Mike asks, Judging Xbox's and GameCube's top 10 titles for the month of

December, Xbox is clearly focused on the older male audience, nose-on. Looking

at GameCube's top 10, several demographics (audiences) are being represented.

Clearly, Nintendo was correct and honest when they said they would make a

platform for everybody. (click the links to see the titles in context.)

Here's the question: Judging by the total and average sales, is Nintendo

offering a platform for everybody hurting them by possibly making a platform

that's not quite good enough for anybody?

Part 2: If you believe it's hurting Nintendo, should they change their strategy

to focus on a specific market, and if so, which market?

Rick Says: How is it hurting them? Nintendo is making money, which

is more than Microsoft can say. They may not be the market leader, or even in

second place in the US, but explain to me just how this is HURTING them.

It's natural for consumers to want to feel justified and secure by knowing that

everyone else has one, and that they bought from the leader in the market. You

need to get past that instinct, and be secure in knowing that you bought the

console that has the games YOU want to play. Whether any given console is

"winning" or not is a fun debate on the Internet where everyone can yell and

scream about it in relative anonymity, but if you're allowing it to affect your

life in any meaningful way, then you have bigger problems. The only statement

you can make that you can be guaranteed any for-profit company will listen to is

the one you make with your wallet. Nintendo will only change their direction

when it's significantly impacting their bottom line. Trying to go after the

"mature" market is going to put them in direct-competition with Sony, and that's

a battle they're going to lose because of Sony's huge head-start and

console-exclusive titles. Staying in the market they basically OWN is a smart

move, because it keeps them PROFITABLE.

Nintendo makes games for everyone, and they have an attention to gameplay

quality that is second to none. It may not be a position that will "beat" Sony

or Microsoft, but it's the reason that I will buy a Nintendo platform every

time.

Mike H. Says: Adding to what Rick said, if you AREN'T secure in

knowing you have the system that's best for you, then you should just consider

getting a second system. While GameCube's games are for a wide audience, if what

they're offering isn't enough to satiate your particular fixes (more mature

games, more sports games, more RPGs, etc.) then go for the platform that does.

The people that seem to be concerned the most seem to be those in the

demographics Nintendo is decidedly not targeting anymore because they grew up.

All I can say is they should let go of the security blanket.

There will be no significant change in direction for GameCube at this point.

Sony is too far ahead. Maybe when the next platforms roll around, and launches

are more aligned, Nintendo (and 2nd/3rd parties) will consider being more

serious about support for ranges outside Nintendo's primary targets. But is it

hurting them to do what they are currently doing? No, I don't think so. You

can't "beat" the competition by imitating them.

Mike Suzuki Says: Interesting question...how can appealing to

everyone hurt GameCube sales? Unfortunately, I don't have an exact demographic

breakdown of the gaming population, but I believe the older-male audience is a

fairly large part of it. So when Nintendo is marketing to a wider range of

gamers and not focusing on older-male gamers, it can make the system less

desirable to that one large gamer demographic. This limits the number of

consoles that can be sold and in turn negatively affects the company's bottom

line.

As the competition sells more consoles, 3rd party developers look to do more

business with the market leaders as they offer more potential customers.

Additionally, exclusive 3rd party content becomes more difficult to acquire and

Nintendo is left completely on it's own to offer the compelling software

necessary to move consoles. Fewer exclusives can easily lead to fewer consoles

sold. This reduces the number of potential buyers for software (1st and 3rd

party) which likely results in lower overall software sales. The end result is

diminishing profits. True, the company is still profitable but it is not as

profitable as it once was and risks reducing the user base to little more than

avid Nintendo fans.

So under that scenario, yes, it would seem like Nintendo should at least focus

more attention on the older-male demographic. They don't have to drop the

'general' appeal of their games per se, but it would be helpful to get more

content geared towards that demographic and improve their marketing in that

area, too.

Jonathan Says: You know what other system caters to all audiences?

PlayStation 2. I don't see anyone worrying about its performance or future.

GameCube's demographics are decent and getting better all the time. It's the

public perception that is hurting Nintendo, and while the company may be making

money right now, they're not making nearly as much as they could be.

Niko asks, Seeing as how Nintendo's putting out their new more "mature

appealing" Game Boy Advance SP, do you think its just the beginning of their

plan to get older gamers onto the Cube? Do you think they'll give the Cube a

"mature" makeover?

Rick Says: I wouldn't expect the Cube to get a makeover, since

it's already quite small and compact, and probably isn't going to get much

smaller. In fact, the only things that really make the Cube look less "mature"

than it's console competition is the Purple color (which is already a

non-issue), the handle (which is going to be a godsend when people realize they

can take their machines to "gaming parties" more easily than either of the

others), and market perception. That last point is the most important, and

that's not going to change with a physical makeover. It's been "cool" to slam

the kiddy Nintendo consoles since back in the 16-bit days (when bits still

mattered), and not much is going to change that.

If you really feel the need to prove to your friends how "cool" and "mature" the

GameCube is, sit them down in front of a Platinum GameCube with Metroid Prime

and a Wavebird. If that doesn't do it, then they're a lost cause.

Mike H. Says: What would you like to see... Slot-loading disc

drive? LED-illuminated buttons? Built-in Wavebird receiver? Sorry, Steve Jobs

stays far away from Redmond. :)

Mike Suzuki Says: Yeah, I really don't expect to see a

mature-designed GameCube. Like Rick, I think the biggest kiddie characteristic

of the original design is the color indigo. The silver/platinum Cube seems to be

stylish and appealing enough to attract older gamers...and besides, if they

redesigned the overall look of the system, it might loose its cube shape. Would

you prefer the GameSphere?

Billy Says: I'll agree with everyone here. The system is fine the

way it is. MS is rumored to be redesigning the Xbox, but I don't think Nintendo

will change anything. The Q is supposed to get a redesign, but when I talked

with Panasonic at CES, there was no update to its progress.

Jonathan Says: GameCube just needs an image makeover, and Nintendo

of America has not done a very good job in accomplishing that since the system

first came out. I see a lot of catering to us hardcore fans, but GameCube has

very little presence in the mainstream world. Even with several AAA games

released and over a year on the market, most of my friends at school probably

don't know what a "GameCube" is. That's pitiful. Nintendo MUST market their

system more aggressively. Technology is no longer the problem; the only thing

holding back GameCube and its successors is Nintendo itself.

Neal asks, with the tremendous success of the Zelda pre-order and the ease of

porting, do you, even in the slightest, in the WAY back of your mind mingled

with wishful thinking, think it would be possible that such pre-order deals

could happen with future installments of Nintendo's classics? For example: Mario

64 with Mario 128, Star Fox 64 with the new Star Fox, F-Zero 64 with the new

F-Zero, etc.

Daniel Says: Personally, I think that the Ocarina of Time bonus

disc probably had a lot to do with the fact that they never got to release the

Master Quest. In that sense, I would think that it might be possible for Star

Fox 2 from the SNES or F-Zero X with track and car editors to be released.

However, Zelda is mainly getting the big push because - well because it's Zelda.

I'm not sure many other franchises would get the same attention.

WindyMan Says: It would be a good idea. Giving away some sort of

official freebie disc with any pre-order will instantly boost pre-order sales,

which will lead to higher sales of the game overall. Of course, the problem with

that is what to put on them; once again, this brings up the point of official

Nintendo demo discs. buying a game to get one might be a bit steep (compared to

having it for Nintendo Power subscribers), but most people would buy into it as

long as the game they were going to get would be worth it.

Regardless of whether or not this would work for other games, the fact is that

there have been a quarter of a million pre-orders for the Wind Waker even before

the official pre-order campaign started. There were probably that many people

who dumped Nintendo when they saw the new look of Link at Space World in 2000.

Rick Says: Nintendo is pushing Zelda HARD because it's a fantastic

game, and many shallow people are going to miss out on something truly special

based on the graphics alone. Nintendo was quite wise to give away one of the

best games ever made as an incentive for people to take a chance on the "new"

Zelda. Nintendo is using this to remind people that Zelda games are different,

epic, and always worthwhile, regardless of what it looks like.

In fact, that's what makes this "bonus disc" so interesting. Playing Ocarina

again, the graphics look very ... wait for it ... CARTOONY. More so than even

the new Zelda game, the graphics look very primitive and dated now, and

decidedly cartoony. Why did it feel so "mature" then? Simple, it was all about

the storyline. Well, "The Wind Waker" is no different in that department. It has

a fantastic story and great gameplay. Yes, Link looks different now, but he feels

more like Link than in any other Zelda game.

It's these reasons that I can't see Nintendo offering free games again as

pre-order incentives for other titles. More likely, you'll find games hidden on

the disc itself, like Metroid hidden in Metroid Prime. Zelda is special, and is

getting special treatment as a result.

Mike H. Says: No way, it's a terrible idea. Freebies are horrible.

They are the source of society's decay. They make our children fat. They make us

stupid. They make them starve and commit suicide.

Yes, that's sarcasm. Of course it's entirely POSSIBLE we'll see more freebies in

the future, but that has no bearing on anything. This type of promotion is best

served in VERY light moderation, and frankly, it was quite a novel idea. If we

aren't paying for these freebies, someone else is -- Nintendo. Zelda, Mario, and

Pokemon would be worth this attention and expense. Games like Star Fox and

F-Zero aren't. If freebies start going overboard, it will lose impact.

Mike Suzuki Says: I'd like to think that the success of the Zelda

pre-order program will encourage Nintendo to continue to offer similar types of

special incentives to buy new software (and possibly new consoles). Nintendo

should realize that they have one of the best (if not the best) software

libraries of any company; something that Sony and Microsoft cannot match. If

Nintendo is serious about improving the worldwide position of the GameCube, I

think they're going to have to use all the resources available to them, past

games included. Of course, moderation would be needed as a lot of free games a

year would dampen the impact and could even set gamer's up to expect free games.

Billy Says: While I enjoy the freebies, I'd honestly rather

Nintendo's internal teams were concentrating on new games. The chance to go back

and play thru OoT and Master Quest was fun, but I don't think offering a freebie

of other games would create the same impact. Maybe Mario 64, but that's about

it. Stop with the remakes already. Bring on new games.

Jonathan Says: To be honest, I found the Zelda bonus disc to be

rather unexciting. Like millions of other people, I've already got this game on

N64 and play through it every couple of years. The Master Quest is a neat bonus,

but for most of us, the minor differences aren't worth playing through OoT all

over again, especially with the slippery controls and annoying load times on

GameCube.

I would much rather Nintendo do this sort of offer for games that aren't as well

known, especially if they can make more significant improvements or at least

make the port 100% faithful.

NewYork5A asks, Miyamoto once said of Mario 128, "I believe that with this

game you'll be able to feel the 'newness' that was missing from Mario Sunshine."

This leads me to believe that the game will be an official Mario sequel, rather

than a spin-off (i.e. Mario Tennis, Mario Party, Mario Kart), as many people are

making it out to be. What's your take on the game?

Rick Says: My take is pretty much exactly the same as yours.

Everyone wanted more of Mario 64, one of the greatest games ever made. We got

that with Super Mario Sunshine. Now we want a "real" sequel rather than a

"follow-up", and that's what we're getting in Mario 128. The only real question

is, can this approach the level of refinement in a 3D world that Super Mario

Bros. 3 gave us in 2D?

And before we get too much further into this, Mario 128 is NOT the same game

that was demoed with the hundred Marios running around. That was a technology

demo, and that technology ended up being used in Pikmin. As for the number

"128", it doesn't refer to the GameCube being a 128-bit console (which it's

not). It's most likely just a working title, evolved from doubling "Mario 64".

Other than that, there's no real information to be had about the game.

WindyMan Says: Personally, I don't see how any new Mario can top

Super Mario 64. In fact, I don't see how ANY game is going to top Wind Waker, be

it Mario or anything else. Miyamoto is going to need to really make something

special to draw our attention away from the new Zelda. I guess we'll just have

to wait and see.

Mike H. Says: I'd give my first born, or at least some plasma, for

a Mario 128 title that could match or exceed the excellence of Mario Bros. 3. To

me, that means not only bringing back the best of Mario's legacy, but the real

hurdle is taking 3D platforming to the next level. How can that be done? CAN it

be done? What would it entail? Expectations already seem to be pretty high. We

don't know anything about the game, and I suspect it's going to be a project

kept very closely to their chest to prevent premature judgment similar to what

Zelda received.

And Zelda turned out ok, didn't it? You silly.

TYP Says: I'm hoping Mario 128 takes on a more linear approach to

the series. I love the whole "Find the Star/Shine in this big area" approach,

but a change would be nice. Super Mario Sunshine had some linear aspects, and I

think Nintendo should build on that. A 3D remake of Super Mario Bros. 3 would

fit the bill nicely...heck, they could call it Super Mario Bros. Cubed and it

would be a clever title! Of course, all-new levels would be even better ;-)

Daniel Says: The Adventure mode in Smash Bros. Melee and the

challenge stages in Super Mario Sunshine gave a hint of what I'd like to see

from a new Mario game. Having larger more complex stages along those lines

(preferably without being surrounded by a huge bottomless pit) would be ideal. I

think the most important thing is to get away from the Mario 64/Sunshine formula

of replaying the same wide-open levels over and over again. Despite being an

excellent game, what Super Mario Sunshine missed most was variety.

Billy Says: Can Nintendo out do themselves? They do it over and

over. Not that I'm saying Nintendo always does it, but the majority of the time,

we get what we want out of major first-party developed sequels. I'll have to

agree with Bloodworth and Hrusecky on this. I'd like less linear, and more

levels. While Sunshine had dynamic levels, you were still playing the same area.

I'd also have a request for bringing back fireballs, the Tanuki suit (and all of

the suits), and a much better final boss battle than Super Mario Sunshine (Can

you top the uber-sweet final boss battle in Wind Waker?).

Jonathan Says: Two things I'd really like to see in Mario 128:

- A shift of focus from adventure elements, which have saturated the past two

Mario games, back to pure action. Let Zelda take care of the adventuring. The

"warp zones" were my favorite part of Sunshine. I think it's time for Mario to

go back to that style of gameplay (though it doesn't have to be that difficult

throughout.)

- A return to the Mushroom Kingdom. We saw a tiny bit of it in Super Mario 64,

but most of that game took place in these little self-contained worlds

elsewhere. And while I liked the tropical setting of Sunshine, it lacked variety

sometimes. We've never really gotten to see the Mushroom Kingdom in 3D, and I

think it's time for that to happen.

Brian asks, After picking up my bonus disc for Zelda, I was looking through

the Wind Waker preview book. I don't know if I'm misreading it, but on the

second to last page there is an advertisement for the Wind Waker Guide Book with

a bulleted list of what it includes. The last 2 bullets intrigued me: "A massive

walk-through of the main quest," and, "Complete details on the second quest."

Could it be... are there really 2 quests in this game just like the first Zelda?

Daniel Says: Yes, Wind Waker does have a second quest. I haven't

spent much time in it since I'm waiting for the English version, but I have

spotted several differences in costumes and items. I haven't made it to any of

the main dungeons yet, but I'm hoping that they'll be remixed just like in

Ocarina of Time Master Quest.

Jonathan Says: Like Dan, I've opened this mode but haven't gotten

too far into it. However, from what I've been told by other importers, the

dungeons are unchanged. Most of the changes are cosmetic or involve side-quests.