I'd just like to know what evidence or metric Tom is using for his premise that no one is excited about these announcements? It seems to me that a great many folks are excited about this, but I have nothing more than general trends which I am seeing in forums and such. If he is just basing his premise on a gut feeling or the level of his excitement in his social circles, his evidence is as anecdotal as anyone else's and the argument becomes pretty easy to refute: it's just he-said-she-said from the very outset.

He is right in pointing out that Nintendo has no third party support, but that is an expectation that should have died during the N64 era. I honestly think that anyone who expected this to change with the Wii U is a fool. They do need more new IPs, however - that cannot be denied. Then again, Nintendo is showing a clear signs of pursuing partnership with developers outside their homegrown studios (e.g. Platinum), and their own games are still usually fun and well designed: they just need to change things up. I don't know if I'm as cynical as Tom when it comes to judging their ability to break away from the past. Only time will tell I guess. Besides, early in the life cycle they usually pump out a bunch standard Nintendo stuff to fill out the library. The interesting stuff comes after the fact.

In any case, the more pressing issue with the Wii U is more to do with their archaic on-line account and DRM system and their god-awful firmware - which Tom is 100% correct in criticising.

Or maybe Tom is just angry that Dark Souls 2 won't be on Wii U? :D

Ah, yes, I thought this guy lost all credibility after his abortive presidential run for the Green Party aided George W. Bush's first election?

We have violent games in Canada. We have mentally ill in Canada. You know what we don't have in Canada? A tonne of assault weaponry readily available to the general public. Way to miss the point, you dinosaur.

This actually isn't a terrible idea but it would also need to apply to violence in other forms of media like books, movies, and music. Oh, and I thought your Republicans didn't raise taxes?

@JamesThePrince Yup .Nintendo is just trying to get people to buy old 3DS models. Wait about a year and they might start doing proper XL bundles with new releases.

Bah. The only reason I even come to this site is because I paid a modest sum to avoid adds. Once that is gone: cya.

I also sincerely hope CBS interactive doesn't shove this bull down Giant Bomb's throat.

Might be the best news I have heard come out of this mess.

Those figures for Homefront 2 have to be exaggerated for those who still think there is a bull market for military shooters.

Ugh.

I have a fundamental problem with the idea that greater complexity automatically equals depth and a better game and that accessibility or simplicity means a less satisfying experience. It is simply elitist to dismiss a game as having won because it might appeal to a slightly broader audience.I'm not even saying that I disagree with your assertion that Endless Space or CKII are better games or more deserving of the award (how could I? It is purely based on opinion) but your dismissal of XCOM is essentially self-aggrandizing and says little of the quality of any game in question.The "my game is more hardcore" argument is out of style and was never particularly valid to begin with.

This is a tough friggin' category, man. Spelunky brings the fundamentals hard and backs it up with depth and style. Trine 2 was charming and beautifully rendered, Soundshapes might be the most interesting game of this bunch, and even New Super Mario Bros U is supposed to be the best of those games (even if there are a ton of them now).

@Efix484 Careful you don't fall off your high horse, there, buddy.And Endless Space, XCOM, and Crusader Kings are all turn-based not real time strategy (RTS) games