Which third party franchise will be next?

[Saturnine Tenshi]

@Ethan: Didn't mean to imply you said anything like that. It was more of a general statement. They're all underhanded in their own way. That's how these things work.

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

^That's one positive example compared to an insanely large amount of shovelware.

 

Thanks tips. Here's Strangelove's post "No game on the Wii would suffer incredibly from proper controller use. All the good stuff: Twilight Princess, SMG1, 2, NMH1, NHM2, and whatnot would play just fine and sometimes even better with a regular controller." He was speaking definitively. I thought you of all people, as someone who takes every chance to point out the exception to everything anyone says, would appreciate it!

 

Dog, that shit was on the last page, I wouldn't put in *that much* effort.

 

Also Strangelove, did you ever try it with a controller? I agree with your general reasoning. Unless it really adds to the game (and it doesn't in TP which is just a Gamecube port) I really don't want to use waggle for that long.

 

Though I'm not exactly sure why we're discussing this... the Wii U's primary input is the controller screen thing.

[TCP]

Dog, that shit was on the last page, I wouldn't put in *that much* effort.

No it wasn't! I quoted it!

 

Though I'm not exactly sure why we're discussing this... the Wii U's primary input is the controller screen thing.

Getting horribly off topic on things that are no longer relevant is what PXOD does best.

[Strangelove]

Wait...what was that song about?

[FMW]

Here's a new prediction: Nintendo initiates a partnership with From Software. Maybe that'll be what's next. From Software makes really hardcore games that don't have equivalents on Nintendo's hardware (Armored Core, Souls series). They're a Japanese developer and their games do well in Japan. They seem to do mostly contract work, working with different publishers for their different projects and franchises. I can totally see Nintendo trying to snag exclusivity either for Armored Core or the next Souls game. 3D Dot Game Heroes was a riff on a lot of old Nintendo game conventions, so that would fit into a Wii U lineup pretty effortlessly too.

 

So they fit the formula. Successful Japanese developer, probably in an economic situation where a partnership would be desirable, they create software that fills a void in Nintendo's current lineup... do we know what they're working on right now? I honestly wouldn't be surprised if this had already happened. It's just such a logical target.

Edited September 25, 2012 by Frosted Mini-Wheats

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

^That's fucking terrifying.

[Thursday Next]

Wasn't trying to suggest underhandedness. From what I can see, most of MS third party exclusives are either timed or they are the smaller indie titles, same with PlayStation. Generally, I've noted a trend for perceived platform exclusives (e.g. Final Fantasy), to go multiplatform, taking an established IP to a broader audience. This seems to be going in the opposite direction. Taking established property and then confining it to a single platform.

[Alex Heat]

Lets be honest, most Wii games were gimmicky. At most they made games more "fun", at worst they made them...worse. No game on the Wii would suffer incredibly from proper controller use. All the good stuff: Twilight Princess, SMG1, 2, NMH1, NHM2, and whatnot would play just fine and sometimes even better with a regular controller. Wii ports are easy. Nothing substantial is ever being lost.

 

I know you hate motion controls, but Skyward Sword, which in my opinion is up there with Wind Waker as some of the great Zelda games (but maybe not to ALTTP or OoT standards), would not be playable with a standard controller, and that Wii Motion Plus is what helps make the game so great. Gimmicky is not a world I would use to describe it.

 

I am going to have to seriously disagree with this one. Skyward Sword was definitely gimmicky, not to mention totally bonkers in how it handled the motion controls. It used the gyro for everything, despite the fact that the gyroscope is terrible at tracking. Even recalibrating the remote used it instead of the IR sensor. Aiming the bow? Forget about it! Gyro time!

 

Sword combat could've easily been done with a controller. You've been able to control the general direction of your slashes since Ocarina if you were locked on. Alternatively, they could've just dropped the 'attack from specific angles' idea and just made the AI smarter. I know the imprecision of the remote led me to just shield parry everything and waggle my way to victory.

 

The bottom line is that it sure as hell wouldn't kill Nintendo to offer alternative control schemes, as to not divide their players. Not everyone is on board with motion controls or touch screen shenanigans (I know I'm definitely not).

[TCP]

I'd play that game up for 3-4 hours at a time and would have to recalculate once.. maybe twice a session.

Not to mention it's the most unique, interesting, and accurate battle system in years (besides Dragon Age 2, of course!!!), it's definitely too bad you feel that way.

[TheMightyEthan]

I didn't find it to be accurate at detecting sword swings at all. It would get the direction right maybe 1/2 the time.

 

That said, I didn't have problems where I had to recalibrate it either. I also found the bow aiming to be wonderful, though I wish it would have used the sensor bar at least for a reference.

[TCP]

I didn't find it to be accurate at detecting sword swings at all. It would get the direction right maybe 1/2 the time.

 

Really??? That's crazy. The only problem I had in that game was sometimes doing the Skyward Strike, and that might have been more my fault than the controllers.

[FMW]

I'd love to see them open up the bank full of money they got from Wii and DS sales, and have them throw a bunch of money at Bethesda and make Fallout 4 a Wii U exclusive. Not that I want to play that on the Wii U but I love fan boys getting their panties in a knot like that.

 

But honestly, they've locked up lots of Japanese IPs, Monster Hunter, Bayonetta, Dragon Quest, time for them to look west, I think.

 

Recently, I've come to agree with this opinion. It actually might not be viable to run a successful mainstream video game console in the West anymore on the strength of Japanese developed video games. Why do I think this? Take a look at the 3DS. I can hardly imagine any system ever getting better Japanese software support through it's early life. Think, what are the biggest Japanese IPs these days? Final Fantasy? Check. Resident Evil? Check twice. Also checked off: Metal Gear Solid, Fatal Frame (via Spirit Camera), Kingdom Hearts, Sonic, Professor Layton, Tales, Street Fighter... and add to that all of Nintendo's first party IP that continue to be the most consistent hits in video games. Although not every game from these franchises has been original (or even particularly good) the fact every single one of these franchises has shown up on the 3DS in the first 1.5 years of it's lifespan and been localized already is pretty shocking. Add in that Monster Hunter and Dragon Quest are locked into the system which are huge in Japan, and add in that Ace Attorney, Castlevania, and Shin Megami Tensei are confirmed to arrive next year...

 

I think it's reasonable to argue that the 3DS has received the absolute best Japanese game support any single device is ever going to receive coming out of the gate. What else could you even ask for? I might be missing something obvious, but the biggest Japanese IP I can think of that isn't either on the 3DS or promised for the 3DS soon is Devil May Cry. Silent Hill I guess.

 

And what has this unprecedented Japanese support for the hardware done for it? Well it's selling like nobody's business in Japan. By the end of December 2012 the 3DS is going to have sold more units in Japan than the Playstation 3 has... ever. Lifetime total. But in the West? Demand remains weak. I mean, it's no Playstation Vita, but it's not doing as well as Nintendo hoped and expected. If this software isn't enough to do it, then I question whether any amount of Japanese software would be. So, logically, the solution is to go and get some western franchises. Nintendo's got money, they've gotta go and make it happen. The strategy of locking down exclusivity for big name IPs has worked really well for them in Japan, I don't see why it shouldn't be used through the rest of the world too.

 

What are some good candidates? Middle to large franchises developed in the West that Nintendo could buy the rights for. Nothing too big (GTA and Elder Scrolls are simply not going to happen) but maybe one of the GTA knockoffs? Either Sleeping Dogs or Saints Row might be good investments. And if THQ finally gets around to going under, Darksiders along with Vigil games could be pretty solid. What about shooters? They're awful popular these days, and Nintendo doesn't have many. Popular third party shooter franchises Nintendo might wanna lock down for themselves include Borderlands and Medal of Honor (it's gonna need another reboot anyway, no?)

 

What are the suggestions from you folks? Or do you think the entire argument is off base? Lemme know!

Edited November 28, 2012 by Frosted Mini-Wheats

[TheMightyEthan]

EA needs to just take Medal of Honor out back and shoot it.