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[Shikamaru Ninja]

Well Nintendo had a very interesting and balanced software portfolio during its E3 2004 campaign. Advance Wars, Geist, Star Fox, Pikmin 2, Metroid Prime 2 looked like they were really going to make for an interesting and diverse second half line up. Future glimpses of The Legend of Zelda and Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat also looked bright as an early look into 2005.

But wait a minute? It turns out most of these games are going to be delayed into 2005. Advance Wars: Under Fire quickly was booted from a tentative Q4 2004 schedule into Summer of next year. A month afterward rumors of Geist being delayed until next Spring surfaced and soon confirmed. Then, just recently we were informed about Star Fox being delayed until next year. Nintendo's response? Push up Mario Tennis and the once tentative Mario Party 6 December date, solidified to "strengthen" the line up. Mario Party 6, Paper Mario and Mario Tennis? Sounds like last years Fall line up with "Mario Golf", "Mario Party 5", and "Mario Kart". In my opinion this is a very unfavorable move to the general-new consumer. I mean if you walk into a store and you see the main shelf stocked with "Mario Party 19", "Mario Dodgeball", and "Mario Fishing".. I think your brain definitely picks up a bad taste of Mario kiddy overkill. That doesn't mean I think these Mario spinoff games are bad, but it really damages the company's overall image and scheduling when it releases 3 Mario spinoff games out of its 5-6 big holiday games. Another big problem is it is wasting an opportunity when Nintendo fans and GameCube fans have money and plenty of time (holidays, cold weather forcing you indoors) to play games. Geist could have benefitted from this, but now a surefire "mario banded" sellers will be taking those slots, when they could have sold several units any other time of year.

2005 does look good however, but is it too late? Fortunately there are still no next-generation systems definitely scheduled so it won't be like the 2000-2001 Nintendo fiascal with several delayed N64 games. It seems several big games are being bunched up together. Advance Wars, Fire Emblem, Star Fox, Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat, The Legend of Zelda, and whatever new games Nintendo announces at E3. It just seems so unbalanced.

 

[Kobun Heat]

I'm wondering if Nintendo, going into E3, was fully aware of what their 2004 lineup would actually look like. Maybe they pushed the mature adventure games at E3, knowing that they'd need to do that to avoid being ridiculed - then readjusted their actual lineup now that nobody's really paying attention.

If they did that, then you can't exactly blame them - they're just doing what everybody else does...

 

[Kobun Heat]

Also, it's probably to Nintendo's benefit to go with the Mario games for the kids at Christmas, then do more older-gamer focused stuff early in the year, when the industry shifts back to a hobbyist-oriented one.

 

[AniHawk]

Well I imagine Fire Emblem or something will be delayed into 2006 next year. Also, I think Nintendo's afraid of having their games all squished together in one month of gaming when so many others are coming out on other systems, and they know Nintendo fans will be buying the DS.

 

[DSN2K]

there wont be many(if any) new GameCube titles announced at E3 that we dont know about already.

GameCube production is ramping down.

 

[cvxfreak]

If you took at look at last year's Japanese charts, all of Nintendo's games ate into each other devastatingly. Mario Party 5 chewed into Mario Kart: Double Dash, which had potential for 1 Million. Pokemon Colosseum also might've removed potential from Mario Party 5 since it was released a week earlier. If Nintendo repeats the same thing in the U.S., things could definitely get bad. Sales will eat into each other if there isn't that significant other to back them up, in this case Metroid Prime 2, but RE4 would have made all the difference.

 

[jarrod]

there wont be many(if any) new GameCube titles announced at E3 that we dont know about already.

GameCube production is ramping down.

There's still potential for new announcements (Camelot's RPG being likely imo) and JP games coming westward (Kuruin Squash, HomeLand, Naruto, etc)... Nintendo doesn't want to repeat what happened with N64 and have 6-8 months without console releases in anticipation of their next machine... and Revolution's still a good two years away.

 

[Insertia]

At the beggining of this year (i'm positive it was the first week of January), someone made a topic listing every Gamecube exclusive they could think of (including Zelda, Super Mario 128 and Resident Evil 4), and proclaimed 2004 as 'The Year of the Gamecube'.

I squabbled with jarrod or unicorn5 about how that topic is made every year during the exact same period of time and towards the end of the year no one no longer thinks that.

I was right.

 

[AniHawk]

There's still potential for new announcements (Camelot's RPG being likely imo) and JP games coming westward (Kuruin Squash, HomeLand, Naruto, etc)... Nintendo doesn't want to repeat what happened with N64 and have 6-8 months without console releases in anticipation of their next machine... and Revolution's still a good two years away.

Yeah, I can name a couple games which haven't been announced for US audiences, but would find a nice home during a slow period: Camelot RPG, Brownie Brown game, Giftpia, Naruto 3 (labelled as Naruto for American audiences probably... or maybe just a port of the first game), Homeland, Nintendo Puzzle Collection, Kirby GC Platformer, Odama, and whatever else they can bring out. I imagine the camera/drum/mic games will probably be supported by about 2-4 games each.

 

[jarrod]

At the beggining of this year (i'm positive it was the first week of January), someone made a topic listing every Gamecube exclusive they could think of (including Zelda, Super Mario 128 and Resident Evil 4), and proclaimed 2004 as 'The Year of the Gamecube'.

I squabbled with jarrod or unicorn5 about how that topic is made every year during the exact same period of time and towards the end of the year no one no longer thinks that.

I was right.

What? I've never maintained TWW2 or Mario 128 were coming out in 2004 (indeed I doubt Mario 128 is even GC bound currently)... RE4 though, everyone thought that'd be out this year.

 

[jarrod]

Yeah, I can name a couple games which haven't been announced for US audiences, but would find a nice home during a slow period: Camelot RPG, Brownie Brown game, Giftpia, Naruto 3 (labelled as Naruto for American audiences probably... or maybe just a port of the first game), Homeland, Nintendo Puzzle Collection, Kirby GC Platformer, Odama, and whatever else they can bring out. I imagine the camera/drum/mic games will probably be supported by about 2-4 games each.

Yeah Kirby GC's another likely late term release and maybe even something from Brownie Brown. Nintendo's still got 2+ full years of having GameCube on shelves before Revolution releases (and likely longer as Nintendo's hinted at their intentions to relaunch GC as a PSone style budget platform), it's not like Microsoft who has a new platform coming next year and actually is winding down development.

 

[Insertia]

What? I've never maintained TWW2 or Mario 128 were coming out in 2004 (indeed I doubt Mario 128 is even GC bound currently)... RE4 though, everyone thought that'd be out this year.

Maybe it was unicorn5? I clearly remember telling the guy there was no way a new Zelda would be released on such short notice. He said since Majoras Mask was released during the same year of its E3 announcement and since Nintendo already had an engine from Wind Waker, Wind Waker 2 was definitely on track for 2004 (at the time, it was expected that the next Zelda would simply be an extension of WW).

i miss ezboard.
I would like to bump that topic.

 

[Baron Aloha]

there wont be many(if any) new GameCube titles announced at E3 that we dont know about already.

GameCube production is ramping down.

besides Paper Mario, Pikmin and Animal Crossing that lineup is poor...

this is what's going to extend the GameCube Life ??? :lol

Troll Nintendo much?

 

[DSN2K]

Troll Nintendo much?

wow didnt notice that!

maybe its time to sell my GameCube.....

 

[Baron Aloha]

wow didnt notice that!

maybe its time to sell my GameCube.....

Be sure to clean off the 2 inches of dust on top of it before you sell it since you "never play it". And I had a feeling you'd say that. You can still own a console and troll away (as you have so clearly demonstrated). They aren't mutually exclusive events.

 

[DSN2K]

heh

but one thing what did I say in this thread what could be considered trolling ? I think its pretty positive assumption Nintendo are not making the same amount of GameCube games anymore due to moving on to revolution.

 

[Baron Aloha]

heh

but one thing what did I say in this thread what could be considered trolling ? I think its pretty positive assumption Nintendo are not making the same amount of GameCube games anymore due to moving on to revolution.

No, its not. There will be plenty of new games at the next E3. Most of the stuff they showed at E3 2004 will be out by then. They aren't going to sit on their hands for a year and half waiting for the Revolution to come out. A few months maybe, but not a freaking year and a half. You won't see a huge shift in resources until E3 2006.

And Gamecube production is not ramping down. The system will be out for at least another 2 years and I wouldn't expect production to slow down until Q1 2006 at the earliest. 2005 is shaping up to be one of the system's biggest years.

 

[NWO]

Another one of these threads.....

I don't see the problem delaying Starfox 2, RE4, and Geist if they aren't done yet and aren't up to the 100% quality I'd expect from them.

You'd don't know how complete they were so what's the point in saying that Nintendo shouldn't have delayed them.

And remember the 2003 debates on if Mario Kart and Mario Party 5 would outsell PGR2 and the "monster lineup" by the Xbox.

Mario Kart went on to be one of the biggest sellers this gen and Mario Party 5 outsold those Xbox games that soon hit the bargain bins at $20.

Nintendo's hardware (excluding the Gameboy) may not clean up this Christmas but Nintendo's software ALWAYS cleans up at Christmas.

Parents come in looking for games that they know and will pick up Mario Party 6, Paper Mario 2, and Mario Tennis over something like Fable.

Nintendo does something crazy like 50% of their business during the holiday months so I expect nothing different this year except that MS and Sony should also do well.

 

[SantaC]

My highlights of Nintendo at E3 2005:

1. More Zelda GCN Footage!
2. A first look at the Revolution.
3. Maybe something on "Mario 128" ?

 

[AssMan]

Another one of these threads.....

Right? We used to get one of these at least once a week, and now it's more like 2-3 times a week.

 

[Buffy4ever]

Yeah Kirby GC's another likely late term release and maybe even something from Brownie Brown. Nintendo's still got 2+ full years of having GameCube on shelves before Revolution releases (and likely longer as Nintendo's hinted at their intentions to relaunch GC as a PSone style budget platform), it's not like Microsoft who has a new platform coming next year and actually is winding down development.

Is Nintendo actually thinking about this?? If they are that would be a good idea. Majesco made a killing with rereleasing the SNES and Genesis, and people who didn't pick up the gamecube the ifrst time around , would pick it up the second.

 

[MadOdorMachine]

What about Game Zero ny Zoonami. That things bound to come out next year.

 

[AniHawk]

What about Game Zero ny Zoonami. That things bound to come out next year.

Or 2011.

 

[JJConrad]

Nintendo's response? Push up Mario Tennis and the once tentative Mario Party 6 December date, solidified to "strengthen" the line up. Mario Party 6, Paper Mario and Mario Tennis? Sounds like last years Fall line up with "Mario Golf", "Mario Party 5", and "Mario Kart". ..

Well, seeing as Nintendo did so terrible with last fall's line up....

It seems several big games are being bunched up together. Advance Wars, Fire Emblem, Star Fox, Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat, The Legend of Zelda, and whatever new games Nintendo announces at E3. It just seems so unbalanced

I've got a couple of problems with your arguement:

First, you mention Advance Wars and Geist as if Nintendo was promoting these games as being released this year. Advance Wars was never listed for 2004; its has always been a 2005 title. Next, Geist was thought to be 2004 title before E3, but after E3 it became known that it was delayed to 2005. These two games were not sudden changes, that Nintendo needed to rearrange their schedule to replace; you were just mis-informed. Star Fox was delayed, though.

Second, you complain of bunching, but the spread of games is basically equal the way it is now and what you thought it would be after E3.

We now have for 2005: Star Fox, Geist, DK Jungle Beat, Odama, Advance Wars, Fire Emblem, and Zelda.... 7 known games.

What you believed was going to be released in 2005: Mario Party 6, Mario Tennis, Fire Emblem. DK Jungle Beat, Odama, and Zelda... 6 games.

What's the big deal?

Nintendo released 5 games in the first half of this year, with 4 of those being at the E3 2003, with another 2 E3 2003 titles be released later this year. Isn't that too much bunching, too?

Why are concerned about 7 games bunching up, while being spread over 12 months next year, but have no consideration for any bunching this year? You believed that 7 titles were supposed to be released in the last 4 months of the year.

Last, when Nintendo announces any new games at next year's E3, those games will come out across 2005 and 2006. They still have 2 years of life in the Gamecube that'll need filled. The last thing they want to do is let the system repeat the last year of the N64.

 

[Spike]

I just don't fucking get it. Nintendo fans are always fucking complaining. Last gen, they wanted games not to be delayed and to come out faster. The delays resulted in golden games with a very high quality. This gen, Ninty listens to its fans and releases games quicker, without delays, and we hear the fanboys complaining that their games aren't as good as last gen. So now, they delay some games, to make them better, and the bitching begins again.

If you cannot be content with these titles for a September to December release, then you seriously need to get one of the other systems:

Pikmin 2
WWE: Day of Reckoning
T3: Redemption
Def Jam
EA Sports titles
Mega Man X Command Mission
Second Sight
X-men Legends
Donkey Konga
Tony Hawk Underground 2
Paper Mario
TMNT 2
LotR: Third Age
MP2: Echoes
Prince of Persia 2
Call of Duty
Baten Kaitos
Goldeneye: Rogue Agent
NFS Underground 2
Mario Tennis
Viewtiful Joe 2
Mario Party 6

Let alone the titles on the GBA, and the launch of the DS with its titles.

 

[Kobun Heat]

The waning years of the GCN and N64 are going to be different, because they're vastly different pieces of hardware. Publishers (including Nintendo) couldn't wait to pull out of the N64 business because discs are cheaper and far less riskier than the giant N64 carts. On the GCN, the door's wide open, PSone style, for all sorts of budget software. And because the Revolution will be backwards-compatible, Nintendo's not risking much fan ire by continuing to develop cheap GC games - but really fun ones, like Wario Ware and Kururin Squash.

 

[Memles]

Considering the wave of popularity that Donkey Kong is riding (Strong Japanese Sales of Donkey Konga, Strong North American Sales of the GBA Port of DKC and DK Classic), I'd expect Nintendo might push out a DK Platformer for next Holiday season, especially if Mario 128 officially moves to Revolution. Especially in North America, maybe to coincide with a GBA release for DKC3. Really, at this point, it's more of a franchise than it was a year ago.

Kirby's popularity is easy to gauge considering the strong sales of an NES Port, and the success of the TV Show. A Kirby Platformer for next Holiday Season would be little but a smart move from Nintendo.

Nintendo still has some tricks up their sleeve for 2005 and onward, and even on Revolution. To pad out the Late 2005-Early 2006 lineup, start to release titles that didn't make the jump over the ocean. As people are stating, Nintendo has accumulated a large bulk of titles that can be put into gaps in the lineup. Puzzle Collection, for instance, would be the kind of title you put into the lineup in like July. They'll likely release selections of small games to use with the microphone, and their upcoming Camera. Nintendo can release anything, but some marketing behind it, and sell like 150,000 copies guaranteed. Game and Watch 4 for the GBA sold like hundreds of thousands of copies, and Puzzle Collection could do the same if priced right.

Nintendo's 2005 Lineup is no concern. Start off the year with Resident Evil 4, followed by Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat, Star Fox 2, and Geist. That covers January-June, likely. Summer is categorized by Advance Wars: Under Fire, and then in September the lineup begins. We start to see the new titles, stuff like Kirby, Donkey Kong, Microphone, Camera, Puzzles, etc. Nintendo has plenty of resources in order to create a gamme lineup.

When looking into 2005, Nintendo should be worried about the launch of the PSP and sustaining GameCube hardware sales. The sales and flow of software actually seems like a good situation for Nintendo, and is thus not a concern.

 

[snapty00]

Delays wouldn't be so bad, but Nintendo has it where if just one game is delayed, it seems like the world is falling apart.

 

[AniHawk]

Nintendo has Zelda XII coming out next year's holiday season as well. I think it's a very real possibility it will bring back fans of Ocarina of Time who had left the series 6 years ago for various reasons (MM was released too late, TWW looks like a cartoon, FSA is 2D, etc). It will also be up against Xenon's launch, and the release of KH II and Final Fantasy XII, but this is one game if marketed correctly, can get a lot of people to drop their jaws- just like Donkey Kong Country once did.

 

[cvxfreak]

Nintendo has Zelda XII coming out next year's holiday season as well. I think it's a very real possibility it will bring back fans of Ocarina of Time who had left the series 6 years ago for various reasons (MM was released too late, TWW looks like a cartoon, FSA is 2D, etc). It will also be up against Xenon's launch, and the release of KH II and Final Fantasy XII, but this is one game if marketed correctly, can get a lot of people to drop their jaws- just like Donkey Kong Country once did.

C'mon. Are you THAT serious about Zelda XII being some sort of GC savior? I ask because you write off RE4's potential while glorifying this one, even though RE4's changes in appeal equal those of Zelda XII.

 

[AniHawk]

C'mon. Are you THAT serious about Zelda XII being some sort of GC savior? I ask because you write off RE4's potential while glorifying this one, even though RE4's changes in appeal equal those of Zelda XII.

But while RE's done 900,000+ on two platforms released this gen in the US, TWW has MM beat, and that's taking the whole kiddie look into account. With RE4, the changes are not visible unless you play the games. The changes with this new Zelda are visible by just looking at The Wind Waker and then this one.

 

[evilromero]

Granted Nintendo can keep their list of games on for next year, it'll be a good note to end on (for this gen). I mean really, these are their big hitters and if they can schedule accordingly then they'll garner a lot of attention. Can you imagine? RE4 in Jan, followed by Geist in Feb, Star Fox in March, etc. I'm guessing Advance Wars will be saved for a Fall slot incase pickings are few and far between but what else will that leave? The secrect Mario 128? Or Jungle Beat maybe?

 

[cvxfreak]

But while RE's done 900,000+ on two platforms released this gen in the US, TWW has MM beat, and that's taking the whole kiddie look into account. With RE4, the changes are not visible unless you play the games. The changes with this new Zelda are visible by just looking at The Wind Waker and then this one.

I just think Zelda XII will be like MM in a sense that it comes too late in the GC's lifespan to do much. It can outsell WW, no doubt about that, but I don't see it bringing in the OoT fanbase.

 

[AniHawk]

I just think Zelda XII will be like MM in a sense that it comes too late in the GC's lifespan to do much. It can outsell WW, no doubt about that, but I don't see it bringing in the OoT fanbase.

Well the thing about MM is that it was released when there were two next-gen consoles on the market. By the time Zelda XII is released there will be one (and it wont even be the *big* one).

 

[cvxfreak]

Well the thing about MM is that it was released when there were two next-gen consoles on the market. By the time Zelda XII is released there will be one (and it wont even be the *big* one).

I still think Zelda XII just won't have revolutionary sales, but I hope I'm wrong.

 

[JJConrad]

Even if it repeats MM sales, it'll still have sold incredibly well.


I can see the game doing much better depending on how strong of a presence the next-gen consoles have next year. If the Xbox2 doesn't get released next year, Zelda will kick all sorts of butt. Even if the new system does come, Zelda XII should stil do better than MM.

 

[wazoo]

People should stop awaiting OOT sales for WW2. Those kind of sales are not what is the rule for a Zelda game.

 

[AniHawk]

People should stop awaiting OOT sales for WW2. Those kind of sales are not what is the rule for a Zelda game.

Which is exactly why I think it can obtain that level. Hell, even if it hits ALttP level sales, that will be great for the game. Right now, TWW is on track to sell the average amount for a game in the franchise (it's actually over that amount right now, and is heading for 4 million).

Don't think Nintendo WONT advertise this game... HEAVILY. This is their last huge effort this gen, and though it's coming late, it could be enough to get SOME people ready for another Nintendo system, give them a bit of momentum. People will recognize this game moreso than they did The Wind Waker as a "Zelda" game since they most likely came into the series with Ocarina of Time, and left with it as well.

 

[madara]

Shame on MM and likely what happen to next zelda, they sure get stuck in too late cycle. With MM that should be remake on next console immediately as retro collectors thing Like within first 6 months since alot people didnt get play that, GC version should doesnt count as effort.