Messages

[Berto2K]

1

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Are you a Mario-loving 10 year old?

« on: February 01, 2005, 08:22:28 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Berto2K

Quote
Originally posted by: nionlights
That being said, well, yeah, of course it's a no-brainer that this guy is slightly "misled."  If that's your perception, nowadays a lot of people tend to be "misled" into thinking this way about Nintendo.  Is that their fault, and that of the media?  Perhaps.  

It is completely the media's fault.  Their job is to do as much research so that they can accurately provide as much truth to their audience.

With respect to factual, journalistic news, I completely agree.  Op-ed pieces and reviews are a different story.  You can make ridiculous claims, you just need to base those claims on something.

And that's still not my point.  My question is, "Well, what the hell is Nintendo going to do about this bad press coverage?"  I'm pretty sure that it wasn't like this 10-15 years ago, although I admit I wasn't as well-read back then.  The question needs to be "How can Nintendo change the image that they give to mainstream journalists and media outlets?" or something of the sort.

Obviously, this guy used a little factoid sheet, or maybe did a google on video games, to write that first paragraph...or he's just completely ignorant.  I tend to believe the latter, as he seems to be the Chronicle's "Pop Culture Critic."  He's probably one of these PC-turned-Xbox gamers who sadly has a pen and an audience.

Oh, and I really don't think we can blame Nintendo's image/perception problem in large part on the media.  Sure, they don't help much at all, but I very much doubt that the "casual gamer" that has seemed to elude Nintendo for the last 7-8 years is an avid San Francisco Chronicle or New York Times fan.  Heck, I doubt that a lot of these so-called "casual gamers" frequently visit gaming sites on the web.  My point: word of mouth, kids with friends (so any kid), and commercials, among other things, have great impact on how the public receives a company like Nintendo's product(s), specifically the Gamecube.

2

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Resident Evil 4 Discussion

« on: February 01, 2005, 07:40:05 PM »

To continue the never-ending stream of praise, this is really what console gaming is all about.  It really is a shame that this was the last, and not the first, RE out on the 'Cube.  For as good as Zero was (and 2 and Veronica), this is by far the best in the series.

Speaking of Mikami, has anyone heard anything more about him leaving Capcom?

3

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Are you a Mario-loving 10 year old?

« on: February 01, 2005, 07:24:19 PM »

The review itself, after that nasty lead-in paragraph, is actually not completely terrible, especially for...well, a newspaper; I doubt that the Chronicle's editors put a lot of stress on their writers churning out the best of the best in video game-related journalism.

That being said, well, yeah, of course it's a no-brainer that this guy is slightly "misled."  If that's your perception, nowadays a lot of people tend to be "misled" into thinking this way about Nintendo.  Is that their fault, and that of the media?  Perhaps.  Does it help anyone who likes Nintendo, or Nintendo themselves, to whine about it or just notice how "utterly stupid and mainstream" these comments are?  Definitely not.

Everyone seems to think that it has to be one or the other - either you get the cookie-cutter blood and guts, kill to your heart's content games (of which there are several quality titles), or you get the masterpieces that Nintendo puts out.  I respectfully disagree.

And about those consumers that aren't worth sacrificing anything for.  What about consumers that want both?  I'd like to be able to enjoy the latest game from Nintendo while knowing that just about every other genre available to a gamer is not only available, but well covered.  I don't think that's too much to ask, and I don't think that it's an uncommon request.

Just my thoughts.  I, too, though, wouldn't be surprised at another crash in the industry, which I totally see Nintendo flying through.

4

TalkBack / RE: EA Gets Big Names for Godfather Voice Acting

« on: February 01, 2005, 07:00:02 PM »

Is this game even coming out on the GC?  From what I've heard, it's PS2 only, or PS2/Xbox...

[misterd]

5

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Mature Titles doesnt always mean Violent !

« on: January 08, 2004, 08:56:38 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: misterd


2) I have said it before and will say it again. Being "mature" has nothing to do with guns, drugs, whores and cursing. Maturinty is getting a job, paying the bills, taking care of a family. In short, the most mature game out there is The Sims.

In real-world situations, yes.  But I find it odd that no one thinks of the term "mature themed" as it relates to sex, drugs, violence, etc.  Sure, what you're describing is "maturity in life," but don't bring that over to video games-we don't do the same to movies.  If a movie is rated "R", it has "adult content;" in other words, the movie contains "mature content," many times the sex, drugs, and violence that you say has nothing to do with the term "mature."  Perhaps they should change it to "adult themes..."  to please those who don't understand the ESRB's use of the word "mature."

Another point: 10-11 year olds are not prepared to experience games like Grand Theft Auto or Manhunt, that's the primary reason why the "Mature" rating is supposed to bar them from purchasing these games.  A 10 or 11 year old is not going to be equipped enough to deal with seeing tons of blood and gore all over a screen, whether that be a very "mature" game, or an R-rated movie; I think we can agree that once you "mature" a little more in life, you become better equipped to handle seeing movies like "Goodfellas" or playing games like GTA without as serious a risk of unwanted side effects.

The outcry from some (not I, for the most part) for more "mature" games for the Gamecube, though, does not necessarily coincide with "how many 'M' games 'X' system has."  A lot of it has to do with perception, yes (much of it false, like "Nintendo is a completely kiddy system"), but a lot of it deals with demographics.  Nintendo tends to target their games towards those a little bit younger on the spectrum than other companies do; the popular games for the GC that get a lot of hype, therefore, are games like Zelda and, well, any Mario title.  People tend to not see that the GC has more Resident Evils than most can handle, or Eternal Darkness, or really good, "mature" multiplatform fighting games like Soul Calibur.  I do think, though, that this whine for more mature games would end/would have ended with a Gamecube version of GTA.

I'm through ranting.

6

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Mature Titles doesnt always mean Violent !

« on: January 04, 2004, 11:10:12 PM »

The current rating system is ridiculous-what is the point of a rating system which the majority of parents do not understand?  There is/was absolutely no reason why the "ESRB" couldn't just adopt the MPAA rating system (G, PG, PG-13, etc); no fuss, no crazy ratings that aren't ever used, just plain, simple movie-style ratings.  Oh, and here's my (only) problem with Nintendo, or, rather, the state of video games today-10 years ago, or whenever it was, when i fell in love with the Super Nintendo, there was no question that it had ALL the games.  You want sports games?  SNES had plenty.  You want "x" type of game from "x" developer?  SNES had them all.  Nowadays, I have to hold my breath, cross my fingers in the hopes that a good 3rd-party game that I've just heard about will get to the Cube.  It's not a pleasant feeling...

7

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicle Thread

« on: December 13, 2003, 07:14:16 PM »

All I can say is...thank god for Square.  Although I don't play games quite as much as I used to, the Gamecube thus far (much like the 64) hasn't had too much of a rock 'em sock 'em RPG lineup.  This will be one exciting game.