I think Nintendo are attempting to push the price points of handheld downloadable titles up in accordance with their theory that the plethora of .99 games on iOS is significantly devaluing the handheld market
I agree a more Steamlike model would work far better though. Weekly or fortnightly sales on things. Port more shit from GB, GBA and potentially DS over to the Virtual Console. Attract more developers. Shit like that.
I think there are two problems with this. You can't just ignore the rest of the market and say 'these games are worth X' when similar games (and in the case of Zenonia, Plants Vs Zombies, and I'm sure a few others, the exact same game), are available significantly cheaper everywhere else. The other problem is that I really don't think the games are worth what they're asking anyway. I can see 3D remakes like Excitebike going for around $5-10 happily, but plain old ports of 10yo games? Alleyway on 3DS is the same price as Arcanum on GOG? Zenonia and Plants V Zombies the same price as Baldur's Gate 2 or Planescape?
They also just plain old need more games. Steam tells me it has 951 games under $10. The iOS appstore has some ridiculous number of games, all dirt cheap. You can't just say that cheap games devalue the market and thus ignore your competition's price point, or you end up with people like me who are interested in seeing the store, download it almost as soon as it comes out, browse it quickly and then leave, possibly never to return, because the prices are so ridiculous.
Hell, if you're going to charge a premium, at least make the service worthy of a premium. Make it easier to browse, to find things, give me demos, don't make me buy money in blocks. Do a little something to earn my money, instead of just sullenly saying that the cheaper store down the road's ruining the neighbourhood.
Completely agree - if they're trying to pull in premium money, they have to offer a premium service and premium games. They're certainly never going to be competitive in price with iPhone games, so they should focus more on courting high-end indie devs for downloadable platform exclusives.
Shantae is a completely stupid price in the UK (£11, which is more than what I paid for Dragon Age 2 and Mass Effect 2 combined a month ago) but is one of the few titles on the store that is a genuinely premium experience - better than any retail 2D Metroidvania I've played on DS, and something that I cannot buy on iPhone even if I wanted to.
The problem, as stated, is that all of the non-shoddy stuff on offer is completely out of impulse purchase range, and doesn't offer the depth and length that would justify these price tags. Except Link's Awakening, and even that's on the outer limits. I do think demos are too much to hope for given Nintendo's attitude on them in the past, though.
Yea, I bought cave story and shantae and that was a good chunk of change.
I love both of them, but, man, c'mon. One is a freeware game, and one might as well almost be retail.
That and the fact that it is almost impossible to find anything in the estore.
It really is a fantastic OP, Rehab. Makes me excited for everything that's coming - there's a lot to look forward to with this device, just as there was with the original DS. It just needs time to get off the ground.
I'm feeling kind of the opposite; I was hoping for more third-party announcements to catch my eye, but so far the only new games that's really got me intrigued are Heroes of Ruin and Rolling Western, and I don't even know if that's first- or third-party. I do have plenty of games lined up to buy this year -- Super Mario, Mario Kart, Bit.Trip Saga, RE: Mercenaries, probably Kid Icarus -- but a lot of Nintendo's bigger heavy-hitters just don't do anything for me, including OoT, Paper Mario, Luigi's Mansion, and Animal Crossing. Starfox is a potential pickup, but probably only when it's cheaper.
I'm fine being patient -- the DS took a while to really get going, too -- but I was hoping for more surprises. Here's looking to TGS, though! And I'm currently working through Link's Awakening, so I'm happy for the time being.
Hell, if you're going to charge a premium, at least make the service worthy of a premium. Make it easier to browse, to find things, give me demos, don't make me buy money in blocks. Do a little something to earn my money, instead of just sullenly saying that the cheaper store down the road's ruining the neighbourhood.
I think that this is the best suggestion for the system. Would have saved me from wasting $1.99 on Treasure Hunter X.
Hell, if you're going to charge a premium, at least make the service worthy of a premium. Make it easier to browse, to find things, give me demos, don't make me buy money in blocks. Do a little something to earn my money, instead of just sullenly saying that the cheaper store down the road's ruining the neighbourhood.
I think that this is the best suggestion for the system. Would have saved me from wasting $1.99 on Treasure Hunter X.
Also this site, where you can see it has a 5/10 rating.
I think Nintendo are attempting to push the price points of handheld downloadable titles up in accordance with their theory that the plethora of .99 games on iOS is significantly devaluing the handheld market
I agree a more Steamlike model would work far better though. Weekly or fortnightly sales on things. Port more shit from GB, GBA and potentially DS over to the Virtual Console. Attract more developers. Shit like that.
I think there are two problems with this. You can't just ignore the rest of the market and say 'these games are worth X' when similar games (and in the case of Zenonia, Plants Vs Zombies, and I'm sure a few others, the exact same game), are available significantly cheaper everywhere else. The other problem is that I really don't think the games are worth what they're asking anyway. I can see 3D remakes like Excitebike going for around $5-10 happily, but plain old ports of 10yo games? Alleyway on 3DS is the same price as Arcanum on GOG? Zenonia and Plants V Zombies the same price as Baldur's Gate 2 or Planescape?
They also just plain old need more games. Steam tells me it has 951 games under $10. The iOS appstore has some ridiculous number of games, all dirt cheap. You can't just say that cheap games devalue the market and thus ignore your competition's price point, or you end up with people like me who are interested in seeing the store, download it almost as soon as it comes out, browse it quickly and then leave, possibly never to return, because the prices are so ridiculous.
Hell, if you're going to charge a premium, at least make the service worthy of a premium. Make it easier to browse, to find things, give me demos, don't make me buy money in blocks. Do a little something to earn my money, instead of just sullenly saying that the cheaper store down the road's ruining the neighbourhood.
I do think demos are too much to hope for given Nintendo's attitude on them in the past, though.
Just on this point, it may be too much to ask (and I'm generally understanding of the fact that a demo takes time and money), but it's the simplest example I could think of to make them deserve the premium they charge. Hell, most iOS games have demos or free versions, so even then it's only playing catch-up with the cheapest, bottom-of-the-barrel part of their competition.
Does anyone know if there are plans to keep remaking old NES games in 3D like Excitebike? I could spend a few bucks there (don't price them at 9.99 each Nintendo)
Does anyone know if there are plans to keep remaking old NES games in 3D like Excitebike? I could spend a few bucks there (don't price them at 9.99 each Nintendo)
This is the list of 3D demos that were showcased at E3 2010, though some were little more than screenshot mockups:
Mario Bros.
Tennis
Super Mario Bros.
The Legend of Zelda
Metroid
Musasame
Punch-Out!!
Excitebike
NES Open Golf
Twin Bee
Super Mario World
Kirby's Adventure
Mega Man 2
Castlevania
Urban Champ
Kid Icarus
Yoshi's Island
Smash Ping Pong
Warlock82Never pet a burning dogRegistered Userregular
edited June 2011
So I played Shantae again now that I've transfered it over to my 3DS and lost all my save games (grr). Wow, it still looks pretty damn good on the 3DS. Plants vs. Zombies looked like shit because 3DS stretches the DS's native resolution, but in this you couldn't even really tell.
Brainiac 8Don't call me Shirley...Registered Userregular
edited June 2011
I am actually pretty certain the reason we haven't gotten Yoshi's Island for the VC is that they are planning on 3Ding it up....or at least that's what I choose to believe.
In other words, I'd buy it, even if I have the original cart already. :P
Warlock82Never pet a burning dogRegistered Userregular
edited June 2011
I vaguely recall something from e3 where Nintendo said they were going to send out the e-mails a little early so that developers had time to advertise, etc. I don't remember the specifics though.
Sometimes you just need to shake things up to keep them interesting. That’s especially true with the recent launch of the Nintendo eShop, a new virtual store that gives Nintendo 3DS™ users access to a wide variety of downloadable games and select content that can be viewed in 3D without the need for special glasses. To mark the debut of the Nintendo eShop – and provide consumers with a valuable one-stop showcase of all the latest downloadable content across Nintendo systems – the weekly Nintendo Download is about to get a makeover.
Starting June 16, the Nintendo Download will include information about the newest additions to the Nintendo eShop, including new 3D games, 3D Classics (select classic video games re-mastered in 3D), Virtual Console™ versions of games from the Game Boy™ and Game Boy Color systems, and hundreds of games originally offered via the Nintendo DSiWare™ service. What’s more, this modified weekly update will be posted Thursdays instead of Mondays, giving fans a heads-up on the latest offerings just in time for the weekend.
Loyal readers can rest assured that the Nintendo Download will continue to feature the latest items for the WiiWare™, Nintendo DSiWare and Wii Virtual Console services, highlighting the ever-growing variety of instantly downloadable games and entertainment for Nintendo systems. Likewise, content will continue to be added to the Wii Shop Channel and Nintendo DSi Shop on a weekly basis, also on Thursdays.
I had also heard that they were going to announce what the games were ahead of time... maybe that detail got lost?
The whole thing seems really confused by this point. Earlier it was said that they'd announce Monday and release Thursday. Now that PR indicates that they'll be doing both on Thursday. Who knows.
Yeah, it seems it's official everything has been moved to Thursdays. I was kinda hoping for them to keep the PR on Mondays, though, giving us some time to think what to buy.
Yeah, it seems it's official everything has been moved to Thursdays. I was kinda hoping for them to keep the PR on Mondays, though, giving us some time to think what to buy.
I think a lot of people would hate that, though. Get all excited for a game and you can't buy it for three days, at which point you've forgotten about it or thought better of your purchase. It's bad for Nintendo too, it takes away a bit of the impulse buy mentality.
I do think Thursday is a better day though, because more people have time to play their new games on the weekend.
Garlic Breadi'm a bitch i'm a bitch i'm a bitch i'm aRegistered User, Disagreeableregular
edited June 2011
Question: Is there a snap-on case or something for the 3DS that moves the stylus to the DS Lite's spot? Coming from the DS Lite (and being right handed), I really hate the placement of the stylus on the 3DS
Garlic Bread on
0
Warlock82Never pet a burning dogRegistered Userregular
Question: Is there a snap-on case or something for the 3DS that moves the stylus to the DS Lite's spot? Coming from the DS Lite (and being right handed), I really hate the placement of the stylus on the 3DS
I doubt it, but yeah, stylus placement on 3DS is retarded. DSi was perfect.
Question: Is there a snap-on case or something for the 3DS that moves the stylus to the DS Lite's spot? Coming from the DS Lite (and being right handed), I really hate the placement of the stylus on the 3DS
I doubt it, but yeah, stylus placement on 3DS is retarded. DSi was perfect.
Actually, I like it a lot better. With the DSLite, I was always paranoid that the stylus would snag on my pants while taking it in or out of my pocket. I don't worry about that at all with the 3DS.
I really don't want to drop $250 on one of these, particularly because of the nigh inevitable hardware refresh somewhere down the line. OoT is just forcing my hand, though. It looks so good. And then maybe they'd do Majora's Mask, which is totally a better game.
Mustachio Jones on
0
dresdenphileWatch out for snakes!Registered Userregular
edited June 2011
Do DSiWare games ever go on sale? $12 for Shantae seems a bit steep. (Yes, I realize it's not $20/40/60 like most console games, but I do most of my game "purchases" through Goozex, so spending real monies for games is a bit tight at the moment.)
On that note, is the game a remake with DS functionality, or is it just a port from the GBC/GBA?
Shantae's neither a port nor a remake, it's a game all its own. Gorgeous sprite art.
So people were talking about the stylus, I got a question too - does anyone else use it in its short mode rather than extend it? I do it all the time, sort of in the interest of saving time but I also like how it feels. I was also that weird kid in school who used 2 inch long pencils sharpened at both ends.
Posts
Completely agree - if they're trying to pull in premium money, they have to offer a premium service and premium games. They're certainly never going to be competitive in price with iPhone games, so they should focus more on courting high-end indie devs for downloadable platform exclusives.
Shantae is a completely stupid price in the UK (£11, which is more than what I paid for Dragon Age 2 and Mass Effect 2 combined a month ago) but is one of the few titles on the store that is a genuinely premium experience - better than any retail 2D Metroidvania I've played on DS, and something that I cannot buy on iPhone even if I wanted to.
The problem, as stated, is that all of the non-shoddy stuff on offer is completely out of impulse purchase range, and doesn't offer the depth and length that would justify these price tags. Except Link's Awakening, and even that's on the outer limits. I do think demos are too much to hope for given Nintendo's attitude on them in the past, though.
(I appreciate all feedback, so take a few minutes to check it out)
Pokemon White: 5371-9705-4895
3DS Friend Code: 2105-8646-1262
I love both of them, but, man, c'mon. One is a freeware game, and one might as well almost be retail.
That and the fact that it is almost impossible to find anything in the estore.
I'm feeling kind of the opposite; I was hoping for more third-party announcements to catch my eye, but so far the only new games that's really got me intrigued are Heroes of Ruin and Rolling Western, and I don't even know if that's first- or third-party. I do have plenty of games lined up to buy this year -- Super Mario, Mario Kart, Bit.Trip Saga, RE: Mercenaries, probably Kid Icarus -- but a lot of Nintendo's bigger heavy-hitters just don't do anything for me, including OoT, Paper Mario, Luigi's Mansion, and Animal Crossing. Starfox is a potential pickup, but probably only when it's cheaper.
I'm fine being patient -- the DS took a while to really get going, too -- but I was hoping for more surprises. Here's looking to TGS, though! And I'm currently working through Link's Awakening, so I'm happy for the time being.
So is this just a 3D Professor Layton, or...?
I think that this is the best suggestion for the system. Would have saved me from wasting $1.99 on Treasure Hunter X.
Also this site, where you can see it has a 5/10 rating.
Just on this point, it may be too much to ask (and I'm generally understanding of the fact that a demo takes time and money), but it's the simplest example I could think of to make them deserve the premium they charge. Hell, most iOS games have demos or free versions, so even then it's only playing catch-up with the cheapest, bottom-of-the-barrel part of their competition.
According to a Japanese Iwata Asks, there will be six, at least initially. Japan got both Excitebike and Xevious.
This is the list of 3D demos that were showcased at E3 2010, though some were little more than screenshot mockups:
http://ds.ign.com/articles/109/1098405p1.html
and I'd love to see how they'd do 3D Zelda
In other words, I'd buy it, even if I have the original cart already. :P
Nintendo Network ID - Brainiac_8
PSN - Brainiac_8
Steam - http://steamcommunity.com/id/BRAINIAC8/
Add me!
It seems to throw in a bit of turn based combat, but is otherwise indeed more than a little 'inspired' by everyone's favourite consummate gentleman.
Nintendo Network ID - Brainiac_8
PSN - Brainiac_8
Steam - http://steamcommunity.com/id/BRAINIAC8/
Add me!
What hoops do you have to jump through to get it?
(I appreciate all feedback, so take a few minutes to check it out)
Pokemon White: 5371-9705-4895
3DS Friend Code: 2105-8646-1262
Are they still doing the updates on Monday? Joystiq seemed to think they weren't posting them until later in the week now...
Wii Shop still updates on Mondays (I think), but there hasn't been anything on that yet.
(I appreciate all feedback, so take a few minutes to check it out)
Pokemon White: 5371-9705-4895
3DS Friend Code: 2105-8646-1262
Joystiq said everything is coming out Thurs now (including WiiWare/DSiWare), though who the hell knows if that's accurate.
Well, I'm on their media email list and I haven't gotten anything today (I always do), so maybe that really is the case.
(I appreciate all feedback, so take a few minutes to check it out)
Pokemon White: 5371-9705-4895
3DS Friend Code: 2105-8646-1262
They are supposed to do the press release on Monday's with what the coming update is supposed to be.
Nintendo Network ID - Brainiac_8
PSN - Brainiac_8
Steam - http://steamcommunity.com/id/BRAINIAC8/
Add me!
I had also heard that they were going to announce what the games were ahead of time... maybe that detail got lost?
no dice, and according to the quick start guide it was supposed to be inside the system's holder, which was totally empty
(I appreciate all feedback, so take a few minutes to check it out)
Pokemon White: 5371-9705-4895
3DS Friend Code: 2105-8646-1262
I think a lot of people would hate that, though. Get all excited for a game and you can't buy it for three days, at which point you've forgotten about it or thought better of your purchase. It's bad for Nintendo too, it takes away a bit of the impulse buy mentality.
I do think Thursday is a better day though, because more people have time to play their new games on the weekend.
I doubt it, but yeah, stylus placement on 3DS is retarded. DSi was perfect.
Actually, I like it a lot better. With the DSLite, I was always paranoid that the stylus would snag on my pants while taking it in or out of my pocket. I don't worry about that at all with the 3DS.
On that note, is the game a remake with DS functionality, or is it just a port from the GBC/GBA?
So people were talking about the stylus, I got a question too - does anyone else use it in its short mode rather than extend it? I do it all the time, sort of in the interest of saving time but I also like how it feels. I was also that weird kid in school who used 2 inch long pencils sharpened at both ends.
Nintendo Network ID - Brainiac_8
PSN - Brainiac_8
Steam - http://steamcommunity.com/id/BRAINIAC8/
Add me!
Nope. And given recent comments from Nintendo execs, nothing's ever going on sale.
Nope. Trust us, it's awesome and worth every penny.
Also is it weird to really like the e-shop music?
Wii U - 'Nocero'
XBox ID - therealmasume
PS4 ID - realmasume