What's eating at Nintendo?

[One Winged Angel]

Well, from that interview, I can at least can understand that Nintendo is focused on getting out of the hole they dug themselves in. Though, I still believe they're ignorant to the fact they must have a more mature appeal to grab the casual gaming market.

Even though Nintendo is noticing their problems, they're focusing on all the wrong ones.

[Canyarion]

Xantar, do you even play the GameCube? Cause I remember you didn't play that much games...

With the Cube, we miss the 'feeling' that those classic N64 games gave. They just had atmosphere and were among the best games of the world. GE, PD, OoT, MM, M64...
We don't have that many games like that on the Cube. Ones that come close are Metroid Prime, Eternal Darkness and Resident Evil. Those are moody games that we'll always remember.

Also, with the N64, you had enough friends that wanted to do multiplayer with you. I do know a couple of ppl that have a Cube, but they don't know the good multiplayer games. TimeSplitters? Never heard of it. Mario Party? That's so kiddy. Super Monkey Ball? Is that the PS game where you have to catch monkeys?

Also, if you look at the top 30 games, you only see about 6 good 4-player games.

The Cube just doesn't have that feeling yet. So Xantar, I disagree.

[Xantar]

Originally Posted by Canyarion

Xantar, do you even play the GameCube? Cause I remember you didn't play that much games...

No, I haven't played the GameCube much (mostly playing with my friends), and I freely admit that. I don't think that disqualifies me from saying that people have lost perspective. If the N64 and the GameCube were very similar in terms of the quality of their library, I might just defer to you, but in this case, it's pretty clear to me that they are not.

With the Cube, we miss the 'feeling' that those classic N64 games gave. They just had atmosphere and were among the best games of the world. GE, PD, OoT, MM, M64...
We don't have that many games like that on the Cube. Ones that come close are Metroid Prime, Eternal Darkness and Resident Evil. Those are moody games that we'll always remember.

First of all, expecting another Goldeneye or Ocarina of Time is totally unrealistic. The N64 was doing 3-D gaming for the first time. Any time it got the gameplay right, it was automatically revolutionary.

Secondly, I ask you again what did you do once you were done with those five games? Are you going to tell me that they were enough to satisfy you for all five years of the N64's life? And don't forget how long you had to wait after Mario 64 before another AAA title came out. That's why I say people are losing perspective. They look back on the N64 and only remember that there were some great games. They conveniently forget how long they had to wait for those games. Would you like the GameCube to have one or two great games every year while the PS2 and Xbox get all the third party software again?

Also, with the N64, you had enough friends that wanted to do multiplayer with you. I do know a couple of ppl that have a Cube, but they don't know the good multiplayer games. TimeSplitters? Never heard of it. Mario Party? That's so kiddy. Super Monkey Ball? Is that the PS game where you have to catch monkeys?

So the GameCube is worse because people are too ignorant to inform themselves about the good multiplayer games? What's the problem here, and why don't you just boot up the games on your own console to get them to try it out? Or is it because you want to maintain a good image with your friends? I'm not trying to attack you here. I just don't really understand your argument.

Maybe people don't know about the good multiplayer games, but you acknowledge that the games are there.

Also, if you look at the top 30 games, you only see about 6 good 4-player games.

The Cube just doesn't have that feeling yet. So Xantar, I disagree.

Looking at that list, I see SSB: M, Madden NFL 2004, F-Zero GX, Wave Race: Blue Storm, Timesplitters 2, NBA Street Vol. 2, NCAA Football 2004, NFL 2k3, PSO Episode I and II and Super Monkey Ball. Okay, so a lot of those are sports games and American sports games at that (maybe there are some FIFA games on the Cube, but I don't really know). But then again, what's the definition of a "good 4-player game"? Is the only criterion that it has to be in the top 30? I would add Mario Kart: Double Dash!! to the list of good multiplayer games. Sure, IGN's review only gave it a score of 7.9, but even so, they acknowledge that the multiplayer in the game is great. I would also argue that 2-player games should be taken into account, too. You don't always have that many friends over, and even if you do, I have often found that I'm perfectly happy watching two friends play a game while I'm waiting for my turn. Thus, Soul Calibur II gets added to the list and maybe even Mortal Kombat 5.

Besides, how many multiplayer games do you know of for the N64? Certainly no sports games (ok, there was that Kobe Bryant game, but does anything by Nintendo and their second parties really match up to EA Sports?). Off the top of my head, I can think of SSB, F-Zero X, Mario Kart 64, Goldeneye and Perfect Dark. Feel free to remind me of anything I missed. The whole point of my argument is that the games are there. Maybe Nintendo could have marketed them better, but ultimately you can't blame them for putting the games out there. If you are missing out on some good multiplayer on the GameCube, you ultimately have only yourself to blame.

[Morpheus1]

First of all, expecting another Goldeneye or Ocarina of Time is totally unrealistic. The N64 was doing 3-D gaming for the first time. Any time it got the gameplay right, it was automatically revolutionary.

That is the reason I feel N64 was better. Name a great Gamecube game that is exclusive and that didn't borrow the gameplay mechanics or style from a game that was released before on N64 (or Psx, or Dreamcast). Name a game on Gamecube that raised the standards for the whole industry or what a game should look and play like. The only games I can think of off the top of my head are Eternal Darkness, Metriod Prime, Animal Crossing, and Super Monkey Ball. The list for N64 at it's time is much longer.

What makes a game or a system great is offering gameplay experiences that are new, fresh, and original. So far, gamecube has failed at this.

[Xantar]

Originally Posted by Morpheus1

That is the reason I feel N64 was better. Name a great Gamecube game that is exclusive and that didn't borrow the gameplay mechanics or style from a game that was released before on N64 (or Psx, or Dreamcast). Name a game on Gamecube that raised the standards for the whole industry or what a game should look and play like. The only games I can think of off the top of my head are Eternal Darkness, Metriod Prime, Animal Crossing, and Super Monkey Ball. The list for N64 at it's time is much longer.

What makes a game or a system great is offering gameplay experiences that are new, fresh, and original. So far, gamecube has failed at this.

Ok, if that's your standard for judging which console is better, you're welcome to that opinion. However, taken side-by-side I would still take the GameCube. I simply recognize that the time when a game could set standards for an entire industry is mostly gone. Developers have figured out how to do 3-D gaming. Now they can come up with other ideas like sanity effects, open worlds, branching storylines etc., but none of those are innovations that videogames everywhere are going to have to adopt. You can't always get Z-targeting.

Besides, like I said, are a few revolutionary games enough to support a system especially in comparison to a console that has had worthwhile games nearly every month? There's a difference between an important console and a good console. Why worry so much about the effect that a particular game is going to have on the industry? You can recognize and praise a developer for that, but in the end, if you're having lots of fun, what does it matter?