Some Thoughts On Nintendo
Having read Chris Slate's recent blog entry about his favorite GameCube games, I started thinking about my own opinions on Nintendo's console. I am no means as hardcore a Nintendo fan as Chris is, but there's no doubt that the company has consistenly made some of my favorite console titles. Ocarina of Time still holds as one of the best games of all time, at least in my book. However, with this generation, I do feel that the company has faltered a bit and is struggling to figure out what direction it wants to head in. I don't feel that as much innovation, creativity or quantitiy game-wise has occured, especially when compared with the N64 era. For a company that has commented constantly on how developers can't just rehash their characters and make sequels over and over again, it seems ironic that Nintendo seems to be starting to fall into that pit, as well.
I don't know if it's just me or if it's the games, but it's rare now that I get that excited over details on an upcoming Nintendo title. Compared with the excitement I had back in the N64 days for everything Nintendo, I guess I would now have to rate myself as just a casual fan. The last game I really got excited about was Windwaker and even that, while a great experience, still didn't compare to the enormous joy I had in completing Ocarina of Time. I also played pretty much every Nintendo release on the N64, whereas I now only play a limited assortment on the NGC.
With the upcoming release of the "Revolution", I have begun to get a bit more excited about Nintendo, but I still don't have this must-buy-on-launch-day feeling yet. Maybe when they hit me with some screens of a new Zelda title that will change. However, I expect the total numbe of Nintendo titles released on the Revolution to be even less than what was available on the NGC, which means that I won't be playing it as much as my PS3, that's for sure.
What are your opinions? Does Nintendo still get you excited as much today as it did last generation? Do you think the Revolution will be more successful than the NGC or N64?
I don't know if it's just me or if it's the games, but it's rare now that I get that excited over details on an upcoming Nintendo title. Compared with the excitement I had back in the N64 days for everything Nintendo, I guess I would now have to rate myself as just a casual fan. The last game I really got excited about was Windwaker and even that, while a great experience, still didn't compare to the enormous joy I had in completing Ocarina of Time. I also played pretty much every Nintendo release on the N64, whereas I now only play a limited assortment on the NGC.
With the upcoming release of the "Revolution", I have begun to get a bit more excited about Nintendo, but I still don't have this must-buy-on-launch-day feeling yet. Maybe when they hit me with some screens of a new Zelda title that will change. However, I expect the total numbe of Nintendo titles released on the Revolution to be even less than what was available on the NGC, which means that I won't be playing it as much as my PS3, that's for sure.
What are your opinions? Does Nintendo still get you excited as much today as it did last generation? Do you think the Revolution will be more successful than the NGC or N64?
posted by Frosty @ 3:47 PM
5 Comments:
At 12:50 AM,
Anonymous said…
One of the reasons that Nintendo failed in the previous two generations is that they were so focused on the first-party games that Sony (and to a lesser degree, Microsoft) came in and blew their library away with extremely strong third-party titles. Granted, Nintendo has put out some great titles that were highly reviewed (I admit that I do not own a GC so I cannot speak definitively about the games), they were relatively few and far between. That, and they were mostly first-party titles. While there isn't anything WRONG with that, it just ain't the same as it was in the late eighties/early nineties. Sony made sure to change that. I noticed that Chris' article had only two third-party titles. Now compare that to, say, a PSM top ten. At least half the games will be third-party.
I guess this is just my long-winded way of saying, "yeah, I agree with you Steve."
At 6:29 PM,
Anonymous said…
Nintendo did a lot of risky things in this generation.
Fox was grounded (literally), Samus went first-person, Donkey Kong picked up some beats, Link gave into the then-popular cel shading craze, and Mario spewed water from his hose.
The Gamecube never saw an online system in any form, which hurt the system very badly (especially since the XBox makes such an amazing online alternative) and games were smaller.
With the Revolution, Nintendo will become even more focused on family. Party games will remain a popular first-party choice, and the other big name games will see new additions into their lineups every so often (just like in this generation). The difference will come in the form of being able to download old Nintendo console games, an actual online system, and some sort of supposed revolutionary gaming method. I think it will be a lot better than the Gamecube from a personal perspective, but it definitely won't sell as well as the XBox 360 or Playstation 3.
On another note, I think Sony is more of a hardware company. They rely very heavily on third-party support for their success. With Microsoft gaining a lot more third-party and Japanese developers, the next-generation will be a much closer and more intense battle. The Revolution won't be in the same category as the other two, just like it was officially stated.
At 12:43 AM,
Chris Slate said…
It's funny, because when I look at the games on my shelf, I've got more great Gamecube titles than N64 ones. But, the N64 games each meant more.
I look at the Gamecube the same way I do the Super NES, in that both systems mostly offered prettier versions of their predecessors' games. Nintendo only really seems to innovate every other generation (with the NES and N64), so we're due for a real change with Revolution. My hope is that the system's unique features will give the next-gen Mario and Zelda games that same fresh "wow" feeling we got with Mario 64 and Ocarina.
Of course, there's both Nintendo's biggest strength and its biggest weakness right there — those legacy franchises. There doesn't seem to be much room for casual Nintendo fans anymore; you either love their games or you hate them. And let's face it: barring a miracle, the Revolution will be lucky to get the limited third-party support it's gotten with Gamecube. To cover next-gen development costs, publishers have to sell to the biggest audience — which isn't very likely to be with Nintendo.
We really have to alter the way we look at the "console wars", though. Or, at least be more explicit in what we're trying to say. Is Nintnedo "doomed?" Actually, they've always made, and continued to make, more money than their competitors. So as far as business is concerned, they're the undisputed #1. But, not nearly as many people play Gamecube as they do PS2.
The safe bet is that Nintendo will continue to trail Sony and Microsoft in units sold, but they'll make just as much money, or more, selling to their smaller audience. They've just got to keep their consumer base at a reasonable level. That's easier said than done though, since they've been selling fewer and fewer consoles every generation.
I've been excited to see signs lately that Nintendo finally seems to be listening to its critics. Can they change enough to gain more ground in the next generation? I hope so. Without them in the game, where would Sony and Microsoft get all their new ideas? ;-)
At 3:30 PM,
Anonymous said…
I think if Zelda, Metroid and Mario went to other systems, about 5 people would have bought Gamecube. While obviously that would never happen, it says something about the system.
At 8:48 AM,
Anonymous said…
Excellent, that was really well explained and helpful
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