MadonnasManOne wrote:Nintendo isn't treating people like crap, just because the games aren't released when those people want them. In fact, Europe, for example, has had a few Nintendo titles released there, first, before they were released in Japan, America, or elsewhere.
That's not true, and you know it. Wii Fit for example was released in Europe what? 3 Weeks before America? Mario Kart 2 weeks? Europe is still waiting for Super Smash Bros Brawl. That's right, its out next week. NEXT WEEK! How long have you been playing it? 13-16 weeks?
It's totally different situation, we're not just talking about little release windows which are perfectly justified if you consider the logistics of supplying Europe, or America or Japan. We're talking about games being released in one or two territories, and then, finally, Nintendo starts to actually think about making a PAL version! Odd how all other software houses, including those that publish on the Wii, get different versions out within 1-3 weeks.
When exactly did Animal Crossing come out for the gamecube? Oh yes
TWO YEARS LATER than the US release. Nobody even knew if that was going to come out in Europe or not!
Nobody here bats an eyelid when we have to wait 1-3 weeks for a Sony or Microsoft game, because we know its coming and we have a release date on the schedule. We're not children, we can wait a few weeks. It's when Nintendo not only bring things over months (or sometimes years) later, but don't even have the decency to give European gamers any information when such games are likely to be published.
People just want to have a reason to complain. They feel they are entitled to something, and if they don't get it, when they want it, they try to obtain it illegally. Well, that's the price you pay, when you try to obtain things illegally. Sometimes those illegal ways of obtaining things are shut down.
And this comes from the person who posted:
It sucks that the game has been delayed, again! I guess they really want to make this the perfect game. So, I'll forgive them another delay. However, if March 9 (the new American release date), rolls around, and this game isn't out, I'm going to make my way to the head of Nintendo, and demand he give me a copy, right then and there! If he doesn't, I'll hold Mario hostage, and will not release him until I have the game!!!
OK, it was a joke, but I can still see some of the frustration you felt by reading between the lines - but how do you think PAL player felt at that time when NO RELASE DATE was even mentioned for the PAL release?
The Freeloader isn't illegal, or else it wouldn't be able to be sold in shops. You can't walk into your local chemist and buy cocaine can you? We have no Digital Millennium Copyright Act over here, so reverse engineering is allowed. Just like Amazon.co.uk openly sells Multi-region DVD players. The Freeloader, or importing games, is not illegal. While I accept Nintendo has a right to close down such exploits, do not call anyone who was using a Freeloader a criminal, and don't even date to suggest Nintendo are above European law.
What Nintendo have to understand is there would be no call for the Freeloader if they got releases over here in a timely fashion - just like their competiors do. Isn't competition supposed to benefit the customer? Not in Nintendo's world of PAL.
And I don't accept the translation argument - not when games like Microsoft's Mass Effect or Konami's Metal Gear Solid 4 can come out worldwide within a matter of days. Literally days. Both of those games have literally hours and hours of on screen text, recorded speech, subtitles and cut-scenes.
Don't try to turn this into Nintendo vs. Sony and Microsoft crap. That's just ridiculous.
Why. Why is it crap? All sony games are region free, most Microsoft ones are (and as far as I know all their first party games are). Third party Xbox releases are region encoded at the publishers discresion and its about 50/50. Only Nintendo region protects all its games.
That is a fact. It is not "crap" or "ridiculous". That fact limits Nintendo owners options if they live in a PAL country.
Its probably why Nintendo think that they can get away with such shoddy treatment of Europeans too - its not as if they can go elsewhere to buy the same games (unlike Sony or Microsoft owners who have the option of importing)
Finally which console manufacturer was fined by the EU for price fixing? Region-locking is another method of Nintendo being able to set its own price, as it effectively removes competition from other territories (along with distibutors witholding supply from shops that stocked products from other European countries - illegal - as the EU is its own free market with no internal trade barriers - that's the whole point of the EU!).
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2375967.stm
I love how Nintendo admits it broke the law, and then moans about the size of the fine calling it "illegal". How about all the millions of customers they ripped-off? How do they feel? How many millions did Nintendo make from its illegal business practices? How many honest retailers did it threaten to close down? And if Nintendo feels it can break the law with little or no concequence, why can't we import which (I repeat) isn't breaking any law?
And finally, Sony are far from perfect to with their European record (smaller HDDs, no hardware backwards compatability from the start, no PS3s on sale with any form of backwards compatability at present, and still no rumble controllers) but at least they are on the button when it comes to worldwide game releases.
