Some of us have 3DS, and all of us have your provocative emails. Are Nintendo fans too negative about Nintendo?
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/25942
With 3DS now available around the world, it makes a perfunctory debut in New Business. James sucks at Street Fighter and frowns upon Ubisoft's lackluster port of Rayman 2, while he and Greg are both enjoying PilotWings Resort. Greg also provides an update on the Japanese Virtual Console and gets very excited (as he should be) for Mega Man X. Jon has been sick lately, but he does bring a report on the PS3 Move Sharpshooter, a high-quality cross between the SNES Super Scope 6 and Wii Zapper. Jonny caps the segment with his thoughts on Beyond Good & Evil HD, and the validity of comparisons to the Zelda franchise.
After the break, we get into somewhat serious territory with an email about negativity among Nintendo fans (particularly your devoted RFN crew). Why are we so critical of Nintendo, and is there anything that still excites us? Further adventures in Listener Mail take us through enhancement devices like Game Genie and Game Shark, one fan's impressions of 3DS and its launch titles, and the unusual backwards-compatibility feature of 3DS.
Finally, we've selected the next RetroActive game: Legend of the Mystical Ninja! This bizarre, fun SNES classic is available everyone on Virtual Console, so we hope you will consider playing along. Join the official forum discussion and let us know what you think!
happyastoria, it's very sad that you have enjoyed so few games considering that you apparently own all three major consoles. I think it has been a very good and quite interesting generation, especially with new avenues opening for smaller games to fill in gaps left by big-budget releases. I might not feel that way if I owned any single consoles or only played PC or handheld games, but I'm quite satisfied on a multi-platform basis.
happyastoria, I have to agree with you about Lost In Shadow. I just played through the game these past two weeks, and I actually enjoyed every minute of it. I clocked in around 13 hours. I think it's a game Greg would enjoy (despite not being incredibly challenging) and I know he has expressed interest in the title. Maybe he has already tried it. I think it's a good swan song for Hudson.
As far as the question about negativity on RFN, there are a couple of reasons why I don't perceive it as such. Comparatively, I have to say that the RFN podcast (and other NWR podcasts) is the only one these days that actually gets me excited about Nintendo games. To begin with, RFN actually talks about Nintendo games, which is more than I can say about so many others. I would rather listen to someone negatively critique a game instead of put up with ignorance. Secondly, I appreciate the critical nature of the podcast because it is informed and the crew justify their reasons. Whenever someone on another podcast says that a game sucks without proceeding to tell me why they think so, I want to turn it off.
While the podcast may take a negative turn once in a while, I think there is much more to like about the discussion itself.
Using a color gradient between pixels IS interpolation. Interpolation means taking two points and calculating values for the points in between from them. Using a straight color gradient is bilinear interpolation.
So, I've been lurking this thread for the past week and looks like not very many people enjoyed the Game Genie as much as I did (or its just drowned out by all the anti-Nintendo talk).
SFII + Game Genie Air Moves was amazing.
"What system? What game? What code?"
Anyone else?
:-\
So, I've been lurking this thread for the past week and looks like not very many people enjoyed the Game Genie as much as I did (or its just drowned out by all the anti-Nintendo talk).I used to have a lot of fun with Game Genies, creating interesting codes, like strange levels for Super Mario Bros. One code I made for F-1 Race on Game Boy uncapped the nitro speed limit. It was like playing a whole new game, with all new time trial scores to beat. Another I made for Terminator II on Game Boy, for some reason worked on my Game Boy (circuit board model DMG-01-01), but not on my friend's (DMG-01-03).
in his entire Soapbox about what the gaming industry might do to turn a profit, Nintendo was (iirc) not mentioned ONCE. That's a glaring omission.
I'm a relatively new listener, only been about 6 months now. But please keep in mind that I was speaking about the media in general and definitely not focusing on you guys. Any disagreements I've had with your perspectives are like a paper cut compared to the gaping shotgun wound left by the rest of the gaming media. Your quote was used as an example of general attitudes.
So, back on topic, I completely understand your "follow the money" theory, I really do. However, I don't know that I can name even one or two games that PROVE that theory. Can you? I'm asking honestly and if you can, I will gladly acknowledge it.
Again, was SF4 put on the Wii? Was RE5? FF13? Bioshock? Deadspace? Fallout? Metal Gear?
And why is that? Do the games really need HD to be worthwhile? Can 3rd parties really not figure out the Wii's horsepower like Nintendo does?
RE4? Nearly 2 million in sales for an old game.
MH3? Best selling console game in the franchise.
I'm using sequels and "franchises" because, for better or worse, we are living in an era where over-hyped sequels are the cash cows. A lot of those games I listed are not necessarily the games I'd like to play, but I'm sure they would have done a lot for the Wii's reputation as a viable platform for third party success.
But no, the Wii gets TvC, RE rail shooters, Crystal Bearers, Extraction and the guy from Bethesda calls the platform a "toy." Then these guys complain when the sales aren't top notch? I know you agree with how silly that is.
So yes, it is Nintendo's responsibility, and their problem if 3rd parties take their ball and go home. But I'd really like to know what Nintendo could have done differently. If they hadn't gone all blue-ocean in the hardware sense, they might easily have gone the way of Sega when another equally-powered, equally-pricey machine landed them in 3rd place... again.
But nothing said 3rd parties couldn't ALSO get in on the low cost, high creativity gaming. Unfortunately, a lot of developers (and members of the media, and gamers) equate polygons and pixels to creativity... and they should know better.
EDIT: Boom Blox was a new IP, a Wii exclusive, and demonstrated how to make a quality Wii experience without crazy polygons and HD graphics. The game sold over a million units. How do they follow up this success? By releasing a "better" game (less than?) a year later and calling it "boom blox BASH PARTY." In other words, they aimed squarely at their own foot and popped said cap.
From a PR perspective.....
I think Nintendo's biggest problem, then, lies not in the hardware but in public perception. Nintendo shot out of the gate with fun, colorful, family-friendly accessible games and the media couldn't stop lashing them bellowing "where are the 'hardcore' games?"
So then we get a 2-yr stream that includes NMH2, TvC, RS2, NSMBW, SMG2, MH3, Kirby, Metroid, DKCR ... and still the Wii isn't even mentioned when The Bonus Round and Adam Sessler discuss 'hardcore' gaming. It's like Nintendo delivered what the media asked for, but the media was too proud to acknowledge it.
It still amazes me how all Sony and MS have to do to maintain their "keepin' it real" image is pump out dudebro shooters, sprinkle in a dash of Uncharted/AssassinsCreed, and all those missteps I mentioned earlier disappear from memory.
Lastly,
Maybe I don't give Nintendo enough flak for their online capabilities? I think I must just have strong internet here because I have had an equal amount of disconnects/lag playing PS3 as I have Wii. The game-specific friend codes are sinful. But the quality of the online has never been an issue for me.
The effect of the softness depends on game. In a heavy sprite game, like Disgaea DS, it is VERY noticeable. In a more polygonal game it probably isn't.