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I don’t like to admit it but lets face it, the Gamecube was one hell of a let down. Pikmin 2, Metroid Prime and Paper Mario 2 aside, I cannot think of anything remotely special to emerge from this era of Nintendo gaming.
Nintendo just got lazy. You could sense it in every game they made (aside from the aforementioned Pikmin). Take Mario Sunshine, instead of trying to surpass the legendary Mario 64 Nintendo merely upgraded it. It felt like a 64 spin off, it lacked the charm and effort of its predecessor and included a series of pointless and effortless missions, such as catching water Mario or collecting X amount of coins. Then there was the Wind Waker, an excellent addition to the Zelda series but (like Majora’s Mask) had no intention of upstaging Ocarina of Time. Nintendo didn’t even try.
It just felt that Nintendo had no intention of improving over their previous achievements. The Gameboy Advance’s entrance into the market got Nintendo fanboys like me extremely excited. It could be the SNES 2! We could get follow-ups to Mario World and A Link to the Past! We could see brand new 2D Nintendo franchises! And although the system picked up towards the end there was no sign of a new 2D Mario platformer or a Link to the Past beater. Nintendo didn’t even try.
Yet, into the second year of the Nintendo DS and with the launch of the Wii just around the corner, things are looking different. I am not discussing the new control methods and originality here, that has been done to death time and time again. This is about what, until recently, Nintendo have been all about, the games. New Super Mario Brothers is a key release. It is the first proper 2D Mario title since 1992’s Super Mario Land 2 on the Gameboy and is evidence of that effort that Nintendo had seemingly lacked over recent years. It is not only good fun, but it is a welcome addition to the Mario series, it is Nintendo telling us that they can still produce the classics that made them famous.
New Super Mario Brothers was a risk for Nintendo, if unsuccessful it could have tarnished the name of its infamous franchise. But Nintendo took that risk and has a mega smash hit on their hands because of it. In the next few months we are seeing further risks from Nintendo such as Yoshi’s Island 2, the follow up to what some perceive as Nintendo’s finest 2D outing. Once Nintendo may have doubted their ability to follow something as esteemed title, but now they are going for it and even if they fail to reach the dizzying heights of the original, I still respect the effort. Then there is Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass, the first 2D Zelda title developed by Nintendo since the deluxe version of Link’s Awakening. All of these are big franchises, with big budgets and big ideas. Nintendo are trying.
The Twilight Princess is said to be the true follow up to Ocarina of Time. What Nintendo mean is that it is the first time they’ve actually trying to surpass what they had called “The Greatest Game of All Time”. It is Nintendo trying to better what they had done in the past. Nintendo want to be the company of today, and not the company of yesterday. A sideways glance at the Wii line up and you can see that Nintendo have been pumping money into development. New Metroid, Zelda, Mario and Smash Brothers titles have already been confirmed for the next 12 months. Huge releases with huge budgets and huge expectations. Watching Mario Galaxy videos reassure me that, maybe, Nintendo are back in business. Maybe the glory days of the past are due a return.
Maybe these new control methods are not just rejuvenating a stale market, but rejuvenating a stale Nintendo as well.
Here’s to the future.
Dringo.
Nintendo just got lazy. You could sense it in every game they made (aside from the aforementioned Pikmin). Take Mario Sunshine, instead of trying to surpass the legendary Mario 64 Nintendo merely upgraded it. It felt like a 64 spin off, it lacked the charm and effort of its predecessor and included a series of pointless and effortless missions, such as catching water Mario or collecting X amount of coins. Then there was the Wind Waker, an excellent addition to the Zelda series but (like Majora’s Mask) had no intention of upstaging Ocarina of Time. Nintendo didn’t even try.
It just felt that Nintendo had no intention of improving over their previous achievements. The Gameboy Advance’s entrance into the market got Nintendo fanboys like me extremely excited. It could be the SNES 2! We could get follow-ups to Mario World and A Link to the Past! We could see brand new 2D Nintendo franchises! And although the system picked up towards the end there was no sign of a new 2D Mario platformer or a Link to the Past beater. Nintendo didn’t even try.
Yet, into the second year of the Nintendo DS and with the launch of the Wii just around the corner, things are looking different. I am not discussing the new control methods and originality here, that has been done to death time and time again. This is about what, until recently, Nintendo have been all about, the games. New Super Mario Brothers is a key release. It is the first proper 2D Mario title since 1992’s Super Mario Land 2 on the Gameboy and is evidence of that effort that Nintendo had seemingly lacked over recent years. It is not only good fun, but it is a welcome addition to the Mario series, it is Nintendo telling us that they can still produce the classics that made them famous.
New Super Mario Brothers was a risk for Nintendo, if unsuccessful it could have tarnished the name of its infamous franchise. But Nintendo took that risk and has a mega smash hit on their hands because of it. In the next few months we are seeing further risks from Nintendo such as Yoshi’s Island 2, the follow up to what some perceive as Nintendo’s finest 2D outing. Once Nintendo may have doubted their ability to follow something as esteemed title, but now they are going for it and even if they fail to reach the dizzying heights of the original, I still respect the effort. Then there is Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass, the first 2D Zelda title developed by Nintendo since the deluxe version of Link’s Awakening. All of these are big franchises, with big budgets and big ideas. Nintendo are trying.
The Twilight Princess is said to be the true follow up to Ocarina of Time. What Nintendo mean is that it is the first time they’ve actually trying to surpass what they had called “The Greatest Game of All Time”. It is Nintendo trying to better what they had done in the past. Nintendo want to be the company of today, and not the company of yesterday. A sideways glance at the Wii line up and you can see that Nintendo have been pumping money into development. New Metroid, Zelda, Mario and Smash Brothers titles have already been confirmed for the next 12 months. Huge releases with huge budgets and huge expectations. Watching Mario Galaxy videos reassure me that, maybe, Nintendo are back in business. Maybe the glory days of the past are due a return.
Maybe these new control methods are not just rejuvenating a stale market, but rejuvenating a stale Nintendo as well.
Here’s to the future.
Dringo.
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I don’t like to admit it but lets face it, the Gamecube was one hell of a let down. Pikmin 2, Metroid Prime and Paper Mario 2 aside, I cannot think of anything remotely special to emerge from this era of Nintendo gaming.
Nintendo just got lazy. You could sense it in every game they made (aside from the aforementioned Pikmin). Take Mario Sunshine, instead of trying to surpass the legendary Mario 64 Nintendo merely upgraded it. It felt like a 64 spin off, it lacked the charm and effort of its predecessor and included a series of pointless and effortless missions, such as catching water Mario or collecting X amount of coins. Then there was the Wind Waker, an excellent addition to the Zelda series but (like Majora’s Mask) had no intention of upstaging Ocarina of Time. Nintendo didn’t even try.
It just felt that Nintendo had no intention of improving over their previous achievements. The Gameboy Advance’s entrance into the market got Nintendo fanboys like me extremely excited. It could be the SNES 2! We could get follow-ups to Mario World and A Link to the Past! We could see brand new 2D Nintendo franchises! And although the system picked up towards the end there was no sign of a new 2D Mario platformer or a Link to the Past beater. Nintendo didn’t even try.
Yet, into the second year of the Nintendo DS and with the launch of the Wii just around the corner, things are looking different. I am not discussing the new control methods and originality here, that has been done to death time and time again. This is about what, until recently, Nintendo have been all about, the games. New Super Mario Brothers is a key release. It is the first proper 2D Mario title since 1992’s Super Mario Land 2 on the Gameboy and is evidence of that effort that Nintendo had seemingly lacked over recent years. It is not only good fun, but it is a welcome addition to the Mario series, it is Nintendo telling us that they can still produce the classics that made them famous.
New Super Mario Brothers was a risk for Nintendo, if unsuccessful it could have tarnished the name of its infamous franchise. But Nintendo took that risk and has a mega smash hit on their hands because of it. In the next few months we are seeing further risks from Nintendo such as Yoshi’s Island 2, the follow up to what some perceive as Nintendo’s finest 2D outing. Once Nintendo may have doubted their ability to follow something as esteemed title, but now they are going for it and even if they fail to reach the dizzying heights of the original, I still respect the effort. Then there is Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass, the first 2D Zelda title developed by Nintendo since the deluxe version of Link’s Awakening. All of these are big franchises, with big budgets and big ideas. Nintendo are trying.
The Twilight Princess is said to be the true follow up to Ocarina of Time. What Nintendo mean is that it is the first time they’ve actually trying to surpass what they had called “The Greatest Game of All Time”. It is Nintendo trying to better what they had done in the past. Nintendo want to be the company of today, and not the company of yesterday. A sideways glance at the Wii line up and you can see that Nintendo have been pumping money into development. New Metroid, Zelda, Mario and Smash Brothers titles have already been confirmed for the next 12 months. Huge releases with huge budgets and huge expectations. Watching Mario Galaxy videos reassure me that, maybe, Nintendo are back in business. Maybe the glory days of the past are due a return.
Maybe these new control methods are not just rejuvenating a stale market, but rejuvenating a stale Nintendo as well.
Here’s to the future.
Dringo.
Nintendo just got lazy. You could sense it in every game they made (aside from the aforementioned Pikmin). Take Mario Sunshine, instead of trying to surpass the legendary Mario 64 Nintendo merely upgraded it. It felt like a 64 spin off, it lacked the charm and effort of its predecessor and included a series of pointless and effortless missions, such as catching water Mario or collecting X amount of coins. Then there was the Wind Waker, an excellent addition to the Zelda series but (like Majora’s Mask) had no intention of upstaging Ocarina of Time. Nintendo didn’t even try.
It just felt that Nintendo had no intention of improving over their previous achievements. The Gameboy Advance’s entrance into the market got Nintendo fanboys like me extremely excited. It could be the SNES 2! We could get follow-ups to Mario World and A Link to the Past! We could see brand new 2D Nintendo franchises! And although the system picked up towards the end there was no sign of a new 2D Mario platformer or a Link to the Past beater. Nintendo didn’t even try.
Yet, into the second year of the Nintendo DS and with the launch of the Wii just around the corner, things are looking different. I am not discussing the new control methods and originality here, that has been done to death time and time again. This is about what, until recently, Nintendo have been all about, the games. New Super Mario Brothers is a key release. It is the first proper 2D Mario title since 1992’s Super Mario Land 2 on the Gameboy and is evidence of that effort that Nintendo had seemingly lacked over recent years. It is not only good fun, but it is a welcome addition to the Mario series, it is Nintendo telling us that they can still produce the classics that made them famous.
New Super Mario Brothers was a risk for Nintendo, if unsuccessful it could have tarnished the name of its infamous franchise. But Nintendo took that risk and has a mega smash hit on their hands because of it. In the next few months we are seeing further risks from Nintendo such as Yoshi’s Island 2, the follow up to what some perceive as Nintendo’s finest 2D outing. Once Nintendo may have doubted their ability to follow something as esteemed title, but now they are going for it and even if they fail to reach the dizzying heights of the original, I still respect the effort. Then there is Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass, the first 2D Zelda title developed by Nintendo since the deluxe version of Link’s Awakening. All of these are big franchises, with big budgets and big ideas. Nintendo are trying.
The Twilight Princess is said to be the true follow up to Ocarina of Time. What Nintendo mean is that it is the first time they’ve actually trying to surpass what they had called “The Greatest Game of All Time”. It is Nintendo trying to better what they had done in the past. Nintendo want to be the company of today, and not the company of yesterday. A sideways glance at the Wii line up and you can see that Nintendo have been pumping money into development. New Metroid, Zelda, Mario and Smash Brothers titles have already been confirmed for the next 12 months. Huge releases with huge budgets and huge expectations. Watching Mario Galaxy videos reassure me that, maybe, Nintendo are back in business. Maybe the glory days of the past are due a return.
Maybe these new control methods are not just rejuvenating a stale market, but rejuvenating a stale Nintendo as well.
Here’s to the future.
Dringo.
Dringo wrote:
> The Twilight Princess is said to be the true follow up to
> Ocarina of Time. What Nintendo mean is that it is the first time
> they’ve actually trying to surpass what they had called “The
> Greatest Game of All Time”.
Unlucky Nintendo, ye shall never beat Disgaea 1 and 2, FF Tactics, Final Fantasy 7, Cannon Fodder or SWOS
A sideways glance at
> the Wii line up and you can see that Nintendo have been pumping
> money into development. New Metroid, Zelda, Mario and Smash
> Brothers titles have already been confirmed for the next 12
> months. Huge releases with huge budgets and huge expectations.
> Watching Mario Galaxy videos reassure me that, maybe, Nintendo
> are back in business. Maybe the glory days of the past are due a
> return.
>
> Maybe these new control methods are not just rejuvenating a
> stale market, but rejuvenating a stale Nintendo as well.
So to rejuvanate themselves and the market, Ninty are going to release another Zelda game, Metroid game, Mario game and a Smash Brother game. Hmmmmmm, deja vu anyone?
> The Twilight Princess is said to be the true follow up to
> Ocarina of Time. What Nintendo mean is that it is the first time
> they’ve actually trying to surpass what they had called “The
> Greatest Game of All Time”.
Unlucky Nintendo, ye shall never beat Disgaea 1 and 2, FF Tactics, Final Fantasy 7, Cannon Fodder or SWOS
A sideways glance at
> the Wii line up and you can see that Nintendo have been pumping
> money into development. New Metroid, Zelda, Mario and Smash
> Brothers titles have already been confirmed for the next 12
> months. Huge releases with huge budgets and huge expectations.
> Watching Mario Galaxy videos reassure me that, maybe, Nintendo
> are back in business. Maybe the glory days of the past are due a
> return.
>
> Maybe these new control methods are not just rejuvenating a
> stale market, but rejuvenating a stale Nintendo as well.
So to rejuvanate themselves and the market, Ninty are going to release another Zelda game, Metroid game, Mario game and a Smash Brother game. Hmmmmmm, deja vu anyone?
The problem I see with buying a wii *Giggles* is that I've had a ps2 for the last 4 years, and I don't want to get rid of all my old games. Alot of people will want to have one console to play their old Ps2/Xbox games.
And, as kawada says, their are alot of good games on the ps2, Metal gear solid and Final fantasy to name two.
And, as kawada says, their are alot of good games on the ps2, Metal gear solid and Final fantasy to name two.
Kawada, isn't it slightly ironic you slating Ninty for releasing *another* Mario/Zelda/Metroid/etc. when one of your favourite series is Final Fantasy...?
Also, Ninty have never been about stat-heavy RPGs that are hard to get into unless you've played those kind of games before... Almost without exception, Nintendo games are easy to just pick up and play. Even Paper Mario, Nintendo's RPG Mario games, are much simpler to pick up than your average RPG.
Of course there's a place for long and complex RPGs (I like quite a few of these myself), but that's simply not what Nintendo do. It would be like Square trying to make an First Person Shooter...
Also, Ninty have never been about stat-heavy RPGs that are hard to get into unless you've played those kind of games before... Almost without exception, Nintendo games are easy to just pick up and play. Even Paper Mario, Nintendo's RPG Mario games, are much simpler to pick up than your average RPG.
Of course there's a place for long and complex RPGs (I like quite a few of these myself), but that's simply not what Nintendo do. It would be like Square trying to make an First Person Shooter...
Kawada wrote:
> So to rejuvanate themselves and the market, Ninty are going to
> release another Zelda game, Metroid game, Mario game and a Smash
> Brother game. Hmmmmmm, deja vu anyone?
I cant understand why more people arent mentioning this. Sony and Microsoft get flak for a lack of originality with their consoles. Yet we have Nintendo with their ambitions to recycle every IP they ever made and they get credit for their vision and originality. First we've got the virtual console, in which we get the excellent (!) opportunity to buy games we've already bought once for their old systems. Then we've full Wii games, which basically appear to be the same old games with a new control method. And now we have Miyamoto saying he wants to redo some GC games for the Wii. So thats even more games that are going to get recycled.
It doesnt matter how exciting waving a remote control around might be, theres no way I'm paying money to play the same old games.
> So to rejuvanate themselves and the market, Ninty are going to
> release another Zelda game, Metroid game, Mario game and a Smash
> Brother game. Hmmmmmm, deja vu anyone?
I cant understand why more people arent mentioning this. Sony and Microsoft get flak for a lack of originality with their consoles. Yet we have Nintendo with their ambitions to recycle every IP they ever made and they get credit for their vision and originality. First we've got the virtual console, in which we get the excellent (!) opportunity to buy games we've already bought once for their old systems. Then we've full Wii games, which basically appear to be the same old games with a new control method. And now we have Miyamoto saying he wants to redo some GC games for the Wii. So thats even more games that are going to get recycled.
It doesnt matter how exciting waving a remote control around might be, theres no way I'm paying money to play the same old games.
Sibs wrote:
> Kawada, isn't it slightly ironic you slating Ninty for releasing
> *another* Mario/Zelda/Metroid/etc. when one of your favourite
> series is Final Fantasy...?
>
I wasn't slating Nintendo i was slating those Nintendo fans like Dringo who constantly moan about Sony and MS releasing sequels yet seem quite content to play Mario 92838201 - "Mario gets a new hat" without a peep while heralding them as the kings of originality. I actually don't mind sequels as i've said in the past, if it's a good game it's a good game, end of.
Plus i was making a flippant remark about the Nintendo claims of OoT being the best game ever and giving several games i found better off the top of my head. Again not to be taken as a very serious comment before the OoT fanboys bore me with their defence of it
> Kawada, isn't it slightly ironic you slating Ninty for releasing
> *another* Mario/Zelda/Metroid/etc. when one of your favourite
> series is Final Fantasy...?
>
I wasn't slating Nintendo i was slating those Nintendo fans like Dringo who constantly moan about Sony and MS releasing sequels yet seem quite content to play Mario 92838201 - "Mario gets a new hat" without a peep while heralding them as the kings of originality. I actually don't mind sequels as i've said in the past, if it's a good game it's a good game, end of.
Plus i was making a flippant remark about the Nintendo claims of OoT being the best game ever and giving several games i found better off the top of my head. Again not to be taken as a very serious comment before the OoT fanboys bore me with their defence of it
There have been very few Nintendo games over the past few years that I have really enjoyed playing.
It's this reason that made me not really think twice about the Wii. The new interaction controls seem like it could be an interesting way to play some games but if the games aren't going to be anything special then I'll not be parting with my cash this time round.
It's this reason that made me not really think twice about the Wii. The new interaction controls seem like it could be an interesting way to play some games but if the games aren't going to be anything special then I'll not be parting with my cash this time round.
Personally, I don't believe most of us will ever play a game that will surpass that one game that we think of as "the absolute best". I know it's the Ocarina of Time for a lot of people, but for me it's Goldeneye.
What I'm getting at here, is that it's pretty much impossible to recreate that excitement you had as a kid when you played a great game. Gaming was something new at the time, but now we've seen it all and everything is either a copy of something we're played before or a rehash of a predecessor. There's nothing to stop us getting excited about a great game and loving it, but I don't think the matured mind of the average 20 year old gamer will be able to create the excitement of a 7 year old who's experiencing these things for the first time.
The Twilight Princess and whatever else that comes out of this upcoming generation may well turn out to be the be all and end all of gaming for the kids of today, but I will be amazed if anyone who's been around long enough to say they loved Ocarina when it was released comes on here and says "I enjoyed Twilight Princess more" when they've finished it.
Edit: this is my 1000th day! Just thought I'd mention that. :D
What I'm getting at here, is that it's pretty much impossible to recreate that excitement you had as a kid when you played a great game. Gaming was something new at the time, but now we've seen it all and everything is either a copy of something we're played before or a rehash of a predecessor. There's nothing to stop us getting excited about a great game and loving it, but I don't think the matured mind of the average 20 year old gamer will be able to create the excitement of a 7 year old who's experiencing these things for the first time.
The Twilight Princess and whatever else that comes out of this upcoming generation may well turn out to be the be all and end all of gaming for the kids of today, but I will be amazed if anyone who's been around long enough to say they loved Ocarina when it was released comes on here and says "I enjoyed Twilight Princess more" when they've finished it.
Edit: this is my 1000th day! Just thought I'd mention that. :D
Happy b-day you old fella you
Well done Chr1s, I'll be on 3,000 soon :)
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