Messages

14526

TalkBack / Pokémon Rocks!

« on: March 12, 2003, 08:50:26 AM »

"Send it in, and you could win a brand new (Lugia-styled Pokémon) PT Cruiser for your family."

Boy if there was a prize I would never want to win in a million years this would be it.

14527

Nintendo Gaming / Would "GC2" be backwards compatible with the GC?

« on: March 12, 2003, 08:08:23 AM »

"And relatedly, if GameCube games continue to be a considerable sales driver, and developers continue to make games for it after the next system's launch (a la PSOne after PS2 was released.)"

Yeah but I'm pretty sure the main reason PSX games were still made at a semi-regular rate after the PS2 launch was because of the backwards compatibility.  Otherwise the amount of PSX games released probably would have dropped significantly.  It's kind of a "chicken or the egg" situation.  Is backwards compatibility a result of previous generation games still selling or are previous generation games still selling because of backwards compatibility?

14528

TalkBack / Wind Waker Most Pre-Ordered Game in History

« on: March 12, 2003, 07:54:35 AM »

This news is so important they posted it twice!

Good for Nintendo and I'm glad such a unique promotion as giving away a free game worked so well.  Maybe it will make this sort of thing more common.  I sure as hell don't have a problem with that.

The bonus disc is easily the reason this game had such strong pre-orders.  I'm a huge Zelda fan but even I had no original intention of pre-ordering.  Game demand in my area is low enough that I don't have to bother to pre-order to get myself a copy.

I think Wind Waker has a pretty good chance of being the best selling Cube game to date considering it has sold over 500,000 copies before it has even been released.

14529

Nintendo Gaming / F-Zero not delayed!

« on: March 12, 2003, 06:59:52 AM »

It made no sense whatsoever why F-Zero would be delayed in North America but not Japan.  It's not like a f*cking racing game takes forever to translate.  Therefore I think it's very likely that Nintendo just messed up.  If the game was delayed odds are both versions would be.

14530

Nintendo Gaming / good news

« on: March 11, 2003, 01:42:40 PM »

This isn't really good news.  It's argueably bad news since EA Sports fans have to now wait longer regardless of what platform they own.  If the Gamecube version was moved up that would be good news.

Still it's nice to see all three versions come out at the same time.  Nintendo's deal with EA may have been the cause of this decision but I wouldn't be surprised if EA just realized that by staggering the release dates they were just sabotaging the sales for the later releases.  This way all three versions will likely sell in a more balanced fashion so that they don't have one version that's a huge success and another version that's a complete flop.

14531

General Gaming / Which System of yours is collecting the most dust, and why?

« on: March 11, 2003, 08:30:22 AM »

Well like most of you as a game machine my PC gets the least amount of playtime (though I still bust out Warcraft II on occasion).  It's just too out-of-date to play any current games.  However I still use my PC more than any of my consoles so it's hardly gathering dust.

The console that collects the most dust at my house is easily my Playstation.  I bought it used a few years ago (before the PS2 had any decent games and the Cube had even been released) to play some of the RPGs I missed with the N64.  So far I haven't really found a game I really like for it and generally find most of the Playstation "killer apps" to be quite dull.  The system is so unused that I recently bought a new TV and have yet to bother hooking the Playstation up to it.

My GBA also would collect a lot of dust if it weren't for Fire Pro Wrestling which I play almost everyday.  Well I don't really play it.  I usually spend my time creating wrestlers and setting up computer matches.  I find the GBA is just too damn hard to see to seriously play any games for a long period of time.  Plus there's just too many SNES ports so the amount of good ORIGINAL games to choose from is limited.  Naturally I'm looking forward to the GB Player so I can play GBA games as much as I like without getting dizzy from staring at a tiny dark screen.  Of course then my actual GBA itself will rarely get used.

14532

Nintendo Gaming / Skies of Arcadia input

« on: March 11, 2003, 06:59:26 AM »

If you even remotely like RPGs you should get this game.  I generally find RPGs to be tedious, too long, and boring and I had a blast playing Skies of Arcadia Legends (I only rented it though I may buy it later).  It's well worth the money.

14533

General Chat / Anyone have the "updated" NES and/or SNES?

« on: March 10, 2003, 01:35:18 PM »

"I'm willing to pay around $200 for NES '2' and $300 for 'SNES 2'."

Until recently my local Toys 'R' Us had a couple brand new SNES 2's for sale for about $50.  They seem to have disappeared from the shelf though I imagine they're now in storage unless some nut bought all of them.  As far as I know the SNES 2 has no advantages over the original design and aside from appearence is indentical.  It would be a waste of time and money to seek one out and pay a ridiculous amount of money for it.

The NES 2 is a different matter though.  Most traditional front loading NES's don't work very well these days and that's due mainly to the front loading design.  I'm not sure what the exact problem it causes but I think it's because the game is inserted into the slot by a flap thingy instead of the user.  Naturally over time this flap thingy doesn't insert the games perfect everytime.  The top loading NES 2 however loads games in the same manner of the SNES and works quite consistently which is why they are in such high demand.  The controllers are also ergonomic which is a nice bonus.

If you really want an NES 2 check out Ebay.  I wouldn't waste any time looking for a SNES 2.  It's not really worth it unless you're a compulsive collector freak.

14534

Nintendo Gaming / MGS on GC - How Would it Handle?

« on: March 10, 2003, 07:06:46 AM »

"I think we're much more likely to see a port of Metal Gear Solid (the PLAYSTATION version), than we are to see Sons of Liberty or Substance."

You mean a completely unaltered port of the Playstation version like Resident Evil 2 or 3?  Boy would that suck.  I can get that game for like $20 Canadian.

I think the MGS game for Cube is going to be a port or remaker of some kind.  There's just no way in hell that Konami would go from being so anti-Gamecube to suddenly giving us their top franchise (unless they know of something big that Nintendo's cooking up that will change the console wars in the Cube's favour).  If it is a barebones port of an existing release it doesn't really make sense for the release date to be Q4 2003.  If it's an unaltered port then wouldn't they be able to get the game out much sooner?  Why would it take the rest of the year to finish?  Therefore I figure that while it may be a port it won't be completely unchanged.  They have to be adding something to it or they're just really slow with the port job.

I totally agree with everyone that this game will be the deciding factor for Konami on whether or not to support the Gamecube.  This kind of puts us Cube owners in a bad position.  If Konami makes a crappy port and it doesn't sell for obvious reasons then we're not going to get any support.  However if they give us a crappy port and we DO buy it just to get some Konami support they're going to think that we're willing to buy crap and likely won't give us anything really good (likely just more crappy ports).  The only situation that truly benefits us is if Konami actually gives us a game worth buying.  So it's basically entirely up to them if Konami Gamecube support is going to be any good.  That's not a particularly hopeful situation considering Konami already thinks the Cube is a waste of time and therefore "self-fulfilling prophesy" syndrome may be in full effect.

14535

NWR Feedback / Happy 4th Birthday Planet GameCube!

« on: March 07, 2003, 11:23:27 AM »

WHOOOO!!  The Nature Boy and the Horsemen are joining in the celebration.

14536

Nintendo Gaming / Super Mario RPG 3, Any Chances??

« on: March 07, 2003, 11:11:56 AM »

I just thought of a really cool idea for a Nintendo Kingdom Hearts like game.  If Nintendo put in franchises like F-Zero or Star Fox naturally people would want to see mini-games where you have an F-Zero race or an Arwing mission.  Now this would likely require a new engine which would be a fair bit of extra work.  However nothing new would have to be added if instead old SNES games were included and they were used for mini-games.  Let's say for example Captain Falcon has to win an F-Zero race.  In order to get past the objective you have to win a circuit in the original F-Zero (likely the easiest circuit considering RPG fans probably don't want to get stuck because they lack racing game skills).  Then after you've completed the objective you unlock the whole game and can play it whenever you want.  This works especially well with something like F-Zero because Nintendo will never port the original game to the GBA when Maximum Velocity ,which improves on it, is already released.  The only problem with this idea is that the really popular franchises like Mario and Zelda wouldn't be included as their old games can still be ported to GBA.  But it's still a pretty cool idea and would go over pretty well with longtime fans.  Plus they don't have to program a whole new mini-game from scratch.

14537

Nintendo Gaming / Game Boy Player Questions

« on: March 07, 2003, 06:46:52 AM »

I imagine the GB Player's sound would match that of when you hookup a GBA to headphones or computer speakers.  That can sound pretty good depending on the game.  If the GB Player is in mono though I'm going to be pretty pissed off.  There's no excuse for something like that.

"I say this because I don't have a GBA, and I am looking forward to the GB Player as the second coming to the Snes"

If you don't own a GBA and plan on using the GB Player for SNES ports why not just buy a used SNES?  It's way cheaper and will generally look and sound better.  Plus you won't need multiple systems for multiplayer.  I have a SNES and I'm only going to use the GB Player for original GBC and GBA games.

While we're asking questions does anyone yet have a clear answer on whether or not Japanese GB Players will work on North American Cubes?  I don't mean "I think it will" or "it should" I want to hear "it does" or "it doesn't".  I think by the time I get a clear answer it will be so close to the North American release I won't need to import.

14538

Nintendo Gaming / Metroid Prime takes the Game Developer's Choice Awards GOTY

« on: March 07, 2003, 06:34:10 AM »

"there not rookies
10years+ Retro has been around"

Retro was created by Nintendo only a few years ago specifically to create Gamecube games.  Metroid Prime is there first game.  Therefore they are a rookie developer.  Though many of the people who work there have been in the industry for a while.

It's nice to see Metroid Prime win Game of the Year.  If I was in the industry I would much prefer to win awards chosen by fellow game developers then a bunch of journalists or "industry experts".

14539

Nintendo Gaming / Would "GC2" be backwards compatible with the GC?

« on: March 07, 2003, 06:17:15 AM »

It's very likely that Sony and Microsoft will have backwards compatibility for the next consoles so it would make Nintendo look incredibly "bush league" in comparison if they didn't.  The only reason the Xbox and Gamecube aren't backwards compatible is because there is no previous Microsoft console and Nintendo has never had any non-cartridge consoles before.

Plus one huge advantage with backwards compatibility is that Gamecube titles can still be released for the new console while third parties are getting used to the new hardware.  Huge droughts wouldn't be as common.  Plus Nintendo could release a big Gamecube title for Christmas the year the new console comes out and both GC and GC2 owners can buy it which would take some pressure off of the GC2 launch.

14540

Nintendo Gaming / Golden Skulltulas

« on: March 07, 2003, 06:10:40 AM »

"Er...you can't 'miss' Golden Skulltulas. Just go back there and get it."

Actually I think you can miss Skulltulas.  Every patch of soft soil has a Golden Skulltula in it that comes out when you drop a bug in the soil.  However if you plant a seed in that soil you can't get the skulltula.  Or at least I was never able to do it.

14541

TalkBack / Nintendo Scores Awards from Game Developers

« on: March 07, 2003, 06:06:57 AM »

Good for Metroid Prime.  Now Nintendo can still put a "Game of the Year" sticker on the case and have commercials with "Game of the Year" plastered all over them.  Of course just because they CAN do it doesn't mean they will though I assure Microsoft or Sony sure would have if the shoe was on the other foot.

I have one complaint though.  The Metroid Prime graphic on the monitor in the first pic has art from Metroid Fusion as well.  That's kind of a silly mistake (though technically the Fusion suit is in Prime).

14542

Nintendo Gaming / Super Mario RPG 3, Any Chances??

« on: March 06, 2003, 01:12:34 PM »

"the new Mario RPG could be the return of Smithee and the 7 stars"

Bleh.  I don't want the same story rehashed again.  That's no better then rehashing "Bowser kidnaps the Princess".

"Imagine Kid Icarus world!"

Isn't that called Angel Land?  Anyway the idea of a Nintendo Kingdom Hearts is pretty cool though I would prefer it if the game was presented as if all of the Nintendo franchises existed in the same world (or galaxy when you take Metroid and Star Fox into it) and no references are made to Nintendo themselves and no indication is made that everyone is a videogame character.   There just happens to be places in this world called Hyrule and the Mushroom Kingdom with different races of people living in each and Mario and Link are both people who live in this world who have never met.  When you start having stuff like F-Zero World the whole thing seems a lot lamer instead of having Mute City.  And no cheesy "kid gets trapped in the Nintendo world" storyline junk either.

14543

General Gaming / Theory on why MGS2:Substance was named what it was

« on: March 06, 2003, 12:56:51 PM »

I think Substance was picked just because it's a good buzzword like "Super", "Extended", "Extreme", or "Special" for an improved edition.  Since Super Metal Gear Solid 2 Turbo: Champion Edition Third Impact sounds stupid then went with Substance which sounds more mature.  I guess the Joy Division theory is possible but it's not like "Substance" is a really odd name for an "Director's Cut" game.

14544

Nintendo Gaming / Super Mario RPG 3, Any Chances??

« on: March 06, 2003, 09:55:34 AM »

I think it's pretty much a guarentee that there will be a Mario RPG title for the Gamecube.  The only questions are who's making it, what's it going to be like, and when is it coming out.  Both Mario RPGs came out at the end of their console's life so we might not see a Cube Mario RPG for a while.  Personally I would prefer it if Square worked on it and it was more like the SNES.  Paper Mario was a little too cutesy and it's storyline was just rehashed "Bowser kidnaps the Princess" crap.

14545

TalkBack / EA To Focus More on GBA-GC Connectivity

« on: March 06, 2003, 06:26:02 AM »

I think (assuming the GBA/GC connection stuff is actually done well) this deal with EA will determine whether or not GBA/GC connectivity is actually a worthwhile selling point for Nintendo's consoles or just a mere gimmick from a company that tries as hard as possible to avoid going online.

EA sports games usually don't sell as well on Gamecube as they do on the other consoles.  However there are some pretty good reasons for this.  Probably the most significant reason is that often the Gamecube versions come out last and therefore anyone who owns more than one console has no incentive to wait for the Gamecube release.  However GBA/GC connectivity is something that the other consoles don't have so now there is an incentive for multiplatform gamers to buy the Gamecube version over one of the others.  Of course an important question still remains: will people care about the GBA/GC connection features enough for this to affect sales?  Sure this feature is unique to Gamecube but is it enough for people to buy over, say, online support on the other consoles?

Of course even if this doesn't pay off it might still be good for us gamers.  It might make Nintendo realize that the GBA/GC connectivity is not nearly as big of a deal as they think and that maybe online might be something to consider.

14546

TalkBack / Teens Still Controlling Game Market

« on: March 05, 2003, 05:22:28 PM »

First of all I don't buy this survey as fact.  498 is too small of a sample.  Games that sell 100,000 copies are often considered low selling titles.  Therefore the opinion of only 500 gamers doesn't make a difference in what games sell and what games don't.

However this survey brings up an interesting point.  If Nintendo's target market doesn't want Nintendo style games should Nintendo continue to market to them.  If kids want to play games like GTA then the PS2 and Xbox are targetting the same market as Nintendo aren't they?  And if what's cool is the most important thing to Nintendo's target market then Nintendo doesn't have a chance with that market.  So perhaps Nintendo should target a different market.  Do you know what market is growing and isn't being targetted in any serious way?  Gamers in the late 20s-30s market who have more mature tastes and want games that are truly mature.  Gamers are growing up and that doesn't just mean that kids who grew up with games are becoming young adults.  Those who started gaming in the 70s when the industry first began are older too and for the most part more mature.  Right now this market isn't too big but it's growing.  21 year olds are going to be 31 in ten years.  Their tastes are going to change in that time and they're likely not going to be as interested in games that exploit violence and sex.  They're going to want to buy a different type of game: one that has truly mature and serious content with engaging and deep gameplay to back it up.  Shooting people in GTA isn't going to be as interesting to them.

Now Nintendo has already started to market to this demographic with titles like Eternal Darkness.  There is nothing on the PS2 or Xbox that is as mature and sophisticated as that title.  Metroid Prime also is very mature and serious without being exploitive.  If Nintendo makes a real effort to continue targetting that demographic now they can potentially get a good foothold in a growing market that Sony and Microsoft have not fully catered to.  If Nintendo can't be cool then maybe they should target gamers who don't care about being cool.  They've already started though they might not even realize it yet.  Several Gamecube owners are adults.  This market also ties in well with their current crop of "kiddy" titles as many of these older gamers will have young children.

14547

Nintendo Gaming / Pre-E3 list, (not confirming list)

« on: March 05, 2003, 12:05:29 PM »

"Why is Harvest Moon under Ubi? I thought it was made by Natsume."

Harvest Moon is still made by Natsume.  Ubi Soft is just distributing the game in PAL territories.  As far as I know the North American version will be published by Natsume.

14548

General Gaming / XENOSAGA: World's Largest Game = 8.5 gigabytes

« on: March 05, 2003, 11:36:07 AM »

Xenosaga also has 30 minute cutscenes.  The "game" is more like a movie with a few videogame elements thrown in.  Personally I think it's an exception.  In general games aren't going to have that much non-interactive cut scenes to fill a whole dual layered DVD (and in the future Blu Ray disc).  If games like Xenosaga start becoming pretty common people are going to get sick of them real fast.  Really long cutscenes are pretty cool the first time but they would get tiring really quickly.

14549

Nintendo Gaming / Pre-E3 list, (not confirming list)

« on: March 05, 2003, 08:53:13 AM »

Why would Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland be at E3?  It's been out for months.  Unless you mean a Gamecube Kirby (which likely wouldn't have the same name).

That's also a lot of games for Nintendo and it seems unlikely they would show so much.  They're not going to show a new Gamecube Zelda.  I'm pretty certain about that.  It's also unlikely they'll show off the next Donkey Kong at the same time they show off a Mario 128.  I don't even think they'll show Mario 128 as it's likely not far enough in development.  Ditto Metroid Prime 2.  Nintendo generally only shows stuff off in any serious manner if they intend on releasing it before the next E3 (though delays sometimes muck that up).  They aren't going to show stuff like a new Zelda or Donkey Kong when those titles have no chance in hell of being released within the next year.  The best we'll likely get is a promotional video that may not even show any gameplay footage.

I figure Mario Kart will be Nintendo's big game for the show (they claim it's really innovative).  Either that or something brand new we never saw coming.  FF: CC and Star Fox Armada will likely also be shown in Nintendo's booth since they're publishing both titles.

14550

Nintendo Gaming / New Starfox game site open! sorta...

« on: March 04, 2003, 01:04:13 PM »

A quick look at the properties reveals that the url is really http://rpg.itinaris.be/ which doesn't sound to me like an offical Nintendo Web Site.  Plus a real Nintendo site would have copyright info and whatnot at the bottom.  It looks cool but it's a fake.