We Need Another Nintendo Topic

[Nespresso]

So here it is. I guess maybe we could bring out the more positive sides of all things Nintendo? I dunno.

Discuss.

[Bojangle]

NINTENDOOMED!

(A bit like this thread).

[Nespresso]

I am rekt.

[dismembo]

They seem to be the only people bringing out games that run consistently at a nice 60 FPS at 1080p that work straight out of the box. Only kids care about that sort of thing though, eh?

[Harsin]

Nice straw man Worzel Gummidge.

[Halo]

They're also the only company that's selling emulated last-gen games for £18 and still charging £30 for titles years after their release.

[dismembo]

They're also the only company whose last gen games will play on the newer model. Good luck buying Metroid Prime Trilogy anywhere else for less than eighteen quid or Xenoblade Chronicles for thirty.

[Halo]

Good luck buying Metroid Prime Trilogy anywhere else for less than eighteen quid or Xenoblade Chronicles for thirty.

With regard that, my response to that is this:

charging £30 for titles years after their release.

They wouldn't be so expensive if Nintendo gave their games extended prints runs and discounted them over time to maximise sales like every other games publisher.

My main complaint about Nintendo consoles is that the price of 1st party titles is ridiculous, which makes the cost of ownership sky-high since 1st party titles are the only games worth playing on the Wii and Wii U. It completely puts me off buying their systems. I'm sure I'm not the only one either. Market segmentation and all that.

Doubly so given how much they milk franchises. I already own 5 versions of Mario Kart and I didn't play 7 that long ago so paying £40 for the new one is something I feel I can live without.

And, indeed, if I'm ever in the mood to scratch that Nintendo itch then I can always pick up second-hand copies of last-gen titles that I missed out on because they were too expensive when still current. I still haven't played Mario Kart Wii, Pikmin 1/2, Luigi's Mansion 1 or Yoshi's Story (I'm just going to accept I'll never play Kirby's Adventure... or DK64 for that matter).

[dismembo]

Do you really think new game prices are too expensive? The only reason prices ever go down on anything is because no-one wants to buy at the current price. Games only get discounted in the first place to help drive sales. Sales that aren't happening in the first place.

I don't think the cost of ownership is sky high particularly. Certainly no more than any other system. Plus there have been quite a lot of giveaways in the last few years. I was able to get Monster Hunter for free (twice!) about twenty quid in eshop credit, metroid prime trilogy for eight quid and a free copy of Animal Crossing that I can remember off the top of my head.

It is a pain when there are limited numbers of copies in the first place, though. As things move more into digital purchasing, that should hopefully become a thing of the past.

Shame you're burnt out out on Mario Kart, as I feel that 8 is the best they've ever done. And I've got all of them.

[dataDave]

They're also the only company that's selling emulated last-gen games for £18 and still charging £30 for titles years after their release.

Coming to an iOS near you!

[SMD]

With regard that, my response to that is this:

They wouldn't be so expensive if Nintendo gave their games extended prints runs and discounted them over time to maximise sales like every other games publisher.

My main complaint about Nintendo consoles is that the price of 1st party titles is ridiculous, which makes the cost of ownership sky-high since 1st party titles are the only games worth playing on the Wii and Wii U. It completely puts me off buying their systems. I'm sure I'm not the only one either. Market segmentation and all that.

Doubly so given how much they milk franchises. I already own 5 versions of Mario Kart and I didn't play 7 that long ago so paying £40 for the new one is something I feel I can live without.

And, indeed, if I'm ever in the mood to scratch that Nintendo itch then I can always pick up second-hand copies of last-gen titles that I missed out on because they were too expensive when still current. I still haven't played Mario Kart Wii, Pikmin 1/2, Luigi's Mansion 1 or Yoshi's Story (I'm just going to accept I'll never play Kirby's Adventure... or DK64 for that matter).

All of these things apply to other platforms too. Multiplatforms are regularly annual releases and if you buy them at launch they're just as expensive as Nintendo first party games.

If you're a late to the party gamer then fair enough but that still means you have to choose which exclusives you're going to miss out on by sticking to one platform.

Milking franchises is a bizarre complaint given the big third party games you can't buy on Wii U are all well into their fifth or more iterations.

You don't have to buy Mario Kart 8 (though it's fantastic). There are plenty of exclusives that are once a generation deals or brand new.

You could spin your complaints around though. By buying a Wii U, you know you're getting unique games so it doesn't matter how the spec stacks up against the competition. Since the games hold their value, you can buy at launch without seeing the price plummet within weeks. You can buy the console knowing it's likely you'll see your favourite franchises updated and reworked (RIP F-Zero and Metroid).

For all their problems, Nintendo are far from the publisher who leaves you feeling short-changed. Games are complete at launch, most titles are microtransaction free and DLC tends to be substantial or free.

[Halo]

If you're a late to the party gamer then fair enough but that still means you have to choose which exclusives you're going to miss out on by sticking to one platform.

I almost never buy games at launch. Can't afford it. I buy them discounted long after release.

On Nintendo's platforms, 1st party games, generally the only games that are worthwhile, rarely get discounted. That's not the case for any other publisher on any other platform.

I imagine there's plenty of potential buyers, especially parents with children, who balk at paying £30 or more for a game. Every publisher other than Nintendo seems to realise there's an audience that won't pay £30 and play the market segmentation game and discount their titles after release in order to maximise their revenue. Nintendo don't, often pushing their titles out of print instead of discounting them to try and improve their sales.

Nintendo like to act as though they exist in own little bubble away from the rest of the games industry, but they don't. When every other publisher discounts their software and Nintendo doesn't then I end up not buying Nintendo games, not deciding to buy Nintendo games at full price.

And that was my experience on both the Wii and, to a lesser extent, the 3DS, with neither console getting used enough due to it to justify the outlay.

Milking franchises is a bizarre complaint given the big third party games you can't buy on Wii U are all well into their fifth or more iterations.

It matters less because there are vastly more 3rd game releases than Nintendo game releases, coupled with the ability to jump into an unfamiliar franchise at the the nth iteration to find it provides a new gameplay experience. Franchises being milked matters less when there are more of them.

Plus a lot of franchises feel fresher than Nintendo's long-running ones, which often have very similar gameplay to games from a decade or two ago, which sometimes leaves me scratching my head as to why I should play the latest Donkey Kong Country game when I still haven't played through Diddy Kong's Quest.

[SMD]

I almost never buy games at launch. Can't afford it. I buy them discounted long after release.

On Nintendo's platforms, 1st party games, generally the only games that are worthwhile, rarely get discounted. That's not the case for any other publisher on any other platform.

I imagine there's plenty of potential buyers, especially parents with children, who balk at paying £30 or more for a game. Every publisher other than Nintendo seems to realise there's an audience that won't pay £30 and play the market segmentation game and discount their titles after release in order to maximise their revenue. Nintendo don't, often pushing their titles out of print instead of discounting them to try and improve their sales.

Nintendo like to act as though they exist in own little bubble away from the rest of the games industry, but they don't. When every other publisher discounts their software and Nintendo doesn't then I end up not buying Nintendo games, not deciding to buy Nintendo games at full price.

And that was my experience on both the Wii and, to a lesser extent, the 3DS, with neither console getting used enough due to it to justify the outlay.

It matters less because there are vastly more 3rd game releases than Nintendo game releases, coupled with the ability to jump into an unfamiliar franchise at the the nth iteration to find it provides a new gameplay experience. Franchises being milked matters less when there are more of them.

Plus a lot of franchises feel fresher than Nintendo's long-running ones, which often have very similar gameplay to games from a decade or two ago, which sometimes leaves me scratching my head as to why I should play the latest Donkey Kong Country game when I still haven't played through Diddy Kong's Quest.

You sound like you don't buy into Nintendo games at all, so I doubt Nintendo making their games at £17.99 would entice you. Which is fair enough, that's why there are other machines and publishers. I wouldn't say they're in a bubble, more like they have niche appeal since they fulfil very different tastes.

[Halo]

You sound like you don't buy into Nintendo games at all, so I doubt Nintendo making their games at £17.99 would entice you. Which is fair enough, that's why there are other machines and publishers. I wouldn't say they're in a bubble, more like they have niche appeal since they fulfil very different tastes.

No? I generally like Nintendo games.

I loved Super Mario 3D Land and Kirby Triple Deluxe. I liked DKCR3D, Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, Mario Kart 7 and Pilotwings Resort. I thought Luigi's Mansion 2, Galaxy 1/2, Mario Open Tennis and Pokemon X/Y were pretty average and didn't get along with Smash 3DS, New Super Mario Bros 2 or Yoshi's New Island at all.

But I do find some of their franchises a little tired and found a lot of the above to be retreads of games I'd played before without a ton of innovation. If they weren't £30/pop then that would be more forgiveable.

[SMD]

No? I generally like Nintendo games.

I loved Super Mario 3D Land and Kirby Triple Deluxe. I liked DKCR3D, Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, Mario Kart 7 and Pilotwings Resort. I thought Luigi's Mansion 2, Galaxy 1/2, Mario Open Tennis and Pokemon X/Y were pretty average and didn't get along with Smash 3DS, New Super Mario Bros 2 or Yoshi's New Island at all.

But I do find some of their franchises a little tired and found a lot of the above to be retreads of games I'd played before without a ton of innovation. If they weren't £30/pop then that would be more forgiveable.

I don't know if I can forgive you saying

Galaxy 1 and 2 are average.

[shynra]

I cannot hear the children... What have you done with the children?!

[jonamok]

My favourite console boot-up sequence I think. Any better?

[mushashi]

They wouldn't be so expensive if Nintendo gave their games extended prints runs and discounted them over time to maximise sales like every other games publisher.

My main complaint about Nintendo consoles is that the price of 1st party titles is ridiculous, which makes the cost of ownership sky-high since 1st party titles are the only games worth playing on the Wii and Wii U. It completely puts me off buying their systems. I'm sure I'm not the only one either. Market segmentation and all that.

Iwata has commented enough times on this subject over the years. They view their software like luxury brands view their wares. You don't do discounts, you maintain pricing no matter what so your customers know what they are going to be charged at all times and you don't train them to expect price drops which is bad for your business long term.

If they feel forced to by market forces, the best you'll ever get officially from Nintendo is a budget reprint line of stuff they think will sell.

[Nick R]

My favourite console boot-up sequence I think. Any better?

Nope.

There have been other great sounds (PS1) and animations (Saturn). But none of the others have had the GameCube's perfect combination of name, logo, jingle and animation effect.

(And I say that having never even owned one!)

[NEG]

Come now

GC is close, though.

[Oh Danny Boy]

GC is Nintendo's best designed console by a mile. The aesthetics, that pad, the miniature discs, the machine barely made a sound when loading, the cute cases that matched the design (why the uk and us got standard dvd cases was baffling) and Nintendo actually had a sensible and effective third party policy. It deserved to do better.

[TheSlugFormerlyKnownAsNap]

It looked like a Teletubby handbag, the pad was too small and creaky, the triggers were crap, button placement was off and that weird small and unresponsive c-stick was the first of many examples that Nintendo didn't 'get' dual stick controls and the third party software was thin on the ground compared to ps2 and Xbox in the latter part of its lifecycle. I'd say it's overrated and already showed many of the problems that still haunt Nintendo today. My least favourite console of that generation by a fair distance.

[SMD]

We get it, you hate Nintendo.

[mdn2]

But it also had Super Monkey Ball, which automatically makes it better than anything.

[Oh Danny Boy]

It looked like a Teletubby handbag, the pad was too small and creaky, the triggers were crap, button placement was off and that weird small and unresponsive c-stick was the first of many examples that Nintendo didn't 'get' dual stick controls and the third party software was thin on the ground compared to ps2 and Xbox in the latter part of its lifecycle. I'd say it's overrated and already showed many of the problems that still haunt Nintendo today. My least favourite console of that generation by a fair distance.

mad! Luigi's mansion, monkey ball, f zero gx, animal crossing, metroid prime, capcom's exclusives. It had the best third party support than any Nintendo console post Snes. I'm no fan of Nintendo's consoles since but to me the GC is a great little box.

[Bojangle]

The GameCube pad is still my favourite ever pad. Fantastic D-Pad, triggers that still haven't been beat, awesome analogue stick and it felt like it was designed around my hand shape as it just felt perfect.

[TheSlugFormerlyKnownAsNap]

mad! Luigi's mansion, monkey ball, f zero gx, animal crossing, metroid prime, capcom's exclusives. It had the best third party support than any Nintendo console post Snes. I'm no fan of Nintendo's consoles since but to me the GC is a great little box.

I didn't say it didn't have any good games It was pretty powerful too. But I was never fond of the form factor and controller.

[Nespresso]

8 users reading this at 8:38am.

Can we please close this thread? We definitely do not need another Nintendo topic. Take a hint guys, geez. So disappointed.

[Jolly]

The GameCube pad is still my favourite ever pad. Fantastic D-Pad, triggers that still haven't been beat, awesome analogue stick and it felt like it was designed around my hand shape as it just felt perfect.

Adding spin on Monkey Bowling with those triggers was just beautiful.

[ScouserInExile]

It looked like a Teletubby handbag,

The thing I've always thought about the GC is that it looks like a small child's toy, controllers and all. Where the PS2 was clearly designed to look good under your telly and the Xbox looked like a serious bit of AV kit, the GC was something you'd hide away, lest people realised you still played with children's toys.

However, the PS2 and Xbox have both aged terribly. And the GC hasn't. It still looks like a small child's toy, just a really nicely designed small child's toy.