24th March 2006, 3:48 PM
As I've said many times before, the friend code system is idiotic and the restrictions they've imposed utterly without any defence... "to protect the children"? There are ways that do not make it impossible for adults to use the service. "to make it less scary for people who don't like online"? Same answer. Have the random mode with no contact allowed with the other players and all that silliness AND have a real online service, and let people choose which one they want... add parental controls, whatever... but do NOT do what you are doing now. It is utterly indefensible and makes me not care all that much about the prospect of playing these games online... what's the point without an online service worth the phrase?
... okay, that's a bit harsh, it adds a little bit to be able to do stuff with less predictable opponents, but that doesn't change the point that it is unforgivably crippled and that it would be impossible to form any kind of online community in this online service. And an online game without an online community is an online game probably not worth playing most of the time. Sometimes just doing a random fight is fine... but is such a service going to hook people, make them come back day after day and week after week and month after month to play this game online? Of course not!
And the only statements we have heard from Nintendo people about online play have been in defense of this terrible, terrible policy. It is completely clear that they still don't get it. You can't beat a strong opponent with a half-effort... ("they aren't trying to win"? Perhaps true, but still...)
... okay, that's a bit harsh, it adds a little bit to be able to do stuff with less predictable opponents, but that doesn't change the point that it is unforgivably crippled and that it would be impossible to form any kind of online community in this online service. And an online game without an online community is an online game probably not worth playing most of the time. Sometimes just doing a random fight is fine... but is such a service going to hook people, make them come back day after day and week after week and month after month to play this game online? Of course not!
And the only statements we have heard from Nintendo people about online play have been in defense of this terrible, terrible policy. It is completely clear that they still don't get it. You can't beat a strong opponent with a half-effort... ("they aren't trying to win"? Perhaps true, but still...)