Messages

[Exclusive new GCN baseball title coming April 4th!]

3476

TalkBack / Nintendo Reveals Nintendo Pennant Chase Baseball

« on: January 27, 2005, 02:44:49 AM »

Exclusive new GCN baseball title coming April 4th!

Nintendo has announced Nintendo Pennant Chase Baseball, a GameCube-exclusive baseball title developed by Exile Interactive and Nintendo.  It will be released April 4th to coincide with the beginning of the baseball season, so it's obviously been in development for a while.

Pennant Chase Baseball will feature three different licenses: Major League Baseball Properties, the Major League Baseball Player's Association, and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.  What this means is that NPCB will feature all of the real MLB teams, players and their statistics (courtesy of STATS, Inc.), as well as all 30 ballparks and some ballparks of the past.  In-game commentary will feature former Arizona Diamondbacks manager Bob Brenly, and (surprise, surprise) Seattle Mariners broadcasters Rick Rizzs and Tom Hutyler.

Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz will grace the cover of the game, which is sure to be a hot item once baseball season rolls around.

3477

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Yoshi Touch n' Go Does Well

« on: January 25, 2005, 11:59:57 AM »

Four words...touch fuzzy, get dizzy.

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Nintendo Gaming / RE: should we worry now?

« on: January 18, 2005, 06:15:25 PM »

Hopefully Sonic DS will be cool.  I'd love it if it took the series back to its 16-Bit roots, and used both screens in the process.  I'd buy an old-school Sonic the Hedgehog game in a second.

silks

3479

Nintendo Gaming / RE: NPD Data - Top 10 Best-Selling Games of 2004

« on: January 18, 2005, 06:12:31 PM »

All of the titles on this list are pretty much what you'd expect.  This list also tells a lot about the respective game consoles and their place in the market.

GameCube - invisible, not even part of the console mainstream
GBA - Pokemon, for the kids
PS2 - Rules the market, big for sports games and mature titles
XBox - Big for first-person shooters, but also some sports games

silks

3480

Nintendo Gaming / NPD Data - Top 10 Best-Selling Games of 2004

« on: January 18, 2005, 12:17:45 PM »

Here's the top 10 for last year:

1. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2)
2. Halo 2 (Xbox)
3. Madden NFL 2005(PS2)
4. ESPN NFL 2K5 (PS2)
5. Need For Speed: Underground 2 (PS2)
6. Pokemon Fire Red (GBA)
7. NBA Live 2005 (PS2)
8. Spider-Man 2 (PS2)
9. Halo (Xbox)
10. ESPN NFL 2K5 (Xbox)

My thoughts:

- I can't believe the first Halo is still a top-10-selling game.  That's ridiculous.
- It's really too bad to see ESPN NFL2K5 go.  Now we're only left to wonder what could have been...
- It would have been nice to see maybe ONE GameCube title in there.  Zelda even?  Did Nintendo even have a million-seller this year on GCN?
- Pokemon has saved Nintendo's arses in so many ways.
- Football games are so huge!  EA is going to make a killing over the next several years.  They're guaranteed to have one of the top 3 best-selling games every year.
- I wonder where Resident Evil 4 (GCN) will place next year?
- PS2 owns the charts, dang.

silks

3481

TalkBack / RE:EA Ends Relationship with SEE Advertising

« on: January 17, 2005, 01:32:32 PM »

In other words, "We're dumping this ad agency, but we don't want to make them look too bad, so we'll throw them a bone in our press release."

At this rate, EA is probably starting their own ad agency.  Or they just bought one.

silks

3482

TalkBack / RE:EA Signs 15-year deal with ESPN

« on: January 17, 2005, 01:29:18 PM »

Wow, this is getting ridiculous.  Talk about the big fish gobbling up the little fish.  I'm sure EA will buy the NBA license next, then probably the WNBA, then MLS...nobody can stop them, they're too rich.

I wonder what Visual Concepts is working on now?  They must be devastated.  EA might as well buy them too.  It'd be cool if Nintendo bought them though, maybe to make a series of Mario Sports titles.  As an aside, if you ever wonder why Nintendo didn't start a Nintendo Sports brand, this is probably it.  EA is too strong a competitior...it's easier to work with them than against them.

I have new mottos for EA:

Instead of "Challenge Everything" --> "Buy Everything"
Instead of "It's In The Game" --> "It's in the game, but it doesn't matter if it isn't, because there are no other games LOL"

silks

3483

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Resident Evil 4 Discussion

« on: January 17, 2005, 07:29:16 AM »

I just gotta chime in here and say that if you don't own Resident Evil 4 (and your mommy will allow you to have it), GET IT.  It's much better than I ever thought possible.

It's less "old-style Resident Evil" and almost breaks into first-person shooter territory.  It's kind of like a first-person shooter with a smidgeon less freedom control-wise, but I love how it's relatively free-roaming and you can backtrack as much as you want.  It doesn't even feel like it's part of the Resident Evil series, to be honest.  It feels like it's a takeoff of the series that's been done by a different developer, that's how different it feels.

And oh yeah, the graphics are AMAZING and the boss battles are INSANE.  I'd say it's the best game on Gamecube, with Metroid Prime/Prime 2 coming in a very close second.  I really can't rave about it enough.

silks  

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Nintendo Gaming / RE: DS needs more "mature" titles

« on: January 16, 2005, 05:02:47 PM »

The phrase "mature title" is such a hot button these days.  As soon as somebody says "this console needs more mature titles" everybody goes haywire, saying "blood and gore isn't what gaming about", blah blah blah.  I think the main point here is that the DS needs some major titles that don't include Mario, Yoshi, Wario, or some derivation.  Whether these games are M-rated or not doesn't matter, just something other than the typical Nintendo cartoony stuff.  That's the only type of game that Nintendo really puts out these days (Metroid series being the lone exception) and it's slowly killing them.

silks

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Nintendo Gaming / RE: should we worry now?

« on: January 16, 2005, 12:38:27 PM »

That's what Gamestop is saying.  But then again, they also have Animal Crossing, Advance Wars DS, and Mario Kart all listed as shipping March 1st so I doubt it's true.  EBGames usually has dates that are much more reliable, and they don't even have FF:CC DS listed on their website.

silks

3486

Nintendo Gaming / RE:should we worry now?

« on: January 16, 2005, 11:13:17 AM »

I think the pickings are going to be lean for DS games until around March.  Here's the latest release dates from EBGames' website...

Final Fantasy: Crystal Chonicles DS - Feb. 7
Wario Ware Touched - Feb. 14

Bomberman DS - Mar. 1
Dynasty Warriors - Mar. 1
Sonic DS - Mar. 1
Yoshi Touch & Go - Mar. 14

Viewtiful Joe DS - May 8
Metroid Prime: Hunters - May 8

Animal Crossing DS - Sept. 12
Mario Kart DS - Sept. 12
Advance Wars DS - Oct. 9  
Castlevania - TBA Q3 2005

Animal Crossing, Mario Kart and Advance Wars all recently changed from March to September/October.  That really sucks...it looks like the DS won't a heck of a lot until mid-year, and then the real titles will start dropping (not surprisingly) around Christmas.

silks

3487

TalkBack / RE: Editorial: Playing By Party Lines

« on: January 13, 2005, 04:41:14 PM »

I would love to have a girlfriend that was a competent gamer.  I had an ex that used to pay SSBM with me and was pretty good, but eventually I pulled away and started consistently whipping her ass.   Eventually she got on a "you need to grow up and stop gaming so much" kick, then I saw her recently and she was jawing about how she's addicted to playing Halo on XBoxConnect.  Go figure.

Women.

silks

3488

TalkBack / RE:EA To Create Arena Football League Game

« on: January 11, 2005, 01:45:32 AM »

This is Arena Football, not rugby or some type of rudimentary pitch-and-throw game using a coconut.

AFL Website

It's actually pretty cool, a faster-paced version of NFL football.  I'm going to check out a game at some point this year (Go Georgia Force!).

silks

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TalkBack / RE: Happy Birthday Jonathan!

« on: January 10, 2005, 06:19:46 PM »

Happy birthday you cynical bastard.

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TalkBack / RE: NOA Announces Q1/Q2 Release Schedules

« on: January 10, 2005, 04:24:57 PM »

What DS really needs is that one killer RPG that rivals the SNES greats like Final Fantasy III and Chrono Trigger.  Not that games of that calibre come along every day, but an RPG like that would really push the DS over the top.

silks

[Four-year deal includes AFL game for 2006 season, and EA sharing in future expansion team revenues.]

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TalkBack / EA To Create Arena Football League Game

« on: January 10, 2005, 03:42:20 PM »

Four-year deal includes AFL game for 2006 season, and EA sharing in future expansion team revenues.

AFL & EA ENTER INTO EXCLUSIVE AGREEMENT --  EA TO PRODUCE AFL VIDEOGAME FOR 2006 AFL SEASON

NEW YORK January 10, 2005 – The Arena Football League and Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:ERTS) have entered into an exclusive agreement to produce an AFL video game in time for the start of the 2006 AFL season that also allows EA to share in the proceeds of future expansion team sales. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.  

“Once again, we are partnering with an industry leader who believes in the AFL philosophy and its growth potential. To the extent that EA helps grow the AFL, they participate in that growth through the increased value of future expansion teams,” said Commissioner David Baker. “EA is the videogame industry’s gold standard. Arguably, nothing is more important to reach the younger male demographic that we are so strong in than video games. For our core fan, this is akin to a network-television agreement.”  

Over the next four years and beginning with the 2005 AFL season, EA will partner with the AFL on media and retail marketing, and produce AFL games, the first to be available to consumers at the start of the 2006 AFL season.  

“We believe that the business model the AFL has created will provide for a new football experience for videogame fans, and provide EA with an incentive to partner with the AFL to expand the league,” said Larry Probst, Chairman and CEO of EA. “The AFL is a unique brand of football and we intend to deliver a unique football gaming experience from any the industry has seen before. We’re pleased to be working with the league during this exciting, growth-period for the AFL.”  

The partnership is a perfect match when considering customer demographics of both the AFL and EA. According to the ESPN Sports Poll, the AFL indexes at 186 for ages 12-17 and 127 for ages 18-24. Approximately 46 percent of all 12-17 year olds are fans of the AFL.  

This is the first of four sponsor-related partnerships approved by the AFL Board of Directors and is an extension of the industry-changing equity agreement the AFL has with NBC Sports, in which NBC receives a percentage of the increase in AFL team values.  

EA joins a growing list of industry leaders who are partnering with and/or sponsoring the AFL. The list includes: Aaron’s, ADT, Champs Sports, NBC, Nike, Spalding, Upper Deck and U.S. Army.

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Nintendo Gaming / RE: Revolution and Demasked...connection?

« on: January 07, 2005, 03:31:15 PM »

I've always been under the impression that the Demasked team has been working directly with Nintendo.  They've been too tight-lipped for this to be a "fan scene" endeavor.  Their behavior has NDA written all over it, and who else would force them to go under NDA other than Nintendo itself?

And if Microsoft is one of their competitors, well, all I can say is that Microsoft doesn't have a handheld.

I'm sure that whatever they announce will be BIG, and it'll be announced on the day the PSP is released in March.  Perhaps a teaser will be announced saying that full details will be announced at E3.

silks

3493

Nintendo Gaming / Revolution and Demasked...connection?

« on: January 05, 2005, 02:49:17 PM »

We know that the Revolution is going to be announced at E3.

I'm hearing rumors that Demasked is going to be announced at E3, instead of March like everybody's heard.

Could the two be connected?  Maybe both Revolution and Demasked will be connected to the same "network".  I gotta say that two announcements like this would mean that Nintendo would steal both Microsoft and Sony's thunder at E3, no matter what they announce.

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Nintendo Gaming / RE: Are u still sure buying the DS (instead of the PSP) was a good choice?

« on: January 05, 2005, 02:40:15 PM »

I have no problem with my purchase.  I didn't expect a flood of games at the beginning anyways, and you can always buy GBA games to tide you over until the DS kicks into high gear.  There's nothing on the PSP that's really interesting me right now.  On the other hand, future DS games like Mario Kart, Animal Crossing, Castlevania, and Super Mario Bros. really have me intrigued.

silks

3495

Nintendo Gaming / RE: EBGAMES & OTHER STUPID STORES

« on: January 05, 2005, 02:24:58 PM »

I buy my games at Gamestop.com, EBGames.com, occasionally at Wal-Mart and occasionally at KB Toys.

I do all of my shopping on the Internet if I can (Amazon.com I love you).  I hate salespeople, and I certainly don't need any help for video game stuff.  The last time I bought something at EBGames it was my DS, and I never got any kind of hassle.  But then, I'm usually about 10 years older than the clerks.

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Nintendo Gaming / RE: DS vs PSP - Sales Figures

« on: January 01, 2005, 02:56:56 PM »

Wow, hit the Reply button by accident - brilliant.

I'm beginning to wonder if the adult portable market is there too.  The GBA SP caught on with adults because it was small, cheap and cool-looking.  Still, to this day I only know one adult non-gamer that has one (my sister, and she didn't buy hers - I gave her my SP when I bought my DS).  I'm still wondering exactly what market the PSP is hoping to serve...I don't think that an "adult portable market" will be as easy to create as the "adult console market" was for the PS2, simply because there really isn't a need there.

I think that only the hardcore will buy the PSP, whereas the DS will attract the "Oh, it's a newer GBA?  Cool, I'll get it" market.  The PSP won't catch on with adults like, say, the iPod has.  The iPod does one thing and does it well; it's easy for people to understand.  The PSP is trying to be a jack-of-all-trades so it'll be more difficult for people to grasp the reason why they need the product (not to mention the fact that a convenient way to play music is higher on the mainstream's priority list than playing video games).

When I look at the PSP I see a product with a potential identity crisis.

silks

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Nintendo Gaming / RE: DS vs PSP - Sales Figures

« on: January 01, 2005, 02:43:58 PM »

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Nintendo Gaming / RE:First Castlevania DS screens and info

« on: January 01, 2005, 02:36:56 PM »

Come on, Super Metroid is much better than Fusion and Zero Mission.  Those are great games in their own right, but they're just hors d'ouvres, Super Metroid is the main course.  That game is incredible, even today.

This is great news.  I initially cringed at the stylus work as a gimmick, but when you look at the screenshots it actually looks pretty cool.  For example, having to draw a huge pentagram is neat stuff, especially when you're under pressure in the midst of a boss battle.

You're right, SoTN had a lot of extraneous FMV - what immediately jumps to mind is the opening FMV showing the Konami logo emerging out of the ground.  I'm not sure how much space that used on the CD, but it doesn't need to be there.

silks

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Nintendo Gaming / RE:1,000,000 DS's in North America

« on: December 28, 2004, 08:58:42 AM »

There's no doubt that the DS is a huge success.  With 2 million systems sold it's getting a lot of notice in the press (I've seen articles about it in the papers, on cnn.com, etc.).  It was definitely the "buzz gadget" of Christmas 2004, which was nice for Nintendo.  I can't see the PSP making as big a splash when it debuts in March; it certainly won't see the frenzied first-week sales the DS did because it isn't releasing during the holidays.  Analysts can say what they want about this being the DS' "honeymoon period" before the PSP debuts, but you can't argue with 1,000,000 consoles sold in the US in roughly a month.  The installed base alone ensures that we'll get some cool games coming out in 2005.

silks

[Hey, have you heard about this new 'wireless' thing? All the cool kids are doing it.]

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TalkBack / Mad Catz Releases Wireless MicroCON Controllers

« on: December 25, 2004, 10:51:26 AM »

Hey, have you heard about this new 'wireless' thing?  All the cool kids are doing it.

Mad Catz Launches New Line of MicroCON Wireless Controllers in Time for the Holidays!

The Ultimate Stocking Stuffer Spotted on Retail Shelves

SAN DIEGO--Dec. 23, 2004--Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. (AMEX/TSX: MCZ), the world's leading third party video game accessory manufacturer, announced the launch of wireless versions of its highly successful MicroCON line of "micro" sized controllers for Xbox®, Playstation®2 and Gamecube video game systems. The controllers are available nationwide for an estimated retail price of $24.99.   "Wireless controllers have been a high growth accessory category this holiday season," said Darren Richardson, President and CEO of Mad Catz. "The launch of the Microcon wireless line provides an additional opportunity to capitalize on that growth."   A natural extension of the Microcon line, the Wireless Microcon Controller sports all of the quality features game players have come to expect from the pint-sized controller, including the slim, ergonomic design, comfortable rubber grips, and high-quality analog buttons and joystick. With a 30 foot signal radius from controller to console, the Wireless Microcon is the ultimate tool for gamers ready to cut the cord.

  Product Features:

  --  15% smaller than traditional controllers

  --  Grooved rubber grips

  --  Fully analog action buttons, joystick and d-pad

  --  30 foot signal radius between controller and console

  --  One expansion bay (for Xbox Wireless Microcon) for Xbox Live        play

  --  Up to 40 hours of game play with 2 AA batteries

  --  Available in three colors: black, green, and orange--with        special edition colors on the way!

  More information about the Wireless Microcon controllers can be found at: http://www.MadCatz.com'>www.MadCatz.com.