Is it quiet in here? Or is it just me?

[Goafer]

*sobs* Were they better than us? WERE THEY?!

[Ville]

I don't think that's the only lie he has told us. It was probably a Sony forum too, wasn't it? >.>

[Goafer]

I want him to get tested before we allow him back. God knows where he's been.

[Diageo]

I don't tend to post because either I agree with everyone, or disagree so much that I feel I would have to defend my position for 7 pages, and couldn't be bothered. I still read around because this is the place I get most of my news, funnies, mafia games etc. I remember the days I would post anyway even if I didn't have anything particularly different to say. Can't be arsed now.

[Ville]

So that's the future then? All of us just stalking until no-ones posts anymore? o_O

[Hero-of-Time]

There are lots of positives and negatives with this place.

 

The positives are that the staff are fantastic, and that there is a close-knit group of members that make this place enjoyable.

 

However, there is still so much to be done here. I'm going to come out and say that the place took a massive dive in many respects since we made the switch from Cube-Europe to Revo/N-Europe. Joining AdvancedMediaNetwork was meant to herald a new era for the place, but we suffered countless problems. At one stage, I joined another Nintendo forum due to being so pissed off with the downtime and errors.

 

The place has improved since then, thanks to the hardwork of the current staff (and ditching AMN). But, sadly, we lost so much ground during that time, which also saw the rise of other Nintendo fan-sites. Whilst we stopped growing, they caught us up. Cube-Europe was probably the best GameCube site and forum of its time, but now there are so many great forums and sites. We stopped competing. To those saying "Nintendo has changed", "Nintendo don't cater to gamers", "Nintendo failed us this generation", there are so many issues I have with this. PlanetGamecube were in our shadows during last generation, but after being rebranded NintendoWorldReport, they are one of the best Nintendo sites on the internet. As much as I loathe Cubed3, they have surpassed us. GoNintendo have come and left us in their wake.

 

Like others have mentioned, there are so many of us who have been here for so long. We know this place like the back of our hand. We're no longer hungry for this place, as it has become our second home. What we really need are people coming in with things to prove. People coming in wanting to make this forum/website the best place on the net. This will then attract new members, people will come in fresh which will make the place more interesting. Better for everyone.

 

Well said, my friend. Well said.

 

The C-E days were awesome. Everyone was enthusiastic, the gaming threads came thick and fast and there was always plenty of banter. Now this place is a shell of it's former self. I joined up back in the day because of the gaming banter, in fact most of us probably did, but there has been a serious lack of that for a long time. I've found myself visiting Neogaf more and more, I just lurk but the gaming convos over there are fantastic.

 

As I said earlier, there are a handful of us still posting and keeping the gaming section alive but it's the same people. We need a serious boost in new blood.

 

Whatever happened to ShadowV7 and Tellyn? I miss those guys, they just seemed to drop off the face of the earth. I still miss the likes of Jordan and Stocka as well.

[Happenstance]

In regards to gaming chat I think Nintendo have changed so much since the Gamecube that a lot of people just arent interested in them like they originally were when they first joined and with forums being less relevant now, the kids who do like Nintendo these days arent really joining up.

 

As for normal chat, its just become boring for me. A lot of comments just seem to get ignored in favour of the usual poster groupings and conversations are starting to become predictable. I didnt bother logging in for a couple of months this year and I didnt feel like I was missing anything, the few people I actually enjoy talking to here these days I could chat with elsewhere.

[Charlie]

New members can piss off. I won't be happy until we're down to the last 30 true classic members and we're all so content that we visit every day but don't post anything at all. Elite members!

 

We have that in the 'Veterans' board. We average about one post every 2 years.

 

Nintendo, and I'm being honest here, isn't talked about as much as it used to be/as much as it should do but, and again I'm being honest, this forum is bigger than Nintendo in some ways. It means more. We're like an internet family or something where we know each other like we know ReZ makes a lot of jokes, Chairdriver and Paj use the words 'stun' or 'stunning' a lot (or used to, don't hear it so much anymore), The Bard can be a bit pessimistic (not a bad thing but still) and that Charlie is an absolute player. We all know each other's character and personality and to me, that's fucking amazing.

 

YOu're right there, we've all grown up together. I've been a member of Cube-Europe since 2002 (when I borrowed my bro's account and took it over) and then made my own in 2003. That's 10 years I've been a part of this community and I've seen it all.

 

The fact of the matter is that, unfortunately, N-Europe is no longer a major player in the Nintendo world anymore. Does this stem down to the move to the Advance Media Network? Yes, it probably does. That and Conor screwing us around.

 

 

Re. Mega Threads. Shorty is right, all the conversation is in these threads. There are loads of different topics mashed in together and the SEO aspect of these is a big part for not getting new members.

 

I've suggested in the past a few changes to the admins on how to rearrange the forums so they are more popular. In summary:

 

-Merge Gen Chit chat, creative and Tech. No need for separate forums anymore!

-Keep Playground as sub-forum

-One mega Nintendo forum for all things Nintendo other than the Wii U (which should be popular enough to warrant its own forum).

-One other forum for Other Consoles

[Rummy]

Yeah, a possible help. I've seen other forums die a death from growing in their number of forums as they get big, but then dying off/down and not collapsing the forums back down, leaving everything thinned out. I didn't venture into Gen straight away when I joined(though fairly shortly after) but it was ages before I started checking the Tech and Creative boards, I always felt 'meh, creative, that isn't me' and didn't bother! I regret it of course, we've got some amazing talent.

 

We've definitely shrunk in size also. Whilst we've got a few new folks recently(Magnus sticking out, and Yvonne), on the whole we've sort of 'lost' a lot of people. Jordan, Jay, Letty, bluey, Jamba, Katie, MBAM, Goafer, King_V etc - just a few names who were fairly regular in posting well back in the day, and not so much now. Don't get me wrong, of course a few of those DO post, just seems not quite as much as in the past. If you think how many regulars we once had compared to now, it's quite a difference.

[MoogleViper]

It's the penis threads. Not enough penis threads. We used to talk about penis all the time.

 

WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU N-EUROPE? YOU USED TO BE COOL!!!

[Mokong]

A worrying fact: The forum is much, much less active at the same time ReZ is too busy to post much.

 

Well in fairness he is busy swimming in London at the moment :wink:

 

Yeah, a possible help. I've seen other forums die a death from growing in their number of forums as they get big, but then dying off/down and not collapsing the forums back down, leaving everything thinned out. I didn't venture into Gen straight away when I joined(though fairly shortly after) but it was ages before I started checking the Tech and Creative boards, I always felt 'meh, creative, that isn't me' and didn't bother! I regret it of course, we've got some amazing talent.

 

We've definitely shrunk in size also. Whilst we've got a few new folks recently(Magnus sticking out, and Yvonne), on the whole we've sort of 'lost' a lot of people. Jordan, Jay, Letty, bluey, Jamba, Katie, MBAM, Goafer, King_V etc - just a few names who were fairly regular in posting well back in the day, and not so much now. Don't get me wrong, of course a few of those DO post, just seems not quite as much as in the past. If you think how many regulars we once had compared to now, it's quite a difference.

 

Katie is still fairly active...though mainly in the Handheld board and the Mario Kart League thread specifically

[Rummy]

Katie is still fairly active...though mainly in the Handheld board and the Mario Kart League thread specifically

 

So's Jamba :p I'm just saying they're not as active as they used to be! Notably more so not around here anymore.

[bob]

I am genuinely surprised this place is still going anyway.

 

I joined way back when the gamecube was announced (2001/2002-ish) and remember it being ridiculously busy. If you spent just one evening away from the computer, you missed so much! I don't even remember there being that many boards back then, or perhaps i only frequented a couple....anywho it was great.

 

Then i went away to uni, and I stopped coming. Mainly because i didn't want to feel obligated to log on every night and miss out on social things happening at uni (and like i said, missing out one night felt like being away for a month, so i chose to leave completely rather than browse every so often.

 

After a couple of years, i forgot about it. Reminiscing every year or so, usually when i got my Birthday email from the site. I assumed that a website such as this wouldn't survive, especially with most of the members growing up and going to uni like i did, and getting jobs etc.

 

So when i came back after a four or five year break, i thought it would be completely dead, and was pleasantly surprised to find that there were still people here! Many of them whom i recognised from before (and plenty who i probably would recognise if they hadn't changed username...).

 

I think it's definately quieter than before, but has done so well to keep going for so long.

[Caris]

I totally agree with what Flinky and HoT have said, I don't have much to say because they have said it all.

 

The only thing I will say is that the Wii U is around the corner and that would be a prime time to try and get some new blood in here, there is going to be a lot of Nintendo buzz this Christmas and I hope N-E makes the most of it.

[-Dem0-]

I've been viewing this site since 2002. My sister introduced it to me, she use to visit this site all the time like myself, although she wasn't a member. I only used it for my gaming info along with IGN & my NOM UK Mag, I just wasn't interested in the forums as much.

 

My sister however, was the opposite, she would spend her free time on the forums, not as a member but just viewing as a guest. She would call me over so many times, pointing me towards these funny posts, newly leaked info and game releases. But then as she grew older, slowly she had less time, she became busier she started viewing other sites like Gaf & Gonintendo in her spare time. It got to the point where, right now my sister no longer visits these gaming websites at all, she's too busy teaching. The little bits of gaming info she get's nowadays is through me or Nintendo's E3 conference.

 

I've never really been a chit-chat kind of guy, the only reason I joined in September was to discuss video games I'm currently playing, what interests me, upcoming games and read impressions of games that I've yet to experience.

I visit N-E every day for the 3DS & Wii/WiiU threads mainly after that I check out the football & F1 threads and that's about it.

 

The point I'm trying to make is that, even though my sister wasn't a member, she no longer views these forums simply because she's far too busy and even without trying she can find all of her gaming info at her doorstep via social networks. Before social networking there was forums, but nowadays a lot of people are far too preoccupied with logging onto FB and viewing De-motivational Posters, one after another for hours on end, then you receive a message from your friend asking if you've seen this hilariously funny De-motivational Poster at 2:34 in the morning.

[Rummy]

I totally agree with what Flinky and HoT have said, I don't have much to say because they have said it all.

 

The only thing I will say is that the Wii U is around the corner and that would be a prime time to try and get some new blood in here, there is going to be a lot of Nintendo buzz this Christmas and I hope N-E makes the most of it.

 

Truesay! I actually got into N-E as a news site thanks to Marcamillian, but when the Wii was coming out and I couldn't contain my boner, I just had to join the forums and talk to everyone about it. The fact that not much has really happened in the last 6 years console wise(well, it has, but it's been one hell of a long generation unless I'm mistaken?) has led to reduced activity along with us growing out of it. The Wii U should be interesting, and hopefully spur some activity, but tbh I'm not even planning on getting one on launch! So I think it'll definitely have to be up to the new blood! One thing though, the 3DS and rainfall trilogy did go some lengths to re-igniting my perusal of the actual gaming boards here.

[Ville]

Ok, a few observations.

 

Most users ever online was 851, 03-07-2008 at 03:48 AM.

 

When was that? When SSBB was released, and the forums had a huge, awesome Brawl tournament! That's when me and my bro also joined the forum, although he hasn't really posted after that at all. I mean that event was great fun, so I wonder why there haven't been anything like that since...Sure, the MK leagues seem to stroll along, but has there really been any grand gaming event since the Brawl tourney? I don't think so...it's more like just people playing in their small groups.

 

Second, let's face it: Nintendo just plain suck nowadays. They used to be cutting edge, now it's more like "hey, let's see how different we can be while being incredibly lazy with our games..." Yes, they might be making money with the casual approach, good for them, but there are less and less games that actually push the envelope and thus interest me. WiiU is the first Nintendo console I'm not that interested in getting, well after 3DS... o_O I mean, I've already got an Xbox 360 for the multiplatforms, so I'd rather just wait and see what Sony and MS come up with...

 

Third: certain organiser type -people going MIA. Apparently, Jay went down under and died to us there. Hence no more BISHes, like last summer...Mr. Jamieson? Apart from swimming on the Olympic level at this very moment, his creative pursuits on the board took a noticeable dive (...) after the N-E awards. Maybe he thought that "all achieved here, time to move on"? For all the flack he gets, the man is a friggin' dynamo of (pen0r-filled) wacky creativity. His absence does show quite clearly...

 

Fourth: let's face it, this place is not very alluring or that inviting to new users anyway. Yes, the people in general are great, but whenever there's a new member joining and saying hi, it either turns into a) you rokhed? BAN!, b) you female? hubba hubba or c) some sort of really creepy invitation ceremony so thick with sexual innuendo they'd probably need a friggin' boat to get across it : o Coupled with the fact that most people here aren't that interested in Nintendo / gaming anymore, I can't blame 'em for not staying...

 

Fifth: all that social media hullabaloo and dispersion, drawing people away from traditional boards such as this...

 

So, it seems that on the internet highway, we're no longer a bustling city with all the latest attractions, but just a motel with a bunch of regulars sitting in the same tables from day to day. Can't expect anyone to get stuck there, when the world is full of marvel and joyous sights to see and explore...

Edited August 1, 2012 by Ville

[Daft]

My reasons; I don't have time (nor really care that much) for games these days and I discovered Reddit (and Tumblr).

 

...Also, if I want to talk to Rez, I'll text him.

[killer kirby]

I discovered Reddit.

 

[Murr]

Only been here 2 years, so can't comment on how busy this place was in the Cube days, But I was a member on another Nintendo Forum (Which funnily enough has changed to an entertainment forum / website now) And during the Cube days Nintendo was that much more exciting...

 

I don't know how it was here for you guys, but the capcom 5, Resident evil exclusivity deal, Special treatment in Namco titles like R Racing (hello pacman) and Soul Caliber 2 as well as getting Baten Kaitos, Special treatment from EA games (SSX & NBA Street) ... It was good because Nintendo were bouncing back from the N64 Era, with these great new exclusives from developers that we weren't used to seeing so much on Nintendo consoles. And revisits of F Zero, Star Fox... finally getting Animal Crossing... these were all .... aahem *Megatons!!*

 

Massive stories such as the sale of Rare to Microsoft at the time sent shockwaves through the Nintendo board I was on, and the 'console wars' conversation was alot more exciting and fun in that generation.

 

Nintendo actually competed in the console war that time round, and threw so much into making the fans happy that forums were always going to be full of hype.

 

Wii era was good due to the shock factor of the console itself, but the move away and Nintendo themselves saying they weren't really competing in the same area as Sony & Microsoft changed meant alot of the discussions from the Cube days were irrelevant.

 

Not to mention growing up, as I said... the capcom 5 really had me hyped up and I loved talking about them, keeping up to date with them, now if Nintendo said that Capcom were announcing 5 games exclusively for Wii-U... yeah I'd get them, and monitor them, but don't think I'd have the same enthusiasm as I did previously.

[MoogleViper]

Maybe we should sign n-europe up to dateagamer.co.uk and shagagamer.com. If we tout it as a great place to meet gamers then people might come and join. Plus... you know... one of us might get lucky.

[Shorty]

It's Rare's fault.

 

It's all Rare's fault.

[Grazza]

To be honest, I didn't know there was a problem. For what it's worth, though, I favour the "Nintendo is not what it was" argument.

 

I found this site back in the GameCube days, when you could argue Nintendo's output was the best out of everyone's, and even the hardware was up there with the Xbox. Games like Metroid Prime, Wind Waker and F-Zero GX inspired people. As much as I love the 3DS, what is the last Nintendo game anyone could have a strong opinion about? Where are the signs they are even working on anything like that?

 

Nintendo is just going through the motions. It's crazy - the other day I ordered New Super Mario Bros 2 and I don't even want it. I'm just spending money for the sake of it. Don't get me wrong, I know it'll be good, but is this what it's come down to? Nintendo has lost the capacity to inspire.

 

E3 2012 was a particular lowlight. Apart from Pikmin 3, I'm afraid I'm not even on the same page as anyone who thinks that was a good way to launch a console. No 3D Mario, Zelda, Metroid, F-Zero, Star Fox, WaveRace, Pilotwings or anything to show off what sort of 3D graphics engines this thing can pull off...

 

Even so, I like the people here and I want to experience future games alongside them. It's just that, as people have said, individuals get older and lose interest. Without a new "Wind Waker" on cutting-edge hardware with controls as good as everyone else's, you're never going to get an influx of the same type of people who used to love Nintendo so much.

[Ike]

Actually I only noticed this week after I saw that there wasn't many new posts in the morning. Thought I was just on the forum too much :/

 

So N-Europe doomed? Because that what everyone is saying

[LegoMan1031]

I don't get to play games half as much as I want anymore coz of adult life And I still live with my mum!

 

I have still been visiting the forum recently BUT I have hardly been posting the past few months coz I have had a lot of stuff going on in my life and I just wanted to spend my time actually playing games when possible when I have been able to (which hasn't been a lot).