Topic: Electroplankton Gets US Release Date

[Bloodworth]

Available January 9th, but only online and at Nintendo World Store.

Did You Know?  Nintendo's Musical Electroplankton Strikes a Chord on Jan. 9    

   REDMOND, Wash., Oct. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- The artistic musical experience   Electroplankton(TM) will begin making beautiful music in the United States on   Jan. 9.  This should come as welcome news to gamers and music fans who have   longed for the hit Japanese music-making title to arrive overseas.    

    Electroplankton, made exclusively for Nintendo DS(TM), doesn't fit the   traditional definition of a video game.  It features 10 different musical   modes that let the user create melodies using the microphone and touch screen.   Electroplankton is something that could only be played on Nintendo DS.  Its   dual screens, touch screen and microphone provide the perfect palette for   artistic creation.    

    Created by renowned artist Toshio Iwai, Electroplankton presents a   beautiful combination of art and music that unfolds in a different way with   every touch of the screen.  Players might find themselves getting lost in the   melodies they create before they share their masterpieces with friends.    

    "Electroplankton represents just one of the many ways that Nintendo is   developing new kinds of software to reach new audiences," said George   Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and   corporate communications.  "Even if you have never played a video game, you   can pick it up and start making amazing musical combinations with no   instruction."    

    Electroplankton, Rated E for Everyone, will make a public debut befitting   its creative, quirky nature.  Electroplankton will be sold exclusively online   and at the Nintendo World Store in New York.  It will be carried by all major   online retailers and at Nintendo.com.  

[KnowsNothing]

It doesn't matter that it'll only be available onrine, it's not like would sell anyway...

[TheYoungerPlumber]

That's Nintendo's justification for all marginally-profittable products (such as component video cables and the Nintendo WiFi USB Connector).  To me it can make sense for a game such as this one--I hope they do the same with other currently Japan-only games.  But with peripherals used in common games found in stores....

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

Yeah, I'd like to know how worldwide GCN component video sales compare with, say, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat.

[joshnickerson]

I guess they figure it's gonna end up attracting a very small audience, much like Pokemon Box (which was also only sold online). But no matter what their reasons, I can guarantee you one thing... it's gonna be a hard item to find a few years down the road.

[stevey]

"Electroplankton will be sold exclusively online and at the Nintendo World Store in New York. It will be carried by all major online retailers and at Nintendo.com. "

Nintendo just kill their sales and for what resone?

[Kairon]

I don't think anyone seriously thought that electroplankton would've sold more than 20,000 units even if it WAS in stores.

~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

[Artimus]

The one good thing about this is that it's being sold at online retailers not just Nintendo.com. That at least half makes sense.

[Strell]

Well, I will pick up an American copy to compliment my Japanese one.

Additionally I might get 2 copies after wards for collector's value.

Plus I feel the need to support Nintendo and their decisions.

This will compliment my USB adapter nicely...

[TMW]

I'm just happy they're releasing it all, you know?

And I am vindicated!  After I posted that link in the DS forum, Nintendo changed the page I linked to from Jan 9th to TBA!  That wasn't very nice at all.

Yay Electroplankton!  

[Flames_of_chaos]

Well its a good thing I live near Nintendo World. (NJ) I already went there twice in a month.  So I wont mind going there to pick up an electroplankton game card. I hope they bundle this with headphones like they did in Japan.

[couchmonkey]

I don't think this is a great choice, but it seems kind of like Nintendo is doing this as a service to fans.  That is something I can appreciate, if only-from-Nintendo games allow me to get my hands on titles that weren't previously available in North America at all, then that's a good thing.

[Dirk Temporo]

They couldn't have this a little sooner? Seriously, there's barely any text at all. How hard could it possibly be to localize?

[Bill Aurion]

Quote
Originally posted by: stevey
"Electroplankton will be sold exclusively online and at the Nintendo World Store in New York. It will be carried by all major online retailers and at Nintendo.com. "

Nintendo just kill their sales and for what resone?

Because Ninty doesn't have to pay distribution costs...

[KDR_11k]

Pro666: Worldwide component cable sales would make no sense because the thing isn't available in Europe. And the RGB cable we got instead IS sold in stores.

[Ian Sane]

How interesting that after all this talk of attracting non-gamers, the ulimate example of a non-game is being sold exclusively online, likely because NOA doesn't have enough faith that it will sell.  If there was ever evidence that NCL is making decisions for the entire worldwide market based on the current Japanese market this is it.  This "people are getting bored with gaming" crap doesn't apply outside of Japan.  In North America gaming is just getting bigger and bigger.  This is why I don't like this non-gamer strategy.  It fixes a "problem" that only exists in one area.

Electroplankton SHOULD sell well worldwide if you believe anything Nintendo says.  It's a key part of Nintendo's new strategy so if the strategy is sound then it should be a runaway hit with all those moms and former gamers and the rest of that supposedly huge untapped market that is going to be such a big part of Nintendo's future success.  If Nintendo themselves isn't even going to give the game the chance to sell like that then their strategy isn't too hot because they don't even have faith in it.  I'd rather they release the game in-stores and have it bomb than to not even give their own strategy a chance.

At the very least they are giving the North American fans a chance to own it.  That's better than nothing.  But they can't be deverting resources to non-gamers that will only sell in Japan on the Rev.  Right now Nintendo's original ideas are going to stuff like this while the more cookie-cutter stuff is going to the "traditional" games.  Now Mario Kart and Advance Wars are cool but we can't just have sequels.  The Rev NEEDS an original IP that will sell well in North America.  Mario and SSB didn't sell Cubes so they won't sell Revs by themselves either.  So for Nintendo's sake whatever big new IP they're coming up with for the Rev BETTER have universal appeal.  They can't have their original stuff all be Japan-only or online-only.

[wandering]

Exclusively online? Bah, I'm convinced this game could be a huge hit with good marketing and distribution.

Quote
Orginally posted by: Ian Sane
How interesting that after all this talk of attracting non-gamers, the ulimate example of a non-game is being sold exclusively online, likely because NOA doesn't have enough faith that it will sell.

Heh, I was actually thinking the same thing.

Quote
This "people are getting bored with gaming" crap doesn't apply outside of Japan. In North America gaming is just getting bigger and bigger. This is why I don't like this non-gamer strategy. It fixes a "problem" that only exists in one area.

Except, are you forgetting about Nintendogs?

Quote
Right now Nintendo's original ideas are going to stuff like this while the more cookie-cutter stuff is going to the "traditional" games. Now Mario Kart and Advance Wars are cool but we can't just have sequels. The Rev NEEDS an original IP that will sell well in North America.

And, are you forgetting that the DS is a handheld? The gameboy had next to nothing but cookie-cutter games... and now that we're finally seeing a handheld system that fosters unique gameplay, you complain. You complain about Miyamoto working on the (amazingly fantastic) Nintendogs, but can you think of another time he even worked on a portable game at all? DS games are short and simple  because they're handheld games designed to played in short bursts...... we still have no idea what kinds of games Nintendo and Miyamoto will be working on for the Rev.    

[Bill Aurion]

The thing is, Electroplankton absolutely bombed in Japan...Like...10,000 copies max?  Yeah, the game only cost like a thousand bucks to make, but if the Japanese don't purchase such a unique game what does that say about the U.S. market?  This is the smartest, most profitable approach Ninty could make, and those that are interested in the game will be able to get it, and those that don't know about it can possibly find out by word of mouth...

[Pale]

Quote
Originally posted by: joshnickerson
I guess they figure it's gonna end up attracting a very small audience, much like Pokemon Box (which was also only sold online). But no matter what their reasons, I can guarantee you one thing... it's gonna be a hard item to find a few years down the road.

Oh god.. please don't get me started on Pokemon Box.  It is one of the games that was stolen out of my car way back when.  It is no longer sold anywhere except for Ebay, where it routinely goes for 150-250 bucks... /sigh.

Maybe I should buy 10 copies of elektroplankton when it comes out.

[vudu]

Does anyone know if anything will be added/removed for the US release?  It sure would be nice to be able to save designs/configurations that you make.  I'd also love the option to upload designs/configurations to friends, but I don't see that one happening.

[Ian Sane]

"The thing is, Electroplankton absolutely bombed in Japan...Like...10,000 copies max?"

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.

Nintendo has to look at what worked with Nintendogs and what didn't work with Electroplankton and base their strategy from that.  One thing that I suspect might give Nintendogs more appeal is that it still has somewhat of a goal for the player.  The goal is to unlock all of the breeds and items and stuff.  Electroplankton doesn't have a goal.  I think a sense of accomplishment is something everyone likes and wants to get from a videogame.  I find the best games are the ones you think about when you're not playing.  You think about what you want to accomplish when you get back to playing.  Nintendogs still has that and that probably plays a big part in why it has been so successful.

[mkeyes]

Okay Nintendo now you have no excuse with releasing this online for not releasing Mother 1+2 for GBA. I mean common you know the market is there and the scripts are done just give it to an intern or something and you can even get away with charging $35 for it.

[nickmitch]

I so called this months ago.

[Bill Aurion]

Quote
Originally posted by: Ian Sane
One thing that I suspect might give Nintendogs more appeal is that it still has somewhat of a goal for the player.  The goal is to unlock all of the breeds and items and stuff.  Electroplankton doesn't have a goal.  I think a sense of accomplishment is something everyone likes and wants to get from a videogame.  I find the best games are the ones you think about when you're not playing.  You think about what you want to accomplish when you get back to playing.  Nintendogs still has that and that probably plays a big part in why it has been so successful.

I think you are mixing up the ideas of "non-game" with a "game that doesn't have a goal"...Animal Crossing sure doesn't have a goal, but is still popular...It just depends on the genre, and has absolutely nothing to do with a piece of software being a "game" or "non-game"...

[KnowsNothing]

Indeed, "non-game" isn't a genre.  Electroplankton didn't sell poorly because it was a non-game, it sold poorly because people just weren't interested in a music creation game of that nature.