This is an interesting blog title to read, considering this game has been getting glowing reviews across the board. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is currently sitting at a 93 on Metacritic, five points higher than the original Mario Kart 8 Wii U game. So, how could I possibly be disappointed in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe? Simple. It's not Mario Kart 9.
Now, let me just say this blog only works dependent on Nintendo never making another Mario Kart title for the Switch. With that said, I'll continue. Today was the first day that I got to play Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Unfortunately, I was one of the many Amazon customers who didn't receive the game on time. Playing the game on the Switch felt like getting reacquainted with an old friend. The game is absolutely gorgeous on the Switch's screen. But, my old friend doesn't have any new tricks. I've played this before. Three years ago.
Well, technically, my old friend does have a few new tricks. You can now hold two items at once, however, you cannot swap between them. That tends to make this new feature kind of pointless. If you get a get a great item after you get a useless one (say, a coin when you already have 10), you need to throw that item away to get to the item you want. This effectively is the same as just having one item at a time.
The controversial fire hopping technique is gone, now putting everyone on equal playing fields, and it also makes the game easier to play for young children who aren't good at Mario Kart. Smart steering prevents players from falling off the edges of the tracks, and auto accelerate is cruise control to let players focus on steering and combat. The Boo power up has also returned, allowing you to snag someone else's item.
*smacks forehead* Ah, how could I forget! I forgot the biggest addition to Deluxe! The battle modes! Proper battle modes have returned to Mario Kart 8. Oh, I remember now why I forgot about them. Because I couldn't access them today. At all. The online feature is practically nonexistent for me. Whether it was race or battle, regional or worldwide, I couldn't get past the lobbies. Most of the time, I couldn't even make it to Spectating. Online has been a complete failure. Now, the game's only been out a few days, so I'm confident that Nintendo can iron these issues out. It's worrisome, though, because Nintendo will start charging people for online soon, and their service needs to be pretty much flawless to get people to bite. As it stands, paying for Nintendo online is a no-go.
So, back to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe not being Mario Kart 9. Every Nintendo platform except the NES, Game Boy and Virtual Boy has had a unique Mario Kart. Each succeeding Mario Kart also inherited some tracks from the previous titles where they enhanced with the current games' engines. The Nintendo Switch, although having a Mario Kart title, does not have a Mario Kart that's unique to its platform. Unless it introduces some DLC with new tracks, or Nintendo decides to make a new Mario Kart for the Switch, there won't be any tracks to inherit for the Mario Kart on Nintendo's next platform. Granted, the next Mario Kart will pull a few tracks from Mario Kart 8's pool, but that will be viewed as pulling from a Wii U game, not a Switch game.
My other issue with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe not being Mario Kart 9 is that I'll always view this as a stop gap title to give early adopters a game to play after they've finished Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It's not really that bad of a thing considering the quality of MK8D, but again, it's in place of something entirely new. At this time, the Switch does not have a flagship title that is entirely new and unique to the system (sorry, but Breath of the Wild does not count). We'll have to wait for Splatoon 2, but I played the test fire and it's almost impossible to distinguish it from the previous game mechanically and visually. Yes, Splatoon 2 will be a brand new title exclusively for the Switch, but it won't have that evolutionary leap from previous titles that Zelda and Mario Kart benefit from every generation. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe not being Mario Kart 9 is just another example of the Switch launching entirely too soon. Switch gamers deserved a bigger, fresher title.
Again, this blog only works if Nintendo doesn't make another Mario Kart for the Switch. If Mario Kart 9 does come along during the Switch's lifespan. then they've effectively shut me up, and I will rejoice. I also need to remind myself that with the exception of Mario Kart 64, Mario Kart: Super Circuit and Mario Kart DS, Mario Kart games don't usually follow a Nintendo system within a year after launch. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe actually marks the earliest entry to a Nintendo platform's library. It's entirely believable that Nintendo has a proper Mario Kart sequel in the works as we speak. But man... if they do, we have a long wait ahead of us....
Oh, and one last point. Even though Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is not Mario Kart 9, the best part of it not being Mario Kart 9 is that it's the perfect reason for people to buy a Switch who have skipped the Wii U entirely. There are a lot of gamers out there that skipped the Wii U for a variety of reasons and are now buying the Switch because it has far more potential than the Wii U. Having the definitive edition of a quality Wii U title with two DLC packs already included is very inviting for potential Switch buyers.
Still... I REALLY wish Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was Mario Kart 9...
Sunday, April 30, 2017
Friday, April 28, 2017
Disney Afternoon Not on Switch and The New 2DS XL
So, I got a couple of things I want to talk about today. The first is about the Disney Afternoon Collection not being available on the Switch. On April 18th, Capcom released the Disney Afternoon Collection on Xbox One, PS4 and PC. The collection contained six NES games including Duck Tales, Duck Tales 2, Chip and Dale's Rescue Rangers, Chip and Dale's Rescue Rangers 2, TailSpin and Darkwing Duck. What's odd is that a compilation of NES games is somehow not launching for a Nintendo system.
As of this time, there's no official reason from Capcom as to why they aren't bringing it to the system yet, or even at all. These has led to a lot of speculation from people, and even boycotts from some. Me personally, I will not buy the game until it's released on the Switch. It only makes sense that a collection of NES games is released on a Nintendo platform.
Now, if you know your video game history, you'll know that Nintendo was a bit of a tyrant back in the days of the 8-bit era. They were very controlling of what was published on their machine as well as how many games a publisher could make annually. So, some people believe that there's a bit of bad blood between Capcom and Nintendo, which is why they aren't releasing DAC on the Switch, but I don't really think that's it.
Capcom has supported Nintendo throughout its previous generations. Nintendo was the first platform to receive Resident Evil 4 on the GameCube, and even the first platform to receive Resident Evil: Revelations on the 3DS. Mega Man compilations were released on Nintendo platforms. When Capcom remastered Duck Tales, they published a version on the Wii U. Hell, Capcom supports the Switch currently with Ultimate Street Fighter II coming out next month. So, if there IS any bad blood between the two companies, they're doing a great job of pretending to play nice.
So that leaves me with a theory, although it's nowhere near my own. The reason why a compilation of NES cames isn't coming to a Nintendo system is because of two words: Virtual Console. It is my belief that Nintendo is waiting for the Virtual Console to be released on the Switch, so they can divide the collection up into six pieces and charge five dollars individually. I would not put it past Nintendo to do something like this. They are a very greedy company, after all. I love Nintendo, but honestly, they are one of the greediest game makers around. If no collection is released for the Switch and the games do indeed appear on their own via Virtual Console, I will not buy them and instead just get the PS4 version, knowing that the decision was all Nintendo.
Regardless of whatever reason, this is just a baffling move. Being NES games, the Disney Afternoon Collection would feel right at home on the Switch, considering older games such as the Neo Geo titles are filling up a good portion of the eShop. What better place to play NES games than on the Switch, a platform that lets you take them on the go? What I also just thought of is that it isn't coming to the 3DS either, a platform where Virtual Console already exists. If it was a matter of doubting whether or not the game would sell, the 3DS would have been a surefire hit, but even then, there's already a number of people voicing their interest in wanting a Switch version. Just go to any article or Facebook post and read the comments. The Switch has already shipped over 2.5 million units, so I'm sure DAC would have sold well there, too. Hopefully, we'll see DAC come to the Switch in the future.
Now to talk about this... thing.
Before I do, let me just be objective and say I understand why this was created. The New 2DS XL brings the clamshell design, enhanced CPU, Amiibo NFC and analogue nub over to the 2DS line. It's the perfect 3DS without the 3D for people who wanted a 2DS, but hated its design. It's also 50 dollars cheaper than a 3DS, so I get it. But I don't like it.
Now let me be subjective. Even though I just said I understand why the thing was made, I view this machine as pointless. Why? Because it's a 3DS without the 3D. Everyone who has a 3DS already has a 2DS. They just need to turn the 3D off. Since the 2DS has now been redesigned, it also removed what made the 2DS unique in the first place: its doorstop shape. The original 2DS was easy for little hands to hold. Now, we have just another clamshell.
So the only thing that makes this New 2DS XL stand out is that it's a cheaper 3DS XL. If that's the case, why not just drop the price point on the 3DS? The thing's been out so long by now that surely, it's becoming cheaper and cheaper to make. Why, then, add yet another SKU to their line up to manage and for retailers to stock? Completely unnecessary.
But the reason why I'm bothered by this is because this announcement comes on the heels of the NES Classic being discontinued. To me, it's a matter of Nintendo's priorities being out of whack. Nintendo has decided to discontinue making something that no one can find to make something that no one wants (I'm being hyperbolic. I have no idea how many people would buy a New 2DS XL). So, instead of whatever factories were making the parts for the NES Classic, they're now making parts for the New 2DS XL. I highly doubt these things will sell more than the NES Classic. Or, Nintendo could just produce both at the same time. Lord knows they have enough money and resources...
It also seems to me that Nintendo decided to do yet another revision to show people that they aren't giving up on the 2DS and 3DS anytime soon. I honestly believe they should. The Switch has all the makings for the next Nintendo portable platform, and I truly feel they need to divert all their portable assets to it. Yeah, it's a bit of a problem trying to sell a Nintendo portable for 300, as we all learned the first time from the original 3DS (which was 250). Yet, the Switch is selling very successfully right now, so I don't think it's a stretch of the imagination to see this system fully replacing the 3DS. It dances between the realms of console and handheld by merely placing it in and out of a dock. It's perfect. Let the 3DS die and have the Switch carry the torch.
As of this time, there's no official reason from Capcom as to why they aren't bringing it to the system yet, or even at all. These has led to a lot of speculation from people, and even boycotts from some. Me personally, I will not buy the game until it's released on the Switch. It only makes sense that a collection of NES games is released on a Nintendo platform.
Now, if you know your video game history, you'll know that Nintendo was a bit of a tyrant back in the days of the 8-bit era. They were very controlling of what was published on their machine as well as how many games a publisher could make annually. So, some people believe that there's a bit of bad blood between Capcom and Nintendo, which is why they aren't releasing DAC on the Switch, but I don't really think that's it.
Capcom has supported Nintendo throughout its previous generations. Nintendo was the first platform to receive Resident Evil 4 on the GameCube, and even the first platform to receive Resident Evil: Revelations on the 3DS. Mega Man compilations were released on Nintendo platforms. When Capcom remastered Duck Tales, they published a version on the Wii U. Hell, Capcom supports the Switch currently with Ultimate Street Fighter II coming out next month. So, if there IS any bad blood between the two companies, they're doing a great job of pretending to play nice.
So that leaves me with a theory, although it's nowhere near my own. The reason why a compilation of NES cames isn't coming to a Nintendo system is because of two words: Virtual Console. It is my belief that Nintendo is waiting for the Virtual Console to be released on the Switch, so they can divide the collection up into six pieces and charge five dollars individually. I would not put it past Nintendo to do something like this. They are a very greedy company, after all. I love Nintendo, but honestly, they are one of the greediest game makers around. If no collection is released for the Switch and the games do indeed appear on their own via Virtual Console, I will not buy them and instead just get the PS4 version, knowing that the decision was all Nintendo.
Regardless of whatever reason, this is just a baffling move. Being NES games, the Disney Afternoon Collection would feel right at home on the Switch, considering older games such as the Neo Geo titles are filling up a good portion of the eShop. What better place to play NES games than on the Switch, a platform that lets you take them on the go? What I also just thought of is that it isn't coming to the 3DS either, a platform where Virtual Console already exists. If it was a matter of doubting whether or not the game would sell, the 3DS would have been a surefire hit, but even then, there's already a number of people voicing their interest in wanting a Switch version. Just go to any article or Facebook post and read the comments. The Switch has already shipped over 2.5 million units, so I'm sure DAC would have sold well there, too. Hopefully, we'll see DAC come to the Switch in the future.
Now to talk about this... thing.
Before I do, let me just be objective and say I understand why this was created. The New 2DS XL brings the clamshell design, enhanced CPU, Amiibo NFC and analogue nub over to the 2DS line. It's the perfect 3DS without the 3D for people who wanted a 2DS, but hated its design. It's also 50 dollars cheaper than a 3DS, so I get it. But I don't like it.
Now let me be subjective. Even though I just said I understand why the thing was made, I view this machine as pointless. Why? Because it's a 3DS without the 3D. Everyone who has a 3DS already has a 2DS. They just need to turn the 3D off. Since the 2DS has now been redesigned, it also removed what made the 2DS unique in the first place: its doorstop shape. The original 2DS was easy for little hands to hold. Now, we have just another clamshell.
So the only thing that makes this New 2DS XL stand out is that it's a cheaper 3DS XL. If that's the case, why not just drop the price point on the 3DS? The thing's been out so long by now that surely, it's becoming cheaper and cheaper to make. Why, then, add yet another SKU to their line up to manage and for retailers to stock? Completely unnecessary.
But the reason why I'm bothered by this is because this announcement comes on the heels of the NES Classic being discontinued. To me, it's a matter of Nintendo's priorities being out of whack. Nintendo has decided to discontinue making something that no one can find to make something that no one wants (I'm being hyperbolic. I have no idea how many people would buy a New 2DS XL). So, instead of whatever factories were making the parts for the NES Classic, they're now making parts for the New 2DS XL. I highly doubt these things will sell more than the NES Classic. Or, Nintendo could just produce both at the same time. Lord knows they have enough money and resources...
It also seems to me that Nintendo decided to do yet another revision to show people that they aren't giving up on the 2DS and 3DS anytime soon. I honestly believe they should. The Switch has all the makings for the next Nintendo portable platform, and I truly feel they need to divert all their portable assets to it. Yeah, it's a bit of a problem trying to sell a Nintendo portable for 300, as we all learned the first time from the original 3DS (which was 250). Yet, the Switch is selling very successfully right now, so I don't think it's a stretch of the imagination to see this system fully replacing the 3DS. It dances between the realms of console and handheld by merely placing it in and out of a dock. It's perfect. Let the 3DS die and have the Switch carry the torch.
Friday, April 14, 2017
My Complicated Love Affair With Nintendo
If I were to post a relationship status with Nintendo on my Facebook, it would more than likely be "Complicated." I love Nintendo. I've been playing Nintendo since the first Super Mario Bros. came out back in 1984 or 85 and I got my first Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990. I have since purchased or received every console Nintendo has made, with the exception of the Virtual Boy (although I do want to get one just for the hell of it) and have bought far more Game
Boys than I dare to mention. So, I just want to preface this blog that yes, I DO love Nintendo.
But if you know me at all, you know that I've been critical of them in recent years. Before I talk about the topic of what prompted me to write this blog (of which I'm sure you already know), let me go into some history with Nintendo and me.
The Atari 800 and 5200 were considered my first consoles, so Atari introduced me to gaming but it wasn't until the mid-80s when my friends started getting an awesome little grey box known as the Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES for short. Even though it was another video game system, of which I had, there was something more special, more seductive with this machine. It was most likely the graphics that invited my young gaming eyes to it, but it was the games that kept me coming back. Super Mario Bros. was the first digital crack that I was exposed to, and I befriended anyone who had it. I'm not going to run off a list of awesome games that I played, because I played too many to list, and that's not really the point of this blog.
Anyway, before I owned my very own NES, I rented them several times. It wasn't until 1990 that I received an NES as an elementary school graduation present. Now, I was able to play it whenever I wanted, and it turned out to be one of the worst things for me academically because when I started the 6th grade, the NES proved to be too much of a distraction and my grades kept slipping. It got to the point that my mom had to take away my games and threaten to sell them if I didn't get them back up. So, I made my parents a promise and got my grades back up. I really didn't want to lose any one of those awesome NES games that I had. Grades went up, the year was over and I got my NES back for the summer.
The summer of 1991 brought with it the introduction of one of the biggest and most beloved giants in gaming history: the Super Nintendo. I still remember that one day in August walking through the Aurora Mall when we passed Electronics Boutique and they had a banner across their entrance way that read, "SUPER NINTENDO IS HERE!" I begged and begged and even pulled at my parents to try to go into the store and take a look at it. I've been reading about it in magazines for months, and I really wanted to see it for myself. Sadly, my parents dragged me away, what with them being much bigger than I was at the time.
Shortly after, I had a sleepover with a friend of mine and after they left, I was tasked to deflate the air mattress and pick up the sheets and pillow and when I lifted the pillow, there it was in all its glory: a Super Nintendo Entertainment System! I actually fell flat on the partially deflated air mattress. I couldn't believe it! I had one! It was mine! And then I experienced the gaming goodness that was Super Mario World and F-Zero and PilotWings and many more.
Oh how my parents set me up for failure. Just when I was detoxing from crack, they introduce me to meth. The Super Nintendo being more powerful and having bigger and better games was an exceedingly greater addiction and distraction to me than my old 8-bit NES. I started getting into RPGs as well and before I knew it, I was actually failing classes. The power of Nintendo was great, so great that my parents had to take away yet another video game system from me until I got my grades back up. Slowly, but surely, they came back up. I really wanted my SNES back.
Then the year became 1996. This was the year that changed everything for Nintendo. This was the year that Ultra, now called the Nintendo 64 was to be released. Thankfully, I turned 16 the year prior and got my first job working at McDonald's in the airport. My parents weren't going to keep buying my video games for me, and I had the summer to start saving. This was going to be the second game console I purchased for myself (the first being PlayStation), and I had to make sure I was ready.
My first experience of Super Mario 64 was a magical one. Nintendo changed the game when it came to the the 3D platformer. Their controller was weird, but it had the analogue stick. This made playing in 3D so much better. So many other great games came in the lifespan of the 64 my love for Nintendo only continued to blossom. Yet, at the same time, peculiar decisions on Nintendo's behalf planted the seed of criticism in me that would grow alongside my love for them. This was the era when Nintendo lost Squaresoft.
If you wrote up a list of Nintendo's biggest blunders as a company, you'll most likely find the loss of Squaresoft near the top of the list. Squaresoft was probably one of Nintendo's most important third parties, making some of the best RPGs available. Final Fantasy VII was supposed to be the greatest RPG to ever grace a Nintendo system, but that all went south when Nintendo made a stubborn decision to stick to the very expensive and limiting cartridge format. Squaresoft didn't want to sacrifice any of their game to make it fit on a minuscule cartridge. Sony's CD media was much more appealing. There were other issues involved as well, but the format was the key issue. I remember reading an issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly where they announced that Final Fantasy VII for the N64, the latest installment in a long running RPG franchise exclusive to Nintendo, was now canceled and would instead be an exclusive for Sony's PlayStation. It was the shot hear round the world. Fortunately, I had a PlayStation, so I was covered, but I just couldn't help but scream into the ceiling, "NINTENDO, YOU IDIOTS!" (Well, not really.)
It's just been downhill from there. When the GameCube came out, it was a fantastic system in its own right, but Nintendo did so much damage to themselves during the N64 era, it was hard for them to ever recover. Again, they made the decision to stick with a proprietary format, this time in the shape of mini-discs, and still had issues with third-party relationships. The Cube put out great games, but its toy-like lunchbox shape was off-putting to some and it never had the adoption rate it should have. Nintendo was weakened by Sony, a newcomer to the video game industry, and Sony followed up with their monolith PlayStation 2, beating Nintendo to the punch by a year. The same year of 2001 that the GameCube launched, another newcomer entered the fray. Microsoft released their Xbox just three days before Nintendo released their GameCube. Already losing to Sony, Nintendo simply didn't have any stamina left to fend off Microsoft. The console marketshare was now officially lost to Sony and Microsoft.
Nintendo gave up. They didn't want to make a powerful game console anymore. They decided to leave the battle of graphics to Sony and Microsoft and they needed a revolution if they were going to come back swinging, and they did. The Wii was a runaway success thanks in part to its motion-based gaming, its pack-in game Wii Sports, and its more affordable price tag. It also looked like a more modern console as well, a white box with no contours, no humps, no multiple colors. As much of a commercial success as it was, it still had a hard time keeping the core audience because third party companies stopped making games for it not wanting to compromise performance in their games. Sony and Microsoft continued to pull ahead in the AAA industry. It didn't matter to Nintendo much, though. The Wii made so much money for Nintendo, they're still spending it today.
As the seventh generation of consoles entered is twilight years, Nintendo was getting ready to launch its follow up to the Wii, the confusingly titled Wii U. Although I knew exactly what this new system was, the general consumer wasn't getting the idea. Many passed it off as an accessory for the Wii, and even Nintendo themselves didn't really understand what they were doing with it. Its tablet controller was a great idea, but it never became the game changer that the Wii's waggling controllers proved to be. Nintendo tried to replicate the Wii's success, but they scrapped what made it successful to begin with: the motion controls. And again, they continued to repeat their mistakes by making another underpowered machine, marginally more powerful than consoles that were six or seven years old. Nintendo came out swinging, however, releasing with the largest launch line up of any U.S. console launch in history. Nintendo lost a lot of momentum, though, and the Wii U experienced a four month drought of games, leaving a bad taste in the mouths of first adopters. It also didn't help that many key titles that the Wii U needed went to the 3DS instead. Once again, we saw a Nintendo system relegated to the secondary system if you owned a Sony or MS system. This was when I really started becoming critical of Nintendo because of how poorly they managed the Wii U. It had all the makings to be THE system of choice for first and third party games, but it was never meant to be.
Now we have the Switch. I absolutely LOVE this thing! The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild had me playing the thing for nearly a month straight. I think the convenience of being able to take a console with you and play it anywhere is worth its weight in gold. As much as I love it, though, GOD DAMMIT do I hate the way Nintendo is handling it right now! For starters, Nintendo has absolutely failed to back this system with a strong launch line up. Sure, there's Zelda, but it's also on the Wii U, so that has failed to sell Wii U owners on a Switch if all they wanted to do was play Zelda. Even though I'm quite enjoying The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+, I have to acknowledge that this game is several years old. There are also many other games in its launch line up that are several years old as well. There are great games coming, but they are far and few in between. Hell, the next game I'm getting is an enhanced game of a Wii U title I already owned: Mario Kart 8. The only reason I'm buying that is because I got so angry with the Wii U game that I broke it (don't judge me). We have Splatoon 2, but the first didn't hold my interest online for more than a week. The summer and fall are going to prove slim pickings until Super Mario Odyssey comes out during the holidays.
Honestly, the Switch was rushed. There isn't a solid enough argument that I've heard that convinces me otherwise. Hell, the thing doesn't even have Netflix! That's a staple feature of any console at launch. The Wii had it. The Wii U had it. The 3DS had it. Also severely lacking from services is the Virtual Console. It's a sin if you ask me to launch a Nintendo platform without Virtual Console, especially considering how valued they hold their old software. There's also Zelda needing to be patched, and the whole system failure replacement debacle. Nintendo didn't have a system in place to replace bad Switches. So why then rush the Switch out when you have no games to support it, no services out of the box, and customer support that is ill equipped to deal with customer issues? For a company that always claims it isn't competing with Sony and MS, it sure booted this thing out of the door like it was scared to compete with them in the holidays.
I just want to see the Switch succeed, but I need to be honest with myself and say it isn't looking good right now. Sure, it's just the first year, and Nintendo have sold around one million units, but will that momentum keep up? How many Switches will be resold or unplayed by people who are tired of waiting for top tier games? We know absolutely nothing about what's in store for the Switch next year. If Nintendo is holding anything back from us, it MUST be revealed at E3. Failure to reveal key games for next year will be a death sentence for the Switch. It's doing great so far, but I simply have no confidence right now that Nintendo can keep this up. Prove me wrong, Nintendo. Prove me wrong.
Now onto the subject at hand. I'm sure you've heard of Nintendo's latest bonehead move to discontinue the NES Classic, a machine that's been in such high demand that news outlets have to write articles about when stores are getting JUST a few of them in, and they're immediately nabbed leaving those who read the article an hour late out of luck. This makes no sense at all. This continues to illustrate just how out of touch Nintendo is with their customers. It's Amiibos all over again, only Nintendo at least started making more of those.
I am mad at them, but I'm not mad that I may never get one now. I'm mad that people who really wanted one may not get one now. I really hate seeing customers being shitted on, and what better way to shit on your customers than stop selling what they badly want, which you barely even supplied when you were making them. I would have loved to have one if I found one for the 69.99 MSRP but as it stands, it's not worth it for me to pay a scalper double or triple that price. It's not worth it for me to call around or camp out for one. If only the Classic wasn't a closed system and allowed you to buy more games through Nintendo, it would have given me reason to get one and keep it hooked up to my TV.
It just irks me to see a company that I love make very questionable business decisions and miss out on opportunities to make a lot of money, and that's exactly what Nintendo is doing here. I love when they do very well, because contrary to previous criticism, Nintendo is my favorite game company. I have much higher standards for them than I do for Sony and Microsoft, which is why you might not here me bitch about something as much when those two fuck up. Sony and Microsoft were already established companies who just decided to branch out into the gaming industry. PlayStation and Xbox are divisions. If they go under, Sony and Microsoft will cut them out and move on. Nintendo is purely a gaming company, so I have reason to worry about them more. If Nintendo goes under. ALL of Nintendo goes under. Best case scenario is that they go the way of Sega and become a third party publisher. That may not happen in the next 10 or 20 years, but if you keep building a tower a couple centimeters off each floor, it's going to fall over by the time you reach the 100th floor. Nintendo has been a couple centimeters off each time since the N64.
I just want Nintendo to be king again, but that likely isn't going to happen, and it's not their fault. It's YOUR fault. I blame you, each and every one of you Nintendo fans that don't call Nintendo out on their shit. The ones that never criticize yet enable Nintendo to sit on their laurels. You sent them strong messages that it was OK to bow out of the console wars and not bother making a powerful and attractive machine for third parties so long as they give you Marios and Zeldas and Metroids. And hehehe... they aren't giving you much of Metroid either, unless you were really desperate to buy that piece of shit Federation Force. Yes, this is irrational blame that I'm projecting, because it's hard for me to place it all on a company I really love, so I'm angry with all of you who never bothered to pressure Nintendo to be better!
Nintendo is like a beloved child of mine. I will love them unconditionally, but I do get disappointed with them. I do get frustrated with them. I do get upset and angry with them. Nintendo has given me a lot of joy in its earlier years, but as they've gotten older, they've begun bringing home bad report cards. I only wish there was something I could take away from Nintendo to get them to get their grades back up.
This has been a long read. If you made it through all of it without skimming, I appreciate it very much. Thank you.
Boys than I dare to mention. So, I just want to preface this blog that yes, I DO love Nintendo.
But if you know me at all, you know that I've been critical of them in recent years. Before I talk about the topic of what prompted me to write this blog (of which I'm sure you already know), let me go into some history with Nintendo and me.
The Atari 800 and 5200 were considered my first consoles, so Atari introduced me to gaming but it wasn't until the mid-80s when my friends started getting an awesome little grey box known as the Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES for short. Even though it was another video game system, of which I had, there was something more special, more seductive with this machine. It was most likely the graphics that invited my young gaming eyes to it, but it was the games that kept me coming back. Super Mario Bros. was the first digital crack that I was exposed to, and I befriended anyone who had it. I'm not going to run off a list of awesome games that I played, because I played too many to list, and that's not really the point of this blog.
Anyway, before I owned my very own NES, I rented them several times. It wasn't until 1990 that I received an NES as an elementary school graduation present. Now, I was able to play it whenever I wanted, and it turned out to be one of the worst things for me academically because when I started the 6th grade, the NES proved to be too much of a distraction and my grades kept slipping. It got to the point that my mom had to take away my games and threaten to sell them if I didn't get them back up. So, I made my parents a promise and got my grades back up. I really didn't want to lose any one of those awesome NES games that I had. Grades went up, the year was over and I got my NES back for the summer.
The summer of 1991 brought with it the introduction of one of the biggest and most beloved giants in gaming history: the Super Nintendo. I still remember that one day in August walking through the Aurora Mall when we passed Electronics Boutique and they had a banner across their entrance way that read, "SUPER NINTENDO IS HERE!" I begged and begged and even pulled at my parents to try to go into the store and take a look at it. I've been reading about it in magazines for months, and I really wanted to see it for myself. Sadly, my parents dragged me away, what with them being much bigger than I was at the time.
Shortly after, I had a sleepover with a friend of mine and after they left, I was tasked to deflate the air mattress and pick up the sheets and pillow and when I lifted the pillow, there it was in all its glory: a Super Nintendo Entertainment System! I actually fell flat on the partially deflated air mattress. I couldn't believe it! I had one! It was mine! And then I experienced the gaming goodness that was Super Mario World and F-Zero and PilotWings and many more.
Oh how my parents set me up for failure. Just when I was detoxing from crack, they introduce me to meth. The Super Nintendo being more powerful and having bigger and better games was an exceedingly greater addiction and distraction to me than my old 8-bit NES. I started getting into RPGs as well and before I knew it, I was actually failing classes. The power of Nintendo was great, so great that my parents had to take away yet another video game system from me until I got my grades back up. Slowly, but surely, they came back up. I really wanted my SNES back.
Then the year became 1996. This was the year that changed everything for Nintendo. This was the year that Ultra, now called the Nintendo 64 was to be released. Thankfully, I turned 16 the year prior and got my first job working at McDonald's in the airport. My parents weren't going to keep buying my video games for me, and I had the summer to start saving. This was going to be the second game console I purchased for myself (the first being PlayStation), and I had to make sure I was ready.
My first experience of Super Mario 64 was a magical one. Nintendo changed the game when it came to the the 3D platformer. Their controller was weird, but it had the analogue stick. This made playing in 3D so much better. So many other great games came in the lifespan of the 64 my love for Nintendo only continued to blossom. Yet, at the same time, peculiar decisions on Nintendo's behalf planted the seed of criticism in me that would grow alongside my love for them. This was the era when Nintendo lost Squaresoft.
If you wrote up a list of Nintendo's biggest blunders as a company, you'll most likely find the loss of Squaresoft near the top of the list. Squaresoft was probably one of Nintendo's most important third parties, making some of the best RPGs available. Final Fantasy VII was supposed to be the greatest RPG to ever grace a Nintendo system, but that all went south when Nintendo made a stubborn decision to stick to the very expensive and limiting cartridge format. Squaresoft didn't want to sacrifice any of their game to make it fit on a minuscule cartridge. Sony's CD media was much more appealing. There were other issues involved as well, but the format was the key issue. I remember reading an issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly where they announced that Final Fantasy VII for the N64, the latest installment in a long running RPG franchise exclusive to Nintendo, was now canceled and would instead be an exclusive for Sony's PlayStation. It was the shot hear round the world. Fortunately, I had a PlayStation, so I was covered, but I just couldn't help but scream into the ceiling, "NINTENDO, YOU IDIOTS!" (Well, not really.)
It's just been downhill from there. When the GameCube came out, it was a fantastic system in its own right, but Nintendo did so much damage to themselves during the N64 era, it was hard for them to ever recover. Again, they made the decision to stick with a proprietary format, this time in the shape of mini-discs, and still had issues with third-party relationships. The Cube put out great games, but its toy-like lunchbox shape was off-putting to some and it never had the adoption rate it should have. Nintendo was weakened by Sony, a newcomer to the video game industry, and Sony followed up with their monolith PlayStation 2, beating Nintendo to the punch by a year. The same year of 2001 that the GameCube launched, another newcomer entered the fray. Microsoft released their Xbox just three days before Nintendo released their GameCube. Already losing to Sony, Nintendo simply didn't have any stamina left to fend off Microsoft. The console marketshare was now officially lost to Sony and Microsoft.
Nintendo gave up. They didn't want to make a powerful game console anymore. They decided to leave the battle of graphics to Sony and Microsoft and they needed a revolution if they were going to come back swinging, and they did. The Wii was a runaway success thanks in part to its motion-based gaming, its pack-in game Wii Sports, and its more affordable price tag. It also looked like a more modern console as well, a white box with no contours, no humps, no multiple colors. As much of a commercial success as it was, it still had a hard time keeping the core audience because third party companies stopped making games for it not wanting to compromise performance in their games. Sony and Microsoft continued to pull ahead in the AAA industry. It didn't matter to Nintendo much, though. The Wii made so much money for Nintendo, they're still spending it today.
As the seventh generation of consoles entered is twilight years, Nintendo was getting ready to launch its follow up to the Wii, the confusingly titled Wii U. Although I knew exactly what this new system was, the general consumer wasn't getting the idea. Many passed it off as an accessory for the Wii, and even Nintendo themselves didn't really understand what they were doing with it. Its tablet controller was a great idea, but it never became the game changer that the Wii's waggling controllers proved to be. Nintendo tried to replicate the Wii's success, but they scrapped what made it successful to begin with: the motion controls. And again, they continued to repeat their mistakes by making another underpowered machine, marginally more powerful than consoles that were six or seven years old. Nintendo came out swinging, however, releasing with the largest launch line up of any U.S. console launch in history. Nintendo lost a lot of momentum, though, and the Wii U experienced a four month drought of games, leaving a bad taste in the mouths of first adopters. It also didn't help that many key titles that the Wii U needed went to the 3DS instead. Once again, we saw a Nintendo system relegated to the secondary system if you owned a Sony or MS system. This was when I really started becoming critical of Nintendo because of how poorly they managed the Wii U. It had all the makings to be THE system of choice for first and third party games, but it was never meant to be.
Now we have the Switch. I absolutely LOVE this thing! The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild had me playing the thing for nearly a month straight. I think the convenience of being able to take a console with you and play it anywhere is worth its weight in gold. As much as I love it, though, GOD DAMMIT do I hate the way Nintendo is handling it right now! For starters, Nintendo has absolutely failed to back this system with a strong launch line up. Sure, there's Zelda, but it's also on the Wii U, so that has failed to sell Wii U owners on a Switch if all they wanted to do was play Zelda. Even though I'm quite enjoying The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+, I have to acknowledge that this game is several years old. There are also many other games in its launch line up that are several years old as well. There are great games coming, but they are far and few in between. Hell, the next game I'm getting is an enhanced game of a Wii U title I already owned: Mario Kart 8. The only reason I'm buying that is because I got so angry with the Wii U game that I broke it (don't judge me). We have Splatoon 2, but the first didn't hold my interest online for more than a week. The summer and fall are going to prove slim pickings until Super Mario Odyssey comes out during the holidays.
Honestly, the Switch was rushed. There isn't a solid enough argument that I've heard that convinces me otherwise. Hell, the thing doesn't even have Netflix! That's a staple feature of any console at launch. The Wii had it. The Wii U had it. The 3DS had it. Also severely lacking from services is the Virtual Console. It's a sin if you ask me to launch a Nintendo platform without Virtual Console, especially considering how valued they hold their old software. There's also Zelda needing to be patched, and the whole system failure replacement debacle. Nintendo didn't have a system in place to replace bad Switches. So why then rush the Switch out when you have no games to support it, no services out of the box, and customer support that is ill equipped to deal with customer issues? For a company that always claims it isn't competing with Sony and MS, it sure booted this thing out of the door like it was scared to compete with them in the holidays.
I just want to see the Switch succeed, but I need to be honest with myself and say it isn't looking good right now. Sure, it's just the first year, and Nintendo have sold around one million units, but will that momentum keep up? How many Switches will be resold or unplayed by people who are tired of waiting for top tier games? We know absolutely nothing about what's in store for the Switch next year. If Nintendo is holding anything back from us, it MUST be revealed at E3. Failure to reveal key games for next year will be a death sentence for the Switch. It's doing great so far, but I simply have no confidence right now that Nintendo can keep this up. Prove me wrong, Nintendo. Prove me wrong.
Now onto the subject at hand. I'm sure you've heard of Nintendo's latest bonehead move to discontinue the NES Classic, a machine that's been in such high demand that news outlets have to write articles about when stores are getting JUST a few of them in, and they're immediately nabbed leaving those who read the article an hour late out of luck. This makes no sense at all. This continues to illustrate just how out of touch Nintendo is with their customers. It's Amiibos all over again, only Nintendo at least started making more of those.
I am mad at them, but I'm not mad that I may never get one now. I'm mad that people who really wanted one may not get one now. I really hate seeing customers being shitted on, and what better way to shit on your customers than stop selling what they badly want, which you barely even supplied when you were making them. I would have loved to have one if I found one for the 69.99 MSRP but as it stands, it's not worth it for me to pay a scalper double or triple that price. It's not worth it for me to call around or camp out for one. If only the Classic wasn't a closed system and allowed you to buy more games through Nintendo, it would have given me reason to get one and keep it hooked up to my TV.
It just irks me to see a company that I love make very questionable business decisions and miss out on opportunities to make a lot of money, and that's exactly what Nintendo is doing here. I love when they do very well, because contrary to previous criticism, Nintendo is my favorite game company. I have much higher standards for them than I do for Sony and Microsoft, which is why you might not here me bitch about something as much when those two fuck up. Sony and Microsoft were already established companies who just decided to branch out into the gaming industry. PlayStation and Xbox are divisions. If they go under, Sony and Microsoft will cut them out and move on. Nintendo is purely a gaming company, so I have reason to worry about them more. If Nintendo goes under. ALL of Nintendo goes under. Best case scenario is that they go the way of Sega and become a third party publisher. That may not happen in the next 10 or 20 years, but if you keep building a tower a couple centimeters off each floor, it's going to fall over by the time you reach the 100th floor. Nintendo has been a couple centimeters off each time since the N64.
I just want Nintendo to be king again, but that likely isn't going to happen, and it's not their fault. It's YOUR fault. I blame you, each and every one of you Nintendo fans that don't call Nintendo out on their shit. The ones that never criticize yet enable Nintendo to sit on their laurels. You sent them strong messages that it was OK to bow out of the console wars and not bother making a powerful and attractive machine for third parties so long as they give you Marios and Zeldas and Metroids. And hehehe... they aren't giving you much of Metroid either, unless you were really desperate to buy that piece of shit Federation Force. Yes, this is irrational blame that I'm projecting, because it's hard for me to place it all on a company I really love, so I'm angry with all of you who never bothered to pressure Nintendo to be better!
Nintendo is like a beloved child of mine. I will love them unconditionally, but I do get disappointed with them. I do get frustrated with them. I do get upset and angry with them. Nintendo has given me a lot of joy in its earlier years, but as they've gotten older, they've begun bringing home bad report cards. I only wish there was something I could take away from Nintendo to get them to get their grades back up.
This has been a long read. If you made it through all of it without skimming, I appreciate it very much. Thank you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)