Nintendo has mastered almost every game genre

mii-gamer writes:

I had a random thought popped into my head while playing Fire Emblem Awakening. Not sure how the thought came into my head but it got me fascinated. So I decided to do a little snooping and my findings were interesting to say the least.

What was that thought?

Has Nintendo mastered all the game genre’s?

The answer? No, they have not mastered every game genre. But they are darn close to it.

Nintendo has got a reputation of relying on the same IP’s (Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Pokemon). It is true to a certain extent but Nintendo has an impressive spread of games over many genres. Most impressive is the spread of quality games over many genre’s.

[SnakeCQC]

i really dont think its true. None of their games are actually mature they may be violent(mad world) but never have strong mature stories that deal with mature themes.

[andrewer]

**almost**
and mature isnt a genre lol

[BullyMangler]

LMAO . the N64 has some of the most Adult created games to ever hit this planet . . this is nintendos land kiddies < fact

[Brucis]

>mature themes

How does that have anything to do with mastering all genres (which I don't think they have)?

[admiralvic]

So your example is a game made by Platinum Games and published by Sega... makes sense...

Anyway, some games have mature themes and others are kind of dirty (like Captain Rainbow)... these titles typically don't come over to the US, but they DO exist.

In the end, is it possible to actually "master" a genre? Every game offers different experiences and those experiences may or may not be better for a genre. Like difficulty works for Spelunker, where as creativity works for Mario. I wouldn't say killing Mario's accessibility, while keeping it the "same" would result in a better game, in fact it would probably be worse. Also if Nintendo did in fact master said genre, then all post Mario titles would continually get better, though most people agree Mario Bros. III or Super Mario Bros were the best, though don't misunderstand this for saying Mario isn't good anymore. I guess I am just saying that Nintendo makes good games, some better than others, but assuming you can "master" something is sort of silly.

[3-4-5]

They became very good at many genre's early on in their gaming History though, so they've HAD to innovate and experiment more than others even though it doesn't seem that way.

They could have completely sold out the Mario Universe and gone downhill but they have chosen wisely for the most part all these years.

A lot of hate they get dies down over time and people usually smarten up.

Although they still make dumb mistakes again and again like not having 3D mario, Mario Kart, LoZ U, Pikmin 3, WW HD, + others available at launch.

[kirbyu]

Pokemon Black & White.

It's not much, but it's something.

[crazysammy]

Mastered? No. Have they made a lot of quality games across a large number of genres? Yes.

[DragonKnight]

No they haven't.

[maniacmayhem]

Yes they have.

[deafdani]

Can't it be a bit of both?

[DragonKnight]

They really haven't.

[maniacmayhem]

Okay, maybe not.

But they have definitely mastered the 2-D and 3-D platforming (Mario), Action RPG (Zelda)(Pokemon?) and the casual gaming (Wii Sports).

Which is why the title of the story says "almost".

[Yodagamer]

I'd tend to agree, they've made great racing games, sport games, platform games, rpg's, action games, rts, adventure games and many others. The only game genre i can think they have ever lacked in are fps and tps.

[admiralvic]

Some people really enjoyed Metroid Prime, so I can see people disagreeing with FPS, though I agree they haven't mastered everything.

[kB0]

Mastered everything and forgot what home consoles are:(

Although that doesn't bother me, cuz I play my Vita and 3Ds 90% of the time:)

[lilbroRx]

No, on that note, I will say they are the only ones who remember what home console aren't. They aren't PCs. They don't use standard PC parts. They arne't all about specs.

They are about delivering affordable gaming on a stable platform to a large mass of people.

[kB0]

Um...the wii U is basically a PC lol...all consoles are at this point...Also all of the consoles are meant to have a LASTING appeal...not be outdated pre launch.

PCs are the gen of the industry, this is why Nintendo is loosing third party support by the gallons....

Affordable? Snes was almost 400$ with a game at lauch after tax and what have you...r u high? Especially in the 90s...that was HUGE! Same with N64 (although prob not quite as exp), and the Gamecube And even wii to wii.U

Wii.U is 300$ + tax without a game....or 350+ tax with a game...

How is that affordable?

You what is affordable? 3Ds. Its cheap and can even be found for 140$ + tax with 2 games!

Even Vita is more affordable if you shop sales...but don't kid yourself.

Nintendo does't do "affordable", they do what apple does and try to stretch the price of their product for MAXimum income...like we've seen with 3Ds...even after the price cut they still made money.

Seriously don't be delusional...no game company is out there for affordable...just the "image" of affordable...in practice and NEW console is a MAJOR investment...controllers...gam es....accessories.

pfft...

And yes, it's all about specs. Games creative or not get made...with more specs available...creativity increases, since it enables developers to either add another shimmer of art direction or AI complexity...or even more AI on screen that have a major effect on gampplay.

Everything is a factor, you settling for "affordable" is just stupid, because none of these are in the long run.

P.S

Nintendo was a competitive (both in soft + hard) until Wii...then it decided to see how milking hardware works...much like Apple does.

If the trend would've kept working for them I gaurantee you Sony and Microsoft would've jumped on the wagon...
Anyways....

[lilbroRx]

The Wii U CPU and GPU are custom built for the console. You can't go buy those in stores and you can't put them in a PC. No aspect of it resembles PC

The energy consumption of the Wii U is less than 1/5 that of the PS3/360. I can only imagine what the it will be like with the other two next gen consoles.

You can't get what the Wii U hardware offers from a PC.

As far as your out of context interpretation of affordable goes, you are over generalizing it to the extreme. You are intentionally widening out the issue as opposed to being specific, because its not an argument that is in your favor. The point is lost on you.

[kB0]

I'm not widening anything, your failing to understand the big picture.

Whether or not you can buy hardware at the local shop or not doesn't make it any less of computer hardware:)

The actual ARCH, is still easier than what we've seen from consoles in the past.

Also, custom ARCH doesn't mean it's a good idea... I mean the point of Home consoles is yes affordability...but it's also ease of programming from other companies in order to push out the games that the public will enjoy! And yes some of the best are Nintendo based...their games can only go so far.

Power Consumption of a brand new "next gen" console especially with the Nano proccessing difference we get now when compared to arch from what? 5-7 years ago will be different, and don't forget the actual hardware was created with the latest power saving arch...which is what PS4 and Xbox 720 will be using...but ofc they will consume more still since they are more powerful....

The price isn't over the top at all. All values given represent those true value...I didn't take those numbers out of my ass... I mean the PS2 even was about as exp at launch as Wii.U is. THe only console I've seen more expensive was the PS3...which was ridiculous at launch but was very advance tech for it's time...very advanced!

Anyways,

You can take what I said or leave it:) I'm not bashing on Nintendo, I'm a big Nintendo fan, I jut feel like they need to get competitive with hardware as well in order to survive.

You know third parties are ignoring Wii.U worse than the Wii....and it's so early in life cycle. I don't want another whore console like Wii where every crap Apple Store game gets ported and sold for 50$.....I miss Nintendo Seal!

Anyways

bye bye!:D

[Enemy]

This claim would have made for some interesting debate if I didn't already know it was stated by a Nintendo website.

[Chrono]

Nope.

[smashcrashbash]

No.No they haven't.They make good games but they haven't mastered all genres at all. Platformers and adventure games.But that's basically it.

[CouldHaveYelledUiiW]

Actually the Metroid Primes aren't quite FPS.
MP 3 and the MP Trilogy Wii-Make were the closest.
("Metroid Prime: Hunters" on the DS was a decent Game. )

A better example is the original Goldeneye on N64 (RARE's not EA)-
and then the Spiritual successor ;) "Perfect Dark" (N64 version).

N64 Perfect Dark is the same engine as N64 Golden Eye- Rare lost the rights to Bond (due to an MGM brain fart).

They need a new 1st Party: FPS and a current or futuristic Photorealistic Open World/Sandbox game.
Lego City may = is kind of a step in that direction.

(1440)

[admiralvic]

One of the problems with the genres we have, is that not everything falls under a certain category and sometimes games are classified as something weird. Like Ratchet and Clank is a platformer, though I see it as a action adventure, which makes more sense (to me anyway).

Anyway, Metroid prime is in first person and uses a gun to do almost everything. Even if it's classified as a first person action adventure, you can pretty much consider it a FPS game.

[CouldHaveYelledUiiW]

I agree (to a point)

I said "NOT QUITE"

The reason why I would "not Quite" say it is a FPS is because most of the game is spent exploring.

During the times when there is Gunplay (not counting the bat-like things that crash into you) it can match most FPS on the market.

But if you buy MP to play an FPS, the Lulls in FPS gameplay would be too great to overcome.

But I only brought this up because he said, "Nintendo Has Mastered almost every game genre" and he mentioned FPS's - I just don't think the excellent FPS gameplay in the Primes is consistent enough to be seen by MOST as a FPS.

IMO I could agree with you 100% but I can understand the arguments that most of the writer's audience make against the Primes.

"Intelligent" to you.

[MasterCornholio]

Far from it.

[from the beach]

I was going to question this but.. your evidence is very persuasive.

[GABRIEL1030]

LOL !
Especially in racing games, with Mario Kart.
GT and Forza don't count.

[from the beach]

F Zero, Wave Race, Excitebike.. Nintendo has a whole bunch of kickass franchises that fall under the banner of racing.

But why compare Mario Kart to GT or Forza? Were LBP Karting and Joy Ride not any good?

[GABRIEL1030]

Lol....Excitebike...puff

[Nevers0ft]

Although they're significantly different games your post still doesn't really hold up... Mariokart IS a racing game and it IS one of the most polished and addictive of the genre (seriously, the game is like crack in multiplayer). That doesn't detract from GT and Forza though - they're not mutually exclusive, they can co-exist and ALL be good.

[jcnba28]

Nintendo is just an amazing company.

[Nevers0ft]

"Mastered" is a pretty subjective term and I'd avoid it for any creative industry because the bar is constantly being set higher... But Nintendo has published critically acclaimed software in pretty much every genre. Sure they often have that Nintendo "slant" on them and rarely have a basis in reality, but that doesn't make them any less worthy of acclaim.

[Axonometri]

Mastered? Some of the developers Nintendo has had making games for them through the years are masters, of what they do.

Nintendo as a company brand and image, at least from a consumers vantage point, has always been the kids/family brand. I can honestly say I've never thought of Nintendo as the master of all things gaming.

[Axonometri]

Disagree all you want. It's called having an opinion. There are a lot of things I like about Nintendo... but if they had mastered all things gaming, why are they struggling to move Wii U and 3rd party Developers and publishers are saying they have no plans for future Wii U titles and that their machines are collecting dust. That is mastering all genres of gaming!?

[PurpHerbison]

I wish Nintendo did everything. Graphics&Gameplay as well as providing games for every type of gamer. Getting really sick and tired of their formula.

[YoloSwag]

The only genre they have mastered is the platformer. Other genres can still use some creativity and innovation.

[josephayal]

Nintendo was awesome until they made the Wii

[InTheLab]

I think they've mastered platformers and adventure games. Everything else is debatable.

Take Metroid, for example. Is that really a shooter? Battlefield, Killzone, Halo, CoD, Resistance, Metro, Moh....and Metroid? It's no more an FPS than Mirror's Edge is an FPS. It's simply a game that uses the first person perspective. Should have listed Goldeneye and Perfect Dark, as those are the two best shooters N will ever have.

Racing? Mario Kart does fall under the category of racer but I have a tough time placing it with GT, Forza, Grid, etc. It's a Kart Racer and it's only peers are LBPK and Mod Nation Racers... I feel like Nintendo needs a Sim or an Action Racer like NFS to truly master the racing genre.

Hack and Slash- Can't think of a single title that would qualify.

I could go on but the simple answer is not even close.

[kirbyu]

How is Metroid Prime not an FPS, it's in the first person perspective, and you shoot things. Also, Goldeneye and PD don't belong to Nintendo anymore.

And a racer is a racer. A better racer I think. What's the difference between that and a kart racer other than the inclusion of karts?

[Kte]

I have yet to see a Persona game for Wii U, so no they do not have simulation RPG

[arbitor365]

to say that a company covers all genres, you shouldnt have to dig through games from the last 20 years. of course they will probably touch upon every genre at some point.

also, saying that something like mario kart covers "racing games in general" or that pikmin covers "RTS games" in general, is sort of dishonest. those games represent very specific sub genres.

has nintendo ever had a racing series like gran turismo, burnout, need for speed, forza or something like that? no.

has nintendo ever had an non cartooney open world game akin to a bethesda game, infamous, or just cause? no

have they ever had a large scale hack n slash game like god of war of devil may cry? no

have they had any big third person shooters? no

also, super smash bros isnt really in the same category as street fighter, mortal kombat, tekken, or those kinds of games.

also with FPS games, the metroid prime games are good but the last game in the series was 6 years ago. nintendo doesnt really have any presence in FPS games. the conduit games were horrible, as was that goldeneye remake.

[PopRocks359]

"to say that a company covers all genres, you shouldnt have to dig through games from the last 20 years. of course they will probably touch upon every genre at some point."

You're completely grasping at straws. Nintendo has well received and well sold games in many different genres. Mario for platformers, Zelda for action/adventure, Mario Kart and F-Zero for racing, Metroid Prime in FPS, Earthbound and Fire Emblem for RPG and even Smash Bros. for fighting games.

Has Nintendo covered all genres? Absolutely not. I've yet to see an RTS or proper rhythm game from Nintendo (outside of a shoddy DDR Mario game). But don't go downplaying what they've accomplished to make your point.

Seriously... "has nintendo ever had a racing series like gran turismo, burnout, need for speed, forza or something like that? no." Are you kidding me?

So Mario Kart and F-Zero are not "proper" racers on the grounds that they are not realistic in nature? That's so profoundly ludicrous. I suppose we should just refuse to call Halo a proper FPS because it uses no real weapons and isn't even set on earth for about 99% of the entire series.

[linkofrs]

While you do make very good point I just have to point out that the legend of zelda was considered to be a non-cartoony open world game up until around the time the gamecube came out. I'm sure plenty of people remember ocarina of time and a link to the past as such. In fact both of the n64 zeldas dodged a T rating just barely when they were released.

[Shok]

Read the article people, they list pretty much all the genre's and examples of games that are in those genre's, with many AA and AAA scores.

Only problem I see with the writer's supporting evidence is that Metroid Prime, despite how it looks and it's perspective, it's not really an FPS. It's an FPA, first-person adventure. There's no melee, ammo system, cover system, aim-down-sites, etc. And you have a press A for each individual shot, they did this so it feels like the 2D Metroid games. No automatic fire.

Not an FPS. This is the only genre Nintendo needs to tackle. Maybe Retro Studios is working on one?

[PopRocks359]

I know most people view Metroid Prime (trilogy) as a first person adventure (and by all accounts it is), but to say it can't be placed in the FPS genre is odd to me. It's in a first person perspective and almost all of the combat is handled through shooting. So shouldn't it count anyway?

[BigDuo]

Well, Metroid Prime is like sub-class FPS for being an unconventional FPS adventure game with things you don't often see in traditional FPS games like puzzle-solving and exploration.

[kirbyu]

New IPs that were recently made are listed...

"Nintendo needs to invest in new IPs."

And, what's the deal with no NES or SNES games. I mean really, why, just why? The only excuse I can think of is so you don't have to list the Mario and Zelda games from that time. But it also means you can't put Earthbound on the RPG list.

Oh, and what the heck is that picture?

[PirateThom]

Yes, of course, Nintendo are wonderful at everything.

What sort of article is this? Almost every genre? This is like a small handful of genres and most of these list one franchise under each genre with a few sequels to bulk it up.

I'm sorry, but Nintendo have a very select number of genres they excell in, but they have not mastered almost every genre, as this article its self shows.

[Picnic]

They may have covered many game genres but they haven't necessarily 'mastered' them if by mastered it means to have made a game that there is not an equivalent of by other designers that is better.

2D platformer for example. Mario was essentially the first platform game character. But not everyone has necessarily enjoyed playing Mario games more than they've preferred playing Rare's platform games e.g Banjo Kazooie, Conker's Bad Fur Day. Or some of the Megadrive platform games which were more mysterious, quirky and VERY distinct from the Nintendo style. Mario is a blank slate of a character, a Mickey Mouse of gaming, recognisable as a figurehead but not always surprising in his own right.

Rail shooter? Not Nintendo's forte, far more Sega's.