What the big N should do next ?

[KazeAizen]

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A s

How are motion controls fun? I mean, beyond a few instances they're usually a negative over a positive because the technology is still really limited and it cannot serve as the primary method of control because of that, just an addition/enhancer to the core game controls. The lack of third party support comes down to Nintendo not really trying for third party attention and the console being weaker than it's two counter parts doesn't help on the developer side either way. The entire thing just feels like an over glorified tablet campaign, when it should be an accessory.

The console being weaker is absolutely no excuse to me. Its utter flim flam. Yes lets drive up our development prices for these consoles so we can see a few dozen more pores on a mans head. Therefore requiring us to sell more games launch and in turn keeping us from taking any form of risk whatsoever and stagnating the market. Seriously why is this whole weaker console thing even an argument. I would think companies would be happy that there is a new console just slightly above but very similar to the last two consoles in terms of power so that they could, if not decrease, then at least keep the same their already pricey development costs.

Stronger console is far more than just a few more wrinkles and more realistic looking leaves. More powerful hardware takes away hardware limitations, it allows for more expansive worlds, more robust game mechanics and ideas being better realized on more powerful hardware. Just take a look at mods and what people are capable of doing with better hardware. Throwing that away just because Nintendo can't pick up is bit of a travesty, if you ask me.
Also what's up with people always throwing graphics away as if they're completely irrelevant? good/great graphics and detail can enhance the experience just like music and art style can. They immerse you more into the world and are all overall part of the atmosphere. Not critical perhaps, but still relevant.

People always throwing away graphics? Maybe here on the escapist more people do it but I see far more people in real life saying the exact opposite. I won't deny that better graphics and more importantly AESTHETICS can enhance an experience. When more people in the actual world are focused on how good something looks instead of how well it actually plays there is a problem. For more than a few reasons I thought the Wii U being less powerful than the Xbone or PS4 was a good thing. Mostly for monetary reasons and keeping the devs on a tight leash when it comes to their oh so precious dollar. Hell Tetsuya Nomura didn't know what to do with it all which he admitted in an interview. In that same line though he implied that one HAS to use it all. If all the major devs go in with that mindset we've got a problem.

 

[FalloutJack]

Well, they own the rights to Skies of Arcadia and Skies of Arcadia was a great game. My thinking is...make a sequel? I'd buy.

 

[Roxas1359]

Well, they own the rights to Skies of Arcadia and Skies of Arcadia was a great game. My thinking is...make a sequel? I'd buy.

Sega still owns the rights to the Skies of Arcadia IP. It orginally appeared on the SEGA Dreamcast and was just ported over to the GameCube (there was also a PS2 port but it was cancelled). Although I'm with you on the fact that they need to make a sequel...hell make an HD remake like how Wind Waker HD was and I can guarantee at least 10 people I know would drop money for a Wii U for that.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

People always throwing away graphics? Maybe here on the escapist more people do it but I see far more people in real life saying the exact opposite. I won't deny that better graphics and more importantly AESTHETICS can enhance an experience. When more people in the actual world are focused on how good something looks instead of how well it actually plays there is a problem. For more than a few reasons I thought the Wii U being less powerful than the Xbone or PS4 was a good thing. Mostly for monetary reasons and keeping the devs on a tight leash when it comes to their oh so precious dollar. Hell Tetsuya Nomura didn't know what to do with it all which he admitted in an interview. In that same line though he implied that one HAS to use it all. If all the major devs go in with that mindset we've got a problem.

I never have understood this idea that they CONSTANTLY have to go all guns blazing 24-7. Seriously people, it's not like the graphical ceiling for those things is going to vanish. It'll still be there ten years down the line. Devs need to start prioritizing efficiency as too many games are developed in a chaotic, slipshod manner. They need to slow down a bit and stop acting like every single one of their games needs to be some showy tech demo

 

[FalloutJack]

Well, they own the rights to Skies of Arcadia and Skies of Arcadia was a great game. My thinking is...make a sequel? I'd buy.

Sega still owns the rights to the Skies of Arcadia IP. It orginally appeared on the SEGA Dreamcast and was just ported over to the GameCube (there was also a PS2 port but it was cancelled). Although I'm with you on the fact that they need to make a sequel...hell make an HD remake like how Wind Waker HD was and I can guarantee at least 10 people I know would drop money for a Wii U for that.

Oh, I see. My bad. In that case, I believe it's time for a game that takes place after Metroid Fusion because...I don't think they've resolved what's happened to everyone's favorite bounty hunter lately, have they? After the whole X Parasite thing?

 

[Roxas1359]

Oh, I see. My bad. In that case, I believe it's time for a game that takes place after Metroid Fusion because...I don't think they've resolved what's happened to everyone's favorite bounty hunter lately, have they? After the whole X Parasite thing?

No harm no foul I say. You're not the only one who thought that Nintendo owned Skies of Arcadia, believe me. I was one of those rare people who had the original on the Dreamcast back when I had one. It would be great if Sega were to do an HD remake of the game though. It'd definitely make the LP I'm doing of it easier since the GameCube only supports 480p, and Skies of Arcadia Legends is one of the rare GameCube games that doesn't have a Progressive Scan mode on it. Also doesn't support widescreen which makes editing more of a pain. >.>

 

[FalloutJack]

Oh, I see. My bad. In that case, I believe it's time for a game that takes place after Metroid Fusion because...I don't think they've resolved what's happened to everyone's favorite bounty hunter lately, have they? After the whole X Parasite thing?

No harm no foul I say. You're not the only one who thought that Nintendo owned Skies of Arcadia, believe me. I was one of those rare people who had the original on the Dreamcast back when I had one. It would be great if Sega were to do an HD remake of the game though. It'd definitely make the LP I'm doing of it easier since the GameCube only supports 480p, and Skies of Arcadia Legends is one of the rare GameCube games that doesn't have a Progressive Scan mode on it. Also doesn't support widescreen which makes editing more of a pain. >.>

I knew it back when it was on Dreamcast. Had it. My sister lost the console somehow. Anyway, I just thought that with the way Sega was bought out that they sold the rights when the port happened.

 

[KingWein22]

Oh, I see. My bad. In that case, I believe it's time for a game that takes place after Metroid Fusion because...I don't think they've resolved what's happened to everyone's favorite bounty hunter lately, have they? After the whole X Parasite thing?

I believe the creator of Metroid said that Fusion is the last game and they will not make another one after sometime back. If they went on to make more games, he stated that it would be in between the timeline of the games (e.g Other M's story is after Super Metroid and before Fusion).


OT: I agree with many to get the games they hyped for a 2014 release to get their butts moving. This way, they can sell more Wii U and continue to profit from their 3DS sales.

 

[Roxas1359]

I knew it back when it was on Dreamcast. Had it. My sister lost the console somehow. Anyway, I just thought that with the way Sega was bought out that they sold the rights when the port happened.

Nah, the IP is just sitting around collecting dust mainly. I mean Vyse appears in the Sonic and Sega Allstars Racing Transformed game, and then there are the references to Vyse, Aika, and Fina in the Valkyria Chronicles games. One thing I'm still curious about is how the PS2 port would have been since it was cancelled for some strange reason when it was halfway done. I think that's why Skies of Arcadia Legends could only support 480i, because Sega didn't wanna make it look too different on both the consoles.

Really I think Sega and Nintendo should make a contract to get an HD version of that game made for the Wii U, because if any JRPG deserves a remake, it's Skies of Arcadia Legends. T^T

 

[FalloutJack]

Spangly

Well, that would explain why no games, but that doesn't change the desire I have to see one.

 

[King Aragorn]

Does it keep them on a tighter leash, as you put it? perhaps. But does it slow down progress? yes to that, aswell. It's just natural and we can see it in everything, movies now cost way more than they did now but they still make back revenue. Most of the time developers who throw away their lack of ability to grab the market's attention at ''expensive game costs'' that just shows an inability to adapt. Admittedly yes sometimes it's a problem, but for the most part it doesn't seem it is.
Also, I know this sounds like beyond stupid/weak argument but I remember reading a VERY well constructed post before that talked about next gen reducing game posts, if I find it i'll post it here.

 

[RicoADF]

The console being weaker is absolutely no excuse to me. Its utter flim flam. Yes lets drive up our development prices for these consoles so we can see a few dozen more pores on a mans head. Therefore requiring us to sell more games launch and in turn keeping us from taking any form of risk whatsoever and stagnating the market. Seriously why is this whole weaker console thing even an argument. I would think companies would be happy that there is a new console just slightly above but very similar to the last two consoles in terms of power so that they could, if not decrease, then at least keep the same their already pricey development costs.

The console being weaker is no excuse for 3rd party abandoning it I agree, but the fact Nintendo decided to go off on their own with old Power PC hardware when the XBO and PS4 are using the universal x86 was a stupid move on their part. Even if they had of used a cheaper and weaker x86 chip they would have been better off simply due to the fact it's easier to make and port games to a console that runs on the standard format PC's use. That's why Sony abandoned Cell and Microsoft abandoned their Power PC CPU's is due to the extra time and effort it takes to port games, that time and effort costs money for 3rd party publishers and can cause issues with the games.

Hardware aside the real damage as far as sales goes was the bad marketing, or lack there of as I have not seen a single ad for it in Australia and people that don't follow the console wars, those that just want to buy the newest console for their kids especially, they don't even know what the Wii U is. That's Nintendo's fault for failing horribly at marketing and their paying for it.

 

[Frozengale]

Most people think ditching the Wii U would solve their problems. In reality it would create more problems for them. Need I remind people just WHY Sega fell out of the console market. It came down to releasing to much hardware to fast.

Here are a few things that I think could actually work.

Embrace the Past
The Xbone and PS4 are basically ditching their entire past. Neither of these systems will be backwards compatible. The PS4 due to hardware constraints, the Xbone due to "Screw you guys". The Wii U is the only current gen system that is backwards compatible, not only that but they have been slowly working on adding more and more of their older titles to the E-Shop. Nintendo needs to ramp up their efforts of porting old classics to the Shop and start experimenting with pricing. Imagine the Wii U and 3DS as being the go to systems for ALL your console nostalgia needs. The more classic titles they put onto their shop and the cheaper they make them, the more likely people will be to buy these systems. As of right now they release one or two titles every couple of weeks. But they are almost always pricey, and they are rarely the best games in Nintendo's back catalog. Nintendo recently announced that they will be working on getting DS titles onto the Wii U. And really if they haven't all ready they should work on getting Gamecube titles as well. This should be one of Nintendo's biggest priorities. Get as many classic games up there as fast as you can, for as cheap as you can, and let the whole world know about it.

Open the Indie Floodgates
Recently people have been saying that the one thing that Nintendo needs to do is to start releasing their older first party titles onto Android and Apple OS devices. But nothing could be further from the truth. What they need to be doing is opening up the 3DS and Wii U to more easily accept indie titles. Nintendo needs to revamp their system, and lower the barrier for entry into their E-Shop. Sure people love playing Angry Birds on their phone, but that's because it's convenient and cheap. Nintendo needs to adopt this policy for their 3DS. Give the people simple games for cheap. Let the indies start treating the E-Shop more like the Google Play Store, or the Apple Store. If all your favorite little travel games can be played on your 3DS, which can also play more robust games like Pokemon and Fire Emblem, then people are going to start using their 3DS more often. Nintendo needs a way to capture the casual market once more. They also need to get smaller studios excited about creating games for their platform.

Reward Your Customers
This is something that Iwata has already said he is looking into, and I think it is one of the best things he could do. He's looking into offering discounts and special offers to loyal customers. This I hope will strengthen brand loyalty. As long as the offers are easy enough to achieve and substantial enough, then I could really see this paying off. We'll have to wait and see just what he has planned for this though.

 

[jhoroz]

1. Stop making WiiUs.
2. Stop publishing games for WiiU.
3. Make more games for the 3DS and its successors which are quite profitable.
4. Profit!

I disagree. They should at least release all the games that have been promised, or they'll risk alienating their core fan base. I agree that the Wii U is detrimental to their sells, but they've already started this console generation-they can't just drop it halfway through. Give the people what they promised, and then move on to something else as quickly possible.

 

[Dragonbums]

Honestly, the biggest thing they should do is acquire smaller studios.

Microsoft and Sony have done the same thing, which guaranteed them solid "third party" lineup.

I'm well aware that this is something they often don't like doing. They seem more of the route of either letting third parties decide for themselves if they want to make things on Nintendo consoles (which as we can all see the mostly choose the latter) or for studios that do gauge interest, they work with them in partnership.

I think the last studio they bought out is Monolith.

They have the money to do so. So I think it's time Nintendo actually throws their weight around and just buy up numerous smaller studios. Have them work on games for their system. That way, when next console comes around, those smaller guys can put great games on the system. Leaving Nintendo a lot of lee way to take their time on other stuff.

That's basically what they were doing with the launch of the Wii U. Let the third party devs put stuff on the console first year with no competition from Mario and Zelda, and they swoop in this year and put out their big sellers. As we can see, since most Western devs are goal shifters and liars, that turned out to be a disaster. Had they of had loyal by contract third party devs on the team, this would not of happened.

 

[Dragonbums]

What should the big N do next?:

1. Ramp up Wii U game development, decrease 3DS game development

2. Ramp up putting past titles on the eSHOP(s)

3. MARKET the damn Wii U

4. Lower the price of the Wii U another $50. Nintendo may not WANT to, but they NEED to.

These are my opinion of course.

I agree with # 1 and 3 a lot.

Let's be honest here, when the 3DS was failing, Nintendo put double down time on development of games for the 3DS. That's why the Nintendo Directs are basically jam packed with 3DS games, and yet not much in the Wii U side.

They need to market that Wii U like it's not tomorrow. They also need to bring a good chunk of the 3DS team to the Wii U and give it the same treatment the 3DS got.

 

[Snowbell]

If they made a 3D Pokemon game exclusively for the WiiU, that thing would be sold out by the end of the night.

 

[AzrealMaximillion]

I know this is hardly a revolutionary idea but maybe they should make a first-party game that isn't aimed at children or nostalgia-fans (Zelda, Metroid, Mario etc). As someone who isn't a child and isn't a Nintendo fan, I really don't have a reason to care about them and I want that to change.

Ok. I'll bite. What kinds of games do you have in mind?

Games that touch on adult themes but still retain a universal appeal would do well. Like Majora's Mask.

Nintendo needs to create games like how the 90s episodes of The Simpsons was written. Subtly put mature themes that late teens and adults can get and appreciate alongside general entertaining experience that appeals to young crowds without dumbing it down for older people.

Let's be frank, a lot of Nintendo's games have gotten stupidly easy over the years. Super Mario Galaxy was definitely easier than Super Mario 64 and Super Mario World. SSB Brawl's addition of imbalanced "Final Smashes" and random times where characters trip and fall threw the balance out of whack.

Point is games in general are dumbed down these days to appeal for a large audience, and Nintendo's first party games are starting to suffer due to that trend. Nintendo console don't have a "Dark Souls" difficulty game for the extreme difficulty purists and doesn't challenge people who aren't die hard Nintendo fans enough to be fun.

OP:I've said this before and I'll say it again. Fire Iwata, Fil-Aime, and Cunnaway. Get some people who know today's gaming demographic outside of just Nintendo die hards. Nintendo's consoles are just becoming fanservice boxes.

I bought a 3DS only because I like JRPGs and the 3DS has the best selections on those since the PS1-PS2 era. That and Monster Hunter. The 3DS is filling a niche of games that 90s kids grew up with so its doing well in North America.

Nintendo has to understand. While Mario and Zelda sell extremely well, they are now hitting a time where the young adults gaming (i.e. the biggest market for console gamers) grew up during Enix's Squaresoft's golden era of epic storylines. During the era when for every N64 1st party/exclusive classic, there were 3 on the PlayStation One that side by side was better due to less tech limitations. (Tech limitations don't mean just graphical power. N64 cartridges didn't have much memory, so a lot of JRPGs would not have fit their massive stories and cutscene onto them.

If Nintendo wants to survive off of nostalgia, then they should be make games reminiscent of the artful creativeness of the 90s era of console gaming. Back when mature themes like the finality of death, love, war and the results thereof, and what it means to take a person's life, were presented to kids at the age of 10-12 without being graphic or blunt.

Instead of just rinsing and repeating Nintendo's main IPs, they should snatch up some old IPs and make a mint. Not going to lie, If the Wii U had games like Bushido Blade, Suikoden, Jet Grind Radio and many other of the quirky Japanese styled titles that brought people to Nintendo in the first place, I'd have bought 2.

 

[KazeAizen]

The console being weaker is no excuse for 3rd party abandoning it I agree, but the fact Nintendo decided to go off on their own with old Power PC hardware when the XBO and PS4 are using the universal x86 was a stupid move on their part. Even if they had of used a cheaper and weaker x86 chip they would have been better off simply due to the fact it's easier to make and port games to a console that runs on the standard format PC's use. That's why Sony abandoned Cell and Microsoft abandoned their Power PC CPU's is due to the extra time and effort it takes to port games, that time and effort costs money for 3rd party publishers and can cause issues with the games.

Hardware aside the real damage as far as sales goes was the bad marketing, or lack there of as I have not seen a single ad for it in Australia and people that don't follow the console wars, those that just want to buy the newest console for their kids especially, they don't even know what the Wii U is. That's Nintendo's fault for failing horribly at marketing and their paying for it.

I'll admit I don't know much of a lick about PC to console CPU stuff. Admittedly being an aspiring designer I should eventually know but I got worn out on console/PC specs years ago and just wanted good games.

I won't lie thought their marketing is terrible. The Wii I saw it everywhere. You knew what it was, who it was for (much to the chagrin of so called "hardcores"), and the basic idea behind it. I've only seen advertisements for a select few Wii U games and none for the console itself. The name didn't help either because the main source of money for Nintendo apart from people like me are parents buying introductory game consoles for their kids. Sadly we've seen just how ignorant some parents are when it comes to gaming. They think the Wii U is an expensive peripheral to the Wii instead of a whole new beast. If they had called it the Wii 2 or something else entirely the damage probably wouldn't be near as bad. I can't shake the feeling that they'd still somehow be in a tight spot but it certainly wouldn't have been this catastrophic. Such a shame too especially since they opened the doors to indie games on their market. Its not like their Disney who can have terrible marketing ads and still make a shit ton of money because the movie was actually good and people got the word out. (looking at you Frozen)