30 years old. Worst performing, maybe. Functionally, it's the best Nintendo system yet. Obviously. It's better than the N64, the GameCube and the Wii. I would take this machine over any Yamauchi era Nintendo console barre SNES. It's only missing games and software/service improvements that can help justify the price of entry. Competition is making it harder for them to get those games, and for their own games to carry the same weight, but it'll be the most affordable console still receiving new games beyond 2013/14 and that will ensure it has some hope of carving a place for itself, however small. It's still very early days, and despite the dire prognosis, I don't think Nintendo have put a single finger in their pocket to try and turn it around yet. They're being very austere and just getting on with making games... Time will tell on whether they're any good and whether they will eventually realise marketing is important, but their pedigree, even through the Wii generation, suggests their own games will be awesome.
I don't believe Retro have been working on DKCTF alone. Whether they've only had another project in pre production or if its actually underway. Given DKCR's popularity, I think they see the new DK game as being a cost-effective project to buy time for something bigger budget, in the same way that NSMBU was. Their hirings over the last few years have suggested Nintendo still see them as a large budget dev team IMO. Retro in the West, Monolith in the East.. Both have leant a hand in internal titles while working on their own and both are big enough to plan and produce big titles. I might be wrong, but I just don't think we've seen all they're up to.
I'm pretty happy about the Pikmin / W101 deal in Europe. I was going to get W101 anyway, but that 30% discount means I'll definitely get Pikmin too.
