<div style='font: 9pt ; text-align: left; '>Can't believe I thought Tales was Enix....man.....
Nintendo has worked their ASS off getting third parties for the GC, whereas they were snooty during the N64 days. That's the major difference, which is why they've got much better third party support already for the GC than the had in the first 2 years on the N64. Look at their big titles, most are third party. Everyone is surprised how strong their third-party support has been and you're disappointed? They've re-opened the door with Square, they've got Enix back on the GBA, which might open the door for them a bit on the GC (remember, they've gotta recover from the N64 days...), and they've got Namco big-time (Tales - exclusive, Soul Calibur 2, Dead to Rights), and remember, Namco was a HUGE reason for the success of the PS2. That's big...and the system hasn't even been out for a year. They've got a lot to recover from, from the old bridges they burned, and they're doing a helluva job so far. Now it's a matter of whether they can keep the games coming from both third and first party for the next couple of years.
Also, Square already announced a GC game that will link to the GBA. They were ALWAYS more interested in the GBA so they can REALLY make money off their remakes. They might sell 250,000 on the WonderSwan, but with the GBA userbase, they'll shatter that, all for the same development costs. Square is going multi 'cause of finanacial reasons, and they've said all along they'd be intersted in the 'Cube. And like I said, any relationship between the two companies is good now, the way they were taking during the N64-PS2 days.
DQ7 sold 4+million in Japan. Whether you liked it or not, that's HUGE and they still have immense influence with that game. If DQ8 is announced for the 'Cube, that's a MAJOR coup, probably the biggest catch Nintendo could have third-party wise.
And they're working on the quantity, that was my original point. In the N64 days, it was Nintendo's games and you got lucky to get anything from the third parties that wasn't shit. Now, you've not only got tons of third party, you've got lots of pretty decent ones, and a lot of them. Just look at the popular games, vast majority is third party. They've got quantity and quality there, comparable to the 'Box, and Microshaft doesn't really have anything first party other than Halo. They might not have the PS2-level of quantity, but they're not exactly back where they were in the N64 days. They might not have the RPGs, but they've got a healthy amount of everything else.
Also, Nintendo will NOT win this war, no chance. But, if they can capture 30-35% of the market, that's huge. And for the coin they're spending, that's much more than enough for them to remain as the most profitable developer and hardware manufacturer, and that's their focus. Their business plan is not to win, just to do well. They're letting Microshaft and Sony decide who actually wins</div>
I was there on that fateful day, were you?
