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Acclaim - GameCube Not Worth Publishing For?
Thanks to an anonymous reader for pointing to a GamePro report claiming that Acclaim Entertainment is dropping support for the Gamecube. The article quotes UK trade magazine MCV's interview with new Acclaim CEO Rod Cousens, who says "Why should we develop for platforms that don't deliver profits for us? We will still support the PS2 and Xbox, but Nintendo? No, not in the foreseeable future." Reportedly, this won't be true for the handful of in-development GameCube conversions at the troubled publisher, but these harsh words seem to imply that further Burnout sequels, amongst others, will not be coming to GameCube. Update: 06/23 22:08 GMT by S : Planet GameCube got an official comment from the publisher which says "Acclaim will now evaluate each title and decide which system(s) it best fits", but it's clear the CEO is still very down on GameCube.
At first blush, it's easy to take all these "doom and gloom" reports as the inevitable sinking of the GameCube. But look at who has been dropping their support ... companies like Midway and Acclaim, who are used to being able to shovel crap onto any system and get it to sell through slick marketing.
We're in a recession. Gamers are educating themselves more, and are spending their dollars on games that will give them the most bang for the buck. For the GameCube market, that means that most are saving their hard earned cash on first-party games.
So what does the loss of Acclaim mean in the long run? Jack shit, honestly. Less games that weren't selling anyway, so what? The GameCube won't be dead until Nintendo stops supporting it, and Nintendo supports their machines better than anyone.
Something tells me that Nintendo may have something to say about Acclaim still developing for the GBA if they cease all gamecube development. Acclaim has to be licensed, and Nintendo may just be a little bitter. But then again, rtfa, since Acclaim doesn't even say they will stop all future gamecube development, just that they will go on a game by game basis. As a gamecube owner, I couldn't care less, I don't think I own a single Acclaim game, nor did I see any in development that I had any interest in whatsoever.
http://goldysmom.blogspot.com
Exactly. Even if I wanted to play certain cross-platform games on the Gamecube, the controller is just so poorly suited to most sports games and FPSs (for example) that I invariably get them for another console. Even the exceptional appeal of the Wavebird isn't enough to overcome the lack of a usable D-pad and a real second analog stick, and the uncomfortable placement of the Z-button. 1st party titles work pretty well, but 3d party cross-platform games invariably control better on PS2 or XBox.
Hey Acclaim, stop making shitty games and maybe I will buy one that you create.
--GameCube owner
What 3rd party games really are that much of a loss? Seriously. I only have a GameCube, and I'm not left missing that much.
Final Fantasy X, to be sure...
Destiny Warriors...
GTA
and....that's really it.
That's all I miss coming from 3rd parties not on the GC.
Maybe I could put together a list other games I'd like to play, but I'm not missing them. Shinobi, Xenosaga, Devil May Cry..umm...not much else..
Burnout was fun...but other than that, not missing much by Acclaim leaving. I think that Nintendo needs to rebrand themselves as quality over quanity. Get on a different level than the other consoles.
DISCLAIMER: The opinions mentioned in this post are my own, and have nothing to do with the opinions of EB Games. Likewise, EB Games has nothing to do with my own opinions, and this post doesn't have much to do with anything.
With Nintendo, the quality and brand recognition of the flagship titles (Metroid, Zelda, Mario, etc) are so irresistable many first-party games are considered must-have purchases, leaving cube owners little time and money for third-party titles.
I don't think that's the problem. The problem is that after you have all the must-have purchases (Mario games, Zelda, Metroid - Eternal Darkness is Nintendo, isn't it?), the rest of the games are mediocre at best.
I recently acquired a SNES. I have a few RPGs in a box in my parents' house from ages ago (now that they've moved, I'll never find them), and I have Zelda right here. I'm also going to do my best to dig up the other games. Why? The graphics, by today's 'standards', suck. The audio isn't digitally sampled accoustically balanced CD-quality Dolby 5.1. But you know what? They were fun. They were challenging. They were inventive. There was a lot of crap, but there were a lot of games that were worth playing too. Actraiser was neat. Raiden Trad. Mario games. Lots of fun multiplayer games, and lots of fun single-player games.
What does the Gamecube have? Not much. It has all the first-party titles, and believe me, they rock. But after that? Nothing. Well, not really. Nothing worth buying unless you can take it back to EB within two weeks for something else.
Here's a tip for all you gamers, too. If there's a game you really want, go to EB and buy a game that you may or may not want. Try it out. If you like it enough to keep it, keep it. If not, take it back within two weeks, and get the full trade-in value, and put it towards the game that you know you want. You get to try a game out, and the only downside is that you can't bring back the game you know you really wanted as a trade in if you don't like it, which you know you will.
Anyway, having worked at EB, there is one thing I know for sure: there are a lot of really good games. The only problem is, there are some for the GC, some for XB, some for PS2, and some for GBA. THIS is the problem with the gaming industry.
But Dan, you're so wise and sexy and virile and you're always right, but I don't understand how competition is a bad thing.
Exclusivity.
Let's pretend I'm the age I act, and I'm looking forward to my 14th birthday. My parents are suburbanites, and want to get me a game console so I can play games. The available consoles (last I checked) were $300, $300, and $230, or so. This quite clearly says that I can only get one. Couple this with exclusive titles. Exclusive titles are, when good (like Splinter Cell, or Final Fantasy) what drive console sales. They are the killer apps of gaming. I know for a fact that I will get a PS2, because I know that FFX and FFX2 are only on PS2. It's simple. So I have to decide, do I want FFX and X2, and see Yuna in those too-short-to-be-shorts shorts, or do I want to go unnoticed into the darkness and kill those who would attack our (your) fair country?
Well, I'll get a paper route, and I'll buy both. Ok, so now I have a PS2, which I bought, and an XBox, which my parents bought. I also got XBox Live, the PS2 broadband adapter, and keyboards, and mice, and dongles and switches, and everything.
I've spent a thosuand dollars on gaming. Why on earth would I spend another five hundred? It doesn't make sense. The exclusive Nintendo-only games aren't as 'cool' as Splinter Cell, or as huge as Final Fantasy (supposedly). So they're not as big of a draw. They're kid games. Games that three-year-olds play while their parents try to keep them from drooling on the controller.
Nevermind that even the most cynical of 18-to-25 geeks that I know seem to generally love these games (then again, even the most cynical of 18-to-25 geeks that I know are closet Mac fans to