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lilbroex on 07 August 2012
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archbrix said:
cusman said:

Sound effects, soundtrack, art direction, technical polish (no loading, solid framerate, no bugs, etc), gameplay, level design, enemy AI, puzzles, story, character, writing / dialog, voice acting, network / social / multiplayer features, and also graphical production values (high res, dynamic lighting, shadows, bump-mapping, volumetric, and other such technical terms) all improve the experience.

Different things can be more important in that vast list of things that improve the experience depending on the consumer.

What Nintendo is saying poorly is that they believe the graphical barrier is so well invested that push it significantly higher at this point wont yield a proportionally better experience. There is a bigger need to invest in gameplay and innovation to make the experience fresher.

I get and appreciate their philosophy but it also pisses me off when they release something as ugly as Wario Ware when they are capable of producing games that look as beautiful as Mario Galaxy, Pikmin, Metroid Prime, and Zelda to name a few.

I have a love/hate relationship with Nintendo as a long time consumer of their products.

I don't believe that Nintendo is saying it poorly, but rather, some interpret what they're saying poorly.  Nintendo never said that the things listed in your first paragraph weren't important or did not improve the experience.  What Iwata in fact says is that power isn't ALL important and that wonderful graphics won't help IF the gameplay isn't good, and he's absolutely right about that. 

They basically also reference the point of diminishing returns, which is also very important.  You could have a console capable of near Avatar-quality graphics, but if it costs $1000+ and the games take 5 years to develop and have to sell 50m+ copies just to break even, the industry will crumble. 

I'm not saying that graphics and tech can't feasibly be better than WiiU, even right now, but Nintendo understands how the industry works and is looking to give devs new ways to enhance gameplay ideas... all while remaining in a realistic budget.

This is indeed it. That is why I am waiting for Microsoft and Sony to destroy themselves by trying to look big. If Microsoft makes a console with the specs that were rumored then Nintendo has the next gen in the bag beause it will cost to much to buy and too much to develop for in comparison.

The Wii u was designed with being able to make good looking games cheaply in mind. I still remember the comment they made a last year I believe. The dev kits for the Wii U are suppos to allow you to make games for the Wii U with the same ease as making a game for the Wii.