Is Nintendo Killing Itself?

[Temperantia]

everybody knows that the iPhone is becoming the chosen mobile gaming platform. This is only because nobody really wants to carry around their iPhone and a clunky piece of gaming hardware. This is not my personal opinion, but it is what everyone on the Internet is saying

This is the worst part of all this, imo. People only care about convenience and price, not getting a quality game.
Don't get me wrong, some Ios games are great, (Plants vs. Zombies is an amazing game that gets consistent support from its developers) but most are either too short and get little to no updated content or are only trying to cater to the lowest denominator.

 

[xenu]

quality game.

there don't seem to be many of those for the 3DS

 

[DetroitLolcat]

there don't seem to be many of those for the 3DS

Check back in December.

 

[Outlaw]

Check back in December.

2 Games. Wow. It only took 10 months.

 

[Brain]

This is the worst part of all this, imo. People only care about convenience and price, not getting a quality game.
Don't get me wrong, some Ios games are great, (Plants vs. Zombies is an amazing game that gets consistent support from its developers) but most are either too short and get little to no updated content or are only trying to cater to the lowest denominator.

Who cares if most iOS games are terrible? Just don't buy them, there are plenty of sites out there that will help you find the good ones. And even if you mess up, 99 cents isn't a huge loss. For the cost of a DS/3DS/PSP game, you can easily get just as much fun out of a dozen iPhone games.

I mean, obviously, many genres are outright unplayable on an iPhone, and as far as I know, high quality DS/3DS/PSP games are still better than high quality iOS games, but on the other hand, when I'm on the subway or waiting in line, why would I play an epic game? I mean, to me, and to most people, I imagine, mobile gaming is a time killer, it's not a time investment. If for 99 cents I can get something fun on my phone, it works well enough. If I want an expansive experience, I can get that on my PC or on a console, at home.

I think that's the main problem with the handheld console market right now: the plus value of a DS/3DS/PSP to an iOS/Android/WP7 device is actually marginal, and the latter is something most people already carry on them all the time. People's attention span on the go is also significantly lower, so the need for quality gaming experiences isn't as great as it is on a console for example.

Nintendo's mistake here is that they missed the convergence train. It was clear for the past few years that mobile convergence was happening and that the market for dedicated portable music or gaming devices was collapsing. Nintendo should have seen this coming and should have made a smartphone instead of the 3DS.

More precisely, had I been in charge, I would have re-iterated Nintendo's "third pillar" strategy that they used for the DS. I would have made a pure multitouch Android-based smartphone with an *optional* (but cheap) buttons+analog stick add-on, and I would have entered in *direct* competition with Apple: I would have a single Nintendo smartphone model with an integrated experience, a large GB/GBA/NES/SNES/N64 virtual console library with games 99-cent apiece, and cheap new Nintendo games. On that device, I would use both the standard smartphone lingo (AMAZING FACEBOOK INTEGRATION!!!!) and lure in people with Nintendo nostalgia. At the same time, I would tell people, relax, this is not the new DS, this is just a new foray. But if that foray succeeds, I would just drop the DS line, just like the Game Boy line was dropped following the DS's runaway success. Basically, had I been Nintendo, with all my experience with handhelds and gaming, I would have proactively entered Apple's market instead of letting Apple enter mine. I'm pretty sure that would have worked out well for them.

 

[Arch]

All the competetivefags are making me lol. Brawl is definitely a better game than Melee and 64. I loved competitive Melee but I'm not gonna sit here and bitch about Brawl just because it isn't as competitive.

Most of these brawl opinions are just results of people being butthurt for no reason.

 

[Hipmonlee]

I think they are butthurt for the reason that brawl is not good competitively.

 

[Firestorm]

Can everyone please shut the hell up about Smash Bros. That's not what this topic is about.

This is the worst part of all this, imo. People only care about convenience and price, not getting a quality game.
Don't get me wrong, some Ios games are great, (Plants vs. Zombies is an amazing game that gets consistent support from its developers) but most are either too short and get little to no updated content or are only trying to cater to the lowest denominator.

I think Brain replied to this best. Just to add a little bit, video games are competing for my time. Once I got a smartphone, my handheld usage dropped drastically. Aside from the games, I also could web browse and IM / IRC on the go. Not to mention I have to make a conscious decision to take my handheld with me somewhere and I need somewhere to put it (less of an issue for girls who just stick it in their purse). I used to play my handhelds on the way to school and work. Now I just leave them at home and barely touch them. Nintendo missed the convergence boat. So did Sony actually. I think their recent move in purchasing Ericsson's share of Sony Ericsson is a step towards a real PlayStation phone (not just the Xperia Play and PlayStation Suite). Their issue used to be that Ericsson had all rights to create any Sony-branded cell-phone so SCE wasn't allowed to try their hand at it.

 

[toshimelonhead]

Ok I just want to point out how ridiculous the bolded statement is. The number of people who play on Pokemon Online - especially exclusively - is minuscule. Pokemon Black and Pokemon White are two of the top 5 selling games in every region this year. Not to mention Nintendo actually has both revived classic franchises we haven't seen in years and created new ones in the past handheld and console generation.

I pointed out the fact that PO is free not because we are taking the market over--that will never happen in my lifetime--but for the fact that Nintendo is facing competition from online and casual gaming.

 

[Shinryu]

This is also ignoring the fact Nintendo can probably come down and send out some cease/desist letters and get most of these Pokemon sims to shut down...

Firestorm actually summed me up perfectly as well; ever since getting an iPod Touch a couple of years ago (and next summer an iPhone since Sprint finally gets them), I've noticed my handheld usage dropping dramatically as well. Unlike the DSi, which has a rather shitty browser and so many restrictions on what music files it can play it's ridiculous, the iPod offers so much more convenience in the above (as well as a far superior touch screen, video, and about the same quality of camera). So yeah, even though I used to take my phat DS and handheld in generals everywhere before, they're now mostly relegated to long road trips and at-home use, while the iPod comes everywhere in a smaller package and provides plenty of entertainment for short trips with PvZ and such.

 

[PokéTrainer J]

There is less incentive in spending $40 on a rehashed Pokemon game when we can play Pokemon Online for free.

Okay first off who gives a crap about Pokemon Online instead of playing Pokemon on the DS or via Emulator with Friend Codes and such (which is what most Pokemon players do), the way Nintendo and Game Freak are doing the Pokemon Video Games nowadays is just fine. Don't go trying to shove your "Pokemon needs to be a MMORPG" idea down peoples throats cause it's bullcrap. It doesn't work, it would kill the franchise and there's no good argument against it. The worse case scenario is that it would cause another technology gap similiar to Gen II and III where you can't transfer your Pokemon on the DS over to your computer. It won't work.

Now as for the topic at hand, I 100% garauntee you that the Wii U will be the biggest gaming flop since the Virtual Boy back in 1995. There was a reason why the Wii U got alot of negative feedback at E3 this year, you don't combine an Apple iPad with a Nintendo Wii and call it a video game console it just doesn't work that way. I'll be honest I've been a diehard Nintendo fanboy since the NES growing up and there's just an extreme lack of simplicity with the Wii U compared to past consoles.

If the Wii U is the best Nintendo has to offer then they are no better than what they did recently with the Nintendo 3DS which was made solely for the current 3D gimmick and you can obviously tell that didn't work well for them. So Capcom decides to kill the only reason to buy a 3DS by cancelling Megaman Legends 3 and Nintendo decides to cut the price of the 3DS in half with new games which are just remakes of older Nintendo titles. Games that players especially those that grew up with Nintendo have played over a MILLION times!

How many times do we have to play a Zelda game when there is absolutely no chronologically consistent storyline with the franchise itself? Rather you're basically playing the same game over and over again just with a few new features here and there. Same with Mario, it's the same formula but I commend them for trying new things with the franchise and it doesn't feel exactly repeated as much like Zelda. The recent Metroid games were a letdown because of how they made Samus a weakling but personally I think "sexist" is the better term to describe why Samus got neutered lately. It's like not allowing a girl to play pro football just cause she's a girl.

Now I know I mentioned Pokemon earlier however it gets it right by offering new features that helps make the franchise better overall but sometimes takes away what makes the game better for stuff that makes it a bit challenging. Every Pokemon generation will have it's fair share of good and bad Pokemon especially in terms of design but despite that Gen V got the short end of the stick on that criteria however the features that made it better especially the graphics improved it overall. Not just as a competitive battling game that doesn't need to be a MMORPG but also better interaction with people all across the world with the help of Wi-Fi. Pokemon is one of those Nintendo franchises that does what most other Nintendo franchises don't.

 

[doomvendingmachine]

No comment on Nintendo killing itself, but I had no idea people had any issue with Zelda chronology. I have honestly never had an issue with it, and rather enjoy how loosely connected the games are, with reoccurring characters in different scenarios.

 

[Firestorm]

I think the reason Nintendo got backlash for the Wii U is because they did a terrible job communicating what it was. They took the Wii route of focusing on the controller and because of the similar name and the lack of focus on the console, people thought it was an accessory. There was very little else explained about the console and that's not good enough anymore. People want to know Nintendo's plan because after the 3DS, the trust isn't there that they'll just be able to pull off anything.

I also disagree on the Pokemon MMORPG thing. I think something in the vein of Maple Story where it's free to play with stuff you can buy could be very profitable and I'd say there's a huge market for it right now as a side series.

And doomvendingmachine, aside from some fanatics on the internet, nobody gives a flying fuck about a Zelda timeline.

 

[Tortferngatr]

Brain: Hmm...*thinks about a 2-screened smartphone*

...that WOULD have been epic if Nintendo had made a smartphone handheld...

As for the other stuff:

Zelda timeline: If you consider this a downside, you're reading into it too heavily.
Pokemon MMO: Depends on if it's executed well. Nintendo would probably need a third party to help them with this, given their traditionally poor online integration.

 

[Eraddd]

The only reason why I would support a Pokemon MMO is so that people can stop trying to make their own shitty version and getting shut down by Nintendo.

 

[PokéTrainer J]

Either way a Pokemon MMO would kill the franchise, then there would be NO POINT in buying a Nintendo DS and connect online with it just to play, I'm dead serious. There would be no more VGC Tournaments, connecting to Wi-Fi would be pointless, nobody would be able to get out of their house to have a battle with the video games anymore, etc. It would also take years of EV Training Pokemon that can't be transferred through the video games onto the web down the toilet.

A Pokemon MMO would be too much like the main series being the video games and it would eventually take it's place. If that day ever comes then you can expect EVERYONE to quit Pokemon entirely and that would also put Nintendo out of business since they wouldn't be making money off the Pokemon video games anymore since there would be a free Online MMO version of it. So please for the love of God, let's not try to make Pokemon into World of Warcraft 2.0 for kids.

 

[Baldafor]

I posted a thread about Mists of Pandaria, and between reading the WOW forums, fansites, review sites and such, there is an enormous untapped market for a Pokemon MMO. The WOW version is only half fleshed out and people are going nuts, myself included. Nintendo might fail not because they are going to make an MMO, but because they were beaten to it.

 

[PokéTrainer J]

Junichi Masuda who works for Game Freak and Nintendo had this to say about the idea of MMO's for Pokemon and I agree with him completely:

http://kotaku.com/5179687/why-theres-not-a-pokemon-mmo

If you guys want to play a game that is unofficially licensed by Nintendo and Game Freak be my guest however it still doesn't beat the real thing, you don't ruin tradition and you don't change what has made the Pokemon franchise great for almost a decade.

True Pokemon RPG's are tied to Nintendo Handhelds, that's just the way it ought to be and should stay that way. I don't know why you guys want to change that cause it would hurt the creativeness and originality of the video game franchise itself.

 

[Eraddd]

Either way a Pokemon MMO would kill the franchise, then there would be NO POINT in buying a Nintendo DS and connect online with it just to play, I'm dead serious. There would be no more VGC Tournaments, connecting to Wi-Fi would be pointless, nobody would be able to get out of their house to have a battle with the video games anymore, etc. It would also take years of EV Training Pokemon that can't be transferred through the video games onto the web down the toilet.

A Pokemon MMO would be too much like the main series being the video games and it would eventually take it's place. If that day ever comes then you can expect EVERYONE to quit Pokemon entirely and that would also put Nintendo out of business since they wouldn't be making money off the Pokemon video games anymore since there would be a free Online MMO version of it. So please for the love of God, let's not try to make Pokemon into World of Warcraft 2.0 for kids.

That's a retarded assumption. You don't even know how the mechanics of the MMO will operate not do you know its gameplay, and yet, everyone will drop the rest of the franchise and play this "special" mmo.

This MMO will not replace competitive battling, VGC, BW OU or otherwise.

 

[Firestorm]

The last time Pokemon was truly innovative or creative was with Red and Green.

 

[Every1XplodeNOW]

Piff Nintendo is fine. Now my long term memory sort of sucks, so don't hold me on this, but didn't the ds had a slow start too when it was released? I do agree that they totally botched the released(Even though Shadow Wars is very underrated game), but give it till the summer and you'll wondering why you worried.

I'm excited for the Wii U, I know there is still a lot we don't know about it, but when announced Tekken was going to be on it, I was sold.

Also at the op: Never link to a yahoo article, they're god awful. Monkeys can write better articles than them.

 

[Aerodactyl Legend]

Piff Nintendo is fine. Now my long term memory sort of sucks, so don't hold me on this, but didn't the ds had a slow start too when it was released? I do agree that they totally botched the released(Even though Shadow Wars is very underrated game), but give it till the summer and you'll wondering why you worried.

But the DS was released in 2004. It's now 2011 and the technology advances are different, including the arise of stronger phones.

Remember these? Yeah, the DS wasn't in danger.

The DS wasn't being pushed by 3D visuals. Touch screen was scrutinized a bit until the DS Lite came out and good games were starting to arrive. It's obvious that 3D still isn't practical for normal everyday use, and with it being the primary driving force behind the 3DS, it probably won't be doing so well in a year or so.

 

[Xephyr]

This thread is depressing.

Until I go back to playing Arkham City and waiting for Skyrim and realize that I really wouldn't miss Nintendo a whole lot anyway

 

[Hydeous]

I'd like to ask about an issue that's not recent by any mean, but for which I was unable to find any explanation.

Why the effing region lock ?

I didn't make the jump to DSi since I wasn't into handheld anymore at that time, and today it seems I'll have to replace my DS Lite with another one ; the other alternative would be to buy a European, an American and a Japanese device.
Is that the actual goal ? To force me to pay thrice for the same thing ?
I've been looking for an answer for some time, but the very fact that their machines are region-locked was already a pain to verify. At least they have the wisdom not to advertise it.

Oh well, DSi aren't retro-compatible anyway.

And I just squashed a moskito. Fuck yeah.

 

[MrIndigo]

I'd like to ask about an issue that's not recent by any mean, but for which I was unable to find any explanation.

Why the effing region lock ?

Region locks are basically legitimising piracy. Just saying.