Dante Posted August 10, 2006 Posted August 10, 2006 For the first time in six years, Nintendo is 100% behind one idea, the idea of change. And whether it’s instant success or a ripple of influence far down the line, change is only good for gaming in the long run. Making it work now is up to Nintendo. And despite their numerous shortcomings and mistakes, I think they have a better chance now than ever. 1) Innovation: Small probability of disaster So far, we’ve seen evidence of a healthy balance, much like the one we have on DS. DS drew in hardcore gamers with the Mario 64 remake, but also slipped in Meteos, Nintendogs and Brain Age. The rate of female gamers on the DS is staggering, rivaling the early 90’s Game Boy Tetris craze. Meanwhile the top-tier titles, Mario Kart, Metroid Hunters, are satisfying the appetite of the hardcore. With a nice skew of gaming tastes, DS is sustaining two different demographics: old-school and brand new, never-before-touched-a-controller consumers. Wii seems to have the same lineup. Zelda Twilight Princess and Prime 3 will definitely make launch, with Super Mario Galaxy not long after, but Wii Sports will draw in the non-gamers, and titles like Elebits and the virtual console offerings will keep them playing. I only hope that Nintendo doesn’t start to cater to the non-gamers exclusively as we definitely don’t want the Apple Syndrome taking over. 2) Virtual Console: Medium probability of disaster I say this because so many things could go wrong. Omitting the wrong games from the list or pricing them too high could spell doom. Decades-old software should be priced in the iTunes neighborhood of $1 or so per game; I’m not paying $20 for an N64 game when I can get the original cartridge at EB for half that price. Meanwhile the classic controller still has a ways to go before it fits like the proverbial glove. The absence of Rare will be felt deeply by all old-school Nintendo fans, the exact market that Nintendo is aiming for with the nostalgia-laden VC. The ability to use the near-perfect GameCube controller for all the downloadable games would solve several problems. The GCN saw many ports of older games—NES Metroid, Zelda: Link to the Past and Ocarina—so it can clearly triple team for Nintendo’s older consoles at the very least, and it shouldn’t have much trouble conforming to the Genesis and TG-16. Then they’ll need a significant storage option for the nostalgia buffs who want to download every last game they offer on the VC. 3) Third-party support: Small probability of disaster That is, if the developers stay with Nintendo. The GCN had a healthy stable of support, but it dried up quickly due to the lack of online functionality and Nintendo’s “less is more” strategy in regards to graphics. The sparse opening lineup didn’t improve any reputations. Wii is in decidedly better shape, with a much more appealing launch list made by respected industry names. If the Wii and its ambitious concept work, most of the talent will stick around to produce successful second and third generation software. If not, well…we can always wait another four years for the next Zelda. 4) Nintendo Wifi Connection: High probability of disaster Nintendo has to streamline this concept, and in a good way, or they’ll be hurting big time. First of all, friend codes for each individual game should be replaced with a single code, similar to Xbox Live’s gamertags. That way only one swap is needed, and then you can compete with a person on anything from Red Steel to Excite Truck. Secondly, the issue of servers. It’s wonderful that so far the NWC has been completely free, with Nintendo running all of the servers. But that opened up other problems; there have been laggy nights and errors galore. To smooth things out, the Wii could act as a standalone server for moderately sized multiplayer games. I’ve run non-dedicated matches on my PC, and it’s hardly top-of-the-line, so I’m sure the Wii (and a moderate high speed connection) could handle Wifi games. That way, I could do a server search on my Wii similar to scanning the net for fan-run Unreal Tournament servers on my PC. Coupled with the Opera browser and an IM app, friends could tell each other when they’ll be playing, and swap friend codes easier. It isn’t the perfect system, but it’s better than the one they have now. The DS online play is fine within the limits of a portable—it’s amazing it works as well as it does—but for a home console, we’re going to need more of everything: features, options, games, and most of all freedom. If Nintendo doesn’t heed the warnings, they’re looking at a very stagnant online community. 5) Marketing: High probability of disaster Nintendo needs to fix this problem, and fast. Within the next two months fast. They need a marketing blitz the likes of which they’ve never attempted before, and more importantly, it needs to be handled with finesse. The enjoyment of the people in the ads has to be tangible, but not extreme. Nobody wants to look like a fool when they’re playing a game, unless they’re a diehard DDR nut. And that’s a different story altogether. What Nintendo needs is a fusion of their previous tactics and their current ones. They need to show a wide array of people enjoying the Wii, but in a casual way; the different game tastes should be presented with their appropriate audiences, so the crucial message is sent loud and clear: Wii has something for everyone, NOT just for gamers. The artistic element from the old ads should be reworked to lend sophistication and credibility—Apple is great at doing this, so much so that Microsoft is ripping them off for their new Zune campaign. Then, almost subconsciously, Nintendo should show that playing the Wii is more exciting, more engaging, than just listening to your iPod. Wii needs to be the thing the whole family does on a Friday night, the ideal party machine, the easy-to-use online alternative to computer gaming, and above all, low-cost and power efficient. Can Nintendo communicate this? Yes, in a good way, and in a bad way. They can’t bounce all over the place in their commercials, or it’ll end up sounding like a late night infomercial (it even does your taxes!). What’s more, they need to keep the feeling of suave consumerism, the understated popularity that convinced everyone that everyone was buying the overpriced iPod. I think the DS “Touch Generations” campaign is a good indication and a great start, but that line of thinking has to be exploited to the fullest extent before the average game-shy American is convinced that those there newfangled video games won’t turn them (or their kids) into Columbine imitators. source. What do you think about this article?
Gaijin von Snikbah Posted August 10, 2006 Posted August 10, 2006 I think some of the points are exaggerated. Like the first one. Nintendo has always been about making games for everyone. But of course, there will probably be more Touch Generation games, seeing how popular they are.
Hero-of-Time Posted August 10, 2006 Posted August 10, 2006 Seems like a very well written article but I dont agree with 2 points. Firstly is the VC point they make. People will buy the games they want no matter the cost or how old they are. You just have to look at Xbox 360 arcade sales to see that there is a market there for old skool games, I mean Streetfighter was one of the most anticipated games for the 360 before its release. Secondly is the marketing. Now I dont know how it is in the US but I believe that Nintendo has done a great job in the UK of marketing the DS. They have had plenty adverts on TV and they have sponsered shows that either they know people will watch or that relate to the game itself. If they can do the same with the Wii then they will be onto a winner.
Kazzahdrane Posted August 10, 2006 Posted August 10, 2006 Firstly is the VC point they make. People will buy the games they want no matter the cost or how old they are. You just have to look at Xbox 360 arcade sales to see that there is a market there for old skool games, I mean Streetfighter was one of the most anticipated games for the 360 before its release. I just can't agree with this at all. Microsoft have found the right games (sometimes) and very importantly the right price point. People won't buy VC games with no thought to how old they are or how much they cost. Unless they are billionaires. Also, I really agree with the point in the article about the online play. I'm very worried that Nintendo will go with their idiot-friendly Friend Codes for every game and miss out on having a vibrant online community. It's good enough for the DS, but nowhere near good enough for a home console in this day and age. People have been spoiled by the sleek and functional Xbox Live Friends list - and anything less will make them ignore the Wii's online functions. This includes myself, I don't have time to phone round my friends and say "hey let's all play Smash Bros. tonight at 20:00!". That's a ridiculous way to "make playing games easier for everyone".
mcj metroid Posted August 10, 2006 Posted August 10, 2006 I do believe nintendo's marketing has improved.If you look at the New super mario bros ad you will see this.Very good and almost as good as their old ones!But they still need to improve.Look how sony marketed locoroco.Ok the ad sucked but it was a good unknown game that sold well.granted most companies can't afford tv coverage but nintendo has no excuse.Look at ea.Evertime they release a new game there is a huge box and logos and designs all over it and about 50 games in it.I have also seen it with thq but never ever with nintendo!
Hero-of-Time Posted August 10, 2006 Posted August 10, 2006 I just can't agree with this at all. Microsoft have found the right games (sometimes) and very importantly the right price point. People won't buy VC games with no thought to how old they are or how much they cost. Unless they are billionaires. I think they will, you just have to look at the success of the various SNES ports on the GBA and the NES Classics range was a huge hit in Japan. The majority of Nintendo games are well made and enjoyable to play from the NES days up until now. As for the price I dont think that they will be that exspensive at all.
Patch Posted August 10, 2006 Posted August 10, 2006 Wii needs to be the thing the whole family does on a Friday night Heh. Haha. HAHAHAHAHA! Sorry.
demonmike04 Posted August 10, 2006 Posted August 10, 2006 Marketing is already underway, every one who has stepped into a game shop knows about it. Because its the final few days of Big Brother, I would of thought they'd take the oppertunity to advertise the Wii, but obviously not. Big brother gets mass audiences, and its about time to go full scale advertising. Im losing faith in the Wii wifi service, not much news on it. We'l have to see whats in store for it, until then im highly doubting it will be a success.
Fierce_LiNk Posted August 10, 2006 Posted August 10, 2006 About the Advertising: To be honest, i think Nintendo are stronger than they have ever been in this area. The DS advertising has really changed my whole perception of them. Their partnership with channel 4, (and on a friday night too!) was a very, very clever move. I think we can expect more of the same with Wii. They need to advertise consistently, which is what they didn't do during the GC's life. There would be a heap of ads at the start of the life, and then it would progressively get smaller and smaller. About online: We're really going to have to wait til we see what they have planned. At the moment, it's just speculation and more speculation. As soon as we get concrete info, then we can go deeper in this, imo.
Dcubed Posted August 13, 2006 Posted August 13, 2006 It's not been confirmed that Rare's games wont appear on VC yet, their latest scribes (I think it's this one, could be the previous one) actually says that nothing has been confirmed yet and it's still a posibility. That being said, I still reckon it's not gonna happen. Also didn't Nintendo confirm that all VC games will cost in between $4 and $9? that sounds fairly reasonable to me (£2-£6) Nintendo's marketing has been pretty good lately (aside from the horribly dubbed NSMB ad!) I think these ads have just about the right level of "fun" that Ninty want to convey with the Wii. All they need to do is show someone playing the game as they normally would and maybe throw a few smiles in for good measure.
raven_blade2006 Posted August 13, 2006 Posted August 13, 2006 I hope everything works out. Online must be more in depth and easier to use. Nintendo have the patents to make a great online service as we have seen, lets hope they use them.
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