Messages

1126

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Next Gen Wars: Wii = heavy favorite

« on: November 27, 2006, 06:44:56 AM »

On "playing is believing": this is why I think Nintendo needs demo kiosks in malls and the like, outside of game stores and electronics sections.  But if the system had better graphics, you'd still have to get people to play it before they understood why it's better than PS3 or Xbox 360, and non-gamers would be turned off by the $400 pricetag.

On Sony, the problem is people think Sony is invincible just because it had two successes in a row.  Console history shows that Atari, Nintendo and Sega all had the most success when their brands were new, and declined almost constantly afterwards.  Not only that, but success usually comes by differentiation.  Nintendo promised higher quality games than the shovelware Atari and co. had been selling.  Sega promised better, faster, more violent action in the face of Nintendo's censorship.  Sony promised all that plus theatre-quality cutscenes (plus it made life way easier for third parties).

Sony did not decline with PS2, it had about equal success.  But PS2 launched well ahead of any real competition and the competition failed to differentiate itself.  And Sony is facing its first decline in the video game hardware industry with PSP.  People think that's because Nintendo is "invincible" in handhelds, but it's because the DS differentiated itself.  If DS was the exact same thing as PSP, and didn't feature Brain Training or Nintendogs, and had a big 3D Mario instead of New Super Mario Bros, where do you think it would be?

What console is differentiating itself this generation?  Wii.  

[JonLeung]

1127

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Twilight Princess Spoiler Discussion Thread

« on: November 27, 2006, 05:46:09 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: JonLeung

I guess so.  But I kept on staring at Telma's chest.  Hey, it's not like they tried to hide what's she's got or anything.

Yeah, more like Legend of Zelda: Cleavage Princesses.  I had the same issue with the lady who runs the river boat thing, and Talo and Malo's mom (though she's not particularly attractive).

Oh, and the fire on the bridge was "cheap", I died 2-3 times there.  Doesn't bother me too much except that in previous Zeldas, you could play through without dying as long as you were careful.  In this one...not so much.

I also nominate that creepy, baby-like Malo to be Tingle's official successor.

1128

Nintendo Gaming / RE: So do we know if Wii is capable of LAN play?

« on: November 27, 2006, 05:40:41 AM »

I believe in Pale's impressions from Nintendo's Sept. 14th press event he asked if BWii was playing on LAN and the answer was "yes".

My guess is the games that aren't on LAN probably aren't because Nintendo has been keeping the networking info under wraps in general.

Edit: removed worthless guesswork on why Nintendo isn't offering this, changed online to "on LAN".

1129

Nintendo Gaming / Wii Third Party Domination

« on: November 27, 2006, 05:37:54 AM »

All right guys, here's one thing that Wii will need to succeed: third party support.  Will it get it?  Only time will tell, but here are some interesting (and encouraging) tidbits that have come out this year:

Square Enix said it will support everyone equally because it doesn't want one company with too much power.  My opinion is that Square Enix is tired of Sony but it's equally afraid that Nintendo could take total control of the Japanese market.  I'm guessing the "main" Final Fantasy series will be on something other than Wii, since the series has become known for graphics/movies.

Ubisoft intends to become the number 1 third-party publisher - by supporting Wii.  It has tentatively announced seven more games for Jan-Mar 2007

Disney is opening a new development studio exclusively for Wii.  Electronic Arts did the same thing, but I can't find any news stories about it, it just kind of came up in interviews earlier this year.

Take Two thinks Wii has great potential for sports games.  These guys sound like they may be too late to the party, but considering their portfolio - Grand Theft Auto, Bully, etc. it's safe to say Nintendo has never been their main target for new games.  Edit: February 6th - Manhunt 2 announced

Bandai Namco has 30 Wii titles in the works (thanks ProtoNY)

SNK Playmore plans to focus on Wii - says the other systems aren't appropriate for 2D games (indirect thanks to segagamer12).

Reggie has also said that third party support is higher for Wii at this point than it was for GameCube at the same point, but he was basing that on second-hand information from older employees.  I couldn't find a reference for this, if anybody knows where to find the quote, feel free to add.  

Edit: February 3rd: Konami announces a few Wii games, including DDR: Hottest Party and Dewey's Adventure.

Edit: February 8th: Activision plans to double it's Wii support.

Edit: March 3rd: Id says that a lot of companies have been requesting Wii tools from Id, and that it might release something on the system.

Edit: April 10: Sega has announced a Wii-exclusive Nights sequel, and Bloomberg claims that Electronic Arts and others are scrambling to release more Wii products after losing cash on the other new consoles.

Edit: April 12: Capcom shows RE4 remake and RE: Umbrella chronicles for Wii; Resident Evil 5 (for 360/PS3) is nowhere to be seen.

April 17: Jet Black Studios  is formed by a group of former EA Canada employees.  

June 18: Take Two is "completely focused" on creating a Wii and DS strategy

1130

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Wii Online titles

« on: November 27, 2006, 04:58:40 AM »

FYI: The first online game for Wii will be going live in Japan in just a few weeks: it's Pokemon Battle Collostadium Whatever.  Just so everybody knows that Nintendo is working on this.

1131

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Next Gen Wars: Wii = heavy favorite

« on: November 27, 2006, 04:41:19 AM »

Hey MaryJane, I'm back to blab on some more.

Wii power - yes, the difference is a lot more noticeable than previous console generations, but that's why I pointed out the handheld industry.  The original Game Boy was very inferior to the backlit colour screens of its competition.  The DS' N64/PSX-like abilities are very inferior to the PSP.  How does Nintendo get away with this?  Is it pricing?  Well, Wii has that advantage too.  Is it battery power?  Maybe a little bit, but let's be honest: the number 1 reason to buy DS instead of PSP is that it has better games and games that people haven't seen before.

I'm surprised how many PSP owners you know, but statistically NPD sales show that DS is outselling PSP, and in fact Sony has dropped its shipment targets for fiscal 2006 (i.e. March 06-March07) by 9 million while Nintendo increased DS shipment targets by...9 million!  Nintendo is stealing Sony's expected customer base on a one-to-one basis!  I think what happened is that PSP was huge at first but now DS has captured a new market and hardcores are being sucked into its wake.  I think the guys at Penny Arcade and IGN are a great study on that: they were big into the PSP at launch, but at this year's PAX, DS was clearly the dominant system.  Matt C and Jessica Chobot *bleh* on IGN have both had blogs on how DS really surprised them and PSP is boring now.

And that's the scary thing for hardcore gamers: we don't matter.  Casual gamers and non-gamers outnumber us big-time and it's possible (in fact likely) that non-gamers and casual gamers will still dictate the market for Wii.  But hardcores will likely get sucked into the Wii's wake just like your friend has been sucked into the DS wake by Final Fantasy III.

Yes, I am a bit jealous of the power of the other two systems but from a business perspective, I realize now that Nintendo's lower power is all about disrupting the market.  These are the necessary features Nintendo got by reducing the power:

- small (it's novel and the inobtrusiveness appeals to people who think big systems stand out too much or waste space)
- quiet (hides WiiConnect24 power drain from moms - Nintendo is on ur Interwebs, killing ur environments)
- cheap (Most non-gamers I talk to think the other systems are way overpriced)
- cheaper to develop for (lower game prices and higher third party support)

Last, but not least, as someone else suggested, non-gamers view Wii as more ground-breaking than the other consoles (so did most people at this year's E3, judging by the lineups).  Looking at the game lineups, that makes complete sense.  The most ground-breaking product on the other two consoles is probably Viva Pinata or maybe Oblivion / Dead Rising - both of which still bear a strong resemblance to past game concepts (no apologies to Kojima).  

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Nintendo Gaming / RE: Wii Shop Channel hacked? Opera already on the Wii!

« on: November 27, 2006, 03:26:28 AM »

It's just guys showing off their know-how.  Pointless but cool.

[BigJim]

1133

Nintendo Gaming / RE:The biggest disaster in Nintendo history?

« on: November 27, 2006, 03:22:18 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: BigJim
The 1 million number was an estimate from Nintendo of Canada's GM back in September.

Quoted for the awful truth.  Ignoring everything else unless cbeer comes back.  

1134

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Nintendo's Wii titles for 2007

« on: November 27, 2006, 03:13:09 AM »

IceCold: I've been wondering the same thing.  Also, I hope we're still getting Wii motorsports...I want airplanes!

I think Nintendo will release Metroid, Mario and Super Smash Bros. next year if it can get them finished.  The thing to keep in mind is that capturing customers early on to build up momentum is important to a healthy system.  If you can get a big customer base, third parties start filling in the release schedule for you.  Look at GBA, it still gets as many games as GameCube even though DS has been on the market for two years.

I'm a bit worried about the tiny lineup for first quarter 2007.  I hope Nintendo or third parties have more planned or else Wii may suffer from the same "no games" reputation as GameCube and N64.  The overall lineup for 2007 looks good, but if all the big games come out between August and December, that's not so good.

1135

Nintendo Gaming / RE: "Too sensitive"

« on: November 27, 2006, 02:52:50 AM »

Might have been interference with all those controllers, lights, and Wiis close together.

Also, I think certain people are more demanding than others.  I've noticed issues with the motion control here and there, but my brain smooths the issues over pretty quick.  Like sword fighting in Zelda is pretty innaccurate: It reads horizontal swipes as vertical ones and vice-versa, and the horizontal swipes don't match the direction you swing in...but in the end, it still feels more like I'm really sword fighting than when I'm pressing the A button, you know what I mean?

I've heard a lot of complaints about Super Monkey Ball.  Have yet to play it though...actually I have yet to play much of anything.

1136

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Twilight Princess Spoiler Discussion Thread

« on: November 27, 2006, 02:49:04 AM »

Hostile: don't worry, I've been playing for almost 20 hours and I'm not even up to the third dungeon yet.  Plus, I have to go back to focusing on real life, I wasted too much time on Wii last week.  And the GameCube types won't even get to play for a couple of weeks yet.

Between the second and third dungeons: The Zora domain (whatever it's called in this game) is HUGE.  I can't imagine what it will be like to get around now that I'm done.  I can't wait to ride down the river on the boat.  The scene where Link finally catches up to Ilia but she doesn't recognize him was wicked.   And the soldiers all cheering and growling when they offer to help Ilia was hilarious.  Howling is awesome.  The chuckwagon escorting mission is fun.

1137

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Can anyone here make Miis correctly?

« on: November 27, 2006, 02:40:24 AM »

I find starting out with a look-alike is a good way to get going.  If you can find a half-decent look-alike, then all you really need to do is swap one or two features and change sizes/postion.

If you have a photo or something that might help you pick better bits and pieces.  I have trouble picking good eye shapes.  Most other parts are easy for me.

1138

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Nintendo's Wii titles for 2007

« on: November 25, 2006, 10:23:16 AM »

Has Kirby actually been announced?  And I know Animal Crossing has been mentioned, but I don't remember Nintendo ever committing to a 2007 release.  Not to be annoying, I just want to avoid accidentally disappointing anybody.

1139

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Should I get a Wii now?

« on: November 25, 2006, 10:20:59 AM »

I think free Opera ends around June or something?  I can't remember the exact date anymore, but I'm willing to bet it's well before the DVD player is available.  That said, I think Nintendo implied that the free Opera offer could be extended.  Probably depends on how badly people want it.

If Zelda is the only game you're interested in it might be decent to wait a few months.  The game lineup is probably going to be thin through the first quarter of next year anyway.  I personally think the system is totally worth it though.

1140

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Wii Sports lasting impression worries

« on: November 25, 2006, 10:10:07 AM »

I do think there's a possibility that these gains will be short-term, but it's really up to Nintendo to just keep thinking of ways to please new audiences.

If you look at the games on the market and compare them to a book store, it's like a book store that has a sci-fi and fantasy section, some sports magazines and record books, and comic books.  Nintendo is trying to add cook books, do-it-yourself books, puzzle books, books about animal care, and more to the shelves.

Some people don't like science fiction or comic books, just like most of us probably don't like romance novels.  Some people will never get in to the Legend of Zelda.  That's okay because Nintendo is finally starting to think about what games they might like to play.

1141

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Next Gen Wars: Wii = heavy favorite

« on: November 25, 2006, 09:55:02 AM »

Pap: I agree with you on DS, although I think Nintendo always hoped it would come to this.  I think DS was meant as an experiment to see if a Wii-like concept would be viable.  If DS had not succeeded, Nintendo would have withdrawn it from the market and Game Boy would have gone back to being the primary handheld, but I think the scenario we wound up with was probably imagined as well.

Sony will lose market share, I think Microsoft is really determined to kick some Sony butt (and Xbox 360 looks like the better system right now) and I think Nintendo is on track to at least gain back some market share that GameCube lost.

1142

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Next Gen Wars: Wii = heavy favorite

« on: November 25, 2006, 09:30:27 AM »

Edit: Ha ha ha, I took so long to reply, three other posts popped up.

The short version:

Sony's reputation won't save it, Nintendo's reputation never saved anything.  Also, Nintendo is targeting brand-new markets while Sony and Microsoft target the same old ones.  Will it work?  DS says "yes".  Your comment on the latest GTA release for PSP is a good example: how many people are going to buy a PSP for that game when there was already a GTA on the system last year?  That game is preaching to the choir.  Last, but not least, power is overrated as a factor in video game popularity. The most powerful system has never won.



The loooooong version:

1. Nintendo needs a more powerful system.

The most obvious counterpoint to this Nintendo's handheld market.  Nintendo has practically never had the most powerful handheld (except when no other handhelds were competing) and yet Nintendo always wins.  It's easy to attribute this to the particulars of handheld gaming - you need high battery life, fast load times, etc.  Nevertheless, the point is that more power does not equal more sales.

And it's true in the home console market too.  Amiga, 3DO, 32X, CD-I, Jaguar, Neo-Geo, N64, GameCube, Xbox - the market is littered with powerful products that are all failures in comparison to NES, SNES/Genesis, PS1 and PS2.  This is the first time a big company has put a much less powerful console up against other big companies' more powerful systems, but even so all signs say that power does not equal success.

What does equal success?  The right games pointed at the right markets.  Genesis stole Nintendo marketshare by offering more violent games to Nintendo's growing adolescent audience.  Sony stole more marketshare by continuing in the Sega tradition of games aimed at aging players, and also by offering a much more flexible liscencing plan than Nintendo (or Sega).   This attracted literally 1000s of third party games.

But now Sony is tightening its grip on third parties.  Both Sony and Microsoft have high requirements for the "HD age".  Nintendo offers a way out with cheaper development costs, and it is even setting the standard with Wii Sports, a game that looks like it could be done on N64 with a few extra special effects.  Wii will see the return of 2D gaming and simpler graphics, and third parties will make games for it in huge quantities just because it's so darn cheap.  Ubi Soft has already announced 7 more games for the first third of 2006.

2. Nintendo is for kids

Of course none of this third party support matters if Nintendo is still only for kids right?  I'd like to know, how many people here have a parent that regularly plays Xbox or Playstation?  If Nintendo is for kids, then Sony and Microsoft are for 10-30 year-old guys - kinda nerdy ones at that.  Nintendo is looking to target new markets with products like Wii Sports.  To paraphrase Iwata, Pepsi outsold Coke not by competing on the cola market, but by introducing beverages for more health-conscious consumers.  And it's working!  Just look at the enormous sales of Brain Training and Nintendogs.

Not only that, but just as Sega targeted my own aging teen demographic way back in the day, I think Nintendo is on its way to targeting my own soon to be middle-aged *SHUDDER* demographic with Wii.  The system is designed to appeal to moms.  And who's the adult in every young household that's nagging about video games?  Wii is exercise, Wii is social, Wii is what Microsoft'snt.

I'm not saying Wii will magically make gaming okay in the eyes of moms everywhere.  The point is that Nintendo has a chance to target ANYBODY now.  Who are Sony and Microsoft going to target besides the same old audiences they targeted last year?  Does Gears of War get anybody new playing?

3. Sony is so popular and rich it will eventually come back

Just like Nintendo came back from Genesis?  Or from Playstation?  My point is, no matter how popular you are in the game industry, you can still fall.  Sony's reputation may prevent it from losing completely, but at the very least it's going to fall hard this generation.  As for Sony's money...well, the company will have to sell off a lot of assets before it has much money again.

You mentioned that your friends think Wii is fun, but they're hyped for PS3.  How many are buying a PS3 right now?  How many are saying, "Oh I'll get one when the price drops," or, "I'm waiting for Final Fantasy"?  If Wii earns 15 million customers this year, and Xbox 360 gets up to 20 million but PS3 can only manage 8 million, where do you think third parties are going to put their games?  Just last week Koei announced two more exclusives from PS3 are being ported to Xbox 360.  

Conclusion (sorry this is so long, I love this stuff):

Sony does still have a reputation and that may be enough to prevent PS3 from bombing completely - similar to Super NES.  But Sony is facing a lot of challenges - it's fighting a three-front war: PSP vs. DS and PS3 vs. Xbox 360 and (supposedly) PS2 vs. Wii.  It's losing on the PSP front, it's losing tons of cash and screwing up terribly on the PS3 front, and I think the PS2 front is laughable - yes the consoles are comparable in some respects and PS2 has a better game lineup, but customers looking for the Wii are looking for a user experience that PS2 simply can't match.  

1143

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Blockbuster rents Wii games...

« on: November 25, 2006, 07:44:08 AM »

I think it all depends on location.  The one near me had quite a bit of GameCube, but I've seen others that were a lot worse.

I wonder at what point in a console's life game rentals are most common?  I tend to want to rent a ton of games early on because my collection is smaller, but then you'd have a lot more customers after two or three years.

1144

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Problem: Shakey pointer

« on: November 24, 2006, 09:26:32 AM »

Yeah, my main guess would be that the lighting in your room changed, otherwise why would it work fine only to screw up later.  Good luck!

1145

Reader Reviews / Wario World

« on: November 24, 2006, 09:25:03 AM »

WELCOME TO THE WARIO WORLD REVIEW!

There's nothing that hunky, handsome Wario likes more than TREASURE, unless maybe it's himself!  And who wouldn't be proud of such a sexy bod?  So when some kind of crazy possessed jewel takes over Wario's treasure stash, it's time to bust some heads!

Feast your eyes on Wario's manly figure, he's looking good!  Some of the freaks he fights are pretty dumb looking, but not everyone can be beautiful like Wario.  You'll be rid of them shortly, just a couple of punches in the kisser!  The worlds Wario visits are pretty fun to look at, but sometimes it's annoying that you can't move the camera around more, seeing as there's lots of treasure hunting to do!

Listen to Wario's beautiful singing voice! "GET OUTTA HERE!"  Oh Wario, my knees are getting all weak! "HAVE A ROTTEN DAY!" How did you get so dreamy?  The musical accompaniment can't quite live up to the delightful Warioisms - it's mainly generic upbeat platformer stuff, but there are some cool hip-hop inspirations here and there and the audio is good overall.  

Cheer while Wario puts the smack down on stupid monsters!  He's equipped with a few wrestling and punching moves plus some jumping attacks.  Wario controls fairly well but the game still comes down to a whole lot of brawling.  You can run away a lot of the time, but every level contains the same four basic types of enemies and how Wario attacks them usually doesn't matter so the game quickly becomes repetitive regardless of how well Wario controls.  Top it off with a ton of treasure hunting and it's like the game combines the worst  part of platformers with the worst part of brawlers.

Gasp as Wario performs feats of derring-do!  Wario World does offer some great platforming "bonus" areas.  You can't die by falling in them but it will take quite a bit of skill to beat them anyway. There are also some puzzle areas that aren't exactly brilliant, but they still offer a nice break from the constant beat em up action.  The game's boss battles are pretty fun too.  Too bad these good elements are stretched out over tons of mindless action.

Laugh at how quickly Wario defeats his foes!  If Wario has taught me anything, it's the value of greed. This game comes up pretty short, but to be honest I don't really want much more of it.  It's just too repetitive.

Watch Wario's exciting conclusion!  What this game needed was an injection of variety.  Maybe that means more variety in enemies and objectives, maybe it means less collecting, or maybe it means some type of co-op mode... What it means for sure is that the game is too mindless and short for a one-player adventure.  It might be worth picking up on the cheap if you want a simple break between epic adventures and RPGs but it's pretty average overall.

Wario Pros:
- hilarious Wario dialogue all the way through
- lots of fun bosses and jumping sections

Wario Cons:
- too much repetitive fighting
- no co-op play, which is often the thing that makes up for repetitiveness
- it's a bit short, though that might be a blessing in disguise

Wario Score:
3/5

1146

Reader Reviews / RE: Action Replay DS "non game" review

« on: November 24, 2006, 09:21:20 AM »

Interesting.  I'm not that interested in these devices for cheating purposes, but sometimes they can allow some fun bugs in games.

1147

Nintendo Gaming / RE: What I would like to see from a firmware update...

« on: November 24, 2006, 09:19:31 AM »

Ability to configure the virtual console buttons for the traditional controller.  Then we can get rid of that whiney thread!  (Seriously, it would be good).

1148

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Twilight Princess Spoiler Discussion Thread (for those who have the game tomorrow)

« on: November 24, 2006, 07:03:00 AM »

The game isn't super-hard, but that hasn't been the point of Zelda since the NES days.  So far it's harder than Wind Waker, which makes me happy.

As for length, it's certainly possible that he beat it if he had nothing better to do.  I've heard that it can be beaten in 35 hours on the first playthrough, but personally I expect it will last me more like 60-80.  It all depends on if you're the type to stop and talk to everyone or the type to blast through everything, skipping as much story as possible and focusing on action.

1149

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Could the Wii see favor from Blizzard?

« on: November 24, 2006, 06:59:38 AM »

A newly revised version of WoW could work fine on consoles.  Don't forget that not everyone has played it on PC - in some cases for the exact reason that we don't like games which require 20-40 buttons.

1150

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Does this make me a bad person?

« on: November 24, 2006, 06:58:24 AM »

I intend to do it now that I've finally got some friends codes lined up.  I thought it was going to be so random that you wouldn't even need a friends code to get them, but I guess not.