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Many years ago now a stupid stuck up company messed around with a CD giant, a giant that wanted a piece of the gaming market. Because of this said CD giant murdered the market, SEGA fell and Nintendo were forced to retreat from their headlined position. Sony was here.
Nintendo's survival depended on three things, their unique, totally different style to Sony meant Nintendo offered something Sony didn't. Nintendo also have the hardest dying fan base you'll ever see, a fan base filled with us lot. These two factors help but it was the Gameboy, a franchise left untouched by Sony's rampage that meant Nintendo could re-group and re-build.
Nintendo hid in their niche market, their fan base and their Gameboy franchise allowed them to soldier on as Sony's user-base tripled, quadrupled and whatever came after that. Could anyone stop this jugganaught?
Enter Microsoft. The biggest, richest company in the entire world... and all of a sudden Sony didn't look that strong. Microsoft has slowly chipped away at Sony over the past 2 years, eating more and more into both their and Nintendo's user base. Microsoft are a company that, no matter how hard they try, Sony cannot defeat even in their elevated position.
There is no room for 3 consoles, it is time for Sony to finish off Nintendo once and for all.
And this was the perfect time to do it. Despite unbelievable sales of the Gameboy Advance the Gamecube was falling. Nintendo's die hard fan based were annoyed, the company they loved so much was fiddling with franchises and ultimately creating games that were not up to the usual standard. Wind Waker, Sunshine and Pikmin... the Gamecube's self-proclaimed lead titles were, to some Nintendo fans, disappointing. Only Mario Kart and Metroid Prime proved that Nintendo did indeed still have it. The sale of Rare to Microsoft was another massive blow to Nintendo's fan base, the constant loss of third party developers every week made Nintendo appear doomed to failure.
Enter the death nail, the killer blow.... The PSP.
If Sony want to fight Microsoft then a handheld is the key. A platform that is said to be the future of gaming, a handheld would not only extend the already strong Playstation userbase but also cripple Nintendo beyond repair. Getting a massive head start over Nintendo's next Gameboy, introducing MP3 playability and what looks set to be the sexiest piece of kit ever created.
E3 2004
How Sony didn't expect this. Suddenly everything changed. Nintendo's third parties may be leaving but what at first seemed like a weak first party line up became stronger than ever. The die-hard Nintendo fans were happy with a line up that featured a brand spanking new realistic Zelda game, a fantastic looking Metroid Prime and what is set to be the best Resident Evil title ever made. With Mario Tennis, Donkey Kong, Geist, Starfox, Pikmin 2 and Paper Mario 2 all on the release list it was safe to say Nintendo have protected their die-hard assets.
Nintendo will also launch the next Gameboy before the end of the year.... sorry I mean the 'DS' before the end of the year... undercutting Sony. The DS may not look as cool as the PSP but for pure functionality the system is cool. The games looked gorgeous, the new way of holding games is fantastic and backward compatible with the GBA. Brilliant.
The PSP is launching with GT, Tekken and Metal Gear Solid. Despite those 3 games being some of the biggest in the world their popularity (a bit like Mario's) have taken a knock after their dissapointing latest outings. The PSP also needs to implement a jog proof system for the CD based hardware, a laser as well as an inbuilt memory. Could battery life be a problem? Yes the Playstation name sells, but can Sony sell a handheld console to an adult market? I won't underestimate them, they can do it but there is no way they can have as many PSP gamers as they have PS2 gamers... handheld gaming just is not popular with the adult gamers. Just look at the N-Gage. The DS is launching with Mario’s, Metroid and even Sony’s own Final Fantasy. It is also launching with Nintendo’s first full online mode, boasting touch screen, Wireless connection, a protected clam shape and an in-built microphone. Not all of that may appeal to the casual gamer. But some of it will.
Confessingly the Playstation Pocket looks more dangerous than I originally thought. It looks utterly stunning, lacks clutter (something the DS suffers from) with a beautiful screen. This alone could sell the system... but with the GBA SP set for a large price cut before the end of the year can the PSP defeat Nintendo’s massive, 95%, handheld empire?
If Nintendo are going down they are not doing it without a fight. If Sony’s PSP is forced out by the Gameboy, a system that has forced out many of Nintendo's competitors before, what can Sony do to stop Microsoft?
Dringo.
Nintendo's survival depended on three things, their unique, totally different style to Sony meant Nintendo offered something Sony didn't. Nintendo also have the hardest dying fan base you'll ever see, a fan base filled with us lot. These two factors help but it was the Gameboy, a franchise left untouched by Sony's rampage that meant Nintendo could re-group and re-build.
Nintendo hid in their niche market, their fan base and their Gameboy franchise allowed them to soldier on as Sony's user-base tripled, quadrupled and whatever came after that. Could anyone stop this jugganaught?
Enter Microsoft. The biggest, richest company in the entire world... and all of a sudden Sony didn't look that strong. Microsoft has slowly chipped away at Sony over the past 2 years, eating more and more into both their and Nintendo's user base. Microsoft are a company that, no matter how hard they try, Sony cannot defeat even in their elevated position.
There is no room for 3 consoles, it is time for Sony to finish off Nintendo once and for all.
And this was the perfect time to do it. Despite unbelievable sales of the Gameboy Advance the Gamecube was falling. Nintendo's die hard fan based were annoyed, the company they loved so much was fiddling with franchises and ultimately creating games that were not up to the usual standard. Wind Waker, Sunshine and Pikmin... the Gamecube's self-proclaimed lead titles were, to some Nintendo fans, disappointing. Only Mario Kart and Metroid Prime proved that Nintendo did indeed still have it. The sale of Rare to Microsoft was another massive blow to Nintendo's fan base, the constant loss of third party developers every week made Nintendo appear doomed to failure.
Enter the death nail, the killer blow.... The PSP.
If Sony want to fight Microsoft then a handheld is the key. A platform that is said to be the future of gaming, a handheld would not only extend the already strong Playstation userbase but also cripple Nintendo beyond repair. Getting a massive head start over Nintendo's next Gameboy, introducing MP3 playability and what looks set to be the sexiest piece of kit ever created.
E3 2004
How Sony didn't expect this. Suddenly everything changed. Nintendo's third parties may be leaving but what at first seemed like a weak first party line up became stronger than ever. The die-hard Nintendo fans were happy with a line up that featured a brand spanking new realistic Zelda game, a fantastic looking Metroid Prime and what is set to be the best Resident Evil title ever made. With Mario Tennis, Donkey Kong, Geist, Starfox, Pikmin 2 and Paper Mario 2 all on the release list it was safe to say Nintendo have protected their die-hard assets.
Nintendo will also launch the next Gameboy before the end of the year.... sorry I mean the 'DS' before the end of the year... undercutting Sony. The DS may not look as cool as the PSP but for pure functionality the system is cool. The games looked gorgeous, the new way of holding games is fantastic and backward compatible with the GBA. Brilliant.
The PSP is launching with GT, Tekken and Metal Gear Solid. Despite those 3 games being some of the biggest in the world their popularity (a bit like Mario's) have taken a knock after their dissapointing latest outings. The PSP also needs to implement a jog proof system for the CD based hardware, a laser as well as an inbuilt memory. Could battery life be a problem? Yes the Playstation name sells, but can Sony sell a handheld console to an adult market? I won't underestimate them, they can do it but there is no way they can have as many PSP gamers as they have PS2 gamers... handheld gaming just is not popular with the adult gamers. Just look at the N-Gage. The DS is launching with Mario’s, Metroid and even Sony’s own Final Fantasy. It is also launching with Nintendo’s first full online mode, boasting touch screen, Wireless connection, a protected clam shape and an in-built microphone. Not all of that may appeal to the casual gamer. But some of it will.
Confessingly the Playstation Pocket looks more dangerous than I originally thought. It looks utterly stunning, lacks clutter (something the DS suffers from) with a beautiful screen. This alone could sell the system... but with the GBA SP set for a large price cut before the end of the year can the PSP defeat Nintendo’s massive, 95%, handheld empire?
If Nintendo are going down they are not doing it without a fight. If Sony’s PSP is forced out by the Gameboy, a system that has forced out many of Nintendo's competitors before, what can Sony do to stop Microsoft?
Dringo.
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Bonus wrote:
> The fact that I finished the whole thing in one sitting winning every
> single race along the way means that I didn't enjoy it all that much.
> I have never questioned the fact that it is simply the best
> multiplayer game on the Gamecube though. I've never said the
> gameplay was bad, just that the single player mode was very weak, a
> point which I have seen raised by more than one person also.
Ah so it's an average game.
> The fact that I finished the whole thing in one sitting winning every
> single race along the way means that I didn't enjoy it all that much.
> I have never questioned the fact that it is simply the best
> multiplayer game on the Gamecube though. I've never said the
> gameplay was bad, just that the single player mode was very weak, a
> point which I have seen raised by more than one person also.
Ah so it's an average game.
Iwata has said that the DS may well have to have a limited supply on release, because the TFT screens are in such short supply. This will also apparently jack the price up :(
Dringo: Ah, but a limited supply means more people will be eager to get one quicker!
tphi: Ah, but when they run out, people might just wait for the PSP instead, which probably won't launch with such problems.
Dringo: I am Reggie!
Randomness. :)
Dringo: Ah, but a limited supply means more people will be eager to get one quicker!
tphi: Ah, but when they run out, people might just wait for the PSP instead, which probably won't launch with such problems.
Dringo: I am Reggie!
Randomness. :)
I found that when i played it with some relatives it became a bit boring during multiplayer as they set it to unlimited time and they were a tad too obsessed with the game, but they aremuch younger than me though, and a bit annoying too. But other than that I thought it got a bit tedious as i eventually got to try the single player mode and didn't get very far, but that's not too surpring as A) the Xbo controller was a tad too big for me to handle, and B) I'm cap at controlling first person shooter games, where you have to move your other thumb over the aim conrol stick which trying to move sideways, and also trying to reload or change weapons, it just get too complicated for my hands to fiddle with.
Bejam wrote:
> Warthog, which is the most difficult
> and frustrating vehicle to control in gaming history?
I love driving the warthog.
Me and my mates fight over it, muchly.
After 10 mins, it becomes nature, and turning coreners becomes a jooy.
Yey.
> Warthog, which is the most difficult
> and frustrating vehicle to control in gaming history?
I love driving the warthog.
Me and my mates fight over it, muchly.
After 10 mins, it becomes nature, and turning coreners becomes a jooy.
Yey.
Bonus wrote:
> Halo rules, IGN game it 9.7 out of 10 too, I'll accept that people
> here might not agree, but it's the best game I've played on PS2,
> Gamecube or Xbox.
Even with those lovely levels that grow exceptionally tedious as you blast away the same old baddies with the same old guns in the same old corridors, and the Warthog, which is the most difficult and frustrating vehicle to control in gaming history?
> Halo rules, IGN game it 9.7 out of 10 too, I'll accept that people
> here might not agree, but it's the best game I've played on PS2,
> Gamecube or Xbox.
Even with those lovely levels that grow exceptionally tedious as you blast away the same old baddies with the same old guns in the same old corridors, and the Warthog, which is the most difficult and frustrating vehicle to control in gaming history?
Bonus wrote:
> If you read the post I had written about Edge's reviews, it might
> have made a bit more sense. The 5/10 score was justified by the
> writer, if you want to know why go read it.
I'd hardly call "it's similar to previous incarnations" suitable justification for that score. If the previous games were great, surely keeping more or less the same formula would make an equally decent game?
Personally, I think you have to delve a little deeper than what they've said to unearth the actual faults of the game.
> If you read the post I had written about Edge's reviews, it might
> have made a bit more sense. The 5/10 score was justified by the
> writer, if you want to know why go read it.
I'd hardly call "it's similar to previous incarnations" suitable justification for that score. If the previous games were great, surely keeping more or less the same formula would make an equally decent game?
Personally, I think you have to delve a little deeper than what they've said to unearth the actual faults of the game.
I've just discussed this topic with my mate who told me that the psp isn't backwards compatible with all the previous ps games coz it uses a different storage capability, but so does the ds but that's still backwards compatible isn't it? but i suppose not with the N64 games though, not that would have been a great feat, but the ds would need to be bigger so i am against the idea. I aso mentioned that the greater custom for the psp will be the guys that only want to watch dvd's on the go, and not for the games. but my friend said that's why he wants to get one, so i was right.
I just told him that "Everybody that challenges nintendo in the handheld wars never sees the light of day ever again, let the N-gage be the latest lesson." he just made agree to disagree.
I just told him that "Everybody that challenges nintendo in the handheld wars never sees the light of day ever again, let the N-gage be the latest lesson." he just made agree to disagree.
Halo rules, IGN game it 9.7 out of 10 too, I'll accept that people here might not agree, but it's the best game I've played on PS2, Gamecube or Xbox.
Bonus, out of interest, where are you studying your course in Games Development?
I'm interested into enrolling in one next year, so if you use MSN I'd be interested as to what it's like etc ([email protected]).
As for the debate, I watched both the Nintendo conference and the Sony conference. And was not impressed by the latter. The most significant announcement was PSP, but that's really all. It's a platform for porting PS2 games, from what I've seen.
Sure, PS2 still has GT4, MGS:Snake Eater and San Andreas, but after that announcements for my tastes were thin on the ground (except the new Eyetoy Antigrav and R&C3).
As for Nintendo, after all the marketing rubbish, they had the GBA equipment (Video playback and wireless network) and also MP2, Zelda, various Mario franchises, more Pokemon, Starfox, DK : Jungle Beat and the DS. I actually got excited about it, a rarity for me now. 2 screens, Wi-Fi, a touch screen, messaging, Metroid(!), Mario64*4, Animal Crossing, Sonic, a new Mario Bros. game... I am actually excited.
I'll probably end up buying both a PSP and DS in the end. But I'll also probably love the DS more. There's something about Nintendo that Sony hasn't got. I think it might be something to do with a certain Miyamoto-san jumping on stage with a Hylian shield and sword after the Zelda video.
Hmm..
(As for the Halo debate, I disagree with Edge. Halo, to me (admittedly a non-FPS guy) wasn't anything uber-amazing. T'was fun, but thats about it. With that, Goldeneye is fun. But how do you lot compare them? They're so far apart in so many ways! :D)
I'm interested into enrolling in one next year, so if you use MSN I'd be interested as to what it's like etc ([email protected]).
As for the debate, I watched both the Nintendo conference and the Sony conference. And was not impressed by the latter. The most significant announcement was PSP, but that's really all. It's a platform for porting PS2 games, from what I've seen.
Sure, PS2 still has GT4, MGS:Snake Eater and San Andreas, but after that announcements for my tastes were thin on the ground (except the new Eyetoy Antigrav and R&C3).
As for Nintendo, after all the marketing rubbish, they had the GBA equipment (Video playback and wireless network) and also MP2, Zelda, various Mario franchises, more Pokemon, Starfox, DK : Jungle Beat and the DS. I actually got excited about it, a rarity for me now. 2 screens, Wi-Fi, a touch screen, messaging, Metroid(!), Mario64*4, Animal Crossing, Sonic, a new Mario Bros. game... I am actually excited.
I'll probably end up buying both a PSP and DS in the end. But I'll also probably love the DS more. There's something about Nintendo that Sony hasn't got. I think it might be something to do with a certain Miyamoto-san jumping on stage with a Hylian shield and sword after the Zelda video.
Hmm..
(As for the Halo debate, I disagree with Edge. Halo, to me (admittedly a non-FPS guy) wasn't anything uber-amazing. T'was fun, but thats about it. With that, Goldeneye is fun. But how do you lot compare them? They're so far apart in so many ways! :D)
Bonus, I played it for 7 hours straight on the first day, and uncovered about a half of it, without flatering on the way.
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