Messages

8251

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Connectivity to Revolution?

« on: August 02, 2004, 04:48:35 AM »

The biggest problem with Connectivity so far was that 3rd party developers wouldn't support it because they didn't know how many people would actually take advantage.

If the DS takes off, and wireless is built in where it can instantly connect to the Revolution, then connectivity will be less of a problem.  

The Gamebody Advance connectivity seemed like a gimmick until the new Zelda game.  The problem with the Zelda game is, it asks for 4 GBAs to be at the same house at the same time.  Same problem with Crystal Chronicles.  If a killer app could be made to use connectivity smartly for a single player experience then we could see the real power of connectivity.  This hasn't happened yet.

I hope it does one day, but I am not holding my breath.  Not until the Revolution comes out...and even then, only if I have the Hiccups.

8252

Nintendo Gaming / RE:DS launch games

« on: August 02, 2004, 04:43:58 AM »

Even with limited 3D capabilities I see developers taking advantage to make quick ports of old 3D games to the system.

Nintendo already seems to be doing this with Super Mario 64*4.  Hopefully they will rename the game Super Mario DS and the game will have the entire Super Mario 64 portable, but also have the multiplayer functions with all the Mario 64 levels.  That would make the most killer launch game period.

Then the new 2D Mario Game could come out as Super Mario World 3 or Super Mario Brothers 4, and have a huge ad campaign about the franchise finally coming back to its roots.

We do finally have a list of what 3D party games are being worked on.  We should probably expect one of those games from each company around launch or just after.  

This is exciting because this system seems to be coming together nicely.

8253

Nintendo Gaming / RE:A grown up Pokemon on the DS

« on: August 02, 2004, 04:39:12 AM »

Pokemon will never be mature.  Nintendo knows right now that Pokemon is something that the kid market enjoys in the US, and in Japan a larger market enjoys it as well.  To change the game too drastically would risk losing the market share and audience it already has.

Pokemon is a brilliant game.  The whole concept of collecting and battling monsters is already pretty mature.  The only thing that hurts the game is the cute monster designs, which are not going to change because they are engrained into the magic of the game.

I often wonder about a 3D Pokemon game.  It seems like such a great idea.  Throw in online play and have a massive world to play in and capture monsters.  You could even add monsters to the server to collect and it would be an endless game.  

The problem with this is production costs.  Which is why Nintendo never went into online gaming yet.  For quality control of a project this big it would have to maintain complete server control.  Costing bandwidth and money...money that it is not postitive it will earn from the game and its target market.

Next, you realize that the design of this game is also going to be expensive.  Yes Nintendo has made most of the Pokemon into 3D monsters for a battle game, but the models are basic, and Nintendo hasn't spent time to build a huge world to place the monsters in, let alone update all the designs to look and belong in a 3D world.  This is a much larger process than anyone could imagine, because Nintendo not only needs to update the 300 or so monsters, and make new ones, it has to create a believable world and enviroments for this animals to live, and also potentially interact with eachother in the wild.  

While Nintendo has been able to keep the focus strictly on the battle and RPG element in the 2D games, most of this is because you don't have to show the animals in the 2D world before you battle them.  As well the create of minimal animation for 2D graphics makes the Pokemon series easier to create in the current form.

I believe Nintendo will do another half sequel where they update the series just enough, and add just enough DS support to make the game new and fresh again, but it isn't going to be the revolutionary Pokemon game everyone wants.  

I would like to be proven wrong, but I just don't see the benefits of creating the game we want to see, at least from a business perspective.

8254

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Connectivity to Revolution?

« on: July 30, 2004, 11:45:43 AM »

Actually I showed up two days ago.  I used to be on IGN boards, until they went pay.  I haven't been on any chatrooms for awhile...but decided to give this one a try.  I have come to a point where this is my favorite site to actually get Nintendo news.

8255

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Connectivity to Revolution?

« on: July 30, 2004, 09:08:08 AM »

You know I hope there is.  

The DSs Wireless adapter could easily connect wirelessly to the Revolution.  By the time the Revolution is out the DS will be in many, many peoples homes, and it will not need extra hardware to work.  This could provide an additional controller for Revolution with a unique control style.  

Nintendo right now is saying that the DS is its third pillar.  I think this is in part because it is an experiment.  Nintendo wasn't going to risk a failure with the Gameboy name which holds so much promise and power.  

So Nintendo will release the DS.  With its compatability with the GBA it can easily become an inbetween system that will buy Nintendo time for hardware prices to drop to create a very capable and powerful GBA2.  Also it allows Nintendo to study the market.  Does Microphone games sell, or does that option allow for better game design, and so on.  Everything that works will probably be incorportated into the GBA2, everything that does not will be scrapped.

Revolution interests me because of its mystery.  What can Nintendo truely produce that would be a revolution in hardware design?

In the end, it is going to have to come down to its controller, because everything else technology wise is being worked on.  I predict Nintendo is going to design the Revolution with a controller that has main multi-purpose input devices incorporated into the controller.  Revolution will have the Microphone, perhaps a camera, will be wireless, perhaps even some new type of analog input device.  But it will be all in one.  That is the only thing that makes sense to me.

8256

Nintendo Gaming / RE:DS launch games

« on: July 30, 2004, 08:50:35 AM »

Silks:  True.  Developers and Publishers are more willing to take the risk because Nintendo has a proven track record in handheld games.  This is also the reason I think people will buy the DS over the PSP (Besides the fact that once the PSP is out DS will have an existing market share, and a nicer price tag.)

Though, I wonder how many of these games will be able to get out before launch.  I would predict that the code to design games is very very similar to that of the GBA so developing engines and such isn't too hard.  I hope that the 3D potential of the DS doesn't mean we will lose all the great 2D games that have been gracing the portable screen and not the home market.

If the DS can launch with 10-12 total games at launch with about 25 out by Christmas then I think it will be a success and have very good numbers at launch.  If the options are not there for buyers then I think people may wait and see.  Nintendo needs to get the money fast.  Any wait and see could lead to people deciding to go with Sony.

8257

Nintendo Gaming / RE:DS launch games

« on: July 30, 2004, 05:37:39 AM »

pikpik:  

A FIFA game would sell better world wide, but it won't sell better in the US.  EA is primarily concerned with the United States launch which would buy a Madden game much faster than a FIFA game.  In fact the United States would buy a Basketball game before FIFA as well.  For some odd reason US doesn't like the football (soccer.)

I really don't care about sports games.  So I could careless what games are released.  

The only other game besides Madden I think EA could work on and make a great launch game is SSX Snowboarding.

Actually have a great idea for that game, that could be great fun.

8258

Nintendo Gaming / RE:DS launch games

« on: July 30, 2004, 05:10:00 AM »

EA can launch a simple DS Madden.  Have simple connectivity in it...possible chat with the Microphone, and use the touchscreen to choose plays quickly and call fast audibles.  Launch the game and make a quick buck.

Next year is when EA better release a really great Madden game, and the same with all other companies.

I will forgive any company besides Nintendo for making an average game for launch of the DS, as long as they really sink their teeth into the system for the coming year.  

Nintendo however better be spending the time and the effort to sell the DS as a true innovation and not a gimmick.  They better show the other developers how to use the touchscreen, the microphone, the connectivity everything...and perferably have a games at launch that use every feature, or at least one game using each feature well.

Next, if I was Nintendo I would be showing Capcom, Sega, and many other companies the system and throw as much support at you can to people with new and great ideas for the DS so there is less risk for such company to make the plunge.  

If Nintendo does this DS will succeed amazingly well.  Remember it is going to have a lead on PSP in the United States.  A couple of months exclusive new handheld on the market will do Nintendo great press if it has the games to back it.

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Nintendo Gaming / RE:NINTENDO DS A PRIMARY SYSTEM???

« on: July 30, 2004, 04:24:16 AM »

You know maybe I am a sinner for watching television...but have you seen what it on?  Its all stupid junk.  Unless you have cable...which then takes away from my poor college status to buy games.

I don't know how far away we are from actually maxing out the graphics department to where people can't tell the difference between the generations.  Some say we are almost there, but I think we are probably 10 years from that point.  And it will be over 10 years before we have some sort of unified format, because Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo don't want to give up their hardware position that they make money on.  Nintendo specially, because they have always made money on their hardware and they have a market of diehard Nintendo fans that will buy their systems and their games no matter what happens in the future.

If we do develop a single format for games I think this would be a very  bad precedent for gaming.  Visionaries and creativity minds might end up being staffled because they have to fit their ideas in a box.  However, with competition of systems the visionaries get to throw their ideas to the hardware designers every few years, and hardware becomes available to support those ideas.  Examples of this are: Nintendo 64's analog joystick, the rumble pack, SNES mouse, DS touchscreen, Nintendo 64's and Dreamcasts Microphone adapters.   With a single format, you may have some of these hardware features come out, but who would risk designing a game around a hardware device that may be used by 1/10 the market.  But when it is built in you have less risk.  This was Nintendo's entire design philosophy with the DS.  Put everything you can into a single unit.

The DS has huge potential to be a primary system for someone.  Specially someone like me, who is an older gamer that continues to play not because of the future games and their potential, but because of the memories of the great classic games and great classic design of games.

I do believe the next evolution in gaming is a mixed home/portable system combo.  But I fear Nintendo won't do it because it would not be able to keep two markets that it makes money in, and will only have that combined market.  I also do not think Sony will do it either for the same reason.  If they succeed with PSP, then it will not want to halt its profits either.

In the end, it becomes a choose.  For many they can't afford multiple systems.  I can't.  I have a hard time saying no to games I can't get on the Gamecube.  I have a budget, and if I had to split my resources with 3 systems I am in trouble.  I do however have a gameboy advanced, and I love it.  I still only buy like one or two games a year for it.  I may try switching my priorities and buy more DS games than Gamecube.  If I do I will let you know how it goes.  See if I miss anything or not.

8260

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Square considering Final Fantasy ports

« on: July 29, 2004, 08:13:02 AM »

I would love the Secret of Mana 2 for the Super Nintendo that was never released in the United States.

I wonder how quickly they could port one of these games to the DS?  I think if they were smart they could easily design a game with all menus on the touch screen and action on the top.  Even with an action RPG such as Secret of Mana you could speed up the game by having the magic spells easy to just touch screen activate.  

Hmmm...

Is it too much to hope we get one by Christmas?  Or sooner?

8261

Nintendo Gaming / RE:NINTENDO DS A PRIMARY SYSTEM???

« on: July 29, 2004, 07:53:29 AM »

Ian Sane:

That is going to be in the big big future...if it happens.  And to that I dunno.  We are already getting talk about people wanting to improve and create the new DVD format.  This to me is a great idea, but also a scary one, because so many people and businesses have already invested in the DVD format, that it could actually hurt the industry as a whole.

Despite what Nintendo or I think anyone believes I don't think we will reach a cap anytime soon that technology advancements won't matter.  The computer will constantly evolve and therefore game systems will be also.  

It is also curious to imagine what would happen to creativity and the game companies if only one format existed.  I believe many smaller companies would fail under the new found competition all clawing to get our money...and I fear the me too quick buck will continue to just get worse in that enviroment as it would be easy to just buy an engine, and crank out a horrible game quickly.  It would be a very new and different world, but would it be a better world?

8262

Nintendo Gaming / NINTENDO DS A PRIMARY SYSTEM???

« on: July 29, 2004, 07:28:41 AM »

As an older gamer I have noticed I am playing less games at home.  Actually I am watching less television, movies, and on the computer less.  However, I did notice I am playing my GBA more and more.  

With the potential of the Nintendo DS I am actually considering making the new "3rd pillar" my primary game system, while picking up one or two games for the Gamecube that I may need.

Does anybody else find themselves thinking in a similar fashion?

Could the DS and even later the PSP become the new primary game systems for a large audience of players?

I think it would be harder for the Nintendo system, but they could make adapters to play the system on the television.  (With the DS one screen could be shown on the television and one on the portable.)

I have always believed the next big step into gaming is to create a portable system powerful enough to dock into a unit and be the home console.  Then you could have one system for both purposes.  

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Nintendo Gaming / RE:DS launch games

« on: July 29, 2004, 07:23:20 AM »

Well.  We can't know for sure but we can highly speculate what games will be out during Launch.  Here is what I will predict:

Metroid Hunters:  released around the same time as the Gamecube game.  Having Metroid as your mature game would be smart for Nintendo.

Mario DS:  Nintendo must have a Mario game upon release.  It is essential.  

Wario Ware Inc:  Now that they have the demo running this game is easy to program and release quickly, and it can use all its features to create a multiplayer game to highlight the systems promises.

Nintendo Puzzle Collection:  Somebody else wrote about how this game hasn't been released in the US yet.  Rather simple games to translate into DS code and release.  Hook up basic multiplayer gameplay, and use the Microphone to chat to the people you play against would be great.  

ATLUS GAMES:

At least one game from Atlus will be out for Launch.  

EA Games:

Sims the Urbz, and probably a sports game.

Launch is really best time to get some games out and watch them sell.  People are excited when they buy a new system and will be more likely to buy additional games.  Meanwhile, the competition isn't as fierce either with launch games, because there are not as many.  So I expect many companies trying to get their games out ASAP.