a guess.  I predict that Nintendo will show a trailer for the Wii U version of Smash Bros.  I have a gut feeling that the 3DS version will be different from the console version, but will have benefits if both of them are linked together.  If a potential release date is announced, I predict the 3DS version will hit first as a sort of appetizer for the upcoming Wii U version.  Then a year or more later, the Wii U version will finally hit obviously with it being the superior (or a completely different) game. 

4. Mario & Zelda Wii U reveals.  

The Legend of Zelda Tech Demo for Wii U -- not the upcoming Zelda game... maybe.

Again, technically they have been confirmed for a reveal as well but I predict the following: The upcoming Wii U Mario game will likely be something very different as most console Mario games typically do something new.  I have a feeling the game will have more of a cooperative feature due to the Wii U's gamepad.  Galaxy 2 let another player help the main player, I feel that this idea will allow Luigi or a new character to play cooperatively with Mario in the game.  Obviously, the game will be a full on 3D Mario game.  Nothing like New Super Mario Bros. U.  I see this game coming out likely around November of this year to hit in time for the holidays.

Zelda on the other hand will likely only get a trailer.  It's been said that this one will again, have many new gameplay elements that have never been used in past Zelda games.  My guess is that Nintendo will show an action-packed trailer with Link duking it out with Ganon or another new villain along with showing of the game's new HD graphics.  Honestly, I feel that most gamers will be sold on the Wii U alone thanks to a trailer of this.  I predict it being released sometime in 2014. 

5. Mario Kart, and other various Nintendo based games & IPs.

I predict a new Mario Kart game will be announced for Wii U (no brainer at this point).  They might only make a brief mention of it, but I don't see having any game play or a trailer at this point.  I feel Iwata or whoever announces it will tell us to "stay tuned" for a future Nintendo Direct.

Other Nintendo IPs such as a Mario sports game (Soccer, baseball, basketball, etc.) will likely be announced as well.  This sports game will likely hit this year.  I also can see an "oddball" title such an older Nintendo IP get an announcement, but again, asking us to stay turned for more info (nothing of the game will be shown).  Then Nintendo will likely announce a well-known Nintendo IP such as Metroid, Donkey Kong, or Starfox will be getting a new game on Wii U along with a trailer.  Again, another "stay tuned" will likely be slapped onto this title too.

6. More progress concerning currently announced Wii U exclusives will likely be revealed, I'm guessing they will all be compiled into one big trailer for games hitting in 2013 or the beginning of 2014.  Games such as Sonic Lost World and Wind Waker HD will likely get individual mentions either before or after the viewing of this said trailer as they are big releases that will likely hit this year.  

The games in this trailer will likely be as follows: Pikmin 3, The Wonderful 101, "X" (mech game), Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem, Yarn Yoshi, Yakuza 1 & 2 HD, Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD, Sonic Lost World, etc.

6. As always, Nintendo will claim that 3rd party developers are their BFFs.

We know how Nintendo struggles to get developers on their home consoles.  This is something I don't need to discuss. But a few publishers seem to be still supporting Nintendo such as Ubisoft, Activision, Sega, and uh... OTHER developers.  I predict Nintendo will talk about how "unique" their versions of Watch Dogs and Assassins Creed IV will be compared to other versions of these games.  A brief video might show a guy at Ubisoft praising the Wii U versions but I doubt it.  Call of Duty Ghosts will likely be announced for the Wii U as well (as I don't think it has formally announced at this point). 

A trailer with known upcoming 3rd party titles (non-exclusive) will likely play after this. 

7. An unexpected 3rd party game or exclusive will announced for Wii U & 3DS.  This is always an easy one to guess on as it almost ALWAYS happens.  A lot of developers have openly said that aren't developing their current games on the Wii U (that are on PS3/360).  But what if Nintendo gave them a call and offered them $$$ & a publishing arrangement?  I can see a developer being easily convinced with that. 

For Wii U, I think Grand Theft Auto V would be huge.  I consider Rockstar to be a good developer who are open to other consoles.  Nintendo managed to get them to make the once exclusive GTA: Chinatown Wars on DS, so I still consider a Wii U version of GTA V as a potential "shocker" announcement.

As for the 3DS...  it’s hard to honestly think what the 3DS could get next.  Most of the currently big IPs are on the console now (except for the obvious "hardcore" games).  I can't even make a guess for this one.  =S 

8. Ending the E3 Nintendo Direct with Reggie but he's awesome -- If Nintendo doesn't end the Nintendo Direct with a random announcement with Reggie at the end, I will be very sad.  AND if he says "my body is ready" in any sort of way, it will just be epic even if he announces something completely random.

How can you not stare at this?

And that's it!  I really have nothing else to say.  We'll see on how many of these will be right (or partially right) on Tuesday.  See you at E3 (via the interwebs of course)!

eStarland Store Review

Hello, guys.  I know it’s been a real long time but I’m back here to talk about a real adventure that I had last weekend.  An adventure about a massive video game warehouse store known as eStarland.  eStarland has been around for nearly a decade now… on the internet.  The website was always well known for having a constant inventory of new & retro games along with some niche merch such as anime figures and whatnot.  I never dealt with them on the web mainly because they never have any sales and that their retro video game prices are either decent or way too expensive.

The front of eStarland.  Very store like, right?

Fast forward to roughly 10 months ago, eStarland finally thought “Hey, maybe we should open a retail store!” and that’s where the magic began.  eStarland has a massive inventory of games.  In fact, they only have one warehouse of games.  It is the retail store.  As expected, this makes eStarland about 8x the size of a normal GameStop store with an inventory that’s expected to make any gamer crap themselves.  So, is eStarland an awesome game store or is just another GameStop rip-off?

Location

eStarland is located in Chantilly, Virginia.  For the few that know the northern Virginia area, its right outside of Leesburg.  From where I live (Western Maryland) it was about an hour and 10 minute drive.  I never knew about eStarland’s store until it was featured on Retroware TV’s The Game Chasers show.  In the most recent episode, the gang visited the store and gave it much praise on how awesome the place was.  I was intrigued and was shocked to see how close the place was to me.  Needless to say, I felt obligated to visit the place.  I’ve been sad on how no places within my area barely get any retro games anymore.  It always felt good on getting uncommon games locally for $5-10.  In recent years, it seems that resellers have invaded my area big time and are buying out all of the pawn shops the moment that they anything that’s worth buying.  Due to this, I stopped buying retro games for a few years because the selection went from decent to nearly nonexistent. 

The Store

It’s easy to say that the store looks more like an office/business place on the outside.  That’s because it has been for the last eight years.  Walking in the store at first looks like you’re walking into the reception of some business but then to the left is the entrance store or “showroom”.  At first glance, the store reminds me of a convention center’s dealer’s room.  The place has massive shelves full of games on the ends of the store.  In the middle of the store are smaller shelves that contain many common video games (you will see why I’m saying “common” in a minute) and a ton of video game accessories.  The store also features two giant shelves full of old strategy guides.  They also have about 4-6 shelves for video game and anime figures.  I laugh on how half of the figures say “THIS IS NOT A TOY FOR DISPLAY ONLY”.  Every new, uncommon, or rare game the store carries are usually in a glass case within a counter.  The store sells games new and used from all eras, even for current/next generation consoles (360, PS3, Wii U, 3DS, etc.). 

The selection is amazing and it’s almost overwhelming on how many games these guys have accumulated for the past decade.  If you want a game or a retro console, chances are they will more than likely have it.  eStarland takes trades from anywhere in the world.  Meaning American, Canadian, European, and Japanese gamers can easily sell their games to them.  I personally don’t recommend trading any video game to any retail store even eStarland.  If you think you have something rare, never EVER sell it to a retail store.  Online will and always be your best bet.

UPDATE: Apparently, their trade-in rates are rumored to be higher than most retail stores.  I’m sure they are.  But again, I still stand by my point that selling games online is way more profitable than trading it to any store.

Common games... common games everywhere!

Prices

As I stated back in the beginning of this post, eStarland’s prices aren’t exactly great.  The store does not price anything due to the constant market of games that constantly fluctuate in prices.  For example, one month a game that originally sold for $50 could be $80 due to rarity, the next week the publisher may re-print, port (to a new console), or remake/make a newer version the game making the older version less desirable which in turn would drop the value of the game.  Thankfully, the store will not force you to dump all of your games at the register just to see that you don’t want pay too much for a certain game.  The store has four PCs open that let you look up games on the website before visiting the store.  Keep in mind, that the website and store prices are exactly the same and that the store strictly stands by their prices (so don’t try your luck). 

To wrap up these sections, I felt like I needed to note on all of the things I liked and disliked about the store.  Enjoy!

Positive

• The store has the biggest selection of Sega Genesis, Saturn, 32X and Sega CD games that I’ve ever seen.  The NES/SNES/N64 selection while big, was a little lacking in worthwhile titles as they seem to have either locked away or have sold all of the most noteworthy games.  Atari selection (all systems) seem to be small but was decent for what they had.
• Portable games weren’t really on the floor unless they had a box.  A lot of DS/3DS/PSP/Vita games are within the glass cases but are available to buy. 
• PS2/Xbox/Gamecube games are on the floor or on shelves that you can check out freely.  Some shelves with these are behind counters though.
•  90 day return policy for anything.  For games/consoles that maybe 5-30+ years old you never know who or what was handling the games/consoles before you.  This made me comfortable on buying my Sega CD from them (and yes, it works).

A great selection of sports games.

Negative

•  Every game that has ever been a recognizable IP such as any Nintendo IP or popular IP in the past such as Ninja Gaiden or Resident Evil are going to be pricey or extremely overpriced. 
•  As I stated earlier, every uncommon or rare game is locked away.  Even games that I wouldn’t even consider rare.   If a game that is common but is well-known is missing on the floor, it’s likely locked away somewhere.
• Every PlayStation (PS1) game is behind the counter on a shelf.  I saw even more PS1 games in front of the shelf within boxes.  I found it extremely odd on how a store that’s been open for nearly a year not to have their PS1 inventory on the floor.  I likely would of walked away with some PS1 games if I could of actually looked through the shelf (I can’t see from far away and I don’t have glasses yet).  I asked a store clerk to see if I could actually look through the games but he refused even if he was watching me go through them.  You would have to know what you wanted beforehand by either being a psychic or by digging through countless hours on the website. 
•  Oh, and they have shelves like this on the other side of the store that you aren't allowed go through as well (mainly containing older Gamecube/PS2 games).  Make sure to bring your binoculars.
•   On my previous note, the store seems to have no concern over theft as they had copies of Mega Man III and Chrono Trigger within reachable displays that could be yanked out at any time (I can even see customers taking them out so that they could buy them).  Their available copies of these games were not available on the floor.  The store does have cameras, but with that in mind, why was I not allowed to search through a shelf with permission when the store has a ton of cameras?  Okay, I am a little upset but still I fail to see why they forbid customers to look through some games that could lead into more purchases.
• The store’s pricing on most retro video game hardware is terrible.  The Sega CD I walked away with was over the double the price I paid for my first one but I only bought it due to me being desperate for another one (and that it seems no man alive can fix my old Sega CD’s laser).
• On that note, they do offer video game hardware repair.  I was told by a store clerk that it was very expensive though.  He even mentioned at one point that a PS3 laser cost $100 which I knew couldn’t have been true since I bought one back in the fall of last year for not even $40.  Something seems off here…
• All current/next gen games cannot be browsed through.  Maybe this is because they don’t gut their games like GameStop, but even GameStop lets you browse through new and used games for the current/next gen consoles.  I feel they would sell newer games if they would just buy display cases and put used games on the floor and just place the discs elsewhere.  This isn’t really hard to do.
• It seems that nearly every current gen game price is never updated unless the game is fairly old. 

I'll make sure to come prepared with glasses and binoculars next time!

It’s sad to say that my negatives do outweigh the positives.  Keep in mind, for a store that’s only been open for less than a year, I consider this to be a decent start.

Staff

Cheap Ass Gamer recently had a thread for an online sale that eStarland is having right now.  I posted my positive and negative list there and one guy claimed that the store’s staff were terrible.  I figured I’d throw in my two cents on this opinion.  Last Sunday, the store I went to had two employees that could have been anywhere between the ages of 18 to 23.  While browsing through games, I noticed a lot of people come in with their children.  At one point, I even had a kid who kept bumping into me and taking out random games and running away with them.  The employees didn’t seem to be very concerned to have children messing with their inventory.  I spoke to their staff a few times, and they were pretty quick to answer my questions.  Yeah, the PS1 thing was BS.  But I’ll put that behind them.  God only knows how many employees that the company actually has.  I also had some random conversations such as the one guy who noticed my MAGFest shirt brought up some odd video game camp thing that had a name similar to MAGFest.  I also schooled them about how Battletoads is likely one of the hardest games ever created (apparently the games they had on display were their own personal copies).  Were they bad?  Nah.  Were they gamers?  Probably not.  Getting decent employees for likely minimum wage these days is a tough thing to do.  None of them seemed like managers to me, but then again, it was a Sunday.  Maybe I didn’t see the infamous employee(s) that were mentioned on CAG… yet.  =S

A pretty good selection of Sega Saturn games

Overall Experience

I’m not going to lie.  I had a great time at eStarland.  The first glance I had inside the store was like “holy crap, this place is huge!”  And the first thing I see are classic games such as Mega Man III and the original Super Smash Bros. on and ready to play which added to the atmosphere of the place.  Once I started checking out games, I spent 90+ minutes just going through everything they had on the floor.  I had stacks at one point but I know to be careful since their prices were pretty high.  I put back a lot of games.  I calculated in my mind how much something could be when I picked it up.  The Sega CD I got I knew unless I found something else that would absolutely blow my mind that I would be getting it.  I left with probably $150 worth of games which a majority of that being for the Sega CD.  I put back a lot of games that had pretty high prices such as Donkey Kong Country 3 and the original Resident Evil on Sega Saturn.  These were games I would have liked but I believe RE was roughly $25+ for a disc only copy and DKC3 was $30+.  I found a cool 32X game called Metal Head complete for about $10 as well as a Sega CD game known as Hemdall for around the same price.  One Sega CD game I was looking forward to was The Terminator which for a licensed game was actually a really good game for its time, but they were out of stock. 

My overpriced loot.

To conclude, I think anyone who has a sight interest in retro games should visit eStarland.  Be wary of the high prices, but if you want to pick something up, make sure to check out the computers in the store to see what you’re getting yourself into.  If you’re looking for common hardware such as a Genesis, SNES, NES, etc., I highly suggest that you look elsewhere.  Other than that, check it out.

Wii U Console Review

NOTE: This review was written back in December of 2012.  I just got around to posting it now.  =P

Introduction

Hello, everyone!  It's been a little over a month since the Wii U console has launched in the United States.  I’ve had a lot of time to play the Wii U for the month that it’s been out.  And so far, I’ve been pretty impressed.  The Wii U had some quirks with it at launch.  Mainly the very large console update that enabled a majority of the console’s features was not welcome at all.   I personally had a lot of trouble with its insane amount of updates.  It wasn’t until I purchased a Wii ethernet adapter that I was finally able to keep a stable connection online.  I’m not putting this against the Wii U in the review because mainly, they provided a day 1 update to enable the features that they promised. Lastly, I’m putting the game reviews aside as this post will already be pretty big in itself, but I will be referring to a few games as the review goes on.

Wii U Console

The Wii U console is Nintendo’s eighth generation home console.  It’s hard to believe that after two rocky E3 presentations that the console turned out being not so bad.   Everyone was worried about its online features and the game to TV streaming technology which Nintendo almost never commented on until launch.  The console itself is not exactly good looking, in fact, it’s really long.  Perhaps, too long.  Compared to the previous Nintendo consoles that came before it, the Wii U seems a bit large, but not nearly as large as the (first two models of the) PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 (both models).  For whatever reason, the Wii U excluded an ethernet port.  The Wii U has a SD card slot, 4 USB 2.0 slots, and a drive which I’m going to consider a Blu Ray drive even though Nintendo does not call their disc format Blu Rays (but they are the exact same size – 25 GB per layer, similar to how Wii discs were more or less DVDs).  One final thing I want to note is how the Wii U put a sync button for other Wii & Wii U accessories right on the front of the console.  It always annoyed me how the Wii sync button was behind a lid which confused a lot of new users.

Wii U Gamepad

The Wii U gamepad (or tablet) is an interesting piece of technology.  It’s not that heavy, in fact, it’s actually very light.  The screen isn’t amazing by any means (it’s no OLED, like the Vita) but it’s also a touch screen (single touch, no multi-touch).  The Wii U gamepad does take a while to get used to, but after a while, it starts to feel natural.  I played and beat Call of Duty: Black Ops II on the gamepad without any problem and I never had any issue with the controls at all.  The streaming technology that the Wii U uses to stream the game to the gamepad works for the most part.  Not all games support it, but for those that do, it works great.  The range isn’t exactly impressive, I’d say it’s roughly 30 feet max, and it likely work within any room that the Wii U is in.  Just don’t bring it into the bathroom, as you will likely lose the signal.  The final thing to note is the gamepad’s lackluster battery.  I’d say on max settings with constant game play, the Wii U’s battery lasts about 2.5-3 hours.  You can extend its life by putting it on power saver and lower brightness settings, but the gamepad will need to be charged constantly.    

Wii U Pro Controller

The Wii U also offers a “hardcore” gaming controller known as the Wii U Pro Controller.  This controller isn’t included with the Wii U console, but it does offer a more console-like gaming experience for games such as Tekken Tag Tournament 2 and Call of Duty: Black Ops II.  The controller is very similar to Microsoft’s Xbox 360 controller.  The buttons with the exception of the right analog stick are placed in the exact same spot as Microsoft’s controller.  That aside, the Wii U Pro Controller is actually much lighter than the Xbox controller.  Thankfully, unlike the 360 controller, the Wii U Pro Controller does not require batteries and can be recharged.  Nintendo claims the on a single charge that the Wii U pro controller can last up to 80 hours.  I personally was not able to buy one until today, so I’m unable to verify if this claim is true or not yet.  Other than that, I like it.  Since I already used the Wii U gamepad for a month, the controller and button placement worked for me on the first try with the pro controller.  I like it.

The Wii U OS

The operating system for the Wii U is very similar to the OS that has been seen on the Nintendo DSi and 3DS portable consoles.  On one screen (which can switched at any time), you can see squares that have a list of the applications and games available to use.  The other screen you can see the Mii plaza where you can see what other Wii U gamers are playing and talking about.  After the day one update, the Wii U has a wide variety of features to use.  As of end of the December, the Wii U now has access to popular media streaming apps such as Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Amazon Instant Video.  For each game, Nintendo has setup message boards for gamers to talk about the games that they are playing.  They can also exchange drawings if they please.  The boards are heavily moderated and do give the option on whether or not if your post will contain a spoiler or not.  I wouldn’t worry about seeing troll like or offensive posts, as Nintendo seems to rapidly delete any post that maybe causing trouble.  I personally don’t see a need for the boards, but for newer gamers that aren’t used to googling on what to do next in a game, the boards may provide them with the help they need in a Wii U game. 

Next, the Wii U is operated on the Nintendo Network that was recently introduced with some 3DS games.  The Nintendo Network is very similar to what was Nintendo’s WiFi connection in the past with the original Wii and DS systems.  The Wii U is the first Nintendo console to not rely on friend codes, and that Nintendo IDs can be exchanged with friends instead of an annoyingly long code.  This Nintendo ID will also be used in every online game you play, so choose your name wisely! 

Wii Transfer and Backwards Compatibility

As expected, the Wii U is backwards compatible with all original Wii games.  Of course, this means that Gamecube games are no longer supported (and this should have been obvious since it doesn’t have Gamecube controller and memory card ports).  The transfer process between the Wii and Wii U is a little tricky, and it requires some patience.  Both consoles need to be powered on at the same time.  Both also need to be on the internet, and you will have to have an SD card to swap data (which the Wii/Wii U will do for you).  Thankfully, the Wii U will transfer saves that will were previously copy locked such as Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Animal Crossing City Folk.  However, at the end of this transfer, it completely wipes your Wii.  Meaning that if you had any desire to have a Wii Sports game on the older Wii with your grandparents or a Smash Bros tournament with the vastly superior Gamecube controllers, consider your night ruined. 

After the long transfer process, the Wii along with most of your applications (not all of them transfer) and virtual console games, the original Wii menu can be accessed from the Wii U menu.  The Wii menu on the Wii U is basically an emulated Wii.  The original Wii also cannot use any of the cool new Wii U features such as the putting games on the gamepad or playing them with the new Wii U Pro Controller.  However, the Wii U does upscale games similar to the how earlier models of the PlayStation 3 upscaled PS2 games.   

The Wii U Shop

The Wii U Shop app is a vast improvement over the clunky Wii shop channel that was seen on the original Wii console.  The format is way more streamlined and is very easy on the eyes.  Several Wii U games can bought digitally without having to go to a store and buy games.  Sadly, most of these digital games are still sold at retail prices ($60 for most games).  The only problem I see with this is that most people will probably fill up their Wii U console memory after buying 2 games with the basic set or roughly eight games with the premium set.  Nintendo does give gamers more options for expanding the memory such as using SD cards or external hard drives, but I feel that a console that was this expensive should of expanded more on the console memory.  The Wii U’s cheaper previous gen competitors currently offer cheaper consoles with 4x or more space than the Wii U does.  Something tells me that in the future that Nintendo will update the console with more built in memory so that it will appeal to more hardcore gamers, but time will only tell.  That aside, the Wii U also offers demos, applications (that I previously mentioned), and smaller digital games similar to what has been seen on Xbox Live Arcade.

Launch lineup, graphical capabilities, online gaming, etc.

This is more or less the misc. part of the review. 

The launch lineup for the Wii U was actually very big.  Probably the biggest ever for a home Nintendo console.  However, most of these launch titles were already on last gen consoles before the Wii U was released.  The Wii U had very few exclusives to the console.  New Super Mario Bros. U and Nintendoland are decent launch titles, but will not keep most gamers occupied for very long.  Zombi U on the other hand is actually a very good game.  But the difficulty and game play will likely turn most gamers off.  That aside, if a gamer for whatever reason wants a new console to play Assassin’s Creed III, Call of Duty Black Ops II, and Darksiders II on, then the Wii U will keep you occupied for quite a while.  If not, you might want to wait a little longer for the Wii U to bring out some games that are worth playing.

Speaking of games, many have been debating on how powerful the Wii U actually is.  It honestly seems that nobody has any idea on what the Wii U may or may not be capable of.  Apparently games such as Ninja Gaiden 3 run better on last gen consoles than on the Wii U.  But then other multi-platform games such as Call of Duty Black Ops II and Tekken Tag Tournament 2 seem to run just as good as its other versions.  All in all, just treat the Wii U as a console that can handle last gen games.  Sure, after next year, the Wii U will likely be underpowered compared to what Microsoft or Sony may offer up at E3 2013, but then again, the Wii U may have another year to finally show off what it’s made of.  Pikmin 3, Bayonetta 2, and the upcoming Super Smash Bros. game aren’t expected to be released until next year.  It might be even longer until we see not only Smash Bros, but also a new 3D Mario and Zelda game.  Nintendo has been well known to deliver on its first party titles, but hopefully they will convince more third party developers to make more exclusives for the console.

This is what nightmares look like

Finally, online gaming was something I only got to try with Call of Duty Black Ops II.  Even before I had my ethernet adapter come in the mail, Black Ops II ran without a hitch.  It ran just as well as its only last gen counterparts.  Sure, it may not have had as many players playing, but the Wii versions of previous Call of Duty games have sold millions of copies, despite them being watered down versions of the games.  I can only see that number skyrocketing likely if the next Call of Duty stays last gen for next year (which it likely will).  Online gaming aside, online applications such as the Wii U Internet browser, Netflix, and Amazon Instant Video ran great.  I feel these three apps are perfect for the Wii U.  Nothing really beats the feeling off watching Doctor Who on the gamepad during the night, and being able to turn off the TV with the gamepad and going bed (forgot to mention that the gamepad doubles as a universal TV remote). The YouTube app on the other hand, seems to be rather finicky at times.  I’ve had several issues with it such as constantly hanging while loading videos or simply stopping mid video and never loading the rest of the video.  Thankfully, all Wii U games and apps can be patched at any time, so hopefully the YouTube team will fix this issue soon.  I do not have a Hulu Plus subscription so I never had the chance to try it out.

Conclusion

Overall, the Wii U is a step in the right direction for Nintendo.  It’s trying really hard to impress everyone, and so far, I think it’s doing a decent job.  Every console has a bumpy first year, and it’s always a determination on whether or not a system will fail.  After the massive 3DS bomb in 2011, hopefully Nintendo will make sure that the system won’t stagnant and lose steam, or it may join the likes of PlayStation Vita and be on life support.  Despite me really digging the Wii U, it’s extremely hard to recommend due the last gen Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 having more storage space for cheaper, more games to choose from, and overall a cheaper console that more people have.  The Wii U doesn’t have the “wow” factor that its previous console had because with the exception of the TV to gamepad gimmick, the Wii U has little to nothing that we haven't seen before. 

It’s sad to say that the Wii U gamepad is what likely what made the console so expensive.  I feel if the console had itself for $250 (for basic) and $300 (premium) that it will appeal to more customers.  But unless sales completely tank after launch, I don’t think that the price will budge for quite a while.  Reggie Fils-Aime has already stated that the Wii U is selling at a loss, but if a consumer buys at least one Wii U game with the console, that it will sell at a profit.  I don't believe he ever specified on which set he was referring to, but I found that info to be fairly interesting. 

If you are a gamer, I’d say wait another year to see what happens with the Wii U.  We’ll have to see what Nintendo announces for the Wii U in the coming months and see if Nintendo can jump back and say “Hey, we games you have to play.”  All in all, the console a very much a step in the right direction for Nintendo.  I'm just having the problem of seeing if it will be worth it in the end.

Overall Rating for the Wii U:

7.5/10