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Nintendo DS Mailbag

Man, I thought the defensive GameCube fanbase had a bunch of nutcases. But apparently this blind Nintendo faith has trickled into the Nintendo DS population. You guys are absolutely vicious. Where were you during the Game Boy Advance launch?

Here's just a sampling of e-mails and board posts that have been going on the past few days, in response to IGNcube's Juan Castro appearance in the DS mailbag, and IGN Japan's Anoop Gantayat's recent report of his personal experience on the streets of Tokyo picking up his system.

First, some Juan comments:

In DS Mailbag, MR JUAN fought against NDS for PSP. He neglect NDS special (exclusive) features like Microphone and Touch Screen...And admired PSP expensive MemoryStick base MP3 function... .My English is poor and I think I am rude to complain (even in poor English), sorry for that. Just to let you know my feeling.

Gary

This was written with Jaun in mind, but it really applies to pretty much everyone at IGN. Nobody here believes in Nintendo, only microsoft and sony. Why do you work for the DS channel if you like the PSP more? Why work for the gamecube channel if all you ever play is halo and grand theft auto? Anything that Sony or Microsoft does is instantly embraced, but if Nintendo does something truly amazing, you brush it off as 'not innovative enough'. Who ever said killing innocent people in a video game was innovative? But nope, nintendo isn't good enough unless they sink down to that level and make unneccarilly violent games. "oooh! I want a gritty, bloody, legend of zelda, not this 'kiddy game'" Well screw you! I liked the cel shaded zelda, maybe even more than the gritty ocarina of time graphics. I couldn't help but notice how, when a positive leter came in about the DS, Juan replied with, 'well, I don't know, the PSP sure looks a lot better. DS doesn't stand a chance.' (not exact words). It's idiots like the staff at IGN that are ruining the video game industry. You make it sound like technology is so much more important than the games itself. I'd bet money that you are all ashamed to tell people you have a gamecube or a DS, but you'd be happy to tell everyone how awesome the specs for your xbox and PSP are. Everyone at IGN should be fired, you don't belong, you don't believe. Not everything from nintendo has to be groundbreaking. And even when they do try something new, you always push it away. Take mario sunshine for example. Great game, I loved it. It certainly wasn't as good as Mario 64, but it was still a great mario game all the same. The water pack feature was even a nice addition... But anyway, I could rant for hours. What I wouldn't give to have a heated debate face to face with the IGN staff, none of this childish e-mail crap where regardless of what I say, you will either make fun of me, or tell me how awesome the PSP and xbox are. I honestly don't know why I wrote th!is because it won't be posted. Seems like if you're not an insider, you don't get your letter posted. OR, if you don't have horrible spelling and punctuation that can be brought up as an argument to how cool the PSP is, then it's not posted either. Die PSP, die IGN, the gaming industry would be a happier place if you did.

Joe

Ugh, Juan's mailbags are butt. Where's Craig or Matt? At least they know what they're talking about when they answer questions.

Shinji

WOW you shouldn't even work on the DS site if you feel this way about the outcome of this handheld battle!!

"How can the PSP compete? Simple: by offering more advanced hardware and expanded functionality at a competitive price. While you may not want to watch movies and listen to music on your handheld of choice, I would hazard a guess that most people do. I certainly do. Seriously, look around. Convergence is the name of the game. I won't be satisfied until a cell phone, camera, game system, PDA, television and full fledged internet access have been imbedded into my wrist watch.

I don't care how they do it, just as long as it is done. In the end, having a dedicated game system is cool enough, but saying a competitively priced handheld with great visuals that can play movies and music can't compete against a similarly priced system with lesser graphic capabilities and lacking a movie and music player doesn't make any sense. The PSP will compete against the DS. And for the first time, the outcome isn't necessarily leaning in favor of Nintendo.

Bob

I just wanted to ask why is all ign staff completly biased for the psp ??? It seems sometimes as if you are anti-nintendo.

dark

why are you guys so anti-Ds? A day planner for Ds... why would you even want that. Sure graphics are good, but better games will make DS better. Just stop bashing DS and watch movies on the small PSP screen while everyone else uses a regular TV.

Get your burrito out of your *** and look at the sales. Nintendo has already sold out their first shipment even before it was released. Your word is ****. The PSP isn't going to do well just because you want it to. The DS has already made an incredible launch so for you to say that the DS is gonna crash and burn is just plain idiotic, biased, and ignorent. Typical of a beaner-*** fan boy who's on welfare.

KornKurlz

I have no issues with Juan expressing his own opinion. But not only did he bash Nintendo in his latest mailbag, he downright supported the PSP. This is the Nintendo DS channel and there's more than enough anti-Nintendo IGN jargon to go around, we dont need any more of it here. Go to IGNPSP.

Frustrated Canuck

And now, for some Anoop hatred:

I hate to be the one to have to say this, but the IGN that I know and love has developed a very troubling bias, namely against the Nintendo DS. While all gaming sites are entitled to their own opinions, some of the articles posted on your site seem unfair, and occassionally even downright inaccurate.

My main argument comes in regard to your coverage of the Japanese DS launch. You state that "We'd describe the Japanese DS launch as boring... [we'll be] fighting off crowds to get one of the few available PSP units... Stay tuned to IGNPSP for launch coverage of a different flavor on 12/12." Several DS sites, such as DS update (http://bugeyeds.blogspot.com/) tell a different story: Photos depict long lines, people battling the cold, floods of coustomers, and so forth. I would hardly say those photos indicate the launch was a flop.

My other gripe lies in your review scores, particularly for Mario 64 DS. Granted the lauch selection is rather weak, but giving a phenominal product that improves upon the most important game of all time below a 9.0 is just unfair. While the control may be it's lone minor weakness (I personally don't see a problem with it), I certainly think it deserved at least a few tenths more.

IGN is still the top site for all things gaming, but I don't think that I'm alone in saying that the coverage on the DS front needs to shape up a bit.

Greg Ziser

Reviews extend far beyond the score that's given to it. You'd do yourself a favor if you'd actually read the text...instead of kneejerking a reaction by the number attached to it. I put a lot of effort pointing out the pros and cons of games within the article itself, yet the whole "Why did Mario 64 DS score an 8.9???" questions indicate to me that some of you are too lazy to put your reading skills to work. God bless the internet.

-- Craig

I think MR Anoop Gantayat is unprofessional as a mediaperson. He is prefer PSP and show it very obviously. most of the articles he wrote for DS were short and critical, but for PSP, the articles were long and full of excitement. This time, the lauch article, he just drive me mad and feel sad. Please tell him try to be fair and professional, and write in neutrally. Thanks. If I am wrong and misknow him (wake up the wrong passenger), please email me and blame me if you can make some time for it. Thanks again...

hi, i think you should change the article about the Nintendo DS launch. it sounds like your trying to say it was a poor launch, how could one store determine how the rest of japan is. check here http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20041202/dshanbai.htm for even more pic of a massive DS line in japan. i dont usually contact sites, but i thought it quite neccesary. cheers

Jon.

How could you guys write this and not even go to Akihabara???? That seems like pretty shoddy journalism to me. I decided to write because my cousin lives in Japan and called me yesterday to say Akihabara was pretty crowded. DS launch was just fine!

Hideya

First of all, in defense of our beloved Mr. Castro: he's an individual with individual opinions. It's called personal preference, people. Juan isn't a mindless drone whose beliefs are completely locked simply to make Nintendo fanboys happy. If you want a sunny, happy view of the Nintendo DS system, send your browser to Nintendo.com and never leave that site. As much as many folks over here at IGN like the system, you're not going to read a glowing one-sided impression of the system...even on the DS channel of IGN. I'm the guy that's running the channel, and even I'm not blind to the shortcomings of Nintendo's "third tier."

And as for Anoop. His article wasn't meant to be an end-all be-all report of the state of Japan's Nintendo DS launch yesterday. He hit the streets as an independent observer, and produced a first-hand report of his feelings regarding what he experienced. Regardless of what Japan gaming sites are reporting, he didn't get the same experience, and he hit some of the same locations that are usually bustling with excitement during game product launches in Tokyo. He put in some PSP zingers into his article which certainly kicked up a beehive of excitement and anger, but you know what? Ignorance is way too blissful, folks, and I think it benefits the market as a whole to acknowledge potential competition.

Craig Harris, editor-in-chief of IGN DS, loves the Nintendo DS. Really. No foolin'.

My favorite board quote of the day comes from IGN user YoshiStrikesBack:

"...all you geniuses who keep saying "why doesnt [Anoop] support the system"? Well, its not his job to support the system. Thats Craig's job."

Guh? Thanks for the support, YoshiStrikesBack, but no...it's my job to report on the system and review games for the system, true. But flat-out supporting the system as a blind follower? Huh. I objectively report the news and facts on the system and respect Nintendo, its third parties, and the products they produce, but this isn't a site that simply regurgitates the sales bulletpoints on the back of the box in every single article. I definitely have my issues with the Nintendo DS system that I feel should have been addressed before it shipped, and it would be irresponsible of me and my public voice to simply come off as a brainwashed fanboy and try to sell everyone on the system. Sorry, folks, it doesn't work that way.

So, here's a shocker for you to mull over: when someone asks me if I recommend getting a Nintendo DS for the holidays, you know what I tell them? No. Save the cash and wait until next year. Why? Apart from having a better chance of scoring a system, the software will more portray the potential of the system come next year. The hardware system is indeed a cool, unique gadget, but it fails on offering a compelling line-up of cartridges to sell the features of the device. There's only one "must-have" game for the system, and it's mostly a recycling of a game that Nintendo produced ten years ago. For a company that's pushing a new gaming standard, Nintendo isn't showing a full support for it during its debut. It's more depending on third-parties to do that job, and several of them haven't done that great of a task, either.

Consumers are scarfing up the system though, no question about it, and Nintendo has the holiday season to thank for it. It's not a failure at retail, and unfortunately that's just fueling Nintendo's image of simply playing it safe for the mainstream and not giving the "hardcore" market what it craves. This stance could definitely bite Nintendo in the butt when the time comes to fight the good fight with the company's biggest competition to date. Yes, I'm talking about the PSP. The DS is selling mainly because of the energized "gift-buying" time it's been released into. If Nintendo launched the system in March with the same exact line-up of games, I would bet that the numbers wouldn't even approach half the sell-through numbers it's receiving so far.

As much as I'm totally interested and excited in the potential direction of the Nintendo DS system, I think that, at least in North America, the actual launch support is entirely too weak for a system with so much reported potential. It's great that Nintendo's backing it with a whole slew of marketing, but for direct consumer support out of the box, this system isn't showing its true colors and won't until at least 2005. It's a fact that developers have had very little time with the hardware, which has, in turn, hurt the potential they could reach. Not a single game, for example, utilizes the system's touted 802.11 feature, and only one launch title even acknowledges the microphone port.

If you've already bought a Nintendo DS system, great! Congratulations! You've made a good choice in gaming hardware. Be confident that your system will eventually have a decent selection of unique games and software that will push the system to its fullest potential.

But it's pretty darn ignorant, both personally and professionally, to not acknowledge competing product and the strengths and weaknesses each platform has. Every IGN editor, regardless of their position on the gaming site, has opinions that might not mesh with your own beliefs...and you're just going to have to accept that not everyone thinks the same way you do. And I would be doing the handheld community a disservice if I forced all of IGN's DS-related coverage to blindly ignore the system's closest competition.

Craig Harris
Editor-in-chief, IGN DS