The Nintendo DS & GBA thread

[Black Valkyrie]

I agree The Zelda games no matter 2D or 3D they are all a master piece, the thing I liked about Ocarina of Time when run in the open fields that was awesome. I didn`t see to much of The Wind waker cuz I don`t have a Gamecube but I can say from what I saw is WOW. Even as a GBA-SP owner I still love my SP

[Bob_Coffee]

I managed to go to the stupid ign live event today, which for the most part was LAME, i feel sorry for anyone who paid to go(friend of mine had free tickets from his work) However the one shineing light in this puddle of crap was the nintendo ds kiosk, and mario kart DS.

My impressions? Mario kart DS is simply awesome in cartridge form, it plays like a cross between Mario kart 64 and SMK, plus the frame rate is silky smooth, drifting is a breeze. unfortunately the demo kiosk did not have the online part of it. but what i played i liked much. Mario Kart DS is essentially what Mk Double dash should have been. Nintendo you are well on your way to stealing my money once more.

[newca]

GameBoy Advance ... what?

Just make me crazy...

[JsARCLIGHT]

Well... I may not know for sure but the Gameboy Advance SP is the folding color screen Gameboy unit. This thing:

I have not seen Nintento ever actually say what the SP stands for... usually SP stands for "Special Purpose".

Perhaps SP stands for "Somemore Profit" knowing Nintendo...

[newca]

I've had a hand on the NDS play with the cute Nintendog, but it just doesn't impress me much, and I don't like the "plastic feeling" it gave me. Since I already have DC and PS2, I can't afford one more system in this old age(27), so I gonna say no on NDS.

Now I'm very satisfied with my new PSP, playing sports games, racing, RPGs, music and MP4 movies, even reading txts on it. Sony did a fantastic job on the portable system, always, just like their Walkman.

I found GBASP,GBM and NDS are very popular in girls and young ladies here, and they even got PSP in the same time, really crazy shopping, they don't care about how many games they want on one system, just grab all the little nice looking machines in front of them!

[newca]

What a reply

Some girls I know want to buy this one recently, they just like the "make up mirror" looking, don't care about games. One gal even gonna get a GBM as a key chain!

[trueblueeyes]

Is it perhaps "super portable"?

[mikeszekely]

Gameboy Advance SPecial.

Look all the way at the bottom here.

[JsARCLIGHT]

They really go out of their way to tell people that.

Then again in another four weeks we'll have the Gameboy Nano followed by the Gameboy GX followed by the Gameboy Extra Color followed by a re-release of the Gameboy Micro Plus P.

I swear Nintendo milks it to the bone.

[mikeszekely]

It's in 3D! Yuck, I don't want it in 3D.

Well, they're not doing it for us. They're doing it for those obsessive Final Fantasy "fans" whose first entry into the series was VII.

[eugimon]

hey, why make something new when you can just keep repackaging the old?

[JsARCLIGHT]

It got SUV makers this far...

[eugimon]

it was a criticism.. more of admiration...

[Radd]

Considering that you don't have to buy every model, and there tends to be a significant number of years between the neccessary upgrades, and since Nintendo tends to make stuff that doesn't break down every year or two, and they tend to bring new stuff out pretty cheap compared to the competition, I've never understood the whole thing about Nintendo supposedly milking customers for their money.

[eugimon]

they don't... it's pretty much the same load of BS that we got here when Yamato released the 1/48 VF-1s Hikaru... and people pissed themselves complaining that yamato didn't just different spare heads but MADE people buy a whole new toy... blah blah blah... just typical entitled childish complaining.

[JsARCLIGHT]

You guys have not talked to many parents lately have you? The gameboy platform is all about "buy the new, hot, cool unit!" I have several parents in my office who are now complaining about the Gameboy Micro because their kids, who just got SP's, now want Micros. I also know several Nintendo fanboys who are re-buying their Gameboys for the umpteenth time thanks to the micro. I personally see it as milking. They just released the SP with a new screen and the DS... there was no need for the micro other than to ballyhoo more people into consuming another new system. They are using "Ipod logic", in that they can just keep farting out new product just like the one before it with minimal innovation, if any at all, and people will upgrade.

[Radd]

Kids are like that about tons of junk. Nothing new there. Also, technophiles always want the latest gadget, even if they don't really need it. You might as well accuse the entire electronics industry of milking.

[JsARCLIGHT]

The entire electronics industry IS milking. Milking is THE modus operandi of successful global business. Leave it to someone else to innovate, the goal is profit. When you can profit from simply repackaging the same old thing over and over again with little effort and people still gobble it up then you have a profitable business. Did I say milking was a bad thing? Hell no. If I was Nintendo I'd milk it to the bone as well. But I'm a technophile... I want the new, the different. More of the same bores me.

[Radd]

Ah, well alright then. I can agree with that, if I understand correctly. It's just usually you see Nintendo singled out amongst videogame companies, "Mr. Potatomoto sure loves our money!"

[JsARCLIGHT]

Heck no, all video game companies are opportunistic bastards. Sony repackaged the PSX as the PS One. Sega repackaged almost all their consoles at least once that I can remember. And Atari... did anyone else remember back in the '80s when the NES was so hot and Atari came back with the 2600 trying to compete? That to me was the ultimate milkfest.

[eugimon]

well, by this reasoning every company that makes a durable good is milking it... car companies, appliances... the list goes on.. you guys forget though.. not everybody has a gameboy or PS or blah blah... ever think that these new releases aren't necessarily aimed at you but at attracting a new customer?

[Skull Leader]

All the more reason for me to roundly despise FFVII

Still, I won't pass judgement on this particular FF incarnation until I've played it although I'm not holding out much hope... as much eye-candy as Square-Enix has managed to produce in 3D FF games, (many of the cutscenes in FFX and X-2 are absolutely gorgeous...), they've managed to sh!t out horrible story after horrible story ever since VII. Certainly not among the worst the video game world has ever seen, but certainly nothing to write home about.

There was an interesting article in the last game-informer about whether or not videogames could make you cry.... it was mentioned that during the polling, many people brought up Aerith's death as a defining moment in video-game pathos. Supposedly the beauty of the graphics had a way of projecting the moment with total emotion... I fail to see why??? She was a piss-poor character from the beginning, and 3D polygon graphics had a LONG way to go before becoming what we see today. As I recall, Aerith's facial expression didn't even change when Sephiroth ran her worthless ass through (he should've beheaded her... THAT would've been dynamic!).

It's all just more proof that just because we CAN do something (make a 3D videogame), we shouldn't always do so. I await this new FF game with cautious enthusiasm.

Edited October 24, 2005 by Skull Leader

[JB0]

Regarding the original topic, I gather SP=special is a common abuse of abbreviations in Japan. I've seen it in enough games, anyways.

You guys have not talked to many parents lately have you? The gameboy platform is all about "buy the new, hot, cool unit!" I have several parents in my office who are now complaining about the Gameboy Micro because their kids, who just got SP's, now want Micros.

The hell? They need to put their foot down and just say "No, you already HAVE a GBA."

Hell, my parents didn't even buy me an NES until after the SNES had taken over(actually, I got an SNES before the NES, despite 5 years of begging).

I also know several Nintendo fanboys who are re-buying their Gameboys for the umpteenth time thanks to the micro. I personally see it as milking. They just released the SP with a new screen and the DS... there was no need for the micro other than to ballyhoo more people into consuming another new system. They are using "Ipod logic", in that they can just keep farting out new product just like the one before it with minimal innovation, if any at all, and people will upgrade.

Well, it works for 'em.

I gather it's driven a lot by the japanese market, where they want the tiniest piece of crap they can get their hands on.

...

The Micro IS damn sexy, though.

IMO, the GBA should be dead now. The GBMicro shouldn't have been made, and they should've focused on the DS their exclusive portable system.

Only reason I see to buy anything but a DS at this point is for 8-bit software, which doesn't run on the DS or Micro. And I have a Color for that because the Advance has a crappy d-pad and the SP is too damn small.

Also IMO, the SP should've been slapped in a similar case to the original, and not a total redesign. Again, I gather this was largely because the japanese wanted a smaller unit.

SP also should've started with a half-decent screen that wasn't plagued with ghosting and wash-out issues, but that's a whole 'nother story.

Edited October 24, 2005 by JB0

[JsARCLIGHT]

well, by this reasoning every company that makes a durable good is milking it... car companies, appliances...

They are. All you have to have in business is one good idea... then take that idea and market it and keep repackaging it. What are sports cars but just one idea repackaged? What are beers but one idea repackaged? Why do people who own a 1999 Mustang want the new one? Because it's repackaged and it looks better to them so they get rid of their old one and buy the new one.

Attracting new customers is only one side of introducing a "new" product that is effectively the exact same thing you sold before. It's all about the sizzle and not the steak. You want everyone to buy the new one, not just the newcomers. In this disposable world we live in companies are counting on you, and the "new guy", to buy the new thing they offer for sale reguardless if you own the old one or not. It's just that usually most companies entice you with new features, more power and such... i.e. "upgrade" from the PS1 to the PS2. But the gameboy line has been all about making the thing smaller and altering the screen slightly... the actual mechanics and level of games have not changed in years. You can say that that is why they made the DS, to offer something more for the people who want something more... but in the same breath why introduce the Micro when the SP just got upgraded itself? Simple... to get the whole "Ipod effect" going on. Yes it will draw new customers but what it really does is make people look at the one they have, feel bad, and want the new one. And seeing as the gameboy is marketed at children, who are the most fickle things on earth, Nintendo knows exactly what it is doing. Kids will yell at mommy and daddums to get the new gameboy even if they have a perfectly good one and nine times out of ten the parents will just up and buy the new one for them.

I remember one of the parents in my office was sooooo pissed when they found out the new Gameboy micro they bought for their kid was the exact same thing as the gameboy SP just smaller. They thought it was going to be something "new" like the DS or the PSP.

Edited October 24, 2005 by JsARCLIGHT

[JsARCLIGHT]

The hell? They need to put their foot down and just say "No, you already HAVE a GBA."

Hell, my parents didn't even buy me an NES until after the SNES had taken over(actually, I got an SNES before the NES, despite 5 years of begging).

Parents don't know... that is the problem. Nintendo releasing a "new" handheld so soon after the DS made most parents think it was something "different" from the SP. The guy in my office that bought his kid the Micro bought it because he thought it was the new wave in handhelds for kids... his son probably knew better but he was fooled.

Kids today are different... they no longer want toys and games like we did, they want tech. Every parent in my office right now has kids between baby and 10 and they all are into tech... even the tiny 6 and 7 year olds. They don't want GI Joes or barbies, they want "intendo" and "playstation".

[JB0]

The hell? They need to put their foot down and just say "No, you already HAVE a GBA."

Hell, my parents didn't even buy me an NES until after the SNES had taken over(actually, I got an SNES before the NES, despite 5 years of begging).

Parents don't know... that is the problem. Nintendo releasing a "new" handheld so soon after the DS made most parents think it was something "different" from the SP. The guy in my office that bought his kid the Micro bought it because he thought it was the new wave in handhelds for kids... his son probably knew better but he was fooled.

Mmmm... that can be a problem.

I seem to recall some people thought they needed an SP to play new games, back when it first came out.

Kids today are different... they no longer want toys and games like we did, they want tech. Every parent in my office right now has kids between baby and 10 and they all are into tech... even the tiny 6 and 7 year olds. They don't want GI Joes or barbies, they want "intendo" and "playstation".

I was a tech kid, too.

[Gunbuster]

If Nintendo allowed this, I'll bet it will be a system seller

QUOTE:

They’re lovable. They fetch you presents. They obey your commands AND work hard to earn you money! They’re…not real women! Well, we knew that, but I think they could be on to something with this Chinese web site’s spoof of some new dog game for the DS. If this idea ever gets the greenlight, the big N might have to rethink their “touch me†tagline. Are you listening, Rockstar?

Link:

http://wireless.joystiq.com/entry/1234000237064563/

[Wes]

The hell? They need to put their foot down and just say "No, you already HAVE a GBA."

Hell, my parents didn't even buy me an NES until after the SNES had taken over(actually, I got an SNES before the NES, despite 5 years of begging).

Parents don't know... that is the problem. Nintendo releasing a "new" handheld so soon after the DS made most parents think it was something "different" from the SP. The guy in my office that bought his kid the Micro bought it because he thought it was the new wave in handhelds for kids... his son probably knew better but he was fooled.

Kids today are different... they no longer want toys and games like we did, they want tech. Every parent in my office right now has kids between baby and 10 and they all are into tech... even the tiny 6 and 7 year olds. They don't want GI Joes or barbies, they want "intendo" and "playstation".

339321[/snapback]

WHY DIDN'T I GET ANY OF THESE PARENTS!?!?!? Did God set me up with parents that suplied instant gratification?!? Nooooooooooooooooo. I just had to have a Marine Major for my dad who believe videogames were teh dehvil and would never buy me anything. Damn you God, damn you.

At least my best friend had one of those set-ups and was nice enough to lend out the wealth. I got my first Gameboy, SNES, and N64 off of lawn-moving and hurricane clean-up money.

But, yeah, we discussed this topic in the M-rated thread. If parents are too lazy to parent, that's their issue. I just hope they save a little bit of money for the retirement home that their children will dump them in at a moments notice. It isn't like they'll care much about them.

[promethuem5]

SP CLEARLY stands for Super Powers!!!!

Speaking of upgrading technophile kids (Im on my second iPod, but only cuz the USB port on the first one died), I'm tryin to see how many of my GB games I can trade into EB Games along with my GBA to wrangle up a DS for cheap so I can get the new Castlevania game...

[JsARCLIGHT]

Just so no one dumps on my guy at work too much he bought the Micro for his son for his birthday, and outside of some clothes that was all he got from daddy and mommy. The dad was just pissed off because (acording to him) he found out he just paid $100 for the exact same thing his son already had. He was kind of disappointed in his son for asking for a carbon copy of a thing he already owned but at the same time he was quite verbally upset with Nintendo for "double dipping" (his words) hardware so close together.

I reminded him how when the gameboy pocket was available at the same time as the original gameboy while they phased the older one out as was the gameboy color at the time of the pocket and the advance at the time of the color and the SP at the time of the advance. I think Historicaly for the last 10 years or so Nintendo has kept the gameboy in a constant state of "replacement" with multiple types available at any given time... hence the confusion JBO mentioned when things like the advance and the SP came out.

But in my eyes the micro is the same as the SP... no tech advance other than making it smaller. Is Nintendo phasing out the SP? I think not, they just "upgraded" it. And from the confusion of my worker I can see a few parents facing the same problem with their kids wanting "the same thing" for christmas.

[JB0]

Just so no one dumps on my guy at work too much he bought the Micro for his son for his birthday, and outside of some clothes that was all he got from daddy and mommy.

Fair enough.

The dad was just pissed off because (acording to him) he found out he just paid $100 for the exact same thing his son already had.

Can't blame him, really.

But hey, if his kid wants to squander a birthday on duplicates, it's his loss.

He was kind of disappointed in his son for asking for a carbon copy of a thing he already owned but at the same time he was quite verbally upset with Nintendo for "double dipping" (his words) hardware so close together.

*nods*

Like I said, I don't think anything in the GBA family should still be on shelves, much less new revisions.

I reminded him how when the gameboy pocket was available at the same time as the original gameboy while they phased the older one out as was the gameboy color at the time of the pocket and the advance at the time of the color and the SP at the time of the advance.

But they didn't upgrade the previous one at the same time they introduced the new one until this gen. And now they're doing it doubles, with an SP++ AND the GBMicro following the DS.

But in my eyes the micro is the same as the SP... no tech advance other than making it smaller. Is Nintendo phasing out the SP? I think not, they just "upgraded" it. And from the confusion of my worker I can see a few parents facing the same problem with their kids wanting "the same thing" for christmas.

The Micro is LESS THAN the SP. No 8-bit compatibility.

...

But it's smaller and purdier, with the nifty aluminum shell.

</self-undermining>

And in my experience, parents can't keep track of things anyways.

I was forever having to write down what I was asking for, or repeat it a dozen times.

[Radd]

Certainly not among the worst the video game world has ever seen, but certainly nothing to write home about.

There was an interesting article in the last game-informer about whether or not videogames could make you cry....

While I agree that the graphics in FFVII were far overrated, I think the main problem has been that Square has been putting too much emphasis on visuals and story, at the expense of the gameplay, or rushing the games out altogether so that all aspects suffered.

As far as story and character developement, I thought VII outdid VI by quite a bit, and was more on the level of my favourite of the franchise, FFIV. However the 'attach a crystal to a character' magic system doesn't make for unique characters, gameplay wise. I disliked that about VI, too. Still, the Draw system was the worst offender. But with the switch to 3D graphics, you also limited the weapons a character could wield, because for every type of weapon they could use, they'd need a new battle stance and new attack animations. Still, in VII's favour on the gameplay side, they kept in more of the sidequests than they did with VI. Of course, many of them they had to, because that' where you'd find most of the characters' backstories, plus more background story for the main plot.

[Skull Leader]

Radd, like you, IV is my favorite.

That's a pretty decent explination for how things worked out... it further highlights the fact that while it may have been cool for some to look at (I thought it looked undeveloped), it wound up creating more problems than it solved.

[mikeszekely]

Radd, like you, IV is my favorite.

Add me to the list of IV fans. That was a great game. Unlike VI, VII, and VIII, it had that fantasy RPG feel of the original. Each character was unique and had a lot of depth. The story was interesting and imaginative (you went to the moon, for crying out loud!). Every Final Fantasy since has been lacking in at least one catagory, and complain about VIII all you want, Final Fantasy VII was the worst offender. The game was ugly, most of the characters were under-developed, and the story made little or no sense. I think most of its popularity is due to its fans' absurd obsession with Sephiroth.

They’re lovable. They fetch you presents. They obey your commands AND work hard to earn you money! They’re…not real women! Well, we knew that, but I think they could be on to something with this Chinese web site’s spoof of some new dog game for the DS. If this idea ever gets the greenlight, the big N might have to rethink their “touch me†tagline. Are you listening, Rockstar?

What versions would that one come in? I certainly wouldn't mind a Sora Aoi or a Minori Aoi version...

[mikeszekely]

The Micro is LESS THAN the SP. No 8-bit compatibility.

...

But it's smaller and purdier, with the nifty aluminum shell.

Have I mentioned lately that I like the Micro better than the DS? If it weren't for Castlevania, I could have gone a year without touching it...