you know I hate hearing europeans (EU) complain about this. The reason it takes so long is not only do you not use NTSC like the US and Japan, you dont even have a standard (PAL,SECAM etc). Then you dont even have a standard language. In Australia, US, Canada etc it is english. In Japan it is Japanese. In europe, it has to be translated into several languages. Even though England speaks english and there is a version of the game in english, it has to wait for a french translation. Who's fault is that? not tha game makers.
Umm....Europe is a Continent
If you want to make a valid comparison, then you have to use other continents like:
Asia, Africa, South America, etc.
Then you'll realize you have the same problem. Asia has many different languages, same with South America, etc. The only exception seems to be North America, but even in Canada, you have to translate to English and French.
I, for one, would be glad to be raise in Europe. Not only would I know my mother tongue, but I would learn at least 2 more languages fluently.
Is it just me or do other people find it ridiculous that with all the problems going on in the world, that a video game company is being taken to court over a hidden/unfinished and unaccessible (unless hacked) portion of the game that depicts sexual activity between two polygonal objects?
Not to mention that there was no lawsuit when the rest of the game involves shooting, beating, and killing other people using numerous methods. Rewarding illegal activity and portraying violence with utmost graphical exuberance.
The thing is, I don't need to be convinced, because I saw what the DS has done.
I've repeated this a few times already, but I've seen many times, a mother and her young daughters playing their DSes wirelessly together and having a good time.
What other system have you seen do that?
Besides, Nintendo has already started the trend for non-gamers to play on their systems. My Gamecube was the party machine that everybody and anybody wanted to play and COULD play at a get-together.
Nintendo is achieving these numbers for the DS (in general) because they have successfully sold to a new demographic.
When I see 4 girls in a movie theatre, before the show starting, laughing and giggling out loud with a DS in each of their hands playing a multiplayer game wirelessly, Nintendo has done something right.
When I see a mom and her 5 year old daughter (well she looked around that age), playing with their DSes wirelessly together, obviously Nintendo has done something right.
All this talk about Dragon's Lair, reminded me of that game that came out in the late 80's to early 90's that played like Dragon's Lair, but the display was a reflected screen that made it look like a holographic projection. Does anybody remember what that game was? I remember that was a quarter muncher too, not because of gameplay, but because of the unique display.
I'm tired of people complaining about having to play another Mario or Zelda game.
Just because a game bears the name of its predecessor doesn't mean there is a lack of creativity or it's the same rehash of gameplay. Many of these sequels introduce brand new gameplay and actually push their respective genres into new directions.
Just for example: Super Mario 1, Super Mario 2 (NA version), Super Mario 3, Super Mario World, Super Mario 64, Paper Mario, Super Mario RPG, Mario Tennis, Mario Golf, and Super Mario Kart all bear the Mario name, but all of them introduced new gameplay and new ideas and weren't just rehash and useless sequels.
Just remember that Resident Evil 4 was not a port. It was developed for the Gamecube first....AND it won the best graphics award from IGN for ALL platforms. A Gamecube game BEAT OUT all other platforms for the best graphics.....
It might not take generations (of consoles that is...), but a few good applications for the Wii and the current DS. Nintendo is already doing something right. I was in a movie theatre to other day, waiting for the show to start, and next to me were four girls giggling with glee as they were playing with a multiplayer game together wirelessly with 4 DSes.
This incident, plus seeing a mother and her daughter playing a game together wirelessly on 2 DSes, just reconfirms my affirmation that Nintendo is heading in the right direction.
In my opinion, our society has created an environment where both parents HAVE to work to live a stable life. Unfortunately, as work hours get longer and work demands get more demanding, they have less time to spend with their children. What do many of these parents do to compensate for not being with their children? Buy whatever they want, give them what they want, etc. But basically supplementing some quality time with material goods.
Children need guidance and advice from their number 1 source, their parents. If they can't get it from their parents, they'll get it from other sources, be it TV, video games, books, friends, etc.
So obviously coders who know what they are doing can make Cube games look great, so why not the Wii?
The problem with what Sony and Microsoft are doing is that they are pushing console technology to be upgraded too quickly. Like the computer industry, rapidly improving hardware is leading to lazy coding and not improvement via optimizing and pushing the limits of a machine. The coders don't even have the time to let their skills mature, before they have to start working on another new generation of machines. Look at the last squirmings of the SNES, sure they used some tricks, but they made Donkey Kong Country look amazing compared to PSX games.
Actually, I recalled people complaining more about the battery life, the usage of discs, and the lack of games for the PSP, rather than the size.
The only issue with size is comparing the Gameboy SP to the PSP. In that case, I heard people complaining about the DS too.
With regards to the price point of the Wii.
Well, the price point is actually at $199.99 (most likely), AND the fact is that you call it "not configurable to user specification", but it's actually customized for a specific purpose.
So for $200, I can get a customized mobo, CPU, GPU, 512MB flash memory, I forget how many MB of that super fast memory they use, plus a specialized controller, built-in wifi, bluetooth, and other specs that I'm too lazy to go and look up.
I think that's a pretty good deal no?
I'd be pretty surprised if you can get all those parts that will fit into the size of the Wii and come up less than $200. Nintendo can obviously manufacture the Wii for a lot less, but why would they want to sell it for less than $199 if they don't have to?
And I'm not sure what you mean by "Nintedo doesn't make its living selling consoles while say a laptop maker does"?????
Sure they don't make all their money on Consoles, but they don't sell them at a loss either. Why would they do that if they don't have to? If the market can support $199, especially with the other consoles flying up in prices, then why would Nintendo sell it for any less?
So, on the PSP, they are currently actively blocking any attempts of "homebrew" software. But for the PS3, they are going to allow it?
I don't see how there can be such a big difference in the stance of homebrew applications for their 2 main flagship products. Unless they are going to stop cracking down on these applications for the PSP, or else, this is just some lame attempt to recover from the bashing they are receiving at E3, since they've been bashed about a lot of things, including the crack downs on homebrew apps.
Why would Nintendo think about leaving the hardware business?
Every console they've sold has been at a profit, and Nintendo has always posted a profit (except I believe 1 quarter a year ago).
Even the N64 was a profit to them. Heck, the Cube is so close in numbers in the world, that people are still arguing that it's either 2nd or 3rd. And if I failed to mention it...the cube generated profit as well.
I'm so tired of people thinking that Sony's controller is the same as the Wii's.
Sony's controller is so much more inferior. It's only a tilt sensitive controller. Heck, the GBA had tilt sensitive games!
The Wii's controller understands 3D space. You can move it forward and back, up and down, left and right, and has a pixel-accurate pointer. Imagine a hand in a room, you can navigate that hand up and down, left and right and towards the far side of the room, or closer towards yourself just by moving the Wii controller in a natural fashion as you would in real life.
Furthermore, the nunchaku add-on has the tilt function and accelerometer that this "innovative" Sony controller provides.
The Sony controller doesn't even come close to what the Wii-mote can do.
It was already explained by other columnists, who have played with the controller, that you don't need to swing your whole arm or anything like what is portrayed in the trailers. Little wrist movements are good enough.
If they released this controller as an add-on, then it would be doomed to fail like most add-ons since developers can't rely on the fact that everyone will have one, and thus won't spend the time to code for it.
Furthermore, introducing this controller with the new generation is a good way to differentiate Nintendo from its competitors and is more effective in attracting a new audience.
The controller will not be considered a "gimmick" because it is the default controller for this platform.
The problem with other add-ons is that they are essentially optional equipment that developers cannot depend on the fact that the users will HAVE one.
But with the Wii controllers, just like the DS touch-screen, the developers will have to develop games that will utilize its functionality and therefore will not fall into the death spiral of usual add-ons and gimmicks.
If this was an add-on for the GCN, like one of the posters following this thread, then it would have failed for sure.
With regards to the Eye-Toy, that technology has been available for PC Webcams for the longest time, and I'm sure Nintendo must have looked into it....of course I'm probably talking out of my butt, since I have no hard facts about that...LOL
I find that the results of this survey is really worth anything when they can end up with
Other findings about this particular subset of perhaps atypical, but nonetheless important customers include the facts that 70% own a handheld gaming device (their preferred handheld being the PSP)
So even though the results of the survey predict a 70% market share for the PSP, in reality the DS is dominating the market. Obviously, the survey has too narrow of a sample (subset of a population) to be worth anything.
They made a nice hole for the XBOX 360 to ease into, and they did it a good year+ before Nintendo or Sony will be able to make a response
The "early entry" hasn't always proved to be an advantage. Take a look at the history of Sega. First the Sega Genesis, came out before the SNES, but the SNES was still able to take over the majority of the market. Then the suprise launch of the Sega Saturn to trump Sony and Nintendo, but it failed to dominate. Then the Dreamcast. A very good gaming machine that's at least on par if not better than PS2, but alas, it was not meant to be.....:(
Even though this would be speculation, I wonder what the people you spoke to would say about these names when they were first announced:
A web portal / search engine named YAHOO!
An online store that sells books named AMAZON.
An mp3 player called iPod.
A computer company called ASUS (*sarcastic* could sound like ASS US lol)
A lame handheld called the Nintendo DS.
A car named Integra...*sarcastic* LOL they can't spell integral
A game named Donkey Kong with no Donkey
etc etc etc.
The point is, in the end, the product will determine how the name will be remembered.
Nintendo has recently taken a partnership approach with other developers instead of the historical "Give me money, and I'll let you develop FOR us" approach.
With the recent praises from many third parties with regards to the Revolution, hopefully Nintendo will rise again.
As long as Nintendo uses this new controller as the primary controller, then it won't end up as a gimmick.
Heck, people were saying the analog controller for the N64 was gimmicky, but once it was shown how it could be used and became a primary source, then it became an essential part of ALL video game controllers.
The rumble pack, I considered a gimmick, however it caught on real fast and now it's part of ALL controllers.
Even the touch screen stylus for the DS was at first considered to be a gimmick, and we know how successful the DS has been.
As long as something this new and different is not an add-on / after thought, and is standard as part of a new system, developers will develop for it and we won't have to worry about the lack of games supporting this controller.
Of course, this will only be true if the controller works properly, and so far, the reviews from people who have had HANDS-ON experience, is raving about this new step.
Slashdot Mirror
In Canada, we only have the polar white version as well....
Umm....Europe is a Continent
If you want to make a valid comparison, then you have to use other continents like: Asia, Africa, South America, etc.
Then you'll realize you have the same problem. Asia has many different languages, same with South America, etc. The only exception seems to be North America, but even in Canada, you have to translate to English and French.
I, for one, would be glad to be raise in Europe. Not only would I know my mother tongue, but I would learn at least 2 more languages fluently.
Suppose to, and actually doing it are two different things.
Just look at reports from around the world and see all the accidents attributed to "forgotten" landmines.
Not to mention that there was no lawsuit when the rest of the game involves shooting, beating, and killing other people using numerous methods. Rewarding illegal activity and portraying violence with utmost graphical exuberance.
I've repeated this a few times already, but I've seen many times, a mother and her young daughters playing their DSes wirelessly together and having a good time.
What other system have you seen do that?
Besides, Nintendo has already started the trend for non-gamers to play on their systems. My Gamecube was the party machine that everybody and anybody wanted to play and COULD play at a get-together.
When I see 4 girls in a movie theatre, before the show starting, laughing and giggling out loud with a DS in each of their hands playing a multiplayer game wirelessly, Nintendo has done something right.
When I see a mom and her 5 year old daughter (well she looked around that age), playing with their DSes wirelessly together, obviously Nintendo has done something right.
All this talk about Dragon's Lair, reminded me of that game that came out in the late 80's to early 90's that played like Dragon's Lair, but the display was a reflected screen that made it look like a holographic projection. Does anybody remember what that game was? I remember that was a quarter muncher too, not because of gameplay, but because of the unique display.
Just because a game bears the name of its predecessor doesn't mean there is a lack of creativity or it's the same rehash of gameplay. Many of these sequels introduce brand new gameplay and actually push their respective genres into new directions.
Just for example: Super Mario 1, Super Mario 2 (NA version), Super Mario 3, Super Mario World, Super Mario 64, Paper Mario, Super Mario RPG, Mario Tennis, Mario Golf, and Super Mario Kart all bear the Mario name, but all of them introduced new gameplay and new ideas and weren't just rehash and useless sequels.
Just remember that Resident Evil 4 was not a port. It was developed for the Gamecube first....AND it won the best graphics award from IGN for ALL platforms. A Gamecube game BEAT OUT all other platforms for the best graphics.....
This incident, plus seeing a mother and her daughter playing a game together wirelessly on 2 DSes, just reconfirms my affirmation that Nintendo is heading in the right direction.
Not if there were only 10 choices on the survey to choose from.....
Children need guidance and advice from their number 1 source, their parents. If they can't get it from their parents, they'll get it from other sources, be it TV, video games, books, friends, etc.
Resident Evil 4 for the Gamecube beat out all XBox and PS2 games for Best Graphics.
http://bestof.ign.com/2005/overall/13.html
So obviously coders who know what they are doing can make Cube games look great, so why not the Wii?
The problem with what Sony and Microsoft are doing is that they are pushing console technology to be upgraded too quickly. Like the computer industry, rapidly improving hardware is leading to lazy coding and not improvement via optimizing and pushing the limits of a machine. The coders don't even have the time to let their skills mature, before they have to start working on another new generation of machines. Look at the last squirmings of the SNES, sure they used some tricks, but they made Donkey Kong Country look amazing compared to PSX games.
With regards to the price point of the Wii. Well, the price point is actually at $199.99 (most likely), AND the fact is that you call it "not configurable to user specification", but it's actually customized for a specific purpose.
So for $200, I can get a customized mobo, CPU, GPU, 512MB flash memory, I forget how many MB of that super fast memory they use, plus a specialized controller, built-in wifi, bluetooth, and other specs that I'm too lazy to go and look up.
I think that's a pretty good deal no? I'd be pretty surprised if you can get all those parts that will fit into the size of the Wii and come up less than $200. Nintendo can obviously manufacture the Wii for a lot less, but why would they want to sell it for less than $199 if they don't have to?
And I'm not sure what you mean by "Nintedo doesn't make its living selling consoles while say a laptop maker does"?????
Sure they don't make all their money on Consoles, but they don't sell them at a loss either. Why would they do that if they don't have to? If the market can support $199, especially with the other consoles flying up in prices, then why would Nintendo sell it for any less?
I don't see how there can be such a big difference in the stance of homebrew applications for their 2 main flagship products. Unless they are going to stop cracking down on these applications for the PSP, or else, this is just some lame attempt to recover from the bashing they are receiving at E3, since they've been bashed about a lot of things, including the crack downs on homebrew apps.
Why would Nintendo think about leaving the hardware business?
Every console they've sold has been at a profit, and Nintendo has always posted a profit (except I believe 1 quarter a year ago).
Even the N64 was a profit to them. Heck, the Cube is so close in numbers in the world, that people are still arguing that it's either 2nd or 3rd. And if I failed to mention it...the cube generated profit as well.
Sony's controller is so much more inferior. It's only a tilt sensitive controller. Heck, the GBA had tilt sensitive games!
The Wii's controller understands 3D space. You can move it forward and back, up and down, left and right, and has a pixel-accurate pointer. Imagine a hand in a room, you can navigate that hand up and down, left and right and towards the far side of the room, or closer towards yourself just by moving the Wii controller in a natural fashion as you would in real life.
Furthermore, the nunchaku add-on has the tilt function and accelerometer that this "innovative" Sony controller provides.
The Sony controller doesn't even come close to what the Wii-mote can do.
It was already explained by other columnists, who have played with the controller, that you don't need to swing your whole arm or anything like what is portrayed in the trailers. Little wrist movements are good enough.
Furthermore, introducing this controller with the new generation is a good way to differentiate Nintendo from its competitors and is more effective in attracting a new audience.
The problem with other add-ons is that they are essentially optional equipment that developers cannot depend on the fact that the users will HAVE one.
But with the Wii controllers, just like the DS touch-screen, the developers will have to develop games that will utilize its functionality and therefore will not fall into the death spiral of usual add-ons and gimmicks.
If this was an add-on for the GCN, like one of the posters following this thread, then it would have failed for sure.
With regards to the Eye-Toy, that technology has been available for PC Webcams for the longest time, and I'm sure Nintendo must have looked into it....of course I'm probably talking out of my butt, since I have no hard facts about that...LOL
Other findings about this particular subset of perhaps atypical, but nonetheless important customers include the facts that 70% own a handheld gaming device (their preferred handheld being the PSP)
So even though the results of the survey predict a 70% market share for the PSP, in reality the DS is dominating the market. Obviously, the survey has too narrow of a sample (subset of a population) to be worth anything.
The "early entry" hasn't always proved to be an advantage. Take a look at the history of Sega. First the Sega Genesis, came out before the SNES, but the SNES was still able to take over the majority of the market. Then the suprise launch of the Sega Saturn to trump Sony and Nintendo, but it failed to dominate. Then the Dreamcast. A very good gaming machine that's at least on par if not better than PS2, but alas, it was not meant to be.....:(
A web portal / search engine named YAHOO!
An online store that sells books named AMAZON.
An mp3 player called iPod.
A computer company called ASUS (*sarcastic* could sound like ASS US lol)
A lame handheld called the Nintendo DS.
A car named Integra...*sarcastic* LOL they can't spell integral
A game named Donkey Kong with no Donkey
etc etc etc.
The point is, in the end, the product will determine how the name will be remembered.
Nintendo has recently taken a partnership approach with other developers instead of the historical "Give me money, and I'll let you develop FOR us" approach.
With the recent praises from many third parties with regards to the Revolution, hopefully Nintendo will rise again.
Heck, people were saying the analog controller for the N64 was gimmicky, but once it was shown how it could be used and became a primary source, then it became an essential part of ALL video game controllers.
The rumble pack, I considered a gimmick, however it caught on real fast and now it's part of ALL controllers.
Even the touch screen stylus for the DS was at first considered to be a gimmick, and we know how successful the DS has been.
As long as something this new and different is not an add-on / after thought, and is standard as part of a new system, developers will develop for it and we won't have to worry about the lack of games supporting this controller.
Of course, this will only be true if the controller works properly, and so far, the reviews from people who have had HANDS-ON experience, is raving about this new step.