Messages

201

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Possibility for surprise games on the floor?

« on: May 10, 2006, 10:26:03 AM »

What, so you're saying you'd like to see a game like Band Bros. for Wii?

202

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Wiimote has limited angle of "pointer" detection?

« on: May 10, 2006, 10:25:00 AM »

According to Jonny, calibration takes place automatically if you simply hold the controller still.

203

Nintendo Gaming / RE: new Duck Hunt!

« on: May 10, 2006, 10:14:04 AM »

Clearly a prototype as far as the light gun "sleeve" is concerned.  As for the classic controller, it was in the press materials, so it wasn't exactly a secret.

204

Nintendo Gaming / RE: My thoughts on Wii

« on: May 10, 2006, 09:51:24 AM »

Question for you guys about the graphics.  Would you be as disappointed in the graphics if it turned out that the simple presentation was easier to download?

205

Nintendo Gaming / RE: new Duck Hunt!

« on: May 10, 2006, 09:27:07 AM »

E3 has Early Access for media this year, so they've already been down there for nearly 2 1/2 hours  Doors opened to the rest of the industry at 11AM Pacific, so I suspect the updates should start flowing very soon, as the media moves to the Media Center and away from the sweaty throng.

206

Nintendo Gaming / RE: new Duck Hunt!

« on: May 10, 2006, 09:18:14 AM »

I have a feeling (though I'm sure we'll know shortly) that this was a miscommunication.  Duck Hunt is probably the NES version running on the Virtual Console, using the Wii controller to emulate the Zapper.

If that's the case, screw that ... I want Hogan's Alley.  

207

Nintendo Gaming / RE: I take it all back ...

« on: May 10, 2006, 09:14:38 AM »

I suspect that more than a few Wii titles will be released through the Virtual Console.  The games are simple enough where they shouldn't take long to download, and when you think about it, you don't want to have to keep sending Joe Gamer to the store to get his next Wii fix.  It does make the 512MB memory size kind of a puzzlement, though.

[Kairon]

208

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Wiimote has limited angle of "pointer" detection?

« on: May 10, 2006, 05:24:46 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Kairon
Today I sat in on a couple of E3 workshops and I this morning I attended one where a cautious and skeptical game developer was commenting on the Wii controller in response to a question posed to him.

One of the things he said about the controller is that it only seems to have, I don't remember exactly, 30 degrees of pointing sensitivity. He rotated his wrist slightly to illustrate this. He also said that if something passed in front of the sensor bar the gameplay would get disrupted.

So, this implies that the sensor bar has the same limitations as the superscope: if something physically obstructs its line of sight it can't do its job.

Also, while his comment with regards to the small range of degrees the wii remote can sense when pointing may imply that as a pointer it doesn't really know it's location in 3D space, but uses some kind of other technology to determine its screen pointing position...

... He may have simply not had the chance to explore or test possibly fuller uses of the wii remote, or he was making small movements from his wrist because he had figured out a way to play the game that way instead of with big arm movements (much like IGN says Tennis can be played either with the big full-arm racket movements, or with smaller wrist gestures).

~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

From what I understand the limited angle of pointing is a given.  Look at the distance between the TV and the controller, and do the geometry.    In fact, the further away from the TV you are (and the smaller the TV, for that matter), the smaller the degree of sensitivity.

As for the "line of sight" issue, I expect that this will only be a problem for games that need to sense 3D position.  The accellerometers should work fine regardless.

[Hold on to your pants ... Resident Evil, Harvest Moon, Call of Duty 3, Metal Slug and more!]

209

TalkBack / Partial Wii Game List

« on: May 09, 2006, 12:12:36 PM »

Hold on to your pants ... Resident Evil, Harvest Moon, Call of Duty 3, Metal Slug and more!

A Partial List of Some Upcoming Wii™ Games
 Note that game titles are subject to change.
Launch dates are TBD.  

Activision - Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam™, Marvel™ - Ultimate Alliance, Call of Duty® 3
 AQ Interactive - Boxing Action
 Atari - Dragon Ball Z Budokai: Tenkaichi 2
 Atlus - Trauma Center: Second Opinion
 BANPRESTO - Family Action Game
 Buena Vista Games - Disney’s Chicken Little: Ace in Action, Disney’s Meet the Robinsons
 Capcom - Resident Evil series
 D3Publisher - SIMPLE series, Original Action Game
 Eidos - Title TBD
 Electronic Arts - Madden NFL ’07, Medal of Honor Airborne
 EPOCH - Title TBD
 From Software - Action Game
 Genki - Title TBD
 HUDSON SOFT - BOMBERMAN LAND, Flight Game
 JALECO - Title TBD
 KOEI - Sengoku Action
 Konami Digital Entertainment - Soccer Game, Elebits
 Majesco - Bust-A-Move Revolution
 Marvelous Interactive - BOKUJO MONOGATARI, Heroes, KAWA NO NUSHITSURI, Original Simulation
 Mastiff - Mr. D. Goes to Town (working title)
 Midway Games - Happy Feet, The Ant Bully
 MILESTONE - New Action Game, New Vertical Scroll Shooting Game
 MTO - SAN-X All-star Revolution, Character Action Game
 NAMCO BANDAI Games - FINAL FURLONG, Mobile Suit GUNDAM, SD GUNDAM G BREAKER, DIGIMON, ONE PIECE UNLIMITED ADVENTURE, New Action Game, New RPG, TAMAGOTCHI, Title TBD
 Natsume (developed by Marvelous) - Harvest Moon
 Nintendo - Disaster: Day of Crisis™, Excite Truck™, Fire Emblem™, Metroid® Prime 3: Corruption, Project H.A.M.M.E.R. ™, Super Mario® Galaxy, The Legend of Zelda®: Twilight Princess, WarioWare™: Smooth Moves, Wii Sports
 SEGA - Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz, SONIC WILD FIRE
 SNK - Metal Slug Anthology
 Spike - Necro-Nesia, Jawa
 SQUARE ENIX - CODENAME: FINAL FANTASY® CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Crystal Bearers™, DRAGON QUEST SWORDS™: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors™
 TAITO - Turn IT around!!, Let’s go by train!, Cooking Mama -Cooking with International Friends-
 TECMO - Super Swing Golf PANGYA
 The Game Factory - Title TBD
 THQ - Avatar: The Last Airbender, SpongeBob SquarePants:  Creature from the Krusty Krab, Disney/Pixar Cars
 TOMY - Action Game, Battle Action
 Ubisoft - Open Season, Rayman Raving Rabbids,  RED STEEL
 Vivendi Universal Games - Title TBD
 Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment - Title TBD

210

Nintendo Gaming / RE: 27 Titles... List Complete? Maybe?

« on: May 09, 2006, 10:26:41 AM »

Don't get your hopes up for Smash Bros.  It's not on Nintendo's list, and I'm hearing that it won't even make launch.

211

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Game Market is Nintendos for the taking

« on: May 09, 2006, 10:23:06 AM »

I would remind people that Nintendo has never launched a base system at a price over $199.99 (The Nintendo 64 was $249.99 until three days before launch, when they announced a surprise price drop of $50).

212

Nintendo Gaming / RE: NEW hardware news! (Wii has LAN adaptor)

« on: May 09, 2006, 10:12:38 AM »

USB = Not Standard.  Bah.  Why build-in wireless, but make a wired option an add-on?

213

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Wii's new look

« on: May 09, 2006, 10:01:41 AM »

I don't know about you guys, but I used to use a pair of headphones as a mic when I was desperate.

By the way, I noticed in the Mario Galaxy footage that at one point, the player put the remote up to his face.  Was he listening to it, or talking into it?

214

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Wii's new look

« on: May 09, 2006, 09:52:24 AM »

It's not just a speaker ...

[pap64]

215

Nintendo Gaming / RE:I take it all back ...

« on: May 09, 2006, 09:42:49 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: pap64

I only read about it. But from what I read and heard, the only showed off a video of them. What I meant is that I wanted them to shown off on stage, show off how the games worked with the controller in real time. I wanted a full blown presentation, not video.

And Rick, I was talking about it with a friend who was watching it live and he wasn't all that impressed either...

I just fail to see why the conference was so amazing considering the details talked about were pretty basic...

Well, I don't know about anyone else, but I wasn't really watching the games.  I was watching the people playing.  And judging by the looks on their faces, and the way they were moving the controller, I have no doubt that what I "felt" when I saw that is exactly what others will feel as well.

I think we're past "games" now.  I think we're quickly approaching an era of "experiential play", and Nintendo is going to be the pioneer.  All of a sudden, the Blue Ocean Strategy makes sense.  Nintendo just went and moved from being a games company and did it in a way that hardly anyone noticed until it was too late.  Strangely, it works.  I always told people that asked "why do you play games", that I did it for the experiences rather than to simply waste time.  I (and I think many of you) keyed into that on a visceral level that we were only vaguely aware of.  Nintendo has simply managed to lock onto it in a more tangible form, and then realized it.

I only have one complaint ... where's my PunchOut! game?!

Edit: Ok, two complaints ... no Wii version of Nintendogs???

[pap64]

216

Nintendo Gaming / RE:I take it all back ...

« on: May 09, 2006, 09:31:04 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: pap64
...You were seriously IMPRESSED with what they showed, Rick?

I honestly wasn't all that impressed. Sure, I only read about it and missed some details, but considering the hype the conference got, it was pretty dissapointing.

Well, if you didn't WATCH the press conference, you missed EVERYTHING.  You really had to see it.

For the record, I wasn't watching it live, since I couldn't get to E3 due to my schedule.  I watched the GameSpot stream.  That said, I'm a believer.  I still think the name sucks, and it's truly unfortunate that it might hinder what would otherwise be unfathomable sales rates, but anyon that gets their hands on this thing (or even sees people having fun with it) will be sold.  Instantly.

At the risk of blowing my cover ... if you really want to know what I thought, check out my blog.  You guys knew that Rick Powers was just an alias, right?  Right?

217

Nintendo Gaming / I take it all back ...

« on: May 09, 2006, 09:18:16 AM »

Wii Wins.

Seriously, Wii is going to score big, but it won't be because of the name.  The price and the gameplay are what's really going to make Wii a success.  Judging by the press conference, Wii is going to completely redefine gaming.

Disruptive indeed.

218

TalkBack / RE:EDITORIALS: Wii Will Get Over It, Won’t Wii?

« on: May 05, 2006, 10:19:53 AM »

Quote
I'm POSITIVE that there are higher-ups at Nintendo who must be pushing for the elimination of the home console and the focus to be placed entirely on the vastly more successful handheld console line. If Nintendo took the resources they've been investing in the home console market and put it into handhelds, they'd likely get far more return for their money. If the wii doesn't outsell the GC, I wouldn't be at all surprised if Nintendo just packed their bags and left the home console market.

Very astute theory, Smash_Brother.  I salute you.

Note that while he doesn't implicity say it, it wouldn't be an issue of whether Wii was profitable or not.  It would simply be an issue of ROI, and opportunity costs, and that the money could be better spent fattening up the existing cash-cow rather than trying to get this old girl to breed.

Terrible analogy, but I think the point stands.  Nintendo knows on which side their bread is buttered.

219

TalkBack / RE:EDITORIALS: Wii Will Get Over It, Won’t Wii?

« on: May 04, 2006, 09:09:35 AM »

Holy crap ... when did Ian Sane start making so much sense?  Maybe I need to take another long nap and wait for things to normalize again.  

220

TalkBack / RE: EDITORIALS: Wii Will Get Over It, Won’t Wii?

« on: May 04, 2006, 06:38:04 AM »

The problem with Nintendo's strategy of marketplace disruption is that they haven't a clue how the hell to accomplish it.  DS was disruptive because of the gameplay that the dual screens offered.  Great, that works.  Revolution was going to be disruptive because of the gameplay that the "remote" offered.  Great, shows Nintendo is sticking to it's core "games first" philosophy.

Then Nintendo names the console "Wii", again citing market disruption.  Problem is, the only thing the name is disrupting is my ability to drink milk without aspirating it through my nostrils, or the ability for the mainstream to be willing to risk picking up the controller for the first time.  It's become clear that Nintendo really doesn't know what a "disruptive technology" is about, if they think that the name is part of it.  I have to agree wholeheartedly that while the name isn't the end of the world, it's a handicap.  I just don't see how becoming an object of ridicule is supposed to be disruptive to anyone but themselves.

All of a sudden, the brilliant moves Nintendo has made over the past year or so seem to be falling apart.  First the name issue, then that ridiculous picture of the kid playing Rayman that they let Ubisoft release.  Revolution went from being the console that everyone had the highest hopes for, to being the one where everyone is talking about the name and not the games.  For Nintendo, that's such a drastic change in strategy, I'm not sure what it's supposed to accomplish.

221

TalkBack / RE: EDITORIALS: Wii Will Get Over It, Won’t Wii?

« on: May 03, 2006, 08:20:34 PM »

Well, I don't think I'll do either, but thanks.  

[Rick Powers comes out of his months-long siesta to wax poetic about The Console Formerly Known As Revolution.]

222

TalkBack / EDITORIALS: Wii Will Get Over It, Won’t Wii?

« on: May 03, 2006, 05:37:33 PM »

Rick Powers comes out of his months-long siesta to wax poetic about The Console Formerly Known As Revolution.

I haven’t seen this many people with their heads buried in the sand since the “Cartoon Wars" episode of South Park.    

Of course, I’m talking about Nintendo’s Public Relations team, who were tasked with the unenviable duty of not only justifying the new name of their next console, but stretching their Jedi mind powers in every conceivable way.  Unsurprisingly, they’ve been less than convincing, largely because it seems that they themselves are not yet convinced, reduced to spouting the company line and waving their hands like Alec Guinness.  Yes, a lot of product names sound silly when you first hear them, and I see where Nintendo is coming from on that front.  TiVo and Google are nonsensical, but there are so many differences that it’s hard to begin explaining them.  But that’s my job, so here goes.      

Product naming is known as a bit of a black art, but like most art, people know a good name when they hear it.  I have yet to come across anyone who understands “Wii" when they hear it.  For most people, it’s not spelled how it sounds, and it doesn’t sound how it’s spelled.  The Japanese don’t even have that sound in their vocabulary!  When you’re asking people to buy a product, confusion is not something you want to contend with.  The pronunciation needs to be instant and unambiguous, and Wii fails that test.  Google gets lucky because they aren’t asking you to buy anything … the cost of a trial is nothing except your time, and that allows the name to get out of the way.  Not to mention that Google does fun things with their logo, which helped endear people to the brand.    

For all of the wonderful things that the name is supposed to evoke, you lose all of them as soon as you have to explain them.  The mere fact that Nintendo needed to explain the name to its most ardent fans is a sign that the decision needed more refinement.  You want the first image in someone’s head to be the right one, but more often than not, the first image in the minds of most Americans is not flattering.  Urine and penis jokes aside, the images Nintendo wants to convey don’t come across until you’re told what they are, and you take time to ruminate (I won’t use the word “marinate" as Nintendo PR suggested, lest another joke surface) on the name.  That’s a major issue, since a good product name, while it might sound curious at first, shouldn’t take more than a few moments to truly sink in.  While Nintendo’s fans are fine with sitting back and thinking about what their favorite brand has done, the very people Nintendo are trying to cater to won’t give them the chance.  It has already begun, as opinion on the name is starting to soften a mere day later … but then again, we’re the ones who really care.  Will the casual gamer give Nintendo a day before making a purchase decision?    

Those “mainstream gamers" that Nintendo is trying to bring under their wing will not be caught dead “playing Wii".  They are far more image-conscious, and what’s baffling is that Nintendo knows this.  Game Boy Micro was the device designed for exactly this segment.  DS Lite was designed to appeal more to the image-conscious than the more toy-ish look of the original DS.  That’s what makes this decision all the more perplexing; for a device that people have to pick up to understand, you’ve just ensured that it’s unlikely that they will give it a chance, for fear their friends will hear that they’ve been “playing with their Wii all weekend".  Nintendo’s supporters and other “hardcore" gamers learned to get over the image issues long ago; we handled the GameCube handle, and we can handle this name.  But Nintendo has just risked losing all the ground they gained with the DS.  It’s almost as if they got lucky with all of their previous decisions.      

We haven’t even gotten to the place where the TiVo and Google brands truly excel, and where Wii falls completely flat.  Those names achieved the holy grail; they became verbs.  Even on other recording devices, people now say that they “TiVo’ed" a program; when you search for information on the internet, you Google it, even if you’re not using Google as your search engine.  Wii can’t become a verb without becoming “Wii’d", which brings up entirely different negative connotations and joke potential.    

So, to sum up Nintendo’s challenges:    

Nintendo chose a name with alternate meanings in multiple cultures, rather than picking a name with only one meaning (which could not be misconstrued accidentally) or no meaning at all.  

The intended meanings behind the name are unclear and need explanation that many will simply not bother to learn.  

The people Nintendo wants to reach with the console will not be caught dead walking into a store and asking for “Wii" within earshot of friends.  

Dropping the Nintendo brand from the product gives them no alternative name to request. To use poker terminology, they’ve been left with no “outs", not even an acronym or abbreviation.  

In Matt Atwood’s interview with Game Informer Online, he even reverted to using the name “Revolution" when he needed to explain how “once you touch the Revolution, this will make more sense."  When you have to avoid using your own product’s name to avoid snickering, that’s not a good sign.    

That brings up an interesting bit of history.  In the 1980’s, Nintendo was synonymous with video games; irrespective of the system you played games on, you were “playing Nintendo".  Nintendo has some small opportunity in that gamers may simply refuse to use the name, a trend we’re already seeing on some websites.  Unfortunately, Nintendo might have squandered even that possibility by dropping the Nintendo name from the product, leaving people to simply call it … nothing.  And when you can’t bring yourself to utter the name of a product, how are you going to buy it?

[DolphENDO]

223

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Some things I need to get off my chest about Wii

« on: April 28, 2006, 01:45:38 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: DolphENDO
I like the new name.  I liked it the moment I read up on it.  Its weird as hell to say, ill admit that.  Its just a fricken retarded-ass name!  But you know what, dudes?  Thats exactly why I like it.  It's different.  Its unique.  New.

I was reading the discussion the employees here had on the new name.  And I found myself stopping not even half way through.  I was TIRED of their bull****!!!  For christs sake....  They were blabbiling on about how the name has no meaning WHATSOEVER!  That for one pissed me off because there is a meaning.  Wii's explanation was clearly already explained, and you can already find it here on Planetgamecube.  http://www.planetgamecube.com/newsArt.cfm?artid=11362.  Johnny is the guy that comes to mind when it comes to that.  I mean, this news story was posted before that conversation happened.  Anyone who has half a brain after reading that (and I am sure Johnny read it) should know that Wii means "we"  meaning "us.  you, me, them, grandma, grandpa, mom, dad, dog.  we the people"  And plus the 2 i's symbolise the controllers, says nintendo.  It makes PERFECT sense.  I don't see where the confusion is!!!

On a final note, its been confirmed that its not called The Nintendo Wii.  Or Nintendo Wii.  If it was then people would be able to abreviate it to NW.  There are no abbreviations, says Nintendo.  It's called Wii.  If you just simply call it Wii, and if you put aside the immature potty, penis, excited kid, and midget humor, you will find it rolls off your tounge.  "Excuse me sir, but do you by chance have Super Mario 128 on Wii in stock?"  Sure it sounds weird as hell right now, but it works for me for some reason.

Just because we knew what Nintendo's rationale behind the name is, doesn't mean we have to accept it.  It does make sense AFTER it is explained.  The problem is, an explanation shouldn't be necessary.  I'm a marketing major, and I can tell you that the very first test you give a product name is whether or not you have to explain the name.  If you do, you go back to the drawing board.

Second, and I'll explain this in more detail on the site later, just because you've gotten used to it after a day of contemplation and a thorough explanation from Nintendo, doesn't mean that Joe Mainstream (who doesn't read gaming websites) will.  Remember ... you're not Nintendo's target market anymore.  Joe is, and Joe isn't walking into a store and asking for Mario on Wii.  He won't care how easy it is to say, or what it symbolizes.  All he cares about is how silly he'll feel saying it in front of his friends, and he'll avoid that embarrassment if at all possible.

224

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Punk'd by Nintendo

« on: April 28, 2006, 01:39:55 PM »

First, you can't patent a name.  You can only trademark it, which only gives you the right to use that name exclusively.  Even that's not so clear cut, though, since companies with trademarks in different industries can use identical trademarks (so long as there is no chance for consumer confusion).

That said, it's wishful thinking.  You don't NEED a trademark to use a name, in a legal sense.  Not to mention that the "evidence" presented only amounts to it not being trademarked, and people in the marketing world simply thinking it was a bad choice.  It's meaningless.

A lot like Wii.

225

TalkBack / RE:Revolution Name Announced!

« on: April 27, 2006, 02:08:18 PM »

Matt and I have had some chats while he was still at Capcom, and seeing him tap-dance around the issue must have been difficult for him, because he's always been a pretty straight shooter.

Note the following quote from the interview ...

"Once you touch the Revolution, this will make more sense."

He didn't say Wii ... because he KNEW what the response would be.  When you have to dance around and watch your wording, you've made a terrible decision.