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A Method To Mario's Madness

Nintendo sure has a lot of people scratching their heads, with news of the Revolution's hook still a ways off and Zelda moving ever further into the distance. Gamemethod thinks they know what's up, and have an editorial talking through Nintendo's strategy. From the article: "The most problematic system for Nintendo appears to be the GameCube. Clearly, support for the indigo box has declined rapidly over the past couple years, with third-party publishers cutting off support and many of its exclusives (especially those from Capcom) spreading to other consoles after experiencing little success with the GameCube's limited user base. GameCube has seen a couple terrific first-party exclusives recently; such as Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door; but in order for the system to hold up at all against the technologically superior Xbox 360 (not to mention the original Xbox and PlayStation 2), Nintendo needs a new killer app for their console.". Gamemethod aren't the only ones thinking about the big N. IGN has a rundown on the new GBA Micro, and Press The Buttons unearthed some gems: legally viewable Super Mario Bros. Super Show episodes. That's more Italian plumber than you can shake a stick at.

41 comments

  1. Required Plugins by jonoid · · Score: 2, Informative

    Safari 412.2: Upgrade Required - MSIE Netscape
    Windows Media 0.0: Not Installed
    RealPlayer 0.0: Not Installed
    QuickTime 7.0: Potential Firewall Problem


    Well, so much for watching Mario.

    1. Re:Required Plugins by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      One solution: Virtual PC

    2. Re:Required Plugins by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      IE Mac 5.2.3 (UGH!) + Windows Media Player 9 also works. This site is a joke and should be taken off the internet. These are same "standards" Microsoft has been forcing even on us Mac users for years. And to top off this awesomeness, IE Mac got canceled years ago. More recently MSN that used a newer version of the same rendering engine Tasmin was also canceled. What a joke. Microsoft, get your act together.

    3. Re:Required Plugins by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Two Solutions: Virtual PC or MSIE 5.2.3 + WMP 9 for Mac OS X

      Signed,

      The Correct AC

  2. Download? by hackwrench · · Score: 1

    Bud does anybody know how to download them for keeps as opposed to merely view?

    1. Re:Download? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Seriously, anything to view them without that gigantic ugly player-page garbage.

  3. Most amazing sentence ever! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "I'm sorry, but a bunch of gimmicky Mario titles
    and yet another Pokemon game are going to hard
    difficulty competiting
    when compared to the big
    guns Nintendo's competitors are about to fire off."

    1. Re:Most amazing sentence ever! by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      Oh, Pokemon could most definitely use a "hard" difficulty, most enemies are pushovers.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    2. Re:Most amazing sentence ever! by Bongo+Bill · · Score: 1

      Apparently that's where the multiplayer is supposed to come in. Am I the only one who thinks the franchise could make an excellent MMO?

      --
      ...but is it art?
    3. Re:Most amazing sentence ever! by Mathonwy · · Score: 1

      Hmm. Yes, that could make an absurdly popular MMORPG. (with the right audiance, at least.)

      You, sir, are an evil that rivals StarBucks.

      Heck, the whole game is about trying to convince you that you're running around in a world with other people doing the same thing. If they were actually other PEOPLE...

      That, and the multiplayer battles have always been the most fun/challenging part of the series. ...

      Is that what NeoPets tried to do? I've heard about it, but don't have any first hand info...

    4. Re:Most amazing sentence ever! by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      Many people think that Pokemon is begging for an MMORPG (It got grind, "loot" for big monsters, PvP, quests, what more does it need?). Why Nintendo doesn't agree I don't know. Perhaps they don't like the business model or something (they went on the record as saying they don't like the idea of monthly payments when you already paid for the game). Or maybe they just didn't have the online infrastructure yet and the Rev's most important system seller will be the Pokemon MMO.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    5. Re:Most amazing sentence ever! by myster0n · · Score: 1

      Take pokemon. Now mix in equal part guild wars. Serve in a coctail glass. Finish with a slice of lime.

      I'd buy that.

      --
      Nobody believes the official spokesman, but everybody trusts an unidentified source. -- Ron Nesen
    6. Re:Most amazing sentence ever! by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      How do you mix Guildwars and Pokemon???

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    7. Re:Most amazing sentence ever! by myster0n · · Score: 1

      Well, (never having played it, but...) Guild wars has no subscription model. That's what Nintendo wants. You have PVP, quests, social interaction in the city. All that for the price of one game.

      You'll love it. It's not quite single player, it's not quite MMORPG, but it comes with a pokeball at the end. You don't get completely what you would get with a normal pokemon RPG, but you get a good game.

      --
      Nobody believes the official spokesman, but everybody trusts an unidentified source. -- Ron Nesen
    8. Re:Most amazing sentence ever! by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      Well, Guildwars is pretty mission-oriented while Pokemon is more freeroaming like traditional MMORPGs. In Pokemon you often "farm" an area to grab that rare beast while in Guildwars you pretty much just move through, except for the PvP missions. Pokemon is traditionally rather solo-based while Guildwars cannot be played without aparty (and if it just consists of bots).

      Guildwars manages to be free due to its mision based structure, each party gets its own instance (except for the multi-party missions, obviously) which doesn't require as much server power as a full MMO world. Even cities are instanced. Because of all the individual chunks you can also balance the load more easily. With Pokemon the entire game concept works against this.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
  4. Memories by MedHead · · Score: 1
    A link to these episodes was posted months ago on a forum I visit (old news, Slashdot!) and I had a lot of fun watching them. My little siblings enjoyed them, too.

    I didn't remember them being so goofy, though.

  5. Super Mario Super Show by Momoru · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Ah...takes me right back to after school in 4-5th grade. Always used to look forward to Zelda fridays.

    1. Re:Super Mario Super Show by FidelCatsro · · Score: 1

      I used to think the cartoons were great
      Nowadays i watch the cartoon and get really annoyed at how unlike Link the cartoon Link is ..
      I mean he is supposed to be the holder of the triforce of courage .. not a goofy jerk.
      Well i suppose it isn't as bad as any character in Mario the movie..There was hardly any head jumping and no koopa shell combos .
      It would have been great if they had Terry Gilliam to direct , of course then the princess would have been eaten by Bowser in the end and Mario would have gone mad after discovering the princes he actually saved was just a Toad in drag

      --
      The only things certain in war are Propaganda and Death. You can never be sure which is which though
    2. Re:Super Mario Super Show by MilenCent · · Score: 1

      The cartoons, alas, don't hold up. Especially compared to the best things they showed on WB and Fox a few years later. (The Tick! Freakazoid! Earthworm Jim! Why are these things not on DVD yet? Okay, I know why for Tick, but still....)

    3. Re:Super Mario Super Show by Momoru · · Score: 1

      And Eeek the Cat is no where to be seen either!

  6. Stupid editorial... by Gothic_Walrus · · Score: 2, Interesting
    The GameCube's lineup this holiday season is extremely weak...

    Say what you will, but I call bull on that. Say what you will about them, but the Mario games are usually very well done, even if we've seen them before. Mario Party 7 may not be all that exciting, but Strikers and Superstar Baseball could both be fun.

    I don't think I'd call the Mario DDR a "gimicky" title; it's the first DDR we've seen on a Nintendo console (in America, at least), and odds are it's going to sell. Exclusive songs are always a good thing, and not everyone has a PS2, Xbox, or a DDR setup.

    The Pokémon game is the closest we've gotten to a fully 3D version of the series. Even if the series has lost most of its popularity, I still know gamers that are going to jump on this and love every minute of the game.

    And Fire Emblem? The first Fire Emblem game we've seen on a console here? It's definitely not a gimmicky Mario title nor a Pokémon rehash; going from the popularity of the GBA versions, it looks like the writer chose to ignore it after his initial mention because it didn't suit his purposes.

    Perspective, people. This isn't a bad lineup at all, unless you make it out to be one.

    --
    Goo goo g'joob.
    1. Re:Stupid editorial... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You forgot Battalion Wars. It may not be a system seller but it looks like one of the more interesting a fun shooters in the past couple of years.

    2. Re:Stupid editorial... by Blacken00100 · · Score: 1

      Unfortunately, the Fire Emblem game is looking like one of the worst of the series. Shame.

    3. Re:Stupid editorial... by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      Why's that?

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    4. Re:Stupid editorial... by MilenCent · · Score: 1

      Playing Mario Baseball on demo reveals that it's surprisingly interesting.

      The character art for Mario Strikers is the coolest stuff Nintendo's ever done for their characters. (They have a drawing of ol' Peach that's actually -- dare I say it -- hot....)

      Mario DDR I'm not sure of, but word is that breakdancing Bowser is hilarious, at least.

      Planet Gamecube reviewed the GC Fire Emblem just today, and gave it amazingly high marks in gameplay (less so in graphics though). Could be one to watch.

      I could do without Pokemon though....

    5. Re:Stupid editorial... by MilenCent · · Score: 1
    6. Re:Stupid editorial... by Fortyseven · · Score: 1
    7. Re:Stupid editorial... by MilenCent · · Score: 1

      What'd I tell you? The art for Wario and Mario (kicking a soccer ball, looking angrier than he ever did at Bowser) is also fairly cool.

      Shame that, by the look of things, the in-game character models are Nintendo Traditional.

    8. Re:Stupid editorial... by Fortyseven · · Score: 1

      I dunno, I was looking at the second video on IGN's media page and it shows Mario and Peach facing off, and Peach has this "oh damn no you didn't" strut going on, not to mention they gave her a well defined ass. :D

      But Mario was looking fucking evil. Like has seriously pissed off and was going to kick her ass.

      Interesting choices all around for traditionally conservative characters. ;)

    9. Re:Stupid editorial... by MilenCent · · Score: 1

      Wow. Can you supply a link to this? I tried watching the video at their site, but it's so damn small without paying their annoying "Insider" subscription fee (which was what caused me to stop going to IGN's damn website, and I've never looked back) that I can't tell which video it is.

    10. Re:Stupid editorial... by Fortyseven · · Score: 1

      Sure. Try this link. It's the 320x240 one, but if you can get it locally so you can full-screen it, it's fine.

      Failing that, it's the one labelled "GC Convention (Off-screen) (08/22/2005)" off of this page.

  7. From the article... by I(rispee_I(reme · · Score: 2, Funny

    "complete with opening theme song ("Do the Mario!")"

    In my hood, they played "Do The Mario" during the closing credits, and the show opened with the Plumber Rap. Don't know what turf the article author's repping.

  8. No Captain N? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Come on Yahoo, don't make me beg now. Captain N didn't just play the game, he became it. That's every Ninteno fans dream.

    Just look how Shigsy wields his shield and sword at PR events.

    1. Re:No Captain N? by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      Captain N would make a good Smash Bros. character...

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
  9. Feh. by RyoShin · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Comparing the Gamecube the XBox 360 is like comparing the N64 to the PS2. Yes, they will overlap, but they are in different generations.

    Besides, by the time the 360 hits the streets, Nintendo will be downplaying the GCN to prepare for the release of the Revolution.

    As for "killer app", if they meant a new AAA game, someone forgot about a certain Twilight Princess... (which, yes, unfortunatly got pushed back.) :(

    If they're talking about a totally new franchise, however, the GCN isn't alone in this- all of the consoles need new breath, this gen or the next. These days, it's Sequal Mania, where the big money is being pumped into sequals (or remakes) for previously-known money-makers. At least with Nintendo's franchises, they try to add new things (such as masks that transform you, or an annoying talking watergun,) but with such things as GTA, Halo, etc., it's just rehashing the same formula with a different mission objective or location.

    Part of the problem has been stated before- games these days are multi-million dollar budgets and can take more than a year to complete. With this kind of money and that kind of time, a lot of companies don't want to risk a flop.

    If Nintendo (or, hell, anyone) opened up their dev kits to startups and the common man (what is is now, something like $10K for a dev kit? Whip up something more basic and hand it out for $1K), as well as making it easier for companies to create and distribute their own games, you'd see a vast increase in Gamecube share.

    1. Re:Feh. by Castar · · Score: 1

      If Nintendo (or, hell, anyone) opened up their dev kits to startups and the common man (what is is now, something like $10K for a dev kit? Whip up something more basic and hand it out for $1K), as well as making it easier for companies to create and distribute their own games, you'd see a vast increase in Gamecube share.

      You're absolutely right, but you're ignoring the economics of the game business. Even Nintendo makes most of their money from a percentage of game sales. Opening the platform up (at least, in the way you're talking about) would kill their revenue stream. For Microsoft, selling 100,000 Xboxes and 50,000 games is WORSE than selling 50,000 Xboxes and 50,000 games - They lose money each time they sell an Xbox.

      There are good ways in which Nintendo could open their platform, though - the NES is pretty much an open platform these days anyway, and since the Revolution can play NES games, they could make a lot of friends by releasing a simple NES/SNES dev kit for hobbyists. NES games wouldn't significantly draw away from commercial games, but would provide an outlet for hobbyists.

      --
      I yearn for you tragically. A. T. Tappman, Chaplain, U.S. Army.
  10. Support for the Indigo box? by Deadguy2322 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    There never was any support for the Indigo Gamecube. Even on launch day, everybody wanted the Black ones! The store I worked for at the time had Indigo cubes sitting unsold all the time, but the black ones sold the day they arrived, everytime!

    --
    Check out my foes list to see who is so retarded that they can't use the signature line!!!
  11. the funny part by SetupWeasel · · Score: 1

    "but in order for the system to hold up at all against the technologically superior Xbox 360 (not to mention the original Xbox and PlayStation 2)"

    Technologically superior XBOX and PS2?

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

    HA HA Ow! Ha ha

    Oh my god. I haven't had a laugh that good in a while. Thanks internet idiot!

    1. Re:the funny part by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As the author of the article, I feel like I should explain that you simply read that remark incorrectly. I said "not to mention the original Xbox and PS2" in order to seperate them from the Xbox 360, which I deemed technologically superior.

      Still, glad you had a hearty laugh at my expense.

      -Nick

  12. Ahhh yea! by Taulin · · Score: 1

    "We're faster than the others, you'll be hooked on the brothers! UGH!" I was in 8th grade when these were on. Used to watch them and the Turtles toons. I would just watch the Lou Albano parts (was a big Houston wrestling fanatic, and he 'managed' a wrestler at some point), then switched channels.

  13. ...didn't anyone pay attention to E3? by zeropointentity · · Score: 1

    I remember catching the video feed live via ign, and Satoru Iwata mentioned that they will be opening up development for Revolution to the average person. I'd have to relisten to it for his exact words, but that's basically what he said, that development would be much easier, for everybody.

    It seems that everyone has neglected that one little piece of info. Probably much to Nintendo's glee.