Nintendo How is Nintendo successful?

[GameDadGrant]

15 hours ago, Rodimus said:

Nintendo is a small Japanese company 

 wut 

 

15 hours ago, Rodimus said:

They make Mario Games and some others.

wut 

[crispy4000]

35 minutes ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

You believe they are truly innovating on each Mario Kart?  Or each Pokemon?  Or each Super Smash Bros?

No.  They make minimal changes to each game.  For many their biggest franchises, they have found a successful formula, do very small iterations and release them so a new generation of young gamers can play them.

That's not so different from how Activision and EA handle their biggest franchises (except they release them more often).

 

I never said “innovate” only freshen.  But yes, they don’t make a new Mario Kart unless they have something to add like motorcycles or antigravity.  They don’t make a new Smash without mucking up the control scheme and dodge mechanics and reinventing their (bad) single player modes.  They don’t make a new Pokémon without some new battle or field gimmick they’ll often go back on in the next game.

 

You could say this about pretty much all their franchises.  It’s rare that you get a Nintendo sequel that doesn’t have some new marketing hook attached.  Gooigi.  Motion controlled sword swipes.  Hat powers.  Origami.  Out of cockpit missions.  Robot mounts.  Planetoids.  Crafting that’s wasn’t there before.  2D Avatars in mini-games.  Speed Golf.  Etc.

[AbsolutSurgen]

4 minutes ago, crispy4000 said:

 

I never said “innovate” only freshen.  But yes, they don’t make a new Mario Kart unless they can find something to add like motorcycles or antigravity.  They don’t make a new Smash without mucking up the control scheme and dodge mechanics and reinventing their (bad) single player modes.  They don’t make a new Pokémon without some new battle or field gimmick they’ll often go back on in the next game.

 

You could say this about pretty much all their franchises.  It’s rare that you get a Nintendo sequel that doesn’t have some new marketing hook attached.  Gooigi.  Motion controlled sword swipes.  Hat powers.  Origami.  Out of cockpit missions.  Robot mounts.  Planetoids.  Crafting that wasn’t there before.  Avatars in mini-games.  Speed Golf.  Etc.

 

 

 

I was reacting to your mention that they didn't "dial in" their sequels -- which I assumed to be the same as "phoning in" their sequels -- i.e. making small changes to a game, and releasing the sequel 4-years later.  

So we're in agreement, they're successful because they make small changes to their games, and release them over-and-over.

[crispy4000]

3 hours ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

I was reacting to your mention that they didn't "dial in" their sequels -- which I assumed to be the same as "phoning in" their sequels -- i.e. making small changes to a game, and releasing the sequel 4-years later.  

So we're in agreement, they're successful because they make small changes to their games, and release them over-and-over.

Dialing it in would be making changes so insignificant that there wouldn’t be a new marketing hook beyond the setting.  Instead, they tell us “you should be excited because of this new thing front and center.”

 

Sometimes it ends up insignificant.  Sometimes it’s not.  Sometimes it’s highly polarizing.  So I don’t think you should be generalizing so much about it.  You played Skyward Sword and BoTW, right?  

 

[AbsolutSurgen]

Just now, crispy4000 said:

Dialing it in would be making changes so insignificant that there wouldn’t be a new marketing hook beyond the setting.  Instead, they tell us “you should be excited because of this new thing front and center.”

 

Sometimes it ends up insignificant.  Sometimes it’s not.  Sometimes it’s highly polarizing.

 

 

Even Madden and Fifa pretend that there is something to get excited about every year beyond the roster updates.

[crispy4000]

5 minutes ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

Even Madden and Fifa pretend that there is something to get excited about every year beyond the roster updates.

Nintendo’s typically not pretending.  Maybe they should, if it means we get a new FZero, Wave Race or good Star Fox again.

[AbsolutSurgen]

4 minutes ago, crispy4000 said:

Nintendo’s typically not pretending.  Maybe they should, if it means we get a new FZero, Wave Race or good Star Fox again.

You brought up hat powers.

[crispy4000]

3 minutes ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

You brought up hat powers.

Are you honestly implying that was dialed in?

[AbsolutSurgen]

2 minutes ago, crispy4000 said:

Are you implying that was dialed in?

Are you talking about Kirby's hat powers in SSB:U?  Or another one?  So many hat powers to choose from.

[crispy4000]

4 hours ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

Are you talking about Kirby's hat powers in SSB:U?  Or another one?  So many hat powers to choose from.

Mario Odyssey.

 

And no, I wouldn’t say it was dialed in when Kirby’s Adventure first introduced it either.  Or when Smash 64 brought it to fighters.

 

Odyssey’s enemy possession take on the concept is distinct, either way.  The acrobatics with it are unlike anything else in its genre.  Or from any Kirby game, for that matter.

[GameDadGrant]

12 minutes ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

Are you talking about Kirby's hat powers in SSB:U?  Or another one?  So many hat powers to choose from.

 

It is always interesting to see a Nintendo-hater's point of view. 

[gamer.tv]

Just traded in Assassins Creed: Odyssey and Resident Evil: Village for Pokemon Sword.

 

I’m definitely part of the problem.

[GameDadGrant]

3 hours ago, gamer.tv said:

Just traded in Assassins Creed: Odyssey and Resident Evil: Village for Pokemon Sword.

 

I’m definitely part of the problem.

 

Who did you choose as your starter?

[Keyser_Soze]

20 minutes ago, GameDadGrant said:

 

Who did you choose as your starter?

 

If you don't pick Scorbunny you don goofed (just because he's in Pokemon Unite)

[Ghost_MH]

5 hours ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

You believe they are truly innovating on each Mario Kart?  Or each Pokemon?  Or each Super Smash Bros?

No.  They make minimal changes to each game.  For many their biggest franchises, they have found a successful formula, do very small iterations and release them so a new generation of young gamers can play them.

That's not so different from how Activision and EA handle their biggest franchises (except they release them more often).

 

Eh, there have been eight Mario Kart games in the last thirty years and five Smash Bros in the last twenty. The only seriously egregious franchise of Nintendo's is Pokemon and Pokemon isn't really Nintendo's nor do they have any direct control over it.

 

I sometimes think people forget three things. How old they are, how old some of these Nintendo franchises are, and how few games Nintendo really makes. The last one is crazy because that's the biggest issue I have with them.

[MarSolo]

4 hours ago, GameDadGrant said:

 

It is always interesting to see a Nintendo-hater's point of view. 

Which is usually: “I have no fucking clue what I’m talking about.”

[crispy4000]

Person 1: There's too many Mario Kart games.

Person 2: Where the heck is Switch's new Mario Kart?

Person 1: Why is every Zelda so similar?
Person 2: Eek, what's up with Skyward Sword's controls?
Person 3: Eek, what did BoTW do with the puzzles?

Person 1: Why does Smash Bros always feel the same?
Person 2: What the hell did Sakurai do to the controls?

Person 1: Oh look, it's another Metroid game.
Person 2: What the heck is this co-op shit?

Person 1: Star Fox is so redundant.

Person 2: Every time they bring this franchise back they forget what made it good.

Etc, etc, etc. 

[GameDadGrant]

12 minutes ago, crispy4000 said:

Person 1: There's too many Mario Kart games.

Person 2: Where the heck is Switch's new Mario Kart?

Person 1: Why is every Zelda so similar?
Person 2: Eek, what's up with Skyward Sword's controls?
Person 3: Eek, what the did BoTW do with the puzzles?

Person 1: Why is Smash Bros always the same?
Person 2: What the hell did Sakurai do to the controls?  What gives?

Person 1: Oh look, it's another Metroid game.
Person 2: What the hell is this co-op shit?

Person 1: Star Fox is so redundant.

Person 2: Every time they bring this franchise back they forget what made it good.

Etc, etc, etc.

 

 

Except it's 

 

Person 1: "blah blah blah"

Person 1 again: "why the blah blah blah?!?" 

[SaysWho?]

I'm near the end of Breath of the Wild and I can definitely see how Switch's launch was successful.

[BloodyHell]

On 8/21/2021 at 7:02 PM, best3444 said:

I have absolutely no idea how they are so profitable. I guess because the main audience is children and they eat anything Nintendo throws at them. Which isn't much at all. I wish they just stopped with consoles and made games for the Xbox and ps.

Stop with the "children" nonsense.

Im more critical of Nintendo than anybody, but this take is nonsense. Almost every adult I know undrr 40 has a switch (and many over). This is always the worst take when it comes to them.

 

They make the best gameplay in the world, period. The problem is framerate and graphics aren't up to that gameplay.

[SaysWho?]

3 minutes ago, BloodyHell said:

Stop with the "children" nonsense.

Im more critical of Nintendo than anybody, but this take is nonsense. Almost every adult I know undrr 40 has a switch (and many over). This is always the worst take when it comes to them.

 

They make the best gameplay in the world, period. The problem is framerate and graphics aren't up to that gameplay.

 

I know Breath of the Wild has slowdown sometimes, but I feel like many of their games actually target 60 and play pretty well?

[BloodyHell]

10 minutes ago, SaysWho? said:

 

I know Breath of the Wild has slowdown sometimes, but I feel like many of their games actually target 60 and play pretty well?

Yeah, a lot do, simpler games certainlyalwaysplay well. Openworldhas beenterrible. There's also terrible, laggy online. And im still mad about Hyrule Warriors, and while I know they aren't Nintendo, if Nintendo was going to allow them to use one of its most important franchises, they should have worked with the team to ensure it ran correctly. Its one of the worst running games I've ever played, and Nintendos property is the face of it, so many bad decisions. But you're right, its more exclusives than Nintendo games themselves. 

[BloodyHell]

5 hours ago, crispy4000 said:

Are you honestly implying that was dialed in?

Mario Odyssey was absolutely dialed in. Cappy made that game incredible.

[Spawn_of_Apathy]

I don’t know where this conversation is or the journey it took, but I’d say there are many reasons Nintendo is successful. to me the biggest ones are … 

 

 family and kid friendly franchises.  Many of us started playing Mario, Zelda, Metroid, etc when we were kids. We kept playing them into our teenage years, adulthood, played them with our kids, and some of the older millennials and younger Gen Xers are now playing games with grand kids. Parents who grew up on Nintendo hardware and games now buy them for their kids. 
 

Quality of the games is another. Nobody ever worries that Super Mario, Zelda, Smash Bros, Mario Kart, etc will be a broken buggy mess when it releases. They are solid, quality titles that (begrudgingly to us) hold their value for longer than most other games.
 

Their games have always translated well to handheld, on the go gaming. As a result Nintendo has had handheld hardware sales that dwarf even the most successful console divisions of other companies. And now their console and handheld is all in one. But this means one way or another they have had hardware selling over 100m units each decade.  
 

Licensing. Both in licensing their IP characters for merch (toys, clothes, etc) and the licensing fees collected from all those cheap games that flood their hardware. 

[gamer.tv]

2 hours ago, GameDadGrant said:

 

Who did you choose as your starter?

Not started yet (and most likely it’ll be my wife playing) so I’ll reveal all when the time comes.

[CastlevaniaNut18]

Maybe if we got a new Mario Kart or Zelda or Smash every year, with hardly any changes. But that doesn't happen. Gods, these arguments are silly. And so easily shot down.

[Ghost_MH]

2 hours ago, CastlevaniaNut18 said:

Maybe if we got a new Mario Kart or Zelda or Smash every year, with hardly any changes. But that doesn't happen. Gods, these arguments are silly. And so easily shot down.

 

It's amusing. Nintendo is the only company that believes a game from each franchise should only hit once a console generation while we live in a world of yearly and biannual releases. There are more Assassin's Creed games than Zelda games and the Zelda franchise is a whole twenty years older.

[Keyser_Soze]

BOTW 2 will be the Madden of the Switch. Same crappy game with minimal improvements.

 

Before you ask, yes I am from the future and have played it.

[Ghost_MH]

10 hours ago, Keyser_Soze said:

BOTW 2 will be the Madden of the Switch. Same crappy game with minimal improvements.

 

Before you ask, yes I am from the future and have played it.

 

That would actually be a first for Nintendo. Same platform Zelda sequels are usually very different from each other. Zelda and Adventures of Link. Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks. Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword. Faces of Evil and Wand of Gamelon.

[imthesoldier]

11 hours ago, Keyser_Soze said:

BOTW 2 will be the Madden of the Switch. Same crappy game with minimal improvements.

 

Before you ask, yes I am from the future and have played it.

 

Nah, man. BOTW2 will be Majora's Mask of the Switch. Cult following, well loved, but left in the dust compared to its predecessor.

[Kal-El814]

1 hour ago, Ghost_MH said:

Faces of Evil and Wand of Gamelon.

 

Boo

[Jason]

How is babby formed?