Nintendo: The fall of greatness?

I have always been a fan of everything Nintendo. I collect all the consoles that they've released and all are in perfect operational condition. I also collect all the Zelda and Metroid titles. Time and time again Nintendo has been proven through their innovation and new approaches. Further, their games are some of the most memorable and unique games that have ever been created. Shigeru Miyamoto is a brilliant man who I would love to meet and talk with. As well as Nintendo's current CEO Satoru Iwata.

Upon meeting Satoru Iwata, I would have to ask the pressing question, "What are you doing to Nintendo?" Nintendo has been in a complete drought when it comes to its consoles and titles. Now that E3 2015 has ended, it's safe to say that Nintendo absolutely bombed at E3 this year.

From what I've read, Nintendo announced more 3ds games than it did for the Wii U. There was also only one major IP announcement: Star Fox Zero. There was an announcement for a new Metroid that's being released for the 3ds. It's already received 7,500+ signatures for a petition to scrap the game. The newest Zelda in development for Wii U was pushed back to sometime in 2016. So in essence, they have no major released slated for 2015 and only one for 2016.

Nintendo continually pushes out under powered, novelty consoles. This causes 3rd party developers to abandon the Wii U as a platform over and over again. Because of that, Nintendo has to rely heavily on its IP titles for their cash cows. The problem with that is that it doesn't create a large enough portfolio of games and it leads to oversaturation of Mario and Pokemon to stay afloat. Not to mention that the stories get stale and devlopers like Team Ninja come in to develop their IP's and it leads to the destruction of that IP... yes, Metroid Other M, I'm talking about you.

I don't know whether it is pride, stubbornnes, or a flat out refusal to acknowledge the predicament that Nintendo is in. It's rumored that they have another console in development. No ideas on dates, or how long before an official announcement, but this new console will be one of two things: The final nail in the coffin, or Nintendo's saving grace. It has got to be true contender as a next generation console. Nintendo has got to open its doors to indie developers and start courting 3rd party developers. They also have to kick things into high gear on their in house dev team.

Does anyone remember Sega consoles? That's where Nintendo is headed if they don't do a complete overhaul of their business model. That thought makes me sad as I have a genuine love for Nintendo.

Nintendo's fine I don't get how they are in such a rut plus they announce new games every couple months with the Nintendo direct plus Nintendo has been around since way back before video games so get off the dramatic Nintendo Is failing bandwagon

originally posted by: Leprekon
I don't get how they are in such a rut...

Your failure to recognize Nintendo's lackluster performance with their system and releases does not mean that there isn't a problem. Do a little searching around the different boards and forums for a true sense of what is going on. I received my first Nintendo during the Christmas of 1989. So I'm well aware of its long history as I made perfectly clear in my OP.

The only thing holding up Nintendo right now is its handheld systems. There are no other handheld systems that hold a candle to Nintendo's. Unfortunately, mobile gaming is shifting to app stores and phones. Nintendo is very very slowly losing ground in that market.

so get off the dramatic Nintendo Is failing bandwagon

Try commenting with a little more tact.

Just look at history:

Early generation consoles like the Atari 2600 were wiped out by home computers like the BBC, Acorn, ZX-81, ZX-Spectrum. These in turn were wiped out by 16-bit consoles like the SNES, Sega Saturn. These get wiped out by Desktop PC's with 2D games. Then these get wiped out by next generation consoles like the Sony Playstation, Sega Dreamcast. Then there's the Xbox. There's a sort of coexistence of PC gaming rigs with console like Xbox One and Sony Playstation 4.

But it's non-stop whack-a-mole. Nintendo just stuck to their own little corner; cute colorful fun games, but really got swamped by the mass production of games for smartphones. Why have a custom console with a few titles, when you can have a smartphone with hundreds of titles?

a reply to: EternalSolace

The Wii / Wii U was kind of a novelty console, yes. It's still pretty cool and has hundreds of games and all sorts of accessories, even an old-style controller to use.

Nintendo's saving grace has been their hand-helds and their game franchises (Mario, Zelda, etc). Games w/characters you grew up on that you can only play on Nintendo systems.

Are you suggesting they try to make a next-gen console to try to even enter the competitive market between Sony and Microsoft, one they've successfully stayed out of yet still are in business?

It could destroy Nintendo if they failed, the nail in the coffin if you will.

They haven't been keeping up with the research and design on the same levels as those companies because they do not have the financial overhead.

There's quite a market for retro Nintendo stuff, NES, SNES, Gamecubes .. the games themselves sell used for up to $20 for a regular old game. Hard to find games fetch much higher prices.

The Wii might have flopped a bit, but then again, it probably made a fair profit by not even attempting to truly compete against xbox and playstation.

I personally like the Gamecube and have one at the moment. Did you know there's an accessory you plug-in to the bottom of the Gamecube, it looks like a platform underneath the system, which lets you play all Gameboy games on your big screen TV w/the Gamecube controller? Endless amounts of fun.

a reply to: r0xor

I'm not suggesting that they directly compete with Sony and Microsoft. You're right in that it would definitely destroy them. Nintendo has set themselves apart through their innovation and unique approach to everything.

What I'm suggesting is that their next console has to be on par with Xone and PS4. The system has to be powerful enough to attract 3rd party games to the console. It's the reason why Nintendo never saw games like Oblivion or Skyrim. I mean, Nintendo is one of a very select few of AAA publishers for the Wii U. Their IP's being their only safety net wont secure them for much longer.

Also, SNES had a special cartridge that allowed you to insert the original gameboy games and play them.


My OP wasn't meant to be defeatist or derogatory toward Nintendo. It was just to open up discussion on what Nintendo needs to do to get out of its splump.

Right with you. I had the NES and stuck with them right up to the GameCube. After that, I went to the PS3.

I think one of Nintendo's problems is that they have not matured with their core users that have been with them since the beginning. We are now in our 30's soon to be 40's. We want mature content with great graphics and sound. We no longer want a childish gaming system with childish games.

They should come out with a flagship console that would be a direct competitor with Microsoft and Sony and maybe have a second lesser console that is aimed at the younger gamers. The only reason I was even considering a Wii U is because I have three young kids of my own.

As for myself, I may never buy a Nintendo system again.

a reply to: jtrenthacker

I keep buying Nintendo consoles because of Metroid and Zelda and a few other gems they tend to offer up every now and again. Those specifically are my favorite titles and I'm an avid collector of them. When Nintendo released that tech demo of Zelda, it was absolutely stunning.



But when it comes time for the real game, they released cell shaded junk. To be honest, I hate cell shaded graphics anyway. So it's purely my opinion when I say it's junk. You're right though, Nintendo has to do a bit of maturing too. While I admire their desire to cater to children, that market just isn't there anymore.

That said, they should in no way directly compete with Microsoft and Sony. That's not Nintendo's strong suit.

Sega was and is still the best game company.

originally posted by: OptimusPrimeOne
Sega was and is still the best game company.

How are they still the best, their hayday is long gone.

Nintendo sucked with Virtual Boy and the Game Cube.

Sega sucked with quite a few consoles/parts.

3DO... heh... Thats where I'm a fanboy God I loved that POS. But yeah talk about super fail at every turn.

But as we all know;

PC = Master Race.

a reply to: Lysergic

PC is the Master Race.

But Nintendo will always be that first love.

Nintendo breaks too easily. I replaced the wii three tines. I threw the PS3 completely expecting it to be broken only to find my kids playing it again in the still messy room. We've moved on from Nintendo.

The Wii was amazing. First person titles like Metroid Prime Trilogy, Mario Galaxy I and II, Zelda Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword, and Donkey Kong Country returns were amazing. Xenoblade and Monster Hunter Tri were equally worth their weight in $$.

WiiU is worthless. Mario 3d World pales in comparison to 3d Land for the 3DS. Monster Hunter Tri Ultimate is nothing against Monster Hunter 4 for 3DS. There won't be a Metroid Prime for the console, Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze is a lackluster refresh of DKC for Wii.

Meh... just meh. Nintendo won't be getting my money again unless it starts with Mario and ends with Galaxy 3.

That is what happens to Giants when they do not respond to market changes and competition...they die.

I have seen continuous improvement and development in Xbox and PS...I still have the original Nintendo and Sega...but have to admit that Xbox won my heart and have brought games into the market that I like to play. Nintendo still kept to an Anime level and the graphics really did not come close to realism like the Xbox and PS....these two consoles way more powerful and mainstream now.

Unless Nintendo comes up with something that neither Sony or Microsoft can compete with...it is fair to say that the North American market doesn't need Nintendo anymore.

The future for Nintendo in North America and I really hate to say it, rather than building up a new console, they should invest in Nintendo Game apps for smart phones. I think that would be the better strategy for now, and maybe they can come up with a ultra 4k gaming consonsole for the newest and more powerful tvs in the market, and THEN steamrole Microsoft and Sony in that way. IMO

originally posted by: Iamthatbish
Nintendo breaks too easily. I replaced the wii three tines. I threw the PS3 completely expecting it to be broken only to find my kids playing it again in the still messy room. We've moved on from Nintendo.

haha.. Nintendo consoles used to be indestructible. My gamecube fell out of the back of my mom's car on the way to the beach and the way back, and got covered in sand to the point it wouldn't open or close, and was bathed in salty watery air... My brothers and sisters were very rough on it, but it still works... What is it like 9 years old almost?

As far as nintendo goes, I was with them all the way up into the Wii.. I like the Wii, but it started feeling like they weren't making enough games, and the Wii is a cheap cheap chinese produced yuckiness.. Just the build quality I mean.

They lost me.. I can't stand to game on computers because and you will laugh at this.. Mice control makes things too easy.. You just click.. bam you're dead.. So the only games I can play on the computer are RTS games.. My computer got old, so I hanv't gamed on PC in a while.. My Wii broke so....

I'm down to not gaming at this point..

Xbox and playstation never really fit my fancy.. It's nothing about how good they may be for other people, they are obviously much better than nintendo at this point, but it's just not me... Call me childlike magic nintendo kid.. Give me those crazy mushrooms or raccoon tales over bloody ogres any day..

Something magical about my childhood and nintendo..

Life was simple then.


Please Nintendo... Please come back.. Please?? I still Love you.. I won't hurt you.. We can be happy together again..

LOL..

a reply to: KnightLight

My SNES took a bit of abuse and still functions to this day. It's had pop spilt on it. It's been dropped off of book shelves. It's been slung across the room (tripping on cords). Even the Wii is pretty indestructable. That's one thing Nintendo never compromised on... the durability of their consoles. The Wii for example: Just look through Google's images for Wii fails. Those controllers stand up to being slammed through walls, televisions, windows, and the floor. Yet, they still work.

I do miss the old Nintendo. I miss Rare.

What made NES and SNES amazing was the sheer amount of titles available.
NES: 826
SNES: 784
N64: 388
GC: 648

The Wii is where it starts getting tricky. The figure I'm about to list includes the virtual console releases. So that number is severly inflated by NES, SNES, N64, and GC titles.

Wii: 1359

The same story the Wii is applied to Wii U. The figure includes titles from the virtual console. So this number is also inflated by NEW, SNES, and N64 titles. Also, the Wii U does have the benefit of having a few indie developers.

Wii U (as of June 13): 530

The reason why the numbers for games were so high for NES and SNES was because it was THE console for developers and publishers. No, there wasn't much competition until the Playstation and Xbox rolled out. The numbers for Playstation 1 and 2 are around the 1,500+ mark.

Nintendo has failed to keep up since.

a reply to: EternalSolace

2 reasons i'm replying to your thread:

1) you state you are from KY.

2) I grew up on nintendo.

My step father use to drive semi trucks that delivered to KB toys while we lived in KY.

Many of the packages use to magically find themselves off the truck and into our home. (yeah, my step dad was a thief and I was a beneficiary)

One of my fondest memories of that sadistic bastard was the fact that I possessed Mario 3 before the game even hit the shelves.

I beat that damn game before anyone had a chance to buy it!

Good times!

Not really but, it is one good memory that I have.

originally posted by: Lysergic

originally posted by: OptimusPrimeOne
Sega was and is still the best game company.

How are they still the best, their hayday is long gone.

Nintendo sucked with Virtual Boy and the Game Cube.

Sega sucked with quite a few consoles/parts.

3DO... heh... Thats where I'm a fanboy God I loved that POS. But yeah talk about super fail at every turn.

But as we all know;

PC = Master

Have you played the last Alien game made by Sega?

I don't think they're coming out with a new console soon but are rather focusing on bringing their games into app form so it can be played on phones or tablets.