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Nintendo - NES Classics, Metroid Prime 2 Movies

Posted by simoniker on from the metroid-and-metroid dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Game Informer has broken the news that there will be four new NES Classic titles released for Game Boy Advancein the States this October 25th: 'The four titles will include Dr. Mario, Metroid, Castlevania, and Zelda 2: The Adventure Of Link. Each title will retail for a suggested price of $19.99.' [We've previously covered the Japanese re-release of some of these.] Also, Game Informer has put up 15 movies from the Metroid Prime 2: Echoes demo disc that ships with the new Metroid Prime GameCube bundle. The movies cover every single second of the disc, from beginning to end."

10 of 58 comments (clear)

  1. Two of these already on GBA by R2P2 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Metroid is an unlockable on Metroid: Zero Mission (and Metroid Prime on the Cube), and Dr. Mario is unlockable on WarioWare, Inc. as "Dr. Wario". And Nintendo expects people to pay $19.99 for the old games on their own? They really ought to be releasing these "classics" in compilations, not one game to a cartrige.

    1. Re:Two of these already on GBA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful
      Every time these classics come up, the same sentiments are repeated.

      If it's too much, why do you care? Do you sit around fuming at how an airplane costs millions of dollars more than it could be sold for? What is the problem? If someone asked for two thousand dollars to buy a piece of tissue paper, you'd just walk by.

      The problem is that you want them just enough for the fact that you can't reasonably justify them to be painful. That's what you mean by "milk"... it IS worth it, and you just might buy it. IT's touch and go.

    2. Re:Two of these already on GBA by gl4ss · · Score: 3, Insightful

      they know people will go for it.. ..and people will buy those things.

      and who are we to judge if they're ripped off.

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    3. Re:Two of these already on GBA by Metsys · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I think Nintendo found a great way to get people more incentive to buy their games. It comes with the classics as an added feature! After realizing how popular things like MAME are, they probably got some guys to write an emulator which could be used for any GameCube game.

      As far as why they won't just put all the roms onto one disc is the same reason why they didn't put all of the NES games in Animal Crossing. They put a lot of the lesser-known ones there and let the classics like Metriod, Mario, etc. be added as a special feature in thier modern sequels.

      Yup, it's all about money.

    4. Re:Two of these already on GBA by 10101001+10101001 · · Score: 4, Informative

      I care because I care about economics. In a free market (which capitalism is something like), airplanes aren't supposed to cost millions of dollars more than it could be sold for. For a given good, there's a whole array of prices people are willing to pay for the good. With enough competition, the actual company selling the good is forced (from an economic standpoint) to keep the price low which causes a good deal of consumer surplus (the whole "Dutch Auction" which Google's IPO is supposed to do behaves in the same way).

      Given that little actual work is done to create these classics, the perceived value by most is less than the $20 charged. However, given there's no one to compete against Nintendo, Nintendo will set the price at $20 to maximize its own profit. This almost certainly isn't maximizing consumer surplus which is a sign that the market is neither as efficient nor as healthy as it could be. Every time the free market fails for whatever reason, it's a time I want to know about. For airplanes, it's a question of barrier to entry, government subsidies (lucrative contracts, mostly), and the general lack of demand to approach the efficiency possible. For NES classics, it's a question of the artificial monopoly of copyright. It's not feasible to fix the airplane problem (well, the contracts could be removed, which would help), but such long copyrights *are* something that can be completely resolved.

      --
      Eurohacker European paranoia, gun rights, and h
    5. Re:Two of these already on GBA by galaxy300 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Another common feature of the free market is variable pricing. Sell an item for $20. Everyone who is willing to pay $20 for that item will buy it. Then, lower the price to $15. A whole new group of people will express interest in the item and buy it. Eventually, you'll see the carts used as pack ins and premiums, or being sold at the low low price of 2 for $20.

      Nintendo has every right to use their intellectual property in any way they wish. You also have every right not to pay $20 dollars for it.

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      seriouslyexcited.net
    6. Re:Two of these already on GBA by galaxy300 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I don't understand your point, exactly. I mean, I get your argument that the extension of copyright laws to near perpetuity may be artificially stifling the market. I don't have a strong opinion one way or another on copyright law - I can see that indefinite extensions and restriction on fair use could certainly stifle the creative community, but on the other hand, Mario, Zelda and Donkey Kong are Nintendo inventions and that should be respected. Anyway, that's not really my point.

      Nintendo is simply charging the maximum price that the market will bear, for maximum profit. It's what any company would do - it's certainly not immoral in any way. Once they get everyone who is willing to pay the $20, they'll drop the price by a few more dollars and pick up more customers. That's not spoilage, that's simply stimulating demand through price cuts.

      On the other hand, IANAE (I am not an economist) so maybe I am missing some of the finer points of your argument.

      --
      seriouslyexcited.net
  2. Expensive, but... by Hardwyred · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Without trying to sound too much like a fanboy, The classics are the whole reason why I even still own a GBA. I have to admit though, I like what they did with Super Mario Advanced. Rerelease a classic, but give it a few extra tricks to make it shine on the newer hardware.

    --
    www.linux-skunkworks.com
  3. Think from Nintendo's POV by Toxygen · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I'll agree with you that I, as a gamer, would very much like to see these classic games be made available on an all-in-one disc or set, but if I were running Nintendo's marketing center I'd be patting myself on the back right about now. They've proven to themselves, and consumers have supported, that classic games will sell in their current format and price point. Nintendo sure may LOOK all cute and cuddly when you sit them next to Microsoft and Sony, but make no mistake, they're a corperation whose main priority is to make money.

    If they released those classic games on a single pack or disc, they'd have to accept less money per title for them since there sure isn't triple the number of people who would spend 60$ on a set of classics than there are people who would impulse buy 1 single bit of nostalgia for a 20 sheet.

  4. Ah, Castlevania... by bluemeep · · Score: 5, Funny
    Now it all becomes clear. Playing it on the NES, the worst you could do was fling the controller. That was only a couple bucks to replace if it broke. So now when today's generation gets to the Grim Reaper and suffers a frustrating defeat, they'll have to shell out for a whole new GBA after their old one shatters against the wall.

    Now that's what I call marketing.