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March 28, 2024, 09:43:43 PM

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Interesting article on Nintendo's quest to stop ROMs/Emulation

Started by Bazooka, August 11, 2018, 11:28:12 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Sebastian Cobb

I agree with the person who says it's cultural vandalism; an utterly disproportionate response to bin these sites most of which isn't Nintendo's own IP just so they can make a quick buck on some nostalgia boxes.

Pointless too, as it's not like you can't download huge torrent files of basically every release on a system.

biggytitbo

Illegal rom sites basically are the retro gaming scene - arguably the biggest scene in all gaming in 2018, and it just wouldn't exist without them, with Nintendo more than anyone else having benefited from that. Incredibly short sighted move by them, but massively typical aswell.

Whole systems and genres and games would have been dead to history without emulation and illegal roms and Nintendo has benefited massively from people who would have otherwise totally missed out on their games historically experiencing them and getting turned on to buy contemporary Nintendo products.

St_Eddie

Jim Sterling did a great video about this very topic a while back and I agreed wholeheartedly with everything that he said.  Fuck Nintendo, the money grabbing bunch of cunts.

Sebastian Cobb

Quote from: biggytitbo on August 11, 2018, 11:41:07 PM
Illegal rom sites basically are the retro gaming scene - arguably the biggest scene in all gaming in 2018, and it just wouldn't exist without them, with Nintendo more than anyone else having benefited from that. Incredibly short sighted move by them, but massively typical aswell.

Whole systems and genres and games would have been dead to history without emulation and illegal roms and Nintendo has benefited massively from people who would have otherwise totally missed out on their games historically experiencing them and getting turned on to buy contemporary Nintendo products.

Yep and nintendo have never given a shit about old generations before, dropped like a dead dog usually; look at how they pulled the plug on the wii's online gaming like mario kart. Would've cost fuck all to throw on some virtual servers.

Z

Didn't realise EmuParadise would readily remove anything they received a request to have taken down, still mildly suspicious. The amount of stuff on there was jaw dropping to me, near the end of the PSPs lifetime they seemed to have almost brand new games listed iirc


Phil_A

Didn't Nintendo just have downloaded ROMs running on the NES & SNES classic, which is partly why it was so easy for hackers to get other games working on them. Bloody hypocrites.

I'm a big Nintendo supporter but I find this disappointing and transparently self-serving.

Hecate

Maybe all those classic games were making the dross nintendo churn out nowadays look even worse by comparison?

I suspect it's just ahead of the virtual console replacement/whatever the Online shite turns out to be next month. A shame they've managed to toss away every other library across every other format to sell a few more £20 online licences.

You should give ARMS and Splatoon a go, by the way, even if they're not your usual thing. They're incredibly deep multiplayer games and top tier Nintendo.

Hecate

I played splatoon on the wii-u with my nephew and didn't care for it at all.
I'm assuming it's just the same game with a "2" slapped on?
I'm bored of multiplayer, but I'd jump back into overwatch on pc if I got the urge.

I'm not interested in fighting games or waggle controls. Arms looked really boring.
I remember feeling a bit creeped out by that "compensation boxing" trailer as well - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7Ce_a2Nh7M

Such a shame they've followed suit and gone down the online subscription route.

Sebastian Cobb

Quote from: The Boston Crab on August 12, 2018, 10:15:26 AM
I suspect it's just ahead of the virtual console replacement/whatever the Online shite turns out to be next month. A shame they've managed to toss away every other library across every other format to sell a few more £20 online licences.

You should give ARMS and Splatoon a go, by the way, even if they're not your usual thing. They're incredibly deep multiplayer games and top tier Nintendo.

yet i bought castlevania on the wii and i bet i'd need to buy it again for the switch.

Quote from: Hecate on August 12, 2018, 10:58:46 AM
I played splatoon on the wii-u with my nephew and didn't care for it at all.
I'm assuming it's just the same game with a "2" slapped on?
I'm bored of multiplayer, but I'd jump back into overwatch on pc if I got the urge.

I'm not interested in fighting games or waggle controls. Arms looked really boring.
I remember feeling a bit creeped out by that "compensation boxing" trailer as well - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7Ce_a2Nh7M

Such a shame they've followed suit and gone down the online subscription route.

Arms isn't a waggle game but I understand why you might think that from the stupid marketing pushing the motion controls option. It doesn't look good on stream, I find it quite boring to watch and it has almost no flash to it but it's incredibly deep and feels like no other fighting game. It's pure mind games and spacing over execution and drilling combos in training mode. Fair enough if it's not your genre but it's top tier, just not for everyone, and a rare instance of them having the balls to not just slap existing Nintendo characters over the top of the concept.

Splatoon 2 is very similar yep, but it is a great game though I appreciate not your bag. It's the best selling Switch game in Japan which says a good deal. Incredibly high skill ceiling but easy enough for anyone to play and feel they can contribute.


Bazooka

Nintendo are a double edged sword, on one hand they develop the most slick and bug free(comparatively) games in the industry, yet are deliberate shits when it comes to online functionality, and bullshit like the old 3Ds "can't" play SNES games.

Also you go on the PlayStation network and a game is reduced from retail price of £39.99 or whatever to £15, a Nintendo sale will drop it by £6 in comparison. But its a little more complex than that. Sony also produce TV's, Blueray, Audio equipment, sex dolls or whatever, they also use a cheaper format of game distribution. I don't know I fucking love Nintendo and glad they didn't go the way of Sega, they still thrive despite having little to no presence in the majority of countries.

Sebastian Cobb

I think one of the reasons their online stuff is hobbled is because it's ostensibly a kids console and they don't want little Jimmy having the n-word screamed at him by some 14 year old edgelord.

Bazooka

Quote from: Sebastian Cobb on August 12, 2018, 11:43:39 AM
I think one of the reasons their online stuff is hobbled is because it's ostensibly a kids console and they don't want little Jimmy having the n-word screamed at him by some 14 year old edgelord.

I also think the loyalty is very different for Microsoft and Sony, a Nintendo fan is very different to a sole Xbox or PS fan, Xbox and PS don't and never will have a gaming icon Mario, Link etc. A Nintendo superfan, moderate fan, or casual fan is more likely to spend top dollar on an established franchise, especially in Japan. In the west it works the same for GTA, CoD etc but there is no equivalent console specific franchise for Sony or Microsoft to fall back on, they don't need to of course they don't need to produce Amiibos etc.

Quote from: Sebastian Cobb on August 12, 2018, 11:43:39 AM
I think one of the reasons their online stuff is hobbled is because it's ostensibly a kids console and they don't want little Jimmy having the n-word screamed at him by some 14 year old edgelord.

You can play Fortnite with chat against randoms without any stupid peripherals or your bloody phone or whatever. I played against a few French kids, and they were kids, and as a Francophone, I can confirm they were utter utter cunts. Mute forever.

BeardFaceMan

Quote from: Bazooka on August 12, 2018, 11:52:38 AM
I also think the loyalty is very different for Microsoft and Sony, a Nintendo fan is very different to a sole Xbox or PS fan, Xbox and PS don't and never will have a gaming icon Mario, Link etc. A Nintendo superfan, moderate fan, or casual fan is more likely to spend top dollar on an established franchise, especially in Japan. In the west it works the same for GTA, CoD etc but there is no equivalent console specific franchise for Sony or Microsoft to fall back on, they don't need to of course they don't need to produce Amiibos etc.

Why do they need console specific franchises to fall back on? They dont need to fall back on anythjng because they re doing great, lots of shared franchises, a broad and varied selection of games. You even said it yourself, people pay top dollar for console franchises like GTA, so why does that make Nintendo better because they make games with the same few characters over and over? And you wouldnt say Master Cheif is a gaming icon? Theres a lot of MS fanboys who'd disagree with you there. Also, why have Sony and MS no chance of ever creating what you see as an icon? Its not like they dont try.

Sebastian Cobb

Master Chief isn't fit to lick the boots of Megaman or Samus Aran.

It's odd because the original psx had a lot of iconic characters - Crash, Abe, Lara Croft, Parappa the Rappa etc.

Compare the Smash Brothers roster with PlayStation All-Stars or whatever. It's a non-starter of a debate, for what little I give a shit about that stuff.

I do disagree with Bazooka in part, though. Certainly the Sony fanboys are disproportionately pleased with the Uncharted and TLOU 'franchises', as well as the dull God of War, just as MS fanboys will claim that Gears of War is an iconic landmark 'IP' (bleh). I loved my One X, and I really hope MS can claw back some ground (because I think Sony are turds and find their studios creatively bereft and self-satisfied), but they have almost no identity compared to Nintendo (and even Sony). They 'just' provide an excellent service and superb hardware.

BeardFaceMan

Quote from: Sebastian Cobb on August 12, 2018, 12:50:27 PM
Master Chief isn't fit to lick the boots of Megaman or Samus Aran.

It's odd because the original psx had a lot of iconic characters - Crash, Abe, Lara Croft, Parappa the Rappa etc.

Oh I'm not making any kind of comment on the games, Halo was the first game I ever played on the OG Xbox and I thought it was shit but he's undeniably a popular character in a popular franchise, people dressing up as him to buy the games when they're released at midnight, that sort of thing. Arent they making a Halo TV series now too?

But again, I'm not sure why having no console specific franchises is a bad thing. Isn't that kind of talk just fanboy posturing, 'my console is better than yours' sort of thing?

Well, without being a nob about it, it's certainly hurt MS this generation because they have by far the fewest system sellers, despite having the best system.

BeardFaceMan

But that's the thing, there is no console wars, very few people give a fuck about that kind of thing anymore (which is why cross-play is becoming such a big and asked for thing). Sony, MS and Nintendo are not trying to put each other out of business, and they couldnt if they tried. It's not as if MS are going out of business because of poor sales, they're in great health. And can you really attribute them not selling as many systems this gen simply because they don't have a Mario or a Sonic (having 'iconic characters' didnt work for Sega)? Because the way they launched the Xbox One as an entertainment box that had to constantly be connected to the internet to work instead of a games console has a lot to do with that.

Sebastian Cobb

Quote from: BeardFaceMan on August 12, 2018, 01:07:08 PM
Oh I'm not making any kind of comment on the games, Halo was the first game I ever played on the OG Xbox and I thought it was shit but he's undeniably a popular character in a popular franchise, people dressing up as him to buy the games when they're released at midnight, that sort of thing. Arent they making a Halo TV series now too?

But again, I'm not sure why having no console specific franchises is a bad thing. Isn't that kind of talk just fanboy posturing, 'my console is better than yours' sort of thing?

Neither was I, I don't think Master Chief is a particularly well developed character.

Bazooka

My post was convoluted and also a detour from the thread. Essentially what I was stating is Nintendo have a repertoire of easily identifiable characters to fall back upon in both the eastern and western market , despite being behind the times in online distribution and functionality. Nintendo has an multiple IP's they can rely on, Pokemon alone could keep them afloat (Gamefreak being the actual developers of course), Microsoft and Sony do not have the same in terms of iconic figures by a mile. Anyway yeah I've gone of a massive tangent, gaming business and cultural values, distribution, and marketplace is a huge discussion in itself.

Anyway, back on topic regarding roms/emulation, I think the most important issue raised by the article is that regardless of the legal ramifications, the presence of ROMS does more good than it does harm, a now defunct developer who made (insert game name) in 1985 is not going to be making any money even if emulation existed/licences were not what they are , despite making great games (again still arguable the best in quality);Nintedo's philosophy is all over the place.

BeardFaceMan

#25
Quote from: Sebastian Cobb on August 12, 2018, 01:33:27 PM
Neither was I, I don't think Master Chief is a particularly well developed character.

Well again, I'm not commenting on that either, as I say I'm not a fan and know nothing about him, he's just a recognisable character from a critically acclaimed and very popular console specific franchise.

And I didnt realise Mario was such a full rounded character with a deep and meaningful back story. Surely something like Mario becoming an iconic character is because of the game and gameplay, not because of any kind of character traits he possesses, its only his look thats iconic.

NoSleep

I can't really see this stopping the rom sites ultimately. If they take them all down you'll still be able to find everything via torrent sites. I've come across torrents that made available the entire catalogues of SNES, NES, GB, NDS, etc, so they'll always be around somehow.

I'm more worried that the people coding the emulators might get hit by this (as I remember happened with the PSX emulator that Sony actually bought up and installed into the PS2). Probably OK if you're using an old machine, but it's par for the course to keep upgrading OS's to build in obsolescence, so the current emulators will cease to function in the near future.

BeardFaceMan

What I don't get is that Nintendo is primarily a kids console, who will have no interest in playing these kinds of ROMS or emulation, so why are they so bothered about it when its stuff that can't be bought from them?

Hecate

Quote from: BeardFaceMan on August 12, 2018, 01:27:52 PM
But that's the thing, there is no console wars, very few people give a fuck about that kind of thing anymore (which is why cross-play is becoming such a big and asked for thing). Sony, MS and Nintendo are not trying to put each other out of business, and they couldnt if they tried.

Microsoft and Sony are directly competing against each other though.
If you're not a pc gamer and you're only going to purchase one system, surely it comes down to the exclusive games when you're making that decision.
There's no real "games run much better on the 360" scenario this time round, so other than jumping into whichever walled garden your friends are playing in, you'd just go with the one that had the most games you were interested in.

Both sony and Microsoft know the power of console exclusives, they wouldn't bother throwing their money about to secure those sorts of deals if all it meant was stirring playground rivalries.

I agree with you that nintendo aren't in the fight, they're on their own, they're the only company who still understands what console gaming should be about.

New Jack

Their ROM stance is very tricky but every console they make is hackable to run pirated games. I think that shows they're either not too up on the tech needed (maybe, but I think Nintendo are good at hardware) or far more obviously, emulation is way more common and easier, and threatens their sales more.