Micro$oft poll

[Tanjo]

1. Do you think microsoft is slowly eating away at the video game industry?

2. From wikipedia- The next generation of consoles is key for Rare. Xbox 360 is reliant on Rare games for its launch, including Perfect Dark Zero, a prequel to Nintendo 64's smash hit Perfect Dark, which had originally been planned for both the GameCube and Xbox. Rare's Perfect Dark Zero sold moderately well during the Xbox 360's launch, but was not the break away hit Microsoft wanted. Rare's other Xbox 360 launch title, Kameo: Elements of Power, flopped in sales at launch. If the Xbox 360 sells poorly (as it is doing in Japan; see here for more information), Rare will find themselves in a worse position than they ever were with Nintendo, since the company's only Xbox games, Grabbed by the Ghoulies and Conker: Live and Reloaded, have sold extremely poorly. If, however, the Xbox 360 becomes successful, Rare could recapture its former glory of the days of the Nintendo 64. Rare currently has at least two Nintendo DS and two Xbox 360 games in the works. - if this happens, what do you think will be the impact on rare?

3. Do you own an xbox/xbox360?

4. What is your opinion on microsoft game consoles and games?

__________________________________________________ ______

1. Yes, they are trying to controll all video game entertainment.

2. I think rare will be forced back to nintendo. Besides, they've released more gba games than they have xbox and xbox360 games combined, so they should just ditch microsoft.

3. No, but i will have to get one if banjo threeie is released on it.

4. I think it is just another scheme for bill gates to make his endless river of money bigger. Ive lost nearly all respect for rare since they left nintendo.

[Gold Jinjo]

1. I don't mind Microsoft... they've actually done something for the industry with Xbox Live. What the flip has Sony done? They rode the wave of anti-Nintendoism, giving them extreme illusions of grandeur and a false sense of security in the #1 slot. Microsoft is going to kill Sony, and I couldn't be happier. ***** Sony.

2. Nothing is going to happen to Rare. They're just as slow releasing games on the Xbox as they ever were on a Nintendo console. The reason they've put out more Nintendo handheld products is because those games were already in the works and were a lot more easier to make than console titles. It's easier to convert Diddy Kong Pilot into Banjo-Pilot than it is to port Grabbed by the Ghoulies, Kameo and Perfect Dark to completely different systems. People read way too much into that.

3. I've had an Xbox for 2... maybe 3 years. I very much plan on getting an Xbox 360, but I've no idea when that will be.

4. I have respect for the Xbox. Neither Bill Gates nor Steve Ballmer (who is actually more evil than Gates, by the way) really have anything to do with the Xbox -- that's all Microsoft Game Studios. They've done a good job. The Xbox is a decent platform.

Anyway...

2. I think rare will be forced back to nintendo. Besides, they've released more gba games than they have xbox and xbox360 games combined, so they should just ditch microsoft.

They can't just "ditch" Microsoft... they're 100% wholly owned by them. Besides, Rare with Nintendo won't be much different than it was before, and it won't be much different than Rare with Microsoft. They are a very slow, perfectionist development studio. People are just pissy because they are no longer with Nintendo. Boo-fricken-hoo. They could have been bought out and disassembled or outsourced

4. I think it is just another scheme for bill gates to make his endless river of money bigger. Ive lost nearly all respect for rare since they left nintendo.

Funny how people still think Rare just left. Nintendo got rid of them like yesterday's garbage. Why is that difficult to comprehend? Nintendo didn't want Rare anymore. They pretty much said "Here, take your shares and piss off". Be mad at Nintendo.

[holyice7]

1. In the greatest sense, no. Competition is good, as it makes companies strive to put out good games. Look back at the glory days of Nintendo v. Sega. The list of great games goes on. So great, they are being played as ports more than some new releses today.

2. You aren't really supposed to use Wikipedia as a credible source. I love the site, don't get me wrong, but don't list it at the end of your research essay.

3. No. I can't afford one, and my access to used hardware is limited.

4. Consoles: The X-box has a big, clunky controller. I like to call it the bear claw design. I don't like the 'clicker' button under the control sticks much, either. It may just be me, but I find it pretty damn hard to aim while applying that much pressure to the control stick to zoom. Not good for fine movements. And lastly; the moving parts on the disc drive. Too easy to get broken. Everything I didn't mention, I don't mind too much.

If I may digress for a moment, I'm not a fan of the PS2 controller either. The way it's designed, you have to let it rest beginning to slide down your index fingers. I prefer to call it the lazy man's controller, because it seems like you aren't supposed to care while you're holding it. Though teenagers playing sports games do hold a high level of apathy...

[Banjzooie]

If anything, MS's competition has spurred Nintendo and Sony to work harder. I agree with Gold, nothing will really happen to Rare, they'll be as slow as they've always been. I don't own an XBox or a 360, not out of Nintendo fanboyism (those days are long over for me), but simply because I'm not interested in any games on the system.

I hate how people constantly bash Microsoft. The terms "Micro$oft", "M$", and "Bill Gate$" really make me mad. So what if Bill Gates has more money than anyone else? He's earned it! He's the perfect model of capitalistic success! I don't always like how MS tends to monopolize a bit, but it's nothing worth crying over.

[Soulreaper41392]

1. yes I DO think they are destroying the industry. why? because all console designers are preaching that they want to make gaming more accessible, and so is Microsoft. yet they are make them aming more and more difficult, seeing as you HAVE to know what the different between the core and premium ones are, what a hard drive will do for you, as some people might now know that you can save games to it and they will think "oh well i'll get the core one" and then they have been screwed by microsoft. and backwards compatibility is harder know too. when i wanted to play a playstation game on my ps2 all I had to do was pop the disc in and it would play. but with the XBox 360 not all games are playable and if they are, you must get on XBox live, which is something that not all of us can do mind you, download a patch to play the game THEN play. what the hell? THAT is supposed to make me get into gaming easier?! nope. And besides they KILLED all their support of the original Xbox, leaving those of us that wont own a 360 until the sky-high price drops screwed with nothin new to play. you dont do that to your fans microsoft. that is wrong. i mean the playstation had a steady stream of releases going long after it should have died. and the core/premium is the most jerk-assed thing ive ever seen.

2. Its just that microsoft is a gorier system, which is fine with me, but for some reason it has tainted Rare's odd humor. I dont know where Rare should be. thats just because ive never seen them work on the GCN before. I actually have a feeling that they would be better off with Nintendo cause, it just seems natural. they do better on a system with less realistic graphics. the conker remake seemed unneeded, which makes me wonder if microsoft MADE them do it. a sequel whould have been better. If microsoft doesnt see much profits from these games they are making they might sell Rare to someone else, maybe Nintendo? And by the way, ONE of the TWO games that is being made by Rare is called Piñata or something, so the chances for Threeie are slimer.

3.no i dont but if they find a way to make it smaller or i get more room for consoles, then i'll definately get an Xbox. as for the 360.......i dont see the need unless Threeie appears......but something tells me that if it does it wont be good cause item-collecting died a while ago, even if we still find it to be fun.

4. its a good console, very powerful, but microsoft and Bill Gates is a total jerk-ass. i dont hate the consoles, just the designers. they dont have much variance in their games either. its all mostly "shoot shoot kill kill!", which i like but i play all games not just those ones, i need some RPGS in the mix dammit! which is why i have a PS2. every thing else i think about them is in my first answer.

[Soulreaper41392]

Funny how people still think Rare just left. Nintendo got rid of them like yesterday's garbage. Why is that difficult to comprehend? Nintendo didn't want Rare anymore. They pretty much said "Here, take your shares and piss off". Be mad at Nintendo.[/quote]

i find that fact to be very weird seeing as Rare was doing excellently with Nintendo, its not like they were making suck games, which makes me wonder what might the GCNs future would have been like with Rare. maybe Nintendo didnt like the direction Rare was going in. who knows?

sorry for the double post, i couldnt figure out how to post this without doing it.

[Icy Guy]

Originally Posted by Gold Jinjo

Funny how people still think Rare just left. Nintendo got rid of them like yesterday's garbage. Why is that difficult to comprehend? Nintendo didn't want Rare anymore. They pretty much said "Here, take your shares and piss off". Be mad at Nintendo.

...I think I'm going to build a shrine devoted to you.

Er, right. Questions, answers.

1) No. They've made two good consoles, brought consistent online gaming into the console world, provided platforms for some great releases, and made games that appeal to my tastes. Obviously, they've made games that appeal to many other peoples' tastes, otherwise I wouldn't encounter so many people on Live day in and day out. Downloadable games via the Xbox Live Arcade were a great idea, and you can find some damn good games on there, like Geometry Wars. And don't even get me started on custom soundtracks. Microsoft has also done something no other console maker has done: create patches and downloadable content for games. They've created some good competition and actually gave Sony a run for their money in the last generation of console wars. Additionally, they went out of their way to add backwards-compatibility to the list of 360 features; they didn't have to, and it's certainly extremely difficult, what with the vast differences between the two machines, but they did, and I can play a selection of my Xbox games (but no Doom 3 ) on my 360, with updates every few months that increase the number of games.

(BTW: Sony basically dropped support for the PSX/PS1 when the PS2 came out, and Nintendo didn't exactly keep the rate of N64 releases up when the GCN came out, either. As for updating the 360 backwards-compatibility list, you can do it without connecting to Live. And the Core/Premium deal is for people who bitch about a console + accesories setting them back $400, forgetting that most other consoles launched at $250-$300+.)

While I'm still on this question, I'd like to list the 360 games I own for the purpose of illustrating the variety of genres found in 360 games. This includes Live Arcade titles.

-Perfect Dark Zero - first-person shooter
-Kameo - adventure
-Project Gotham Racing 3 - arcade/sim racing
-Dead or Alive 4 - fighting
-Full Auto - car combat (sub-genre of racing)
-Geometry Wars - retro, Asteroids-style 3rd person space shooter
-Hexic HD - puzzle
-Marble Blast Ultra - platformer; think Marble Madness

So much for the "first-person shooter wars" Mr. Fils-Aime was talking about.

2) Oh, wow. Poor sales in Japan. IF THE JAPANESE DON'T LIKE IT, THEN IT MUST BE BAD.

Give me a break.

The reason that PDZ was not a "breakaway hit" was because so many people wanted it to be Halo 3. Obviously, it wasn't, as it focused a bit more on stealth than Halo - something the average Team Slayer-lovin' Halo freak can't comprehend. But you know what? Rare must've done something right, because, as of this week, PDZ is the 3rd most popular game on Live, behind Call of Duty 2 and Halo 2. Kameo didn't sell as well as some people thought it would because it didn't have multiplayer and it sometimes felt a bit too much like the collect-a-thons of the N64 days if you wanted 100%, not to mention that it wasn't macho enough for many members of the 360-launch-day-purchasing crowd. Once 360's become more widely available to people under the 18-30 crowd (which'll be when all the 11 year-olds start flooding into 360 games on Live ), Kameo will sell better.

Regardless of how the the 360 does, Rare is still going to release their games. Now that they can develop games at the start of the console's lifespan and acquaint themselves with the hardware, they have a better chance of churning out some dazzling product.

The "Viva Piñata" codename is quite clever - it subtly conveys the message that Microsoft is beat Nintendo. You hit piñatas with a stick. Piñatas are often shaped like donkeys. Donkey Kong is one of Nintendo's biggest franchises. Ahh, marketing.

3) I own both: got an Xbox at Christmas 2003, Xbox 360 on launch day (November 22nd). Glad to own 'em, 'cause they've given me some good games and good times.

4) As I said before, the consoles have provided me with good games and good times, so I like. And I'll continue to like as long as they keep making stuff that's worth buying.

i find that fact to be very weird seeing as Rare was doing excellently with Nintendo, its not like they were making suck games, which makes me wonder what might the GCNs future would have been like with Rare. maybe Nintendo didnt like the direction Rare was going in. who knows?

Nintendo wanted money to buy...Retro Studios, was it?...and Rare wasn't putting out games fast enough for them. They claimed that Rare accounted for "only" 9.5% of Nintendo's profits in 2001, and only 1.5% in 2002. But I'm not going to complain, as I don't have to buy a GCN to play future Rare releases.

I hate how people constantly bash Microsoft. The terms "Micro$oft", "M$", and "Bill Gate$" really make me mad. So what if Bill Gates has more money than anyone else? He's earned it! He's the perfect model of capitalistic success! I don't always like how MS tends to monopolize a bit, but it's nothing worth crying over.

Word. It's a shame that so few people think this way.

[repobanjo]

Besides, Bill Gates has given 58% of his monry to charity. You call that greedy?

[Gold Jinjo]

Originally Posted by Soulreaper41392

which makes me wonder what might the GCNs future would have been like with Rare.

We'd still only have Ghoulies, Kameo and Perfect Dark. Wow, that's a lot of games...

Nintendo was right to get rid of them. Rare probably would have ended up costing Nintendo money.

[Tanjo]

See, the thing about most microsoft gamers is that they think that tons of hardware and advanced graphics are the only ingredients in a good game.

[Andre]

Originally Posted by new@bthacking

See, the thing about most microsoft gamers is that they think that tons of hardware and advanced graphics are the only ingredients in a good game.

How did you find this out?

[Tanjo]

personal experience, mostly discussing gaming in school and such.

[Gold Jinjo]

Originally Posted by new@bthacking

See, the thing about most microsoft gamers is that they think that tons of hardware and advanced graphics are the only ingredients in a good game.

That's not just limited to "microsoft gamers". That's pretty much mainstream gaming these days. It's pathetic and sad, but you can't blame it on Microsoft.

[Tanjo]

Originally Posted by Gold Jinjo

That's not just limited to "microsoft gamers". That's pretty much mainstream gaming these days. It's pathetic and sad, but you can't blame it on Microsoft.

Yes, thats true

[Gruntling]

1. No. I think Microsoft is actually expanding the games industry. With such hits as Halo 1 and 2, I believe we've seen a boost in the number of people who play video games. Microsoft's created a new platform for developers to reach that isn't Nintendo or Sony and that can be seen as good sign of competition and hopefully motivate other video game developers to give you the best games possible. I think that destroy is a harsh term, rather I think that Microsoft is mutating the video game industry in a fashion to best fit them.

2. Whether Rare does good or bad this generation, I hesitate to say I'm pessimistic about their future. I can't say that since Rare has said goodbye to Nintendo, that I've been totally impressed by their games. Time is the only answer as to whether or not Rare returns to its glory days, but from my perspective it's not soon.

3. I don't own an Xbox or an Xbox 360. I've haven't seen many games that I truly "must have". The few that have really perked my interests aren't enough to warrant me purchasing a new console. If Banjo-Threeie comes out however I'll probably change my tune.

4. When Microsoft first entered the console market I was mighty skeptical that they would do well. Now, I know they're here to stay! My official opinion on that of the Xbox and its successor and all of their games is neutral. I don't own anything so I can't really say much on it since I don't have the grounds to speak. However, I can say this: I wish Microsoft would be more innovative. Sometimes I think the Xbox 360 is simply a glorified media center that's lost its touch with the heart of video gaming.