Topic: Electroplankton Gets US Release Date

[Kairon]

Naw, Animal Crossing had tons of goals.

I suspet that "game with no goals" is a category that doesn't even suit tetris, Tetris had a goal: don't die and make tetrises!

Electroplankton, on the other hand, is more like: here, push some buttons and sounds come out. That's it. Nothing more. Just touch the screen and it'll make a sound. yup.

...on that note I'm pondering buying 2 or 3 copies just for collectors and novelty value!

~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

[Ian Sane]

A game without any goals is very rare.  In fact I can't think of one outside of Electroplankton.  Maybe Mario Paint.  Basically if the game has no goals it has nothing to earn.  You can see and access the entire game from the moment you turn it on and there is nothing to strive for.  It's just a toy to play with.  Tetris has the goal of getting a higher score.  Animal Crossing has all sorts of items to collect.

[Djunknown]

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I see. I guess then we're lucky to get it at all. Now I'm really concerned about their non-gamer strategy. They pushed the hell out of Electroplankton at all their presentations. It was a frequent example regarding what they're doing to appeal to new types of gamers and stuff like that.

True that. That e3 presentation=priceless. What happens? Relegated to obscure-dom...

To be fair, the other non-game or what NCL PR calls "Touch Generation" that seems to be doing well is DS brain training. He's got the sales figures to back it up in Japan, which not only generate decent numbers, but don't fall off the top 20 or so right after the first week.

Japan's been responsive to the non-gamer movement, but still largley untested outside Japan. Anybody got sales figures about how Nintendogs is doing over here? Is it still in the top 20?

Mother 1 & 2: Give it up. Abandon all hope. Import it if you want it so badly. Duke Nukem Forever will come out first before this compiliation...

On topic, this should bring out people's inner DJ's if nothing else. Now if they make it a little cheaper...

where's Band Brothers?

[Bill Aurion]

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Originally posted by: Ian Sane
A game without any goals is very rare.  In fact I can't think of one outside of Electroplankton.  Maybe Mario Paint.  Basically if the game has no goals it has nothing to earn.  You can see and access the entire game from the moment you turn it on and there is nothing to strive for.  It's just a toy to play with.  Tetris has the goal of getting a higher score.  Animal Crossing has all sorts of items to collect.

Well then you pretty much proved yourself that Ninty has no problem with their "non-game philosophy"...  Nintendogs and Brain Training are proof of that...

[KDR_11k]

I thought a "game with no goal" is called an application?

[Hostile Creation]

I did a paper on Toshio Iwai (Electroplankton creator) and the guy is a genius.  It's a pity more people aren't buying this, because it's bound to be great stuff.  I'm definitely getting a copy.
Besides, the cost to make Electroplankton was probably ridiculously low.  They were probably on a profit margin after a thousand sales, if not less.

[Mario]

This sucks, it tells me they've given up on it. Weak.

[vudu]

If they had given up on it the game wouldn't be available at all in the States.

[Artimus]

It sold 10,000 copies in Japan, an utter bomb. It's a very quirky title by a popular Japanese guy we've never heard of. The fact we're getting it at ALL is a miracle.

Some people are never happy!

[mantidor]

I want it so much! but 1) a DS is too expensive here, almost the price of the psp if you do a direct convertion of current rates, 2) the games are too expensive also!, how the hell they end up costing $50 dollars here? (again, direct convertions) , and 3) only online? does that means that if I want the game here Im going to have to pay for shippment costs which may very well end up being the same amount as the game itself?

I love Nintendo, but this makes it really hard, damn you! why do you do this?  

[vudu]

Just for the heck of it I decided to see how much it would cost to ship mantidor a copy of Electroplankton via FedEx.  Wanna guess how much?  $55.00 USD

[mantidor]

ha! I told you!









Im seriously considering smuggling, I just need to find someone who is going to New York and coming back. I have to get a DS and this game!

[Mario]

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If they had given up on it the game wouldn't be available at all in the States.

They gave up on it's selling power I mean.

Oh yeah one more thing, Electroplankton has goals. The goal is to make cool sounds.

[Artimus]

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Originally posted by: Mario

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If they had given up on it the game wouldn't be available at all in the States.

They gave up on it's selling power I mean.

Oh yeah one more thing, Electroplankton has goals. The goal is to make cool sounds.

What's the last super-quirky game to bomb in Japan and sell well in America?

You can have Electroplankton, which is more than any reasonable business would provide you.

[Mario]

I don't care if it only sells 4 copies, to have it sitting on the shelf would be worth it enough, i'm not unhappy I just don't approve of the decision business wise. I'll still get it.

[Artimus]

Business wise the decision to release it at ALL makes no sense...

[Mario]

It does because it makes the DS lineup look better.