Nintendo CEO: Nobody Rides For Free

[LawlessSquirrel]

Well uh...damn, I kind of agree. As much as I love the F2P model and believe it's a mutually-beneficial system, everything taking that route could make things very difficult for the industry if it doesn't turn out to be sustainable in the long term.

Personally, I like the suggestions made on Cracked. Multiplayer-heavy games are free to buy, but charge a subscription, single-player games are a lump sum like a DVD (the normal method), mini-game styled games (apps, etc) are a cheaper lump sum. It would help to keep developer's focussed on what kind of experience they want to make and what community to address without having to tack on features to widen the appeal.

Ahh, but I digress. His decision works against me, but it does seem to be the smart choice for the long-term survival of the industry.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

That's always the gamble when it comes to big business. Do you go along with what everyone else is doing like a Lemming and hope to hell that they're not all headed for a cliff, or do you forge your own path and hope to hell it doesn't crumble under your feet.

 

[Lethos]

I haven't bought a Nintendo product since the Gamecube. I never thought that was particularly amazing anyway.

Unlike a lot of gamers, I didn't grow up with Nintendo so I don't really have any nostalgia interlinked with the company. Not that I'm saying Nintendo fans are only fans because of Nostalgia. I'm sure there is plenty of reasons to be a Nintendo fan, I just don't get any of them.

 

[Deathfish15]

Good for Nintendo.

Facebook games aren't games at all, at least on the level of games in this decade or the last two. All it's done is degraded progression of graphics, physics, and other technology for simpleminded bunk.

I honestly thought Nintendo was going that route with it's last 2 game systems being child-like in nature and far behind the other generations, but then with the Wii-U, it looks like their finally pulling their heads out of their arse and moving forward far infront of the competition.

Because graphics and physics make games great? Here I thought fun gameplay was the cornerstone of a great gaming experience.

Yes, it is, such as Minecraft is a great example of crappy graphics and great gameplay. However, there's a point to what I'm saying where the game (example of Farmville) is entirely "click water, click land, crop grows". Almost no animation whatsoever and barely any real "game" play.

Games and the genre hasn't progressed much at all. Anyone remember Armed and Dangerous? There was a gun that allowed the player to literally turn the world upside down. And a Landshark gun that went through the ground. Ya, we had those physics back in 2003 on the first Xbox.

Now days for shooters, it's almost always some version of the AK47 and the M16. For the graphics, it's what shade of gray and brown goes on the walls and floor of the next dirt village. So, it's either total interaction with lack of creativity, or minimal to no interaction with lack of brain power. There's no more hidden treasures that are between the two.

 

[Xanthious]

"Unique and Unprecedented" . . Riiiiiiight. Nintendo is the king of regurgitating content over and over between their consoles. Each console will have a mario game, each one will have a mario kart, Smash Bros, Metroid, etc. Nintendo is either unwilling or unable to develop anything that would classify as "unique" content these days. Maybe this mysterious project will be another Zelda game cause ya know those are fresh and interesting. . . .


Nintendo is stagnant when it comes to software and simply inept in the hardware department. Honestly if Nintendo would have abandoned video games all together after the SNES and focused their efforts instead on custom yard geese outfits the gaming industry would be better off for it. Fuck Nintendo!

 

[jpoon]

Fine with me, free to play games generally suck all ass anyways. I'd rather pay for a quality game where you get the whole game, not some gimped bullshit piece of a game.

 

[Enrathi]

Now days for shooters, it's almost always some version of the AK47 and the M16. For the graphics, it's what shade of gray and brown goes on the walls and floor of the next dirt village. So, it's either total interaction with lack of creativity, or minimal to no interaction with lack of brain power. There's no more hidden treasures that are between the two.

Well, that's because the trend today is realistic shooters with gritty settings (which apparently translates to brown and grey). Look at Bulletstorm. The game may be immature and stupid (at least to me, it doesn't hold my interest whatsoever) but the weapons and gameplay are creative and a few of the screenshots I've seen had brightly colored plants (that just happened to have large spikes to kick enemies onto), but as I haven't played the game I'm not sure how common that is. So while not all shooters are like that, it is the trend, so the companies make what sells.

 

[Magikarp]

What about Excitebike 3D and the upcoming Four Swords on 3DS?

I believe excitebike 3d is only free temporarily, to celebrate the opening of the 3ds store.

 

[PhiMed]

Good for Nintendo.

Facebook games aren't games at all, at least on the level of games in this decade or the last two. All it's done is degraded progression of graphics, physics, and other technology for simpleminded bunk.

I honestly thought Nintendo was going that route with it's last 2 game systems being child-like in nature and far behind the other generations, but then with the Wii-U, it looks like their finally pulling their heads out of their arse and moving forward far infront of the competition.

I guess. Their graphics capability is slightly above that of a couple systems that are 5 and 6 years old. I fully expect sony and microsoft's next products to blow the Wee-U's hardware out of the water. Not that Nintendo has ever won because their hardware was the most advanced.

I guess the controller is more advanced, but I'm with Yahtzee in saying that I just don't see the useful applications. I don't want to be forced to look down at the controller during a game.

I don't think they're "far and away" in front of the competition. They're a little bit above where the competition was, so I guess they get some credit for that. I'm just glad they didn't re-purpose the Gamecube again.

 

[Baresark]

I'm glad to hear this. Free to play is a fad. Basically, every developer/publisher talks about how great it is, but what they really mean is that a few companies have reaped a lot of financial rewards and they want to as well. There must be some sort of value in a piece of software to garner interest from the consumer. Free newspapers are great occasionally, but the ones everyone wants to read everyday are the ones you have to pay for.

 

[Hristo Tzonkov]

Nintendo seems to treat free games as some sort of marketing and doesn't understand why the concept is so successful especially for PC games.Take League of Legends for instance...There's millions of people playing and let's face it 1/2 of them are probably people who pirate other games.Thing is those pirates might never spend a dime on games but they'd buy a micro transaction for some riot points to buy a skin for their favourite char.

 

[SoopaSte123]

"Unique and Unprecedented" . . Riiiiiiight. Nintendo is the king of regurgitating content over and over between their consoles. Each console will have a mario game, each one will have a mario kart, Smash Bros, Metroid, etc. Nintendo is either unwilling or unable to develop anything that would classify as "unique" content these days. Maybe this mysterious project will be another Zelda game cause ya know those are fresh and interesting. . . .


Nintendo is stagnant when it comes to software and simply inept in the hardware department. Honestly if Nintendo would have abandoned video games all together after the SNES and focused their efforts instead on custom yard geese outfits the gaming industry would be better off for it. Fuck Nintendo!

Here here! I'll drink to that!

The fact that Nintendo keeps talking shit about casual games when that's what their market has been for the last 5 years baffles me... though I guess all other casual games have been their competition, so I guess it makes sense for them to be upset about it.

 

[DeadlyYellow]

So I guess that explains why their published games never drop in price.

 

[JediMB]

Or at least a new IP of some sort.

They've made plenty of the new IPs for the Wii and DS.

Oh, you mean a new IP aimed at a more traditional audience? Yeah, those don't sell well, because people only care about new IPs when they're not actually around.

 

[MB202]

I guess I KIND of understand... Nintendo exclusive makes video games and nothing else, and they want to makes sure that they make money off of those games...

 

[Snowy Rainbow]

However, there's a point to what I'm saying where the game (example of Farmville) is entirely "click water, click land, crop grows". Almost no animation whatsoever and barely any real "game" play.

I'm sorry, but that came off extremely pretentious. You disliking the gameplay does not make it any less of a game.