Messages

126

Nintendo Gaming / Wind Waker Commercial

« on: February 25, 2003, 12:08:33 PM »

Did it ever occur to anyone that Wind Waker is a pretty funny game to watch? I don't think people in a theatre would laugh at something they found disgusting or revolting. Odds are, people were watching the more emotionally animated Link and found him to be amusing to watch. I don't take it as being negative at all.

The game has sold more than 250,000 copies and we're still a month away from its debut. I wouldn't call that flopping state side. I think people are going to be drawn to this game. It has a different kind of appeal that's hard to overlook.

I find myself smiling insanely while watching the game footage. I believe that to be its intention. I can't help but find myself won over by the art style and the presentation of it.  

127

Nintendo Gaming / Question regarding Moblins

« on: February 25, 2003, 11:51:56 AM »

They're a mix. Moblins aren't supposed to be a typical creature. We don't have any in this world (do we?). I would say they are bulldog-like with pig features. Their ears and face are pig-like but can resemble more of a bulldog type of thing. They don't seem to really have snouts. And they don't have hooves, either.

Juding by the artwork, I don't think that thing even remotely looks like a moblin. I guess I have a different idea of what a moblin is thanks to the Zelda cartoons and other Zelda games.

128

Nintendo Gaming / Will Zelda: Wind Waker break sales records?

« on: February 23, 2003, 09:50:48 AM »

It's entirely too hard to say for sure what the Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker sales will do, but if Super Smash Brothers: Melee is any indication, it will continue to sell. Unlike Metroid Prime, Zelda has a main mascot appeal to it, and unlike Super Mario Sunshine, as long as it truly delivers, it will have some amount of staying power.

However, it occurs to me that everybody and his brother that owns a Gamecube is preordering Zelda, namely for the bonus disc. Frankly, I'm surprised if Nintendo shipped 250,000 bonus discs. I think Ocarina of Time could sell 3,000,000 copies on the Gamecube, too.

If there are enough preorders, it will be hard for Zelda to keep up that kind of pace. However, I do think the amount of consoles sold will spike in response to the release. The increase will be the factor. With only a small climb in console sales, Wind Waker should sell approximately 1,500,000 to 2,000,000 copies in all. If good number of consoles move, then it could sell 3,000,000 no sweat. If Wind Waker caused the kind of craze Ocarina of Time did, then it would probably tie or break its record, but I don't think that will happen. It's just not likely.

129

Nintendo Gaming / Dust off the ol' 64 games.

« on: February 23, 2003, 09:13:19 AM »

I don't think that will happen. Not 40 games.... more All-Star's are likely on the list since they weren't too big on the Nintendo64. Many of us are ready for updates to old classics. I'd like to see another Mario All-Stars, this time with Mario 64 included. Zelda All-Stars is also a good idea with an updated original Zelda, an updated Link to the Past, and so on so on. Compilations of certain classics would also be nice, maybe the Donkey Kong's. Donkey Kong All-Star's. That's a bit too many All-Star's but slight remakes of our favorites would sell well.

130

Nintendo Gaming / No Disc

« on: February 23, 2003, 09:04:29 AM »

I've never ever had it to happen and my system is just over a year old. It must be a defective part with the disc drive. You can still get Nintendo to replace the Gamecube. Contact them and they'll have you send it in. They'll ship you a new one I'm pretty sure (anyone else know?). You just have to send the console itself in. They'll send you a new Gamecube console with a controller. In other words, you may get a free controller out of it.

[advertised]

131

Nintendo Gaming / Gamecube doing bad? Well maybe if you only look at the short term.

« on: February 23, 2003, 08:50:38 AM »

I'm sorry, but Sony has already demonstrated that system specifications make about as much difference as the original Nintendo Entertainment System's did. If specifications made such a huge difference in the market, the Xbox would be outselling its competition, which it's not. What Microsoft is doing right is following Nintendo's old formula. Sony has done some of the same thing, too. They're advertising their product out the wazoo and getting it over to the "mainstream" which happens to encompass most of the consumer market. If you consider yourself to not be mainstream, then that's comparable to living under a rock. There's nothing wrong with that or appealing to the mainstream. It's how Nintendo got into first place to begin with. It's how you increase sales of a product.

Obviously, having a good system to work with is very important to the developers. Some of the advertisement of system spec's is directed at a certain demographic. Most PS2 gamers do not care about console power. Some of the guys who specialize in PC gaming may care (considering that where man's automobile used to be a show of his 'manhood', computers have seemingly taken over for some). The system power, if advertised correctly, can be somewhat effective on some, but the keyword is advertised. Most Xbox owners had system power implanted in their minds. They know as little about the Xbox's power as they do the Gamecube's. So what? The key is that it was advertised. The Xbox's true winning specification is its platform compatability. It uses many of the same tools a PC does. Programmers know a lot about it. In the end, all they care about is that it takes little work to port PC-to-Xbox and the little clunky box has the hardware to support the software without butchering it too much. That's all it amounts to. If it wasn't specifically like that, the Xbox's power would go unnoticed.

For Sony, its formula remains cranking out the key titles people are looking for. Plain and simple. They are relaxed in development for their system, and third parties like that. Sony doesn't go around telling developers what to do for their system. Sony, in the beginning, had the full equation for winning. That's not so much the truth anymore, but they still have the upperhand. They advertise and manage to satisfy their consumers. What can be said about Sony now is not so much important to this argument as it is Sony's performances in this generation that gives us the example. Sony did something right a while back. They've made sure their consumers have plenty to keep them occupied, they've delivered the requested products, and they advertised it like crazy. Sony has set a standard in the industry by managing to give their games (third parties most importantly) the exposure needed to cause their consumers to buy a wider variety of games; the demo discs are an example.

The point of the two companies and their performance is that they're doing basically what Nintendo used to. They have gotten over to the consumer. That's all it takes. Once the consumer readily knows you, they wouldn't have a clue if your consoles exploded or you had only one good game, and they would buy your product. It's recognition that you exist. The more Xbox ads we see, the more we know Xbox is a product that is surviving. If we stopped seeing Xbox, wouldn't we all start to assume they are dying or weakening? The more I see of Xbox, the more I think it's taking over. When I see it all over TV, all over billboards and signs, I start to think it's overpowering the competition. This is subconscious. Because I'm a more diverse consumer (diverse in that I use considerably more sources for product information), the exposure from TV and signs means less to me, but I am not the statistical norm. Even with my sources, I sometimes wonder where Nintendo is, and if they're thriving. I have to go out of my way to see how Nintendo is doing. I don't have to do that with Sony and Xbox. They make sure I know they're alive. This is the point I make, and it brings up more questions.

Why has Nintendo changed? What has gone on inside of Nintendo to change the company from what it used to be? We know Nintendo is a bully, or was is more like it. They have angered developing groups in the past. They have had entire chains of stores to not want to do business with them. Nintendo used to be a shark. I know this to be true just by looking at how they view today's market with their products. However, somewhere during the 1990's, they transformed. They transformed from a hungry competitive gaming business to a relaxed conservative business. Since that transformation, they have slipped from first. The consumer has started to forget what a Nintendo is. I have actually met serious gamers who do not know what a Gamecube is. The audience for Nintendo is growing up and unless we see more exposure for the products, young gamers will grow up on a Playstation or an Xbox, and that is the absolute truth in America. I grew up playing the console my dad bought. Why doesn't this make sense to Nintendo?

The bottom line is that quality games and system power do not move consoles. Playstation2 is making the competition look bad on recognition alone. Yes, that recognition stems from having a handful of quality products, but without the recognition the games would go largely unnoticed. The Nintendo64 is a prime example of how important exposure is, granted it was depleating exposure, it still played a major role in the N64's early success. While Nintendo was still battling with Sony over top spot in the spotlight, the games were selling very well, but Nintendo was already cutting back on its message to the mainstream and sure enough, not too long after the launch, the advertisement was disappearing and gamers were losing a sense that the N64 was a success. It wasn't until the Legend of Zelda, a greatly hyped game, that the N64 would pull itself back into the minds of the media. We all know what happened after Ocarina of Time. Sony continued its advertisement just as always while Nintendo forfeited its exposure and trailed the rest of the way. Having the quality titles did next to nothing to boost Nintendo sales simply because gamers were uncertain over the well-being of the Nintendo64. They knew it was out there, but many of them would not buy it because they saw the Playstation as being the console with the most happening (a more confident purchase because Sony is letting them know it's alive).

The formula for console gaming has not changed. Let Sony and Microsoft be an example that Nintendo's old formula still works. If Nintendo wants to compete with Microsoft and Sony, they will meet them in battle on TVs everywhere. It doesn't matter what games, they can do it with the franchises they've got! Get the gamers back into the games, Nintendo. Recognition is all it takes to convince consumers you're a good buy. It doesn't matter so much about image as long as you appear to be giving a good fight.

Now, I have to say one more thing that's not quite related to the above. Some of you are making the comment that Xbox2 won't do as well, but I don't know for sure. After what Sony has done in this current generation, I'm under the impression that if it happens again, Sony will take the tumble. They are not playing the game as sharply as they did with the first Playstation, and if Sony is as arrogant as I think they are (translation: as arrogant as Nintendo was), Microsoft is going to climb into number one in America in the next generation if it continues the onslaught. However, it largely depends on what Bill wants to do. He has the media power to plaster Sony if it makes the same mistake again. The Playstation2 was so vulnerable during that first year that a competitor could have made the jump. The shortage of consoles looked bad and the lack of quality games was ugly and looked an awful lot like what Nintendo does. Plain and simple, all Nintnedo needs to do is show a little market power and advertise in the next generation.  

132

Nintendo Gaming / New Miyamoto game to be shown at E3

« on: February 16, 2003, 03:41:35 PM »

Well of course Miyamoto said he expected Super Mario Sunshine to sell well. It's Mario, it always seems to sell well. It's not as if a comment he made wasn't true about Mario Sunshine. If he had said he expects it to sell out or do amazingly well, then you might say he wasn't humble. I don't recall reading anything from him that caused me to expected an all-time great Mario game. I had my doubts, but I always figured it'd turn out pretty good, which it did.

If Miyamoto says it's remarkable, expect something a little different from the norm. It may not be mainstream appealing, but it'll be creative. Innovation is Shigeru's strong point.

133

Nintendo Gaming / The Wind Waker to recieve "unprecedented" score from EGM.

« on: February 09, 2003, 09:51:54 AM »

Well, I don't think this "unprecedented" score could be low. Let's break this down and examine the word unprecedented to see what exactly this could mean.

Main Entry: un·prec·e·dent·ed
Pronunciation: "&n-'pre-s&-"den-t&d
Function: adjective
Date: 1623
: having no precedent : NOVEL, UNEXAMPLED

Hmmm. No precedent... Let's look up precedent.

Main Entry: 1pre·ce·dent  
Pronunciation: pri-'sE-d&nt, 'pre-s&-d&nt
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin praecedent-, praecedens, present participle of praecedere
Date: 15th century
: prior in time, order, arrangement, or significance

Prior in time, order, arrangement, or significance, and prior is very close to priority and related to prime. This score will have no precedence, however. It has no order or arrangement. If it had no significance, we wouldn't be discussing this. This would have to be a different kind of score, a positive one most likely.

Let's examine some synonyms to re-examine the tone of this word. So far, I don't think unprecedented can carry a negative tone. Novel and unexampled may give us an idea.

Main Entry: 1nov·el
Pronunciation: 'nä-v&l
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, new, from Latin novellus, from diminutive of novus new -- more at NEW
Date: 15th century
1 : new and not resembling something formerly known or used
2 : original or striking especially in conception or style <a novel scheme to collect money>

Main Entry: un·ex·am·pled
Pronunciation: "&n-ig-'zam-p&ld
Function: adjective
Date: 1610
: having no example or parallel

Novel means new and unlike anything else. It's original or striking especially in conception. This sounds very positive. A novel idea would be to create a yoke to let an ox pull a plow instead of man dragging the plow himself. A novel idea would not be, "Hey Jimmy, look at this! I can get the bull to produce milk, too!" Not the best example of a bad idea, but if this unprecedented score was going to be negative, that would mean Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker would not have been a novel creation.

Unexampled. It has no example or parallel. Does this mean the score is peerless? Is Wind Waker peerless? I believe so. No other game achieves what it does. There is nothing like it. The game plays like a movie with as much emotion and creativity from its characters as we've seen from some of the best movies ever produced. It will be a true timeless classic to those who recognize it.

Unprecedented obviously carries a positive tone if correctly employed. Synonym NOVEL is definitely favorable. Given EGM's record of being a reliable video game magazine, I seriously doubt they want to risk their reputation and business by straying from the pack, so to speak. EGM has a goal in running their production. That goal is to gain respectability even from audiences they may not neccesarily take a personal liking toward. They have more to lose by insulting a portion of their consumers. If The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is receiving positive scores, it would make more sense that they be bold and match someone like Famitsu with top scores and even a new award rather than to be ultra critical and give an inaccurate review. Their credibility is their actual product. In the information world, credibility is all a true publication has. It's almost like a stock price. The higher your credibility is with your market, the more valuable you are.

It's not likely EGM will take a personal stance toward Wind Waker and sling mud. They will probably give it very high artistic scores and maybe even a new type of award for originality, quality, and fun. If anything, this would put Wind Waker off to the side by itself away from Grand Theft Auto, Metal Gear Solid, and Final Fantasy. It'd be like segregation in a way.

Honestly, there's not much to expect from a rumor like this, and I really wouldn't make too much of it. No matter what score EGM gives it, it won't likely stray from the norm unless they have something somewhat positive to say in the process. They have invested interests that rely on their words. What all can they say?  

134

Nintendo Gaming / Tube Sliders

« on: February 08, 2003, 12:59:42 PM »

This is not a good sign... This isn't the attitude Gamecubers should have. I would think the existence of F-Zero would boost the market for this kind of game, although I understand that F-Zero is going to absorb most of the market. I just hope this game sells well.

I'd like to know how come other console markets don't act like this. The existence of Halo 2 probably won't cause Doom III to not sell worth a flip, and vice versa.

Oh well. I only plan on buying F-Zero, too. I don't have the money to throw at all games.