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"Getting Left Behind ?"

So, Xbox is down to £159.99 withj two free games, Xbox Live is available soon, Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon, Sega Gt2002, Elder Scrolls, Blinx and many more are scoring highly and sales are picking up.

On the PS2 front Sony is seeing GTA Vice City fly off the shelves as fast as it can be shipped out whilst console sales continue to go from strength to strength and Sony's Broadband network aims for a 1st quarter 2003 release. With more good games on the way like the Getaway, Kingdom Hearts, WWF 4 and so on, things couldn't be brighter.

Then we have Nintendo, who appear to have spent this years marketing budget on Super Mario Sunshine, and to whom online gaming seems something of a mystery. Starfox Adventures is the next BIG release, but I think from import reviews that it may not be all it's cracked up to be. Resident Evil provided a great, but dated gameplay wise, experience, and Eternal Darkness was good. Timesplitters 2 excelled, which was a good job when you consider the number of FPS games available. Coupl all this with the surrender of Rare to Bill, and I have to wonder what on earth Nintendo's strategy is right now, considering it's the Christmas run up.

If someone this Christmas is looking to buy a console then I honestly don't know how Nintendo expect the GC to do well. Advertsiing is appaling - or non existent in most cases - as are promotions - the Mario bundle was a step in the right direction but not far enough due to it's limited availability. There is the promise of some good stuff next year - Zelda and a few more I cannot remember.

As for online gaming, with Nintendo its like a "what strategy ? WE don't have a strategy !" attitude. Online Gaming will really take off in March 2003 with the official release of both Sony and Microsoft's online services. Imagine an online Mario Kart, or Mario Party 4 ? Nintendo should get Mario away from plumbing and into broadband pipes PDQ !

In short, the Gamecube is rapidly becoming a rerun of the N64 which should not be happening, but it is, and Nintendo as usual - despite promises to the contrary - doesn't care about the situation in Europe, where recent sales figures show the GC is doing a Custer's Last Stand.

Just over 5 months, and it's gone like this already. Pathetic, and Nintendo knows it. The Gamecube is a great machine with excellent ideas - the Wavebird in particular - but there are not enough games to back it up. I've got;

Luigi's Mansion
WaveRace
Tony Hawk's 3
Super Smash Bros
Eternal Darkness
Timespitters 2
NBA 2002
Burnout
Super Mario Sunshine
Pikmin
James Bond
Rogue Leader

And I traded in Resident Evil.

I can honestly say there are no games out right now that I want until Starfox. Even when I had a PS2 from it's launch there were always games coming out that I wanted. I've had an Xbox for a week, and there are loads of games I want for that.

Nintendo are being left behind, they need to get in gear and actually bother to fight for sales this Christmas, not sit back and lose.

~~Belldandy~~

Unless you live in the States or you opt to import your GC games, then the GC's christmas is abysmal IMO. Aside from Starfox Adventures, which I didn't particularly enjoy, there isn't much coming out this year.

They need to get there act together. Fast.

Untitled wrote:
> yeah but look at the games available on x box live! there crap. at
> least nintendo have phantasy star online

So does XBox.

Untitled wrote:
> yeah but look at the games available on x box live! there crap. at
> least nintendo have phantasy star online

I'm sorry, but that's too much of a Ninty fanboy attitude.

You're seriously telling me that Unreal Championship, Ghost Recon, Mech Assault, Moto GP are all rubbish ? And that Counter Strike, Global Swat, Halo 2, Madden NFL 2003 and the whole lot of others are going to be similarly bad ?

Yeah right....

Think you'll find that when NGC and NOM have previewed Phantasy Star that the first release is offline only as well, and out of Titawhirl's list;

> F-Zero - Should be good
> Lylatwars - Starfox with NAMCO at the helm, should be good also
> Metroid Prime - Definitely a winner, but will have to go some to beat TS2
> Zelda - a winner
> 1080 white Storm - not convinced
> Animal Crossing - too weird for mass appeal even if it is good
> Resident Evil 0 - will be good
> Resi 3, 2 and Code Veronica - rehashed N64, PSone, DC games
> Phantasy Star Online 1+2 - more like Phantasy Stat Notonline
> Wario World - Won't be as good as Sunshine
> Galleon - been in development so long its bound to suck now
> Hitman 2 - wasn't exactly spellbinding on the other formats so....
> XIII - rubbish - is already being slated in other format press
> Donkey Kong - This is nothing more than a vague rumour
> Baldurs Gate - old
> Soul Calibur 2 - good
> Broken Sword 3 - tedious
> Settlers 4 - boring

Mario Kart has no screenshots, and no release date, NOM had been saying RARE were doing it for Xmas 2003 - clearly wishful thinking no ? When Nintendo lost Rare they lost Perfect Dark, Kameo (now Fable) Banjo+Kazooie, and the brightest development team, if not the slowest, in the UK. They should not have let them go at any cost.

As for the big Ninty Christmas announcement - it'll be too little too late. People are buying consoles for christmas now, and if they're not they're set on which they will buy. I'm getting tired of Nintendo always holding back with announcements like they're some kind of gaming gods - if you've got something to say then say it and give GC owners something to look forward to, we can't all wait while you dither around.

~~Belldandy~~

Belldandy wrote:
> Next year we have
> F-Zero - Great Racer
> Lylatwars - Can't Miss
> Metroid Prime - GOTY
> Zelda - GOTY

Too bad they come in out the same year

> 1080 white Storm - 1080 was briliant, I expect the same
> Animal Crossing - Buying Freeloader just for this.
> Resident Evil 0 - Brilliant
> Resi 3, 2 and Code Veronica - Same as above
> Phantasy Star Online 1+2 - No comment
> Wario World - Supposedly not looking good
> Galleon - Brilliant
> Hitman 2 - Supposedly graet on other formats, why not?
> XIII - Looking good
> Donkey Kong - Another one I can't miss
> Baldurs Gate - No Comment
> Soul Calibur 2 - Looks good
> Broken Sword 3 - No Comment
> Settlers 4 - No Comment

Remember, all of these are just suggestions though I'd say they're pretty accurate, I'm going to need to win GAD a lot next year...

yeah but look at the games available on x box live! there crap. at least nintendo have phantasy star online

Nope it's not the Nintendo Possy way. We use computers to train our arms, skills and reflexes.

You remember.

The first rule of the Nintendo Possy is....

Surely street would be a brick or a broken bottle?

Yeah like that, beat it into you. Only of course with fists because were all street round here.

Starlight wrote:
> You're right, you forgot Mario Kart. I think you deserve to be
> punched.
>
> Twice.

*Kicks Andy in the face twice*

A bit like that?

You're right, you forgot Mario Kart. I think you deserve to be punched.

Twice.