IGNMatt says in N-Query: "Well, Nintendo is trying, even if we don't always see it. Things are happening behind the scenes for the future. And it's not as if GameCube is being entirely neglected. At the end of September, the company will drop the price of the console to $99 smackers, which is I think a pretty significant reduction. Meanwhile, there are games like F-Zero GX, Soul Calibur II and Viewtiful Joe, not to mention Rogue Squadron, Mario Kart, Pikmin II and Metal Gear Solid, all just around the corner. I would call that a very strong lineup."
$99 seems to be a great price point to reach a mainstream audience during the holiday season. I know I'll have my hands full with Gamecube goodness.
Instead Nintendo is going to start using regular DVD cases! From Cube-Europe:
Quote:Nintendo is to change the packaging of Game Boy Advance games to DVD packages.
DVD packages are used for all three home consoles and PC games and are now to be used for Game Boy Advance games.
The packaging will hit Europe and America by Christmas while a study is going on in Japan to see if they should be used there.
The packaging is not set to change the prices of games.
According to Spong, the new packaging will hit shelves in Europe and the US in time for this Christmas, with a feasibility study currently underway in Japan.
We will have more on this when or if it is announced officialy.
Source: Spong
Wow, that is really weird. On one hand I'm happy because I'll be able to keep my GBA games in nice cases, but on the other hand it's going to look weird next to all of my GBA boxes and GBA games really don't need to be put into DVD cases.
Well actually, the more I think about it the more I like it, especially since I like having game boxes for my games, and it's very difficult to find used Gameboy games with their boxes.
Quote:The Asahi Japanese newspaper reports that Nintendo is drawing up a game plan to gain ground on archrival Sony. Part of the plan includes selling game consoles in China to make up for disappointing sales globally. They expect to push into China by the end of the year. Right now they are still formulating which products they intend to sell there. Satoru Iwata says Nintendo will take a new approach in China instead of marketing its current lineup as is. They say this is necessary due to the difference in income standards between Japan and China, as well as the rampant piracy.
Some new details on the Club Nintendo are purchasers must first register on the Internet. They will use the information supplied to analyze its customer base and consumer preferences. (Wow, marketing techniques.) "We want to make use of the data as a new marketing tool," Iwata said. Consumers can amass a certain amount of points that entitle them to Nintendo goods such as new game demos.
"Investors became so overly pessimistic about our future growth potential that Nintendo's share price plummeted,'' Iwata said. In the past, Nintendo was able to maintain its decisive lead in the video game industry just by promoting new game titles via TV commercials targeted at the general public. But traditional marketing methods, which had been effective since the introduction of the company's blockbuster Family Computer models in 1983, no longer work, say company officials.
Iwata said the video game market is becoming saturated and Nintendo can no longer rest easy. That sense of crisis is a main factor behind the decision to launch the new point system, company officials said. Sony, meanwhile, is attempting to transform its game consoles into digital appliances by fusing them with the company's highly rated audio-visual equipment. Nintendo has refused to follow suit, maintaining instead that its priority is to offer entertaining game titles that anybody can readily enjoy.
As the critical year-end shopping season approaches, Nintendo plans to roll out new titles to help it regain its competitive edge and market share. He added that the company plans to announce a successor to its current generation of consoles next spring.
Posted by Ethan Pearson, Founder, Director
Source: Asahi Shimbun
Hmm, it's good to see Nintendo talk openly about their current situation. It shows that they know they're in a bad situation and want to change that.
And the N5 will be unveiled next spring (at E3, I assume)? Wow, that's really soon. If they unveil the N5 as well as the next Gameboy they're sure to make up for this year's crappy E3 showing. I can't wait!
Microsoft has acquired the rights to the High Heat Baseball at the public auction for 3DO's properties.
MS already produces the Inside Pitch series for the Xbox, but it is unknown as of this time what will become of the series... name change, a merge with High Heat, or possibly being dropped in favor of High Heat, which is a critically acclaimed series.
We'll have more on this as it unfolds.
Source: Yahoo
Posted by pizzicato on 8.15.2003
That's probably good news for ABF since MS will probably publish the game for the PC as well as the X-Box, but it's a shame that Nintendo didn't buy the rights to this game. They need a decent sports lineup.
As most of you have no doubt heard there's been a massive blackout in the northeastern United States, an area in which I just so happen to reside. New York City remains under a sheath of darkness, but fortunately, the outages here were short and sparse. Annoying mostly.
I consider myself lucky, and hope the best to all the towns without power tonight. New York City without power is just a looting magnet.
Japanese people really like soccer games...and RPGs.
Quote:Here's the official software and hardware charts for the week of August 4th-10th in Japan. The GameCube has gone from 12 thousand console sales last week to about double that this week as Square-Enix's GameCube-exclusive RPG is released. Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles is a tremendous success -- appearing on the charts for only three days it has sold 194,000 units. The only title that beat it out is the always-popular Konami soccer game Winning Eleven 7 that was released earlier in the week. Four other GBA titles and Kirby's Air Ride fill up the top ten.
1. PS2 World Soccer Winning Eleven 7 -- 642,400 / 642,400
2. GCN Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles -- 194,100 / 194,100
3. PS2 Salmon Knight 3 156,300 / 156,300
4. GBA Super Robot Great War D -- 113,600 / 113,600
5. GBA Pokémon Pinball Ruby & Sapphire -- 38,400 / 77,800
6. GBA The Masters -- 35,800 / 35,800
7. PS2 Live Powerful Pro Baseball 10 -- 31,300 / 392,700
8. PS2 Gundam Seed -- 29,400 / 165,900
9. GBA Super Mario Advance 4 -- 28,500 / 248,000
10. GCN Kirby's Air Ride -- 27,700 / 208,200
1. Playstation 2 -- 46,300 / 1,825,700
2. Game Boy Advance SP -- 44,500 / 1,436,000
3. GameCube -- 23,800 / 408,500
4. Game Boy Advance -- 14,700 / 985,700
5. Playstation -- 800 / 51,300
6. Xbox -- 580 / 70,500
Sometimes, someone comes along and says what everyone has thought at one time, but not put exactly the way it should be. I think this pretty much sums it up. And the only reason I'm worried is because I don't want Nintendo going away from the hardware market, but sometimes, you got to question some of their decisions....but it's cool, just gimme my games. ;)
IGN has found out what kind of game the new Namco co-developed DK title will be.
What is it? Is it a 3D platformer? Nope! Is it a 2.5D platformer? Nope!! Is it a remake of the original Donkey Kong? Nope!!!!
It's a stupid MUSIC game!!
Quote:August 13, 2003 - Last week Nintendo announced that it had partnered with Namco to develop a GameCube update to the Donkey Kong series. It was assumed that the title would be a pure platformer in the tradition of the franchise. However, IGNcube has learned differently. Here's what we know:
The beginnings of this new Donkey Kong game may trace as far back as the Dreamcast system. Sonic Team had just released Samba De Amigo, a port of a successful maraca-based arcade music game, and it immediately became popular with a niche audience. Designer Shigeru Miyamoto was one of the game's followers, and he on several occasions spoke highly of it.
On March 10, 2003, Nintendo registered the trademark for Donkey Konga. This, say sources, is the tentative name for the new title, which dumps its platformer roots in favor of exploring the music genre.
Donkey Konga is a music title in which gamers play conga drums with Donkey Kong and friends, allege sources. So far insiders have been unable to tell us if the game will work with standard GameCube controllers or if players will need to purchase a separate conga peripheral, but the latter seems more likely.
