Metroid Zero Mission and other good GBA news

[OB1]

From IGN:

September 24, 2003 - In Nintendo of America's very GameCube-centric conference call early this morning, senior vice president of marketing and communications George Harrison first confirmed that Mario Golf and Metroid: Zero Mission, both for the Game Boy Advance, will be released as Early 2004 software titles.

Mario Golf for the Game Boy Advance will feature direct connectivity with Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour on the GameCube. Metroid: Zero Mission is a follow-up to the incredibly successful Metroid Fusion on the handheld.

Harrison also made mention that, thanks to the successful release of the Game Boy Advance SP, the age demographic of the Game Boy market has aged significantly. The original Game Boy system featured a break down of about 33% of the owners as 18 years old or older; on the SP, that number is 45%.

Nintendo anticipates selling through 20 million Game Boy Advance units, both original and GBA SPs, by the end of this year.

-- Craig Harris

[Great Rumbler]

Looks like adults do like the SP.

So, is Metroid Zero Mission a prequel to Metroid 1?

[A Black Falcon]

So the SP was a success... nice. :)

As for Zero Mission, is it a new game? It looks like it may be... but I don't know, it still may be a remake of Metroid...

[OB1]

Guess that puts a hole into ABF's whole "adults don't like handheld gaming systems" theory.

Zero Mission is a remake of Metroid 1, as far as I can tell. Many of the same locations and enemies from Metroid 1, and since Samus first fought Metroids in Metroid 1 it has to be a remake.

[Dark Jaguar]

I'm curious as to how they got their info (not that I doubt it, I'd already figured at least a 3rd of the buyers of GBs before the SP were adults simple due to what I've seen). I mean, adults actually BUY them whether it's for kids or themselves, usually, so what sort of market research do they do to figure out who the product is actually for? Most people I know throw away registration cards. Wait, no, all of them do except me, and that's only when I notice that if I send one in I get something in return. Hmm, what sort of thing could they do to actually find this out? I mean, stores selling games don't even bother storing any info on the age of who bought it. How'd they get that info?

[Great Rumbler]

How'd they get that info?

Probably from polls.

[Dark Jaguar]

Yeah I remember that poll they had online at their site, or something like it. Hardly a perfeclty accurate source considering the number of people who'd just plain lie and the incredible number of people who didn't even know the poll existed.

Goes to show, the people Nintendo listens to are the people who actually bother telling them stuff.

[A Black Falcon]

If they quote it as fact it didn't come from something as inaccurate as an online poll. That is just common sense...

Oh, and I'd be happy to be proven completely wrong, OB1... this doesn't do that, but it does show a good trend.

[Laser Link]

Eh, I bet the same amount of adults bought a SP as always. But only older gamers are going to buy a SECOND GameBoy. And the original is cheaper, catering to the younger crowd. I can't really imagine that too many people said "Gee, I don't really like video games, but I'll buy this GBA SP cause it looks cooler than the old GBA."

[OB1]

Well I'm sure there were many teens and adults who stayed away from past Gameboys because of the lack of an internal light and waited until something like the SP came along. One of my older brothers did.

[A Black Falcon]

I just don't see why the GBA screen is so horrible... unless you're playing GBC games, that is...

[OB1]

Most people don't sit under a lamp all of the time, ABF. People who buy handhelds like to use them in other places, even play them in the dark!

[A Black Falcon]

Lamp or sunlight, either is generally fine...

[OB1]

Which counts for a small percentage of where most people play handheld gaming systems, I'm sure.

[A Black Falcon]

Huh? What, you think most people play their original GBAs in dark, windowless rooms at midnight with the lights turned off or something?

[OB1]

Oh yes ABF, that's right. There are only three different places where one can play a Gameboy:

1) Under a lamp.
2) Under the sun.
3) A dark, windowless rooms at midnight with the lights turned off.

[Dark Jaguar]

ABF, try taking your GBA out and about playing it wherever you can. You shall find very soon that there are many places where the lighting is just all wrong. Outside in the sun is not exactly something done all the time. There's also outside at night. There's inside a car while someone else is driving, and even with the sun it's very hard to get the light to angle correctly in a moving and TURNING vehicle. There's inside buildings, all manner of buildings, where you just won't be finding any nearby lamps and the lights won't do. There's times when you want to play over at someone's house. There's camping when you are bored at night. Use your imagination.

[OB1]

He doesn't have one.

[Dark Jaguar]

I coulda sworn he said he has a GBA a while back, but not the SP.

[OB1]

No I meant that he doesn't have an imagination. He has a regular GBA.

[Dark Jaguar]

You were joking?! I thought you were serious! I can't ever trust you to be serious again!

Nah just messin' with ya, you're alright.

[OB1]

I wasn't joking. The man seriously doesn't have an imagination!

[Dark Jaguar]

Oh you do not actually think that. I mean, I think I would know your thoughts better than you do.

[Great Rumbler]

Originally posted by OB1
I wasn't joking. The man seriously doesn't have an imagination!

Because he's a soul-less automaton, as we've stated before.

[OB1]

Right.

[Dark Jaguar]

So GR, when's the thing where you do the stuff, to him?

[Great Rumbler]

Uh...do what now?

[Dark Jaguar]

Right right, wink wink say no more and all that rot. *winks*

[A Black Falcon]

I have plenty of imagination, you just disagree with its conclusions most of the time... :)

ABF, try taking your GBA out and about playing it wherever you can. You shall find very soon that there are many places where the lighting is just all wrong. Outside in the sun is not exactly something done all the time. There's also outside at night. There's inside a car while someone else is driving, and even with the sun it's very hard to get the light to angle correctly in a moving and TURNING vehicle. There's inside buildings, all manner of buildings, where you just won't be finding any nearby lamps and the lights won't do. There's times when you want to play over at someone's house. There's camping when you are bored at night. Use your imagination.

In a car when someone else is driving or while on a camping trip are the only two times I have ever felt a need for a light for my Game Boy... nowhere else, ever...

And for that, I have my Worm Light. Yeah, its far from perfect, but it works well enough for the extremely limited use I have to make of it...

[OB1]

So GR, when's the thing where you do the stuff, to him?

Uh...do what now?

Right right, wink wink say no more and all that rot. *winks*

Okay DJ, you sure got me. Yes yes you want me to believe that you and GR are playing a game where GR agrees with everything that I say even though he doesn't actually agree with me, and you drop these oh-so subtle hints about it every now and then. Very mature.

I'll just continue to trust GR and continue to believe that you are just an immature little brat.

:shakeit:

[Great Rumbler]

Ah, but can really trust me? Perhaps I'm just writing this to make you think that I agree with you, but really I don't, but in reality I actually do!

...

Yeah, I don't understand it either...

[OB1]