Topics

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Nintendo Gaming / GTA Wii? Reggie says "It's up to Take Two"

« on: March 20, 2007, 10:55:23 AM »

From Videogame Charts News

Quote
Nintendo Talks GTA & Wii
11:13 PST | Jordan | Print News | Mail News
In an interview with an American television station, Reggie Fils-Aime, the president of Nintendo of America, said that Nintendo has done all it can to persuade Take-Two Interactive Software to bring the Grand Theft Auto franchise to Nintendo consoles, and it is now up to the third party publisher to decide whether Rockstar Games' immensely popular series will appear on Wii. We should know more later in 2007 regarding this issue.

This is huge - Take Two just got a new CEO to help with lagging profits, and Manhunt 2 is already confirmed from Take Two.  If Reggie is pulling out all the stops, like we know he does, Rockstar could be hitting up the Wii with one of the most sucessful franchises of all time.

Congratulations on the coup, Nintendo, if you can pull it off.

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Nintendo Gaming / eBay & Nintendo battle sure to ensue...

« on: March 19, 2007, 08:28:20 AM »

Click me

Yeesh, what a long link.  Anyway - it links to an eBay auction for the Japanese Pokemon Diamond game, hacked with all 493 pokemon, all shiny, 999 of every item, perfect stats, perfect collections of everything, but without the game itself even started yet.

So... I could be playing online against this?  The much heralded Battle Tower, home of the best teams, all with individual ranks, is going to be abused by hackers?  Is Nintendo taking any action against this kind of thing?

For that matter, is Nintendo going to prohibit sales of virtual data?  ie eBay auctions for level 100 shiny Mewtwos?  I know it's been done, it's possible, but what is Nintendo doing?  I don't want hacker cheaters making a mint on eBay because of this...  

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Nintendo Gaming / Katamari DamaWii?... one can dream

« on: March 09, 2007, 03:29:26 AM »

Katamari Damacy.

Got to replaying this game and it's sequel, We Heart Katamari, last night.  Just rolling around inside these brilliant games really got me to thinking about a sequel coming to the Wii.

Econmonically and business wise, I don't see why it won't happen.  Namco and Nintendo have a strong business relationship, and Katamari only hit the PS2 over the Gamecube because the PS2 base was so much larger.  Now the PS3 is moving infinately far away from low-polygon looking games like Katamari, and the Wii is closer to Katamari's philosophy of play.  It's a match made in gamer's heaven.

Not only that, but Nintendo's Blue Ocean philosophy begs to have Katamari Damacy on it's side.  I have parties at my house, and people flock to watch "the rolling game" that they've seen at other people's houses.  They love "the rolling game".  (Miyamoto's wife probably would too).

Creatively, the Wii offers a lot the PS2 didn't, most importantly control with the Wiimote and Nunchuck.  Other ideas likely implemented would be rolling up the Miis (or using one as your playable character), and the possibility of Elebits-style level creation and sharing.

The only reason I can think of for this not happening?  If Namco is putting the series to sleep and shifting their brilliant creative minds behind Katamari Damacy onto brand new projects which could be destined for any platform.

Thoughts?  Rumours?  Speculation?  (If anyone suggests that The Prince is a playable character in Smash Bros Brawl, though...)

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Nintendo Gaming / Smash Bros. Icicle Mountain Summit!

« on: March 06, 2007, 07:18:39 AM »

So my buddy showed me that in Adventure mode, you can reach the summit of Icicle Mountain!

You know how the screen scrolls upwards as you jump?  Well, as long as you don't drop the Ice Climbers off the bottom of the stage as you ascend, you can reach the summit!

It's really kind of a boring summit, mind you.  It's just one last horizontal platform in the middle of the stage and a whole lot of dead space all over the screen.  No more hopping platforms.  And you can't get to the summit in VS mode since it doesn't scroll with you, unless, I don't know, 99:00 time limit?  Even then...

Anyway, would someone please check this out and confirm my findings so I don't get flamed as a rumour monger?

Also, Mewthree is unlockable in SSMB.  Kidding.

[I know that we were all embarassed by the XBox 360 MTV "Unvieling" with Elija Wood and gang...]

5

Nintendo Gaming / What's Reggie thinking for Marketing the Wii?

« on: May 15, 2006, 10:40:46 PM »

I know that we were all embarassed by the XBox 360 MTV "Unvieling" with Elija Wood and gang... But isn't that the kind of attitude Nintendo took at their press conference at E3 this year?  Watching other people play the games?  Even on their website, they're pushing consumer response to the Wii.

I hated the XBox MTV special as much as any gamer... but Nintendo might just be thinking a TV special might be the way to best introduce the Wii to the public pre-launch.  Their basic message is that you *have* to play it before you're hooked... and pre-launch, the easiest way to simulate that is showing other people playing it and reacting to it in a realistic fashion (i.e. NOT the Super Mario Galaxy promo video).

See, the XBox 360 MTV special was very much empty hype - while a Wii special would be backed-up hype.  What do you guys think?

6

Nintendo Gaming / Wii Website Goes Live

« on: May 13, 2006, 02:16:42 AM »

http://wii.nintendo.com/home.html

'Bout Time.  Some good artwork and generally no new info, but interesting nonetheless.

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Nintendo Gaming / HUGE swing to the Wii from the gamer community

« on: May 11, 2006, 11:13:19 PM »

Take a look here for the poll at gamefaqs a few days ago:  "Which system do you think will have the best showing at E3"

Then look here for the poll for May 12th: "Which system's games most impressed you at E3 this year?"

Wii went from 35% approval to a full 61% (yes, in slightly different polls, but still).  PS3 from 39% to 23%...  Wii's hype machine is in overdrive.  And the PS3 has amazing stuff on the floor, they're no pushover.  (LucasArts two tech demos are truly next-gen... Nintendo won't have that on their consoles for at least five years)...

And that's from the hardcore gamefaqs gamer community.  Few lapsed gamers, few casual gamers, and no non-gamers there.

With all the support from the fans... is Nintendo finally coming into a position of console market domination?

--Edit: Those numbers will change as the poll continues--

[Wii Sports]

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Nintendo Gaming / Lapsed Gamer Appeal

« on: May 10, 2006, 02:35:41 AM »

I'm a lapsed gamer - for all of eight months.  It was shortly after the release of Mario Kart that I encountered a lack of interest in video games.  I sold the collection - four generations of consoles, $1500 of games.

Eight months later, the DS hits.  I bite.  And I'm back in Nintendo's Pocket.

As one of Nintendo's "Lapsed Gamers", I understand where they're coming from.  In fact, if I were on the E3 floor, the very first title I'd want to try out would be Wii Sports.  Not Zelda, not Mario, not Red Steel, but the stupid, graphically laboured Tennis game that looked so... joyous.  I'd ascribe the same joy to games I know and love, like Katamari Damacy, or Loco Roco... or to the first Mario platformer or the Ocarina of Time.

This lapsed gamer tag they've put on me fits, and fits well.  And I know that friends of mine, my family, my girlfriend, etc, will all want to play that Tennis game with me when I get it.  People who gave up video games when they got their first girlfriends (don't laugh - Nintendo once characterized their target audience as being males from age 4 to the age of their first kiss.  Only ten years ago or so.) I don't think Nintendo has anything to worry about this generation - I think they will really manage to connect with people like me and sell through this entire generation.

Reggie talked about how the entertainment industry - television, movies, etc - have 100% market penetration.  Everyone watches or has watched TV.  Everyone watches or has watched movies.  And with something as simple as swinging your tennis elbow, I think Nintendo has made a brilliant move towards getting everyone to play video games.  If you can get the lapsed gamers back in, new gamers will follow.

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TalkBack / Editorial Response: Dressing the Part

« on: May 27, 2005, 02:54:41 AM »

In case you missed it, the editorial is on the main page, or here


I agree and disagree, but I won't get too far into right away.  Bonnie Ruberg asks at the end of the article "for gamers, both male and female, to test the boundaries of gender roles through well-intentioned video game costume play".

Then good for my friend Brad, who just went to Otacon here in Calgary dressed as the lovely FF VII character, Aeris.  Attendees did not react calmly to the 6'2" man's pink dress, but reactions certainly ranged the spectrum from rage to adoration.

How's that for gender roles?

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Nintendo Gaming / What's wrong with number 3?

« on: May 19, 2005, 11:45:40 PM »

Do any of you remember the ads about eight years ago from Snapple?  They proclaimed their excitement and satisfaction to be third behind Coca-cola and Pepsi and drink manufacturers, selling juice instead of carbonated drinks.  It was a market they did very well in.  They were happy to be there.

Nintendo is out there selling juice, and Microsoft and Sony are selling soda.  From what little we know, The Revolution marks Nintendo's further departure from the soda market.  They've long run a juice market that has never really been challenged, one that they're kings of.  They are going to continue to develop the juice market, and in the event of a market shift towards juice over soda, Nintendo will reap the benefits.  In the meantime, Nintendo is happy to watch the soda giants battle for supremecy with extremely similar soda products.

I like juice.  I like soda too.  I think I'll get both an be an extremely happy consumer.

(That was all code for Nintendo fans to accept that Nintendo isn't #1 anymore, and if they don't like all of Nintendo's choices, broaden your horizons and buy two systems next launch, as I plan to do.)

[New]

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Nintendo Gaming / New NES, SNES and N64 Content for the Revolution?

« on: May 17, 2005, 10:22:01 PM »

Looking a little closer at the wording in some of the press conference today, Reggie mentioned the developer's point of view...

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A dynamic development architecture equally accommodates both big-budget, high-profile game “masterpieces” as well as indie games conceived by individual developers equipped with only a big idea.

You know what this spells to me?  New downloadable content from smaller 'indie' developers.  So with a $10,000 budget - you could legitimately publish a NES game through Nintendo.  Imagine the ease and swift development of games based on architecture and developing tools that have been around for ten years.  Imagine the high-pressure environment at EA being defused by pet projects on SNES programming.  Imagine a new game built on the GoldenEye engine, or tying the Gamecube Bongos into an 8-bit game.

Imagine if you were Nintendo, pushing for game innovation over power, ideas over graphics, concepts over appearances.  Makes sense.

I think that we're going to see Nintendo publish a huge library of games on the Revolution, simply because smaller companies can enter at a price point appropriate to their game design.  I think we're going to see new NES, SNES, and N64 content packaged as downloadable extras.  I think Nintendo is finally creating a viable model for the smaller game creating market.

Wait - there's more.  As Nintendo offers a console on which to publish smaller games, they effectively enter into a partnership with brand new production companies - bolstering their third-party support in the long run.

And with the (eventual) unionization of game developers poised to drive development costs through the roof, Nintendo may be the one of the big three least affected.  They've set themselves up for that fall.

I think I like what I hear from Nintendo.  I think I like what I think even more.

["Imagine the effects in a game like Narc, where giving your in-game character drugs is like a power-up. Except, under the new technology, you could actually feel the wonder that is illegal drug use without leaving your home - and using a bad drug trip to fuel a rampage against citizens in Narc's setting. Great."]

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General Gaming / Sony controls people's minds with new technology?

« on: May 16, 2005, 11:06:32 PM »

Apparently, this has been going on since 2000 - but it's news to me:
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=mg18624944.600

The article basically talks about Sony patenting a technology that has amazing effects in the medical field - giving the blind their sight back, that kind of thing.  But of course, Sony wants to develop it for their video game industry... so presumably, you can smell, what, bloody zombies?  It's a weird development, one that probably shouldn't be implemented.

Here's a post from Patadox about it:

"Imagine the effects in a game like Narc, where giving your in-game character drugs is like a power-up.  Except, under the new technology, you could actually feel the wonder that is illegal drug use without leaving your home - and using a bad drug trip to fuel a rampage against citizens in Narc's setting.  Great."