Let's Make a Deal
Let's make a deal, Nintendo. Tell us what it will take to land our anticipated sequel. Save those "an act of God" responses, Iwata, I'm serious. Sure, I could deal with the view that it'd be safe to hold any sequels because EarthBound flopped, but some sequels can certainly drive in higher sales, and move a franchise into the mainstream. Grand Theft Auto is a prime example of this reasoning. Cult classics always have the potential for expanding to prominence.
I've always looked at game developers and companies to be in more of a community than a business. We all know the good graces Nintendo and Sony were once in, but everyone has basically been interconnected in some way, shape, or form over the years. Why, back in '95, Nintendo and Microsoft even had a joint online venture going for us gamers wanting to explore gaming information on the internet. Square not only has a looming merge with Enix cooking, but they've also got a branch with Electronic Arts, probably the biggest force to be reckoned with in terms of mass game production. I could go on and on about things are intertwined, but I'd be straying from the point. If Nintendo doesn't want to put it on themselves or Brownie Brown, they could consider liscensing. Hello, Capcom.
I personally don't know if Nintendo will step up to the plate and fully or partially but a stake in Capcom, but that might not be necessary. Remember the Zelda Oracle games that Capcom made for the Gameboy Color? Highly successful. Shortly after their success, what'd Capcom do? Set up the Cube with a solid exclusive in the Resident Evil remake. The close relationship continues today as rumors of the two have surfaced. They would make a viable candidate for future development of the franchise. Liscensing could really be profitable for both parties. We could even get sequels to other classics that Nintendo probably wouldn't develop. Before you know it, we'd have Kid Icarus and Mach Rider sequels complimenting our new EarthBound. Now, before you close this pipedream, think with an open mind. If those titles became successful (and the Oracle games showed they can be), the development studios would make enough to produce their own exclusive content on the Cube and GBA. We already have Namco making a Star Fox game, and Sega working with F-Zero. Expand on that idea.
Nintendo puts quite a bit of stock in their projects. Take Metroid Prime, for example. Miyamoto and his crew had plenty of conferences with Retro Studios before they unleashed that game. Why couldn't Itoi and company do the same with Capcom? You'd have solid development to accompany a smart producer. Dare I say it, the best of both worlds. A win-win situation if I ever heard one.
Lets say my little dream actually comes to fruition. Couldn't you see a Nintendo/Capcom co-project being successful? With Capcom's track record with the farily consistent Breath of Fire series, I certainly could. So much so, they would provide their own exclusive(s) to pay penance for the rights they secured from the game. Basically, it'd equate to more new, original games from a good developer. We could even see more sequels if the first one was successful enough. We all know how Capcom loves milking sequels, and I'd have no problem with that if it meant seeing a plethora of new EarthBound titles for the RPG-starved Gamecube.
I know I'm among people that feel the 8 or 16-bit days were best, but I still feel we are in a golden age of gaming. When I see the industry today, I see the ability for anything to happen. Sure, they're only handing out minimal offerings, but even Square is back on board to some extent. A little resourcefulness would be all it takes to get the job done as far as I'm concerned. I'm a simple man. A simple man with a simple plan. I know they're obstacles in getting my little fantasy to come true, but should I care? Like the rest of us, I'm just hoping for either results or closure on the matter. I'd hate to think there could still be unrealized potential in a franchise in which I've devoted years of my life to; why shouldn't the alternatives be considered?
Let's make a deal, Nintendo. Tell us what it will take to land our anticipated sequel. Save those "an act of God" responses, Iwata, I'm serious. Sure, I could deal with the view that it'd be safe to hold any sequels because EarthBound flopped, but some sequels can certainly drive in higher sales, and move a franchise into the mainstream. Grand Theft Auto is a prime example of this reasoning. Cult classics always have the potential for expanding to prominence.
I've always looked at game developers and companies to be in more of a community than a business. We all know the good graces Nintendo and Sony were once in, but everyone has basically been interconnected in some way, shape, or form over the years. Why, back in '95, Nintendo and Microsoft even had a joint online venture going for us gamers wanting to explore gaming information on the internet. Square not only has a looming merge with Enix cooking, but they've also got a branch with Electronic Arts, probably the biggest force to be reckoned with in terms of mass game production. I could go on and on about things are intertwined, but I'd be straying from the point. If Nintendo doesn't want to put it on themselves or Brownie Brown, they could consider liscensing. Hello, Capcom.
I personally don't know if Nintendo will step up to the plate and fully or partially but a stake in Capcom, but that might not be necessary. Remember the Zelda Oracle games that Capcom made for the Gameboy Color? Highly successful. Shortly after their success, what'd Capcom do? Set up the Cube with a solid exclusive in the Resident Evil remake. The close relationship continues today as rumors of the two have surfaced. They would make a viable candidate for future development of the franchise. Liscensing could really be profitable for both parties. We could even get sequels to other classics that Nintendo probably wouldn't develop. Before you know it, we'd have Kid Icarus and Mach Rider sequels complimenting our new EarthBound. Now, before you close this pipedream, think with an open mind. If those titles became successful (and the Oracle games showed they can be), the development studios would make enough to produce their own exclusive content on the Cube and GBA. We already have Namco making a Star Fox game, and Sega working with F-Zero. Expand on that idea.
Nintendo puts quite a bit of stock in their projects. Take Metroid Prime, for example. Miyamoto and his crew had plenty of conferences with Retro Studios before they unleashed that game. Why couldn't Itoi and company do the same with Capcom? You'd have solid development to accompany a smart producer. Dare I say it, the best of both worlds. A win-win situation if I ever heard one.
Lets say my little dream actually comes to fruition. Couldn't you see a Nintendo/Capcom co-project being successful? With Capcom's track record with the farily consistent Breath of Fire series, I certainly could. So much so, they would provide their own exclusive(s) to pay penance for the rights they secured from the game. Basically, it'd equate to more new, original games from a good developer. We could even see more sequels if the first one was successful enough. We all know how Capcom loves milking sequels, and I'd have no problem with that if it meant seeing a plethora of new EarthBound titles for the RPG-starved Gamecube.
I know I'm among people that feel the 8 or 16-bit days were best, but I still feel we are in a golden age of gaming. When I see the industry today, I see the ability for anything to happen. Sure, they're only handing out minimal offerings, but even Square is back on board to some extent. A little resourcefulness would be all it takes to get the job done as far as I'm concerned. I'm a simple man. A simple man with a simple plan. I know they're obstacles in getting my little fantasy to come true, but should I care? Like the rest of us, I'm just hoping for either results or closure on the matter. I'd hate to think there could still be unrealized potential in a franchise in which I've devoted years of my life to; why shouldn't the alternatives be considered?
