Jimquisition: Who "Won" The Next-Gen Launch?

[Brian Tams]

Out of all three consoles, the WiiU offers both the most unique gaming experience and will have the most exclusive titles that I can't play on my PC (well, legally).

That, to me, is the most important part of this generation (again, to me personally).

 

[klaynexas3]

I don't know man. To me, the WiiU offered little in newness, where it just felt like a big 3DS with basically the same OS on it, and besides that, it only really offered ZombieU at its launch as something worth getting. I'm by no means against the WiiU, I think it does have some good games for it at the moment and I know of two down the line that would make me actually get my own if either I or my brother moved out, meaning his WiiU is no longer for my use. However, I don't see how it, at its launch, was any better than either the Xbox One or the PS4, because so little was actually new. That's just my thoughts.

 

[Megacherv]

Seriously, it's the only gaming 'console' that has complete backwards compatibility from not just the last gen, but the previous two generations as well.

]

So why can't I play Theme Park World?

 

[FoolKiller]

Frankly, I thought Ryse looks really boring. Sure, the executions look cool and game looks amazing, but after doing the same execution 5 million times, it loses its appeal.

It's a Crytek game. They just make glorified interactive video card tech demos.

 

[Habballah]

...Did not see *that* coming. Entertaining video, though I'm in no position to make the kind of evaluation that you did, Jim. I regard these console wars from the PC-gaming sidelines.

Oh Jimmy i've bet on a loser before.

Turbo g.
3d0.

I've respected the plucky young under dog, cause i wanted to get the F. away from nintendo LOL.
I'll not be going back now when that monster is almost dead.

All my respect as always. ^^.

 

[NezumiiroKitsune]

Nah, I'm definitely not with you.

If you're buying a new generation console for the kids, with no expectation of a sizable catalog half a decade down the line; something to play every week for a couple of months, with games out today, the WiiU is the way to go. Or the Wii really, if you don't have one.

But for most people who buy Xbone / PS4, or have it bought for them, they'll want a better lifespan from the systems. They will likely end up with catalogs that dwarf the WiiU's catalog within the year, probably full of utterly fantastic games, with range and scope beyond what you'll see on WiiU; I believe, because of developers shying away from riskier development ventures, or development at all (vis a vis, sales), on the console. Riskier, when we're talking about a Nintendo console, being a narrow term, in comparison to PS4 and Xbone's "risky" titles.

Though, that the WiiU can output at 1080p this generation, and the Xbone cannot, is just absurdly brilliant. If only as a vote against the retardation of progress in screen technology, that Microsoft seem to be eagerly endorsing, the WiiU is a fine choice.

 

[seditary]

Xbox One and PS4 make gaming more of a chore than my PC.

WiiU doesn't.

 

[That Eeyore]

I actually agree with Jim. Thing is, while the Wii U had its hardware foibles, it's had a year to deal with them, and unless I missed something, a Wii U received this year is nearly guaranteed to work out of the box. Both the new systems have had hardware failures, albeit a small percentage, which is scary to a buyer of a machine costing 400 or 500 dollars.
Unlike the others, the Wii U had a large library provided at launch via original Wii compatibility, and this year it got a few more good titles (Wind Waker HD, Super Mario 3D World), and has more coming down the pipelines.

The Xbox One, from what I'm hearing, has a decent launch lineup, but without back compatibility, it doesn't have the advantage its predecessor enjoyed. Playstation 4 is awesome, and finding one is very difficult (over here we've been jokingly calling it "Unicorn", it's so hard to find one), but also, no back compatibility, which is even worse for it than the XBox because, in my mind at least, it really doesn't have many of its own exclusives released, and, as far as I know, its good ones won't be released until next year.

Of course, the new ones are, well, new, and new hardware sometimes has problems out the gate. A year from now, both those new consoles will be in a better situation barring the unforseen.

 

[Flunk]

Good points, it's a shame I'll never play those awesome Mario and Donkey Kong games you showcased. Oh well, back to playing Wing Commander 4. I've decided to revisit classic space simulators while waiting for this generation to show me any of the systems are worth buying.

 

[GeneralFungi]

Kindly stop licking things, Jim. It wasn't funny in your last video (and it also pretty much sabotaged your credibility) and it's even less funny now.

We've seen our dear Jimothy running around with a dragon dildo duct-taped to his face. It's well established that Jim really doesn't give a damn about his public image. But I'm not sure how this ruins his credibility as a journalist exactly.

I'd have to say I'd agree Jim. I look at the kind of graphics the Wii U is packing, then I look at the kind of graphics the other two are packing, and... the difference really isn't apparent to me. People were speaking about how much of an upgrade the PS4 and Xbox one would be, and while I'm sure developers appreciate the extra wiggle room, as a consumer it makes little to no actual difference. When the Xbox 360 and PS4 came out they were leading the charge with graphics; pcs at the time were only about as powerful as the brand new consoles. But now the consoles are at an awkward stage where we've already seen what the next tier of console graphics will be like. On PC. There is literally nothing these consoles can offer me in terms of gaming that I can't get by plugging their controllers into my PC and running a game that was ported over.

The Wii U however, decided it wasn't going to be a lesser PC and did it's own thing. I believe Sony and Microsoft are making a bit of a misstep by trying to make a console to compete with what's already out there. Wii U doesn't try to compete with my PC experience with the same foolhardy as the other two. It compliments it.

But with that said, the PS4 and the supposed Vita TV integration it will have has me extremely interested in what they will bring to the table. The features it presents seem legitimately useful to me, and Sony really seems to have their crap together this generation. I'll seriously consider picking one up sometime down the line when they have a good selection of games. The Xbox One however... I might be a little bit biased since the Xbox 360 left a bitter taste in my mouth with the way Microsoft handled their dashboards and marketplace.

 

[Andy of Comix Inc]

"B-but Nintendo games are all the same!" is the argument I see trotted out of the mouths of people who clearly haven't played a Nintendo game for a decade.

 

[el_kabong]

Sure, we could talk about hardware and game libraries and ease of use. Really, All I care about is which one tastes the best.

 

[Cybylt]

"B-but Nintendo games are all the same!" is the argument I see trotted out of the mouths of people who clearly haven't played a Nintendo game for a decade.

Because "recognizable as the same franchise" is the exact same as changed nothing, I guess?

Nintendo games remain recognizable as being in the same series from entry to entry but often change or sets the games around entirely new or changed mechanics.

Skyward Sword, on the other hand, hyped up the necessity and awesomeness of Motion+, but in the end? It's a joke. A novelty. Metal Gear Rising required more precision with its sword-play than Skyward ever did. Seeing as you could beat ALL enemies just by swinging the wiimote side to side quickly

I gotta call bullshit on that part because there was a series of enemies with electric rods/shields designed to punish that play style exactly as well as enemies immune to horizontal slashes, so unless your entire experience was running through the forest slashing at baba stems you're talking out your ass. And metal gear rising, while very fun, had exactly one boss that required precision cuts, and one point in the game where they point out you can cut off people's hands only for a keycard (or you could just go cut the door down) everything else just let you mash the slice for a cathartic finish.

That said, the plugin wiimotion+ addon was shit, and you need the built in motion+ controllers to get the most out of the game. With that, you calibrate once when you turn on the system so it knows how far you are from the sensor and you're good to go all day.

 

[StHubi]

Recently someone asked me which console I would buy. As a convinced PC (often retro) gamer with a 3DS and a SNES for diversity my choice would be the Wii U especially because of the great Super Mario 3D World. From my point of view Jim probably got it right... Like he always does...

 

[lastjustice]

All honesty, when the WiiU was announced I didn't even realize it was a new console entirely. I thought it was just a new add-on or something, like the wheel or the gun or that pad thing or whatever. I mean new consoles weren't due for a year, right? It took me months to realize it was an actual CONSOLE.

You are not alone in that. Wii U, most parents don't seem to know that the Nintendo pronoun is a new system and are utterly confused by the worst named Console of All Time. Wii was a stupid name in it's own right, this is beyond that. Reminds me of a review of Transformers, Rodimus Prime, that's the stupidest name ever...Later in an episode where Hot Rod almost died...Spring would become the next Prime...Springermus Prime...ok we have a worse name.

They could have taken the lazy route and named it the Wii 2, and it would have been marketed better. I work at a store that sells all 3 of these systems, and no one gives a crap about the Wii U. I've had them sitting on the shelf for months. There wasn't people calling me asking constantly if we had Wii U's and if we were getting the Pronoun in any time soon. The hype machine has take the day off.

With all that said, yes it has a far more varied line up(even with the usual suspect of Mario, Zelda, smash bros ,Cart ,etc being brought in yet again.) than the stagnation that Sony and Microsoft are churning out. Those two systems generally seem to forget being accessible to a younger audience and being a family friendly product is something gaming needs. I can see why Jim says he feels wonder, as whimsical things like that tend to invoke it. It's a toy that's not ashamed of being a toy. I'm not saying the audience that Nintendo is chasing is the sole audience gaming should focus on, but it's so disjointed at the moment, that we see such extremes between both systems. Nintendo is covering what seems to be so underserved as options go any where else. I wish that there was a better balance between systems libraries.

Ultimately I have a PS3 as my main means of gaming , and I have no intention of picking up anything else any time soon. I took my sweet time even upgrading to the PS3 from a PS2. I bought a PS2 right away, and honestly buying a system at launch is for suckers. You pay way more , have barely any games to play for it, and the chances of there being defective models is greatest. (Oh the red rings) I'll come in a year or two from now, buy up a bundle with a game and an extra controller, and have a large used library to choose from. if I haven't played it, it's new to me. In the meanwhile I will keep picking up whatever PS3 titles I still haven't played and tide me over till I make my move.

Honestly who is really hyped about the current generation of system? I can't see why anyone is atm.

 

[MrJoyless]

I for the most part am a pc gamer.
Pcs are superior in graphics, price, and space saving.

LOL, #1 yes,
#2 no (unless you are just trying to beat consoles and not make a budget gaming rig, which are too close to console prices to matter)
and #3 no (since when did towers plus screens plus keyboard plus desk to put the damn thing on take up less space than my xbox that goes in the same thing my TV is already sitting on? and dont say laptops because then your #2 is def a no).

Sorry i just can't stand to see (insert platform) elitist statements that just aren't founded in reality.

However, there is one area pcs have not matched and that is innovation.
I own a Wii U for both the exclusive games and the sheer fun of the hardware.
That tablet controller is fun to play with.
I also like to play occasionally the motion controls.

I also like the fact that Nintendo does not care what other publishers are doing.
Instead Nintendo does what is best for them.

Honestly I hadn't thought to give the wiiu a try but if Mr Sterling says its solid, I might give it a spin, my wife loves Kirby anyway.

 

[PortalThinker113]

"B-but Nintendo games are all the same!" is the argument I see trotted out of the mouths of people who clearly haven't played a Nintendo game for a decade.

Because "recognizable as the same franchise" is the exact same as changed nothing, I guess?

Nintendo games remain recognizable as being in the same series from entry to entry but often change or sets the games around entirely new or changed mechanics.

Pretty much. Nintendo games routinely completely change their central design philosophy between titles while still feeling like a part of the core franchise, something that is incredibly difficult to do. There have been a total of 6 core 3D Mario titles (I would say 5 because I count Galaxy 1 and 2 as essentially one game, but it is objectively 6), and each one has been completely overhauled, from top to bottom, every single time (with the obvious exception of Galaxy 2, but that was a result of the development team having more ideas than could possibly fit into a single game).

Super Mario 64- Wrote the book on designing 3D games, central hub with Peach's castle, explorable levels, first of its kind.

Super Mario Sunshine- Cohesive tropical island theme without the standard "fire world, ice world, water world" stuff, water pack-based platforming utilizing hovering and shooting mechanics, single island world with different areas to explore.

Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2- Space themed, gravity-based platforming involving shifts of gravity and movement between large objects that I have yet to see replicated in any game, let alone another Mario game, huge scope with incredible visuals and possibly my favorite soundtrack in all of video games, levels made up of planetoids that each offer a different experience but all feel like a single cohesive level.

Super Mario 3D Land- An interesting experiment in combining 2D and 3D Mario gameplay, smaller levels designed with portability in mind. Basically a "what if" game trying to find out what would have happened had the transition between 2D and 3D been more gradual. Probably the safest and most conservative of them all, but it works on a portable, which was obviously the goal.

Super Mario 3D World- Making multiplayer work in a 3D platforming space. This is the only one I haven't played yet, but reviews seem to indicate that it diverges greatly from 3D Land and offers a great deal of unique and creative ideas that I haven't spoiled for myself yet.

So apparently all 6 of those are "exactly the same game," despite being centered around different mechanics and different design philosophies. If you consider all "games where you jump on platforms" to be the same, then by that logic, all first-person shooters are the same. All racing games are the same. Every racing game just involves driving cars around a track, right? Every FPS just involves the player moving from point A to point B and shooting dudes, right? Obviously not.

I really don't understand what some people consider to be "a different game" if that's what their standard is.

(Before the New Super Mario Bros series is discussed, yes, for the most part, that series is rehashed and preys on nostalgia. I'm not a huge fan of those games, although I did enjoy New Super Mario Bros U more than I expected to.)

 

[Yuuki]

Why is this video coming across as apologetic and making excuses? I lost count of how many times Jim said the words "...but right now." Consoles aren't about "right now" Jim, they are about the GENERATION and long-term entertainment.
Any sane person who doesn't have the attention-span of a toddler will obviously buy a PS4 or XBone (unless they are massive Mario/Zelda fans), because those consoles are going to have a massive library coming up with a far longer lifespan thanks to current-gen hardware. Wii U is previous-gen, it was released to compete with PS3 and 360.

I can see how a game journalist might get sick of having to review games all the time as their job and therefore start getting more and more desperate to see something "whoa surprising new!", but the most of us aren't game journalists.
There are countless people who unpacked their XBones and PS4's with just as much child-like glee and excitement as an 8-year-old may unpack their Wii U.

Usually Jim speaks the truth and I agree with him, but in this particular video he's on his own.

 

[PortalThinker113]

OP: As the owner of a Wii U, I 100% agree. The Wii U was the only console of the three that got me excited prior to launch, and I made it my first (and probably last) launch day console purchase. While I will be the first to admit that Nintendo has thoroughly wasted their head start and has not released as much as they should have, what they have released has been very enjoyable. I love the system, and I love the GamePad. It feels great and plays great- it has actually become my preferred controller.

The Wii U was something that I could get excited about- something immediately new and tangibly different. I'm sure I will be getting a PS4 or Xbox One at some point down the line, but at they moment they are just more powerful versions of the previous systems with a couple mediocre launch games. They certainly have a lot of excellent potential that I hope gets utilized, but right now I see no real reason to buy either of them. Kingdom Hearts III is really the only PS4/Xbox One game that I cannot get on my PC or Wii U that I'm really interested in, and I'm sure that won't be out until 2015/2016 at the earliest.

The Wii U probably won't end up being the best overall system of this generation, but did it have the most exciting and interesting launch? For me, at least, absolutely.