If You Were Nintendo

[Kinopio]

A lot of their current needs are being addressed by moves that have already been made but have not yet taken full effect.
For instance
-New development studio in Tokyo
-Developing arcade hits
-keeping old franchises fresh by handing them to talented outside developers
-promote upcoming games as well as current ones

The reason the PS2 ran away with this generation was because of 2 main things:
1. A year head start
2. Having the "it" game

Nintendo can easily eliminate #1, but #2 is a different story.

For once, Nintendo is not the trendsetter. They only know how to start trends, not take advantage of established ones. They need to change this.

[Bacon McShig]

New marketing team. GC and GBA ads are okay, but nothing about them stands out, for the most part... case in point, the F-Zero commercial currently airing. A teen is playing F-Zero in a teched-out room. While it's a great commercial aesthetically, nothing about it is memorable. Give them a laugh or two, a good little catch phrase, SOMEthing that'll make sure the ad doesn't just leave the viewers' minds as quickly as it entered.

Another great move marketing-wise would be to lease out public ad space... billboards, posters at mass transit stations, at stadiums, etc. have more daily impressions in a day than having an ad in every gaming magazine does in a month. I can't for the life of me figure out why more game companies don't do this... If Cletus's Rib Shack can afford one, Nintendo can. And they wouldn't even necessarily have to put them in high-lease locations. Use a little strategy... instead of putting a billboard in the middle of the city, put it in the suburbs that people take a detour through to get to the city. Instead of the middle of a college town, put it right outside a major thoroughfare that the students will pass by going in and out of town. It's so simple, probably a lot cheaper than TV ads, yet it'd get SO many impressions.

And lastly, make sure the spokespeople inspire confidence. I've seen too many interviews with important people within Nintendo that acknowledge GC's hardships in the current console war... now, yeah, it's true, but if you just shout it out to everyone straight from the horses's mouth, you're raising a big ol' red flag in the heads of potential GC owners. Maintain the position that things are going fine, assure people that things are looking up for the company, and NEVER EVER admit defeat. Confidence is infectious, but so is the lack of it.

Once they get those items down, I think everything else would fall into place a little easier. Those exclusives (and 3rd party games in general) will be easier to procure when GC sales show an upwards trend, and the above is the best bet towards that.

[stormy]

it's all about getting the 3rd parties back with heavy exclusive support. Everything else is secondary.

[Drewbacca]

I'd buy SquareEnix. I still think this is one of the most important keystones in the console race. Everybody wants Square support and will buy it in mass amounts. Buy them, give them freedom and you'll be rewarded.

so basically, mature games and marketting is Nintendo's BIG problem right now.

I love Mario, and thought Mario Sunshine was a good game. But as good as it is, I don't think any common gamer would have wanted Mario Sunshine over Dead to Rights or MGS or Final Fantasy.

If you don't get SquareEnix exclusive, try to coax over some franchises to your system like Chrono.

The one problem would be that if you bought out SquareEnix, you'd have to give incentives to their employees. Sometimes when mergers or buyouts occur talented employees will quit based on the fear of not having the same freedom or working on crippled systems.

For Gamecube 2, I'd get their input and take it seriously.

(I'd also wouldn't title it the Gamecube)

[Adrian]

-Sega, Namco and Capcom have seen far better days. Nintendo should continue to develop relationships with them and try to get them exclusive for next generation.

-Following on from the above, they should promote the hell put of their Triforce arcade system. It's a LOVELY piece of kit, Nintendo should attempt to make it as ubiquitous as the Naomi is.

-Nintendo should make arcade games. Made in Wario would be PERFECT, F-Zero and Donkey Konga is a good start though.

-Scrap that connectivity bullshit. Noone gives a shit about it, except Miyamoto.

-Be less damn kiddy and outright puerile. Sorry but Mario Sunshine and the new Mario Kart are 5 year old territory.

-Make Wario their new mascot.

-Pokemon MMORPG. nuff said.

[Johnny Nighttrain]

I don't think any common gamer would have wanted Mario Sunshine over Dead to Rights or MGS or Final Fantasy.

funny how all those games are on GameCube (regardless of how you feel about the versions that they got).

if they're gonna go at it alone, they're already on the right path. like Kinopio said, they've made all the right changes, they're just gonna take a while to take effect since it's a bit too late for the GameCube to gain any more serious market share.

im sure the design of their next console will be along the lines of the SP. really, Nintendo realizes what has to be done. 3rd party developers (the ones that matter atleast), are all on the bandwagon, and giving great exclusive support.

really, what i think it comes down to here, is that if the GameCubes design was different, and sleek ala SP, things would be quite a bit different.
there's always next round though. that would should be quite interesting no less since for once, they're going to compete on every level.

i think they should give it one more go. at this point, they're doing everything that we could want, although the online gaming is getting off to a jokingly slow start. oh, and another thing regardling online plans. Phantasy Star Online Episode III, Mario Kart, and what seems like Battlefield 1942 is a bit weak, but atleast they're all games that you could play the shit out of. having serious online killer apps is much better then just having a few decent online games like what's on PS2 or xbox right now.

really, though, they just need to have a sleek console design for their next hardware, launch with one big mature title, and a Mario game. that right there should really show that Nintendo caters to all ages.
like i said, come next life cycle, all the changes they've made will be in full effect, and should really start to shine. they'll have all the 3rd party support they'll need, not to mention enough 1st/2nd party stuff coming out. they really are on the right track, it's just gonna take some time. just watch, come 2005(6), we'll be seeing a completely new Nintendo.

if for some fucked up reason shit doesn't work out for them next life cycle, a partnership with Microsoft would be in their best interest.

[Calliander]

SpoDaddy would disagree with you all.

Hehe. And I know this for a fact.

[GameHED]

If no body gave a damn about other people watching them play games with bright colors, Nintendo would sell a ton of software and systems.

I wouldn't have a problem doing this but you can't help but feel a little childish on public transport playing a the GBA (the colourful stuff is dangerous people can see you) on a train.

It's not self esteem so much as gamers have grown up into the adult world and want there to be a smooth transition. (from toy to sleek electronic gadget) All the people who weren't embarrassed as kids playing around with colors back then, will be embarrassed now as adults doing it. We're paving the way for the next generation of adult gamers who will no longer be seen as looking silly playing games.

Its just too nerdy to be seen by peers to be playing GBA games in public in full view. People are too scared to try it and I bet most gba players (who aren't kids) play thier gba at home anyway because they are too scared. People just want a 'sophisticated' look. (nothing wrong with them, all thier other gear looks boring and uniform: pcs, mobiles, speaker systems etc) I mean come on man, GC had a handle for little kids so they wouldn't drop it because in case it was too big for thier little hands. What does that say to the average adult male with one?

It may not actually matter to the serious gamer but my point is the subconscious association of the kid image with the actual machine's games. ..which..has an effect on the mainstream and to the know-nothing saleperson who wants to market the thing to the brand/image-conscious customer. People buy based on brand and image, not knowing quality or specs... or.... in some cases; actually knowing them, but just choosing to not factor them in as heavily into thier decisions and going for image just to stay cool with the group they hang with. The purple makeup kit resemblance scares them off. People who have the money and disposable income (adults?) tend to be more likely 'impulse' buyers who don't want research stuff. So if nintendo change that aspect on the surface, (nobodys saying they have to give up 'fun') they may tap into the masses. (they have already been trying on the software front: ED and securing the Residient Evil series and all that)

[MVS]

If I was Nintendo, I would be sitting in an office and bringing in the whores and pills en masse, while I said whatever I wanted and walked with an air of superiority.

Basically, I'd be Yamauchi. Pretty much.

[Mzo]

Basically, I'd be Yamauchi. Pretty much.

That's hilarious.

I'd keep doing exactly what they've been doing. If they started putting out more games for the Cube, or if they started regularly making good games on the Xbox, I wouldn't be able to keep up financially.