Nintendo Announce New Titles, Other Rumors

Ian_Bailey writes "In official announcements, Nintendo has confirmed a number of new games, including a sequel to Wario Ware Inc. for the GameCube and a new Donkey Kong game developed by Namco. Furthermore, Nintendo indicated that a 'new game product' will be unveiled in Spring 2004, which could be their N5 next-gen console. Finally, after the IGN PS2 rumor reports, they have now had a look at the 10 Biggest Rumors on GameCube, including Metroid Prime 2, Too Human, and a realistic-looking Zelda."

Comments

Not the GameCube successor

[Ondo]

At Yahoo! news they quote Iwata as saying "We are preparing a new product which will be surprising and unique". I don't think the next console would qualify.

Re:I've been looking at picking up a GameCube

[CashCarSTAR]

Evolution Worlds is a fun beginner level RPG.

However, I think what you're looking for is Skies of Arcadia Legends. That is a very good deep RPG that I think you are looking for. The ship-to-ship battles are especially fun.

Traditional RPGs on the Cube

[Ian_Bailey]

I assume you're talking about Traditional RPGs, with random battles and menu-based attack sequences (typically with summons). Sadly, there are only a few options available.

Firstly, the easiest to get a hold of is Skies of Arcadia. With a few twists on the traditional battle system, and a thoroughly satisfying environment (airships, plenty to explore and do, lots of bosses, sometimes too many random battles), this is one of the few options available. Another, much more mediocre game is Evolution Worlds.

In the upcoming months, Japan will see Tales of Symphonia and Baten Kaitos, both of which look promising. Whether either of these will be released in North America remains to be determined, though.

On the other hand, if you really need an RPG + Gamecube fix, I highly recommend getting a GameBoy Player for your GameCube (free with purchase!) and pick up one of the dozens of great RPGs out for GameBoy Advance. The Golden Sun series is one of the best franchises in a long time, and Mega Man Battle Network has also gotten good reviews as well. These games will espeially appeal to you if you're one of those old-schoolers who misses the days of the SNES.

Re:Nintendo's Market Will Always Be Small

[TechnoPope]

Nintendo is going to settle into a very comfortable niche in the market. Just like Apple, they will appeal to a certain market segment that will eat up every title thrown at them.

This could prove to be a problem for Nintendo. Mainly because of profit margins. Apple survives because, while their sales are not as high as their competitors, their profit margins are greater. The profit margins on consoles are generally very slim, if they are positive at all. In the console margin, shooting for high profit margins is generally not going to work. Partially because of what people are willing to pay for a system. People will spend thousands on a computer because it will do more than play games. Consoles on the other hand do not have that luxury.

The other thing you have to remember is that gamers (even the hardcore) are often not as loyal as the typical Apple fan. It can generally be assumed that a gamer will have loyalty to a company for the lifespan of the current system. After that, it's really a crap-shoot as to what they will want. Case in point is Sega. The Genesis was incredibly popular with lots of fans, but fast forward to the Saturn (let's not talk about the 32x); you couldn't give them away. It takes more than good games and a loyal fan base to survive in the modern console industry.