Although I was born in the decade of spandex, shell-suits and hair metal, the 80s was also home to the rebirth and boom of the video games console. As a result I have owned many consoles, and had the chance to play many others. Video gaming was as large a part of my childhood as was winding cassette tapes with a pencil or having angel delight for desert, and to this day it continues to play a large part in my life.
Despite having spent my childhood playing video games, it was the N64 which really swept me off my feet in a way that my previous consoles or the competition at the time could not. Not only did the N64 introduce me properly to the likes of Mario, Zelda etc… but it made me compelled to go back and see what I had been missing, and needless to say although I felt I had been missing out, at the same time I was excited at the prospect of playing an enormous back catalogue of games. This was great at a time where video gaming was considerably more expensive than today and where annual AAA must-buy title releases were rare as a glimpse of Bigfoot dancing to La Macarena.
My love for Nintendo continued to blossom as the Gamecube served up some of my favourite ever games in the form of Super Mario Sunshine, Luigi’s Mansion, Pikmin, The Windwaker and the original Super Monkey Ball, despite the fact that it looked like it should have had a Fisherprice logo slapped on the side.
Somewhat ironically it was Nintendo’s most successful home console that made me seek the comfort of another’s arms on a more regular basis. Having hyped myself up throughout the build up to the launch for what was promised to be a revolutionary way of playing video games I was a day one adapter of the Wii. My excitement soon withered and I felt short-changed as we ended up getting a control scheme that never really worked as advertised and although this was later enhanced with the motion plus, most games were frustrating to control and the library of games was over saturated with mini-game collections that had you waving your wrists around with the ferocity of a pubescent boy.
It was a lack of great games that saw me spending more and more time with the 360 and PS3 and although Nintendo did release some great games later on I had already grown tired of the ever expanding catalogue of mini-games and left the Wii and Nintendo for dead.
I spent the following years flirting with both the PS3 and 360, and whilst I enjoyed my time with them there was no spark. Although there was an ever expanding catalogue of games to keep me occupied, their heavy focus on online modes, improved graphics and annual rehashes of the same titles began to bore me with video games altogether.
With the current gen I decided to initially go with the XBONE, however after the initial charms of owning a new system wore off I once again found myself questioning whether I was actually enjoying what I was playing or whether I was just going through the motions and following the herd.
Though many of the games are good, I find myself not caring for another vast open world or shooter that takes itself too seriously, installations, day one release critical updates, annual sports sims or another online focused game. At the end of the day I played video games for fun and the initial excitement these games give me are short lived as I realise that time again I fall for the hype and questionable review scores.
My interest in video gaming was renewed by the 3DS and Wii U despite following the Wii’s footsteps and touting a revolutionary game feature which has ultimately become as integral to the gaming experience as socks are to wearing sandals.
Yet despite these underused and underwhelming gimmicks, I have found the 3DS and Wii U to have a great catalogue of first party games that not only bring me away from my other consoles and PC, but have to some extent kept me from them altogether. Every game I own on both these consoles are exclusives, and although there is a lack of third party support they provide more hours of gaming entertainment than I actually have available. In contrast all but two of my XBONE games are 3rd party titles which I could play elsewhere, and as for the PS4…well there still hasn’t been an exclusive which has compelled me to purchase the console.
As technology has grown, our patience and attention span has shrunk with so many competing devices, media and social networks all fighting for our attention. Additionally video gaming has never been cheaper. Where I live games have always been around the £40-49 mark and £40 twenty years ago was worth a lot more then than today.
This coupled with such a large number of games released every year, over generous review scores, dramatic hype, wikis and online guides to help you when stuck, Achievement Points and Trophies have pushed us unwittingly into a gaming rat race where the focus is more on who has played the most games or gained more points or trophies, of which you are reminded each time you fire up the console.
Nintendo has taken a different approach and whilst it stands accused of not having fully come into the 21st Century with its discernible lack of online gaming and communication options, scoring system and volume of games, I for one find it refreshing. I no longer have the time or the energy to play for several hours every day, frantically improving my skills to beat a friend’s score or stand a chance at lasting longer than a minute online before moving onto another game next week / month. This rat is dropping out of the Video Games Rat Race...I like to take my time to fully experience what games have to offer before moving on so the “shortage” of games does not bother me and when I want to compete with some friends how better to do that than on the same couch sharing some beers and a pizza on a console that dares to be different and promotes the now rarely seen local multiplayer.
The catastrophic launch of MindsEye dominates the Direct this week - but how does the game actually look and run on PS5…
Get ready for Blood Message, a game that combines stunning visuals and compelling storytelling from NetEase Games and 24 Entertainment.
Truly amazing!
Draws inspiration clearly draws gameplay inspiration from Assassins Creed and action cinematics from Uncharted!
Powered by UE5!
Definitely on my radar!
Probably because this trailer wasn´t ready yet.
I doubt the developers would miss the opportunity to reveal their games to millions of gamers on four major events like Summer Game Fest, Future Games Show, State of Play or Xbox Showcase on purpose.
This feels like 90% stolen from Uncharted and the guy is also falling or almost falling to often down. Nah this is to much show, something is strange here.
The First Descendant is now available on Xbox Stream Your Own Game catalog.
Im kind of on the same boat. I grew up with nintendo with a GBA and Gamecube, then got a 360. After i got burnt out on those kinds of games im back on Wii U/3ds. Wii U's given me a solid 2 years, hoping for another good year. I had a ps4 which was stolen unfortunately. I got an xbox one a couple days ago.
I guess i just go on a cycle where i get sick of the xbox/ps games, then switch to nintendo until i get sick of them. If they lose their appeal as a unique option i will probably lose interest in Nintendo. Their next steps are very difficult ones and i look forward to where they go next, more out of curiosity than optimism.
I agree with you on your experience with the Wii. As much as I thank the Wii and NSMBWii in particular for reintroducing me to video games, I didn't spend as much time with it compared to the XBox 360 as it became my preferred console for my gaming and general entertainment needs, and the PS3. The # of games I bought for it attests to it. 32 Wii games, 62 XBox 360 games and 42 P33 games.
I bought the Wii U out of homage to Nintendo renewing my interest in video games with the Wii and the disdain for the "realistic" direction the industry is going, vowing that after the 8th generation I'm done. Right now, I'm hoping to buy a PS4 just so I can play that recent Onechanbara game that came out and some of the exclusives and multiplatform games I still care play such as the next GTA, R & C, main RE game and so on.
I keep going back and forth with Nintendo. I grew up with the NES, but then went over to the Genesis when the 16 bit era hit. After that I transitioned over to mainly PC games as Civilization and the LucasArts games really caught my attention. By the time I was ready to jump back into consoles, the PS2 was king. I loved my PS2 and played some great games, but after awhile, the more mature and dark games just didn't appeal to me anymore. I wanted something colorful and fun. Like the games I grew up on. Enter the Wii. It had a unique style of play. It had the characters I knew and loved. And it had the virtual console, which would give me access to the old games I loved from my youth.
The problem with the Wii though was... it was the Wii. It was fun at first, but the novelty quickly wore off. Eventually I jumped back to PlayStation with the PS3 and found a good mix of serious/mature games and fun/colorful games as well. By the time the WiiU hit, there was nothing being offered that I couldn't get on my PS3. Sure, the characters were different, but I could get just as good experiences on the PS console.
Then 3rd parties left Nintendo, leaving them with a scarce software lineup. It's frustrating, but the Wii U is a dead man walking. That makes things interesting for the NX. I think people want to like a Nintendo console again. They want to support Nintendo, but at this point it isn't going to be on Wii U.
Very well written article. Born in 1990, I saw a wholly different approach to game development then what is seen today. I've owned every nintendo since up until the wii, and the 3DS, having braved Hurricane Charlie to trade in my PSP for a DS Lite at a local EB Games store at the mall.
Nintendo is an interesting company. They are like a weird Apple. They have interesting ideas about play and technology that can enhance it, proprietary cables, and a closed down system architecture that is built with their own interests in mind. Like the CELL and Sony, It took such a long time for other developers to truly get the hang out the platform.
Nintendo has proven that iteration for the sake of iteration is a terrible concept, and even worse business decision. Game designs with the same franchises need improvements that embrace both familiarity with innovation.
As of late, I do not take Nintendos side on anything, really. That's not because I am a blind fanboy, or somehow think "TEH SONYZ AND M@ ARE DA BEST!!" It's because as a gamer who gets older and older, my tastes for games are getting more and more refined.
My problem with Nintendo is that they are stuck in the past, and they hope their fans are as well. It's the same reason we flocked to theaters to see "Dumb and Dumber: to" when we knew that these guys were much older, and the unexpected brilliance and comedic timing of the original may never be matched.
Nintendo turns out to have much more in common with Trey Parker and Matt Stone's Saddam Hussein from South Park with their "I can change, I can change!" mentality.
I'd argue that both Nintendo and Microsoft have shown this to be the case, time and time again.
But this post is not meant to be antagonistic of everything Nintendo, but the dangers of relying on nostalgia to buy a product. Coke has been doing it for ages.
Still waiting for a good reason to fall back in love.