NINTENDO Falling Apart and aiming toward YOUNG audeince????

[GameGenius]

Alright,

Since the release of "Nintendogs" we are all wondering who the heak is Nintendo
trying to aim it's games at? Young 8 year old girl gamers?? Ok, yea Nintendo might have
had SOME decent games, but is Nintendogs a look into the future for Nintendo? Are these
the games we should expect with the Revolution, and if that is the case, is it going to loose all compitition with the new x box 360 and ps3?? Any feed back, thoughts, comments would be apppreicated......

Thanks

[Pandarbock]

Missed you GamerToday, what happened to you? Did you get banned or something? Well anyway I guess a Quarter of a million 8 year old girls bought nintendogs in its first week (US) if you are to be believed. Take care now and welcome back.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/09/01/news_6132398.html

[Gadfly2317]

but is Nintendogs a look into the future for Nintendo?

ONE game with huge female appeal in an industry dominated with boy toys. What, you hate women and younger gamers and adults with open minds so much that you think ONE game targeted towards them is too many, and somehow defines Nintendo?

It sold 1/4 million copies in its first week, not just to females or kids, but to adults, just like it did in japan. So when you ask "is this a look into the future", do mean a future of innovation, huge sales, and bringing new demographics to gaming? Sounds like exactly what MS and Sony wish they were doing. ALL game companies want to do this.

In the meantime, released on the same day was the 90%+ military strategy game "Advance Wars DS". . . .and a whole string of other games coming, for older gamers like the gory Castlevania, Age of Empires, Shogun Warriors, Resident Evil, Black and White Creatures, Metroid Hunters. . .

Of course, still plenty of great all-ages stuff, and teen--adult stuff in Lost in Blue, Metroid Pinball, Mario and Luigi RPG 2, Viewtiful Joe Double Trouble, Trace Memories, Phoenix Wright, Mario Kart ONLINE, and Trauma Center. That barely scratches the surface.

That's a look into Nintendo's future--as in just the next 6 months. BRILLIANT FUTURE. BRILLIANT PRESENT.

[T.Tashi]

ONE game with huge female appeal in an industry dominated with boy toys. What, you hate women and younger gamers and adults with open minds so much that you think ONE game targeted towards them is too many, and somehow defines Nintendo?

It sold 1/4 million copies in its first week, not just to females or kids, but to adults, just like it did in japan. So when you ask "is this a look into the future", do mean a future of innovation, huge sales, and bringing new demographics to gaming? Sounds like exactly what MS and Sony wish they were doing. ALL game companies want to do this.

In the meantime, released on the same day was the 90%+ military strategy game "Advance Wars DS". . . .and a whole string of other games coming, for older gamers like the gory Castlevania, Age of Empires, Shogun Warriors, Resident Evil, Black and White Creatures, Metroid Hunters. . .

Of course, still plenty of great all-ages stuff, and teen--adult stuff in Lost in Blue, Metroid Pinball, Mario and Luigi RPG 2, Viewtiful Joe Double Trouble, Trace Memories, Phoenix Wright, Mario Kart ONLINE, and Trauma Center. That barely scratches the surface.

That's a look into Nintendo's future--as in just the next 6 months. BRILLIANT FUTURE. BRILLIANT PRESENT.
I have to agree. Nintendogs did what to my knowledge only one other game (The Sims) has managed to do: appeal directly to female gamers.

You know, I have a gecko. He's pretty cool, and has a really laid back disposition for a lizard. My wife is always trying to pick it up and pet it and the gecko's not real fond of being handled, but it's really tolerate about it. Anyway, a pet sim sounds like a great way to teach people how to care for real live pets. Although, a dog is such a universal and conventional pet. It's hard to imagine any other pet being as popular. Still, it'd be interesting to see if anyone else tries to follow up with another pet sim. If they make one with geckos I'll surely get it for my wife.

Back to the topic, diversity is good, even if it's a game I don't particularly care for and high sales should make companies feel like they can take some chances on more game diversity.

[theWacoKid]

Alright,

Since the release of "Nintendogs" we are all wondering who the heak is Nintendo
trying to aim it's games at? Young 8 year old girl gamers?? Ok, yea Nintendo might have
had SOME decent games, but is Nintendogs a look into the future for Nintendo? Are these
the games we should expect with the Revolution, and if that is the case, is it going to loose all compitition with the new x box 360 and ps3?? Any feed back, thoughts, comments would be apppreicated......

Thanks

Nintendogs is an improvement over pokemon which is designed entirely for 8 year old minds who watch saturday morning cartoons. Any game which might move nintendo away from their wretched reliance on an electrified yellow rat with a one word vocabularly gets my vote.

[Aylmer]

Pee-ka-CHOOOOOOooooooooo!

[Gadfly2317]

Nintendogs is an improvement over pokemon which is designed entirely for 8 year old minds who watch saturday morning cartoons. Any game which might move nintendo away from their wretched reliance on an electrified yellow rat with a one word vocabularly gets my vote.

"Wretched reliance on an electrified yellow rat . . . "

Pure poetry Waco. Good to see you return to form!

[theWacoKid]

"Wretched reliance on an electrified yellow rat . . . "

Pure poetry Waco. Good to see you return to form!

Thanks, if anything, nintendogs should appeal to tech geeks like myself. You've got suprisingly fluid animation, in fact, I haven't seen animation this good on a handheld ever, hell, I haven't seen anything like this on console. You've got some pretty nifty voice recognition although it can get finicky. And the game is a testament to the possibilities of a touch screen interface. You can't be a true technical whore and not be impressed with the product.

[Pandarbock]

Thanks, if anything, nintendogs should appeal to tech geeks like myself. You've got suprisingly fluid animation, in fact, I haven't seen animation this good on a handheld ever, hell, I haven't seen anything like this on console. You've got some pretty nifty voice recognition although it can get finicky. And the game is a testament to the possibilities of a touch screen interface. You can't be a true technical whore and not be impressed with the product.

True true, I am loving the hell out of the game (at first for the technical side of it but then sort of got attached to the little critters), and I think some people think me damned strange, but when they check it out they think my 2 little beagles (gooches and lady) and my newly aquired yorkie (scruffy) are just too damned adorable and fun to poke at and play with :P I think sometimes when you have to keep telling them commands and they seem finiky it is because they are in a bad mood, but I have had to make them forget some commands and relearn them as a different word that didn't sound close to another command. Has anyone else got the piano yet? Oh man that is a fun toy :D

[ThaMaskedGamer]

In a word, yes. Nintendo isn't going to compete head on with Sony and Microsoft, because it can't. So they are going to take an assymetrical approach to staying in the business. I know my daughter can't wait to get Nintendogs, which we will get for her on her birthday in a few weeks. And as far as I know cash from girls is just the same as cash from guys, I think Nintendo has figured this out too. Girls like to game also. So, there is nothing wrong with catering to that market.

Do I like Nintendo and their games. I don't dislike them. I just like other types of games better. I'll use the analogy i've always used. Shrek and the Incredibles are great great movies, but I prefer movies with more mature themes. Same thing with games. Now, i'll sit down and watch the Incredibles for an hour and a half. But i'm not going to invest sit down and play Nintendogs for 20 hours. Nor buy the hardware and accessories necessary to do so.

Diversity in gaming is good and there is a market for Nintendo. They struggled with the N64 and Gamecube because they were trying to reach the wrong market. And it looks like they have corrected this with the DS, we will see with the Revolution. If they try and compete in the same genres as 360 and PS3, it will fail.

The one problem I see with Nintendo, even if they don't compete directly with 360 and PS3, is the Revolution still could fail simply because now Nintendo is setting themselves up to compete against themselves. For example, my daughter has a DS, there is no way she is getting a Revolution. It isn't even a money issue, i don't want my kids playing hours and hours of games. So she wouldn't even have the time to support two systems. I suspect most parents are the same. When you have a GC, a DS, a gameboy, now a Gameboy Micro, I just don't see how you don't begin to canibalize off of each other. But then again, maybe most parents are push-overs and will buy all those devices for their kids and any game their kid wants.

[Mochan]

I wonder if we'll see Black and White released on the DS?

[Renzatic Gear]

I'm not sure about a straight up conversion of Black and White, but B&W Monsters is slated for release.

I'm assuming it's something similar to Nintendogs, just with lions, monkeys, sheep, and the like.

[Gadfly2317]

I'm not sure about a straight up conversion of Black and White, but B&W Monsters is slated for release.

I'm assuming it's something similar to Nintendogs, just with lions, monkeys, sheep, and the like.

Game Informer referred to Black and White Creatures as "Nintengods."

It's also slated for PsP, though DS's control features seem better suited to this game.

[King of Arcadia]

Sadly enough with all this that you guys have to say, you all know that people of all ages play pokemon, and with that the Phenomenon still continues http://www.empirearcadia.com/inews/in-012.htm <-- reference. For the amount of time that you guys have been in the gaming community and for those of you have studied the industry I would have thought by now that you all would have understood that your market is your market, you don't get brownie points for what demographic you are after. You get money. So if it is children that a company motions towards but that is looked upon as a bad thing....which would be sad considering that adults look down on Nintendo for making games for kids... then so long as that market makes you the numbers that you are looking for there isn't a problem.

What is going to happen is Nintendog's is going to make Nintendo a considerable amount of money. Then you are going to have threads created on how they hate Nintendo because people buy there "Stupid and Cute" Nintendog's game. Your going to also hear people trash talking Nintendo about "The only thing that is making them money is Nintendog's" You would have thought by now...that you would be educated enough, especially after all of this time that... that is the point of this; To make money.

[trebor]

Alright,

Since the release of "Nintendogs" we are all wondering who the heak is Nintendo
trying to aim it's games at? Young 8 year old girl gamers?? Ok, yea Nintendo might have
had SOME decent games, but is Nintendogs a look into the future for Nintendo? Are these
the games we should expect with the Revolution, and if that is the case, is it going to loose all compitition with the new x box 360 and ps3?? Any feed back, thoughts, comments would be apppreicated......

Thanks

Nintendo is doing fine, in fact, better then fine.

What I'm REALLY concerned about is the amount of annoying trolls, complete with obnoxious banner ads in their signatures, that have surfaced on this forum, who waste bandwith with their insipid "threads" which really are weak attempts to get traffic to their stupid sites, such as "gameepidemic.com."

So...yeah, I'm more concerned with the integrity of our beloved VGR forums then any stupid crap you can come up with.

[Fivespot]

Sadly enough with all this that you guys have to say, you all know that people of all ages play pokemon, and with that the Phenomenon still continues http://www.empirearcadia.com/inews/in-012.htm

Let me preface this by saying I play lots of videogames and could be considered by most as childish for doing so (at my age).

But everytime I walk into my local Gamestop and see a 40yr old clerk showing his latest Pokemon or Dragonball cards to a group of really young kids I feel two things:

1. Proud we live in a country where adults can remain children at heart
2. What a frickin' loser :D (sorry if my opinion is harsh)

Regarding Nintendogs - I don't agree with the thread author on this one. Its seems like a stroke of genius the way Nintendo is successfully appealing to many other folks other than just gamers.

Maybe MS can borrow a few of those people to help hit the 1 billion users goal ;)