Topic: The OFFICIAL Big N rumor thread *bring your own salt*

[Ian Sane]

Ignore quality, ignore stuff like how Mario is a spin-off of Donkey Kong.  All through this generation Nintendo fans don't get the real thing, we get spin-offs.

How can one ignore something like quality? That's the entire point of a product designed to entertain. There's nothing wrong with a spin-off so long as it's fun.

How can someone ignore something like quality?  It happens all the time!  All sorts of great stuff sells poorly and we're talking about sales here.

[Adrock]

/sigh

That's not the point. Allow me to rephrase the question: How can one ignore something like quality in this discussion? You're railing against spin-offs because they're spinoffs as if there's something wrong with the game because it's a spinoff. I disagree. You're telling us (specifically Chozo) to ignore the quality of these games but one can't separate the quality of something because that is tied directly to its value. It's not about sales; it's about how good it is as a product.

[Kairon]

I think Ian is saying that a product's subjective value to potential consumers has more to it than impartial quality, or pure fun. It could be rejected as a matter of principle (How dare they sell me a taco salad when I've been asking for tacos!) or simple disinterest (I like tacos, but am not interested in trying a taco salad). The disconnect doesn't come from the product per se, but originates in the mind of the person evaluating it.

[MagicCow64]

I'm just sick of spin-offs of existing franchises made specifically for the "Nintendo audience".  The Wii was full of that crap and Nintendo fans became hostile to that sort of thing really quick.  Remember the huge fuss about Dead Space: Extraction?  Those that play it say it's good but that game was doomed the second it was announced.  The rumour started off as if Dead Space was being ported to the Wii.  Then it became a spin-off and interest waned and then it was revealed to be an on-rails shooter and things got hostile.  We were sick of getting the on-rails shooter spin-off instead of the real thing.  It didn't matter that the reviews were positive or that those that played it said it was good.  The very idea was offensive and insulting.

Chinatown Wars is the same idea.  We don't get the REAL GTA, we get a special spin-off made just for us.  That **** comes across as incredibly patronizing like Nintendo fans aren't capable of playing "real" games and have to have our own game suited for our specific needs.  By the time Chinatown Wars came out the idea of getting a Nintendo-only spin-off was insulting and the reaction was immediately hostile.  When it was debuted at whatever E3 it was the reaction was REALLY negative.  We were sick of having special Nintendo-only products and missing out on the real deal.  No one wanted Chinatown Wars.  It represents everything that pissed us off about third parties this gen, regardless of quality.

Maybe Reggie didn't screw up but Rockstar did by not realizing the hostility for third parties that this "for the Nintendo audience" philosophy had created.  Any third party that is stupid enough to try the same crap on the Wii U is going to have a big bomb on their hands.  The well is poisoned.  You give us some special Wii U version while everyone else gets the "real" game and we're going to throw it back in your face.  We get either the real deal or an exclusive that has no equivalent on the other systems.  Nothing else is acceptable and I am certain nothing else will sell.

I have to jump in here and say that I've played Dead Space 1, 2, and Extraction, and Extraction is my favorite. The main series is incredibly linear, so it's not like the on-rails aspect of Extraction was entirely sacrilegious. Extraction also had one of the only genuinely surprising video game narratives in memory, as you have no idea if your character will die or not, kind of an essential element of horror narrative.

[Chozo Ghost]

I usually pride myself on being part of the solution instead of part of the problem with regards to third party sales on Nintendo platforms. Along these lines I've been rewarded with fun times playing Far Cry, Godfather, Red Steel 2, House of the Dead: Overkill and Dead Space Extraction. But not buying and playing GTA chinatown wars is a blemish on my record... I can't say exactly why! It just never seemed to... capture my excitement.

Could someone describe the gameplay mechanics and narrative themes of the game? Maybe late is netter than never...

If you've never played a GTA game before, the objective is basically steal cars and deal drugs and murder people. That's why the series is so controversial and always carries an M rating. Its pretty much the same sort of game as the Godfather, so if you like that game you would probably like GTA also.

At this point buying or not buying the game probably isn't going to have any impact at all in influencing Rockstar one way or another to bring further games to Nintendo platforms, but you should check the game out if you are so inclined. You can probably get it now for maybe $19.99 or so.

Godfather Blackhand ediiton was an awesome game and it showed that a GTA style sandbox game could work on the Wii. It was also fun that you could use the motion controls to strangle people to death. It made the experience of killing people alot more immersive than just mashing buttons. That's how motion based games should be... instead of that casual waggle crap. If the Wii had a lot more games like that then it probably wouldn't have ended up losing the hardcore crowd.

[Ceric]

The First 2 GTA's where just about stealing cars really.

[Kytim89]

More depressing TMNT news. It appears that there is a rumour going around that the developers of Arkham City are not working on a TMNT game after all. If so, what a bummer. Can the TMNT games ever come back into the lime light?
 
http://kotaku.com/5883797/arkham-city-makers-arent-making-a-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-game

[Enner]

The First 2 GTA's where just about stealing cars really.

And making man-meat hot dogs. That particular Grand Theft Auto 2 mission always stuck with me.

[Mop it up]

I don't think that buying a game you don't want or like is a good way to get a game you do want or like to come to a system you own. That sounds like a hostage situation. "Buy this game and maybe, just maybe, we'll give you what you want."

I will be there on day 1 for COD Wii U, just like I was for every COD for the Wii.

Why didn't you join the online community?

[Kairon]

I don't think that buying a game you don't want or like is a good way to get a game you do want or like to come to a system you own. That sounds like a hostage situation. "Buy this game and maybe, just maybe, we'll give you what you want."

I agree, I don't think people should buy games they expressly don't intend to find value in playing. But I do wish gamers were more adventurous and open to different game experiences and innovations, regardless of whether that come in the shape of an FPS or on-rails shooter.

Why didn't you join the online community?

I bought on day 1, but it went straight into my backlog. Also, pvp isn't my strongsuit. Also, my internet situation right now is sort of sketchy and laggy and not 24/7.

[Spak-Spang]

I hear all the talk about people and their backlogs, and it makes me realize just how expensive and time consuming his hobby is.  There are fans that can't play everything they want to play...and more and more games are released. 

[Kairon]

Yeah. The tie ratio is what, 6.6 for the Wii? 8.8 for the XBox 360? I remember growing up getting new SNES games was always a big event, something that conceivably happened only during Christmas or Birthdays. I figure that's closer to mean average experience than this really aggressive pursuit of gaming I've undertaken ever since I started making my own income.

I'd like to think that getting only a Nintendo console and playing only Nintendo games would be a pretty decent outcome if you only ever bought one or two games a year like numbers suggest normal people do.

[Ceric]

I hear all the talk about people and their backlogs, and it makes me realize just how expensive and time consuming his hobby is.  There are fans that can't play everything they want to play...and more and more games are released. 

I've done the math.  For me it works out that gaming is still much cheaper then most hobbies.

[Dasmos]

I hear all the talk about people and their backlogs, and it makes me realize just how expensive and time consuming his hobby is.  There are fans that can't play everything they want to play...and more and more games are released. 

I've done the math.  For me it works out that gaming is still much cheaper then most hobbies.

I think you need to double check your work, buddy. Probably forgot to carry the 1 somewhere.

[TJ Spyke]

More depressing TMNT news. It appears that there is a rumour going around that the developers of Arkham City are not working on a TMNT game after all. If so, what a bummer. Can the TMNT games ever come back into the lime light?
 
http://kotaku.com/5883797/arkham-city-makers-arent-making-a-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-game

It's not a rumor, the developers themselves are saying they are NOT making the game. That is straight from the horses mouth.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Released by Epic:
http://www.gamespot.com/unreal-1990/videos/tim-sweeney-dice-2012-session-6350144/


and since the Wii U is rumored to be over 1 TFLOP (about 1.2 or a little more)
then technically (or theoretically) the Wii U should be able to not only run UE4 but run the Samaritan demo @ 720p without issue.

and that also falls right in with the IGN rumor of Wii U being 5X the power of the X360 too.

[Ceric]

I hear all the talk about people and their backlogs, and it makes me realize just how expensive and time consuming his hobby is.  There are fans that can't play everything they want to play...and more and more games are released. 

I've done the math.  For me it works out that gaming is still much cheaper then most hobbies.

I think you need to double check your work, buddy. Probably forgot to carry the 1 somewhere.

Nope, don't need to.

[Kairon]

I hear all the talk about people and their backlogs, and it makes me realize just how expensive and time consuming his hobby is.  There are fans that can't play everything they want to play...and more and more games are released. 

I've done the math.  For me it works out that gaming is still much cheaper then most hobbies.

I think you need to double check your work, buddy. Probably forgot to carry the 1 somewhere.

Nope, don't need to.

I did the math once too, and at the end I didn't feel that guilty. I spend more on videogames than the average person, but if I compile my expenses annually and see where the rest of my money is going, I easily see that I have other expenses that impact my finances on a far greater scale than videogames.

[Dasmos]

I hear all the talk about people and their backlogs, and it makes me realize just how expensive and time consuming his hobby is.  There are fans that can't play everything they want to play...and more and more games are released. 

I've done the math.  For me it works out that gaming is still much cheaper then most hobbies.

I think you need to double check your work, buddy. Probably forgot to carry the 1 somewhere.

Nope, don't need to.

I have a lot of hobbies and most of them are damn near free. The only thing I can think that I have devoted more money to is my musical equipment. I paint, that's hardly expensive. I run, I bought $200 shoes like 2 years ago. I ride my bike, that was $400 about 10 years ago. I have a pretty extensive CD/Vinyl collection that's probably worth more than my game collection, but cost far less. The only reason I spend money on books is because I found a bloody scab about the size of a GameCube disc in a library book once (and seriously **** that!), otherwise that would be free too.

[Lithium]

gaming actually has very good value for money, the only thing is you have to be content with waiting about 3-6 months after the game comes out for the price to fall off a cliff. In fact if you have a backlog that means you're saving money believe it or not since you're buying games months or years after it came out and you're getting games for dirt cheap. This generation i only bought a Wii, and when the ps4 and xbox 3 come out im getting a 360 and ps3 and will enjoy playing through my backlog of games from those systems at a steep discount. I mean just because the game is a few months old doesn't mean it stops being a good game.

[Chozo Ghost]

Not every game gets cheaper, though. Some go out of print and become hard to find and the price skyrockets. A good example of that would be Metroid Prime Trilogy, and Radiant Historia (before the reprint). When it comes to games like that if you wait for them to become cheaper you are waiting in vain.

[ShyGuy]

A bloody scab the size of a gamecube disc inside a library book? Where they using it as a bookmark? What book was it?

[nickmitch]

I think how much a hobby costs really depends on your dedication to it. Buying one necessary object and using it over an extensive period of time isn't really what most dedicated hobbyists do. I would assume cyclists are frequently checking out new helmets, clothes, tires and even whole new bikes all while maintaining the stuff they already have. It's like photography. Yeah, you can be a "photographer" with your $300 point and shoot or you can be really serious about it and buy $3000 cameras, spend hundreds on lenses and film, buy all sorts of editing software and pay for expensive printings and frames.

[UncleBob]

The only reason I spend money on books is because I found a bloody scab about the size of a GameCube disc in a library book once (and seriously **** that!), otherwise that would be free too.

F***... that's where I put that.  I've been looking all over for it.

Anyway, for anyone who doesn't think gaming is an expensive hobby... you're doing it wrong.

[nickmitch]

Bob, I think you're way past "hobby" at this point.