Can we like...get some type of gag order for her? Is that somehow legal for us to do?...because if so, Kotaku should just gag order her and not let her speak. Period.

JGab

Wow, Nintendo's really going the extra mile to make sure I has as few Wii games as possible.

Scuba Steve

The Wii is the new PS2. It has quite a few good games, a but load of shovelware, sells better than "free favors of the less than scrutible vareity" (yes, that was technically nonsense, but at the same time profound, not to toot my horn or anything), and will continue to sell for years to come. Give it some more time, and then we'll see the truly epic games(Don't worry too much, there have been 22 million consoles sold, it'll happen).

Till then, I'm collecting all the Gamecube games I couldn't afford when they came out. ^.^

Herabec

@PapaBear434: Let's break this down.

Which major games did or will Nintendo release for casual gamers this year? Wii Fit, Wii Music. (Wii Sports Resort is early 2009 according to Nintendo's release list.)

Which major games did or will they release for 'core' gamers in the same time period? Smash Bros Brawl, Mario Kart.

Since you think Animal Crossing is a 'casual game' but it's also a traditional Nintendo 'core' game, I'm leaving it out of both lists.

It's a two-all draw. In other words, Nintendo's attention to the casual vs. core market (and yes I mean the Nintendo core market not the online-FPS raging-testosterone 'hardcore' market), in 2008, is exactly equal.

Do you get that impression from the comments here? No. Is it still true? Yes.
I think if you actually look at minor games as well

quen

@ISAAC76: Exactly. There's a difference between "Nintendo's holiday lineup" and whatever else may come out on Nintendo boxes. I'm hoping a few may yet emerge.

It is probably not worth harping on too much about the "casual" approach of Ninty's E3, they've said themselves that that's what they'll be focusing on because of the wide coverage E3 gets in the general press. It probably won't be any different next year, or the year after.

But it is probably worth bearing in mind that, with the still-constrained supply of Wiis/Wiix/whatever, Nintendo may have a different approach to the holiday season. More big games won't shift more boxes, as there aren't any more boxes to shift. So I wouldn't be surprised to see big titles hitting in spring rather than before Christmas - that way they'll be selling into a larger install base.

phisheep

@MeleeKirby: Cammy stated the reason why they haven't shown Kirby, and it was announced as company policy some time ago. They aren't talking about games a long time before they're due. (I'd guess that at present, a 'long time' means about six months.) So the reason they aren't talking about Kirby is that it won't come out this year - same as with the two Zelda games and whatever the Mario team are doing. (another Mario? Or is it that team working on Pikmin? Something else?)

As for this year, Fatal Frame 4 (right?!) from Nintendo and Dead Rising from Capcom are the ones I'm interested in... definitely not a very long list for the remaining five months of the year, but eh, I can do other things than play games. Also, I'm probably forgetting a bunch of games from other companies that are due. (Oh... and I might get the last Lego game I suppose...)

quen

This is going to come off as a bit of an "I told you so," but hey...

Look, this is the dire situation we of the non-Mario persuasion have predicted since the Wii's release and subsequent marketing as a "casual" machine. Yes, it was going to sell huge to people who never really played games before. But these folks, like my parents, primarily use the system like they used Pong back in the 70's. It's a Wii-Sports machine, as far as they are concerned. The only other game my parents own is Brunswick Bowling, because I bought it for them.

Nintendo saw this influx of casual gamers buying their system, and knew that they weren't going to buy something that requires practice and skill to be good at. Thus, you get pick-up-and-play games. Cooking Mama, even more simplified Mario, Animal Crossing (cutesy version of the Sims, really), various minigame collections, and countless addons and accessories to clip the Wii-mote into.

And if this continues, if this keeps making Nintendo money hand over fist, there will be no going back for them. They will do whatever they can to keep making this kind of money off this new market, which means Brain Age 72 and Wii-Sports: Cricket will be in the pipeline sometime soon.

And if you think Sony and Microsoft aren't watching Nintendo's success with hungry eyes, you're fooling yourself. It's only a mater of time before they start taking aim at the same market, further diluting the industry and dooming it to safe, family consumable, bite size experiences.

The only hope for the "hardcore" market (ie: Us) is that the casuals do as they are expected to do and not buy many more games in the future. Like my previously mentioned parents, most casuals play once in a blue moon when they have friends over, and otherwise leave the Wii dormant and unused next to their ancient VCR/DVD combo unit. Because if they don't, and Nintendo keeps the money flowing from this source... It's going to get bad for us.

The only bright side is the likely resurgence of the PC community. Core gamers will have to go somewhere to get the more complex experience, and it only makes sense to come home to the origin of gaming itself.

PapaBear434

And I continue to get more and more happy about my decision to sell my Wii. It's like they just don't care about making good games anymore. They used up all their creativity with their gimmicky control scheme.

Andrewteix

@Sabre_Justice: Okay, no more long name.: I agree, the Wii has a surprising amount of games for core-users, but that was last year, and none of the games have the replayability value core users will need to survive this period of drought.
But hey, there's Warhawk, and there's COD4 + a shitload of AWESOME games coming really soon for the 3 other platforms; among the awesome current libraries each platform has.
So, you won't miss-out the fun... unless you're only looking forward to Mario and other rainbow stuff from your childhood :P.

somarix

The Reggienator hinted at soem first party Wiiware games comming before the end of the year tough...

Anyway, and I appologise for repeating myself over and over (I have nowhere else to ask) but I really, really REALLY need a new F-Zero. And if it's ok, Pilotwing and Starfox. In fact, and don't take this the wrogn way, these 3 should be out before a new Mario and Zelda. More time to develop themand everything.

You could outsource the IP if your teams are overworked, just liek you didi with F-Zerio with Sega (brilliant) and Starfox with namco (Brilliant onrails, average on foot...). Miyamoto said he was very disapointed with both, but I hope that doenst mean the seires wont see a Wii encarnation...

Shiryu

What about Kirby? What about Star Fox (and a more polished one than Assault)? What about some of the other classic Nintendo games other than Mario and Zelda?

Zunnoab

To be honest, Nintendo has given as much as they can to the core gamers. Sure it's not perfect, but between Zelda, Mario, Metroid, the fanservice extravaganza that is Brawl, and new games on the way, we've got plenty, and third party publishers SHOULD have filled the gap, but... well, there's Boom Blox and No More Heroes...

...y'know, I'm glad I have other gaming platforms to fill the gaps. Then again, Lego Star Wars has the material to last me years.

Sabre_Justice: Okay, no more long name.

@VonDante: BUY BOOM BLOX, jesus. I wish you people would give that game the time of day. It's AMAZING, the best 3rd party title on the system besides RE4 or Okami!

Boom Blox People, BOOM BLOX!

Ken

Sometimes Mario and Zelda just don't cut it. And with the recent (and ancient) comment that "Zelda sold bad because it was long so it will have to be casual" I don't have high hopes. And Galaxy was, well, easy.

"So you have to know that those teams are working hard and there will be stuff that will be delightful coming out."

Delightful on Nintendo's terms...?

Ryumeka

...which means I will stick this christmas with my PC and Xbox 360.

entres

NO NINTENDO NO! We Don't WANT more of the same rehashed zelda and mario with new gimmicks, we want new fresh stuff like Project HAMMER.

SkutSkut

@JokesJokes: "The sidescrolling action is easier to make and kind of a onetime play through game"

If its anything like the classic Super Mario Worlds for the SNES or even WarioLand for the GBA, the game will more than justify its own price tag. Remember all of the Secret worlds, or the hidden bonus parts of those old games? You could spend hours upon hours upon hundreds of hours going through the stages and still not be able to find everything. I know I didn't.

NeVeRMoRe666

oh well at least there are a few third party offerings: Fatal Frame 4, de blob, Madworld, tales of symphonia, dead rising,and the conduit. And one nintendo game, wario land shake it! As long as they make some announcements for next year that dont suck everything should be fine

ISAAC76

a console can't survive on icons that are 20 years old. Nintendo get your act together and get some good, original stuff out. Please.

Vabor

The big question in all of this is whether or not this new "blue ocean" crowd will end up buying another system in a few years. If not, then Nintendo will have to eventually get back to treating their fans as they should, but I'm getting the feeling that the divide between Nintendo and the type of people who read blogs like these will get wider and wider.

Even the core Nintendo trio of Mario, Metroid and Zelda will probably be changed to better suit this new audience: remember how ridiculously simplified Phantom Hourglass was? I guarantee you that same kind of "innovation" is coming to the Wii as well.

Darlan

If we knew a surprise was coming, it wouldn't be a surprise.

Torgen got his apology faceplate but not his fixed GH3 disc

Wii Mote + .... Check
Animal Crossing for the Wii ... Check
Wii (retarded) Music .... Check
ok we're done til 2009

FP Bleentastic has cake

Remember that exodus of NA Nintendo execs a few months back... I guess "Cammie" is the end result. Ugh.

I made a post recently about hating the hype machine, and that Nintendo was something of the anti-hype, and thought that was the way to go. That only works effectively when you actually have games coming out. This isn't poker, Nintendo. You can't win by purely bluffing. You have to eventually show your hand. I'm getting a scary feeling that they've got nothing and they are relying purely on third party (gasp!) and WiiWare sales.

Sigh... at least the DS lineup is looking good this year.

StrikerGold

@Archaotic: Who's exactly this 'us'? I've said it before, and I'll say it again... Nintendo has made a lot of Nintendo games already for the Wii. If you were a core gamer, and you bought a Nintendo, there's already been plenty of these games out there. The only 'disappointment' should come from the fact that the third parties have been given a lot of opportunities to take advantage of a cheaper developmental cost and wide platform base, and have more or less tried to play 'Me too!' with Nintendo's own casual offerings.

Sure, it'd be nice to see Nintendo evolve a bit the way Sony's in house developments have, but they don't have to be nearly as conservative as Nintendo does. Now, if Nintendo isn't using all this bank they're making to push out in all directions of gaming (core, hardcore, casual, non-gamer, what ever you want to label it all...), THEN I'd start blaming Nintendo's releases.

Ampillion = That Man.

@JokesJokes:
Wario Land Shake is out at the end of September here in the US. From the looks of it, it's a full retail title and will thus retail for the standard 49.99 price.

Archaotic

@Archaotic: Valid. No bones about it, that was a disappointing show.
When's Warioland hit the US and will they still be insane enough to charge full price for it? The sidescrolling action is easier to make and kind of a onetime play through game, so unless they have some sort of crazy awesome replay necessitating feature in there that will make the game last forever, I don't think the game should cost more than $30. I know you can't fairly judge these things without at least reading some reviews, but that's how it looks so far.

JokesJokes

good god i want to slap her

Naif

@Lukems:
Holy crap, it's Luke. Hey man, fancy seeing you around here again.

Archaotic

@BelmontHeir:
Exactly. She's probably a perfectly nice woman, but her seemingly false enthusiasm and her dismissive nature towards traditional gamers makes a bad recipe for a good PR speaker...especially at E3, where the vast majority of the people in attendance WERE hardcore gamers.

Nintendo should've noticed something when none of their announcements were getting applause, and tried to do something drastic.

Archaotic

@Lukems: Only two of those are first party games right? I'd be inclined to be pissed at third parties not tring on wii. That being said, deadly reatures looks neat.

Sorry if I'm coming of as Nintendo Defender Man. I'm pissed about the conference too. I just think people are getting themselves a little too worked up and assuming the games aren't ever coming. I think nintendo just wants to avoid the Twilight Princess backlash they got from announcing a game too early then delaying it 2 years. With all the negativity from wii owners over the conference, I'm hoping they wake up and announce some stuff soon. Once litle pre-rendered kid icarus trailer would do wonders for morale methinks. Anyway, point is I don't really have a loyalty to any system ecepting that Ive invested my money i them and want as many games to play on my systems as possible. If the company rally turns out to be core hating devil worshipers, I'll gladly drop them...I don't think what they've done so far merits that kind of reaction yet. And now I'll stop posting in nintendo's defense...just think about it. (will gladly reply to comments though)

JokesJokes

Cammie reminds me very much of this lady who would come out before the service started at my parents' huge, Mall-of-America-style church. She'd just stand there onstage and grin ear to ear as she told us about all the "amazingly delightful" programs and happenings that were going on at the church, with all the canny enthusiasm she could muster. You got the impression that someone had somehow managed to give botox injections to an android, whose face was now trapped in a perpetual shit-eating grin.

In other words, this woman is the LAST person on earth that Nintendo should have made their spokesperson.

BelmontHeir

@Thorax:
The amount of Dunaway hate is pretty staggering. I think a lot of it is because of the fact that a large chunk of the E3 conference was her wasting time talking about family photos and broken wrists. Had she not been one of Nintendo's main speakers at the presser, people wouldn't care, she'd be just like Perrin Kaplan.

Instead, she's become public enemy number one for being the clear and obvious signal of Nintendo's heel-turn away from traditional gamers.

Archaotic

@JokesJokes: Actually the surprise would certainly be the announcement. Can't say as I've ever seen a surprise game-- we follow titles for months, if not years, in advance. So the way it's worded, I'm not expecting a peep for a while.

Ah, poor first-place Nintendo.

wild homes loves you but chooses darkness!

Get what you paid for I say.

remanance

Well, there goes my theory that they were withholding.

phinehas

I don't get why people hate Dunaway so much. Sure she's annoying, but it's in a fun way like one of your mom's friends or an English teacher that tries desperately to appeal to the young people. If Nintendo actually announced anything worthwhile, nobody would probably remember who the hell she is anyway.

Oh yeah, at the topic. Well, I'd be really surprised if this is true. I think that they'll announce a game they feel will appeal to the core gamers in the next few months, which will be out by the holidays or sometime afterwards.

And gentleman, lets pray for an Urban Champion remake.

Thorax

@JokesJokes:
Well, a "surprise" would insinuate they were going to make an announcement, not that the games are coming this year. Any announcements they'd make by this time of year are guaranteed 09 releases at the absolute earliest.

So really when they say "no surprises" they mean "We've shown you our hand. Deal with it." And that's the disappointing part of it all. They really have nothing to show off, not even a teaser, considering Nintendo skips TGS every year and there are no major conventions left.

Archaotic

@neverkilled: Cammie Dunaway is Jack Thompson's wife.
You heard it here first!

TheCleaningGuy is no longer (that) disappointed with DMC4

@Archaotic: And that's no new surprises COMING BEFORE CHRISTMAS this year. That doesn't mean they can't announce anything or show trailers. At least I hope it doesn't :(

JokesJokes

it's weird last year i was complaining about the same thing. but i said hey nintendo will pull through, but they go and say fuck the core gamers who supported us through the gamecube shit. i'm a ninty fanboy but my wii collects dust all i had to play this year was smash bros and no more heroes. mario kart was one of the biggest dissapointments.

juniorlikespie

@JokesJokes:
I don't hate Nintendo. I'm just...disappointed.

(See, Cammie? I can do the condescending parent thing too!)

Archaotic

@PeteeWJ
Forgot Fatal Frame?
[wii.com]

alfredofroylan

@Archaotic: So, the fact that the games are in development but take a good 3-5 years to make them shows that they don't care? Look at the lineup so far, We've gotten some really quality titles in the first year and 2/3 or whatever it is now. Mariocart was a bust, but galaxy was awesome. Twilight princess was cool if a bit boring but metroid prime corruption blew me away (may also have been because it was the first of the prime series I played.) It's the third parties that don't care. I understand why 3rd party support would be slow, you can't port games down to wii very well so they need to be made for the system. Got it. But the complete lack of effort on the system by some devs is pretty embarrassing. Nintendo will never not care about the base that keeps buying games after the casuals have moved on, but it's just a fact that these casual games are easier to make and much faster to develop even with a small team. That's why we have casual games coming out when there's a "hardcore" drought. Either wait it out or sell your system, but don't act like the games aren't coming or that it's nintendo's fault third parties are weak sauce on wii.
Note: If nintendo has been lying through their teeth and youre right and the games are never coming or they cancel kid icarus...then I'll be just as pissed as you and probably join in on the nintendo hate (only did that once when project hamer was cancelled). Until the day comes that I'm forced to they've stopped making core games, I guess I'll just weather the storm (still have to finish Okami and RE4 anyway, and I'd like to replay metroid while I'm at it). There's always the 360 to fall back on while I'm waiting.

JokesJokes

@PeteeWJ:
Well, it fits Nintendo's strategy for this generation. Instead of trying to captivate gamers with a steady stream of must-have titles, they starve the market until Wii gamers are suffering from such withdrawal that any game at all looks like Super Mario 64 to them and they simply MUST have it.

...that, or they just ignore us entirely and count on uninformed parents, grandparents, and significant others to make the purchases for them.

Archaotic

Man, I hope that the Mario team is hard at work on New Super Mario Bros 2...or New Super Mario World or whatever... Newer Super Mario Bros? In any case, 2D Mario is where its at.

Isn't Mario the ultimate casual game anyway? Or at least the old 2D games were. They may have actually been pretty hard to get through, but EVERYBODY has played the original Mario. Nintendo needs to tap back into that simplistic and addictive gameplay, and in doing so would make both "casual" and "hardcore" gamers happy.

drewskisama

So, is Cammie Dunaway supposed to be the anti-christ of nintendo, or just video games in general?

I wonder if her next announcement is a power glove attached to a virtual boy.

neverkilled

Reading the whole Wired interview is quite the eye opener. Where did Nintendo find this lady? Everything is just rainbows and kittens in her little world. Reading her responses to questions makes me realize more than ever that she has no concept whatsoever of the video game industry.
This gem has to be one of my favorites:

"Wired.com: Have we seen the extent, now, of Nintendo's 2008 holiday lineup?

Dunaway: You have seen the extent of Nintendo's 2008 holiday lineup. Also items that we didn't talk about yesterday, like Wario Land: Shake It. Which is a great franchise for the core. It's Wario in all his gross wonderfulness, shaking the Wii remote, and that's going to be tons of fun."

So apparently Wario Land: Shake It is Nintendo's big first party hardcore game this holiday season.

PeteeWJ

@ZeroBlade: ...? Giant corporations don't have feelings, nor would they date you. It's ok, just trust the men in white coats.

Medicine Seller [ZTF]

@gamadaya:
That is a good point. Nintendo never uses the term "hardcore" when talking games, they always say "core". I wonder if they DO mean their age-old "with-'em-since-SNES" fans or if they're talking about the Wii's newfound CORE userbase, which is to say...non-gamers.

Archaotic

Being a lifelong fan of Nintendo (and nearly life long fan of Sony) this pains me. Yes Nintendo, I did cheat on you with my PS1 and PS2, but I bought the GC first! And now it seems like she's cheating on me to get even...

And all you Non-nintendo hating fanboys aren't making this any easier. It's like you relish that sad look in our eyes when we feebly try to defend our system but can't... And then you skirt us over to our other two whores and make us play games we actually enjoy. Maybe we want some alone time alright! She's left us for someone much worse, who will undoubtedly desert her by next console. And maybe we won't come crawling back this time...

ZeroBlade

@PeteeWJ: "there will be stuff that will be delightful coming out"

If she was seriously like that in real life, I don't understand how there isn't more suicides happening at the big Nintendy building. I, for one, would shoot myself in the face if I was with her for more than 5 minutes...

NeVeRMoRe666

I think that they tried to use this lady as a "family" face for the company, but the big mistake here was present her in a decadent (but core) event like the E3. Probably if they showed the Wii Music and Cammie in "Ellen" we wouldn't have to watch all "teh drama" around here.

alfredofroylan

Even if they are going to release new Zelda, and Mario games this generation it doesn't address the real issue. If the N64, and Gamecube proved anything it was that the core gamer cannot survive on Mario, Metroid, and Zelda alone. I've yet to see anything that leads me to believe Nintendo understands that.

Gouki4u's avatar has a severe case of Jekyll and Hyde

@shichi: I very well may do that. PSN has some nice titles forthcoming

@gamadaya: So very very true.

@Raziel Dune:
So sad, yet so true as well.

@Gestahl: Yea, there are definitely a few exceptions. Sadly, not many.

VonDante

If you think about it. This has to be one of nintendo's worst holidays lineup ever.

-(Wii sports resort) Mini game collection
-(Animal Crossing) I cant even describe it.
-(Wii music) A toy

The worst part is, they will sell like hotcakes xD

Its good to hear the big guns are coming, but what to do for the next 6-8 months.

papero3

What? Nintendo for hardcores died when PS was introduce. You just outgrow your Mario games, that's all. Why so sad??? Wii will continue selling like hot cakes, gifts for your kids, grandparents is what the Wii target audience at. So what is there to grief?

ahmeng

Ignoring most of the Nintendo hate that usually spawns in Nintendo threads these days... (Hey, glad to see that housekeeping post changed a lot!...)

I wouldn't be surprised if this was actually, entirely false. Nintendo always, allllways keeps it's cards close to its chest, so it's not like they might not sneak something in as far as something second party or merely published by Nintendo.

Ampillion = That Man.

@jjpember:
Shit...
I think you just found the loophole they've been using.

gamadaya

@Mokai: I also think that's her genuine personality, as for playing video games with her...fine. As long as there are no doggies!

JokesJokes

@NeoAkira:
Nintendo's made it pretty clear they don't give a shit about us. The only surprise they've got left now is that they really don't have any surprises.

Archaotic

@liqideos: Extremely valid point.

JokesJokes

@NeoAkira: You and I both know that Nintendo never does TGS. Don't twist the knife anymore...

TheCleaningGuy is no longer (that) disappointed with DMC4

i heard they're making pikmin

SAGA

This hurts...well, will we be getting more announcements before the holiday? I don't care if they don't come before then, I'd just like to know what they're working on. I need to see what kid icarus looks like.
And bring back project hammer already. Motionplus fits perfectly with a title about swinging a giant hammer into robots. Release what was completed before the game was cancelled as a pack in like link's crossbow training was with the zapper. C'mon. You've already some of the game made, why leave it sitting around on a harddrive somewhere? You've got nothing to lose!

JokesJokes

@NaryaMithrandir: I agree.

@Kotaku staff: Can you ask Nintendo to clarify if "core market" refers to long standing fans of Nintendo, or (what I imagine is a majority of Wii owners) the new non-traditional gamer?

Thanks-jjpember

jjpember

@Yumayah: Just because she's enthusiastic, dosn't mean she's good at her job. I don't fault her for not announcing anything good, let the blame rest on the head honchos for that. I don't like her because she had Wisdom Cube-like anecdotes to share at one of the largest (if not the largest) pressers for Nintendo.

Medicine Seller [ZTF]

@Lukems: you know, im pretty excited for mirrors edge...sorry this has nothing to do with the topic whatsoever.

karl_hungus

@Archaotic:

Because we should believe everything the PR people say.

NeoAkira

Then we hear that the Zelda's and Mario's need to be more for the casual gamer. The system is what it is. Give up, you'll just end up looking foolish.

Thetallywacker

As a long time Nintendo supporter, this news sucks.

• Owned the original NES. Many, many fond memories.
• SNES...perhaps best console ever made.
• N64...yup, stuck it out out with my buddy Nintendo until the PS1 was near it's death. Just had to buy one on the cheap...for Xenogears...
• GameCube. Unlike most of you here I'm sure, I never bought a PS2 nor an Xbox. Didn't need to, didn't care to.
• Wii...uh, bought it at launch...well, let's just say I've bought a 360 AND a PS3 while waiting for the Wii to become fun and interesting. Sigh...

I was a huge supporter Nintendo. For me to contemplate selling your latest console is just sad. Feels like the end of a 20 year marriage. Cammy, STFU.

Keeko_ca

I'll be too busy playing Fallout 3, Left4Dead and HL2:Ep3 on my PC these holidays to even care about what's available for my Wii.

/I still like my Wii, but it gets progressively less use.
//Still good for parties.
/// Slashies!

r1nce

It's OK Microsoft and Sony got your back:

Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts

Fable 2

Gears of War 2

Dead Space

Prince of Persia

LittleBigPlanet

Mirror's Edge

Resident Evil 5

Fallout 3

Left 4 Dead

Resistance 2

Lukems

Thank you Cammie.
You are the only person who could have made me hate Nintendo.
I stuck with the big N through the GAMECUBE YEARS, but this...
This is too much.

TheCleaningGuy is no longer (that) disappointed with DMC4

Well looks like nintendo has moved on. From us.

I've completely written them off at this point but it's not too much of a shock, have seen this coming for quite some time. But the real barometer for the state of the nintendo fanboy comes via my bro. He's a die hard nintendo fan and won't hear anything about any other console.

And while he still defends it (and will continue to just to spite me) you can tell by the way he talks about it now even he doesn't believe what he's saying. Also he recently decked out his PC and has been playing it exclusively (last few months).

So there it is, if my bro has lost it for nintendo, than I can't see how most of the other fan boys can continue to support it (as their main console anyway, I'm sure they'll release something down the line).

Nutchos

you know, the fact that her name is cammie doesnt help things.....

karl_hungus

Lame excuse! play animal crossing and talk with friends about next year games, DOGGIE!!!! xD

Alan wake and ICO teams are working hard too!
like knowing that will bring these games sooner.

papero3

@Yumayah: It will either be an uproar over why Zelda was delayed nearly two years, or an uproar over why a new Zelda isn't announced for another two years.

liqideos

Zelda fit and Mario Play here we come!

MetalGearMax

Nintendo is hosting a mini-event in Japan today:

Wii Music / 16 October / 5800 yen
- wi-fi connection compatible, touch generations series

Captain Rainbow / 28 August / 6800 yen

Wii Remote Straps coming out in September
White, Pink, Blue, Green
300 yen each
Set of four for 1000 yen.

Valkyrie Profile DS / 2 October / 5040 yen

Valkyrie Profile? Yes!!!

alfredofroylan

@VonDante: welcome to the years between SNES and N64 part 2.

Raziel Dune

Even though Nintendo has historically been an excellent first party developer, I think now is the time to turn to third parties more. N has established what they want to do and who their main market is, that is not to say that they don't do anything for core gamers. Things like The Conduit and MadWorld should be looked at a lot more.

GyrFal

Of the video I saw linked from vgcats featuring Cammie, I felt that she seriously loves and is enthusiastic about what Nintendo's already got out there.

But the vagueness of "the Zelda and Mario teams are hard at work...So you have to know that those teams are working hard and there will be stuff that will be delightful coming out." is somewhat disconcerting.

Specifics, details, an actual title or two (even just a working title) would be far more satisfying in my opinion.

Yumayah

She expects developers to release, "Second Edition", games to take advantage of Motion Plus?

A firmware can't suffice?

liqideos

Seriously, delightful? Did she seriously use the adjective delightful to describe upcoming video games? Cammie needs to just go away, NOW!

PeteeWJ

I'm pretty sure there's about five Mario sports titles in development we just haven't been told about.

Dark_Mirage

@VonDante:
You're in the same boat as me. Lucky for us, Wii's will be in short supply come Christmas :)

gamadaya

Delightful? I hope so.

InsidiousTuna

Although it's a bit off-topic, I do gotta admit that I think poor Cammie's personality up on stage was genuine just like she claims. If he weren't an big shot at Nintendo I think she'd be a pretty cool person to kick back and play some video games with.

Mokai

@NeoAkira:
Well, considering they JUST SAID no new surprises for this year, I think if anything we won't see any major announcements until just after Christmas.

That being said, Cammie Dunaway needs to stop talking. Period. I'm sure she's a perfectly nice lady when she's not at work, but she's the LAST thing Nintendo needs if they want to placate or even shut up hardcore gamers. She's like a third grade teacher who's trying to tell a bunch of 20+ guys what to do.

Archaotic

@VonDante: hey man I hear ya. a friend of mine has a wii and he hasn't played much besides wii sports and smash bros. why don't you pick up a PS3 and lets play FAT PRINCESS!!

shichi

no third party people want to make games for wii because the games dont sell.

bond2e2

@VonDante:
"The Wiimote still hasn't been really used properly by anyone beyond Nintendo, another thing I absolutely don't get."

Suda's No More Heroes is just about the only exception I'd say.

Gestahl

I guess this is the time that third-parties have been waiting for, Nintendo has released all of their big guns, and I doubt that Animal Crossing alone will satisfy all the needs of the gamers.

Hansel

I'm guessing this means no achiivements or trophiies

shichi

Just saw this before I saw this post.
[www.vgcats.com]

How ideal.

NaryaMithrandir

for some reason every time she opens her mouth i hate myself a little more...but it's good that the mario and zelda teams are hard at work

Kenzo287

god she is annoying, i hated there showing at E3 because of her. Well her and the wii sucks, they have no good games.

bond2e2

As much as I love Nintendo.. I feel betrayed with the Wii, just like I felt in the end with the Gamecube.

I bought a Wii on day one mainly due to the big gun that was Zelda. And I loved the game... but between it and Super Mario Galaxy. That's all I have played and enjoyed on the console.

It's must have games are few and far between and basically only coming from Nintendo themselves yet again.

It's third party support is just as sad as GC, which I don't understand with its 22 million consoles sold.

The Wiimote still hasn't been really used properly by anyone beyond Nintendo, another thing I absolutely don't get.

As much as it saddens me, and as much as I will be excited by the new projects the Mario and Zelda teams are doing once they are announced.. I think I may be heading toward selling my Wii.

At this point I wish I would have bought a Ps3 to go along with my x360. I really feel betrayed by Nintendo yet again.

VonDante

@Dajmin: they did it so they have someone to counter Microsoft and Sony Annoying Head people. lol

Raziel Dune

No worries, it'll be a new year soon. 12 more months for Nintendo to continue to disappoint.

I wonder why Nintendo employed Cammie, because she appears to do nothing but bug people and talk crap. Now I know that she's ex-Yahoo marketing, but you'd think a company like Nintendo could afford someone who actually knows what they're talking about.

Unless of course there is simply no way to put a positive spin on the bullshit they've been throwing our direction...

Dajmin

Alright, NOW I hate Cammie Dunaway.

Pezdispenser

@MeleeKirby:

Maybe they're saving it for TGS. It would seem logical than, as they would have a bombshell to drop at that event.

NeoAkira

yes...Nintendo we KNOW you have games being made but...:( it still makes me sad.

Raziel Dune

@NeoAkira: There is a Kirby game in the works. For some reason Nintendo decided -still- not to show it yet.

MeleeKirby

Captain Rainbow is the only thing that matters now.

Zerozaki Ishiki

So Cammie is as annoying in real life as she is on stage? How is this supposed to improve my opinion of her?

gamadaya

"the Zelda and Mario teams are hard at work."

Hopefully on a new Kid Icarus or F-Zero or Kirby right? RIGHT?!?!!

NeoAkira

[tf2spy]Well, this was a disappointment![/tf2spy]

Honestly, I was hoping for a little more from them this holiday season. I'm looking forward to Animal Crossing/Wii Speak but there's no evidence of a free composition mode in Wii Music so far - a huge negative in my opinion. And as another article today mentions, they're just now seriously looking into an external storage solution, so I'm guessing that won't be out by the end of the year either.

But then, March and April of this year gave us Brawl and Kart respectively, so they may be holding out for TGS to make an announcement about more Spring titles. I hope.

DrLiquid

God dammit. My one holdout, my one little wish, was that I would get one good game for my Wii before 2009. Oh well, thank god I just bought myself a 360.

Ajax

I just want my Zelda.

@VonDante: Is the whining truely necessary? I have 12 Wii games with plans to get more over the Holidays. There is plenty of good games to be had on the Wii but you have to be willing to look. If you feel so "betrayed" then sell it and move on. You'll probably get a good price on eBay.

EmeraldDragon

The biggest problem with Nintendo's "blue ocean" strategy - and I think they know this - is that it's easy to attract the casual non-gamer with flashy, shiny things but, unlike a more traditional gamer, it's more difficult to get them to keep playing. They're more likely to quickly grow tired of it as the novelty wears off. Thus, Nintendo needs to continue to produce more "flashy, shiny things" so that as the novelty of one product wears off a new one pops up to suck them in all over again. That's why I think we've gone from the Wii to Wii Fit to Wii MotionPlus and Wii Speak. It's to keep the casuals hooked. I think that's all they care about at this point; keeping their little casual piggybanks playing and buying their crap. If they really cared to innovate, they would have let third-party developers in on their new widgets so that they could develop for them too.

Here's what I predict for the Wii:
- Nintendo, in a desperate attempt to woo the casual gamer, completely ignores the more traditional gamer. Such gamers get fed up and begin selling their consoles in droves.
- Third-party developers see this trend and completely cease development on anything that would not appeal to a casual gamer. Thinking that such a gamer will buy anything, quality control goes out the window and the Wii gets saturated with shovelware (even more so than now) as they try to cash in on the casual market while spending as little as possible.
- Casual gamers, overwhelmed by the amount of crap available, also begin selling their Wiis, failing to see the innovation anymore and thinking the fad is over. The second-hand market becomes flooded with used Wii systems. Suddenly the Wii is not hard to find, people begin to question why so many are trading them in, and demand for the system takes a nose dive.
- In the end, Nintendo is left alone, desperately trying to hock "Wii SUPERFit!" and "Wii MotionPLUSPLUSPLUS!" as third-parties abandon the system, traditional gamers move on to 360 and PS3, and casuals return to PopCap or whatever other hobbies they had pre-Wii.

I predict that this will all go down sometime in 2010. Let's see what happens.

TechRat

Yeesh. The way some people talk, its as if everyone thinks there aren't any third party titles for the Wii, or there are too many!

Just like any other product, if you want more stuff like it, you have to buy it when it comes out. You can't ask for great third party games or new IP's, and not buy them when they come out. Otherwise, they stop making them.

To me, it sounds like the only way 3rd party games would get attention on the Wii is if Nintendo themselves made it (contradictory, I know.)

Aerokii

@Torgen got his apology faceplate but not his fixed GH3 disc: Haha, you win.

I think everyone is blowing the failure that was Nintendo's E3 conference out of proportion. Don't get me wrong, I'm as disappointed and pissed as everyone else, but I don't think it means Nintendo abandoned traditional gamers completely.

Their new focus on casual gaming is a mixed bag. Obviously, this means not all resources are going into the major first party games, but I think people need to grow up and learn to share. Also, Nintendo is a business, the only one of the three console makers that lives and dies by the video game industry, so they need, not want, to make money; in what kind of situation do you think Nintendo would be this generation if they didn't do things the way they did? They'd be going nowhere fast, and then there might actually be ZERO games to look forward to.

I'd also like to point out that in one year and five months, Nintendo has put out 5 critically acclaimed first party games - especially impressive given their reputedly long development time; Nintendo fans should be used to waiting at least 3-5 years between Zelda and Mario titles, and I don't see what's changed that everyone is so up in arms about this current in-between period.

If they're not ready to show, then they're not ready to show; maybe the timing of E3 was inopportune, but patience is a virtue it seems many people need to learn.

TheCakeIsALie

In that case, no more of my monies for you this year Nintendo.

FoxHoundADAM

@SkutSkut: How about all of the above? I want a new mario and zelda for sure, but I'd also love to see project hammer come back. No reason to get rid of two excellent franchises for a scifi beat em up...unless you were being sarcastic, which is very hard to tell through text.
@Ken: I agree, BOOM BLOX is amazing. That castle tear down with thre friends is orsome! It's like a blitz version of risk. It's really hilarious to see people wheeling and dealing alliances and partnerships like crazy FOR ONE TURN then turning on eachother in the next. "Make an alliance with me" or "Hey! What are you doing? I didn't hit your blocks!" Highly recommend.

JokesJokes

Holy shit, Nintendo, sound the alarm!!! Andrewteix is selling his Wii!!! Dude, they don't care what you do.

@Andrewteix:

rhinojosa

Ok, I don't get on here to comment much, but I feel now is the time. Yes I feel that same disappointment as you all do in not having a Mario, Zelda, Kid Icarus game announced this E3, but BETRAYED?? I mean come on. Who said Nintendo promised us these things anyways? They will come with time when they are ready. In the meantime we have 3rd party games that we can play.

Those of you saying that the Wii has NO GAMES, is collecting dust, I first want to see conclusive proof that you own Zack & Wiki, Boom Blox, No More Heros, and even Okami first. Otherwise stop bitching! I have never once felt that I have nothing to play on the system because there is a ton of great, high quality games.

In conclusion, just shut up and let Nintendo do what they do because no amount of crying is going to make them change.
/rant

EthoSoccer

@VonDante: Hey, I felt the same effin' way. I sold my Wii for tattoo money. Nintendo has been nothing but disappointment after disappointment recently. I'm still keeping my DS, though. At least 3rd parties still get that right.

firstworldman

I guess they don't have to release anything new, since they're still selling everything at such high demand. I was disappointed with their E3 showing, but I guess you can't always have something new and exciting pop up year after year. It's a let down, but I think people are blowing this way out of proportion.

It's a business folks. Nintendo, just like Microsoft and Sony, are businesses who only care about their stockholders. They only need to impress the public up to a point so that it can affect their bottom line and keep the stockholders happy. Since Nintendo has the best selling system, they don't need to push things as hard which gives them more time to work on their "core" titles. Either way, I have too much on my plate as it is to catch up on all the games I want to play. This is a much needed break.

rhinojosa

I think i have been out of the nintendo loop for a long time. Who's Cammie Dunaway? When did she start being important? What does she do? and specially.... why is she so annoying?

random_dude

@Dajmin: After Google hit, when has Yahoo ever been relevant?

CommentatorHatman

Here is my two cents that summarizes what sensible gaming companies now know...

The idea of having a Public Relations person is quite simple... to be the voice and imaged representative of your company's products and/or vision.

Cammie Dunaway, in her arguably pseudo-genuine "Pollyanna" personality, which seems driven on crack, energy drinks and a wide selection of Micheal Bolton's greatest hits collection, shys away from what both the casual and hardcore gamers want. Casual gamers like personable people, but they don't want the fake brown-noser from the corner office telling them how cool a product is, when they just want to hang themselves at the first five minutes of hearing and seeing her. To some of us older gamers (Well, I'm in the mid range... I'm 30 now.), her presentation was on par with listening to Bill Lumburgh's secretary.

For the action-oriented gamer (I still disagree with what the definition of a "hardcore gamer" is.), they look at Cammie Dunaway, and laugh (and shit and piss) all over Nintendo. What Nintendo seems to fail to realize is that Nintendo (in the U.S., anyway) was laughed at since the mid-90s, for being a "kid's console company". Add that we have Cammie's very out-of-touch performance, to go against Shane Kim, Phil Harrison, and others that just do it way more genuine and way cooler, and you have a PR DISASTER THAT IS NINTENDO.

Shiggy may be cool in his own different and eccentric way, but Cammie Dunaway is the dried birdshit on Nintendo's PR windshield that just doesn't wipe away easily.

So, Cammie Dunaway, you have convinced me that Nintendo is NOT my kind of gaming company. So, fuck Mario, fuck Link, Fuck Kirby, AND FUCK YOU TOO!!!

To all others, sorry for that rant... I've been meaning to get that off of my chest since this weekend.

Soldier_CLE

@Aerokii: Ack. I meant to say YOU find her annoying and OTHERS hate her because (so on so forth)

I don't actually know if you hate her or not. Here's an advanced apology for implying it.

Aerokii

@random_dude: Cammie Dunaway is a former Yahoo exec, and is the person Nintendo hired following their loss of three executives during their NoA office moving.

She handles marketing and PR, I believe. Lately she's been insulted for having 'fake enthusaism' (a claim which she denies), and for her stories of motherhood and broken wrists.

Currenly, you and many other people hate her because she is the bearer of bad news. A few people actually have legitimate reasons, but most just don't want to hear what she's saying. I know I don't...

Not that I blame her or Nintendo. We already got some great games this year.

Aerokii

Well... I thought motion+ was kinda cool.
They should have put it in the controller to begin with but oh well.

I don't have a Wii so I'm not worred.
Now... I'm in no hurry to get one.

Let Sadness comeout then we'll talk.
At this rate no other game will get me to throw my money at non Xbox disks.

Sadness will, though. Sadness is badass.

2010 should be a good year.;)

SadSadSamus

@Soldier_CLE: What we may have here though is the classic 'judging a book by its cover'. If you base your ideas of Nintendo upon Cammie, then you'd (hopefully) get the wrong idea because it goes so much deeper than that. Perhaps she personifies some of the casual games, but there are still the "Core" games there that probably don't interest her at all, relaly. If all you think of NIntendo is based on this one person, I think that's unfair.

Likeise, of this one person, it's unfair to judge her based on what she's had to say to us thus far. I don't think she's done a great job with what she's had, but then again, look what she's been given! This poor woman doesn't have that much to work with to really please anyone aside from those of us who don't have to see everything Nintendo puts out a couple years before it hits shelves. I'm sure most opinions on her would change drastically if Nintendo had more to show, but unfortunately that's not the case.

That all being said, you're mostly right in your points. I don't believe she's right for Nintendo, but currently, she's what we have, and we'll have to deal with it. There are some parts of her I even prefer- I don't think I've ever heard her bash any other consoles or games thus far, so I'm glad that we're not starting some sort of smear campaign here like some more immature spokespeople have said. Not to say she's without her faults, she definitely isn't.

Aerokii

If that's it for Nintendo '08, good for me. More time to spend on titles I actually care about (Fallout 3, Mirror's Edge, Prince of Persia). But I think this is just a PR prank. I mean Fatal Frame IV is out in Japan in just a few weeks. Nintendo made sure this remained exclusive as declared on its initial announcement. I certainly don't expect anything good for them, but new titles will most likely be announced by the time TGS hits Japan.

gencid

I'm going to add to my post...

The girl who is normally on the Wii presentation DVDs shown on North American kiosks...

Why didn't they just put her out there instead? At least she seemed more genuine.

Just a thought, Reggie. :\

Soldier_CLE

What about some Metroid action? Metroid Prime 3 and Zelda: Twilight Princess where the only real reasons I bought a Wii, and while a new Zelda games is going to be sweet, I WANT MORE METROID! just a simple request, hell I'll even take it on the DS, 2D sidescroller if thats what you want, just get something out there.

Foglight55

This year, nintendo caters to the "core" gamer. Let that not confuse you with "hardcore" types. It would be refering to "softcore" types. I.E the people that enjoy what is essentially bad games. They only cater to the party game genre that is simple enough a sex nuts & retard strong inbred child would high score.(Don't see Yahtzee, moving on) While I don't condone what they're doing, I am isolated from the Wii yet again and in a more major way.

Eliphus88

First off, I'm not really a fanboy. I have all three systems. If I'm a fanboy of anything, it's probably the Dreamcast.

That being said, I get somewhat confused about everyone's constant gripe that there is nothing besides Twilight Princess and Galaxy on the Wii, and nothing to look forward to until new of the same.

I will be the first to say Nintendo's E3 was horrible. My friends and I just stared at the TV, wondering if it could really be that bad... But for me personally, I haven't bought a lot of games yet (Twilight Princess, Galaxy, Brawl, Okami, No More Heroes, WarioWare, Sonic and the Secret Rings, Wii Fit, and not much else) but maybe I just don't have as much gaming time as you guys, but I haven't finished all of those, and there are other games I'd like to buy (Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, Metroid, Paper Mario, Resident Evil 4, Zak and Wiki, Final Fantasy: Chocobos Dungeon) Granted I'm sure those last two are too kiddy for most of you, but funny how they get good reviews on their *gameplay.* So sure, there's a crap ton of shovelware on the Wii. Are you old enough to remember the amount of games on the NES? Do you remember how many of them were shovelware crap? Funny, it's still THE classic system isn't it?

And as for the future, aside from new Zelda and Mario sometime (who knows when), I'm personally looking forward to Fatal Frame, The Conduit, Tales of Symphonia, FFCC, Rune Factory Frontier, and if they make it stateside: Fragile: Farewell Ruins of the Moon, and Arc Rise Fantasia.

Then again, I don't live and die off of FPS, the genre that is more tired than casual gaming OR "waggle."

That all being said, Cammie makes me want to choke myself, and no more new games for the holiday = one crappy holiday for Nintendo. But I'm not ready to sell off the system (then again, I have a Magnavox Odyssey 2, Intellivision, Atari 2600, and Magnavox 3DO in the basement.)

Sorry for the longest comment ever. :S

squall_kitsune

I want to know more about Pikmin 3

dude49

@Eliphus88: Now, what bothers me here is that you believe that Nintendo is catering only to the 'softcore' types with all the games they've made, and that all the 'softcore' games are crap. I don't believe this statement to be true, as you provide no real evidence for why such games are terrible.

Now, for the sake of this argument, we're eliminating all third party titles here, and simply talking about Nintendo. Softcore games Nintendo has made, and intend to sell, include games such as Wii sports, Wii fit, and Wii sports resort (among others, of course.) Now, based upon your post, you would say that such games are bad, and that it's designed for people who are… lacking intelligence, for lack of a better phrase. I contend that this is not the case; first off, Nintendo makes games for everyone. That's always what they've tried to do. The make games simple enough for anyone to pick up and play, but games that can be incredibly difficult to master. A prime example of this would be the pokemon series, with its EV points. The front of the game is simple: catch pokemon, level them up, win. But once you learn that different pokemon will grow in different ways, and fighting different opponents will bring about different growth, the game becomes more complex, as you try to raise the ultimate team.

Now, just because they made it for anyone does not mean it can't be enjoyed by those of us who have a more 'hardcore' taste can find something deeper within it, and simply must search. (and as the others have said, I don't mean those who prefer to stick to a single genre, usually involving being in first person and shooting guns, or perhaps being a JRPG fan boy (not that there's anything wrong with either of those.)) The games Nintendo has put out this year include such a thing: We look at Smash Bros, for example. While many people don't believe it's as complex as Melee was, there's also a large following who believe it to be just as deep and interesting. The slowing down of the game allows for everyone to pick up and play, but it also allows for a more strategic battle, as there are better opportunities for blocking, dodging, and the like. As usual, they stuck to their ideals that have not changed over the years. The same thing can be seen to a lesser extent in any of the Wii ____ games: Those who master the intricacies of it all will fair far better than those who waggle.

Aerokii

Speaking of birthdays, mine is tommorrow.

KM91

Damn you, Dunaway!!!!

KM91

@Aerokii: The truth is that the audience will almost always be subjective, and quite frankly, the PR person's objective is to win that opinion in their company's favor.

I base my thought on a series of criteria, from her showmanship, to (what looks like) her knowledge on the product (which seems very layman, IMHO), and setting the tempo for the presentation (which seemed rather panicked... a la charades with a cattleprod for getting the answers wrong... BUZZ!)

As far as what she has had to show/say, I personally would've done it alot different.

WiiSports Vacation:
-Played in a casual tempo, allowing people to see for themselves (in a Steve Jobs sort of way), the new MotionPlus sensor in action, with a calmer tone. (Steve does this VERY WELL.)
-Bring out gamers of different demographics
-Bring out a musician for WiiMusic
-Let the product sell itself

WHAT I FELT WENT WRONG:
-Too much frantic and sugary bullshit dialogue
-Too much frantic movements (Reggie, you gotta give up acting like you're having fun... I mean, you might be having fun, but people can also read past the overly dramatical stage presence. They're all gunna laugh at you.)
-M. Night Shylaman (Sp?): Does anyone remember those "Toy Monkeys", with the cymbals that annoying crash every second when you turned them on? Yeah, I got that impression too.

Sure there were crickets out there, but it were all laughable if you had your MP3 player/phone on hand, and added clown music to go with the presentation...

As for the Wired interview, it could've been easily spun to say "Keep your ears open and your eyes peeled for something big around the horizon!", along with emphasizing WHAT IS and WAS coming out. The last thing a PR person should sound like is out of the loop, which I honestly imagine she is.

As for basing Nintendo on her... they chose her, and she is a major part of who sets the tempo in that cheesy presentation.
She is supposed to help Reggie (and others) not sink, and is supposed to help keep the brand fresh in the public eye, and not stink up the public opinion of them. Ultimately, Nintendo also rested confidence in this person to shape the company image for public opinion. That's why I fault them vicariously.

So, perhaps in a different direction, my ceasing of individualized support of Nintendo (I am just one person, afterall.) is a way of saying that I refuse to be one of the many that helps pay her paycheck by buying anything further from the company. Being as I am just one person, it will not hurt them, but I can rest easier knowing that I am not [indirectly] responsible for seeing her grace anymore Kotaku posts, by simply not contributing [in any way] to her salary.

Kind of in the same way that I haven't bought an EA game in years...

Soldier_CLE

"And you know us, Chris, we don't talk about things until we are confident that they are in a place where we're going to be able to deliver on them in relatively short order after talking about them."

You mean like Brawl?

xeleion

@Aerokii: Maybe you should try for the job! They need gamers of all kinds to sell their product, regardless of what level, and if Nintendo is to be compared to Apple, Sony, or even Microsoft's gaming Studios' knowledgable base staff, they should have intuitive knowledgable people working the products on every level. I keep pointing to the Apple analogy, since the Apple Stores seem to have a philosophy based on their product and their associates' knowledge of what they sell. If the base associate knows the product, then the working officers of the company better know a thing or two more about the products, as well!

Unfortunately, since the pre-launch, I have noticed that there are some pretty unknowledgable Wii "demonstrators", and Cammie's showing didn't help out either. I think it's ironic to have Cammie there too, given the direction of marketing that proponders (in part) with the Hot Topic gaming appearal and items sold in the shops to increase youth (and expressive) appeal.

Cammie just makes it all feel like we're there to learn how to make pancakes in a home economics class, and she's using hot sauce instead of syrup, rice cakes instead of batter, and sardines instead of a fruit topping, to go along with the tofu that is not the butter that goes on top of the pancake!

It's just all wrong.

I'm not saying that they need to get some elitest pro gamer person to be the PR, but rather someone sensible that might actually be believable (As in we believe he or she spends time playing games and actually enjoys AND GETS them.)

Because Cammie Dunaway is to Nintendo PR, as to Martha Stewart is to Microsoft Gaming Studios Executive VP.

Soldier_CLE

@Soldier_CLE: Fair enough, fair enough. She isn't the best choice, which I've already conceded. I do believe that you're right in saying she should have spun the wired interview in a different direction as well- perhaps "we've got some great games coming up for 2009" opposed to "We're done for 08."

On a semi-related note, our Nintendo rep to the best buy I work at, she's gotta be the most unenthusiastic person I've ever met. I'd take her job in a heartbeat, but then agian, perhaps NoA needs to rethink their hiring policies for such people. I won't stop buying their games because of it, but it wouldn't hurt to get people better suited for the job.

@KM91: Happy early birthday.

Aerokii

@Soldier_CLE: Once again, completely fair. And I'll have you know I was hungry for pancakes right until that comment X.x

Given the constant comparisons between Apple and Nintendo, such a shift would make sense. While there are many reasons I'm not fond of apple, the people that are there to sell the products- essentially what Cammie should be doing for Nintendo- have always known the product.

I don't believe we need an elite pro gamer doing such things either. Someone who's friendly and knows about the product would be perfect, as that's most of sales right there! What worries me though, is that Nintendo probably wants someone who, as you said, seems like they are actually interested in playing games. Given the trend of them lately to, again, 'appeal to all demographics', this means that the focus will be on their more casual games (especially for E3). As such, they probably see Cammie as that person; the overly happy mother who plays games with her kids. THat doesn't really appeal to those of us who aren't exactly in the same category as what they're trying to appeal to.

On the other hand, she's not that believable- whether or not we have seen the 'real her', as she insists. It doesn't matter if that is or isn't what she's like- we have to believe it, right? And to that extent, I'd like someone... well, more like the average gamer, opposed to either a casual or hardcore. If such a person could be hired by Nintendo, I believe most of the strictly PR woes we've experienced would have been quite dampened.

Aerokii

Cammie is like, super annoying.

insaneo

Such as Kid Icarus.

Kiyosuki

I think part of the reason for the uproar is that, for at least as long as I can remember, there was ALWAYS a Nintendo game coming down the pipeline that got people excited. This goes back to my NES almost 20 years ago. There was always a good game on the verge of coming out. Now, at E3, they come up with nothing that gets people excited about the future. And after such a long streak of titles that gamers in general are interested in, there is going to be a backlash.

Add in Reggies "promise", and you have a disaster. If Animal Crossing was their idea of that core title, then it is quite apparent that the internets vehemently disagrees. That says

1. They have their own ideas about what such a title is. This is bad when you're selling the wrong product to the wrong audience. It's bad business when your audience disagrees. And largely, they do.

OR
2. They simply don't give a shit what people think.

I don't think either one is a pleasant option, but if they don't think E3 is the time to reveal the core titles, they don't listen to gamers. Even in its weakened state, E3 is the top week for G4, it's a busy leadup in Kotaku, it has write-ups in more mainstream press, IGN goes crazy... if they don't get how this event is watched, then they aren't listening. And if they are in the dark about that, it speaks volumes to how much they listen to their fans.

In an age where Sony, Microsoft, Bungie, Blizzard, and Valve all take gamer's opinions seriously, that's downright bad news.

Unit01

That sucks.

Benjo

Cool. "Betrayed" or not, I like it when a company is just straightforward with me.

This just confirms that I was right to stop expecting anything and dismiss them for now. It's not like I'll be starved for games on other systems in the meantime!

@Shiryu:
Yeah, I didn't realize how much I'd missed those, but if I had them at launch I'd probably still be playing them. Right now I have 10 games on my shelf on the "to do" list, but all my other systems take priority right now.

@Ken:
I wish I could see it. I wanted to like it, and I love a good physics sandbox, but it looked like a repetitive waggler. Sorry. If I ever see something impressive I'm all over it. I'm still kind of sorry for grabbing Zack & Wiki actually - it was original and cool, but only fun while surfing GameFAQs. :/

@VonDante:
...but coming in at the end of the GameCube, I picked up a half dozen or so games without even checking reviews and I felt like I'd stumbled onto another Dreamcast. There are hardcore-ish first party titles for Wii, but for me, F-Zero or Starfox would make a world of difference.

fuchikoma

After reading through the many articles circulating around the web, what I've seen is the prevailing emotion around all this "Nintendocasualnothardcore" talk is simply, disappointment. Of course Nintendo is still going to release some quality hardcore titles, like the always have. This is just the first time in recent memory that they haven't spoken a peep about it.
I may sound like a blind sheep right now, but I don't think we need to worry too much. Nintendo is a much bigger company now, and they need other sources of income. The casual games are that extra income.
Even if thats the case, I'm pretty sure a large amount of the install base is hardcore gamers who, seeing how their grandmother/mom/younger sibling is ogling their controller waggling, offer to let them try. As it's been said before. Those people are just gonna play one or two games, and only in a blue moon. They may tell theirs friends, but they're only going to play it in the same way. I really don't think Nintendo would make the mistake of trying to live of casual gamers. As it's been said, "Man cannot live on bread alone." Casual games are Nintendo's (excuse this cliché analogy) bread.

FalconMbuster

"You have seen the extent of Nintendo's 2008 holiday lineup," says it all. Just because she says there are no more surprises for this holiday doesn't mean Nintendo isn't working on something else. They've stated that the Zelda and Mario teams are at work, and Miyamoto confirmed Pikmin 3. Nintendo never shows their full hand all at once. They show off little pieces at a time, and in the end, spread out quality games through the life of the system. If they released an F-zero, Pikmin, Star Fox, Kid Icarus, and Animal Crossing game all during Christmas, not only would they be competing with themselves, but we'd all be here bitching about how many games are out and how we will never be able to afford them.

People need to put a little more trust in Nintendo. They've been doing this for over 20 years, and as much as they're appealing to the "blue ocean", they know who got them to where they are today, and know to not forget the core demographic. Just wait til the end of this year, and Nintendo will blow us away again.

TheLostProphet75

I thought I'd buy a Wii when it first came out. Just seeing how many of them were selling led me to think there would be a ton of 3rd party games by now and that it could be the ps2 of this gen, with more than the Zelda/Mario/Metroid trifecta.

Looking back now, it's sad that I have a ton of DS games on my buy-list, but the announcements for Wii games have been mostly forgettable - only three titles have interested me, and I already had Okami on PS2. There's so much potential for the Wii just because of the number sold, even if you assume a low attach rate. Hopefully they can capitalize on that next year.