Linkle

Video Source: GameXplain/Nintendo

Congratulations to everyone who called her. Linkle finally got announced for Hyrule Warriors Legends on the 3DS. And I have good news for everyone owning the Wii-U Version. Nintendo announced that all characters from Legends will also become available there. The Stories of Linkle and Toon Link, however, will remain exclusive to the 3DS. I don't mind this, as long as I get to play the characters in adventure mode.

I'm still not to keen on Hyrule Warriors 1.5, but at least now I don't have to buy it to experience the new characters. Still I would have preferred an actual Toon Hyrule Warriors for the 3DS and not just this ''updated'' Version of the original game.

But enough of that for now. Today I'd like to talk about Linkle.

She looks awesome!

I have to admit, that her announcement got me pretty hyped. Last year, when her design first surfaced with the Hyrule Warriors artbook, I was pretty sure that we would see her as a DLC character for the game. And in a way I was right.

 Picture Source: Hyrule Warriors Artbook

Linkle looks like a Mid-Range Typ of fighter and a good addition to the rooster. Her crossbows look like interesting weapons and help distinguishing herself from other fighters. Especially the move, where you're shooting enemies, while sidestepping like in a 3^rd Person shooter, looks interesting. (Found at 0:53 in the video). From the looks she also seems like a more agile fighter. Of course she also takes inspiration from Links moveset, but that is to be expected. All in all I'm very happy with her addition and I'm looking forward to trying her out.

Picture Source: Nintendo

Now this was the part, where I talked about the character and her moves. Now comes the part surrounding her. Anyone not interested in Game Politics, Gamergate and things like that, can safely skip this part. Ok? Now then lets start.

Firstly I'll have to say, that, while in no way part of the Gamergate movement, I support their stated goals of more ethics and transparency in game journalism. What does this have to do with Linkle? Well after her announcement some outlets criticized Linkle for her appearance. In their Words she was just a female Version of Link and fitted the Ms. Male Character Trope. For anyone unfamiliar with this Trope, it basically describes a genderswapped Version of a established character. Or to put it into more internet friendly terms. Any rule 63.

Now, while describing Linkle as a Ms. Male, may seem justified at first glance, this does a huge disservice to the character and the people accusing her. Generally I'm not to keen on tropes, because often it simplifies the character, they have their right to exist. It's just that good characters can't be defined with one Trope and doing so proves your ignorance towards the character. Now I'm not saying that Linkle may have a great characterization, but breaking her down on just her visuals is a thing often criticized by the very people doing it. Describing her as genderswapped Link also ignores the snippets of information we already have about her.

When the Artbook for Hyrule Warriors released last year, it was revealed that the developers discussed Linkles relationship with Link. During that time she was considered as Links little Sister or maybe even daughter. Currently Nintendo describes her as a young Women from a certain Village that strives to be like the Hero.

Looking at these three possible backgrounds her attire make sense. If Link is her inspiration, her role model, it makes sense for her to copy his appearance. Even more so if she is his daughter or sister. But she is still her own character. Not acknowledging it and just dismissing her as a Ms. Male is ignorant and stupid. Of course she can end up being just that, but just generating outrage about her looks is ridiculous.

Let me say this. Breaking down a character into a single Trope and ignoring any other traits he, she or it has, is jut plain stupid and helps no one.

One other thing. Why is it that Bows, crossbows and such are suddenly ''Female Weapons''? Firing a Bow takes a lot of strength, but more importantly since when are weapons assigned to a specific gender? This I beyond stupid. Are MG-5 now female guns, while ''real'' men use the AK-47? Declaring weapons to be gender specific just narrows down possibilities. It forces us into predefined paths, when creating new characters.

''Oh no I can't have her using a Bow, because Bows are female weapons and I don't want her to fall into such stereotypes. Better give her a sword... Oh no, now she is a Ms. Male or Fighting Fucktoy...''

This thinking in tropes is harmful to creativity.

Oh and the crossbow critics ignore another important part about Hyrule Warriors.

Picture Source: Zelda.wikia.com

We also have a classic magi user (Lana), a Rapier wielding Queen (Zelda), whatever Rutos Fighting Style is and a girl, who uses giant beetles to squash her enemies (Agitha).

In the end I can only say that I don't understand the outrage against Linkle. It's a mindless reaction, defining everything that doesn't fit into a (very) narrow mindset as problematic, without knowing the circumstances.

Oh and if you want to hear me ranting about Women in Games some more:

http://dilliansthoughthub.blogspot.co.at/2015/04/women-in-games-bayonetta.html

http://dilliansthoughthub.blogspot.co.at/2014/09/female-characters-in-gaming.html

In the end I can only say that Linkle, judging from her trailer, looks like a fun character gameplay wise. As for her story? I can't say anything about this yet, but judging a book by it's cover is never a smart move.

And as always

thanks for reading

Nintendo Direct 12.11.15

Now that we had some days to calm down and look back at this direct without rose tinted Hype glasses, I have to say, that it was a pretty good direct. There was nothing that literally blew my mind and left me speechless, but it had the right amount of announcements and content to keep me satisfied. Of course the 3DS was once again the clear winner and if you like RPGs this Direct was probably the best one in years for you, but even as a more Wii-U centric gamer I didn't feel let down. We got some announcements for 2016 and some remainders for 2015. Yes I would have preferred Twilight Princess HD releasing this year to beef up their Christmas Line-Up, but the way it is, it will provide a good start into 2016 and the 30^th anniversary of Zelda.

We also got a short trailer for Star Fox Zero and a release date. I really like the way the game looks, even though the graphics are really nothing to brag about. But the different vehicles look interesting and should provide different gameplay approaches. And for me Gameplay always matters more than raw graphical horse power.

We also got the final confirmation that Nintendo intends to milk Amiibo for all that it's worth.

I don't want to go into too much detail, but all in all it was a pretty good direct and it ended with a high note. Hands up if you honestly thought that Cloud was a possibility for Smash Bros.

Yeah I thought so...

Anyone who hasn't seen the Direct can take a look at it here.

Amercian Direct:  

European (German) Direct:  

This post today is a little short, but expect a longer one about Linkle in the coming days.

And as always

thanks for reading  

Nintendo Direct 12.11.2015 - What do they have in store?

Picture Source: Nintendo Germany

The drought is finally over. Nintendo just announced a new Direct and the Hype is already skyrocketing. But this is not the time to lose our heads about hypothetical announcements of Twilight Princess HD, Zelda U Information, F-Zero, Metroid and the end of all wars. Already some Nintendo Fans are expecting the mother of all directs and, as a natural consequence, are setting themselves up for massive disappointment.

Let's be reasonable and not expect a second E3 out of this. The direct will likely have one, maybe two, bigger announcements, just like it has always been. Most likely they'll start and finish with a big announcement, while we get information about smaller games and the Ones that will release soon in between.

So with this in mind, here is my prediction for the Thursday direct:

I think they'll start with a first look at Pikmin 4. Miyamoto said that the game is close to completion, and this would a perfect opportunity to show it off. There are quite a lot of Pikmin Fans out there an the Third was great game.

Next they'll probably focus on the titles that are releasing soon. New trailers for Mario and Luige Paper Jam, Xenoblade Chronicles X, Mario Tennis and Animal Crossing Amiibo Festival.

After that some smaller announcements would fit. Maybe even the rumored Twilight Princess HD together with some E-Shop tittles.

Next they'll take a look at some upcoming titles, that are coming out in 2016. Fire Emblem X Shin Megami Tensei, Metriod Prime: Federation Force, etc.

Then it's probably time for Star Fox. It's certain that we'll get new information. A new trailer to show the improved graphics and maybe the announcement of a Multiplayer.

And then it's finally time for Zelda U. It's been nearly a year since we last saw anything and Nintendo has to know that the Fans are starving for new information. It's finally time to show, or at least, hint their vision for an open world.

Also I don't think they'll do a huge tribute for Satoru Iwata. It's not really Nintendos Style. But I'll expect a ''dedicated to the Memory of Satoru Iwata'' message at the end. Or at least something similar, but I expect them to keep it simple.

So what are your thoughts and expectations for the upcoming direct?

And as always

Thanks for reading

Project Zero (Fatal Frame): Maiden of the Black Water Review

Overview:

Only one year after it's initial release in Japan Nintendo finally decided to bring Project Zero 5 (Fatal Frame for our american friends) to the west. After the Japan exclusive 4^th part and the remake of the second, which was only available in Japan and Europe, this is the first time that Nintendo players all around the world can experience the creepy series. But can Project Zeros approach at horror still shock gamers, after the rise of games like Outlast and Five Nights at Freddys?

Story:

The story follows three different characters, and revolves around the cursed Mt. Hikami. The mountain is widely known as suicide mountain, attracting many people, who wish to end their lives. This also turned it into a gathering place for countless evil spirits, which haunt the lonely forests and forsaken buildings of Mt. Hikami. Miu Hinasaki is a young girl searching for her mother. Ren Hojo is a writer, researching the mountain for his newest book, but he also tries to find the truth about a repressed memory, connecting him to the mountain. Finally Yuuri Kozukata is, what you could call, the main protagonist of this game. She has the ability to see ''shadows'' and bring back people and objects from the spirit world. She looks for her mentor Hisoka, who has gone missing on the mountain. The stories of these three characters are, of course, intertwined.

Gameplay:

Project Zero 5 was my first entry in this series, so for me it was all fresh and new, but if you're a veteran, you won't have to learn any new tricks. The core gameplay of the series hasn't been changed since the first part and number 5 follows this tradition. In the shoes of your characters you'll explore different locations on Mt. Hikami and battle it's evil spirits with the help of the Camera Obscura. This mystical Object not only allows you to see hidden objects and make them visible, it also allows you to combat ghosts and thus survive the mountain. It's an universal tool to solve puzzles and generally progress upwards on the cursed mountain.

Using the camera works via the Wii-U Gamepad. The screen of the pad serves as camera lens and by moving the controller you'll target ghosts, items and the boobs of your boss... It works very intuitive and, for me, marks one of the best uses of the Wii-U Gamepad so far. However some players may have problems playing for long periods, because after a while the weight of the Gamepad comes quite apparent.

The Camera itself works just like in previous entries, with the slight difference that you're now able to move, while taking pictures. This makes the battles a bit easier than in previous games.
Most ghosts take more than one hit, and taking a picture of them releases several ghost fragments which work as weak points. Capturing five focus points (Faces, ghost spheres) on one pictures buffs the damage of it quite significantly and awards you with a lot of points. Better pictures provide more points, which can be used to buy items and upgrade the Camera Obscura.

Of course the ghosts won't let you just vanquish them. They have several ways of attacking, teleport around and generally try to ambush you. If a Ghost manages to grab you, there is a small time window, where you're able to counter attack, saving you and giving you a small time frame to take pictures without any penalties.

Because normally there is a waiting time after taking a picture, which leaves you completely vulnerable to ghost attacks. This period differs with the film you use in your camera. The standard film, which is the weakest, but has infinite charges, takes the longest to reload. Then there are three stronger films, but their charges are limited and you should use them wisely. Especially when a boss comes up soon.

There are also several lenses which you can use with you Camera. Each lens provide a special ability, like stunning or shooting 4 pictures at once. Using these lenses wisely and combining them with the films provides essential in taking down stronger ghosts and especially the bosses.

These boss battles are a nerve-racking change from the slower approach the game normally has. They'll put you in a state of constant stress and therefore are a great refresher.

Generally speaking Project Zero is a little to easy on the lower difficulties. Before each chapter you can buy items to help you, but I never had to do this, because the amount you received automatically proved to be more than enough.

Now this are all things that veteran players are familiar with, so what new features does the game contain? Not too many, I'm afraid. Apart from the new controls for the Camera Obscura there are only two notable changes. First on your character now can run through the press of a button. This increases the mobility in fight situations, but still wont let you run away from your attacks. The always present water on Mt. Hikami will slow you down. This also ties directly into the other new feature. The Wetness gauge. Walking through water, under Waterfalls or just outside in the rain will make your character wet. This makes the more susceptible to the spirit world, increasing the damage they deal with the Camera Obscura, but also opens them up to ghostly attacks. Their defense is lowered and they'll encounter more ghosts on their way up the mountain.

The Wetness gauge can be cleared with a new item called the Purifying Flame. This item is also important to remove the ''Yomi Nure'' Status effect. Certain Ghosts can afflict you with this curse which will result in lowered defense, reduced vision and a gradual loss of health.

Presentation:

The Presentation of a Horror game is an important part of the experience, because it determines if the game is successful in building an atmosphere. First let me say that Project Zero does succeed, but also that the graphics are nothing to brag about. The character models are the only thing truly next gen about this game. They look great and extremely detailed. Koei Tecmo once again succeeds in designing beautiful protagonists. The game uses the same engine as Dead or Alive 5, which is obvious through the breast jiggling of the female heroines. Some people may find this distracting in a horror game, but for me it didn't do much. Neither in a positive nor negative sense. Still it should be pointed out that a lot of emphasis is put on showing the females off to the player.

The Ghosts sadly don't receive the same amount of detail. While some of the special ghosts are looking really good (Good in a spooky kind of way, of course) and detailed, the standard enemies often look like they haven't changed since the PS 2 days.

And while not as bad, the areas and surroundings are also not completely up to date. Many textures look blurry and modern things like Anti-Aliasing are also not present. But still the game creates an eerie and dark atmosphere. Especially when played in the dark.

Project Zero takes its time in building an atmosphere. Sound is used sparsely but effectively. The Set pieces are well designed and fit the overarching theme of water and death. Especially the abandoned shrines on Mt. Hikami filled me with an uneasy feeling that I couldn't shake off. However there was never a moment where I didn't want to progress further.

Lastly the voice acting in the game was sufficient. It was nothing memorable, but it didn't impact the game in any negative way, in both, the Japanese and English version.

Bonusround or the game after the game:

Spoiler Warning:

After finishing the game the first time around, you'll unlock nightmare mode. This new mode allows you to play the game again on a higher difficulty. Nightmare mode is quite challenging and if you didn't sweat much on your first play through it certainly will test your skills on this difficulty. Apart from nightmare mode, you'll also unlock the Zero Suit Samus and Princess Zelda outfits for your heroines. This outfits replace the lingerie costumes that you got in the Japanese version.

Lastly you'll unlock a bonus episode staring Ayane from Ninja Gaiden. The Kunochi enters Mt. Hikami to find a girl name Tsugumi Katashina.

Ayanes gameplay is radically different from the other characters in the main game. At the start Ayane get's injured, which takes away her normal movement capabilities. Also she has no way to fight the ghosts. This leads to a different approach in this bonus episode, because she has to rely on stealth. A cloaking spell through on of the Tattoos on her back, hiding her from the Ghosts perception. She also wields an item called the ''Spirit Stone Torch'', which allows her to knock back and stun ghosts.

Conclusion:

Project Zero is a nice change from other actual horror games, which often rely on putting the player in a state of constant terror. It takes it's time in building an eerie atmosphere and doesn't bombard the player with shock moments. Still it is the most action oriented entry into the series. You'll also only find real challenge in the unlockable nightmare mode, because healing items are available in ample amounts.

The graphics are, apart from the characters, not really up to date, with some ghosts looking like they still come from the PS 2 era. The set pieces and environments, while lacking some detail, still create an intense atmosphere and offer enough variety for the game to not become stale.

Some new additions, like the wetness gauge and the ability to run, shake the gameplay up a bit, and generally push the game towards the action route.

Lastly the integration of the Wii-U Gamepad is one of the best to date. It feels very intuitive and is easy to use, but some people may find it hard to hold Gamepad in front of them for longer periods of time.

Conclusion (One Sentence):

Project Zero is a slower and more classical approach to horror games, which will need some time to drag you in, but then reveals a good horror game, without to many innovations.  

Source of all Pictures: Nintendo

Nintendo Investor Meeting

Yesterday Nintendo held one of their investor briefings. Apart from new numbers of sold Wii-Us and 3DS, we also got some very interesting news for the future of the company. But first let us start with some information on sales.

In the first half of this fiscal year (01. April 2015 – 30. September 2015) Nintendo made 86.18 Million Euros (95.22 Million Dollars) in profits.

They also sold 1.19 Million Wii-U consoles (a slight increase over last year with 1.12 Million), bringing the console up to 10.73 Million sold world wide.

The 3DS family sold 2.28 Million consoles in the same time frame, bringing them to a total of 54.34 Million Units sold.

Nintendo also announced that so far 21.1 Million Amiibo have been shipped to retailers. This, together with 8.6 Million Amiibo cards shipped, establishes the figurines as a strong source of income in Nintendos portfolio.

But we're not here to just talk about numbers, because they also announced two important bits of information.

MyNintendo:

Now we finally know what the successor to Club Nintendo is like. The new system will be simply called My Nintendo. With this the company finally fully arrives in the modern era. My Nintendo will work with the new Nintendo Account system, which makes it easier than ever to connect with the world of Nintendo. This account can be connected to your Nintendo ID, Facebook, Twitter, etc. The goal is to make it simple and easy. The Nintendo account will then allow you to make global friend lists, buy games, take a look at your purchase history and save your progress and scores to the cloud. It can be accessed from your tablet, PC, phone and of course your Nintendo consoles.

MyNintendo will work similar to the old club Nintendo. You still earn points for games you bought, but also for playing them. With these points you then can buy various things, ranging from digital content like 3DS Themes or costumes to actual physical goodies. Just like in the old Club Nintendo.

For now that is all the news we got on MyNintendo, but it sounds very promising. The Nintendo account was long overdue. Transferring savegames into the cloud is a standard practice for PS and X-Box users already. As is a account bound purchase history. No more hardware bound digital purchases. They didn't announce any kind of cross buy feature, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did so in the future. All in all the Nintendo account is a long overdue step into the right direction.

When the club Nintendo shut down, everyone was wondering what would come next. MyNintendo feels like a evolution of the old concept. It provides the charm of the old Club Nintendo, with the ability to still buy physical collectibles, but moves it fully to the digital age. I'm very intrigued about the possibility to earn points by playing games. Maybe this ties into some sort of achievment system. Looking at the X-Box and PlayStation we can see that a Trophy System or GamerScore provides a strong motivation to play, and by that extension, buy games. Some people buy games only to increase their GamerScore. And whether you find this sad or it doesn't concern you, as a company Nintendo should take a good look at this customers. Providing an actual use for the accumulated points most certainly will increase the appeal, and in turn lead to more people buying games. You shouldn't underestimate the greed of the common man, when there is a possibility to save money.

Being able to buy DLC with these points is a win-win situation for everyone. People, who wouldn't take a look at it otherwise, get the chance to play the DLC, while others, who don't have the patience, can still simply buy it. Meanwhile Nintendo increases the people, who own the DLC, binding them to their game and system longer.

Now all they have to do is not fall into the trap of locking more and more content behind an arbitrary ''Point Wall''.

Miitomo:

The news about MyNintendo weren't the only ones we got. Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima also announced their first smart phone game. Miitomo will launch in March 2016 and is more of an application than a game. It allows your Mii to connect with other Miis. The goal of Miitomo is to connect people and help shy persons come out of their shell a little. You'll send your Mii out to meet other Miis and talk about various topics, and maybe you meet some person this way.

Now many where disappointed with this announcement. They expected something Mario or Zelda like, but if you think about it, Miitomo makes perfect sense. Nintendo always said that their Smartphone games will not compete with their traditional consoles. Secondly they still work on their Quality of life project. And thirdly... Japan.

Miitomo is a very Japanese app. This country is dealing with the problem of more and more people becoming shut in. Especially young males. They just remove themselves from society. Miitomos Goal is to help these people connect and hopefully take part in the real world again. I wouldn't be surprised if Miitomo will integrate itself into the Quality of Life Project in the future.

We also got the news that Miitomo is free to play and will contain Micro Transactions, but it will be the only Nintendo Smartphone game using this business model. The other four games that will be available till March 2017 will be sold in a classic sense.

For me Miitomo doesn't sound appealing, but I'm also completely uninterested in any kind of Smartphone game.

In the end this was one of the more interesting Investor Meetings. We got a glimpse into Nintendos future plans, and for everyone waiting for more Game centric News, we still got a new Nintendo Direct planned for this year. So you can look forward to that.

What were your thoughts about the Meeting? Are you looking forward to MyNintendo? Does Miitomo catch your interest? Let me know.

And as always

thanks for reading

Source for all pictures: Nintendo

Nintendo NX

I haven't talked about the Nintendo NX so far, because there isn't too much to talk about. Still I wanted to get this out, before we get any substantial info in 2016, for the slim chance of a ''Hah! Told you so.''

The late Satoru Iwata announced this next Nintendo Hardware this March, but apart from that we know hardly anything about it. This is all the information we got so far.

Of course this means that everything I write from here on is pure speculation. So with this in mind let's talk about two patents Nintendo filed earlier this year. Now one important thing to keep in mind is, that a filing a patent doesn't necessarily mean that Nintendo will use it. I'm looking at you Vitality Sensor, but it can give us a small glimpse at Nintendos thought process. At least the deemed the idea important enough to protect it via Patent.

The first one is about a console without any optical disc drive. Does this mean that the NX will be a digital only console? Honestly I think the chances for that are rather slim. For this to work the console would need to have a massive build in memory. Also physical copies are still to relevant. Looking at how conservative Nintendo was with internal safe space so far, I don't see them going full on digital. The only use I can see for this is an alternative Version of the NX or even the Wii-U, which is cheaper than the console with a disc drive and comes with a bigger internal memory to save digital games.

http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=20150231511&OS=20150231511&RS=20150231511

The other Patent talks about a new controller concept. By the looks of it, it's still a rather rough sketch. It's just a Wii-U gamepad with some missing buttons. The new feature, and the reason why the controller was filed as Patent, are the shoulder buttons. These would be replaced by wheels, which can be used to scroll through menus or something similar.

Of course this Patents rekindled the flame of speculation, but honestly they don't tell us anything worthwhile. But now with all the sparse facts on the table, we can head into deep speculation territory.

The NX as fusion concept:

Probably the most well known speculation about the NX and also the one I think is pretty likely. The NX is not a single console, but a product consisting of a portable and stationary device. While you are at home you can enjoy games in high definition, and when you leave the house you can continue your play session on the fly. This would also fit Iwatas vision of Nintendo products growing together. Also, if this is true, it would also explain the New Nintendo 3DS. The N3DS was much more than a simple hardware revision, like the Nintendo 3DS XL, but more like a step in between different handheld generations. Of course the reason for this was to increase the life span of the 3DS. And when we think about the NX as a fusion concept it makes sense. Normally we would at least heard about a successor to the 3DS, but if they intent to make the NX a fusion console, they need to squeeze some more years out of their handheld, while the phase out the Wii-U and replace both with the NX. I personally see the New 3DS as biggest reason to believe in the NX as fusion type console.

The fusion concept with both devices as part of a single console, would make sense if Nintendo intends to leave 3^rd Parties truly behind. They have problems sustaining two platforms, but with only one, they could manage it. This would also mean that their teams probably would have more time for new IP, as they only need to create one Mario Kart, etc, each console cycle instead of two.

Still it also poses some problems, like a possible high price for the starter pack, containing two consoles, and turning the NX truly into a Nintendo only machine. Also it would limit the game design. Games on handheld platforms mostly are designed with the aspect of short play sessions in mind. Also it would limit the possibilities of the console games, because they also need to work on the handheld device. This would lead to most people only buying the handheld version of the NX, making the stationary irrelevant.

These are some of the reasons why I don't think that the Handheld NX and Console NX will be one system. I still believe in the fusion concept, but more as two deeply connected consoles, that still work on their own. The consoles will still release at the same time, and maybe there will an expensive package containing both of them, but they won't be the same console, but more like twin brothers. Complementing eachother, while still remaining individuals. There probably will be some games that release on both systems, and I cross buy and cross save will work, but still both consoles will receive their own unique games. Maybe there will be a feature where you can upscale the portable games to the big screen.

While near the console NX the handheld version could act as a sort of Wii-U Gamepad. This would allow Off-TV play and also backwards compatibility. They could also expand on the potential of their Multiplayer games. With several handheld systems, each player has his own screen. This coupled with each ''controller'' possessing processing power, enables countless possibilities.

The NX controller:

The second thing I want to talk about is the controller of the new console. For this I want to take a look at the Wii-Mote and the Wii-U Gamepad and why one worked, while the other failed. Let's start with the failure.

The Wii-U Gamepad is great. That is my personal opinion about it. But even I have to admit, that it looks clunky and uncomfortable at first sight. It's a normal controller with a tablet shoved inbetween. It also doesn't give immediate feedback about it's added value. Let me explain this with an example. You start a game. Most of the time the Gamepad screen and the TV will show the same image. Most of the time this will remain so throughout the game, because Off-TV is the only Gamepad feature. And even if not than you need to learn what the Gamepad does in that specific game. Is it just a map? Used for puzzles, by providing a different perspective? The game needs you to teach the use of the Gamepad. This feels just as clunky as the looks of the controler.

Now let's look at the Wii-Mote. Right of the bat it's something everyone recognizes. A TV-Remote. You start the console and, like most people do with remotes, point it at the screen. You see the pointer and immediately recognize it reacting to your movement with the Wii-Mote. Also inside a game most of the commands with the Wii-Mote feel natural. You point at the screen to aim or strike to use your sword. Also the Wii-Mote provide direct feedback. Shake it and Mario uses his spin ability.

The NX controller should strive for the same natural feeling like the Wii-Mote, if Nintendo intends to make a special control scheme for their new console. Something easy to grasp, providing direct, visible feedback to your actions. Or they should just stick to a regular controller design, like an improved Pro-Controller.

Marketing and Name:

For gods sake let's hope they finally get their marketing right again. The Wii-U is a textbook example of how not to do it. I'm still convinced that most of the Wii-Us failure can be attributed to it's name and abysmal marketing. With the NX they should position them firmly and communicate what this new console is all about. Sony did this perfectly with their ''This is for the players'' campaign. Meanwhile the Wii-U wasn't sure if they wanted to catch the hardcore crowd or try not to lose the Casual market, causing both to fail. For the NX look for a name, that clearly distinguishes the console from it's predecessor, and shows that this is the next big step for Nintendo. And then market the shit out of it.

In the end we don't know anything substantial about the NX so far, but the amount of speculation clearly shows that there is still an interest in Nintendo hardware. They should use this possibility as a blank slate to start over and recapture their leading position in the Industry.

As for now I'm happy with my Wii-U, but can't help but wonder about the future. In any case we'll hopefully know more at E3 2016.

and as always

thanks for reading

Source of Pictures: Nintendo