ajcismo

Wild speculation: Getting the eShop ready for N64, 'Cube, Dreamcast and Saturn games... To kick it all off a special unannounced HD version of Skies of Arcadia becomes available.

Well, Nintendo's marketing strategy as a whole has been a stinking pile of compost for quite a while. Mr. Ward shouldn't feel left out.

Personally, I like the gamepad. Even if its just for a map or inventory it sure beats having to pull up another screen, thereby breaking up the action and flow.
I swear this is the only industry where devs are able to complain and moan and its accepted while the consumer is ignored when they do it. Think about it, if you went to Twitter or FB and complained about doing a job for a company and argued with a consumer base, I'm sure your employer wouldn't take kindly to it.
_{Please watch the profanity — TBD}

Such a goldmine of opportunity. Some would complain about making HD ports of their Wii hits since they're not new games, but you can't tell me they wouldn't sell well. Maybe boost a few Wii U numbers in the process.

All of this excuse garbage is going to get even more interesting as the year goes on and the Xbone is selling as well as the Wii U. Leaving only the PS4 (and PS3/360) as the only supposed "profitable" consoles left for 3rd parties.

Meanwhile, Warner Bros pumps out 4 new LEGO games on all systems and they make money.

Just picked this up on is $3 discount. Totally enjoyable, worth the purchase. Very charming game.

I'm down with the whole thing. The guy see's an opportunity in the market and wants to capitalize. If he's getting under the skin of the major 3rd parties with his pressers, I say more power to him.
Note to the NL staff: Please don't call an American Football QB "tasty"... Living in an NFL town, that just sounds creepy.

Would sure love to see a new DQ game. Heck, I'd be happy with some old school Dragon Warrior on the VC right now.

Good, looking forward to this one. Been impressed by Ubi's efforts in the past, this should be no different.

Solid week, interested in more than one game for the first time in a long time.

@allav866
No dude, I get it. Its called a joke. A little humor is all I was attempting.

But you still have to blow on the contact points for it to work.

The mind is still boggled that the handheld and console departments were so separate for so long. My dream of a huge iTunes-like Nintendo digital online store with their entire back catalog available and ready to play on whatever system I want inches closer to reality.

I always thought Mario could stand to lose a pound or two. (Kilo to our metric friends)

Sounds like you cats in the NL office have had a busy morning.

It wouldn't surprise me one bit if we see animated features like the old Mario Bros cartoon revived or maybe a live-action Metroid movie (which could very well be pretty awesome).

The DS thing is nice, I could see myself enjoying Phantom Hourglass (or Dragon Warrior, like that'll ever happen) on the gamepad, sure.
But their entire back catalog should be available for digital download. NES-Wii, including other systems they have the rights to.

Marketing would be a great start. What few commercials I've seen, they look like a high school AV dept made them.

Whoopie doo. Maybe they can take some of that salary they were supposed to get and put it into Marketing and Promotion.
I get that people are impressed by their honor and difference in culture, but they're taking cuts because of lousy business decisions that have been going on for years.

Every one of their consoles should be able to use the Wavebird.

But I do like the off-tv play feature. Pretty handy. Wife watches her shows, I stay entertained.

Here you go Nintendo: Put Mario Bros. on smartphones, charge 99 cents for a level or 2 and watch as a nice stream of revenue starts flowing in. And all it cost you was to hire someone to write a few lines of code from a 31 year old game into a smartphone app.
Its suited for short burst play. 1 or 2 levels is all a lot of people would play anyways. They wet their whistle, you get a buck, pretty fair deal.
Then offer the full version for $4.99, which is fair to everyone who bought it on the Wii U/3DS. For everyone who did already buy it on console, give them a free copy for their phones as a goodwill gesture.

Excellent article. The inside perspective is nice, especially since its a real persons opinion and not an "anonymous source".
Totally agree that the most important thing Nintendo needs to do is revise its marketing strategy. Or maybe get one.

An official Nintendo app is more or less long overdue. Integrating it with Nintendo Zone, Miiverse, and the eShop would be nice and the right thing to do.
Personally, I'd love to see them create an iTunes-type store and have it be part of their rumored app. All of their back catalog, plus other systems they own the rights to, available for digital download. Just like how movies and music are sold (and rented). How could that not make money?

Thanks for kicking my butt everyone. =) Its what I get for not practicing.
Could only stick around for one series, gotta go shopping with the wife, have a blast NL!

The city I live in had an 80s retro arcade show at the local museum all summer long. Several machines were playable (on free play) and featured many Nintendo cabinets from back in the day. Great article, enjoyed it, takes me back to working in an arcade in the early 90s.

It may all be rumor and speculation, which obviously we all hope thats as far as it goes. But these rumors usually have a sliver of truth to them.
This is why I constantly question Mr.Iwata's leadership. He needs to get on his Luigi-phone and do whatever he can to keep games like this coming to Nintendo systems. Sitting in your office in Kyoto and not doing anything is not what is called for here.

Absolutely love this game. If you're into JRPGs and Anime, I would pick this up immediately.

Meh, since they don't do Tiger Woods anymore, something that would've been perfect for Wii U, I don't really give a frogs butt about what they have to say about anything.
Being the most hated company in America 2 years running and losing several of their top people since December (6?), I think they have their own problems.

Somewhere in a box in my garage I have the Nintendo Power issue with this on the cover. Really gruesome back in the day, especially for Nintendo.

I'm going to try and make this one, I should be home from work by the start time. Might have to dust off my MK7... a little too much AC4 and Project X Zone lately, haven't played Kart in months.

@TheRealThanos
True. The backlash from the Xbox reveal was nothing short of a small revolt.

@TheRealThanos
I hope that detour involves asking for directions from its fans.

Nintendo has always touted the fact that they march to their own beat... and it worked for quite a long time. Of course, until now. Really the last 3 years or so. Changing what you've been doing as a business philosophy for decades can't be easy. I'd love to see what the overall mood is over in Kyoto right now, especially amongst the people down in the trenches. It is still all about the games in the end, no matter what direction they decide to go. Morale is important and I don't want to see it affect the future products.

@gatorboi352
I'd kill for the carefree days of yesteryear when names like Revolution or even Dolphin were being thrown around.

Maybe we're getting more than 1 VC game this week and NoA is leaking the lesser known title early? Meanwhile, on Thursday we get LttP and SMB3 along with MBJ.
Yeah, and maybe monkeys will fly out of my butt too.

@MAB
I gotta admit, I really enjoy your Spaced GIFs on a monday morning.

I just bought a car, should've held off and bought some Nintendo stock instead. This sucker is gonna bottom out soon and be really cheap with no way to go but up.

I can't wait to play Urban Champion on my Android...

Ok, that was a joke... sort of. The (mis)-handling of the VC has been a big sticking point to me and many many other Wii U owners. The service is completely under utilized with its drip method of releasing outdated software.
Except that all of those NES titles would be perfect for phone use, and a great start to generating some cash and giving those stock prices a boost. Even include the precious SNES in there too as more options (and dollar generators). Who cares if its on phones? These games have been out for 15, 20, 25 years. Its not like its a new experience playing any of these on our current TVs, just convenient. I would gladly buy again, for the 10th time, Zelda 1 for my phone if given the opportunity. I know I'm getting a quality product, not some emulator that could crash my phone if something goes weird.
Give the people who own the U something with more meat on it... Like say, for instance, EVERY OTHER NINTENDO RELATED CONSOLE. N64, Cube, Dreamcast, Saturn, etc (even the Wii)... they should all be available for digital download. And release games in large bunches, consumers want options, many options. Its the world we live in now and Nintendo needs to adjust.

Frustrating day for all of us who have supported and been fans of the Big N for so long. I don't know whats worse, the fact that the haters and trolls get to have a big laugh or that the brass in Kyoto is seemingly so out-of-touch with the rest of the gaming universe that this was all a big surprise to them.
I'd like to see Nintendo start simple. Start with some marketing campaigns that are modern and with some production value. Families on couches don't make people run out or even talk about your product. Their last batch of ads looked like they had a budget of around $40 and filmed it in my aunts living room. zzzzzz... Remember the "Wii want to play" commercials? Simple, fun, fast-paced. Why not revisit those with "Wii want to play with U"? Keep things short and moving quickly. Utilize the quirky weirdness we see in those Japanese commercials that nobody understands outside of Japan. Get people to notice again.. who cares if it doesn't make sense? Sony has had that "Its a brand new day" commercial out for months and the stupid song gets stuck in my head and makes me remember the commercial. Guys with swords, dudebro's racing cars and doing flips, followed up with battlefield earth and everyone is singing. Its weird, shows zero video games, has music, but makes you remember the product. Who gives a crap if you have an interest in the PS4? It sticks in your head, which makes it effective.
Next, get a team of programmers together and dump as much as humanly possible of the back catalog of games into the VC. Every first party title from the NES on through the Wii should be available for digital download from now on for every console Nintendo puts out for the rest of its business life. Package up groups, like Mario RPG, Paper Mario 64 and Paper Mario 1000 Year Door for $20. Imagine being able to download both Mario Galaxy games for $20? You can't tell me that wouldn't sell. Stubborn, pig-headed, refusing to adjust to the winds of change philosophy that has more or less worked for the past 30 years isn't working anymore. And really if it wasn't for their handheld market and Wii Sports, you could argue that it hasn't worked at all since about 1997. They need to move away from their norm and do what they do best: Be inventive and inspired, and for goodness sake, LISTEN to your consumer base and your fans. We've been telling you what we want for years, and you keep giving us what you want, and whats happening now is the result of that.

@theberrage
You sir, are so correct.

@Nintenjoe64
Ahh... Much like my beloved Packers. Always draft the talent and barely make a squeek in free agency. Another 1st round exit in the playoffs this year.
Yeah, I fear that Nintendo will be just like the PSBox clones someday too, which is why when they do what little advertising they do at least its not dudebro heavy. And you might be right about not spending the money simply to not spend it. Personally I feel its a huge mistake, especially here in the States where attention spans are seconds long.

@Nintenjoe64
You're right about software support, thats been going on forever. I do disagree about the nothing to advertise however. The usual example is McDonalds, they advertise a ton despite the fact they're McDonalds and they shouldn't need to. But they do anyways, constantly reminding the consumer. Marketing 101. I had to ask my buddy whos into soccer about your Arsenal refference since I'm in NA and don't follow at all. Its is the same here with firing an American football coach after not making the playoffs one year.

@Nintenjoe64
Not doing the same thing? Seriously? No advertising year after year, software gaps year after year, consumers screaming at the top of their lungs for a better digital distribution system year after year, Iwata appologizing for losses 3 years in a row... Its time we take the Mario colored glasses off and realize that change might be a good thing.

@Einherjar
EA has lost 6 of its executives over the last month and is the Most Hated Company in America 2 years running. But I do understand your point, and none of us like seeing a nice guy like Mr.Iwata in such a tough spot. But hes been making the same mistakes over and over again.

Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Nothing is going to change. He needs to resign.

Been in the "let go of Iwata" camp for a while now. Besides all of the head scratching moves that have been going on for years (software gaps, VC trickle, 3rd party disappearing acts etc...), the most important reason why the Wii U is "failing" is the complete and total lack of advertising. ADVERTISING! Its basic marketing you learn in high school, and Nintendo has done barely any. For a company that prides itself on imagination and innovation, their marketing campaigns for the last several years have lacked both.

Meh, I can hold out for Mario Kart and maybe pick this one up down the road (so to speak) when its price drops.

Looking at that makes me wish I could visit Nintendo's R&D for a day and really see what they're working on.

All I got out of this article was a lot of tech blah blah and what seems to be programmers not liking having to change things up from one system to another if they're not already similar in language. Sounds kinda lazy to me.

Its not so much any game in particular, but I'm wishing 2014 brings systems like N64, Saturn, Dreamcast, and Gamecube to the VC.

And yet we get half naked teen pop stars shoved down our throats every 10 minutes here.

I couldn't give two squirts of soda if the game has any online or multi player options on it. Not my cup of tea. However, I am stoked beyond words for another Monolith Soft (J)RPG. Every game they put their stamp on has just been an absolute gem. Might have to fire up some Baton Kaitos on the ol' Cube this weekend I'm so excited.