Nintendo holding out? GameFan reports that in the latest issue of Game Developer Magazine they had an interview by Author Mark DeLoura about how Nintendo has been keeping programming techniques from 3rd parties. Not a good way to make 3rd parties happy.

Happen to pick up the November 1999 issue of ‘Game Developer’ magazine? If so, you’ll find within its pages a highly informative article detailing how to produce Bezier curves (curved surfaces) on the Nintendo 64. Not only does the piece reveal programming secrets, but it also (inadvertently) spotlights what I believe is one of the biggest problems in the world of console development, and an issue that Nintendo should take note of before launching the Dolphin.

Author Mark A. DeLoura opens his article with, “Game console programming is largely a secret art.” Blammo. Right there, he sums up what probably harmed Nintendo the most with the Nintendo 64, besides the choice of the cartridge format. Getting the most out of the console is tricky, and Nintendo has been incredibly tight about letting the "secret" inner workings of the machine out of the proverbial basket. Hence, we see some amazing-looking games from Nintendo and Rare, and some pretty decent titles out of everybody else. While game play should be what sells a game, unfortunately, it's the graphics that initially draw in the consumer-—and this graphical rift between first- and third-party was never more apparent than in the latest generation of N64 games. And if you cannot make a game that will stand up against the competition currently on the store shelves, then why not shrug off the Herculean effort and produce games on a console that sees a much more even play field, such as the PlayStation?

“Much of what I’ll discuss in this article hasn’t even been released to authorized N64 developers,” continues DeLoura. “Nintendo has chosen to pull back the covers to help developers squeeze the last ounce of performance out of the machine.” Well, that’s one hell of a slap in the face. If I was a loyal Nintendo developer, and the "Big N" decided to release coding secrets through a consumer magazine rather than giving it to me before the console reached its time for pasture, I’d be on the horn in minutes. You spend millions of dollars supporting a console that needs all the games it can get, and this is how you're repaid? While Zelda and Banjo-Kazooie wow the crowds with sweet eye candy, you’re stuck with coding techniques that Nintendo has already moved beyond. Not terribly inspiring, especially when you consider that this industry is becoming more and more focused on the bottom line.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. If Nintendo wants to win back the market with the Dolphin, they must court the ever-expanding third-party development community. PlayStation enjoys incredible success, based partly on its expansive library of games. Sure, they aren’t all gems, but when you go to the shelves and you see five hundred titles versus two hundred, your attention will likely shift to the aisle with more variety. And if there’s one way Nintendo can prove to development houses that they mean business with the Dolphin, it’s by sharing secrets before the console’s life cycle is almost at a close.

After all, a game lives or dies by its play value, doesn’t it? If Zelda wasn’t as gorgeous as it is, it still would have charmed gamers across the globe. Nintendo should know better than anybody; nobody can make games quite like they do. They have a serious gift in that department, and they will likely always enjoy fine reviews and solid sales based on their sterling reputation (Cruisn’ World notwithstanding). The graphics are merely the wrapping paper around the present. I found a beautifully wrapped present under the tree this year. I admired the box, but I sure didn’t go ga-ga over the ugly sweater inside! Gamers can smell a rat; if a game blows, they’ll move on... no matter how attractive the menu screen is.

Wouldn’t it be better for Nintendo if, upon the release of the Dolphin and the subsequent months afterward, they were bathing in a tub of titles that looked equally gorgeous? It sure would grab the collars of consumers and pull their attention (and wallets) in for a second look. Imagine if you went to the store with $300 to spend on a game machine and you saw a PlayStation 2 with ten awesome-looking titles, but fifty “blah” ones. Just across the aisle is the Dolphin, with fifty slick-looking graphical assaults and ten bargain-bin-fodder titles. Which do you go for? Game play is king, but it sure doesn’t hurt to have the prettiest bow under the tree.

As a special “thank you” to development teams to stick with, or return to, the Nintendo fold, the "Big N" should give up some secrets to show they mean 'bidness'. Nintendo started out with the Nintendo 64 by telling all of us we'd see quality over quantity, a promise they never quite lived down. Wouldn’t it be great if the Dolphin could enjoy both? Wouldn’t you want a console that had a swarm of games, each one looking better than most of the games on competing platforms? Greatness will make the big splash in the upcoming hardware skirmish. Consistency, though, will win the war.