Nintendo's got Dignity

[Meiun]

http://ds.ign.com/articles/119/1194190p1.html

Despite their recent troubles and stock holders bailing on them, Nintendo's president is still not even remotely considering selling out. When I first heard about the heavy pressure stock holders were putting on Nintendo to switch over to mobile gaming, along side their recent financial struggles, I thought to myself "oh no... This is the end. God knows every other company would sell out in a flash." But even in their most dire of times, they refuse to sell out, which I find extremely admirable in today's day and age. It really is difficult to find big game companies now adays that aren't all about jumping on whatever fad bandwagon they feel they could make a quick buck off of *cough EA Games cough*. Even if you aren't a big Nintendo fan, I'm sure you can agree that their president has some dignity.

[venuse]

frankly with each new generation of nintendo console or handheld they seem to be loosing there dignity in my eyes and grip on logic. going mobile is the least of their worries from what i can tell. their systems are becoming more and more about gimicks then actual gaming. they plain make me sad

[Meiun]

frankly with each new generation of nintendo console or handheld they seem to be loosing there dignity in my eyes and grip on logic. going mobile is the least of their worries from what i can tell. their systems are becoming more and more about gimicks then actual gaming. they plain make me sad

I know what your getting at, but I honestly don't feel that it is Nintendo to blame for a lot of the gimmicks. Most of the games that Nintendo themselves have released for their systems have not tended to use the features in any gimmicky way, and actually have resulted in some great games (in my opinion). It's all the other 3rd party publishers that take advantage of and exploit Nintendo's unique hardware and casual appeal by making tons of crappy gimmick based games out of them. I can definitely understand how some of their ideas wouldn't be for everyone (and am interested to see how the Wii U actually turns out), but I do somewhat admire them for not just following the crowd here. If Nintendo really was just trying to stay on top via gimmicks, mobile gaming would be something they would do. But either way, I definitely do agree that it is annoying how many gimmicks arise out of the latest Nintendo systems.

[Prosper]

It's funny, as I read this I am listening to 8-bit nintendo tune on youtube. I think if Nintendo sells out, every kid who grew up and played NES<SNES<... will be nostalgic about it. I must admit that even though I own every console Nintendo made (except 3ds and Wii U), the only games I play and re-play and re-play are on either NES or SNES. Maybe they should screw modern console gameplay and go back to hardcore development on older consoles :P.

PS: Grats on your 1000th post Meiun ?

[Chaos]

You call them gimmicks, I call them actual attempts at innovation, which is more than I can say for other companies.   :-\

[T-Rok]

You call them gimmicks, I call them actual attempts at innovation, which is more than I can say for other companies.   :-\

I'm with Chaos on this. I love their attempts at trying to create something new. Without them, I doubt the PS3 move would exist yet, nor the kinect. Maybe in a year or two.

[Meiun]

You call them gimmicks, I call them actual attempts at innovation, which is more than I can say for other companies.   :-\

I'm with Chaos on this. I love their attempts at trying to create something new. Without them, I doubt the PS3 move would exist yet, nor the kinect. Maybe in a year or two.

Exactly. If any company were trying to create a gimick, it would be Sony and Microsoft. If either of them wanted to do something original, there was nothing stopping them from taking the risk and going for it when they made their current consoles. Instead, they wait until Nintendo does it, then go "hey, motion controls make money!" and then tack them on to their own systems (although I will admit, both Kinect and Move have some admirable qualities to them). To me, there is a lot more to say for a company that takes the initial plunge into something new and unique than one that just follows in anothers footsteps (even if those other follower companies end up doing a good job with it as well).

I agree with Prosper that the SNES and NES era was somewhat the golden area of games. The latest couple generations have really just seemed like a downward spiral of crap for the most part to me. There is very little real innovation or real passion in the industry today, at least not like there use to be. People seem to care far more about the money or beating the competition by having the best graphics than the actual quality of the games themselves. I can totally see how some people may not like Nintendo's attempts (I personally do, but that's just me), but I feel they at least deserve some credit for trying to do their own thing.

[ARTgames]

I do like Nintendo move to try and do something "new" even thought they to seem to be past ideas they had rehashed with better technology. Not saying everything new the make is that. Regardless I still like something straying for the norm. I have owned much of there stuff and have liked it. I just don't really like the hate the other systems get for not making up there own thing. I'm not talking about the Move/Kinect stuff. That stuff is trying to do the Wii better than the Wii. I'm talking about how they continued using controllers. I find nothing wrong with them and they work.

All i'm saying is I don't mine originality just don't throw away everything that works just to get something that's "new".

[Meiun]

I do like Nintendo move to try and do something "new" even thought they to seem to be past ideas they had rehashed with better technology. Not saying everything new the make is that. Regardless I still like something straying for the norm. I have owned much of there stuff and have liked it. I just don't really like the hate the other systems get for not making up there own thing. I'm not talking about the Move/Kinect stuff. That stuff is trying to do the Wii better than the Wii. I'm talking about how they continued using controllers. I find nothing wrong with them and they work.

All i'm saying is I don't mine originality just don't throw away everything that works just to get something that's "new".

Oh I definitely don't have any problem with traditional controllers, or even consoles themselves following a traditional pattern (in fact, I have nothing wrong with any kind of tradition when it comes to games). When I spoke of the game industry going down-hill I was more talking about the actual games themselves. There is a big difference between being traditional and what we see with a lot of other companies like EA, it all comes down to what the motives are really, and what kind of people are backing/developing the products. Nintendo's way of doing things is just one of many possible ways.

[stick d00d]

Motion control wasn't anything new. Remember the Playstation Eye(just an example)? That was well before the Wii. They just brought the concept into the new generation of consoles and adapted it. (not saying they didn't do well, and yea I know there was other motion gaming just the Eye came to mind when I typed this) There downfall could only come from there console being left behind in the competition(which I really don't see happening).

[DarkTrinity]

EA can die in a bloody fiery pit of hell.

Nintendo is my hero. Always have been, always will be :)

[Cactuscat222]

You can argue 3D is a gimmick (which in all technicality, it is, except for a very few games)...

but playing Starfox in 3D has been one of my most favorite moments in gaming this year. :D

[Prosper]

Motion control wasn't anything new. Remember the Playstation Eye(just an example)? That was well before the Wii. They just brought the concept into the new generation of consoles and adapted it. (not saying they didn't do well, and yea I know there was other motion gaming just the Eye came to mind when I typed this) There downfall could only come from there console being left behind in the competition(which I really don't see happening).

The Duck Hunt Gun started it all. Nintendo wins !

[Meiun]

Motion control wasn't anything new. Remember the Playstation Eye(just an example)? That was well before the Wii. They just brought the concept into the new generation of consoles and adapted it. (not saying they didn't do well, and yea I know there was other motion gaming just the Eye came to mind when I typed this) There downfall could only come from there console being left behind in the competition(which I really don't see happening).

Yes, but that is still very different from what is done with the Wii. If the entire design philosophy of the PS1 was based around that it would maybe be a different story, but even then, the Wii would have still been pretty unique in it's technology and style of controls. Don't get me wrong, I have a decent level of respect for the other systems and some deserving companies as well. But like their games or not, there has just always been something special about Nintendo. I could go on about all the reasons why for a while, but for one, they are one of the few companies who still maintain truly iconic characters and game series (such as Mario, Zelda, Metroid, among many many others). The only other company that can even come close to doing this is probably Sega (with Sonic), and we all know that they aren't anything too special nowadays anyways.

Nintendo is probably the only company still out there that is the full package. They are video games to the fullest extent of it. They make their own consoles, they make many of the best games for their own consoles. They do nothing but video games. No other company out their covers the full spectrum in the way they do. Video games is only a small part of what Microsoft and Sony do, and neither of them really make any first party games (aside from having some of their smaller studios make an occasional total crappy game that flops terribly). And all the other big game studios just make games for whatever system they feel would suite them best at that point in time. Nintendo does it all, and each aspect of that is able to benefit from the others. Not only that, but they also are also true veterans in the fact that they have been around far longer than anyone else.

P.S. If anyone tries to mention characters like the generic man in a space suit "Master Chief" as being an iconic video game character, just go ahead and slap yourself ahead of time :P

[ARTgames]

Master Chief, Master Chief, Master Chief, Master Chief, Master Chief, Master Chief, Master Chief, Master Chief, Master Chief, Master Chief, Master Chief, Master Chief, Master Chief, Master Chief, Master Chief, Master Chief.

I think he is at least.  :' (

Ok, maybe not to par with Mario. But to be honest I would love if Steve could get there. wow im off topic..