The First Party Killer Ap is just the toe really:

Talking to a friend recently, he said Metroid Prime was the snitz. I'm inclined to agree, but one thing I do not agree that it's not the proclaimed "Killer Ap" that would cause gamers to buy buy buy the gamecube.

This is somewhat a complex relationship, but I think this is more subjective than anything else. I don't expect the gaming community to realize that my opinion-which-is-about-be-formed is set in stone or even to be common sense, but it's a particularly nice little theory I'd like to throw by.

Now that I reflect on it, this opinion may also be based upon being not only who produced the games but what type of game...hence the whole kiddie game syndrome, but this is just to notify people I also feel this way.

Anyways on with the show.

Basically my arguement "Metroid Prime" would not sell systems because of some certain things. To look back it could be rooted in the whole "first party" and "third party" developers, much brought into the spotlight when the N64 came out with little to no third party support, especially from the big wigs who decided to jump ship. Now as we can see, first party games were good but it only went so far since it was the variety and the specific series of "third party developers" that pushed the envelope and brings in the players.



EDIT EDIT EDIT:

To accomodate my friends to not deal with the hazard of reading my long-winded essay and growing hair on their hands as a result thereof, here's the easiest way I can make my agruement:

RollingStones = Metroid Prime (First Party Developers)
Eninem = Gta 3 (Third Party Developers)

The stones are so ingrained into musical culture that they have became music. Eninem, while not necessarily the flavour of the month, is indeed the new thing, the different thing, away from musical culture that it is a seperate entity. The reliable Stones are still good, but regulated to a point where we take advantage of their reliability and often gloss over they recent recordings, even though in the background they are still making untold millions from their old albums.


Baiscally what I'm saying that these first party games are so ingrained in gaming culture (especially those in the 8-Bit and 16-Bit era) that sometimes they get overlooked because of it's reliability of being there, or just being over-done (despite still being good). The games specific to these systems like Sonic to Sega and Mario to Nintendo no longer becomes the mascot for their systems or even seperate entities of their companies...they become the company.

That's why third party developers are so important. That's why I think PS2 and X-Box may do better since they don't have a "set" with their gaming life. They seem like nomads, wandering the world for the next big thing without being loyal to anyone. And getting killer aps to those PS2 brands like GTA or Final Fantasy goes to show that it sells systems. Their systems are the mascots, not their games. Notice how Perfect Dark and Goldeneye were the killer aps of the N64?




note that this is from my previous rambling before I shortened it to hell..



Before I digress into some other branch, how I relate my last paragraph is liken to the idea of possibly friends.

First party developers = close friends
Third party developers = friends of close friends

Basically these first party games like Metroid Prime or Legend of Zelda are these close friends. Friends who been with you for so long, you get together well. But also at the same time being so immersed into them you have the liberty of not thinking about them more often that other aspects of your life. Third party developers out side the realm of influence and similarities of the "First party developers" are the friends of your close friends. You would like to know more about them since they are different and even possibly a different circle of friends that intrigues you and tickles your fancy of exploring new worlds. You might even think more of them than your close friends (for the short term) and gloss over your close friends.

Another analogy I can make is body parts...just for the first party thing. Your toe maybe sexy, but if I see it every day, it might lose that sex appeal. Put on a sexy shoe (that's the third party developers) and whatever...you get the idea.