Nintendo's Reputation?!?

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Well recently i have been chatting around on other boards and notice i cant seem to bring up almost anything about nintendo anymore without everyone saying bad comments about it. Ive know they mad some bad descions but there not that bad. Anyway i kinda wanted to step away from all the negative aspects of nintendo on to a more understanding one. Im not trying to start a console war or anything of that nature. I just want to know peoples opinion on what nintendo are doing right/wrong and how they should improve it. Because right now, it's almost as if people dont pay any attention to nintendo at all anymore, all u hear is sony this and sony that or microsoft this and that. So basically just a discussion about nintendo and there products and marketing descions. :]
 
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My opinion, non-biased, is that Nintendo 'ran out of ideas.' They're not really making very many new series. They're just milking their old, famous series for more and more money. Remakes and sequels aren't enough to keep a company afloat.

Also, Nintendo's non-sensical resistance to the Internet makes them a very conservative and backward company, in my opinion.
 
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As much as i hate to admit it (and i do) i have to agree with Sailor Alea. I loven nintendo, and have been a nintendo fan for a long long time. But they ran out of ideas. I mean i go to like EBX or something and they don't have any "good" games anymore. Other then like Snowboarding 1080º the resident evil games, and SSBM. And the only game you can play "online" is phantasy star online. I saw PS2 and i'm starting to like it more and more, cuz the games are looking better. And they have really good ideas. I never thought i would say any of this :( oh well.
 
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First and foremost, this thread is probably asking for trouble, so for the record I will be watching this thread like a Hawk and handing out warnings at the first signs of flame--these things almost ALWAYS turn out bad. But I'd like to promote the discussion of the matter, so I will try to avoid having to close the thread indefinitely.

Remember--Only YOU can prevent forum fires. Hehe.

As for what I actually think about the whole thing, there are a lot of underhanded tactics that Nintendo uses in it's marketing to keep its company afloat and that is my primary reason for disliking them these days. That, coupled with almost NEVER giving us what we very clearly want (adult Zelda game, classic Metroid sequel, etc). I think that's why so many people are disliking Nintendo these days--there is a lot of common knowledge that might have fooled younger gamers or more loyalistic types, but many of us see the markings of a company desperate to stay in the console race and willing to do most anything to extrapolate extra cash from us. Practices such as releasing heavily anticipated sequels for only handheld systems, trying to buy out the licenses for big upcoming games on other systems, forced exclusivity of title rights, and weird peripherals and gameplay ideas that revolve around you having to own all of their equipment...it all comes at a cost, and many of us see them as taking advantage of us.

I don't think they've made any BAD decisions; from a business strategy standpoint, they've all been fairly smart ones. From a gameplay/licensing standpoint they've been a bit questionable, but that is their thing right now--they're trying to distinguish themselves, and that is what they've done, but I'm not so sure it's gone entirely according to their plans.
 
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I hate that they stick with the same 10 or so cutesy characters (Link is the only one I don't want to hit in the face with a shovel) and make mountains of games. For instance, I hate Mario, I don't see his appeal compared to someone like, I don't know, Dante, Solid Snake, Master Chief, Sephiroth, take your pic. Yet they create mountains of generic games with generic characters that have no real depth at all. Typing 'Mario' alone into Amazon yields 88 games.

Also, and again this is a personal oppinion, Nintendo's 'soft' approach to violence really alienates any gamer above the age of 12 o_o
 
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The thing with Nintendo is that the good games that come from them, are very good, however there just aren't enough of these games to keep the company afloat. The main problem however, is that they alienate a lot of main stream gamers because most of the gamecubes big games are made to appeal to a niche, hardcore audience. For example, I can't see the average gamer sitting down and spending the time trying to complete Metroid Prime or Wind Waker, when they could instead buy an Xbox and get instant action with a game like Halo or Ninja Gaiden.

Then there's the point Ravendust brought up, about Nintendo alienating older gamers. While I don't think this is entirely true, as game play wise, a lot of the games are clearly designed for older people. However, marketing wise it's a disaster. The games look like they're designed for kids, and so when a potential customer is looking to buy a console, they're probably going to shy away from it, and go for PS2 or Xbox that are clearly marketed to appeal to older people.

The tragedy of it is that with the games Nintendo are producing they deserve to do well, but they've just shot themselves several times in the foot with as far as marketing goes. Let's hope they do better in the future...
 
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Yeah, the games that are actually good. are really good. But there aren't enough really good games. I'd have to say there are about 7 really good games. that's my estimation.
 
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I admire nintendo for sticking with mario as their mascot. Not every main character has to be completly bad ass. However, the cuteyness in mario games can be toned down a bit. Take super smash brother melee. Aside from the pokemon looks, that was EXACTLY the 'mature' level nintendo needed. Mario had a slick design to him, yoshi looked like an actual dinosuar wat with the detail and they even made a pokemon, mewtwo, look like it could kick ass.

So nintendo just needs to reflect on what they did in the past. The most of DS's current games are horrible. Just mini games you can lay when you get bored. They are fun to play, but where are the REAL games? Game boy advanced didnt have mini game based games, only the original gameboy,

I would also ike if nintendo did a littel fan service, such as a sega v.s nintendo combination, or a Super Smash Brothers for the DS. IF they can have Super mario world 64, this should be possible as well -_-.
 
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I've always liked Nintendo, they make some absolutely great games, but alas, the keyword there is "some." Like others have said, when nintendo makes a good game, it really is a very good game, but there just isn't enough of them.

I also dislike how they market things. It seems kind of backwards, never really giving the consumers what they truely want, or making some really wierd decisions just to be different. Still, despite that, I still like them. They do make great games, and not all there decisions are zany ones.

What I'm really looking forward to though, is the Revolution. Now who knows if it will actually be Revolutionary, but the thing I'm excited about, is the way nintendo is handling themselves. Near the end of this generation, I have liked them more and more, they've seemed to, put simply, become a better company, giving their fans more of what they want. And it seems that Nintendo is going to continue this trend with the Revolution.

Plus, Nintendo is being super secretive as to what the Revolution really is, so it may actually turn out to be the single coolest thing ever made. And hey, if anyone can do it, Nintendo can.
 
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I'm not exactly what you would call a console gamer anyway, the last console game I probably got for myself would be Animal Crossing for the GameCube (yes, when it was new), I guess I consider myself more of a PC gamer than anything.

However, I grew up in the "end NES, begin SNES" era, and have tons of fond memories of playing Super Mario Brothers 3, playing The Legend of Zelda : A Link to the Past, reading Nintendo Power magazines, and watching the Super Mario Brothers Super Show! Yeah, I was a Nintendo kid. I wouldn't say I "grew out of it," like most would assume, with the views of Nintendo as being a "kid's company," I just slipped out of console games and the having to buy a new console every 3 years. Besides, I want to be a game designer, and the PC is where that's at.

Anyway, as far as I'm concerned, the Super NES is the best console ever made. You'll see me playing Final Fantasy III/VI or Lufia II more than you'll ever see me playing Halo or GTA. I wouldn't stand either way for Nintendo now, but they sure provided that spark I felt as a kid, every time I got the blue Yoshi in Super Mario World (blue = best Yoshi!).
 
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Hash said:
I've always liked Nintendo, they make some absolutely great games, but alas, the keyword there is "some." Like others have said, when nintendo makes a good game, it really is a very good game, but there just isn't enough of them.

I also dislike how they market things. It seems kind of backwards, never really giving the consumers what they truely want, or making some really wierd decisions just to be different. Still, despite that, I still like them. They do make great games, and not all there decisions are zany ones.

What I'm really looking forward to though, is the Revolution. Now who knows if it will actually be Revolutionary, but the thing I'm excited about, is the way nintendo is handling themselves. Near the end of this generation, I have liked them more and more, they've seemed to, put simply, become a better company, giving their fans more of what they want. And it seems that Nintendo is going to continue this trend with the Revolution.

Plus, Nintendo is being super secretive as to what the Revolution really is, so it may actually turn out to be the single coolest thing ever made. And hey, if anyone can do it, Nintendo can.
Seeing as how unRevolutionary the last few systems of Nintendo's have been (in fact, they've been backwards in terms of media storage and expanded capabilities), I wouldn't be surprised at all if Nintendo went the way of Sega.
 
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No Rare anymore either. They were Nintendos best bet of creating something new or interesting. Gamecube could be good, but the games are just boring. The DS, well, good idea, but it isnt very practical to have a touch screen. The PSP is going to rape the DS six ways from sunday, and you know it. Unless their next generation console is something completely amazing and competition surpassing, Nintendo could be toast. I would say their best bet is to find a niche, something they can do better than the rest, and devote themselves to that.

Nintendo and Sony outclassed Sega, and now its Microsoft and Sony doing it to Nintendo. In Western terms: this market aint big enough for the three of us (insert cowboy hats, sunset, boot spurs, and tumbleweeds).
 
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SailorAlea said:
Seeing as how unRevolutionary the last few systems of Nintendo's have been (in fact, they've been backwards in terms of media storage and expanded capabilities), I wouldn't be surprised at all if Nintendo went the way of Sega.
Well, I can hope can't I?
 
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No Rare anymore either. They were Nintendos best bet of creating something new or interesting.
What type of games were they responsible for Anyway?


I dont think nintendo will end up like sega but who knows they might and maybe it could be for the better. And well right now im currently hoping nintendo does well with the revolution. The two main question i ask myself that i can't quite awsner when im on this type of subject is...

Is nintendo truely capable of Revolutionizing the gaming industry?..

What makes a gaming console Revolutionary?

I personally admire Nintendo for their creativity and their admiration for trying new & innovating things. Most people would probally say that nintendo dosen't quite embrace enough new concepts. I personally only see most of nintendo problems as common sense issues myself. Take there support parties for example, they usually have strong first party support titles, even though there basically the same games using there best mascots, there still pretty good. I feel there third party titles is where they go downhill at, but i guess that's obvious to anyone now. Also, as i said before they should stick to trying new and innovating things, but they should also keep up with the things most people (Mainstream Console Gamers In General) look for most in there gaming consoles today.

(Big Factor: Online Play ) DVD Players, Hard-Drives, Mature Gaming Titles/Advertisements, ect.

While im sure thats not what everyone looks for in there consoles, i think its a big part of it now-a-days. I also think they put way too much focous on there handheld side of the market. There already on top of that even with the psp released, why not focous more on the gaming consoles, they seem so worried about there handheld or how they can connect it with there new consoles rather then just trying to make a great console on its own merits. I felt some of there concepts were nice that they went with like the whole mini disc thing. I thought that was a good direction to prevent anti piracy, which worked quite well seeing how alot of main X-Box and PS2 games were pirated last year.

(Mainly GTA SA & Halo 2)


The disc were also quite hard to get light/deep scratches on and it was more durable so they lasted longer. That's one thing i always admired about nintendo, they always seem to went with quality over quanity when they make there products. I feel that they just overall need to try harder too satisfy all of the gaming market, not just certain ones.
 
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A wise man once said "Nintendo makes the best first party games. Problem is, I played them all ten years ago."

Nintendo died when Squaresoft left them.
 
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Half-Unit said:
A wise man once said "Nintendo makes the best first party games. Problem is, I played them all ten years ago."

Nintendo died when Squaresoft left them.
Those were the days...

What type of games were they responsible for Anyway?
Just Goldeneye and Perfect Dark. Just two of the top 3 N64 games, along with Z:OoT (what a cool acronym). Then there was Banjo and Kazooie and DK 64, to name a few.

All thats left of Nintendo now are the 3rd party producers who port to GC and those idiots pumping out Mario Party Games. Seriously, can you even count that franchise with one hand anymore?

The GC is just giving us more of the same stuff we loved on the N64, SNES or, heck, even on the NES (you know you love Duck Hunt) when we were young. Where are all the GC releases that make you jittery with excitement? I couldnt sit still the day Halo came out, and it wasnt even me that was getting it! When Zelda comes out, then I will pick up my GC controller (which hasnt been touched since I played SB: Melee with my gf, and I dumped her almost a year ago), but right now, its not worth my time.

It hurts me to say this about the one and only Nintendo, but it is the sad truth.
 
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I still maintain my theory about Nintendo's attempts to "Revolutionize" the way we play games.

They want to have a revolutionary new interface for console gaming so that developers have to choose between the same old FPS/platforming/3rd person action game clones with gimmicks, or their new and unique gameplay devices. Problem is, it's not working. No game publishers look at the DS and go, "Hey I have a great idea that's just been WAITING for a touch screen like this!"

The hope was that the uniqueness would isolate them from directly competing with other consoles. Do you really believe they WANTED to go shooter-to-shooter with Halo, or Sports game-to-Sports game with Sony, for example? Why do that when they can have this weirdo stuff like Pikmin and Mario Party and have no direct competition outside of their own unique niche market?

All that aside, Revolutions are revolutionary because they are a new idea that redefines something's base form or formula. You can't FORCE a revolutionary breakthrough in gameplay or video gaming in general, and that's what they're trying to do.

And it seems kind of obvious to me that they are getting more and more desperate as time goes on.

All I'll say is they are really getting a lot of mileage out of those Super Mario Brothers 3 royalty checks...
 
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Mario - WAS good...but now all they're making is Mario Party games and sports games. no adventure games at all. The last mario adventure game was Mario 64...and it was remade into DS. Even then it didn't feel like "mario." Nintendo needs to get with square and make more games like Mario RPG. None of this Paper Mario crap. Strangely enough, Mario RPG is one of the better RPGs out there.

Zelda - Can't really complain....though OoT was definately the best, LttP, MM, and WW weren't too bad either. The newest one looks awesome though. IMO...Zelda is whats keeping Nintendo alive.

Pokemon - Let it die. Period.

Kirby - They need something new. All kirby games are the same.

Metroid - Super Metroid was the peak. Metroid Prime has its moments...but it wasn't too fun. And Metroid Prime 2 is easilly the most boring metroid of them all.

Donkey Kong - DKC1-3 were fun...but DK64 flopped. And now they have...Bongo's? Ok..interecting concept...but still crap nonetheless.

Banjo-Kazooie - WTF happened? They had a hit with this game and all of a sudden they lose it because Rare ditched them. Nintendo should have tried to grab the B-K rights.


In short...make better mario games, keep Zelda games adult and fun...lose pokemon...make something new for Kirby, bring back old school DKC type games...and for god's sake make a metroid game thats FUN!!!

IMO...they need to get square-enix to make another RPG based off nintendo characters. You know...combine mario, link, kirby, ect...all brought together to take some bad guy down....thats NOT master hand. Think of it like nintendo's answer to Kingdom Hearts.
 
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I'll agree with everyone else: they messed up with their marketing techniques. And they're not likely to become dominated by MS+Sony>Nintendo, but more like Nintendo>Atari... Atari was, quite simply, STOMPED out of the way, as Nintendo became the leading industry in consoles.

That's the big problem right there. Most "gamers" started back in the late 80s and early 90s, by kids of all ages. Generally from 4 (when I got my first NES) all the way to early 20s. Games were so simplistic back then, but they were new and exciting and fresh. As the world developed, so did consoles, and technology and games evolved to be bigger and better.

Sony and Microsoft got in on the game, and they came in with games that'd appeal to the same level Nintendo was appealing to (mid teens to mid 20s). Sony and Microsoft kept evolving, and made games for the more mature gamer, because, quite frankly, the original gamers were maturing themselves. However Nintendo back tracked to an earlier time, and started appealing to the youth audiences instead, and for a few reasons.

Starting off, new generations of gamers have been born... Although, you can't really consider them gamers, but more like spoilted brats who get everything they beg their parents for (as with the extra peripherals, as previously mentioned). That would be the second reason: the "gamers" of today aren't as well mentally developed, and therefore have less of an ability to understand games on the same level of depth as the original gamers.

It might be too pretentious to say that the SNES was the best console ever, like DragonDude said, but I would have to agree with him on it, anyways... All of Nintendo's best games ever were on there, and because of Nintendo's marketing ploys, and.... diplomatic abilities, they lost most of their better developers, and that hurt them... A lot...

Square left them after the SNES, and when the Cube came around, so did Rare. There are others, but why go into it? And what I find most horrible is the current handheld war. Nintendo generally had that market cornered, with a few exceptions (game gear, woot). When I first heard they were going to make their next handheld "dual screen," my jaw almost literally hit the floor. I knew they were screwed right then and there.

Then Sony comes out with the PSP, and the only thing that could possibly be a deciding factor, other than price, is the battery life.


I had more I wanted to say, but it was so late last night when I wanted to post it, I didn't even remember to click "post"....
 

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