N-Banter Edition I: A Dream Deferred
Glen: Splinter Cell is outselling Metroid Prime. :-\
Jeff: How do you know?
Glen: The UBS Warburg sales charts.
Jeff: That is sad. It leads me to wonder what the industry is coming to. Not that Splinter Cell is a bad game, because it is definitely a great title. However, it shouldn't be selling as well as Prime. It is an virtually unknown license, whereas Metroid Prime is the prequel to one of the most critically acclaimed games of all time.
Glen: I don't know...I just worry for Nintendo in the U.S. What is left for them to do? They have released Mario, Metroid, Star Fox, etc...
Jeff: One of the problems is that Nintendo doesn't know how to advertise games. Sure they made an awesome Metroid commercial, but they need to flaunt its gameplay and the many high ratings it has received from respected magazines and websites in follow up commercials. Something to prove that it is for adults and the coolest thing around. Not just the one trailer over and over.
Glen: Yeah.
Jeff: And another thing is that the Metroid Prime commercial isn't even in as heavy of rotation as lets say Star Wars Bounty Hunter. Speaking of Bounty Hunter, its TV commercial is much more memorable than Metroid's (Prime is the better one for the movies though). I mean, does Nintendo even flaunt or show its logo or anything in the Metroid Prime commercial? Nope. They are still afraid of damaging their family friendly image.
Glen: Heh. Honestly, I don't think that the kiddy stuff sells as much anymore, or at least anywhere near sales for titles aimed at older demographics. When was the last time you saw Blue's Clues or Rugrats hitting number one? I have seen them sell well, but mind you that was on the PSX and at the end of both the PSX and N64's lives.
Jeff: Well that is, at least, partly because many of us don't even buy games based on quality anymore. Just coolness factor. Companies like EA make most of the games that are in the vein of Rugrats or Blues Clues. Coincidently (or not) they are all complete garbage too. However, Harry Potter is selling pretty well.
Glen: Yeah, but Harry Potter has a more universal age appeal.
Jeff: That's true. It seems to me that many are caught up in the image of Grand Theft Auto as being the best gaming license ever. If the best selling game for the best selling console is a violent game like that it can only make other games that aren't as violent seem less cool.
Glen: Yeah, I've never played the game before.
Jeff: I have played GTA: Vice City a little. It has pretty poor blood effects, but is just as (if not more) addicting than Pokemon was to little kids...you never want to stop. It has excellent body damage to cars, control, and everything. You can just beat up anyone, steal any car, or not even break the law at all. It's weird but entertaining because of the freedom it gives to players.
Glen: Cool, I will have to check it out sometime.
Jeff: Anyway, while it's true that Nintendo isn't doing the best in the U.S., I think that even if Metroid Prime becomes a moderate success along with Resident Evil 0 then maybe many will stop thinking of the GameCube as the odd man out.
Glen: I hope so, but I think Nintendo Japan has too much influence. Just look at Zelda.
Jeff: Yeah, except Nintendo of Japan's commercials are even better than the ones we get here. Nintendo needs to heavily market the actual GameCube console itself with edgy commercials. Perhaps kind of like some of the commercials we have seen for the PS2 in the past few months. Consoles are sold on "coolness" factor more often than not these days. I saw one GCN commercial the other day that was very "mature" content. It had a guy lying in what looked to be a hospital bed. Some rather disturbing images of bones, muscle, and organs were shown; suddenly the man sat up, sweat dripped off his face and formed the GameCube logo in the air. It was definitely very different from anything I have seen the Big N do before. I still don't know whether it will just gross people out or actually prove to be successful.
Glen: Yeah, what was Nintendo thinking...releasing the purple GameCube in North America? Even though I think it looks second best out of the three (Silver, Purple, and Black). It certainly isn't helping their image.
Jeff: Exactly. I still wonder what would lead them to make such a foolish choice. If they want to change their image in the U.S. they should feature only Platinum GCNs in all advertisements and phase purple out completely. They need a slogan too though. "Get N or Get Out", "Play it Loud", "Get into it", and the world renowned "SEGA!" are all catchy enough to stick in peoples heads.
Glen: I always expect something at the end of the commercialsbut get nothing except a silent logo. I find it very disappointing.
Jeff: Exactly. Nintendo wasted the first 2-3 weeks of Metroid Prime commercials by having the majority of the spots be only 20 seconds long. They were so short I find it hard to believe it would entice many to buy the game. I realize they were building up, but if a gamer sees one MP commercial it should not be assumed he or she would see the full version three weeks later...
Glen: Yeah.
Jeff: Nintendo doesn't even use the slogan "Born to Play" much with GBA either. There isn't even a sound or the cool animation of the GCN logo during commercials.
Glen: I get a kick out of watching Japanese GameCube commercials. They end with a hand grabbing the GameCube handle and someone saying GameCubA. However, American's are afraid of the whole communism thing...so I don't think that would go over too well here. ;)
Jeff: I personally think that Nintendo should try using a few of those commercials for the U.S. They are very fresh and not what people are used to. The "Shinobi's Back!" commercial is repeated by my little brother and his friends all the time. I think that Nintendo just isn't drawing enough attention. A Japanese commercial like the ones they use in Japan in heavy rotation here would be pretty different. Americans love to do Japanese accentsor is that just me?
Glen: I think Nintendo of America is making steps to change its image. Look how they didn't ask Acclaim to censor BMX XXX whereas Sony did.
Jeff: I think they realized that the game was complete garbage before making that decision too. But yes, you are right.
Glen: Also, before the GameCube and GBA released, Nintendo also made Mario Club no longer mandatory. I think that has allowed more third parties to develop games...even if they are of lesser quality. Then again, Superman 64 managed to pass under Mario Club's radar, so I wouldn't exactly trust their reliability today.
Jeff: Hmm. That is a good point. Getting a bit off topic here I think that this was a particularly bad year for a futuristic game like Metroid. America is pretty preoccupied with Dark Age themed entertainment. Metroid Prime is far from that. (Aside from Star Wars, which is oblivious to trends).
Glen: Yeah, the whole Lord of the Rings and such
Jeff: Yup and it's the late half of the year too. Just look at the top ten this week if you don't believe me.
Glen: So does that mean you ride on horseback in Vice City, heh.
Jeff: No, but Vice City is an 80s themed game. Mortal Kombat is far from futuristic; Splinter Cell and Bond are modern spy stuff. Metroid Prime is the only game that is very science fiction
Glen: Yeah. I wonder how well Britney's Dance Beat is performing...
Jeff: Maybe it's not an issue but Science fiction just hasn't seemed to be as big this year in entertainment as a whole. If Star Trek Nemesis is bigger then Bond this year I will gladly admit I was wrong
Glen: I doubt that will happen.
Jeff: It won't. But about Britney's Dance Beat, if there ever was a game to push the envelope on quality and creativity of videogames to new heightsit's this one. lol
Glen: Haha. I saw you drooling over those polygons.
Glen: Take a look at this. Do you know anything about the Korean gaming market? All I've heard is that they pirate games a lot...but that's probably just a stereotype.
Jeff: Actually, I heard a bit about it earlier in the year when it was said that they were using the Matsushita GameQube to pirate like mad. Wait. Maybe that was Hong Kong. It was somewhere in that region. I would have to know more about the Korean Market to really say what I just said. Which means that I just said what I thought I didn't think I thought I should say. =O
Glen: Heh, got ya.
Jeff: Do you think that the Capcom big five will help Nintendo a whole lot?
Glen: I think it will help pave the way for similar announcements from other companies. Will the five games be enough to change the Nintendo of the past ten years? No. But, it's a start.
Jeff: How many starts is it going to take though?
Glen: I'm not sure; I think that this generation was the start. The Company has changed drastically.
Jeff: The GameCube has been getting plenty of mature and teen games this past year yet the image remains intact.
Glen: Nintendo still doesn't have a GTA or a Halo. "Different minds now encompass Nintendo, from the shores of Japan to the coast of Washington state." This is so true, in my opinion. Nintendo isn't the same Nintendo we knew just five years ago. Just look at the patched up Square relationship. Rare's departure. Namco and Nintendo getting along? Who would've thought?
Jeff: Nintendo did have a GTA or a Halo... in plentiful numbers. But since the start of the new systems those multimillion selling franchises aren't selling as much as they used to.
Glen: What's Nintendo's GTA or Halo? Nintendo had Goldeneye last generation. I personally haven't seen a game on the GameCube that has had a similar mass appeal. Metroid is the closest...but lacks multiplayer to keep it fresh. Super Smash Bros. Melee is great...but most casual gamers are frightened by the speed and chaos on the screenmy friends often complain about it being too fast.
Jeff: Oh, you are referring to strictly adult titles. Then yes Goldeneye, but that didn't really even benefit Nintendo in the long term. EA has gained everything from Goldeneye and Nintendo nothing as far as I'm concerned. Super Smash Bros. Melee managed to break a million in the U.S. without much advertising at all though.
Glen: Yeah it's probably the closest to a game that has mass appeal. Multiplayer was a huge part of the Nintendo 64 experience. With me, for some reason, it seems less so with the GCN, despite having games such as Super Monkey Ball, Time Splitters 2, etc. Perhaps Mario Kart is that missing piece...I don't really know.
Jeff: Over 15 of the best-known characters in gaming beating the crap out of each other yet not even that has enough appeal to attract mass audience. That says something about attitudes in North America if you ask me.
Glen: SSBMelee doesn't have a single player mode though. That's what it's lacking...overall it's not well rounded. However, it's multiplayer is top notch. Now in Metroid Prime, we're missing the multiplayer.
Jeff: To the casual gamer, yes it might be missing it. However, a multiplayer mode would have ruined the intensity of the game and hurt its reputation with longtime fans as far as I'm concerned.
Glen: I think it would have helped its appeal.
Jeff: I agree that it would have helped its appeal. But it also would have meant another Metroid delay and hardcore fans of the series would have had a fit. Nintendo is stuck between a rock and a hard place with many of its franchises. They need to come up with something totally new and appealing.
Glen: Then again, Vice City features only a single player experienceand that sells incredibly well. Ah well, perhaps we're simple making a judgement too early. Perhaps Metroid Prime only needs time to sink in.
Jeff: Yeah, it's only been out a month. We should just sit tight for now and see how things play out. You never know, moving into next year things could make a 180.
Glen: Yeah, we'll just have to see.