Mario Baseball

[Cowdisease]

No, the US also got Fire Emblem, Custom Robo and Advance Wars among others for new brands. And it seems to me your complaint isn't so much that Nintendo isn't making new games but rather Nintendo of America is taking less risks in regards to release schedule.

I didn't count Fire Emblem because the series has been around since 1990, the Wars since 1988, and the Robo series in 2000. But you are right. I could have saved myself from some grief by saying "Nintendo didn't bring a lot of new franchises to the Gamecube in the U.S." And this all started because Nintendo decided to whore Mario in a new baseball game.

Fuck you, Nintendo.

[dog$]

Since you want to piss and moan about innovation, show me Microsoft's and Sony's software innovations since 2001.

Sony and Microsoft aren't releasing press statements about how there's a dearth of innovation in today's videogames.

[MVS]

You know, I could actually see myself checking this one out. Maybe this is because normal baseball games bore me to no end.

Interesting...

[StriderKyo]

They should just call all these games Mario Cash Run. Aside from the inspirationally bankrupt concept though, it honestly looks pretty fun. Baseball's a sport that could work well with this type of approach.

Why can't they stop putting Mario in every general-genre game that they make?

Because otherwise nobody would buy it?

We'd still need Mario Play Action Football.

10 Yard Fight was well before Play Action Football.

ICE HOCKEY. i miss that game so much.

Yeah, after Baseball Stars and the Tecmo Bowl games, Ice Hockey was the best 8 bit sports game. Simpler than Blades of Steel, but it didn't have as many goal scoring exploits.

The thing that's going to be a downer for me is they will use the EXACT SAME CHARACTERS found in Mario Golf AND Mario Tennis.

I mean, I don't mind the same core characters, but Mario has a cast of fucking hundreds that would be totally awesome and unique to play in a game like this.

Tennis and Golf are individual sports. Baseball needs 9 guys per team. I don't see how they don't have more characters in it, unless they just say "this is the Bowser team!" And then just have 9 different coloured Bowsers. Which they might because that would be lame, and they're Nintendo. Ever since they changed their motto to "Ruin Everything" during the N64 days, things seem to have gone downhill for them.

[Adman]

Sony and Microsoft aren't releasing press statements about how there's a dearth of innovation in today's videogames.

That and 1st party Sony/Microsoft games aren't the only decent selling games on the respective consoles, unlike Nintendo and the Gamecube.

[jarrod]

I didn't count Fire Emblem because the series has been around since 1990, the Wars since 1988, and the Robo series in 2000.

I just find it a little unbalanced though that you'd disregard these games as not being new due to previous Japanese releases, yet new Japanese properties shouldn't be counted either.

As a western consumer, Nintendo's done plenty of new stuff this gen for you already...

New Brands
-Advance Wars (IntSys) 2001
-Animal Crossing (EAD) 2002
-Custom Robo (Noise) 2004
-Doshin the Giant (EAD) 2002
-Eternal Darkness (Silicon Knights) 2002
-Fire Emblem (IntSys) 2003
-Golden Sun (Camelot) 2001
-Hamtaro (EAD) 2002
-Kururin (Eighting) 2001
-Napoleon (Genki) 2002
-Pikmin (EAD) 2001

New Concepts/Series reusing Old Brands
-Donkey Konga (Namco) 2004
-Kirby Air Ride (HAL) 2003
-Luigi's Mansion (EAD) 2001
-Mario Pinball Land (Fuse) 2004
-Pokémon Channel (Ambrella) 2003
-Wario Ware, Inc. (RD1) 2003

...not to mention their 2005 lineup is loaded with new stuff (Odama, Jam with the Band, Puppy Times, etc). Nintendo's not doing to bad in terms of new content, in fact I'd say they're slightly above average among game publishers in that regard.

That and 1st party Sony/Microsoft games aren't the only decent selling games on the respective consoles, unlike Nintendo and the Gamecube.

Well, that and you're wrong.

[Johnny Undaunted]

10 Yard Fight was well before Play Action Football.

That was Irem's, not Nintendo's.

[Dyne]

MLB Slugfest proved that even in an arcade-type setting, you can't make baseball more "exciting" than it already is. It's just baseball.

i totally agree with Sl1p.......and for that im scared

Why can't they stop putting Mario in every general-genre game that they make?

why does it matter? they could put a turd in place of him for all it matters, the game will still be the same.

[NeoZeedeater]

Wario Ware came out in 2003, not 2001. And looking at Nintendo's internal teams and 3rd party collaberations over the past few years we've gotten quite a few new properties to go with the updates, remakes and sequels.

-1000-Man Family (RD1) 2005
-Animal Crossing (EAD) 2001
-Another (Cing) 2005
-Chibi Robo (Skip) 2005
-Cubivore (IntSys) 2002
-Eternal Darkness (Silicon Knights) 2002
-E-Z Talk (NdCube) 2001
-Geist (nSpace) 2005
-Giftpia (Skip) 2003
-Golden Sun (Camelot) 2001
-Happy Panechu! (RD2) 2002
-Jam with the Band (RD2) 2004
-Kururin (Eighting) 2001
-Magical Vacation (Brownie Brown) 2001
-Mobile Golf (Camelot) 2001
-Napoleon (Genki) 2001
-Odama (Vivarium) 2005
-One-Line Puzzle (Mitchell) 2004
-Pikmin (EAD) 2001
-Puppy Times (EAD) 2005
-Sakura Momoko Carnival (SPD) 2002
-Starfi (Tose) 2002
-Tomato Adventure (Alpha Dream) 2003
-Tube Slider (NdCube) 2003

What pisses me off is that most of these aren't even Nintendo's original internal teams. If Nintendo could previously crank out a bunch of new games without these outside/new developers why can't they do it now?

I'm not saying these aren't new Nintendo properties or arguing their quality but it seems odd that Nintendo old teams alone used to be able to do so much. In the 8/16-bit era only a few Nintendo games were done by outside developers like Rare. Now the majority of their games are.

[Roufuss]

Hmm, you know what, I think this game may actually have to implement of a much larger roster than that. I mean, you have to have 9 guys on each team, and it would be a little silly to have a character be on both teams. So we're looking at at least 18 characters bare minimum for 2 opposing teams, and I'm thinking they'd do more than just 2 teams.

Of course, then again, there's the eventuality that teams would be the character you select + 8 toads or koopa troopas... but I don't think they'd be THAT lazy.

18 characters bare minimum:

Mario
Luigi
Peach
Daisy
Bowser
Bowser Jr
Wario
Waluigi
Yoshi
Petey Piranha (I HATE HIM SO MUCH)
Boo
Toad
Toadette
Birdo
Koopa Troopa
Paratroopa
Baby Mario
Baby Luigi


Seriously, I wonder how close I'll be when the game actually ships. Maybe we can replace one of those with say... a Shyguy.

Knowing Nintendo, it'll just be those characters, and maybe 3 or 4 secret characters, and they'll just mix and match the teams.

While I'd love for their to be 6 or so seperate teams, all with UNIQUE players, I know I'm just asking too much from Nintendo.

I'm assuming this will be Koopa Kid-less, too. Bah.
I don't understand why they can't use obscure and common Nintendo characters and make it "Nintendo Baseball" instead. Gimme Link smacking the ball with a Megaton Hammer! Kid Icarus pitching a ball-arrow! Mike from StarTropics whacking the ball with his... baseball bat! Okay, fine. Maybe the Yo-yo.

That would be my most anticipated game for 2005, EASILY.

I've always wondered why they never expand the Golf / Tennis / and now Baseball genres to encompass all of Nintendo's characters... you'd be exposing more kids to the characters, paving the way for maybe future games with them since now you've put them back in the spotlight, and the old school Nintendo fans would eat it up.