Well, I just made this page in ten minutes, so at this point it includes only my Red Shirt editorials. Soon, I'll have multiple exclusive editorials here though.
-Gotenks
On a Sarcastic Note.
Undisputedly, the Nintendo 64 will fail. Just kidding. To be MUCH more honest,
it looks as though Nintendo has picked yet another winner. In Japan, over
one million sold, and here in North America, I'd be willing to bet almost
a million will sell before Christmas. But there are only "500 000" units,
you say. Well, at this point in time it's pretty much certain that the infamous
"N64 Shortage" is just another one of Nintendo's arguably tricky marketing
methods. The same could be said of the $199 price drop, which BTW, we here
at Red Shirt's predicted (kind of ;^>. Although at this point the wait
is a mere 14 days, each day seems to be dragging by almost unbearably slowly.
To bridge the gap, and avoid going insane, I've been making regular trips
to Toys R Us, among other things. What follows is a list of things I've been
doing to keep my sanity till September 29th:
-staying online for days straight -participating in the new forums at GEO (check out the Links section) -seeing how many times I can twiddle my thumbs in under two minutes -counting down the days till September 22, when N64.COM (http://www.n64.com) launches -actually buying a copy of GamePro (don't worry I WON'T buy another. What a terrible experience!) -Running around my computer 234 times a day to stay in shape -watching the ABFlex informercial over and over (Sundays on FOX) -writing strange editorials with no real subject such as this one
Now that I've got that off my chest, I feel a lot better... In parting, have
a look at what Nintendo has done with their site (see Links section). Cool
graphics, but kinda slow if you ask me. Watch out, cause September 29th,
Nintendo is BACK.
Heaven
A week ago, I drove to Toys R Us with one sole purpose... to play the Nintendo
64. I had been reading about it on the Net and in mags for over three years,
and so finally being able to play one, actually PLAY one became a monumentous
occaison. Breaking various speed limits, I raced to TRU, no remorse in my
conscience whatsoever. Upon arriving at the store, running through the aisles
and pushing various young'uns aside, (to their parent's complaints), I saw
IT. Yes, that's right, IT. A REAL N64. Some kid was playing, so naturally
I shoved him politely out of my way, saying "I'll show you this secret...".
Nevertheless the child ran crying to his mother. At that point I decided
I wanted to start a new game, so of course I pulled the plug on the extension
cord which supplied all the systems, leaving some sorry Virtual Boy playing
kid wondering what happened. The well-known Mario head appeared, and needless
to say,I started the game without paying attention to the "head" (no sick
jokes, you perverts). You guys probably know how great the graphics and sound
effects are, not to mention the gameplay, so I won't get detailed. Let's
just say that my opinion on the game is the same as NG, Gf, UGP, GEO, EGM
and GP's (shudder, not that I read GamePro or anything) opinions. Mario 64
must be the best game I've played, and I've played quite a few. What shocked
me was the reaction around me. Kids gasped, parent's cried "OMIGAH!", and
although TRU has been only taking pre-orders for a week at that location,
there were already 36 preorders at that location! Add to that the fact that
there has been up to now no advertising, and that number is pretty impressive.
Anyway, the point of this article is, GO TO TRU NOW! If you haven't been
there that is...
The Pain!
Recently, it has been confirmed by Nintendo that there will only be three
(or even just two!) games available for the Nintendo 64's US launch. These
games are obviously SM64 and PW64, and possibly Cruisin' USA or Waverace
64. Bad News. Very bad news. Many people will say, "but M64 and PW64 are
so good they make up for the loss!". This is obviously correct to the true,
dedicated gamer (i.e. whoever's reading this), but the quality of these two
amazing games is not completely apparent to young children, parents, or casual
adult gamers. And, as has been repeatedly stated by mags such as NG
(http://www.next-generation.com),
these casual gamers take up the biggest percentage of the video gaming market.
Nintendo has missed two key genres with its US launch, racing and fighting
games, two kinds of products that command power over many casual gamers,
since these types of games are so mainstream and well known. Personally,
I don't see any reason why KI64 can't be finished by now, but obviously the
game had better be good come November (or December or whatever). The same
thing goes for Cruisin', but who knows, maybe it will be completed come the
US launch. If not, hopefully WaveRace will replace it. In my mind I keep
on hoping for Nintendo to pull a big surprise 10-game-$199-M64-packed-in
launch, but I know that won't happen (or will it? Pleez!!:>) . Anyhow,
the short-term success of the N64 is guaranteed(almost 1 million preorders!),
and I know September 30th is going to be a very happy day for me, KI64 or
not.
A Little Side Note
Time for some meaningless babble. Amazingly enough, there has been a flood
of N64 information on the 'net lately. This is a GOOD thing. We've seen new
pics of almost every game imaginable, from Top Gear Rally to Cu-On-Pa (to
check out these shots visit http://www.next-generation.com and
http://www.gamefan.com ). Speaking of TGR, can anyone here tell me that those
shots are anything less than amazing. You may respond "Yeah, but those are
Alias screens.", but remember, the Onyx was running on emulation! All I can
say is I'm gonna buy that one! The N64 64 Daze Challenge at
http://www.nintendo.com is also welcome with me. An N64 and ten games...
sigh... but, just where are they going to get 10 games if the N64 is gonna
launch with just 3 games? Or is this an indication of a surprise ten game
launch. Nintendo probably doesn't even now for sure. Ah well, that's it,
and if you're still reading this you're as mentally screwed up as me...
Nintendo's Imminent Success
Next Generation Online has
recently printed that in less than a month of release in only one country,
the Nintendo 64 has already captured a surprising 6 PERCENT of the global
market. This information was compiled through a market survey done by Alps
Electric, a relatively well-known company when it comes to mass-market surveys.
If you think about this for a moment, it has taken Sony nearly 3 years to
capture 45% of the global market. The N64 is 1/7 the way there after only
ONE MONTH in ONE COUNTRY. Think about how it will have done after one year
in two countries (Japan + US)!! Of course, it could be said that these numbers
are the cause of early adopters, but that's still a hell of a lot of 'em!!
Also, imagine what there share of the market must already be in Japan! All
I can say is prebook, make it to Toys 'R Us at 6:00 AM, or miss out. It appears
Nintendo has a major hit on their hands.
False Demand?
With only 70 days left until the N64's US launch, tension is building as
to whether the majority of us will be able to pick up an N64 after those
70 days. Nearly every major store has stopped taking pre orders, including
EB, Babbages, Compucentre and others. Although some stores may still be
taking pre orders, I have been able to find none in my vincinity (big word).
But then the question arises, is the 500 000 units tale a hoax? Obviously
Nintendo has been manufacturing N64s since the day they delayed it, and they
most likely have factories in both the Us and Japan. So, if they are able
to manufacture 500 000 a month, as they have stated, then there will most
likely be N64 shipments of 500 000 every WEEK after the launch, not just
one after December. The reason for this? To create a false
demand. If the public thinks there will not be enough to satisfy
their need, then they will be beating the crap out of each other to get their
hands on one. This will equal BIG sales for Nintendo. Whatever the case,
I've already pre ordered mine, just for insurance. If the shortage really
is true, then Nintendo may have a problem on their hands.
HopeFul Future?
The following is an official recently revealed list of soon to be released
games in Japan for the N64:
September: Wave Race 64
October: Shadows of the Empire, Tetrisphere
November: Super Mario Kart R, Golden Eye 007, Body Harvest, Blast Corps
December: Kirby's Air Ride, Star Fox 64, Buggy Boogie, Climber (?), Golf (!), F-Zero 64 (!), Yoshi's Island 64 (!)
This is an OFFICIAL list, coming directly from Nintendo, not some Usenet post. Some may look at this info as proof of the N64's lack of software, but it is in fact exactly the opposite which is true. Amazingly, this list of fourteen games is ::only:: composed of games to be manufactured by Nintendo. So, it obviously doesn't contain any games published by third parties! The list itself contains several significant surprises. First and foremost has to be Yoshi's Island 64. We knew it was coming, but this year?! In my opinion, it is this game more than any other that will truly prove to everyone the N64's true 2D power. Hell, at this rate we should have screens and maybe even QTs by September! Despite the promised December release date, I wouldn't be surprised if the game slips in to some time in early '97. After all, how much time have they had on this game?! Miyamoto truly is the master! Next, there is F-Zero 64. This game will most likely be an offshoot of the early Wave Race we saw at Shoshinkai, but with on-solid-ground courses included. That is, if they choose to keep the water stages... I definitely hope so!! Judging by the original F-Zero and the big N's track record, this one should be a winner. The third surprise(s) are Golf and Climber. These two titles raise some questions. Exactly what is Climber? And how will Nintendo replicate the game of Golf? After all, most golf games tend to be heavily FMV (who needs it?!) based, and the N64 will obviously have to rely on textured polys, like VR Golf. One disappointment had to be the delay of Mario Kart, but Yoshi and F-Zero make up for it infinitely. What all this means is that the loyal Nintendoite can look forward to a rosey future with his N64. Just don't get too close to it.