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[Nicco]

Right now, Nintendo is losing $20 per GC sold. I don't think that if they dropped it by $20 more dollars that any extra sales would cover the loss.

As of this moment, I'm inclined to agree. But a year from now--which is when I think it will happen--is another story entirely. Not only will there be more games to compensate the price drop at that point, but the price of the hardware would have gone down as well.

Where did you get this info, btw?

Plus, Nintendo would be crazy to have the console cheaper than the handheld.

Going by that logic, the PSP should cost less than $150. Otherwise, Sony is "crazy."

 

[Teddman]

If you look objectively at Nintendo's line-up, it is difficult to argue that Nintendo won't have a successful holiday season. Yet people are still complaining because no single GCN game is likely to outsell another publisher's single game.

I don't know, I doubt Nintendo's entire holiday lineup combined will outsell either Halo 2 or GTA: San Andreas.

 

[SantaC]

Off topic again: Does no one see the re-occuring pattern? Every year for the past two years, it was supposed to be Nintendo's last year and every year their games end up at the top of the charts.

I don't know what it is, but some people want Nintendo to fail. Here we have Nintendo's best line-up for the GCN and people like the author are still critiquing with the glass half empty.

If you look objectively at Nintendo's line-up, it is difficult to argue that Nintendo won't have a successful holiday season. Yet people are still complaining because no single GCN game is likely to outsell another publisher's single game.

I agree. Nintendo has been doomed for, how many years now? Yet it never happens. Ok the GC won't sell as much, but it will have some fine games.

 

[seismologist]

I dont see the point to this article. If Nintendo had been building up hype for the same game for the past 3 years, yeah the preorders would be pretty high by now too.

Is that what he wants them to do?

 

[jarrod]

I don't know, I doubt Nintendo's entire holiday lineup combined will outsell either Halo 2 or GTA: San Andreas.

Pokmon Fire Red/Leaf Green could potentially do it alone.

 

[Deg]

GC software sales will most likely be nicely spread out over several titles compared to xbox. Hardly a loss situation for Nintendo as they wont have the biggest title but several good selling titles from the looks of it. I doubt Halo 2 will beat GTA or GT4 either. I doubt MS will have the breadth of large selling games Nintendo will have at the end of the year.

PS2 will win all. GBA should do nicely too. Dont know about DS yet.

 

[Deg]

I don't know, I doubt Nintendo's entire holiday lineup combined will outsell either Halo 2 or GTA: San Andreas.

MS just wont be able to compete with Nintendo as a games publisher and there are several games coming at the end of the year. Rockstar should do quite well in the Western markets but its their only major selling game. But thats a publisher perspective, looking at a number of games from the publishers.

 

[Dr.Guru of Peru]

Im just curious...what exclusive games are supposed to be hitting GC before the end of this year? When is Doney Konga hitting?


Ahh...I'll just check myself.

 

[Nicco]

I don't know, I doubt Nintendo's entire holiday lineup combined will outsell either Halo 2 or GTA: San Andreas.

Even if you are right, so what. Those games are going to sell more than MOST publisher's entire line-up...for the whole year.

One person said in another thread that the Nintendo fanboys believe that there are two different fations of games: Nintendo games, and everybody elses. I think, going by some of the responses of this thread, that the same logic applies to those against Nintendo.

I'm wrong? Then why is no one worried about Activision. All they've got is THUG, which was by and large a slightly more than modrate success. What about Ubi Soft? The prince was one of the legendary 'little games that couldn't' during the holiday season last year. Of all the publishers that are betting the farm on the holiday season to worry about, those against Nintendo chose to single out the publisher with proven franchises.

Even if Nintendo's entire holiday line-up doesn't outsell Halo 2 or GTA: SA, Nintendo will likely still turn in positive numbers only so they can be slandered next holiday season.

 

[Deg]

Im just curious...what exclusive games are supposed to be hitting GC before the end of this year? When is Doney Konga hitting?

There's only Mario Party 6

 

[Teddman]

MS just wont be able to compete with Nintendo as a games publisher and there are several games coming at the end of the year. Rockstar should do quite well in the Western markets but its their only major selling game. But thats a publisher perspective, looking at a number of games from the publishers.

Well, are we comparing GameCube vs. Xbox over holiday season, or everything Nintendo publishes vs. everything Microsoft publishes?

If you're going to include the GBA, then I suppose we might as well include everything Microsoft publishes for the PC too...

 

[BeOnEdge]

this reminds me of the saturn and their 3 free games promo that allowed them to get close to ps1 on sales 1 xmas and then that next year it died.

 

[Renegade]

At this point, I think the Xbox has the biggest number of exclusive top-sellers, however Sony's games will rule the charts apart from Halo 2 and possibly Doom 3.

 

[daMandus]

Right now, Nintendo is losing $20 per GC sold. I don't think that if they dropped it by $20 more dollars that any extra sales would cover the loss. Plus, Nintendo would be crazy to have the console cheaper than the handheld.

Actually that is already the case for Sweden (where GC had a market share of about 6% last year), and I guess other parts of Europa as well. Since the price drop last year it's only recently that the price the GBA is getting closer to the GC.

 

[Deg]

Well, are we comparing GameCube vs. Xbox over holiday season, or everything Nintendo publishes vs. everything Microsoft publishes?

If you're going to include the GBA, then I suppose we might as well include everything Microsoft publishes for the PC too...

Just counting GC they will put up good numbers. After all they will be publishing games like Paper Mario, Metroid Prime 2, Mario Party etc. All should do well.

MS did godawful last year. I dont think they even touched Nintendo slightly last year at christmas. They just arent on the same level as a publisher.

 

[etiolate]

People here have a hard-on for hating Nintendo. I don't know why this is so, but the fall of Nintendo would be detrimental to the hobby. That's being nice really. Left up to non-game companies and the current situation... the industry would be doomed.

 

[AniHawk]

People here have a hard-on for hating Nintendo. I don't know why this is so, but the fall of Nintendo would be detrimental to the hobby. That's being nice really. Left up to non-game companies and the current situation... the industry would be doomed.

How, exactly, would the industry be doomed?

 

[Teddman]

MS did godawful last year. I dont think they even touched Nintendo slightly last year at christmas. They just arent on the same level as a publisher.

Maybe not as a games publisher on a console platform. As a software publisher overall, they are far above Nintendo. It's an important distinction.

 

[Nicco]

As a software publisher overall, they are far above Nintendo.

Yaah, if you include Windows.

 

[Deg]

Maybe not as a games publisher. As a software publisher overall, they are far above Nintendo. It's an important distinction.

Lets stick to the game market EA is king here.

They dont need the biggest selling game because they have several excellent and very good sellers. Even when it comes to consoles who did better? PS1 or N64?

 

[Teddman]

And why shouldn't we include Microsoft's PC games, if you are counting stuff for the GBA, an unrelated platform to Xbox or GameCube.

 

[Deg]

And why shouldn't we include Microsoft's PC games, if you are counting stuff for the GBA, an unrelated platform to Xbox or GameCube.

I never said count GBA read above. Not counting GBA or DS they will still sell alot over christmas on GC across several games.

 

[nitewulf]

People here have a hard-on for hating Nintendo. I don't know why this is so, but the fall of Nintendo would be detrimental to the hobby. That's being nice really. Left up to non-game companies and the current situation... the industry would be doomed.

i dont know about that. i think its time for to give up the hardware design and engineering to the big companies. sony and ms are not going away any time soon (though people would liek to believe otherwise), and they have greater capital and are in a better postion for the R&D of new hardware/engineering/manufacturing. industry wont be doomed, because both sony and MS want to integrate entertainment media into a single device...thats what its all about. one console to browse the web, buy music, order movies, and play games. integrated entertainment, control of your living room. their goals have always been bigger in scope. there is obviously the "purity" arguement, that a game console should just play games, but that era is pretty much over, i think.
nintendo might come up with "creative" hardware, but they wont be able to design the most cutting edge technology AND sell it at a practical price point. Sega wasnt able to do it either, and they had a better hardware background.
let these two companies(sony and MS) come up with the hardware and everybody else create software.

 

[Deg]

i dont know about that. i think its time for to give up the hardware design and engineering to the big companies. sony and ms are not going away any time soon (though people would liek to believe otherwise), and they have greater capital and are in a better postion for the R&D of new hardware/engineering/manufacturing. industry wont be doomed, because both sony and MS want to integrate entertainment media into a single device...thats what its all about. one console to browse the web, buy music, order movies, and play games. integrated entertainment, control of your living room. their goals have always been bigger in scope. there is obviously the "purity" arguement, that a game console should just play games, but that era is pretty much over, i think.
nintendo might come up with "creative" hardware, but they wont be able to design the most cutting edge technology AND sell it at a practical price point. Sega wasnt able to do it either, and they had a better hardware background.
let these two companies(sony and MS) come up with the hardware and everybody else create software.

you obviously dont have a clue what you are talking about.

 

[Keio]

one console to browse the web, buy music, order movies, and play games. integrated entertainment, control...

Like the N-Gage. It's all about convergence! PSX forever!

 

[Renegade]

Microsoft has shown, with recent acquirements and internal growth and experience gaining that they can become quite a venerable and even great publisher at times. They have a lot of quality and good sales under their belt, but they're infrequent. Nintendo, however, has a huge fanbase that buys the games for namesake and they don't produce a lot of Tao Fengs and have deep roots to GAMING itself. As far as consoles go, it's a no brainer.

 

[nitewulf]

you obviously dont have a clue what you are talking about.

no?

 

[Nicco]

Nintendo, however, has a huge fanbase that buys the games for namesake and they don't produce a lot of Tao Fengs and have deep roots to GAMING itself.

Normally, I would ignore things like this, but this should be clarified. Nintendo is widely believed among hardcore gamers to be the best maker of games. When fans buy Nintendo games, they are not buying them for namesake. They are buying them because of the heritage attatched to that name. Fans will buy Metroid Prime 2 because of the quality the series has maintained for over 15 years.

And if by "Tao Fengs" you mean original content you are mistaken. Mark me, Nintendo has published more orginal (read: innovative) content than any single publisher this generation.

 

[andthebeatgoeson]

My condolences to anybody w/o all 4 pieces of hardware. You're fuckin doomed.

 

[jarrod]

And why shouldn't we include Microsoft's PC games, if you are counting stuff for the GBA, an unrelated platform to Xbox or GameCube.

Not only does Nintendo sell more GC games than Microsoft does XBox, but I doubt Microsoft's PC game sales would be enough to counter Pokemon R/S/FR/LG alone, much less the rest of Nintendo's GBA sellers. What was the last Microsoft PC game to clear 15 million units?

 

[Renegade]

Normally, I would ignore things like this, but this should be clarified. Nintendo is widely believed among hardcore gamers to be the best maker of games. When fans buy Nintendo games, they are not buying them for namesake. They are buying them because of the heritage attatched to that name. Fans will buy Metroid Prime 2 because of the quality the series has maintained for over 15 years.

And if by "Tao Fengs" you mean original content you are mistaken. Mark me, Nintendo has published more orginal (read: innovative) content than any single publisher this generation.

You have HORRIBLY misconstrued my words. I suggest you reread my original post.

OK, for your first statement: Because of the namesake. Anything with Nintendo on the package = instant interest. Even if it is a completely new franchise if it is Nintendo published it will garner interest. They are buying it because of the 'heritage' of the Nintendo name, and that encompasses the Marios, Metroids and Zeldas. Silicon Knight's Eternal Darkness would not have done half as well had it been published by anyone else. Same for Pikmin. They trust the Nintendo brand, which fits in perfectly with your " Nintendo is widely believed among hardcore gamers to be the best maker of games." statement.

And by Tao Feng I meant crappy games. The fact that you could even think of Tao Feng in a positive manner makes me wonder about you. Mark me with a magic marker, Tao Feng is within the lowest 10 Xbox games and the fact that you even thought about it in such a positive light makes me laugh. This game is not Original, nor Innovative. It's not content. It's barely a "This generation" game.

 

[Renegade]

Not only does Nintendo sell more GC games than Microsoft does XBox, but I doubt Microsoft's PC game sales would be enough to counter Pokemon R/S/FR/LG alone, much less the rest of Nintendo's GBA sellers. What was the last Microsoft PC game to clear 15 million units?

Microsoft Flight Simulator

 

[CrimsonSkies]

<matt IGN>What about the greatest game ever created in the history of video gaming? The realistic Zelda of course. By just showing a new trailer for the game this holiday season. Well that alone should be reason enough for Nintendo to dominate. Although I've never played the game, I know it will the bestest thing ever!</matt IGN>

 

[Christberg]

I find all this talk about MS totally destroying Nintendo this holiday a sort of stark reversal of what happened the year Mario Sunshine released. I'm sure you all remember that, right?

"MS doesn't stand a chance"

and ironically, they did. Why? Because everybody who bought a GC already knew a new Mario game was coming.

Same thing here. Everybody who was going to buy an Xbox for Halo 2 probably already bought it for Halo, and with 2+ years of hype behind it even more so- so it won't boost system sales much I don't think. Everybody who would have bought a PS2 for a new GTA game or MGS3 already bought one for the last 2 GTA titles along with MGS2.

What bugs the hell out of me (and I know I'm not alone) is all these Nintendo fansites writing these editorials bashing the company they're trying to cover. It's really gotten old, and all I really care about is what games are coming to the system and what to expect out of them. When was the last time, for example, TXB wrote a negative article about the Xbox, say maybe... talking about how sequels to a lot of more popular MS games flopped like PGR2 etc? That's right, never. Go figure.

 

[Che]

Damn Nintendo marketing. Metroid Prime is the best game I've played this gen and people see it like just a good game which unfortunatelly didn't have the potential to sell cubes. And now that Metroid 2 is going to be released nobody expects it to help GC this xmas. I hope they stop being utterly stupid next gen.

 

[Dr.Guru of Peru]

Nintendo marketed the hell out of Metroid Prime. It was the first game I've ever seen from Nintendo where they placed an entire one page ad in the paper on launch. The game did not achieve Halo like sales numbers simply because it was not a mainstream type of game.

 

[Zachack]

Nintendo marketed the hell out of Metroid Prime. It was the first game I've ever seen from Nintendo where they placed an entire one page ad in the paper on launch. The game did not achieve Halo like sales numbers simply because it was not a mainstream type of game.

Debatable. MP had a low-quality commercial (it looked like a Power Rangers game) that stopped being aired shortly after the game came out, as compared to SC, which had a decent commercial that kept playing through xmas.

Oddly, Nintendo's GB commercials are quite good and stick around for a while. It's the GC marketing department that needs a clawhammer to the back of the skull.

I am curious, however, why people think that Paper Mario will be a big seller. It came out very late in the N64 lifecycle and has a number attached to the name, both of which should hurt sales.

 

[Deg]

Damn Nintendo marketing. Metroid Prime is the best game I've played this gen and people see it like just a good game which unfortunatelly didn't have the potential to sell cubes. And now that Metroid 2 is going to be released nobody expects it to help GC this xmas. I hope they stop being utterly stupid next gen.

lol. In Europe on the mag ad they misquoted the IGN score as 8.9 and they picked lower scores(low 9's) from lesser known sites for some reason. I think they even made a spelling mistake. Could be the agency but they do have clauses most likely. Very confusing as to how it went all wrong. Lots of room for improvement there... Seems like they did learn from it looking at US/JP ads.

The game did not achieve Halo like sales numbers simply because it was not a mainstream type of game.

If it wasnt mainstream it wouldnt have had a chance of even passing 1 million. Careful with what you use the term mainstream for. Added multiplayer should increase appeal over the last game. I think multiplayer games have had great reception on GC.

 

[jarrod]

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Which one? Or do you mean the entire decade long running franchise?

 

[Che]

Nintendo marketed the hell out of Metroid Prime. It was the first game I've ever seen from Nintendo where they placed an entire one page ad in the paper on launch. The game did not achieve Halo like sales numbers simply because it was not a mainstream type of game.

I think Nintendo didn't even hype it half as MS hyped Halo. No comparison there man.

 

[Renegade]

Which one? Or do you mean the entire decade long running franchise?

The 'decade long running franchise' is up there with Sims and Myst for most sold PC games series according to PC Gamer.

 

[Dr.Guru of Peru]

Debatable. MP had a low-quality commercial (it looked like a Power Rangers game) that stopped being aired shortly after the game came out, as compared to SC, which had a decent commercial that kept playing through xmas.

Well, its definetly debatable. I personally thought the MP commercial kicked ass, and it was playing on some channels well after christmas.

 

[cvxfreak]

I think Nintendo's best option now is to release Zelda. That, or a price drop to $79 with Metroid in one, and Smash Bros. in the other, and a huge ass marketing campaign. That'd give it a fighting chance.

 

[Deg]

The 'decade long running franchise' is up there with Sims and Myst for most sold PC games series according to PC Gamer.

Yeah. Its their biggest game. Bigger than Halo series. The sims has done the most in the smallest time however.

 

[Fularu]

The 'decade long running franchise' is up there with Sims and Myst for most sold PC games series according to PC Gamer.

Well Pokemon RuSa is at 12 millions (not counting Green Red Yellow Gold Silver Crystal and the Red/Green remakes) so...

 

[StrikerObi]

What frustrates me about the article (Since we're supposedly getting back on topic) the author doesn't seem to suggest what exactly Nintendo should DO about it.

What would the magic fix be? He said himself that NO title for GameCube has sold NEAR Halo levels other than SSB:M. Well, great! Then what are they supposed to do? Are they insinuating that the only solution is to release a huge selling title, or that a sequel is the only medioum possible?

I'm a Nintendo fanboy, and I GET it. I completely understand and respect the godly power of Halo 2, and know how Sony wields the force of Metal Gear Solid 3 and Gran Turismo 4. I don't need 12 paragraphs in order to learn this. I'm even convinced that Nintendo not only is doing nothing to combat this, I'm not sure what in the hell they could do. I mean, sure, throw out a Smash Brothers sequel, as Matt and IGN so eloquently instructed Nintendo to do. But with that out of the picture, why spend all that time? Why constantly lament the lack of a big title...without really giving them an alternative?

Paper Mario 2 will outsell MP:Echoes, as far as I can see, and Star Fox will do SFA style numbers...but I don't think anything Nintendo throws out there could ACTUALLY compete with Microsoft and Sony's big titles.

The problem will be in HARDWARE, not in software, as far as I can see.

Exactly. This "editorial" doesn't SAY anything, other than the obvious. No shit Halo 2 is going to outsell Metroid Prime 2. Metroid Prime isn't Nintendo's "flagship" franchise, Mario is. Zelda is close, Metroid is an extremly distant third.

 

[Che]

*puts his bulletproof vest* Guys I don't know how to say this without getting killed... but... am I the only one who thinks that Metroid is a far better game than Halo, and that Halo is superoverhyped? I mean my memory sucks but I remember every single detail about Metroid and I really really enjoyed the game, but I can't really say the same for Halo...

 

[puck1337]

How, exactly, would the industry be doomed?

He said the loss would be detrimental, not devastating. I don't see how anyone could think that it wouldn't have a negative effect.

 

[Grubdog]

It will indeed be a tough Christmas for Nintendo if the media keeps publishing negative articles about them, like this.

 

[etiolate]

How, exactly, would the industry be doomed?

Maybe I should have said hobby instead of industry. Sony and MS are companies jumping on to a business that became profitable and big money. If they suck it dry then they can go on back to their other parts of business. Sony sure makes nice money off Playstation, so perhaps they wouldn't want to completely exploit it. The fact they approve Driv3r and reject good 2d games from coming to America is not the sign of a company concerned about the gaming part, the hobby itself. They want profits and image, they succeed at this. Of course Nintendo has kept many franchises from coming to the states for years, but for different reasons.

Sony and MS, or any group of non-gaming companies controlling hardware would lead the industry farther and farther away from games. They want the customers, they don't care about the actual hobby. I don't want to come off as saying "Nintendo cares!", but they RELY on videogames. This is their only business.

The recipe just adds up to a crash from low standards or a slow abolishment of the game aspect as it becomes a 'entertainment center'.