No Release Date Yet?

[Sean]

I play on my iPad so much I honestly don't know how much time I'd put into playing on TV, so I'm not in a hurry for a big-screen version. Besides the Wii U release schedule is pretty full as it is!

 

[Queue]

I'm in the same boat as you, Sean. My only other device that supports TPA is a tablet, and unless the Wii-U port has some visual and/or physics improvements over the 360 and PS3 versions, along with bug fixes and engine optimizations, I don't have much incentive to re-purchase a game that I technically already own. Farsight is going to have to offer a little more than DMD on the gamepad to win me over at this point.

 

[Queue]

I bring more news. This time it's good! According to Farsight, the Wii-U port will have the same rendering tech as the 360 and the PS3 ports. However, it will have higher anisotropic filtering, meaning that it will have a crisper image than those ports. Here is the official statement:

The game is still coming out on Wii-U, it is intended for release before the end of the year. It will not have new light tech, or any real new tech for that matter (aside from use of the screen in the controller) due to the fact that it is pretty weak, resource-wise. However, the one area where we have managed to squeeze in a bit of graphical enhancements is in anisotropic texture filtering, which we've been able to squeeze a bit extra out of the hardware compared to other consoles, so the tables should look a bit smoother than the ps3 version.

Coupled with optional off-screen play (I assume), this could make the Wii-U port the best of the current iteration of TPA. Seeing as I'm not all that impressed by the new lighting tech in the PS4 port, I find this to be somewhat encouraging. If the Wii-U port will also have the latest bug fixes from the tablet versions, I will be back on board to support it upon release.

 

[Rafie]

More than likely the PS4/Xbox 1 versions will be the best versions because of the new graphical settings. Still, at least the Wii U version will be better than the last gen's. (which isn't saying much because they are last gen) Releasing before end of the year? Well it's all good. I'll keep playing the IPad/PS3 versions (and Xbox 360 whenever the DLC drops) until the Wii U version comes. I'm only interested in seeing the DMD in the gamepad. That right there is the deal breaker for me.

 

[Queue]

More than likely the PS4/Xbox 1 versions will be the best versions because of the new graphical settings.

Correct, which is why I said that the Wii-U port may be the best of the CURRENT iteration of TPA, meaning the last gen. It's not going to have all the new fancy lighting tech from the PS4 port (I never expected it to), but I'm happy nonetheless that it will have a sharper version of what we've seen on the PS3. I don't particularly care for the vibrant lighting in the PS4 port anyway, so that's not much of a loss to me.

DMD on the gamepad doesn't particularly interest me because I will opt to use the pro controller, if possible, when playing on the television. The ability for off-screen play on the gamepad does intrigue me, however, and I hope to see that as an option whenever it's released.

 

[Sumez]

What's the latest update on Wii U? I don't recall seeing any mention of it in the past many newsletters, it's like they are trying to give it a silent burial similar to the XBLA version. I'm not pleased. :|

 

[Illuminosopher]

I wouldn't worry to much, they probably don't know exactly when it will be released ether.
my speculations are that ether they are fine tuning the game to get the most they can out of wii u hardware (maybe they found that they are able to do some of what ps4 can do and are adding into the wii u)
or maybe it has had something to do with the wii u updates as of late.

again I can only speculate, but I don't think they would abandon the nintendo platform after all I believe their old pinball hall of fame games did best on the nintendo platform.

 

[Mark W**a]

After seeing Mario World 3D, as well as Pikmin, W101, Zelda HD and Bayonetta 2, X in the future... I'm kinda leaning Wii U now.

Is this version still going to happen?

 

[Illuminosopher]

They might be waiting to release it around the same time as the ps4 version, as I think it has been stated that they wanted to release it as a launch game with that platform.
though that being said I think they might of said something similar for the wii u as well around it's launch...

But I would say the outlook is good they released a video of it running on the wii u, it would be a bit foolish not to release it after going that far.

 

[Queue]

Is this version still going to happen?

Their last official statement was that it is intended (not scheduled) for release before the end of the year. Beyond that, I cannot say.

 

[Queue]

Farsight gave another statement today concerning the release of the Wii-U version. They said that it was still planned to be released before the end of the year, but they no longer know how realistic of a goal that is (their words). Make of that what you will.

Read the thread here: https://www.facebook.com/pinballarcade/posts/637758592911871

 

[Sumez]

Sigh...

 

[Mark W**a]

Farsight gave another statement today concerning the release of the Wii-U version. They said that it was still planned to be released before the end of the year, but they no longer know how realistic of a goal that is (their words). Make of that what you will.

Read the thread here: https://www.facebook.com/pinballarcade/posts/637758592911871

"We are going to see how Wii U sells this holiday, before we outright cancel our plans for Wii U" is pretty much what I'm thinking.

Well it's a shame because I would have gladly saved 100$ and picked up a Wii U for Pinball Arcade but now I'm going PS4.

 

[Illuminosopher]

"We are going to see how Wii U sells this holiday, before we outright cancel our plans for Wii U" is pretty much what I'm thinking.

Well it's a shame because I would have gladly saved 100$ and picked up a Wii U for Pinball Arcade but now I'm going PS4.

I don't see this as a sign of canceling after all all of their kickstarters have had a wii u option, wouldn't they have to issue refunds if it never came out? (or maybe not refunds but their definitely would be some backlash from fans)

I think they are probably just swamped with putting out new tables and getting the PC and PS4 versions out.

That being said it would be nice if they were a little more transparent with their motives on wii u.

 

[Queue]

"We are going to see how Wii U sells this holiday, before we outright cancel our plans for Wii U" is pretty much what I'm thinking.

It's unlikely, in my opinion, that TPA will never see the light of day on the Wii-U, because the additional revenue of reaching more players generally outweighs the cost of expanding on to other platforms. However, due to the Wii-U's poor initial sales, Farsight probably took a financial risk to temporarily shelve the Wii-U port while they focused on development for the PS4, which is currently expected to be a more lucrative platform than the Wii-U (that could change after the PS4 and Xbone launch, though).

Nevertheless, if you haven't bought either system yet, you might as well invest in a PS4 if your main concern is to play TPA on a home console, because Farsight seems to be betting on the PS4 being their primary platform for the next gen. Although I expect TPA to eventually be released on to the Wii-U, I have strong misgivings that it will be properly maintained if Wii-U sales don't pick up by next year. Their development team is way too small to provide equal support for every platform, and the platforms which generate the least revenue will probably be neglected while they focus on what sells.

That being said it would be nice if they were a little more transparent with their motives on wii u.

You're definitely right about that; however, Farsight's PR issues extend far beyond the Wii-U. It took some pretty incessant nagging on my part before they were willing divulge any technical information about the Wii-U port, and what little they did reveal amounted to a slightly sharper version of what we've seen on the PS3. I don't know if that's still the case, but the last time I spoke to them, they appeared very uninterested in tailoring custom rendering tech for the Wii-U's system specs.

 

[dreassic]

It's a damn shame it's looking likely Farsight is the next in a very long line of 3rd parties being completely dishonest with their intentions regarding wiiu. Guess they don't want my money then.

 

[Queue]

I've been impressed enough by Farsight's response to feedback and criticism of the PS4 port that I finally broke down and preordered a PS4. I couldn't really afford it, but I've given up on the Wii-U being anything other than a first-party-only platform.

Miyamoto recently said in an interview that Mario games won't need online co-op for at least another ten years, which I think amply demonstrates just how out of touch Nintendo execs are with modern gaming. I had really high hopes for the Wii-U being the premier next-gen platform, but thanks to Nintendo's PR bungling and poor development decisions, it's looking to be little more than the second incarnation of Wii (or the third incarnation of Gamecube, if we're talking about CPUs).

I'm still looking forward to great Nintendo first-party titles like Mario Kart and Smash Bros, but I'll be getting my TPA fix elsewhere. Investing in an outdated version of a DLC game on a subpar platform is probably a very bad idea. PS4 and PC are the future of TPA.

 

[Sumez]

Miyamoto recently said in an interview that Mario games won't need online co-op for at least another ten years, which I think amply demonstrates just how out of touch Nintendo execs are with modern gaming.

That's fine with me. If playing co-op online is the modern age of gaming, I'm fine with being stuck in the middle ages where you share co-op games with friends, sitting in a couch, laughing and enjoying the game together.

Otherwise yeah, I am also slowly drifting away from switching to WiiU as my "main" TPA platform. The problem with PS4 is that I'd have to buy one first.

 

[Queue]

That's fine with me. If playing co-op online is the modern age of gaming, I'm fine with being stuck in the middle ages where you share co-op games with friends, sitting in a couch, laughing and enjoying the game together.

Don't get me wrong. I enjoy offline, in-person multiplayer gaming just as much as the next guy, and even prefer it to online multiplayer. It's indisputably more fun. The only problem is that I'm no longer a child. I'm a single male adult gamer, and I don't have the luxury of playing video games with friends and family whenever I want. I don't know that many adults who play video games, either, so I'm literally dependent upon the internet to connect with other adult gamers.

The majority of adult gamers suffer the same issue, which goes back to the underlying point of my complaint: Nintendo is still marketing almost exclusively to children and families. There isn't necessarily anything wrong with that, truth be told. Nintendo has always been a family-oriented company, and if they want to continue with that business model, they're more than welcome to. However, by doing so, they're alienating an entire demographic of gamers from their platform, and as gaming becomes progressively more adult-oriented, they'll continue to lose customers in the long term. It's highly questionable whether it is any longer a sustainable business model, and the poor initial sales of the 3DS and the Wii-U seem to indicate the contrary.

I only say this as a lifelong Nintendo fan who wants nothing more than for Nintendo to continue as a dominant force in the console market. I just hope that they one day stop slighting the advancements of modern gaming and instead incorporate them into their platform for the betterment of their fanbase. Because there really is no excuse for lack of online play in 2013 (soon to be 2014).

 

[Sumez]

Poor sales of 3DS? Seriously?