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It always bothers me. I mean sure GTA and MGS are quality games as are Halo and Knights of the Old Republic. But Nintendo's roster of system shifting genius has that little bit more. Mario, Kart, Zelda, Pikmin and Metroid are epic titles, games that are made to near perfection and, at least in my opinion wipe the floor with the competiton.
So why is the battle so harshly swung in the direction of Nintendo's bigger and blacker rivals?
The in-between games.
You know what I mean, the big third party titles or in the case of Nintendo, the smaller Nintendo ones. It must be great to be a PS2 owner, sure your games of pure genius are few and far between but titles like Silent Hill, Devil May Cry, Final Fantasy, Jax, Burnout 3, The Suffering (etc... etc...) come out all the time. These are all fantastic "in-between" games, the games that you play in-between up coming classics. The reason why Sony's and to a lesser extent Microsoft's are so much better is due to their relations with Third Parties. A top quality Nintendo title can surpass anything any third parties can offer. Yet a top quality third party title, one that had taken years to master, is far superior to one of Nintendo's lesser offerings.
Mario Golf, Kirby's Air Ride, Mario Tennis, Jungle Beat, Four Swords, Paper Mario, Starfox etc... Some are quality titles, Jungle Beat and Paper Mario in particular. But they are variations of what we've already seen, Four Swords is a slightly different Zelda game simplified. Paper Mario, Mario Tennis and Mario Golf are, well, Mario games. Different Mario games, but also somewhat similar.
Sony's collection of platformers, realistic racers, non-realistic racers, cartoon games, violent games, horror games, RPG's and so forth are these in-between games and the quality is just as good (and at times better) but with an increased variety.
When I was playing Second Sight last year I thought it was amazing, as I did with Beyond Good and Evil, Prince of Persia, XIII and Timesplitters. These are all titles that Sony are, well, used to. Whilst a Nintendo fan such as myself feel privaliged to play them.
On the flip side there are a lot of naff games in this list but there are a few quality little gems too. And what makes me increasingly frustarted is that these games COULD be on the Gamecube.
All it takes is a little encouragement from the Big N. But Nintendo need to do more than that. They need to cut out their "in-between games". Mario Golf and Mario Tennis are okay, and certain titles like Jungle Beat and Donkey Konga can be useful. But is there ANY need for Doshin the Giant? Kirby's Air Ride? Pokemon Channel? Wario Ware? Wario World? Zelda Four Swords? Starfox Armada? It is only by doing this that Nintendo fans would be forced to playing some third party games, rather than sticking with Nintendo each and every time.
Nintendo had a bright idea to cut ties with their second parties. The idea was to encourage developers to make games for their system instead of relying on special exclusive companies. It simply has not worked. Because there are still tonnes of these silly little Nintendo titles that well, just aren't worth it!
I want to stick by Nintendo, I do, but I am losing faith. Nintendo make some of the best games in the world but they cannot do this all year round. To survive Nintendo need to start getting these third parties to make some of their best games in the world.
Sony fans do not have to wait long for the next big release, this is why PS2 sales are so high, because quality games come out so frequently on it. Whilst us Nintendo freaks, will have to wait for Pokemon XD and The Legend of Zelda to finally get some quality.
On the flip side at least this quality is true, unspeakable quality (probably).
But this is what worries me. Nintendo's talk of "simplifying gaming"? For a while I was terrified that it meant the complex but enjoyable Mario Platformers, the stunning Zelda's and the addictive Pikmin's were at an end. And that Nintendo will release a consistant supply of "in-between games". I can see their point, we can't make games all year round by making loads of complex epics. How about we stop making these complex epics and just release a series of good fun games all year round. Simple games that everyone can play.
But what Nintendo fail to realise is that, with the possible exception of Donkey Konga (which is probably where Nintendo have been given their justification to do this), is that these games do not shift consoles. It is the big FUN games that do it, notice how their sales doubled in March thanks to the constantly sold out Resident Evil 4? Notice how Nintendo are living off the success of Mario Kart even today?
Big and clever Nintendo games are big and they are clever. Nintendo just NEED to push them. I mean come on! Why the hell was Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Pikmin 2 advertised and pushed so limited whereas a decent but quickly boring party game like Donkey Konga was pushed as if the next big thing?
Where were the posters, the flyers, the round the country "buy me" events? These 2 games sold terribly, Metroid Prime 2 did alright over time but Pikmin 2 sold roughly half of the original. Which is a shame because Pikmin 2 is about 100 times better than Pikmin.
ARGH just does not do it justice. I can see why Nintendo would want to push new gams but both Pikmin 2 and Metroid Prime 2 ACTUALLY stood a chance against Halo and GTA. It could have been a closer fight than the steamrolled effect which is what we got. Nintendo are reeling from the effects today. Thankfully with Zelda and Pokemon due this Christmas Sony will need something special to counteract it. Microsoft are releasing a new console, which may dent Nintendo's plans somewhat.
I know this has become a rant but I don't care.
Despite my fear that Nintendo were moving towards "simple games", George Harrison recently said this:
"But in addition to expanding upon the genres and experiences that players already know and love, Nintendo is pushing to take games into new directions. Products such as Nintendogs and Electroplankton for Nintendo DS are original enough to not only excite the hardcore audience but to intrigue people who don't traditionally play games. As video games take their place as a primary entertainment option for all ages, both genders and every conceivable taste, Nintendo wants to be the leaders in sales and innovation. So don't worry -- as we expand our product line-up to match the expanding industry, we'll also continue to push the envelope to bring hardcore fans even bigger Nintendo adventures. And hopefully, a number of adventures they could have never imagined before they saw it play on a Nintendo system."
Sounds a little better to me.
And Electroplankton looks quality. As does Nintendogs.
So maybe I'm moaning about nothing.
We'll see.
So why is the battle so harshly swung in the direction of Nintendo's bigger and blacker rivals?
The in-between games.
You know what I mean, the big third party titles or in the case of Nintendo, the smaller Nintendo ones. It must be great to be a PS2 owner, sure your games of pure genius are few and far between but titles like Silent Hill, Devil May Cry, Final Fantasy, Jax, Burnout 3, The Suffering (etc... etc...) come out all the time. These are all fantastic "in-between" games, the games that you play in-between up coming classics. The reason why Sony's and to a lesser extent Microsoft's are so much better is due to their relations with Third Parties. A top quality Nintendo title can surpass anything any third parties can offer. Yet a top quality third party title, one that had taken years to master, is far superior to one of Nintendo's lesser offerings.
Mario Golf, Kirby's Air Ride, Mario Tennis, Jungle Beat, Four Swords, Paper Mario, Starfox etc... Some are quality titles, Jungle Beat and Paper Mario in particular. But they are variations of what we've already seen, Four Swords is a slightly different Zelda game simplified. Paper Mario, Mario Tennis and Mario Golf are, well, Mario games. Different Mario games, but also somewhat similar.
Sony's collection of platformers, realistic racers, non-realistic racers, cartoon games, violent games, horror games, RPG's and so forth are these in-between games and the quality is just as good (and at times better) but with an increased variety.
When I was playing Second Sight last year I thought it was amazing, as I did with Beyond Good and Evil, Prince of Persia, XIII and Timesplitters. These are all titles that Sony are, well, used to. Whilst a Nintendo fan such as myself feel privaliged to play them.
On the flip side there are a lot of naff games in this list but there are a few quality little gems too. And what makes me increasingly frustarted is that these games COULD be on the Gamecube.
All it takes is a little encouragement from the Big N. But Nintendo need to do more than that. They need to cut out their "in-between games". Mario Golf and Mario Tennis are okay, and certain titles like Jungle Beat and Donkey Konga can be useful. But is there ANY need for Doshin the Giant? Kirby's Air Ride? Pokemon Channel? Wario Ware? Wario World? Zelda Four Swords? Starfox Armada? It is only by doing this that Nintendo fans would be forced to playing some third party games, rather than sticking with Nintendo each and every time.
Nintendo had a bright idea to cut ties with their second parties. The idea was to encourage developers to make games for their system instead of relying on special exclusive companies. It simply has not worked. Because there are still tonnes of these silly little Nintendo titles that well, just aren't worth it!
I want to stick by Nintendo, I do, but I am losing faith. Nintendo make some of the best games in the world but they cannot do this all year round. To survive Nintendo need to start getting these third parties to make some of their best games in the world.
Sony fans do not have to wait long for the next big release, this is why PS2 sales are so high, because quality games come out so frequently on it. Whilst us Nintendo freaks, will have to wait for Pokemon XD and The Legend of Zelda to finally get some quality.
On the flip side at least this quality is true, unspeakable quality (probably).
But this is what worries me. Nintendo's talk of "simplifying gaming"? For a while I was terrified that it meant the complex but enjoyable Mario Platformers, the stunning Zelda's and the addictive Pikmin's were at an end. And that Nintendo will release a consistant supply of "in-between games". I can see their point, we can't make games all year round by making loads of complex epics. How about we stop making these complex epics and just release a series of good fun games all year round. Simple games that everyone can play.
But what Nintendo fail to realise is that, with the possible exception of Donkey Konga (which is probably where Nintendo have been given their justification to do this), is that these games do not shift consoles. It is the big FUN games that do it, notice how their sales doubled in March thanks to the constantly sold out Resident Evil 4? Notice how Nintendo are living off the success of Mario Kart even today?
Big and clever Nintendo games are big and they are clever. Nintendo just NEED to push them. I mean come on! Why the hell was Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Pikmin 2 advertised and pushed so limited whereas a decent but quickly boring party game like Donkey Konga was pushed as if the next big thing?
Where were the posters, the flyers, the round the country "buy me" events? These 2 games sold terribly, Metroid Prime 2 did alright over time but Pikmin 2 sold roughly half of the original. Which is a shame because Pikmin 2 is about 100 times better than Pikmin.
ARGH just does not do it justice. I can see why Nintendo would want to push new gams but both Pikmin 2 and Metroid Prime 2 ACTUALLY stood a chance against Halo and GTA. It could have been a closer fight than the steamrolled effect which is what we got. Nintendo are reeling from the effects today. Thankfully with Zelda and Pokemon due this Christmas Sony will need something special to counteract it. Microsoft are releasing a new console, which may dent Nintendo's plans somewhat.
I know this has become a rant but I don't care.
Despite my fear that Nintendo were moving towards "simple games", George Harrison recently said this:
"But in addition to expanding upon the genres and experiences that players already know and love, Nintendo is pushing to take games into new directions. Products such as Nintendogs and Electroplankton for Nintendo DS are original enough to not only excite the hardcore audience but to intrigue people who don't traditionally play games. As video games take their place as a primary entertainment option for all ages, both genders and every conceivable taste, Nintendo wants to be the leaders in sales and innovation. So don't worry -- as we expand our product line-up to match the expanding industry, we'll also continue to push the envelope to bring hardcore fans even bigger Nintendo adventures. And hopefully, a number of adventures they could have never imagined before they saw it play on a Nintendo system."
Sounds a little better to me.
And Electroplankton looks quality. As does Nintendogs.
So maybe I'm moaning about nothing.
We'll see.
Page:
Final Fantasy an in-between game? I will hereby ignore anything you ever have to say, Dringo.
Cycloon wrote:
> Resident Evil 4 is fun, dirty, bloody, amazing looking, superb and is
> horror based.
>
> It should have been marketed to high heaven.
It did do pretty well, doubled Gamecube sales, sold out and reached number 5.
Could have done better mind.
> Resident Evil 4 is fun, dirty, bloody, amazing looking, superb and is
> horror based.
>
> It should have been marketed to high heaven.
It did do pretty well, doubled Gamecube sales, sold out and reached number 5.
Could have done better mind.
Dringo wrote:
> It must be great to be a PS2 owner
The thing that makes me laugh about some of the PS2 owners that I know is that despite there being some good PS2 games, they go out and buy either really terrible games, multi-format games, or a mixture of the two.
E.g. if I had a PS2 I would buy Pro-Evo, not FIFA, but I know so many people that buy FIFA every year and the scariest thing about it is that today I was told that FIFA 2005 was the best game on the PS2 and that was from somebody that used to own a GC but now claims that the PS2 is the better console. I don't understand that logic at all.
There are a number of games on the PS2 that I wouldn't mind owning but the quality of the top Nintendo games outshines them, hence the reason I bought I Gamecube.
> It must be great to be a PS2 owner
The thing that makes me laugh about some of the PS2 owners that I know is that despite there being some good PS2 games, they go out and buy either really terrible games, multi-format games, or a mixture of the two.
E.g. if I had a PS2 I would buy Pro-Evo, not FIFA, but I know so many people that buy FIFA every year and the scariest thing about it is that today I was told that FIFA 2005 was the best game on the PS2 and that was from somebody that used to own a GC but now claims that the PS2 is the better console. I don't understand that logic at all.
There are a number of games on the PS2 that I wouldn't mind owning but the quality of the top Nintendo games outshines them, hence the reason I bought I Gamecube.
Dringo you write too much.
I'd rather smack Pikmin around than bongos any day.
Hell yeah!
To be fair though they do sponsor Knight Rider re-runs on Bravo as well. You can't get any bigger than the Hoff and the talking car.
To be fair though they do sponsor Knight Rider re-runs on Bravo as well. You can't get any bigger than the Hoff and the talking car.
The Sci-Fi channel?
Woo, way to go Ninty. Aim high.
Woo, way to go Ninty. Aim high.
There was a ton of advertising for Resi 4 on the Sci-Fi channel around the time it was released. I was watching a film on the Friday night and there must have been at least 2 adverts everytime there was a commercial brake.
Dringo wrote:
>It must be great to be a PS2
> owner,
No, it sucks really.
Again, the whole thing comes down to marketing.
With Resi 4, Ninty had the perfect vessel for a full-scale advertising assault. But I haven't seen a single thing.
Why the hell not?
>It must be great to be a PS2
> owner,
No, it sucks really.
Again, the whole thing comes down to marketing.
With Resi 4, Ninty had the perfect vessel for a full-scale advertising assault. But I haven't seen a single thing.
Why the hell not?
Dringo wrote:
> Pikmin the original sold a million copies whilst Metroid Prime hit the
> top spot. Metroid PRime also looks the bussiness.
>
> How am I overestimating their appeal?
All I'm saying is that Pikmin and MP2 aren't to everybody's tastes. I know that Nintendo didn't push them enough but often sequels to games that weren't overwhelmingly popular don't have marketing money wasted on them. Obviously Nintendo thought that MP2 and Pikmin 2 would sell to people who already had the original game - people who would most likely know about the sequel anyway and take an active interest in it - people who don't really need to be marketed to.
> Pikmin the original sold a million copies whilst Metroid Prime hit the
> top spot. Metroid PRime also looks the bussiness.
>
> How am I overestimating their appeal?
All I'm saying is that Pikmin and MP2 aren't to everybody's tastes. I know that Nintendo didn't push them enough but often sequels to games that weren't overwhelmingly popular don't have marketing money wasted on them. Obviously Nintendo thought that MP2 and Pikmin 2 would sell to people who already had the original game - people who would most likely know about the sequel anyway and take an active interest in it - people who don't really need to be marketed to.
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