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Nintendo losing its magic? Or are we just getting old?

I'm 38 and feel that Nintendo has rarely been this consistent with putting out such strong content.

But if you find yourself tiring of cartoon characters in your games, then Nintendo's not going to be your thing.
 
Nintendo hasn't lost its magic... if anything it's going all dumbledore on us. And once they move into the world of glorious HD they will be Gandalf tier; White Gandalf if they have top notch online with Wii U. They need to make an HD chibi-robo, though.
 
No, I've got some pretty conservative tastes and I still think Nintendo delivers to this day.
But I barely finish their games nowadays (aside from Skyward Sword and the first Mario Galaxy), that's just me though. Gaming's got to a point for me where I can be eternally entertained with older titles and short mobile games.

krYlon said:
On internet forums? Most Nintendo fans were disappointed by it and saw it as a sign of Nintendo's deterioration in game design.
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That's news to me. How did they come to that conclusion?
 
Nintendo is actually still rocking it pretty hard and it is shown they are easily capable of making high quality single player games when they want to. They dabbled in some trash (WiiSports, WiiMusic, etc) but all of the core titles generally have sequel worthy changes.
 
outunderthestars said:
The number of people who complain about the controls of Skyward Sword, DKCR, Red Steel, Rayman, etc. The lack of third party support or ports of existing franchises due to the controller is also a negative associated with the clunkiness of the wiimote. Even Nintendo had to try and fix it with motion plus.

How could one NOT say that the wiimote made game controls worse this generation?
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I just wanted to know what games Nintendo made that had bad controls.

I've played just as many, if not more games on the 360 that completely failed in fundamental aspects of what's considered good, responsive controls. So, saying one control method is responsible for the WORST controls this generations is ridiculous.

Unless we're talking about the Kinect, of course.
 
MTMBStudios said:
Nintendo is actually still rocking it pretty hard and it is shown they are easily capable of making high quality single player games when they want to. They dabbled in some trash (WiiSports, WiiMusic, etc) but all of the core titles generally have sequel worthy changes.
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I won't vouch for Wii music but both Wii Sports games are very good.
 
Xenoblade, Skyward Sword and Super Mario Galaxy prove that Nintendo has not lost their magic, but instead that their magic is more powerful than ever.
 
Kaijima said:
I'm 38 and don't think they've lost the magic. I do think adult gamers' modern reaction to them is a mixture of the gamer and Nintendo:

The Gamer: jaded by "blow your face off" AAAA(+AAAAAAA) western productions that games have become, as well as dealing with simple shifting tastes and expectations. Plus the innocence of being a kid with no life pressure, free to simply not worry about "why" you were enjoying a game, or feeling entitled to X in gaming.

Nintendo: struggling to find their place in the gaming world of today and figure out how to make games that simultaneously appeal to everyone from age 8 to age 80. It's always been their strong suite, but it's gotten more difficult as time goes by.

The Mario Galaxy games are their strongest success in that area, front to back, top to bottom. I do think Skyward Sword is another strong game with the caveat of its too-conservative non-configurable interface hand holding. Other Nintendo games these last six years have generally been strong as well. Fannish bickering over which ones are "the best EVAR like the true classics!" misses the point. Their ability to create "Nintendo magic" is generally strong, if not perfectly consistent.

And you can't get around the fact that, as noted with the game player's side of things, adult gamers are exposed to magic eye candy and presentation that affects one's sense of "excitement" and engagement. When Nintendo moves on to Wii U and makes games with comparable presentation to other leading games, I wouldn't be surprised if more people feel enchanted by them once more - the packaging allowing the player to not feel as if they're missing something and thus slide more easily into the meat of the game itself.

Edit:


And then there's-- what? I don't what? Huh? May June July cockatrice rainbow speedcake FUCK
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Really excellent post. I think a combination of factors you describe here are what I am going through.
 
Nintendo are the only company really making big 1 player games that I love like when I was a kid. When I played Super Mario Galaxy 2, I couldn't believe it. It may be my favorite game ever. I am getting old but maybe that is why Nintendo are the only ones I really like anymore. I don't have time or patience to pretend to like Call of Duty like the teenagers do.
 
Can't really say any of the giant pubs/devs gave me anywhere close as many great games as nintendo has over such a long span of time.

Valve would be one.........can't think of another.
 
Mario Galaxy was nothing if not magic. I still have high hopes for Skyward Sword (Largely because I keep hearing bad things about it, just like I hear bad things about Twilight Princess, which I enjoyed a great deal.) DKCR was awesome. They're bringing back KI. They gave me NSMBWII, and FS Anniversary, both of which are great multiplayer games.

Magic never left for me, man.
 
I still love Nintendo's handheld stuff. For me, it all goes back to the Wiimote.

I hate it. I'm not saying it's bad. I understand others like it, and for some games it actually is better than a regular control scheme. But personally I want nothing to do with it. I never have fun with a game when I have to use it, and it actively detracts from my enjoyment of the games. It was fine in Mario Galaxy because of it being understated, but I cannot play Skyward Sword because of it. I lose all interest in it the second I turn it on because of the controls being all wiimote. Which depresses me because I can see how enjoyable it would be, to me, with a normal control scheme.

It's just not for me.
 
How can anyone play Galaxy and not feel it? Playing it the first time was pure magic.
Then there was the Prime trilogy. Then the pure fun that is Epic Yarn. And Xenoblade. Even though I skipped it at first because of the underwhelming DS entry, New Mario Bros. Wii actually had some absolutely brilliant level design.
I also thank Nintendo for EXCIIIITE Trucks. What a great little gem, among others.
 
added_time said:
Nintendo are the only company really making big 1 player games that I love like when I was a kid. When I played Super Mario Galaxy 2, I couldn't believe it. It may be my favorite game ever. I am getting old but maybe that is why Nintendo are the only ones I really like anymore. I don't have time or patience to pretend to like Call of Duty like the teenagers do.
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Why is it that people always seem to set up a comparison with a game and Call of Duty?
Why not compare SMG2 to a game like Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time? Or Little Big Planet?

There are games out there that aren't dudebro shooters. I'm not arguing against SMG2 being one of the best games of all time, but to imply that Nintendo are the only people making a game like SMG is a bit disingenuous.

Kusagari said:
I still love Nintendo's handheld stuff. For me, it all goes back to the Wiimote.

I hate it. I'm not saying it's bad. I understand others like it, and for some games it actually is better than a regular control scheme. But personally I want nothing to do with it. I never have fun with a game when I have to use it, and it actively detracts from my enjoyment of the games. It was fine in Mario Galaxy because of it being understated, but I cannot play Skyward Sword because of it. I lose all interest in it the second I turn it on because of the controls being all wiimote. Which depresses me because I can see how enjoyable it would be, to me, with a normal control scheme.

It's just not for me.
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This is exactly how I feel as well. Nintendo continues to make some of the best games on the planet, but I can't enjoy them because of the controls. :(
 
BruceLeeRoy said:
snip
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I'll be 30 in November, and I haven't finished SMG 2, DKCR, or Skyward Sword, either (I made it to the final dungeon in SS, though, then Dolphin crashed and I haven't gotten back to it), but I think it's that my preferences have changed moreso than the "magic" isn't there. I prefer story driven single-player campaigns, and Mario and DKCR aren't that. I still find them fun, but I can't play them for hours on end like I once could.

Spieler Eins said:
I also thank Nintendo for EXCIIIITE Trucks. What a great little gem, among others.
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It's ExciteBots for me, but holy shit I played the hell out of that when it came out. Great game.
 
Strife91 said:
I think they need to create some new IPs.
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Wholeheartedly agreed. Games nowadays have the tendency to milk franchises dry.

...Alright, I had Nintendo in mind when I was writing that, but they do rely heavily on old franchises. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but new IPs would be a great addition to Nintendo's consoles. Also, (and this is going to sound bat-shit crazy) I think that most new IPs should be on the handheld consoles. Games with lesser budgets so people can take more risks with new projects.

If possible, instead have a Nintendo Indie (or some branch of the main Nintendo company) which deals specifically with IPs. Yeah, I've been watching a lot of Extra Credits.
 
outunderthestars said:
Why is it that people always seem to set up a comparison with a game and Call of Duty?
Why not compare SMG2 to a game like Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time? Or Little Big Planet?

There are games out there that aren't dudebro shooters. I'm not arguing against SMG2 being one of the best games of all time, but to imply that Nintendo are the only people making a game like SMG is a bit disingenuous..
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Probably because COD is actually popular, unlike those other games?
 
This has been nintendo's best generation in terms of content since the 16-bit era. It's also been their most polarizing :-P

Tastes can definitely change though. Their quality of games haven't changed, but neither have their core design principles. Some people say they've made the same game over and over, which is completely false. It's more that their game design philosophy hasn't changed in the last 20 years, and I think some people like the OP might be beginning to find that tedious or have since discovered new preferences.
 
outunderthestars said:
Why is it that people always seem to set up a comparison with a game and Call of Duty?
Why not compare SMG2 to a game like Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time? Or Little Big Planet?

There are games out there that aren't dudebro shooters. I'm not arguing against SMG2 being one of the best games of all time, but to imply that Nintendo are the only people making a game like SMG is a bit disingenuous.
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I picked Call of Duty because it's the most popular game for teenagers and not because it's a dudebro shooter. I figured it was the best game to pick that proves that I'm getting old since I don't like it.
My point was that getting old is probably the reason I prefer Nintendo games which is exactly the opposite of the question in the OP.
 
Agree with OP . I do appreciate nintendo works this gen, enjoyed Mario 3D on my 3DS. But the majic is gone for me.

So basically....



It's not you Nintendo, it's me.
 
The OP seems to be an MGS fanboy judging from his tag, so he'd probably really enjoy Metroid: Other M. They both feature ridiculous over-the-top storylines wrapped around somewhat flawed but ultimately well-designed gameplay.
 
Just getting old. You will never be able to recreate anything that seemed "magical" as a kid. I know I will never feel the excitement I did when I get the colecovision, c64, nes, or snes. And this applies to everything especially events like xmas, your birthday, or even your early sex life.
 
jman2050 said:
Probably because COD is actually popular, unlike those other games?
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Both sold well over a million copies a piece. I would consider that fairly popular for a system that hasn't exactly sold like gangbusters.

added_time said:
I picked Call of Duty because it's the most popular game for teenagers and not because it's a dudebro shooter. I figured it was the best game to pick that proves that I'm getting old since I don't like it.
My point was that getting old is probably the reason I prefer Nintendo games which is exactly the opposite of the question in the OP.
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That makes sense. I failed to pick up on that aspect of your point. :)
 
HyperCubed4 said:
Wholeheartedly agreed. Games nowadays have the tendency to milk franchises dry.

...Alright, I had Nintendo in mind when I was writing that, but they do rely heavily on old franchises. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but new IPs would be a great addition to Nintendo's consoles. Also, (and this is going to sound bat-shit crazy) I think that most new IPs should be on the handheld consoles. Games with lesser budgets so people can take more risks with new projects.

If possible, instead have a Nintendo Indie (or some branch of the main Nintendo company) which deals specifically with IPs. Yeah, I've been watching a lot of Extra Credits.
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I'm willing to bet that Nintendo created more new IP during their Wii & DS years than any developers not named EA or Activision (may be Ubisoft too).
 
I don't know this "we" the thread title refers to. If you want to "grow up" from Nintendo games, then grow up, move on, stop complaining, and let the others have their fun.

Nintendo games were brilliant in the early days too, but they are downright archaic compared to what they've been pulling off recently. There are exceptions to this argument (like Super Mario 64's sense of freedom or Ocarina of Time's flawless presentation), but they are testaments to Nintendo's exceptional philosophies over the years.

The Skyward Sword hate is ridiculous*. Even more ridiculous if you cite the NES, or SNES games as "superior" design.

*This is also proof of the ridiculous standards Nintendo has to answer to. Even if Nintendo makes something utterly mind-blowing, it may never be enough.
 
I thought both SMG games were amazing and had more magic than any of the old NES/SNES Nintendo games I played as a kid.

I think they both destroy Mario 64, although I can understand that people in their early 20s who grew up on the N64 might be blinded by nostaglia on comparing that game to the Galaxy games.

It's definitely there in Skyward Sword at points. I would say the Mario Kart series starting with the DS game definitely has every bit of the magic of the SNES games. Wii Sports /Wii Sports Resort has it too. Punch-Out! is a fairly short game but the Wii version has the magic of the NES version to me.

Xenoblade is amazing and has tons of "magic".
 
I'm 28 and I'm still enjoying playing on Nintendo games. I only play those and indies games. Xbox (except Xbox Live Arcade) and Playstation games mean nothing for me.

However, most of time I think that I have grown up from video games in general.
 
Even if people grow "out" of Nintendo magic, the good thing is... they'll go on to have 1-3 kids that will replace them.
 
outunderthestars said:
The number of people who complain about the controls of Skyward Sword, DKCR, Red Steel, Rayman, etc. The lack of third party support or ports of existing franchises due to the controller is also a negative associated with the clunkiness of the wiimote. Even Nintendo had to try and fix it with motion plus.

How could one NOT say that the wiimote made game controls worse this generation?
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I'm far from a fan of motion controls, but you could say that detractors are more vocal in their dissatisfaction than optimists, which obfuscates your perception. Also, Red Steel and Rayman aren't Nintendo games.
 
HyperCubed4 said:
...Alright, I had Nintendo in mind when I was writing that, but they do rely heavily on old franchises. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but new IPs would be a great addition to Nintendo's consoles. Also, (and this is going to sound bat-shit crazy) I think that most new IPs should be on the handheld consoles. Games with lesser budgets so people can take more risks with new projects.

If possible, instead have a Nintendo Indie (or some branch of the main Nintendo company) which deals specifically with IPs. Yeah, I've been watching a lot of Extra Credits.
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You describe what they've been doing in the last couple of months with Pushmo, Sakura Samurai, Rolling Western... (and even before that, always)

Many people bringing these ,,Nintendo makes no games'', ,,Nintendo never does new IPs'', ,,They only care about soccer moms'' etc. arguments clearly hardly follow what the company is doing on their systems and seemingly don't even care to look beyond the Marios and obviously the Zeldas to bitch about them, lol.
 
MisterHero said:
The Skyward Sword hate is ridiculous*. Even more ridiculous if you cite the NES, or SNES games as "superior" design.

*This is also proof of the ridiculous standards Nintendo has to answer to. Even if Nintendo makes something utterly mind-blowing, it may never be enough.
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So people disliking a game are wrong for doing so? Wow. This is good, even for GAF.
 
A.KU.MU said:
No. Never.
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Sounds like personal preference and that's A-OK.

I'm 28, buy almost every Nintendo game that comes out and I still have a blast with almost all of them. Personally, as a developer, they provide the most consistently awesome gaming memories for me, even today.

Valve has also never really failed me but they rarely put out new games.
 
I'm 31 and Nintendo has been pretty awesome this generation for me, especially after the disaster that was the Gamecube in terms of first party offeringz. Weakest console Mario, mediocre Pokemon game (Gen 3), passable Zelda, though beautiful. Metroid Prime was their biggest standout. Terrible Stafox. F-Zero was amazing but that more of a Sega game anyway.
 
I'm turning 26 in a few months and honestly I'm enjoying them even more.

Can't put me finger on it, it's a combination of factors.
 
I think your mistake might have been trying to re-make an old magic moment. I'm 30, and I still have lots of fun with games - the games are different, and the circumstances are different, but the joy is still there.

I can't comment on "Nintendo losing their magic", but I don't think it's an age thing. I just don't think you can force magic moments to happen. Some of the most fun I have is when I sit down not expecting much, and lose myself in a game that I wasn't expecting to be that amazing.
 
SMG1 and 2 are the best games I've ever played and Mother 3 was a revelation, but other than I think their games are slightly less well designed than they used to be, nothing else Nintendo-developed lately stands out as a masterpiece to me, though they're still pure quality. The Zelda magic especially seems to have diminished a bit. Retro is a big help though, DKCR was incredible.
 
HyperCubed4 said:
...Alright, I had Nintendo in mind when I was writing that, but they do rely heavily on old franchises. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but new IPs would be a great addition to Nintendo's consoles. Also, (and this is going to sound bat-shit crazy) I think that most new IPs should be on the handheld consoles. Games with lesser budgets so people can take more risks with new projects.
Click to expand...

This gen, Nintendo probably made more new IP than on the GameCube and N64 eras. From the Wii series, Xenoblade, The last Story, Disaster : day of Crisis, Fluidity on Wiiware, all those are new IP from Nintendo.
 
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