Slashdot Mirror
Sticking up for Nintendo
Reader jasoncart wrote in to give us a heads up on an editorial over on Ferrago. In it, the author defends Nintendo from its numerous detractors. From the article: "I love Nintendo and make no apology for it. I admit still that they annoy me like no other company in the gaming world. They can be at times simply utterly frustrating, I know that too well, but how shall I put it? Love is true but comes at a price. It's the one that is closest to you that can hurt you most."
*Applause*
Fanboyism is lame. I have to admit that Nintendo does a good job of designing great games, but they also do allot of bad things and have some gamers that are just average (though no stinkers). Nintendo's biggest failures are, roughly in order:
0. All of the lame censorship starting with the NES.
1. Error-proned front loading NES when Japanese version was top-loading.
2. All of the evil empire crap surrounding Tetris at the time of the NES. Atari *cough* I mean Tengen's version was better.
3. Hell, all of the evil empire crap surrounding the NES and even the Gameboy.
4. Delaying the release of the SNES, allowing Sega to get a few breathes of air.
5. No blood in the first SNES Mortal Kombat, which further allowed the Genesis a little more legitimacy.
6. Virtual Boy: gimmic is not innovation. However, it would be innovative to have stereoscopic in today's world, where 3D can be done right. Make it color the next time around please.
7. Losing Square to Sony.
8. Most stuff related to the N64. A few good games is not enough.
Now Nintendo has had strong successes:
1. Great games and game franchises.
2. NES
3. SNES
4. Gameboy (Pocket, Color, Advance, SP)
Seriously, guys have you looked on a map? WE'RE HERE!!!!
-- Europe
Stuck in the past, huh? I'm sorry, but I have enjoyed every single Mario/Zelda/Metroid game that's been released. Each of them have their charm.
The cool thing about Nintendo games using these classic franchises is that almost each iteration introduces a new gameplay mechanic that's not gimmicky, but is actually relevant to the gameplay. That's the thing: with classic franchises, they almost always try to spice it up.
Take the Metroid Prime series (there's 2, so why not call it a series?) for instance. It could have simply been your standard FPS in a power suit. But they actually took everything that made Metroid what it is and converted it to a 3D world full of life and detail. They are easily some the best first-person console games I've ever played. Normally I shy away from FPS on the consoles because of their unnatural feel with a controller. These games were easy to pick up and just start playing.
That's something else Nintendo games are known for. You can just pick up a controller and start playing the game. You don't have to read a 5-pound manual first for all the key-mappings and whatnot. The accessibility of Nintendo games is second to none.
Just because some of their games might have bright colors and happy music does not -- I repeat, NOT -- mean they're just for kids. Super Mario Sunshine had some pretty challenging (in a fun way) moments, as did Mario 64, Super Mario World, and even Mario 3 before that.
Wind Waker was another game that got chastised for its "kiddy" look. If graphics are all you base a game's worth on (DOOM 3, anyone?), then I feel sorry for you. Wind Waker was incredibly fun, despite its cel-shaded look. It was done for a reason, and it fits in perfectly with the theme of the game. Besides, the new Zelda game features a mature Link, which I know I've missed since Ocarina of Time. Hell, since Adventure of Link, for that matter.
The kiddy argument just doesn't fly. I think a lot of people say that because Nintendo is almost synonymous with "growing up". I played the NES growing up, and I still buy every console Nintendo makes. Why? They make great games, and they have yet to let me down in that department, even if they do frustrate the ever-loving piss out of me.
"Apparently so, but suppose you throw a coin enough times. Suppose one day, it lands on its edge."
My personal theory is that most Slashdotters (including the editors) grew up in the period when Nintendo ruled the US gaming roost. They therefore view everything Nintendo does through rose tinted glasses. I've pulled that theory out of my arse, so it might be wildly innacurate, and rather unhygenic.
I personally think it's mostly Ninty fanboys that are the most negative about the PSP, becuase it's a real threat to N's last big market. So they attack just about everything on it, before it's even been out (reality check: the price isn't astronomical, the screen's fine, and the batteries last a reasonablish time[1]). Personally I think the DS is basically the GimmickBoy, and I love the way some people are saying it's not a replacement for the GameBoyAdvance. Although I suppose it could be in a Master System / Mega Drive co-existance sort of thing (in the UK, there were new SMS games up to about 1994).
Personally my first console was a Sega Mega Drive (Sega Genesis in North America). I know Nintendo have done some very good games, like Zelda: Ocarine of Time, but I also know they've rereleased some of there games numerous times on different formats (Link's Awakening DS is comming soon I'm sure), their hardware is always the absolute minimum needed to compete, and they screw PAL gamers like no other company still does really.
Then again the PlayStation series have bad build quality, and overstated specs, the Xbox is big heavy and ugly, and Sega mismanaged themselves out of the jaws of victory. Don't get my started about the PC, and the Slashdot PC fanboy crowd...
====
Bah, probably rather disjointed and rantish, but hey! It's Slashdot! Sorry about any spellings etc. as well, Firefox doesn't have Safari's nice built in spell checker.
====
[1] Remember they're rechargable, it's not like you have to use 6xAA's like a Game Gear. Although it does sound rather short for long trips I suppose.
10 PRINT "LOOK AROUND YOU ";
20 GOTO 10
I just wish nintendo would come out with some adult (or at least more mature games). sure, keep the fun graphics and music, but throw in more mature themes.
My favourite things about nintendo (aside from reminding me of my youth with the franchises...) is that yes, I can just pick it up and play for a little while, then turn it off. Sure, some games (final fantasy) require a little more time, but still, you can play it for a couple minutes if you wanna rack up some XP.
I love warioware for that reason. Man, Wario:touched for my DS has provided me so much fun in the last week, my wrist hurts (no, my wrist doesn't hurt from that, wario isn't THAT sexy).
...spike
Ewwwwww, coconut...
You mean like Eternal Darkness, Resident Evil, or the new Zelda?
"Apparently so, but suppose you throw a coin enough times. Suppose one day, it lands on its edge."
Let me see if I can find an article about some guy praising Sony and another praising MS then slashdot them all, thats the only way I can think of keeping our supposed "unbiased" status here in slashdot.
Seriously guys I can definetily understand why to bash MS and the xbox , but sony? other than evercrack what harm have they done to the geek open source community? (slashdot) as far as I know they use linux to code ps2 games didnt you knew that? and every geek I know has a soft spot for cool electronics and thats what sony is all about, they even brought spiderman to the big screen spiderman!
No offense guys but Nintendo is the Walt Disney of the videogames world they created a set of lovable characters (and gameplay styles) about ten years ago and they are still milking every single penny from them and us. All the rest of their creations are bastardizations and clones of their original ones. (wario? metroid 3d? please!)
They have done some clasical good games thats true, but other than the nes and the snes their consoles are simply substandard on purpose (to milk more money out of them) they may look like like some poor rebel independent child loving company but they are a billion dollar backstabing cut throating supercompany like all the rest! (in case you didnt knew family games are the ones who make the most money!) you can even compare them and their business practices to MS at some point. You cringed all over when MS tried to make all windows users pay an annual fee, but you just smiled when Nintendo forced everyone to buy 4 gameboys for a four player game (even if you had the controllers!) when they could have made a cool multiplayer online game instead, get you act together guys. geek is cool, blind fanboyism is not.
Just to beat some sense to you consider this the DS is a double screened gameboy with a nintendo 64 chip in it. the second screen is a cheap touchscreen from a palm, at the end you are just getting a cheap palm. Why they didnt made a portable gamecube with a miniDVD disk instead? each time you say "battery consumption" or "loading times" slap your face as hard as you can. the answer is "Because is a LOT cheaper! and with their fanbase they wil still make the same profit even if its completely underpowered!" maybe you will be able to beat the fan boy out of you. maybe not.
Go ahead mod my day!
Go ahead MOD my day!
More opinions here
Based on rave reviews, such as the ones given in this article, I bought Animal Crossing and have played it for several hours/days/weeks, but I just can't see the appeal. What is it about this game that makes everyone gush? I can't see it. ...Then again, I never really cared for The Sims either, which is, like, the most popular game of all time. Maybe it's just me...
I can understand the desire for Nintendo to push for a more adult market, but I sort of view it like this - sometimes in art the more restrictions you put on yourself, the more free you actually become. I think theres a lot to be said for the company keeping its games accessible to most everybody. Most of their games aren't really kiddy in the sense that someone over the age of 12 wouldn't be interested - they just have a pretty decent all ages appeal. They might not always have the best graphics/sound/story even, but they certainly always meet at least a minimum level of gameplay fun. There have been PLENTY of recent XBOX and PS2 games that look great in the glossy magazine pages, and get hyped to death, that turn out to be difficult to control, clumsy, and end up feeling like a chore. Nintendo has been known to take some cool risks too - I remember mario paint being great fun, and something that parents gladly bought for their kids. I know if I had kids and I had a choice at that era I would have much rather gone with the nintendo options, that had some clever fun games that I wouldn't worry about my children dropping some serious time on, instead of just bashing away at Mortal Combat to get a flawless fatality. I also think it's good, from a social point of view, that a company like nintendo is willing to police itself. Vice City, for instance, is a fabulous, great, super-detailed game that is wonderful for adult gamers, but horribly innapropriate for children. Now, I know, and agree, that it is ultimately the parents responsbility to understand the content of the games their children are playing, but I see no problem with a company making a product that parents can feel safe to buy. Parents are terminally unhip, no matter the generation. If a company can convince them that they can be trusted, and never betray that confidence, it's a winning proposition for all involved. I know a lot of couples with young kids who have said as much. I think Nintendo has made a good choice in ducking out of the mature-only market and sticking with what they know, which is great gameplay that most people can enjoy.
And your not guilty of the same thing, calling the DS, gimmickboy? Millions of system sales and a huge lineup of mainstream games in development doesn't seem very gimmicky to me. I've said this before, the reason people bash other systems is because the want the one they chose to buy to succeed and have the most games, and they think bashing the other systems with every insult, rumour, lie, anything will make others think twice about thier choice of system to support. Personally, I'm the type that buys all systems, and has n empty wallet :(
True genius is grasping a situation like a peice of fruit, and peircing it just right so that it drains dry.
The concept of loving a corporation is completely beyond me. It goes beyond fanaticism into zealot territory.
If you don't like Animal Crossing, you probably won't like Harvest Moon, either. Neither one is really a "game" so much as a kind of sim world you can play around in at your leisure. For some reason, many people find themselves strangely addicted to them.
Personally, I'm holding out on buying a DS until Animal Crossing DS comes out. At that point, I will be forced to buy one against my will.
This is the kind of story where there's no really interesting comments because the vast majority of Slashdotters are huge Nintendo fans, and any post even mentioning another game console in a positive fashion is likely to be modded down. Anybody opposed to the article will not post because posting in a topic like this is utterly useless. (I mean, people thought that the politics comments were biased... it's nothing to the gaming section.)
Comment: I bought an XBox because the GameCube couldn't play DVDs and I wanted HDTV support.
Reply: You don't need to play DVDs, you have a DVD player which is better and they are cheap anyway! Also you don't need HDTV support because nobody owns a HDTV and even if they do, there are about 3 games on GameCube that kind-of support 480p a little bit if you hit the right code on the menu maybe.
Reply: Mini$haft makes the XBox and they frequently pass the time in their office by impaling children on spikes and sticking their heads outside their corporate headquarters. Even thought the company name is "Microsoft," I type it as "Mini$shaft" because it was clever and funny when I was in third grade, and therefore it's still clever and funny now... right?
Mod: -3 Flamebait.
That's pretty much how it goes down every topic.
Comment of the year
If you catch a lot of flack for hearing how nintendo is just for kids, get one of these.
4 1& lsaid=322441
http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?products_id=60
One of the features
- Contains Sound-Chip imitating roar of the chainsaw when vibrates(!)
$_='while(read+STDIN,$_,2048){$a=29;$b=73;$c=142;
You're a fucking idiot. Also, please learn to use the English language. Thank you.
Yeah, I've never gotten into those console wars because I don't have loyalty to the systems themselves, but rather the games/franchises on those system.
When I'd already purchased a PS2 and a Gamecube, I got an X-Box simply because of Ninja Gaiden. That's another old franchise from the past that I love, and since I had read a lot of "professional" and player reviews of the game with very positive feedback, I figured it was time to get one. By the time Ninja Gaiden was released, the price had come down a great deal, and the box came with the smaller controllers. I'd say Ninja Gaiden was worth every penny I spent.
Of course, I got a lot of flack from folks insulting me for buying an "X-Cocks" and whatnot, but I really don't care who makes the console. I just like the games. Granted, I have more PS2 and Gamecube games than X-Box games, but if there's a game I want to play that only came out for X-Box (i.e. Ninja Gaiden), then I'm glad I got one. If a game I really want to play comes out for more than one console simultaneously, I tend to get the PS2 or Gamecube version instead of the X-Box version.
"Apparently so, but suppose you throw a coin enough times. Suppose one day, it lands on its edge."
If a game I really want to play comes out for more than one console simultaneously, I tend to get the PS2 or Gamecube version instead of the X-Box version.
Even if the XBox version has better graphics or more features? (Which 95% of the time it does. Except in the cases of Godzilla games.)
I've played Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time on all platforms, and I can tell you without a doubt that the XBox version is the best all-around. The controls are superior, the graphics are much superior, and it includes both the original 2D Prince of Persia games as unlockables instead of just the first.
Comment of the year
I personally think it's mostly Ninty fanboys that are the most negative about the PSP, becuase it's a real threat to N's last big market.
There is probably some truth to this, but a lot of people attack the DS as well, and for similar reasons.
Gimmicks *can* make a system successful, if they prove to be more than just gimmicks. The jury's still out on whether developers can make effective use of that microphone and touchscreen. Jam with the Band looks like it could be something truly unique and beautiful....
You make a good point, and that's not one of my set-in-stone rules, mind. If one version offers more incentive to purchase it over its sister ports, then I'll buy it.
"Apparently so, but suppose you throw a coin enough times. Suppose one day, it lands on its edge."
The concept of loving a corporation is completely beyond me. It goes beyond fanaticism into zealot territory.
But Nintendo fans don't actually love the corporation. They love its games.
It's actually something of a tightrope for the company. Stop making excellent games, desecrate the memory of Mario and Samus and Link, do them a disservice, and fans (such as are left) will abandon the big-N in droves. This comes out of Nintendo's internal developer culture. That, there, is Nintendo's corporate strength.
Take a moment to note that the Mario series, despite the relatively-lackluster response with which Mario Sunshine was met, is still in much better shape than Crash Bandicoot, which some thought, once upon a time, could be actually a legitimate rival for the rubbery plumber.
From the article:
Which is more mature - GTA San Andreas or Animal Crossing? I bet that nearly every single one of you would say GTA but I disagree with all of you. Yes, even you. Animal Crossing is a far more mature game in many ways.
This is the most insightful thing in the article (which contains some errors -- Nintendo didn't develop the Power Glove, it was just available for their system).
The definition of maturity has become somewhat clouded, what with the MPAA's and the ESRB's ludicrous rating systems. They have caused people to equate violent and sexual content with maturity, which is foolish.
The point of those systems isn't to say that these elements are mature, but that the viewer/player should be of at least this maturity level before being exposed to them. Which itself is awfully condesending to the consumer, but is at least less stupid than the common assumption.
Maturity is not what kinds of objectionable content you put in your work. It is an outlook, a way of being sure of yourself despite what you see, a tendency to look out for others before yourself, the ability to behave rationally, respectfully, thoughtfully. Judge it this way, and I can name thirty-year-olds who might not be considered worthy of playing Grand Theft Auto.
But Animal Crossing rewards all those attributes listed above, while many things in the GTA games, despite all their considerable design strengths, do much to tear them down.
And that is why it's a much more mature game, cartoon animals and all, than GTA.
n/t
The Gamecube is fairly cheap... why not own both?
If you're a fan of gaming there's no reason to not have a Gamcube in addition to whatever other systems you already have. You're missing out on a bunch of fun, well-polished games.
As for HDTV support, most Gamecube games support 480p and some even support 16:9. No code required either... if you have a component cable plugged in it'll ask you on bootup if you want to run in progressive scan mode.
For comparison, there's very few Xbox games that do more than 480p although they do a better job of 16:9 support. Plus, you get digital audio with the Xbox, which is nice...
So, enjoy your Xbox. But don't be afraid to enjoy other systems too.
I suggest a truce.
PSP fanboys stop calling the DS "kiddie," "virtual boy," "a gimmick," and "ugly," and we DS fans will stop harassing the PSP about its "load times," "battery life," "price," and "defects."
i know this is old discussion but ill tell u all why nintendo is going to die the only important thing sony did, the ONLY, was taking videogames out of our kids bedroom and making them stilish enough to make them a home entertainment device... thats it... its not the extremely powerfull device they dide, its not that their games have mature looks while nintendo looks childish, nothing of that... the big issue is that u look to a playstation u see a home entertainment device that you, a full grown man, will show to ur friends to make them envy... a nintendo, well... that u better keep on ur kids bedroom... i dont own any of those system, i rather play games on my computer...
Fabio - Sumare/Sao Paulo/Brazil/South America/Earth/Solar System/Milky Way/Universe
http://www.morroida.com.br
I'm in.
Light is filtering down from above. Would you like to use DIVE?
...that the Playstation was originally a disc peripheral for the N64? Sony was in R&D when the deal was called off and they decided to develop it into their own game system. Those two game systems defined an entire "generation" of gaming. Go fig.
Woooosh!
That is the sound of the entire point of my post passing far over your head where you will never grasp it. Apparently.
For the record, I *do* own both an XBox and a Gamecube, but that has NOTHING to do with what I posted. Read it again.
Comment of the year