It's Nintendo! And they're winning me back!

The Game Room
1

This year my Wii will finally be getting some play time. As Wii is the only consoles I own, I’ve been starved for some ‘real games’ for quite some time now. Nintendo recently held a Media Summit that showed off some of their efforts for the first half of this year. And it’s pretty impressive.

Metroid Other M, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Sin & Punishment, Monster Hunter Tri, Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands… all coming the first half of this year.

Of course, I wish some of these games had come along earlier so my wallet wouldn’t take such a direct hit, and I found** New Super Mario Bros.** to be uninspiring. Galaxy 2 is a MUST for me, as I still play the first game a lot. **Sin & Punishment **and Monster hunter both look fun, Not sure which of each I will get, if either. The **Metroid **franchise looks very fresh, and I’m glad it’s not part of the “Prime” series. If it plays as good as it looks, I may have to scrape some cash together.

There’s also a lot of cool WiiWare games on the way.

It’s about time Nintendo caters to it’s ‘core’ crowd, since even a Nintendo, (and Mario), fanatic like me are starting to think about other options come next generation. I can only afford one system each generation, so I would expect some old Mario loyalists looking elsewhere when games like **Wii Fit **and Wii Music seem to be the focus.

Is it too little, too late? I don’t know. I still don’t have an HD TV, so that’s not a problem for me. The graphics are looking dated though. But I personally think **Metroid **and **Mario **look very pretty. Due to lack of cash, I’ll have to skip out on the ‘new’ DS iteration and wait for DS 2. I also expect to do the same if Wii comes out with an HD system.

All this and third party games like Red Steel 2 and** Epic Mickey **make me wonder if the core gaming community will for embrace Nintendo once more. PS3, PC and 360 have spoiled them, (and I totally see why). I can’t wait to see what the second half of this year brings;

cough **Zelda **cough.

2

Is it even possible for Nintendo to create a successful new IP? It’s been the same shit for 3 generations now: Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Mario, Mario, Zelda, Pokemon, Mario, Mario, Smash Bros, Mario, Metroid.

Sorry man but it’s far too little far too late for Nintendo to regain the core gamer market. They lost us back in the early years of the Gamecube. The only way for N to win back the core gamer market is for them to finally LISTEN to that market and give us what WE want instead of what NINTENDO wants 1) HD and 2) real online gaming. This would allow 360/PS3 caliber games to actually be ported to a Nintendo platform and retain the presentation that everyone wants nowadays. Core gamers also do not want to use motion controllers, be it Wiimotes, PS Wands or Natal.

I’m glad you’ll have some new games to play though.

3

Are you joking? Nintendo OWNS the core gamer market…

Mario Kart Wii - 9 million
New Super Mario Bros. Wii - 5.5 million
Super Smash Bros. Brawl - 5 million
Super Mario Galaxy - 4.5 million
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock - 3 million
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - 3 million
Guitar Hero: World Tour - 2.5 million

Oh, I’m sorry, you were confusing “core gamer” with “games that appeal to people who only own PS3/Xbox 360”

4

I agree, but I would call them “sh*t”. And New IP’s came in the form of Wii Fill-In-The-Blank. But I do agree that it would be nice to see something totally different for core gamers.

First off, why are you sorry? Second, I wouldn’t say they lost core gamers with Gamecube. I know most of the core gamers got a PS2, and perhaps an X-Box over the GC, but I know plenty of core gamers with a Wii. They may not use it a lot, but a lot of them have it, (along with another system). It depends on the gamer. I would also argue that Wii’s motion controls may not be what many gamers want, but how do we know the PS Wand and Natal – or some other means of motion controls – aren’t going to be cool? Sure people may be rolling there eyes now, but people do that every time something new comes along. The DS for example. You might be right, but it’s too soon for me to tell, and I’m not going to venture to guess what gamers will say once either is applied to a killer application.

Thanks! :slight_smile:

5

+1

Some of us couldn’t care less about “real online gaming” and I will probably hang onto my SDTV for a while longer as it’s still good for pretty much everything but playing Dead Rising or Mass Effect 2, it’s just not as “purty”.

But then I guess I’m not a [del]true scotsman[/del] core gamer if that’s my stance.

As for motion controls, I’m not a huge fan, but sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. Metroid Prime Trilogy is a great example of them working. The games play a lot more intuitively with the remote and nunchuk than they did with a control pad. On the other hand, Twilight Princess, holy crap, give me the GameCube version over that any day. Talk about being tacked on with no reason other than novelty.

6

This makes me smile.

It’s a broadening of the console market (even further). They want Joe Schmoe playing their dumbed down casual games because for every hardcore gamer there’ 5 Joe Schmoes. There’s more money to be made by appealing to a more casual laid back market. These are the guys that want to play with a “beer in one hand”, and will hit “B” as fast as they can whenever dialogue more complex than “Shoot me Biatch!” pops up.

And don’t think Sony and Microsoft aren’t watching what’s happening with nintendo. Expect their next platforms to only increase slightly in technological advancement and feature gimmicky motion controls with gimmicky casual games.

7

Does new IP even matter when it’s mostly just variations on the same shit? Shooter, shooter, shooter, shooter with an rpg element, racing game, shooter.

Just because a game doesn’t use a new IP doesn’t preclude it from being original and innovative. See: Mario Galaxy.

Also, Wii Sports and the like was a pretty ballsy new IP (something that’s hard for some to appreciate in retrospect).

8

I do think it’s possible that Nintendo may lose some long-time customers due to long droughts to these specific types of games, and lack of 3rd Party efforts, or interest in 3rd party software.

People often argue that 3rd Parties don’t try hard enough to make good Wii games; While others argue it would be a waist of time. Games that are on all three platforms tend be more successful on the HD systems. However games like, Tiger Woods and Guitar Hero still do well.

I wonder if people who have a Wii would bother sticking with Nintendo next gen. I wonder how 3rd parties feel about developing for the next Wii. How do you think they’re going to appeal to the ultra casual market with a brand new system? Wii Sports and Wii Fit are system sellers for some people, but I doubt many of those people are willing to get a beefed up machine just to play the next round of Wii Sports and Wii Fit.

I think Nintendo has to find another way to differentiate themselves next generation, with a pack-in game like Wii Sports that shows users it’s broad appeal.

9

What is the most recent successful new series from Nintendo? So much seems to be Zelda, Metroid, and of course, Mario.

10

Other than Wii Sports and Wii Fit?

Pikmin maybe. Nintendogs. Battalion Wars Wii. I heard Nintendo renewed the licence to Eternal Darkness, which was developed by a company that’s working for Microsoft. Luigi’s Mansion, (if that counts).
There are a lot of old series that haven’t been around in a while, like Kid Icarus, Wave Race, Pilotwings…

11

I do with that Eternal Darkness could become a series of theirs. However, isn’t it created by a company outside Nintendo?

12

I don’t think Silicon Nights owns the rights. All I know is that Nintendo renewed the trademark, (so says IGN and NeoGaf). It would be interesting to see if the vitality sensor was used for a game like that.

13

Online play isn’t nearly as important or fun as people are making it out to be. At least not on consoles. With all the cussing and screaming ten year olds, all the glitching/modding/hacking, and all the lag… online play isn’t anything you should be bragging about as a major feature. The online experience on consoles, at least with the big games people actually play, is remarkably pathetic and uninviting. It’s a giant portrait of the some of the worst humanity has to offer, and unless you join in, it just isn’t fun. And every passing game/year/generation it gets worse. I can’t believe I now look back on the travesty that was SOCOM II online with longing and nostalgia.

All of the most fun times I’ve had playing console games multiplayer were all in the same room. No online required. The Wii seems to do that the best.

14

My experiences exactly. I really wish companies would stop promoting “Multiplayer” as, for most games, it’s not a “positive” aspect of the game IMHO.

15

Yeah. They should all follow Nintendo’s lead and just not offer online multiplayer at all, then you wouldn’t even have to see it listed on the box. All game companies should decide what we want to do for us like Nintendo does and take the stress of choosing whether to play online with friends or play in HD off of our burdened shoulders. :rolleyes:

16

From a purely business standpoint, Nintendo was right about HD. It has brought Sony and Microsoft nothing but grief and lost money in development costs. As a business deciding what will bring in the most profit, it was the right call.

And people seem to forget that Nintendo does offer a very stable online-playing environment. Yes, Friend Codes are annoying and the lack of voice chat is sometimes disappointing. But again, from a business standpoint, dropping out of the constant game of online leapfrog between Sony and Microsoft (while still offering stable online play) is a smart move.

Finally, Jules and Martini are right. Companies need to stop touting online multiplayer as the be all, end all of video gaming because it doesn’t matter for most games out there. Unless your game is titled Halo, CoD or Left 4 Dead, it doesn’t matter.

17

I actually agree with you in this regard. I wish Wii had more online emphasis. I think the same thing, developers should have more options and support there. It’s not a deal breaker for me, but that’s *JUST *me. I think you’re absolutely right… I would like to think the next Nintendo will have more robust online options, and that’s going to be a factor in which system I choose to get.

I also agree with the people who say Wii is the best system for a group to play together. I can bring it to just about any type of get together, and people seriously have a ball with it. Boom Blox is a hit with other people. And anyone can play that.

I also think the Wii’s way overpriced, and has been since it’s release. But I see the initial PS3 $600 price tag, and the 360’s ‘Red Ring of Death’, and think that had a huge impact on the Wii’s success. There are a lot of Wii owners that may have a PC, PS3, or 360… and still want more Nintendo games to play. Because you can’t get the IP’s anywhere else.

18

I don’t know why people get annoyed with Nintendo, I couldn’t care less if they’re incapable of creating new IP’s (though I am greatly amused by it). There’s always going to be plenty of stuff for the hardcore gamers (though I personally think Microsoft should just…not bother with their little console). I would never buy a Wii, because it’s a poor quality console with little to offer me except for repetitive strain injury. But that doesn’t mean I want to hate Nintendo, or be threatened by them.

For every Mario there’s a Heavy Rain. Well, not quite, but near enough.

19

Yeah, because everyone who plays games online goes into the stinking sea of morons and chooses a random game. It -is- possible to play these games online with people you KNOW, you know. :stuck_out_tongue:

That’s great and all, but the people who are most likely to play games other than Boomblox (bored of it, sorry) with me don’t even live in the same state, and several not even in the same time zone, so the “you should just get together and play with your friends” line is kinda tired by now.

Nintendo has a darn good play on their hands - they were probably right about HD, and, well, the motion controller was a big hit with…uh… people who are not gamers by nature. Which happens to be a really large market. So from a business standpoint, they hit a homerun. Congrats to them. They probably needed after their last couple of consoles. It’s nice that they can stay in the game.

That said, the Wii isn’t for me. The motion controls drive me batty, and I’ve -never- been a Nintendo fan, particularly. I deeply enjoyed the original Metroid and then lost track of the franchise. Mario never had a hold on me at all. Zelda was fun, but the fact is that I never owned an SNES and never looked back. All their venerable IPs hold little appeal to me, and there’s really not much else on the system that I want. Of the list in the OP, the only one that interests me is The Other M (Though I’ve not heard of Sin and Punishment).

Already own a 360. Will probably get a PS3 when the price drops again, or if Atlus releases a Persona title for it. :stuck_out_tongue: No Wii in the foreseeable future. Maybe when they do a WiiHD in 4 years or whatever, but… meh.

20

Speaking from a PC gamer point of view, it’s pretty difficult to do that without joining clans and guilds and generally having to make some sort of “commitment” to the game.

But if you’ve just purchased a copy of the latest “popular” FPS and decide to jump online (because that’s one of the major features of the game, remember!), then you’re going to discover pretty quickly that Jules Andre isn’t exaggerating.