Messages

3201

TalkBack / RE: Jim Merrick Revolution Controller Interview

« on: September 16, 2005, 10:22:47 AM »

It's not that Ian has no originality, it's that he wants third party support, and that isn't going to happen without adoption of the shell controller.  I think Ian wants Nintendo to realize the shell controller needs to be heavily adopted to keep companies like EA and Ubisoft developing for Revolution, and I agree.  You guys may be happy playing a system of 90% first party games and 10% third party games, but I'm not.  Yeah, I can go multiplatform, but I'd rather nt.

Having said that, I think it's an exaggeration to say third parties won't develop for the system period.  They will definitely develop for the launch and for some months after that.  We could lose them later on though, if Rev gamers are required to pay an extra $20 to play a lot of third party games.

3202

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Still left unanswered by IWATATON

« on: September 16, 2005, 08:27:43 AM »

I think people expecting 400 games for download at launch are going to be disappointed.  Nintendo knows how to draw things out, it will release maybe 50-100 popular games at launch and then let the others come out in due time.  Third parties may wind up handling things themselves, too, although I hope Nintendo is taking steps to get them involved.

I don't believe there is that much left for them to reveal other than games and how all the components we've already heard about will interact.  But maybe I'm wrong.  It would be awesome if there's even more to it.

3203

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Miyamoto New IP predictions

« on: September 16, 2005, 08:10:03 AM »

I've sunk at least 12 hours into Jungle Beat and I still haven't unlocked everything, so I say bring on the "short" gimmicky games.  More importantly, it's still FUN - I'll never replay a lot of the huge adventure games out there because they're filled with unecessary sections, too much plot, and not enough instant gratification.  I could easily play Jungle Beat for another 20 hours just to earn higher scores without getting bored.

Edit: Uh, got Ian'd there, sorry.  My predictions: cooking game and conducting game both sound very possible.  I don't know... Miyamoto hasn't really made a game in that vein for years...it's all been pretty traditional adventure games.  I think Pikmin and Star Fox are the last new titles he created, aren't they?  Maybe we'll see Marionette resurface, this controller would allow puppet style controls.  What the heck would you do in a game about puppets?  I could see Miyamoto inventing a puppet platformer.  That's my guess.  PUPPET PLATFORMER GO!

3204

Nintendo Gaming / RE: The Official IWATATON Speech Thread

« on: September 16, 2005, 06:54:21 AM »

The controller:

Good:
- Very happy to hear about the traditional controller attachment - my worries about third party support are all but gone (Nintendo still has to overcome the usual problems of third party support, but at least the controller isn't as likely to count against them).
- Having the remote controller all by itself is Nintendo's doorway to the non-gamer crowd: I guarantee you that Nintendo will release games that use only the remote controller.  I know a lot of people are skeptical about the non-gamer crowd, even I am...but I do believe Nintendo is right when it claims that current controllers are too much for that crowd.  Many of the non-gamers I know are much more comfortable playing NES games than anything else, because the controller is so simple.
- This is going to allow for some awesome games.  Several existing genres like FPS', RPGs and sports will benefit greatly from this controller.

Bad:
- Nintendo has to be careful about how they sell this thing.  Too many attachments will turn people off, I hope Nintendo comes up with about 3 basic attachments that cover all of the major possiblities, and I hope that attachments are CHEAP.  I also think Nintendo should consider bundling all the important attachments with the system, and possibly selling remote controller bundles that come with all of the attachments.  Nintendo can sell them separately too, but don't make me buy 20 separate parts to put together a multiplayer game system that covers all of the bases.
- The same concept that makes the system accessible to non-gamers will make it scary for them.  The remote controller on its own isn't scary, but throw in a bunch of attachments and it may be even more of a turn-off than traditional controllers.
- Where are the games?  Nintendo must have an outstanding launch lineup to sell this thing.  The DS is finally showing it's full potential, but it took several months to get there.  Nintendo won't be first out of the gates, and it isn't the most popular home console manufacturer, so a few great games are a must.  On the upside, the fact that Nintendo didn't show us anything may mean the games are going to blow my skeevy little mind.  I sure hope so!

Ugly:
- Why does everyone thing Apple is so great at designing things?  The remote controller does look just like an Apple product: boring and ugly.  Just a stupid opinion, though, who cares?

Edit: added one point.

3205

Nintendo Gaming / RE: last minute rev predicts! go! go! go!

« on: September 16, 2005, 05:54:54 AM »

Well, my former theories were right about Nintendo keeping it simple, and my new theory is right about making it customizable.  So I'm wrong 100% of the time, and right 100% of the time.

I think this design could work very well or very poorly.  Nintendo will no doubt release a lot of "Non-gamer games" that use ONLY the remote controller.  That may appeal to non-gamers, but I think the add-ons may scare them away as well.  Can you imagine having to rebuild your controllers every time you switch games at a party?  What about the cost of all the add-ons?  Nintendo is going to have to play this carefully to keep costs down and avoid ticking customers off.

3206

Nintendo Gaming / RE:My two cents: Revolution will have more third-party support than PS3. (No, I'm not crazy.)

« on: September 16, 2005, 05:51:27 AM »

*Agrees with Stu*.  Unless Nintendo's Revolution grabs a lot of people and helps them build a large new user base quickly, third party support will be worse than ever.  Well, that also depends on how Nintendo handles third party relations...if the right third parties were persuaded to give extra support to Revolution, then it could turn out really well too, but that seems unlikely.

Edit: Hey Bill, I read your post on Iwataton about the new, traditional controller add-on that they're making.  Now I believe third party support could easily be equal to or greater than the previous system, especially if the remote controller catches on.  I'm much more optimistic now.

3207

Nintendo Gaming / RE: The Official IWATATON Speech Thread

« on: September 15, 2005, 07:36:33 PM »

Final thoughts for the night:  INTERESTING.  There's no doubt now that I will buy a Revolution.  The question is, will I buy another system to go with it?

It's going to take a lot of work to get this to play a wide variety of N64 games well.  Backwards compatibility with SNES and NES should be good, though.  Third parties will be forced to give us more interesting games, but that might mean they simply don't give us that many games, or the games they give us are poorly tuned to the Rev controller.

Revolution's success will depend a lot on how well Nintendo shows off the new features in the launch lineup, I hope Nintendo has a good selection of games to show the system off.  I'm really excited about what Nintendo can do with this, and I'm looking forward to playing the new games.

3208

Nintendo Gaming / RE: The Official IWATATON Speech Thread

« on: September 15, 2005, 06:33:51 PM »

The d-pad isn't good enough to replace face buttons.  It's not natural (if even possible) to hit two buttons at once, and having to control the L and R button with the same hand may not work.  I think you'll have a heck of a time trying to play an old-school 2D fighter with this controller - it may be possible, but it will be even harder than on the GameCube.

However, 2D fighters are one fairly small genre.  (Edit: and Pale is right, a six-button accessory could run it...but it had better be under $10...I don't want to spend $500 putting together the ultimate four-player Revolution rig)  

I'm REALLY looking forward to what this puppy can do for FPS's as well as new, unique game concepts.  I want to see games!!  

3209

Nintendo Gaming / RE: The Official IWATATON Speech Thread

« on: September 15, 2005, 06:18:43 PM »

*Role-playing Ian*: What about Street Fighter II?  I'd like to see them retool that with this controller.

Edit: Never mind, the real Ian is here!  And surprisingly optimistic.  Cool.

3210

Nintendo Gaming / RE: The Official IWATATON Speech Thread

« on: September 15, 2005, 06:00:22 PM »

That controller is SO 2004.  Looks interesting though.  I'm glad it comes in more than Ipod white.

Edit: I PRAY it comes in more than Ipod white.  (remembering how Nintendo showed like six GameCube colours at launch).

[BigJim]

3211

Nintendo Gaming / RE:The Official IWATATON Speech Thread

« on: September 15, 2005, 05:53:56 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: BigJim
correspond: WORST CONTROLLER EVER (exaggeration i hope)

Worstness is in the eye of the beholder.  See PS2 vs. GCN vs. Xbox controller debates.  But I'll shut it until I see pictures and here impressions of people who have held it.

3212

Nintendo Gaming / RE: The Official IWATATON Speech Thread

« on: September 15, 2005, 05:51:22 PM »

Sounds too damn cool, but I hope these "attachments" aren't too expensive.  I'm also not convinced this will impress non-gamers at all.  It will probably just make it seem more complicated than ever.  

3213

Nintendo Gaming / RE: The Official IWATATON Speech Thread

« on: September 15, 2005, 05:48:48 PM »

I'm not too keen on the "as easy to use as a TV remote" comparison.  They're really not all that easy to use...people use them because they want to watch TV, and they watched TV before remotes existed, NOT because they're easy to use.

All that really means is Nintendo may not capture the non-gamer audience it's aiming for, though.  For me this is awesome news.

3214

Nintendo Gaming / RE:The Official IWATATON Speech Thread

« on: September 15, 2005, 05:43:48 PM »

*tears of joy*

3215

General Gaming / RE: 360 Launch Date announced...

« on: September 15, 2005, 05:25:41 AM »

Congratulations to Microsoft for the almost-simultaneous launch.  Even if Australia didn't get it until March, that would be heads-and-tails above any other game system launch, including the DS.

Still, I really have to wonder how the games are going to turn out.  It feels really rushed, and to do it in multiple countries at once seems even more insane.

3216

General Gaming / RE: DOA4 Gamespot Exclusive Video

« on: September 15, 2005, 05:18:57 AM »

The MGS screens were the first thing I've seen that actually does match the previous generational leaps in my opinion.  Granted, most of the screens don't show a  lot of action, and nobody's saying that's real gameplay either - it remains to be seen if it can really produce those graphics, with a large number of characters and a steady framerate.

The big question is, if the graphics are that good, what will Sony charge for them?  We've heard Sony hint that PS3 will be expensive, and as much as I like those shots, I'm not going to pour $500 US into a new console.

3217

Nintendo Gaming / RE:The Official IWATATON Speech Thread

« on: September 15, 2005, 05:03:18 AM »

I don't know whether or not to trust the Dragon Quest thing, but it's totally possible.  The way it's worded it could even turn out to be a crappy spin-off like FF: Crystal Chronicles.  YAY!   Sorry, being a little too cynical there...seriously, I'd probably go INSANE if they announced a real Dragon Quest game for Revolution, and even a spin-off would make me happy.  DQ VII is one of four or five games that make me want a PS2 very, very badly.

3218

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Baten Kaitos 2

« on: September 14, 2005, 09:58:24 AM »

I agree that it sounds really late to be announcing it, KDR, but maybe not too late for a Japanese release.  At any rate, it seems like it will come out on GameCube, and I could see it being finished in the first half of 2006.

3219

General Gaming / RE: DOA4 Gamespot Exclusive Video

« on: September 14, 2005, 09:52:10 AM »

I've seen pictures of the game, and I agree that it doesn't look that much better than the Xbox games, but....

1. Most of the textures are definitely above Xbox quality, at least in the pictures I've seen.
2. The backgrounds of certain areas have huge crowds of fully-animated 3D characters that are all quite detailed, which I don't think the Xbox could do.

I think the problem DOA4 faces is that Team Ninja intended for the characters to be kind of cartoony and anime-like, so it's not in their interest to make them a lot more realistic than they already were on the Xbox.  If you look at these shots the main thing on the characters that needs improvement are the skin textures - but life-like skin goes against DOA's main selling-point: busty women that are too good to be true.

Edit: have you seen the new shots of MGS 4 on Games Are Fun?  They're really impressive, and supposedly real-time.

3220

Nintendo Gaming / RE: anyone else think nothing exciting will be shown at TGS?

« on: September 14, 2005, 06:24:45 AM »

If Nintendo's idea is so easy to copy, Sony and Microsoft will copy it long before the end of the generation anyway.  Analog controllers became standard in the Playstation's lifetime, even though it started out with a plain old d-pad controller.  What did hiding the N64 controller do for Nintendo?  Not much.  Choosing carts (even though I like them) probably had a bigger effect on Nintendo 64 than having analog control.

Nintendo's advantage lies in quality games that take advantage of the new interface.  Analog control wouldn't have meant much for the N64 if it weren't for the fact that Super Mario 64, Pilotwings, and Wave Race all made great use of it.  As did Cruis'n USA, Mario Kart, Turok and Blast Corps - all released in the first 6 months of the system's lifespan.

Maybe Nintendo should show off the new interface and a simple demonstration of what it can do for a traditional game (Super Smash Bros or Metroid Prime 3).  Then leave us with some game footage and the idea that there are even cooler uses coming for the controller/interface.  The whole "interface" thing could have something to do with this as well.  It's possible Nintendo can reveal the controller and some revolutionary parts of the system without revealing everything.

Whatever the company does, the basic idea is to give people enough info to get excited now instead of 8 months from now.

3221

Nintendo Gaming / Baten Kaitos 2

« on: September 14, 2005, 05:55:07 AM »

Games Are Fun has a news story saying that Namco has announced Baten Kaitos 2 for the GameCube.  The release date mentioned is December, but I'm guessing that will be for Japan only.  Either way, any major new game announcement for the Cube is good in my eyes.

3222

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Super Princess Peach

« on: September 13, 2005, 01:01:59 PM »

I saw some new shots of the opening story with the Bros. getting captured, etc. and it seems a little too contrived to me.  Yeah, I know, Mario games shouldn't be about story (minus the RPGs) but I just can't imagine a cheesier way to open the game.

The gameplay of course, is where it's really at, and this is looking awesome!  I'll probably need to see a review before I buy this, but I will snap it up as soon as I get the merest hint that it's good.

3223

General Gaming / RE: More Sonic Goodness but....

« on: September 13, 2005, 12:54:52 PM »

I don't really have a problem with the 3D Sonics.  I've only played Sonic Adventure 2  Awesome Battle Party or whatever they called it, but it was pretty fun.  I liked the focus on action rather than collecting and exploration during the Sonic missions.  Not as good as Super Mario Sunshine, no doubt, but above average.

I'd like to play Sonic Mega Collection, but I've never gotten around to it.

3224

General Gaming / RE: new seaman announced

« on: September 13, 2005, 12:44:36 PM »

Katamari Damacy...while it's true that innovative games released on both GameCube and PS2 usually sell better on GameCube, I'm sure there are successful, innovative games on the PS2.  The problem is the system is so flooded with games that fewer of these "sleeper" games stand a chance of becoming hits.  Once one does, though...chances are it will not sell better on Cube.  I don't know what Katamari's sales were on PS2, but I doubt that it would have sold more than 250,000 copies on the GameCube, and that's assuming it would get a lot of coverage from the media, especially Nintendo Power.

Seaman...I've always been interested in this game, it's one more point for PS2 if I ever go out to buy another console.  I agree PS3 would be smarter, maybe Sega thinks PS3 will be too expensive!  

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Nintendo Gaming / RE: last minute rev predicts! go! go! go!

« on: September 13, 2005, 12:30:26 PM »

I've been saying customizable controllers went against Nintendo's plan to simplify for so long...and then in a recent interview I think Miyamoto said that they AREN'T planning to simplify the controller, he was just commenting on how they can be scary for people.

Having said that, I now turn my back on months of posts and say that the controller WILL be customizable, but the customization will mostly be done by the software - gamers will only control the customization if the game they're playing chooses to let them.