Author Topic: Game Boy Classic Edition, Game Boy Mini?  (Read 14929 times)

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Offline NWR_insanolord

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Re: Game Boy Classic Edition, Game Boy Mini?
« Reply #25 on: May 27, 2018, 12:02:52 PM »
The current rumor is that Nintendo is actually planning a Nintendo 64 Classic Edition which would be a Classic Edition masquerading as one without Rare games but that’s another thread.

Based on some of the stuff they've done recently I think Microsoft would be open to making a deal to put Rare games on the N64 Classic. Whether Nintendo would be willing to approach them about it is a different story.
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Offline nickmitch

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Re: Game Boy Classic Edition, Game Boy Mini?
« Reply #26 on: May 27, 2018, 09:34:21 PM »
I wonder how they'll handle the controllers.  The NES Classic controllers never came back in stock, iirc.  And the SNES Classic came with two.  Expecting an N64 mini to come with four, sounds almost unreasonable, especially with the ability to sell different colors.
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Offline BranDonk Kong

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Re: Game Boy Classic Edition, Game Boy Mini?
« Reply #27 on: May 28, 2018, 02:51:10 PM »
Gameboy Classic should just be a regular GBA with built-in games.
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Offline Order.RSS

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Re: Game Boy Classic Edition, Game Boy Mini?
« Reply #28 on: May 28, 2018, 04:50:11 PM »
These weren't mentioned yet:
- Wave Race (1990). It holds up okay; there's some minor skill involved. And while the slalom mode has never been good, it'd add a much-needed racing game to a potential Game Boy Mini - and I'm not sure if F-1 Race will be allowed by the FIA for example.
- Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters (1991). Nintendo has been lightly pushing the franchise ever since Smash Bros. Brawl, and re-issued this on 3DS.

- Mario Picross (1995). It's picross, aka digital crack, with Mario in it too.
- Harvest Moon (1997). More opiate for the masses.

If they'll go for a Game Boy Color Mini right away, watch 'em make a deal with WayForward to get the original Shantae on it.
Pokémon Pinball, TCG and Puzzle League are all good candidates too. And if it won't have Mario Tennis, there will be riots in the streets.

Offline Ian Sane

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Re: Game Boy Classic Edition, Game Boy Mini?
« Reply #29 on: May 28, 2018, 04:54:57 PM »
The N64 classic has to support four controllers.  If it doesn't the whole thing is practically pointless.  But it couldn't possibly come with four controllers.  Aside from the cost, N64 controllers are huge compared to NES and SNES ones.  Imagine how big the box needs to be to include four controllers.

Though there are other minor complications with the controllers in general.  A big part of N64 controllers was multiple colours.  No one owned four grey ones, you had an array of colours.  So do they reproduce that?  Maybe the system comes with a grey one and you can buy three other colours?  Do they have rumble built in?  I wouldn't expect a separate rumble pak but a lot of N64 games support it and it would make sense to include the feature built in, but that adds to the cost of the controller.  And finally what analog stick would we get?  The N64 analog sticks are trash.  They deserve credit for being innovative and influential but they're not up to the standards of even the generation that followed.  In 2018 you can't sell controllers with analog sticks like that.

The NES and SNES come from an era where consoles are fairly simple.  The controllers are really just digital buttons - no analog, no rumble, no motion control.  The consoles don't have any OS and there is no internal storage or memory cards.  And the games are all small cartridge ROMs.  The biggest obstacles are lightguns and multitaps but those are optional accessories that most games don't support so it was easy to ignore them.  With the N64 things are starting to get a little complicated for a cheap dedicated console.

Offline segagamersteph

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Re: Game Boy Classic Edition, Game Boy Mini?
« Reply #30 on: May 30, 2018, 11:22:47 AM »
I think the N64 mini/classic is a bad idea no matter what.
Remove Rare, remove all the games not happening due to licensing issues, companies that are gone, etc., you aren't left with enough games to justify it. Even if you get 100 percent of the 1st party titles, that's a small, library even for a console like this with very little variety.

Then, as Ian mentions, the cost issue of supporting 4 controllers. No, they will not contain rumble as that was an optional feature. They also can get around needing memory cards by using internal save states, that won't be an issue. The trick is four controllers. No way it works without that function, no way it's cost effective with it.

Offline nickmitch

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Re: Game Boy Classic Edition, Game Boy Mini?
« Reply #31 on: May 30, 2018, 12:54:36 PM »
Rumble may have been optional, but that was a huge selling point for some of the games.  They would be weird to not have it.

I think Nintendo could negotiate with Microsoft to get some Rare games on the thing.  They seem like they'd be open to it in a case like this.  I don't think it would cannibalize sales of Rare Replay or the XB1.
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Offline Mop it up

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Re: Game Boy Classic Edition, Game Boy Mini?
« Reply #32 on: May 30, 2018, 04:35:13 PM »
I think Star Fox 64 would be a bit odd to some people without the Rumble Pak. It's the game which introduced the accessory to many people and may be tied to their nostalgia of Star Fox 64.

Something which can help with controllers is if they still use the same controller port as Wiimotes like the previous Classics, allowing Wii Classic Controllers to be used. The system would have to include button mapping for that to work well, though. Of course, cramming four people around this thing with four corded controllers doesn't sound very ideal. I'm not sure that's something people are really nostalgic for, so I hope that any N64 Classic's controller cords would be at least as lengthy as the original controller.

When a second controller was added to the base N64 system package, it was Atomic Purple, so that would be a good choice for a second controller.

On the list of things that should happen but most likely won’t: the ability to link a Game Boy Classic Edition to a Nintendo 64 Classic Edition for Pokemon Stadium.
Or at least have the GBC stuff unlocked in Mario Tennis.

Even with a rechargeable battery and low resolution screen (and headphone jack if Nintendo wanted to throw us a bone), Nintendo absolutely can release it for $80 and still turn a profit. It could even throw in a camera just for Game Boy Camera and still hit a mass market price.
By the way, I know this is straying a bit, but this got me wondering: If what you say is true, then what made the Wii U GamePad cost so much to manufacture? Or was that nothing but a PR line from Nintendo?

Offline segagamersteph

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Re: Game Boy Classic Edition, Game Boy Mini?
« Reply #33 on: May 30, 2018, 09:30:03 PM »
Rumble may have been optional, but that was a huge selling point for some of the games.  They would be weird to not have it.

I think Nintendo could negotiate with Microsoft to get some Rare games on the thing.  They seem like they'd be open to it in a case like this.  I don't think it would cannibalize sales of Rare Replay or the XB1.

You misunderstood what I was saying, rumble is essential but it doesn't require the rumble pack they can make the controllers without having to sell expensive add ons, which I can assure you they will not do not even for the nostalgia.

The zapper was absolutely essential to the Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt experience yet that was not included with NES classic.

I am also not sure Microsoft wants to help Nintendo right now. It made sense last generation when Xbox 360 was dominating and Windows still had basically a monopoly on gaming and desktop users. Things have changed, they are in a much more desperate situation and the Xbox One is about to be lapped by the Switch and there won't be any catching up after that.
« Last Edit: May 30, 2018, 09:32:29 PM by segagamersteph »

Offline Adrock

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Re: Game Boy Classic Edition, Game Boy Mini?
« Reply #34 on: May 30, 2018, 10:36:29 PM »
By the way, I know this is straying a bit, but this got me wondering: If what you say is true, then what made the Wii U GamePad cost so much to manufacture? Or was that nothing but a PR line from Nintendo?
If I remember correctly, the bill of materials for the GamePad was estimated to be about $80 and the screen about $25 of that. CNN Money didn’t itemize the rest, including the battery in a lump of $25 for miscellaneous non-motion control stuff. The GamePad was the priciest component of the Wii U, but it didn’t come close to the $180 Nintendo was selling replacements for at launch. I think Nintendo wanted people to view it as a luxury item.
The zapper was absolutely essential to the Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt experience yet that was not included with NES classic.
The Zapper requires a CRT television to work. With the HDMI port on the NES Classic Edition, Nintendo expected people to play it on HDTVs. It could have ported the Wii U Virtual Console version, but that would require a Wii Remote and Sensor Bar. More importantly, that just isn’t in the spirit of what Nintendo was going for.
Quote
I am also not sure Microsoft wants to help Nintendo right now. It made sense last generation when Xbox 360 was dominating and Windows still had basically a monopoly on gaming and desktop users. Things have changed, they are in a much more desperate situation and the Xbox One is about to be lapped by the Switch and there won't be any catching up after that.
If anything, I feel as if that makes Microsoft more likely to help Nintendo. Licensing software to a stand-alone device with the software locked to it is an easy buck as well as free advertising.

Offline nickmitch

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Re: Game Boy Classic Edition, Game Boy Mini?
« Reply #35 on: May 30, 2018, 11:12:57 PM »
Quote
I am also not sure Microsoft wants to help Nintendo right now. It made sense last generation when Xbox 360 was dominating and Windows still had basically a monopoly on gaming and desktop users. Things have changed, they are in a much more desperate situation and the Xbox One is about to be lapped by the Switch and there won't be any catching up after that.
If anything, I feel as if that makes Microsoft more likely to help Nintendo. Licensing software to a stand-alone device with the software locked to it is an easy buck as well as free advertising.

Look at it from MS's perspective: You can't really do anything with Diddy Kong Racing, so letting Nintendo use the Rare characters is free money.  Perfect Dark and Banjo-Kazooie would be trickier, since they're both in the Rare Replay, but that could possibly get people to check out the subsequent games in those series on the XB1.  Or, if the Rare Replay has run its course, still squeeze a few more dollars out of it.
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Offline segagamersteph

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Re: Game Boy Classic Edition, Game Boy Mini?
« Reply #36 on: May 31, 2018, 01:18:02 AM »
Nevermind, sorry.
« Last Edit: May 31, 2018, 02:53:23 AM by segagamersteph »

Offline Order.RSS

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Re: Game Boy Classic Edition, Game Boy Mini?
« Reply #37 on: May 31, 2018, 11:38:49 AM »

Okay what Nintendo can definitely release on an N64 classic:
-1080 Snowboarding
-Donkey Kong 64 - Nintendo will have the rights to this surely. Maybe they'll cut out the arcade port in it.
-Dr. Mario 64 - This never hit Europe, could be a mild curiosity?
-Excitebike 64 
-F-Zero X 
-Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards - Liked, but not a classic.
-Legend of Zelda: Ocarina - Gotta be.
-Legend of Zelda: Majora - Needs to be there too.
-Mario Golf - Could see this getting the axe, Mario Tennis is just more iconic.
-Mario Kart 64
-Mario Party 1, 2 and 3 - I think they might just put one on there, likely the first?
-Mario Tennis - Birth of Waluigi.
-Paper Mario
-Pilotwings 64
-Sin & Punishment - Takes the Earthbound/Star Fox 2 'curiosity' slot.
-Star Fox 64
-Super Mario 64
-Super Smash Bros.
-Wave Race 64
-Yoshi's Story

Depending on the whims of the Pokémon Company:
-Pokémon Snap - Could see this make the cut, it was also on Wii VC right?
-Pokémon Stadium 1 and/or 2 - Loses a lot of appeal without crossplay with Pokémon Red/Blue
-Pokémon Puzzle League - Never came to Japan, weirdly enough.
-...Hey, you Pikachu??? - Needs a mic, won't happen.

Japan-only releases they won't include:
-Animal Crossing
-Custom Robo & Custom Robo V2

Without Rare you're missing:
-Diddy Kong Racing - This is a weird one, can Rare/Microsoft block this?

-Perfect Dark - I think this one's too intertwined with Xbox now.
-GoldenEye 007 - not happening due to licensing.
-Mickey's Speedway USA - licensed game, won't happen.
-Jet Force Gemini - ...maybe if MS play ball? Not iconic though.
-Blast Corps - ...maybe? Not iconic enough either though.
-Banjo-Kazooie - Don't see it happening sadly, probably the second-biggest loss.
-Banjo-Tooie
-Conker's Bad Fur Day - Would be hilarious if only this of the Rare games made it.
-Killer Instinct Gold - Xbox One launched with a version of this right? Don't think many will miss it.

Third party additions I could see happen:
-Bomberman 64 - Was on Wii U eShop. Konami has a lot on N64 but how willing they'd be?
-Castlevania 64 - Again, up to the whims of Konami. They might wanna keep this one dead.
-Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber - this came to virtual console twice, must be a good relationship.
-Harvest Moon 64 - Came to virtual console on Wii U, Natsume wants to keep this brand relevant.

-Rayman 2 - Ubisoft puts this on everything if it can.
-Ridge Racer 64 - Was internally developed & published by Nintendo I think?
Does Nintendo have rights to Argonaut games? Buck Bumble was published by Ubisoft...

Conclusion: Nintendo has ~20 games if it puts everything it has on one. That's acceptable (NES mini had 30, SNES just 21). Without Rare though there's not a single FPS, and there's just one RPG if Ogre Battle doesn't work out. No puzzle games unless either Dr. Mario or Pokémon Puzzle League makes it; both were regional exclusives. No fighting game besides Smash Bros.

I thought it would look worse tbh, but there's still many titles people associate with N64 that aren't here: Cruisin' USA, Turok, Star Wars, Top Gear Rally, Tony Hawk, none of the sports/wrestling titles, and obviously Rare's contributions. No crappy 3D fighters sadly, and honestly not very many 3D platformers unless they get Banjo and/or Rayman.
I think they can stand to miss a few of those for sure, but GoldenEye and Banjo-Kazooie are the most obvious losses.
« Last Edit: May 31, 2018, 11:46:16 AM by Steefosaurus »

Offline nickmitch

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Re: Game Boy Classic Edition, Game Boy Mini?
« Reply #38 on: May 31, 2018, 11:52:21 AM »
There was a Diddy Kong Racing port on the DS that removed the Rare characters, so it's possible.  But who knows if Nintendo would put in the effort for the N64 ROM.  MS could block use of the characters, but like I said earlier, it's free money that hurts MS in no way.

Also, I think DK64 made it a VC release at some point.

There could be some potential surprises if there are any english translations of JPN only titles that never made it out.
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Offline Order.RSS

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Re: Game Boy Classic Edition, Game Boy Mini?
« Reply #39 on: May 31, 2018, 12:02:42 PM »
Yeah DK64 is on Wii U VC for sure. I agree that Diddy Kong Racing should be possible and Microsoft could gain a bit from it too.

If there's a translation for Animal Crossing... That alone would sell it for a lot of people I think. I would bite if they get Treasure to put Bangai-O on. There's an English version of that for DreamCast, or hell just keep it Japanese, I wouldn't mind. That's not their audience for these minis though...

Offline Ian Sane

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Re: Game Boy Classic Edition, Game Boy Mini?
« Reply #40 on: May 31, 2018, 12:07:22 PM »
Conker made me think of another factor - the ESRB.  Nintendo would not want one of these Classic systems to get an M rating.  Not an issue on the NES due to their strict censoring policies at the time.  The SNES was a little more open and had some M rated third party titles like the Mortal Kombat sequels and Doom but usually everything was in the E to T range.  The N64 was fully in the ESRB era so it was a lot more common to get M rated games.  So even if Nintendo still had the rights to Perfect Dark, it would make the N64 Classic M rated so it's no good.  Same with the Turok games.  Same with the N64 port of Resident Evil 2 (which otherwise would be a great title to include).

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Re: Game Boy Classic Edition, Game Boy Mini?
« Reply #41 on: May 31, 2018, 12:36:17 PM »
That's a great point, I hadn't even considered.  I wonder if Nintendo could get the ESRB to re-review these games?  Surely, modern sensibilities would bring a few of the M ratings down to T.
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Offline Ian Sane

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Re: Game Boy Classic Edition, Game Boy Mini?
« Reply #42 on: May 31, 2018, 03:01:52 PM »
That's a great point, I hadn't even considered.  I wonder if Nintendo could get the ESRB to re-review these games?  Surely, modern sensibilities would bring a few of the M ratings down to T.

Does the ESRB re-review re-releases like that or just stick with that they had before?  I think the point can be made that what was considered a detailed graphic depiction of violence on the N64 just looks like a blurry, blocky mess today. :)  No system gives me more of a shocking "we thought THIS looked good?" reaction than the N64.

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Re: Game Boy Classic Edition, Game Boy Mini?
« Reply #43 on: May 31, 2018, 04:08:15 PM »
I don't know if it's an ESRB policy, or a situation where no one bothered to try.  Like, there wouldn't really be a point unless you had a reason to want a lower rating.  I doubt they would though, plus it'd be on Nintendo to pay for it.
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Offline Khushrenada

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Re: Game Boy Classic Edition, Game Boy Mini?
« Reply #44 on: May 31, 2018, 04:11:02 PM »
You think Mario Tennis is more iconic than Mario Golf? Mario Golf came out first and my brother played it a lot. Mario Tennis came out near the end of the 64's lifespan and, although it introduced Waluigi, we only played it once as a rental. Never a big tennis fan. With the Cube, same thing. Played a lot more of Mario Golf and never played Mario Power Tennis on it. Even with the 3DS, Mario Golf was a bif release for me. I always thought and felt it was the bigger sports title and it seems to have the greatest run of quality releases.
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Offline Order.RSS

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Re: Game Boy Classic Edition, Game Boy Mini?
« Reply #45 on: May 31, 2018, 05:07:08 PM »
Huh, funny, for me it was almost the exact opposite. Played Tennis way more, rented Golf once or twice. Distinctly remember that Golf felt kinda odd, there were some non-Mario characters in there iirc? The bonus mode felt more like minigolf than a real spin on the formula. It was fun yelling at other players during their turns though! I think Golf was just a bit boring ultimately, you had to wait for your turn and scroll along the field with the grid, zoom it in and back out...

Meanwhile Tennis had the more immediate multiplayer (4 player doubles!), brought back Daisy, made Shyguy, Boo and others playable. I'll admit though, my experience with the Golf games is limited to like 2 weekend afternoons. Never got around to picking it up on GameCube and it still goes for like 18 bucks today. Maybe I should pick a version of it up sometime, which is the best regarded?

Offline Mop it up

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Re: Game Boy Classic Edition, Game Boy Mini?
« Reply #46 on: May 31, 2018, 05:38:33 PM »
I think Mario Golf is better for single player but Mario Tennis is better for multi. I never played Mario Golf with more than myself, everyone always wanted to play Tennis instead.

Maybe I should pick a version of it up sometime, which is the best regarded?
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Re: Game Boy Classic Edition, Game Boy Mini?
« Reply #47 on: May 31, 2018, 06:27:31 PM »
There was a Kotaku article a couple weeks ago that went through the history of Mario Sports and it's worth pursuing if you've got the time as it's pretty spot on with all it's assessments of the Mario Sports subsection of games. Someone in the comments made the observation that Mario Golf is like a Turn Based Strategy Game and Mario Tennis is like a Real Time Strategy Game. You're preference of which you think is better or how you like to play may influence which of those franchises you prefer more. I've got no problem waiting a turn (especially since you can heckle the player as you wait) and I prefer TBS over RTS so that may be a factor in why I've always felt Golf superior.

Mario Golf 64 does have non-Mario characters which did seem odd. It might have something to do with the GBA version. Mario Golf 64 is pretty much a traditional kind of Golf experience. Toadstool Tour started to add some more Mario type elements like warp pipes into the some of the experience and tours but still stayed pretty close to traditional golf in most of the game. World Tour really starts to lean into the fantasy and Mario elements and mixing those into the Golf experience which I like. It gives each game a different flavor and keeps things interesting.
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Offline Mop it up

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Re: Game Boy Classic Edition, Game Boy Mini?
« Reply #48 on: June 01, 2018, 01:35:15 PM »
I thought that the characters in Mario Golf were from Camelot's Hot Shots Golf series, or at least they have some similarities to those characters. Still an odd inclusion though. It's sort of like a crossover game.

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Re: Game Boy Classic Edition, Game Boy Mini?
« Reply #49 on: June 01, 2018, 07:02:46 PM »
I played Mario Golf with my friends and we didn't even know Mario Tennis existed, for what it's worth.