Just because you're turning thirty doesn't mean you can't watch "Toy Story".
It's a bit of a cultural difference I think. In Japan, teenagers, office ladies, or CEO have no problem admitting they read manga, play pokemon, or watch anime. Nintendo just thought that the same strategy will work in North America.
It's not like they are "losing" any edge too though. Their profit is still rising even with the lowered market share.
Not to me, perhaps in your segment of the age spread, but up here in the first part of old fart country Ive met several who did enjoy them.
<!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> A lot of Nintendo games seem to have no replay value and the game gets repetitive very easily. This is probably due to the fact that Nintendo's biggest games are nothing new and we've all seen it done before.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Now there I agree, their games are not high value replay as they used to be. That is more a concern to me than how cute or not cute the game appears.
<!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Along with these "cute" graphics, comes a "cute" game. I got bored playing Mario because it was all too sweet and goody-two-shoes, along with a lot of other GC titles. Same thing with Animal Crossing, I couldn't do anything but help people and be nice to people, even after hitting them with a butterfly net!<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Well Ive had my full serving of being evil to people in games by now, it holds not the same novelty value as it used to be <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo--> Helping or hurting, I go for the gameplay not as much the thematics.
I can admit that a hoary old veteran might decide to go for "the kiddy console" but the problem is that those who start on the gamecube have very little to expand to.
I mean, I've a PC, Jaguar, Dreamcast, PS2 all hooked up at the moment, and rotate shifts on them to stop the boredom. If you're lumped with the big purple box as your sole gaming medium, you'll go nuts.
<!--QuoteBegin--Necrosis+Sep 11 2003, 05:28 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Necrosis @ Sep 11 2003, 05:28 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> I can admit that a hoary old veteran might decide to go for "the kiddy console" but the problem is that those who start on the gamecube have very little to expand to.
I mean, I've a PC, <b>Jaguar</b>, Dreamcast, PS2 all hooked up at the moment, and rotate shifts on them to stop the boredom. If you're lumped with the big purple box as your sole gaming medium, you'll go nuts. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> Seriously. Is it that hard to get those consoles when there're at most 3 major systems in each generation.
It's not like you're required by law to get the cube and only the cube.
Being the last to reply to a topic almost directed at me :P Silly job & school taking time away from the NS forums!
Yeah I agree, its no big secret at all that Nintendo is definately not the giant they once were. The gamecube is struggling here in the US just to stay on the shelves, while in Japan last I heard it is doing a little better, though still nowhere near the PS2.
I really lost all my faith back with the Nintendo 64. I was quite disappointed by it, but then again I kinda got out of console systems at that period cause I just got a computer that could handle DOOM and Duke3D. :P However, I bought a Gamecube JUST to play Metroid Prime and I think it is one of the best investments I've made, as now I've gotten back into consoles quite a bit.
I think Nintendo IS gaining back some strength though, making a recovery from the (in my opinion) complete failure of the N64. Having the gamecube be the last console out the door didn't help them any. And having such a small game selection hurts them worse. One thing though is that since they choose a propriatary disc format (rather than the standard DVD like PS2 and X-Box) I don't think there will be nearly as much piracy as there is for PS2 and X-Box (which is actually pretty common now that people have DVD burners, sadly), so that will probably help a bit with revenue stuffs...
As a Gamecube owner, I can say this from firsthand experience: The thing that sucks the most about owning a Gamecube is there's only 1 good game out at a time. "Allright, Metroid Prime! yeah! wooo and uhh.. yeah ok..." (months later) "Wooo! Zelda! Yeah! wooo and ummm.. uhh... Metroid Prime again?" (present day) "Soul Calibur 2 I guess. Oh and F-Zero... and... ah screw it I've played Metroid and Zelda 50 times already...". And even if you bought the crappiest gamecube games there's still only 20 or 30 something to choose from (as opposed to the PS2, which has 6 good games and about 400 crap ones).
As far as whether Nintendo will survive or not, I wouldn't sweat it. Remember, Nintendo as a company is over 100 years old. They've been in business for a long long time, and they have a lot of collective knowledge about what to do and etc. Also I strongly believe that the absolute greatest minds in the industry all work for Nintendo. Shigeru Miyamoto alone is a huge huge asset to Nintendo, as he is simply a creative genius.
Its definately going to be an interesting show to see what happens with Nintendo in the future: Will they come out with a new product that puts them back in the spotlight like in the NES and SNES days? Or will they make another Virtual Boy? I think the most important thing to keep in mind during all of it though is this: Are the games they make fun?
[edit] And right after I post this I read that the big N has partnered with AOL of all people for their online strategy here in America... ugh[/edit]
<!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->[edit] And right after I post this I read that the big N has partnered with AOL of all people for their online strategy here in America... ugh[/edit] <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
While AOL is easily the worst ISP ever, it does own RoadRunner. RR is quite a nice ISP. It's better than them partnering up with cox. Oh the stories I hear about cox...*shudders*.
I had the choice of buying a GC or an Xbox. I already owned the PS2, which is the best system out there, but I went with the GC. Why? The hardware on it is superior (or so I'm told) to Xbox, which is a PC-in-a-box, and I already own a PC obviously. Xbox isn't that great. The ONLY good game that is exculsive on it is Halo, and soon to be Halo 2. GC has a few: Metroid Prime, Super Smash (yes it is fun, repeative, but fun), Zelda, and the RE series. Plus, I know and have faith in Nintendo. The last N64 game that was good, was Conker's Bad Fur day. I'd go so far as to say it was the best game out of N64 and PSX. Something like this will happen along the lines of GC. And my GC isn't purple: it's black. Its sleek, and the Xbox is ugly as hell. PS2 still beats both in the looks department though.
I was annoyed enough when people started the silly lie that the playstation 1 was more powerful than the N64 (playstation was a 32 bit machine, N64 was... well, you can guess ^~ )
The order in techy specs is Xbox > Gamecube > PS2
the PS2 is the oldest and slowest with the powerhouse of the 3 being the big chunky xbox. The gamecube sits neatly between 2 as the medium weight contender <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->
Well from what I hear ps2 game engine is already kind of dated and the new PS is scheduled to be released a year after the new nintendo system is set to be. So that's going to be a year long headstart nintendo has not counting the current heads up it has over ps2 graphics wise.
personally I own 4 games for the GC, prime, zelda, animal crossing, and f-zero. Prime alone made it worth buying, zelda was icing on the cake, and I'm enjoying both AC and f-zero. So I don't have too many complaints.
Quality not quantity.
PS: Like I said PS3 is set to releast a year after the next Nintendo console
You gotta remember that PS2 is also the oldest of the bunch. Playstation 3 will be out soon enough, and I will be hoping for something BIG <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin--SmokeNova+Sep 10 2003, 08:39 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (SmokeNova @ Sep 10 2003, 08:39 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Nintendo lost it's EDGE with the N64, but I still love the Big N.
I don't care what anyone says, Samus can kill the Master Chief.
Then again...I am a console man, I have a Computer, PS2, GC, GameBoy (Now that is big N's true flagship now) Pocket, GameBoy Original (That's right, a space shuttle is smaller then it).
When I want online games, I look to the computer. When I want deeply engrossing single-player games, I look to my consoles. Eternal Darkness, Metroid Prime, Devil May Cry, Final Fantasy series, Final Fantasy Tactics, Rogue Squadron's, I love my consoles and my PC. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> Master Chief>All.
"Seriously. Is it that hard to get those consoles when there're at most 3 major systems in each generation."
Yeah, actually, unless you've money falling out of your backside. You're talking a 8-16 yr old gamer who gets saddled with a gamecube and mario sunshine.
By the time he's old enough to buy another one, he'll never look at a gamecube again. Thats what the hoary old players have learned. The difference is a hoary old player has some form of permanent income and can afford to "waste" the money on a gamecube for its 4 tolerable games.
With every passing generation more and more incoming gamers arrive at the conclusion "nintendo is the kiddy company". Nintendo need to break that concept. Sony's PS2 has a reputation as the everyman console - you have crash bandicoot, barbie, DBZ, yu gi oh, lara croft, resident evil, mary kate and ashley, metal gear, etc. Additionally, it has a HUGE back catalogue of dirt cheap PS1 games that kids can buy with their pocket money/allowance. It currently remains the only console that can grow with the gamer, and the large amount of quality titles make it a very economic purchase.
Compare to the kiddy console. By the time you've bled all use out of your PS2, you'll have enough cash to get the Xbox (or upgrade your PC up to the gills and wait for the games to be ported over). Nintendo are on their way out.
Unless the master chief knows some mystical way of dodging a fully charged Hyper Ice Missile, Samus will toast him.
The GameCube is a good system, with just a lack of strong 3rd party software support except from the usual companies (Konami, some others, Retro, Nintendo studio's). But let us not forget that the big N currently holds the hand-held market in a death grip tighter then mario on his meatball sub. Nothing will beat the GBA in hand-helds for a lOOOOONG while, even the N-Gage will have to fight hard to get admitted.
That being said, w00t for Platinum Edition GameCube. It's all sleek, small and Platinum.
I find it funny how people are on Nintendo's case for not "growing up".
I can understand it 10 years ago when they wouldn't allow Mortal Kombat to have blood on the snes. But nowadays it seems people are bashing them just because they don't have nothing but mature titles on the system...
You know what? Mario sunshine may be suitable for kids. It may be bright, and shiney, and overly happy, with only a small amount of violence, but damn it, its fun! Same story with the "kiddie" Zelda game. Who cares if its cell shaded? The graphics are great, and its a blast to play...
The Gamecube has more mature content, and more is on the way. Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes is the console game I'm waiting on more than anything else, and I'd also love to see a new Killer Instinct on the cube...
<!--QuoteBegin--Maveric+Sep 12 2003, 03:23 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Maveric @ Sep 12 2003, 03:23 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> All i can say is that:
Nintendo has to grow up, and play with the big boys, now. This isn't elementary school anymore; its University.
*IF* nintendo ever makes a good M rated game for GameCube, their sales will, eventually, rise. Why? *cough*Halo Sales Figures, GTA Sales, etc*cough* <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> That was a really awful comparisson.
If this was gaming university, Nintendo would be the alumni. Dont automatically think that because the world seems infatuated with "stealth sneaker simulation covert op anti-terrorist warfare", boring samey racing games and trite sports games (hi EA <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo--> ) that it will remain so. Types of games have ups and downs. Agreed, Nintendo needs stronger 3rd party support to make it seem like a more alive console. But I dont necessarily buy the idea they should have more "mature games". Ie. if it doesnt bleed it's not worth playing.
Right now I feel that generally games producers "cheese out" by making games with short lasting duration and little to no replay value. Nintendo especially so. Grow out of THAT and Im happy.
Atari was the ****. I use to play that for hours. NSE same story, I played for so long, I still have both systems SNES, Still got that also, played it alot, but this is where I left them behind. PlayStation blew my mind. Games like MGS made me need to buy it. When PS2 came out and xbox was only a year away, I was very close to getting the XBX but I though about how much better the games are for PS2.
When it comes down to it, PS2 doesn't have better GFX than the XBX but it has better games, and as long as it has games aimed at my age group (18-25) I am going to stick with them. NGC is a POS, its got alot of games aimed at 6-14 yearolds and that stuff doesn't intrest me at all. The GFX suck and I really think Nintendo has forgot how to make a good game or get a good game.
Sony is where I am happy and I will be sticking with them!
"But nowadays it seems people are bashing them just because they don't have nothing but mature titles on the system..."
I don't think you're referring to me, but on the offchance you are, I'm just pointing out that they're limiting their market rather excessively. Comparison being the PS2 - tons of titles for all gamers, all budgets.
We know that they push out a limited number of mature titles, the problem is that Sony churn out TONS of titles, are still pimping out titles for the PS1, and flood the market with games that have wide appeal. They might not all be great, but because there's so many there's a proportionately better chance of getting some pearls.
"If this was gaming university, Nintendo would be the alumni. Dont automatically think that because the world seems infatuated with "stealth sneaker simulation covert op anti-terrorist warfare", boring samey racing games and trite sports games (hi EA ) that it will remain so. Types of games have ups and downs. Agreed, Nintendo needs stronger 3rd party support to make it seem like a more alive console. But I dont necessarily buy the idea they should have more "mature games". Ie. if it doesnt bleed it's not worth playing."
Which isn't the point here. The point is that they've such a limited range of releases. They need to open up their market, so that they can pimp *flexibility*. I like Zelda, I love RE, but at the same time thats not going to make me buy a Gamecube for just a few games, when at the same time I could spend all that money on a new video card and a stack of new PC games. Second, I've no guarantee that Nintendo will ever widen their market, so it means a quality release only every few months - with the PS2 you'll see an interesting release pretty much every month, and even then you'll still have a huge back catalogue of classics and platinum games where you think "well its only 20 pounds, I'll have a try".
Lets look at Nintendo's exclusive incoming "mature" titles - RE3, Twin Snakes? One clone, one "remake". Now I'm a big fan of Kojima and co, but would that make me buy the cube? Probably not. I'm scrolling through their release list but all I see are GC versions of other games. There's not a lot that you can't get elsewhere.
The Gamecube, right now, is the kids console that has a few games for the mature player to have something to play when the kids are elsewhere. Sony is mass market, with cheap games and all ranges covered. Nintendo simply cannot counter Sony without Sony screwing up or Nintendo overhauling how they approach the market. Nintendo are trying, by nailing exclusive deals and remaking old games, but that'll only take them so far.
On a rather more OT note, I despise the GC controller. Its the most horrendous thing on this earth.... and I didnt think it got much more worse than the N64 one. Still, I learned how to use the DC one, so I suppose if someday I get a cube I'll learn how to use that as well...
I think Nintendo's days are also numbered on their hand-held range. It's going to be a matter of time before mobile phones have GBA graphics (I can actually download games (In-fusio) on my Panasonic GD87e.) With more kids wanting mobile phones so they can text message, will they go for GBA2 or mobile phone with downloadable games and text messages?
It wouldn't suprise me if the PS3 will have some kind of extra like the DC memory card... It's been suggested for so long and it will probably happen.
I can seriously see Nintendo being the next Sega. I can see their next console flopping if they keep going the same way and they won't have a cussion (GBA) to fall back on. I can't see the sales for GC raising that much with what they have planned in the future. Nintendo's next big thing may be a console.
I think that gaming consols are going the way of X BOX, soon they will all be more and more like computers, then they will just be computers that can't do somethings.
I'm not really pleased with Nintendo's style of making games for the GBA. I purchased Splinter Cell and was dissapointed to see that half of the levels in the game had to be unlocked by purchasing additional parts - LIKE A GAMECUBE. That's way out of line. I spent $30 for half a product, especially considering games like Yoshi's World, which has much more playability.
I agree, Nintendo is really hurting themselves by pushing all this not-that-spectacular connectivity stuff...
For instance, there's a gamecube game ($50) coming out that to play it in any way at all requires FOUR GBA's ($400) to play it. That's a $450 game! No way in hell...
I must restate my long-standing theory that the success of video game systems follows the success of Square/FF games... most popular systems of their days: NES > SNES > PS > PS2...
Although the trend could also be seen as an effect and not a cause... and that the cause is Nintendo's increasingly commercial attitude which caused it to lose Square in the first place...
Let me tell you a story: back in my day, Nintendo was an awesome company. I subscribed to Nintendo Power, which was a cool, funny, and helpful magazine. I think it was through Nintendo Power that I got an offer -- I could send away for a free copy of Dragon Warrior. And I mean, really free, not year 2000 free (...with a 2 year subscription, 6 proofs of purchase, $7 shipping and handling, $5 processing fee, $15 nothing's-free-fee)... This game was REALLY free. I sent in the little post card, no shipping and handling, and they sent me a free game, a free poster, and a free t-shirt too. Now, this was my first RPG. I never would have touched an RPG if they hadn't sent me Dragon Warrior for nothing. And, of course, I was hooked. I bought every Dragon Warrior and every Square game since. Now that's a smart company. I also competed in the Nintendo World Championships back in, like, 89, and won a $250 toys-r-us gift certificate for just becoming a semi-finalist... yeah, the old Nintendo knew spending money was the best way to make money... they wouldn't even send you a sticker in the mail for free these days...
Meh, I have absolutely no problem with Nintendo aiming generally towards the younger demographic. When I was younger, Nintendo was what made my day, everyday. I may be older, and only enjoy the odd title from them, but I would rather have a little brother playing a Mario game and enjoying himself, than playing a GTA game and learning how to shoot people and blow things up without understanding what any of it means. I know, alot of us Nintendo fans are angry, but frankly, we are moving on, and Nintendo is still creating games for the new generation. Live with it.
Indeed Ness, a lot of people seem to fondly remember Nintendo from their childhood, and then turn around and bash them for being around for other people's childhood...
<!--QuoteBegin--DOOManiac+Sep 12 2003, 09:53 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (DOOManiac @ Sep 12 2003, 09:53 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Indeed Ness, a lot of people seem to fondly remember Nintendo from their childhood, and then turn around and bash them for being around for other people's childhood... <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> This is kinda true.
But think of it like this. Older gamers who grew up with Mario and Zelda still love the old games and either remember them fondly/own the rom version/or own the original snes version. They then see these "evil" Gamecube platform versions and bash the console.
You make a good point. But weren't the older Mario, Zelda etc played by all ages of people? These new versions seem asthough they are aimed at kids.
These are the things I felt when they revived Sonic.
<!--QuoteBegin--CaL_FiN+Sep 12 2003, 04:19 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (CaL_FiN @ Sep 12 2003, 04:19 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> <!--QuoteBegin--DOOManiac+Sep 12 2003, 09:53 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (DOOManiac @ Sep 12 2003, 09:53 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Indeed Ness, a lot of people seem to fondly remember Nintendo from their childhood, and then turn around and bash them for being around for other people's childhood... <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> This is kinda true.
But think of it like this. Older gamers who grew up with Mario and Zelda still love the old games and either remember them fondly/own the rom version/or own the original snes version. They then see these "evil" Gamecube platform versions and bash the console.
You make a good point. But weren't the older Mario, Zelda etc played by all ages of people? These new versions seem asthough they are aimed at kids.
These are the things I felt when they revived Sonic. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> Heh, back then everything was for everybody. You couldn't exactly pick and choose (plus, many people actually considered these games back then to be very grown up and serious).
IMHO I'm consistently impressed by Sony's approach which combines ALL genres and areas of the market, as opposed to focusing on ONE group and fobbing off the other players with an occasional star quality release.
Sega tried, and failed. That and the nightmare which was the Mega CD and 32x. Atari didn't fare much better with the Jaguar or Lynx, despite being technically impressive.
Nintendo are going the same route. Certainly where I live, more and more people are choosing the PS2 because it can grow with the gamer, not be thrown out, given away, sold on, or relegated to the attic.
Its not a matter of bashing Nintendo, its a matter of pointing out that Nintendo need to change their policy if they wish retain a significant cut of console profits. They not doing too badly now because it's a pretty poor three horse race between a PC-in-a-box, the PS2, and the GC... but if anyone else arrives on the market, nintendo would have severe problems (I doubt the veracity of the "Phantom" console).
Yeah Necro, I enjoy the gamecube games. But in all honesty, the PS2 seems the better choice due to it's large game library, which encompasses a lot of genres to suite anyone.
I am doubting that there will be any new, serious contender in the home console market. I think the new battleground is going to be the handhelds. I doubt the N-Gage, but Nintendo should start planning something that will trump the sony handheld coming out later. Sony has made two, very succesful console launches - and one of them being a debut. They have shown that what ever it is that you need to do in order to succeed, they know about it. Whereas Nintendo have a forgettable N64 and a struggling Cube to show for their efforts the last 8 years. They dominate handhelds, but it isnt going to last.
Perhaps they have lost it.
Btw, where's monse? He started the damn thread <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin--CaL_FiN+Sep 12 2003, 03:19 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (CaL_FiN @ Sep 12 2003, 03:19 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Older gamers who grew up with Mario and Zelda still love the old games and either remember them fondly/own the rom version/or own the original snes version. They then see these "evil" Gamecube platform versions and bash the console. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> Evil? Hell, Metroid Prime is the best metriod ever! I like it even better than Super Metroid (and that right there says a lot, as I'm a Super Metroid freak).
Wind Waker, while not as good as A Link To The Past is a very very close second, and I loved every minute of that game. It pwns.
And Super Mario Sunshine, that one also just plain rocks!
Comments
It's a bit of a cultural difference I think. In Japan, teenagers, office ladies, or CEO have no problem admitting they read manga, play pokemon, or watch anime. Nintendo just thought that the same strategy will work in North America.
It's not like they are "losing" any edge too though. Their profit is still rising even with the lowered market share.
<!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->
A lot of Nintendo games seem to have no replay value and the game gets repetitive very easily. This is probably due to the fact that Nintendo's biggest games are nothing new and we've all seen it done before.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Now there I agree, their games are not high value replay as they used to be. That is more a concern to me than how cute or not cute the game appears.
<!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Along with these "cute" graphics, comes a "cute" game. I got bored playing Mario because it was all too sweet and goody-two-shoes, along with a lot of other GC titles. Same thing with Animal Crossing, I couldn't do anything but help people and be nice to people, even after hitting them with a butterfly net!<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Well Ive had my full serving of being evil to people in games by now, it holds not the same novelty value as it used to be <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo--> Helping or hurting, I go for the gameplay not as much the thematics.
I mean, I've a PC, Jaguar, Dreamcast, PS2 all hooked up at the moment, and rotate shifts on them to stop the boredom. If you're lumped with the big purple box as your sole gaming medium, you'll go nuts.
I mean, I've a PC, <b>Jaguar</b>, Dreamcast, PS2 all hooked up at the moment, and rotate shifts on them to stop the boredom. If you're lumped with the big purple box as your sole gaming medium, you'll go nuts. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Seriously. Is it that hard to get those consoles when there're at most 3 major systems in each generation.
It's not like you're required by law to get the cube and only the cube.
Yeah I agree, its no big secret at all that Nintendo is definately not the giant they once were. The gamecube is struggling here in the US just to stay on the shelves, while in Japan last I heard it is doing a little better, though still nowhere near the PS2.
I really lost all my faith back with the Nintendo 64. I was quite disappointed by it, but then again I kinda got out of console systems at that period cause I just got a computer that could handle DOOM and Duke3D. :P However, I bought a Gamecube JUST to play Metroid Prime and I think it is one of the best investments I've made, as now I've gotten back into consoles quite a bit.
I think Nintendo IS gaining back some strength though, making a recovery from the (in my opinion) complete failure of the N64. Having the gamecube be the last console out the door didn't help them any. And having such a small game selection hurts them worse. One thing though is that since they choose a propriatary disc format (rather than the standard DVD like PS2 and X-Box) I don't think there will be nearly as much piracy as there is for PS2 and X-Box (which is actually pretty common now that people have DVD burners, sadly), so that will probably help a bit with revenue stuffs...
As a Gamecube owner, I can say this from firsthand experience: The thing that sucks the most about owning a Gamecube is there's only 1 good game out at a time. "Allright, Metroid Prime! yeah! wooo and uhh.. yeah ok..." (months later) "Wooo! Zelda! Yeah! wooo and ummm.. uhh... Metroid Prime again?" (present day) "Soul Calibur 2 I guess. Oh and F-Zero... and... ah screw it I've played Metroid and Zelda 50 times already...". And even if you bought the crappiest gamecube games there's still only 20 or 30 something to choose from (as opposed to the PS2, which has 6 good games and about 400 crap ones).
As far as whether Nintendo will survive or not, I wouldn't sweat it. Remember, Nintendo as a company is over 100 years old. They've been in business for a long long time, and they have a lot of collective knowledge about what to do and etc. Also I strongly believe that the absolute greatest minds in the industry all work for Nintendo. Shigeru Miyamoto alone is a huge huge asset to Nintendo, as he is simply a creative genius.
Its definately going to be an interesting show to see what happens with Nintendo in the future: Will they come out with a new product that puts them back in the spotlight like in the NES and SNES days? Or will they make another Virtual Boy? I think the most important thing to keep in mind during all of it though is this: Are the games they make fun?
[edit] And right after I post this I read that the big N has partnered with AOL of all people for their online strategy here in America... ugh[/edit]
While AOL is easily the worst ISP ever, it does own RoadRunner. RR is quite a nice ISP. It's better than them partnering up with cox. Oh the stories I hear about cox...*shudders*.
I had the choice of buying a GC or an Xbox. I already owned the PS2, which is the best system out there, but I went with the GC. Why? The hardware on it is superior (or so I'm told) to Xbox, which is a PC-in-a-box, and I already own a PC obviously. Xbox isn't that great. The ONLY good game that is exculsive on it is Halo, and soon to be Halo 2. GC has a few: Metroid Prime, Super Smash (yes it is fun, repeative, but fun), Zelda, and the RE series. Plus, I know and have faith in Nintendo. The last N64 game that was good, was Conker's Bad Fur day. I'd go so far as to say it was the best game out of N64 and PSX. Something like this will happen along the lines of GC. And my GC isn't purple: it's black. Its sleek, and the Xbox is ugly as hell. PS2 still beats both in the looks department though.
I was annoyed enough when people started the silly lie that the playstation 1 was more powerful than the N64 (playstation was a 32 bit machine, N64 was... well, you can guess ^~ )
The order in techy specs is Xbox > Gamecube > PS2
the PS2 is the oldest and slowest with the powerhouse of the 3 being the big chunky xbox. The gamecube sits neatly between 2 as the medium weight contender <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->
personally I own 4 games for the GC, prime, zelda, animal crossing, and f-zero. Prime alone made it worth buying, zelda was icing on the cake, and I'm enjoying both AC and f-zero. So I don't have too many complaints.
Quality not quantity.
PS: Like I said PS3 is set to releast a year after the next Nintendo console
I don't care what anyone says, Samus can kill the Master Chief.
Then again...I am a console man, I have a Computer, PS2, GC, GameBoy (Now that is big N's true flagship now) Pocket, GameBoy Original (That's right, a space shuttle is smaller then it).
When I want online games, I look to the computer. When I want deeply engrossing single-player games, I look to my consoles. Eternal Darkness, Metroid Prime, Devil May Cry, Final Fantasy series, Final Fantasy Tactics, Rogue Squadron's, I love my consoles and my PC. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Master Chief>All.
I dread the day when consoles have as many upgrades as PC's do.. That's the whole reason for getting a console...
Nintendo has to grow up, and play with the big boys, now. This isn't elementary school anymore; its University.
*IF* nintendo ever makes a good M rated game for GameCube, their sales will, eventually, rise. Why? *cough*Halo Sales Figures, GTA Sales, etc*cough*
Yeah, actually, unless you've money falling out of your backside. You're talking a 8-16 yr old gamer who gets saddled with a gamecube and mario sunshine.
By the time he's old enough to buy another one, he'll never look at a gamecube again. Thats what the hoary old players have learned. The difference is a hoary old player has some form of permanent income and can afford to "waste" the money on a gamecube for its 4 tolerable games.
With every passing generation more and more incoming gamers arrive at the conclusion "nintendo is the kiddy company". Nintendo need to break that concept. Sony's PS2 has a reputation as the everyman console - you have crash bandicoot, barbie, DBZ, yu gi oh, lara croft, resident evil, mary kate and ashley, metal gear, etc. Additionally, it has a HUGE back catalogue of dirt cheap PS1 games that kids can buy with their pocket money/allowance. It currently remains the only console that can grow with the gamer, and the large amount of quality titles make it a very economic purchase.
Compare to the kiddy console. By the time you've bled all use out of your PS2, you'll have enough cash to get the Xbox (or upgrade your PC up to the gills and wait for the games to be ported over). Nintendo are on their way out.
The GameCube is a good system, with just a lack of strong 3rd party software support except from the usual companies (Konami, some others, Retro, Nintendo studio's). But let us not forget that the big N currently holds the hand-held market in a death grip tighter then mario on his meatball sub. Nothing will beat the GBA in hand-helds for a lOOOOONG while, even the N-Gage will have to fight hard to get admitted.
That being said, w00t for Platinum Edition GameCube. It's all sleek, small and Platinum.
I can understand it 10 years ago when they wouldn't allow Mortal Kombat to have blood on the snes. But nowadays it seems people are bashing them just because they don't have nothing but mature titles on the system...
You know what? Mario sunshine may be suitable for kids. It may be bright, and shiney, and overly happy, with only a small amount of violence, but damn it, its fun! Same story with the "kiddie" Zelda game. Who cares if its cell shaded? The graphics are great, and its a blast to play...
The Gamecube has more mature content, and more is on the way. Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes is the console game I'm waiting on more than anything else, and I'd also love to see a new Killer Instinct on the cube...
Nintendo has to grow up, and play with the big boys, now. This isn't elementary school anymore; its University.
*IF* nintendo ever makes a good M rated game for GameCube, their sales will, eventually, rise. Why? *cough*Halo Sales Figures, GTA Sales, etc*cough* <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
That was a really awful comparisson.
If this was gaming university, Nintendo would be the alumni. Dont automatically think that because the world seems infatuated with "stealth sneaker simulation covert op anti-terrorist warfare", boring samey racing games and trite sports games (hi EA <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo--> ) that it will remain so. Types of games have ups and downs. Agreed, Nintendo needs stronger 3rd party support to make it seem like a more alive console. But I dont necessarily buy the idea they should have more "mature games". Ie. if it doesnt bleed it's not worth playing.
Right now I feel that generally games producers "cheese out" by making games with short lasting duration and little to no replay value. Nintendo especially so. Grow out of THAT and Im happy.
NSE same story, I played for so long, I still have both systems
SNES, Still got that also, played it alot, but this is where I left them behind.
PlayStation blew my mind. Games like MGS made me need to buy it.
When PS2 came out and xbox was only a year away, I was very close to getting the XBX but I though about how much better the games are for PS2.
When it comes down to it, PS2 doesn't have better GFX than the XBX but it has better games, and as long as it has games aimed at my age group (18-25) I am going to stick with them.
NGC is a POS, its got alot of games aimed at 6-14 yearolds and that stuff doesn't intrest me at all.
The GFX suck and I really think Nintendo has forgot how to make a good game or get a good game.
Sony is where I am happy and I will be sticking with them!
I don't think you're referring to me, but on the offchance you are, I'm just pointing out that they're limiting their market rather excessively. Comparison being the PS2 - tons of titles for all gamers, all budgets.
We know that they push out a limited number of mature titles, the problem is that Sony churn out TONS of titles, are still pimping out titles for the PS1, and flood the market with games that have wide appeal. They might not all be great, but because there's so many there's a proportionately better chance of getting some pearls.
"If this was gaming university, Nintendo would be the alumni. Dont automatically think that because the world seems infatuated with "stealth sneaker simulation covert op anti-terrorist warfare", boring samey racing games and trite sports games (hi EA ) that it will remain so. Types of games have ups and downs. Agreed, Nintendo needs stronger 3rd party support to make it seem like a more alive console. But I dont necessarily buy the idea they should have more "mature games". Ie. if it doesnt bleed it's not worth playing."
Which isn't the point here. The point is that they've such a limited range of releases. They need to open up their market, so that they can pimp *flexibility*. I like Zelda, I love RE, but at the same time thats not going to make me buy a Gamecube for just a few games, when at the same time I could spend all that money on a new video card and a stack of new PC games. Second, I've no guarantee that Nintendo will ever widen their market, so it means a quality release only every few months - with the PS2 you'll see an interesting release pretty much every month, and even then you'll still have a huge back catalogue of classics and platinum games where you think "well its only 20 pounds, I'll have a try".
Lets look at Nintendo's exclusive incoming "mature" titles - RE3, Twin Snakes? One clone, one "remake". Now I'm a big fan of Kojima and co, but would that make me buy the cube? Probably not. I'm scrolling through their release list but all I see are GC versions of other games. There's not a lot that you can't get elsewhere.
The Gamecube, right now, is the kids console that has a few games for the mature player to have something to play when the kids are elsewhere. Sony is mass market, with cheap games and all ranges covered. Nintendo simply cannot counter Sony without Sony screwing up or Nintendo overhauling how they approach the market. Nintendo are trying, by nailing exclusive deals and remaking old games, but that'll only take them so far.
On a rather more OT note, I despise the GC controller. Its the most horrendous thing on this earth.... and I didnt think it got much more worse than the N64 one. Still, I learned how to use the DC one, so I suppose if someday I get a cube I'll learn how to use that as well...
It wouldn't suprise me if the PS3 will have some kind of extra like the DC memory card... It's been suggested for so long and it will probably happen.
I can seriously see Nintendo being the next Sega. I can see their next console flopping if they keep going the same way and they won't have a cussion (GBA) to fall back on. I can't see the sales for GC raising that much with what they have planned in the future. Nintendo's next big thing may be a console.
For instance, there's a gamecube game ($50) coming out that to play it in any way at all requires FOUR GBA's ($400) to play it. That's a $450 game! No way in hell...
Although the trend could also be seen as an effect and not a cause... and that the cause is Nintendo's increasingly commercial attitude which caused it to lose Square in the first place...
Let me tell you a story: back in my day, Nintendo was an awesome company. I subscribed to Nintendo Power, which was a cool, funny, and helpful magazine. I think it was through Nintendo Power that I got an offer -- I could send away for a free copy of Dragon Warrior. And I mean, really free, not year 2000 free (...with a 2 year subscription, 6 proofs of purchase, $7 shipping and handling, $5 processing fee, $15 nothing's-free-fee)... This game was REALLY free. I sent in the little post card, no shipping and handling, and they sent me a free game, a free poster, and a free t-shirt too. Now, this was my first RPG. I never would have touched an RPG if they hadn't sent me Dragon Warrior for nothing. And, of course, I was hooked. I bought every Dragon Warrior and every Square game since. Now that's a smart company. I also competed in the Nintendo World Championships back in, like, 89, and won a $250 toys-r-us gift certificate for just becoming a semi-finalist... yeah, the old Nintendo knew spending money was the best way to make money... they wouldn't even send you a sticker in the mail for free these days...
This is kinda true.
But think of it like this. Older gamers who grew up with Mario and Zelda still love the old games and either remember them fondly/own the rom version/or own the original snes version. They then see these "evil" Gamecube platform versions and bash the console.
You make a good point. But weren't the older Mario, Zelda etc played by all ages of people? These new versions seem asthough they are aimed at kids.
These are the things I felt when they revived Sonic.
This is kinda true.
But think of it like this. Older gamers who grew up with Mario and Zelda still love the old games and either remember them fondly/own the rom version/or own the original snes version. They then see these "evil" Gamecube platform versions and bash the console.
You make a good point. But weren't the older Mario, Zelda etc played by all ages of people? These new versions seem asthough they are aimed at kids.
These are the things I felt when they revived Sonic. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Heh, back then everything was for everybody. You couldn't exactly pick and choose (plus, many people actually considered these games back then to be very grown up and serious).
IMHO I'm consistently impressed by Sony's approach which combines ALL genres and areas of the market, as opposed to focusing on ONE group and fobbing off the other players with an occasional star quality release.
Sega tried, and failed. That and the nightmare which was the Mega CD and 32x. Atari didn't fare much better with the Jaguar or Lynx, despite being technically impressive.
Nintendo are going the same route. Certainly where I live, more and more people are choosing the PS2 because it can grow with the gamer, not be thrown out, given away, sold on, or relegated to the attic.
Its not a matter of bashing Nintendo, its a matter of pointing out that Nintendo need to change their policy if they wish retain a significant cut of console profits. They not doing too badly now because it's a pretty poor three horse race between a PC-in-a-box, the PS2, and the GC... but if anyone else arrives on the market, nintendo would have severe problems (I doubt the veracity of the "Phantom" console).
I am doubting that there will be any new, serious contender in the home console market. I think the new battleground is going to be the handhelds. I doubt the N-Gage, but Nintendo should start planning something that will trump the sony handheld coming out later. Sony has made two, very succesful console launches - and one of them being a debut. They have shown that what ever it is that you need to do in order to succeed, they know about it. Whereas Nintendo have a forgettable N64 and a struggling Cube to show for their efforts the last 8 years. They dominate handhelds, but it isnt going to last.
Perhaps they have lost it.
Btw, where's monse? He started the damn thread <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
Evil? Hell, Metroid Prime is the best metriod ever! I like it even better than Super Metroid (and that right there says a lot, as I'm a Super Metroid freak).
Wind Waker, while not as good as A Link To The Past is a very very close second, and I loved every minute of that game. It pwns.
And Super Mario Sunshine, that one also just plain rocks!