• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

GAF, we need to talk about Nintendo and the power they hold.

B

BakedYams

Slayer of Combofiends
Something that has amazed me time and time again is that Nintendo can rally up +100 page threads on NeoGaf on speculation and discussion of games. As you can see, Nintendo holds a very special place in all of our hearts. My question is, how is that so? A company can make excellent games, Sony does it multiple times with their first party studios just like Nintendo but for some odd reason, Nintendo garners a ridiculous amount of popularity, much more than that of other companies (unless its SCEJ and Fumito Ueda). An example, the recent Nintendo Fusion thread:

(found here: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=756260)

This did not cause so much of a stir but many others have, especially the Nintendo Direct ones. How can Nintendo do this? I honestly disagree with the idea of nostalgia bringing us back to Nintendo because a lot of games are rehashed or brought back and seems to be bland, boring and all together nothing different. Is it something in the tap water Nintendo puts that gets us on the edge of our seat brimming with excitement at the next installment of a game? How can we place so much faith in a product in which the manufacturer has failed on us on multiple occasions (cough cough, Reggie at VGX)? Will Nintendo impress us this year at E3? I surely remember a time when Iwata was downright awesome in revealing games to a core audience (I'm pretty sure everyone who is old enough remembers the Smash reveal at E3 for the Gamecube and Twilight Princess). Any other rumors people have picked up on?! Will Nintendo survive on for the years to come and bring back F-Zero?!

i-want-to-believe.jpg


Edit:

Pretty much this:

Beardz said:
Nintendo reminds us that we were once children.
Click to expand...

ozfunghi said:
At least we can put the notion to rest that Nintendo could survive on selling to it's hardcore fans alone, and still shift enough units to make a platform viable. WiiU is currently showing there are less hardcore Nintendo fans than people would have you believe.
Click to expand...

HUELEN10 said:
Personally, it's hard to explain why I love Nintendo like I do. At the risk of sounding cliche, I have to say it's because they're special. It's not child nostalgia either; I didn't play games as a child. To me, Nintendo makes games worth playing. Yes, I own an ton of non-Nintendo consoles, but there's a reason why their libraries are dwarfed by Nintendo's output in an generation in my home. Nintendo has a canvas which I love, and paints with it creations I simply can't find anywhere else. The majority of what I own in games is published by Nintendo. Last I checked, it might be over 3/4th of my entire collection.

They hold "power" to me because they make what I love, and I love what they make. I am no fanboy, I don't support all their decisions, and I feel they could stand to do some things better, but I gotta love what I love. I think that is the Nintendo difference as far it goes for me, Love. I can't say that about a lot of things in the industry. It's definitely not Nintendo exclusive, anyone saying that is a fool, but they've got a lot of it.
Click to expand...

injurai said:
When I play any Sony 1st party or 3rd party that I'm highly interested in I feel as if I'm indulging myself in the new greatest experiences.

When I play Nintendo games, I feel like I'm treating myself to a whole other mentality of gaming that focuses on refinement and innocent fun. It unshackles itself from the mentalities that I bring in with me when engaging in just about any other game.

It's really hard to fully put it into words, because it's simply just a feeling.
Click to expand...

LiveFromKyoto said:
Nintendo was a toymaker. They get the fundamental concept that a character or a game object should be enjoyable to pick up and play with in its own right. That to me is the core concept that informs everything they do - they're not making movies or things to vent your rage with. They spend extra months honing and fine-tuning toys that are pleasurable to use on their own, not dressed up with cut scenes or leaning on achievements. I think it's that part of it that people connect with.
Click to expand...

Guevara said:
It's a slow motion car crash; you can't help but watch.
Click to expand...

freenudemacusers said:
A year ago I drew a circle of protection around my house from the dust of discarded Wiis found in thrift stores and yard sales. Haven't thought much about them since, and finally sleep well at night. I recommend others do the same.
Click to expand...

Ninjimbo said:
Nintendo is really the only company I actually care about on a personal level. Over the years my admiration for their franchises has led me to know about people like Aonuma, Miyamoto, Sakurai, Koji Kondo, Iwata and others. Thanks to their interviews and press conferences and Iwata Asks, I've gotten to know them a little bit -- reading about how they work, what drives them, their development philosophies, it's all contributed to some kind of personal connection with not just the company, but all these individuals as well. So when you have all this bad news tumbling down on them, I can't help but wonder about how they take it; knowing that all the hard work that goes into their games is being ignored, that must be brutal.

I don't know. It's weird for me at least, because as I get older, Nintendo games are really the only ones I keep coming back to. As the industry continues to evolve towards Hollywood and shallow 99 cent experiences, I've gotten increasingly more frustrated at the amalgamation of experiences and the general feeling of cultural insecurity that permeates developers today. Just look at the talking points from the devs of Lords of Shadow 2. It's like they're trying too hard to be taken seriously. Personally, when I sense that, I tune out. Nintendo games are generally free of that pretension and I've grown fonder of it as I've gotten older.

You look at games like Pikmin, Zelda, and Mario, they're just trying to entertain you. The only statement being made is "Here. Have fun playing in this world we created." It's why you get a big ole thank you in every last level of a Mario game because Nintendo knows you stuck with the game long enough to reach the end of a lot of obnoxiously hard levels. You must have had fun and they're grateful you stuck with it for that long.

It's an incredibly simple gesture, but it all goes toward building that personal connection that will be there until the day Nintendo disappears. Hopefully it never arrives but nothing lasts forever unless you're Disney.
Click to expand...

Carlisle said:
I feel like old man yelling at cloud when I try to explain why I love Nintendo to someone who's never played a Nintendo game and refuses to even try it. I know too many people who won't play a game if it's not 60% set pieces with super graphics and blood. Even if there's more fun gameplay to be had in one level of a NSMB game than in the whole of one of these broken FPS games, they still prefer the FPS.

And they say they've outgrown Nintendo. Really? You're gonna play the age card when you're getting cussed out by 9-year-olds in a make-believe shooting match?

Not saying there's nothing to appreciate on the other consoles or PC gaming. But I can't fathom outright hating Nintendo for anything. They make the best games in the industry and they're one of the most consistent developers that's ever graced any platform. As a lover of games, how can anyone not at least give them a nod or a tip of the hat?
Click to expand...

Holy Order Sol said:
I want more of what I like.
Click to expand...

Kouriozan said:
It's really weird.
Everyone say that Nintendo is dead or irrelevant and yet it can get so much hype.
Click to expand...

Apophis2036 said:
They are so special because there will never be another company that sell as many games, appears in as many best of lists and are in peoples hearts as much as Nintendo, they are a one off, the Disney of the videogame industry and as someone on Gametrailers recently said, one of the Worlds treasures.

I think a lot of people on Gaf including myself get increasingly frustrated with them because of their newish decision not to chase better graphics along with Sony and MS while also trying to get more people into videogames by making the controls as simple as possible.

Nintendo have the potential to again reign supreme in the videogame industry and be around long after Sony and MS have gone onto other things but they have to take drastic action now with a more Western approach by providing developers with at least on par with the competition hardware and by expanding their own library to include the likes of first / third person shooters / adventure games.
Click to expand...

Vlade said:
I guess you call it nostalgia when you don't understand it or willfully want to marginalize history or the relationship a company can have with it's consumers.

Other folks have indeed said it, but their games are fun. There is excitement and challenge in every moment. It isn't burdened by sociopolitical commentary because it isn't an extension of the world I live in. It isn't a struggle because it's always in good humor. The game part is left to be fun or not all on its own, and it usually is.

It's not about how Nintendo isn't what it isn't. They aren't a cinematic experience or compelling generally speaking. It's not that they'll make me question what I think is right and wrong. It's not that they'll never be Naughty Dog or Bungie or Square. It's not that they make up my entire gaming diet. I don't know why they would be any of those things. Nintendo has a good gig that they've done better than anyone else for a very long time.
Click to expand...

TL;DR

We have an odd relationship with Nintendo and they have been giving us mixed signals about us and who we are. Some have moved on, still remembering the good times in their hearts, others are still in a corner waiting for Nintendo to call them back. All in all, it's an on/off relationship with Nintendo.
 
D

Deleted member 22576

Unconfirmed Member
Nintendo holds a very special place in all of our hearts. My question is, how is that so?]
Click to expand...
That is so by their legendary legacy.
 
X

XenodudeX

Junior Member
Nintendo is one of ( if not THE) oldest gaming company in the world. Many of us have been playing their games since childhood, and still playing them today. So of course when they succeed and/or fail, people are going to talk about it.
 
P

Phediuk

Member
Nostalgia and a feeling that Nintendo platforms are the last bastion for traditional Japanese games.

That accounts fro most of the passion around Nintendo-related news, I think.
 
O

ozfunghi

Member
At least we can put the notion to rest that Nintendo could survive on selling to it's hardcore fans alone, and still shift enough units to make a platform viable. WiiU is currently showing there are less hardcore Nintendo fans than people would have you believe.
 
M

Mauricio_Magus

Banned
Because Nintendo takes their time and makes magical titles.


I'm playing Pikmin 3 and it's one of the best games I have ever played. I feel this way ALMOST every time I play a Nintendo game, I get a polished amazing experience.

Nintendo will survive.
 
BennyBlanco

BennyBlanco

aka IMurRIVAL69
80s babies grew up with nintendo products

Gonna be sad to see them get the Old Yeller treatment one of these days.....
 
M

Madao

Member
one thing no one has stopped to think about is that, before Nintendo stops making games, we'll suffer a "Nintendo releases a japan-only console/handheld" generation with their output becoming japan-only.

after all, their homeland is their main priority and they're not going to stop making consoles if they tank hard in the west. they'll cut the west first and chug along in japan.
 
M

Mauricio_Magus

Banned
Madao said:
one thing no one has stopped to think about is that, before Nintendo stops making games, we'll suffer a "Nintendo releases a japan-only console/handheld" with their output becoming japan-only.

after all, their homeland is their main priority and they're not going to stop making consoles if they tank hard in the west. they'll cut the west first and chug along in japan first.
Click to expand...

that sounds awful as hell, I hope that never happens.
 
Dice//

Dice//

Banned
So many Nintendo topics these days... like y'all taking their recent losses personally.

Joshing aside, the 3DS is a blast and so long as the occasional title I want comes out for the WiiU I'm more than happy.
 
G

GloriousBagel

Banned
ozfunghi said:
At least we can put the notion to rest that Nintendo could survive on selling to it's hardcore fans alone, and still shift enough units to make a platform viable. WiiU is currently showing there are less hardcore Nintendo fans than people would have you believe.
Click to expand...

.
 
B

bryehn

Member
They don't really hold shit outside of the 3DS, Mario and Pokemon. Zelda being the obvious possible exception, though there are a ton of "action adventure (but not quite RPG)" franchises now.

Hardcore Nintendo fans will cling to whatever scraps they spit out every year, but the rest of us (I'm 37 and have been playing Nintendo games since before NES) will just keep moving forward with or without them in the mix. Aside from good platformers, I as a gamer for 30+ years hold absolutely no attachment to them at this point and it's their own damn fault.
 
C

Currygan

at last, for christ's sake
because there are videogame companies, and then there's Nintendo. They're just intrinsically different from the majority of every other company, for good or bad, and so is their popularity
 
I

InsaneZero

Member
Well, when you've been the largest video game publisher, one of the oldest platform holders, owner of many of the industry's biggest IPs, a significant influence of many video game developers, home of many of the most recognized development teams, etc. for several decades people tend to have strong opinions. I dunno, they might be a pretty big thing for video games.
 
A

.Anema

Member
Nintendo is what games are about. That's all.

Sometimes I think "Wow, developers must be TERRIFIED trying to make a platformer game since Mario Galaxy and Mario Galaxy 2"... And that's the same for Donkey Kong, Zelda, Smash Brothers, Pokemon, Metroid...

It's not hype or fanboy... They know how to make great and fun games.
 
S

Syf

Banned
Power lol. Every single one of their franchises has lost its mainstream impact over the last generation. Nintendo is becoming a niche.
 
RetroGreg

RetroGreg

Member
I grew up on Nintendo and let me tell you - the games were so much better than what I had been playing on Atari and intellivision up until that point. I also think that Nintendo's characters are very iconic and I just like to see them. I like the art. I like the mushroom kingdom. I pretty much like all of it. And I always have a smile on my face when I play their games. That's the most important.
 
HUELEN10

HUELEN10

Member
Personally, it's hard to explain why I love Nintendo like I do. At the risk of sounding cliche, I have to say it's because they're special. It's not child nostalgia either; I didn't play games as a child. To me, Nintendo makes games worth playing. yes, I own an ton of non-Nintendo consoles, but there's a reason why their libraries are dwarfed by Nintendo's output in an generation in my home. Nintendo has a canvas which I love, and paints with it creations I simply can't find anywhere else. The majority of what I own in games is published by Nintendo. Last I checked, it might be over 3/4th of my entire collection.

They hold "power" to me because they make what I love, and I love what they make. I am no fanboy, I don't support all their decisions, and I feel they could stand to do some things better, but I gotta love what I love. I think that is the Nintendo difference as far it goes for me, Love. I can't say that about a lot of things in the industry. It's definitely not Nintendo exclusive, anyone saying that is a fool, but they've got a lot of it.
 
T

tebunker

Banned
ozfunghi said:
At least we can put the notion to rest that Nintendo could survive on selling to it's hardcore fans alone, and still shift enough units to make a platform viable. WiiU is currently showing there are less hardcore Nintendo fans than people would have you believe.
Click to expand...

No they exist, this thread and the many that populate this board are evidence. The problem is that they failed at selling the Wii U to those fans. They failed epically because they tried to be everything to everyone and they didn't realize that the market standards had changed. If Nintendo had been more prepared with more games and better online infrastructure I am pretty certain we wouldn't be talking about how rough 2013 was for them.
 
K

Kodaman

Member
bryehn said:
They don't really hold shit outside of the 3DS, Mario and Pokemon. Zelda being the obvious possible exception, though there are a ton of "action adventure (but not quite RPG)" franchises now.

Hardcore Nintendo fans will cling to whatever scraps they spit out every year, but the rest of us (I'm 37 and have been playing Nintendo games since before NES) will just keep moving forward with or without them in the mix. Aside from good platformers, I as a gamer for 30+ years hold absolutely no attachment to them at this point and it's their own damn fault.
Click to expand...

So much passion in that indifference...
 
U

udivision

Member
All those WUST threads, page after page of speculation, hype, doubting and faith, only for the climax to be... the Wii U
 
D

Dawg

Member
Nintendo is like the only survivor from the golden era. The only company from the ol' days that still releases a console/handheld. Sony and Microsoft are really young in comparison.
 
S

Syf

Banned
Dawg said:
Nintendo is like the only survivor from the golden era. The only company from the ol' days that still releases a console/handheld. Sony and Microsoft are really young in comparison.
Click to expand...
Who cares? They've both passed Nintendo in the console space.
 
S

Snakeyes

Member
ozfunghi said:
At least we can put the notion to rest that Nintendo could survive on selling to it's hardcore fans alone, and still shift enough units to make a platform viable. WiiU is currently showing there are less hardcore Nintendo fans than people would have you believe.
Click to expand...

That's not it. The Wii U is just that hard to stomach, even for some of their most dedicated fans. There's a difference between being a fan and being a blind loyalist.
 
JordanN

JordanN

Banned
Before, Nintendo was unpredictable so I was really interested in them for that. Now a days, they've regressed from that.

The exception is Bayonetta 2, but that was 2 years ago. Last e3, I found Sony/MS presentations to be more interesting. Wont be surprised if it happens again this year and the year after that.
 
G

Gxgear

Member
Am I the only one that grew up on Sega and Sony? Man, you guys are old. I've had my fair share of Nintendo, mostly on the handheld front, but it's never been a gaming priority for me.
 
PAULINK

PAULINK

I microwave steaks.
They've got a track record to back up their infamous legacy. Granted, they've fallen on hard times, and it seems like some of the decisions they have made lately are not reflecting well on sales, but Nintendo is the first company I will fall on my own sword and support based on the quality of their first party developers. Bought a 3ds and Wii U day one even though I did not think the game lineup was too significant, because that is how much blind faith I have that they will deliver.
 
I

injurai

Banned
When I play any Sony 1st party or 3rd party that I'm highly interested in I feel as if I'm indulging myself in the new greatest experiences.

When I play Nintendo games, I feel like I'm treating myself to a whole other mentality of gaming that focuses on refinement and innocent fun. It unshackles itself from the mentalities that I bring in with me when engaging in just about any other game.

It's really hard to fully put it into words, because it's simply just a feeling.
 
M

Malyse

Member
Biskie said:
Power lol. Every single one of their franchises has lost its mainstream impact over the last generation. Nintendo is becoming a niche.
Click to expand...

Biskie said:
Who cares? They've both passed Nintendo in the console space.
Click to expand...

You got a pretty stiff hate-on for them.

Gxgear said:
Am I the only one that grew up on Sega and Sony? Man, you guys are old. I've had my fair share of Nintendo, mostly on the handheld front, but it's never been a gaming priority for me.
Click to expand...

Get off my lawn.
 
HUELEN10

HUELEN10

Member
injurai said:
When I play any Sony 1st party or 3rd party that I'm highly interested in I feel as if I'm indulging myself in the new greatest experiences.

When I play Nintendo games, I feel like I'm treating myself to a whole other mentality of gaming that focuses on refinement and innocent fun. It unshackles itself from the mentalities that I bring in with me when engaging in just about any other game.

It's really hard to fully put it into words, because it's simply just a feeling.
Click to expand...

Even though I am the type of guy that doesn't find immersion in games, I feel a bit the same too. "Leave luck to Heaven" might have been the most apt name they could have come up with.
 
olimpia84

olimpia84

Member
Biskie said:
Who cares? They've both passed Nintendo in the console space.
Click to expand...

In what sense? Hardware specs? Online features? To me, they (Nintendo) still release the most polished, fun and high quality games in the industry by a far margin which is why I still keep going back to them despite their conservative and archaic approach. Of course, this all boils down to personal taste and all that but again, I play games to have fun and get the most enjoyment out of what I pay...
 
Laughing Banana

Laughing Banana

Weeping Pickle
bryehn said:
They don't really hold shit outside of the 3DS, Mario and Pokemon. Zelda being the obvious possible exception, though there are a ton of "action adventure (but not quite RPG)" franchises now.

Hardcore Nintendo fans will cling to whatever scraps they spit out every year, but the rest of us (I'm 37 and have been playing Nintendo games since before NES) will just keep moving forward with or without them in the mix. Aside from good platformers, I as a gamer for 30+ years hold absolutely no attachment to them at this point and it's their own damn fault.
Click to expand...

"The rest of us"

"I'm 37"

"30+years"

Huh.

As for the OP, well, they're one of the oldest gaming companies in the world, and most, if not all, of us has been touched by them in some way so yeah.
 
E

erawsd

Member
As far as GAF is concerned, I think Nintendo is the most divisive subject around.

You've got a lot of people that adore Nintendo and think that they can do no wrong -- then you've got just as many people that can't stand their vision of gaming and feed on their misery.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Full Q&A English Summary of Nintendo's Financial Results Briefing for Fiscal Year Ended March 2024
Business
0
448
Thick Thighs Save Lives replied
  • Poll
Should Nippon Ichi Software Partner With OR Be Acquired By NINTENDO?
Opinion Rumor Business
48
2K
StereoVsn replied
GamesIndustry.biz reports Nintendo are "deep in conversation" with three studios to license out IP
Rumor Business 2
53
4K
ChoosableOne replied
Nintendo hires former PlayStation exec to head up AAA third-party games
2
659
Ozriel replied
Rumor | Nintendo Switch 2 May Use Samsung 5th Generation V-NAND With up to 1.4 GB/S Read Speed
2 3
121
10K
Kataploom replied
Top Bottom