Crazy Caffeinated Predictions - Nintendo Switch for $199.99 and launch games!

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We are less than an hour away from learning all about the Nintendo Switch and its planned release! What Nintendo first party games will be available day one? What third party games will be available? But, most importantly I believe, what will its price be?

I have been making posts around different places (Twitter and reddit mainly), about what I hope the Switch's price will be, and why I think it's important.

How much do I think the Nintendo Switch will be at launch? Brew yourself some coffee, and let's take a look at that and some more of my crazy, caffeinated, predictions!

Caffeinated Thoughts (I finished a Venti Starbucks Doubleshot on Ice about an hour before I started this):
Some of the below is a direct copy/paste of a comment I made on reddit a few days ago, with some edits.

Nintendo is not releasing the Switch in a vacuum. Nintendo already dominates the portable video game market with dedicated hardware via the 3DS (though odd note: The 3DS is absent from all stores at the moment in my area, and can't be ordered directly from major websites.). Sony and Microsoft are winning the home console race, specifically Sony.

How does Nintendo plan to appeal to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One owners, and even their own 3DS owners, at $300? I don't think they will.

Nintendo will probably get a good percentage of Zelda fans buying the Switch day one that skipped the Wii U, but that number is below 10 million.

Nintendo will have about two million Switch units ready for its worldwide launch. One latest rumor is they are now aiming for 2.5 million to be available, if that rumor turns out to be correct.

How does Nintendo make the Switch appealing, and continue to keep the Switch flying off shelves? I believe price is extremely important. I think they need to make it $100 less than the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and advertise and market it like crazy. I'm not talking crazy like the Wii U launch ads in the U.S., those were crazy horrible.

What helped the Wii win its console generation? Price. It was $150 less than the best Xbox 360 bundle, and $250 below the cheapest PS3 bundle at launch. It was the lowest priced home console.

The Wii was the lowest priced console, included Wii Sports bundled in at that price, and Nintendo couldn't keep the Wii on store shelves for 2+ years?

Sony had major issues with pricing at launch, and Microsoft had hardware issues (RROD).

Nintendo does not want the Switch to be a Wii U in terms of sales, and probably not even a GameCube (though, it was better than the Wii U). Nintendo probably wants the Switch to be a Wii in terms of sales, at least I would think.

Is Nintendo releasing something less powerful than the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, but pricing it at the Xbox One level of $299.99? I don't think they will.

Tablets are as cheap as a few bags of dirt these days. I paid $33 for an Amazon Kindle for one of our sons for Christmas. It plays games. It does YouTube. It does apps. Amazon is dominating the sub-$100 tablet market. Apple is dominating the higher end tablet market.

People that own those tablets can do Pokemon Go already, and iPad/iPhone owners now have Super Mario Run with that being released on Android later.

If Nintendo thinks that Mario will save them, or even Zelda, I think they need to simply look at the Wii U. The Wii U had some awesome Mario games (Super Mario 3D World is fantastic, and I recommend it highly, just finished a level in it before typing this), but those games didn't do a thing to help keep the Wii U from failing.

The Wii U had Hyrule Warriors, Wind Waker, and Twilight Princess (and are we still assuming BotW?). It didn't help the system's performance.

If Nintendo fails the Switch at launch, it's a hard road to recovery, like what happened with the Wii U.

I think the Switch needs to be under $200 for major success and for it not to end up like Wii U, but maybe Nintendo will try $250 for launch to get all the hardcore fans' extra cash early, then drop it to $200 for the holidays? Maybe the Switch will be more powerful than the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One combined with Duck Tape, and Nintendo will say they are going for the higher end market to justify a higher price? Maybe, but I don't think so.

Where am I getting the sub-$200 price idea from? First, a rumor from 2015. You can read it here:

https://kevincallahangames.wordpress.com/2015/06/29/exciting-times-coming-next-year/

Second, Nintendo's partnership with Nvidia and Nvidia's own Shield Tablets that have released on the market since 2013.

When was the last Nvidia Shield tablet released? November 2015.

What was it priced? $200.

The Nvidia Shield K1 has an 8", 1080p screen. The Nintendo Switch? 6, 720p screen.

The Nvidia Shield K1 did not include a controller, but I am assuming the Nintendo Switch will include the Joy-Cons, and of course the docking station, in a base bundle.

Sony dominated the PS2 era, and they controlled pricing. Nintendo better not forget that. It didn't matter the GameCube was $100 less at launch, because Sony dropped the PlayStation 2 down to $199.99 about six months after the GameCube released, and that basically sealed the deal for Sony winning that generation.

Will Nintendo really gamble and release the Switch at the same price as the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One? I don't see how that is a recipe for success, even if they have exclusive games and big exclusive third party titles.

I think they need to "hit the ground running" with the Switch, and not stop.

Resident Evil 4, and all those Capcom deals on the GameCube. Didn't matter.

Price is important. What did one Sony representative say happened when Microsoft announced the price of the Xbox One? Something like Sony representatives were running up and down the aisles celebrating, because the PS4 would be $100 cheaper?

Who is dominating, and has been? Sony. Do we even know Microsoft's Xbox One sales numbers? (Honest question, I looked and didn't find them.) Sony's $100 price difference and sales of the PS4 basically forced Microsoft to abandon the Kinect, to get the price down quickly.

I don't think $250 for the Switch + costs of a game is a smart move, but I am glad to be proven wrong. If the Switch is priced at $249.99, it makes it $300+, just like the PS4 and Xbox One, when you buy The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Both the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One had console bundles that were discounted down to $250 during the holidays.

Games?

I do think The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will be a launch day title for the Switch, just like Twilight Princess was on the Wii. I also think Nintendo may delay the Wii U version, to make the Switch a more attractive buy to the hardcore Zelda fans that want it day one.

Some people were saying they heard Breath of the Wild might not be ready for March, and when I heard that, I tweeted out that if Zelda wasn't ready, maybe the system wasn't ready. I think Breath of the Wild is a must for the Switch's launch.

The rumor I posted above from 2015 said Diddy Kong Racing 2 was in the works for Nintendo's console that was to be released in 2016 (so, I assume it is the Switch), and I think having another racing title at launch like Diddy Kong Racing would be awesome, but I'm almost thinking that maybe Nintendo is going to morph what was Diddy Kong Racing 2, into Mario Kart for the Switch.

They could be putting all the Donkey Kong/Diddy Kong levels in the game, and put Diddy Kong in it as well. I could be wrong, but I'm excited to see if there was any validity behind the Diddy Kong Racing rumor.

Nintendo has been working with Japanese developers a lot more closely the last few years. They made a great deal with PlatinumGames in getting Bayonetta 2 (and the original) released on the Wii U, as well as The Wonderful 101. PlatinumGames also helped Nintendo in the development of Star Fox for the Wii U.

I'm thinking that there will be a PlatinumGames title for the Switch's launch, and I think it will be Vanquish 2, probably with the original Vanquish included just like they did with the Bayonetta series on the Wii U.

Quick Crazy Caffeinated Nintendo Switch Predictions:

Price - $199.99, in some fashion. Base bundle at the very least, with no game.

Games:

1) The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, launch day release.

2) Vanquish 2, with the original included, launch day release.

3) Diddy Kong Racing 2, launch day release, or massive Mario Kart 8 update with Diddy Kong and tons of new levels.

4) Craziest of the crazy predictions. Nintendo will announce the Nintendo 3DS is no longer being produced, and the Nintendo Switch will be their only video game console in production so they can concentrate on one system.

5) Eternal Darkness is announced for the Switch.

6) Metroid is teased, but no official release date. Just a teaser trailer.

7) Endless Ocean is getting the HD treatment, with both the Wii titles being ported to the Switch.

Questions:

Am I crazy for hoping and thinking it will be under $200? We will find out in about 25 minutes!

Which console to buy?! Wii U, PlayStation 4, or Xbox One? 2013 Holiday Console Buying Guide

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It's not a secret that I enjoy games on Nintendo systems, and the Wii was my most played system of the last generation consoles (PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii). The Wii U has been my most played system over the last year though, and I have really enjoyed my time with the games on the system.

Every "next generation" home console system is now out in the U.S., though the newest two (PlayStation 4 and Xbox One) might be kind of hard to find right now. While the Wii U released last year and I bought it day one, I have not purchased either the PlayStation 4 or the Xbox One. Why?

Well, in short, because I'm pretty cheap. I have never purchased more than one console each generation, when they first release. I have always started with buying the lowest priced console in any new or "next" generation, and then usually pick up additional systems as their prices drop.

If you own a Wii, PlayStation 3, or Xbox 360 and are debating on buying a Wii U, PlayStation 4, or Xbox One this holiday season, which one would I recommend? Brew yourself some coffee, and take a look below at CoffeeWithGames' 2013 Holiday Console Buying Guide!

To quit, or not to quit? Black Ops II online match - played via Wii U GamePad Off-TV Play

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Call of Duty: Black Ops II is currently my most played Wii U game, and has been for much of the past year. It will probably be my most played Wii U game for much of the entire time the console is out.

The majority of my time in Black Ops II has been playing online multiplayer, mainly Team Deathmatch battles. I never quit matches in Black Ops II (or other online games that I play) just because I'm losing. While I may occasionally have to ditch a game I'm in the middle of because I lose track of the time, it's never because I'm losing (or my team may be losing).

So, in a recent online match when my Kill/Death ratio was 1/11 at one point. Did I choose to quit, or not to quit? The video below is of that recent Black Ops II match I played on the Wii U, and despite getting off to a HORRIBLE start for my team (as you will see), I stuck with it and turned things around a bit:

If you're wondering about the title of the video, and this post, I played the match using the Wii U's GamePad Off-TV Play. And it's how I have spent the majority of my time playing Call of Duty: Black Ops II.

Questions
If you play online multiplayer games, like Black Ops II, do you find yourself sticking matches out (like Nick said he does as well earlier this year)? Or do you quit matches if it seems there is no hope?

Also as a side question, if you have picked up Call of Duty: Ghosts on the Wii U and were playing Black Ops II first, what do you think of Ghosts? Good? Bad? Better?

I get emails and questions about what I use to record and upload my videos, and you can see both the capture device and software I used for this video below:

FPS Friday! CoffeeWithGames Game Night - Black Ops II Wii U match footage

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Well, it has been an interesting week. Sunday started off with the first official CoffeeWithGames Game Night playing some matches in Call of Duty: Black Ops II on the Wii U. Then Monday night I started working on putting together a video of one of the matches from the Game Night.

Before I digress into the video rendering issues I have experienced though, the video above is from the very first match of the CoffeeWithGames Game Night on Sunday. I believe it's also the very first video I have uploaded in 1080p, though I'm not very good at telling the difference between 1080p and 720p myself.

I have been using the Elgato Game Capture HD device since January of this year, and while I initially had some issues with rendering files out back in January in my video editing software, I quickly solved that problem. Then Monday happened. I tried rendering out one of the Black Ops II matches from the previous night, as I had done many times before with videos and trailer, but upon rendering the video out from the match, it became EXTREMELY blurry.

So, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and yesterday (Thursday), I randomly spent time trying to fix the rendering issues. Again, I now capture my gameplay videos using the Elgato Game Capture HD, but I edit them together using Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10.0 edition, which is the video editing software I have used for pretty much the last 3 years.

No matter what I tried, how many times I re-recorded the match, re-rendered the video, it was always turning out extremely blurry after rendering the video. So, while my solution for what I HOPE is a permanent fix using Elgato video files with Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD, I think that's for another post altogether.

If you watched the video above, you can see the match went pretty well for the team I was on. I was able to play for just over an hour, and got in several more matches in the game, all playing just regular Team Deathmatch battles. The first match was actually my best match in terms of my kill/death ratio for the night, but I enjoyed all of the matches.

So, while the first CoffeeWithGames Game Night was a success in terms of getting some matches in, being that a new Call of Duty will be releasing in just over a month now for the Wii U, I'm not sure how many more Black Ops II Game Nights there will be!

If you own a Wii U and are interested in Black Ops II, it is STILL currently on sale for just $19.99 on Amazon.com. You can click the image above to be taken directly to the game's Amazon.com page if you would like. If you own a Wii U and Black Ops II, my NNID is Coffees and feel free to send me an invite.

Questions
Have any of you been playing Call of Duty: Black Ops II on the Wii U and enjoying it, but perhaps are now looking forward to when Call of Duty: Ghosts releases in November for the Wii U?

You can see new and used prices for Black Ops II on Amazon.com below, as well as the pre-order page for Call of Duty: Ghosts Wii U:


*Disclaimer: My copy of Call of Duty: Black Ops II Wii U was provided by Activision for coverage purposes.

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Interview: Ripstone on Pure Chess Wii U & 2DS/3DS release plans, cross-platform play, & more! (Part 2)

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Last week, I published the first part of an interview I had with Ripstone's Phil Gaskell regarding Pure Chess that will soon be heading to the Wii U and 3DS systems. In the first part of the interview, we covered whether Pure Chess has real-time online multiplayer, how many "Play By Mail" games the Wii U and 3DS versions will have compared to the PlayStation 3 version, and if either the Wii U or 3DS version would feature Trophies like what are in the PlayStation 3 version.

I also had the chance to ask what chess fans in general might enjoy about the game, and what features should appeal the most to them. You can read the first part of the it, "Interview: Ripstone on Pure Chess Wii U & 3DS - Trophies, Multiplayer, & More", HERE.

Now, are there any plans on releasing Pure Chess outside of European and North American eShops, perhaps in Japan and Australia? Is there any plan to update the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita versions of Pure Chess to allow cross-platform play?

Brew yourself some coffee, and find out the answers to those questions and a few more, below!

Call of Duty: Ghosts Trailer - Updated Wii U GamePad Version

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Earlier this week, Activision released an "Official Call of Duty: Ghosts Single Player Campaign Trailer".

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with Call of Duty: Black Ops II on the Wii U, as you can see here, here, and here, and I'm looking forward to seeing how some of the changes, like sliding, in Ghosts might change up gameplay and strategy in online multiplayer.

While Call of Duty: Ghosts will be releasing for the PC, PlayStation 3, Wii U, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on November 5th, I am most interested in the Wii U version of the game. Why?

Well, there are multiple reasons, but the biggest reasons are Call of Duty: Ghosts' Wii U GamePad Off-TV Play feature, free online multiplayer, and the optional Wii Remote and Nunchuk controls for when my GamePad battery gets low.

I have updated the "Official Call of Duty: Ghosts Single Player Campaign Trailer", to show how I will most likely spend the majority of my time playing the game, showing the trailer on just the Wii U GamePad.

Brew yourself some coffee, and watch my updated Wii U version below!

Dear Mr. Iwata, Please fix this Nintendo of America problem...

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There are some people in the video game industry that like to place all the blame for Nintendo's current financial and Wii U situation on Mr. Iwata, the current CEO of Nintendo Company and now CEO of Nintendo of America as well. Some of those people deny that employees and management in other regions for Nintendo, like at Nintendo of America for example, might actually be part of Nintendo's overall problem as well though.

There is currently one Nintendo problem though, directly related to Nintendo of America's region, that I don't think Mr. Iwata made and might not even be aware that the problem exists. At least, I don't think he would have made this decision, based on one of his own more recent comments. It is a problem that Mr. Iwata now as CEO of Nintendo of America can hopefully address and get fixed though, for consumers and Nintendo investors.

What problem do I think Mr. Iwata as CEO of Nintendo of America should fix? Brew yourself some coffee, and keep reading to see!

Mutant Mudds Deluxe, easy enough for kids, hard enough for parents? One big difference between the PC and Wii U versions.

Not all images are from Mutant Mudds, but one is inspired by it.

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Mutant Mudds Deluxe released today on the Wii U and is available to purchase from the eShop for $9.99. The game was developed and published by Renegade Kid, and has an ESRB rating of "EVERYONE" with "Mild Fantasy Violence" listed as content for parents and gamers to be aware of.

I purchased the PC version of Mutant Mudds last year when it released, and you can read some of my impressions of that version HERE. Bean 1 (our oldest son) started playing the PC version, after watching me play it, and considering his age he is pretty good at the game using mouse and keyboard controls.

I was planning on buying the Wii U version today so he could play it with a more standard controller and button layout (like what he's used to with the Mario games); plus, I really enjoyed the PC version and wanted to play the new levels added to the Wii U version.

I saw that Renegade Kid was doing a contest giving away copies of the Wii U game. It was a drawing/art contest, but they even made it possible for a "non-artist" like myself to be able to enter, giving us an option to create a digital image or collage using existing images.

Did we win one of the contest giveaways? Brew yourself some coffee, and hit the jump to see the image I created (if you missed it already) for the contest, and a video of Bean 1 playing one of the levels in Mutant Mudds Deluxe on the Wii U!

Animal Crossing: City Folk, how much has it been played? Official Nintendo Channel data report

Tom Nook should be used in Super Smash Bros. 3DS/Wii U, he could rob
you of your health as he does of bells in the Animal Crossing games.

Coffee Beans
The Animal Crossing games seem to follow the Mario Kart games formula, that formula being where only one game from the series is released per console. Animal Crossing: New Leaf just released for the Nintendo 3DS in the U.S. this week, and is the first 3DS Animal Crossing game. Before jumping to the trailer for the new 3DS game, we're looking at Tom Nook's Wii outing.

Animal Crossing: City Folk released for Wii on November 16, 2008. The game was developed by Nintendo's EAD studio, and it received an ESRB rating of "EVERYONE" with "Comic Mischief" listed as content for parents and gamers to be aware of.

If you own a Wii, or even a Wii U because of its backwards compatibility with Wii games, you can now get Animal Crossing: City Folk for under $20 as a Nintendo Selects title. How many hours might you expect from the game if you have never played it though? Brew yourself some coffee, and let's take a look at the official U.S. Wii Nintendo Channel data to get an idea!

Interview: Sniper Elite V2 Wii U - What about an eShop digital version, demo, and reasons to play this version?

Do armor-piercing rounds work on this, really?

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Did you know that Sniper Elite V2 on the Wii U runs at a higher resolution than the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions, due to the Wii U's hardware strengths? If not, you can read where Rebellion's CEO and Creative Directory, Jason Kingsley, said it in the first interview about the game posted up last week, HERE.

Sniper Elite V2 released last month for the Wii U on May 21st, and it received an ESRB rating of "MATURE" with "Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language" listed as content for parents and gamers to be aware of. If you're looking to buy the game, you should be able to find it now on sites like Amazon.com and in stores like GameStop.

What if you're a Wii U Deluxe Set owner and like downloading your games to take advantage of the Deluxe Digital Promotion though? While there isn't a Wii U eShop digital version yet, I did ask 505 Games about it, as well as if they are planning a demo for the game. Brew yourself some coffee, and read on to find out those details as well as what features Wii U owners might enjoy if they have already played another version of Sniper Elite V2!

Sonic and the Secret Rings, how much has it been played? Official Nintendo Channel data report

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On May 17th, Nintendo announced they had made a deal with SEGA securing the release of the next Sonic the Hedgehog title, known as Sonic Lost World, as an exclusive title for the Nintendo Wii U and Nintendo 3DS systems. Sonic Lost World is said to be an "action platforming" game, which makes it the first Wii U Sonic game in that genre. Before looking forward at the Wii U's first Sonic action platforming game though, let's take a look at the Wii's first action platforming Sonic game that was released over 6 years ago now.

Sonic and the Secret Rings was Sonic's first retail outing on the Wii in the "action platforming" genre, the first of many though. The game was developed by SEGA of America, and released for the Wii on February 20, 2007. It received an ESRB rating of "EVERYONE" with "Cartoon Violence" listed as content for parents and gamers to be aware of.

If you own a Wii, or even a Wii U, you can find Sonic and the Secret Rings for under $20 now if you're interested in the game. How many hours can you expect from Sonic's first action platforming Wii game though? Brew yourself some coffee, and let's take a look at the official U.S. Wii Nintendo Channel data to get an idea!

Interview: Sniper Elite V2 Wii U - What about the DLC and Miiverse updates?

Excellent sniping spot! Behind the planes, behind a tank, and behind sandbags!

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Sniper Elite V2 released a few weeks ago for the Wii U, and the description for the game on the Wii U's eShop says, "You are elite US sniper, Karl Fairburne, sent behind enemy lines into besieged Berlin during the final moments of World War II. You uncover a horrifying plot which threatens to kill millions of civilians throughout Western Europe, and which would irreversibly change history as we now know it. Make every single bullet count or the world dies with you."

If you don't know, the game was originally developed by Rebellion and published by 505 Games for the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 last year. The Wii U version currently has a MSRP of $59.99, and received an ESRB rating of "MATURE" with "Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language" listed as content for parents and gamers to be aware of.

I reached out to Rebellion and 505 Games with some questions about Sniper Elite V2 on the Wii U, such as will the game be updated to allow in-game pictures to be posted to its Miiverse community? Also, what about the DLC for the Wii U version? I did receive answers to these questions about the game, and a few more as well, so brew yourself some coffee and hit the jump to learn more about Sniper Elite V2 for the Wii U!

Fortune Street, how much has it been played? Official U.S. Wii Nintendo Channel data report

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About 2 weeks ago, Matt from DigitallyDownloaded.net and I were exchanging some emails, and he inquired about the game-play hours for Fortune Street. It had been almost a year since I had last covered the game, and you can read the first Nintendo Channel data report on it, HERE. It has now been more than a year since I covered the game, so let's take another look!

Fortune Street released in the U.S. for the Wii on December 5, 2011, with a MSRP of $49.99. The game was developed by Square Enix, and published by Nintendo for its U.S. release. It received an ESRB rating of "EVERYONE" with "Comic Mischief" listed as content for parents and gamers to be aware of.

A description for the game on the Nintendo Channel says, "Players race around the board trying to accumulate wealth and hit a target value while buying, selling and trading property with friends and family to see who can be the first to cash out. What appears at first to be a simple property-buying board game offers multiple levels of money-maximizing opportunity."

The game has been out almost a year-and-a-half now, but how much has it actually been played? If you own a Wii or even now a Wii U, and skipped over Fortune Street when it released, how many hours might you expect from the game if you decide to buy it now? Brew yourself some coffee, and let's take a look at the official U.S. Wii Nintendo Channel data to see how many hours Wii owners have reported playing the game, and what the average hours "Per person" are reported so far!

Super Mario Galaxy 2, how much has it been played? U.S. Wii Nintendo Channel data report

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E3 is right around the corner and while Nintendo won't be holding their typical E3 press conference, they will be doing a Nintendo Direct for the Wii U on June 11th, and smaller conferences at E3 as well. The Wii U's first 3D Mario game is supposed to be shown this year, and even be at E3 in playable form (maybe even at the Best Buy E3 Wii U demo stations?).

Before looking forward at the Wii U's first 3D Mario title, with whatever trailer and news Nintendo shares at E3, let's take a look at one of the Wii's 3D Mario action/platforming games: Super Mario Galaxy 2.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 released for the Wii on May 23, 2010 with a MSRP of $49.99, and received an ESRB rating of "EVERYONE" with "Mild Cartoon Violence" listed as content for parents and gamers to be aware of. The game was developed by Nintendo's EAD studio, like the original Super Mario Galaxy was as well.

If you own a Wii or Wii U and haven't played Super Mario Galaxy 2, but are interested in it, how many hours can you expect from it? Brew yourself some coffee, and let's take a look at the official U.S. Wii Nintendo Channel data to see how many hours Wii owners have reported playing the game, and the average hours reported so far!

Donkey Kong Country Returns! How much have U.S. Wii owners reported playing? Official U.S. Nintendo Channel data report.

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Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong have been platforming buddies since the 90s. Sometimes they work together, other times they work to help the other out. It just depends which adventure you play.

Donkey Kong Country Returns was one of Nintendo's surprise Wii games at E3 2010, and the game released on November 21, 2010 that same year with a MSRP of $49.99. It was developed by Retro Games (known for developing the Metroid Prime games), and of course published by Nintendo.

Donkey Kong Country Returns is now available for the Nintendo 3DS system with a MSRP of $34.99, and like the Wii version, it also received an ESRB rating of "EVERYONE" with "Mild Cartoon Violence" listed as content for parents and gamers to be aware of.

If you own a Wii or Wii U, or now even a Nintendo 3DS, and are interested in Donkey Kong Country Returns (3D), how many hours can you expect from it? Brew yourself some coffee, and let's take a look at the official U.S. Wii Nintendo Channel data and the average hours reported!

Super Metroid! How much has it been played? Official U.S. Nintendo Channel data report.

Coffee Beans
Super Metroid originally released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in 1994. The game was re-released for the Wii's Virtual Console service on August 20, 2007, and is available to download for 800 Wii Points, which is $8.

Nintendo just released Super Metroid for the Wii U's Virtual Console service, and you can currently purchase the Wii U version for only 30 cents until June 13th, and then the game should be available for $7.99. Both the Wii and Wii U versions received an ESRB rating of "EVERYONE" with "Mild Violence" listed as content for parents and gamers to be aware of.

The software description for the game on the Wii U eShop says, "The Space Pirates, merciless agents of the evil Mother Brain, have stolen the last Metroid from a research station, and once again Mother Brain threatens the safety of the galaxy! Samus Aran must don her awesome array of high-tech weaponry to retrieve the deadly Metroid hidden deep within the cave-riddled planet Zebes. Super Metroid features excellent graphics, with a huge variety of enemies and worlds to explore. The side-view action will be familiar to many players, only now there are new weapons and items, including the Grappling Beam, which allows Samus to swing across large chasms, and the X-Ray Scope, which reveals secret passages."

If you own a Wii or Wii U, how many hours can you expect from Super Metroid? Also, how many U.S. Wii owners have game-play data reported for the game through the Nintendo Channel, since it released in 2007? Brew yourself some coffee, and let's take a look at the official U.S. Nintendo Channel data for Super Metroid!

Movie Magic Monday! Iron Man's average hours, total hours, & review scores averages. Official Nintendo Channel data report.

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Iron Man 3 released last Friday, and is doing a nice job of wracking up hundreds of millions of dollars. With Iron Man 3 having just released last week, for this Movie Magic Monday feature we're taking a look at the first Iron Man video game on the Nintendo Wii.

Iron Man was developed by Artificial Mind and Movement, and published by Sega. The game was released on May 2, 2008 and received an ESRB rating of "TEEN" with "Alcohol Reference, Mild Language, Violence" listed as content for parents and gamers to be aware of.

A description for the game on Amazon.com says, "Iron Man, one of Marvel's most indestructible Super Heroes, is blasting onto video game platforms and the big screen next year (2008). The epic, action-packed Marvel Studios production will be directed by John Favreau and stars Robert Downey Jr., Jeff Bridges, Terrence Howard and Gwyneth Paltrow. This third-person action game will immerse players in explosive militaristic combat from the film with loads of additional content created exclusively for the game."

The original Iron Man movie has a runtime of 2 Hours 6 Minutes, but how many hours can you expect from the Iron Man video game? Did the "additional content created exclusively for the game" as the game's description says, add more hours of "explosive militaristic combat" to the game than what the movie provided viewers? Brew yourself some coffee, and let's take a look at the official Nintendo Channel data for Iron Man!

ExciteBots: Trick Racing! Hours spent playing the Wii's most bizarre racer! Official U.S. Nintendo Channel data report.

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Can you imagine a video game sales pitch to a publisher which mentions, "Sandwiches: Drive through the ingredients in the proper order to make a delicious sandwich.", as a mini-game feature? Probably not? Yeah, I couldn't either until I saw it in motion and did just that in ExciteBots: Trick Racing on the Wii!

ExciteBots: Trick Racing released for the Wii in the U.S. on April 20, 2009, with two SKUs available for purchase. One SKU included the game with the Wii Wheel peripheral, the other SKU was just the game only.

ExciteBots was developed by Monster Games, the same developer behind the Wii launch title Excite Truck and the 3DS launch title PilotWings Resort. The game was published by Nintendo, and received an ESRB rating of "EVERYONE" with "Mild Fantasy Violence" listed as content for parents and gamers to be aware of.

How many hours have U.S. Wii owners spent making sandwiches, playing darts, bowling, and throwing pies at clowns during races in ExciteBots: Trick Racing, since the game released just over 4 years ago? If you own a Wii, or even a Wii U, how many hours might you expect from ExciteBots: Trick Racing should you buy it? Brew yourself some coffee, and let's take a look!

Wii U update(s). Five things to be fixed, or improved, but not yet mentioned by Nintendo.

Coffee Beans
Nintendo is set to release the first big Wii U system update next week, with a second big system update planned for the summer.

What will this first Wii U system update fix? Well, Nintendo released a video in March showing the update should improve loading times when exiting from Wii U games to the system's main menu.

Other than improving Wii U loading times though, Mr. Iwata just addressed some other features that the Wii U's "Spring System Update" will address when it releases next week. In a Nintendo Direct this morning (April 17th), these are some of the features said to be addressed with the update:
1) Adds ability to copy/move data between two USB HDDs.
2) Download and install software in the background, while playing games.
3) Download and install updates, even when the system is off.
4) Software updates can automatically start downloading, without having to start the game.
5) Holding the B button when turning the system on, will jump you straight to the Wii U's Wii Mode channel.

Also, Mr. Iwata said the Wii U's Virtual Console service will become available next week, the day after the system update. (I'm guessing next Thursday, April 18th for the Virtual Console, April 17th for the system update?)

While these five updates are nice, what are some things that I think should be patched to make the Wii U a better system overall? What are (at least) five things that Nintendo hasn't mentioned the Wii U patch(es) will address, that I think could/should be? Brew yourself some coffee, and let's take a look!

How much has Xenoblade Chronicles been played? Official U.S. Nintendo Channel data report.

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Xenoblade Chronicles released last year in the U.S. on April 6th. The game was sold exclusively at GameStop (stores and online) and had a MSRP of $49.99.

The game was developed by Monolith Soft and published by Nintendo, and received an ESRB rating of "TEEN" with "Blood, Mild Language, Partial Nudity, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence" listed as content for parents and gamers to be aware of.

How many hours have U.S. Wii owners reported playing the Xenoblade Chronicles since it released last year, and about how many U.S. Wii owners now have data reported for the game? Brew yourself some coffee, and let's take a look at the official U.S. Nintendo Channel data, as well as other information about Xenoblade Chronicles!