Nintendo Doesn't Like People Who Like the Internet

[BreakmanX]

I think we can all appreciate the wonders that technology has made in terms of accessing information. Instead of having to memorizing IP addresses, we can type in domain names. Xbox Live and now Sony having friends lists across the board to access friends is also a great achievement for gamers. One that should be considered a standard. Most of the IM services see friends lists and say, "hey that's a good idea, lets stick to that." For a reason, mostly involving protecting children, Nintendo has decided to make it harder for you to connect to your friends on the Wii. You have to fucking add your friend for each game that you guys want to play. Instead of the following the evolution of having a unified friends list from which you can easily play any game with your friend, you have a system that is muddled with inconsistancy and inconvenience. What started as a 16 digit code has expanded.

Falafelkid: I would like to know if I am right in assuming that the features mentioned (friend rosters, advanced matchmaking capabilities and comprehensive rankings data) suggest a single, unified online platform for each console, rather than one which is dependent on individual games (as is the case with the DS).

GameSpy: GameSpy’s technology does allow for features that could span multiple games. With the Nintendo Wii, however, the multiplayer features are title-specific.

Falafelkid: But is that the case for all Wii online titles across the board?

GameSpy: Yes, that is the case for Wii titles.

Falafelkid: Just one last question to make absolutely sure I have got this right, please. If I have a friend roster in one game, that roster will not be available to me in any other game. I have to build up an entirely new list for each title, right?

GameSpy: The answer to your question is yes, for the Wii friend lists are game specific.

I could completely understand if there was some sort of epidemic for this sort of thing, but I have been unable to find a single case of a child being raped via Xbox Live. If you can find one it would be much appreciated.

Nintendo is known for innovation, but this is a giant step back. This is sitting on a rocket backwards while Microsoft and Sony are dragracing the other direction. This is stupid. For anyone who cares about the violence in video games/video games are evil, this puts fuel on the fire. This says, "We acknowledge that Video Game players are evil and put children at rick if we make online play for them convenient." This hurts the industry in terms of gameplay, politics, and sociological views.

[Mericks]

While I do hate the system, I'm gonna remain optimistic for about 2 years probably. By that time I hope they'll realize how idiotic their system is. I really do think that Nintendo should just fucking say that parents are responsible for their kids getting raped and it's not the company's fault, but in the slim, slim, slim, ever so slim chance that a child is raped becaue they were playing Pikmin co-op online with a friend (I can dream right?), I think Nintendo is showing some kind of concern for what happens to their gonnabe fans for 1 reason or another. I really don't think that's still a cause for concern though, seeing as 1 kid getting raped doesn't ensure that they all get raped.

I really didn't mind the system when I thought it was going to be 1 code to a system, but when I heard about this I was pissed off. They better fucknig get the damn picture.

[Typheus]

...THAT....BURNS....MY...ASS!

[bmdubya]

I don't understand why Nintendo doesn't allow you to create an identity like Xbox Live. I understand that they are trying to be safe, but if you are setting up an account online I think you aren't stupid enough to like put your first and last name and where you live and how old you are in your name. That is an exaggeration, but I mean if I have my name as bmdubya that doesn't really mean much, unless you are like Mericks and you go looking into who I am. (Just messing Mericks). I want to love the Wii, I really do. I think it is innovative, extremely fun, but they don't do a lot of things right, online gaming is the main one. If they fix a bunch of issues, a $250 price tag for a great console would be amazing. But until that, I'll stick to my 360.

[Mericks]

Well, I probably won't be able to get any service with Xbox Live seeing as my mom's paranoid about paying for much online (in fact I had to resort to my brother to sell crap on eBay). I've tried everything to get her to let me buy and pay for shit online but meh. If I had my own credit card this would be so easy...dammit.

Because of that, however, I'm rather dependent on Nintendo, my PC, and this laptop for online gaming. With that in mind, I should probably re-install Starcraft onto my laptop...again.

[RurouniQ]

They're probably not doing a single identity because it's more expensive. Money makes the world go round.

[Mericks]

Money's not what makes the world go 'round. There's a bunch of tiny elves that are always runnning east, causing the world to spin around. At the end of the year, however, they usually get so tired that they actually slow down to a walk, hence why we need a leap year (yeah, fuck that philosophy on our calendar leaving a quarter of a day at the end of the year, it's the elves' fault!).