A Rant about Nintendo

This is not an angry, sarcastic tirade, nor is it a fanboy thing, I honestly am right in the middle on feelings for Nintendo. I am not speaking out of Nostalgia, although I mostly played Nintendo 64 and Gamecube being two of the major consoles I've owned, but like most people I have played more. I also owned Playstation, PS2, and PS3. I had an Xbox shortly, and I have also tried many other consoles through friends like the Dreamcast, Xbox360, and even older ones like the Panasonic 3DO. So in general I am a gamer. I do admit I have started gaming on and because of Nintendo, but that is normal. But I as I grew up I did not throw Nintendo to the side and think was childish, I just took it as what it is, a video game company that does what it does. Over the years I quickly figured I play games I like, and although sort of accidentally I followed certain game developers such as Naughty Dog being a Crash Bandicoot fan and later a huge Uncharted fan, I just got over the "gamer culture" and stuck to what I like. And what has become much more apparent is how I have stuck to certain franchises, two major ones, Legend of Zelda and Pokemon. And I can stand behind it that I am a fan. Not insane, and I am the first to call bullshit on what I like, but I do like them. But my point is, I don't see much importance on console wars and picking sides. Only reason I seem to stay so much on Nintendo is because I rarely got consoles, so I stuck to sure-things I would enjoy. So enough with my preface backstory whatever. I want to just go in on what Nintendo is. 

First of all, Nintendo is the video game equivalent of Apple. They are self-contained, do what is best for themselves and scoff at the rest of the market because they have a bit of a bubble-boy mentality. This is bad and good in a weird sense. The bad is obvious, slowly going into more gimmicks and pretending sales figures work like magic. And that the rest of the gaming world has no impact on what Nintendo does. The good is well, being self-contained they don't try to outdo games from other companies or implement everything they gaming scene does like making an incomplete game that needs DLC for full content, or shoehorns whatever is cool at the moment. It is an accidental blessing in disguise to be honest. But my own take on this is weird, I don't demand they do get out of their hobbit hole and see the rest of the world for what it is, what I feel is Nintendo needs to be self-aware of what they do and get over themselves. Any moron who valiantly tries to defend Nintendo says "You know they ARE a Japanese company". Yes, but the mindset they have is not a Japanese thing or for a Japanese audience. Every other game company is Japanese. Konami, Tecmo, Sony, all Japanese brands. Nintendo at times acts so stubbornly Japanese a Daimyo in Edo period Japan would say "Damn". It is their philosophy of isolation and doing what Nintendo does because Nintendo gonna Nintendo. If they just thought about Not being Nintendo, it would be fine. Stop thinking "oh we at Nintendo will make more Nintendo games for Nintendo". Think outward as in "WE will make a good solid Game" Not a NINTENDO Game, just GAMES. This is what I believe what made their first big hits like the SNES and even N64 games a hit. Taking what they have and making a damn good experience. Today it's all about "That Nintendo Experience". Fans and the audience who play Nintendo, WE know this "experience" better than you do, Iwata, Miyamoto, REGGIE. Your body is Not ready to believe what is killing Nintendo games is the ideas of complacency and keeping to what you know. Not saying jumping off a cliff and doing thing totally different, but until Super Mario 3D world, Mario fell into a phase of making the most white bread Mario "experience" and not doing anything really amazing. This leads to a second issue. 

A bit more of just reading into it harder than it maybe is but, Nintendo doesn't know how to play well with others as well as doing what people request them to do. Examples, Twilight Princess: A Zelda game made much more dark and gritty, reason why, to appease those annoying Americans who keep bugging them about one. (Psh acting like we Actually made a serious trailer and didn't cock block it with a cel shaded cartoony game instead, making up stories). This game more so by design didn't do well for a list of reasons, both game-wise and opinions, and just overall. So Nintendo takes it as a failed idea and goes back to making Zelda cheery and happy fun time. Next, Mewtwo and Lucario in the Smash Bros games. A bit more as a literal reception issue, I forgot who exactly (don't want to name drop or someone will have a fit over it) but someone at Nintendo heard all the people who didn't like Mewtwo in Super Smash Brothers Melee. So, in the sequel, Brawl instead there was Lucario. Which seemed to not satisfy anyone. The issue was aside from the general butthurt fanboys who just don't like Pokemon characters, it was the gameplay and move set Mewtwo had which people thought was stupid. Lucario retained very much the same problems as Mewtwo in Brawl. It had Nothing to do with Mewtwo, many people actually were angry because a beloved Pokemon was crap in an overall awesome game. The lesson, Nintendo has a weird idea on how to improve on things (that or they Really need better translators over there). And the final example, the Chernobyl disaster that is Metroid: Other M. I myself don't know everything about the Metroid series, never getting far in the original or Super Metroid because I was 9 or 10 at the time when I tried playing it. But I did play a bit of the Metroid Prime series and enjoyed at least what it was. But I never touched Other M and was happy to know I shouldn't because without a doubt anyone who owns more than one Nintendo console DESPISES that game. There is every degree of hate on each thing, some will outright say everything is bad, while some will grit their teeth and say the Game itself is fine but every cutscene, and character is hair-rippingly idiotic. This had such bad reception Nintendo actually was self-aware of it to the point Reggie mentioned how it was bad. But with this, many angry fanboys point their fingers at Team Ninja, creators of Dead or Alive that being a third party developer is the one who made it "full of fail" why Samus was ruined and blah blah. And with that, Nintendo seemed to point and say "YOU SEE WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THING WITH....FILTHY THIRD PARTIES?!!". And with this seems to support Nintendo's snobbish opinion on how only Nintendo can do Nintendo franchises. Not saying Team Ninja is not to be blamed at all but they sort of just did whatever and the game just is a flop. But the ripple effect now puts it all in bad taste that Metroid will not get a new installment until Nintendo finds it deemed worthy to try again, third party companies will not touch any beloved Nintendo franchise (this gracing period actually might be over since Tecmo is making a Zelda spin-off so there) and Nintendo should stick to non-story, non-speaking protagonists, and all that. One of the only real serious game franchises now being notoriously bad mostly because it seemed like either Nintendo didn't give Team Ninja any written research on Metroid, or just told them "go make a game" with nothing but a picture of Samus, Ridley, and screenshots of the Star Wars prequel films, they really should stick to Mario, Zelda, and anything by their Big money maker, Shigeru Miyamoto, Banjo Aficionado. Which goes to my NEXT topic, yes I am going through it all. 

The Cult of Miyamoto-senpai. He created Donkey Kong, Super Mario, Legend of Zelda, Pikmin, and is the pride and joy of Nintendo. Everything he makes turns to gold, and I'm sure he knows it. I won't scoff and say it's not true but it is not completely true. He does do the right thing and many of this ideas and franchises do work but the problems with him have over-stayed their welcome. The legacy Miyamoto has done for Nintendo is great and all, but does have it's own faults. Miyamoto's strange dislike of story, or any real text or dialogue, as well as his push to make any game putting gameplay as the only real focus and everything else being just there. And although a lot has worked in it's own ways, currently is more of the problem with Miyamoto. For one thing, if you read up on the development of many classics like Ocarina of Time, Miyamoto spitballs a Lot of stupid ideas that hopefully didn't go through because someone down the line said no to it or chose a different better idea. In more recent time, seems there's less of that because Miyamoto is at such God-like standing it's whatever he wants goes. And the second part of this is how people look up to him and think when making a Nintendo game "WWMD" What Would Miyamoto Do. Seems like the newer people who work for Nintendo can't think of any thing really new or trying anything different because Miyamoto's presence shadows them. Or that nothung will beat that golden standard. Seems Nintendo developers want to stick to the status quo of what was given to them, Mario, Zelda, and Pikmin. And they have to go with the Miyamoto philosophy on making a game then try anything new. Because when they try new things, it all falls apart and they seem to think "only if Miyamoto was here we wouldn't have ruined this game!!". This is all speculation of course, but I believe it because of how the track record of games from Nintendo have been off this. New Super Mario Bros and Skyward Sword, not necessarily pioneering anything. And this issue is why Nintendo won't be coming out with a new IP unless Miyamoto accidentally poops one out. 

But overall, as much as I hope for the best for Nintendo, they are a strange case. A company which the only real issue they have is making really out there decisions and responses. It's never seriously bad choices that ruin the company, just meh or weird. Super Mario Sunshine, interesting concept, game-wise really blah. Super Mario Galaxy, interesting spin. Wind Waker, not so bad, just normal good Zelda fun but with a new take. Donkey Kong Country Returns, pretty simple and good, but handled well because they gave it to someone who handled it well. But there's really nothing that really will make hype for Nintendo unless you are already a Nintendo fan. And most fans are so starved for good Nintendo stuff they will get hyped because it will suck less than other games rather than because they are hyped for whatever. The game console gimmicks are strange. Many people hate on it, but to be honest isn't so horrifyingly bad or stupid. It just is what it is. Nintendo doesn't do normal buttons and stuff, always wanting to reinvent something. It's sad they don't, and will hold onto their weird gimmicky controllers as hard as they can but that's what you have to expect. It does make it a little more interesting but in the end, all you can say is "meh". Nintendo is a master of keeping everything right in the middle. It's that family console, the secondary one you keep so you can bust out something Mario for fun. Nintendo gets by in their weird way, and sadly they seem content with that. I like to hope for the best, because I like it when Nintendo does things right and some of their franchises are cool but take or leave whatever they do. I am not a fanboy wishing for Nintendo to have another golden age of gaming, because overall I look at many companies and products with optimism, probably because I'm an idiot. I know how it is to be cynical and it's not cool. I look at Nintendo but also Sony, and Microsoft (a company I barely use on gaming stuff) and look and hope they continue video games to be fun and great entertainment. I hope for movies to not suck and have new classics. I hope for comics and anime to be awesome. But that's just me. For the general point on Nintendo, just try to do better. Try to amaze me and blind side me with something good. Stop being Nintendo. Be the next new Nintendo. Make entertaining games, make things memorable, make kid's childhoods be as awesome as for kids in the 80's and 90's. No Man is an Island damn it!!! Play THE GAME!! 

Because I don't know how to seriously finish this long ramble, here's the most honest interpretation of Nintendo, and it's a Youtube Poop: www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9V214…