The "General Games Chat" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
Nintendo’s obsession with GTA these days seems highly strange, constantly commenting on its mass-market appeal and how it is the “big thing” in the west. It was a wake up call for Nintendo; not all “big things” come from them. Granted most do, Mario, to an extent Zelda and Pokemon have been the biggest money grabbing games ever to grace the world. It is fair to say some do come from other sources, Sonic and Street Fighter being apt choices but it is Grand Theft Auto that is currently generating the most game revenue. And Nintendo believe, to overtake Sony, they’ll need to create a game like it. It needs to be original, it needs to offer something no other game can… and it needs to be good.
So begins Nintendo’s rather overly obsessive desire to find the “next big thing”. One method Nintendo tried (and failed) was the big “Kirby push”, Kirby is one of those characters that can sell games but… well nothing on the level of Mario or Zelda, and in America and Japan began a push to sell it just like they sold Pokemon. Free kids toys were presented in various fast food chains, a Fox cartoon was launched and several sets of merchandise was created, and although this did succeed in widening the popularity of Kirby, it didn’t create the Pokemon type phenomena Nintendo were hoping for.
Nintendo of course are still producing new franchises at regular intervals, this era of the “console war” brought about the introduction of Pikmin. Pikmin easily deserves to be “The next big thing” and yet the disability to explore really dampened its hopes and despite selling very well it didn’t reach record-breaking sales. On the other hand it wasn’t a total disaster, Pikmin has established itself a cult following and it is still one of the most original Gamecube adventures, so it heralds a sequel. I won’t pretend that this sequel will sell on GTA proportions and become a system seller overnight, but it could be a series that builds in momentum over various games. Nevertheless Miyamoto has hopes for his sequel when he said:
“I think Pikmin 2 this year is going to end up being one of our most fun games - we've actually removed the time limit, that was in the original Pikmin, so there's going to be a much greater degree of freedom within the game. Obviously Pikmin is a very different concept to Grand Theft Auto, but the underlying idea of being free to do what you want is there and I think that's going to be a very popular game for us.”
Yet Pikmin isn’t the only “new” Nintendo franchise, Animal Crossing could easily reach the status of “Sims for the youngsters” (a market EA hasn’t cornered), yet it requires a good marketing strategy… so there’s that idea out the window. Metroid Prime is another game that deserves GTA style status and although it sold well it didn’t mimic the sales of GTA, and yet like Pikmin, further Metroid Prime sequels may generate sales on Pokemon proportions. And Nintendo are perfectly happy with continuing the franchises, but it means these aren’t the “Next big things”… and Nintendo are desperate to find it. Could it be possible that Nintendo may have to get their “next big thing” from a 3rd party source? Does this mean Nintendo will have to be nice to them?
So began Nintendo’s desire to work along side some of the biggest names in the industry, as Nintendo offer them deals they can’t refuse… and attempt to persuade them to launch their “new” idea on their system. Capcom and Nintendo worked together on the Gameboy Zelda adventures and were the first company to come under Nintendo’s wing, Konami and Nintendo (along with Silicon Knights) are working together to bringing Metal Gear Solid to the Gamecube. Namco and Nintendo are working closely with Link in Soul Calibur 2 and of course that all-important Star fox sequel. SEGA and Nintendo constantly work closely especially with the F Zero game and even Square-Enix has jumped into the Nintendo bandwagon with Final Fantasy. EA is the first company to gain Nintendo support in the west, with over 20 games planned and connectivity features aided by Mr. Miyamoto. Yet despite all these games preparing to sell millions, these aren’t the games Nintendo are after…
Nintendo wants the Billy Hatcher’s, the Killer 7’s, the Viewtiful Joe’s… Nintendo want the new franchises. Will any of these reach the status of the “next big thing”? Who knows? Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg looks incredibly promising and will probably be a brilliant game. It could easily become a smash hit with the younger generation, although whether another Platformer will reach a phenomenal status like Sonic and Mario did is another thing entirely. It is the Capcom lot though that needs to be watched, Production Studio 4 could well be gearing up for a smash hit title. Product number: 03 didn’t do it, and I never really had much hope for it, Dead Phoenix seems to have disappeared off of the face of the earth… but Killer 7 and Viewtiful Joe on the other hand. Killer 7 is a stylised violent game that looks frankly incredible, I wouldn’t be surprised if this sells more than its fair share of units. And Viewtiful Joe has already been tipped by IGN as “the next big thing”; it has a very wide appeal and looks to contain some of the best gameplay we’ll experience this year.
But of course we’re probably totally wrong, perhaps, like GTA, it’ll be a regenerated franchise. It could be the new 3D worms game, perhaps Resident Evil 4 will breath new life into the series… who knows? Lets just hope, with these improved third party ties, these new franchises and future sequels… “The next big thing” will be on a Nintendo console. Of course we shouldn’t forget the ever-looming Q fund, which was set up in the hope of finding the next Pokemon.
Miyamoto on E3: - “we haven't really shown titles that we hope to stand against Grand Theft Auto, something like that we might try to show next year or sometime after.”
Here's to the future.
Dringo
So begins Nintendo’s rather overly obsessive desire to find the “next big thing”. One method Nintendo tried (and failed) was the big “Kirby push”, Kirby is one of those characters that can sell games but… well nothing on the level of Mario or Zelda, and in America and Japan began a push to sell it just like they sold Pokemon. Free kids toys were presented in various fast food chains, a Fox cartoon was launched and several sets of merchandise was created, and although this did succeed in widening the popularity of Kirby, it didn’t create the Pokemon type phenomena Nintendo were hoping for.
Nintendo of course are still producing new franchises at regular intervals, this era of the “console war” brought about the introduction of Pikmin. Pikmin easily deserves to be “The next big thing” and yet the disability to explore really dampened its hopes and despite selling very well it didn’t reach record-breaking sales. On the other hand it wasn’t a total disaster, Pikmin has established itself a cult following and it is still one of the most original Gamecube adventures, so it heralds a sequel. I won’t pretend that this sequel will sell on GTA proportions and become a system seller overnight, but it could be a series that builds in momentum over various games. Nevertheless Miyamoto has hopes for his sequel when he said:
“I think Pikmin 2 this year is going to end up being one of our most fun games - we've actually removed the time limit, that was in the original Pikmin, so there's going to be a much greater degree of freedom within the game. Obviously Pikmin is a very different concept to Grand Theft Auto, but the underlying idea of being free to do what you want is there and I think that's going to be a very popular game for us.”
Yet Pikmin isn’t the only “new” Nintendo franchise, Animal Crossing could easily reach the status of “Sims for the youngsters” (a market EA hasn’t cornered), yet it requires a good marketing strategy… so there’s that idea out the window. Metroid Prime is another game that deserves GTA style status and although it sold well it didn’t mimic the sales of GTA, and yet like Pikmin, further Metroid Prime sequels may generate sales on Pokemon proportions. And Nintendo are perfectly happy with continuing the franchises, but it means these aren’t the “Next big things”… and Nintendo are desperate to find it. Could it be possible that Nintendo may have to get their “next big thing” from a 3rd party source? Does this mean Nintendo will have to be nice to them?
So began Nintendo’s desire to work along side some of the biggest names in the industry, as Nintendo offer them deals they can’t refuse… and attempt to persuade them to launch their “new” idea on their system. Capcom and Nintendo worked together on the Gameboy Zelda adventures and were the first company to come under Nintendo’s wing, Konami and Nintendo (along with Silicon Knights) are working together to bringing Metal Gear Solid to the Gamecube. Namco and Nintendo are working closely with Link in Soul Calibur 2 and of course that all-important Star fox sequel. SEGA and Nintendo constantly work closely especially with the F Zero game and even Square-Enix has jumped into the Nintendo bandwagon with Final Fantasy. EA is the first company to gain Nintendo support in the west, with over 20 games planned and connectivity features aided by Mr. Miyamoto. Yet despite all these games preparing to sell millions, these aren’t the games Nintendo are after…
Nintendo wants the Billy Hatcher’s, the Killer 7’s, the Viewtiful Joe’s… Nintendo want the new franchises. Will any of these reach the status of the “next big thing”? Who knows? Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg looks incredibly promising and will probably be a brilliant game. It could easily become a smash hit with the younger generation, although whether another Platformer will reach a phenomenal status like Sonic and Mario did is another thing entirely. It is the Capcom lot though that needs to be watched, Production Studio 4 could well be gearing up for a smash hit title. Product number: 03 didn’t do it, and I never really had much hope for it, Dead Phoenix seems to have disappeared off of the face of the earth… but Killer 7 and Viewtiful Joe on the other hand. Killer 7 is a stylised violent game that looks frankly incredible, I wouldn’t be surprised if this sells more than its fair share of units. And Viewtiful Joe has already been tipped by IGN as “the next big thing”; it has a very wide appeal and looks to contain some of the best gameplay we’ll experience this year.
But of course we’re probably totally wrong, perhaps, like GTA, it’ll be a regenerated franchise. It could be the new 3D worms game, perhaps Resident Evil 4 will breath new life into the series… who knows? Lets just hope, with these improved third party ties, these new franchises and future sequels… “The next big thing” will be on a Nintendo console. Of course we shouldn’t forget the ever-looming Q fund, which was set up in the hope of finding the next Pokemon.
Miyamoto on E3: - “we haven't really shown titles that we hope to stand against Grand Theft Auto, something like that we might try to show next year or sometime after.”
Here's to the future.
Dringo
Page:
Dringo wrote:
> I can... attracts the kids... the adults... looks actually rather
> cool... damn good fun.
My brother (about 23) was reading through my magazine and he said it looked brilliant and I should get it, so who knows?
Anyway, Mario RPG does rule, not only is it a pretty big adventure but the weapons, the special timing moves and everything about it was great.
> I can... attracts the kids... the adults... looks actually rather
> cool... damn good fun.
My brother (about 23) was reading through my magazine and he said it looked brilliant and I should get it, so who knows?
Anyway, Mario RPG does rule, not only is it a pretty big adventure but the weapons, the special timing moves and everything about it was great.
Yes... Nintendo wouldn't take in game ideas from others.
Smash Bros the FPS version? No blood, like that foam gun game on the pc. erm, I've forgotten what they're called but it was cool.
gamezfreak wrote:
> I'll put my idea in writing.
Good idea. Post it in the forum, and we'll add ideas and stuff to it. Then maybe, if it's refined and uber excellent - someone 'official' may take it seriously.
> It would be rather good though, Taking the freedom "do whatever
> you want" style gameplay that Morrowind offers, and set the game
> in Mushroom Kingdom. It would be huge!
It would sell like hell. GTA, Final Fantasy, Morrowind, Halo - it'd put them all to shame because it'd attract the fans of those particular games, not to mention the legions of Mario, Zelda and Nintendo fanatics.
> I'll put my idea in writing.
Good idea. Post it in the forum, and we'll add ideas and stuff to it. Then maybe, if it's refined and uber excellent - someone 'official' may take it seriously.
> It would be rather good though, Taking the freedom "do whatever
> you want" style gameplay that Morrowind offers, and set the game
> in Mushroom Kingdom. It would be huge!
It would sell like hell. GTA, Final Fantasy, Morrowind, Halo - it'd put them all to shame because it'd attract the fans of those particular games, not to mention the legions of Mario, Zelda and Nintendo fanatics.
Maverick42 wrote:
> It'd be like Lost Kingdoms
Replace Lost Kingdoms with "Kingdom Hearts and Morrowind", and my post makes a bit more sense.
> It'd be like Lost Kingdoms
Replace Lost Kingdoms with "Kingdom Hearts and Morrowind", and my post makes a bit more sense.
Maverick42 wrote:
> Rickoss wrote:
> Viewtiful Joe will rock.
>
> I can't see it having enough mainstream appeal to be the next big
> thing, though.
I can... attracts the kids... the adults... looks actually rather cool... damn good fun.
Anything can be the next big thing... perculiar or not... look at Mario a fat plumber who jumps three times his body size.
> Rickoss wrote:
> Viewtiful Joe will rock.
>
> I can't see it having enough mainstream appeal to be the next big
> thing, though.
I can... attracts the kids... the adults... looks actually rather cool... damn good fun.
Anything can be the next big thing... perculiar or not... look at Mario a fat plumber who jumps three times his body size.
It funds small developers wanting to create new franchises.
Gamecube exclusive, of course.
Gamecube exclusive, of course.
Dringo wrote:
> Of course we shouldn’t forget the ever-looming Q fund, which
> was set up in the hope of finding the next Pokemon.
The Q fund?
What's this?
> Of course we shouldn’t forget the ever-looming Q fund, which
> was set up in the hope of finding the next Pokemon.
The Q fund?
What's this?
Maverick42 wrote:
> You've hit gold here, gamezfreak. Contact Nintendo. Now.
Yes Sir!
I'll put my idea in writing.
It would be rather good though, Taking the freedom "do whatever you want" style gameplay that Morrowind offers, and set the game in Mushroom Kingdom. It would be huge!
A living, breathing, interactive Nintendo world. It would be spectalar.
Imagine peforming tasks for people, being good or bad.
*wonders*
> You've hit gold here, gamezfreak. Contact Nintendo. Now.
Yes Sir!
I'll put my idea in writing.
It would be rather good though, Taking the freedom "do whatever you want" style gameplay that Morrowind offers, and set the game in Mushroom Kingdom. It would be huge!
A living, breathing, interactive Nintendo world. It would be spectalar.
Imagine peforming tasks for people, being good or bad.
*wonders*
gamezfreak wrote:
> Interesting thought.
Fantastic thought more like. It'd be like Lost Kingdoms - but better because it'd be Nintendo. Imagine all their games rolled into one but done so seamlessly in a Morrowind type fashion that it'd be absolutely amazing to play. And think of the online possibilities! You've hit gold here, gamezfreak. Contact Nintendo. Now.
On the 'next big thing' topic - if the Pokemon RPG is done very well, it may well provide the sales boost for Nintendo that GTA did for Sony.
> Interesting thought.
Fantastic thought more like. It'd be like Lost Kingdoms - but better because it'd be Nintendo. Imagine all their games rolled into one but done so seamlessly in a Morrowind type fashion that it'd be absolutely amazing to play. And think of the online possibilities! You've hit gold here, gamezfreak. Contact Nintendo. Now.
On the 'next big thing' topic - if the Pokemon RPG is done very well, it may well provide the sales boost for Nintendo that GTA did for Sony.
Page: