Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Highway to third-party status

I couldn't see Nintendo's press conference live, since I was at work, but just seeing the highlights sent me in a state of shock and dismay. When you have an ailing system that direly needs help, letting the competition stomp your ass on the biggest stage you'll get all year is the last thing you need. Of course Nintendo aren't helping themselves with the very questionable decision to let SSB4 and Hyrule Warriors be a thing on the 3DS (Xenoblade also going there instead of getting a next-gen remaster like every other last-gen game doesn't help either), but what happened today at E3 was terrible. Fallout 4 is a thing. Shenmue 3 is a thing. THE FUCKING FF7 REMAKE is a thing (now we know why the originally planned port was unceremoniously canned). And the best thing Nintendo can do to answer that is having a Japan-only Mother game get an international release. But nooooo, it can't be Mother 3 (for all that I'm not terribly fond of it), but the original grindfest of suffering on NES. At least the former would've pleased people, but we couldn't have that today, could we?

Nope, make way for a shitty Samus-less Metroid spin-off that's less visually appealing than Metroid Prime Hunters (YES I WENT THERE). You know, people could scarcely believe it when Sega made another attempt at this whole Sonic thing after the 2006 debacle, but it actually worked out pretty well for them. Unleashed wasn't perfect, but it was decent enough that it laid the groundwork for Colors and Generations, unequivocally the best Sonic games since the Genesis era, if not ever. And it took them, what, two years to bounce back? Here, we have to wait five years. Five long years of pondering if Metroid was truly dead or not. And then THIS happens. Other M may not be quite the same magnitude of disaster Sonic 2006 was, but there's no doubt left that it did more lasting damage to its franchise in spite of that. It's a wonder people wanted to hear the name "Metroid" again after Other M, but now it's getting more likely to induce apathy and nothing else.

(Side rant: this is supposedly set in the "Metroid Prime" universe, as opposed to the "Metroid" universe. I know this is probably meant to ride Metroid Prime's dick as a name that's been synonymous for quality, but the other implication is that Metroid Prime's canon is now entirely separate from the rest of the series. It's often been suggested Yoshio Sakamoto really hates Metroid Prime (and that some other execs likely do), so it's a nagging suspicion I'm having in the back of my head. And if it happens to be true, fuck you too, Nintendo.)

There was some other stuff too, and there's a bit too much to list, but that was what really pissed me off. But make no mistake: the rest was pretty bad too. Oh, sure, we finally have that XCX release date, and we'll get MD4 by the end of the year, but that's not enough to get really excited about anything in Nintendo's future.

Because here's the problem: the Gamecube and the Wii both had solid first few years before petering out in dramatic fashion (the Gamecube in particular ended up losing to a console whose only noteworthy exclusives were Halo and Halo 2). The Wii U doesn't even have that, and after today it's safe to say it can only LOSE even more momentum. With Nintendo's third-party support thinning out year after year, it's up to Nintendo themselves to step up to the plate and hit it out of the park Every. Single. Time. No other company, whether they make consoles or just games, are in such a delicate position. Sony and Microsoft have a smorgasbord of third-party support to fall back on, and most developers that strictly make games can survive a failure better than Nintendo can because they're not losing money on consoles that don't sell on top of games that don't sell.

So in a world where the Wii U starts struggling to attract shovelware (I'm not kidding, look at the upcoming release calendar and compare it to other systems), Nintendo is condemned to perfection. And you and I both know Nintendo's good, but not THAT good. No one is. And let's face it: not even during the Gamecube's long, painful agony (it was already starting to die when Metroid Prime 2, IMO the best game on the system, and Resident Evil 4 came out, and it still had to hold on for two more years after that!), did I doubt Nintendo's capacity to survive as a console manufacturer to this kind of extent. We've officially reached the point where I really, really want Nintendo to just bow out of the home console market once the Wii U's run ends, while it still has some dignity left. After all, what are the odds of a Wii-like miracle happening for a second time? I wouldn't bet on those odds, whatever they are.

Of course this leads to an equally big problem: Nintendo's always said that the day they stop making consoles will be the day they close shop entirely. Naturally you can ponder whether they mean it or not, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if they seriously consider it if the time ever comes (and looking at the way things are now, it just might). But hey, what if, say, Sony offers them fat stacks of cash to keep making games for them? Could it happen? The most surreal thing I've ever seen as a gamer was Sonic Adventure 2 getting ported to the Gamecube, so nothing's impossible. I just hope that if Nintendo has to concede victory to Sony and Microsoft, they don't go out with a whimper.

tl;dr version: June 16, 2015: the day I finally lost a near-unshakable faith. Mark your calendars.

20 comments:

  1. I agree that the Wii U is pretty much unsalvageable now. However, I believe it's a bit too soon to count Nintendo out of the loop yet. Those idiots have an almost 20 years-worth as a safety cushion, don't tell me this isn't enough to be able to figure out a way to make a come-back. I have no faith in humanity, but not to the point of believing a full company as big as Nintendo wouldn't have ANYBODY with a good idea for nearly 2 decades.

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    1. Yeah, but how are they supposed to bring back third-party support? They lost it all in the N64 era, and they've had two decades to fix their mess only to make things even worse. Sure, the problem is that they insist on implementing original concepts on their consoles, but if they make cookie-cutter consoles like Sony and Microsoft do I doubt they can compete with them, either.

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    2. The only one thing I'm worried about at this point is seeing them "committing a Sega", as I like to call it. I thought it was really weird to hear them specifically mention that we are assured to hear news of the NX project next year. And it was coming from Reggie too, not even the mother company. Almost like he snuck that in there because he was seeing this coming. But I'm probably reading too much into this.

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    3. Zelda aside, they ARE clearly going all-in on the NX, just like they went all-in on the Wii a decade ago and let the Gamecube die prematurely. They're just hoping it'll work again.

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  2. So you lost faith because of, what, two games? Meanwhile we're getting a FUCKING NEW STAR FOX GAME HOLY SHIT MAN, on top of a few other decent titles (A new Legend of Zelda game? Sure thing! New Mario Tennis? Not the greatest fan of that franchise because I think the GB game and Powered are still the best, but who knows, it could be pretty good).

    I think part of the problem is leaks, they got some of their more interesting things leaked beforehand.

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    1. Oh, and how could I forget FUCKING PAPER MARIO MIXED WITH MARIO AND LUIGI! That already sounds like a great idea, even if Sticker Star... exists.

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    2. The big problem is that all the good stuff was already leaked...

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  3. Let me say these things up front. Nintendo's E3 presentation was overall very disappointing. It simply lacked the bombshells and flair of Sony and Microsoft. Part of that is because Nintendo likes to spread the news out among many Nintendo Directs rather than one glorious annual E3 showing. That is good for diehard Nintendo fans, but bad for everyone else. By Tuesday, they only had a couple of noteworthy things left to talk about after the Smash Direct and Nintendo World Championships. I’m afraid to think how the Wii U Zelda game is doing when Nintendo would rather talk about Mario Maker for the billionth time in the same presentation. Also, I offer the most sincere of condolences to any and all Metroid fans.

    Now here are some reasons I don’t see Nintendo going third-party anytime soon:

    1. Nintendo's first-party Wii U games aren't doing all that poorly. Mario Kart 8, Super Smash Bros for Wii U, and Splatoon are all massive successes. Super Mario Maker has been marketed so well, that it will surely be a big success also. Did you see the Nintendo World Championships? That was one of the most brilliant marketing moves Nintendo has done in quite some time!

    2. I'd be very surprised if Nintendo were losing money at this point with the great success of Amiibo and the dominant 3DS. The only way I see Nintendo pulling out of the console market is if they start losing money overall. They have a vision for their brand, and that includes the occasional large-scale console experience. This console/handheld divide may become blurrier next gen, but right now nothing beats an HD display and controller that doesn't make your hand cramp after a few hours.

    3. The Wii U has always attracted indie games, and Nintendo has recently been even more eager to promote indie games on Nintendo platforms. There was the recent "Nindie" Humble Bundle, and there's even now the huge Wii U demo promotion happening during E3. Say what you will about Activision and EA deserting the Wii U, but there are dozens of small studios who are more than happy to work with Nintendo for the publicity they need. Retail release or not. There is even still room for niche titles like Fatal Frame V for which the Wii U is a perfect fit.

    Besides, these presentations are just the start of E3. Nintendo is great about letting attendees actually try out their games. The Nintendo Treehouse stream has been fantastic so far, and there is much more to come. I was thoroughly unimpressed with Super Mario Maker a few days ago, but they’ve turned me into a believer with all this great gameplay they have been showing off!

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    1. Fair enough. I may be biased because I don't care for Mario Maker or Star Fox, but it's been a while since Nintendo's done something really interesting, so I was expecting a much better hand to show.

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  4. The theory I keep seeing (and agreeing with) is that Nintendo have written off the Wii U and are already prioritising their next console. They explicitly state in the video that they're looking to E3 2016 and the NX.
    It's not difficult to see why. The Wii U was a console that never really understood what it wanted to be. It was stuck somewhere between being a casual party machine like the Wii and being a hardcore gaming machine, but in trying to have its cake and eat it it only got in its own way. It wasn't casual enough for the casual crowd (as it lacked the accessibility of the Wii remote and besides which most of them had moved onto smartphones). It also wasn't hardcore enough for the hardcore crowd, lacking much third-party support and being a much weaker console than the competition. Yet the console's power never resulted in a more accessible price point as they had to bundle it with a massive tablet: the same massive tablet that requires the Wii U to constantly take up some RAM to stream images to it.
    I think what they're doing is prioritising the 3DS at the moment in preparation for a new console release as soon as possible. A lot of people (myself included) wouldn't be surprised if the new Zelda ended up being delayed or at least ported to the new console. And while I appreciate that strategy (as I think the Wii U's tablet completely tanked after only a few days), it doesn't stop their conference being a pathetic, wet fart next to Sony and Microsoft's pretty spectacular shows.

    As for Metroid... well, I really adore Metroid and even I'm not particularly excited about that, which I think says it all. I think it's a case of shoddy timing: had it come at a high point for the Metroid series I think we'd all be apathetic rather than insulted. But because it came in the middle of a massive Metroid drought, following what many consider to be the worst game in the series, it feels like a kick in the teeth.
    Still, I am pleased to see a return of the Prime design conventions (even if the chibi style is a fucking bizarre choice). I hope this means that Nintendo recognise that the Prime design conventions are a better fit for Metroid than Other M's. I don't think the execs hate it: I remember Miyamoto saying at one point recently that he wanted more 3D Metroid because they already had enough 2D franchises.

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    1. Don't forget that in terms of hardware, the Wii U seemed to be meant to compete with the PS3 and 360. I think Nintendo really overestimated these two's lifespans. Hopefully they don't repeat that mistake with the NX, because when they have to face off with the PS5 and whatever the next Xbox will be called, they're going to be in trouble.

      With that said, SuperNerd above had a good point with the Amiibos: they're making a lot of money off of them (how much do they cost to manufacture, anyway?), and while the Wii U is in a worse spot than the Gamecube, they somehow managed to turn a profit with the latter, and they didn't have a series of MUST-HAVE-NAO figurines. If only they weren't so incompetent they utterly failed to predict the demand...

      But as far as yesterday goes? Still think it was absolutely dreadful. Okay, so they hit a bullseye with Star Fox, but then they managed to infuriate the Metroid fanbase, get a very divided reaction out of the Animal Crossing fanbase, and crush any hopes there might've been of getting a proper Paper Mario game in the foreseeable future, giving the middle finger to that fanbase too. That is NOT a good day of work.

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  5. While I will admit I'm less than impressed with the net 'metroid' game, I still think there was a lot to compensate. The Animal Crossing party game was a neat surprise and as an Animal Crossing fan, I'm interested in trying that out even if it is Amiibo restricted.

    Then there's the new Starfox, which I know you don't care for it Slowflake, but Starfox is, along with Metroid, one of the 'dead' franchises. In fact, it's probably been more dead than Metroid since the last new game in the series was Starfox Command. I don't count the Starfox 64 3DS port as a new game, since it's pretty much the Starfox 64 we all know and love with a new lick of paint.

    As far as the Metroid situation goes, I did come across an interesting article. The producer of the Metroid Prime series says he doesn't quite see the series as 'done' as there is more he wants to do with the Samus/Sylux relationship. He also stated that for such a game, or game series, he wants the Galactic Federation to be more involved, so fleshing them out with such a spin-off title works for him.

    This is the article I read that in: http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2015/06/metroid_prime_producer_wants_to_make_another_sequel_with_samus_not_involved_in_2d_titles_by_yoshio_sakamoto

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  6. I actually felt sick to my stomach after the conference. Not because I'm particularly angry, but more just sad. This feels like an old friend drifting away. The Gamecube, despite coming in last place for its generation, had great games. The Wii was a success for perhaps the wrong reasons, but it also ended up being a pretty great console. The Wii U has a good thing going, and I think the gamepad has been implemented well and is a much better gimmick than motion controls. Given another couple of years, it could be just as great as the previous two consoles. But Nintendo is shooting itself in the foot with its business decisions lately. It's no wonder they're doing so poorly.

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  7. I suspect Nintendo has one last trick up its sleeve.
    http://mynintendonews.com/2015/06/17/gamespot-to-showcase-unknown-nintendo-title-tomorrow/
    This could be the big thing that makes Nintendo win E3, if it's something like Mother 3.

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    1. So here's the deal. In early May, someone showed a screenshot of SSB4's Masterpieces menu with Mother 3 added on there, with a listed release date of June 19, 2015. Everyone took a lava dump on the guy, because let's be fair, not only did it not look THAT convincing, but we're coming off the whole Rayman saga too.

      But what if it's really happening...?

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    2. Oh my.

      That's a definite possibility.

      Also, Iwata literally outright apologized for the travesty that was this year's E3:

      "Thank you for watching. We take opinions of this year's Digital Event seriously and will work to better meet your expectations." - Him on Twitter.

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  8. Metroid Prime: Federation Force has a singleplayer mode with Metroids and Samus.
    That's what the fans aren't getting.
    They're going berserk over something that isn't true.

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    1. Didn't they just say Samus was going to appear in some capacity? Because I doubt that's enough to please people.

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    2. And by that I mean, the whole gang was there in Star Fox Adventures, and people still shit on it because it wasn't the Star Fox experience they wanted. Likewise, Bottles and Gruntilda and friends were there in Nuts & Bolts, and it's still universally hated because it wasn't the Banjo-Kazooie experience they wanted either. At the end of the day, the same thing's happening here. People want the next Super Metroid or Metroid Prime, not something that uses the Metroid name but doesn't feel like Metroid.

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