Is Nintendo Out of Touch?

[Perfect Stu]

posted my Matt Cassamassina of IGNCUBE:

Is Nintendo out of Touch?

Answer: As I see it, yes. I don't come to this conclusion quickly. Rather, it's something I feel after observing the company's puzzling decisions and choices for years and years.

I've come to believe that the folks at Nintendo Japan are, for lack of a better word, old. They're old. They're stubborn. And they're clinging to the days when the brand 'Nintendo' meant everything. How else could you explain some of the choices the publisher has made?

We're not going to enter into the Internet gaming scene lightly, says Nintendo, because it's not profitable. And in the same breath the company releases niche titles like Pikmin into the market. A contradiction of business philosophy, no? Nevermind the fact that both Sony and Microsoft are doing brilliantly with their explorations into the online market.

It's this unwillingness to adapt, this intentional ignorance of what the market wants, that is the very proof that Nintendo is out of touch.

Need another example? Look no further than The Legend of Zelda. Nintendo showed the most incredible recreation of its Zelda franchise at Space World 2000, and to a delighted, cheering crowd. So what does the company do? Come back with a totally transformed version of the game that features a cartoon-styled, child Link and an all-too-cute Zelda universe -- the exact opposite of the direction the marketplace seems headed. For perhaps the first time in a Miyamoto presentation ever, the cheers were quieted. And yet, development on the title continued.

Of course, Wind Waker has turned out to be a fun game. But that doesn't change the fact: it's not the Zelda that Nintendo fans wanted. When "you get used to it," is the highest praise some gamers can say of the new look, there is something very wrong going on. Indeed, you might even say that Wind Waker is symbolic of Nintendo's ignorance of its own audience.

Matt

[Crono]

Nintendo's ignorance could very well be their downfall. For one...I don't know why they don't realize that games like SSBM, Mario Kart, Mario Party, Pokemon, Animal Crossing 2 etc., would all be GREAT online titles, and I know for a fact people would love SSBM online, and yet they say it isn't profitable, what the hell are they thinking? And who cares if it's not profitable anyway? Doesn't Nintendo aim for "quality" titles?

When it comes to cel shading, I really don't see that as an ignorant decision. Many games are using cel chading, and it will probably become more popular in the future.

Another thing to add about the "out of touch" topic, it seems that a lot of their games are losing the quality they once had, really, out of all of the games that Nintendo released in 2002, only 2 of them were really good: Metroid Prime and Animal Crossing. The rest were pretty dull and boring, but of course, this is just my opinion.

[gekko]

When "you get used to it," is the highest praise some gamers can say of the new look, there is something very wrong going on.

Amen!

[Bond]

I thought that Matt made several valid points. Especially concerning what gekko quoted. The fact that Splinter Cell outsold Metroid Prime in America for the month of December I think should be a huge wake-up call for Nintendo.

[Dyne]

I think we should blame Aunoma for the horrible decision of going cel-shade. DAMN YOU!

Has anyone heard that story? Apparently Aunoma had been sketching things while making Majora's Mask, and came up with the Cel-shade idea. After they finished it, and when Shiggy was working full force on the realistic Zelda, Aunoma proposed the idea, and Shiggy turned it down.

Then, some how, some way, Miyamoto changed his decision. And that's when it went wacky.

But still, I love the new style.

[BlueFire]

Nintendo is really disappointing me. I'm glad I bought a PS2 at June...

Wake up, Nintendo..

[bobcat]

Since when does Nintendo/Sony/Microsoft do what the fans want? They do what is most profitable and feasible within their companies polocies. And they also do what they believe is best for the franchise/game (e.g. Miyamoto). People may not agree with it (like Matt from IGN), but it's not his decision or anybody elses on how a game will be developed.

These companies might use "what the fans want" as a basis on what they plan to achieve, but they should keep in mind that "profit" and "marketing" be their ideal concerns.

Nintendo's marketing has been it's downfall. There has been hardly anything advertising Nintendo's games/system/products compared to that of MS and Sony. People constantly say "Nintendo has poor sales". And of course it's because of the marketing. If the public doesn't know about a product from the media in general (e.g. TV, Radio, Cinema), then of course it ain't gonna sell as well as one that has been cleverly and heavily marketed (e.g. PS2/Xbox).

The most significant point for me with going online for consoles is the fighting games. Kof2002, CVS2 etc would be awesome. I couldn't care less for FPS online for consoles, coz they are better on PC....plain and simple. I don't believe in downloading new maps/levels etc because in the long run, it would lead to a demise for quality gaming. Developers would constantly delay new games with "upgrades". Diablo II anyone? Still waiting for Diablo III. No actually I'm still waiting for the latest patch to get rid of all the hackings from Diablo II. And now I've stopped playing the game.

So yeh, bring online for fighting games! All the way. I could kick anyone's ass @ KOF/CVS

On the upside the GC is getting a lot more support from 3rd party companies than the N64, and a lot more sales. I admit Nintendo cannot compete with Sony due to it's lack of marketing, but that doesn't mean I'm going to miss out on games like Zelda, Pn03, Killer 7, Mario Kart, Mario Sunshine, SSB, Metroid Prime, Eternal Darkness, FF:CC, Viewful Joe etc.

[DeathsHand]

Originally posted by Dyne
I think we should blame Aunoma for the horrible decision of going cel-shade. DAMN YOU!

------------------------

But still, I love the new style.

I just thought those two quotes in the same post went great together

Anyways, Nintendo has dissapointed me... I think online gaming is good stuff and would be uber fun and such for some of Nintendo's games, although I won't get into it myself (unless I get broadband sometime in the near future)...

But yeah... just overall NGC has been kinda meh... compared to PS2, I've barely played my NGC... for months I didn't play it... then a couple games came out that were worth renting, but nothing more... and then Metroid... *shrugs*

Even if Zelda is so amazingly good, that won't change much... No matter how good one game is, it's still just one game

[GameKinG]

Nintendo is very much non-fan oriented. Or I should say shiggy. He does art, and his art doesnt have to please everyone or anyone.

In terms of competing with MS and sony, NCL has dropped the ball quite a few times.

[Dyne]

Originally posted by DeathsHand
I just thought those two quotes in the same post went great together

No, I'm happy with his decision. That's why. It was shiggy's decision... but Aunoma's fault. Bastard.

[fingersman]

Well I agree with Bobcat and Matt............Nintendo's own ignorance is going to be their downfall.......they have the talent, they have the money, they have the ideas.

They need to get up off their behinds and do something and make a name for themselves like they did in the old days.

[bobcat]

Originally posted by fingersman
Well I agree with Bobcat and Matt............Nintendo's own ignorance is going to be their downfall.......they have the talent, they have the money, they have the ideas.

They need to get up off their behinds and do something and make a name for themselves like they did in the old days.

d!tto

[Null]

nintendo is nintendo.

They've always relied heavily on themselves. last couple console generations they've lived pretty much soley on themselves.

and as i said many times. i bought the GC for 1 reason. 1 reason only. Zelda. PS2 and PC are where i get my crop of games from.


As for online gaming. Nintendo will either HAVE to face it head on. or they will simply bow out of the Console making biz and become 2nd or 3rd party else where. They see it as they have to put up servers and therefor they wont make money. True, in a way. But no one said they have to provide the servers...... Mario Kart w/ Online has MUCH more appeal then Mario Kart without. it would sell more. plain and simple. same for every game pretty much.

quite frankly. my dream would be for nintendo and sony to make up. and nintendo focus on making games for one of sonys consoles.

And i do believe Nintendo will follow in Sega's footsteps and be 3rd party. just when is the question. IMO, i personally do not believe the next Nintendo console will make it to the public. i think they're will be talks of development. then droped. and they'll announce games for either Xbox Next or PS3 (ps3 me hopes)
Then the following year a new console maker will enter. Just what i think.



As for making nintendo what they were in the old days.............. They are what they were in the old days. They have not changed. Its the gamers that have changed. Nintendo has ceased to change with them.

[GameKinG]

I think NOA notices more success in online then NCL. Some fresh young faces there would do nicely. But they would probably pick someone just like their current management.

[Xantar]

We're not going to enter into the Internet gaming scene lightly, says Nintendo, because it's not profitable. And in the same breath the company releases niche titles like Pikmin into the market. A contradiction of business philosophy, no?

Setting aside the issue of whether Nintendo should go online or not, I don't think this is a valid point. For one thing, it is known that Pikmin has sold over 1 million units between the USA and Japan alone. Not bad for a "niche" title. For another thing, although I don't know all the details, you can be pretty sure that Pikmin didn't cost as much to develop as an online plan would have been.

Should Nintendo go online anyway? I don't know. Only time will tell.

Look no further than The Legend of Zelda. Nintendo showed the most incredible recreation of its Zelda franchise at Space World 2000, and to a delighted, cheering crowd. So what does the company do? Come back with a totally transformed version of the game that features a cartoon-styled, child Link and an all-too-cute Zelda universe -- the exact opposite of the direction the marketplace seems headed. For perhaps the first time in a Miyamoto presentation ever, the cheers were quieted. And yet, development on the title continued.

I think Matt is exaggerating the effect of both presentations of Zelda here. Yes, Nintendo has riled a lot of people by showing a traditionally rendered video and then turning around and cel-shading it. But on the other hand, how many people saw the Spaceworld 2000 video? To your average casual gamer, Zelda: The Wind Waker has always been cel-shaded.

This is not to say that I think the game will be well-received. In fact, although the game has been selling quite well in Japan, I will be surprised to see it do as well in the U.S. as Ocarina of Time.

I think Nintendo's major weakness and their biggest mistakes have been in their public relations and marketing. It's a mess, at least in the U.S. Aside from there just being fewer Nintendo ads, their quality hasn't been as good. There have also been little things like using purple as the color of choice for marketing (never mind that 50% of the consoles are black). If Nintendo had done a better job of marketing, I can imagine that many of GameCube's problems would be lessened or disappear altogether.

For the rest, well, there's just no predicting what's going to happen in the industry.