Nintendo Promises 3rd Party Support 130
Eurogamer reports on claims by George Harrison (NoA's Senior VP for Marketing) that the Revolution will feature extensive third-party support in the coming years. From the article: "'One of the lessons we tried to learn from GameCube was that we kept things too close. And so as we got ready to launch, we had some of our own great games but third parties were kind of behind the eight ball in terms of being able to have games ready,' Harrison stated. In terms of early support for the Revolution, which launches this year alongside Sony's PS3, third party software ought to be available in abundance, Harrison confirming 'We've got more than 1,000 developer kits including the controller kits, out, so there should be plenty there.'"
Interesting (Score:5, Insightful)
On the other hand, we may see silly shoot-em-up games with the new controller. It's a coinflip until the system has been on the shelves for a few months, really.
Re:Interesting (Score:1)
Re:Interesting (Score:1, Insightful)
The problem with rumored specs is it is impossible to determine which rumors to listen to; everyone claims to have an inside source while no one says who their source is. Matt from IGN lied (or was lied to [and foolishly believed it]) and I can say that for a fact; Nintendo has never released a system which was not a dramatic technical impro
Re:Interesting (Score:1)
Re:Interesting (Score:1)
They've also never released a home console with backwards compatibility.
Not out of the box, but some Nintendo consoles can easily be made compatible:
Re:Interesting (Score:2)
Re:Interesting (Score:3, Insightful)
Screw storyline. If that's what you want, you're better off going with the systems with tons of storage and graphics capabilities.
How about instead we hope for games that are fun to play. Heavy emphesis on the storyline tends to put more limits on the gameplay.
Re:Interesting (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Interesting (Score:2)
Fahrenheit would have been EVEN MORE AMAZING on the revolution, held back that the mini games needed to use the old style of controllers
Re:Interesting (Score:2)
Sure, some games work fine without a storyline.
But a storyline helps suck you into the game. It gives what you are doing in the game a purpose. It can help you immerse in the game, create an atmosphere, along with the graphics.
Re:Interesting (Score:2)
Re:Interesting (Score:2)
Books have depth and stretch the imagination, but they don't have important stimuli like movement or soundtracks. Movies lack depth; there are simply limits to what you can fit into 90 minutes. Neither allows any form of interactivity, so you can't influence the plot in the slightest.
Various forms of interactive fiction - taking t
Re:Interesting (Score:2)
Re:Interesting (Score:2)
Re:Interesting (Score:1)
Re:Interesting (Score:2)
I know you are talking about processing power (I think the Rev is only supposed to be three times as powerful as the Cube), but it should be said that the controller idea they have come up with could be considered pretty revolutionary hardware.
And Nintendo still claims there are other as-yet-undisclosed surprises...
Re:Interesting (Score:4, Insightful)
I have to say some of the games I've had the most fun with have the weakest stories. For example Blaster Master has the great story of a kid catches a frog, the frog jumps down a hole, the kid follows and finds a tank. The rest of the game is classic side scrolling and top down blasting action. I don't remember an introduction to Contra, just start blasting mutants. Also Super-Monkey Ball was a complete blast, but I don't seem to remember a story at all.
Super Monkey Ball (Score:1)
Re:Interesting (Score:2)
Re:Interesting (Score:2)
Unfortunately that does not seems plausible.
Revolutionary (Score:2)
Depends on what you call "revolutionary" ofcourse. It's a lot more revolutionary than its competitors, which are just more of the same.
I wasn't really expecting holographic interfaces yet, but that controller certainly opens new possibilities.
stuff like this (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:stuff like this (Score:1, Funny)
Elavorate sounds like something you do in the bathroom.
Hmm.. (Score:5, Interesting)
That said, there are some encouraging things in their favor:
1.) Development systems are very cheap.
2.) By most accounts, this hardware isn't all that different from the GC hardware, transitioning to it should be easy.
3.) We still do not have all of the details about the wi-fi service. Maybe they'll allow developers to release games exclusively for it?
4.) MS and Sony have standards in place about things such as HD support for their games. This means more asset creation which means more money to develop the game. The Rev, being somewhat inferior in terms of technology, has a much lower barrier to entry.
5.) The Nintendo DS is very popular, largely in part due to the attention paid to the interface and wifi connection. Perhaps more developers will see the Rev as less of a gamble.
So.. I'm undecided. Nintendo has promised this many before and hasn't delivered. Nintendo has also, however, changed their habits before. At least they recognize mistakes were made. So.. well I just don't know.
Re:Hmm.. (Score:1)
Re:I also agree (Score:2)
I dunno if I agree with that last bit. I actually got rid of my Playstation when they started flooding the shelves with crappy titles. I was scared for a while that Sony was going to do to the industry what Atari did. Fortunately, that hasn't happened, but man... I was a video game salesman when the PSOne landed. Oh boy. My job was to play the games so I could advi
Re:I also agree (Score:3, Interesting)
The fact is, since the NES, i have always been a once console person. Up until this generation with the GCN, I have been perfectly content with only having an nes, snes, n64, etc. and just missing all the Sony, Sega,
Re:I also agree (Score:1)
The number of crappy PS2 games never really bothered me, because I don't play crappy games. There are plenty of crappy games on every system, it just means you have to do more than look at the back of th
Re:I also agree (Score:2)
Re:I also agree (Score:1)
Re:I also agree (Score:2)
Re:Hmm.. (Score:2)
To be fair, Nintendo has had a monopoly over portable gaming since before even the launch of the GBA. At least until the PSP came out, if you wanted to make a portabl
Was there ever a flight sim for Palm? (Score:1)
At least until the PSP came out, if you wanted to make a portable game, Nintendo was your only choice.
Not even Palm, which had "touch" gaming years before the DS?
Re:Was there ever a flight sim for Palm? (Score:2)
Are you serious?
Re:Was there ever a flight sim for Palm? (Score:1)
Yes, I am serious. Take out the exclusive Nintendo characters, and touch based games such as WarioWare: Touched! or Kirby: Canvas Curse could have been done just as well on a Palm or Pocket PC device. "Rub it!"
Re:Was there ever a flight sim for Palm? (Score:2)
Erm. Okay. So is your point that the Palm Pilot had a touch screen, or that developers could have made games for it instead of Nintendo?
Re:Was there ever a flight sim for Palm? (Score:1)
So is your point that the Palm Pilot had a touch screen, or that developers could have made games for it instead of Nintendo?
The latter. Was there a specific reason why gaming on Palm OS never really took off?
Re:Was there ever a flight sim for Palm? (Score:2)
There were a few reasons. Here's a short list:
- These were not game machines. No standard screen, controls, sound, or even processor.
- Market was all wrong. The cheap palms were no good for gaming and $400 was too much for something relatively decent.
- No graphics related hardware. No sprites, etc. The 64mhz DS graphically out-performs a 200mhz iPaq.
It's also worth mentioning that a touch screen does not a DS make. It
Re:Was there ever a flight sim for Palm? (Score:1)
So if the DS is closed, and the PSP is closed, and North American smartphones are often closed (many carriers let their customers run only signed midlets), which handheld system should a startup game development company target?
Re:Was there ever a flight sim for Palm? (Score:2)
If a company wants to make games, sign the license deal with the PSP, DS, or GBA.
Re:Was there ever a flight sim for Palm? (Score:2)
If the game's good enough, it'll sell the system.
Re:Was there ever a flight sim for Palm? (Score:1)
How does a startup become large enough that Sony, Nintendo, or Nintendo will consider entering into a licensing deal? Should a team of relatively inexperienced developers try to start their own company, or do they instead have to abandon family and move to Greater Seattle?
Re:Was there ever a flight sim for Palm? (Score:2)
Venture capital. If they have a good idea, they'll be invested in. How do you think game companies get started in the first place? Also, how'd we wind up at the bottom of the developer's pool? Hehehe.
It might actually happen... (Score:5, Insightful)
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.
Better have better 3rd Party Support... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Better have better 3rd Party Support... (Score:2)
we were forced to beta test wireless link hardware for the AGB
eaving GameCube and AGB
Samir Gupta? Is that you?
Obviously you have no great love for Nintendo, but c'mon....If you spent all that time working on it, you could at least get the acronym for the Game Boy Advance right.
Re:Better have better 3rd Party Support... (Score:2)
Re:Better have better 3rd Party Support... (Score:2)
Do a little Googling. You'll find that AGB was the acronymn for the Game Boy Advance. Clicky. [n-sider.com]
Re:Better have better 3rd Party Support... (Score:2)
And two can play at the example game - Nintendo's own website [nintendo.com] uses the term GBA.
Re:Better have better 3rd Party Support... (Score:2)
Oh noes!!!11 I've been pwn3d!!
So what, I was both right and wrong, and i've admitted as such. Nice attempt at a jab though.
Atlantis Game Boy (Score:2)
During the development of Game Boy Advance, it was called "Atlantis". AGB stands for Atlantis Game Boy, and is used by companies within the Nintendo circle of trust. If you have any GBA Game Paks, look closely on the label to see "AGB". Here are some other codename-based alphanumeric codes that you might find on Nintendo game media:
Re:Better have better 3rd Party Support... (Score:1)
Re:Better have better 3rd Party Support... (Score:1)
It's not like moving a mouse pointer around a 18" x 12" screen requires you to move the mouse around an 18" x 12" area of the desk. My wrist stays in the same place when i move my mouse the 2.5" it takes to traverse the entire width of my screen. If i had to keep my arm off the desk and pump the mouse backwards and forwards across the desk I'm sur
Re:Better have better 3rd Party Support... (Score:2)
Re:Better have better 3rd Party Support... (Score:2)
Your post would be more believable if anyone really thought that Atari had testers.
Re:Better have better 3rd Party Support... (Score:2)
Re:Better have better 3rd Party Support... (Score:2)
Re:Better have better 3rd Party Support... (Score:1)
Go to warioworld.com [warioworld.com] (not wario-world.com which is a different site), scroll down, and click "Become a Licensee". Look for the lines that say "terms and conditions".
Well at least they've learned their lesson (Score:3, Insightful)
I will say that after losing a lot of the 3rd party support when the 64 came out they have started making pretty good progress getting most of it back. Although that is sometimes done by using the GBA as the carrot on a stick (Square-Enix anyone?).
Nintendo dominated the later years of the 16-bit generation through a good stable of 3rd party developers, and Sony's success has shown that 3rd party devs really make or break the system.
Like other people have said before, they say this every generation, so I'm skeptical about this, but E3 will hopefully offer up some proof to the validity of this statement. Also, the Revolution does have a lot to offer 3rd party developers: lower budget games (don't need to spend extra time developing HD-res textures), a (hopefully) cheap install price which hopefully results in a large player base, a chance to try something new, online connectivity, backwards compatibility (I wonder if this something indies could make use of (if Nintendo offers up cheaper dev kits for smaller games)) through the virtual console, and an online marketplace.
Re:Well at least they've learned their lesson (Score:2)
Developers (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Developers (Score:1)
One has to take into account that 1,000 development kits may sound like a lot until you put it into perspective.
The PS3 has over 5,000 development kits shipped to date (around 3,000 currently in circulation).
The Xbox360 is sitting somewhere around 30,000 final development kits out there.
So, now the question is, are the developers praising the system because they want to do so, or praising on condition of getting on
They had better deliver on that. (Score:2)
Having said that, I must say that 3rd party support is where Nintendo appears to do poorly. They really need to get the other publisher onboard with their system, unless they want to end up being reduced to a very niche player. No one doubts Nintendo's ability to make great games, but the simple fact is that they have not been able to ho
Re:They had better deliver on that. (Score:1)
While it looks somewhat disheartening not to see EVERY developer pledging support most developers don't join in till after t
Re:They had better deliver on that. (Score:2)
What do you call Sonic Gems/Sonic Heroes/Sonic Adventure/Shadow the Hedgehog, First Party?
How about LOTR 1, 2, 3, & the Third Age? Resident Evil? Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Prince of Persia?
I could go
Re:They had better deliver on that. (Score:2)
2005 Nintendo list 86 Games shipped for the Cube.
11 were from Nintendo.
2006 lists 13 games so far 2 from Nintendo.
Overal they list 548 Cube titles.
52 are Nintendo First Party games.
Source http://www.nintendo.com/gamelist?start=21&oord=as c &osort=pub&sort=&cmd=&toggle=true&query=&tf=&cf=&s f=NINTENDO+GAMECUBE [nintendo.com]
Re:They had better deliver on that. (Score:2)
If you think the graphics are scaled down on the cube you're smokin something good. Resident Evil 4, Gun, Splinter Cell (Dust Motes Yo) look incredible on the cube.
You still didn't mention a game not on the cube from a decent 3rd party. What do I care if you waste 250 more on your console to play the same games I do, and yet not be able to
Re:They had better deliver on that. (Score:2)
If you'd read what I actually wrote, you would have noticed I talked about Revolution vs. the Xbox360 and the PS3. Based on currently available information the hardware capabilities of the Revolution are notably less than its competitors.
Sigh...I read your post... Read the whole thread again.
Your comparisons are based on Hardware Specs. Mine are based on Gameplay & Graphic performance in game. Specifically I cit
Re:They had better deliver on that. (Score:2)
Wow! (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Wow! (Score:3, Insightful)
It'd be a nice break from FPS shooters, racing sims, and fighting games.
FPS, racing, and fighting (Score:2)
It'd be a nice break from FPS shooters, racing sims, and fighting games.
Metroid Prime Hunters, Mario Kart DS, and Super Smash Bros. Melee weren't that bad.
Re:FPS, racing, and fighting (Score:2)
Ummmm.. Multiple studios have done mario (Score:2)
Obviously, you don't know Mario very well. Let's count the number of second pary developers that have used Mario: AlphaDream-Mario RPGs for GBA and DS Fuse Games-Mario Pinball/Metroid Pinball (Not entirely sure if it is a second party developer) Square Enix-Mario 3 on 3???? (More amazed that the makers of Final Fantasy is doing a basketball game) Next Level Games Inc.-Mario Strikers EA Sports- SSX Tricky in which Mario makes a cameo You know wha
Re:Ummmm.. Multiple studios have done mario (Score:2)
Market Share (Score:1)
Of course, they would say that. (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Of course, they would say that. (Score:1)
I doubt there are many that publicly said they hadn't had the third-party support and cited it as a problem with their previous console.
Re:Of course, they would say that. (Score:1)
It didn't happen
Excellent! (Score:2)
It's great to hear Nintendo acknowledge the fact that they need third party support.
One of the more dastardly aspects of it is that given the markets current moving towards non exclusive content and the fact that AAA titles on the Revolution will practically demand use of the Revmote, this means there is a chance for even more Revolution exclusive, console selling, titles.
Big if, but this could bring N back into the market.
Something to think about.
Third party support is overblown (Score:3, Insightful)
For the first couple of years, the Famicom had no third party support. Yet, it beat its challengers such as the Atari 2600 (or whatever they called it in Japan). When the NES emerged in America, it was the quality of first party titles that moved systems. People bought the NES because of Super Mario Brothers and Zelda. Third party support was icing on the cake.
Look at the Super Nintendo. The quality of first party (and second party) games moved systems. People wanted Super Mario World. Later, they wanted Super Mario Kart, Donkey Kong Country, and Super Mario All-Stars (the best selling SNES games).
Look at the N64. Again, the quality of first party titles was the primary driver of system sales. Super Mario 64, Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and Super Mario Kart 64 were the best selling N64 games.
Now look at the Gamecube. The quality of first party titles were still good but disapointing to what Nintendo delivers. Honestly, would anyone say Super Mario Sunshine, Zelda: Windwaker, Mario Kart: Double Dash were the best entries in the franchise? Most fans had problems with them in one way or another. And while Metroid Prime was nice, it also put off many traditional Metroid fans. The problem with the Gamecube was really with the Nintendo made games. Second party games became a joke (as Rare became a joke).
The DS had this initial problem. At launch, the 'best' DS game was Super Mario 64 DS... a port! Warioware Touched was a disapointment to warioware fans, Polarium was a joke, but at least Yoshi's Touch and Go was decent. The real change occurred with the DS not when great third party titles came out like Castlevania: DS or Meteos, but with First and Second Party Nintendo games like Kirby: CC, Advanced Wars: DS, and the killer-app of Mario Kart DS. Add in Nintendogs if you'd like. The DS is moving because Nintendo is focusing hard on the quality of their software. Tetris DS is amazing. Metroid Prime Hunters is impressive. Brain Age is... different. I have no doubt that New Super Mario Brothers will be a killer app as Mario Kart DS was.
Keep in mind that the same situation applied for Sega. Sega began to move consoles only when it made games like Sonic.
Third party support is important but nowhere near as important as first party support. Nintendo is the #2 game publisher for good reason.
All this talk about third parties is really only because Sony and Microsoft are in the market. Do you ever hear talk about first parties? No! Because Sony and Microsoft cannot match the sheer quality and diversity of first party Nintendo games. This is why their marketing will say, "Only Nintendo games sell very well on Nintendo consoles," without mentioning the fact that this has been the case ever since the NES.
Only a few third party games ever seem to move consoles. Losing Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest hurt Nintendo especially in Japan. Not having Grand Theft Auto 3 hurt Nintendo in the West and helped give it the reputation of 'kiddie console' (though Nintendo didn't help with its purple toy look).
Through console history, the primary system sellers have almost always been Nintendo's first party games. This is why the DS is outselling the PSP even with western third party support for the DS being very low yet very high for the PSP. This is why when Peter Mooer said that if he could take any game franchise from any other system, his answer was solid: "Mario. I want Mario." Peter Moore knows that Mario sells. Even the disapointing Super Mario Sunshine sold as much as Halo did. Moore knows what moves units which is why he would pick up Mario if he ever could.
Re:Third party support is overblown (Score:2)
That's where I realized you'd left reality and gone into total fanboy land.
WipeOut, EyeToy, The Getaway (SCEE); Gran Turismo 4, Siphon Filter, Twisted Metal (SCEA), and you might want to look up what SCEI and SCEJ have produced.
I have a GameCube as well as a PS2, and I just wish there were as many games I want to play on the GameCube.
Re:Third party support is overblown (Score:1)
What will determine the console war is not what *YOU* think the quality of software is. Sony's software is good and fine but there is a strict limitation to it. What will determine the console war is who taps into the most demographics.
The reason why the DS outsold the PSP was because the DS had software that appealed to more demographics (from Nin
Re:Third party support is overblown (Score:2)
And all of that is beside the point. I was replying to someone who claimed that Sony couldn't make good first party software. I simply provided counterexamples.
Re:Third party support is overblown (Score:2)
I never beleived that either. Looking at Nintendo's software lineup for the GBA, it's pretty clear that either they're going after entirely the wrong demographic, or the handheld software market is dominated by kids. Sure, they're trying to appeal to adult gamers as well with the DS, but look at all those racks of Pokemon games in the GBA section.
In contrast, Sony tried to
Re:Third party support is overblown (Score:1)
WipeOut had its origins as a first-gen PS1 game and it STILL hasn't really broken out of niche status.
EyeToy is accepted to be nothing more than a gimmick even by professional reviewers due to the sheer lack of support.
The Getaway and Gran Turismo 4 are both niche games (yes they had big sales but they didn't move systems, and overall they're considered to be stagnant at this point.)
Syphon Filter is a cheap Metal Gear Solid knock-off that never ventured far from
Re:Third party support is overblown (Score:2)
http://www.gamersmark.com/news/2005/08/1/6543 [gamersmark.com]
Re:Third party support is overblown (Score:1)
Third party support is *Essential* for console success. No matter how high the quality of Nintendo's titles may be, they can only produce so many per year before quality suffers as a result. Nintendo's top franchises are great, but not substantially better than best that SCEA, Capcom, Namco, Square Enix, EA, Konami, etc can produce.
A previous poster claimed that nintendo's first party titles have "the widest appeal" but that's simply not true. If you don't like cutesy platform games, you're out of luck. F
Re:Third party support is overblown (Score:1)
Re:Third party support is overblown (Score:2)
Re:Third party support is overblown (Score:2)
Wind Waker. Ha! Basically the same game as Ocarina of Time on the 64, with slightly better graphics and new locations, and a rather tedious sailing mechanic. (I say that because I played them back to back, and was very disappointed by Wind Waker.)
Metroid Prime. Ooh, a first-person shooter!
Resident Evil 4. Ooh, survival horror. Where have I seen that before?
I won't even start on Mario.
Sure, the GameCube has a few truly original games, like Pikmin. But the PS2 has ple
Re:Third party support is overblown (Score:2)
Metroid Prime is not a first person shooter, it's a first person adventure. Strickly speaking, it has more in commonw with first person pc rpgs like Might & Magic than it does with FPS like Halo or Syphon Filter. Also, it's a dramatic shift going from Super Metroid to Metroid Prime.
Resident Evil 4 is a 3rd party game, and therefore not part of this conversation.
And yes, let's talk about Mario.
Re:Third party support is overblown (Score:3, Interesting)
This probably explains why Nintendo kept its 3rd party releases restricted to Nintendo-approved developer
Re:Third party support is overblown (Score:2, Interesting)
The Japanese were linking their Famicoms up to satellites, to disk systems, and even trading stock on it. Th
Re:Third party support is overblown (Score:2)
Sure, all three systems are toys or game systems or whatever you want to call them. I believe the gp was mostly referring to philosophy and it seems you agree. Nintendo keeps how they will use the system in mind. As you s
Re:Third party support is overblown (Score:1)
larnin' (Score:2, Insightful)
Dev Kit Reviews? (Score:2)
Thanks in advance.
Re:Dev Kit Reviews? (Score:2, Informative)
Now, things may be different for the rev since it looks like they might let indy devs get their hands on these relatively easily, but in the past I think you needed a dev license just to obtain the kits.
I'm in the same boat as you, I'd really like to work on this system a
Konami (Score:2)
The only thing that Konami did for the Gamecube, was a disney game, and giving the license to Silicon Knights to make Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes.