Will Nintendo topple?

#1 If the new version of Link is any indication....

#2 The new version of Zelda is cel-shaded for those of you not following...

I think Gamecube is not doing too well in breaking free from the Nintendo shackles of cute 'n' cuddly.

They need more Perfect Darks and a few truly solid Mario/zelda games before that console really can do well. I look at what they have now, and I still don't see a reason to even rent a GC.

#3 Sonic Adventure 2: Battle rocks :-)

#4 From every small child I've talked to, Nintendo is still king. To a lesser extent playstation is popular (for games like Crash Bandicoot and Spiderman). Most of the kids I've talked to couldn't care less about the Xbox.

As long as pokemon, link, and mario retain popularity (And they've been quite robust so far) Nintendo will rule the youngster market.

#5 All of the new titles coming out for GC seem to be about 50/50 split between Cutesy and Adult content. Exclusively bringing the Resident Evil series to GC will be a big help to getting more adults playing GC. If Nintendo plans on expanding more into the adult market they will have to follow up the release of Resident Evil with some other sweet mature titles.
Metroid is looking pretty cool and looks like an all ager. What to say about Zelda... I'm pretty disappointed with what they did there and if it's released as a cell shaded game it will have to have some exceptional and I mean exceptional gameplay before I even consider renting it.
There's a lot to be said about some of those 'kids' games. Adults play them too, their just not show stoppers. How many people here have played Mario Party(if you haven't you should try it)? Those kids games can get pretty addictive. The great thing about those titles is they focus on gameplay rather then really sweet graphics. Hey I'm 22 and I love some of the Mario games still. Mario64 was awesome.
If Nintendo can port over their gameplay quality with the new graphics power of the GC they will have a pretty successful console. Right now GC has WAY more good games then X-Box does. All be it there aren't that many games.
If I were to pick a console to buy right now it'd be GameBoy Advance. I haven't heard a bad thing said about it except that they didn't back light it. Which basically means you have to buy the light add on and then your set.
Don't get me wrong I love a lot of the PS2 games that are out now but the GBA has a lot of perks(cost being a major one for me).

Alc

#6 My 2 cents are that nintendo IS going to topple... it even looks that way from where i am. it might be selling really nice right now but X-Box has more of what adults want, just look at Halo. the only way i see if nintendo will remain standing is if ALOT of parents buy the system for there children. I too grew up on Nintendo but right now i havent even looked at the CG. PS2 and X-Box are what im looking at not some cute-pos(yes POS, dont kill me for my oppinion)CG.

#7 Let me mention that for the past couple of days, I've been playing the original 8-bit Nintendo system. Nintendo's strong suite has always been it's games; the best of games usually come out on nintendo's systems. The 8-bit Nintendo was competing in a 16-bit market for awhile before the SNES came out, which in my opinion is still one of the best platforms. The SNES also was a top competitor in a 32-bit market. The reason that they didn't make a 32-bit system, is because they didn't have to. N64, in all honesty, sucked. They could have done so much better especially given all the time that they had to develop it. However, more than half the reason it was so terrible is because they were so damn stubborn about keeping with cartrige based games. It is unfortuate that developers have been steering away from the nintendo platform, but give gamecube a few months to drop a few titles down, and I think that we will see them make a comeback... I personally know about 50 people who refuse to buy an X-box because they don't want to see microsoft dominate another market. Besides, since when is microsoft a hardware company? I expect to see either some limitatations of X-box, or perhaps some of that planned obselecence that microsoft is infamous for. X-box is more likely a money pit than a gaming pedestal. Ah well... I'm sticking with Sony for awhile, I'll just play the other systems at friend's houses.

#8 MS has been in the hardware biz for a while. Look at the peripherals. I have an Xbox, I think it's a solid piece of tech. Some production issues, but, look t the history of consoles, they are certainly not the first to have issues.

Just a clarification :)

I have all the Nintendo consoles (not the Gamecube yet), all solid pieces of hardware. Give them more than a few months, they are a strong console player.

#9 It seems to me that Nintendo typically always has the strongest system, power and gameplay-wise.

Could any Playstation game compare with N64's Mario64? No way.

I mean look at its history:

SNES > Gensis
N64 > Playstation

Also, I bet that the youngster market is the biggest portion of the console industry. Most adults will move towards PC gaming because its the mature platform.

#10 I think as long as they make fun games they will do well. I am not sure, when it comes down to it, that people really care what they are playing as long as it is fun. At least I hope so. I think the true test for Nintendo will be to continue to come out with titles. You can only play the same games so much before it gets boring. That is just my thoughts...

#11 I still feel that the NES is the best console ever made. And what Microsoft is doing with the X-Box is really cheap and dirty (buying out companies so they would make games specifically for XBox). I surely hope Gamecube is successful. Super Smash Bros is very fun :)

#12

Quote:
Nintendo's strong suite has always been it's games; the best of games usually come out on nintendo's systems

So what about the 64?

#13 Sorry... I'm a little slow about responding, but I DID mention that they screwed up with the N64... basically the main problem was that they kept with cardtridge based games. If you consider that fact, the games are actually pretty good. Some considerations: the Turok series, Zelda64, Shadows of the Empire, and basically any sports game you choose (and I hate sports games)

...Phoenix

PS - I also hate loading times

#14 Will Nintendo topple? Not anytime soon.

Anyone who thinks Nintendo is in danger needs to take a look at some bestseller charts, and some profit margin data.

Nintendo has money coming in like mad. Note how Square is trying to get back in bed with Nintendo now. After the movie bomb and some overpriced/underperforming games, they *need* Nintendo's money. In terms of balance sheet Nintendo does FAR FAR better than any rival.

Nintendo is an "old economy" company, if I may. They aren't big into trends, into online gaming, etc. What they are into is making money, conrete data and sales, etc. That may not sit well with the gaming media, but it sits well with investors, that's for sure.

Each year Nintendo rakes in astounding amounts of money. They aren't going anywhere.

#15 I don't know, majority of gaming press (and me :p) claim that Sega won the 16 bit console wars. They bit it hard with the Saturn.

I personally loved the n64, but I don't see it beating the playstation. Then again, the playstation lacked good party/multiplayer games. So it was a tie :p Multiplayer games go n64. Sports and rpgs go playstation.

#16 I've never been a big nintendo fan...I did have an NES and I thought they got the best out of it...

When Playstation came out I was in awe, and I love my playstation....so many many games..so little time :) i still play it.

I never cared for the N64..mostly because I never was a big zelda fan..and personnally mario 64 gave me headaches...I love cutscenes...not alot of cutscenes on the 64...playstation had a ton of cutscenes...it added to the emmersion quality.

I'm not really interested in game cube..Though it is cheaper, the versitility of the PS2(dvd player and backwards compatability with PS1 games) along with a strong title base from the XBOX(also with DVD playability) may spell certian doom for nintendo's era in the consol race. The GC's main plus is it's cheaper than the other two systems..about $100 less.

I will say this much. As long as Pokemon is king with the kids, Nintendo will have a source to tap for thier consols. So certian doom may not be for a long long time.

I think the thing that may kill the consol industry as a whole, is the fact that they keep on trying to jump on the multiplayer format. I've never bought a consol because of multiplay(never bought any sega system) Consols should remain akin to the home arcade.

But that's all my own opinion...oh well

#17 Seems like I'm the only one older than 16 that feels this way, but I think the cel-shaded graphics on the new Legend of Zelda look kick-ass (both artistically, and from a technical stand point), based on the screenshots and video captures I've seen thus far.

Must everything be dark & brown, like Quake? It depresses me that most gamers tend to whine about how game developers keep rehashing the same stuff, but then when someone does something different, they tend to criticize, even before seeing the final game...

#18 The art style of "celda" doesn't look all that different from Zelda for the SNES, which was a great game. Zelda is about playing anyway, as are all of the Nintendo games. Personally I love the graphics in most Nintendo-made titles. People are also complaining about the new Mario pictures. I don't care if a game uses particle systems or whatever, what I care about is that Mario looks so happy and colorful and solid and Mario-like. It looks like a a happy Mario game, which is exactly what I want.

Graphics are more than how many polygons you use, how sharp textures are, etc. It is also the general look and feel and style in the way things are presented.

Finally, I would point out people like to complain. Those who are happy are not going to write in and say "I'm happy with the change." Complaints are what people write in for. And anytime you change something, you will get complaints.

#19 Nintendo will be around for along time, unless something tragic or out of the ordinary happens.

Nintendo is the elder of MS. They played monopoly better then anyone.

Nintendo continues to have positive income and hit after hit after hit for their sales. They work well with what they have, and don't try to be something they aren't with their products. They define their market, then laser aim with precision their target markets (although the sniper was drunk during the creation of the Virtual Boy).

If nintendo EVER goes under, it better be owned by SEGA. Same thing for Sega, if it ever gets in another bad position, it better be bought by Nintendo. MS & Sony are great companies, but they seem too "leechy", they appear to divide & conquer for their market share, no matter what, and creativity is a bad word to them half the time.

Xhadoe
www.agfrag.com

#20 Nintento and MS shall be fighting each other while Sony will swim in the golden river. Until GC can offer some solid game-flow, nobody is going to be seduced by Nintendo's charm. The most solid linup has PS2, followed by Xbox. Even Nintendo fanboys are slowly giving up. What's good about high tech thingie if there are no games?

Zelda, Mario, Starfox and Metroid are the system-sellers but where are the games?

Nintendo's main fail right now is lack of 3rd parties developing for the system. in-house productions can not cover all the lin-up. Of course, upcoming shows will tell what GC has under the belt, but for now its only piece of high-tech, covered in dust.

Even in Japan GC is not that welcome.