Has Nintendo always been this frustrating, and we've just grown up?

When I was young and I first got an N64. I thought it was the best thing since brussel sprouts. Then I got a Gamecube, and was only slightly less amazed.

People have demonstrated frustrations with Nintendo since the launch of the Wii in 2006, and now again with the Wii U, as if something fundamentally change within the Company


But in hindsight... hasn't nintendo always been this frustrating since the N64 era? Go back to read old online articles about the N64, wade through the fanboyism and you'll fine gamers and developers criticising the GPU architecture (specifically the texture cache), the catridge based format, the dry periods in 1st party games and lack of 3rd party support.

Then we had eerily similar problems with the gamecube. I had no idea production of the GC was temporalily halted in 2003, nor the massive implications of marketting it specifally to children damaged it's 3rd party support.

So the question is; has Nintendo always been out of touch with home consoles, and we've just been blinded by youth and Nostalgia?

When I was young and I first got an N64. I thought it was the best thing since brussel sprouts. Then I got a Gamecube, and was only slightly less amazed.

People have demonstrated frustrations with Nintendo since the launch of the Wii in 2006, and now again with the Wii U, as if something fundamentally change within the Company


But in hindsight... hasn't nintendo always been this frustrating since the N64 era? Go back to read old online articles about the N64, wade through the fanboyism and you'll fine gamers and developers criticising the GPU architecture (specifically the texture cache), the catridge based format, the dry periods in 1st party games and lack of 3rd party support.

Then we had eerily similar problems with the gamecube. I had no idea production of the GC was temporalily halted in 2003, nor the massive implications of marketting it specifally to children damaged it's 3rd party support.

So the question is; has Nintendo always been out of touch with home consoles, and we've just been blinded by youth and Nostalgia?

 

YoYo278

I'd agree that modern Nintendo isn't any different from old Nintendo. The only difference between the two is that older Nintendo still could get some third parties for their consoles.

So far the Wii U is really the only console of theirs I am frustrated over, just because they didn't have any games planned for it other than the same old NSMB which has grown tiersome to many (even moreso than Mario in general), and Nintendoland (a decent game, admittedly). neither game really wowed me that much, unlike Twlight Princess on the Wii did or Super Smash Bros Melee did on the Cube. I'm sure games taht I will like will come out as time goes on though it sucks that Nintendo tried to get a headstart over Sony and Microsoft then didn't even bother to take advantage of it.

As games became multiplats they sell to an established playerbase of 100's of millions of gamers. Nintendo titles can only sell to an established playerbase of their own making.
It is only natural that Nintendo games have relatively lower budgets over time, and it becomes more noticeable as expenses in the industry rise.

Then why be pro Nintendo or have any hope for Nintendo?

The two downsides of Sony's and Microsofts strategies are enormous and disastrous in the long term:
- It is financially not viable to keep gambling on mass sales. (Maximizing potential profit has led to a 'One strike and you're out.' industry.)
- They are making themselves obsolete. (Because everything goes multiplat it is quickly becoming an act of stupidity to buy one of their consoles let alone both.)

And MS is even worse by doing something completely atrocious:
- Shift all financial risks of development to the talent. (Invest in exclusive crap only if it has worked out. Let competitors create their system pushers.)
And are therefore making themselves obsolete even faster. They basically managed to make themselves not matter in one generation. I am curious what kind of trick they will pull out of their hat to reel in the Americans at the end of this month. But I do know one thing, it's bound to be a delusion of kinds.

They've always used anti consumer tactics and have made foolish decisions, but the quality of their hardware/software dropped dramatically after the GC.

Only after Iwata took control of Nintendo, things were always going to fall apart after the Wii lost momentum and was going to get bad if they just made another Wii weaker than the competition. That is why the Wii U won't recover, it is even worse with Iwata taking control of NOA.

As games became multiplats they sell to an established playerbase of 100's of millions of gamers. Nintendo titles can only sell to an established playerbase of their own making.
It is only natural that Nintendo games have relatively lower budgets over time, and it becomes more noticeable as expenses in the industry rise.

Then why be pro Nintendo or have any hope for Nintendo?

The two downsides of Sony's and Microsofts strategies are enormous and disastrous in the long term:
- It is financially not viable to keep gambling on mass sales. (Maximizing potential profit has led to a 'One strike and you're out.' industry.)
- They are making themselves obsolete. (Because everything goes multiplat it is quickly becoming an act of stupidity to buy one of their consoles let alone both.)

And MS is even worse by doing something completely atrocious:
- Shift all financial risks of development to the talent. (Invest in exclusive crap only if it has worked out. Let competitors create their system pushers.)
And are therefore making themselves obsolete even faster. They basically managed to make themselves not matter in one generation. I am curious what kind of trick they will pull out of their hat to reel in the Americans at the end of this month. But I do know one thing, it's bound to be a delusion of kinds.

KungfuKitten

No nintendo isnt out of touch and never has been. Everyone in the GAME industry focuses wayyy to much on hardware. Powerful hardware can make a better game but it reality it comes down to one thing, are the games fun? And this arguement has been made and everyone laughs it off, but those who laugh are just fools honestly. Nintendo is the only major developer in touch with the GAME market in my opinion because they foucus on the GAMES being fun, not just on how much they can make off of it. Thats why mario is still around. Its fun, get with it games are not about being on to or being first its fun. Sony and microsoft have published some great games this gen that are really good but most of them lacked the whole fun aspect, other than halo of course. But this is a over used topic, think of something new to talk about. :P

I loved the GC and N64 but the Wii has definitely been my least favorite of the Nintendo consoles and where Nintendo "has started to lose touch."  The fact that it was underpowered led to a lot of half-assed games and the Wii-series are definitely a waste of first party potential.  Even though Xenoblade and SMG 2 are among my favorite games of all-time, a lot of other first party sequels did not live up to past entries.  

Nintendo started messing up right before the N64 launched. The N64 was / is my favorite system of all time but going with the cart based system was a dumb move. They have made every effort possible to piss off gamers, developers, publidhers since then.

I couldn't give a f*ck how bad their hardware may be as long as they continue evolving their fantastic software line-up.Blabadon

NOpe, they have been making mistakes since the N64, but both the 64 and the cube are great systems with amazing games.  The Wii was the start of the crappy consoles and shovelware.

[QUOTE="Blabadon"]I couldn't give a f*ck how bad their hardware may be as long as they continue evolving their fantastic software line-up.AmazonTreeBoa

[QUOTE="AmazonTreeBoa"][QUOTE="Blabadon"]I couldn't give a f*ck how bad their hardware may be as long as they continue evolving their fantastic software line-up.Blabadon

I loved the NES and SNES. The N64 sucked and I liked the Gamecube, but it was lacking in games (mainly liked it's controller). The Wii and Wii U just plain suck ass. Nintendo has been dead to me in the console market for many years now. I now put them in the same boat as fisher price and leap frog.AmazonTreeBoa

1. So almost every game this gen got its ass kicked by SMG2, a fisher price and leap frog level game? Damn...

2. what you said doesn't even make any sense. You were okay with Nintendo games before but now that you hate Nintendo NOW you think they are a kiddy company? Such a nonsensical post.

[QUOTE="AmazonTreeBoa"]I loved the NES and SNES. The N64 sucked and I liked the Gamecube, but it was lacking in games (mainly liked it's controller). The Wii and Wii U just plain suck ass. Nintendo has been dead to me in the console market for many years now. I now put them in the same boat as fisher price and leap frog.DJ-Lafleur

1. So almost every game this gen got its ass kicked by SMG2, a fisher price and leap frog level game? Damn...

2. what you said doesn't even make any sense. You were okay with Nintendo games before but now that you hate Nintendo NOW you think they are a kiddy company? Such a nonsensical post.

[QUOTE="Blabadon"][QUOTE="AmazonTreeBoa"] :lol: What fantastic software lineup?AmazonTreeBoa

By losing touch do you mean no online subscription fees, massive amounts of DLC on their games, and releasing limited editions for every single one of their games?

Nintendo is definitely out of touch and needs to get with the times.

They've always used anti consumer tactics and have made foolish decisions, but the quality of their hardware/software dropped dramatically after the GC.

crimsonman1245

They've always been odd, 4th gen included. They just had good hardware and third party support then. Without those two, they've been exposed.

[QUOTE="DJ-Lafleur"]

[QUOTE="AmazonTreeBoa"]I loved the NES and SNES. The N64 sucked and I liked the Gamecube, but it was lacking in games (mainly liked it's controller). The Wii and Wii U just plain suck ass. Nintendo has been dead to me in the console market for many years now. I now put them in the same boat as fisher price and leap frog.AmazonTreeBoa

1. So almost every game this gen got its ass kicked by SMG2, a fisher price and leap frog level game? Damn...

2. what you said doesn't even make any sense. You were okay with Nintendo games before but now that you hate Nintendo NOW you think they are a kiddy company? Such a nonsensical post.

What makes Mario kiddy? Please explain in detail.

lol@TC thinking he's grown up. :lol:

Nintendo failed by making the Wii U suck. They got lucky with people liking the Wii motion controls & screwed up with the way they made the Wii U. The Wii was a fad. Fad's fade and then people go back to basics. That's what happened to Nintendo, they started becoming gimmicky instead of making solid hardware that kept up with competition. 

When I was young and I first got an N64. I thought it was the best thing since brussel sprouts. Then I got a Gamecube, and was only slightly less amazed.

People have demonstrated frustrations with Nintendo since the launch of the Wii in 2006, and now again with the Wii U, as if something fundamentally change within the Company


But in hindsight... hasn't nintendo always been this frustrating since the N64 era? Go back to read old online articles about the N64, wade through the fanboyism and you'll fine gamers and developers criticising the GPU architecture (specifically the texture cache), the catridge based format, the dry periods in 1st party games and lack of 3rd party support.

Then we had eerily similar problems with the gamecube. I had no idea production of the GC was temporalily halted in 2003, nor the massive implications of marketting it specifally to children damaged it's 3rd party support.

So the question is; has Nintendo always been out of touch with home consoles, and we've just been blinded by youth and Nostalgia?

 

YoYo278

I like them because they deliver good games. Don't care about the power of the system, if a game's good, I'll play it.

[QUOTE="DJ-Lafleur"]

[QUOTE="AmazonTreeBoa"]I loved the NES and SNES. The N64 sucked and I liked the Gamecube, but it was lacking in games (mainly liked it's controller). The Wii and Wii U just plain suck ass. Nintendo has been dead to me in the console market for many years now. I now put them in the same boat as fisher price and leap frog.AmazonTreeBoa

1. So almost every game this gen got its ass kicked by SMG2, a fisher price and leap frog level game? Damn...

2. what you said doesn't even make any sense. You were okay with Nintendo games before but now that you hate Nintendo NOW you think they are a kiddy company? Such a nonsensical post.

[QUOTE="DJ-Lafleur"]

[QUOTE="AmazonTreeBoa"]I loved the NES and SNES. The N64 sucked and I liked the Gamecube, but it was lacking in games (mainly liked it's controller). The Wii and Wii U just plain suck ass. Nintendo has been dead to me in the console market for many years now. I now put them in the same boat as fisher price and leap frog.AmazonTreeBoa

1. So almost every game this gen got its ass kicked by SMG2, a fisher price and leap frog level game? Damn...

2. what you said doesn't even make any sense. You were okay with Nintendo games before but now that you hate Nintendo NOW you think they are a kiddy company? Such a nonsensical post.

Well I'm sorry that you can't enjoy a truly great platformer.

So do you not like Pokemon because it's "cartoony"?

Nintendo fans never grew up. Grown men playing games made for little kids like Mario, Yoshi, Zelda, Pokemon and Lego city.

Nintendo fans never grew up. Grown men playing games made for little kids like Mario, Yoshi, Zelda, Pokemon and Lego city.

NathanDrakeSwag

[QUOTE="NathanDrakeSwag"]

Nintendo fans never grew up. Grown men playing games made for little kids like Mario, Yoshi, Zelda, Pokemon and Lego city.

bbkkristian

He just has some of this...

If only he could see.

I couldn't give a f*ck how bad their hardware may be as long as they continue evolving their fantastic software line-up.Blabadon

This. Some people do change tastes and so what Nintendo offers won't suit their fancy anymore, but that doesn't mean that Nintendo hasn't evolved in their own way.

[QUOTE="Blabadon"]I couldn't give a f*ck how bad their hardware may be as long as they continue evolving their fantastic software line-up.jimkabrhel

This. Some people do change tastes and so what Nintendo offers won't suit their fancy anymore, but that doesn't mean that Nintendo hasn't evolved in their own way.

I hate that people act like they never change anything. Nothing's further from the truth.

Saw the title and expected a horrible thread, actual legitimate discussion happening.

Hey SW you're alright

Saw the title and expected a horrible thread, actual legitimate discussion happening.

Hey SW you're alright

seanmcloughlin

[QUOTE="bbkkristian"][QUOTE="NathanDrakeSwag"]

Nintendo fans never grew up. Grown men playing games made for little kids like Mario, Yoshi, Zelda, Pokemon and Lego city.

turtlethetaffer

He just has some of this...

If only he could see.

Yeah nintendo pretty much been the sameonly now we are older and can see the bs. After snes nintendo really started to go down with their anti 3rd party attitude. The n64 was a good console with bad storage and low memory. So it was pricey even back then 50 to 60ish was the norm. The GC was not much better good hardware poor storage mini dvd crap with no multimedia features and no online gaming. So 3rd party support was not there. Next we have the wii good storage no powah crappy online gaming still no native multimedia features. The wii was rubbish but it was hacked and was the platform of choice for pirates. Finally the wii u really should have come out in 2010 with the specs it has. However the zelda tech demo at the 2011 e3 was sweet and it was thought that Zelda was in the works so I got the wii u.

When I got it home I could not believe how slow the os was and the graphics were the same or worse than current gen. THe online gaming was also rubbish. I truely think that nintendo only brought the wii u out cause they could not keep the hackers out. Any way I have a rubbish console with no ZELDA that needs a hard drive the 8 gig is unusable. THe tablet controller is okay thank GOD an adult size controller. I want to sell it but seems like nobody will but the wii u. I pray nintendo brings zelda fast.

where is the lol option..

[QUOTE="AmazonTreeBoa"][QUOTE="Blabadon"]I couldn't give a f*ck how bad their hardware may be as long as they continue evolving their fantastic software line-up.Blabadon

[QUOTE="AmazonTreeBoa"]

[QUOTE="DJ-Lafleur"]

1. So almost every game this gen got its ass kicked by SMG2, a fisher price and leap frog level game? Damn...

2. what you said doesn't even make any sense. You were okay with Nintendo games before but now that you hate Nintendo NOW you think they are a kiddy company? Such a nonsensical post.

DJ-Lafleur

What makes Mario kiddy? Please explain in detail.

Exactly. Mario isn't "kiddy" to any real gamer.

[QUOTE="turtlethetaffer"]

[QUOTE="bbkkristian"] Lol insecure much?Advid-Gamer

He just has some of this...

If only he could see.

That was a joke buddy. But honestly I think his argument holds no water, because I think that a true gamer will play any game, as long as it's fun, regardless of the target audience.