-
Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!
What makes nintendo franchises so strong?
- Thread starter 2+2=5
- Start date
I really think the insecurity angle is the biggest part of it. Fans of different styles of games are sling mud at each other all day and still be on relatively equal footing, but the second someone's favorite series is "kiddy" they become an easy target for ridicule.
"I mean, what grown man could like a game that's enjoyed by children? How can you stoop so low?"
It's really just a juvenile argument rooted in immature people wanting to be seen as distinguished and respectable by their peers, but that's the way this sort of thing goes, y'know?
rohlfinator
Member
True, it just seems worse to me in these threads, especially post-E3. Maybe it's my fault for subjecting myself to them.
People like Nintendo's software but not so much their hardware or online ecosystem. The theory is that by going third-party we'd get Nintendo franchises paired with Xbox Live or PSN. Best of both worlds.
I imagine the reality would be a lot more dire for Nintendo, maybe not Sega-bad but still not great for them.
SpacePirate Ridley
Member
Because they are the Disney of videogames.
-Games that are appealing to all audiences.
-They have been there nearly from the beginning.
-The have classic characters that are remembered and loved by lots people.
-They usually try to make quality games.
ITT you can read perfectly who really hates the company with all their heart.
-Games that are appealing to all audiences.
-They have been there nearly from the beginning.
-The have classic characters that are remembered and loved by lots people.
-They usually try to make quality games.
ITT you can read perfectly who really hates the company with all their heart.
POWERSPHERE
Member
Gameplay first, and having a pretty good strike rate of keeping the good parts of games, except for Zelda. They keep putting bad things in that games bum.
SniperHunter
Banned
Most of Nintendo's franchises started out with a bang on the NES and they are still going strong. There's nothing more to say.
Gamer @ Heart
Member
At this point I believe its mostly culture. Core team of producers who handle and cultivate ideas, pools of devs that work on every genre, constant prototyping for fun before production, willingness to delay for quality. A large part of that last one is probably due to their reluctance to announce thing more than 6 month away.
DeviousAngel
Member
hahaha perfect.
Both sides are really passionate about it which makes Nintendo threads a minefield, I love Nintendo, I dig being passionate about them, but being passionate about hating them just seems like... an awful waste of energy. Why care so much about something you don't like? oh but people care, a lot, you see them in all these threads, with arguments debunked time and time again. Nintendo has real flaws, why not address them instead of using over and over the fanboyism/nostalgia/rehash angle that is simply not true.
OMG how did that picture get here? >.>
Well at least the context is appropriate. It is impressive how quickly these threads turn to mush. I don't mind passion or disagreement (that's what GAF is for), but what I do find kinda silly is when people take a side and refuse to budge an inch (that's kinda what inspired the drawing). This applies to fans and "haters" alike. When people can't come to a compromise, it leads to bans and derailment, both of which make me a sad panda
MisterHero
Super Member
There's no reason to compromise with posters who are posting for the sake of egging other posters on.
Nintendo like every company has flaws but none that are so detrimental as to be a reason to crusade against them* or stage a war for the freedom of dissenting opinion. In fact, some people might see their numerous positive traits much higher than the sum of the negative ones.
*okay, so keeping Earthbound in the vault is a pretty big deal
Nintendo like every company has flaws but none that are so detrimental as to be a reason to crusade against them* or stage a war for the freedom of dissenting opinion. In fact, some people might see their numerous positive traits much higher than the sum of the negative ones.
*okay, so keeping Earthbound in the vault is a pretty big deal
It all points to this .... specialy the IOS comments.
But the day that Nintendo goes 3rd party it will not take long to whatever left of Sony or Microsoft to fall too...
*okay, so keeping Earthbound in the vault is a pretty big deal
Retro Studios Earthbound U... believe.
I like Nintendo games. They have a charm to them. Majority are gaming classics, and when I have a child, they will be among the first titles I'll introduce them too.
BUT
I also have certain gripes with Nintendo. Things like the overuse of certain franchises...
Mario always gets a new titles... maybe too much even... Plenty of GAF is clamoring for titles like F-Zero, Earthbound, Fire Emblem. We barely get Starfox and Metroid as it is... And we finally got a Kid Icarus game after 7+ years...
Why do we have to BEG for these games when they pump a Mario title every 2 years or so...
(And dont give me that "wait patiently" crap, we go for years until new titles are announced)
Nintendo's reluctance to create a functional online infrastructure. I don't have a big group of friends who can come over and play local multiplayer with me (woe is me....)
I would like to be able to enjoy multiplayer online with random players online with modern day capabilities please. No reason not to at least give me the option >_>
That's about it though...
BUT
I also have certain gripes with Nintendo. Things like the overuse of certain franchises...
Mario always gets a new titles... maybe too much even... Plenty of GAF is clamoring for titles like F-Zero, Earthbound, Fire Emblem. We barely get Starfox and Metroid as it is... And we finally got a Kid Icarus game after 7+ years...
Why do we have to BEG for these games when they pump a Mario title every 2 years or so...
(And dont give me that "wait patiently" crap, we go for years until new titles are announced)
Nintendo's reluctance to create a functional online infrastructure. I don't have a big group of friends who can come over and play local multiplayer with me (woe is me....)
I would like to be able to enjoy multiplayer online with random players online with modern day capabilities please. No reason not to at least give me the option >_>
That's about it though...
Nintendo: So guys, we've talked and decided that you can work on whatever franchise you want.
Retro: Can we do Mother?
Nintendo: No.
Retro: Not even a remake?
Nintendo: No.
Retro: A port?
Nintendo: No.
It's simple: Mario sells. They did bring back at least Excite Bike, Punch Out, Kid Icarus and Donkey Kong, people seem to think that for some reason they can keep pumping out new games for all their IPs while maintaining quality and delivering new IPs.I like Nintendo games. They have a charm to them. Majority are gaming classics, and when I have a child, they will be among the first titles I'll introduce them too.
BUT
I also have certain gripes with Nintendo. Things like the overuse of certain franchises...
Mario always gets a new titles... maybe too much even... Plenty of GAF is clamoring for titles like F-Zero, Earthbound, Fire Emblem. We barely get Starfox and Metroid as it is... And we finally got a Kid Icarus game after 7+ years...
Why do we have to BEG for these games when they pump a Mario title every 2 years or so...
(And dont give me that "wait patiently" crap, we go for years until new titles are announced)
Nintendo's reluctance to create a functional online infrastructure. I don't have a big group of friends who can come over and play local multiplayer with me (woe is me....)
I would like to be able to enjoy multiplayer online with random players online with modern day capabilities please. No reason not to at least give me the option >_>
That's about it though...
Oh and FE is hardly abandoned.
StreetsAhead
Member
GAF is a mere 78,000 or so members. That's nothing.
Don't mistake GAF for the video game market.
F-Zero didn't sell well.
Earthbound had copyright issues and Itoi seems done with the series.
Fire Emblem just had a new release and it has been confirmed for localisation.
Yep. A lot of people feel the same way. I kind of got depressed a bit when so many of the games at E3 this year were shooters. It's just nice to have some game companies out there that provide types of software that aren't following the big trend.
mclaren777
Member
Yes. I think Nintendo might be the worst collective developer of this entire generation.
Even THQ studios made better games.
Oh I dont make that mistake. I was just using an example, albeit a poor one maybe...
But yeah, we finally have Pikmin 3 coming... I would just like Nintendo to explore their franchises more...
It seems Sony is pretty proactive in making sure a majority of their franchises have recent releases (where the fuck are you Jak?... lol)
Maybe Nintendo could take a small little note.
I understand being annoyed that Nintendo releases too many Mario games. But I don't get this. Do you pay attention to what Nintendo releases? A new Fire Emblem is already out in Japan and will come over next year. Metroid had 2 games on the Wii. Star Fox had one new game on the DS and a remake on 3DS. Off the top of my head, other Nintendo series which received recent new entries or are going to in the near future: Pilotwings, Kid Icarus, Pikmin, Luigi's Mansion, Animal Crossing, Legend of Zelda, Kirby, Rhythm Heaven, Punch-Out, Sin & Punishment, Smash Bros, Donkey Kong Country, Excitebike, Wario Land, WarioWare, Advance Wars, Pokemon... List goes on and on.
All of the above series do not enter your radar? Just because there hasn't been new F-Zero or new Mother since the GBA it means that there's only Mario coming from Nintendo? I see this a lot on GAF. Some people seem to pay attention only to 2 or 3 of Nintendo series not-named Mario or Zelda and when these are series which have not had sequels recently, they say that there are no games or Nintendo consoles are not worthy it. Usually these series are F-Zero, Star Fox and Wave Race. I bet that if Nintendo finally releases new games for these series, these people are going to find other dormant series to complaint about. It was just yesterday when people were complaining no new Pikmin, Pilotwings or Kid Icarus afterall.
IceDoesntHelp
Banned
What the fuck am I reading?
bigace33
Member
That guy is crazy. I'd put both Galaxy games up against anything released this gen. Nintendo has a catalog of games that are among the best ever created.
olimpia84
Member
Elaborate please.
A fools opinion. One of the few members on GAF I have no hesitation in calling a complete idiot. Others include such esteemed members such as specialguy and Amir0x!
Joking about Ami, of course... I think.
Ignore him people, he has nothing noteworthy to say trust me.
Actually... Im very much aware.. I know a new Fire Emblem is coming to 3DS. I don't have tunnel vision among Nintendo releases. Maybe I didn't clarify properly...
But my argument is basically... how about we get 2 Metroid/Zelda/Pikmin/FZero/Pokemon/ etc games a year instead of go to Mario...
EDIT: (That example was meant to choose one franchise, not all of them lmao, Im not a greedy bitch)
Im a very avid Metroid fan. Tell me Im wrong when I say Metroid DOES NOT get the same attention as Mario does
Do you know how many people Nintendo would have to hire to have this happen? Most of Japan I would think!
Seems they are getting it done with the Mario teams... That's what Im trying to say... Replace those Mario titles with any other franchise
(That example was meant to choose one franchise, not all of them lmao, Im not a greedy bitch)
Silent_Ocarina
Member
I'm not even a big Metroid fan, but it's unfortunate that Nintendo did not celebrate Metroid's 25th Anniversary.
However, Nintendo just doesn't prioritize Metroid over its other flagship names. Every big company has its more popular franchises and then its less popular.
IceDoesntHelp
Banned
Oh... Well that makes more sense then lol.
But, isn't there only 2 Mario teams? (2D & 3D) Unless you mean all the sports spin offs and the like.
2012 is a bit of an oddball year having two Mario platformers (both NSMB games, no less). Still, if you look at the last seven years as a whole (2006-12), there's been on average one Mario platformer a year. Four 2D and three 3D.
Yes, one per year is still relatively frequent. But in fairness, the balance between 3D and 2D has been close to even, and these games are mechanically very different.
I think the fact that we're getting 3 Mario platformers between November 2011 and November 2012 has kind of just set people's Mario-meters off a bit.
Yes, one per year is still relatively frequent. But in fairness, the balance between 3D and 2D has been close to even, and these games are mechanically very different.
I think the fact that we're getting 3 Mario platformers between November 2011 and November 2012 has kind of just set people's Mario-meters off a bit.
And it's fine that it's this way. Yearly sequels cause franchise fatigue. I wouldn't want Metroid or any other series to have these. And Metroid is my favorite series, by the way. But I do not need a new game in the series every year or even every 2 years. I do appreciate the variety Nintendo usually offers.
Anyway, Mario doesn't usually get more than one game in the same genre close to each other, even though we're about to have the first exception to the rule. NSMB2 and NSMBU will be the first time that happens and if Nintendo does this more times I'll be along with you complaining. Still, most Mario games are usually in different genres: 2D platforming, 3D platforming, racing, party games, sports, etc. For the most part, they do not compete with each other. Those other series you mention are not this diverse.
But the most important thing is that only Mario (and Pokemon) sell enough to justify so many games. That will never happen with niche franchises like Pikmin, F-Zero and Metroid.
By the way, I don't get why you're not lumping Pokemon together with Mario. It has games released every year and tons of spin-offs. It's definitely not in the same level of (un)popularity as Metroid.
Red Blaster
Member
Consistently safe and inoffensive
Except Skyward Sword
that was just terrible
Except Skyward Sword
that was just terrible
gutterboy44
Member
All of my younger cousins who are all avid gamers don't own a Nintendo console or could give a crap about Mario or Zelda. Are they the perfect summation of the market? No. But there is an entire generation(s) coming up who view Nintendo as the company who made a bowling game their grandma liked and not much else. Our Mario 64 is their COD:MW. The "fanboyism" post is reductive but to discount nostalgia is ignoring the elephant in the room.
They desperately need some new IPs to capture the imagination of the new generations.
They desperately need some new IPs to capture the imagination of the new generations.
Haha, you guys convinced me to glance at his recent posts. I found this gem:
BadAss2961
Member
How about just some new AAA IPs? That's all I want... I've owned all their consoles, and for the last 2 generations now, all Nintendo makes that appeals to me are Mario and Zelda. Would it kill them to make, god forbid, a mature game with the same kind of effort that goes into a Mario or Zelda? The world might implode.
It's nice that their franchises have some sort of magic that keeps them successful, but that's only more reason to try and spread it to as many genres and demographics as possible.
IceDoesntHelp
Banned
Nah.
If by mature you mean "serious story", sex, violence and gore (mature... yeah, right) you know you are not going to get that from Nintendo. What's the point of wanting them to abandon their strengths and focus on something that their competition does better? If that's what you're looking for, you're better off staying with whichever company you prefer. And that "mature" word is as overused as "casual" and "hardcore" were a few years ago to differentiate Nintendo from other companies.
What games besides Mario and Zelda did Nintendo produce before the last two generations that used to appeal to you? I truly don't believe that you used to care for other of their series, but on the GCN and Wii years these series lost their appeal.
And just one more thing: Kid Icarus Uprising. Brand new AAA game from Nintendo. It's so different from the old games and it's been so long since them that it may as well be a new IP. Does this game deserve your appeal or not?
FlashbladeGAF
Member
you mean immature boobs flying, blood pouring out like a samurai flick, kinda game
I'd like to see what kinda of innovative gameplay they could bring to that.
Actually just give Samus some jiggle physics and we are halfway there
Calling what Nintendo does "magic" is like a caveman calling science magic.
It all comes down to how the game plays. Instead of puting all their efforts into motion capture and voice overs and cinematography, they spend their time with level design, gameplay balancing, and unique gameplay ideas.
They may not always work, but that effort doesnt go unnoticed. Especially when you try to control a character in a game not made by Nintendo.
Granted, I do wish they would sometimes step their game up if they do have those storytelling elements, but at the end of the day as long as the game is fun I don't mind whether they told me to go right thru text instead of through an elaborate cutscene
I'll be honest, I wouldn't mind Nintendo coming out with a new IP that's T-rated and a little more serious in tone than most of their other stuff. Not for the sake of the mat00r, but to shut a few people up, provide a bit of contrast, and make their portfolio even more well-rounded. With any luck, that's what Retro is working on right now.
StreetsAhead
Member
I would say poor. It's very easy to hear an opinion a few times from a minority (like 'GAF' if we want to simplify) and assume that it's something a lot of people want.
We have Pikmin, we have Luigi's Mansion, we have Game & Wario, we have P-100.
Nintendo has been exploring their "franchises" this gen too. Donkey Kong Country Returns, Kirby DS games, Sin & Punishment, Punch-Out, Excite series, Yoshi games, Pokemon Conquest, Other M, Kid Icarus, and so on.
Maybe they can't or don't release games every year or only once per generation, but that doesn't mean they're not experimenting with them.
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
Yeah I still don't see the "fanboys" and "nostalgia" being the reason when you take into account new people who play their first mario.
BadAss2961
Member
Not even. Just something with a different or more realistic art style than the cartoon/all ages look they always have in their games... On a side note, this is why all the characters in Smash Bros seem to fit so perfectly, while PS All Stars sometimes looks odd with so many characters from different kinds of art.
About the Nintendo games I liked before the last 2 generations, the answer is basically the same franchises they're making now, or have remade recently. The problem is either they haven't really evolved much, they're outdated, or i'm personally just tired of them. Mario and Zelda still appeal to me because they're still the best at what they do.
Also, I used to like Rare's games, but they're gone. I also like 2D Metroid, but the Prime series bores me.
Pureauthor
Member
Do you consider the DmC series (excluding the latest, unreleased one of course) to have 'evolved' much, then? Because gameplay wise I'd say the jump from DMC1 to 3 to 4 in mechanics/polish is easily matched by stuff like Sunshine -> Galaxy -> Galaxy 2.
But in the last 2 gens, they have helped develop/publish Geist, Eternal Darkness, Disaster Day of Crisis, Xenoblade, The Last Story and the Fatal Frame series.
MisterHero
Super Member
Xenoblade was an entirely appropriate use of the T-rating.
It has a crazy and somewhat smart plot where violence and death, revenge and societal politics are dealt with proper weight, but don't worry there's boob physics too.