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2019 - Rough year for Nintendo?

Jubenhimer

Member
Last year, Nintendo managed to worsen the line up over the year...

Worsen? How? 2018 had Smash Bros., Pokemon, Mario Tennis, Wii U Ports, and a lot of third party and indie support. Was it amazing? No, but it was still a very good year regardless. Sadly, Nintendo fans don't understand the concept of nuance. Everything has to either be bust-your-nut amazing, or a dumpster fire.
 

Yoshi

Headmaster of Console Warrior Jugendstrafanstalt
Worsen? How? 2018 had Smash Bros., Pokemon, Mario Tennis, Wii U Ports, and a lot of third party and indie support. Was it amazing? No, but it was still a very good year regardless. Sadly, Nintendo fans don't understand the concept of nuance. Everything has to either be bust-your-nut amazing, or a dumpster fire.
Talking Nintendo's line up. Ultimate Smash Bros., a new Pokémon core game were already announced before 2018, Yoshi and Fire Emblem were still looking like 2018 releases both got pushed back. Basically only Mario Tennis was really announced 2018, and that was in January. The line-up worsened by dropping titles and not gaining any new ones except for Mario Tennis. 2018 was the worst Nintendo year since I play games from my perspective.
 

Jubenhimer

Member
Talking Nintendo's line up. Ultimate Smash Bros., a new Pokémon core game were already announced before 2018, Yoshi and Fire Emblem were still looking like 2018 releases both got pushed back. Basically only Mario Tennis was really announced 2018, and that was in January. The line-up worsened by dropping titles and not gaining any new ones except for Mario Tennis. 2018 was the worst Nintendo year since I play games from my perspective.

Well yeah, the delays sucked. But delays happen, and with Red Dead 2 storming in for October, basically everyone was delaying their big releases to clear a path. Still you may not have liked 2018, and that's fine. But objectively speaking, it wasn't a bad year, far from it.
 

Yoshi

Headmaster of Console Warrior Jugendstrafanstalt
Well yeah, the delays sucked. But delays happen, and with Red Dead 2 storming in for October, basically everyone was delaying their big releases to clear a path. Still you may not have liked 2018, and that's fine. But objectively speaking, it wasn't a bad year, far from it.
Clever idea for Nintendo to avoid October / November when RDR2 wasn't even releasing for their system. For Nintendo, specifically, it was a very weak year.
 

Jubenhimer

Member
For Nintendo, specifically, it was a very weak year.

That's debatable, but not untrue either. Nintendo's output was somewhat mediocre in 2018, with much of it being Wii U ports and C or B-tier titles until the Holidays. But the Switch itself didn't have a bad year in 2018.
 
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Spukc

always chasing the next thrill
Delays happen? No man. They scrapped a game they gave to a dev that wanted nothing with it but made it available for preorder and then eventually when they got sick of people asking for said game they release this video.

Oh shit wrong video

Why are you playing old ass games on the switch while Bayonetta 3..er Metr...er SMTV is. Um...Pokemon Let's Go is out!


nice joke

honestly doom d3 and skyrim are evergreens and i will be playing them in years to come. just like i still play snes and gen games from time to time
 

Z..

Member
To me, it's all about system power. But Nintendo systems lately are so underpowered, it doesn't seem like devs care about doing a port. And gamers don't seem to care anyway and focus on first party titles. Unlike MS and Sony who crave a full ecosystem of everything, Nintendo seems happy with it's first party gaming focus.

System power is the least important thing to me. By a wide, wide margin. PC may be my main platform and I do have a powerful rig but that is the least of my concerns. Give me games that run well, have good gameplay and cohesive and pleasing art direction and I'm happy. And that's the secret Nintendo sauce... they have long since realized power is meaningless if you consistently deliver polished experiences. Sony and MS don't "crave" a full ecosystem, they're dependent on one... both systems would essentially die without heavy third party support. Nintendo seems oblivious because they're not dependent on it to keep raking in the big bucks. They succeed precisely BECAUSE they play the game differently.
 

PocoJoe

Banned
Worsen? How? 2018 had Smash Bros., Pokemon, Mario Tennis, Wii U Ports, and a lot of third party and indie support. Was it amazing? No, but it was still a very good year regardless. Sadly, Nintendo fans don't understand the concept of nuance. Everything has to either be bust-your-nut amazing, or a dumpster fire.

Smash bros = never interested, boring
Pokemon = same
Mario tennis = seen it already, same game diffirent console
Wiiu ports = i have 80 wiiu games already
Mario odyssey = worst game of the year to me, never been so bored with mario game.

I got switch 6 months after launch, list of good games i have found/liked:

Zelda(have it on wiiu too)
Xenoblade 2
Mario+rabbids

Thats about it, nothing else stands out.

I mainly like big adventure/rpg games and switch offers 900+ indie trash games mostly.
 

PocoJoe

Banned
System power is the least important thing to me. By a wide, wide margin. PC may be my main platform and I do have a powerful rig but that is the least of my concerns. Give me games that run well, have good gameplay and cohesive and pleasing art direction and I'm happy. And that's the secret Nintendo sauce... they have long since realized power is meaningless if you consistently deliver polished experiences. Sony and MS don't "crave" a full ecosystem, they're dependent on one... both systems would essentially die without heavy third party support. Nintendo seems oblivious because they're not dependent on it to keep raking in the big bucks. They succeed precisely BECAUSE they play the game differently.

Even Zelda could be much more polished with better specs.

There is "enough power" and "barely enough power to run modern games with low quality"

More power would help to get bigger and deeper games on the system, but nintendo wants most profit with least specs.
 

Maguro

Member
I've played Mario Tennis on the Switch with a friend i was pretty confused how unpolished this game was. It felt very rushed with no love to detail.
 
I bought a Switch last year, but traded it in after a few months. My thoughts were this :

1. It's an amazing piece of hardware
2. It's main selling point is portability, but I'm not a handheld guy so that was lost on me. Also, it's not like you can pop it in your pocket!
3. Multiplat software is mostly a substandard version of what I can play on my PS4 Pro.
4. So, it was really down to the first party line up for me. I just found it underwhelming!
- I had already played BotW on my WiiU
- Odyssey was excellent
- Once I'd gotten over the artwork and music, the gameplay & story of Octopath were a bit poor
- I tried to love XC2, but again found it a bit boring
- The big problem for me - Way, way ,way too many ports of games I'd already played.

Honestly, as flawed as it was, I got 10x the enjoyment out of my WiiU. I just felt like the Switch does nothing well...it's not a true handheld and it plays games poorly compared to other modern consoles.

The problem I have now is that I will be crying when Bayonetta 3 come out!
 

Z..

Member
Even Zelda could be much more polished with better specs.

There is "enough power" and "barely enough power to run modern games with low quality"

More power would help to get bigger and deeper games on the system, but nintendo wants most profit with least specs.

This is the type of stuff that is only really important to a vocal minority of hardcore enthusiasts. The extra polish Zelda could have benefitted from with higher specs is something only that same crowd actually cares about. As far as I'm concerned and as someone who plays everything that isn't exclusive on a high end PC, BotW plays absolutely fine.

Higher specs means higher price. Higher price means less sales. The whole reason Nintendo is as successful as they are is precisely because they focus on squeezing as much as they can from less advanced and more affordable hardware.
What I really don't understand is why contrarians such as yourself are so insistant on seeing Nintendo marching to the beat of the same drum as everyone else instead of letting them do their own thing. The experience you want is available elsewhere, how about embracing the idea of variety instead of insisting everything follow the same mindset? They make great and unique games you often can't find rivals for anywhere else and I love playing them. The type of experience they can't provide I can simply look for elsewhere.

I suppose I'm not the average Switch owner, though... much like my PS4, it's merely an auxiliary device to my PC which I use almost exclusively for exclusives. Although, the Switch has seen me double dipping on quite a few titles here and there for the portability.
 

Z..

Member
I've played Mario Tennis on the Switch with a friend i was pretty confused how unpolished this game was. It felt very rushed with no love to detail.

That's pretty sad to hear... I was looking forward to playing it as a big fan of arcadey Tennis games (loved GC Mario Tennis). It got a decent reception compared to the crappy Wii/WiiU releases so I've been slightly hyped! What's unpolished about it?
Oh well... I suppose even if it does end up sucking I'll always have Sega Superstars Tennis as my go to for easy arcadey pick up and play 4 player Tennis matches when I have people around! Is my Sega fanboyism showing?
 
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Maguro

Member
The game's a lot better now than it was back at launch.
I've played it 3 Weeks ago.

Anyway, it doesn't matter one way or the other. A game should be complete when i buy it. "Games as service" is something i can't support/accept.
 
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System power is the least important thing to me. By a wide, wide margin. PC may be my main platform and I do have a powerful rig but that is the least of my concerns. Give me games that run well, have good gameplay and cohesive and pleasing art direction and I'm happy. And that's the secret Nintendo sauce... they have long since realized power is meaningless if you consistently deliver polished experiences. Sony and MS don't "crave" a full ecosystem, they're dependent on one... both systems would essentially die without heavy third party support. Nintendo seems oblivious because they're not dependent on it to keep raking in the big bucks. They succeed precisely BECAUSE they play the game differently.

Exactly. But so many Xbox & Playstation fanboys automatically treat Microsoft & Sony like kings & gods just because of "more powah & graphics!" & the huge 3rd party support that they get when they're far from it. Even that is going to come to a standstill.

What are both PS5 & Xbox 4 going to do differently besides just beefing up the hardware & increasing graphics? All that shit is going to do, is balloon the cost of game development more so than before, making it incredibly difficult for 3rd party publishers & developers & hire even more people just to make games, especially if they're pushing for Native 4K gaming.

Just wait until next gen when there's going to be even less AAA titles on those platforms, such as games from Rockstar &/or Take-Two.

It's been proven each & every generation that it's the prices, the advertising, & the gaming libraries that makes consoles successful, not power & graphics.
 
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Not sure if it’s all doom and gloom for Switch considering they are somehow outselling the competition lately despite all of the negative news. In fact, it seems like they are selling better then ever now. We’ll see how consistent the sales stay though.
 

kraspkibble

Permabanned.
I'm excited for 2019. We're getting Animal Crossing + Pokemon. That's enough for me. If they want to announce a new Zelda similar to A Link Between Worlds then I'll be satisfied completely.

Also, if they release a revised console with a price drop it would go a long way to keeping sales strong. The current price is putting a lot of people off as you can find a PS4/XB1 for much cheaper. C'mon, the Switch is nearly 2 years old and still costs what it did at launch.
 
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Angry_Megalodon

Gold Member
They are making another Zelda game. That is pretty much hinted or even confirmed. They should show a bit of it throughout the year. Also, being the Metroid debacle a huge megaton, it's also true that there was no way for it to release this year. I Think they will be communicating something within the next 3 months.
 
It is Janurary and from what I read one person left out of the 5500 employess they have.

Wait til it is September with no news and then you can panic.
 

MilkyJoe

Member
Sauce? Where was it said Metroid was supposed to come out this year? Not heard that anywhere.

Most of this sounds like tales from your ass.

tumblr_olme80WmMW1rrftcdo1_500.jpg
 

Allandor

Member
They are making another Zelda game. That is pretty much hinted or even confirmed. They should show a bit of it throughout the year. Also, being the Metroid debacle a huge megaton, it's also true that there was no way for it to release this year. I Think they will be communicating something within the next 3 months.
Like they promised a new Zelda for WiiU? When was it released?

If Nintendo promises something new, don't expect it soon.
Still missing really new titles for the Switch. As a WiiU owner it is still not to much new. I like the old games, but really don't see the point in rebuying them for full price.
Really hoped for a new Super Mario Bros game, but well … it was a remaster/port, nothing more.
 

silentstorm

Member
And it's not as if everyone has a PS4 or cares about graphics, not only that, but a lot of people really love Nintendo IP's, don't mind the ports or genuinely don't care if a game is indie or not, they just want something good and fun to play.

Also, portability is a huge factor, it's nice being able to play anywhere in the house or take the Switch with you somewhere else to play, it's actually something pretty awesome and something people have loved since...let's see, the Game Boy?

Let's not forget that handhelds have usually done pretty well, and mobile gaming has quite a market with one of the reasons it's popular being the MOBILE aspect, people are willing to accept indie or less powerful games without any issue for a portable device, i even hear of people who stopped paying for indie games on the PC just to only play them on the Switch since it feels nice to have a game you can carry around.

True, if someone really loves playing on a PC or a PS4 and they've had them for years with a big library, the Switch is less attractive, but not so to many people, hell, i hear people who rarely if ever played indie games finally discovering some gems on the Switch and preferring those, again, because it's portable but can also be played on a TV.

People are even willing to pay inflated prices for portability, that's how much it's important for some people, that, and not everyone has played every game and the Switch seems to incentive people into branching out and trying indie games or games in genres they normally wouldn't try, i even see some niche genres getting more and more games on Switch like shumps that has been getting a lot of ports and games in that genre for it, Rolling Gunner will even have a digital version on Switch and nowhere else which is quite suprising!
 

Codes 208

Member
As compared to who exactly? Sony has a bit of larger lineup of known exclusives and Microsoft has, shocker, two expected and crackdown 3.

I half suspect this year could just be a repeat of last year (unless Metroid trilogy and snes VC is true and in which case it’s automatically better) with the heavy hitters like Pokémon gen 8 near holidays.

Plus I still play games like botw, Mario kart 8 and smash daily and yoshis crafted world comes out in two months so it’s not like I’m regretting my two year old system.
 

meirl

Banned
You know what’s funny, every now in then we get this stupid MICROSOFT/NINTENDO IS DOOOOMED Thread. But we never get one for Sony. It’s most of the time Microsoft. And now even Nintendo.

It’s getting ridiculous.
 

Spukc

always chasing the next thrill
You know what’s funny, every now in then we get this stupid MICROSOFT/NINTENDO IS DOOOOMED Thread. But we never get one for Sony. It’s most of the time Microsoft. And now even Nintendo.

It’s getting ridiculous.
Its a plastic box get over it
You are still allowed to enjoy yours
 

ThatGamingDude

I am a virgin
Bunch of bad news for Nintendo already and this is only January:

- Will not meet 20m sales target, stocks likely to drop

- Metroid Prime 4 started from scratch and only started development recently, when it’s supposed to come out this year

- No news whatsoever for Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Supposed to be out last year

- No Direct this month which was long overdue. Even in January last year there was a Direct and hype early and we all know last year lineup was poor. This year doesn’t look any better and absolutely barebone first half again

- MK11 Switch version delayed in Europe. Song of Memories, WWE 2k19 etc. Switch versions cancelled. Third party relationship continued to be awful

- Nintendo’s head of partner management joins Microsoft. Keep losing people left and right

- Nintendo president hints company may stop making games console in the future in a recent interview

Can this year get even worse for Nintendo fans?? We still have 11 months to find out!
Sources and data pl0x; also what analytic methods you used.

Shit console. Worth it for Zelda and nothing else.

Nintendo has been pulling the same crap for years. Diehard Nintendo fans will never admit it though. They’ll still buy SMB3 for the eighth time.
Hey man if the console ain't your thang don't grab it; are you going to tell someone they have a shit burger because it's not made with the same lean percentage ground beef you like?

I’ve owned every Nintendo system released in North America and what exactly is wrong with what I said. The only time I remember some kickass third party support was Capcom on the GameCube.

Indie games are great but they are also the same games released everywhere else.

There must be something fundamentally wrong with Nintendo’s relationship with third parties and I’ve heard the same song and dance from Nintendo since the N64 20 years ago. My point is why does anyone care at this point and who actually believed it would be different on the switch?

The Switch is what it is; a Nintendo console with Nintendo games and lackluster third party support, same as the last 4 systems.
Lackluster third party support? Can you provide direct factual evidence of this?

Not pointing at you in particular, but in this thread it's either "They have just a bunch of indie trash!" or "They have lackluster third party support!"

I don't understand how you can have a bunch of indie trash, but have lackluster third party support.

As we learned from Breath of the Wild Nintendo will delay for as long as needed to make a quality game, public opinion be damned. I'm not too worried so far I'm most excited for Luigi's Mansion 3, Fire Emblem (whenever that comes out) and the new Yoshi game actually caught my eye.

The real travesty and a missed opportunity Nintendo really needs to work on is the online service, the new releases are staggered at best, they have a huge backlog of amazing first party games waiting to be unleashed (across multiple generations) and theres no movement, no communication while we wait for updates, new announcements or a Direct.

So far I'm not seeing the pay off of them not releasing an N64 Classic vs. working on the online service. As a die hard Nintendo guy I'll admit at this point I am disappointed with the online service in specific the retro game lineup, it shouldnt be this complicated. The Wii Shop Channel flipped me better shit in 2008 :messenger_winking_tongue:
Essentially this; though it's been speculated the reason why they shy away from online is because they can't control the experience as much. They're more of a family company, and they're trying to figure out a way to give the hardcore online services without allowing dumb person A to say a bunch of unarguable bad stuff.
Might be in direct contradiction of one another, I dunno.

It's better than recent gens, but compare the third party games from key studios like Activision, EA, UBI, Rockstar, Konami etc..... and Switch has hardly any of them.
Yeah you can TOTALLY keep Activision and EA and your horrendous abuse of microtransactions.

Ubisoft developed a game WITH Ninty, Mario Rabbids.

Also, the XBONE and PS4 both came out on in 2013 (Man that makes me feel old), while the Switch released in 2017; late to the party, yes, but even if you're late to the party all you have to do is catch up to have a good time! Take some shots and do a beer bong!

I don't think too many publishers and their employees from 25 years ago care about Nintendo tactics back then. Most of the employees probably don't even work at the third party company anymore or got out of gaming. 25 years ago is a long time. Lots of game studios didn't even make games for consoles back then, especially any game studio that is PC focused.

To me, it's all about system power. But Nintendo systems lately are so underpowered, it doesn't seem like devs care about doing a port. And gamers don't seem to care anyway and focus on first party titles. Unlike MS and Sony who crave a full ecosystem of everything, Nintendo seems happy with it's first party gaming focus.
Well I mean, you just said it yourself right there, "I like a product that has power," that's you. The average consumer isn't going to sit down and say to themselves "Ugh! The Switch has a Tegra processor over x86-x64 architecture? Perish the thought!" or think "Man this thing only has 8GB of RAM?! Dude my XBONE has more!"
Nawh dude, they're gonna wanna get the thing they want and just have it play the games they want; if everyone was absolutely concerned about power, they'd be on a PC because PC can out perform a console most of the time, as long as the game is optimized correctly.

Yeah, being able to sell multiple consoles and not have to rely on contracts and third parties would make me damn well happy too. Bring everything in house and don't deal with other companies unless you have to, saves money.


It was my understanding that this already happened. The Switch isn't a real next gen console. It's just a handheld that you can plug into a TV. The Switch is more of a successor to the 3DS than a real console.
Weirdly enough it was marketed as a handheld in other territories, and mainly as a console with portable features in the western market.

Saying it's not a "real next gen console," is false; it is a next generation console, it's just a different product targeted at a different demographic.

Small sample size, but I have 3 couples with whom I am close friends with, they own PS4/XBONES but never really played a bunch of games with their kids or anything until they got a Switch; they're just waiting for a more appropriate age to let them play those more hardcore games, but have less of a worry with the Switch and online. As far as a family device they've mentioned that they should have picked one up sooner.

Nice troll thread but it got people talking at least haha
>Thinks the same thing
>OPs profile is hidden
300px-All_Right_Then%2C_Keep_Your_Secrets.jpg
 
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Yagami_Sama

Member
I don't to sound rude but, really ? I don't see that as problem. Metroid Prime 4, restarting the developing was bad, but nothing the freak and run to the hills. Fire Emblem should be released this year, so I believe is matter of wait for a released date.

No Directs this month ? Okay, things like this happen, we never know when a Direct will be presented. No Direct this month was only bad for insiders, I guess ?

And man, who knows about the future. Microsoft could Drop the hardware business too and focus on Streaming and things like. Nothing to be concerned now.

And you could have added that Mario Kart for mobile was delayed is a sign of doom too, and could have made the stocks drops.

And their 20 million forecast was too bold. Maybe they saw that, they were not able to recover the "weak" of the first quarter of 2018 and decide to go safe now, and maybe a have a chance to over perform and hitting like 18-19 million. And a lot of people was not believing that they will reach the 20kk forecast.
 

HotPocket69

Banned
Sources and data pl0x; also what analytic methods you used.
Hey man if the console ain't your thang don't grab it; are you going to tell someone they have a shit burger because it's not made with the same lean percentage ground beef you like?

Ive owned a Switch since the night it released. Its been collecting dust since I finished that Zelda DLC. The system sucks. I'd rather own an Xbox.
 

ThatGamingDude

I am a virgin
Ive owned a Switch since the night it released. Its been collecting dust since I finished that Zelda DLC. The system sucks. I'd rather own an Xbox.
That's an opinion, not a fact.
While you're entitled to your opinion and I respect that you don't like the system, it does not suck. "The system sucks," is no more than an opinion, not fact.

I would recommend modding it if it's sitting around collecting dust; in my experience it not only accents the actual flaws of the system (No Virtual Console out of the gate, save file management, online, custom themes, etc) but makes it a widely more enjoyable experience. RetroArch to me is absolutely perfect on the Switch.

Yes, the "I have to mod it to make it more enjoyable," is not the greatest of things, especially if you're inexperienced with modding, however people who are passionate about their possessions make modifications to them all the time, so it just depends on if it's your cup of tea or not.

EDIT: The reason why I mod my stuff is because I like to tinker and try to get as much out of my money as possible, though I do understand that in certain aspects and maybe by a wide margin that I am in the minority group of modding my stuff versus the majority group keeping it stock.
 
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I still have yet to pick up Xeno 2, Hyrule/FE Warriors, Smash Ultimate, and Civ VI. I'm already drowning in the 30+ games I own for the system.

Switch owners are gonna be fine this year.

This reminds me of the Wii/DS years, when Nintendo fans were too busy enjoying themselves to notice the haters rapping the windows and demanding that Wii/DS owners understand that they were headed for yet another terrible year.
 

db1416

Member
Ive owned a Switch since the night it released. Its been collecting dust since I finished that Zelda DLC. The system sucks. I'd rather own an Xbox.
The Switch doesn’t suck, it’s just not for you. I’ll buy yours off you if it’s so worthless to you, how does 150$ sound?
 

StormCell

Member
I feel like this year is already better than last year. I at least have some games preordered that are releasing before June, and at least I feel like I know what's coming for the holidays (Luigi's Mansion, Pokemon, Animal Crossing) even without a direct. Without any additional announcements, Nintendo is going to obliterate the holidays again.
 

HotPocket69

Banned
Don't like it
Don't want to sell it

Man you're ripe for modding the thing! PM me if you want some deets lol.

I would if I owned a PC. Thanks though. I modded my Wii with Homebrew so I could play Xenoblade, Disaster Day of Crisis and Last Story back in the day before they got a US release (aside from Disaster). Good times.
 
D

Deleted member 738976

Unconfirmed Member
Only bought 5 games on the Switch in January. Nintendo needs to step it up.
"Only 5"
Why not play those instead of asking for more? Unless you're really good at video games and beat them in a couple hours somehow.
 

Hobbesian

Banned
I have a Switch still in the box from 2 weeks before Christmas due to the Slickdeals promo selling them for 179. I originally purchased it because I thought I wanted to give Smash Ultimate a shot, but after playing it a friend’s I realized I want nothing to do with it. I’ve literally been waiting since then for a Direct to give me some reason to hold onto this thing at least, but it’s starting to look like I need to get rid of it ASAP.
 

#Phonepunk#

Banned
Its all true, as a Nintendo fan my enjoyment is directly related to the company’s market share. I have dozens of games I play and love but without a direct how can I really enjoy any of them?

Since the stock is not doing as good as it could be, I will have a bad time playin Mega Man 11 tonight.

Sad but true
 
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