daTRUballin
Member
This is an interesting hypothetical scenario I've had in my mind for awhile now, and I've seen this idea mentioned here on GAF by others as well. I think releasing Perfect Dark and Conker's Bad Fur Day on the GameCube as launch titles instead of releasing them as N64 games late in the console's life would've been a better idea, and there are three major reasons why I think this.
1. These games would've gotten more exposure and would've probably sold better, and also would've benefited from GameCube's better hardware. Perfect Dark still sold around 2-3 million on the N64 which still made the game a success, but that's nothing compared to Goldeneye's 8 million sales. CBFD came out even later and was a total bomb. I think if these two games were released as GC launch titles, they would've gotten more attention than they actually got and would've received more appreciation as a result. I'm also willing to bet they would've sold tons more than they actually did on the N64. Also, with the GC's superior hardware, the games themselves could've been significantly improved. The framerate would have been a whole lot better, and the graphics would've been improved, and maybe even the controls.
2. The games would've helped provide the GC with adult-oriented games at launch and also would've given Nintendo a competitor to Halo in PD. At the time, the GC had the perception of being the "kiddy purple lunchbox" in comparison to the PS2 and Xbox. Having PD and CBFD as launch titles could've helped soften some of the criticism. PD could also have been used as the "Halo killer" of the GC. I'm not sure if it would've stood up to Halo's success, but having the long-awaited spiritual sequel to Goldeneye at launch would've have hurt. Especially if Nintendo would've hyped the game up with its marketing muscle.
3. Having two important Rare games at launch could've potentially incentivized Nintendo to hold on to Rare instead of letting Microsoft buy them. There's been so much debating over the years about why Nintendo sold Rare that the topic is pretty much a dead beaten horse at this point. Whatever the reason was, I believe if Rare had released two of these games at launch and if they would've helped the GC in a significant way, Nintendo might've held on to them. In reality, the only game Rare managed to release on the GC was Star Fox Adventures. Imagine if they managed to have two games out at the GC's launch instead of only having SFA a year later. I have a feeling Nintendo would've really appreciated that and would've kept them under their wing. We all know what happened to the studio under Microsoft's management.
So there you have it. Those are three major reasons why I think these games should've been GC launch titles instead. Sorry for the long ass post. I tried my best to make it as short as possible.
What do you guys think? Do you agree or disagree with these reasons? What are your thoughts on this hypothetical scenario?
1. These games would've gotten more exposure and would've probably sold better, and also would've benefited from GameCube's better hardware. Perfect Dark still sold around 2-3 million on the N64 which still made the game a success, but that's nothing compared to Goldeneye's 8 million sales. CBFD came out even later and was a total bomb. I think if these two games were released as GC launch titles, they would've gotten more attention than they actually got and would've received more appreciation as a result. I'm also willing to bet they would've sold tons more than they actually did on the N64. Also, with the GC's superior hardware, the games themselves could've been significantly improved. The framerate would have been a whole lot better, and the graphics would've been improved, and maybe even the controls.
2. The games would've helped provide the GC with adult-oriented games at launch and also would've given Nintendo a competitor to Halo in PD. At the time, the GC had the perception of being the "kiddy purple lunchbox" in comparison to the PS2 and Xbox. Having PD and CBFD as launch titles could've helped soften some of the criticism. PD could also have been used as the "Halo killer" of the GC. I'm not sure if it would've stood up to Halo's success, but having the long-awaited spiritual sequel to Goldeneye at launch would've have hurt. Especially if Nintendo would've hyped the game up with its marketing muscle.
3. Having two important Rare games at launch could've potentially incentivized Nintendo to hold on to Rare instead of letting Microsoft buy them. There's been so much debating over the years about why Nintendo sold Rare that the topic is pretty much a dead beaten horse at this point. Whatever the reason was, I believe if Rare had released two of these games at launch and if they would've helped the GC in a significant way, Nintendo might've held on to them. In reality, the only game Rare managed to release on the GC was Star Fox Adventures. Imagine if they managed to have two games out at the GC's launch instead of only having SFA a year later. I have a feeling Nintendo would've really appreciated that and would've kept them under their wing. We all know what happened to the studio under Microsoft's management.
So there you have it. Those are three major reasons why I think these games should've been GC launch titles instead. Sorry for the long ass post. I tried my best to make it as short as possible.
What do you guys think? Do you agree or disagree with these reasons? What are your thoughts on this hypothetical scenario?
