Bruce Forsyth (nintendo online)

[SharkAttack]

You'll never play online games with us, online games with us you'll never play.

Nintendo are so obviously NOT making F-Zero, Mario Sports and Mario Kart online games although they MIGHT be LAN compatible.

So why do game players across the world keep kidding themselves that Nintendo are going to pull a wonderful online plan out of their pants for E3?

I sometimes feel Nintendo are having holes dug for them by everyone else. Nintendo more than ANY company seem to have every little comment, news tit bit and rumour blown all out of proportion and then they are the ones that get slagged when the actual truth is revealed.

I am very happy I post on this board - Its a little less extreme when it comes to fanboyism

[Saurian]

I very much doubt Nintendo will take a gamble with an online service - what's the point? when games like F Zero will have a VERY social scene associated with them due to the compatibility of the arcade and home version. Even now - Initial D is a seriously social gaming experience and believe me, challenging people for cards in this way is bringing new life to the arcade scene here.

Why do people want online play so bad anyway?

Social play != online play.

Playing these games at home, training up with friends then bopping down the arcade to challenge for money/cards/girls is FAR better!

[Heckler&Koch]

Bruce Forsyth? OH RIGHT

[Garibaldi Biscuit]

Your point about the social aspect of playing with friends is well made, Saurien. However, some of us are avid console players yet our mates are merely 'luke-warm' on this front ( if we're lucky ), and as for Arcades there are two major drawbacks: Firstly, the arcades where I live are seedy hellholes where you wouldn't set foot in unless you absolutly had to, a far cry from the updated neon paradises ( in comparison ) of our Capital.

Secondly, they are rather limited when it comes to competitive play. Absolutly great for fighters and racers ( and, therefore, great for you ), but limited in aspects of other 'VS play' games which might make their way onto consoles. I would far prefer gaming with someone face to face, but sadly that isn't always possible, therefore online play gives us a viable alternative. I do understand why Nintendo are procrastinating on wheeling out their online elements, but from a personal point of view I do hope that they choose to at least make some probing steps in this area in the near future.

[Lorraine Kelly]

If Mario Kart and the like are LAN playable you can bet Datel or Gamespy will release a disk to let you play them online.

[srgbilco]

The line Nintendo's trotted out every time is that on-line play is not currently profitable. I don't see why this should be a problem. All Nintendo needs to do is to optimise a few games' netcode and provide the option to create P2P servers YOURSELD, rather than a network like the PSO one or X-box Live!. This doesn't cost Nintendo any money, apart from a bit extra development costs, and provides players with an online gaming system using P2P that's proven to work with the PC. I don't know why interviewers don't press any issues such as this and the poor treatment of Europe, instead of asking the same "reaction to cell-shaded Zelda"-esque questions that end up being asked every time with and NOJ or NOA peeps.