IMO: Nintendo is being behind on the times, short-sighted and is just milking nostalgia

[Iridescence]

Sorry. I meant to post this in Gaming Forum. Can a mod please move this to the correct forum?

Lifelong Nintendo fan. Had most of the consoles and handhelds they made and loved them, but it's been going downhill lately. The Wii was really fun at first but got old fast and suffered droughts.

I bought the 3DS and Wii U, and while I genuinely tried to like them, they both were the same old stuff. Remastered ports, formulaic sequels and little to no new IP's.

Sequels are good when they give you a look at the game in an entirely different angle. Most of their games follow a formula of collect X number of lives, X number of levels, and collect X number of ____ to save the day. It's so predictable, by the numbers. Their problem with 3rd parties compounds this as I'm basically being restricted only to Nintendo titles with little other diversity.

The problem is Miyamoto. He innovated a ton in the 90's and early-mid 2000's, but now most of Nintendo's studios still stick steadfast to the formula, because they want to be reverent to Miyamoto. And these formula were excellent in 1995 - but not now.

Nintendo is still a very good company (and I like how it offers colorful fun family friendly games), but it has much greater potential. They're a household name with so many great IP's, but they're just settling for just rehashing what they already did in the 90's.

Part of it is me growing out of gaming, but part of it is also Nintendo not growing up in general.

 

[Wolf Sage]

I think most of it is YOU (and me, and tons of others) either growing up or growing out of gaming. Nintendo has indeed become 'same old-y' over time, but it appears to be working, at least to a certain extent. Problem is it seems to be working insofar as appealing to and gaining more fans in a set age demographic (exp. X to 16 year olds) while losing fans in older demographics (minus the diehard exceptions). In other words, the bulk of it's fanbase seems to be a sort of 'rotating' demographic of X to 16 years olds, a lot of whom move on as they get older. The implied demographic of X to 16 year olds is given remakes and rehashes of the same old formula and seeing it as something entirely new and innovative, while a majority of older fans are like "Meh. Been there; done that." The diehards seem to be in a class of their own since it tends not to matter to them if Nintendo is lacking in overall 'newness' or whatever. You could say I'm a diehard when it comes to Zelda, but for how long?

 

[Dio]

The only reason I have a Wii U as I have said before in other discussions, is so I can play Zelda.
Nintendo doesn't appeal to mass market and I think it has lost a lot of its charm for long time fans. The main reason for this is it churns out the same stuff again and again. But its kind of gotten into a cycle it cant break. It fears changing up will loose fans, but rehashing all the time is causing fans to loose interest anyway.
The first party games are their only appeal. Nintendo's consoles are crap, they are underpowered compared to the competition, which by the way is annihilating Nintendo in terms of sales. I don't see the reasoning behind the underpowered U. Developers can make better games on a better console, Wii U owners now have the equivalent to a slightly more powerful ps3...a last gen console. The games put out on it, whilst they may be the franchises we like, are not the games we could have. Their potential is decreased because of the console they have been or are to be released on.
I have yet to see a wii u game that looks better than halo 4, and whilst graphics arent everything what even sets the Wii U apart from the last gen? Its bulky controller that I have yet to see a really innovative use for?
Woo I can play Mario and super smash bros in HD... Or I can get an xbox one and play all the latest third party titles that I'm really gonna enjoy, and get a cheap wii to play Mario and Brawl. Because aside from the HD they are pretty much the same f****** games! I have played smash 4 and it is hardly any different to brawl, only a competitive player would notice the difference, and it has no story mode.
I don't see a future for Nintendo going the way they are. They need to do something about their popularity or become obsolete, and with this Wii U there is no salvation. Third parties wont make for it and the loyal fans are only a limited number, most of whom will have a wii U already.

Doom. DOOOOM. Yeah, I had to get that out of my system. Nintendo needed to get their act together before now and I honestly don't see things looking up for them any time soon.

 

[poisonedPotion]

After read this article for 2 days, you can understand clearly what is going on with Nintendo. The company is frozen in time and in some way I love it.

http://www.dromble.com/2014/01/07/dolphin-tale-story-of-gamecube/

The company release consoles with old technology for reduce cost and the rest of the money is invested in something that the other consoles don’t have. I’m not agree with that idea, I prefer a normal powerful console.

You can find people working in Nintendo for more than 30 years and that is incredible even for a Japanese company. All these people are getting old and will retire soon or later, I just hope the company is ready for that.

 

[Heroine of Winds]

As a longtime Nintendo fan, I do agree that they're way behind the times these days. While other game companies have moved on, Nintendo's stuck in the 80's and it's seriously not a good thing. It also doesn't help that the people behind Nintendo are the same ones since the NES days. They're gonna retire pretty soon, so either they should train new blood or prepare for the worst.

As for their games in recent years, I sadly have to agree that it's nothing but the same thing released constantly. Smash 4 was just too similar to Brawl, Super Mario 3D World's just 3D Land on an HD console & co-op, Mario Kart 8's a mix of Wii & 7, etc. I keep thinking they're afraid to come up with anything new to their franchises, so they have to 'play it safe' instead. As for their third party support for the Wii U, it's still a complete joke. Nintendo's the only company supporting it along with a few indie developers, so in my eyes, the Wii U's nothing but a Nintendo 64 2.0. At least with the N64, the first party titles were original back in the day. Can't say the same for the Wii U.

I'll still stick with Nintendo until I quit gaming in general, though. I just hope they can actually move on with the times instead of having the same mindset over the years.

 

[Iridescence]

I think most of it is YOU (and me, and tons of others) either growing up or growing out of gaming.

I got a PS3 around the same time as my 3DS and Wii U, yet I'm enjoying my PS3 more than the two Nintendo's combined. So, while I am growing out of gaming in general, I'm growing out of Nintendo faster.

Problem is it seems to be working insofar as appealing to and gaining more fans in a set age demographic (exp. X to 16 year olds) while losing fans in older demographics (minus the diehard exceptions).

Yeah. For a lot of young people, it's their first Mario Kart and their first Smash Bros. so its new to them. I also believe that Nintendo is also aiming after 25 year olds who grew up on N64/Gamecube and want a dose of nostalgia.

But you're right. Many demographics between kids and diehards have vanished. The kids too will grow up and the diehards will grow out.

I don't want to imply that gaming is immature and must always be grown out of, but when you re-use the same formula, you're setting yourself up for people to grow out of it.

The only reason I have a Wii U as I have said before in other discussions, is so I can play Zelda.

Honestly, that's the sad truth for me. I'm selling MK8, SSB4, Tropical Freeze, etc. 3D World, Bayo 2 and Captain Toad look cool but aren't for me. I might just leave my Wii U in my drawer until Mario Maker and Zelda U comes out.

Nintendo doesn't appeal to mass market and I think it has lost a lot of its charm for long time fans. The main reason for this is it churns out the same stuff again and again. But its kind of gotten into a cycle it cant break. It fears changing up will loose fans, but rehashing all the time is causing fans to loose interest anyway.

You're right. They already let go of the people looking for something new, so their fanbase now consists of people used to the formula. And that discourages them from making changes.

Nintendo's consoles are crap, they are underpowered

I do agree somewhat. If Nintendo were to sell a console equivalent in specs to a PS4 and have 3rd party, there's no reason why I'd ever bother with Sony or Microsoft again. But it's not necessarily the hardware that bothers me. They could have still made lots of innovative games within the Wii U's hardware, but they didn't.

Nintendo needed to get their act together before now and I honestly don't see things looking up for them any time soon.

Nintendo will always be around. They'll just be selling 5 million units instead of 50-100 million units, if they keep going the road they're going. It's sad because Nintendo never used to be like this. In the 90's they were constantly looking for new ways to innovate and now they're just playing catch-up.

You can find people working in Nintendo for more than 30 years and that is incredible even for a Japanese company. All these people are getting old and will retire soon or later, I just hope the company is ready for that.

I bookmarked the Gamecube article for later since it's long but I will read it because that console fascinates me.

That is a problem, of people getting old though. It's just the nature of people to be very progressive when they're young and then settle down as they age.

 

[poisonedPotion]

I recommend the article, it is not only about GameCube is about what happened with Nintendo after the Super Nintendo.

So many mistakes, I really don’t know how they managed to escape alive.

Example of disasters:

When asked why Nintendo chose smaller disks for GameCube instead of standard DVDs, Shigeru Miyamoto explained that smaller disks send a message to developers that they don’t need to make long games with realistic graphics.
------------
Satoru Iwata: Difficult games are bad for business because gamers can spend months playing them, and while they’re doing so, they’re not buying other titles.
------------
About online business:

Would Nintendo’s conservative approach to online gaming with the GameCube place the company in a disadvantage with future next generation consoles? If Nintendo takes too long to create a sophisticated online network, would it become too difficult to catch up with Microsoft and Sony in this area? This was a question that Electronic Gaming Monthly asked Nintendo of America’s George Harrison in 2004.

“If we look at the situation as it stands today, we’ve got about 30 million systems sold between the PS2, Xbox and GameCube, and about a million and a half people have actually bought an online service — about a million for Sony and half a million for Xbox. So that’s about five percent of the hardware install base that spent the money to get involved. Most of those people have yet to spend any money on a monthly or annual basis for a subscription,” said Harrison.

Fast forward to 2012 where Nintendo is preparing to launch their next-gen console Wii U. Because Sony and Microsoft have been building their online networks for years, Iwata says it wouldn’t be easy to catch up to their online networks.

 

[Salem]

I recommend the article, it is not only about GameCube is about what happened with Nintendo after the Super Nintendo.

So many mistakes, I really don’t know how they managed to escape alive.

Example of disasters:

When asked why Nintendo chose smaller disks for GameCube instead of standard DVDs, Shigeru Miyamoto explained that smaller disks send a message to developers that they don’t need to make long games with realistic graphics.
------------
Satoru Iwata: Difficult games are bad for business because gamers can spend months playing them, and while they’re doing so, they’re not buying other titles.
------------
About online business:

Would Nintendo’s conservative approach to online gaming with the GameCube place the company in a disadvantage with future next generation consoles? If Nintendo takes too long to create a sophisticated online network, would it become too difficult to catch up with Microsoft and Sony in this area? This was a question that Electronic Gaming Monthly asked Nintendo of America’s George Harrison in 2004.

“If we look at the situation as it stands today, we’ve got about 30 million systems sold between the PS2, Xbox and GameCube, and about a million and a half people have actually bought an online service — about a million for Sony and half a million for Xbox. So that’s about five percent of the hardware install base that spent the money to get involved. Most of those people have yet to spend any money on a monthly or annual basis for a subscription,” said Harrison.

Fast forward to 2012 where Nintendo is preparing to launch their next-gen console Wii U. Because Sony and Microsoft have been building their online networks for years, Iwata says it wouldn’t be easy to catch up to their online networks.

Can you provide a link?

 

[RedLink]

I somewhat agree- I think Nintendo is overrelying on Mario as of late and hurting themselves by not bringing the rest of their IPs into the HD world. I mean come on, Star Fox could easily be Nintendo's Battlefront II, and I think we all want a new 2D Metroid in addition to Metroid Prime 4. Plus, instead of only getting 1 racing game with Mario Kart, how about a reboot of F-Zero?

And while I enjoy Nintendo's family friendly tone, they need to strike a better balance between older and younger gamers. Like seriously, that catsuit in Super Mario 3D World was just lame.

 

[Heroine of Winds]

I somewhat agree- I think Nintendo is overrelying on Mario as of late and hurting themselves by not bringing the rest of their IPs into the HD world. I mean come on, Star Fox could easily be Nintendo's Battlefront II, and I think we all want a new 2D Metroid in addition to Metroid Prime 4. Plus, instead of only getting 1 racing game with Mario Kart, how about a reboot of F-Zero?

Agreed with the bold. Seems like Nintendo's trying to be like Sega when it comes to only focusing on their mascot's games instead of anything else. It doesn't help that the games have become somewhat uninteresting lately with things like NSMB & 3D World.

Has anyone noticed so far that there's no new info concerning Zelda U lately? You'd think Nintendo would go all out on it. :/

 

[Iridescence]

To be fair, the quality control of Mario games is good - totally incomparible to the ****-ups of SEGA. They may not be revolutionary games like they've been in the past, but they're not bad. Same with Pokemon and Zelda in the past 10 years.

So, that's why I never said Nintendo was a bad company. NINTENDO IS A VERY GOOD COMPANY. They're just not using their full potential and if they keep being stagnant it can hurt them.

 

[the8thark]

The Nintendo Garage development team disagrees with you. Sure Nintendo is milking the old IPs a lot, but that's what sells. But every so often new IPs come along. And the Nintendo Garage is what will be creating them and developing them. It's Nintendo's way into the future. It's first major project is Splatoon. Also we have Nintendo looking into the Mobile world more and more these days too. Also the the Club Nintendo and Codename NX is being developed as we speak.

I think Nintendo is doing what it needs to stay afloat.

 

[Blue Star]

I got a PS3 around the same time as my 3DS and Wii U, yet I'm enjoying my PS3 more than the two Nintendo's combined. So, while I am growing out of gaming in general, I'm growing out of Nintendo faster.

It's funny; I'm the other way around. I got the PS3 way before the Wii U, and I enjoy the Wii U just as much. And I definitely play the 3DS more than the PS3. The mainstream games, despite being technically superior to Nintendo's games, don't really do it for me, I guess. But I'm the minority.

Back on topic though, despite being a hardcore Nintendo fan, I do somewhat agree with you, Iridescence. Nintendo's games have been relying on either nostalgia or just the tried-and-true formulas of their long running franchises. When's the last time we saw a new franchise with new characters? It happens, but not too often. I do wish Nintendo would be the innovators that they were in the past. Hopefully, Splatoon will be great. And then there's that game that Intelligent Systems developed for the 3DS with Abe Lincoln...

 

[the8thark]

When's the last time we saw a new franchise with new characters? It happens, but not too often.

This is a good thing. They do it rarely but when they do, they do it well. And you know the IP will be supported for many years to come.

The Nintendo IPs and wen they were first introduced to us as I see them (feel free to correct me)

NES: Mario Bros (as we know him today), Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Kid Icarus, Ice Climbers
SNES: Starfox, Yoshi (as his own thing not as a secondary to Mario), Donkey Kong (as we know him today)
Nintendo 64: Smash Bros
Gamecube: Pikmin
Wii: Miiverse
WiiU: Splatoon

 

[Heroine of Winds]

Also we have Nintendo looking into the Mobile world more and more these days too.

I'm okay with Nintendo doing this just as long as they're still gaining profit from it along with showing everyone that they're still relevant. I've been saying many times already that they need to get with the times, so it looks like they're finally doing this for once.