No Release Date Yet?

[DokkenRokken]

I highly doubt we'll see any progress on this until the PS4/XBOX360/XBOXONE stuff is all finished and caught up. It certainly doesn't help that the Wii-U isn't doing so good.

The last I saw on the FB page when someone asked, Farsight said they were busy working on the systems I mentioned above.

Nobody ever makes games on any Nintendo system as great as Nintendo themselves. When you buy one of their consoles, you should be going in with the understanding that you are buying it on faith that they will deliver great games. I plan on buying a Wii U eventually and I think Nintendo has some great games coming out in the next year. But starting with the N64 they started losing third party support. When I bought a Gamecube it was well into the lifespan and I was buying it just for the first and second party games. I would bet Mario Kart 8 will look as good or better as most games on the Xbone and PS4 but I would not buy the Wii U for third party games, including pinball arcade.

Exactly, and that certainly doesn't help the situation either.

Personally, I think it would help Nintendo greatly if they let other people license their products like Sega. It would certainly recoup a lot of the losses over the years. (Plus we'd finally be able to get "Super Mario Bros" on the TPA!)

 

[Sean]

They do let other companies work on their IP: Namco is doing the next Smash Bros. game and they did an arcade version of Mario Kart. You're just not going to see that stuff on another platform. Now if Farsight was going to make the Mario pinball game exclusive to the Wii U edition of TPA, I bet we'd see that get a release.

 

[DokkenRokken]

You're just not going to see that stuff on another platform. Now if Farsight was going to make the Mario pinball game exclusive to the Wii U edition of TPA, I bet we'd see that get a release.

That's what I meant, hence my Sega reference.

 

[Zombie Aladdin]

Nobody ever makes games on any Nintendo system as great as Nintendo themselves. When you buy one of their consoles, you should be going in with the understanding that you are buying it on faith that they will deliver great games. I plan on buying a Wii U eventually and I think Nintendo has some great games coming out in the next year. But starting with the N64 they started losing third party support. When I bought a Gamecube it was well into the lifespan and I was buying it just for the first and second party games. I would bet Mario Kart 8 will look as good or better as most games on the Xbone and PS4 but I would not buy the Wii U for third party games, including pinball arcade.

This is because Nintendo has a stigma that causes some 3rd-party companies to dislike it ever since the 5th generation of systems.

With the Nintendo 64 and the Gamecube, 3rd-party support was good at first but dwindled off due to the difficulty of making games for the Nintendo 64 and its cartridge medium whereas the Gamecube had a rather unfriendly developer's kit and, at least in North America, had the unfortunate problem of being a foreign-made system that wasn't the best-selling system. This would sour relations with other companies until the Wii's developer's kit was made friendly and the system proved a success, but more on that on a later paragraph.

The PlayStation 1's marketing consisted largely of branding Nintendo's systems as "kiddy" with the PlayStation having cool games for cool kids. This worked so well that the image has persisted since, though it's died down substantially since then. Even then, the PlayStation still markets itself as the cool and edgy platform. (Incidentally, this marketing had the largest effect on kids--considering even kids knew calling something "kiddy" derogatorily was hypocritical, the word has since changed to "babyish.") Nintendo, unlike Sony or Microsoft, has always focused itself as a family-friendly company, which, to these kids, is a turn-off. A lot of people working in the gaming industry have this same mindset and don't like making games for Nintendo's systems because they want to distance themselves away from Nintendo.

Nintendo is also a company with strange strategies as a business. Every now and then, it will play a has-been in the business, only to explode back onto the scene and substantially change how video gaming is like. It did this with the NES and did it again with the Wii. Other game companies would naturally not take this change too well, since it means they now suddenly have to shift their priorities and develop games differently. (Trip Hawkins, lead programmer at Electronic Arts in the '80s, was forced to make NES games kicking and screaming--he said that he would rather drive EA out of business than develop for Nintendo.) This is the reason for a lot of shoddy-quality motion control games during the 7th generation: Developers realized that motion control is working very well for Nintendo and decided that they must capitalize on the success of games like Wii Sports and Wii Fit or die. The problem is that they failed to see the quality and detail Nintendo devotes into these titles, instead seeing their simplicity and straightforwardness and thinking that these must be low-effort games because anything will please Grandma. The Wii audience is more discerning of quality than these incumbent developers believe, and they paid for their condescending attitude with decreased sales on the Wii.

These reasons combine to make low-quality, dumbed-down, and in some cases "kiddier" ports (as with Ghostbusters and Madden NFL) to Nintendo systems. It's because developers perceive Nintendo as a company that can only sell to little kids and old people, two demographics developers like Rockstar and EA are not really interested in. They don't put their heart into making games for Nintendo systems, and as a result, people are dissatisfied with their games and they don't sell quite as well.

That being said, there are a few 3rd-party companies that can sell games very well on Nintendo's systems. Ubisoft, Capcom, SEGA, and Activision have all found success releasing games on Nintendo systems. This is because they DO release games on Nintendo with passion, and they understand, to one extent or another, what Nintendo is trying to do. There are even a few small Japanese developers who only develop games for Nintendo systems, like Alpha Dream and Genius Sonority, because of it.

I don't know if I agree about no one making games on a Nintendo system as good as Nintendo themselves. I would argue that Clover studio, Platinum, Treasure, M2, Capcom, Atlus, and Namco (and probably a few others) made games every bit as good as the games Nintendo puts out. Not to mention second parties like Retro and HAL.

Heh, I like how your list has little in common with mine. I should add in Level-5 too. Professor Layton sells like crazy.

Exactly, and that certainly doesn't help the situation either.

Personally, I think it would help Nintendo greatly if they let other people license their products like Sega. It would certainly recoup a lot of the losses over the years. (Plus we'd finally be able to get "Super Mario Bros" on the TPA!)

In Satoru iwata's recent announcement regarding changes in business strategies through 2014, one of them is to ease up on permission of licenses. Iwata believes that because Nintendo has been so very persnickety on what they allow, the lack of Nintendo merchandise meant exposure to Nintendo characters is low.

 

[StarDust4Ever]

Farsight needs to do something. As much as I enjoy the game on Ouya, it has a few issues and I believe the tables could really shine on Wii-U. Yes, I have a PS3 that I don't use all that much, but Nintendo is my first and only love. Funny that Zen Pinball is on Wii-U but not on Ouya; the reverse is true for TPA. For whatever reason, I'd like to enjoy my eggs/pinballs in the same basket...

Still the fact remains had TPA not been available on Ouya, I would likely have gotten it on PS3. I've primarily used the PS3 for Bluray, Little Big Planet, and multiplatform games not available on Nintendo. Got exited too when Minecraft came out last year. Either way I've resigned myself not to purchase Pinball Arcade on the PS3 in hopes that Wii-U will someday become reality. Ouya is my primary platform and I don't plan on buying it more than twice. Also lately since I moved all my game systems into my bedroom (retro and current) I've been spoiled by late night sessions on the Gamepad. FTR, I'm typing this post on it right now...

 

[Zombie Aladdin]

That reminds me: I'll be interested in seeing if the Wii U sales change any with Mario Kart 8, which should now be available in most regions (but not half of North America as of when I'm typing this).

 

[StarDust4Ever]

That reminds me: I'll be interested in seeing if the Wii U sales change any with Mario Kart 8, which should now be available in most regions (but not half of North America as of when I'm typing this).

First thing in the morning, it's strait to Gamestop to pick up my copy of MK8!

 

[Sebinouse]

First thing in the morning, it's strait to Gamestop to pick up my copy of MK8!

Now that MK8 is out can we hope for the pinball arcade release on WiiU ?

 

[StarDust4Ever]

Now that MK8 is out can we hope for the pinball arcade release on WiiU ?

Well, the Wii-U logo is still being displayed prominently on the website. Wii-U sales are up like 400-600% since MK8 released. You hear that Farsight? I'm prepared to make a dual purchase if you just release it on Wii-U. The off-TV feature would be great for playing pinball in bed as well...

 

[Sebinouse]

According to this page, WiiU release has been one again postponed ... after XBOX release ...
and after that it will be postponed after Linux/RaspberryPi release ???

... it's been almost two years since we first saw the WiiU video ... and nothing so far ! It's very frustrating when you see the potential of the gamepad as a pinball controller : you have your hands comfortably on both sides, nudge can be precisely triggered by the motion sensors and you have a screen dedicated for the DMD ... What else do you need ?

 

[Espy]

According to this page, WiiU release has been one again postponed ... after XBOX release ...
and after that it will be postponed after Linux/RaspberryPi release ???

... it's been almost two years since we first saw the WiiU video ... and nothing so far ! It's very frustrating when you see the potential of the gamepad as a pinball controller : you have your hands comfortably on both sides, nudge can be precisely triggered by the motion sensors and you have a screen dedicated for the DMD ... What else do you need ?

Users.

 

[Sebinouse]

ok ...
(very friendly this forum ...)

 

[StarDust4Ever]

According to this page, WiiU release has been one again postponed ... after XBOX release ...
and after that it will be postponed after Linux/RaspberryPi release ???

... it's been almost two years since we first saw the WiiU video ... and nothing so far ! It's very frustrating when you see the potential of the gamepad as a pinball controller : you have your hands comfortably on both sides, nudge can be precisely triggered by the motion sensors and you have a screen dedicated for the DMD ... What else do you need ?

IDK what to say at this point. Farsight needs to put out or shut up. They have been displaying the Wii-U logo prominently on their site for as long as I have been following them (since before launch). Wii-U sales are up thanks to Mario Kart 8.

Casuals are beginning to pick up this system now and I believe there is a general lack of Pinball apps, Zen excepted. I've already downloaded all the non-Marvel tables and Star Wars DLC as well. I would repurchase seasons 1, 2, and 3 if it released on Wii-U since it's superior to Ouya and plus I've been royally spoiled by off-TV play on the Gamepad.

That's at least 90 bucks for seasons 123, plus pro mode on Scared Stiff as well as a couple of ball packs (I love the Eyeball texture as I use it on all the spooky/carnival themed tables). Farsight, I'm throwing cash at my Gamepad and nothing's happening...

 

[Espy]

ok ...
(very friendly this forum ...)

Sorry, my post was tongue-in-cheek.

I have a Wii U myself and love it. But given how complex an application TPA is, Farsight are not likely to release TPA until it has a sold userbase. Yes, sales went up when MK8 was released, but a single game isn't going to turn the tides for the console.

I think it will grow in popularity, but not now.

 

[Sean]

They've re-iterated an intention to release for Wii U. I expect the long-awaited return to Xbox is taking longer than expected so that's fair enough to get re-launched there prior to tackling a new platform. Depending upon how they approach DLC (discount level for season packs; price per table) I expect I'll pick up around half the machines. If it's twenty quid per season for the released tables I'll do the lot.

I'd expect them to wait until after season 3 completes so they can start fresh multi-platform releases with season 4.

 

[Kratos3]

I still love the DMD on the controller functionality. I'd love to see that with PS4 and a Vita.

 

[StarDust4Ever]

I still love the DMD on the controller functionality. I'd love to see that with PS4 and a Vita.

Last I heard, Vita was practically dead...

 

[Kratos3]

Last I heard, Vita was practically dead...

I guess the Wii U section is a good place to talk about it then.

 

[StarDust4Ever]

Based on some accounts, many stores are closing out Vita stock. That can't be good...
http://atariage.com/forums/topic/226992-i-picked-a-bad-time-to-quit-ampheti-er-buy-a-vita/

 

[Espy]

Vita won't ever "die" as it's extremely popular in Japan. We'll still see a trickle of games, but I don't see it getting a huge boost in popularity.

I personally don't like the size of it, combined with the analogue sticks sticking out of it. Doesn't make it very portable. On the flipside, I love my 3DS to death. Maybe I'm biased.