1st and 2nd Parties in hiding...

[Peabody]

Okay so I was sitting here thinking about games I wanted to buy, and also thinking about how Nintendo sold Rare, and how Cube has been out for almost a yr now? I asked myself WHERE are the 1st party games??? Star Fox is just now coming out, and Nintendo sold them out, which I guess is understandable taking in consideration Nintendo's merits. However my queston still goes unanswered, I refuse to think "oh joy!" just because Star Fox is now here, and even Mario, I love it but come on... We all know that was sort of a welcomed surprise and not the game that we've all been hearing about since Cube's release or the game that got us all hyped up. I'd first like to take a look at:

Exhibit A: Silicon Knights
Remember that little company that sold us all on "Too Human," where is Too Human now? I haven't heard about it since last year... The game had better be amazing if it's this TOP SECRET

Exhibit B: Brownie Brown
I have yet to experience the fruits of their labor, granted I don't own a GBA. Where is the RPG we've been promised, WHERE? Nowhere that's where... I mean can we even get a name of the game instead of, "Brownie Brown RPG"pssh...

Exhibit C: Retro Studios
Yes we're expecting Metroid from these guys? Well "oh joy", maybe they can start work on smaller projects after this and start pumpin out quality, or not... Another long wait will be at hand once Metroid is released I'm sure, or I'm sure they'll prolly get started on the next Metroid! "Oh thank heavens a sequel!

Final Exhibit: First-Party Developers
Entertainment Analysis
Intelligent Systems
and Development (EAD)
HAL Labs
NDcube
Brownie Brown
Nintendo Software Canada
Nintendo Software Technologies (NST)

Second-Party Developers
Rareware (axed)
Retro Studios
Silicon Knights
Left Field Productions(axed)
Mobile 21 where's their stuff?
Game Freak ?
Flagship ?
Creatures?

So I think you all get my point here, all these "parties" but no games, it doesn't add up to me and am rather dissapointed. I mean everyone was complaining and moaning about how they didn't think Cube would be supported in the 3rd party region but to me that looks like what they've got goin for them the most... If we were to name the top 5 games coming out within the next month, I gurantee they would all be from a third party. In conclusion I'm just wondering if anyone else is feeling kinda dissapointed about the drought of 1st and 2nd party games that we were promised.

[TheGame]

Exhibit A: Silicon Knights
Remember that little company that sold us all on "Too Human," where is Too Human now? I haven't heard about it since last year... The game had better be amazing if it's this TOP SECRET

Eternal Darkness... which wasn't all that great to me... but at least they made somthing.

Exhibit B: Brownie Brown
I have yet to experience the fruits of their labor, granted I don't own a GBA. Where is the RPG we've been promised, WHERE? Nowhere that's where... I mean can we even get a name of the game instead of, "Brownie Brown RPG"pssh...

I agree on this one

Exhibit C: Retro Studios
Yes we're expecting Metroid from these guys? Well "oh joy", maybe they can start work on smaller projects after this and start pumpin out quality, or not... Another long wait will be at hand once Metroid is released I'm sure, or I'm sure they'll prolly get started on the next Metroid! "Oh thank heavens a sequel!

Well... if it wasn't for Nintendo coming in fireing half of the employees, and canning thier football and racing games maybe we would see a little more.

Final Exhibit: First-Party Developers
Entertainment Analysis
Intelligent Systems
and Development (EAD)
HAL Labs
NDcube
Brownie Brown
Nintendo Software Canada
Nintendo Software Technologies (NST

EAD and NST have made plenty of Titles.. Luigi, Mario, Waverace etc.

Hal made SSB:M and SSB

As for the others... *shrugs*

Second-Party Developers
Rareware (axed)
Retro Studios
Silicon Knights
Left Field Productions(axed)
Mobile 21 where's their stuff?
Game Freak ?
Flagship ?
Creatures?

Well, from Rare we got Star Fox... from Retro Metroid... from Silicon knights Eternal Darkness... from Left field NBA Courtside... from Gamefreak Pokemon Advanced... as for the other, I have no clues either.

I think they should do like Microsoft and start putting them all to work. It would be different if the games they made were outstanding, but for GCN they are not.

[Crono]

Too Human will most likely be shown in playable form at E3 2003. I remember in an interview on IGN, with that president from SK (Denis I think his name is), and he said that after ED they would work on TH...afterall, they arent a very big development company, lol, they can fit their entire staff into one picture, its at SK's website. But I aint complaining...

And didnt Camelot say they had an RPG in development for GCN? I know they arent 2nd party, but I remember a lot of people saying that it would be a Golden Sun game, but I haven't heard anything from them on GCN for over a year.

And Retro also had Raven Blade in development, remember? they had a video from e3 2001 but the game was canned...oh well...we can blame Nintendo for that. lol...

[quiet mike]

The problem is that you have to look in Japan for first party games. Nintendo has released a game almost every month to the japaneze market but only a few came here.

The 2nd party companies are much smaller in members so they can only tackle a game at once. Because of the technology level today it takes between 14-18 months to complete a game, so Since GameCube has been out for only one year (12 months) they each released one game, took a short breack and got back to working, but we'll need to wait another year before anything else shows up from them. Too Human might come out earlier since they are doing a kind of remake upgrade like RE.

As for Mobil 21 it is a GBA partnership development, not GC.

THe others I have no clue either.

Still, Nintendo seemed too buissy trying to get all the 3rd party support back on it's console, that it didn't have much time for development.

[Angrist]

Left Field made Wave Race Blue Storm, didn't they??

That Raven Blade really looked cool, hopefully they'll continue work on it after Metroid Prime. When's MP coming out???

[quiet mike]

Wave Race Blue Storm was made by in house NTS, the 1st party company here in USA, the ones that made Rigde Racer 64.

[GameKinG]

Is this a joke? Many/Most of them are and have released a Gamecube/GBA game already. And your "next month" range is very limiting, because you should never expect Nintendo 1st and 2nd party games to roll out like that.

[Dyne]

Nintendo Software Canada

Say what? You mean they have a development house up here? Where? GAH, I want to move down to San Fran just for Sega? *puts pack down* =o

And I thought they bought out Gamefreak/Creatures.. I mean, they made Gameboy Camera and Pokemon, it would be the smart thing to do. I think they also bought out Retro Studios and made them first party.

Brownie Brown? I don't know of them at all.. they must not have a game out yet. =\

[GameKinG]

Nintendo of Canada isnt a Dev house, Its listed under customers for the Nintendo Sales Report, indication it just distributes GC's through-out canada, and has a site, and holds events...Junk like that and stuff...

[Dyne]

Originally posted by GameKinG
Nintendo of Canada isnt a Dev house, Its listed under customers for the Nintendo Sales Report, indication it just distributes GC's through-out canada, and has a site, and holds events...Junk like that and stuff...

Thanks for the pinch. I knew there couldn't be a dev house up here. I know Nintendo of Canada.. I physically go there.

Anyways I thought I'd snap up a photo from Nintendo's latest business report, it shows all the dev houses.. take a look see. You forgot to mention Ape Inc.! Why haven't they made a title yet...? Earthbound I reckon! =o

[Angrist]

Brownie Brown made an excellent RPG for the AGB almost a year ago I think... they just didn't release it outside Japan.

[CrOnO_LiNk]

I really hope Nintendo buys out Capcom before Microsoft does. This is the perfect timing!

[Peabody]

GameKing all I'm saying is that Nintendo prides themselves as being The first and second party kings, but let's look at the facts shall we? The facts are:

First and second party games that have been released within the past 3 months:

1. Super Mario Sunshine (August)
2. Starfox Adventures (September) Rare (now third party)
3. Animal Crossing (September)
4. Eternal Darkness (June)Silicon Knights

I suppose one could argue that 4 games in a 3 month span is a fair amount of games, but I don't think so because 2 of the games are from second parties, and one of those parties has just been sold. Also taking into consideration that there's about 4 or 5 other second party development houses that should be developing games, but we haven't heard a peep from them. Also taking into consideration that since Gamecube has been released (A year now) ED and SFA are the first games out from the two development houses. I'd also like to mention that there's first party developers that haven't made their mark on the cube yet... What's goin on??

-On to first and second party games releasing in the next 3 months:

1. Mario Party 4(October)
2. Wario World(Novermber)
3. Cubivore(Dobutsu Bancho)(November)
4. Metroid Prime(November)

Okay so we're back at lucky number 4. Really I'd like to view the big picture which is, 8 games in a 6 month time span. I suppose 8 games is a lot. If one were to own 8 games, I would say that it would be worthy of being called a collection, but I still think it's a small number considering it's half a year. Maybe I'm just expecting too much, but I think that the library is lacking. Let's look at ED, it came out in June so you play the hell out of it, cause it's new and fresh and a lot of us had waited so long for a good game before that, but after the arguably 30+ hours, you're done, and go to EB or wherever you shop and look for something new, but what's there? Well, there's first/second party games released prior to June i.e.: SMB1, SSBM, wave race... However those games have been out for a while and have most likely been bought, or played to death by renting, or from playing at someone's house. So you could get a third party game which is the last option because nothing new is in the store from a first or second party developer until, August! Ahhh Super Mario Sunshine! Finally a Mario game, I didn't purchase Mario because I didn't see the rush to, of course it's a good game, it's Mario, but it's not necessarily a NEW game it's supped up Mario 64 on an island with a water cannon, and in my opinion I don't like the whole island deal. Anyhow if you purchased Mario and you play the hell out of it, and complete it in 20+ hours, plus go back for shines, afterwards you're done and ready for a new game... What's out? Third parties galore, but if you want a first or second party game you're gonna have to wait till September. September rolls around, Animal Crossing! The game that lasts forever, I purchased Animal Crossing, and I'm loving it. However it's a game that has an acquired taste. So it's not such a breakthrough "mainstream" game. Finally a few weeks later, and Star Fox Adventures is here, the last first-party game from Rareware. Another anticipated game. I haven't purchased it, although I do plan to. I like the concept of Starfox being an adventure game, because I always thought it would be cool to play as fox
and do ground missions. However I find that the game's infrastructure is very similar to Jet Force Gemini which for me isn't so fantastic.

Now I'd like to point out that from the release list, it does seem as if the first/second party games are releasing at a steady pace (1 game maybe two games a month). However I'm still stressing that 1 game from a first part, and no second party game that month is disappointing. So we have Mario Party 4 next month which is welcoming, but I'd also like to note of the strong presence of sequels and updates, which is nice, but not very inventive. Mario Party 4 is the only first party game out next month, there will be no second party games out next month. November we have Wario World. Another platform offering, I don't know what to think about Wario and his World, I'll have to wait and see. Hopefully the game will be a better offering of a "mario-esque" type game than Mario Sunshine. Next in November we have Cubivore. I know nothing about this game, I don't even think it's being released in the US. The next game is Metroid Prime. The game that everyone seems to be waiting for, and altogether not waiting for because of the skepticism that it might not be as good as the prior 2-D offerings. I'm excited about Metroid Prime, I want to play a FPS on cube, and Metroid will get me started, ACTUALLY to make an even GREATER point. Metroid probably won't get me started, but a third-party game will, Time Splitters 2! which is releasing in October, will get me rolling with the FPS on Cube. After Metroid in November, then comes December. Sadly there are no first or second party games whatsoever for the month of December. There we have it folks. I just summed up the past three months, and the oncoming three months. There are offerings, but definitely not abundant ones. So in closing. I think that if Nintendo is going to pride themselves as being #1 in first, and second-party software they're going to have to up their ante in quantity, selection, and creativity.

[quiet mike]

Before you start bashing Nintendo for it's lack of 1st and 2nd party games, look at Sony and Microsoft. They have less of that. A system's library is built by 3rd party games. A system's worthy library is built by good 3rd party, and 1st and 2nd party games.

[TheGame]

Originally posted by quiet mike
Before you start bashing Nintendo for it's lack of 1st and 2nd party games, look at Sony and Microsoft. They have less of that.

You are joking... right?

Xbox for a fact has more... I don't want to make a list right now, but I'm 99.9% sure that they developed more 1st/2nd party games. Plus we don't even need to go into exclusive games released in the last year, cause Xbox has GCN murderd in that category too.