Has Nintendo really lost it?

[Owen]

Nah i don't think Nintendo has lost it, i just think overall they really have to concentrate on making some more games, new franchises etc.....i love the Wii Sport: Resorts type games..but as fillers..now there making them like the main games for the console and it's like..where has Nintendo gone? Of course there now thinking as a business..which is the right thing to do in there situation..

 

I think i'll be more upset if i didn't have the PS3 and 360..at the moment..having all 3 consoles fills everything i want..so i feel more ok with how Nintendo are changing...I am slightly worried about Wii's Christmas in Europe however..looks like i won't be turning it on that much compared to the PS3.

[Dannyboy-the-Dane]

Miyamoto's comments about E3 confirms that people shouldn't expect too much from it "hardcore" wise.

 

Personally, I think it's great that we don't get trailers and other previews of games too early. Let me demonstrate: Imagine seeing the first trailer for a game, for example Zelda. You're practically drooling at the game's sheer awesomeness, and then you get to the end of the trailer and see when it's due to come out. What would you prefer to see? That it's still TBA next year? Or that's it's coming out in the next 2-3 months?

[darkjak]

Sure, they could have showed CG trailers of Mario, Zelda and Pikmin, but would it make any difference? We know they're coming now. That's whats important.

 

How the feck do you know if a new Mario is coming for the Wii? It would surprise the crap out of me, 'cuz there hasn't been more than one Mario platformer for any of Nintendos platforms. CG videos would ease us very much. I've been waiting for a sequel to Pilotwings 64 for 10 years now, and I frankly have no clue what Retro Studios are doing. If a CG video would spoil too much to Microsoft and Sony, just give us a name. Say: Pilotwings 3 is on the way, it's going to contain better graphics versions of the PW64 levels and more. Say: We're working on an FPS called XXXX.

 

We could guess that Pikmin and Zelda would be out sometime during the Wii's lifespan. But what are they working on NOW. What can I expect in the next 1-2 years? Late announcements are generally bad, because I always plan what I'll buy. If it pops out of nowhere, then sorry mate, I've planned to buy this other game for months before this new games announcement.

[Retro_Link]

What would you prefer to see? That it's still TBA next year? Or that's it's coming out in the next 2-3 months?

I'd probably rather the confirmatation it was in development!

 

Doesn't have to be gameplay, just a hint at what's to come, e.g.

 

[Emasher]

How the feck do you know if a new Mario is coming for the Wii? It would surprise the crap out of me, 'cuz there hasn't been more than one Mario platformer for any of Nintendos platforms. CG videos would ease us very much. I've been waiting for a sequel to Pilotwings 64 for 10 years now, and I frankly have no clue what Retro Studios are doing. If a CG video would spoil too much to Microsoft and Sony, just give us a name. Say: Pilotwings 3 is on the way, it's going to contain better graphics versions of the PW64 levels and more. Say: We're working on an FPS called XXXX.

 

We could guess that Pikmin and Zelda would be out sometime during the Wii's lifespan. But what are they working on NOW. What can I expect in the next 1-2 years? Late announcements are generally bad, because I always plan what I'll buy. If it pops out of nowhere, then sorry mate, I've planned to buy this other game for months before this new games announcement.

 

We don't know for sure but it was mentioned various times that the Mario Team is working on a new project.

[Dannyboy-the-Dane]

I'd probably rather the confirmatation it was in development!

 

... And that's exactly what we've got! Granted, we haven't gotten details or videos etc., but as I said that would only start the hype too early. That's not to say they shouldn't show things along the way, but I actually don't want to know any details about a game (apart from it being in development) if it's first due next year or later. The earlier the hype starts, the worse the inevitable disappointment becomes.

[darkjak]

We don't know for sure but it was mentioned various times that the Mario Team is working on a new project.

 

A project which could be pretty much anything. Only guess is that it's probbablt a Mario game. But what? New Mario Brothers:Stationary? Mario Galaxy 2? 128 Marios?

We still know NOTHING! That Nintendos teams are working on SOMETHING is no big surprise. It's not like Nintendo say "OK guys, now you've finished Galaxy, go on vacation, we'll call you when we get working Wii2 devkits".

[Emasher]

No, but the fact that they have confirmed its in development means that its coming sooner than we thought. I think Shigeru Miyamoto also said a while back that they were going to be making a Wii sequel to Galaxy. Put the two together and...

[Falcon_BlizZACK]

How the feck do you know if a new Mario is coming for the Wii? It would surprise the crap out of me, 'cuz there hasn't been more than one Mario platformer for any of Nintendos platforms. CG videos would ease us very much. I've been waiting for a sequel to Pilotwings 64 for 10 years now, and I frankly have no clue what Retro Studios are doing. If a CG video would spoil too much to Microsoft and Sony, just give us a name. Say: Pilotwings 3 is on the way, it's going to contain better graphics versions of the PW64 levels and more. Say: We're working on an FPS called XXXX.

 

We could guess that Pikmin and Zelda would be out sometime during the Wii's lifespan. But what are they working on NOW. What can I expect in the next 1-2 years? Late announcements are generally bad, because I always plan what I'll buy. If it pops out of nowhere, then sorry mate, I've planned to buy this other game for months before this new games announcement.

 

My thoughts exactly. All it takes is a 30 second CG vid to turn this into ...I think Nintendo have 'lost it' in the sense that they think most Wii owners are pretty much A-ok with the offerings, I wouldn't be surprised if they think we are quiet spoiled for choice at the moment...

 

I haven't been exceptionally satisfied with the Wii. My peak of satisfaction came at launch with TP then has been going down hill ever since, only to be slightly jolted by Galaxy and Brawl. Games like Pokemon battle Revolution and Super paper Mario could have offered so much more when you look upon their prequels. Those games are meant to be the core games but the people behind them just seem...tired, as if their making these games with one hand resting their heads on a table.

 

No more, as far as I am concerned the Nintendo magic has gone. I'm not even going to expect much from Pikmin 3 and I'll be only interested in Zelda wii because of the emotional impact the prequels have had on me. I find the Wii has slowly made me less of a competitive gamer and more of a docile, play here-and-there, casual.

[Ren of Heavens]

Iwata at the E3 conference with a picture of Mario and Zelda behind him on the screen, his exact words:

 

"Today I will let you know that our internal team which creates Mario games and the one that make Zelda games are both hard at work. They will bring new titles to Wii."

 

I don't know about you guys, but I see this as a confirmation of a new Mario platformer and a new Zelda adventure to Wii made by the guys behind Mario Galaxy and Zelda TP respectively.

[Falcon_BlizZACK]

Iwata at the E3 conference with a picture of Mario and Zelda behind him on the screen, his exact words:

 

"Today I will let you know that our internal team which creates Mario games and the one that make Zelda games are both hard at work. They will bring new titles to Wii."

 

I don't know about you guys, but I see this as a confirmation of a new Mario platformer and a new Zelda adventure to Wii made by the guys behind Mario Galaxy and Zelda TP respectively.

 

But anyone could have guessed that; The Wii is in need of a native Zelda game and for Mario, my thoughts are that Nintendo wanted to create another Mario title just after Sunshine for the GC but instead shifted focus onto the Wii, just as they did Super Paper Mario.

 

TBH, another Mario and Zelda does not excite me that much.

[Emasher]

My thoughts exactly. All it takes is a 30 second CG vid to turn this into ...I think Nintendo have 'lost it' in the sense that they think most Wii owners are pretty much A-ok with the offerings, I wouldn't be surprised if they think we are quiet spoiled for choice at the moment...

 

I haven't been exceptionally satisfied with the Wii. My peak of satisfaction came at launch with TP then has been going down hill ever since, only to be slightly jolted by Galaxy and Brawl. Games like Pokemon battle Revolution and Super paper Mario could have offered so much more when you look upon their prequels. Those games are meant to be the core games but the people behind them just seem...tired, as if their making these games with one hand resting their heads on a table.

 

No more, as far as I am concerned the Nintendo magic has gone. I'm not even going to expect much from Pikmin 3 and I'll be only interested in Zelda wii because of the emotional impact the prequels have had on me. I find the Wii has slowly made me less of a competitive gamer and more of a docile, play here-and-there, casual.

 

I don't think Nintendo really see us as satisfied in terms of hardcore games. They have alot coming still, Nintendo said recently that alot of their users were still what they consider hardcore, so it would be stupid really to not release anything for us.

 

Everyone here seems to have a "Pics or it didn't happen" attitude towards games, if nothing is revealed in terms of screenshots or trailers, everyone things there's nothing coming. but if we look at the evidence:

 

The projects of most Nintendo Teams are still secret

Mario, Zelda, Pikmen, Kid Icarus confirmed

Wario Land, Disaster, Captain Rainbow, Fatal Frame, Animal Crossing all have footage out and some are almost done.

 

I think there are lots of Hardcore games coming out.

[Retro_Link]

Well Nintendo said they plan to give Wii another 5-10 years before they produce an update to the console, so I think it's likely we'll see Mario and especially Zelda sequels on the console.

[Emasher]

Its not going to be 10 years. They may do what they did with GBA and DS and keep Wii going after the next console comes out but I think they'll update their console when everyone else does. They still claim that alot of the people who buy the consoles and games are hardcore and I don't think they want everyone to go to the other consoles for the Next gen and not release their console until everyone has already bought something.

[Ren of Heavens]

Not exactly the biggest surprise, but in a time when cheap-to-make stuff like Mario Party 8, Mario & Sonic at the Olympics and Wii Fit all sells more than expensive-to-make Twilight Princess, I don't think a new Zelda is a matter of course anymore...

[Emasher]

Nintendo still wants to keep their main fan-base though. They know if something happens and the other consoles manage to master the market of Casual games and they are left out of it, they will need them to stay alive. If they stopped releasing games like Zelda, they would lose alot of that fan-base. Also remember they have said alot of the people that are actually buying the consoles are hardcore players. Alot of people are only playing Wii games because someone in their family bought a Wii and if they didn't make system selling games like Zelda they wouldn't sell as many consoles.

[Retro_Link]

Its not going to be 10 years. They may do what they did with GBA and DS and keep Wii going after the next console comes out but I think they'll update their console when everyone else does. They still claim that alot of the people who buy the consoles and games are hardcore and I don't think they want everyone to go to the other consoles for the Next gen and not release their console until everyone has already bought something.

I'm not so sure they will:

 

http://www.cubed3.com/news/10477

 

During E3 Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto discussed something that has been lingering on gamer’s minds: When would we be seeing Wii 2?

 

He feels that both the DS and Wii have created an "advancement" in gaming, an evolution perhaps. The next step may be taking what the machines have done and refining them, blending new with the established.

 

"In looking at video games, and obviously, it’s been a short history, I’ve seen patterns where you have more refinements as you go from one system to the next, followed by big evolutions, or big changes. And example would be going from the NES to the Super NES was more of a refinement, and going from the Super NES to the Nintendo 64 was more of a big advancement.

 

So, looking at the recent history, I’d say that the DS and Wii together represent some of those very big changes, both on the handheld and the home console side. Based on past history, I would guess that we would see some refinement sometime in the next five to 10 years and then in another five to 10 years, you would see probably the next big evolution."

[Foxfear]

I don't quite understand why some people are dissapointed that they haven't seen any Mario or Zelda, Galaxy has only been in stores for like 8 months and it's WAY too soon for a new one... as for the Zelda factor I don't expect to see anything until MAYBE Leipzig 2009 at its EARLIEST... as they said themselves Zelda-series needs new ideas:

1) It will take longer to create... I don't think they already have a concept in mind they want to work with...let alone to have some footage

 

2) Can't you see the E3 has become a "casual event".. As I stated before...the casual gamers don't give a fuck about Zelda

 

3) I'd like them to take their time and not rush things, so that in the end we will have a COMPLETELY new Zelda...perhaps with new areas, characters (not only the standard of Gorons and Zora's)

 

Oh, and the reason why nintendo's E3 was so fucked up?? This is why:

[Flaight]

I think this E3 for Nintendo was a good product strategy. Most of us only judge the situation based on how much we were pleased, that's why some of you come to the conclusion that they lost it. Sadly pleasing the consumers is only one part of a big product strategy.

[Gaijin von Snikbah]

I think we should wait to see if there will be anything for the core gamers this fall. If not then maybe they have lost it a little. I think its important for core players Wii future that Nintendo continues to support them as much as they can.

[Emasher]

Has anyone read this?:

 

http://www.n-europe.com/news.php?nid=12092

[DCK]

Has anyone read this?:

 

http://www.n-europe.com/news.php?nid=12092

Yeah, that quote appeared a few days ago, pedrocasilva posted it.

 

If they were going for the casual, then they did an awesome job. All games they've shown have tremendous casual appeal without being carnival games. They also really show what the Wii as a platform can revolutionize.

 

One other thing that strikes me is how Nintendo showed nothing. As mentioned by Hellfire, Nintendo only showed stuff made by Nintendo EAD2 (one of six EADs), leaving a vast amount of studios shrouded in mystery. They chose not to show their to-be-self-published Fatal Frame 4, which is a great title to show. They showed no Disaster: Day of Crisis or FFCC: The Crystal Bearers - both of which have been shrouded in mystery so long that they might as well be cancelled anyway.

 

Somehow I think Nintendo is deliberately holding back. Firstly, it makes sure that their own titles are give quality treatment. Secondly, and most importantly, it gives third parties a chance to shine. It's as if Nintendo is taking a step aside as the dominant publisher, so the Wii's lacking third party support will get a boost. Sadly, there aren't any real killer apps coming our way. I really hope Mushroom Men, The Conduit, CoD 5 and Dead Rising are going to inspire studios.

[Retro_Link]

Iwata's also spoken about it:

 

http://www.cubed3.com/news/10489

 

Iwata: Focus Had to be on Casual Gamers

 

"At this E3 we had to focus on software for the mass audience and software that will be sold in this year or next. This was one of the rare opportunities to reach out to mass audiences around the world.

 

"In order for us to create a new Super Mario game or Legend of Zelda game that can cater to the strong demands of core gamers around the world it takes two to three years. We really want to keep surprising people. It's not easy at all."

[Falcon_BlizZACK]

Iwata's also spoken about it:

 

It's not easy at all

 

...Thats very annoying to hear. Nintendo are racking in the money this time around and their dev teams are getting PAID to SIT down and brainstorm good ideas. I haven't heard any other company complain like this. There are people all around the world with a talent for making a good game or conjuring great ideas, Nintendo, seek these people out, make bigger teams and do what we pay you for!

 

And I know there are a lot of pressure on Nintendo games to have that special something, but most other respectable companies have the same pressures and are always edging closer to surpassing the quality seen in Nintendo games, whilst creating something new.

[Jav_NE]

...Thats very annoying to hear. Nintendo are racking in the money this time around and their dev teams are getting PAID to SIT down and brainstorm good ideas. I haven't heard any other company complain like this. There are people all around the world with a talent for making a good game or conjuring great ideas, Nintendo, seek these people out, make bigger teams and do what we pay you for!

 

And I know there are a lot of pressure on Nintendo games to have that special something, but most other respectable companies have the same pressures and are always edging closer to surpassing the quality seen in Nintendo games, whilst creating something new.

 

Erm, it does take 2-3 years to make a really good game, usually longer. They have dedicated teams on the big franchises and you're just going to have to wait because they're not miracle workers.

 

Seriously, give Nintendo a break guys, they have a much wider target audience to satisfy now and they have to take that into account. There would be no point showing anything of titles we core gamers would love, because they wouldnt be out for a year or so at least. What a waste of an E3that would be. As was said, they decided instead to appeal to other gamers, and with stuff like Wii Music and Wii Sports: Resort, they had a really good show.