Topic: Entertainment Weekly Must Have List

[nitsu niflheim]

So the last issue of EW was their must list issue, where they cover all kinds of stuff that are "must have"  and.... The Nintendo Wii was listed as a must item, under must have TV accessory.  I haven't finished looking at it yet, but I don't recall seeing anything about XB360 or PS3.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

I approve of this thread.

[ShyGuy]

But does this thread excuse Nitsu's excessive post bumping?

[nitsu niflheim]

What?  Since when am I post bumping?

[ShyGuy]

*cough* http://planetgamecube.com/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=18&threadid=12808&STARTPAGE=2

[nitsu niflheim]

I followed a link from the other batman begins thread.  I don't check dates when i click links.

[JonLeung]

Do they have the same list online somewhere, and what else is on this "Must Have" list?

[Smash_Brother]

I kinda suspect Nintendo slipped them some cash for that.

I just don't see mainstream media yet having any idea of what the Wii is and why it would be classified as a "TV accessory" instead of a videogame console.

Also, nice "One Night in Bangkok" quote, Nitsu.

[thejeek]

Quote
I kinda suspect Nintendo slipped them some cash for that.

Well that's what they need to do. They're sitting on a giant wad of money and they need to spend some on smart marketing and bribing stores to get good shelf space.

[Requiem]

That brings up a good point. I think we, as nintendo fans, are somewhat brainwashed into thinking that Nintendo is some innocent little kid in a playground full of bullies. It's almost like Nintendo can do no harm. Except the reality is that they are a business, and in the world of greed, having a lucrative business is all that matters and playing fair doesn't work.

[IceCold]

Quote
Originally posted by: nitsu niflheim
I followed a link from the other batman begins thread.  I don't check dates when i click links.

Blame me

[ShyGuy]

I blame you, IceCold-achu!

[Smash_Brother]

Quote
Originally posted by: Requiem
That brings up a good point. I think we, as nintendo fans, are somewhat brainwashed into thinking that Nintendo is some innocent little kid in a playground full of bullies. It's almost like Nintendo can do no harm. Except the reality is that they are a business, and in the world of greed, having a lucrative business is all that matters and playing fair doesn't work.

I know Nintendo's no angel, but they're the lesser of three evils, by far.

Speaking as a former Microsoft tech, not only are the f*ckers clueless, but they just don't care. If MS owns the market, they'll halt any and all innovation in the field and assr*pe the people who have no choice but to buy their products. That, and they won't repair bugs and all manners of security holes until enough people complain.

Sony is a pathological liar. They'll bullsh*t people all over the place, like claiming how the PS2 would have graphics to rival Pixar's, then pull stunts like upgrading the current model PS2 with a new feature, sometimes even new hardware which makes games run better. A friend once showed me a PS1 1st gen and then a PS1 2nd gen both running Gran Turismo: the first ran choppy but the "upgraded" one had no framerate issues.

If Nintendo released a better version of the GC mid-life which ran, say, MP better than my current GC, I'd be forced to either buy a new GC or live with crappy framerates. That would infuriate me.

Needless to say, Nintendo, while known for paying retailers to not stock Sega products in the early years, still doesn't have the pile of strikes against them that Sony and MS do.

[thejeek]

The way I see it is:
  - There is too much competition in the market and Nintendo's position is too tenuous for Nintendo to get away with the sort of stuff they used to pull and that Sony and Microsoft get away with now
  - I like Nintendo games
So I want Nintendo to play dirty enough to stay in the games business - if they don't sweet-talk sock-puppet bloggers, give free systems to spineless journalists in return for good reviews, bribe stores to get good shelf space, etc. etc. then the time will come when I don't get to play any new Nintendo games because they've been pushed out of business by the other players who do do those things, and who sleep soundly at night having done them

[Smash_Brother]

I must sadly admit that such is also my stance on the matter.

Besides, everything they're doing is basically just modern advertising. Either they play ball or they die.

[thejeek]

Absolutely, I mean when we get 'analysis' like this, Xbox 360 To Keep U.S. Lead Through 2009 (when the X360 is not even outselling the PS/2 let alone the as yet unrelease PS3 or Wii), what hope is there for a company that won't play dirty.

Who bought this analysis? The 360 is hardly selling like hotcakes and it doesn't even have any competition yet, but IDG think they know it'll beat all comers three years down the line - Nintendo need to get some of this 'analysis' going their way

[EDIT: clarify]

[Smash_Brother]

Analysts are always full of sh*t, though. I think people honestly expect them to be wrong.

They said the PSP would win the handheld war right out of the gate and other such nonsense. Getting the Wii on a list which normally doesn't include video games is far better advertising.

[thejeek]

You're probably right - many more normal people are gonna read Entertainment Weekly's list than IDG's analysis.

Certainly I think Nintendo have done something right this time around - friends of mine who have no interest in gaming have at least heard of the Wii whereas last generation they didn't know what a Gamecube was. Some of them still don't - even after they've played on the bloody thing, they manage to think it's an Xbox (they know it's not a PS/2, so obviously it must be 'the other one, that Xbox thing'... One guy I know went out and bought an Xbox because he liked my Gamecube so much!)

I know we all know industry analysis is a load of old bollocks but I worry that this sort of bullsh!t analysis (e.g. the IGN thing) trickles down through the industry and leaks out into the wider world and colors the opinions of mainstream journos, who think reading that crap consititutes serious research and if none of it goes Nintendo's way, it'll make getting the more important coverage, like the Entertainment Weekly thing, less likely to go their way.

[Smash_Brother]

Quote
Originally posted by: thejeek Certainly I think Nintendo have done something right this time around - friends of mine who have no interest in gaming have at least heard of the Wii whereas last generation they didn't know what a Gamecube was. Some of them still don't - even after they've played on the bloody thing, they manage to think it's an Xbox (they know it's not a PS/2, so obviously it must be 'the other one, that Xbox thing'... One guy I know went out and bought an Xbox because he liked my Gamecube so much!)

Yeah, I've seen that stigma as well.

In the case of the "Wii", no one is going to confuse the name for an "Xbox" or "PS3" and I can't help but think this is exactly what Nintendo wanted to have happen.

[Requiem]

It is what Nintendo wanted to have happen.

They have to break down the barrier that divides gamers from non-gamers. Non-gamers see videogames as childish. immature or a waste of time and resources.

Nintendo has to reinvent what it means to be a videogame console and a gamer. They have to show people that gaming is just another wonderful medium for us to indulge in. It can be fun and quirky, or serious and mystic. It can be bloody and gorey, or educational and witty. They have to show them that gaming isn't about pubescent teenagers and stoned college students "wasting" their time. Instead, it is about people wanting to have fun and become entertianed; that's it.

They have to prove that the steriotypes are wrong.

It's definitely an uphill battle, but Nintendo so far looks prepared to attack.