Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2008 April 27

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April 27

Wii

I hope the Wii doesn't end up as the most successful 7th generation console; Nintendo's original consoles are much better. Interactive Fiction Expert/Talk to me 05:57, 27 April 2008 (UTC)

Did you have a question? Dismas|^(talk) 09:23, 27 April 2008 (UTC)

What's the purpose of this post? --71.158.218.130 (talk) 13:30, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

Success

Why wasn't the Nintendo 64 more successful than the Super NES? Why wasn't the GameCube more successful than the 64? Interactive Fiction Expert/Talk to me 05:57, 27 April 2008 (UTC)

Video game console > Video game crash of 1977 might have a lot to do with that. The GameCube also had to compete with PC games. Just a wild guess. --Lisa4edit (talk) 08:04, 27 April 2008 (UTC)

I heard it is because PS2 games are easier to copy.F (talk) 11:32, 27 April 2008 (UTC)

The N64 was less successful than the SNES because it used expensive (and restricted) cartridge media while its competitors used CDs that allowed video, more voice acting, and higher quality music. The Gamecube was less successful before of its dearth of 3rd party support and the public's opinion of it being a "children's console". 206.252.74.48 (talk) 12:59, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

Considering the Super NES was introduced in 1987 I find it hard to believe the the video game crash of 1977 had anything to do with it. The simple fact of the matter is Nintendo didn't adapt to the changing market. That's why the wii is so successful, it appeals to an entirely different market than its competition. Mad031683 (talk) 16:57, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

GfK

Why has the GameCube been wiped out of the GfK lists? They still sell GameCube games in some places - and I don't mean places where you buy older stuff. —Preceding unsigned comment added by IntfictExpert (talk • contribs) 06:10, 27 April 2008 (UTC)

Without chasing your through the whole List of marketing topics, here's the brief gist of it. The GfK is a market research organization. Companies employ those to find out what consumers would like to buy and how much they'd be willing to pay for it (very roughly put). Companies are usually only interested in that before a product is on the market and during the first phase after it's introduced. The profit a product earns a company follows a curve. Usually the product can be sold for the highest price when it's new and no one else sells a similar product. Then the company will gradually drop the price of the product to attract people who couldn't afford to buy it when it was still new and expensive. Once the company has recouped their investment into R&D and has a newer product on the market, they are no longer interested in who will buy the "old" model. They will probably continue to make it for a while, but will no longer spend money on advertising and promotion. So all the money they make from the product in excess of production cost and distribution/administration overheads is free. They'd no longer hire the GfK to find out who wants to buy the "old" GameCube because they now want to know how much money they can make selling the Y-box. There are lots of products that follow different curves, e.g. eggs would sell constant until someone introduces a new diet that says you need to eat lots of them to stay healthy, paintings by some painter don't sell at all until 100 years after his passing they sell for millions of dollars. Hope this helps. --Lisa4edit (talk) 06:47, 27 April 2008 (UTC)

Classical Music Piece in Advertisements

British Airways (and a couple of other companies) used a piece of classical music in their advertising a while back. The piece was sung by 2 female voices and as far as I can remember had no (other) instruments in it. Sorry for the skimpy details, but I can't very well hum it to you in typeface. Does anyone know what that piece is and what CD I might find it on. THANKS. --Lisa4edit (talk) 06:58, 27 April 2008 (UTC)

I think the piece of music you want is called 'The flower duet' by a guy called Leo Delibes. I've got it on a CD called 'As heard on TV'.Iiidonkeyiii (talk) 07:07, 27 April 2008 (UTC)

Yes, The Flower Duet - wasn't this asked somewhere else? Adam Bishop (talk) 07:58, 27 April 2008 (UTC)

Thanks a million. It's one of those cases of "can't get it out of my head." So I thought I might as well just go ahead and get the full version and play it. Sorry if if had been asked before. --Lisa4edit (talk) 08:07, 27 April 2008 (UTC)

On looking at the wiki link, the piece I heard didn't have any lyrics. Just Uhhu-uh (or aahaa?). I'll see if I can find the tune for the The Flower Duet somewhere and check whether that's it. --Lisa4edit (talk) 08:11, 27 April 2008 (UTC)

FOUND IT, THAT'S IT!!!! :)--Lisa4edit (talk) 08:19, 27 April 2008 (UTC)

Game

I remember playing a Sonic The Hedgehog game on the Super NES in which Marios are used as checkpoints. But precisely which game is this one? 124.176.209.38 (talk) 08:59, 27 April 2008 (UTC)

A Sonic game on the SNES? I doubt it. Sega and Nintendo weren't producing games for each others consoles in those days, and there certainly wouldn't have been a game that featured Sonic and Mario together. Did you dream it? Was it a spoof game you played somewhere else? 79.66.99.37 (talk) 14:39, 27 April 2008 (UTC)

Mario and Sonic appeared together for the first time in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games for the wii. The Sega Genesis was a major competitor for the SNES so Sonic (a Sega character) never appeared in any (official) games on the SNES. Mad031683 (talk) 16:45, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

It was definitely a pirate game. Looks like |this one. Neat. It looks pretty nicely done compared to many pirate games from that era. APL (talk) 16:59, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

Before being modified to have Mario and Sonic, the original game was Speedy Gonzales in Los Gatos Bandidos. --jh51681 (talk) 21:16, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

Edward Norton

Our article on Edward Norton states that he worked in Osaka, Japan for a time. Can anyone tell me if Norton speaks Japanese? Dismas|^(talk) 13:31, 27 April 2008 (UTC)

This and this would lead me to say, "Yes." ···日本穣^{? · Talk to Nihonjoe} 17:06, 27 April 2008 (UTC)

Thanks! Dismas|^(talk) 05:53, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

Pic

Anybody knows from which event and year is [http://img.buzzcine.com/galleries/people/h/helena_bonham_carter/archive/tn38.jpg this pic? David Pro (talk) 14:28, 27 April 2008 (UTC)

Doctor Who after series four

Does anyone know of any confirmed companions after series four? As far as I know David Tennant has confirmed reprising his role for a few bank holiday specials...but who will accompany his as his companion during these episodes, or even after that? Thanks so much for any info! --Cameron (t|p|c) 18:11, 27 April 2008 (UTC)

According to the Tardis files from Wikia, there is nothing confirmed for the 2009 Holiday Specials or Season Five in 2010. It is rumored that Rose Tyler MIGHT be coming back as there is evidence to suggest she will be in the season finale of Season Four. Assuming she doesn't die or gets trapped in another parallel universe again, that could mean she'll return for Season Five, but this is all fan speculation you understand. Also, assuming that Torchwood is on for more seasons, we'll probably see Captain Jack Harkness again. Finally, at least one fan wants Sally Sparrow of Blink (Doctor Who) to return, but who knows? More than likely, it'll be characters introduced from the current Season Four, and Holiday Specials that'll appear in 2010, as well as brand new characters written in as time goes on. You may want to try The Doctor Who Forum for additional info. Its the largest Doctor Who discussion board online, but bewarned, its got quite a few spoilers. Zidel333 (talk) 18:33, 27 April 2008 (UTC)

P.S. Thanks for sharing the Doctor Who love. :P Zidel333 (talk) 18:33, 27 April 2008 (UTC)

Thanks so much for all the info. I am truly grateful! --Cameron (t|p|c) 20:30, 27 April 2008 (UTC)

PS:I didn't quite understand your PS...would you clarify for me? Thank you...--Cameron (t|p|c) 20:32, 27 April 2008 (UTC)

LOL, its OK, I was just thanking you for allowing me to nerd out on the Reference Desk. (I'm a huge Doctor Who fan, and I'm so excited about Season Four I can't see straight. :P) Zidel333 (talk) 21:19, 27 April 2008 (UTC)

Identifying a Stravinsky piece

Found this midi in some old website, but I have no other information. Apparently, it's by Stravinsky. Can anyone identify it? Thanks! — Kieff | Talk 21:32, 27 April 2008 (UTC)