I'd say it's probably pretty good, since all their cross-platform games have sold TONS more on Gamecube than XBox and PS2: Monkey Ball 1 & 2, Sonic Heroes, Sonic Mega Collection, etc...
I remember when I was 13 or so, some dude comes into Babbage's when I was browsing the games section. He must have been in his mid-20s I figured. The sales dude winds up selling him a 3DO and like 5 games, and rang up a $900 bill or something. The guy uttered (I remember exactly) "Eh. You gotta spoil myself sometimes." I remember at 13 thinking I should tell the guy what an awful purchase he's making, especially since he seemed to not have *that* much money (but enough that he gets to make $1000 luxury purchases like this maybe every few years or so), and to him it was like splurging on a great HDTV that at least you'll use for the next 10-15 years.
Musta been 3-6 months before the 3DO was $200 and games were hand-written as marked-down to $6.99...
Nintendo's retro-library could be their winning strategy. For every one of us here that love graphically-awsome new versions of Zelda and Resident Evil, or epic RPGs like Skies of Arcadia (or even non-gamecube games like half-life 2, Ico, KOTOR, etc), there are millions of others that loved their Mario 1, Dr. Mario and Punch-Outs that they played in their parents basement all day when it snowed and rained outside, who probably still pop it in when they come home for Thankgiving and play with their cousins. But... who have no need or feel overwhelmed by video games today. And believe me, as pretty as Warhawk (XBox 360) or Devil May Cry 4 (PS3) might seem to us, they'd care less (and, quite frankly, be intimidated by the game and its 12 buttons).
With a sucessful marketing campaign, imagine the outcome. Imagine the NES generation, now in their 20s and 30s, with disposable income to spend a mere $200 on, and showing them with Super Mario 3 in their homes. And... here's where I think the MAJOR innovation and system-seller will make Rev sell like wild-fire: combine the internet Wi-Fi with the old-school games. You could play Dr. Mario head-to-head with your old next-door neighbor, even if she now lives in Seattle. You wanna get some Street Fighter II action on? Pop it in. Still remember Up, Up, Down, Down, L, R, L, R, (select) start? Then now you can play through 8 levels of Contra with your college roommate. And as with the great NES games, we often loved watching others play them. Well, if a "spectator mode" is installed, your elementary school/camp buddy/cousin is only a wi-fi connection away, and you can watch him pound away at Bald Bull, King Hippo and Super Macho Man.
The nostalgia market is enourmous. It's more than a Mario-All Stars rehash like the GBA games. This could be the console that Nintendo was sorta going for (but never quite even made much of a dent) with their "Who Are You?" campaign. This sort of strategy will send the message to non-gamers that Nintendo is synonymous with fun. Synonymous with their childhood, and that feeling you had when you first got to World 8 in Super Mario 3. And... perhaps their own 5 year-olds that they now have?
Get them in with these games. Then... they'll try that Mario 64 they might have heard their girlfriend's 18 year-old younger brother talk about. Then, they'll try the new Mario 128. Like that? Well, in the Nintendo Online startup screen, here's a frontpage:
"Welcome BTWR! Your collection includes Metroid (NES), Super Mario Bros 2 (NES), Tetris DX (Gameboy Color), Super Mario RPG (SNES) and Street Fighter II (SNES). Might we recommend Super Smash Bros (N64), Tetris Attack (SNES) or Metroid Prime (Gamecube)? Also, look for Metroid: Mission X coming next month for Nintendo Revolution and The Legend of Zelda: World of Hyrule for the Nintendo DS. Press A to pre-order it now on your NintendoAccount and get a 60-minute FreePlay of Super Metroid (SNES) and one (1) free downloadable NES 'Players-Choice' game you wish"
Thanks for the suggestion, but one must wonder exactly what you're doing if you've had to try it multiple times.
Um... the fact that I didn't marry the first girl I met at 18? I'm 25 now. It's 7 years later. And yes... i've gone out with a bunch of girls. Shown W&G to a few. Worked like a charm: 100% hookup rate afterwards:)
It's the best video to watch on a first-second date. It's only 25 min (I usually watch "The Wrong Trousers") and she'll love it and laugh. Score big points:)
I'll give you that. I sorta implied it from my parent post that Paper Mario may not be for everyone, but I think it's a hoot. RPGs, even great ones like Final Fantasy, Symphonia and Chrono Trigger, are all typical Japanese Anime "angst teen saves the world" RPGs. While these can be great, it's really cool to see such a lighthearted RPG that's actually funny! Admit it (or maybe not), but you at least found parts of PM2 to be genuinely funny, right? Now THAT'S not expected in an RPG!
You're right in the fact that RPGs are scant on the Gamecube. BUT... in some ways it's a blessing. Unlike PS2, which has some classics along with shelves of crap, the few gamecube RPGs are literally some of THE BEST RPGS EVER MADE:
Skies of Arcadia: Legends
Tales of Symphonia
Paper Mario 2: The 1,000 Year Door (i happened to simply love mario, but lemme tell you, as an independent thought, this game is a fantastic RPG)
Baten Katos
Dozens of GBA rpg classics playable with the GBA-Player (Golden Sun, Sword of Mana, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, Mario & Luigi Superstar)
I don't count Mario Bros as part of the series, more of a prequel-spinoff, if such a thing exists. It's like Donkey Kong to Donkey Kong Country: they have just about nothing in common except the main character.
But, Super Mario World 2 might be considered in there. But then again, it's mostly a Yoshi game, with Baby mario on his back.
It's also *hard*, proving that challenging games are what people have always been looking for
Yup. I hang out on the Gamecube boards on IGN a lot, and they LOVE Ikaruga. It's a REALLY hard space-shooter type game. Also Viewtiful Joe (can be very difficult on adult setting). And the XBox people seem to love the murderous Ninja Gaiden.
it still doesn't matter. People will only pay more if they get more. Or... if they "think" they get more:
Perfect example: CDs vs. Cassettes. It costs a lot more for the hundreds of feet of yards of tape a typical cassette can hold than a simple digital compact disc. Same with VHS vs. DVD. But since cds/dvds "seem" more expensive, they're $16 while the tapes are $10-12
Take the Six Feet Under sets... they cost $100, but they're big and take up 6 discs, you almost feel like it "should" cost a lot. I mean, the thing looks and weighs as much as a hard-cover book.
You're trying to tell me you're gonna try and sell a single disk for $100? No way. It won't happen. They'll still box them. And if people complain, they'll just add 40 hours of worthless crap to the discs to justify their 6-disc sets (instead of deleted scenes, they'll simply have 4 versions of each episode in their entirely, each differing by 30-seconds or so, or interviews with the "key grip," "costume designer," etc - it'll cost them pennies to tape those interviews, and they'll reap the benefits.).
I'll say this... as a medical student, I believe that Vioxx, Celebrex and Bextra are 3 of the greatest medications created in the last 25 years. They have helped HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS of arthritis, lupus, scleroderma, spondylitis and dozens of other disease-sufferers with their pain that was NOT helped by typical ibuprofen-like drugs.
The whole anti-Vioxx thing is, in my opinion, driven largely (not *entirely*, but largely) by the malpractice lawyers. I was visiting my grandmother in Fort Lauderdale (grandparent capital of florida) the week the Vioxx story broke, and literally, the next day there were ads in the paper to sue Merck, special flyers, and billboards. It's absolutely insane.
Here's the thing: if Merck knew of the risks, and buried it, which is suspected but NOT PROVEN, then let them burn. However, taking into account that a) Vioxx dangers seem to come from people that took WAY more than a usual amount and b) Bextra or Celebrex were never proven to be harmful and now might be taken off the market (Bextra already is), it's the American people that will suffer. The lawyers will make out fine.
And every one of those little grandmas that signs up for the class-action suit will each get $1,000 of the $200-million settlement, while the 15 lawyers will split a 30% cut of $60 million.
have some little bit patented so it can't be cloned by generic drug companies
Lemme guess: You think drug companies are "evil corporations," right? People like you just don't get it. 1 out of every 10 drugs is profitable. OK? Every 9 chemotherapy drugs which are unprofitable is funded by the 1 Viagra or Advair. I say thank heaven/buddah/karma/Linus (pick your deity) for the fact that drug companies can make a profit from medications. You really think the gov't would be so quick to develop medications? It's the profit that drives the research, and I say that it's win-win. Sure, each cancer pill costs 10 cents to make, but that's the second pill: the first one cost $300 million. If you make Pfizer spend $300 million to develop a drug, then say "Thanks! We'll now clone that and sell it to everyone for 30 cents!" then Pfizer will bacially have to suck it up. BUT... they sure as hell won't be spending a quart-billion next time to make it, and they'll stick to acne and penis pills for middle and upper-class people. People like you want a quick solution which will ultimately doom billions.
I'm serious here, maybe i just don't get what the "service" here is. I mean, I get these "3rd party add-ons," but what I don't get is that in games like Battlefield 1942 and Vietnam, it already has a totally capable multiplayer game server selection menu built in.
Yep. That's right. We all just pine for the days when we could play super mario brother 2 and blaster master. That's all we do all day. Yup, that's how we think: that was the only era in which games were good.
Oh... wait... is it me, or are five of the top 10 games on gamerankings nintendo games? Oh, and none of those 5 are NES, SNES or gameboy. Your cliche "Nintendo is T3H Kiddie!" rant is so old. Why don't you whine about "Micro$oft" or make an "In Soviet Russia" or "Beowulf Cluster" joke while you're at it.
there was an AWFUL game about 10 years ago called "Streets of Sim City" where you could drive around in a blown-up version of your flat Sim City 2000 cities.
Sure, they have a few free forums, but 95% of them, and the only ones I use (the Gamecube boards) are $20/year (equal to most annual magazine subscriptions).
I get SO much pre-info from those pages that it is SO worth it for me. I wonder if perhaps the nominal fee keeps the trolls at bay (sorta, we get a few "Gamecube is TEH GHEI!!! XBOX RULES!!11!!" losers), and there are few people w/multiple ids ($40/year is pushing it). But I guess if it used to be free and now isn't, i can understand their frustration...
I was on a show called "Pulse" when they did a story on the study showing video games helping surgeons with their laparoscopic surgical skills (I was a medical student working with the study's author). They producers came in and did a FANTASTIC job on it. It was so good, actually quality journalism with statistical graphics and such, that whenever we wanted to publicize the story, instead of showing people the published paper (published in JAMA - the Journal of the American Medical Association, which to doctors would have been impressive enough), he just had me pull up the video. A 5-minute piece and it was all explained.
Also, the producers were awesome, bought us all lunch and, for the hell of it, like 2 cases of coke for no reason (like 48 bottles). Mmm... caffeine highs for 2 weeks! And... he shared some "interesting" stories about Morgan Webb which I probably shouldn't start "rumorizing" about...
My father had no sons. He loved to teach me "boy things" like tools and cars and computers, because there was no one else to teach it to.
By your own words, you have labeled tools, cars and computers "boy things." Some might say you are therefore a hypocrite (and no, putting it in quotes does not make it sarcastic, or "society's term," so don't try that. Putting it in quotes made it a phrase).
Me, personally, I wouldn't call it sexist OR call you a hypocrite. Rather, I think that neither your "boy things" statement nor the ACs comment above is wrong. I am a medical student, and like it or not, but males and females are NOT the same thing. Psychology included. Males *tend* to prefer certain activites. Females *tend* to prefer other activities. Our biological makeups *can* contribute to this. Are these "tendencies" steadfast rules? Absolutely not. Are the girls in my class worse potential doctors than the guys? Absolutely not. In fact, 6/10 of the top10 are girls. Anyone who says "Don't buy your daughter Doom3 - girls dont like it. They like Barbie dress-up simulators" is wrong. Likewise, saying "boys like GTA, not The Sims" is also wrong. But, a psychology book that says that buying a doll for a 2-year old girl or a Tonka truck for a 2-year old boy is healthy is NOT sexist. If it said buying the truck for the girl is wrong, then perhaps. But they didn't. This article doesn't either.
But sorry, you're either a hypocrite or simply wrong. I tend to believe it's the latter.
Pikmin is exactly what I was gonna say. My girlfriend hadn't played a game in 15 years (since her dad literally threw the NES out the window). She loved my Pikmin so much she went out and bought a gamecube for it.
Slashdot Mirror
As opposed to paying $50 a year (now $60) for the same Madden every year?
I'd say it's probably pretty good, since all their cross-platform games have sold TONS more on Gamecube than XBox and PS2: Monkey Ball 1 & 2, Sonic Heroes, Sonic Mega Collection, etc...
Musta been 3-6 months before the 3DO was $200 and games were hand-written as marked-down to $6.99...
actually, we're both wrong. It's Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start
With a sucessful marketing campaign, imagine the outcome. Imagine the NES generation, now in their 20s and 30s, with disposable income to spend a mere $200 on, and showing them with Super Mario 3 in their homes. And... here's where I think the MAJOR innovation and system-seller will make Rev sell like wild-fire: combine the internet Wi-Fi with the old-school games. You could play Dr. Mario head-to-head with your old next-door neighbor, even if she now lives in Seattle. You wanna get some Street Fighter II action on? Pop it in. Still remember Up, Up, Down, Down, L, R, L, R, (select) start? Then now you can play through 8 levels of Contra with your college roommate. And as with the great NES games, we often loved watching others play them. Well, if a "spectator mode" is installed, your elementary school/camp buddy/cousin is only a wi-fi connection away, and you can watch him pound away at Bald Bull, King Hippo and Super Macho Man.
The nostalgia market is enourmous. It's more than a Mario-All Stars rehash like the GBA games. This could be the console that Nintendo was sorta going for (but never quite even made much of a dent) with their "Who Are You?" campaign. This sort of strategy will send the message to non-gamers that Nintendo is synonymous with fun. Synonymous with their childhood, and that feeling you had when you first got to World 8 in Super Mario 3. And... perhaps their own 5 year-olds that they now have? Get them in with these games. Then... they'll try that Mario 64 they might have heard their girlfriend's 18 year-old younger brother talk about. Then, they'll try the new Mario 128. Like that? Well, in the Nintendo Online startup screen, here's a frontpage:
"Welcome BTWR! Your collection includes Metroid (NES), Super Mario Bros 2 (NES), Tetris DX (Gameboy Color), Super Mario RPG (SNES) and Street Fighter II (SNES). Might we recommend Super Smash Bros (N64), Tetris Attack (SNES) or Metroid Prime (Gamecube)? Also, look for Metroid: Mission X coming next month for Nintendo Revolution and The Legend of Zelda: World of Hyrule for the Nintendo DS. Press A to pre-order it now on your NintendoAccount and get a 60-minute FreePlay of Super Metroid (SNES) and one (1) free downloadable NES 'Players-Choice' game you wish"
The possibilities are endless...
Um... the fact that I didn't marry the first girl I met at 18? I'm 25 now. It's 7 years later. And yes... i've gone out with a bunch of girls. Shown W&G to a few. Worked like a charm: 100% hookup rate afterwards :)
It's the best video to watch on a first-second date. It's only 25 min (I usually watch "The Wrong Trousers") and she'll love it and laugh. Score big points :)
Anyone care to explain this?
I'll give you that. I sorta implied it from my parent post that Paper Mario may not be for everyone, but I think it's a hoot. RPGs, even great ones like Final Fantasy, Symphonia and Chrono Trigger, are all typical Japanese Anime "angst teen saves the world" RPGs. While these can be great, it's really cool to see such a lighthearted RPG that's actually funny! Admit it (or maybe not), but you at least found parts of PM2 to be genuinely funny, right? Now THAT'S not expected in an RPG!
Skies of Arcadia: Legends
Tales of Symphonia
Paper Mario 2: The 1,000 Year Door (i happened to simply love mario, but lemme tell you, as an independent thought, this game is a fantastic RPG)
Baten Katos
Dozens of GBA rpg classics playable with the GBA-Player (Golden Sun, Sword of Mana, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, Mario & Luigi Superstar)
But, Super Mario World 2 might be considered in there. But then again, it's mostly a Yoshi game, with Baby mario on his back.
Yup. I hang out on the Gamecube boards on IGN a lot, and they LOVE Ikaruga. It's a REALLY hard space-shooter type game. Also Viewtiful Joe (can be very difficult on adult setting). And the XBox people seem to love the murderous Ninja Gaiden.
Perfect example: CDs vs. Cassettes. It costs a lot more for the hundreds of feet of yards of tape a typical cassette can hold than a simple digital compact disc. Same with VHS vs. DVD. But since cds/dvds "seem" more expensive, they're $16 while the tapes are $10-12
You're trying to tell me you're gonna try and sell a single disk for $100? No way. It won't happen. They'll still box them. And if people complain, they'll just add 40 hours of worthless crap to the discs to justify their 6-disc sets (instead of deleted scenes, they'll simply have 4 versions of each episode in their entirely, each differing by 30-seconds or so, or interviews with the "key grip," "costume designer," etc - it'll cost them pennies to tape those interviews, and they'll reap the benefits.).
Nope. what really killed Newton was 3 simple words:
Eat... up... martha.
1. TIE Fighter 2. TIE: X-Wing/X-Wing Alliance 4. X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter
I'll say this... as a medical student, I believe that Vioxx, Celebrex and Bextra are 3 of the greatest medications created in the last 25 years. They have helped HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS of arthritis, lupus, scleroderma, spondylitis and dozens of other disease-sufferers with their pain that was NOT helped by typical ibuprofen-like drugs.
The whole anti-Vioxx thing is, in my opinion, driven largely (not *entirely*, but largely) by the malpractice lawyers. I was visiting my grandmother in Fort Lauderdale (grandparent capital of florida) the week the Vioxx story broke, and literally, the next day there were ads in the paper to sue Merck, special flyers, and billboards. It's absolutely insane.
Here's the thing: if Merck knew of the risks, and buried it, which is suspected but NOT PROVEN, then let them burn. However, taking into account that a) Vioxx dangers seem to come from people that took WAY more than a usual amount and b) Bextra or Celebrex were never proven to be harmful and now might be taken off the market (Bextra already is), it's the American people that will suffer. The lawyers will make out fine.
And every one of those little grandmas that signs up for the class-action suit will each get $1,000 of the $200-million settlement, while the 15 lawyers will split a 30% cut of $60 million.
have some little bit patented so it can't be cloned by generic drug companies
Lemme guess: You think drug companies are "evil corporations," right? People like you just don't get it. 1 out of every 10 drugs is profitable. OK? Every 9 chemotherapy drugs which are unprofitable is funded by the 1 Viagra or Advair. I say thank heaven/buddah/karma/Linus (pick your deity) for the fact that drug companies can make a profit from medications. You really think the gov't would be so quick to develop medications? It's the profit that drives the research, and I say that it's win-win. Sure, each cancer pill costs 10 cents to make, but that's the second pill: the first one cost $300 million. If you make Pfizer spend $300 million to develop a drug, then say "Thanks! We'll now clone that and sell it to everyone for 30 cents!" then Pfizer will bacially have to suck it up. BUT... they sure as hell won't be spending a quart-billion next time to make it, and they'll stick to acne and penis pills for middle and upper-class people. People like you want a quick solution which will ultimately doom billions.
and mocking americans as xenophobic idiots is modded as "insightful." Gee, who's the xenophobic (and possibly "nationally-racist") one now?
I'm serious here, maybe i just don't get what the "service" here is. I mean, I get these "3rd party add-ons," but what I don't get is that in games like Battlefield 1942 and Vietnam, it already has a totally capable multiplayer game server selection menu built in.
Yep. That's right. We all just pine for the days when we could play super mario brother 2 and blaster master. That's all we do all day. Yup, that's how we think: that was the only era in which games were good.
Oh... wait... is it me, or are five of the top 10 games on gamerankings nintendo games? Oh, and none of those 5 are NES, SNES or gameboy. Your cliche "Nintendo is T3H Kiddie!" rant is so old. Why don't you whine about "Micro$oft" or make an "In Soviet Russia" or "Beowulf Cluster" joke while you're at it.
Great idea, piss-poor execution.
I get SO much pre-info from those pages that it is SO worth it for me. I wonder if perhaps the nominal fee keeps the trolls at bay (sorta, we get a few "Gamecube is TEH GHEI!!! XBOX RULES!!11!!" losers), and there are few people w/multiple ids ($40/year is pushing it). But I guess if it used to be free and now isn't, i can understand their frustration...
Also, the producers were awesome, bought us all lunch and, for the hell of it, like 2 cases of coke for no reason (like 48 bottles). Mmm... caffeine highs for 2 weeks! And... he shared some "interesting" stories about Morgan Webb which I probably shouldn't start "rumorizing" about...
My father had no sons. He loved to teach me "boy things" like tools and cars and computers, because there was no one else to teach it to.
By your own words, you have labeled tools, cars and computers "boy things." Some might say you are therefore a hypocrite (and no, putting it in quotes does not make it sarcastic, or "society's term," so don't try that. Putting it in quotes made it a phrase).
Me, personally, I wouldn't call it sexist OR call you a hypocrite. Rather, I think that neither your "boy things" statement nor the ACs comment above is wrong. I am a medical student, and like it or not, but males and females are NOT the same thing. Psychology included. Males *tend* to prefer certain activites. Females *tend* to prefer other activities. Our biological makeups *can* contribute to this. Are these "tendencies" steadfast rules? Absolutely not. Are the girls in my class worse potential doctors than the guys? Absolutely not. In fact, 6/10 of the top10 are girls. Anyone who says "Don't buy your daughter Doom3 - girls dont like it. They like Barbie dress-up simulators" is wrong. Likewise, saying "boys like GTA, not The Sims" is also wrong. But, a psychology book that says that buying a doll for a 2-year old girl or a Tonka truck for a 2-year old boy is healthy is NOT sexist. If it said buying the truck for the girl is wrong, then perhaps. But they didn't. This article doesn't either.
But sorry, you're either a hypocrite or simply wrong. I tend to believe it's the latter.
We play Pikmin 2 together.