Messages

526

Nintendo Gaming / RE:ATI making chip for Xbox2! What about Nintendo?

« on: August 14, 2003, 05:36:48 PM »

Nintendo keeps saying it doesn't care about graphics and is all about gameplay so I don't think it would mind the less powerful chip.
It actually might want it to keep the production costs down.
The PSX beat the N64 and now the PS2 is beating the GCN and XBox. So I think it's safe to say having the most powerful hardware isn't that important.

527

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Donkey "Konga" Details

« on: August 14, 2003, 12:36:04 AM »

Ok, things are starting to make sense.
I guess Donkey Konga is definitly the Namco game since Namco has made some drum games before. What probably happened is Namco was already planning a new drum game and simply convinced Nintendo to allow them to use DK characters in it to help it sell. Nintendo itself is still of course making the "2D meets 3D" DKC platform game that Miyamoto mentioned.
And, come to think of it, there already was an updated version of the original DK arcade game shown at E3 LAST year which I'm sure will eventually be released. If I recall correctly, it was actually a GBA game and simply used the Gamecube through the connectivity feature to design levels.
Maybe Nintendo will just convert it into an entirely GCN title and include it in a collection with Miyamoto's rendition of Pacman or maybe as a pre-order bonus for one of the bigger DK titles or something.
So, yeah, that's three entirely different Donkey Kong games we have to look forward to.

528

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Donkey "Konga" Details

« on: August 13, 2003, 12:19:26 PM »

I think there might actually be three DK games in development.
Miyamoto once commented that there was a new DKC game in development that would be "2D meets 3D". So that's going to be the platformer. We probably won't see it for a while though since it will be the longest in development.
Nintendo has apparently been toying with a music game for a while. There were reports of a Pikachu music title a while ago. I think Nintendo just changed direction with the game and decided to make it a DK game instead. That's
"Donkey Konga".
As for Namco. Since Nintendo is making a new Pacman game, I think it's making a new version of the DK arcade game. That just makes the most sense since Namco is known for classic arcade games.

529

Nintendo Gaming / RE:FF:CC does well in Japan

« on: August 13, 2003, 02:35:46 AM »

I think the game will have staying power too. So far, it's been the multiplayer GCN games that have had it while the 1P games have had very short stays on the charts.
I think the connectivity feature will also help. The people who have bought the game will be inviting their friends (who ALL have GBAs, because it's Japan) over to play which will get them interested in the game.
Basically, this game and the connectivity feature have both had big question marks over them. I think most people in Japan have been doubting whether this spinoff FF title was going to be anything special and if the connectivity was going to be all Nintendo has been making it out to be. Now that the game is released and presumably getting good word-of-mouth, hopefully people's doubts about the game will be removed and they'll be rushing out to buy the next shipment.

530

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Gamespy article: Nintendo CAN make a comeback

« on: August 12, 2003, 08:39:57 PM »

"Online gaming, too much GBA-GCN conectivity"

Nintendo has barely done anything with the connectivity yet. It's just been a bonus feature in a few of Nintendo's games so far.
We'll have to wait to see how well/poorly the games that really utilize it like FFCC and TLoZFS do before we make any judgements on it.
As for online gaming. I don't see how anyone can believe it's a mistake for Nintendo to be ignoring it. It could be a mistake if Nintendo never went online but online gaming just isn't important yet. Just look at XBox Live. Despite how hard MS has pushed it, only a miniscule percentage of XBox users are subscribers and MS has lost a TON of money on it. Nintendo is better off devoting its limited resources to offline games which actually do make it money.  
Nintendo has certainly made some mistakes in recent years but not throwing money into the black hole that is online gaming isn't one of them and, like I said, it's still too soon to dismiss the connectivity. It has the potential to really catch on (especially in Japan where EVERYONE owns a GBA) now that some games that make good use of it are coming out.

"Nintendo isnt doing enough to do this though."

We don't know what Nintendo is doing. It could have an online plan and online games already planned for the new console. There could be several big-name mature titles on the way that we don't know about. MGSTT is coming out for the holiday season and we only just learned about it at E3 in May.

531

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Gamespy article: Nintendo CAN make a comeback

« on: August 12, 2003, 06:20:07 PM »

It's really just the simple things that will make Nintendo's next console a MUCH bigger success than the previous two. Just NOT GIVING THE COMPETITION A *HUGE* HEADSTART alone will probably be enough. If Nintendo can do that and also have a great launch lineup and convince some of the biggest third-party developers like Capcom, Sega, and Namco to give it strong support from the start, everything else will fall into place and the next console could easily be its most successful ever.
Fortunately, Nintendo's new president Iwata seems determined to improve Nintendo's stance in the console market and I have complete faith in his abilities.

532

Nintendo Gaming / RE:"Suprising and Unique"

« on: August 11, 2003, 12:32:40 PM »

Actually, I think Nintendo is wrongly accused of over-hyping.
Like the water-pack. It was the fans who assumed it had to be some amazing innovation just because Nintendo wasn't revealing its purpose. It's just Nintendo's policy to be secretive with every little thing. I don't recall it ever suggesting the water-pack was anything to be that excited about.
It's the same with many of Nintendo's other games and products. The fans are the ones who hype them up to unbelievable levels, not Nintendo. Then Nintendo gets blamed when some of its games and products aren't the amazing world-changing multi-million selling phenomenons it never actually promised they'd be.

I think we'll see something similar here. Nintendo's promise of something "surprsing and unique" will be distorted into being a promise of something "that will change gaming forever, destroy the competition, and restore Nintendo to the first place!". Then people will blame Nintendo for over-hyping the announcement when it was really the fans who did it.

533

Nintendo Gaming / RE:What is this all about?

« on: August 09, 2003, 11:08:16 AM »

"Nintendo has too much inventory of Gamecubes already. It is not likely that they can sell them all before the next console is released, so they stopped making them."

The Gamecube isn't doing THAT poorly.
The new console won't be out for at least another TWO YEARS. Nintendo will sell the remaining inventory, resume production, then sell A LOT more before the new console is released. Most reports suggest Nintendo plans to resume production around October or November.  

534

Nintendo Gaming / RE:"Suprising and Unique"

« on: August 09, 2003, 11:00:29 AM »

I think controllers with built in gyroscopes could fit the bill.
That would definitly make some games easier to pick up and play. You could use the entire controller as a steering wheel or a flight-yolk, etc...
The geniuses at Nintendo could no doubt come up with all kinds of neat uses for it. Actually, it's already been toying with tilt-sensing with Kirby's Tilt-N-Tumble for the GB and that strange Gamecube title which was originally a Kirby game but was changed.  
Having the feature be a standard for its next-gen controllers would definitly have a big effect on how games are developed and how they're played. Plus it would give the new console a nice gimmick to get people interested in it and an exclusive feature to lure third-parties.
It would also serve as a baby-step into virtual reality. Nintendo's NEXT next console could pair it with actual VR glasses for a full virtual reality effect.

535

Nintendo Gaming / RE:"Suprising and Unique"

« on: August 08, 2003, 10:00:51 PM »

I think it will actually be a PART of its new console. Some kind of new accessory that will allow people to play games in a new way. Likely something to make games more accessible to people. That seemed to be the focus of the conference where this thing was announced. That Nintendo wants its games to be easier to pick up and play.
I think it will end up being something really simple but ingenius. One of those things that ends up seeming like such an obvious step forward even though no one had either thought of it or found a way to make it practical before.

536

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Three strikes and Nintendo could be out!

« on: August 08, 2003, 03:31:38 PM »

The N64 was a success. Just because it didn't do as well as the PSX doesn't mean it was a failure. The N64 gained a good-sized userbase, had lots of games that sold multi-millions, and Nintendo actually made more money off of it than Sony made off the PSX.
The Gamecube isn't a failure either but it's certainly a lot closer to being one than any Nintendo console should ever be. But, let's be honest, Nintendo deserves this after being stupid enough to give the PS2 such a huge head-start and not even having any really amazing system-selling launch titles when it FINALLY got it's new system out.
So, at most, Nintendo has about half a strike (which it deserves) and that's it.  

537

Nintendo Gaming / RE:NCG Editorial

« on: August 08, 2003, 12:11:53 PM »

"You wanted the console to apeal to everyone and be cheap but you want an LCD monitor permanently attached to it?"

The LCD screen created for the Gamecube was supposably really inexpensive and Nintendo might even be able to make one for the new console even less expensive. But, actually, it would probably be a lot smarter for Nintendo to make the LCD screen optional. Sell one console with it and a second without it (but upgrade-ready) for a cheaper price. That way people who don't care about it being portable won't feel cheated.

"You talk about a clip-on wireless transmitter for the GBASP, which would be great, but the GBA will be old news by then and we'll have the next handheld."

I doubt it. Nintendo is going to want the GBA/SP to be around for a very long time. Just look how long the original Gameboy lasted and held up against much more advanced hardware. Iwata has already established he doesn't see Sony as a threat to its portable market dominance so I doubt Nintendo is going to change the plan and release the GBA's successor any sooner.
My prediction. After the failure of the PSP, the GBA/SP will keep going strong for at least five more years and its successor will be released around the same time as Nintendo's sixth console.  

538

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Surprise Announcement! Wario Ware for GC! Donkey kong GC!

« on: August 08, 2003, 11:57:36 AM »

I think he obviously meant games being simple to learn, not to beat.
Smash Bros Melee would be a PERFECT example. The controls are so simple and straight-forward anyone can learn to play it in just minutes. It's one of the best "pick up and play" games ever.
Luigi's Mansion, on the other hand, goes against Nintendo's new focus.
It's over-complicated duel-analog controls are really frustrating at first and takes a while to get used to. The original Pikmin also, unfortunately, doesn't live up to the new focus either. Miyamoto himself lamented that the game ended up too complicated (not difficult, but complicated) and wasn't the "pick up and play" title he wanted it to be.

539

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Tokyo Game Show

« on: August 08, 2003, 12:33:07 AM »

So does this mean Nintendo will show games or is there a chance it could just skip the show as usual?
Actually, isn't Iwata suppose to be a speaker at the show or something. I swear I read something about that a while ago.  

540

Nintendo Gaming / RE:FF:CC hands on

« on: August 07, 2003, 11:58:46 PM »

It actually sounds similar to the classic PC game "The Oregon Trail".
Just with action over text.

Anyway, it sounds fun as hell and that's all that matters.
The GBA is getting some more traditional RPGs from Square so I don't mind this game being so different. Actually, I love that it's different.
I hate what the "main" FF series has become.

541

Nintendo Gaming / RE:C'mon, Blockbuster and Sears...are GC sales really that low?

« on: August 07, 2003, 11:53:01 PM »

I think we'll at least see things get better at Blockbuster.
Nintendo's 4P multiplayer games have always been popular rentals and there are a TON of them coming out this year.
My local Blockbuster had over a dozen copies of Mario Golf and all but two were rented out and I rented one of those last two myself.

But, yeah, the retail store thing does suck.
You just know that, even if the XBox were doing worse than the GCN in the US, it wouldn't get the same unfair treatment from retailers. In fact, it would probably still have more shelve space. That's the problem with Nintendo going up against companies as huge as Sony and MS. It just doesn't have the kind of power over retailers that they do. There's no doubt both Sony and MS have taken steps to hurt Nintendo's relationships with retailers too.  

542

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Surprise Announcement! Wario Ware for GC! Donkey kong GC!

« on: August 07, 2003, 09:48:29 PM »

I actually think Nintendo's focus on less complicated and more accessible software for a larger audience is already in full swing.
Most of the big games coming out this Fall for the Gamecube including FZero GX, Kirby Air Ride, Mario Party 5, Mario Kart Double Dash, 1080, and Pokemon Channel fit the bill. They're definitly a lot easier to pick up and play than most of the big titles last year like Super Mario Sunshine, Starfox Adventures, and Metroid Prime. If the Gamecube does a lot better this upcoming holiday season than it did the last one, I think it'll be safe to say Nintendo has the right idea.

543

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Surprise Announcement! Wario Ware for GC! Donkey kong GC!

« on: August 07, 2003, 09:21:29 PM »

"I'm still scratching my head over the fact that SK is developing MGS:TS even though the parties will have some well thought out responses to squash the perception that Konami is determined not to spend a scent on GC development, at least when it comes to it's A teams."

Konami may not have much faith in the Gamecube but, if MGS:TT sells well, that could change.
It's not about Konami not liking Nintendo or anything, it's just a business thing. You can't blame Konami for not wanting to fully back Nintendo before it proves itself. You can't blame it for almost exclusively supporting the PS2 which currently dominates the market either. Nintendo has to take what it can get now and hope it leads to bigger and better things in years to come.  

544

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Wario Ware for GC! Donkey kong GC!

« on: August 07, 2003, 01:40:26 AM »

It's obviously a new game. Nintendo would never port a GBA game to the GCN. That would be insane in itself and would be even more insane because of the existance of the GBP.
I think the GCN version will probably focus more on multiplayer and the mini-games will be longer. Kind of like a Mario Party except without the board and a TON more mini-games that will be a lot more straight-forward and simplistic in design. It could be A LOT of fun.

I'm not sure about the Donkey Kong thing. Could it just be referring to the arcade-style DK game shown for the GBA a while ago. Seems like Namco would be a lot more likely to work with Nintendo on the arcade-style DK than the newer DKC games.

I wonder if the Zelda game being referred to is Four Swords or Wind Waker 2.
I just assumed they'd both be out by the end of the next fiscal year. Maybe it is referring to WW2 and Nintendo just considers FS to be a GCN/GBA game.

Hopefully the big spring announcement is about the Gamecube or its successor. Some are speculating it could be a GBA2 but that's the last thing I want. Iwata commented that he doesn't belive the PSP will be much a threat so I think the likelyhood is the announcement is for the console market.


Also, Nintendo said it plans more collaborations with developers in the future which I think is the best news of it all.  

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Nintendo Gaming / RE:Wario Ware for GC! Donkey kong! New Zelda! Surprise Announcement coming!

« on: August 07, 2003, 12:52:52 AM »

Great. Now people are going to speculating like crazy about what this big Spring announcement is and will be dissapointed when it doesn't live up their insane expectations.

NINTENDO BUYS SQUARE ENIX!!!
 

546

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Press conference next thursday, new games to be reveled?

« on: August 06, 2003, 09:17:05 PM »

First off, what does it mean by "new game PRODUCT".
Does that mean it's not a game and instead, new hardware or an accessory or something.

I think we can assume the new console will arrive in 2006.
Nintendo constantly misses release dates that are supposably set in stone.
So I doubt it will meet a "maybe" release date.

The point system could be really neat. I just it will include third-party titles too. It's already a problem that Nintendo fans only buy Nintendo games. The last thing Nintendo needs is something to make them less likely to give third-party games a chance.

547

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Gamecube rumors cleared up

« on: August 06, 2003, 07:56:59 PM »

That's great. An article that's suppose to clear up rumors but really just spreads more. Just the kind of responsible journalism to be expected from a respectable site like IGN

548

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Game Designers Studio working on a new game!!!

« on: August 06, 2003, 05:28:35 PM »

I doubt it. The "real" Square is making GBA games.
I think it's safe to assume GDS was created and is funded by Nintendo for the sole purpose of making GCN games.

549

Nintendo Gaming / RE:What´s happening to Mario 128?

« on: August 06, 2003, 12:18:34 PM »

You can't blame Miyamoto for not wanting to show it. Nintendo fans can be such over-critical over-dramatic idiots at times. People have reacted negatively to just about every unveiling of a new title Nintendo has had.
I absolutely guarantee we'll see the same happen when Mario 128 is finally shown.

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Nintendo Gaming / RE:Masahiro Sakurai leaves Nintendo!

« on: August 05, 2003, 08:24:54 PM »

I don't think his comment in any way suggests there won't be another Smash Bros.
Nintendo can certainly make more sequels to the game without him and we have every reason to believe it will.
I think he made the comment either because there are more Kirby games in development at Hal already but development for another Smash Bros title hasn't become or maybe because a different Nintendo developer is handling an already planned sequel.
Smash Bros Melee still holds the crown as best selling Gamecube title so I wouldn't be at all surprised if one of Nintendo's internal development studios decided to take over the series.

As for Masahiro leaving. It sounds like he just got tired of working with the same people at the same place and decided it was time to change. It's completely understandable. Hopefully whatever games he ends up working on will appear on the Gamecube and maybe he'll even return to Nintendo at some point (similar to what happened with a certain creator of a very fast hedgehog).