Post by: vudu on February 02, 2006, 09:45:00 AM
However, the article also mentioned the possibility of a Player's Choice lineup for GBA.
QuoteWhat does everyone think? 'Bout damn time?
Kotaku mentioned a discounted Player's Choice line for the Game Boy Advance that will feature games like Super Mario Advance and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga.
The Player's Choice line seems like a long-overdue idea for the GBA. Nintendo announced last week that GBA software sales were down almost a third from the year before. That means the time is ripe for the company to cut the prices on its most popular games in order to squeeze more bucks out of the system before it's completely overtaken by the DS.
Any games you'd like to see make the cut? Think there's a possibility of reprints of OOP games (Golden Sun, Mario Kart Super Circuit, Wario Land 4, etc)?
EDIT: I just checked out GameSpot's source.
QuoteI'm pretty sure Yoshi's Island is OOP, so it looks like there's hope. The other two mentioned by name are fairly easy to find new, so who's to say about those.
The tipster goes on to say that Nintendo is going to start a program called Player’s Choice for GBA Games. The first three of the discounted line-up will be Super Mario Advance: Super Mario Bros. 2, Yoshi’s Island: Super Mario Advance 3, and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. The games will sell for about $20 each.
EDIT #2: Changed title.
Post by: KnowsNothing on February 02, 2006, 09:48:59 AM
I'd like to see a $15 price point though....I mean, when I console game becomes players' choice it drops 60% in price, the least we could get for the GBA is %50, especially considering games like Super Mario Advance have been out since before the GC was even released.....
Post by: Smash_Brother on February 02, 2006, 09:50:45 AM
I think it's a great idea, especially for all those who picked up a DS but never played some of the GBA classics.
-SB
Post by: vudu on February 02, 2006, 09:57:44 AM
Post by: UncleBob on February 02, 2006, 09:58:48 AM
$50 GCN games go down to $20 when they hit Player's Choice. $30-$35 GBA games going down to $20? Blah.
I'd say, for the "popular" games, by now, either people got 'em for full price, picked them up on one of the many GBA game sales that go on for about $20 already, bought the game used (possibly for less than $20 even) or they just don't want the game. I'm sure Nintendo would sell a few more copies, but overall it doesn't seem like that great of a deal.
$15 (or, perhaps $10) seems like a better plan to me. Or do a THQ-type thing and bundle two games on one cart (SMA4:SMB3 and SMA2:SMW on one cart? Yeah! Zelda: LttP with Four Swords and Minish Cap all together? Yeah!)
Just my opinion though...
*edit*: vudu's got a good idea though!
Post by: Smash_Brother on February 02, 2006, 10:00:48 AM
$10-15 sounds good.
-SB
Post by: Ian Sane on February 02, 2006, 10:44:20 AM
Nintendo should have been doing this years ago but then when you have no competition I guess you don't feel there's any need. $20 is still a little too much. In Canada they'll charge $30 and a lot of places already charge that for older GBA games. $20 would have made more sense a few years ago but now it's too little too late.
The choices are a little disappointing too. 3/4 of them are ports and I can easily find all four games new with no problems. The least they could do is re-release some of the more obscure stuff. I doubt there are many people who want those four games that don't already have them.
I think Nintendo has to realize there's a reason GBA game sales have dropped. The GBA is OLD. It's been replaced by the DS. I looked at Gamerankings the other day so see what the highest rank game of 2005 for each system was. I had the filter set to show the top 30 results. The GBA didn't even have 30 games. Some stuff is probably not reviewed enough (like That's So Raven 2 and junk like that) but GBA releases have dried up. Lowering the price of GBA games will have about as much affect as lowering SNES game prices in 1997.
I think a better idea would be for Nintendo to start re-releasing these games in collections on the DS. The Rev download service doesn't include portable games so they could include GB, GBC, and GBA titles. I don't know many people who would buy Super Mario Advance now. But a Super Mario Advance collection that includes all four on one DS cart? Yeah that would sell.
Post by: Bill Aurion on February 02, 2006, 11:03:22 AM
Post by: KnowsNothing on February 02, 2006, 11:09:17 AM
Post by: Strell on February 02, 2006, 02:22:33 PM
Thank you.
Post by: UncleBob on February 02, 2006, 02:31:33 PM
Quote
Originally posted by: Bill Aurion
Good grief, putting out a game at 10 dollars wouldn't make it worth even shipping to stores...20 bucks is perfect for impulse buying...(I bought Mario Tennis GBA for 20 bucks just this past weekend)
And yet, that goes to prove my point even more - you picked up a brand new GBA game for $20. And Nintendo wants to release old games at that "discounted" price?
It'd be like the new Zelda game being on sale for $20 at/near release and someone 'waiting' for it to go Player's Choice.
Post by: Infernal Monkey on February 02, 2006, 02:50:32 PM
Post by: Shecky on February 02, 2006, 03:20:52 PM
Post by: Mario on February 02, 2006, 04:31:59 PM
Post by: jasonditz on February 02, 2006, 05:30:17 PM
What they should do is come up with more multigame carts, maybe SMA and SMA4 for $20 on a single cart, and SMA2 and SMA3 for $20 on a single cart. That's how you move product.
Post by: KDR_11k on February 03, 2006, 12:34:49 AM
Player's Choice for the GBA would be nice, GBA games don't drop in price until the store wants to get rid of surplus inventory. It's probably because the carts are so expensive to make, anything less than 20$ would probably have a negative profit margin in some places.
Ian: The GBA never had many interesting games released in a year and few publications review GBA games (and even if most just focus on those that have hype associated with them). Since Gamerankings drops titles with less than 20 reviews from the listing that means you won't see the vast majority of GBA games.
Bill: Nonsense, I've seen games with an MSRP of 1€ and hundreds below or at 10€.
Post by: Cap on February 03, 2006, 07:09:45 AM
Post by: vudu on March 10, 2006, 08:07:09 AM
QuoteIt's a pretty slim starting lineup. (Although it matches up perfectly with the rumored list that I posted here over a month ago.)
Nintendo has announced that it will be bringing its Player's Choice budget line of titles to the Game Boy Advance. As is the case with the GameCube Player's Choice line, games that meet a certain sales threshold and have been out for a certain length of time can qualify for inclusion in the Player's Choice line.
On April 2, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Super Mario Advance: Super Mario Bros. 2, and Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 will become the first Player's Choice titles and will retail for $19.99, instead of the usual $29.99 price.
Nintendo plans to add more games to the GBA Player's Choice line soon.
Hopefully they'll add additional titles very soon. Golden Sun Get!!
Post by: Flames_of_chaos on March 10, 2006, 08:16:14 AM
Post by: jasonditz on March 10, 2006, 08:38:50 AM
Post by: 31 Flavas on March 10, 2006, 08:50:56 AM
QuoteHonestly, GBA games are cheap enough already. A price cut isn't going to spure sales much anyway. I think its a great way to release out of print titles, though.
Originally posted by: Ian Sane
Nintendo should have been doing this years ago but then when you have no competition I guess you don't feel there's any need. $20 is still a little too much. In Canada they'll charge $30 and a lot of places already charge that for older GBA games. $20 would have made more sense a few years ago but now it's too little too late.
I mean, new console titles are priced $50 - $60 initially to subsidize high upfront development costs, so it makes sense to heavily cut the price afterwords. But when the upfront development costs aren't so huge and hence much lower intial price, why should such a steep "Player's Choice" price cut be exepcted or even at all.... ?
edit: fix the quote tag not working, a transposed word, misspelled word, and removed an extranious word. Yesh, I should preview first ....
Post by: vudu on March 10, 2006, 09:52:17 AM
QuoteThere is a Preview button, ya know.
edit: fix the quote tag not working, a transposed word, misspelled word, and removed an extranious word. Yesh, I should preview first ....
Post by: 31 Flavas on March 10, 2006, 09:56:59 AM
QuoteAnd I think, its about high time you realize and stop posting ignorant crap. The GBA is certainly realitivly old, but so is the PS2... That doesn't stop either system from selling like gangbusters though. And GBA software sales are certianly dwindling, but so are PS2 software sales. GBA pushed 6 digit system sales back in January (outselling the DS, btw) and this was how many months since the release of DS? 13-14? (updated NPD numbers would be appreciated someone...)
Originally posted by: Ian Sane
I think Nintendo has to realize there's a reason GBA game sales have dropped. The GBA is OLD. It's been replaced by the DS.
GBA love is still quite abound...
