Messages

1

Nintendo Gaming / RE:N5 Nintendo's trojan horse for LAN gaming

« on: October 07, 2003, 02:23:32 AM »

Well, in a nutshell, I don't agree.  Certainly, Nintendo should find a way to aggressively differentiate themselves and add value to their game-only product in the next generation, if they really are going to stick with that, which as most people I fully expect.  I just don't feel the investment/expense in this whole thing with the built-in LCD screen to relieve some of the complications inherent to LAN gaming is justified, I'd rather they put those resources into other aspects of the machine, which is the subject of a different topic altogether.  It's true you eliminate some of the hassle of LAN gaming by providing people with what is basically a TV with each GameCube, but that hardly solves all the problems.  You still have to have enough power outlets, which means a power/surge protector strip for most people, thats just one thing.  And then there's the actual size of the screen in question.  

Even if the system ends up the size of the Xbox, which it won't, I could almost gaurantee a similar foot-print to the current GameCube, you can't really incorporate a substantial enough screen to get the job done right.  A 15 or 17 inch screen is really only good if you have it plenty close, as you would with a computer monitor, which makes for an awkward image in my mind, a bunch of people in odd positions trying to get comfortably close to their respective machine, some out right planting it on their laps... just not kosher. If you take into account the possibility of multiple players on any one console... oohh boy.. forget about it.. that'd render anything unplayable with such miniscule display space.  LAN gaming is simply no substitute at all for online gaming, >it< is the supplementary element, not the other way around.  As for whether or not people would consider it gimmicky, well, I can conceive of few things that could be more gimmicky.  There's nothing particularly wrong with a gimmick, but if it's just blatent, and not something I value, then I simply will pay it no mind and won't find the subsequent price point acceptable.  

LAN gaming should be available for any of their games, but so should an online option next generation, or at least leave it open-ended, so people could enjoy a LAN match while they wait for the infrastructure to be set up for outright online play, if they so choose to go through the trouble.  For the most part, I'd just let third parties figure out their infrastructure themselves, and simply provide the means for players to access that, with LAN options available from the get-go if the third party in question sees it fit.  Just because Nintendo sees no profit with online gaming it doesn't mean third parties would agree, for the most part they don't.  Eventually, they're going to have to leverage their capital some, I feel when they do it should be to design and build an infrastructure for online gaming that >is< profittable, or at least inexpensive enough that they can absorb the costs and have a reliable, secure, friendly service for gamers available.  Maybe that's asking for too much, I don't know.  But, to fight that trend, to continue resisting it into the next-generation, that's futile, and it's a battle they'll lose.  I don't give it much importance this generation, but next it'll be an entirely different matter as far as I'm concerned.  

My true point of contention does simply come down to the fact I want the resources built-in LAN-facilitating features demand to be spent in some other way.  A little extra RAM, some extra specialized writeability option, built-in GB player, that sort of thing.  The idea of having some sort of peripheral that makes the system easily portable is still viable in my opinion.  Maybe not for LAN play specifically, but some screen/hefty battery combo, some packed in AC/Car adapter, make it real easy for someone to take it on a camping trip or a long road trip or some such.  Third parties are right now providing this >sort< of peripheral product, but you know how it goes, a first party rendition of any peripheral tends to be of higher quality overall.
 

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Nintendo Gaming / RE:did nintendo listen to gamers when designing the cube, will they listen for the N5?

« on: August 22, 2003, 10:38:41 PM »

Well we can't >stop< Nintendo from doing what they've been doing, unless we just stop buying their products I guess, which I'm not about to suggest obviously heh.
Rather than have Nintendo settle for 'staying alive' for another decade, I rather they do everything in their power to be competitive and provide us with the best >overall< gaming platform/experience there is to be had.   You know, as opposed to stumbling all over themselves, insisting on carts instead of CD's, therefore handing Sony the market type-thing (no, they will never live that down in my book).  They've done nothing so grievous I believe this generation, but it's obviously not without it's own plethora of foul ups (like their piss poor advertising for example).  In general, when I complain about what Nintendo is doing or how they're handling things, it's just because I see a squandering of their true potential.  I'm not asking for a Nintendo DVD player, I'm just asking for silver instead of purple, or sleek/cool versus their current chunky playskool purse approach to console design.  What to do on the game side of things, which is all the more important, well I've gone over it too many times already in other posts and I don't feel like doing it here again.

Point is the smallest of tweaks to their approach and they can potentially attract a lot more mindshare and cold hard cash than they currently do, without defying their game design philosophies or breaking the bank either, but that's simply how I look at it.  See when they fail to do those simple things, and insist on doing things 'their way', well it upsets me because I know I'm looking at a company with the assets to do more than just 'survive' for a long time to come. But apparently, that's not 'their way' of seeing it, I hope they prove me wrong.

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Nintendo Gaming / RE:did nintendo listen to gamers when designing the cube, will they listen for the N5?

« on: August 21, 2003, 08:10:34 AM »

It's true, online gaming is clearly in its infancy at least as far as consoles go.  But I believe that there are special circumstances at work in this case.  Personally, I wouldn't be half as interested as I am in Xbox (which isn't very much at all) if not for Xbox Live and what it promises.  At the end of the day, Live itself suffers due to a lack of truly great exclusive software titles on the machine.  Watch and see what happens when Halo 2 rolls around and it starts selling like a godsent cure-all, it will undoubtedly take Live with it.  The reason being that the Halo sequel is the only sure-fire triple A title joe schmoe can name for the Xbox, that also happens to ooze further potential thanks to the features the Live service affords it.

Unlike Microsoft, Nintendo has Halo-calibur franchises up the wazoo, that's how I see it anyway.  Every single franchise title they have is simply brimming over with potential for online features.  Where Xbox Live is a match to a pool of stagnant water, a Nintendo online service is a flamethrower to the lake of gasoline that is their game library, if that makes any sense.  Now, it is smart to ease into something like this, everyone understands that which ever way you look at it, connectivity is a costly investment.  Sony and Microsoft can much more easily afford to be brazen about such costly ventures, so it doesn't surprise me to see them emphasizing it over Nintendo.  In the next-gen though, the pressure is going to be on.  Those two machines will hail their next-gen connectivity features as a second coming, and most people will buy into that.  They may not take full advantage of it, some if not most may not even be able to use it, but they will at some level factor it into the value of the product they're buying.  When they look over to Nintendo and find a major difficiency in that area relatively speaking, well chances are I think a potential customer will have been lost at that point.

Though the market may begin to expect these kind of features in earnest next-gen, I wouldn't say Nintendo has to follow the same pattern as their competition to be able to compete, not at all.  As I said in another thread, there is plenty of room for innovation in the execution of all this connectivity business.  I'm confident they can come up with a way to make online gaming profitable.  But.. I believe it'll take market pressure to force them to take the plunge, and absorb some of the risk and/or inevitable initial costs.  I think that there are perculiar circumstances associated to the prospects of online gaming via console.  Yes, there aren't a lot of people engaged in it this generation, even fewer people who actually have the option to do so.  But I believe this is one of those things that can only truly grow, expand, and mature from the end of the content providers.  If the content is there, if the service is there, eventually the people will come and yes they will pay. I think Sony and Microsoft see it this way, although of course their perspective is skewed by what they can afford to offer. Well, if all broadband meant was faster loading webpages, then that quarter+ of north america currently subscribing to it wouldn't bother with it, and the percentage of usage would be far less.  I feel that of all the gaming companies, Nintendo should be the one helping to aggressively usher in a golden age for console gaming thanks to online playability and services, simply because they tend to do things in interesting ways and of course because their games above all others as I mentioned, are overflowing with the potential of it all.  

Will Nintendo listen to this sort of take on things? Nope, no great insight there, that much is just obvious.  Did they listen when designing the cube?  Not really, but at least they listened and responded more than they did in the preceding generation, if not to any person then at least to the circumstances at hand, so there's hope in that.  

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Nintendo Gaming / RE:N5 Launch Games List!

« on: August 20, 2003, 05:51:45 AM »

Having a launch line-up that encompasses all the major game genres and caters to everyone is not good business nor is it logisticly feasible I think.  To clarify, I consider a launch line-up to be just that, the games available right away upon a systems launch.  Some people consider all releases within the first month part of the launch.  That's certainly a time period that is crucial and not to be ignored, so there are many titles that can be easily and safely relegated to being released a few short weeks later.  But as far as that first day is concerned, I feel the selection of titles is probably better off being conservatively well balanced.  Obviously variety is important, two platformers and no sports titles is no good.  Having too many choices though, can actually hurt the chances for any one title to really sell through to its full potential, some titles could simply end up crowded out.  Although these negative effects would diminish as time went on, it's good to get the ball rolling in terms of feeding revenue into a company right at or after a system launch.  A few key titles, one triple A, a couple of double A's, and three or four peripheral titles if you include third party entries, might be a good number/arrangement to that end I think.  As for >what< games, I simply don't know.  I've already said I rather see Nintendo purge their initial line up of anything involving pink marshmellows or mushroom kingdoms, first impressions are key, and I don't believe in Nintendo following this kid friendly approach to everything to any kind of success. That doesn't mean no Nintendo franchises, just things with broader appeal such as Metroid or Wave Race.  Expanding a list to include what I would like to see within the first month... well let's just say I feel a little more freedom to idealize under those parameters hehe.

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Nintendo Gaming / RE:N5 Launch Games List!

« on: August 18, 2003, 06:43:36 PM »

Thanks vroenis, I apologize for the length of what I wrote, nice to see at least one person managed to plow through it hehe.  I tend to be quite verbose on the subject of what Nintendo 'should' be doing to better their business.  If someone manages to strike upon a particular nerve, as it happens all too often in forums like these, then I can't help but spew 5 paragraphs worth on the matter.  You brought up an excellent point over Nintendo and their want of getting people 'connected', while maintaining a personable atmosphere. So yes, that being said, an emphasis on lan-based gaming seems a logical thing for them to follow through on.  Something that happens to be all the more attractive if the system has healthy market penetration, or in other words, if your neighbors actually have one of the machines as well.  

Personally, I see connectivity in all its forms being an integral component of future gaming experiences.  The more things Nintendo does in that department the more attractive the prospects are for any and all of their games.  They don't need to be copying the likes of Microsoft in anything and everything they do in respect to connectivity, there's plenty of room for innovation.  If there's one advantage to be said of Nintendo's conservative tendencies it's the benefit of seeing the way in which the  competition deals with new products or services first.  At the very least, this allows them to learn from the successes and/or failures without incurring too much risk on their own part.  It's my hope they have enough 'learned' already that the chances of having some basic on-line features present at the next launch for most titles are much better, and could only improve.  But, that's a really optimistic hope, I actually expect far less for fear of disappointment.  Unfortunately, to answer your question, I don't think they'll listen to anyone but themselves, so that much doesn't help.
   

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Nintendo Gaming / RE:N5 Launch Games List!

« on: August 18, 2003, 01:36:22 AM »

You probably have a point, they will probably still be around for a good long time, even if they end up in a two-bit market space 10 or 15 years down the line. They're sitting on tons of cash, and can literally afford to allow their market to whittle away until it some day stabilizes, bouyed solely or mostly by those loyal to their particular quality of product. Apple is a good example of a company with a very limited install-base that chugs along, although they're in a market much more tolerant of specialization and have a professional market within that to cater to which is even more stable by nature.  More over, I'm fully aware Nintendo is making hordes of money, and are certainly more profitable with their current products than Microsoft is with theirs, for all their broad appeal.  Hell, what's a bit frustrating in a way as far as I'm concerned, is that they continue to profit at all under their current marketing scheme and overall strategy, albeit no where near the levels they once did as far as set-top consoles are concerned.  And probably no where near the levels it >could< be under only a slightly different approach.  One that would not diminish the hardcore element of their market in the least, and only expand it.  As of today Nintendo has made a series of mistakes with the Gamecube, less severe perhaps than the previous generation, that has needlessly stifled its potential performance.  I don't believe this sort of bs that says Nintendo can not compete against what Sony and Microsoft has or offers, particularly in this generation, and especially when developers themselves have expressed frustration over Nintendo's overly conservative or down right counter-intuitive attitude/approach in certain regards.  

I say that even though I fully believe in the viability of an all gaming platform.  No one is saying Nintendo is poised to take dominance in the market again or at least in the next-generation, because it's fairly clear that's not what they're about at this point, and it would be foolish for them to start throwing around cash to that end, just to bite off more than they could chew.  But if Nintendo ends up with an even smaller install-base next generation, or even the same relatively speaking.. something they obviously would not want... why would you then turn around and do things to exacerbate that possible circumstance as a company? Or why would you fail to do the things that are conceivably within your financial/logistical limits to prevent or reverse it? You wouldn't, you'd do everything in your power to pull back on that proverbial stick and reclaim not just marketshare but mindshare above all else, so that when you tell your investors of your sales expectations, you actually meet them instead of missing them by a large and largely frowned-upon margin.  Nothing about Nintendo's basic policies or philosophies should necessarily hold them back from achieving an extraordinarily solid #2 position which they today lack but could have easily attained. They could've then leveraged that in the generation after to even more profitable ends. The idea that they should continue a strategy that's being wrecked by laws of diminishing returns as evidenced by Gamecubes performance woes, is ludicrous.

Then there's how they keep talking about broadening their audience, having broader appeal, making games easier to pick up. I'm sorry, that does not sound like a company that desires to be relegated into a wholely niche market.  That sounds like a company that wants to reinvigorate the market, bring in fresh blood and more of it than the other guys, expand the market in their own way and not necessarily by hopping on some consumer electronics or personal computing trend. A loyal established audience is not something you simply herd people into, you build upon it and gradually that foundation strengthens. To say that, they should keep on making and marketing purpley consoles with purse-like form factor, is simply ridiculous.  A cool toy is a cool toy is a cool toy, Gameboy still retains a lot of that element in the eyes of the mainstream (SP helped that immensely), and Gamecube hardly had any to begin with as far as I'm concerned.  That Nintendo should favor making something come off more silly than cool just cus their 'hardcore' fans wouldn't mind it or would blindly accept it or whatever the reason, is bs.  It's also bs to continue that miserable plan of action on the basis that 'the others' would just find something else to ridicule, that's far too childish logic on which to drive business decisions, even if it is in a market involving children. The only ones who would do such a thing are the blind 'hardcore' on the other side of the fence anyway, they're the minority, the true masses would not react that way in face of a generally appealing >and< quality product that's competitive.  

Plenty of the 'hardcore' Nintendo fans rabidly defend purple as a great choice for the consoles debut, but that still doesn't change the fact black and even more so platinum marketed many times better and exhibited far superior yield ratios.  That's money in their pocket, with nothing but a tweak to what they originally set out to do.  Was it an affront to the hardcore? No, their appeal to their most loyal fan-base doesn't faulter, only strengthens in the end.  That's really the uber point right there, there is tons Nintendo can do to carve out a sizeable market from themselves, larger than what they currently have, and still more than satisfy their 'hardcore' following.  Why wouldn't I want to see the company that provides me specific games I love succeed to their clearly perceivable potential?  That just means more money for them, probably more games for me, and probably better games to boot.  There is nothing no where that says broader appeal equates to screwing over your fan-base, unless they're elitest bastards who don't want their neighbor to have or enjoy their toy for no real reason.

Finally returning to the subject of the thread, sort of... is it really so hard to wait 2 months out from launch for a Pokemon title? Is it really so difficult to see the benefit to marketing in that small delay and the fundamental justifications behind it?  You'd have plenty of other titles Nintendo is known for released prior under this proposed approach.  I'd personally want more people hooked in by the time a popular/quality albeit kid friendly title rolls around, just to have more people to perhaps talk about it with,  more people to play with or against, or just have the facilitation of dragging those uninitiated into playing since they already have the machine.  This specific approach me and some others have suggested may not be necessarily what does the job, it's just a suggestion based on current information, but the reasoning behind it is sound if not the details of the suggestion itself.  The reasoning is the much larger issue at hand.  I apologize, but why Nintendo should drop everything they reasonably >could< do, easily by almost all accounts, just to satiate a relatively small number of consumers who perhaps just can't see past their own interests, is beyond me.
   

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Nintendo Gaming / RE:N5 Launch Games List!

« on: August 17, 2003, 09:13:04 PM »

Yes that's wonderful, enjoy your Pokemon while you still have it, at least in its current form.  They do much more to turn away the masses in the next-gen, like help perpetuate a largely unpopular image, there won't be much of a Nintendo left to give you any kind of Pokemon fix.

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Nintendo Gaming / RE:N5 Launch Games List!

« on: August 16, 2003, 09:32:46 PM »

Not to mention what a Pokemon title of any sort at the next launch would do to Nintendo's ailing image.
I don't think it would be positive, great game or not.

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Nintendo Gaming / RE:What features should gamecube2 have?

« on: August 15, 2003, 06:33:48 PM »

All this talk about a memory stick/flash card versus a harddrive doesn't make any sense.  Not only are these things not mutually exclusive, but you can not surplant the functionality of a harddrive with any sort of flash memory.   Best thing Nintendo could do is have a partner company like Matsushita build them a small harddrive that's speedy, has a healthy cache, is silent running and stable/durable. Shouldn't be as difficult as it may sound.  The added weight to the machine should be negligible, especially considering that Nintendo would probably once again keep the power supply on the outside.  Now, I don't know what the exact chances of a few gigs worth of fixed flash-type memory being affordable by 2005/2006 are, but I know they aren't good at all.   For memory card use though, it should be fine.  

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Nintendo Gaming / RE:Is Nintendo Playing the Wrong Game?

« on: August 15, 2003, 02:51:53 PM »

I've always felt that Nintendo licensing their hardware to other companies was the way for them to go, if they wanted a piece of that multimedia pie in any way. I still believe there's room for an all gaming console out there, but it has to be something really special in that regard to compensate for the lack of multimedia features.  By multimedia I pretty much just mean the playing of things like CDs/DVDs/SACDs or whatever, things like Tivo-like recording of TV shows, MP3 ripping, or even copying using optical media.  A harddrive and Internet connectivity though, I consider intrinsic to the future of videogames and hope Nintendo feels the same way in a few years if not today.

Their attempt, or Matsushita's attempt, at using Nintendo hardware in a multimedia product this generation seems just miserable to me.  That Q thing is an abomination, absolutely the opposite of what it's intended audience would desire from that kind of product.  They should have simply made a normal looking DVD player, with the Gamecube hardware integrated, instead of putting out an unattractive block expecting people to gladly add its tacky visage to their entertainment centers.  Had they done it right, there might've even been some parody between the two Gamecube iterations in terms of sales.  Now it's important to note that If in the next-generation, Nintendo or the company's they deal with do start doing things right as far as 'diversifying' the product, they must be careful not to fracture their market.  Too many takes on the same product could be detrimental, in ways I don't feel like getting into because it's a bloated subject.  I would add though it would be interesting to see a company like Apple add value to their product-lines by offering some desktop model with built-in Gamecube 2 technology, as opposed to yet another set-top box contending for your shelf space but whatever.

As for the issue of price, first they are not substantially less expensive than the competition as it stands today.  What's worse is, with the negative image Nintendo has been fostering exacerbating things, the lower price point actually hurts them in some regards.  People do associate price with outright value, so when the Xbox or the PS2 offer their product at just 25 to 50 dollars more, and they discover those machines have more features whatever they may be on top of that, Gamecube ends up devalued in their eyes.  Of course I'm referring to the general masses here, the mainstream, that lucrative glut of any potential consumer-base.  I would pay 250+ for a new Nintendo machine, if I thought it was truly special.  If it were a monster in terms of game-only-related features, details of which deserve their own topic I think, then they might be better off next-generation starting off with just a 20 or 50 dollar price difference relative to the competition as opposed to a full 100 dollar price difference.  Convincing people through marketing alone that they're getting a product that's just as good as the 300 to 400 dollar machines for 100 less would be a bit too challenging I believe. Unless of course they have something truly special, such as mind-blowingly nice looking games, that simply advertise themselves.  Yes fantastic gameplay is necessary too of course, but people tend to look to more superficial elements they can take in at a glance as a measure of value unfortunately.    

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Nintendo Gaming / RE:N5 Launch Games List!

« on: August 14, 2003, 07:32:58 PM »

I agree with all the points.  I don't think anyone wants an avalanche of first rate killer apps to contend for their cash... well I would but that sort of thing overwhelms and confuses the masses... and each title ends up stepping on one another sales wise and of course Nintendo wouldn't want that.  I think Nomad's list comes remarkably close to what I'd like to see, and therefore I'll go ahead and say it's near perfect hehe.  That said, while I agree they would be doing themselves an unprecedented favor if they had EA release a Madden title for their supposedly earlier launch (especially with online support out of the box), I just cast a great deal of doubt on its feasibility.  No matter which way you look at it, Nintendo is going into the next generation limping, if not financially then image-wise.  To the likes of EA who wield powerful Sports franchises,  the PS3 and perhaps even the Xbox2 have far brighter prospects as of today. The PS3's success at least is a far better gaurantee as things stand right now and that equates to more software sales for them. It would cost them money to have a Madden title on the Gamecube ahead of Sony's launch, and then also meet Sony's launch which I think would be a far greater priority for them for the aforementioned reasons.  The PS2 consumer-base right now is afterall, their bread and butter, as it is for a lot of developers, particularly any involved in making Sports games.  There are of course a few things Nintendo could >try< to do to insure they get EA on board with Madden.  First and foremost throw tons of cash at them, that's always a sound strategy in these sort of situations.  But also, before we the public ever hear of some miraculous change at Nintendo for the better, the developers should not only be hearing about it, they should be seeing it too... and as soon as possible.  With advanced development kits at their doorsteps before anyone else and a new friendlier face in their dealings, as well as an openly more aggressive stance (something EA has publicly ridiculed Nintendo for lacking this generation), then they begin to have a shot at redeeming their worth in the eyes of third party developers and improve their chances of landing such high profile titles.  Also it would help immensely if whatever hardware they do develop, knocks the developers socks right off, but who knows.  There are too many 'if's here, whether or not they'd be able to land Madden as a launch title hinges on one too many variables for me.  

Then there's the matter of content-rich titles like RPGs, specifically those developed by companies close to Nintendo, Too Human being an example.  Nintendo's recent comments suggesting they want to develop shorter simpler games really puts me off.  It scares me into thinking they may want to keep 60+ hour games like those found in the RPG genre out of their launch line-up.  Their logic is lengthy games like those are not only expensive to produce but while a consumer is spending time playing those games, they're not out buying as many of the other shorter-play-time-games they might otherwise purchase in that time.  Too Human's been in development forever and the standing rumor is it's going to be there for launch in the next-gen Nintendo machine, I just hope the recent rational they've expressed doesn't throw a wrench into those prospects.  Yes, it's a paranoid consideration but one nonetheless.  One of many I have in relation to those recent comments, but that's really off topic heh.

Anyway, Nomad's list is essentially my ideal as far as a basic list is concerned, I'd only begrudgingly subtract Madden since I personally feel the need to generate a list in my mind that comes as close as possible to becoming a reality, given what we know today.  But of course I do see Madden coming to the machine around the same time it shows up on the others, if indeed they release after Nintendo's machine in most markets, Nintendo should make sure of it.  So, if Winning Eleven is the game that gets released to all markets and Madden isn't present right at launch, is there another sports title that may help bolster that? And what kind of 'serious' racer (not an f-zero, mario kart, or wave race-type) would be best? F1? Rally?  I'd put my money on getting Namco to turn their Ridge Racer franchise into a legitimate Gran Turismo killer for a launch exclusive, nothing like hot japanese women for mascots to herald an image change heh. Oh, and one last thing, I assume 'online-at-launch' or bust, I won't sniff Nintendo's way if they don't offer me online gaming in some form from the get-go.  If they falter in that regard, they better be ready to make up for it in some way I can't even presently imagine, otherwise they'll hand the competition (who >are< aggressive about online play) an easy opportunity to stomp them at the very start.

       

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Nintendo Gaming / RE: Next Gen Advertising Campaign

« on: August 11, 2003, 09:39:12 PM »

The SSB commercial was probably one of the few times Nintendo got their advertising right.  Mario and Zelda commercials were laughable, but the SSB commercial was a perfect fit for the game.  I probably would've handled it differently, but the gist was there.  SSB sets up a situation where the Nintendo stable of predominantly colorful and kiddy characters are cast in a humorous light, almost a parody.  It's really just an echo of what everyone wants to do with these light-hearted icons anyway, pit them against one another in mortal combat. The commercial perfectly exploited that tongue-in-cheek aspect to the game. I think that they could still afford to take themselves a little less seriously with the license, just in terms of presentation, and commercials like the one in question are just the type of thing to help do that.  Now I'm not suggesting they simply extrapolate this self-depricative or parody-like ad style to a bunch of their other games, it's just this one commercial was a particularly good fit to SSB.  I can't think of another game on gamecube that had a more fitting ad, basically.  The rest, as far as I can remember, has been an embarrassment. But I do agree that more game footage is the way to go, you can't screw that up unless your game has nothing to show for itself.

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Nintendo Gaming / RE:N5 Launch Games List!

« on: August 11, 2003, 12:50:33 PM »

Sort of  a sub-topic here... if you could only pick, say... three sports titles for launch... taking into account the preferences of all three major markets (japan, america, europe)... what would those be?  The developer/publisher isn't really relevant to the question I'm asking, but obviously you can specify that as well.

Oh, and by sports I mean to exclude any kind of racing game, I consider that a genre unto itself.
 

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Nintendo Gaming / RE:N5 Launch Games List!

« on: August 11, 2003, 12:15:51 PM »

Certainly it isn't the main problem, just part of it.  As I mentioned with the example of a Mario game, the other part of it is simply the lack of 'freshness', another element of the stigma.  I think I failed to mention that I feel like Nintendo should be aggressively striving to redefine themselves and change their image, like just about everyone feels they should do at this point, to varying extremes it seems. Anyway that's why I brought any emphasis to the 'kiddy' factor in this subject.  The point about Mario being a system seller when introducing a new gameplay experience is a good one and very true indeed.  Perhaps I'm being short-sighted somehow, or generally underestimating the minds at Nintendo, but I truly fail to see how Mario could again serve as a vehicle for a truly fresh gameplay experience that's technically impressive (as system selling Mario titles have been relatively speaking), enough so that it could help sell significant amounts of hardware at or near launch.  But that's a different topic I suppose.
 

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Nintendo Gaming / RE:N5 Launch Games List!

« on: August 11, 2003, 11:50:58 AM »

I'm inclined to say Nintendo might actually be better off holding off on a lot of the franchise titles they're known for, as far as launch is concerned.  Right now things like Mario and Zelda, or even Pikmin... they seem to carry a stigma.  Or at least they help perpetuate it, the classic 'kiddieness' stigma for Nintendo, a matter that's been touched on thousands of times across forums everywhere.  This is something they need to shake themselves loose from.  Original solid exclusives like Too Human or a sequel to Eternal Darkness are the sort of heavy hitting gritty titles that should be at the forefront of their next launch. A couple of classic franchises they can sneak in probably include things like Metroid, F-Zero, or Wave Race.  Those are some of their edgier properties, but still generic enough to have that mass appeal they seem to be always talking about.  Aside from the obvious fact they're strong franchise games, they happen to be great tech demos...  games that by their very nature tend to show off a lot of what a machine has under it's hood.  Pilot Wings and any sort of Starwars game out of Factor 5, definitely fit that bill as well.  Any games headlined by the likes of Link, Mario, Luigi, or even Pikmin I think should be put on hold until some time after launch, perhaps until the holiday season immediately following the new consoles launch (assuming it isn't launched in the middle of such a season).  In essence, making Nintendo's launch seem a heck of a lot less colorful to the masses.  A mature or edgier take on  Mario or Link might suffice, but I don't think so, it's probably gotten to a point that the character themselves perpetuate an undesireable stigma (of kiddieness) and of course don't help at all in terms of making things look fresh/new to the mainstream.  I'd venture to guess that to most people, Mario is Mario is Mario, they've seen him a dozen times, and whatever the incarnation it doesn't matter as much anymore.  Could be completely wrong and people are in fact dying to see Mario reborn in a technically splendorous fantastic adventure of a game, but I still think the launch would be better served if such an iteration of a classic franchise were kept up Nintendo's sleeve for some period after launch, long enough to convince people they're looking at a new kind of Nintendo.

Anyway I don't think I can offer up any kind of semi-definitive games list, it's a bit nebulous in my mind.  I agree with a lot of the choices made so far, and the general thrust of the selections.  Any mature-slanted titles mentioned are a plus, and anything on the sports front is as well because there is afterall a huge market for that.  Whatever the list, Nintendo should have something truly special lined up, to the point of making history again in their industry.  No other console, to my knowledge, has ever had a truly satisfying launch line-up... I'd go so far to say they've been at best lack-luster in the past.  Prime opportunity for the big N to break the mold and come out swinging.