Hey there guys!
Been awhile since I made one of these failed Discussion topics. Perhaps using Resident Evil and Final Fantasy and hoping to get some meaningful discussion on a general level wasn't going to get people to communicate, so I'm going to try a more Wii U oriented approach this time around.
This time, it's all about Nintendo Land! I think it would be rather joyous to see how everyone rips into what is perhaps the most controversial launch title the Wii U ever received.... err, that might go to Mass Effect 3: Special Edition, now that I think about it...
Unlike previous discussions, this isn't a speculation on what a title could be like. It already is a game, so this is more or less a place for people to review their experiences, and talk about what they should've taken out, what they should've put in, and whether or not we feel as a community that Nintendo should make another one.
As usual, this is a formal topic. No trolling, bickering, tearing into other people's posts or shagging the neighbour's dog to prove a point. Everything is opinionated and for the sake of meaningful discussion.
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So what exactly was 'Nintendo Land'
Really, am I really doing this?
I feel it's important we are all on the same page here before we even start, even if this one is as basic as putting milk onto eggs. You don't know how much milk I put on my eggs. I used to think it was a lot. Then Mig and PWN showed me I know less than Jon Snow. Anyway:
- Wii U Launch title
- Party Category
- Purposely made to showcase certain ways the Gamepad could be used, in both a 1 player setting and a 5 player setting
- One of Nintendo's first efforts in producing a HD Nintendo title
- Probably belongs to the "Mii" series of games. Probably
- The whole game referenced to other Nintendo serials in the form of a theme park setting
That's the basic gist of the game without getting opinionated. The game was essentially a set of various mini-games, with rewards and a hub world.
And this is the part where Auzzie makes us set up a tent and roll our eyes
I brought marshmallows
Where to begin with opinions? I think I'll go with where I think they went wrong, and then proceed to what I think they could've done to make it more appealing.
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Nintendo, ever the Innovator
Or so they tell me
But you know what, I reckon they went overboard. Nintendo Land is so centrally focused on the Gamepad, it leaves little to be desired in terms of awards and gameplay. I think what sucks even more is that they focused a lot on how the Gamepad is used in a multi user setting. Both of these have massive drawbacks and oversights.
To begin with, a lone player can only play 7 out of the 10 attractions, and not everyone has the ability to gain a 2nd player. For a lone player, this is quite the bummer. Paying full price for something that doesn't have all of its functions available to you is quite a bad taste in the mouth.
And I feel that, because so many of the games were focused on playing with the Gamepad, there was little room to create an attraction that was just a 'jump in, have fun' effect. It's not like Nintendo was forced into making sure every attraction had a Gamepad gimmick. But they did, and so I didn't feel any love for any particular attraction. Actually, I was hoping there would be an attraction I would keep slugging at the more I played it, but it never happened.
Awards felt random at times. Not all the time, but sometimes. Stamps were okay, given that the attractions were short. I'm used to having a game where there are rewards aplenty, both bare and hidden.
Most of the attractions felt like I was strolling along, with next to no difficulty scaling to make it harder and to work harder at it. I think strangely enough it was the Pikmin attraction that provided a challenge every now and then.
The game overall felt content-less. Rushed even. And the thing about it that will always rustle my jimmies is that it was something Nintendo actually tried to hype up. They went and used a pretty big chunk of their E3 presentation on it.
Well, now that I vented out on the things why I didn't like Nintendo Land overall, here's some things I think could of made it a lot more amazing.
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Nintendo Land 2/Super Nintendo Land/Nintendo Landmaster
That moment when I was gonna do a Snoop reference too
* Online
Perhaps a crucial point. I'm not necessarily talking online multiplayer, although I wouldn't mind that. I feel that leaderboards and DLC are standard fare. Considering that these are attractions where score can be calculated, leaderboards aren't a bad idea, even the ability to challenge other people to beat your score to be fun. Heck, you could probably download a ghost run of whatever that other guy did and see if you can improve upon it.
As for DLC, I would honestly have had a couple of free packs available in the first two months, each with an attraction and more rewards added, and then whenever Nintendo decides they made a bright spark of an attraction, add them in cheaply. I wouldn't mind paying $5 for an extra attraction (keep in mind, I'm Australian so it would be even cheaper for you guys). They probably sat around a table for days trying to figure out which franchises they wanted in, and Takamaru looks like they decided to wild card the last one.
You could also get a lot more attractions this way. A lot more. They could probably find ways to make the single player games into multiplayer ones as they figure them out.
Also one other thing I'll talk about later.
* Attraction Themes based on an Actual Game Entry
I believe it would've been cooler for each attraction to based on an actual game, as opposed to the serial. Say for example, Mario Chase. An actual Game Entry would be using Super Mario Galaxy, as an example. The level would come of all space oriented, and they could probably recreate actual mechanics of the game to spice up the metagame here and there.
There's also the other thing: Nintendo probably felt compelled to have only one attraction per serial. However, if they did base them on the individualities of a title, then they could easily do multiple entries. For example: a Wind Waker attraction wouldn't likely play out like a Minish Cap attraction... and so, from either the get go or through DLC, you can have more.
Also, Elite Beat Agents, Kururin, Golden Sun, Sin and Punishment, Starfox, Starfy, Pokemon, Kirby, Kid Icarus, WarioWare, Advance Wars, Fire Emblem, Captain Rainbow etc.
* AI
Seriously, the least they could of done with the Mario, Luigi and Animal Crossing attractions was incorporate AI so you could play them solo. They could of made it so you'd have to deal with brutally good ones or pathetic ones if you wanted.
* Rewards, Collections and Costumes
Basically, a reward is a reward. Some 1 second admiration item you can place in your hub if you wanted to. Some of them you'd get for beating an attraction in various ways (stamps, essentially). Others you get from finding in the attraction, or cashing out to Monita.
Now a Collection. That's what happens when you get a lot of rewards that belong in the same group, though they don't all necessarily came from the same attraction. The thing is, the ones that aren't the stamps, they can be accumulated. You could have 30 Power Stars for all I care. From there, you could trade your excess items for ones you don't have, with other people online. All in the sake of completing your various collections.
And Costumes! They aren't part of any Collection, but you can still accumulate and trade them around. But now you don't have to stick with those weird ones that Miis get dressed in anymore. I was also going to say that depending on the attraction, your costume has a unique ability so you can try to get an edge on the leaderboards, or just try to beat the level, but that could be taking it too far.
(Sorry, no cross-dressing. Considered 'abnormal')
* Jukebox
Be the master of your own music lineup. At any time go to the pause menu and setup your own tracklist. You can unlock more as you play the attractions and there might even be some hidden ones to go find. It's like the CD's in Brawl except without the smashing and the specials and the Conveyor belt custom stages.
* Devil Mode
For when you feel that attractions have become too easy. Up the difficulty in whatever way you see fit. Watch, as the number and rarity of rewards become lovely when you can manage to beat an attraction.
* Invaders
Mii's wearing outfits of third party characters will loiter around your hub world and challenge you to beat their combined score over several challenges. Do it and they give you that third party character's costume.
And sometimes, some big guy in a Nintendo bad guy suit will make a mess of your hub world for the lolz. How evil indeed.
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Feel free to post what you think should've been in Nintendo Land, or in a new one in the future. As usual, this is supposed to be a mature discussion between gamers, so no trolling each other.
