hardware issues aside, I think the most important thing nintendo has realised with gamecube is the success of a nintendo hardware platform is wholey dependent on the quality of nintendo's internally developed software.
at the beginning of this generation nintendo was under the impression it could reduce the length of development and size of team [and ultimately the quality], of its games, for more [shorter] titles.
Games Radar Dec 2001
nintendo stuck to this theory and it was the thing that caused them the biggest trouble, imo. luigi's mansion, waverace bs, pikmin, mario sunshine, zelda wind waker, kirby air ride, 1080, etc weren't bad games, but they weren't good enough to separate gamecube from the competition and they weren't up to nintendo's previous stellar efforts.
smash bros, while brilliant was only one title and a 'kiddie' one at that, and metroid prime [so far the best game this gen imo] had an unconventional control system, alienating the majority of fps fans. in other words in the first half of its life the reason to buy a gc just wasn't there for the majority of gamers.
personally, i'm happy nintendo has gone through this trial by fire, and now understands it can create short fun titles like warioware twisted and nintendogs that can be played by anyone, but it also has to deliver epic content for existing gamers like metroid prime, fire emblem and twilight princess AND they all have to be brilliant.
3rd party support is also important, without doubt, but it has to be the right kind. i think revolution will see less overall 3rd party support, but more exclusives [than gc], which will be more profitable for all.
at the beginning of this generation nintendo was under the impression it could reduce the length of development and size of team [and ultimately the quality], of its games, for more [shorter] titles.
Games Radar Dec 2001
Miyamoto even said he hoped to be able to deliver a sequel to pikmin in a matter of months.gamesradar quoting miyamoto in ngc magazine said:But NGC can reveal that Zelda is just one part of a bold new Nintendo strategy - a strategy that will see the company move towards creating much shorter, simpler games than the likes of Ocarina of Time. The days of grand Nintendo epics, years in development and overflowing with 60-or-so hours of play, are over.
"Nintendo is concerned that some of their biggest games are only accessible to a small audience," a source close to the company told us. "Take Ocarina of Time. Years of effort went into creating a huge, sprawling title that took weeks to complete - but how many people, aside from the real Nintendo fans, actually saw all of it? The majority of Zelda owners never got to the end. Essentially, all that hard work was wasted on them."
So Nintendo has a new plan. Smaller ideas, smaller budgets, smaller teams, and smaller games. Instead of investing years and millions upon millions of yen on a game only a small proportion of Gamecube owners - the so-called 'hardcore' - will fully appreciate, Miyamoto and co will concentrate on creating shorter, more accessible titles that everyone can enjoy to the full.
Expect more brief but fun titles like Pikmin. Zelda's new look reflects this new approach in two ways. The simple visuals are quick and relatively easy for Miyamoto's team to create, helping them knock out the game in two years rather than four. But, crucially, that cartoony look should appeal to a much wider cross-section of Gamecube owners, unlike Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask's D&D-style fantasy world. Children - Nintendo's most profitable customer base - especially.
nintendo stuck to this theory and it was the thing that caused them the biggest trouble, imo. luigi's mansion, waverace bs, pikmin, mario sunshine, zelda wind waker, kirby air ride, 1080, etc weren't bad games, but they weren't good enough to separate gamecube from the competition and they weren't up to nintendo's previous stellar efforts.
smash bros, while brilliant was only one title and a 'kiddie' one at that, and metroid prime [so far the best game this gen imo] had an unconventional control system, alienating the majority of fps fans. in other words in the first half of its life the reason to buy a gc just wasn't there for the majority of gamers.
personally, i'm happy nintendo has gone through this trial by fire, and now understands it can create short fun titles like warioware twisted and nintendogs that can be played by anyone, but it also has to deliver epic content for existing gamers like metroid prime, fire emblem and twilight princess AND they all have to be brilliant.
3rd party support is also important, without doubt, but it has to be the right kind. i think revolution will see less overall 3rd party support, but more exclusives [than gc], which will be more profitable for all.