Nintendophiles 11.26.08
Posted by Theo Fraser on 11.26.2008
Reggie Fils-Aime discusses multiple Nintendo-related topics, from plans for a ‘unique’ online community to third parties’ disappointing Wii offerings in this week’s Nintendophiles. Also covered are the first details on Activision’s DJ Hero, EA ad Peter Moore’s hopes to shift more EA Sports titles on Wii, and positive news with regard to the status of DLC in Rock Band 2. Check it all out inside!
As much as I love the fact that this is the time of year when a gazillion good games come out, I get the feeling my bank balance isn't quite so thrilled. Once again, as we run up to Christmas 2008, I'm left with the unfeasible task of which games to buy and when. Professor Layton has been getting rave reviews across the board, I'm extremely tempted to try out Left 4 Dead, Mass Effect is still calling out for me (especially now that it's at a budget price), not to mention Wii offerings such as the new Guitar Hero, and the awesome Chrono Trigger remake/rehash on DS. Looks like I'll be working overtime for the next couple of weeks!
Reggie Speaks, Part 1: Nintendo will offer "unique" online community
Credit: Forbes
When Reggie Fils-Aime speaks, the games industry takes notice, and that was no different this past week when Reggie spoke out regarding Nintendo's future online plans and recent criticisms that the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection didn't stand up to the offerings made by Sony and Microsoft systems.
Reggie: Nintendo has always had a vision on community. The issue is that we define community differently than our competitors. Our consumers do want a sense of community, and we're going to deliver that - but in a way that is unique to Nintendo.
"We're going to deliver that" obviously suggests that Nintendo are working towards this eventual pinnacle, and tells us that they are not fully satisfied with the system they are offering us currently. No hints have been given as to how Nintendo hope to improve their online functionality, but it seems clear to me that Nintendo feel they haven't fully utilised everything they wanted from the Mii avatar system, so I wouldn't be surprised to see this extended upon a la LittleBigPlanet or a Sims-esque life simulator of some sort.
That wasn't the full extent of Reggie's outspoken views this week, with many recent interviews bringing up Nintendo's lacklustre ‘hardcore' offerings for 2008. Reggie goes on to blast third-party developers, highlighting their unwillingness to produce high-end titles on Nintendo's home console:
Reggie: I will be able to say our licensees 'get it' when their very best content is on our platform. And with very few exceptions today, that's not the case.
This is patently clear when you look across the board. Capcom have done exceedingly well, with Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles being one of the top selling third-party titles on Wii, not to mention the fact that Resident Evil 4 originally reached legendary status on Gamecube, and yet Resident Evil 5 has been completely overlooked for the Wii. Yukes made a fine effort on Smackdow vs Raw 2009, and yet you'd be hard pressed to call it the definitive version over its ‘next-gen' counterparts. The list goes on. Of course, Nintendo themselves haven't really delivered a ‘killer app' in 2008, so one could easily cry ‘hypocrisy'! With a strong 2009 looming, however, I'm willing to forgive then. Let's just hope third-parties begin to pick up the slack.
First DJ Hero details uncovered
Credit: CVG
DJ Hero, the long-rumored Guitar Hero spin-off from Activision, has finally seen some new info come to light, despite still not being officially confirmed. Dutch artist DJ Tiero (the ‘biggest DJ in the world', according to those in the know) sent out an email newsletter, detailing his involvement in the production of the said title, which is apparently due for a Summer 2009 release.
Tiesto claims to be involved in a special edition of DJ hero a la the Aerosmith/Metallica versions of Guitar Hero, and has apparently composed various samples and tunes specifically for the game. In Tiesto's words:
Tiesto:I am very excited about this! I think this is a great way to introduce people into Djing. Maybe they realize it's not as easy as they think. I am sure this brings new fans to the scene, dance music is not far from hip-hop for example. Hopefully the music I have composed appeals to all kinds of fans!
Tiesto isn't the only one excited about this. A DJing game may not have quite the same ‘cool' factor as that of a guitar title, but with a control setup and new turntable-style controller, I could see it being even more intuitive than Activision's Guitar original, as well as giving an accurate look at DJing is constructed. The Nickleback frontman recently condemned Guitar Hero players, saying they should instead pick up a real guitar and play music for real, but DJ Hero sounds as if it could very well act as a great introduction to the world of DJing. We'll have to see what route Activision take with the title, but early plans indicate a setup of colored icons scrolling around a revolving disc/record, and as a title based on timing and intuition, it should prove to be rather more accurate to the world of a DJ than Guitar Hero is to that of our rock legends.
EA and Peter Moore want to shift more Sports titles on Wii
Credit: MTV Multiplayer
The statistic was revealed recently that the latest Madden title sold over two million copies on PS2, PS3 and Xbox 360 combined. How many did it sell on Wii? Err... just slightly over 100,000. Clearly, there is an issue present here, and EA Sports president Peter Moore is keen to address this.
Peter Moore:The challenge we face is that that consumer gets ‘Wii Sports‘ right out of the box and that's a sports experience that's good enough for a lot of people. That is a challenge for us at times.
Secondly, we're doing very well with the core consumer, migrating them to the Xbox 360 and PS3 and, quite frankly, if they're looking for that hardcore experience that's where they're buying that … We are seeing multiple copy purchases in the home. As you well know, I was the proponent of the Wii60 in the early days. I think there's going to be a very strong multi-console ownership in homes. And I think that's bearing out. We are starting to see, anecdotally, two copies of ‘Madden' — one for the 360 or PS3 — and another copy for the younger kids or even for the wife or girlfriend on the Wii.
We're going to keep pounding away. We know what we were doing wrong. ‘Tiger‘ is EA's number one selling game on the Wii period. Period!
The bottom line is we knew what we weren't doing right. We've corrected that. We're seeing progress. Is it easy? No. Will we ever see attach rates for authentic sports games, for licensed sports games, on the Wii to the same we see on 360 or PS3? Probably not in this cycle. Are we going to see continued growth of both? Absolutely.
I like Moore's attitude in this; they're not giving up. It would be easy to write off the Wii as a failure for sports titles, and just pile all resources into the successful 360/PS3 iterations. However, Moore seems determined to make the Wii versions a success, and I commend this persistence. Of course, it'll take a bit of work on their part. If they're presenting pretty much the exact same game that we can play on a 360 or PS3, albeit with lower-res visuals and a less complex control system, gamers have no reason to fork out for the Wii version above its rivals. If Moore and co. are really determined to shift copies of EA Sports titles on Wii, they need to offer something drastically different to catch the attention of hardcore sports fans.
Rock Band 2 Wii will feature full DLC from other versions
Credit: MTV
I announced a couple of weeks back that Rock Band 2 would prove to be a significant step up on the Wii from its predecessor, mostly due to the fact that this time it would fully support online multiplayer and downloadable content. Despite this good news, many feared for the worst when it was announced that Rock Band 2 on the Wii was to be delayed from its original November 18th release date to January 5th. Did this mean anything significant? Were we being short-changed once again?
Thankfully it seems that the delay is purely down to stock issues. Alex Rigopulos, CEO of Harmonix, confirmed that Wii owners will receive almost all of the downloadable content available to Xbox 360 and PS3 users, albeit spread out over the course of a couple of months. Good things come to those who wait, I guess! On Sony and Microsoft platforms, the catalogue of songs up for purchase in Rock Band 2 will increase to 500 by the end of the year, and with the title not set to launch until January on the Wii, Harmonix have assured us that these same songs will be made available over the course of the next few months. By Summer 2009, all systems should be up to date with each other.
Having been incredibly disappointed with the lacklustre offering that was the original Rock Band on Wii, it's really refreshing to see Harmonix right all their wrongs from last time to bring us a solid offering that easily rivals its next-gen competitors.
Chrono Trigger: the best JRPG, in my opinion. The game is STILL revolutionary after 14 years of service. Actually, IGN has an article about the things S-E needs to do to fix their current games. It is the top five current problems that plague S-E games.
Posted By: David (Guest) on November 26, 2008 at 01:45 AM
The front man from Nickleback is one to talk...
I wish his band would start making real music too.
Posted By: EyePawd (Guest) on November 26, 2008 at 02:44 AM
If WiiSports is really a 'sports experience' that's good enough for someone, then they were never going to buy an EA game anyway.
Posted By: Rod Oracheski (Registered) on November 26, 2008 at 05:14 AM
I thought Rock Band 2 on the Wii was only delayed till December.
Posted By: Drew Robbins (Registered) on November 26, 2008 at 07:55 AM
Nintendo's backed itself in to a corner now : By going after non-gamers and casual fans with the Wii two years ago, they got exactly what they wanted. Be careful what you wish for, because by concentrating strictly on that demographic, their user base is basically just Nintendo die hards & casual gamers. They, Nintendo, have not fostered an environment where third parties feel comfortable developing for them - in part because of the technical inferiority, and the lack of a hardcore audience - and they're taking zero steps to reel them in, so the cycle continues. Which is why most developers aren't bringing in the franchises hardcores love to the biggest selling system in the world. That statistic for Madden on Wii is pathetic. I HATE hearing excuses from fanboys(I love Nintendo, I'm a die hard, but let's keep it real here) & Nintendo itself like, "But we DO have titles for hardcore games, like Smash Bro.s, Zelda, Animal Crossing, etc.). NO, YOU DON'T! Hardcore gamers don't, in large part I would think, play Nintendo franchises(esp. Animal Crossing, WTF?!). They play Metal Gear, Gears Of War, Socom, GTA, Final Fantasy, etc. You can't possibly compare Twilight Princess & Mario Galaxy, amazingly wonderful as they were imo, to the top franchises of 360 & PS3 in almost any way, especially in demographics! Nintendo should be taking all this Wii $ they've made on the past couple of years and invest it in ways to bring more third party franchises over, and the audience along with them. The biggest selling system in the world, I would think, should be played by all types with a variety of titles. I may be a Nintendo fan, but I know sometimes I can take a break from stomping mushrooms & racing carts to shoot some people in the head or rape hookers once in a while. Give us the option, Nintendo! Push this "kiddie" image over to one half of your identity, and welcome another audience with the other. It's bitten you before - badly - and I'd hate to see that happen again. Unfortunately, it looks like it is. Here's hoping for some improvement in the latter half of this generation's cycle.
-E
Posted By: Eric (Guest) on November 26, 2008 at 02:27 PM
I gotta agree with Eric minus the whole raping hookers part, I kid I kid! Nintendo really needs to bring in more gamers. There is no reason why they cannot have 2 separate identities. Oh and sports titles suck for the Wii because for some reason Wii does not get NBA 2K instead we get stuck with the craptastic NBA Live. And the reason why no one bought Madden is because it is the same damn game as last year.
Posted By: JM (Guest) on November 26, 2008 at 06:24 PM
