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Nintendo's Reggielution Will Not Be Televised

Posted by simoniker on from the perhaps-too-much-attention dept.

Thanks to Gaming Age forum regulars for pointing to a Reveries.com profile of Nintendo's chief marketing officer Reggie Fils-Aime, subject of E3 adulation for his appearance at Nintendo's press conference. The article argues enthusiastically: "Reggie's high-voltage verbs sent shockwaves of anticipation -- and adulation -- through the Nintendo community", and Fils-Aime explains his own view of why people enjoyed his appearance: "They were proud -- they were happy for someone like myself to come in and articulate a very aggressive attitude, and frankly, have the games and the innovations to back it up. That's what motivated the response that we've seen on all these websites and that part has truly been fantastic."

46 comments

  1. The IGN article is satire, right? by Pluvius · · Score: 1

    Those ridiculous message board comments with friggin' post counts attached seems very Onion-ish to me.

    BTW, anyone notice that the other article is apparently listed under "kids' marketing"?

    Rob

  2. Reginator vs Balmer - ORDER NOW ON PPV! by jfisherwa · · Score: 1

    And in this corner, weighing in at 295 pounds .. STEVE "MONKEY BOY" BALMER!

    .. In a perfect world.

    1. Re:Reginator vs Balmer - ORDER NOW ON PPV! by HAKdragon · · Score: 1

      I know this is off topic, but it reminds me of somethign I saw the other day. I was flipping through the channels the other day when lo and behold, Michael Moore was on the O'Reilly Factor. I was waiting for a fist fight to break out.

      --
      "Our opponent is an alien starship packed with atomic bombs. We have a protractor."
  3. Overly active marketing guy from Japanese Company. by Alkaiser · · Score: 4, Insightful

    When was the last time we saw this?

    Oh yeah, it was the Director of Sega right before the Dreamcast launched.

    Yeah...he was great. Haven't seen him around so much since he, you know...get demoted into oblivion, his company became the 3rd wheel in a 2 console industry, and eventually got bought out by a competitor...

    You know...maybe history doesn't always repeat itself and maybe people learn from other people's mistakes sometimes...

    --
    Netjak.com independent reviews of domestic & import video ga
  4. Only Nintendo... by urbaer · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ...could state "the consumer target for Nintendo DS to be slightly older, and by that I mean a core audience of 18-25".

    I honestly see thier problems at the younger (12-18)level. It seems strange that Nintendo fanboys who are 25+ (of which I am one) enjoy the "kiddie" games, while the younger generation of gamers (12-18) go in for "adult" games (like GTA... which I enjoy as well).

    Is this purely a case of children growing up faster now than in the 80s?

    1. Re:Only Nintendo... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe those 25+ "fanboys" have matured.

    2. Re:Only Nintendo... by DeepHurtn! · · Score: 3, Insightful
      Is this purely a case of children growing up faster now than in the 80s?

      No, I think it is a case of many people misunderstanding the word "mature." Only dumb and immature 13 year old boys -- or people who think like them -- think that slapping some tits, guns, and strong language onto an otherwise mediocre and unimaginative game (or movie, book, comic, etc) makes it "mature." Likewise, the absence of those elements by no means makes it immature.

    3. Re:Only Nintendo... by Nossie · · Score: 4, Insightful



      I think you could almost argue that it's more the inability of children these days to understand what true gameplay really is.

      The games we grew up with on the SNES and in the arcades are totally different from the ones the kids are growing up with now. Too much emphasis is on the graphics (DOOM3 perfect example) and the graphics are the only thing selling most of these games.

      Most kids now, don't have the attention spam to complete the 96+ levels of Mario and have more money to spend on new games every fortnight than to actually complete the games they already have.

      I remember the playground fights between the nintendo and megadrive/genesis fanboys... I always felt that although Nintendo paid more attention to the small details in games, SEGA sold most of theirs simply because they were adult orientated. It pissed me off that Mortal Kombat on the SNES had grey blood... because Nintendo refused to unleash the 'realism' to their followers.

      Being a huge Zelda fam, I was very disappointed to see the kiddy style cell shading in The Wind Waker... but it didnt stop me appreciating the time spent creating what I began to realise was a masterpiece in itself. Nintendo started targetting the children... and not realising that times have changed since my schoolroom arguments. Nintendo used to own the kids market and they've just recently realised that is not the case anymore.

      With Doom 3 I can understand that ID's game is more a technology preview than anything else (to sell the engine rather than the game itself) I respect that. I also respect the GTA series of games and remember that when they almost banned the original GTA -- I wanted it more !!

      Too many games now are selling for their adult nature and realism alone with little attention paid to "will they go back once its completed?"

      Nintendo were VERY lucky this time around that nobody figured out how to crack their piracy prevention mechanisms. Nintendo have been the only ones to truely profit from this generation of gaming and for that reason alone will live to fight another day.

      I was relieved to watch the E3 video with reggie and the new Zelda.. Nintendo *NEEDED* the new 'adult' look to survive into the future and at E3 they proved (to me atleast) that they were steering the corporation into a new era. Reggie did an amazing job of shocking the gamers into how series Nintendo were about this; and to back it up he showed game after game that the audience had been waiting for. (Zelda! Zelda! Zelda!)

      Remember his speech regarding how much Nintendo had innovated the console market? The Nintendo DS is that same innovation... It might not be the most advanced thing in the world but *ATLEAST* Nintendo is willing to take the risk of bringing out something new and not just churning out the same old blood fest, high polygon, particle systems that the gaming community is so used to. Donkey Konga I find a bit silly (like the PS dance mats) but again its innovating the market and I cant grudge them for that.

      The next generation will be very interesting for me to see what happens.. Will Sony still rock the arena? Will Microsoft sell a system they can actually profit from? Will the younger audience appreciate Nintendo one more?

      I feel the reason the GBA has sold so well is because it cant rely on graphics to push the games... which is ALSO why the older generation of gamers are the ones that play them the most...

      Dont get me wrong, I loved the GTA series... I plan on playing Doom 3 one way or another (But it aint worth my money) I just value the gameplay and the 2D artists far more these days than the adult rating and the polygon count.

      I personally wish Nintendo (like ALL current game publishers) would stop selling updated games from the past... Zelda on the GBA is an amazing game, but I completed it 7 times on the SNES, why do I want to do it again? The same with the Super Mario s

    4. Re:Only Nintendo... by bartyboy · · Score: 1

      I don't think kids are growing up faster than we did in the 80s. I used to play "adult" games when I was 13, but all we had at that time was Leisure Suit Larry and Strip Yahzee.

      These days, adult games not only show the occasional nipple (in 16 million colors, not 16 of them), they also incorporate murder, stealing and whatever else the publishers manage to put in there. So when kids pick up an adult game today, it's not the same adult game as 15 years ago.

    5. Re:Only Nintendo... by Nossie · · Score: 1

      damn my typos lol..

      series????
      one more???

      man I feel bad !!!

      meh, and now I wish firefox had the same spell checker I could get for IE ;)

      and why didnt my URL autolink ? :(

    6. Re:Only Nintendo... by servognome · · Score: 1

      think you could almost argue that it's more the inability of children these days to understand what true gameplay really is.
      I must disagree with you, I would say Doom3 gameplay is superior than an '80s game like Donkey Kong, Pac Man, or Super Mario. Games have evolved, just because Doom 3 is average compared to the other games of this era, doesn't mean it isn't superior to those "greats" of the past.
      I loved NES games when I was growing up, playing them now I'm older I find them repetitive and boring.
      I feel the reason the GBA has sold so well is because it cant rely on graphics to push the games... which is ALSO why the older generation of gamers are the ones that play them the most...
      Gameboy has sold so well because the games have supported how people play gameboys.
      When somebody sits down to play a game on their computer/console, typically they have a few hours. I think what gamers are looking for during that time is not to just be entertained, but to have a great "experience" sound, visuals, gameplay, story, they want the whole package.
      When somebody is playing on a gameboy they are looking for simple entertainment. Typically you play for a short time, you aren't looking for a completely engrossing thought provoking experience. You just want simple fun you can play until the train arrives

      --
      D6 63 0D 70 89 81 BB 8E 7B 7C 5F 5D 54 EA AB 73
    7. Re:Only Nintendo... by PainKilleR-CE · · Score: 3, Insightful



      I think you could almost argue that it's more the inability of children these days to understand what true gameplay really is.

      It's neither. It's simply a matter of kids trying to look cool to their friends. When a kid reaches a certain age, he's afraid that his friends will think he's a wuss because he's playing Animal Crossing or Mario Sunshine, and they won't think he's cool if he hasn't played 3000+ hours of GTA. There's nothing new about this, either, except perhaps if you were a teenager when Atari was your major source of video game entertainment at home. It's one of the reasons the Sega Genesis did so well, and is also one of the reasons the PlayStation took over the market.

      The games we grew up with on the SNES and in the arcades are totally different from the ones the kids are growing up with now. Too much emphasis is on the graphics (DOOM3 perfect example) and the graphics are the only thing selling most of these games.

      Umm... never mind that THE major selling point of consoles in the 16-bit era was the 16-bit graphics. The SNES and the arcade machines were part of the lock-step march of graphics technology that continues to this day. The difference today is that the marketing droids know that they won't be able to market the 256-bit console, because the next one just might still use 256-bit graphics chips, and someone will mention that their CPU is only a 32 or 64 bit chip.

      Most kids now, don't have the attention spam to complete the 96+ levels of Mario and have more money to spend on new games every fortnight than to actually complete the games they already have.

      We all likely completed more games as a kid than we possibly can now, yet I have far more games than I did as a kid, and more games than any kid I know, despite the fact that most of the kids I know get new games far more often than I did as a kid. As for completing Mario, we all learned the shortcuts on SMB1 and could run through that game faster than watching the average movie. From the SNES onward you didn't even have to do it in one sitting.

      I remember the playground fights between the nintendo and megadrive/genesis fanboys... I always felt that although Nintendo paid more attention to the small details in games, SEGA sold most of theirs simply because they were adult orientated. It pissed me off that Mortal Kombat on the SNES had grey blood... because Nintendo refused to unleash the 'realism' to their followers.

      Yet again, adult-oriented proved to mean "older kids will really want this because it's 'mature'".

      Being a huge Zelda fam, I was very disappointed to see the kiddy style cell shading in The Wind Waker... but it didnt stop me appreciating the time spent creating what I began to realise was a masterpiece in itself. Nintendo started targetting the children... and not realising that times have changed since my schoolroom arguments. Nintendo used to own the kids market and they've just recently realised that is not the case anymore.

      The only thing that's changed with time is that the companies making the "adult" consoles aren't firmly rooted in the arcades. Otherwise, the schoolroom arguments are still the same, and Nintendo's still targeting the same audience.

      With Doom 3 I can understand that ID's game is more a technology preview than anything else (to sell the engine rather than the game itself) I respect that. I also respect the GTA series of games and remember that when they almost banned the original GTA -- I wanted it more !!

      The further I go the more I realize that you simply are caught between nostalgia and the need for better graphics and more gore, despite trying to resist it in favour of the game-play of the older games. As for Doom 3, from what I've played (only a few hours), the game wouldn't have been possible on previous 3D technology, yet it still brings out at least some of the feel of the original game (which relied heavily on advanced 2D technology). Sometimes we have to p

      --
      -PainKilleR-[CE]
    8. Re:Only Nintendo... by TechniMyoko · · Score: 1
      Nintendo were VERY lucky this time around that nobody figured out how to crack their piracy prevention mechanisms.

      Actually they were cracked. Look up the PSOLoader

      Nintendo have been the only ones to truely profit from this generation of gaming and for that reason alone will live to fight another day.

      Thats a lie, Sony made a killing this generation.

      Too much emphasis is on the graphics (DOOM3 perfect example) and the graphics are the only thing selling most of these games

      ID already had emphasis on the engine for their past games, they wanted to do something new. And quite frankly, the engine in Doom3 is awesome enough to let them go for graphics.

      Besides, anywho who says they hate good graphics is lying

    9. Re:Only Nintendo... by Nossie · · Score: 1

      you make some really good points there PainKiller

      Your right... I am stuck in the middle but the more clones of clones I see comming out the more I miss the variety of the past.

      Being such a big zelda fan... I wasnt amused to see the same game comming out for the GBA.....

      I also used to love the snes version of MarioKart... After completing all the new levels on the GBA.. playing it back mirror THEN unlocking the same ones I used to play on my snes was great... why didnt they do that for Zelda? If they created a new plot, a few extra areas (instead of 1 new dungeon) but used the existing graphics sets/engine the game would have been a gem in my eyes....

      As an older gamer I have no use for the 4-player option, its hard enough finding a fellow GBA owner nevermind 4 of them!

      But like you missed a lot of the snes titles I did with the genesis/megadrive.. although I played a lot of them emulated, there was never a game that really stuck out that I have plans on going back to.. sure it was a nice change...

      As you say though, a lot of it is simply marketing and street cred.. I've seen a lot of bad comments regarding Reggie but I honestly believe he'll help to put Nintendo back into the christmas lists for younger players atleast. I only wish they had done this for the N64 and that they havent left it too late. (half my enthusiasm in this is that I really dont want Nintendo to be swallowed up by bad decision making like SEGA was)

      I realise what you say about if I dont want it don't buy it, I never bought the GBA zelda... but I cant stop feeling that I (and many others) would have if they'd put more effort into it. And that has to be another good thing for Nintendo..

      I've never been a big Pole Position fan heh, last racing games I played on mame would have been Continental Circus/Circuits or the ChaseHQ series... no hardware acceleration... no polygons... just damn well drawn large 2D sprites.... The Amiga/consoles of the time just couldnt do those games justice on the home ports.

      My question is... why are the kids playing 'mature' games in the first place? Blame the game? Blame irresponsible parents?

      Maybe if everybody played by the rules Nintendo would have a more level playing field.

      No I wouldnt stop my kids watching films above certain ratings or playing Doom 3 or whatever... but I'd say it was the parents that needed their heads checked rather than banning video games. Alcohol has an age restriction for a reason.. 'too much' can get you in a lot of trouble.. games are no exception at that age, yet parents arent willing to take the same precautions to ensure sensible usage.

      Damn I loved RoboCop when I was 12 lol dont understand the Aliens/RoboCop action figures you can buy now if the majority of companies aren't illegaly aiming adult content at children...

    10. Re:Only Nintendo... by Nossie · · Score: 1



      Sony may have made a killing selling multitudes of games...(and a lot more if they hadn't been pirated) but the games did heavily subsidise the hardware. Costing them a lot of money in lost games revenue and hardware purchases

      Nintendo may not have sold so many games... but most of the ones they did were their own and weren't copied. Instead of losing money on every unit sold, Nintendo profited far more than either Sony or Microsoft.

      From a corporates point of view, I know which one I'd be happier having my stakes in.

      I think the XBox would be gone now if they didnt have the backing of a monopoly.

      Sadly it may simply have came down to Nintendo not putting the same amount of R&D into their generation than any other company but at the end of the day their figures arent hurting as much as the rest of the players.

    11. Re:Only Nintendo... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Have you played Doom 3? If not, shut up about the gameplay. If you haven't played it yet don't think it's worth your money, then you're not worth it. Stick to bitching about games you've actually played. It's too bad you mentioned Doom 3 in a negative way without being able to back it up (having played it), because otherwise I might have agreed with much of your post. But using a game as an example when you haven't played it makes it hard for me to take the post seriously. I'm sorry if I sound harsh, but I'm really tired of hearing people bitch about Doom 3 without having played it. Have you even read a review? I have not yet found a bad one. It gets good marks in gameplay and story, along with graphics (and sound). If you're just going by negative speculation on Slashdot before the game is even realeased, you're missing out on a lot. Now, if you're not into adrenline pumping, very scary, extremely creepy, well-crafted, immersive games with involved stories, you probably won't like it after all.

      I think if all you id/Doom3 naysayers would actually play it, you'd find that it has excellent gameplay and and an excellent story. It is id's most polished and mature game to date, IMO. It is in fact, one of--if not the--best single player games I've ever played. I find the graphics taking back seat to the game as a whole. I don't really notice them, which is a good thing.

      In other words, if you don't know what you're talking about, STFU rather than jumping on the "Doom 3 is all about the graphics/engine liscensing" bandwagon.

    12. Re:Only Nintendo... by PainKilleR-CE · · Score: 1

      Sorry I didn't see this comment earlier, had to go through my posting record...

      I also used to love the snes version of MarioKart... After completing all the new levels on the GBA.. playing it back mirror THEN unlocking the same ones I used to play on my snes was great... why didnt they do that for Zelda? If they created a new plot, a few extra areas (instead of 1 new dungeon) but used the existing graphics sets/engine the game would have been a gem in my eyes....

      That's a very good point, and also shows where I tend to be stuck between nostalgia and wanting more out of new games. I'm glad to have the original, but would prefer it came with something else. In many ways, this is why I like what they've done with Metroid Prime/Fusion/Zero Mission, making the original game unlockable, but at the same time I find it irritating to have to buy multiple titles (though I bought them willingly for the titles themselves) to unlock something that should have little value to the company. In the end, though, they've also released it as a $20 cartridge, showing there is some value to the company, even if few people are willing to buy it. I also have to wonder how much it costs to produce and distribute those games in the first place, as I can't see them going too far below this price point with a cartridge anyway. Additionally, I love the many-in-one packages, but hate the fact that they're usually padded out with crappy games (or bad ports, or games that can't be controlled well without specific controllers that don't exist on the system). So, in a way, I like the Nintendo GBA Classics series because I can pick and choose which games I want, but hate it because it seems that the prices aren't likely to go down, and the originals can't possibly retain that kind of value.

      As an older gamer I have no use for the 4-player option, its hard enough finding a fellow GBA owner nevermind 4 of them!

      Sometimes I feel the same way, but I've used it as an excuse, to myself, to evangelize the platform to my friends. I also bought one for my wife (well, I bought it for myself and then gave it to her when I could buy myself a black one; additionally, I may have to buy another copy of WarioWare if I ever want to play it again, or maybe the new Pokemon will get her off it). I may buy one for her older brother for XMas, because I know he enjoys SRPG games, but only owns an XBox (he traded in his GameCube, sacriledge, but understandable for KOTOR). A friend of mine has shown interest due to the SRPGs and Metroid titles, though an FPS Metroid hasn't drawn any interest in the Cube from him. Other than that, I pretty much am stuck in single-player most of the time, though I'll have to say that Mario Kart draws people out of the woodwork left and right, whether it's the Cube or the GBA version.

      But like you missed a lot of the snes titles I did with the genesis/megadrive.. although I played a lot of them emulated, there was never a game that really stuck out that I have plans on going back to.. sure it was a nice change...

      I actually agree on this point. Most of the Genesis titles really had a draw for me as fairly good ports of arcade titles, but in the end it turned into a mix of hard-to-find titles with cult appeal and numerous bland titles. In the end, the only Genesis title I owned was Sonic, and when I got the Sonic compilation for the Cube, I sold my Genesis. Most of my time with the system was used either borrowing games from friends, or using Cox Cable's subscription service that allowed me to choose from 20-30 games that rotated out occasionally (and in the end I think I primarily played Mortal Kombat 3). Soon after that, I left for college and left the Genesis with my step-brothers (and played a hell of a lot of KI and Mario Kart on the SNES my roommate brought with him).

      As you say though, a lot of it is simply marketing and street cred.. I've seen a lot of bad comments regarding Reggie but I honestly believe he'll help to put Nintendo back into the chri

      --
      -PainKilleR-[CE]
  5. Wow... by damnal · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Nintendo could of used this guy's standards and tactics well before the launch of the poor ole GameCube. That kind of attitude, and confidence in a new system would probably be nearly enough to cause people to buy it.

  6. Re:Overly active marketing guy from Japanese Compa by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Not comparable. At the time, Sega hadn't turned a profit in several years.

  7. Anyoen can talk the talk by Turn-X+Alphonse · · Score: 1

    Saddly anyone can talk the talk but cube (as much asI love it) sales arn't fantastic right now. You can claim you're Jesus but untill you turn water into wine you're just going to look like an idiot and be laughed at.

    --
    I like muppets.
  8. Article Repost in case of slashdotting by cgenman · · Score: 2, Funny

    What's going to motivate my kids to play more games," says Reggie, "are things like [marketspeak] and [marketspeak] and [marketspeak]."

    Actually, what Reggie said was this: [marketspeak]

    Yes, Reggie really did say that, at the Electronic Entertainment Exposition (a.k.a. E3) in May, as he introduced Nintendo's new game platform -- an innovative dual-screen, wireless handheld, code-named Nintendo DS, and scheduled to hit stores in time for the holidays.

    Reggie's high-voltage verbs sent shockwaves of anticipation -- and adulation -- through the Nintendo community. You know, all he really meant was [marketspeak]. But the way he said it -- man-oh-man-- internet bulletin boards and chat rooms just went bonkers. "Reggie is the [marketspeak]!" posted one true believer. Another wrote: [marketspeak].

    Feeling the itch to get back to his roots in consumer marketing, Reggie became Nintendo's chief marketing officer last November. "For me," says Reggie, "the opportunity here at Nintendo really was to get back to my market speak, apply what I've done in the teen market speaking space for the last ten, twelve years and really speak the market."

    Why did you threaten to kick asses and take names at the E3 conference? You were just joking, right?

    No, I actually wasn't joking. [he was joking]

    Is Nintendo going to fail?

    Nintendo is the greatest company ever!

    is the DS going to fail?

    No Nintendo product has ever failed

    What about the Virtual Boy?

    Enough! This interview is over!

    --
    The ______ Agenda
  9. Boy Lover by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Fils-Aime means he loves boys, its obvious satire

  10. Re:Anyone can talk the talk by urbaer · · Score: 1

    Hmmm.... don't know. Steve Jobs seems to talk the talk and doesn't always walk the walk. Maybe Nintendo needs a Reality Distortion Field.

  11. Wrong word by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Fils means "son" more than "boy."

  12. Hmmm... by syrion · · Score: 1

    It's been a long time since I took French, and I never claimed to be fluent... but that man's last name means Son-Love. I find that disturbing.

    1. Re:Hmmm... by FLAGGR · · Score: 1

      It's "Son-Loves", when its plural it's not as creepy :)

  13. Re:Overly active marketing guy from Japanese Compa by yanos · · Score: 1


    As far as i'm concern, the dreamcast has not failed because of some "Overly active marketing guy from Japanese Company" doing a great speach at e3. The dreamcast failed because of a series of bad moves (segacd, 32x, staturn) deterioring comsummers trust, and also because of the PS2 anticipation.

    So what is your point exaclty? The DS will fail because history teached us that a great demonstration at e3 will kill your product?

  14. Women want Metroid? by xenocide2 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Reggie claims Metroid is highly appealing to women gamers, but does anyone have any evidence to back that up? Its the first time I've heard any such claim, and the game doesn't sound nessecarily supportive of such a claim.

    I mean, the traditional Metroid experience is a lonely and desolate affair. The only thing about it that caters to women is the fact that Samus is a woman, a plot element mostly obscured by the powersuit that enables her to complete missions. Its certainly a step up from the pink plastic approach that patronizes women, but its hardly any deep journey into the female psyche that makes a lasting connection.

    --
    I Browse at +4 Flamebait

    Open Source Sysadmin

    1. Re:Women want Metroid? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Good looking girl i know loves metroid...

    2. Re:Women want Metroid? by StingRayGun · · Score: 1

      Yeah, if he wanted to talk about women gamers he should have promoted Animal Crossings and Sims. My wife can not get enough of those games! Arg!

  15. I thought he was an ass by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Throughout his entire speech it was just Microsoft this and Sony that. Gotta bad mouth the other guys to make Nintendo feel good about themself. Doesnt that make Ninendo a bully/asshole?

  16. Actually, you sicko, it means.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    His name translates to "beloved son," in case you were actually wondering (don't worry, I know you weren't).

    After all, it's Reggie Fils-Aime' (avec accent aigu). Kinda cool, in a "my mama loves me" kind of way.

    1. Re:Actually, you sicko, it means.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hey French was my worst class as you can see.

  17. Re:Overly active marketing guy from Japanese Compa by Lord_Dweomer · · Score: 2, Insightful
    What exactly would you prefer he do? He's not going to just be ho-hum about his company or his products. And he had the tech and innovation to back it up. I fail to see what the problem with this is.

    You can't hate someone just because he's in marketing, he's got a job to do, which is get people excited about the company and its products, and it seems like he did a good job without relying too much on plain hype. They actually have the crap they're pushing and it seems like it will be as good if not better than they say.

    --
    Buy Steampunk Clothing Online!
  18. Preaching to the choir by RogueyWon · · Score: 1

    This seems to me to be a fairly obvious example of "preaching to the choir". The guy was deliberately playing to those most likely to be watching the press conference, namely the Nintendo hardcore crowd. Quite probably, he enjoys getting such an ecstatic response on a personal level. However, playing to your immediate crowd on an occasion such as this is frequently a very bad idea. Look at the debates surrounding the recent US political conferences. The pundits were quite right in saying that the candidates, in order to be a success, would need to play to a wider audience than the party faithful.

    Right now, the vast "middle-ground" of the console market belongs firmly to Sony. The X-Box and the Gamecube are largely locked in separate niches, or, to continue the political analogy, confined to the opposite extremes of the political spectrum. Microsoft at least seem to realise this... recent signs are that they're trying to diversify their games and move away from the PC-style fpses that have been their bread and butter to date. Nintendo, on the other hand, haven't really shown such a tendancy yet. As the sometimes quite shocking level of pro-Nintendo bias on slashdot shows, there is an audience for Nintendo's titles and ethos. However, this audience is largely detached from the gaming mainstream. The challenge for Nintendo over the next console generation needs to be to expand their fanbase with a wider range of titles and genres, while keeping their hardcore satisfied. Providing you encourage third party developers properly, there's no real limit to the number of titles for your system and no reason why development of your "core" titles has to suffer. Sony understand this well... the vast number of titles for the PS2 means that pretty much anybody can find games they like for it. Neither of the other consoles has really developed "sleeper" hits, outside of the usual popular genres, like Disgaea or the Naval Ops games.

    I'm sure I'll get modded down for this. It's bound to have upset a good number of fanboys. However, those fanboys might want to stop and consider whether the signals they're sending to the parent company are really the best thing for its long-term health.

    1. Re:Preaching to the choir by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      Disclaimer: I am a fanboy and you have upset me. To be more specific, your misinformation has upset me.

      Nintendo hasn't shown any intention to diversify their games and reach the mainstream audience? What is it with you people? Nintendo's been trying for a while now, but people like you are so firmly set in your beliefs that you are totally blind to it. What exactly does Nintendo have to do to convince you that they are trying to do exactly what you just said they need to do?

      You want to talk about encouraging third parties? They've been cooperating with third parties on a level I never thought I'd see. They're even letting third parties develop some of their flagship franchises. If you've played the Oracle of Seasons/Ages Zelda games, you may have noticed Capcom's logo on your screen. Let me emphasize that: They let Capcom have a hand in their most beloved series. Then there's Sega with F-Zero and Namco with Starfox. Speaking of Namco, would the Nintendo of five years ago have let Link appear in a third party fighting game?

      As far as other third party games go, there really aren't that many third party games missing from the Gamecube lineup that are not either paid exclusives for Sony or Microsoft or technically impossible (like Rockstar claims GTA would be). There are some exclusive third party games for Gamecube, as well.

      Nintendo is trying hard to reach a wider audience while at the same time holding on to their hardcore fans, which is exactly what you said they need to do. I think some people, like you for example, see the latter and assume the former isn't happening, all the while bemoaning what you misperceive as lack of action.

    2. Re:Preaching to the choir by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't see any evidence to support this argument at all. Nintendo let a licensed character appear in a 3rd party game and even gave a 3rd party developer have a hand in one of their licenses... now how is this going to attract new fans who don't actually like Nintendo's core licenses? Why should I care who developed a Zelda game if it's just another Zelda game?

      There are masses of areas in which the Gamecube's lineup is extremely shoddy. Sony have Gran Turismo, Microsoft have Midnight Club. Where is Nintendo's successful racing franchise (that doesn't involve a cartoon plumber). Blaming the fact that MS and Sony have a lot of paid exclusives is missing the point. Why haven't Nintendo tried to compete? Look at the number of titles that come out on both the X-Box and the PS2, but bypass the Gamecube... Grand Theft Auto 3/VC, Dark Alliance 2, Driv3r, Colin McRae Rally 4. The list goes on and on. These are all games which are either good or popular (or both) and yet the developers felt no incentive to port their game to the Cube.

      Whenever a new 3rd party game with an interesting concept shows up these days, it seems to go to one of the other platforms. The X-Box gets Full Spectrum Warrior, KOTOR and Steel Batallions. The PS2 gets Disgaea, the Naval Ops games, Eyetoy and .hack. The impression one gets from Nintendo during this console generation is that they bought up a couple of 3rd party franchises at random at the start (Resident Evil and Rogue Squadron) and since then they've not given it another thought and have instead focussed on Super Mario Smash Kart Sunshine Monkey Party 17.

    3. Re:Preaching to the choir by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ...how is this going to attract new fans who don't actually like Nintendo's core licenses?

      The OP said Nintendo needed to reach out to third parties, so I gave examples of how they had done so. Nintendo would not have let third parties be involved in their flagship products in the previous generation. You are applying my answer to a different question than I intended it for.

      Where is Nintendo's successful racing franchise

      Nintendo isn't likely to develop one itself, and none of the third party offerings on the Gamecube have been as popular as Gran Turismo, but there are racing games available for the Gamecube. I don't see how it could be Nintendo's fault that you don't like any of them. Do you want Nintendo to develop one? It wouldn't make good business sense for them to try to fill every unfilled niche on their console. They already get blamed for outcompeting third parties on their console. Imagine the PR backlash if they started doing it intentionally.

      Blaming the fact that MS and Sony have a lot of paid exclusives is missing the point.

      I didn't, or at least I didn't intend to sound like I did.

      These are all games which are either good or popular (or both) and yet the developers felt no incentive to port their game to the Cube.

      Which is what the OP was basically talking about (IMO) when he said this: "The challenge for Nintendo over the next console generation needs to be to expand their fanbase with a wider range of titles and genres, while keeping their hardcore satisfied. Providing you encourage third party developers properly, there's no real limit to the number of titles for your system and no reason why development of your "core" titles has to suffer."

      I was trying to point out that Nintendo is working on it. No, they're not there, yet. But to suggest that Nintendo is complacent in this is foolish.

      Whenever a new 3rd party game with an interesting concept shows up these days, it seems to go to one of the other platforms.

      That's a matter of opinion, and getting sidetracked into an argument about which games are more "interesting" won't help us reach an understanding.

      The impression one gets from Nintendo during this console generation is that they bought up a couple of 3rd party franchises at random at the start (Resident Evil and Rogue Squadron) and since then they've not given it another thought and have instead focussed on Super Mario Smash Kart Sunshine Monkey Party 17.

      Nintendo has to continue to develop their core franchises. Mario and Zelda are cash cows. They are aware that they can only innovate so much within those brands, however, which is why they've changed their methods to allow their core teams to develop new things. This is why Metroid Prime was made by Retro Studios, and it's a large part of the reason Capcom, Sega, and Namco are working with Nintendo franchises. To not make another Mario Kart game would be folly from a business perspective, but Nintendo is changing so that they can both continue to make money from established franchises and branch out into new areas, just like the OP said they should.

      Nintendo has continued to work on getting third party exclusives throughout the Gamecube's life. Resident Evil certainly wasn't chosen at random. It was a direct response to the constant cries of "kiddie" from the peanut gallery. I don't know how well that worked out financially for either company, but it obviously did little to alleviate the "kiddie" problem, which is partly the cause of my exasperation. Nintendo gets called on to change all the time, but their attempts to change are ignored. Apparently the smug sense of superiority some types get from putting down Nintendo is too good to give up.

  19. Amen! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wish I was doing the moderation thingie for once, cause you'd deserve my mod points.

    Yeah, it's OT so I post as AC. //Bwerf

  20. Re:Overly active marketing guy from Japanese Compa by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    it seems like he did a good job without relying too much on plain hype

    If you watch the E3 conference all the bastard did was insult Sony and Microsoft left and right, and flash 10 minutes of sales graphs.

    I for one can't wait for this bitch to go the way of old' yellow

  21. Only one reggielution I want - first party titles! by fr0dicus · · Score: 0, Flamebait
    I now present Nintendo's new first party Gamecube products list, as authored in Japan. Remember this does not include stuff like F-Zero and Metroid that they've farmed out:
    • The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
    • Animal Crossing
    • Pikmin
    • Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
    • The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures
    • Super Mario Sunshine
    • Wario Ware Inc. Mega Party Game$
    • Luigi's Mansion
    • Pokemon Channel
    Ta-da! Two great titles, one really good, three only 'good' and two that are poor. Frankly, I'm disappointed in the extreme with the output of Nintendo HQ since its release nearly three years ago, and I fear it's far too late for them to remedy it. Not a patch on the N64.
  22. Re:Only one reggielution I want - first party titl by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Two great titles, one really good, three only 'good' and two that are poor.

    What about the other one? For that matter, which one's which?

  23. Re:Only one reggielution I want - first party titl by fr0dicus · · Score: 1
    Yeah, my maths sucks, I blame playing SNES when I should have been learning.

    I put them in order of my opinion of their quality. I could blame my maths on pokemon channel being not much of a game at all....