Nintendo dumps the Gamecube

[EddieA]

I've always liked Nintendo, but I have to call foul on a couple of their moves today.  First, they delay the Gamecube version of Zelda in order to get people to buy the Wii version, and then they cancel Super Paper Mario for Gamecube and make it a Wii exclusive.   

[Kevin Grey]

The Zelda thing is kind of slimy but I don't see Super Paper Mario as a big deal- it wasn't even announced until a few montths ago at E3 and even after that we never got a very much additional info.  And, quite frankly, with the Cube deader than door nail I'm happy with the move since SPM will get a helluva lot more attention as an early Wii release than it will as a late Cube release. 

[Dafones]

Truthfully, I wish they'd abandonned Zelda as a Cube title long ago so that they could have worked on the game as an adventure solely and definitively for the Wii. I'm not sure how you can make a game with two control schemes that are so different, and growing more so month by month, and keep the design focused. That worries me a bit, and I wonder if both versions will suffer because Nintendo decided not to make it a Wii exclusive.

[EddieA]

I don't think they're all that different - you still use the analog stick and buttons to control many of the functions in the Wii version, AFAIK.  Making it a Wii exclusive after several years of being announced for the Gamecube would have generated too much ill will.

[metallicorphan]

zelda was first set to appear last november,and i have been waiting for it ever since......pissed off,yes that it will be wii...but seen as though i will be pre-ordering the wii (48 hrs before public in UK i might add, )as soon as they announce a release date anyway...i guess i will still be happy...although i see zelda being a great game,i have a feeling that on the wii,i wont be as impressed as i should be...nah thats bollocks,its still gonna be great

[Tebunker]

Here, let these make you feel better about the move to the Wii;









Shoot, I think this game sets a good bar for developers to shoot for and surpass on the Wii. If Nintendo can make a very pretty game then any developer can do it!

[wonderpug]

You just had to go and remind me what the new Zelda looks like.  Ok, I'm back on the Day 1 Wii purchase club.

[corruptrelic]

Am I the only one not moved by those screenshots?
Put 'em side by side with Epic's Gears of War on the 360.. and then say they still look good! 

[Misguided]

Can't say I understand why the GC version has been pushed. I'm going to get that question a lot in the coming weeks.

[Kevin Grey]

Am I the only one not moved by those screenshots?
Put 'em side by side with Epic's Gears of War on the 360.. and then say they still look good! 

They look good! 

[warning]

Am I the only one not moved by those screenshots?
Put 'em side by side with Epic's Gears of War on the 360.. and then say they still look good! 

The screenshots look great to me.  But what really excites me is the gameplay taking place in those shots.

Gears of War looks great but at its heart it is basically a shooter.  Shooters are nice but they don't tend to excite me much anymore.

[ATB]

At least they're not dumping it as hard as MS did the XBOX.

[Kevin Grey]

At least they're not dumping it as hard as MS did the XBOX.

Eh, just as bad really.  There really hasn't been a signficant Cube release this year outside of maybe Chibi Robo.  Yeah, there is Zelda still but that was originally supposed to have released last year. 

[Destructor]

Am I the only one not moved by those screenshots?
Put 'em side by side with Epic's Gears of War on the 360.. and then say they still look good! 

They look good! 

They look good!

If that's 'all' I have to look forward to with the Wii's graphical powers, I'm perfectly happy with how it looks.

And yeah, I also don't see losing Super Paper Mario to the Wii as being a 'Nintendo dumps the Cube' thing either. It appeared back at E3 and then pretty much vanished. The Cube has been dead for months now, IMHO. Hell - my last purchase was Resident Evil 4, and that came out in January of last year.

[Laner]

Am I the only one not moved by those screenshots?
Put 'em side by side with Epic's Gears of War on the 360.. and then say they still look good! 

Meh - other than the depth of field effect, looks like your typical current (last?) gen product.

[weleavefossils]

zelda was first set to appear last november,and i have been waiting for it ever since......pissed off,yes that it will be wii...but seen as though i will be pre-ordering the wii (48 hrs before public in UK i might add, )as soon as they announce a release date anyway...i guess i will still be happy...although i see zelda being a great game,i have a feeling that on the wii,i wont be as impressed as i should be...nah thats bollocks,its still gonna be great

isn't the release date 11/19/06? atleast that is the date on the main picture at http://wii.nintendo.com/

I honestly think the graphics look fine.  I'm more into the games than the graphics anyway. 

[Jancelot]

The graphics look good enough to me.  WoW has proven that a good artistic style can make up for lack of super duper realism.  Although that Sword of Aliasing sort sticks out in that 3rd shot.  It's just really too bad that they didn't go HD as I'm a little concerned with the translation to big screen HD sets.  The little things like that might be magnified.

[Dafones]

zelda was first set to appear last november,and i have been waiting for it ever since......pissed off,yes that it will be wii...but seen as though i will be pre-ordering the wii (48 hrs before public in UK i might add, )as soon as they announce a release date anyway...i guess i will still be happy...although i see zelda being a great game,i have a feeling that on the wii,i wont be as impressed as i should be...nah thats bollocks,its still gonna be great

isn't the release date 11/19/06? atleast that is the date on the main picture at http://wii.nintendo.com/

I honestly think the graphics look fine.  I'm more into the games than the graphics anyway. 

The Wii version of the game comes out in November, while the Cube version has been pushed back to December 12th or so.

[Kobra]

I've always liked Nintendo, but I have to call foul on a couple of their moves today.  First, they delay the Gamecube version of Zelda in order to get people to buy the Wii version, and then they cancel Super Paper Mario for Gamecube and make it a Wii exclusive.   

Lame move considering the Wii is nothign more than Cube v1.5, and I am sure they are delaying it because they don't want people to go "Wow look, the cube version looks almost as good as the Wii version!".

This news, and the news of the inflated price tag on the unit, have me taking Wii off the Christmas list..  Sorry Nintendo!

[rrmorton]

Oh, you'll come crawling back to suckle at the Nintendoteat before long.

[Kevin Grey]

I've always liked Nintendo, but I have to call foul on a couple of their moves today.  First, they delay the Gamecube version of Zelda in order to get people to buy the Wii version, and then they cancel Super Paper Mario for Gamecube and make it a Wii exclusive.   

Lame move considering the Wii is nothign more than Cube v1.5, and I am sure they are delaying it because they don't want people to go "Wow look, the cube version looks almost as good as the Wii version!".

I don't think that's the case at all- if it was then Nintendo would be better off either cancelling the Cube version outright (which they've done in Japan) or delaying the Cube edition for many months until Wii sales have calmed down.  As it is, the delay of only a couple weeks doesn't put enough distance to stop people from comparing them, especially since the Cube version still hits before Christmas. Plus, it's very likely that pubs could be seeing review code for both at the same time, so I expect comparison articles to be posted pretty early.

If I had to guess, I would say that it's likely that the Wii version is significantly more overhauled than initially expected (maybe a little on graphics and significantly more on control/gameplay).  Now, if you release them simulataneously you get people who skip out on the Wii and buy the Cube version because they assume they are the same.  Maybe after a week or so word of mouth gets around that the Wii version is actually siginficantly different (maybe better) and the Cube version buyers are feeling a bit of buyer's remorse but, hey, they've already got the game, logged umpteen hours into it, so they suck it up, beat the Cube version, and don't buy a Wii now.

Now instead you have the staggered release and in the intermim those waiting for the Cube version hear about how great it is on Wii and how "they can't imagine playing it on any other system" and perhaps some of those people cave and pick up a Wii.  And for those who stand resolute, they still get their game on December 11th.

Like I said, it's kind of slimy but I can see Nintendo's rationale and, in the end, it will help the Wii not only in console sales but it's more impressive having a a million plus seller on Wii itself than splitting it between Wii and Cube.   

[EddieA]

I hadn't heard that they're changing the graphics for the Wii version; I thought it was just the controls.  Those screenshots look within the power of the Gamecube.

[Kevin Grey]

I hadn't heard that they're changing the graphics for the Wii version; I thought it was just the controls.  Those screenshots look within the power of the Gamecube.

I don't think anything is official (and to my knowledge Nintendo has not showed off the Cube version since the Wii version was announced) but I seem to recall some who've seen at E3 and since finding the lighting a bit better, improved texture resolution, etc than what had been shown on the Cube version before.  Nothing too dramatic likely- it kind of sounds like the difference between some multiplatform titles on Xbox and PS2. 

[Graham]

I don't really think that the shots look all that good.  Granted, I doubt that they will be enhancing the graphics for Zelda that much since it was based on code for the GC, so it's probably not the best comparison.  We probably won't be able to get a good idea of what the Wii can do until later next year.

Warning, you might want to take a look at http://www.shacknews.com/extras/2006/091506_cliffyb_2.x

Here's just part of what CliffyB has to say:

The cover system has turned out extremely well. It's basically a platform game on the X and Y axis; instead of leaping up into the air like in many other shooters you're leaping through the environment. Slamming into cover, hurdling over it, slipping and shooting around corners, all of it wrapped up with a tight polish pass.

Yeah, it might be a third-person shooter, but it sounds a bit more involved from other shooters.

[-Lord Ebonstone-]

I've always liked Nintendo, but I have to call foul on a couple of their moves today.  First, they delay the Gamecube version of Zelda in order to get people to buy the Wii version, and then they cancel Super Paper Mario for Gamecube and make it a Wii exclusive.   

qq

[kathode]

I'm sure that just as the tiny little GameCube was able to churn out the stunning vistas of Resident Evil 4, the Wii will prove itself to be the Little Console That Could in the hands of developers who devote themselves completely to its idiosyncrancies. 

Gears of War could do nothing at all innovative beyond what they've shown, and it would still be hella fun.  I may have chainsawed enemies in Doom, it's true, but you can bet I'll be waiting in line just to chainsaw some big-ass Locust mofos.  Graphics are exciting.  A lot of people want you to feel bad about liking games with good visuals, but don't buy it.  If we remove cost as a factor, anyone saying that a more powerful Wii would be a bad thing is telling you a flat out lie.

[Purge]

At least they're not dumping it as hard as MS did the XBOX.

Dude, at least MS *HAD* 3rd party support for the Xbox 1... have you seen the titles still coming out for xbox1? Not too shabby for something "Dropped Hardcore".

[Purge]

isn't the release date 11/19/06? atleast that is the date on the main picture at http://wii.nintendo.com/

I honestly think the graphics look fine.  I'm more into the games than the graphics anyway. 

The Wii version of the game comes out in November, while the Cube version has been pushed back to December 12th or so.
[/quote]

No, the Wii version was pushed back too. Check www.gamingtrend.com/ news for more info.  :slywink:

[Kevin Grey]

No, the Wii version was pushed back too. Check www.gamingtrend.com/ news for more info.  :slywink:

What's the source on the front page story?  Are we sure they didn't get it confused with the Cube delay?  A search on Gametab only shows news of the Cube delay.

 From Engadget's coverage of the Nintendo press conference Q&A with Reggie yesterday:

10:01AM - Wii Remote has MSRP of $39.99. Nunchuk attachment has MSRP of $19.99. Someone's Q: Will unit hold photos or read from card? A: Majority of storage from SD card, though the unit does have internal storage. Zelda for Game Cube launches December 11th. For Wii on November 19th.

[Tebunker]

I'm sure that just as the tiny little GameCube was able to churn out the stunning vistas of Resident Evil 4, the Wii will prove itself to be the Little Console That Could in the hands of developers who devote themselves completely to its idiosyncrancies. 

Gears of War could do nothing at all innovative beyond what they've shown, and it would still be hella fun.  I may have chainsawed enemies in Doom, it's true, but you can bet I'll be waiting in line just to chainsaw some big-ass Locust mofos.  Graphics are exciting. A lot of people want you to feel bad about liking games with good visuals, but don't buy it.   If we remove cost as a factor, anyone saying that a more powerful Wii would be a bad thing is telling you a flat out lie.

Quoted for Truth. No one will say no to more power, ever. I hope no one here thinks people are bashing those who are self admitted "graphics whores", shoot, more power to you. I can't call myself a graphics whore, but I want my games to be pretty, but I am happy with games like Okami and Killer 7 in the graphics department, and I have always said that I've never been a fan of the shiny looking graphics I see in a lot of 360 games, just not a fan of that shiny-ness. I like the look of a lot of 360 games though...

[Misguided]

I hadn't heard that they're changing the graphics for the Wii version; I thought it was just the controls.  Those screenshots look within the power of the Gamecube.

Go take a look at the gameplay montage posted 9/15 at IGN.

[Tebunker]

added to the fact that only the Wii version will be in progressive scan and widescreen and it does make a difference between it and the cube version.