Download MP-3 On the WII - Demo

[Crash]

Now nintendo is starting to try out new things. Thank God. Very brilliant to have down loadable demo!

[Angrist]

What? Where? Who? Why? When! Free?

Edit: http://www.codenamerevolution.com/?p=5771 says it's not a demo...

http://www.nintendic.com/news/879 It's 2 trailers you can stream for free.

[Crash]

gra!! it's not. stupid videos. just when i though they were wising up.

[Bond]

Haha, yeah... this has kind of been done before.

Too little too late I'm afraid.

[manasecret]

They're having a "Month of Metroid". They're releasing the NES Metroid in the coming days to Virtual Console, then releasing Super Metroid I think the 23rd, and then the pièce de résistance, Metroid Corruption at the end of the month.

The videos are pretty awesome -- the battle scene especially looks like a lot of fun.

What gets me excited the most, though, is simply the ability to try out the new cursor for the game. I know that sounds silly, but that is easily the best implementation of a cursor from any game on Wii. It works really really well. It is apparently the real deal from Corruption, so if that is any indication of how much Retro has perfected the FPS controls, I'm psyched.

It's also a good thing Nintendo is trying here by advertising on the Virtual Console. I'm sure you all have noticed the complete lack of Metroid hype or advertising, especially odd considering it's releasing at the end of this month. This is a good experiment for them. By having a download, they can see exactly how many people download the video demo, and then correlate that to how many people actually buy the game.

Certainly this isn't a groundbreaking method, PC game makers have been doing it for, what--decades? But when Nintendo does anything so unlike them I want to encourage it.

[BreakABone]

I realize it is an old idea.
And not even a demo.

But do like using whole system to promote the game with a different Metroid game until Prime 3 comes out.

Granted it is only two weeks.

But hey, it keeps the idea of Metroid in people's head.

Now if they do it for Mario and Brawl....

[Jason1]

Yea, I checked out the preview channel today...not too amazing, but I did notice the cursor was silky smooth...

[Yoda9864]

They should definitely release a dedicated channel to streaming video previews, not just Metroid ones. I've seen all the videos on my computer, but somehow seeing them on my Wii made me that much more excited to get the game.

[thatmariolover]

It looked like damage control to me. Particularly after IGN's scathing article about how bad Nintendo's promotion of the title has been. Only a couple weeks to release and they just added the game to the official Metroid website.

Don't get me wrong, the game looks amazing. That's actually why I'm so disgusted with Nintendo. It looks to be an exceptional title and the lack of support it has gotten from Nintendo can hardly be excused.

[Dyne]

Just because they didn't give 20 million to their marketing department to promote the game doesn't mean Retro didn't go balls deep in game development. I think good game design will be enough of a push.

Knock on wood, etc.

[DarkMaster]

I thought MP2 bombed in sales, so yeah maybe they should advertise this one...


Still not convinced on this game. I thought MP2 was just more of the same, and I don't see any changes with MP3. I mean we barely even get a graphical update. And no I don't care if you can aim with a remote now.

[Bond]

I think that's right DM. Prime 2 sold something like 2/3 the amount of the original.

[Jason1]

I think that's right DM. Prime 2 sold something like 2/3 the amount of the original.


Honestly, maybe thats because it wasnt near as good, not because they didnt advertise it quite as well.

[manasecret]

That's why I think this is an interesting experiment to see how well advertising only one the Wii pans out.

It could work. New shipments of Wiis still sell out regularly in stores, so it's not like advertising on TV or in theaters will get people to buy more Wiis. So you might as well advertise to the Wii owners directly by sending a message to every Wii owner that has their console connected to the internet, which considering the VC sales figures is probably a lot of people. (4.7 million VC games sold (http://onnintendo.com/Index.aspx?page=1&post=4&year=2007&month=6)) Plus, like sending spam to do e-advertising, it costs virtually nothing for them to try this experiment.

I wonder how many people will actually download the demo/video, and how many of those will actually go and buy the game. Nintendo at the end of it all will know that precisely, because of the very fact they have done no other advertising. And in the end we can guess by how many of the games sell and whether Nintendo continues trying this strategy.

Interesting to me.

Personally, I'm ready for the game. Unlike DM, I do care about waving around the Wiimote. It's the reason I bought the thing.

[Bond]

I wonder how many people will actually download the demo/video, and how many of those will actually go and buy the game. Nintendo at the end of it all will know that precisely, because of the very fact they have done no other advertising. And in the end we can guess by how many of the games sell and whether Nintendo continues trying this strategy.
Is that even a marketing strategy though? I mean, almost every game released on the 360 is advertised on marketplace with videos, trailers, demos, picture packs, themes, etc.

[manasecret]

Is that even a marketing strategy though? I mean, almost every game released on the 360 is advertised on marketplace with videos, trailers, demos, picture packs, themes, etc.

I don't know what's a good marketing strategy, I certainly don't have any experience in it except being exposed to it every second of my life. And like I said before, this isn't a new way of advertising at all.

However, compare the 360's (apparent) glut of videos, trailers, demos, picture packs, and themes for almost every 360 game, to the one, single, lone game being advertised on the Wii. Which game is more likely to get attention -- the game in the sea of glut, or the one lone game in the sea of one?

[Bond]

I don't know what's a good marketing strategy, I certainly don't have any experience in it except being exposed to it every second of my life. And like I said before, this isn't a new way of advertising at all.

However, compare the 360's (apparent) glut of videos, trailers, demos, picture packs, and themes for almost every 360 game, to the one, single, lone game being advertised on the Wii. Which game is more likely to get attention -- the game in the sea of glut, or the one lone game in the sea of one?
I suppose you may have a point if we are comparing games individually, but, the BioShock demo that was released last night on marketplace has gotten a huge reaction. So big, in fact, that the Live servers slowed to a grinding halt because so many people were downloading it at once.

If I was a developer, I would much rather develop for a system that is open to advertising all of the games available on its system, like Microsoft does with Marketplace, as opposed to Nintendo's strategy to create an exclusive channel for their own game.

[manasecret]

If I was a developer, I would much rather develop for a system that is open to advertising all of the games available on its system, like Microsoft does with Marketplace, as opposed to Nintendo's strategy to create an exclusive channel for their own game.

Oh I agree completely. I think the guys at Nintendo are being complete assholes by not opening up their Channels to other developers, and instead taking a prime (no pun intended) spot amongst the limited channels to advertise one of their own games. I'd be pissed if I were a 3rd party.

[BreakABone]

I suppose you may have a point if we are comparing games individually, but, the BioShock demo that was released last night on marketplace has gotten a huge reaction. So big, in fact, that the Live servers slowed to a grinding halt because so many people were downloading it at once.

If I was a developer, I would much rather develop for a system that is open to advertising all of the games available on its system, like Microsoft does with Marketplace, as opposed to Nintendo's strategy to create an exclusive channel for their own game.

Well to be fair...

People who downloaded the Bioshock demo the moment it went up were probably going to buy the game anyhow...

[Angrist]

Who says Nintendo isn't going to run any other (TV) advertisements?

[BreakABone]

Anyhow,

being that this is the Month of Metroid

Nintendo's words not mines.

Super Metroid was released on the Virtual Console yesterday.

But not why I bumped the thread.

Apparently Metroid Prime 3 features somewhat akin to an achievements system, granted, it seems a bit more like the Koin system in Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance.

The best part is you can actually use said achievements to unlock things in game and send the tokens to your friends.

Apparently one of the things can unlock is a Mii Bobblehead for your ship.

[Dyne]

I bought Super Metroid yesterday, and it is the tits.

Also, BAB, that sounds fucking awesome.

[Angrist]

I heard they have new downloadable MP3 movies for the Wii.

[BreakABone]

More details on the Prime Achievement idea

Metroid Prime 3 features a very welcomed rewards system that some have compared to achievements on Xbox Live. As you progress through the game, you earn Samus medals for accomplishing various goals, from 500 kills to beating certain enemies and scanning items. There are differently colored medals for your various successes, and you can use combos of these achievements to buy special unlockable extras -- concept art, music, storyboards, stickers and bobbleheads, and even a screenshot tool that enables you to (by pressing up on the D-Pad) snap in-game photos and send them to friends over WiiConnect24. The game also uses WiiConnect24 to let you trade friend vouchers with players you've already added to your Wii system address book. Friend vouchers can be converted into friend credits, which are also utilized -- in combination with the other medals -- to unlock the extras. Indeed, the best extras can only be purchased if you trade friend vouchers with your buddies. For the purposes of our hands-on update (and eventually our review), we traded vouchers with our friends at GameSpy, and then we converted those vouchers into friend credits to buy, for example, the screenshot tool.

[Angrist]

Wow, very nice! I wonder if you can send those screenshots to an e-mail address.

[Angrist]

http://www.gametrailers.com/game/5261.html The Metroid Retrospective.

I watched it (except for the part of MP2 which I will play soon) and it's good. :)