Why the industry needs Nintendo

[Lee]

This was inspired when I was reading about how poorly the sales of the 3DS have done compared to what the projected sales were supposed to be and I couldn’t help but notice how many comments on websites (trolling or not) were stating how much they hoped Nintendo would “do a Sega.” For all three of you who don’t know what doing a Sega is, it means to pull out of making consoles, just make games and have those games as a whole seem to be a shell of what they once were. So why does the industry need Nintendo?

It has the mass appeal.

There are people older than me who have fond memories of playing Mario, Zelda et al. There are people younger than me who have discovered Mario, Zelda et al. Then there are people my age who love Mario, Zelda et al. All three generations like to play Nintendo, for me it brings a sense of almost childhood magic going back and playing Super Mario Bros 3.for my parents it’s a case of “I remember this, it’s still pretty cool” and for the younger family members they can get involved with the newer games. It’s like the magic of Disney, no matter who you are, no matter what age you are, how stern-faced you are as soon as you walk into Disneyland the entire emotions and excitement come rushing. Nintendo brings that for quite a few people whether it’s the NES, Wii, 3DS or even the Gameboy whether you’re a granny playing Brain training, a kid playing Mario Kart or a twenty something playing the latest Zelda title Nintendo has something for everyone.

You look after your babies better in your own home.

When you move away from home things are good, you’re on your own schedule and your own rules. Though when you go back to visit the parents you know full well they will look after you, feed you pretty well and if you’re super lucky do your washing (I think that last one is an urban myth), Why is that the case? Simply because parents know how to look after their children and make a bit more of an effort when it’s at home. Case in point: Sonic the Hedgehog. Think of the best Sonic games made and 90% of them are on a Sega home console (Rush/Colours and 4 added to it). That’s because Sega know the machine they’re working with inside out. Can you imagine Mario on a PS3? Zelda on an X-box? Donkey Kong on a NGP? It just doesn’t make sense to me and I feel that the quality of games would be less on those consoles as even subconsciously the makers would be thinking “hang on we were beaten here, why should we help them out” but those games on a Nintendo console will remain flawless.

It innovates the industry.

Software crash of 1983? Which publisher stood up and ran with the ball? Nintendo. 1985: who brought gaming from the arcades into the home of Americans? Nintendo. 1989: Who brought handheld gaming to the masses where you could play more than one game on said unit? Nintendo. Who brought us shoulder buttons in 1990? Nintendo. Who attempted to bring us 3D gaming in 1995? Nintendo. Who actually managed it without glasses in 2011? Nintendo Who brought us the amazing worlds of Mario 64 in 1996? Nintendo. Who brought us a touch screen handheld which sold over 130million? Nintendo. Who brought motion control to home consoles, something that Sony and Microsoft later built on? That would be Nintendo. Who is probably going to rock our socks at E3 on 7th June? That would be Nintendo.

If you honestly think the industry would be better off without Nintendo, you’re a fool.

Originally Posted at www.nintendolee.com

 

[lenguy]

Awesome thread Lee and I agree with all of it. Nintendo has been around for decades now and for every generation of gaming consoles that come out, nintendo manages to somehow raise the bar and its often leaving their competitors playing catch up. I can't count how many times I've seen Nintendo release something new and innovative and turn around only to hear people cry foul and scream gimmick. You call it gimmick, I call it a fun and new exciting way to play games. Nintendo also proved that you can take these gimmicks(DS touch screen,3DS,motion controls) and turn them into a million dollar success story. Whether you disagree with their methods and whether you question that Nintendo has "lost it", you can't deny their success and presence they bring. In the past decade when their competitors churn out systems that seem to rely much on a formula and super amazing graphics, Nintendo can steer away from all of that and still prove its dominance in the gaming industry.

In an industry now flooded with Shoot em ups and "hardcore" gamers, the ones who seemed to have grown up and moved out of Nintendo's childish gaming image, Nintendo has struggled to maintain a core audience, so they took a risky and bold move with the WII and tried to tap into a casual gaming audience and it took off. Everybody laughed at Nintendo when they first revealed it but the WII has become the biggest success story in the console wars of this generation. While a lot of people would debate and say that all the WII managed to do was churn out shovelware after shovelware it did manage to also release plenty of great games, from the franchisees we know and love. While the quality of most games were down right terrible, when it came to delivering a top AA Franchise game, the quality was top notch and was more enjoyable than anything you could get on any other system. Because if Nintendo is known for anything, its the quality of their top titles, while simple, they prove to be effective and fun..I don't know about you but I have trouble getting into a game that is to difficult or relies to heavily on story and sacrifices gameplay.

What would the gaming industry be without Nintendo? Its like saying what the computer industry would be like without Microsoft. Simply it would most likely crumble and there would be no soul left in the industry. Nintendo is the father of modern gaming and has proved it on more than one occasion why they have earned that position. If the past tells me anything then we are in store for something special at this years E3. While the competition with be busy displaying yet more graphically Superior games with no much else, I can guarantee you that Nintendo will once again be innovating and setting the bar, it is what they do best.

 

[Arkham Noir]

Your 100% correct Lee. Not only does Nintendo innovate, but it has also proven to do it better than the competition. If you want proof just look at Kinect and Playstation Move. These were Microsoft and Sony's respective attempts at motion controls that were released at the end of last year. Nintendo released the Wii four years prior to the kinect and playstation move, and yet meither of these offering managed to have any of the success that the Wii did. What makes it truely comical is that both Sony and Microsoft had that entire four year span to watch what Nintendo was doing both right and wrong and than could come right out of the box knowing what people want and don't want. What makes it funny though is that they released the exact kind of games that people hated on the Wii.

If Nintendo wasn't around then the gaming industry would fall into a complete rut. They don't become complacent, they like striving for something new and innovative. Some might think that the 3DS has been a flop, but you have to be very dense to think that you can properly judge it after a month on the market. People also thought that the Wii would be murdered by the "much superior" 360 and PS3, yet I believe it has out-sold both of them world-wide.

 

[Trill Co$by]

Actually, the Motion Censor first is a complete false myth. Playstation 2 had the eye toy back when the damn thing was the size of a brick.

I agree with the rest though, although I don't see the point in this thread. I think everybody knows that Nintendo is a juggernaut. Yeah, PS3 and Xbox are fun, but Nintendo is the console for memorizing great games. 20 years from now, there won't be a single person who remembers the original COD, but they will remember the original Mario.

 

[Lee]

Actually, the Motion Censor first is a complete false myth. Playstation 2 had the eye toy back when the damn thing was the size of a brick.

I agree with the rest though, although I don't see the point in this thread. I think everybody knows that Nintendo is a juggernaut. Yeah, PS3 and Xbox are fun, but Nintendo is the console for memorizing great games. 20 years from now, there won't be a single person who remembers the original COD, but they will remember the original Mario.

And Nintendo had the power glove? What's your point? They're great for innovation and it's quite often the case that the other companies will run with it like take Kinect for example, that is truly fantastic and has sold pretty well.

The point of the thread is summed up in the opening post and is due to people saying they hoped Nintendo did a sega.