29th May 2005, 2:35 PM
Nintendo might have a problem on their hands concerning their download content.
Like most of us, I own pretty much every Nintendo made game from the past 20 years as I also own all the consoles from the big N. Being able to download them all in to the Revolution is great for people that never got a chance to play them or lost them. But for people like me, I need an extra incentive to download the games, especially if i'm paying for it.
With the OoT re-release on GC, we got a version of OoT in progressive scan high res, as well as some frame rate issues in certain areas fixed up. The game seems to be locked at 30 fps with very few moments of stutter, only in the hairiest of moments. I noticed that MM got a similar treatment.
So when we start up our Revolutions for the first time and we see the download games, if OoT is there and costs, let's say 10 bucks, what would get you to buy it? If it's the same game as the GC re-release I wouldn't get it. I would need it to have something new.
If it's free, of course i'll grab it. But if it has a cost, I would need something like high res @ 60 fps... That would interest me, but it's still not enough. new dungeons/areas? Okay, now we're talking.
In fact, for all the downloadable games, I would have to be able to have a 'perfect' version of the games to really interest me. No slow down, high res and in surround sound, and of course any and all bugs removed. For Nintendo, this wouldn't be a big deal at all, but new content like levels, characters, etc will take time, energy and money that Nintendo will need to spend on new games for Revolution.
So now we have our perfect versions and we want some new content, something that justifies the price when we already have it available.
I think the answer comes from Nintendo's past. A network of users who use Nintendo-made tools to make game-edits. Entire games, or just an added level. We see roms all the time of dungeons for the original Zelda made by fans. Imagine if Revolutionaries could download the original game along with an editor and make their own levels, weapons, etc and then put them up on a network for other people to download. It would be slow to start up, but within months you would see completely original versions of all our favorite games.
So now we have our perfect versions with new content and a price would be juistified.
How about take it in another direction? Instead of focusing on graphics or new levels etc, they could use the Revolutions wi-fi network to allow us to play all our old favorite 2 player games online. 10 bucks to download Mario Kart for SNES with the bonus of playing it online for free. Suddenly a picture is painted that could really push the entire industry in a whole new direction.
IGN had an interesting article. They were looking at the XBox and PS2 netplayers and noticed a trend; People with handles like Zeldafan or Mario64rules, avatars of Yoshi and their racing car with a paint job of a giant ocarina with Epona's theme drawn down the side with classic C-button icons. The majority of Nintendo fans might have jumped ship but they certainly haven't left Nintendo. If Rev follows suit with their older and newer games, it would sweep them all up. Companies would then be competing with 8 and 16 bit games.
It would be a mad scramble not only for the consumers dollar, but for their play time. Current gameplay designers would have some big shoes to fill if suddenly, their awesome graphics weren't getting any play time because 9 million people are playing Super Bomberman online with their Revolutions.
What about classic one player games? Games like Super Metroid could borrow from current gen titles like Metroid Hunters. Imagine Super Metroid: you start as per usual with nothing, but there are dozens of other players mixed all around Zebes. When your paths cross with other bounty hunters, you can decide to make a team, or try to take them down. You could trade weapons, items or map info with them, too. It could even become a 24 hour world where hunters fight for relics, upgrades and weapons all over Zebes. You could have different levels and handicaps as well for newbies.
This could be applied to just about any one player game from Nintendo. Imagine playing Starfox 64 where your wingmen are human controlled and can each take your own path or even play as the bosses. Couple all of this with the ability to edit your own levels and you have yourself a dream come true. Each game infinitely expandable so you can play it how you want it and share it with others.
And finally, more third parties. The biggest one being Rare for obvious reasons. But online versions of Final Fantasy 2 and 3, Chrono Trigger, Street Fighter, Double Dragon, you name it. It would be a huge incentive to grab a Revolution, even for people who feel like Nintendo isn't for them.
So here's the bottom line:
1.) The downloadable games should have new content.
2.) They should have online capabilities if possible whether they are multiplayer games or not.
3.) Each game should have the option of an editor to make your own versions of the games.
4.) Frame rate issues should be completely fixed, as well as any bugs - 'Perfect Versions'
5.) PERFECT DARK ONLINE WITH AN EDITOR OMG
Like most of us, I own pretty much every Nintendo made game from the past 20 years as I also own all the consoles from the big N. Being able to download them all in to the Revolution is great for people that never got a chance to play them or lost them. But for people like me, I need an extra incentive to download the games, especially if i'm paying for it.
With the OoT re-release on GC, we got a version of OoT in progressive scan high res, as well as some frame rate issues in certain areas fixed up. The game seems to be locked at 30 fps with very few moments of stutter, only in the hairiest of moments. I noticed that MM got a similar treatment.
So when we start up our Revolutions for the first time and we see the download games, if OoT is there and costs, let's say 10 bucks, what would get you to buy it? If it's the same game as the GC re-release I wouldn't get it. I would need it to have something new.
If it's free, of course i'll grab it. But if it has a cost, I would need something like high res @ 60 fps... That would interest me, but it's still not enough. new dungeons/areas? Okay, now we're talking.
In fact, for all the downloadable games, I would have to be able to have a 'perfect' version of the games to really interest me. No slow down, high res and in surround sound, and of course any and all bugs removed. For Nintendo, this wouldn't be a big deal at all, but new content like levels, characters, etc will take time, energy and money that Nintendo will need to spend on new games for Revolution.
So now we have our perfect versions and we want some new content, something that justifies the price when we already have it available.
I think the answer comes from Nintendo's past. A network of users who use Nintendo-made tools to make game-edits. Entire games, or just an added level. We see roms all the time of dungeons for the original Zelda made by fans. Imagine if Revolutionaries could download the original game along with an editor and make their own levels, weapons, etc and then put them up on a network for other people to download. It would be slow to start up, but within months you would see completely original versions of all our favorite games.
So now we have our perfect versions with new content and a price would be juistified.
How about take it in another direction? Instead of focusing on graphics or new levels etc, they could use the Revolutions wi-fi network to allow us to play all our old favorite 2 player games online. 10 bucks to download Mario Kart for SNES with the bonus of playing it online for free. Suddenly a picture is painted that could really push the entire industry in a whole new direction.
IGN had an interesting article. They were looking at the XBox and PS2 netplayers and noticed a trend; People with handles like Zeldafan or Mario64rules, avatars of Yoshi and their racing car with a paint job of a giant ocarina with Epona's theme drawn down the side with classic C-button icons. The majority of Nintendo fans might have jumped ship but they certainly haven't left Nintendo. If Rev follows suit with their older and newer games, it would sweep them all up. Companies would then be competing with 8 and 16 bit games.
It would be a mad scramble not only for the consumers dollar, but for their play time. Current gameplay designers would have some big shoes to fill if suddenly, their awesome graphics weren't getting any play time because 9 million people are playing Super Bomberman online with their Revolutions.
What about classic one player games? Games like Super Metroid could borrow from current gen titles like Metroid Hunters. Imagine Super Metroid: you start as per usual with nothing, but there are dozens of other players mixed all around Zebes. When your paths cross with other bounty hunters, you can decide to make a team, or try to take them down. You could trade weapons, items or map info with them, too. It could even become a 24 hour world where hunters fight for relics, upgrades and weapons all over Zebes. You could have different levels and handicaps as well for newbies.
This could be applied to just about any one player game from Nintendo. Imagine playing Starfox 64 where your wingmen are human controlled and can each take your own path or even play as the bosses. Couple all of this with the ability to edit your own levels and you have yourself a dream come true. Each game infinitely expandable so you can play it how you want it and share it with others.
And finally, more third parties. The biggest one being Rare for obvious reasons. But online versions of Final Fantasy 2 and 3, Chrono Trigger, Street Fighter, Double Dragon, you name it. It would be a huge incentive to grab a Revolution, even for people who feel like Nintendo isn't for them.
So here's the bottom line:
1.) The downloadable games should have new content.
2.) They should have online capabilities if possible whether they are multiplayer games or not.
3.) Each game should have the option of an editor to make your own versions of the games.
4.) Frame rate issues should be completely fixed, as well as any bugs - 'Perfect Versions'
5.) PERFECT DARK ONLINE WITH AN EDITOR OMG