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[Linkstrikesback]

I'd say this depends on what we're talking about, the NSMB series isn't really well produced in comparison to Yoshi (in that the art/music design absolutely obliterate NSMB) but Mario 3D World is fantastic, as is DK but the graphics in that are also mediocre. Obviously graphics are only a piece of the puzzle but a lot of Nintendo games this gen felt half baked in the overall budget sense, it's nice that Yoshi does not feel this way.

For Rayman.. Legends wasn't very good in comparison to Yoshi i'd say, Yoshi is easily an 8 or greater game if you actually enjoy the design it's going for, you can tell a lot of love and thought went into the game and the co op is really fun most of the time.

Rayman Origins was great though, but legends is way too gimmicky to hold a candle against Yoshi i'd say.

I probably got the best case scenario with Rayman. Playing it with a younger person who actually enjoys the pointless touch screen/gyro stuff, asI never had to deal with it, and just got to enjoy the strong platforming side.

I know yoshi looks amazing, I certainly wouldn't disagree there, but the collectables crap which is at the core of the game is something fundamental to the game. A few things is OK, but they always go too far for my liking in Yoshi games.

Umm. Why won't we count a game which is good? Wooly World is one of the best Yoshi game after quite some time, Not only it is rewarding to collect things, it also had difficulties to back up the game.

And you counting only Wii U is already wrong here. After all, this thread is about Nintendo which means that we should also count 3DS there and there are quite a number of must own game there for sure.

Stretchmo, Box Boy, Majora Mask, Inazuma Eleven, LBX, Yokai Watch is all great game which people should give attention for sure.

Well... for 3DS the only Nintendo published game I bought this entire year, played enough and enjoyed was Majoras Mask, which was great. Now, I'm expecting Triforce heroes as a christmas present, and Mario & Luigi is out soon, which is probably going to be solid. But so far, again, the only Nintendo published game I can recommend so far is Majora, which is a port of an old N64 game. I got codename steam during one of the bargain bin sales but then never touched it. And I can't actually think of another Nintendo published 3DS game from this year, so even if I'm missing something, I guess I didn't enjoy it.

 

[TheBaldEmperor]

Probably depends on if you like platformers, as a whole I don't. Especially on the Wii U where there are a stupid amount of them.

Yeah if you don't like platformers I get that. It is a great one if you are into them and it didn't take a couple worlds to present a challenge like some others do. This one sits near the top of the pile for platformers on the system.

 

[entremet]

They're obviously getting ready for NX. Also Xenoblade X hasn't been reviewed yet, OP.

Jumping the gun here.

Although it won't make much of a difference.

 

[outunderthestars]

Wow, so many salty Nintendo fans in here.

I don't think many would argue that this has not been one of the worst years of collective output for Nintendo. They have clearly moved on and are transitioning to their new platform/platforms.

OP thanks for the numbers.

 

[tenderbrew]

Compared to Sony and Microsoft, Nintnedo killed them from a publisher standpoint again this year. Pretty much every year for the last 5+ years.

Not even Sony and Microsoft, let's compare them to EA this year. Hardline, Battlefront, some sports games, and the Need for Speed reboot.

Ubi: Grow Home, Syndicate, HOMM7, Toy Soldiers War Chest, Trackmania Turbo, Just Dance Disney Party 2.

Activision Blizzard: BLOPS3, Superchargers, Taken King, Guitar Hero Live, Tony Hawk 5, Heroes of the Storm, Kings Quest.

It's a tough argument to make that Nintendo's output is less than most publishers.

 

[higgsboson1997]

Feels like splatoon is the only game i have been playing from them in a while.

You should play Super Mario Maker and Yoshi's Woolly World. Those are amazing.

 

[Celine]

It wasn't the best year for Nintendo output yet this year still saw the release of Yoshi's Wolly World, Splatoon, Mario Maker and Xenoblade Chronicles X (Captain Toad too if you are in Europe like me) all of which are mighty fine games.

 

[Gotdatmoney]

Probably depends on if you like platformers, as a whole I don't. Especially on the Wii U where there are a stupid amount of them.

There is no reason to bring up this not worth full price talk into a conversation about publisher score. There are a lot of shooters on X1 and PS4, is battle front now not worth full price either since it has a lower metacritic average than Yoshi? If you wanna argue about publishing year the discussion should stick to that and not "oh not worth it even though I didnt play it" shouldn't it? If you're actually serious about discussion that is.

 

[opticalmace]

They're obviously getting ready for NX. Also Xenoblade X hasn't been reviewed yet, OP.

Jumping the gun here.

Although it won't make much of a difference.

He/she addressed this in the OP.

 

[Chronoman]

Not even Sony and Microsoft, let's compare them to EA this year. Hardline, Battlefront, some sports games, and the Need for Speed reboot.

Ubi: Grow Home, Syndicate, HOMM7, Toy Soldiers War Chest, Trackmania Turbo, Just Dance Disney Party 2.

Activision Blizzard: BLOPS3, Superchargers, Taken King, Guitar Hero Live, Tony Hawk 5, Heroes of the Storm, Kings Quest.

It's a tough argument to make that Nintendo's output is less than most publishers.

It would be different if Nintendo only had bad games this year.

They had 3 GOTY contenders, 5+ other very good games, a few average ones, and a few bad ones.

 

[Ansatz]

I know yoshi looks amazing, I certainly wouldn't disagree there, but the collectables crap which is at the core of the game is something fundamental to the game. A few things is OK, but they always go too far for my liking in Yoshi games.

Well if you're only interested in playing pure obstacle course platformers then Yoshi isn't for you. But there's collectibles and there's cleverly hidden secrets that often revolve around a cool mechanic. There's a difference between casually laying there and being involved in some type of puzzle/challenge. If you are a fan of game design in general, Woolly World got some awesome ideas. It's a more slow paced, exploration type of platformer.

 

[higgsboson1997]

Probably depends on if you like platformers, as a whole I don't. Especially on the Wii U where there are a stupid amount of them.

I don't get your last line.

If a console has a lot of a certain type of game, are you saying that you like each subsequent one of that genre less on that console, but would like those games more if released on something else?

 

[-MB-]

Probably depends on if you like platformers, as a whole I don't. Especially on the Wii U where there are a stupid amount of them.

That certainly explains your love for LBP then.

 

[TI82]

Alright did it for you, don't really do spreadsheets only did this for formatting.

STDev of titles per year: 5.125692858
Total score: 471.1272362
Average: 4.702300017

Yeah if you don't like platformers I get that. It is a great one if you are into them and it didn't take a couple worlds to present a challenge like some others do. This one sits near the top of the pile for platformers on the system.

Yeah, it's not that I don't like them I'm just not super into them especially with how theres waaaay too many on the Wii U

Wow, so many salty Nintendo fans in here.

I don't think many would argue that this has not been one of the worst years of collective output for Nintendo. They have clearly moved on and are transitioning to their new platform/platforms.

OP that ka for the numbers.

No problem, and yeah people are just upset but it's fine. Started some good conversations too.

 

[tenderbrew]

Most individual publishers, sure. But people who play primarily PS or XB get to play the combined efforts of many different publishers, rather than just one. Nintendo essentially needs to make better games than Naughty Dog, From, Bungie, CDPR, Kojima, Bethesda, Blizzard, etc combined, and they need to do it all by themselves (they have gotten a bit of help from Platinum this gen too). No matter how great they are, that's just not possible.

Most years Nintendo deserves a lot of credit (not this year though), but credit only gets you so far.

You are correct. I never argued otherwise as the discussion has been purely around qualitative output of published games. A weak year for Nintendo is obviously more telling on a platform that they are the primary and nearly only publisher for.

 

[Deku Tree]

Didn't read the whole thread, but I think you need to look at the trend and review scores overall in general. My gut instinct is the review scores of all video game titles on average have gone down quite a lot. Nintendo is just trending the same as everyone else

 

[entremet]

He/she addressed this in the OP.

I know.

The thread would've made more sense published after XX was reviewed. It's Nintendo big holiday release.

 

[Oersted]

He/she addressed this in the OP.

There is a difference between mentioning and ackknowledgement. He mentions the reality and just keeps on going regardless.

 

[opticalmace]

Yeah, it's not that I don't like them I'm just not super into them especially with how theres waaaay too many on the Wii U



No problem, and yeah people are just upset but it's fine. Started some good conversations too.

I was thinking more like the standard deviation on the mean score for each year, but it's no biggie. It would be interesting to see the data itself if you wanted to link to the spreadsheet. I think you can make it read only.

 

[opticalmace]

I know.

The thread would've made more sense published after XX was reviewed. It's Nintendo big holiday release.

But he also computed the average assuming a 90% metacritic for XX and it didn't really change anything?

 

[outunderthestars]

I know.

The thread would've made more sense published after XX was reviewed. It's Nintendo big holiday release.

Not sure if I would call Xenoblade a big release.

 

[NotLiquid]

The closest year I can compare Nintendo's 2015 to is 2011, where the Wii was coming off of the incredible high of 2010 and had very little to cover throughout the year that they were setting up the 3DS for. The 3DS' first half of the year launched incredibly poorly and it wasn't until the price cuts, ambassador programs and the 3D Land / Kart 7 combo that it started to see traction near the end of the year. Not only that but the end of the year finally saw Skyward Sword serving as the Wii's final hurrah, along with Kirby's Return to Dreamland. The former in particular was easily one of the main reasons why their rankings that year was bolstered in average.

It's very clear that 2015 was supposed to mirror 2011 in a way with a more solid release schedule that got set back because of the Star Fox and Zelda delays, and I'd argue 2015 for Nintendo was a much better year than 2011 in spite of not having at least one universal 10/10 game. It's basically the same argument of third parties mattering just as much as first party titles, as the consistent output can still help carry a platform.

 

[TI82]

I was thinking more like the standard deviation on the mean score for each year, but it's no biggie. It would be interesting to see the data itself if you wanted to link to the spreadsheet. I think you can make it read only.

Yeah the spreadsheet is literally what I posted a pic of but I can link you


https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hgyAcpkg8UmXfueMAFeuwSD_YJewCTyLg-MB_CZdMCk/edit?usp=sharing

 

[Gotdatmoney]

No problem, and yeah people are just upset but it's fine. Started some good conversations too.

Most people arent actually being salty. There is a lot of legitimate points being made that people are glossing over.

For example. If you look at other major publishers is this year in general a down for review scores? That could indicate that scores this year as a whole were down and not strictly a nintendo effect. Are publisher scores in anyway linked to hardware launches? Do certain genres historically score lower? For example if a publisher released a lot of puzzle games and puzzle games never reach past 85 than their scores are more related to genre and not necessarily quality. There are tons of factors that are being discussed.

 

[King_Moc]

Well, yeah, they've mostly been knocking out half assed games as their main teams are clearly making games for the new console.

 

[opticalmace]

Yeah the spreadsheet is literally what I posted a pic of but I can link you


https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hgyAcpkg8UmXfueMAFeuwSD_YJewCTyLg-MB_CZdMCk/edit?usp=sharing

Oh I see. I thought maybe you had a list of games for each year or something, but that would be a lot of work.

There must be some site out there that scrapes/crawls metacritic (whatever the appropriate verb is) and compiles some statistics. Or if not maybe someone should do that, would be kind of neat.

 

[entremet]

Not sure if I would call Xenoblade a big release.

For Nintendo and the Wii U this year, sure. If only by elimination lol.

 

[TI82]

Oh I see. I thought maybe you had a list of games for each year or something, but that would be a lot of work.

There must be some site out there that scrapes/crawls metacritic (whatever the appropriate verb is) and compiles some statistics. Or if not maybe someone should do that, would be kind of neat.

Yeah no like I said just for formatting. I tried to use that new site OpenCritic thinking it would do what you just said but unfortunately not.

 

[higgsboson1997]

The closest year I can compare Nintendo's 2015 to is 2011, where the Wii was coming off of the incredible high of 2010 and had very little to cover throughout the year that they were setting up the 3DS for. The 3DS' first half of the year launched incredibly poorly and it wasn't until the price cuts, ambassador programs and the 3D Land / Kart 7 combo that it started to see traction near the end of the year. Not only that but the end of the year finally saw Skyward Sword serving as the Wii's final hurrah, along with Kirby's Return to Dreamland. The former in particular was easily one of the main reasons why their output that year was bolstered in average.

It's very clear that 2015 was supposed to mirror 2011 in a way, and I'd argue 2015 for Nintendo was a much better year than 2011 in spite of not having at least one universal 10/10 game. It's basically the same argument of third parties mattering just as much as first party titles, as the consistent output can still help carry a platform.

Yeah, those games are good, but I'd argue that Nintendo's releases this year were a lot better than the releases in 2011 and 2012. Those years weren't too hot - I think this year may look a little worse in comparison just because the last 2 years were so stellar. And Yoshi and Splatoon deserved much higher scores than they got

 

[outunderthestars]

For Nintendo and the Wii U this year, sure. If only by elimination lol.

True.

 

[entremet]

But he also computed the average assuming a 90% metacritic for XX and it didn't really change anything?

I know. I'm just talking about timing for the thread.

I think it's a good thread personally, mostly because it's a barometer that their big development teams are moving on to NX and that they obviously put out some stinkers--Mario Tennis and Animal Crossing that killed the average.

 

[Blackleg-sanji1]

I still can't begin to comprehend why they went into a holiday season with mario tennis and amiibo festival(super mario maker if you want to start from August and September like aaron Greenberg...hehe)

 

[TI82]

I know. I'm just talking about timing for the thread.

I think it's a good thread personally, mostly because it's a barometer that their big development teams are moving on to NX and that they obviously put out some stinkers--Mario Tennis and Animal Crossing that killed the average.

Thank you!

 

[Ansatz]

Well, yeah, they've mostly been knocking out half assed games as their main teams are clearly making games for the new console.

Which are those main teams?

3D Mario
2D Mario
Retro Studios
Mario Kart 9
Pikmin 4
Animal Crossing

We can expect these not too long after NX launches.

Monolith Soft and the Zelda team are obviously years from releasing their first NX game. Platinum is doing Star Fox Zero and Scalebound, I guess it's possible we might get Bayo 3 or something.

Can you help me name all those big hitters people talk about? I don't think the 6 I listed will make non Wii U fans change their mindset.

 

[Elios83]

This has been a horrible year for Nintendo all around.
We have lost Iwata, their current products on the market are not doing well and even their software lineup is disappointing because they're moving all their resources on NX.
It's a bit like 2003 although Wii U and 3DS are doing worse than GC and GBA.
Who knows if they'll rise to heaven again with NX

 

[Chronoman]

This has been a horrible year for Nintendo all around.
We have lost Iwata, their current products on the market are not doing well and even their software lineup is disappointing because they're moving all their resources on NX.
It's a bit like 2003 although Wii U and 3DS are doing worse than GC and GBA.
Who knows if they'll rise to heaven again with NX

They had 3 GOTY contenders this year. Relax lol

 

[NotLiquid]

I still can't begin to comprehend why they went into a holiday season with mario tennis and amiibo festival(super mario maker if you want to start from August and September like aaron Greenberg...hehe)

Because Star Fox Zero and Zelda were supposed to be the holiday season titles. (Un)fortunately Nintendo knew better than to release half baked titles before they're due. Shit happens in game development.

I get the feeling that if both of those titles were slated to be on time, at least Mario Tennis would have seen a delay. The amount of non-content in that game is rather baffling. On the upside if you're one of many people who still play Smash Bros and Splatoon to this day, Nintendo have managed to make compelling cases for the extended lifetime of both of those titles. That's about the best they could do at this juncture.

 

[Kathian]

This is being driven down by certain releases than all releases tbf

 

[Blackleg-sanji1]

They had 3 GOTY contenders this year. Relax lol

Splatoon,mario maker(maybe) nd?

 

[iconoclast]

I thought Nintendo had a great 2013, a good 2014, and a n/a 2015. They aren't releasing a single game I want to play this year, aside from Devil's Third. Yeesh.

 

[Percy]

Yeah, it has not been one of Ninty's better years, that's for sure. Mario Maker is great, Splatoon's good and I'm excited about XCX, but when you compare this year to last, with the likes of Mario Kart 8, Bayonetta 2 and Smash Bros there was really no way 2015 as it stands isn't going to end up being a disappointment in comparison.

 

[DEAD RABBIT]

Standard deviation & sample size or bust.

 

[entremet]

This has been a horrible year for Nintendo all around.
We have lost Iwata, their current products on the market are not doing well and even their software lineup is disappointing because they're moving all their resources on NX.
It's a bit like 2003 although Wii U and 3DS are doing worse than GC and GBA.
Who knows if they'll rise to heaven again with NX

It's been a bad year, I agree but we got some great games as well.

Honestly, the way Nintendo has been supporting an absolutely failed system like the Wii U has been impressive.

I'm pretty excited next year as a RPG fan for the 3DS.

I still can't believe Mario Tennis was so barebones. I'm hoping for some free DLC. But I'm not holding my breathe.

Another thing, the Wii U failing as it did also probably made projects get shuffled to the NX.

The Wii U didn't get a full Animal Crossing or Metroid game.

 

[Blackleg-sanji1]

Because Star Fox Zero and Zelda were supposed to be the holiday season titles. (Un)fortunately Nintendo knew better than to release half baked titles before they're due. Shit happens in game development.

I get the feeling that if both of those titles were slated to be on time, at least Mario Tennis would have seen a delay. The amount of non-content in that game is rather baffling. On the upside if you're one of many people who still play Smash Bros and Splatoon to this day, Nintendo have managed to make compelling cases for the extended lifetime of both of those titles. That's about the best they could do at this juncture.

Lol um these two statements dont really go together very well

 

[jariw]

I know yoshi looks amazing, I certainly wouldn't disagree there, but the collectables crap which is at the core of the game is something fundamental to the game. A few things is OK, but they always go too far for my liking in Yoshi games.

The only collectibles required to play everything in Yoshi's Woolly World are the flowers, and you don't even need to collect all flowers in one run. All other collectibles are entirely optional.

 

[sörine]

Average Scores 2015
Nintendo: 69.89 (27 games)
Sony: 76.06 (16 games)
Microsoft: 80.82 (11 games)


Unscored 2015 games:

Nintendo
amiibo Tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits (Wii U)
EarthBound Beginnings (Wii U)
Flipnote Studio 3D (3DS)
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam (3DS)
Nintendo Badge Arcade (3DS)
Nintendo Presents New Style Boutique 2: Fashion Forward (3DS)
Pokémon Shuffle (iOS)
Super Pokémon Mystery Dungeon (3DS)
Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U)

Sony
Beyond: Two Souls (PS4)
Fat Princess: Piece of Cake (Vita)
Hardware: Rivals (PS4)
Hustle Kings (PS4)
Helldivers (PS3)
Helldivers (Vita)
Journey: Collector's Edition (PS4)
MLB 15: The Show (PS3)
MLB 15: The Show (Vita)
Run Sackboy! Run! (Vita)

Microsoft
Happy Wars (One)
Halo: Spartan Assault (iOS)
Screamride (360)
Squid Hero for Kinect (One)
State of Decay: Year One Survival Edition (PC)

 

[Greddleok]

Splatoon,mario maker(maybe) nd?

Splatoon, Mario Maker, Monster Hunter 4U, Xenoblade. I'll certainly be voting for the 1st 3, and I'm sure a bunch of people will love Xenoblade.

 

[NotLiquid]

Lol um these two statements dont really go together very well

If the choice is between releasing one spin off in a bare minimum condition in favor of making two of their final and most anticipated games on the console the best they possibly can, or rushing those two games to the market while delaying a game that isn't bound to make remotely as big of a splash, something's gotta give.

That's why I said Ultra Tennis would probably have seen a delay if it weren't for SF and Zelda not being on schedule. You can't win them all, but Nintendo at least knows which titles to prioritize.

 

[TI82]

Average Scores 2015
Nintendo: 69.89 (27 games)
Sony: 76.06 (16 games)
Microsoft: 80.82 (11 games)


Unscored 2015 games:

Nintendo
amiibo Tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits (Wii U)
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam (3DS)
Nintendo Badge Arcade (3DS)
Nintendo Presents New Style Boutique 2: Fashion Forward (3DS)
Pokémon Shuffle (iOS)
Super Pokémon Mystery Dungeon (3DS)
Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U)

Sony
Beyond: Two Souls (PS4)
Fat Princess: Piece of Cake (Vita)
Hardware: Rivals (PS4)
Hustle Kings (PS4)
Helldivers (PS3)
Helldivers (Vita)
Journey: Collector's Edition (PS4)
MLB 15: The Show (PS3)
MLB 15: The Show (Vita)
Run Sackboy! Run! (Vita)

Microsoft
Happy Wars (One)
Halo: Spartan Assault (iOS)
Screamride (360)
Squid Hero for Kinect (One)
State of Decay: Year One Survival Edition (PC)

Very nice, those four really poor games did drag Nintendo down low.

 

[jackal27]

Eh, they've also had a really slow year. I think it'll all pick up again in 2016.