Locky
12-10-2005, 10:42 PM
I found an interesting article on Channel 4's GameCentral Teletext pages.
I've typed it out below for those who don't have access to Teletext.
GameCentral, In the Middle, p378
Nintendo's Worst Enemy
The worldwide release of Nintendogs (naturally Europe was last) marks a milestone for the Nintendo DS. It's been out nearly a year now and finally games are starting to appear which offer a genuinely different experience - not just to the GBA but all the other consoles as well. Or at least they do if you live in Japan. In the UK apparently we aren't allowed to play the good stuff.
Although there have been many UK released DS titles we've enjoyed, games like Yoshi Touch & Go and Pac-Pix have been severely limited in scope. In the West the DS is currently being outsold by the PSP by about two to one. In Japan the situation is reversed. The reason is blindly obvious: Japan gets all the experimental avant garde games while we in the West get nothing but franchise sequels and licensed tat.
There have been only two AAA titles released for the DS in the UK: Advance Wars (which could easily have just been a GBA game) and puzzle title Meteos. Nintendogs could arguably join them, at least in terms of how imaginatively it uses the DS. Nintendo of Europe's infuriating conservatism and slowness when it comes to publishing games in the UK is in danger of killing yet another console.
In Japan there's many very good reasons why it's been the best selling console for the last six months. There's multiplayer rhythm action game Daigasso! Band Brothers, the two budget priced Brain Training games, mega manga licence Jump Super Stars, bizarre music application Electroplankton and the wonderful Ossu! Tatakae! Ouendan! Not to mention Kirby: Power Paintbrush which the Yanks have had for months.
Out of the seven top-notch games on the previous frame the only one with a UK release date is Kirby: Power Paintbrush, on November 25. That's eight months after the Japanese release and five months after the US. No wonder Nintendo fans are often seen as obsessive: they have to be if they're actually going to be able to play more than half the games the company releases.
Unless Nintendogs, or maybe one of the new online games, is a Pokemon-sized hit we can't see the DS ever being more than a niche console in the UK. In terms of the games available for it here though it doesn't deserve more. Nintendo of Europe might give the excuse that these more esoteric games won't sell - but neither is its other stuff at the moment so there really is nothing to lose.
I've typed it out below for those who don't have access to Teletext.
GameCentral, In the Middle, p378
Nintendo's Worst Enemy
The worldwide release of Nintendogs (naturally Europe was last) marks a milestone for the Nintendo DS. It's been out nearly a year now and finally games are starting to appear which offer a genuinely different experience - not just to the GBA but all the other consoles as well. Or at least they do if you live in Japan. In the UK apparently we aren't allowed to play the good stuff.
Although there have been many UK released DS titles we've enjoyed, games like Yoshi Touch & Go and Pac-Pix have been severely limited in scope. In the West the DS is currently being outsold by the PSP by about two to one. In Japan the situation is reversed. The reason is blindly obvious: Japan gets all the experimental avant garde games while we in the West get nothing but franchise sequels and licensed tat.
There have been only two AAA titles released for the DS in the UK: Advance Wars (which could easily have just been a GBA game) and puzzle title Meteos. Nintendogs could arguably join them, at least in terms of how imaginatively it uses the DS. Nintendo of Europe's infuriating conservatism and slowness when it comes to publishing games in the UK is in danger of killing yet another console.
In Japan there's many very good reasons why it's been the best selling console for the last six months. There's multiplayer rhythm action game Daigasso! Band Brothers, the two budget priced Brain Training games, mega manga licence Jump Super Stars, bizarre music application Electroplankton and the wonderful Ossu! Tatakae! Ouendan! Not to mention Kirby: Power Paintbrush which the Yanks have had for months.
Out of the seven top-notch games on the previous frame the only one with a UK release date is Kirby: Power Paintbrush, on November 25. That's eight months after the Japanese release and five months after the US. No wonder Nintendo fans are often seen as obsessive: they have to be if they're actually going to be able to play more than half the games the company releases.
Unless Nintendogs, or maybe one of the new online games, is a Pokemon-sized hit we can't see the DS ever being more than a niche console in the UK. In terms of the games available for it here though it doesn't deserve more. Nintendo of Europe might give the excuse that these more esoteric games won't sell - but neither is its other stuff at the moment so there really is nothing to lose.