Why has Nintendo's game sales been less than stellar on the Gamecube?

MrparisSM

Banned
I mean, Nintendo was the absolute KIND of multi-platinume titles on the N64. I don't think they even have a game that's reached two million yet in the U.S.?? During the N64 days most games were 4 million +! It just seems like Gamecube gamers aren't buying that many games? Or Nintendo isn't giving the fans what they want? Just curious of everyone's opinion here...
 
The lineup has more to offer: People are spreading their purchases out more, I think. I'm buying more games than I ever did for my N64. On the N64, everyone bought the same games, the OoTs, the Mario 64s, the Goldeneyes. EVERYONE. On the GC, there's more diversity, so not everyone buys the same thing.
 
The most obvious reason is, during the N64 era, they produced only one or two big games per year, and the hype surrounding them would reach astronomical levels, thus boosting their sales significantly. The company is taking a different approach now, making more games per year, and perhaps selling less product per game as a result. An argument can also be made that people are either losing interest in Nintendo brands, or gaining interest in shooting things.
 
Their franchises just don't have the pop-culture appeal they used to.


Plus, Nintendo's creatively bankrupt.
 
I'm buying a lot more third party releases, and Nintendo's own stuff has either disappointed me in some ways or just isn't what I would want. When the N64 was out, multiplayer was huge for me, but I haven't played multi on a GC in nearly two years. I just don't do it now, so I have little desire to pick up any multiplayer games. And with a lot of rather direct sequels from games this generation or last, there are chunks of Nintendo's portfolio that I don't feel like rushing out for.
 
Nerevar said:
Their franchises just don't have the pop-culture appeal they used to.


Plus, Nintendo's creatively bankrupt.

wario-ware-inc-mega-microgame.jpg


Probably the most creative game in the last five years
 
1.) GameCube has a lower userbase than the N64.

2.) The game's are good but not of "masterpiece" level IMO like they were on the N64. You don't "need" to have Super Mario Sunshine or Zelda: The Wind Waker the way you needed to have Super Mario 64 or Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

3.) No 2D to 3D "wow" factor this time.

4.) They made some controversial changes to almost all their main franchises. They probably would have been better off just making new franchises with these new ideas. Nintendo isn't creatively bankrupt. If anything they tried to innovate too much with Mario/Zelda/Metroid instead of just giving people the usual upgrades with more visual polish/production value.

5.) People are not willing to buy another console just for Nintendo games. Most people who bought the N64 thought it would end up being like the SNES/NES before it (lots of games/variety). So Nintendo has not done a good enough job in surrounding their core franchises with enough support.
 
soundwave05 said:
1.) GameCube has a lower userbase than the N64.

2.) The game's are good but not of "masterpiece" level IMO like they were on the N64. You don't "need" to have Super Mario Sunshine or Zelda: The Wind Waker the way you needed to have Super Mario 64 or Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

3.) No 2D to 3D "wow" factor this time.

4.) They made some controversial changes to almost all their main franchises. They probably would have been better off just making new franchises with these new ideas. Nintendo isn't creatively bankrupt. If anything they tried to innovate too much with Mario/Zelda/Metroid instead of just giving people the usual upgrades with more visual polish/production value.

5.) People are not willing to buy another console just for Nintendo games. Most people who bought the N64 thought it would end up being like the SNES/NES before it (lots of games/variety). So Nintendo has not done a good enough job in surrounding their core franchises with enough support.

Agreed. Plus a poor launch lineup. The no must have Super Marios or Zeldas or Goldeneyes is the real dealbreaker.
 
I think the sad reality these days is that gaming isnt a "nerdy" thing anymore. Back when Nintendo was in its prime it was selling those main franchises of theirs to gamers. In 2004 the term gamer is a hell of alot more diverse than it was back then.

Basically what I mean is, the industry is making far more money than it has ever made before. Games like Def Jam and NBA Ballers and stuff appeal to people that back when Mario and Zelda were out never really appealed to them. While the new Nintendo game sales are okay, compared to what all this "New Blood" is buying is overpowering it too heavily.
 
Their games feel incomplete and not as polished as N64's imo. Also their ads don't get me hyped at all.

Also very true. Their ads are like watching GAP commericals. To get us excited for a game we need to see GAMEPLAY footage...NOT models with cameras roatating around them while they play some SP.

We also need more dropping systems out of window commercials like in the later 90s.
 
One simple reason is, Gamecube has less than half the userbase the N64 had.

Also, they screwed over some of their biggest game's potential sales.

-Metroid had no multiplayer and many people hated its controls.
-Zelda was cell shaded.
-Mario Sunshine had a HORRIBLE ad campaign and the name didn't help much either.

Don't get me wrong I enjoyed all three of those games but Nintendo didn't do themselves any favors in terms of sales when it comes to them.
 
I think another factor is the "kids market" actually isn't as Nintendo crazy as we were as kids.

When I was a kid, if a new Mario came out, word would spread like wildfire, and you'd get 200 kids marching straight home demanding their parents shell out the cash. I don't really see that happening with my younger cousins.

It's funny that people rate Nintendo as the "kiddy" company, I think really their loyal fanbase is actually probably in their 20s.

I guess its sorta like how when I was a kid I really didn't like Walt Disney for Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck ... I liked them for The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, which were new properties.
 
Terrible marketing, and less innovation in the titles. I think Mario Sunshine, Zelda, and Metroid Prime are still AAA games, arguably the best in their genre. But during the N64's reign, there would be no debates about Ocarina of Time, for example, being completely genius.
 
this is what happens when anything goes mainstream. Mainstream = awful. There are reasons why crap music/movies/games sell when good ones don't.
 
Personally I chalk it up to smaller userbase and there being more actual games to choose from. I mean, Cruisin' USA sold a lot on the N64. Was it teh awesome? Hell no! There was nothing else to buy!

I just... can't buy this standard and pat explanation about how it's just that the games are all worse and aren't as "polished" as the N64 games. Taste in games may be subjective, but it just seems ludicrous - Super Mario Sunshine and Zelda: The Wind Waker are some of the most polished (in EVERY sense of the word) games I've ever played. The Metroid Prime games practically define polish. Even the "lesser" games are highly polished. Luigi's frickin' Mansion is more polished than most games from anyone else. The only real problem as I see it, is the shock-value of the 3D leap isn't there. But it's not like Nintendo can do anything about that... what, invent 5-dimensional games?

It seems the fans come up with all kinds of suspect sounding excuses that are just a bit too vague or capricous. The new games are in some way not as polished. They're too innovative and a water pack destroys Super Mario utterly and completely. They don't do anything new/they make too many new weird franchises and spin-offs (at the same time, apparently).

IMHO, I think the bottom line is a lot more practical and clearly visible in looking at public trends which can be demonstrated. More gamers and the mainstream are entranced by stuff like GTA today. The market is not the same; 7 years ago for all that the Playstation was taking off, it wasn't the monster mindshare lock it was today. Nintendo still had legions of people who owned the SNES waiting for the amazing new 3D Mario and Zelda.

Though personally, if it is indeed largely Nintendo making a bigger and more diverse line-up and selling somewhat fewer units per game due to it, I'm all for it. The N64 era was a vast disappointment for me - here was the amazingly creative Nintendo, and they only made a handful of titles, however good they were. So much they could have made, but never bothered. Regardless of public popularity, I still feel the Gamecube era has been handled a lot better with regards to 1st party software.
 
Casual consumers tiring of the Nintendo "brand" franchise extensions (Mario, Zelda).
Gamecube has only 15,000,000 consoles sold and only one and a half years left; as opposed to 30,000,000 overall for N64. Casual consumers have even less interest in Nintendo.

And soundwave05 said it best:

"People are not willing to buy another console just for Nintendo games. Most people who bought the N64 thought it would end up being like the SNES/NES before it (lots of games/variety). So Nintendo has not done a good enough job in surrounding their core franchises with enough support."

The third party support is atrocious, and the vast majority of casual consumers don't want to put their weight behind Nintendo franchise extensions if they don't have alternatives.
 
Musashi Wins! said:
Unfortunately, this is very true.

And despite a drop in sales, most of their recent titles still sell a decent amount. There's no incentive to keep this (past) level of excellence when half-ass games will still turn a profit.
 
Is that picture supposed to mean some Nintendo games don't sell nowadays or that it is incomplete (more like the first Pikmin though)? :)
 
Amir0x said:
Casual consumers tiring of the Nintendo "brand" franchise extensions (Mario, Zelda).
Gamecube has only 15,000,000 consoles sold and only one and a half years left; as opposed to 30,000,000 overall for N64. Casual consumers have even less interest in Nintendo.

And soundwave05 said it best:

"People are not willing to buy another console just for Nintendo games. Most people who bought the N64 thought it would end up being like the SNES/NES before it (lots of games/variety). So Nintendo has not done a good enough job in surrounding their core franchises with enough support."

The third party support is atrocious, and the vast majority of casual consumers don't want to put their weight behind Nintendo franchise extensions if they don't have alternatives.

goes back to LOZ WW. Chib Link doomed the GC. You know that. I know that.

zelda_wind_waker_8.jpg


^___ Link the GC doomer.
 
A lot of the Nintendo games may be polished in graphics, presentation, sound, and whatnot but are lacking in mechanics, camera, objectives etc. As for third party support, I think Nintendo tried pretty hard to get it, but then messed it up with their lack of console selling ability, anti-online/connectivity philosophy, and some basic poor hardware decisions. They did a lot better in that regard than last gen at least. I do believe Iwata is wising up to these things, and has a pretty good chance of turning it around next generation. But who knows, I'm not a big fan of speculation :P
 
TheGreenGiant said:
goes back to LOZ WW. Chib Link doomed the GC. You know that. I know that.

^___ Link the GC doomer.

No. Chibi Link had nothing to do with why the GC was doomed. At all.
 
MrparisSM said:
During the N64 days most games were 4 million +!

You are overestimating N64 sales, beside Mario 64. Only 3 games were above 3M in the Us alone.

as for GC, sales of games are usually half ot its N64 counterpart, which is quite good considering
1/ GC userbase is half
2/ Many more games to choose
 
No. Chibi Link had nothing to do with why the GC was doomed. At all.

You sound pretty assured of something that has no tangible data to support it one way or the other. Although you do have some good insight and comments to offer now and then, your trolling of Nintendo threads is becoming quite irritating.
 
GCN doom goes back further than Zelda, it goes back before launch. It is not a good sign when games get canned, esp when a 2nd party is canning them.
 
because nintendo's games have been less than stellar on the gamecube.

super mario sunshine and wind waker are less "polished" than their n64 counterparts because they try to squeeze as much play-time out of half as much content.
 
Saturnman said:
Is that picture supposed to mean some Nintendo games don't sell nowadays or that it is incomplete (more like the first Pikmin though)? :)
It means high quality Nintendo masterpieces like Pikmin 2 don't sell.
 
is it actually true that nintendo produces more gamecube games than they did n64 games? ead ninja had a list of ead's output some time ago, and that didn't seem to be the case. perhaps they're publishing more games by outside developers, but that doesn't explain the diminished quality and scope of their own console games.

and if mario 64 and ocarina of time felt impossibly new, most of nintendo's gamecube games feel five years old the day they come out. nintendo haven't discovered physics, ai, or narrative. their soundtracks are indifferent, and they're often unconcerned with visual style. that's not to say that games should all be modern -- my favorite games are still 2d shooters -- but it's still alarming how thoroughly regressive nintendo's current output is. it's as if they expended all their creative capital on mario 64. or as if the experience of developing those n64 games was so intense that it arrested their growth. i'm skirting around a phrase.
 
drohne said:
because nintendo's games have been less than stellar on the gamecube.

super mario sunshine and wind waker are less "polished" than their n64 counterparts because they try to squeeze as much play-time out of half as much content.

this is what I posted in another thread:

SantaCruZer said:
Development time in today’s videogame industry #1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am thinking that too many games are rushed for their own good today. I understand that companies want to get their games out soon as possible (plus meeting the holidays deadline), but in the end the consumer might end up unhappy or unimpressed.

I think it's getting rarer that games have longer development cycles these days. I would definitley prefer a longer development time for a perfect experience. Bungie took almost 3 years with Halo2, and it seemed to have payed off big time with all the great sales. FF12 is on track for around 2.5 - 3 years I think. I am sure that will pay off too.

Nintendo is a classic example where they take huge amout of time to get a Zelda and a Mario game polished and great. Especially during the N64 era. This generation however, even Nintendo has slacked abit, trying to get their games out as fast as possible as most other companies. Zelda is however getting a long dev cycle. (pikmin 2 also I think) When the new Zelda is done it's about 2.5 - 3 years in development.

I can admit that I am an impatient gamer, but I rather wait a little longer for something awesome.

EA and Ubisoft on the other hand *cough*
 
Gaming has changed and has left Nintendo in the dust. They overworked Miyamoto on the N64, and they've done it again on the GC. Ignoring the stupid controller layout which makes most average games unplayable (overstatement, but it does make simple chores more laborious), the games just can't match the offerings from the 3rd party competition anymore. Games are much more complete and feature-rich these days. Nintendo needs to get with it. That said, there's still Wind Waker, but the other franchises seem to have gone down. Mario Sunshine is the worst game in the series IMO. Metroid Prime is mostly forgettable thanks to the controls, but also b/c it turned Metroid into an FPS. Kinda lame. Instead of just recycling the same characters over and over in different game scenarios, they need to create new franchises and adopt new game design concepts...like story. PEACE.
 
TheGreenGiant said:
goes back to LOZ WW. Chib Link doomed the GC. You know that. I know that.

zelda_wind_waker_8.jpg


^___ Link the GC doomer.

Over 3.5 million for what is widely viewed as a Zelda cartoon IS pretty good. It is over 3 times as much as what Fable sold. Just a small portion of what the 2005 Zelda game everybody wants will sell. Just look at it this way, if Wind Waker doomed the GC, Zelda 2005 will definitely save it :) :lol
 
As someone said, the wow factor isn't there anymore. SMS and WW are still good games, but doesn't have the impact a new game had before.

This doesn't only apply to nintendo though, I think alot of games on Ps2 and xbox today are just more of the same, and just stale. The difference is that they do a better job marketing and hyping their games than Nintendo do.
 
drohne said:
and if mario 64 and ocarina of time felt impossibly new, most of nintendo's gamecube games feel five years old the day they come out. nintendo haven't discovered physics, ai, or narrative. their soundtracks are indifferent, and they're often unconcerned with visual style. that's not to say that games should all be modern -- my favorite games are still 2d shooters -- but it's still alarming how thoroughly regressive nintendo's current output is. it's as if they expended all their creative capital on mario 64. or as if the experience of developing those n64 games was so intense that it arrested their growth. i'm skirting around a phrase.

I don't think I've ever seen anything I disagree with more. "Haven't discovered physics" They created realistic water for Super Mario Sunshine that responds to physical properties in a way it hasn't done in any other game.

"AI" - Name games with better AI. I dare you. NO ONE does good AI. Their AI is almost always suited to the gameplay at hand. Pikmin and its sequel being excellent examples of creating natural behaviors for enemies that allow the player to come up with multiple solutions to defeat them.

"Narrative" - Metroid Prime and its sequel. Eternal Darkness.

"soundtracks are indifferent" - Once again, Metroid Prime and its sequel.

"unconcerned with visual style" - Pikmin, Wind Waker and the Metroid games have more visual style in the first five seconds of gameplay than just about anything on other systems!

I think you're way off base. Either that or you're simply not playing Nintendo's Gamecube games anymore and you're just trolling. I'm thinking it's the latter...
 
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