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I know that Nintendo have made their mistakes with hardware. The Virtual Boy, and the 64DD to name just 2. Some might even say that the N64 wasn't the machine that it should have been, especially from a developers point of view.
But with software?
I can't really comment on anything pre-SNES, I don't have the memory to, but I can honestly say that I have never been disappointed by a game that Nintendo have been involved in the development of.
Conkers Bad Fur Day would never have been the game it is if it wasn't for the attitude of Nintendo and Rare. We would have probably got an average game called Conker: Pocket Tales. Refusing to put out a title that might be seen as second rate, it underwent a complete make-over.
Retro Studies have been handed the Metroid license, and the cost of this? Nintendo's eyes over their shoulders. The game wasn't quite looking like the title it should have been, so Retro Studies have moved more people into the team, and made some major changes.
Now what if all developers had this attitude? Prefering to scrap a couple of years of work, rather than ship shoddy games? Imagine every game on the shelf had met the approval of extremely high standards!
Trouble is, developers would lose a fortune, and would have to put the price of a great game up. So we either have a few great titles on our shelves, that are really expensive, or lots of software at affordable prices but much of it of dubious quality.
But with software?
I can't really comment on anything pre-SNES, I don't have the memory to, but I can honestly say that I have never been disappointed by a game that Nintendo have been involved in the development of.
Conkers Bad Fur Day would never have been the game it is if it wasn't for the attitude of Nintendo and Rare. We would have probably got an average game called Conker: Pocket Tales. Refusing to put out a title that might be seen as second rate, it underwent a complete make-over.
Retro Studies have been handed the Metroid license, and the cost of this? Nintendo's eyes over their shoulders. The game wasn't quite looking like the title it should have been, so Retro Studies have moved more people into the team, and made some major changes.
Now what if all developers had this attitude? Prefering to scrap a couple of years of work, rather than ship shoddy games? Imagine every game on the shelf had met the approval of extremely high standards!
Trouble is, developers would lose a fortune, and would have to put the price of a great game up. So we either have a few great titles on our shelves, that are really expensive, or lots of software at affordable prices but much of it of dubious quality.
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Pardon, but I really can't understand the notion of EVER buying any Tomb Raider game: Core can go bankrupt for all I care. Frankly they're not any good; if they featured a cute, furry squirrel rather than buxom Lara Croft, would anyone play them? Doubtful. My eight-year-old cousin, a dedicated gamer in his own right, played the first Tomb Raider, called me, and asked me how "such crap could ever be made". I told him to look at Lara and imagine her on a poster; he got the point and either threw the game away or sold it.
Mario Party must be very good aswell.
The time about family games.... that's why Shigsy Miyamoto loves Samba de Amigo- it is probably the only game that woman would pick up and love!
SonicRav
SonicRav
These companies that know a game is not that great can still sell it to the general public via promotions.
A game with Standees, posters, adverts and hype... will sell extremely well and it doesn't matter that much that the game is good or bad, Mr Bloggs (sorry) will always be tempted to buy it because he has seen the advert and it is better then the game with no promotion like Rollcage which is infact the better game compared to Tomb Raider IIII with the millions of pounds on promotion.
Games Companies know that bad games can sell and they can make a profit if they put a certain amount into the promotional area of the game. I didn't see that promotional for Zelda: MM, I saw a lot for SmackDown2.
Which is better?
Most games companies dont care about us, because we are the real gamers of today and the future, they care about releasing the game to the 'average Joe' on the street, and they just simply want to make there money back or to cover some of the lost investment.
A game with Standees, posters, adverts and hype... will sell extremely well and it doesn't matter that much that the game is good or bad, Mr Bloggs (sorry) will always be tempted to buy it because he has seen the advert and it is better then the game with no promotion like Rollcage which is infact the better game compared to Tomb Raider IIII with the millions of pounds on promotion.
Games Companies know that bad games can sell and they can make a profit if they put a certain amount into the promotional area of the game. I didn't see that promotional for Zelda: MM, I saw a lot for SmackDown2.
Which is better?
Most games companies dont care about us, because we are the real gamers of today and the future, they care about releasing the game to the 'average Joe' on the street, and they just simply want to make there money back or to cover some of the lost investment.
I dount there are many compaines that can REALLY afford to put games on the shelf and not feel quite a bit dent in their profits...
However I suspect that is more the distributers fault rather than the development houses in most cases (EA rushed release of Ultima 9)
Producing dodgy games can be really damaging to a software houses credability... I never look twice at any Cyro title... and before Tomb Raiser, CORE produced games that were a best mediocre... and have pretty much returned to that standard ever since...
However I suspect that is more the distributers fault rather than the development houses in most cases (EA rushed release of Ultima 9)
Producing dodgy games can be really damaging to a software houses credability... I never look twice at any Cyro title... and before Tomb Raiser, CORE produced games that were a best mediocre... and have pretty much returned to that standard ever since...
Out of the companies rushing in for the crown, Nintendo is far and away the one I recognize and respect the most. Nintendo's President Yamauchi may be insane, but at least he's driven to make Nintendo successful and utilizing the right attitude also: It's all about the games. He makes a point of saying that a couple of times in the last interview I read with him, when asked about the X-Box and PS2, stating that the addition of a DVD player is a cheap way of trying to find incentive for buyers. That is, rather than just making really great games. In essence, it comes across that he sees adding DVD capabilities as distractionary, meant to keep people from noticing, "Hey, there aren't that many good games on this thing." He may be right; I really don't know.
As for how expensive it is to redo a game: This is actually less an issue with the Gamecube. [On the PS2, something like it might bankrupt a company.] The reason is that it's so easy to develop for, according to most experts and developers. This is why I don't worry about Dinosaur Planet being shifted for Gamecube release, because I doubt Nintendo will let it fail. There's been too big a buzz about it already, and the same goes with Metroid. Nintendo's dedication to quality software is actually one of the major reasons why I may be breaking my rule about never buying game systems at launch; in fact, they may force me to do it twice, with the Advance and the Cube. I believe that's why, eventually, Nintendo will typically end up atop the field: They've heritage, a long heritage, in this industry, including such phenomenal systems as the SNES and GameBoy. Even the N64, troubled with development difficulties, was still a nice system.
And I'm sorry, but Rare is phenomenal: The variety of games they're able to produce for Nintendo is staggering.
As for how expensive it is to redo a game: This is actually less an issue with the Gamecube. [On the PS2, something like it might bankrupt a company.] The reason is that it's so easy to develop for, according to most experts and developers. This is why I don't worry about Dinosaur Planet being shifted for Gamecube release, because I doubt Nintendo will let it fail. There's been too big a buzz about it already, and the same goes with Metroid. Nintendo's dedication to quality software is actually one of the major reasons why I may be breaking my rule about never buying game systems at launch; in fact, they may force me to do it twice, with the Advance and the Cube. I believe that's why, eventually, Nintendo will typically end up atop the field: They've heritage, a long heritage, in this industry, including such phenomenal systems as the SNES and GameBoy. Even the N64, troubled with development difficulties, was still a nice system.
And I'm sorry, but Rare is phenomenal: The variety of games they're able to produce for Nintendo is staggering.
Obviously not often enough.
Some developers have integrity and pride in their work, and can afford to drop a stinker of a game.
Others either don't so much care, or can't afford to drop the game, so release it hoping to at least get some of hteir money back.
Then it depends on the game. A movie license will oftwen sell well, but then again, how many classic games are there based on movies?
Some developers have integrity and pride in their work, and can afford to drop a stinker of a game.
Others either don't so much care, or can't afford to drop the game, so release it hoping to at least get some of hteir money back.
Then it depends on the game. A movie license will oftwen sell well, but then again, how many classic games are there based on movies?
Designers do it all the time...
Dungeon Keep 3 has been written and shelved...
Sid Miers Dinosaur Games has recently beed shelved for future reference...
Dungeon Keep 3 has been written and shelved...
Sid Miers Dinosaur Games has recently beed shelved for future reference...
meka you have a point there, developers would lose a fortune, but there would probably gain more money in the long run by making a classic game.
All developers for the PS2 have lost money so far, not one cent of profit! Why? not only was it the fact that only some of the game were above average, it was the fact that there were too many games, with 30+ games at launch the companies would never make any money with these figures.
200,000 PS2 in for launch and if only 50% people buy a game on launch day then there are only 100,000 sold, companies need sales of well over 90000 to make a decent profit and that is on the first week,
If one of those game had been brilliant, and the developers had spent a longer time on it, then I reckon 100% of the buyers of the PS2 would have brought it. then thats 200,000 sales for that game and a small profit for the company, games aren't made over night, and to hold a game back a few months to tweak it a bit isn't a bad thing, developers shouldn't be dreading doing it, but then again they should have never released to the public a stupid release day that would have never been meet.
Games should be concentrated on, I can only really see a few companies doing that in the next few years, and as more and more companies go into meltdown, the real companies will prevail.
Lets hope in future game companies just settle down and work on a game at a time (hint hint to EA)
Thanks for reading
er-no
All developers for the PS2 have lost money so far, not one cent of profit! Why? not only was it the fact that only some of the game were above average, it was the fact that there were too many games, with 30+ games at launch the companies would never make any money with these figures.
200,000 PS2 in for launch and if only 50% people buy a game on launch day then there are only 100,000 sold, companies need sales of well over 90000 to make a decent profit and that is on the first week,
If one of those game had been brilliant, and the developers had spent a longer time on it, then I reckon 100% of the buyers of the PS2 would have brought it. then thats 200,000 sales for that game and a small profit for the company, games aren't made over night, and to hold a game back a few months to tweak it a bit isn't a bad thing, developers shouldn't be dreading doing it, but then again they should have never released to the public a stupid release day that would have never been meet.
Games should be concentrated on, I can only really see a few companies doing that in the next few years, and as more and more companies go into meltdown, the real companies will prevail.
Lets hope in future game companies just settle down and work on a game at a time (hint hint to EA)
Thanks for reading
er-no
Yes Nintendo are very good at software, whatever you give them, their second party developers take on the tasks very well. The licenses indeed are pretty good, RARE now has the Disney licence but that's not as bad as THQ having the Scooby Doo one!
Even they are prepared to make some varied games for different ages, so far nothing for kids has been made for the PS2, looks like it is being aimed at Teenagers and adults, but Nintendo seems always a family thing, most of the games have fun four player games, some have shoot em' ups for the grown, some have the conker BFD's to compensate for the adults.
Mario is the very best character to be created by Nintendo, Nintendo's innovative ideas are paying off, the creation of Banjo and Joanna Dark has created yet another series to the Nintendo classic collection.
Super metroid might not of been released for the N64 but it's been on Nintendo's mind always, no one was up for the task though now with techinal problems out of the way with bigger specs Retro Studios has come in and taken the job as an honour to Nintendo's superb software available.
Even they are prepared to make some varied games for different ages, so far nothing for kids has been made for the PS2, looks like it is being aimed at Teenagers and adults, but Nintendo seems always a family thing, most of the games have fun four player games, some have shoot em' ups for the grown, some have the conker BFD's to compensate for the adults.
Mario is the very best character to be created by Nintendo, Nintendo's innovative ideas are paying off, the creation of Banjo and Joanna Dark has created yet another series to the Nintendo classic collection.
Super metroid might not of been released for the N64 but it's been on Nintendo's mind always, no one was up for the task though now with techinal problems out of the way with bigger specs Retro Studios has come in and taken the job as an honour to Nintendo's superb software available.
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