Post by Marik on Jul 14, 2005 20:49:28 GMT -5
OK after reading countless Nintendo Powers, EGM's and various websites, I actually found something. This was actually accidential until I started hunting.
This is the real story on Nintendo's online strategy for this current gen.
Back when the GCN was still known as the Dolphin, Nintendo talked about network gaming. Then the GCN was unveiled and they showed that if you buy a network adapter you can play online. Then E3 2002 happened. Nintendo was known there by unveiling Mario Sunshine, Metroid Prime and a new Legend of Zelda(which was Wind Waker), but deep within the Expo, Nintendo also said that 10 online title were in development, 2 by Sonic Team(PSO 1 & 2, and PSO 3), and I think Konami was another developer as well as Nintendo. BUT! Nintendo wasn't gonna take care of it, their chief second party developer was. That was a little company known as Rare.
Well in September of that same year, Nintendo sold Rare to Microsoft for 350 million dollars. And there went all online plans for the GCN. Sonic Team had to destroy the Dreamcast PSO servers and put them for the GCN version. Microsoft didnt just buy Rare cause there a top quality developer, but later that year, Xbox Live was launching and if Nintendo was going online, then the success of Live today wouldn't be as big if the vetern Nintendo went against the newbie Microsoft. So they bought their competition.
What were Nintendo's online games? Did we ever see them? We know of 3. In 2003, Nintendo had nothing for games cause Rare was prob gonna support them with Perfect Dark Zero, Kameo Elements of Power and Donkey Kong Racing. And in 2003 Nintendo changed their tune and said that online gaming wasn't important. But 3 of Nintendo's 'big' titles of '03 have a unique option that GCN games today don't even have.
If you look on the back cover on 1080 Snowboarding, Kirby's Air Ride and Mario Kart Double Dash, it says Broadband on the top corner. That means they are System Link available. But those games were three of the games that were supposed to be online.
This is the real story on Nintendo's online strategy for this current gen.
Back when the GCN was still known as the Dolphin, Nintendo talked about network gaming. Then the GCN was unveiled and they showed that if you buy a network adapter you can play online. Then E3 2002 happened. Nintendo was known there by unveiling Mario Sunshine, Metroid Prime and a new Legend of Zelda(which was Wind Waker), but deep within the Expo, Nintendo also said that 10 online title were in development, 2 by Sonic Team(PSO 1 & 2, and PSO 3), and I think Konami was another developer as well as Nintendo. BUT! Nintendo wasn't gonna take care of it, their chief second party developer was. That was a little company known as Rare.
Well in September of that same year, Nintendo sold Rare to Microsoft for 350 million dollars. And there went all online plans for the GCN. Sonic Team had to destroy the Dreamcast PSO servers and put them for the GCN version. Microsoft didnt just buy Rare cause there a top quality developer, but later that year, Xbox Live was launching and if Nintendo was going online, then the success of Live today wouldn't be as big if the vetern Nintendo went against the newbie Microsoft. So they bought their competition.
What were Nintendo's online games? Did we ever see them? We know of 3. In 2003, Nintendo had nothing for games cause Rare was prob gonna support them with Perfect Dark Zero, Kameo Elements of Power and Donkey Kong Racing. And in 2003 Nintendo changed their tune and said that online gaming wasn't important. But 3 of Nintendo's 'big' titles of '03 have a unique option that GCN games today don't even have.
If you look on the back cover on 1080 Snowboarding, Kirby's Air Ride and Mario Kart Double Dash, it says Broadband on the top corner. That means they are System Link available. But those games were three of the games that were supposed to be online.
