Topic: Thinking Big?

[Savior]

Anyone think Nintendo needs something big for the Revolution? PSM, had some predictions and they said Kojima would eventually leave Konami to join Nintendo and form a new development studio. Im thinking Nintendo needs to do something like that to atract big attention. Maybe Mikami wants to leave Capcom?  

[KDR_11k]

I'd rather expect Mikami to join N, not Kojima. Kojima is one of those "I'm a movie director!" guys like Sakaguchi and would get a whole load of problems with Nintendo. And Mikami's been dishonored and pissed on by Capcom so he's more likely to jump ship. Though perhaps Kojima would be a nice counterweight to Miyamoto.

[ThePerm]

well, i think Nintendo needs to create new franchises. Some fresh game concept will help them out. Everyone loves Zelda, they might as well create another fantasy based game. Are ya'll with me?

[MaleficentOgre]

Nintendo needs to go psycho and start eating developers. clover, gone. 03, gone. Sonic team, no more.  Namco, destroyed. not that big of a stretch.  

[nickmitch]

That would make them no better then EA.

[Savior]

Nintendo also doesnt have the money....

But creating a new development team... with Mikami and Shiggy working together would be pretty good. Something akin to what im thinking.. Ninteno needs to start the Revolution with a Bang to be able to move up  

[MaleficentOgre]

I was joking.  but I wouldn't mind seeing clover studios breaking off of capcom and joining nintendo.

[Ian Sane]

Yes Nintendo has to do something big.  No one really cares about them right now except the hardcore fans.  Even the gaming media which is supposed to pay attention to all the current systems tend to ignore them as the Cube is routinely snubbed in best of the year features and whenever they talk about the next gen they only mention Sony and MS.  The Cube and N64 both failed to meet expectations so Nintendo consoles now have this failure stigma attached to them.  Everyone is going to be assume the Revolution will be a failure so they've got to show them.  Show them that Nintendo's changed and improved.  Show them that Nintendo is still the best.

Of course they actually have to improve as well.  One big game or one big annoucement isn't enough.  Nintendo pretty much has to do everything perfect with the Rev because doubters are going to use any excuse they can to justifty not buying it.

And it has to truly be something big.  With the Cube working with Sega and Namco, and getting Final Fantasy and Metal Gear Solid sounded like really big deals but they weren't really.  FFCC wasn't a "real" Final Fantasy game, The Twin Snakes was a remake, and Sega and Namco so far have only worked on Nintendo franchise games that could have just as easily been made by Nintendo themselves.  Those could have been big but the way they were executed they weren't.

Perm nailed it when he said new franchises.  Nintendo this gen has focused way too much on franchise names.  I mentioned above the MGS remake.  That's an obvious example of Nintendo only thinking about the name.  We said we wanted MGS so they gave us MGS but they didn't give us what really matters: a NEW MGS.  It's like they thought just because the Metal Gear name was there that's all that mattered.  They get companies like Sega, Namco, Camelot and Treasure to design exclusives and they just get them to make more Nintendo franchise games.  The whole reason those companies have any sort of "draw" is because of their original material.  Namco's own games will attract people not "Donkey Kong by Namco".

A lot of fans say things like "if the Rev launched with a Zelda game that would be great".  Well yeah it would be great but it wouldn't sell systems.  Zelda and Mario and Metroid and all the rest didn't sell Cubes worth sh!t so why would they suddenly sell Revolutions?  No it's brand new franchises that create system sellers.  The old stuff is still great and will sell within an existing userbase but it doesn't attract new buyers.  Something new brings them in and then after buying the system they'll buy Mario and Zelda.

I think the ultimate big bang start for the Revolution would be if Nintendo had major creative developers like Kojima, Sonic Team, Treasure, and Camelot work on completely original exclusives with Nintendo publishing.  Basically Nintendo says "make whatever you want and we'll publish it".  Then all of Nitnendo's internal groups like Retro and Intelligent Systems also work on something new while EAD provides the familiar new Mario game.  So the launch lineup is Mario (for the fans) and a whole bunch of original titles made by major developers.  Odds are pretty good at least once of those brand new games would create a new popular franchise.

[Savior]

But just making new games or franchises wont be enough.... Aquiring New Developers would get them more press. Nintendo needs to get the word out on the magazines and the websites that the Revolution is for real and they want to move up.

A Series of Press Conferences by Reggie every couple of months or so...  IMO Nintendo cant be as secretive as they have been in the past.  

[SgtShiversBen]

See this is where I disagree.  Saything that the GameCube is thriving off it's franchises is nothing compared to what Sony or Microsoft is doing.  Sony already made Jak and Daxter 3, Ratchet and Clank 3, another Gran Tourismo (which is like sports games), another Madden of course, a third Grand Theft Auto, another Rainbow Six, and countless other rehashes that do nothing but add more stuff and don't fix the flaws.  Nintendo on the other hand has only issued as far as I know one game three times, and that's Mario Party.  But at least they're completely changing the formula and adding new things.  
They also did try the thing with the new franchise, and that was Pikmin.  We all know how that turned out.  Sure we'd all wish it topped the charts and everything, but you can't blame people for their lack of character.  If Nintendo isn't first in people's minds, good for them.  I don't want to have to deal with crap like Jak or Ratchet.  Call me bigoted, but I love the position our little lunchbox is in.  It gives people who actually want to sell ingenious games inspiration to beat out Mario or Zelda.  Then we also get complete overhauls of Metroid, Mario Kart (even though it's still the same, they added a spicy meatball to it) and of course a new way to play Zelda (Four Swords).

Just so you know, my opinons mean nothing.  They're just my views on the way I see the world.

[Ian Sane]

"Sony already made Jak and Daxter 3, Ratchet and Clank 3, another Gran Tourismo (which is like sports games), another Madden of course, a third Grand Theft Auto, another Rainbow Six, and countless other rehashes that do nothing but add more stuff and don't fix the flaws."

Well Sony doesn't actually "make" all of those games.  Only the first three.  Yes there are lots of sequels on the PS2 but that's not what has really sold the system huge.  First of all Jak and R&C may be up to their third game but they debuted on the PS2 so they're new franchises.  And Grand Theft Auto although it started last gen is to most people a new franchise.  The move to 3D created a new beginning for that game.  GTA is what has sold the PS2 more than anything else and it didn't sell because of the franchise.  GTA3 was a huge hit because it was something new.  There was NOTHING like it when it came out.  And on the Xbox the big seller was Halo, again a new franchise.

Nintendo did create some new stuff on the Cube but it wasn't enough.  Pikmin, Animal Crossing, Eternal Darkness, and I would say Metroid Prime due to the switch to 3D are pretty much it.  That's only four games and none of them received very much hype or promotion at least compared to the tried and true.

I agree that Nintendo does change things up with their franchises but only the hardcore notice.  Most people just see five new Mario games on the shelf each year and assume that it's the same crap over and over again.  Nintendo can't expect people to just know that Mario Power Tennis and Super Mario Sunshine are totally different or that Four Swords is vastly different to Wind Waker.  Plus if someone isn't interested at all in Mario there's a huge chunk of games right there that they won't buy.  The general public isn't interested in Nintendo's current franchises anymore.  If they were then the Cube wouldn't be stuck in this rut where only a handful of games sell over a million copies.  And if the general public isn't interested in the current franchises and 90% of the major exclusives on the system are associated with those franchises then the general public isn't interested in the system.

It's pretty damn obvious that what Nintendo is doing now isn't working and what they're doing now is relying on their franchises.

[SgtShiversBen]

Sorry, didn't mean that they made them.  What I meant to say is that they were housed on their system.  But my point was that these games have come out within a year of each other, and being that their new franchises, wouldn't that seem wierd that they've already got three of them on one system?  If it was on the GameCube it'd be hated, but not on the sacred PS2.  Even though Halo is getting a third one, at least it's not a year later.  But unlike Halo, at least Metroid Prime's games finish at the end instead of cliffhangers.
I've agreed with the Grand Theft Auto game's bringing something to the world of gaming (although it may not be the best moral choice).  Halo didn't really bring anything that Unreal didn't.  The use of vehicles comes to mind, but in Goldeneye you could drive a tank too AND double wield.
I'm glad that those games didn't receive the hype that Halo did or GTA did.  Then we'd get some pretty asinine stuff that only the general consumer can comprehend.  Yes Wind Waker was an easy game, but it wasn't one to complete.  The whole 40 level dungeon comes to mind and I can say I haven't had a funner time than that.  Pikmin (which for some reason I have still yet to play) may or may not be easy, but have no idea.  Eternal Darkness tried something that no other game has.  Messing with the gamer was enough to cause people to be like "What the hell?! My guy just blew up!"  We all know that Metroid Prime is a game not for the general consumer.  To that, I applaud Retro for actually wanting to make a game for the patient.  Resident Evil did this back in the day.
Apparently even though the general public isn't interested in the Mario franchise, it's still making its mark.  Mario is the only game wax figure.  He has his name on the gaming walk of fame (what that means is beyond me) and Nintendo is STILL making a profit.  Personally, I think this still means something, and that even though the general consumer is somewhat boycotting Mario, the people who aren't make a difference.
I think their decisions are working, but it's hard to please everyone.  Madden pleases some, but pisses off alot.  Mario Sunshine pleased some, pissed off more.  Wind Waker made alot of us cry with joy, while causing most to kill off their families.  
All in all, I don't care what the general public says about the system and everything.  Owning all three consoles, I love my lunchbox the most and I love the Dreamcast second (with the 64 in third).  To me that means something.  It means that the PS2 and Xbox's forms of "fun" are the same and that "fun" doesn't apply to me.  But it may apply to you and if it does, I applaud you.  If it doesn't and you try to change my opinions, who the HELL are you to try to tell me what I like.

[Truthliesn1seyes]

I think everyone need's to lay off Nintendo.  It seems that everyone holds Nintendo to a higher standard than everyone else.  Nintendo is a company and it seems that everyone wants them to please their core fans and also bring in new ones.  A company can only play to its strong points.  Nintendo can't be the universal company that pleases and attracts everyone.  There is no company that does so.  Sony and MS only  play to their streangths and then the 3rd party fill in the gaps and bring in different audiences.  Nintendo needs to garner more 3rd party support and we need to support 3rd party games.

[Rich]

I know someone said already said something like this but I'm too lazy to find out who.  Anyway I want to see Nintendo go out and get some talented young development teams and make them second parties, personally I'd like to see them get some more US or European based developers because these markets seem to be growing at a faster rate then Japan.  I didn't really have any companies in mind except maybe N-Space depending on how Geist turns out.  But anyway, once Nintendo has its second parties, they let all of them go nuts on whatever they want to make, only one rule applies, only original IP's.  This allows Nintendo the chance to develop its sequels and still publish original titles.  Given Nintendo's history of publishing well polished, fun games, I think that this would be a very good strategy for Nintendo.  Either way I'll probably end up bying the revolution unless it turns out to be retarded, which I doubt.