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What makes nintendo franchises so strong?

It's funny how this topic led to fanboy wars so easily.

Still, I wonder if people realize how much the notion that Nintendo thrives due to both "nostalgia" and appealing to "teh kiddies" makes no sense. So it's just nostalgia? Even though they also appeal to the kids who weren't even alive when those old games came out? Also, nostalgia's got me buying new games? That's not how it works. If nostalgia was really in play I'd just play their old games over and over again.

As for "fanboyism", that should just be bannable at this point, it's so stupid. Yes, the only reason people buy Nintendo games is because they're fanboys. Millions and millions of fanboys. And it's not for any reason in particular, they just decided at random to become fanboys of this company over another. Makes sense.

Actually, that brings me to another point: "It's because they've been popular for a long time". That makes very little sense, too. What else was popular back when Nintendo was establishing itself? Sega? Atari? Where are they now?

No brand is going to be nourished by consumers just because "they've been around for a long time". It makes it easier for the company to gain mindshare with the public, but if there was no quality to back it up they would soon be discarded.

As for why I personally believe their franchises thrive, I would put it on their ability to identify what a certain market wants and focusing on appealing to those people enough to generate sales while allowing them to avoid altering their franchises too much. This is balanced, however, with constant innovation in gameplay concepts, enough that each product can really be called its own. This balance is most easily seen in the Mario series. Those who say the series has been the same forever, can you really say with a straight face that 64, Sunshine, Galaxy, NSMBW and SM3DL are the same game? Not if you've played them.

You personally might not consider the changes to be enough to warrant buying it, but if you can't see why someone would see these games as different then there's really nothing I can do for you.

Polish is also an integral factor to their success. If their games were not consistently solid from a technical standpoint every other reason for their success would falter. No one's going to buy a broken game just for nostalgia's sake, or even due to innovation. Nintendo's reputation for providing consumers with satisfying gameplay experiences makes considering their products a safe choice in the eyes of many consumers.
 
A lot of this forum needs to grow up, myself included.
Actually what happens if we play multiple companies consoles? is it like an inner tug of war with my child side desperately clinging to the past refusing to grow up with me and move onto the green pastures of Maturity? how can I unshackle myself from these bonds of Nintendo and finally grow?

From where I stand, maturity is a cold, brutal and unforgiving wasteland of shattered dreams and expectations :P

But seriously, I think some people here in this forum would definitely mature a little if they could just realize one simple truth: you can be all 'growed up' AND STILL love Nintendo. Maturity and Nintendo are not mutually exclusive.
 
I doubt Naughty Dog will post here and refute me.

So, why don't you tell me what you consider 'creative' about Uncharted?

I consider the set pieces to be pretty damn creative; first thing that popped in my head. I would really enjoy to hear you ask that question to the creative director though as I am sure they wouldn't say "Well, I didn't really do much creatively with this game but Nintendo; they do creative like nobody else."
 
1. They have been around for 20+ years at consistently high quality
2. They are built around appealing gameplay concepts
3. They appeal to all ages

This is fact. Plus I rather Nintendo be the face of gaming they have been around the longest and have been successful the industry isn't that old, and Nintendo has been around for the bulk of it. They are the "Disney" of gaming, whats to hate?
 
Consistency, familiarity, quality (in most cases) and pushing multiple versions of each franchise for more awareness.
 
I consider the set pieces to be pretty damn creative; first thing that popped in my head. I would really enjoy to hear you ask that question to the creative director though as I am sure they wouldn't say "Well, I didn't really do much creatively with this game but Nintendo; they do creative like nobody else."

many developers hold nintendo in very high regard.

oh, and obligatory Gears of Indiana Raider
 
I would really enjoy to hear you ask that question to the creative director though as I am sure they wouldn't say "Well, I didn't really do much creatively with this game but Nintendo; they do creative like nobody else."
Oh yeah, like the guy who worked on the game is just going to disparage it like that. Wouldn't he have a bias?
Wait... are YOU the creative director for Uncharted?

EDIT:
Have you ever played a shooter on the Wii? If so, you would rather play it with the Wii wand than a traditional controller?
Yes.
 
You can't go wrong with Shakespeare. ^^

What has already been said. But: we shouldn't give Nintendo credit for games like Eternal Darkness or Xenoblade, at least not like they developed them themselve. Someone even said Professor Layton, really? (it's made by Level 5)

People credit Microsoft for Gears of War, although it's developed (and the IP is owned) by Epic Games.
And people also credit Sony for Jak & Daxter and Uncharted and Killzone, although developed by Naughty Dog and Guerrilla.

If we only count games that were developed by developers, which are owned by Sony/MS/Nintendo, fine. But then remove Gears of War from the list too.

So your point was?

And for Layton, I posted "I don't know who owns the IP, so no idea if it's okay to list it here". EDIT: After a bit of research: IP seems to be owned by Level-5. Still the games are published and even localized by Nintendo. Which means it's somewhat the same situation as Gears of War minus the localizing part. Which means if you don't count it, then you also can't count Gears.
 
Have you ever played a shooter on the Wii? If so, you would rather play it with the Wii wand than a traditional controller?

I thought this was the consensus among many who actually tried it. RE4 Wii Edition is also often considered definite version for a reason.
By the way, you don't have to be jumping and constantly stretching your arm while playing like in the commercials, just to let you know...
 
Have you ever played a shooter on the Wii? If so, you would rather play it with the Wii wand than a traditional controller?

Totally. Play Goldeneye or Blops on Wii and tell me it doesn't control better. Sure, it looks shitty, but controls wise dual analog is not in the same ballpark.
 
People credit Microsoft for Gears of War, although it's developed by Epic Games.
And people also credit Sony for Jak & Daxter and Uncharted and Killzone, although developed by Naughty Dog and Guerrilla.

If we only count games that were developed by developers, which are owned by Sony/MS/Nintendo, fine. But then remove Gears of War from the list too.

So your point was?

And for Layton, I posted "I don't know who owns the IP, so no idea if it's okay to list it here".

Those are Sony first party studios though, so what are you talking about?
 
Have you ever played a shooter on the Wii? If so, you would rather play it with the Wii wand than a traditional controller?

someone didnt play RE:4 Wii Edition

I'm exaggerating but it felt like an entirely new game with the pointer controls.

Edit: Beaten

But seriously I can still remember the (small) issues I had with aiming the laser sight using the cube controller. Playing with the Wii controller was so much easier It really made the game new again for me even though I loved it back in its original release
 
People credit Microsoft for Gears of War, although it's developed by Epic Games.
And people also credit Sony for Jak & Daxter and Uncharted and Killzone, although developed by Naughty Dog and Guerrilla.

If we only count games that were developed by developers, which are owned by Sony/MS/Nintendo, fine. But then remove Gears of War from the list too.

So your point was?

And for Layton, I posted "I don't know who owns the IP, so no idea if it's okay to list it here".

The sacred rules of the list war :)
 
If anything, the Wiimote + nunchuck are better suited for that type of gameplay.

I am out. I get where you guys are coming from, to an extent, but I also think some act as if Nintendo does no wrong, can't do anything uncreative and are basically untouchable. For those, there is nothing I can say or anyone can say.
 
I guess I can give ND credit for being the Michael Bay of video games.

As Del Toro recently said, it's a lot harder being Michael Bay than it seems.
 
Have you ever played a shooter on the Wii? If so, you would rather play it with the Wii wand than a traditional controller?

I certainly have, when done well it's fantastic and what few shooting games there are give great customization options to ensure you don't have the reticule going all over the place. The Pointer itself is quite possibly the best thing about the wii remote from a gameplay standpoint.
Specifically for Resident Evil 4 I always play it on the wii edition now, while I can use a GC controller I opt for the remote every time.
 
I am out. I get where you guys are coming from, to an extent, but I also think some act as if Nintendo does no wrong, can't do anything uncreative and are basically untouchable. For those, there is nothing I can say or anyone can say.

it's not their fault your attempts to discredit nintendo are pathetic
 
I am out. I get where you guys are coming from, to an extent, but I also think some act as if Nintendo does no wrong, can't do anything uncreative and are basically untouchable. For those, there is nothing I can say or anyone can say.

Look what you've done, fanboys.
 
I am out. I get where you guys are coming from, to an extent, but I also think some act as if Nintendo does no wrong, can't do anything uncreative and are basically untouchable. For those, there is nothing I can say or anyone can say.

:lol

- Make sweeping erroneous statement
- Get called on it
- whatever fanboys, I'm out
 
I am out. I get where you guys are coming from, to an extent, but I also think some act as if Nintendo does no wrong, can't do anything uncreative and are basically untouchable. For those, there is nothing I can say or anyone can say.

What the hell... People are rebutting your point that Uncharted is more creative than Wii ___ and Wii remote is not suited for shooters. You brought this up. No one said anything about there're no uncreative Nintendo games.
 
I am out. I get where you guys are coming from, to an extent, but I also think some act as if Nintendo does no wrong, can't do anything uncreative and are basically untouchable. For those, there is nothing I can say or anyone can say.

I guess you weren't around during the E3 press conference


A lot of wrong going on
 
I am out. I get where you guys are coming from, to an extent, but I also think some act as if Nintendo does no wrong, can't do anything uncreative and are basically untouchable. For those, there is nothing I can say or anyone can say.

Huh? Your argument was, that you don't believe that anyone prefers pointer controls over dual analog. People arguing against that has nothing to do with defending Nintendo. I can ensure you, that I also play my PS3 shooters with the move, as long as they support it. It's simply the superior control setup. Getting off topic though.
 
I am out. I get where you guys are coming from, to an extent, but I also think some act as if Nintendo does no wrong, can't do anything uncreative and are basically untouchable. For those, there is nothing I can say or anyone can say.

I don't think you could find too many Nintendofans around here that were happy with the company just a month ago at E3.
Unlike people calling you out, it sure felt you didn't even put too much time (if any) into the thing you are trying to downplay, and hence come across more blinded than the supposed fanboys.
I mean, pointer to be considered superior by lots of people really shouldn't be the most surprising of all things, lol.
 
Eternal Darkness was developed by silicon knights with development being overseen by nintendo reps like miyamoto. You can imagine what the game would have been like without their involvement. And xenoblade was made by an in house nintendo developer

That's true and it's what I meant with "some input". Like Nintendo's imput on Metroid Prime. My point was more about concepts than gameplay suggestions. Like Nintendo japan studio wouldn't do an fps, they would ask third parties or Retro to do it. I know they (Retro) are considered first party as well, my point was just that Nintendo sticks to what they're good at.

I like the "outgrown" comments. It's like you all wished you become more mature and "develeped" in in some way. Someone intelligent said we should read books in our childhood, prime and when we're old. Good things don't lose it's merit, maybe your taste changes and you can't appreciate something you did in your past... Growing up often is just an euphemism for getting close minded, it's the opposit of what aging should mean.
 
I am out. I get where you guys are coming from, to an extent, but I also think some act as if Nintendo does no wrong, can't do anything uncreative and are basically untouchable. For those, there is nothing I can say or anyone can say.

I never said Nintendo does no wrong. But your examples and arguments are easily refuted (as you can see).

If you talked about the quality of the online infrastructure, I would criticize them with you.
If you talked about the worrying relationship between Nintendo and third parties, I would be right there with you.
If you talked about the actual games that got mixed reactions (Looking at you, Other M), I would be right by your side.

Those are actual problems that i often find myself against Nintendo more than not, its not because of my username that I think they can do no wrong, its just that I happened to disagree with pretty much everything you have said so far.
 
universal appeal is definitely a factor, but yeah, i'm echoing the consistency of quality thing. as an example, sega's been fighting an uphill battle to try to reconnect to that reputation they had & lost for far too much of the last decade, sadly.
fanboyism is barely worth mentioning because every company has that element and it's really your fault if you indulge them anyway - speaking of, that's a really lazy 1st reply where better jokes could've gone.

Let's be real here; do you consider those two are on par creatively with titles such as Uncharted, Gears of War?

Gears yes, Uncharted not so much but fortunately i'm allowed to like all sorts of things!

I played Nintendo when I was a kid, I grew up and play Xbox now. There is a whole generation of people who did not grow up and still play Zelda and Mario and Pokemon. This coupled with the kid and family elements is what keeps Nintendo afloat (barely)

well, i thought i was enjoying games, but fuck that - your bold words have given me pause to think about my life, junior.
i think i'm ready. i'm gonna go start a family now, and subscribe to XBL gold!
 
i think i'm ready. i'm gonna go start a family now, and subscribe to XBL gold!

guile-go-home-and-be-a-family-man-5751_preview.png
 
I played Nintendo when I was a kid, I grew up and play Xbox now. There is a whole generation of people who did not grow up and still play Zelda and Mario and Pokemon. This coupled with the kid and family elements is what keeps Nintendo afloat (barely)

Ever heard of having your cake and eating it too?
 
In my opinion (and I am not a fan of Nintendo nor do I own a Nintendo product anymore) Nintendo franchises are generally high quality and bad games are rare. They're becoming a lot less rare, sadly... but overall the games are good. Think of other franchises that we all love - Sonic has more poor quality games than good quality, Final Fantasy has bad games, Madden has off years, but not Nintendo. They have games that miss the mark (Metroid Other M, Mario Sunshine) but they're not BAD games.
 
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