WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? - PART THRICE 29/10/98

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? - PART THRICE - by Paul Rose 29/10/98

[future] Is it down to the lake? Probably not - that'd be stupid. However, if the games scene were a river, and we were a coracle, we'd be floating downstream into an uncharted stretch, surrounded by dense foliage full of giant bears, big snakes and lost civilisations... oh no! Ahem.

What we're trying to say is: who knows where we'll all be in 12 months? Anything could happen, and it probably will. Whatever that means. We've decided to give our crystal balls a firm rubbing and gaze mindlessly into the future. This week we're using our magic orbs to predict the future of Nintendo's position in the industry.

WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW?

Nintendo has taken a battering in recent years - and it only has itself to blame. The firm's biggest mistake was choosing to make the Nintendo 64 a cartridge machine.

For third-party developers and publishers, cartridges are waaaaaaay more expensive to manufacture than CDs, on top of which Nintendo charges additional fees. As a result, only Acclaim has supported the N64 with any sort of zeal.

In addition, shortly after the N64's launch, Nintendo announced the 64DD, a disk drive add-on that was halfway between a CD and a cartridge. Naturally, this suggested to punters that Nintendo lacked confidence in its new hardware format. Ultimately, Nintendo has all but canned the 64DD but the damage is done.

On top of all this, Nintendo itself has lost some of the genius it had in the days of the NES and Super NES. Flops like Yoshi's Story have battered the company's reputation. Having said that, on no other system will you get to play Mario 64, Goldeneye, Banjo-Kazooie, or the forthcoming epic Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time.

WHERE ARE WE GOING?

Even despite the mess-ups, we've long held a soft spot in our hearts for Nintendo, but we can't see things getting better for the firm any time soon. The Dreamcast and PlayStation 2 specs will simply shine a harsh light on the Nintendo 64.

Everyone is anticipating the undoubted loveliness of Zelda 64 (though can you imagine everyone's faces if it DOES turn out to be rubbish?), but beyond Christmas the system's release schedule goes cold.

Only Rare's Goldeneye follow-up, Perfect Dark, and Acclaim's Shadowman (also coming for the PC) get us buzzing. Nintendo is reportedly working on new technology but don't expect anything for the next year. As the N64 slips away, expect a stronger focus on the GameBoy and Pocket Monster.

CONTINUES NEXT WEEK

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