Nintendo's revolution
OPINION
Or should we say, evolution? Hello reader, my name is Wish and I'm new at HG. Like most gamers I've at some point or another played or owned a Nintendo Console and the obligatory Mario game that comes with it. Now in 2006 Nintendo is hoping to
Even as I write this article I am wrestling with the idea of whether or not to buy back another Nintendo DS and get Mario Kart DS for it. I know the game isn’t a port but I am certain that if I do purchase this game I will get a sense of deja’vu. That comes as no surprise because I used to own Mario Kart for SNES. I loved the game and played it to death but do I really want to experience it again even in a different incarnation or should I just let it age gracefully and reminisce about how I used to love it? At last gentle reader I come to my main argument: With what Nintendo is poised to deliver with its’ “Revolution” can you see yourself paying more money to play games you have already experienced and potentially played to death?
I realize that Nintendo would probably charge a small fee for NES games and then increase the cost as you approached the GameCube but regardless of knowing the exact price I can safely say that I will not be willing to shell out any amount of cash to play old games. Nintendo has a tendency to port, rehash and expand on existing franchises and this is to be expected when you have a successful game/mascot. What bothers me is the fact that gamers expect Nintendo to always deliver a Mario game, a Metroid game, a Zelda game and Nintendo does it because it makes business sense. Give the consumers what they want and you stand to profit.
My sins
I am as guilty as the next gamer because of my interest in Mario Kart DS, a game series that has five different iterations and still essentially plays the same as when I first popped in Super Mario Kart into my SNES. Can I justify my potential purchase of this game? Maybe, this game isn’t an exact copy of Super Mario Kart so there could be something new and fresh for me there where as “Revolution” will provide me with a precise copy of the SNES version. Now I have clearly stated that Nintendo continues to make Mario games because it sells and gamers including myself keep asking Nintendo “Where are the Mario games? We want more Mario” So my next question is if you are a gamer who has become jaded with Nintendo who should stop this endless cycle of (enter favorite mascot here) games first, the gamers or Nintendo?
Clearly my interest in Mario Kart DS is evidence enough that I still enjoy Nintendo and that I am not attacking them for continuing successful franchises only that I wish Nintendo would let these giants beasts of gaming take their rightful place in gaming history and move on to make new and interesting franchises. I know Nintendo is doing that at present hence why games like Geist, Killer7 and Pikmin exist to name a few however I want Nintendo for lack of a better expression to “grow some balls” and say “ok folks, our new system will not feature a plethora of Mario games or new spins on Zelda or Metroid.” I want Nintendo to realize that most gamers grew up with them and now that they have matured so have their gaming tastes. These gamers want to stay loyal to Nintendo because they have such fond memories with their games/consoles yet most are turned off from them now because a large majority of their games are not targeted to their age group.
Once a fan...
Am I still a Nintendo fan? Yes of course I am. I grew up playing on their consoles but fast forward to the present and I’m a little less enthralled with them. A fine example of how best to gauge my enthusiasm for Nintendo can be described in the following scenario.
Scenario
I am standing in a crowd at some sort of video game convention or tournament listening to someone speak on stage. Suddenly the speaker asks who in the crowd likes Nintendo. After the first show off hands the speaker asks again but with more “gusto” that’s when I raise my hand slowly.
End Scenario
Wrap up
Do gamers still like Mario? Yes because we now have dancing games and sports games that feature the red and blue plumber himself which suggests that people can’t get enough of him. Secondly, Mario is easily the most recognizable game mascot of all time. Why does Nintendo keep making these games?” Money, Nintendo shareholders love it so it’s business as usual. My questions “would you pay money for exact copies of old games to play on “Revolution” and “who should end the cycle of endless franchise games first, gamers or Nintendo?” I feel helps bring to the front an even bigger and final question that gamers should think about “do you think the game industry should move forward and leave the past to it’s’ fate or continue to feed our need for nostalgic gaming?”
To me the game industry always struck me as the industry that was on an endless quest to better itself and in so doing find that perfect combination of presentation, creativity and entertainment, even if it meant discarding its’ past to better focus its’ energies on the present/future. As gamers we get a glimpse of this cycle every time a new generation of home video game consoles gets released and people rush out like crazy to grab up the new product. Despite most gamers eagerness to buy the latest and greatest some gamers/companies can’t help but beat a dead horse.
Thanks for reading and happy gaming.