Mendon

I'd have to pry it from his cold, dead hands first... LOL He absolutely loves the game

I hear what you are saying, Albert... just doesn't make sense to me: With the Wii U, you get 32gb and that will not hold very many full game DL's, plus any eShop DL's you acquire. And Nintendo does not offer any type of official hard drive add-on, leaving it to the consumer to figure out what to do. 3DS isn't as bad because SD card prices are more reasonable and 3DS games are small, on average. Vita is terrible with its memory stick prices (it offers DL vouchers also, with the Walking Dead bundle a recent example) XboxOne and PS4 have huge games, huge patches/updates (Dead Rising 3 had a 16gb patch recently), and small hard drive space to fit all your games on. And while you can swap out the PS4 HD, the XB1 depends on external drives. Additional costs for storage added onto your already costly $400 - $500 purchase price of the system is one option, or play the install-uninstall game constantly. Many people lack high quality high speed internet service. Some don't have high speed internet service at all. On launch day, many servers crash with the number of people trying to get online, either to play or download. So instead of playing your new console or game, you're waiting around for a download & install, hoping everything is up and running that day. I get it that digital products make good business sense for the reasons you state. But from my consumer point of view, I think it has provided just as many (if not more) of a negative experience as it has a positive one. Others don't mind this new method of gaming, that's cool. But I'm too old and set in my ways and will not purchase a system or Game of the Year software title that is dependent on vouchers.

My son bought the game and I watched him play this game yesterday for about 30min. Graphically, the game is incredible. Retro put in a lot of nice, little touches going on in the backgrounds, like a woodpecker working on a tree. Level design seems very, very creative and switches frequently from running to mine car's to riding in barrels. With all that said, after watching my son play the game, I had no interest at all in taking the controller in hand when he offered it and playing the game myself. I guess it might just be me, but I'm really, really burnt out on Nintendo platformers. After 3 Mario games since launch and now a Donkey Kong platformer, I just have no interest in running & jumping from platform to platform while trying to find hidden puzzle pieces or collecting all the objects on the screen before a 20sec timer runs out. Been there, done that far to many times over the last 18 months of Wii U - 3DS ownership. If you like the game, that's great. But for me, I have no current interest at all in owning the game, even if the price fell.

I'm honestly curious.... why do console makers include download tokens/codes with a system purchase instead of a physical disk? Nintendo has been doing this for quite some time on the 3DS and Wii U, i.e. buy a Zelda or Pokemon 3DS and you get a download code for the game. Buy a Wii U and get a download code for NintendoLand. Now I see MS is releasing a Titanfall bundle, which includes a XB1 console and a download voucher for the game. Why doesn't Nintendo and MS just pack the game in on card/disk and save people some time in downloading, especially those that have poor internet connections? If it costs an extra $5 to include the disk, add it to the price so that the Titanfall bundle is $504 or the Zelda 3DS is $204. Maybe its just me, but I don't understand why these bundles are going more and more to packing in download codes/vouchers rather than a physical copy.

Yes it is. Same style as FF Tactics where you move and position your people. You promote them (giving them new abilities), equip them, hire & fire them, train them, and more. You have to build your facility, research new items to build, manufacture items..... lots to do but not overwhelming at all. Lots and lots of strategy & planning. I'm loving it.

Since I downloaded it for free (being a PS+ subscriber) I just started playing Xcom. AWESOME game and can't believe I didn't really pay attention to this game when it was first released. I still have Metro Last Light to check out but right now, I'm addicted to Xcom.

Maybe I'm looking at sales numbers the wrong way, but when you have 1.75 million consoles in Japan and you only sell 35,000 copies of a major Nintendo title in the first week of its release, that seems pretty bad to me.

The Japanese launch of DKCTF was Feb. 13th and in its first week sold just over 35,000 copies. OUCH! http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/02/donkey_kong_country_tropical_freeze_only_sells_just_over_35000_units_in_japanese_launch

A very poor tutorial is included that barely brushes the gameplay. There are two campaign modes: Merchant, which is basically you trading & bartering and running a store & warehouses while trying to build a town and become ultra rich; Adventurer, where you sail port to port buying & trading goods and taking on quests from governors, while building fleets of ships and battling pirates and becoming ultra-rich. You can become a pirate yourself, but that entails consequences of a new order. Incredible amount of micro-managing is involved in either mode and it is this aspect that has been confusing to me. Game sounded fun but it is nothing (so far) like playing Tropico or Sim City. Maybe I have to dig farther into the game to get more tutorial explanations, but as of right now, I'm not sure how much more I want to delve into it.

Just wondering if anyone has played Port Royale 3: Pirates & Merchants? I've really enjoyed playing games like Sim City or Tropico, so when I saw a used copy of Port Royale for the PS3 priced at $13, I grabbed it. But so far, I have NOT found the enjoyment with this game that I did with Tropico (both games made my Kalypso). After spending almost 2 and a half hours with PR3, I am totally & completely confused with the gameplay and how to be successful in playing either mode (Adventurer or Merchant). If you've played the game and have any hints, tips, or input, I'd appreciate you posting.

If this article is accurate, the Wii U is in worse trouble than I imagined: Less than 5% of developers show an interest in developing for Wii U. http://www.ubergizmo.com/2014/02/less-than-5-of-developers-show-interest-in-the-wii-u-poll/

Even Nintendo doesn't seem to know what to do with the gamepad. They certainly haven't made it an intricate part in any of their games, yet. In Super Mario World 3D you only use it to occasionally blow into the microphone or to touch a platform to raise/lower it. You don't need it in Pikmin 3, Windwaker, Super Mario U, or Luigi U. And as Cimerians said, its not even used at all in DKC. I don't know what, if anything, will change the current status of the Wii U. I really, really like my Wii U and have enjoyed quite a few games on it. But Nintendo is really blowing it, IMO, by not advertising/marketing, not giving 3rd parties any incentives to make software for the system, and the continued slow release of their own games on the system. I won't dump the system as I still enjoy it. But I sincerely doubt if I'll buy any more Wii U versions of multi-platform games as I cannot depend on any support, whether DLC or patches, after purchase. And that's a shame because the Wii U versions of Black Flag, Ghosts, Need for Speed, Injustice, and Batman Origins are very, very good.... they just aren't complete packages like other platforms receive.

The game looks good, and I'll pick it up but not on launch day. I'll wait for the usual Amazon price drop and grab it. Not trying to hijack the thread, but since you mentioned X, Cimerians, what would make me ecstatic is that since Nintendo and Sega are close buddies, I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to see another episode of Valkyria Chronicles be released for the Wii U. Would seem to be a natural fit, to me, and could use the gamepad for overhead maps, etc.

Box art for the Japanese retail release:

I absolutely couldn't stop laughing at this actual review of "The Lego Movie" from Amazon: This game was purchased for a kid named Brian and his three brothers down the street to play on their Xbox. The plan was to give it to him on his birthday before he left for school, but that was really the best part of the plan. After that, everything just proceeded to get worse. Tuesday morning was off to a later than usual start for me when I missed my clock AM radio go off. Having Mexican-prepared food from Panda Express the night before, I ended up making several trips to the bathroom throughout the night. With the last trip to the bathroom, I fell asleep on the toilet while playing a game of Angry Birds. It wasn't until I was awakened by an excruciating pain from my thighs downward as my legs began to wake up from their slumber after sitting for so long. As I looked over at my R/C Cola bathroom clock, I saw the time and realized I barely had enough to get the birthday present over. In a rush, I stood up from the toilet seat, grabbed my robe and slippers and began to head out the door with the Lego game in hand to deliver before his school bus arrived. During the course of which, the blood flow had not entirely returned to my legs and they began to give out on me as I was running across their driveway. This lead to me collapsing on the pavement, skinning my knee, soiling my briefs and rolling into the rose bushes for further scratches. For a what seemed like an hour, but maybe only been a minute or two as I was reeling in pain on the ground with the garden sprinklers turned on until I could regain my composition. I moved to get out of cold water that I was relentlessly being sprayed with. In so doing, I tore free of my soaked robe that had caught hold on the rose bushes. Clearing the sprinklers, aside from my slippers, formerly white Fruit of the Looms and the Lego game in hand, I was now standing almost entirely naked in the front lawn shivering. It was at that moment when the front door to the kid's house opened up. Waving at his mother who was still inside, he then turned around and saw me. His mom then came to the door with his forgotten lunch in hand and then joined him in staring at me in utter silence aside from the spray of the nearby sprinklers. "H..Ha. .Happy birthday" I said as I walked towards him and reaching up to give him the game. She screamed as she threw his sacked lunch at me. The bag pretty much exploded on impact with me and in a panic, I ran towards my home covered in Pepperidge Farm Goldfish, peanut butter and grape jelly. My run was stopped as the school bus full of children slammed on the brakes just in front of me. To this day, it is either the tinnitus or the piercing screams of all those children, but the ringing in my ears has not stopped. In the end, he never received the game. In some form of twisted fate, I was served a restraining order to not approach the kid or house by a clerk of the court pending a trial at a later date. Everything is NOT awesome with this game.

I don't know how it is in other cities, but on my local Craig's List, there are a LOT of used Xbox One consoles for sale in the $400 price range, and most include a game. Almost no used PS4's or Wii U's. As an example, yesterday there were 11 used XB1's (all with at least one game) priced $400 to $450, 1 PS4 with no game for $450, and no Wii U's. I just found it interesting in the number of discouraged XB1 purchasers in my town of 100,000.

I watched the Nintendo Direct yesterday and found it to be very unimpressive. Yes, Mario Kart and Donkey Kong look great. But other than those two, they showed nothing to me that hasn't been showed before or was a title I have no interest in. Kirby & Yoshi: nothing new that hasn't been done before. Mario Golf: looks good and I'd get it if it was on the Wii U but not interested in a 3DS version Rusty Baseball: no interest Steel Diver: doesn't interest me in the least X and Bayonetta 2: not interested in either title since I'm not into "huge sword" type of games NES Remix: again, nothing new or exciting. Left to Right Luigi: Yawn Indie games: they were almost identical, all 8bit platformers I really enjoy my Wii U system and have found multiple great games for it. But since 3rd party titles are almost completely non-exsistant on the system, I wold like to see some diversity in Nintendo releases.... something more than another Mario platformer (3 so far since the system released), or another "collect the stars/coins" game like the upcoming Donkey Kong - Kirby - Yoshi games, or another Lego game. How about something different, Nintendo: an Eternal Darkness or Golden Sun or a Pokemon Snap Wii U? Try something other than "the usual". And finally, how about making the Gameboy titles cross platform, i.e. I can play Metroid Fusion on both the Wii u AND 3DS?

As it quite obvious, the Wii U is having trouble getting 3rd party support, with many companies totally skipping the console with their upcoming games. The latest situation regarding Watch Dog's is a great example: rumors started floating around that the Wii U version was cancelled based on some GameStop release lists not showing a release date; then rumors started floating around that it wasn't cancelled at all and that the GS lists were false; then UBIsoft announced that the Wii U version would be released but with an unspecified date and delay after every other console version is released. Right now, many believe that Watch Dog's on the Wii U will follow the path of Aliens: Colonial Marines, in that it was announced for release, then delayed, then cancelled. I've been sitting here reading the various stories on various web sites concerning the Wii U problems, but I'm not sure what an answer is to 3rd party support. Look at these examples: Batman Origins was released and pre-pays were taken on the Season Pass for DLC. Suddenly WB announces that there will be no DLC for the Wii and is refunding the pre-pays. Call of Duty Ghosts is released but no DLC is being released or planned. Assassins Creed Black Flag is released but no DLC is being released or planned. Splinter Cell Blacklist is released but without the multi-player mode that all other versions got. UBIsoft said they didn't even make back their development costs on ZombieU, a system exclusive and launch title, so a sequel has been rejected. EA reworked Need for Speed Most Wanted for the Wii U and many gave it extremely positive reviews; some said it was the best version for any system. Yet it only sold approx. 20,000 copies and EA said "Enough; we're done". So for me, it sort of poses the question: On the one hand, if Wii U owners won't buy games, why should a company support that platform? On the other hand, if Wii U owners get versions of games that are incomplete and unsupported, why should Wii U owners buy that game or the Wii U version of the game? How can either Wii U owners or software companies win in a situation like this? Any thoughts?

Not me!! I'm at that age where Lego games are the only ones I can beat anymore!

From what I saw on Amazon, all console versions (PS3, Xbox360, Wii U) of the game were $49.99 with no wording at all that the price was $10 off the regular price. And since GameStop, Walmart, Best Buy, etc are also selling the game at $50, I'm of the belief that $50 is MSRP. I think the higher MSRP price for XB1 & PS4 is due to the lack of games currently available for the two systems, so companies feel free to charge a premium price. Was the same when Wii U released, in that EA charged $60 for Mass Effect 3 even though Mass Effect Trilogy had just released for PS3-Xbox360 at the same price.

..... that the new game "Lego the Movie" is $50 for every console version except the XB1 & PS4, which are priced at $60? Hmmmm... I wonder why these two consoles demand a $10 higher price??

And Nintendo, PLEASE get TVii to actually work. I tried it with the Super Bowl last night and between the lag and lock-up's, it wasn't a pleasant experience. The little prediction game they had going on during the SB was really fun when I got it to work; sort of reminded me of playing 1 vs. 100 on the Xbox. But all too often, after taking part in 5 or 6 questions, the lag would hit and the gamepad would not respond to my input and I'd get a "You Timed Out" response or I'd be locked up and have to quit out of TVii and come back in. Nintendo, you know how many consoles you have sold in NA since the Wii U launch and there is really no excuse to not have adequate servers up and running for an event such as this, especially when you are promoting it!

Are those actual Knack bundles or is it Walmart is requiring you to buy the game if you buy a PS4? Only reason I ask is because I didn't know that Sony had PS4 bundles available (like they do with PS3, i.e. Uncharted Bundle or Last of Us Bundle).

I just picked up Assassin's Creed for $30 so I'll be throwing that in the PS4 and see how it is. Did anyone (other than Daytona) pick up Pinball Arcade? If so, any comments on how it is would be appreciated!

And I noticed that Amazon has had PS4's in stock for the last 4 days after not having any for over a month. Must be Sony is finally getting stock to the stores. But what is up with the camera??? I don't want one but noticed that a lot of people do and sellers are asking more than double the $60 MSRP.