Topic: To buy or not to buy?

[MaryJane]

This is not a poll!

Just a curiousity

There's a lot of love for the rev, and there's also a lot of doubt.

So for those of us who are planning to buy a Revolution, I'm wondering, what could Nintendo do that would make you no longer desire to buy it? You know it's weaker graphically, you know nothing about the controller or games, and you want to buy it, so what more would they have to do to persuade you?

For those of you who are doubting whether or not you're going to buy one, I want to know the opposite.
What could Nintendo do to persuade you to buy a Revolution? They're offering a nunchuck, a shell controller, and innovative gameplay and you're still not satisfied. What more do you want?

I realize the potential this has to not only turn into a joke thread, but quite possible flame war, so let's be civil and politely criticize those we disagree with. Also post seriously, my curiousity overwhelms me and often gets me into trouble like asking a girl "are those real??" SLAP . So let's have it here's mine:

Nintendo would have to come out at E3 and say, we've decided that instead of being innovative we're going to release a system more akin to the competition, sorry no motion sensing, our console is going to be so huge and powerful that everyone will love it. Then I wouldn't buy one.  

[Ian Sane]

I'm iffy about buying it because of three main issues.

1. I'm worried the controller won't be able to handle traditional games.
2. I'm worried the controller might be a g!mmick and titles made for it will lack depth.
3. I'm worried that Nintendo is going to focus too much on non-gamers and thus spend too much time making products for this group that I'm not interested in.

So to buy a Rev I need to see some games that suggest otherwise.  If Nintendo can deliver some games that really grab my interest and I feel I have to buy a Rev or I'll be missing out on these must-play games then I'll buy a Rev.  When I'll buy a Rev is based on when these games are available.  If they're launch titles I'll buy one at launch.  If I have to wait I'll wait.  Issue 3 relates more to what my overall satisfaction with the console will be than my purchasing decision.  If there are games I want for it I'll buy one barring any unforeseen financial problems.

[jasonditz]

Things they could do to keep me away:

1. Price the system too high. Low specs should equal affordability. If the system costs as much as a Premium 360, I'm going to have to seriously re-examine it.

2. Price the VC games too high. Probably not a deal breaker by itself, but the VC is something I'm very interested in, and if they charge $20 a game or something, that's going to matter.

3. Emphasize online too much. I'm sort of interested in seeing for instance an online Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (multiplayer things I could  never get anyone else to play in real life), but in the long run, I don't care that much about playing online... that's why Mario Kart is sitting at the bottom of my DS box while satisfying single player experiences like Sonic Rush and Puyo Pop are getting lots of playtime months after I bought them. I like the idea of online as an option, but if there aren't any games that can be enjoyed as a single player experience, I'm probably going to look elsewhere.

[animecyberrat]

I will buy a revolution on launch day no matter whats (as long as I have the money) becuase it will be the first time I ever got a Nintendo system at launch and I am really excited about the virtual console and playing smash bros online because all my smash bros playing friends stayed in NV when I moved to KS.  


I am skeptical about the controller even with the shell because they will still likey force motion sensing on yo one way or another. I am not at all interested in any of Nintendos recent new games like pikmin or Animal Crossing so those kinds of games will not win me over. I am however seriously considering a 360 because of Oblivion so if Rev doesnt offer any games like that I might hold off. Also if theres no Mortal Kombat or Midway support I am gone nuff said.  

[Zach]

Right now, I really want to buy one at launch, the thing is that right now i am assuming that they would not have made this weird controller without knowing that they could use it well for games.  I am kinda repeating what Ian say but in a different way, if the Games nintendo lets out do not support my above assumption, then I may rethink buying a rev (at least at launch)

[MaryJane]

Actually you guys are right, that shouldve been my real reason to stay away.
If the games aren't any good I'll probably force myself to buy a ps3, however looking at Nintendos track record, it would be hard for this happen I think.  

[kirby_killer_dedede]

I'm flame baiting, but the only thing that could keep me away is the graphics.

I've fallen for everything, but I'm going to admit, I like my games to look good...and if the games are comparable to the original Xbox...meh.

[Fro]

The big thing would be a lot of reports from E3, and later final system reviews, that the controller works terribly and is buggy and the games are impossible to control.

[PaLaDiN]

I've got the money saved for one already, and a few games.

So long as they don't utterly screw up and they've got at least a couple games that sell me on the concept, they've got my money.

In other words, if Smash Brothers and Metroid Prime 3 turn out to be good (without overly relying on inane online shenanigans), consider it bought.

[iMoron]

Why is it that everybody (or to many) think that the Revolution will not have nice graphics... It will be much, much better than the GC...

And saying that thats a selling point for those of you who have those fears would seem to imply that you won't buy the Nintendo DS because the PSP has better graphics! ... It seems many miss the point...

It is true that we need to see something soon so that those in fear have a better judgement... thoug an unfair one since we won't play the games untill they are realeased... Will have to draw from what others say... and so far what has been said is positive... Forget about the supose power, think DS vs PSP...

I will buy it as soon as I get the money...

The games should/will be gread (Nintendo will lead the way, like they do ofthen)... what we have to worry is os lazzy/lame programes/produsers that pomp out garbage with increadible ease...

[Caliban]

I will buy it for sure.

The only thing that will make me not buy it is if it won't be released at all, or if it's more than $300 CAD.

Btw, have any of you seen Dynasty Warriors 5 for the X360? That's next-gen? LMAO! Totally ridiculous.

[antman100]

I'm going to wait.  If PS3 and Revo come out in the fall, I'll probably wait until after the holidays.  Give all of the systems (X360 more) some time to flesh things out.  IMO, there's a difference between 'affording' and having enough money to purchase.  I will have enough money to purchase any of the systems, but I can't afford to buy one and later regret the decision.  I'd like to stay with Nintendo, but will likely get the system that I feel gives me the best overall value, even if that means spending twice as much as the Revo will cost.  VC is an interesting concept, but, honestly, not one I see myself utilizing too much.  I hope the RevMote redefines gaming, but I'm going to need to see a handful of games that truly utilize it.  News throughout the summer will go a long way to determining who is my front-runner.

[jasonditz]

Quote
Originally posted by: Zach
Right now, I really want to buy one at launch, the thing is that right now i am assuming that they would not have made this weird controller without knowing that they could use it well for games.  I am kinda repeating what Ian say but in a different way, if the Games nintendo lets out do not support my above assumption, then I may rethink buying a rev (at least at launch)

I dunno, a lot of the early games for the DS make me wonder if they didn't design it first and worry about what to do with things like dual screens and touch control.

Not that I'm complaining, they've come up with a ton of fascinating uses for the features in the past year and a half. But I wonder if the first crop of Rev titles might not show the same kind of uncertainty about what to do with the controls.  

[animecyberrat]

Graphcis are a major issue but they DO matter. Its not if they are better than now its if they are worse, a lot owrse formt he sounds, than the competition than a lot of beautiful ps3 and 360 games might not come to REV adn that WILL affect my descision to stick with Nintendo or not.


I am sorry if it offends you but I DO WANT my video games to look nice, I want them to keep getting better because every time they get better it makes the games look cooler.


And comarping Ds to PSP isnt the same, because DS is leaps and bounds greater than GBA graphicaly and it looks good enough, but I will admi I mostly buy 2d games for it because lets face it the 3d games are ugly, MKS was decent enough not to notice but Hunters looks like s#*T and thats just truth. I wont be getting that game any time soon because its so ugly. I was ok with Mario 64 Ds because they did improve in a lto of areas and it had been so long since I played SM64 it ws just fun to play it again.


BUT on a console you DO notice the graphics more. I knwo they wont be a major issue and I expect they will look good, but the justifiable fear is there that it wont blow me away and that worries me somehwhat. It wont be a deciding factor unless a really awesome game Iw ant DONT get ported because of that.

[Hostile Creation]

They'd have to pull off a mask and say "Fooled ya, it's Sony."

[UncleBob]

Nintendo could anally rape my mother and I'd still buy one and want another.

[Zach]

Quote
Originally posted by: jasonditz

Quote
Originally posted by: Zach
Right now, I really want to buy one at launch, the thing is that right now i am assuming that they would not have made this weird controller without knowing that they could use it well for games.  I am kinda repeating what Ian say but in a different way, if the Games nintendo lets out do not support my above assumption, then I may rethink buying a rev (at least at launch)

I dunno, a lot of the early games for the DS make me wonder if they didn't design it first and worry about what to do with things like dual screens and touch control.

Not that I'm complaining, they've come up with a ton of fascinating uses for the features in the past year and a half. But I wonder if the first crop of Rev titles might not show the same kind of uncertainty about what to do with the controls.

Exactly, the DS wasnt implemented very well at first, but it has become a great system.  I am sure that Nintendo would not make this controller without having some ideas in mind, and they would make it still playable with any game.  Im probably going to get a rev no matter what, but it worries me that all they have had playable were simple demos.

[trip1eX]

Well I don't think anything will keep me from buying the Revolution at launch barring a major deviation from Nintendo's track record.  This will be my first console I ever bought at launch.  

The sweet thing is I can buy a $50 game or two at launch and tide myself over  in between with the virtual console and my GAmecube games.  

I'm sure I'll get the New Zelda game as a Rev title unless it comes out much earlier.  Also I'll probably pickupMetroid if it's a launch title.


 

[Renny]

Maybe I'll win the lottery. Or find myself in a car crash? I might join a cult by then. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure I'll get it. As long as there's games I haven't played before at launch.

[thejeek]

I'm still planning on buying one but my enthusiasm is damped. I may not be queueing up outside the shop at midnight - which will be the first time I haven't done that for a Nintendo console for a very long time...

[TrueNerd]

I wouldn't buy one if at E3, it looks as though no one has come up with a single good idea that has depth for the controller. Or if there are simply no new ideas, and it only plays games I've already played before. Both seem highly unlikely to me. The Revolution will live or die with its controller and Nintendo knows this. They have too much invested into this thing just to make some half-baked games. Simply put, there's too much riding on the controller for Nintendo to allow it to be a failure.

I also wouldn't buy the Revolution if Iwata announced this:

"We're going in a different direction with the Metroid franchise. Instead of letting Retro handle the franchise, we've decided to outsource the series to EA. There, Metroid will undergo a number of changes, all of which will result in Metroid losing it's soul, charm and appeal. Of course, identical yearly sequels will be mandatory."

Ugh, I feel sick just thinking about it.  

[BigJim]

My concerns are: game lineup, 3rd party support, controller flexibility.


Game Lineup: I've said it before but if the lineup is anything like Nintendo's strategy with GameCube in the last 2 years, they can keep it. I haven't gotten anything since Star Fox Assault and won't until Zelda. So GameCube was basically a 3-year system. Since my Cube just died anyway, I'll only get Zelda if I get a Rev. The first 2 years were hot with semi-regular blockbusters, but after that... wtf? There's no excuse for one Mario spinoff after another, and basically one blockbuster a year, IMO.

Also related to game lineup -- If they're going to make a console version of the DS (in hardware/software philosophy), they might as well stay home for that too. The DS is good for what it is. Great for the quick fixes and short "non games" they tout. But if we're crammed full of quick fix and non-games, and again with the occasional blockbuster, then I'm just not going to be satisfied.

Finally, I want to see more mature games. Not just occasional token games, either. Some people try to insinuate that mature games = immature games, but that's hogwash. I'm not asking for GTA "bust a cap in a bitch's ass" titles. I want games like Half-Life 2 and Unreal Tourney. I'm not even a PC gamer or an FPS fan and I think they're great. They just need to embrace western games more, in general.


3rd party support: I don't have to go into detail here, right? Crappy support = no BigJim support. Nintendo's getting a lot of love in quotes, but the proof will be in the pudding. We'll see how this turns out. It likely won't be decided right away.


Controller Flexibility: This is really all up to how the controller is used and what is omitted for the sake of "innovation." Many say "well just use the shell" but the shell's game support and availability out of the box are not foregone conclusions. If they swapped the locations of the D-pad and the a/b buttons, I would be satisfied tomorrow because there would be a sufficient number of action buttons within thumb reach. (or make the d-pad 4 buttons like many remotes do, that'd be fine too.) I'm not sold on 2-button games or shoe-horning the D-pad into being action buttons. As well, I am not convinced hand gestures are any better than simple button pushes. So how the motion is used remains to be seen.

And, in addition, if the controller is merely a "different" way to play and not "better" then all that R&D spending they omitted from the console itself went to waste.

----

About the whole graphics thing. It'll obviously look better than GameCube, it WILL look better than Xbox. The specs don't blow me away but the end result will be just about what was expected. Really good-looking SD games. Not much more power is necessary on an SD platform anymore. My concern is more about Nintendo's art style with many of their characters -- The low-resolution, low-polygon characters just don't impress or push the limits. But the hardware itself can push poly's fine.

What's sort of interesting is actually those that already say they'll get it on day 1... Having seen and played nothing, they're already committed and defending Nintendo's decisions wholesale. How realistic is it to reasonably debate the issues with those that loyal?

Dissenting opinions get dismissed with comments like "just don't buy it" and "they're not making a system for YOU" which is ironic because Nintendo's been making consoles for fewer and fewer people since the 90's. You (general "you") act entitled and righteous for some reason when the reality is right there. They're irrelevant to 85% of the market now.  As a Nintendo fan, don't you want this to REVERSE?  Or would you rather they stay the course, pander to you instead, and remain a niche player?

[Kairon]

I've never been one to line-up at Midnight, but this would be the closest I've come to it yet.

I'll be pre-ordering the Rev, buying 2-3 launch games and perhaps even all the additional rev-mote controllers I need.

Why? Well, I am deeply interested in all of Nintendo's philosophies as well as their game design tactics, theories, and abilities. This has been a company that has been consistently excellent and consistently innovative, as well as consistently one-of-a-kind. Shigeru Miyamoto is a gaming god*, and if even a milligram of his pixie dust falls on the Rev, then it's definitely worth my money.

I want it, I need it, I crave it not because I'm a gamer, but because I love videogames. I love them as a creative medium, I love them as a potential future job opportunity, and I love them as someone who can still find innocence and childhood within himself when he plays them. The Revolution will not only let me study Nintendo's philosophies first-hand, it will not only let me explore the boundaries of gaming, it will not only let me anticipate that some great games are coming out... but I believe that it will let me feel closer to videogames, feel closer to a medium that I have loved for so long and that I will continue loving for as long as people like Miyamoto exist.

No talk of "The launch titles will rock" or "I can't wait to play X" or "it's money well spent." I just want to get one step closer to the videogame medium.

I guess that's why I'm buying the Rev: for my love of videogames.

~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

*Similarly, I hold Hayao Miyazaki in great esteem. I go to se his movies not as a matter of seeing what I think will be a good movie, but as a matter of seeing a "Miyazaki" movie, whether it be good, bad, better or worse than the last. These people have reached a level of mastery where I no longer care what quality their work is, because even shoddy work (like Miyazaki's animated film version of Nausicaa, an animation that I detest because it was in every sense unworthy of Miyazaki's own Nausicaa manga) can give me insight into the their techniques, their minds, and their worlds.

Edit: To address the question directly... What would Nintendo have to do to keep me from buying the Revolution?

Hmm... they'd have to stop believing in the videogame medium. Or I would. Or both of us. But as long as Nintendo (Or, more precisely, Miyamoto, Iwata, and those around them) believes that they can make good games and expand horizons, and as long as I find that fascinating or necessary or enriching, then I'll be there.

[wandering]

I bought the Virtual Boy. In order for me to not but the REV, it would have to be worse than the Virtual Boy.

Yeah.

[Kairon]

Incidentally, I did NOT but a Virtual Boy. Why? Because it was a Gunpei Yokoi creation, not a Miyamoto one. This also explains why I'm not much of a Metroid fan...

~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com