Away With The Fairies
Why Nintendo deserve defending...
Working with games may sound ideal to you and really I shouldn't complain. I manage to make a living through gaming (just, and even if not completely in the way in which I desire) and it's cool in many ways. I work with games all day long and play with them even more when I get home - either for work or pleasure and sometimes even both if I'm lucky. However, focus on anything for that amount of time, even something you love dearly, and try and tell me that every now and then you don't need a break. So, even for a gaming bod like myself there are times when my attention can wander away from gaming, even if only for a short time. If there's one thing, however, that can always be guaranteed to instantly perk my interest up a little it's a damn good gaming argument.
I just love them. Today in the office a young lad that has recently started working there presented me with a perfect opportunity. It was a typical Monday. My brain was slow to engage and enthusiasm levels simply not, at that time, at their utmost. However, amongst the blur of flickering screens and the orchestrally telephonic background hum I overheard him utter these very words. "But San Andreas is the best game ever, innit?" Immediately my senses sharpened. My eyes widened and neck gently turned. "Why do you say that?" I shouted across the office in reply, and there it began. I shan't divulge the exacts as for one they are not what I mean to discuss and two because it was a Monday after a heavy weekend and my recollection would no doubt be vague at best ("Look, I don't know how we got onto discussing the dangers of allowing dragons and their hellish minions access to the drinks cabinet, but I'm sure it got in there somewhere and more to the point it is bloody dangerous!") I love San Andreas and happily sing its virtues. For one its only been out a few weeks and I'd feel uncomfortable about already judging it as the best game ever. Secondly and more importantly I just don't think that's correct... and I loved telling him so. Satisfyingly however, I will tell you that later that very day the very same chap needed a wee favour, which I happily granted - upon the condition that he signed a written contract stating his agreement that San Andreas was indeed inferior to Pro Evolution Soccer 4. He did and my supervisor happily filed it with his official records. As I write this I'm smiling smugly (yes, I'm still pleased with my work).
As is the case with many of my recent articles it seems, this opening gambit is actually quite beside the point. The reason I mention it though is because out of all the arguments such as these I've had over the years, I can easily identify the most common topic - Nintendo. Owww, even the mere mention of the company makes me tingle with argumentative anticipation! Not for bad reasons though. 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." I've lost count of the amount of times I've heard the terms "Nintendo is for kids" and "the Gamecube is shit" and each and every time I've heard it I've always challenged it. The immediate response - they say I'm a Nintendo fanboy. That really gets up my wick. I am not a Nintendo fanboy. I'm simply a (occasionally) balanced person that sees the truth for what it is. Want me to criticise Nintendo? Here we go then.
First of all, how about the delayed PAL release dates? Was it two years for Animal Crossing, possibly the greatest game on the Gamecube, that passed between the US and UK release date? To add to the pain, a PAL version was launched in Australia and still the UK market had to wait because Nintendo decided it wasn't the right time to launch. Bastards. This is bad enough, but not only are Nintendo amongst the worst abusers of the PAL market, they also are the most active company in battling the importers. Importing is not illegal though the way they act would make you think otherwise. Distributors have been sued and still to this day Nintendo heaps pressure on some importers to stop whilst happily allowing some to continue. Dickheads. There's also their inability to shake off their kiddie image. Now, not only do I think this image is fundamentally incorrect (which annoys me sometimes almost to death) but Nintendo increasingly fail to do anything about it. You can't escape from the PS2 and Xbox brands when out and about but in comparison how often do you encounter Nintendo on the high street? Wankers. Also, we know the amount of creative genius contained within the company yet how often do we ever get original Nintendo IP's? Mario Power Tennis, Pikmin 2, Paper Mario 2, Mario Golf, F Zero GX, Metroid Zero Mission, Double Dash... all of them I've done before. Tools.
Yes , yes, I comprehend the now obvious question. Why do I love them? If they have all this wrong with them then how could I possibly defend them? I'll tell you how - because of one question that arose in just such an argument very recently. Have Nintendo ever made a bad game? Of course they have... haven't they? This was what occurred to me on that day. Now, I'm not saying that I've played every game ever made by Nintendo but I have researched and found a complete list of all Nintendo releases and out of all of the ones I have played none of them were ever bad. For the record, no one in the office on that day could name a bad Nintendo game either. They are simply the masters of gaming. It's true that in principle they're often stuck in the past and as a result their releases are losing popularity with the modern wave of gamers but that doesn't in any way mean that their games are bad. After all, we all know how the best selling games are rarely the best and that many great games are commercially ignored. I'll also add that not only do they not make bad games but they often make absolutely incredible games.
Comments
great entry Ben
you argue for the games of Nintendo, and the innovations, and i agree with you on the most part. i just wish NIntendo would step up their consoles. they enter the world of discs with gamecube, but, what's this? no abillity to play movies or cds! what a shock. i can see their angle, but, utimately, i feel they just gave up. please reasure me Ben.
o and can you, if possible, and if you truly are unbiased, make a entry like this for M$ and Sony?
it is alright if you don't, but, i would like it
I personally don't care if the GC plays DVD's or not. Nintendo are about games - full stop. Though no doubt in the future they will put more emphasis on integrating technology in an effort to keep up with everyone else.
It would be impossible to write similar pieces about Microsoft and Sony because they are completely different companies with different surrounding issues.
good one ben i agree completely
can this site start offering video articles and reveiws? i am very lazy
A lot of people think it is a shame that the nintendo doesnt play DVDs or whatever.....but look at it this way....how many people do u know that have a PS2 had the lens crap out and it cant read certain disks anymore? and for xbox i believe u have to buy some sort of kit to play dvds (i could be wron...)
Nintendo is innovative in that they are able to identify and adapt technology that make their consoles better. They did not invent the concept of analog controls for playing games at home. People had been doing that for years on their Apple II's and PC's. They simply adapted that technology to their consoles.
The D-pad concept was, in my opinion, an improved implementation of Intellivision's rocker disc. Even Nintendo's earlier Game & Watch D-pads came after Intellivision.
But I actually agree with the gist of your article. Nintendo were and still are pioneers in the game console arena. I have a strange relationship with them myself. For whatever reasons, I've only ever owned their handheld game systems... even back in those aforementioned Game & Watch days. They'd always been the best at shrinking gaming technology. I've owned them all... except the DS.
I was very envious of a friend who managed to squeeze a DS out of a nearby game shop. It's a beautiful, high-quality, typical Nintendo handheld offering. There was so much right with it that I told myself that I would eventually own one (maybe after Christmas).
But then the PSP got released in Japan, quite literally casting the DS to the back recesses of everyone's mind. I knew of some PSP specs from articles here and there. I had read tons of PSP-bashing articles from DS "fanboys." Everything I'd read was leading me to believe that Nintendo would remain king of the handheld hill.
But after the PSP release, I really started doing my homework. Contrary to many articles, I discovered the PSP did indeed support 802.11b. This apparently was published, but I had only read DS fanboy stuff saying it wasn't so! This had been, in my mind, the single largest factor for choosing a DS over a PSP.
Now, I believe the PSP hardware is superior despite the initially-awkward secondary touchscreen and incredible audio of the DS. But it's all about the games... I hope Nintendo gives Sony a run for its money. I see a lot of opportunities for some great competition.
I agree with you there Cobbledork - the fact that both handhelds will be scrapping it out will hopefully force both companies to really go for broke.
As much as you say nintendo has never made a bad game, thats just your opinion, taking metroid games into matter, they just don't have enough action for me...
Nintendo did define alot of things, but that was for the nintendo generation, they are not advancing well in the modern gaming world...
Grand theft auto games are pretty bad in my opinion, and the type of violence usually comes without meaning, your shooting people, and thats all there is to it, boring quite fast...
Nintendo has been doing well in the hand held market, and the xbox is just surviving because of the few games that keep it running (Halo, Halo 2, Fable and ninja gaiden)
Nintendos games were great when I was younger, playing mario was awesome, playing zelda was fun too, but now, its just not the same anymore...
Good article. I disagree completely with your application "mature". Unfortunately it would take a fair bit of space to present a cogent argument, and I'm not sure this is the place to do it.
One thing that people have the problem with: REHASH.
I won't deny the tecnical and artistic polish in Zelda the WW, but the gameplay was almost exactly the same. Go to dungeon, find weapon, find key, kill boss with said weapon. Repeat. Even the weapons were rehashed. How may times must the master sword be found?
And the sailing, my God, the horrible sailing.
Nintendo also refuses to entertain voice acting, or even fully digitized music. WW music was MIDI hell. Hell, I say.
I think people dismiss Nintendo as "kiddie" because they refuse to take story telling to a mature level. I'm not saying killing and crime, I'm saying give Link an actual personality, create a sense of urgency in the world, and make it personal to the player. When Link's sister was abducted, I didn't care- I was annoyed at having to sit through a text filled cut scene.
In Beyond Good & Evil, when Peyj is seemingly killed, Jade actually shows sadness, the music reflects her mood, and when you go to his workshop and find his abandoned, lonely jet shoes, it is actually saddening.
Link, for all his refined (yet rehashed) gameplay, cannot even match Halo's master chief in terms of personality. He certainly doesn't come close to Solid Snake of Kain and Raziel.
Great piece of writing ! I just loved it, especially the part about defining maturity and Animal Crossing. It couldn't be more exact. You've been "slashdotted", considered yourself "cubenergized" ! :)
In Zelda:WW when my "sister" was kidnapped, I felt a pang. Maybe it's because I have a little sister, who calls me big brother all the time, but when I saw Aryl taken off by the big bird it was sad. And then the first time you attempt to rescue her in the dungeon, you see her before she sees you and you can see the expression on her face go from depression and sadness to joy as she sees you there to rescue her.
The emotion is there, but it's a different experience for everyone. Video games are like that. Games seem to be still finding the balance between telling you the story (most RPG's) and letting you experience the story (Half Life might be a good example of this).
Great article. Nintendo is what true mature gaming is all about. To mature means to grow and to become deeper and learn new things. It doesn't mean to become an adult with teenage hormones. I agree with everything you say, and honestly, I play my PS2 more than my GC, and I love GTA, but I will never like it the way I've liked Nintendo games.
This is an interesting article, but terribly difficult to read.
It would be easier to follow if there were less embellishments. Say what you need to say without dressing it up.
Less is more, right? ;-)
cobbledork, the sound on the PSP is better than the sound on the DS, and the touchscreen is a gimmick.
i really hope you wait for the PSP instead of buying the DS good luck choosing
Thanks a lot for the feedback guys.
Danmc.net - I don't see your point. I can perfectly see why Metroid may be lacking in action and that this might not appeal to you, but this in no way makes it a bad game, merely a game you don't like. It's a game I'm not a huge fan of either, but I recognise its quality.
RevenantAE - I think it is the place mate. I'd love to hear your views.
Christopher Boehman - You're right. Rehash's suck, and Nintendo are one of the worst offenders. You make some interesting points, too. You're right that maturity does not equal guns and killing and that perhaps Nintendo have a less mature approach in other ways. I guess it's all subjective, though, as nixon66's views demonstrate.
sanjuro and Night_Seer - cheers ;-)
B. - fair enough mate, if that's how you feel, but I try to make the pieces entertaining to read rather than simply analytical (or opinionated) case studies. It's nicer to write and, I hope at least, nicer to read. How dull would the world be without any embellishments? Maybe less actually is less? ;-)
Great article Ben... it was one of the best articles I've ever read in a whole time. I've grown with Nintendo. I love their games.
But, since some months ago, I've been feeling bad... simply because all of the evils that Ninty and all of their products possess... First, the GC being constantly considered an utmost failure, a dismal console and being constantly wiped out by their rivals (Sony's PS2 and M$'s Xbox). Then, the feeling that the people want the DS to fail and the PSP to become the new Game Boy (reads, the new handheld king)... and obviously the kiddy image of the big N... These actions led me to think that Nintendo is going to die anytime soon...
Don't say that I'm a fanboy. I have played and owned a lot of other non-Nintendo consoles. And I liked them a lot. But Nintendo's are the ones that marked my life.
But then, right now I've finished reading your article. It reminded me why I love Nintendo and their games. Even with those errors Nintendo constantly make... They are the best in the business... but being the best doesn't imply being the most sucessful... Let's hope that in the future, thanks to the DS and the next batch of consoles, Nintendo becomes more sucessful than today.
Thanks, Ben.
"Link, for all his refined (yet rehashed) gameplay, cannot even match Halo's master chief in terms of personality."
Apples and oranges good buddy, apples and oranges. If you want to compare personality and story, Halo should be compared against Metroid Prime, not LoZ.
With no voice work and no real cutscenes to speak of, Metroid Prime somehow manages to blow Halo out of the water when it comes to engaging story and character development.
Bravo Ben! Bravo!
F-Zero GX is really a Sega game with a Nintendo license.
And actually Sega pioneered the analog controller (it was the Saturn analog controller that Miyamoto used during early Mario64 development).
Just some facts to go along with your Nintendo fanboyism. ;) The Animal Crossing maturity defense is a little silly - plenty of people play GTA almost identically, just with less accumulation of material goods. So GTA must be more mature, because it takes a monastic approach to game design! :D
OH, DSS, you tease!
Hmmmmmm,wot makes a company successful??
PROFIT!!
The xbox is making a los of more than 1billion dollars,an only for a share of the market.wot theyre doing is also illegla,but u know,loopholes :P
sony makes a profit on ps2,but out of all,nintendo makes the most profit of the 3 in video gaming market,so surely they are the most succesful,as if m$ wasnt rich,surely they would be broke by now,therefore technically not suceesful.
i agree ninty make a lot of mistakes,an they annoy me a lot,but i still like them more then any other console producer out there.
also i think it was C YO who said psp had better speakers??
i hate to tell you,but it doesnt,the ds has way better speakers.
dont get me wrong,psp ones are good,but not as good as the ds's one.
loved the article ben,fully agreed :D
but no matter wot,i'll still love nintendo,they make games like no other,an its there inovation which keeps me comming back for more,an i cant wait for next years releases on ds,set to be very inovative,an although the psp will do well,i think i will like to see ninty come out on top,an with the ds,they deserve too.
woot
Why is it that people always want things to do more then they need to? I think the invention of the clock radio has ruined our lives. Nintindo makes video games ... great video games and keeps its focus. If i want to listen to cd's I will buy a cd player. If i want to watch dvd's I will buy a dvd player. Have you ever heard anyone get mad that their couch doesnt have a the capability to play dvd's? A couch is made to sit on and a game cube is made to play vidoe games. Good.
Why is it that people always want things to do more then they need to? I think the invention of the clock radio has ruined our lives. Nintindo makes video games ... great video games and keeps its focus. If i want to listen to cd's I will buy a cd player. If i want to watch dvd's I will buy a dvd player. Have you ever heard anyone get mad that their couch doesnt have a the capability to play dvd's? A couch is made to sit on and a game cube is made to play vidoe games. Good.
I agree Bishop, in principle at least. Though don't be too harsh on these people. Consoles and DVD players are expensive - combining the two is good on the wallet.
Well - if your gaming media format is DVD anyhow, why not just add some cheap DVD functionality to the system?
If they didn't they would have another group of people going "It the games are DVDs anyhow! Why didn't you just make it read normal DVDs! Fools!"
Nintendo is ass. When they brought out the 64 I was totally stoked, when I saw the controller I said, that looks like crap but Ill try it. Well it was crap, but I used it because I too loved Nintendo. Even with the most ridiculous controller scheme ever thunk, I argued countless times to my friends that it was "NINTENDO". So a couple years pass, and I have three games for my 64 on the shelf. Mario 64, Goldeneye, and Ocarina of Time. When I looked at my PS1 part of the shelf I had countless games emassed, all of which, for the most part, were very decent, involving games. Yes the three 64 games I had were fantastic, but I was sick of waiting six months for a decent game to come out. A couple more years pass and a couple more games get purchased. When the Gamecube launched I was sure I was in for a better experience. Nintendo looked like they had garnered some real 3rd party support, and everything seemed a step above the 64. Yes the controller too. Alas my moms shelf in the living room became my component rack in my den, and the Xbox, and PS2 sections of the stand are notably less dusty than the Cubes. It saddens me too. I loved Nintendo. I loved SEGA. Hell I loved my TurboGrafx. Forgive though if I think Nintendo should go the way of SEGA. Produce great games. You already do. Leave the hardware to others. Its just been a waste of my cash for the last two gens and unfortunately, I will not purchase your next-gen.
i agree
i only wish that nintendo would bring some more adult games
they have endless great games but they don't have the quatity of shoot em um and that sort of genre that ps2
and xbox have.
to me this is what i think is the reason behind
gc poor popularity
to be honest i like the gc but the only reason i didn't
buy a ps2 was because it was cheaper and i was short of cash. if i wasn't then i have to admit i wouldn't be defending gc.
to me it seem that the only reason the gc is being out sold at some stores by ps1 is that their popularity is so bad that you have to have one in order defend them
where as i could easily defend the ps2 with out owning one.
in many stores gc are so unpopular you can but one for 70 and get 3 new free games that is, if they sell them at all....
I'm feeling you, sol470 (not literally of course - that would be obscene). In many ways I agree with what you say utterly, though perhaps find it harder to say than you. I look across at my gaming collection now and it is in fact true that I have fewer games for my Nintendo systems than for the others. But you're right too - they're damn good games and I'm glad I have them.
I think maybe the GBA is slightly different though. there seems to be a higher number of good quality titles for that machine.
Great article, but look at your "favourite game of 2004" poll! Spiderman2? mafia??? Hitman2???? Not a single Nintendo game :-)
GTA and Burnout deserve the place.
nintendo have always made the best games it's a fact that only someone whose never played one could dissagree with.
It breakes my heart though that noboby has told them how to make a decent console.
nintendo's problem is its inability to defend itself , the "kiddy" acusations were started to dull nintendo's way of expressing itself (color choice, wide veriety of games). the kiddy accusations are just wrong cuz it says all games must be bloody unrealistic and unartistic. but it seems people are accepting these games as good games. next time anyone who reads this thinks about doin a little nintendo bashing, think about what your really telling companies you want
Guy you are right and I agree with you whole way I've never looked at how mature games are until after reading your article and I agree. My friend plays GTA all the time and I hate it because you have to be a bloody nitwit to enjoy a game that disgusting and also it's not very fun and it's the same thing every year they never improve anything but the graphics and nintendo has been there for me with the funny and quirky characters and always making me feel good when I come home from school and I've had a bad day and I play my Gamecube and I feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
I personally don't think this article is true. Let's find one 30-year old who watches cheap, kiddy cartoons. No, they'll all be into movies with lots of blood, gore, and girls. That's what mature is all about!
And while you say Nintendo is innovating, that's just not true. Everything they've introduced has been a gimmick, only to be improved to usability by Sony. In fact, the only thing being innovated are the graphics, and rightfully so -- soon, we'll be in a real-life world when we play our games!
So, for all I can care, Nintendo can take their kiddy crap and die with it; Sony deserves the top, and they're not hesitating to get it!
oh, yes let me tell you when i think of my mature father i think of him watching spawn and beating off, that is who i look up to. not a person who can make me smile and come up with new things to make me happy, instead of makinhg meatloaf everynight(this is a comparison to the gaming world where nintendo is great and new and sony is..well look at them they havent changed a bit not even the controlers are diffrent. they wont be revolutionizing any new concepts of gaming soon, will they?
you check out the nintendo revolution on Wikipedia it sounds like the bomb it plays dvds and i even has retro compatability now I can play all my old games, play my new ones, and watch DVDs talk about awsome
oh and also chester001have you ever considered a Psychiatrist or is that just a father son activity between the 2 of you (even at that thats just not right)
heyy i dont know what im writing about! :-p
A truly fantastic report and agree entirely. The major concern I have for Nintendo is that they are living on their name at the moment, the company feels it doesn't have to evolve and has a right to be at the top will in the long run fail.
Children today grow up faster than they have in the past and are attracted to the violence, speed and sex because it's cool and Sony have cornered this market. Now I’m not suggesting Nintendo start producing games like San Andreas as this goes against their fundamental principles however there is a market for games containing immense playability and ingenuity with a mature appeal - to take Nintendo back to the top or at least make it more competitive.
Now you probably could class me as a Nintendo fan as I see the games for what they are however I don’t believe there are enough off us about to keep them a live. Nintendo have to seize this opportunity and move this social trends.
Hi every1!
i like da ds and da ps2!
:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)
SMILE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i want gba movie player