Nintendo... Stuck up their own arse?

[Dezm0nd]

I have recently read reports of Nintendo clamping down on retailers within the UK selling imported titles for the Gamecube and Gameboy Advance.

This frustrates me so much and i think it's Nintendo that are doing the wrong thing and stop punishing retailers for selling Nintendo products.

Nintendo need to release games quicker, people are impatient, especially when they've got the freeloader in their gamecube DVD rack with a copy of Zelda next to it. Recently a company called TQ Games was shut down because of Nintendo of Europe threatening them to legal action in court, obviously there is no point in trying to fight so after many years he closed his doors. It doesn't seem right to me, WHY should he have to close his doors because Nintendo have the business sense of a blind donkey.

Dont get me wrong, i used to love Nintendo, they used to have a great feeling about their games which appeared on their machines
(Super Mario World, Goldeneye etc) and i've supported from the NES days until the latest GBA SP title, but this is just pissing off it's (slowly decreasing fan base)

I have lately been swayed to the Xbox, which severely dwarfs my play time now, they dont have a 6 month gap in release dates from NTSC, sometimes they are released on the same week.

I also expressed my feelings on Nintendo's quality of games which i think have decreased ever since i put Super Mario Sunshine in my machine, the graphics are bland and the gameplay is very annoying at times. (Blue coins anyone)

Quite frankly i am fed up of Nintendo stuck up their own arse and it wouldn't surprise me to see Nintendo going to the way of Sega. Let's face it, it'd be alot better for them

I shall leave you all tell me your feelings about this import malarky as i am interested to see what you have to say.

[The Mole]

Nintendo do not stand a chance in wipeing out imports to the UK.

It would mean the ywould have to stop supplying big USA companies like Amazon and dvdboxoffice as well as the smaller import web sites.

They do not have a cat in hells chance.

It says a lot about Nintendo though instead of releasing good quality PAL conversions quicker they choose to go down this path.

[jide]

We had to wait 5 months for MP but to be fair they put improvements on the game but they take the progressive scan option out of all PAL games. Well thanx alot Nintendo. We import because the PAL versions suck most of the time. I mean why can't they understand this. Nintendo are becoming like Sega with there business decisions now. I'm real worried about them myself.

[KingMike]

In the space of a year of the Gamecubes launch i have gone from being the biggest fan boy you could ever possibly imagine to yesterday going out and buy an xbox. I had my head full of nonsense in this little nintendo world but now its all incredibly clear. The Gamecube is disappointing, the games are disappointing and as for the online gaming im not going to go there.

I used to love my GameCube. I had 2 at one time one USA and one PAL but having sold my PAL GameCube i wondered if i should keep my USA one. I hit myself and said yes keep it convincing myself with the following games to come....

F - Zero GX
1080
Mario Kart : Double Dash

Its clear to me that after these titles are out the Gamecubes life is over. There is nothing more keeping me having a gamecube after the 3 titles above are out.

I used to be the biggest gamecube fanboy and now here i am with Moto GP2 on pause writing this post.

Its amazing what can happen in a year.

[Super Stu]

Its amazing what can happen in a year.

Indeed.

"nowt so fickle as a gamer".

[Lyris]

We had to wait 5 months for MP but to be fair they put improvements on the game

I don't mean this to sound harsh, but were the improvements worth waiting 5 months for? Wasn't it just little features like having to shoot doors to open them and slightly harder enemies?

[Garibaldi Biscuit]

I believe the improvements were a voice-over for Samus and some more Chozoid lore throughout the game, haven't played on the PAL version to comment on whether they're well thought out additions myself.

Nintendo is taking up a typically corporate view here, going after a very small faction which has developed, partly, as a result of their own incompetence in release dates and conversions. There's a saying which I think applies very well here "Fix the problem, not the blame", Nintendo are trying to fix the blame, smug in the knowledge that if they wipe out this minute group of importers and import outlets then the rest of the PAL market will be content to sit back and swallow a long stream of delays and half-assed conversions, uninterrupted by the choice of a better solution - what worries me is that they may very well be right.

Vote with your wallet, IMO this recent action is equivalent to them walking up and spitting in your face as domestic gamers, start/or continue to buy imports and show them that this is a problem that won't dissolve until they make an intelligent effort to fix it.

[John Beaulieu]

Nintendo have always been the same - they make great games but treat their customers as ****, and PAL customers are the ****test of the ****.

Delays in release dates, games not getting released, lengths of time between triple A titles -- its the n64 all over again but this time Nintendo haven't got Rare around to pull them out of the fire.

Next Nintendo console is rumoured to launch in early 2005 - now if Nintendo have their way imports will be a thing of the past by then so its gonna be early 2006 before we would be legally allowed to buy one .... if that was the case then i wouldn't buy one full stop

camps

[angel]

mario kart looks absolutely ****e. car models are a joke.

[Garibaldi Biscuit]

Very interesting Angel, unfortunatly this thread is discussion regarding Nintendo's recent hardline stance on imports, not really a place for your one-line dismissals of Mario Kart.

[Dezm0nd]

In the space of a year of the Gamecubes launch i have gone from being the biggest fan boy you could ever possibly imagine to yesterday going out and buy an xbox. I had my head full of nonsense in this little nintendo world but now its all incredibly clear. The Gamecube is disappointing, the games are disappointing and as for the online gaming im not going to go there.

The exact same thing has happened to me, once a proper fanboy in nintendo cloud cuckoo land, now an avid xbox player. Gotta love xbox live.

[Picto]

Are you people only buying X-boxs because you are bored with your Gamecubes? I bought bother because both appealed and continue to appeal to me.

I do agree that Nintendo are being morons about this and should be sorting out their releases. They promise to do things well this time yet still keep Animal Crossing away from us. Somewhat late of me but, I expect I'll be importing with their next console. I can't be bothered to start now since I have too many pal games to buy a US cube and freeloader is apparently not compatible with newer games (am i talking crap here).

TTFN

[Spatial]

Ah, Nintendo...... once so big, now so very very small

I used to love the big N, up until the days of the SNES when they first really started to **** on the PAL regions IMO with crappy second rate (and long overdue ) conversions

After that I hadn't touched a Nintendo console until the Cube and all of a sudden I find all my old irritations boiling back up to the surface

Hence me buying an NTSC Cube ( I have this site to blame for that )

Nintendo seem to think that they can piss on all and sundry like the `good old days` but lets face it, they have more competition than then, and people are ( as rightly stated ) more fickle these days.

I thought what happened to Sega was really sad, but the way things are going at the moment I'd be glad to see Nintendo go down the ****ter just to stand back and laugh

They are the architects of their own destruction

[angel]

ok, il take the delays, a 60hz capable machine, a competitive price point, quality games over the PAL n64 situation. or even the PAL snes debacle (60hz? whats that).

theyre not great but theres a solution to almost every problem if you look, even if that solution isnt always on the high street.

[paul]

Ah, Nintendo...... once so big, now so very very small

I used to love the big N, up until the days of the SNES when they first really started to **** on the PAL regions IMO with crappy second rate (and long overdue ) conversions

After that I hadn't touched a Nintendo console until the Cube and all of a sudden I find all my old irritations boiling back up to the surface

Hence me buying an NTSC Cube ( I have this site to blame for that )

Nintendo seem to think that they can piss on all and sundry like the `good old days` but lets face it, they have more competition than then, and people are ( as rightly stated ) more fickle these days.

I thought what happened to Sega was really sad, but the way things are going at the moment I'd be glad to see Nintendo go down the ****ter just to stand back and laugh

They are the architects of their own destruction

Thats pretty much my thoughts.

I'd just like to ask anyone if they've ever considered lobbying Nintendo as a group. If they choose to pursue the line they have taken, then pressure should be bought to bear on them to sort out their attitude towards European gamers. The pressure being a potential boycott.

I still recall all the launch hype from that David Gossen fella proclaiming that Euro gamers will be grateful for having a 60HZ mode on Pal Cubes. Whoopeee do...where are the games.

Thankful that I have my Import cube, but for how long...