Nintendo keeps assuring us that they haven't forgotten the hardcore gamer, and here's the latest such assurance: an apology for the lack of core gamer favorites like Mario and Zelda at this year's E3 showing, from Iwata himself in a Forbes article.
"If there is any perception that Nintendo is ignoring the core gamers, it's a misunderstanding and we really want to get rid of that misunderstanding by any means," says Iwata. "We are sorry about [the E3] media briefings, specifically for those who were expecting to see Nintendo show something about 'Super Mario' or 'Legend of Zelda.'
"However, the fact of the matter is the so-called 'big titles' need a long, long development period. ... We really didn't think this year's E3 media briefing was the time to do so."
The article also confirms that North America may see another chronic Wii shortage this Christmas, and that they don't see Apple's iPhone as legitimate competition in the games sector.
Get ready to read something really depressing!
As reported by Time, and elaborated upon by GamePolitics, a small company called Fobis Technologies released a product called the Weemote in 2000. It's a cutesy TV remote for very little kids that lets parents block out channels.
In 2006, Nintendo announced the Wii Remote, which the Internet promptly nicknamed the 'Wiimote'. Suddenly sales of Fobis Technologies's Weemote sank. Fobis's president John Stephen argues this is because wide use of "Wiimote" for the Wii Remote on consumer sites dilutes visibility of the Weemote brand.
Stephen wants Nintendo to buy the Weemote brand so Fobis can then develop something new. Nintendo, however, has refused to do so. The company doesn't own the term 'Wiimote' and doesn't use it in their marketing. That leaves Fobis stuck spamming retailers with C&D letters to try and stop use of "Wiimote" in ads while sales get worse.
See? Depressing.
The R4 flash cart makes the thriving DS homebrew scene possible, but it's got a dirty secret: most people who pick it up just use it to pirate DS titles.
Sales of DS titles in the UK are believed to be suffering so badly from piracy that the ELSPA is considering legal action against all retailers who carry the R4 flash cart, an action that could very well pit them against major online retailers like Amazon. As reported by MCV:
ELSPA's IP Crime Unit manager John Hillier has warned the trade that unless the sale of these items halts, the trade body will be forced to act. ...
The supply of these items is an infringement and an offence under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 and the Trade Marks Act 1994. ELSPA's IP Crime Unit works closely with the enforcement agencies to stop this supply and prevent instances of intellectual property theft.
Publishers of core titles like Square-Enix and Nintendo themselves are believed to be those hardest-hit by piracy, while sales of casual games are believed to be unaffected.
Nintendo's behavior regarding Frat Party Games seemed kind of fishy, and it turns out there's a big reason why. It was probably motivated by an ongoing battle between the ESRB and Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal.
Blumenthal's feelings on any depictions of alcohol consumption in games are especially strong. He wanted the ESRB to rate the original Beer Pong version of Frat Party Games AO, instead of T13+. Quoth Blumenthal:
The rating T 13+ -- suitable for teens 13 and older -- is absolutely inappropriate. The video game rating board is under the influence -- rating frat party video drinking games suitable for minors. Even as JV Games agrees to alter its Beer Pong video game, both it and the rating board stubbornly deny the damaging influence of alcohol depiction in video games.
As seen in the Manhunt 2 controversy, Nintendo won't allow any AO material on its hardware. Forcing Frat Party Games to take the beer out of Beer Pong allows Nintendo to completely avoid that situation.
Nintendo has required JV Games, publishers of the Frat Party Games, to change both the name and content of their original WiiWare title. This contradicts earlier policy outlined by Reggie Fils-Aime which stated Nintendo would not screen WiiWare titles.
Frat Party Games was originally announced with the subtitle "Beer Pong", and depicts the old college drinking game of throwing ping-pong balls into plastic cups filled with lousy beer. If a ball lands in your opponent's cup, he has to chug it down. Nintendo apparently didn't care much for that.
JV Games co-founder Vince Valenti recalls how they "had a little discussion with Nintendo and there were some angry parties." The two founders were shocked by Nintendo's reaction. As Valenti puts it, his company's use of the word "beer" was "just like you would hear in any movie or on TV."
The version of the game that's actually going to see release will be subtitled "Pong Toss", and the college students depicted in the title will enthusiastically throw ping-pong balls into... empty cups... that disappear.
Yes, the title of this post refers to something that actually exists. MSNBC Japan has a little report up about the gifts given to the eight ministers attending this year's G8 summit in Hokkaido Toyako as part of a preparatory meeting at the Kyoto International Conference Center.
In addition to, er, manga-style stickers of each minister's floating disembodied head and a weird perfume ball called a Nioidama, each minister also got a custom Nintendo DS Lite as a goodwill gift from Kyoto-based Nintendo. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice attended for the United States.
So, yes: that means Condi not only has a DS Lite, but it's way better than yours.
If you hype yourself up enough for a game, then almost anything can seem good when you sit down and start playing it. I couldn't make myself argue that Brawl wasn't a fun game, but I also eagerly ate up two years of pre-release hype.
So Mitch Krpata's belated review of Super Smash Bros. Brawl at the Boston Phoenix is rather interesting. Most newspaper reviews of Brawl were breathlessly enthusiastic, but Krpata is roundly unimpressed. This isn't a case of a reviewer "not getting it", as Krpata clearly knows what he's talking about when it comes to gaming.
Nostalgia isn't a bad thing. The problem with Super Smash Bros. Brawl is that it doesn't give us any fresh insight or perspective on the worlds it depicts. It doesn't expand the Nintendo universe; it exploits it. Instead of using our built-in love for gaming history as a jumping-off point from which to create new memories, it siphons them. Looking at the massive roster, you may find yourself wondering how long it's been since Nintendo launched a successful new franchise.
Is he right? Are we all suckers when it comes to Brawl? I'm not sure I think so... then again, I'm not sure I could bring myself to agree.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Mission Bay Community Church prides itself on making worship fun and inviting, and... well, this is the result. Nothing else I say can add, or detract, from this image's splendor in any way. If I lived in San Francisco, I would so be there.
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