Messages

1

Nintendo Gaming / new games comming out(fill me in on stuff)

« on: June 10, 2003, 09:19:40 PM »

Sheesh. Remember when your parents used to say, "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all?" That rule applies online as well...

BlueKitten: If you're interested in finding out about upcoming titles, I'd suggest you check out websites like Planet Gamecube (the site this board is hosted on), IGN, or Gamespot. I'm sure if you look hard enough you can put those reading skills to use and uncover some interesting info. Personally, I'm particularly looking forward to F-Zero, Soul Calibur II, and Viewtiful Joe. You can check out those last two by grabbing a $10 demo disc from many large retailers (avoid Best Buy like the plague though - they are trying to pawn it off for $40 a pop).

Good luck,
-Matt  

2

Nintendo Gaming / Fighters GC vs Xbox

« on: June 08, 2003, 09:34:45 AM »

I don't think the problem is the Gamecube controller, but rather the lazy developers who have been sticking to the same old control layout paradigms for years. Look at a game like Super Smash Bros. - granted it isn't a regular fighter, but Nintendo came up with a very unique and fresh control scheme for it so that it maps perfectly with the N64 controller. Then, when SSB:M came out, they reworked it for perfect play on their new controller. Capcom is natorious for taking the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach to game design, but the problem with Capcom Vs. SNK 2 is that it was in fact broken and they didn't bother to try to fix it. Rather than reworking the control system from the ground up to maximize playability on the GC controller, they just lazily added the crapfest that is "GCism" and shipped it. The GC controller can stay; these cheap, quick ports are what need to go.

-Matt

3

Nintendo Gaming / Gameboy Player

« on: April 16, 2003, 11:05:36 AM »

Quote
It's kinda stupid becuase the damn price is like $59.99 thats like buying a new GameBoy Advance. The Price is well over the limit...

EBGames.com is reporting the price as 49.99. As I recall, the Super Gameboy was somewhere in the neighborhood of $40-$50. It was worth every penny.

-Matt

4

Nintendo Gaming / Nintendo's LAN stratagy - Why?

« on: April 09, 2003, 03:09:21 PM »

I think the Gameboy Player is pretty much a guarantee that Nintendo doesn't plan on using the existing Broadband adapter for their "LAN Plan". It would just be far too much of a hassle for those who use their modems to play games like Phantasy Star to unplug the entire setup just to switch to their broadband adapter for LAN plan. Plus, that's extra hardware sales down the drain. I think it's more likely that Nintendo will opt to use the one remaining expansion port for whatever LAN accessory they have up their collective sleeve.

I don't doubt that console LAN play is fun, don't get me wrong. I use my PC for LAN games all the time. It's a blast. I've even joined in the event of ultimate "nerd-dom" on occasion - that's right, a computer LAN party! The question is whether or not the whole endeavor is worth their time and money. If Nintendo honestly thinks that online isn't worth investing into because of lack of consumer interest, thereby making it unprofitable, then I'd really like for them to explain the logic behind a LAN setup. I still believe that it will be the minority that takes advantage of this, though it seems that most hard-core Nintendo fans (IE, the ones that post on Nintendo news site message boards) plan to at least look into the idea.

I am intrigued by noentiendo64's comment, though - that Nintendo is slowly moving towards a hybrid portable/home console. This would certainly be a step in that direction. Same goes for their revealing of the high quality monitor and small discs. Indeed, it seems they've been trying to tie the Gameboy and the Gamecube together this generation, as is evident by their connection device endeavor. Even the names, Gameboy and Gamecube, are very closely related, as if Nintendo is trying to blend the lines between them a bit in preparation. Imagine a device with a flip up monitor that you could take on the road with you, but you could also inherently plug into the TV in the comfort of your living room, all with comparable graphics and gameplay to Sony's and Microsoft's latest. Perhaps you're onto something...

Bloodworth: Do you have any more details on Nintendo's online experiments in the past? I'm not familiar with them.
Grey Ninja: The XBand wasn't a Nintendo product, though I forget who the mastermind behind it was. But I remember seeing one for the Sega Genesis as well, so there's no way Nintendo had any part. As I recall, it was very similar to what Microsoft has set up for the XboX Live - a proprietary client-server model with fees, as AngusPodgorny put it.


-Matt  

5

Nintendo Gaming / Nintendo's LAN stratagy - Why?

« on: April 09, 2003, 08:58:16 AM »

As far as I know, the only costs involved in setting up peer-to-peer would be maintaining a master server that all of the gamers could report their hosted games to. It's a very cost effective method, and it's pretty much a standard in PC games these days. Something I hadn't considered is what Grey Ninja pointed out - Nintendo might be using the LAN setup as sort of a "back alley" way of creating a peer-to-peer solution. How feasible is this? I'm sure there are some network savvy people out there who have some insight .
As for the college dorm usage; this would only be convenient if Nintendo goes with the standard RJ45 (edit: oops!) network connector so that the users can plug into their PC network routers. When's the last time Nintendo has gone with standard technology? I foresee them going with a propritary setup similar to what they use on the GBA to link up systems. Which brings us back to the earlier questions - would this still be feasible as a peer-to-peer solution if they used a propriatary cable setup instead of a RJ45 (edit: oops, again!) that could plug into a broadband router, possibly with the use of the existing network/modem adapter?

-Matt    

6

Nintendo Gaming / Nintendo's LAN stratagy

« on: April 08, 2003, 10:14:02 PM »

Nintendo's alleged plans for a LAN push rather than a solid online plan absolutely puzzles me to no end. I'm completely baffled as to how Nintendo expects to sell and market something like this. These things have been tried before, right? Isn't there a similar device for the Playstation (2?) or X-Box that allows you to link up multiple systems and play on separate screens/systems (maybe somebody can clear this up for me)? But as far as I know, they've never really taken off for one very good reason - they are completely and wholly inconvenient for the user, thereby making them a bigger hassle than they're worth. Each person has to have their own system, their own copy of the game, and their own TV. How often do you see yourself getting together with your friends in these sorts of circumstances? Calling them up and saying "Hey, how about I bring over my cube, my TV, and my second copy of Time Splitters 3 and we can LAN play!"? Doesn't online play make a lot more sense for the end user, albeit from a non-financial standpoint? Personally I wish they would just stick with how things currently are if they don't want to go with online play. I guess if I don't use it I really don't lose anything, and those who DO use it will have an improved experience (ala the Gameboy - Gamecube connection), but it just seems to me to be wasted resources for the small amount of gain they will get (R&D and production costs). But perhaps I'm missing some very important details, so I'll just shut up now and hope that some of you out there have some answers or comments.

Thanks for listening to me rant,
-Matt