17th March 2006, 9:57 AM
Chibi-Robo, Battalion Wars and Sonic Riders have been my best friends for a few months now. :D
I have to say, that MS greenlighting such a game for 360 and fully supporting it, comparing it to Gears of War, etc, really shows off how serious MS is getting about the industry. They see that they were painting themselves in to a corner and leaving out the most important demographic of cosole owners; gameplayers. And the most important age group of that demographic: kids. By diversifying their scope they're getting in to a long term relationship where kids ae going to grow up playing games like Viva pinata and expecting good Rare games on their 360. We could see a rebirth of the N64 with 360 where rare becomes the kind of developer where when they announce a game, everyone listens. And of course, if Pinata sells well, more companies will be less afraid of porting or producing quirky japanese titles that aren't 'HaRDc0R3!11!' and actually go after multiple age ranges. The day where E rated games outsell M rated games on a XBox might not to be too far off.
Of course MS is looking at bottom line, and using history to judge the future that if you only apply your scope to older gamers you will eventually bottom out and have to pull out of the market because once your singular demographic grows out of gaming you have nothing to fall back on. However, i think MS is learning the Nintendo manta of how to make money through good games that apply to all ages and skill levels.
I really, seriously hope that Rare pulls it off... Nintendo sites have articles about 'what hapened to Rare?" or 'Is Rare dead?" because even the most hardcore of fans are disappointed with their recent offerings. Even the hardcore fans who bought a 360 just to follow Rare are giving up on them, so here's to a bright future for Pinata.
I have to say, that MS greenlighting such a game for 360 and fully supporting it, comparing it to Gears of War, etc, really shows off how serious MS is getting about the industry. They see that they were painting themselves in to a corner and leaving out the most important demographic of cosole owners; gameplayers. And the most important age group of that demographic: kids. By diversifying their scope they're getting in to a long term relationship where kids ae going to grow up playing games like Viva pinata and expecting good Rare games on their 360. We could see a rebirth of the N64 with 360 where rare becomes the kind of developer where when they announce a game, everyone listens. And of course, if Pinata sells well, more companies will be less afraid of porting or producing quirky japanese titles that aren't 'HaRDc0R3!11!' and actually go after multiple age ranges. The day where E rated games outsell M rated games on a XBox might not to be too far off.
Of course MS is looking at bottom line, and using history to judge the future that if you only apply your scope to older gamers you will eventually bottom out and have to pull out of the market because once your singular demographic grows out of gaming you have nothing to fall back on. However, i think MS is learning the Nintendo manta of how to make money through good games that apply to all ages and skill levels.
I really, seriously hope that Rare pulls it off... Nintendo sites have articles about 'what hapened to Rare?" or 'Is Rare dead?" because even the most hardcore of fans are disappointed with their recent offerings. Even the hardcore fans who bought a 360 just to follow Rare are giving up on them, so here's to a bright future for Pinata.