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NPCB - Nintendo Pennant Chase Baseball

I can see this game and the TakeTwo announcement being related. Nintendo has probably known about the Take-Two's deal for some time, they would have people on the inside. With T2 leading the MLB bidding war, Nintendo saw that they'd have no MLB games on their systems in the future. So they release this now, so that they're established for when the deal takes effect.

On top of that, Take Two has a lot of money to recoup from the exclusive deal. If Nintendo's game does will, I'll guarentee you that WSB2k6 will appear on their console(s).
 
lol. This announcement came out of nowhere. I hope the game turns out to be a quality one. Maybe this is also another reason why Yamauchi gave Suzuki that Nintendo stock. ;)

Suzuki: "I'm not going to be on the cover of your new baseball game?!"

Yamauchi: "Sorry Ichiro. Maybe next time. Here's some stock to soothe your disappointment."
 
If I had to guess, they didnt use a Japanese star since people always claim Nintendo is too Japanese-centric as is. Ichiro will definitely be the cover athlete in Japan though I imagine.

All this talk though about Take-Two not releasing a baseball game for the Cube -- if EA stopped, I imagine T2 would end up having one developed just because with no competition, they surely would sell at least a number modest enough to profit. Obviously it won't mean much though until next year and at that point the Revolution will be out.
 
DrLazy said:
Take Two forced Nintendo's hand. Without EA, they really had no choice but to make their own game otherwise they would have an incomplete sports lineup.
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That's not what happened here considering the game must have been in development long before that if it comes out in 2 months.
 
Take Two forced Nintendos hand what? :lol Is this the beginning of a new sports division by Nintendo? Basketball and football announcements next? I hope Nintendo realizes the sports arena is one segement of the market where they won't be the top dog off the bat. It will take time to build up a sports brand (EA Sports did become a powerhouse overnight) and hopefully they don't give up on the sports line right away if initial sales are a little low.

Any pics?
 
border said:
GameCube + Exclusive Sports Game = BOMB BOMB

HOME RUN KING 69,289
NBA COURTSIDE 131,627
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Yeah, but weren't those both shitty games? I expect something better with this release.
 
If Nintendo can sell 150K of NCPB that would be impressive.

This release is more like laying the foundation for future revisions. MVP is still going to stomp it in sales this year. But with MVP out of the picture in the years to come and Revolution coming it'll be interesting to see where Nintendo can take their own sports game.
 
its nice to see them try, and hopefully this will be a great game, but i just don't see the point in creating a 1st party baseball sim (baseball isn't even THAT popular as far as gaming goes) for the Gamecube, which doesn't have much of a sports demographic to begin with, this late in the system's life cycle. I mean, i understand the idea of building up a sports brand and recogniction for next gen, but if this game bombs (which, just IMO, is very likely) then you are right back at square one.
 
This is a case of better late than ever. When are they suppose to starting getting serious about sports titles? Why not start now before the system and Nintendo brand continues grow into niche product that doesn't appeal to anybody except fans of Nintendo characters? Why wait for the next gen? I think they have done too much of that kind of thinking in the past and more often than not it was a wrong move.
 
ge-man said:
This is a case of better late than ever. When are they suppose to starting getting serious about sports titles? Why not start now before the system and Nintendo brand continues grow into niche product that doesn't appeal to anybody except fans of Nintendo characters? Why wait for the next gen? I think they have done too much of that kind of thinking in the past and more often than not it was a wrong move.
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Totally agree. It's never too early to build momentum, and ending one generation on a high note (critically, even if not commercially), can help a lot with your next gen. The N64 seemed to whisper away, a little..the year before GC was launched was just painfully slow indeed, IIRC.
 
ge-man said:
This is a case of better late than ever. When are they suppose to starting getting serious about sports titles? Why not start now before the system and Nintendo brand continues grow into niche product that doesn't appeal to anybody except fans of Nintendo characters? Why wait for the next gen? I think they have done too much of that kind of thinking in the past and more often than not it was a wrong move.
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yeah but if this game bombs horribly, or even has just mediocre sales numbers (which you have to admit, is a very real possibilty) it would really accomplish nothing? It would be like NBA Courtside all over again. I agree that Nintendo should look into creating and establishing a sports brand, but taking baby steps like this i don't see helping anything. If they wanted to create a full on sports brand, why not jump into the bidding for VC/Kush and have them create a full on sports brand?
 
Also, I think some of JJConrad theory holds water. Things have been awfully quiet about Nintendo's next console and what kind of support it's going to get. Take 2 doesn't seem to be on friendly terms with Nintendo and who knows when EA will finally decide that it would be waste to use resources toward Nintendo console ports. Nintendo needs to take action right now to encourage a variety of support. This series doesn't need to be million seller, the main point behind its development should be improving the variety of software on Nintendo's system and changing their perception in the media as being nothing more than a factory for kiddy titles.
 
Yipes...
Manny on the cover of MVP, and Ortiz on the cover of NCPB...which do I choose?

Do I dare get both?

This better have a deep franchise (40+ years) with a good player development system and minor leagues (don't have to be playable, but we have to see how our players do down there)...

I'm afraid it's going to be a one season kind of game :(.
 
BOUGHT.

I always liked Nintendo's baseball games. They were fun, and having the WSB guys doing this is a huge plus.

However, if MVP 2005 still has Kruk and Kuip calling the games I will be forced to buy that as well.
 
Musashi Wins! said:
FANTASTIC! WSB2k3 is my favorite baseball game of all time. Surpassed in areas, sure, but at the time it was brilliant. The Dreamcast games were absolute trash, but they reinvented their game on the newer consoles. I can't tell you how much confidence this gives me in the game now.
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Hmm. I haven't put a lot of play time into a baseball game since the ASB series was exclusive on the N64. Last years MVP had lots of depth, but it bored the shit out of me. Never tried any of the 2K baseball titles. I'll have to look up some old reviews, I guess.
 
It's not a bad time for another baseball title on the market, what with ASB and High Heat no longer around.
Whether this will do better than MLB 2005 from 989 remains to be seen, though. I'm thinking it just may not do MVP/ESPN numbers. :P
 
Nintendo has a weird and erratic sports fetish.

Every once in a while they'll start to seemingly focus more on sports games -- see NBA Courtside/Ken Griffey Jr. MLB on the N64, and then just drop it for another several years until they realize people actually like sports games.

They're never consistent at all with this stuff.
 
Courtside was alot better than any of the trash we've been getting recently for basketball games...it had its problems,but no where as near as many as ESPN/Live have,IMO.Dunno why they just axed the series completely...of course they would have had to take that bum Kobe off the box :lol
 
olimario said:
Nintendo has secured the services of veteran sportscasters Bob Brenly, Rick Rizzs and Tom Hutyler.
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Rick Rizzs, Tom Hutyler, but not DAVE NIEHAUS??? They nearly got this one right.....
 
soundwave05 said:
Nintendo has a weird and erratic sports fetish.

Every once in a while they'll start to seemingly focus more on sports games -- see NBA Courtside/Ken Griffey Jr. MLB on the N64, and then just drop it for another several years until they realize people actually like sports games.

They're never consistent at all with this stuff.
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This is very true, but I have to say I think Nintendo does better with more unique sports, like with 1080 and Waverace. I think they should have those as core sports brands, revive Excitebike (again) and add another one, or bring back Pilotwings.
 
Do you think they're positioning this game for long term development? It just seems that the branding is a bit obscure, I mean Nintendo Pennant Chase? Surely it needs to be something that roles off the tongue a bit easier or leaves room for expansion of the brand into other sports. I can't help but feel it's a bit of a stop gap.
 
UltraMagnanimous said:
I can't help but feel it's a bit of a stop gap.
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I think everything depends on sales

+1 sale from me, just for the effort. I'm sure it'll be quality
 
MightyHedgehog said:
Seems a little late to try and start pushing the 1st party sim-sports angle on the GC...shoulda been done back in '02 at the latest. Better late than never.
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well. its seems nintendo is really gearing up to do things right for the revolution this time around. i think all the recent moves have been done to prepare for next gen.
 
Here's the crappy, but predictable pattern ...

1.) Nintendo brings out sports title, way too late in the game.

2.) Game ends up selling poorly

3.) Nintendo decides to stop making sports games for another three years.
 
Yeah, but weren't those both shitty games? I expect something better with this release.


Indeed, Home Run King is actually just an arcade port
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The blind leading the blind? I don't know about Home Run King but Courtside was definitely not a shitty game like those lame Konami basketball titles. A great series, most impactful on the N64.
 
Home Run King is complete and utter shit. This game is being made by an established, talented team. There's reason for hope from a game buyer's perspective.
 
soundwave05 said:
Here's the crappy, but predictable pattern ...

1.) Nintendo brings out sports title, way too late in the game.

2.) Game ends up selling poorly

3.) Nintendo decides to stop making sports games for another three years.
Click to expand...

4.) Nintendo calls up EA and asks if they can publish their Baseball games from now on to sidestep T2's third-party exclusive agreement with the MLBPA. :)
 
Shikamaru Ninja said:
The blind leading the blind? I don't know about Home Run King but Courtside was definitely not a shitty game like those lame Konami basketball titles. A great series, most impactful on the N64.
Click to expand...
Home Run King was developed by Wow Entertainment (Sega). It's actually just a port of their Naomi game Super Major League. It's suppossed to be a rather simple arcade game, I dunno why it's always getting compared to console baseball games directly.

I'd always heard good things about Courtside, and I also heard a lot of Leftfield staff moved to Visual Concepts when Nintendo dropped it (leading to some noticable changes in NBA 2K3+).
 
UltraMagnanimous said:
Do you think they're positioning this game for long term development? It just seems that the branding is a bit obscure, I mean Nintendo Pennant Chase? Surely it needs to be something that roles off the tongue a bit easier or leaves room for expansion of the brand into other sports. I can't help but feel it's a bit of a stop gap.
Click to expand...
I don't get this. Not like EA's games have naming in common other than the shared "EA Sports" or "EA Big" brands which is similar to having "Nintendo" in the title of this game. Certainly makes more long-term sense to have the name of the company in the title than the name of a single star as they've tended to do for the last decade.
 
JoshuaJSlone said:
I don't get this. Not like EA's games have naming in common other than the shared "EA Sports" or "EA Big" brands which is similar to having "Nintendo" in the title of this game. Certainly makes more long-term sense to have the name of the company in the title than the name of a single star as they've tended to do for the last decade.
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v.jpg

nba_live_2003.jpg

f2_b0000b1kci.jpg

126684_Image.jpg

ea-cricket-2004-pc.jpg


and so on... consistancy you see, it's an important factor in building powerful brands.
 
ge-man said:
This is a case of better late than ever.
Click to expand...

I think the phrase you're looking for is "better late than never", right? :)

I'm inclined to agree with your point, anyway.

ge-man said:
When are they suppose to starting getting serious about sports titles? Why not start now before the system and Nintendo brand continues grow into niche product that doesn't appeal to anybody except fans of Nintendo characters? Why wait for the next gen? I think they have done too much of that kind of thinking in the past and more often than not it was a wrong move.
Click to expand...

Exactly. This was a total surprise from Nintendo, and it's a move that should be applauded. Without this, the only other baseball game on GameCube would be MVP Baseball 2005. Whether Nintendo's new baseball game is better than EA's or not, we won't know until they're both available--but at least Nintendo's giving gamers an additional choice this year.

If Nintendo Pennant Chase Baseball proves to be even moderately successful, then they have an good opportunity to kick it up a notch and establish a full-fledged sports label (like 989 Sports for Sony or XSN Sports for Microsoft) in time for the debut of the Revolution. They might as well start now and get some alliances with good sports game development teams in preparation for the next generation machine.
 
If I'm not mistaken, Nintendo actually did have a Sports brand in the N64 days. N Sports I believe. They had Ken Griffey Baseball and Kobe Bryant Courtside and such. But they sold all of those devs during the GC days.
 
soundwave05 said:
Here's the crappy, but predictable pattern ...

1.) Nintendo brings out sports title, way too late in the game.

2.) Game ends up selling poorly

3.) Nintendo decides to stop making sports games for another three years.
Click to expand...
:lol its true :p
 
I just skimmed the thread so I'm sorry if this has been touched upon, but why now? EA and Nintendo relations are better than they have been in a long time, aren't they? This basically guarantees (even) worse sales for MVP on the Cube. Now there's an alternative, and a Nintendo-published one at that! The only way this possibly makes sense is as the start of a franchise. This year builds the brand for security when the MLBPA deal goes into effect.
 
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