By Benjamin Mercer
Remember those early N64 days? The joy of discovering magical new 3D worlds with Mario was great, wasn't it? And then...the wheels seemed to fall off the bandwagon. Sure Wave Race 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, GoldenEye, and Banjo-Kazooie were great, but what happened to all the third-parties? Well, the whole "cartridge vs. CD" issue has been well documented and debated to death. Yes, Nintendo should've gone the CD-route with the N64, but hindsight is alway 20/20. Now the Gamecube uses mini-DVDs and is even easy to program for, so it's a much different landscape. Which third-parties should Nintendo focus on, however? And which ones do they have a shot at? Here's a breakdown of who Nintendo should be courting:
Konami
The company behind such hits as Castlevania and Metal Gear Solid is vital for Nintendo. Konami is already backing the PS2, XBox and Game Boy Advance heavily, yet they remain hush on Gamecube development. They are the biggest third-party publisher in Japan and have traditionally held a solid relationship with Nintendo -- the two game giants even have a joint venture spin-off company known as Mobile 21.
Value Ranking: 9 out of 10. Nintendo definitely needs Konami onboard, and that shouldn't be too much of a problem. The only concern here is exactly what Konami will produce for the NGC. We know the likes of Crash Bandicoot will pop up on the Gamecube, but what about Metal Gear Solid 2 and Z.O.E.? Nintendo must be able to convince Konami that there is a market for both family titles and Konami's more mature software. Seeing as how Hideo Kojima did recently develop Metal Gear Solid for the Game Boy Color, it's likely that MGS2 is a shoe-in for the Gamecube, especially given it's new multiplatform status (PS2 and XBox).
Enix
One of Nintendo's "darling" developers during the Famicom and Super Famicom hey-day, Enix has since moved their console titles to the green Playstation pastures. The loss of Enix had to be a particularly bitter one for Nintendo given the popularity of the Dragon Quest franchise in Japan and the fact that Dragon Quest 7 was initially slated for
Nintendo's dead-on-arrival 64DD.
Dragon Quest 7 was infact supposed to be the flagship game for the 64DD, as outlined by Nintendo's president, Hiroshi Yamauchi, at the 1995 Shoshinkai show. While the game suffered numerous delays after switching to the Playstation, it finally came out this past August and is currently on pace to sell over 4 million copies. That would make it Enix's best selling game ever.
Value Ranking: 7 out of 10. There's no denying Enix's Dragon Quest franchise is the king of non-Pokemon RPGs in Japan, but internationally, Enix's appeal is very weak. However, if Nintendo is serious about increasing their anorexic console marketshare in Japan, they need either Enix or Square. Enix is still close to Nintendo and supports the Game Boy platform quite well. The renown RPG-house even makes Nintendo themed merchandise such as Pokemon pencil cases and Fire Emblem manga. On the flipside, Enix's strong backing of the Playstation 2 has to be worrisome for Nintendo. Enix is a must have for Japan and should be a top priority for Nintendo.
Namco
It's no secret that Namco and Nintendo had a falling-out in the 80s. Since then, the two companies have been able to defrost their relationship, and Namco has made the transition from 2D to 3D in flying colors with the Tekken and Ridge Racer series'. Namco and Nintendo even collaborated on the N64 version of Ridge Racer 64, which was handled internally by NSTC.
Value Ranking: 8 out of 10. Namco will support Gamecube, that's not the real issue at stake here. It comes down to which titles they do bring to the big dance. Namco has a habit of bringing their "AAA" titles exclusively to the Playstation/PS2 platforms and giving other consoles second class treatment. 
Hopefully Namco can understand that a game like Soul Calibur 2 would make a fortune off the NGC user base. Namco is another company embracing a more multiplatform strategy, as they will also be backing the XBox, but again, it remains to be seen which titles they bring to non-Sony consoles. Nintendo would be wise to cut Namco a deal or two...or three. The Gamecube will need solid 3D fighters, racers, and RPGs.
Square Soft
Where to begin? Once considered one of closest development houses to NCL, Square then split with Nintendo in 1996 after mulling over the limited cartridge format. Since then, more cinematic game titles have turned the tiny RPG-developer into a multimedia powerhouse. Square has managed to sell millions of Final Fantasy PSX games not only in Japan, but around the globe.
The company has also decided there's no biz like showbiz, and will be throwing their hat in the movie ring next summer with the CG-film, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. The movie is already making several Hollywood higher-ups take notice with its breathtaking animation. Although some critics may argue their gameplay quality has dropped since the SNES days, it's awfully hard to call the likes of Chrono Cross, Final Fantasy 9, and Xenogears anything but great.
Value Ranking: 9 out of 10. Square is the heart and soul of the Playstation empire, lets not make any bones about that. Their estranged relationship with Nintendo is quite controversial as Square currently has no plans to support the GBC/GBA handhelds. Instead they're opting for the Wonder Swan portable, which goes against all business logic. We don't imagine that Nintendo president, Hiroshi Yamauchi, had too many kind words for Square when they opted to not support the N64 platform. So that could be a cause of friction. Will Square ever publish for a Nintendo platform?
Time has a habit of healing old wounds, but it could be Microsoft's interest in Square that drives the developer to a more open multiplatform strategy. If Square develops for the XBox, then their Sony status-quo is shattered, and hopefully Nintendo's board of directors will be wise enough to start warming up to the Final Fantasy developer. Square will need all the PlayOnline users it can muster, and the GBA/NGC would provide an ample base of customers. Right now, there probably is too much pride on both sides to come to any solid agreement. Incidentally, it's rumored that several Square officials were at Spaceworld speaking with Nintendo representatives. Of course, Nintendo's aging president, Hiroshi Yamauchi was not present at Spaceworld, and that has led to some interesting speculation. The fact also remains that neither company really needs each other, but both have
much to gain if they would set aside the past and focus on the future.
Electronic Arts
If it's in the game, it's in the game. Well if you're talking sports games, then EA is the standard-de-facto, no "ifs", "ands", or "buts" about it. Unfourtunately, EA's support of the N64 platform was quite dubious. Generally, Nintendo 64 owners were subject to watered down ports of Playstation sports titles. EA is the largest third-party publisher, but that has a lot to do with the huge amount of titles they pump out for consoles, PCs, and handhelds each year. With the James Bond license already in tow, EA is reported to be on the fast track to securing the lucrative game rights to The Lord of the Rings franchise as well.
Value Ranking: 8 out of 10. If EA is bringing Madden 2002 to the NGC, then all we ask is they don't water it down. Build it on par with the PS2, XBox, PC versions and (gasp!) maybe even throw in a few Gamecube specific functions. Even though Electronic Arts snubbed Sega, they're still playing an active role in N64 and GBC, so the outlook for the NGC is good. EA simply has no excuse for shoddy ports now that Nintendo has adopted the mini-DVD format.
Tecmo
Tecmo isn't exactly the highest profile developer out there, but they do have some of the most talented artists, designers, and programmers. Look no further than the eye-popping Dead or Alive 2, which is arguably better than any of Namco's 3D fighters. The company is revving its engines once again with the highly secretive Ninja Gaiden Kunai.
Value Ranking: 7 out of 10. Why's Tecmo on the list? Well it's simple really. We feel that Tecmo is the one third-party that will break out in the coming generation. Between Ninja Gaiden Kunai and Dead or Alive 3, they possess two games that could be big killer-apps. They're already behind the PS2 and XBox, and having them on NGC would really help fill out the 3D fighter and action genres.
Capcom
In the 8-bit days it was Megaman. Then in the 16-bit era, it was all about Street Fighter II. During the 32-bit/64-bit wars, Capcom hit the jackpot again with Resident Evil. Kind of makes you wonder what they'll come up with next, doesn't it? Capcom also is a third-party that seems to share many of Nintendo's "substance over flash" ideals. With the two companies already collaborating on new Zelda titles for the Game Boy Color, everything seems to be running smoothly for Nintendo here.Value Ranking: 8 out of 10. Capcom has already come out of the closet and stated they'll be supporting Dreamcast, PS2, Gamecube, XBox, and GBA simultaneously. This open strategy could prove to be a profitable one for Capcom, and we know Nintendo is probably hoping other developers follow suit. Capcom has already confirmed Resident Evil Zero is Gamecube bound, which already gives the NGC at least one big name Japanese third-party title. Not bad, considering the N64 still hasn't gotten an original high-calibur third-party title of that stature.
In the end...
Nintendo will have much stronger third-party backing this time around. That much is obvious,
however, the big N has at the same time beefed up their internal teams considerably. There's no guarantee the NGC will get every major third-party title either-- Final Fantasy X and Dragon Quest 8 spring to mind. To that end, perhaps Nintendo would be wise to add
a few more first party developers to the fold, just in case. Treasure, the co-developer behind the already acclaimed Sin & Punishment would be a very wise investment as they would give Nintendo a more mature sensibility to go with their Japanese developed titles. Quest, who is currently working on Tactic Ogre Gaiden for the Game Boy Advance, is a fantastic strategy/RPG designer that would provide a new dimension for Nintendo products.
Camelot would be our final suggestion. They're basically working as a Nintendo developer right now, and sales of Mario Tennis have inched up to the 1 million barrier in the Japanese market. Camelot is almost too good to be true as they have solid RPG-design backing with the Shining Force series and they can also work well with Nintendo on mascot-based spin-off titles. Mario Dodgeball anyone? Camelot is currently plugging away at Golden Sun, a new RPG for the Game Boy Advance. We're hoping Nintendo will let Camelot's designers loose on the Gamecube hardware soon as well. So if you're listening Mr.Yamauchi, those are our suggestions, hopefully you'll take them to heart...
Benjamin Mercer
(Images courtesy of IGN.com)