N'Trouble

[Diff-chan]

Originally posted by MechDeus
Get enough friends together and even Daikatana becomes fun.

You also need a crack pipe. And crack. A lot of it.

[Omni]

Originally posted by MechDeus
Get enough friends together and even Daikatana becomes fun. The game itself only needs to be not mind-numbingly boring in order for such a thing to have happen (re: Sonic Shuffle), which is how Goldeneye and Halo became popular. Not because they were excellent games, but because playing multiplayer required everyone to be right there.

That's not true. I don't like Time Splitters 2, therefore playing Time Splitters 2 is not fun for me, regardless of how many people are playing.

I'm not saying Smash Bros. is an excellent game, and I can certainly see why some people would call it simplistic, but it's still fun to play, and I like having fun.

Mammoscott, I'm dling it right now.

EDIT: that winrar page doesn't open.

[Mamoscott]

Originally posted by OmniGear
EDIT: that winrar page doesn't open.

Sorry, try this.

http://www.rarsoft.com/download.htm

[Omni]

Nice video. He can throw weapons with the best of 'em.

[Johnny Nighttrain]

Originally posted by diffusionx
Andrew, Nintendo isn't in any danger NOW, but what about in a decade, if their profits keep shrinking they like are doing?

Yes, Nintendo has enough money to stay in business for a long time with their current strategy, but it's clearly not working, they're not really getting any new fans, and the problem will probably only get worse as time goes on (after all, they werent seeing 58% drops in profit during the N64 years). Nintendo runs the risk of slowly driving themselves into irrelevance... as great as Zelda is, it isn't the powerhouse it was 5 or 10 years ago. The game industry seems to be outgrowing Nintendo... they're not struggling now, but what could happen in the future?

While Miyamato is doing "garden" projects like Pikmin that don't sell and don't move systems, people are buying PlayStation2s for GTA and Xboxes for Halo. All the while Nintendo's profits are shrinking - 58% is a HUGE drop. HUGE! No matter what way you look at it... HUGE!

They have to change up their strategy significantly if they still want to be competitive a decade from now. It's really as simple as that.

yeah, he pretty much nailed everything there.

if Nintendo doesn't find a new audience soon, they're gonna be fucked next generation. sure they'll be able to afford to make another console, but it won't have enough of a market share to stay alive. Nintendo might be able to survive this blow if it happens (which seems very likely) if they can maintain their foothold in the handheld market.
but their spot in the console industry would pretty much be gone. it hurts to say it, but i don't think they're gonna be able to compete sales wise next generation unless they really do a complete 180 with their image, and change their game plan. the only way they're gonna be able to survive is to throw a good chunk of all their money into getting some serious exclusives. Madden, Square Enix, GTA seems out of the question.

unless there's some huge huge huge 3rd party support at launch, Nintendo's gonna have to start thinking about what they're gonna do with the rest of their money.
if this really goes down, they better use that money to transcend their market while it's still theirs, and hope they can keep that foothold.

Originally posted by Andrew
7 billion ain't going anywhere, though. Especially when they make a profit on EVERY console they sell. So right now they have a secure business plan. It won't pay dividends like Sony is getting from its mainstream publicity, but it also won't make them go under like Sega. (ZING to most on the board )

that's the thing though, they'll have a shit load of money from GameCube and GBA, but what good is it to invest all that money into a product that they can't sell?
they'll be able to to survive im sure, but they'll have to pull out early if anything.

Originally posted by gamevet
That's why I think they need to pull a Sony, either this generation or next. Buy exclusive content that will surely garner a more adult audience. Nintendo does'nt need to buy a company, but outright buy some exlcusivity, even if it means a 3 year deal. What would happen to PS3 or Xbox next, if say Nintendo were to buy exclusive EA support for the next 3 years? Just the EA sports titles would be enough to sway the casual gamer over to the Nintendo console. Back it up with a solid online package (Free the first 2 years) and just outright buy the market.

see, that's good thinking. they need to aim for either EA, or Square Enix. still, i think having good third party support at launch would still be a big factor. although if Nintendo got something this big, im sure developers would be more then willing.

Originally posted by Mzo
How about this... let's just say Nintendo's as kiddy as people say they are (which they aren't...) Isn't it kinda selfish to expect Nintendo to cater their games to your tastes, just because you "grew up?" (become overly concerned by how others perceive you instead of just having fun is closer to the truth... that isn't growing up) Do you also expect Disney to start making dark, bloody epics instead of their Disney cartoons because you outgrew them?

Nintendo is still making the best games around, and they're still making money. Only problem they have is a lack of 3rd party support, which they're starting to take baby steps to fix. The games they make are just fine the way they are.

Also, I love Miyamoto's quote in EGM:
"Nintendo does not make violent games like [Grand Theft Auto]... We need to find something that is a substitute for [GTA] in terms of a game that sells. It's our mission to find an alternative that is unique and nonviolent."

Smart and classy.

see, the only way i could see this working is if they went full force kiddy system. trying to please everyone didn't seem to work for them on GameCube. RE didn't do much, Madden didn't do much, i don't think MGS will help much, and im sure Crystal Chronicles isn't gonna do much either.
i love my indigo GameCube, and i think the design of the system is excellent, and im sure people bought a lot of black GameCubes, but what did they do?
if Nintendo doesn't have a slick console at launch for the adult market, i dunno, they're pretty much fucked.
Nintendo really is gonna have to do a huge 180 with just about everything except for game development if they want to have any chance of gaining market share again.

[DarkCrow676]

The average gamer couldn't care less about consistent quality for a console. They want what's cool and available. They believe only the hype. You want an example? Try convincing most people that Prime isn't a FPS.

This is very sad but true. There are many gamers out there that dont play the GC becuase it doesnt interest them, but then there area ton of people who don't play the GC becuase "It has kiddyy games" or "The controller is so gay". They automaticly dismiss it because it is not the cool thing to play. I thought Animal Crossing was a great gam, but I wasnt willing to play it enough to get the full experience so I sold it to a friend. So many people bash for having bought Animal Crossing. People don't understand that a game doesn't have to have blood, sex, cussing to make a game fun. Now sure there are games out there like that that are fun. My whole point is that Nintendo is the only system out there that is different from the rest and thats what makes the GC my favorite.

[Drewbacca]

Originally posted by gamevet
Yeah right!

That $8 billion a year industry includes hardware and accessory sales. I doubt EA even makes $1 billion of that.


This will give you an idea of how well the top selling titles of a year make out. In Japan at least.

www.the-magicbox.com/Chart-BestSell2002b.htm


Nintendo had 14 titles in the top 100 in Japan, of the top 10 titles of 2002 there, only 8 of them sold over a million units. If EA were to sell 10, million unit selling games at a profit of $25 each, they would still only make about 250 million in profit.

Market share is more than just game profits:

FINANCIALS As of March 1, the stock was trading at $52.31, giving the company a market capitalization of $6.9 billion. Forward P/E ratio was 159.0. Trailing 12-month revenue was $1.3 billion.

source: http://www.redherring.com/mag/issue97/830018883.html

I went a little overboard, but EA is a powerhouse in the industry.

Originally posted by Lucas Barton
that's the thing though, they'll have a shit load of money from GameCube and GBA, but what good is it to invest all that money into a product that they can't sell?
they'll be able to to survive im sure, but they'll have to pull out early if anything.

Why would they, though? If they're turning a profit on their consoles anyway, and not losing money then they have no reason to change. I think that's why they are so slow to change... why bother when there's a chance they'll lose?

Maybe Nintendo just doesn't care about being number one, or how it is ranked. Maybe Nintendo just wants to make games for people who like Nintendo.

I would like to see some turn around, but if nothing happens I'm not going to sweat. I like Nintendo how it is. If they change, I'll still like them. Not that it matters, I own all 3 consoles... so I'm not helping them.

[CorruptedOldGnom(sic)]

I sorta wonder if anyone (read: casuals) would even care if Nintendo revamped their strategy.

[Drewbacca]

Originally posted by CorruptedOldGnom(sic)
I sorta wonder if anyone (read: casuals) would even care if Nintendo revamped their strategy.

Probably. It's all in the attitude and look, my friend. Stupid males will buy anything that they deem is cool. That being said, a total revamp of logo's, system design and company appearance would be in order.

From there, get the system to be played and supported by someone like Vin Deisel or whomeever is popular that guys and girls both like, a like. And you've got your start.

The next step is to make sure you schedule your games out properly. None of this April - July drought, or what have you. Get a good number of launch titles out, then in a month drop another, and another the next month, let Capcom drop one the next month to have all the heat on them, etc.

If people have something to consistently play for the first two year, Nintendo will be back in contension with Sony. No longer could people claim them 'kiddy' or their games lacking at certain points. This is something that Microsoft has failed to do when they could have made an impact in the industry.

A good way to keep people busy is to release games for the gameboy and next-gen system that can be played on both systems. So 2D on the big screen again, that way if someone releases something like Final Fantasy Tactics or something like that, you can play at home and when you're out........ saves batteries too.

Nintendo has to make some changes, but they could pull ahead of Microsoft. It takes this, and a pinch of luck too.... damn that bag of luck! Where is it when you want it, anyway?

[Diff-chan]

Originally posted by Mzo
HA HA HA HA! That's funny.

How about this... let's just say Nintendo's as kiddy as people say they are (which they aren't...) Isn't it kinda selfish to expect Nintendo to cater their games to your tastes, just because you "grew up?" (become overly concerned by how others perceive you instead of just having fun is closer to the truth... that isn't growing up) Do you also expect Disney to start making dark, bloody epics instead of their Disney cartoons because you outgrew them?

No, because kids still love Disney cartoons. Ive moved on, maybe, but kids love Disney still (even then, thats not totally true - isnt Disney starting to put more effort into CG movies like Pixar? Theyre changing). HOWEVER, less people seem to be buying Nintendo than ever before. The market seems to be demanding that Nintendo change. Such is the way of a free market.

A better analogy than Disney would be the 1980s automobile market. The American car companies were getting slaughtered because people preffered smaller Japanese cars to American gas guzzlers. If American companies didn't evolve, they would've been toast. Simple as that.