Skewed Support: The Big Three

[SoulBlazer]

It's pretty deperessing when I look at the list of games I plan to buy in the next six months.

I like all three systems. I play all of them and they all have good games. But if I have a choice between buying games, I'll get the XBox version first, then the GC one, and finally the PS2. But I'm being forced to consider more tne more PS2 games because, sad to say, it's getting most of the games, despite being the weakest as far as specs got for the three systems.

The GC situation is just sad. After I get Mega Man Collection for it at the end of the month, I can't see ANY GC games I plan to buy in the next six months.

With the XBox, at least I plan to get the three EA football games in August, as well as Fable and KOTOR II when they finally come out.

But most of the stuff I'm looking forward to is PS2 only, and I really dislike the loading times, the weak sound support on my system, and the fact my system could still blow up on me at any minute.

Anyone else feeling like they are in the same boat?

[ubersaurus]

I've got a big enough back log of games that I want to get for all 3 systems that I haven't really noticed. But when I think about, alot of the upcoming games coming out that I want, are on the Xbox. It's quite a turn from last year, when it was mostly Gamecube, and some PS2. Nearly all the PS2 games I wanted already came out, and I own. After all, I got the system really just for Rez, Space Channel 5 part 2, and R-Type Final.

What are these PS2 specific games coming out that you're looking at? I can't think of too many that aren't coming out on the Xbox too, except for like, their mascot platformers and a few RPGs.

[ManekiNeko]

I get really angry when I see the ads for new games, because they almost inevitably won't be released for the GameCube. "Red Dead Revolver... now for the XBox, PC, and PS2." Huh, I guess bringing the industry back to LIFE after the crash of 1984 isn't enough justification to release the game on a Nintendo system, huh, Rockstar? You're telling me you'll support the Dreamcast, but you won't make a single game for the GameCube? It really burns me.

My anger is evenly split between the companies who think they're too good for the GameCube and Nintendo itself, which isn't fighting hard enough to get these big name games on its system. Back in the N64 days, Nintendo forced retailers to buy a Virtual Boy for every Nintendo 64 they purchased. We're just not seeing those kinds of aggressive sales tactics from Nintendo anymore, even though they could easily use the Game Boy Advance as leverage in their dealing with third parties ("You want Max Payne on GBA? Give us the game on the GameCube first.").

JR

[Flack]

Huh, I guess bringing the industry back to LIFE after the crash of 1984 isn't enough justification to release the game on a Nintendo system, huh, Rockstar?

That would be like the worst business logic ever.

Face it, Nintendo is interested in pushing games like Mario Party and Metroid -- 20 year old kid-friendly franchises. They seem bound and determined to test the market the hard way every console generation.

[Half Japanese]

Maybe I just suck at games, but I just don't see Metroid as being all that kid-friendly. Meta Ridley from Prime would have many kids with their head in their hands crying (too hard for them in other words). That said, hardball tactics don't work so well when you're in 3rd place. That's like a midget picking a fight. It is a little sad that the roster has thinned out (although it's pretty early to say that it's run it's course) for the Gamecube, but great games are almost always great no matter what system they're played on.

[Richter]

The GC situation is just sad. After I get Mega Man Collection for it at the end of the month, I can't see ANY GC games I plan to buy in the next six months.

Doesnt the GC Tales game come out mid-July?

[Drexel923]

Actually I'll be getting a nice steady supply of Gamecube games from now till the rest of the year:

June - Mega Man AC
July - Tales of Symphonia
August - Pikmin 2
Fall / Winter Season - Metroid Prime 2, RE4, and others

For Xbox and PS2, I probably won't by a new game until late fall or winter season.

[petewhitley]

Huh, I guess bringing the industry back to LIFE after the crash of 1984 isn't enough justification to release the game on a Nintendo system, huh, Rockstar?... Back in the N64 days, Nintendo forced retailers to buy a Virtual Boy for every Nintendo 64 they purchased. We're just not seeing those kinds of aggressive sales tactics from Nintendo anymore, even though they could easily use the Game Boy Advance as leverage in their dealing with third parties ("You want Max Payne on GBA? Give us the game on the GameCube first.").

JR

Yikes. Those kinds of business tactics would put us in line for another crash. I for one am glad the Nintendo monoploy has ended. Hopefully they'll pull their head out of their ass and quit living off of past glories before they're a has-been in this industry. I don't blame any publisher for not putting out games for the "Cube. It's solid 3rd place amongst home consoles.

[Jasoco]

I have plenty of Cube lined up for the future. Not just new releases either. But games I seriously will be getting.

Donkey Konga
Pikmin 2
Viewtiful Joe (Have not played it at all yet. I am hoping to get it cheap.)
Super Monkey Ball and SMB2 (No. Never played them either!)
Four Swords looks interesting...

As for Xbox, I will be DOOM 3-ing and HALO 2-ing as well as Serious Sam 2-ing. Also when possible and cheap, Red Dead Revolver. That's enough for me.

But the PS2.. nope.. can't think of a fucking thing that I want. Seriously. Until PS2's are really cheap and all the games are in the $20 range, I won't buy them. My brother can spend what he wants for his, but I do not see the PS2 as a system. I just see it as an annoyance that needs to go away and stop corrupting the Video Gaming genre with its poorly made, million selling consoles. And even though I would love to try out Sly Cooper and the Jak games, I can wait. </RANT>

[Push Upstairs]

Yikes. Those kinds of business tactics would put us in line for another crash. I for one am glad the Nintendo monoploy has ended. Hopefully they'll pull their head out of their ass and quit living off of past glories before they're a has-been in this industry. I don't blame any publisher for not putting out games for the "Cube. It's solid 3rd place amongst home consoles.

I don't blame developers either.

As for myself...i started losing my faith in Nintendo when they started miliking the handheld market with 85 different revisions of the Gameboy. Lost more faith after reading the story behind the "Nintendo Monopoly" and lost the last of it when Nintendo started re-issuing 10,15,20 yr old games time and time again.

I don't really think Nintendo tries anymore...and thier constant porting of older titles to boost sales really makes me think they are spending more time looking to the past instead of looking to the future.

I know this is a "retro" site and that people here thrive on things that are old..but i cannot understand or justify spending $15-20 for "Super Mario Brothers". Why someone would spent that money on the most dirt common and plentiful game instead of an actual "NEW" title is beyond me.

[-hellvin-]

The way it works for me is: I just buy what I think I will enjoy. Don't worry about supprting one more than the other, just buy whatever you think you will enjoy. I'm sure there has to be something maybe you've missed for the gc that is coming out soon that would be enjoyable. I myself still gotta check out the megaman collection when I get the chance.

[Ed Oscuro]

Back in the N64 days, Nintendo forced retailers to buy a Virtual Boy for every Nintendo 64 they purchased.

"You want Max Payne on GBA? Give us the game on the GameCube first."

How you can say these two things one after the other is a bit mysifying. It's true that the GameCube is no Virtual Boy, but Flack's right - trying to force a product to become popular gives retailers and even developers a reason to try to pull away from working with that sort of company. It's not the same as the days when the NES was the only game in town, you know.

What's more, that sort of approach conveniently (dangerously) moves the focus away from making the hardware and the marketing right in the first place, and into trying to blame the software developers. Could you imagine it?

"Oh look, our yellow highlighter pen mascot's most valiant efforts coupled with our Bitchin' hardware engine for supreme 4D effects have been undermined by those commie turncoats over at Sodavox again! Let's go blame the Game & Martini store and tell them that for every S00perPopular 800XL they order they'll have to stock 20 FacistVisions.

At this point I think the folks over at the store tells the console manufacturer that s/he doesn't care how many Highlighter Guy Mascot plushies they get or how big the red hats they're wearing are, and they'll start trying to do whatever they can - even break the contract, do everything but commit outright fraud - to keep poorly selling systems off their shelves.

It's one thing to say that game companies should know more about the roots of their craft (I'd like to propose that the less one knows about the history of game design, the more likely one is to simply buy into the old, crappy game designs one's been exposed to as a player and professional - hmm, Santayana anyone?) but another thing to offhandedly suggest that we should all enshrine the past glories of Nintendo and their simplistic 8 bit software of old.

It's all well and good to say you dislike Tommy T. with a passion, but I don't see how your method of distancing yourself by going off on tangents about the illustrious history of gaming is a step in the right direction towards becoming a real industry pro, something you've hinted at wanting to be able to do. Just a thought.

[Jasoco]

I don't really think Nintendo tries anymore...and thier constant porting of older titles to boost sales really makes me think they are spending more time looking to the past instead of looking to the future.

Have you even LOOKED at some of the games Nintendo has released in the past few years? And you still think they don't try anymore?

[Push Upstairs]

Have you even LOOKED at some of the games Nintendo has released in the past few years? And you still think they don't try anymore?

As far as the GBA games (which is what i was mostly talking about)...I have looked. I looked at thier output and was amazed to see SNES ports being dusted off, given some minor additions and sold at NEW prices.

I'm sorry, 4 seperate Mario games, ported SNES Zelda game, and this "retro" line they have out now doesnt costitute as "trying"...thats recycling. (yay for Mother Earth!)

As the Gamecube....well of the francises i actually liked Metroid Prime seems to be the only one thats anywhere near interesting.


And i am not spouting this off as some fanboy for another system. I can count the games i'd like to own on on XBOX and PS2 (combined) on one hand.

[AB Positive]

All the games coming soon that I'm looking forward to are either 2D fighter rereleases (online) for Xbox Live or Killer 7. That's it. This generation has very little interest for me.


-AG

[calthaer]

As far as the GameCube:
There are plenty of unique games at decent prices that have me interested. Just picked up Billy Hatcher for $20, and there's the Sonic Mega Collection for $20 that I want to pick up soon...Four Swords just came out and looks good, but there's no way I'll pay $50 for it - but when the price comes down on that, I'll pick that up, too.

PS2:
There's very little I'm interested in for this system. I picked it up largely to play all those great PS1 games, but when it comes to PS2 stuff...I mean Maximo is great, but I've been fairly disappointed when it comes to "wow" titles. Those that are great - like Sly Cooper - get overlooked by the ubiquitous-but-undefinable "mass-market gamer" and so I doubt I'll ever see a sequel for them.

Xbox:
I don't have one, and don't think I need one. KOTOR is $20 for the PC now, and Halo will probably get down to that price sooner or later. Maybe Fable will make me change my tune, but right now a decent PC makes an Xbox redundant, IMO.

I'm only buying GCN and GBA stuff right now - and mostly GBA.

[Jasoco]

PS2:
Those that are great - like Sly Cooper - get overlooked by the ubiquitous-but-undefinable "mass-market gamer" and so I doubt I'll ever see a sequel for them.

Remove all doubt. Sly Cooper 2 is in development.

[Daria]

Have you even LOOKED at some of the games Nintendo has released in the past few years? And you still think they don't try anymore?

As far as the GBA games (which is what i was mostly talking about)...I have looked. I looked at thier output and was amazed to see SNES ports being dusted off, given some minor additions and sold at NEW prices.

I'm sorry, 4 seperate Mario games, ported SNES Zelda game, and this "retro" line they have out now doesnt costitute as "trying"...thats recycling. (yay for Mother Earth!)

On the other hand hand there's Mario Vs. Donkey Kong, Wario Ware, Metroid Fusion, Metroid Zero, Wario Land 4, Mario & Luigi and the upcomming Kirby title.

Sure the GBA has it's fair share of nintendo ports, but for everyone of them there's a brand new game for an old franchise. If you don't like ports don't buy them, Nintendo's not twisting your arm.

But to say they don't even try any more is pretty naive.

[petewhitley]

On the other hand hand there's Mario Vs. Donkey Kong, Wario Ware, Metroid Fusion, Metroid Zero, Wario Land 4, Mario & Luigi and the upcomming Kirby title.

Sure the GBA has it's fair share of nintendo ports, but for everyone of them there's a brand new game for an old franchise. If you don't like ports don't buy them, Nintendo's not twisting your arm.

But to say they don't even try any more is pretty naive.

It's telling however that all of the titles you mentioned are recycling the same characters that have been around since the SNES days or earlier. Even in their "trying" Nintendo hasn't created too many compelling new chracters or franchises, which is unfortunate because Nintendo is becoming locked into this niche of producing titles aimed squarely at kids and retro-gamers. What it seems they aren't trying to do is to appeal to the Sony demographic that has revitalized the gaming industry in recent years. I say this not out of spite for the big N (they've given me many glorious years of excellent gaming), but out of love for a company that seems to be rapidly becoming obsolete in this industry. There is a place and time for nostalgia, but let it not be at the expense of innovation.

[Jasoco]

Pikmin