Can Nintendo's Switch Games be like Sega's Dreamcast games?

A big reason why I love the Dreamcast was because it had not only had Sega's best 1st party output since the Genesis, but it also had some of Sega's most creative and risky games. Jet Grind Radio, Space Channel 5, Shenmue, Skies of Arcadia, Crazy Taxi, Rez, Sonic Adventure 1 & 2, Typing of the Dead, Phantasy Star Online, Seaman. These are games that pushed bounderies, dared to be different from the norm, and took established franchises to new hights. However, can Nintendo be like that with the Switch? They were actually kind of like this with the DS. Kirby Canvas Curse, Elite Beat Agents, Trace Memory, Advance Wars: Days of Ruin, ASH, all their DSiWare games, etc. were all games that dared to be different as well as took established franchises in interesting directions. Recently they restructured their in-house studios (all of them now under the collective name of EPD) to place a bigger focus on younger talent. Plus, with the Switch being both a handheld and console, it frees up many of their other teams and studios to do other projects, which in turn, leads to MORE off-the-wall games like Splatoon or EBA.

It would be a breath of fresh air, especially how shockingly safe most of their output on the Wii U has been. If Nintendo has this structure, in addition to indie, mobile, and japanese devs on board, the Switch could very well have the potential to preserve the Dreamcast-style game design.

I think Sega was different from Nintendo fundamentally. At least back in the day.

Nintendo is a master of building billion dollar franchises, and I think they make it a point to only create games with a high payoff. They make great games, but they are safe games. They'll throw out the occasional experimental game to see if it sticks, and that's nice of them, but they always maintain their core library to an absurd extent at times.

Sega on the Dreamcast was just experiment after experiment after experiment. Their final desperation play... that ultimately lost to a cheap DVD player.

Now with that said I do feel like being a handheld/console mix could be a good thing assuming Nintendo has plans to support the Switch in favor of the 3DS. Handhelds have always allowed for a cheaper cost to develop games, and they do seem to be where Nintendo has put some of their most interesting games in the last decade. They're also where most of Japan's more interesting games head to, so that's a bonus.

I'm hoping for good things with the Switch. It'll probably be the only console I buy next generation.

@TheMisterManGuy: doubt it. Nintendos strategy has always been about taking risk and innovation with the hardware to make it unique while leaving the software for the most part untouched (core mechanics of games like Mario, donkey kong, smash, Mario kart, animal crossing, etc have not change in decades). The only major exception is the Zelda franchise which tries something new almost every time

@jcrame10: [quote] The only major exception is the Zelda franchise which tries something new almost every time.[/Quote]

Not really. Nintendo does this with most of their franchises. True the main idea is the same, but they usually add something new to make it fresh.

Sure. BGaE2, Bayo 3, Devil's Fourth, etc.

@TheMisterManGuy: ehh. 3d Mario hasn't really changed much since 64. Yoshis island, donkey kong country have not changed. My favorite Nintendo franchise, fire emblem, is near identical game to game (although the duel battles in the newer releases is awesome). It happens. They're not bad games it's just how it is

@jcrame10: 3D Mario usually feels very different from game to game. Mario 64, Sunshine, and Galaxy though share a similar structure, all feel very different. Granted Nintendo doesn't always do this as you said. But it's hard to say 3D Mario hasn't changed when it has.

Modern 3D Mario has almost nothing in common with Mario 64. You can't even run the same way.

@Willy105: have you played 64, sunshine and galaxy? They are more or less the same just different environments

I hope something actually comes out that can rekindle the way I felt about the Dreamcast and its games, nothing has since with the partial exception being the original Xbox.

I've played and completed all of them. They are not even close to the same game. Granted, 64, Sunshine, and Galaxy have more in common with each other than they do with Galaxy 2, 3D Land, and 3D World; but the idea that they are more or less the same with different environments is not really anywhere near accurate.

Heck, the basic playing mechanics for 64 and Sunshine are so different that you can't recreate basic moves from one game to another.

Not true. 64 takes place in a castle, relies on solely Mario himself, introduced many new abilities that Mario can do, has unique power ups like the invisibility cap, metal cap, and wing cap, and has the most sandbox-like feeling in the series, letting you complete the stars in any order that you like. Sunshine takes place on Delfino Island, utilizes F.L.U.D.D. for unique gameplay mechanics, it's the only Mario game with blue coins to trade for stars, it has Shadow Mario missions, and reintroduced Yoshi. Galaxy takes place on planets, has very linear level design, has star bits, has Mario's spin move, has gravitational elements, and lets you play as Luigi.

Yep, they totally sound like the exact same game to me...

@bowserjr123: all you did was describe the environments and lore if you actually play the games you'll see they play similar:

Overworld that acts as a hub into levels via paintings, paint splats, etc

Missions in each level acquiring stars/sprites

Basic mini boss and boss battles that require a 1, 2, 3 hit

The formula is more or less the same in Mario. Next you'll try to tell me call of duty games are different because you can wallrun in one and jetpack boost in another.

@jcrame10: You didn't comprehend my post, I talked about the gameplay mechanics for each game. Collecting 120 stars and the fact that they're platformers are the only similarities that each game has.

The overworlds are a hub to get to levels, however, Sunshine and 64's both have several hidden stars in them so they are more than just a way to get into different levels.

Mario Galaxy's hub world is lackluster compared to Sunshine and 64's.

Agreed about the boss battles, but each of the Bowser fights were unique in their style.

The New Super Mario Brothers games are WAY more similar to each other than the 3D ones. Also, the 3D Mario games typically only have one release per console (with the exception of the Galaxy games) and they still manage to keep things fresh with each release. I'm not going to defend Call of Duty because I don't play those games.

having several hidden stars in them isnt really anything to make a fuss about. really FLUDD was a cool concept and was risky yet people hated it and called it gimmicky (even though sunshine outperformed 64 in almost every category) because nintendo fans hate any sort of change to the actual games (wind waker, prime, luigis mansion, double dash, sunshine) and thats probably why nintendo tamed galaxy down so much and made it more of an HD mario 64 than an evolution in the series.

They just seem fresh cuz they only come once every 5-6 years or so which is fine. 64 in '96, Sunshine in '02 and I think Galaxy in '07. I always forget they made a sequel to galaxy.

don't even get me started on the 2d ones. i hate the 2D mario games. hell i barely liked the NES ones back in the day. cant stand the new ones they are the laziest crap to come out of the gaming industry in a long time. I actually respect Mario 64, Sunshine and Galaxy and think they are all great games.

@jcrame10:

Super Mario Bros/3/World >64/Sunshine/Galaxy

Having hidden stars in the hub worlds was a great idea, it made players actually explore the areas and treat them as one giant level so that's what the fuss is about. That's what I disliked about the Galaxy games, they are very linear and have little to no exploration in them.

FLUDD was a good way to change up the series but I can see why others don't like it. The game is pretty well respected today so it was definitely a good idea.

I like it when Nintendo changes up their games occasionally (Metroid Prime is the best Metroid game I've ever played, Mario Kart Double Dash is my favorite console Mario Kart, and Mario Sunshine is my second favorite 3D Mario). Galaxy is not an HD Mario 64 as they have different mechanics and level design which I already discussed, I personally find it inferior to 64.

They are fresh because of the time gap and because they change the gameplay mechanics.

I don't see how you can hate a 2D game like Super Mario World, that game pretty much defined the 2D platformer and improved on an already great game. Super Mario Brothers 3 did the same as World to the NES games. I do agree that the New Super Mario Brothers games are cash grabs though, they're the ones that don't change much between entries and are not as well designed as the 3D ones.

@bowserjr123: 2d games may have been good for the time but not anymore. That ain't for me. The only one with any sort of originality past moving left to right was super metroid that game was very unique for being 2d

@jcrame10: 2D games are still good, you may not think so but a overwhelming majority of the folks on here agree. There were tons of original ones back in the day, saying Super Metroid was the only one is an invalid claim. Off the top of my head: Super Mario World, Castlevania SotN, the original Castlevanias, Wario Land 3, Ghosts and Goblins, Donkey Kong Country, Yoshi's Island, Mega Man 2 & 3, Mega Man X, and Zelda II are all examples of games that had originality in them and still stand the test of time.

Bullshit. SMB3, SMW, and SMW2:YI are as good as they've ever been, and some of the best 2D gaming has to offer.

See that's the problem. all the games you mentioned are decades old. I mean theres a few here and there in modern times that are good (like Tropical Freeze) but id rather just leave the 2D games back where they belong- in my childhood. Our technology is too good now to waste it on 2D games. You own a smartphone and still just makin calls and nothin else like this was 2001 on your Nokia?