Do you still believe in Nintendo?

[oli2]

And the GC is also my system of choice (I own only 1), because it is the only system that has games that I am interested in. If I look at PS2 games I see maybe a few, but looking at xbox games I really can't find any (xbox exclusive) that I'd want to have.

Agree with that : got a GCN, used to have a PS2 but sell it and Xbox simply doesn't have an exclusive title i'd like to have.

Super Mario Sunshine, Metroid, Zelda, very high quality games, something MS isn't known for.

Again, i agree : these are games you are sure not to find any with same quality anywhere out of GCN.

And did you hear that the first xbox game is getting a patch ? Soon games will be rushed out like PC games, they can patch later anyway. Could have seen that coming from miles away.

Again, that's clear.
If we look back on post from Xbox 's fans here a year ago, we 'd see how hard they were saying that would not happen b....e.....c....a.....u.....s...e Xbox is n...o...t a PC (remember these topics !?)

 

[simplicity]

Well, if you think about it, you'll see that it's actually a good thing that the Xbox provides patches for online games. When the other consoles get hard disks, I'm sure they will allow patches for online games as well.

Otherwise, if there's a bug in the game that allows cheating, the game is ruined for everyone.

Now you might think that with sufficient beta testing all the bugs can be found before the game ships. But that probably isn't true of security bugs, since beta testers aren't trying very hard to cheat.

If I recall correctly, the Dreamcast PSO had big problems with cheaters that they were unable to fix, because they couldn't patch the game.

 

[Qroach]

Exactly. A year ago people weren't talking about online games with regards to patches. Patches for onlines games just is a must, otherwise minor issues take all the fun out of the game. Ms should have been smart enough to realize that from the very start. They did once have the biggest online gaming webstie withover 1 million registered users (internet gaming zone)

Simple online games won't need patches, it's the more complicated ones that will benefit the most from them. Xbox live was built with a update feature for a reason.

This however will NOT extend to offline games.

 

[Guest]

My guess is that long term the Nintendo consoles will become like Volvo or Apple - a niche brand with modest sales that appeals to a niche audience. Like Apple, they will get press all out of proportion to their importance, simply because their products are interesting to write about.

This is exactly where i think Nintendo is heading.

They will not suddenly disappear or go third party, just becoming less significant to casual gamers, which might or might not include the kiddies.

 

[Guest]

Correct me if i am wrong, but the Unreal Championship patch includes fixing performance issues, online and offline?

 

[DVFtaxman]

....if only sony could go back and patch bug ridden pos like colin mcrae3!
seriously though, I don't see patching as too big a problem as long as it stays a marginal thing. If developers make patching mainstream then it is a very bad thing!

 

[Peppermonkey]

Panzer Dragoon Orta ROCKS!

I just bought the game... and I love it...

now to stay on topic... I do still believe that Nintendo will put out some more great games on the Gamecube. This is why I bought it. I figured that since most of my games on the N64 were Nintendo, I wouldn't be dissapointed with the Gamecube, since I loved the N64.

I expand my capabilities by buying all the systems though. It's not that I'm not a believer in one of the systems, it's that I believe that ALL of the systems will have GREAT games on them. I have been right so far, and I have been reaping the benefits ever since I bought all of them.

 

[Logan Leonhart]

I have a PS2 as my main console (it pretty much has everything I´d like to play), and GCN as a complement. Do I believe in Nintendo? Well, considering that I got it in the Christmas period, I´d say yes, I´m confident the console is here to stay for at least another 4 years.

Now, if the quesion relates to GCN being a stand alone console, I´d say that no, the content is not enough. Games like Metroid Prime and RE is the reason I got a GCN, but the the typical Nintendo droughts and child oriented games that I don´t particuarly care about still remain.

For example, the next game I´d buy if I were a GCN only gamer, would be Zelda...in march. But since I have access to a PS2, I´ll play DMC2 and Xenosaga in January and February.

 

[Qroach]

hey pepper monkey, I just bought PDO last night, haven't tarted playing yet, but will in about 30 mintues.

 

[Blade]

Quincy: It's good. I got it the day it came out. (along with RE2, which I'm enjoying again)

It holds the inheritant flaws of the on-rails shooter.. like relatively shallow gameplay (basically all you have to do is aim, slow down, and speed up.. with some dodging of minor obstacles in between) and difficulty dodging enemies and their attacks.. but remains very fun, especially to the shooter fan. I bet you'll have a lot of fun with it, man.. but my advice is to play it through on Easy first.

That is, unless you're a hardcore shooter fan.. unlike myself. (I haven't really played a shooter like this since.. well.. SF64)

 

[aneep]

the 1st console game to get patched was FFXI several months back

at least that was PS2.ign says at its title

-aneep-

 

[Peppermonkey]

I'm noticing that it seems harder than Starfox 64... but I don't remember. I still have yet to get the hang of the form switching.

 

[Quaid]

*yawn*

This is such a tired, old, useless, fallacious topic.

First of all, anyone who has "faith" in ANY corporation is a bumbling fool. These companies only do what their shareholders want so that they can make a quick buck off the stock trade. they know nothing and dont give a rats ass about the actual company operations. if they think that flooding the market with crap is gonna raise stock prices, then they will flood the market with crap. they dont care what you the consumer really want.

the only time they do care is after the stock has dropped, then they lay off some people and change the marketing strategy to something that hopefully works better and raises the stocks back up. if they could get away with ripping you off and taking your lunch money, they will do that. look at M$ XP and .NET licensing strategies for an example of this. it really inconveniences and pisses of consumers, but so what? it turns a profit and the shareholders are happy. dont like it? dont use windows. see if M$ really gives a sh*t.

Have faith in god (if you believe in such things), have faith in your family and friends, but dont be a fool by having faith in some corporation that would kill you and sell your body parts if it was legal and they could turn a profit from it.

second, about Nintendo. what is it that people are not understanding? the company is there for 1 thing, and that is money. And guess what? Nintendo is making tons of money. They will do what they do, whether you like it or not, because their strategy is keeping them profitable. it's as simple as that. if they could keep the company afloat by only selling 1 single GameCube, then they will sell that 1 GameCube and smile all the way to the bank. at their current position, they are the most profitable that they have ever been in company history. GameCube is a failure or a disappointment? talk to their CFO and see if he agrees with you.

/rant

 

[jvd]

When the market crashes again (and it will) Sony and microsoft will loose intrest and nintendo will be left. Untill then nintendo has one tripple a tittle ever 3 months which with out a guide or codes is how long it takes me to get through the game. Thats whats important. I'm not a fan of 10 tripple a tittles coming out in nov - dec and then nothing but a few decent games till the next holiday season. One example is zelda. Zelda is the only must have game coming out for the system but everyone wants it. I know people who are buying systems just for that game. If nintendo can put out two system sellers every year they will be set.

 

[Johnny Awesome]

 

[Tahir2]

Isnt the games market bigger than Hollywood now?

MS and Sony arent about to ignore that.. and the crash of the 80's aint gonna happen anytime soon. :?

 

[Glonk]

Good rant by Matt from IGN

Is Nintendo out of Touch?

Answer: As I see it, yes. I don't come to this conclusion quickly. Rather, it's something I feel after observing the company's puzzling decisions and choices for years and years.

I've come to believe that the folks at Nintendo Japan are, for lack of a better word, old. They're old. They're stubborn. And they're clinging to the days when the brand 'Nintendo' meant everything. How else could you explain some of the choices the publisher has made?

We're not going to enter into the Internet gaming scene lightly, says Nintendo, because it's not profitable. And in the same breath the company releases niche titles like Pikmin into the market. A contradiction of business philosophy, no? Nevermind the fact that both Sony and Microsoft are doing brilliantly with their explorations into the online market.

It's this unwillingness to adapt, this intentional ignorance of what the market wants, that is the very proof that Nintendo is out of touch.

Need another example? Look no further than The Legend of Zelda. Nintendo showed the most incredible recreation of its Zelda franchise at Space World 2000, and to a delighted, cheering crowd. So what does the company do? Come back with a totally transformed version of the game that features a cartoon-styled, child Link and an all-too-cute Zelda universe -- the exact opposite of the direction the marketplace seems headed. For perhaps the first time in a Miyamoto presentation ever, the cheers were quieted. And yet, development on the title continued.

Of course, Wind Waker has turned out to be a fun game. But that doesn't change the fact: it's not the Zelda that Nintendo fans wanted. When "you get used to it," is the highest praise some gamers can say of the new look, there is something very wrong going on. Indeed, you might even say that Wind Waker is symbolic of Nintendo's ignorance of its own audience.

Matt

 

[BenSkywalker]

We're not going to enter into the Internet gaming scene lightly, says Nintendo, because it's not profitable. And in the same breath the company releases niche titles like Pikmin into the market. A contradiction of business philosophy, no? Nevermind the fact that both Sony and Microsoft are doing brilliantly with their explorations into the online market.

I have to comment on this. Pikmin is quite profitable right now. It has moved close to a million units world wide, grabbing ~$40Million in revenue for Nintendo on a title that likely cost well under one tenth of that to create. Comparing that to Live!, where MS has the built in advantage of the Zone and MSN and they are still dropping huge sums of cash is foolish. As far as MS and Sony doing brilliantly, between the two of them they haven't moved a million online units in the US yet. I think they are doing quite well and within my expectations, but GTA Vice City probably sold more units in its first two days of availability then Live! and Sony's net adaptor have sold to date by a sizeable margin. Online console gaming isn't even close to mainstream yet, not even in the vague proximity.

Sony has so much faith in the network they haven't convinced Square to release FFXI here for the PS2 yet. Online networks may very well be huge, but I wouldn't count on it. Despite all the hype and talk about all the PC online games it still is a small fraction of total PC gamers and with the exception of titles along the line of 'Jewel' and other freebies on the Zone et al it is the realm of hardcore gamers and that's it.

I agree with him on what they did with Zelda, however having OoT as an incentive certainly made up for it IMO. I don't agree with the general theme, Nintendo financed ED and purchased a studio to turn one of their most popular franchises in to a first person shooter along with landing the RE series as exclusives. Problem is Nintendo's first party titles aimed at wider(demographic wise) audiences are so huge they overshadow the other offerings. The Cube has far more million sellers then the XBox does, almost all the Nintendo first party titles are.

I think Nintendo's biggest mistakes are worrying too much about the Japanese market, and not being as agressive as they could be. They are making progress in this area, but the US market doubles up and then some what the Japanese market does for business. They are making progress on this front, we'll see how it progress now that Nintendo is under new management.

 

[Vince]

Sony has so much faith in the network they haven't convinced Square to release FFXI here for the PS2 yet.

Overall a decent post, but just so you know, AFAIK Square has set a tentative launch window for the Americas or announced one at a meeting not to long ago. I'm sure someone may know more, then again, maybe I'm wrong.

Zone et al it is the realm of hardcore gamers and that's it.

I play Chess on the zone, and the other day decided to play Checkers to switch it up and it was nothing but a bunch of teens chanting "14.f.ny" or "13.m.az" or "Who wants a pool party"... I was tempted to ask for the url to the pool myself, but apperently the water wasn't warm.

Anyways, hardly the "hardcore" gamer.

 

[Guest]

According to Reuters, Nintendo announced Thursday that it would miss its GameCube hardware shipment target by over 10 percent. The company forcast sales of 10 million units this business year. Software shipments will also be short of the forcast 55 million units.

"Behind the soft sales is a change in consumer trends. Consumers today apparently don't want to sit in front of the television to play games for hours and hours," Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said.

Iwata contrasted the lower GC outlook with stable Game Boy Advance sales. He added that Nintendo was developing its next console with a possible launch in 2005 or 2006.

What kind of reasoning is that?
Nintendo, maybe if you have more games on your system then will people consider buying GC.