Nintendo Is Hurting :(

[dsheinem]

I wish they'd go back to focusing on hanafuda cards, which was always their strength.

[Ack]

I wish they'd go back to focusing on hanafuda cards, which was always their strength.

Yeah, but the Ultra Hand is where they really shine.

But I think instead of all this, Nintendo should look into a government bailout.

[CavZee]

I wish they'd go back to focusing on hanafuda cards, which was always their strength.

Nah, make Super Mario not quite 3D Game and Watch World instead.

[dsheinem]

Has Nintendo developed a truly influential console game since Mario 64?

By "influential" I don't mean a popular game, a good or fun game, etc. but a game that demonstrated new possibilities or refined ideas to such an extent that it became a standard-bearer for change and innovation in the industry. I feel like the Mario series did that regularly until Mario 64, and that other Nintendo IPs - Metroid, Zelda, Pokemon, etc. all were seen as series that influenced other designers, were/are frequently cited in discussions of game design, etc. I don't think they've done this since.

I think WiiSports would be the most likely candidate, but frankly its legacy is still up in the air - the sports games for the Move and Kinect (and Wii) that were arguably influenced by the success of WiiSports were largely poorly received and motion controls are increasingly seen as a bygone fad instead of an important evolution in game design.

My point is this: Nintendo's Wii U is not a place for one to find interesting, cutting edge ideas about game design that leave people talking and shape the direction of the industry. If you look at "critical darlings" from the past decade or more, they are largely comprised of games that innovate around storytelling techniques, level design, visual effects, themes addressed, new kinds of interactivity, etc. Most of the games that do this well are indie games that flourish on the PC and PSN and, to a lesser extent, XBLA and iOS. Nintendo used to be a company that earned this kind of acclaim and respect in the industry. Nintendo doesn't seem to have a leg to stand on in these areas anymore on consoles...which is probably the main reason I don't find the Wii U platform interesting. In the 8, 16, and 32 bit eras they were arguably one of the few cutting edge game companies that had real, traceable influence on the rest of the industry. Unless they make a move to scrap the Wii U and begin working on a higher end device that will allow these kinds of ideas to find the right audiences, I don't see them earning many new fans.

tldr: Nintendo needs to stop taking "managed risks" on hardware and start taking the kinds of exciting risks that they used to take in game development.

[BurningDoom]

Has Nintendo developed a truly influential console game since Mario 64?

You already mentioned it, Wii Sports. That ushered in an entire era of motion-based gaming, and was hugely popular to boot. Sony fell on it's face with motion gaming, sure. But Wii is the best selling system of all time, and Kinnect isn't a slouch, either.

[dsheinem]

Has Nintendo developed a truly influential console game since Mario 64?

You already mentioned it, Wii Sports. That ushered in an entire era of motion-based gaming, and was hugely popular to boot.

Right, but most people now seem to think that the era of motion-based gaming was largely a fad. By contrast, most people don't think the ideas introduced by Nintendo's innovations in previous eras were/are irrelevant today...

[prfsnl_gmr]

Has Nintendo developed a truly influential console game since Mario 64?

You already mentioned it, Wii Sports. That ushered in an entire era of motion-based gaming, and was hugely popular to boot.

Right, but most people now seem to think that the era of motion-based gaming was largely a fad. By contrast, most people don't think the ideas introduced by Nintendo's innovations in previous eras were/are irrelevant today...

What are some of the truly influential/innovative console games since Mario 64? Other than Guitar Hero and Wii Sports (which both arguably introduced fads), I am having a hard time coming up with any...

EDIT: Nevermind. I got one. Grand Theft Auto III was a truly influential/innovative console game. Other than that, however, what else is out there?

[cha cha]

Sadly to look into the recent tide of influence you must look at Angry Birds and Farmville... and all the havoc they caused while helping to usher in the era of 'mobile gaming'... you know the era that already existed but mainstream folks act like it was invented on the smartphone/tablets.

There are plenty of influential games out there though for recent consoles. All you need to do is think about a specific demographic or genre, and more than a few hugely influential titles will always pop out at you.

[dsheinem]

What are some of the truly influential/innovative console games since Mario 64? Other than Guitar Hero and Wii Sports (which both arguably introduced fads), I am having a hard time coming up with any...

EDIT: Nevermind. I got one. Grand Theft Auto III was a truly influential/innovative console game. Other than that, however, what else is out there?

Some are perhaps debatable, but I'd venture stuff like...

Ico
Halo
Shadow of the Colossus
Gran Turismo
Devil May Cry/3
Geometry Wars
COD: Modern Warfare
Half Life (ok, PC first)
DDR (ok, Arcade first)
Resident Evil/RE4
MGS
FF7
Burnout
Uncharted 2

I could go on....but that's a start

My point is that once we look past 1996 or so, I can't think of many/any Nintendo games where the design, narrative, visual, etc. ideas introduced or refined in their games still have staying power in the industry...

[cha cha]

Also to get back on the topic of Nintendo specifically....

Why are people acting like (not here, but on the asinine internet world), even in the most disastrous of financial and business situations, Nintendo's products and Titles/IPs would vanish with them??? They'd totally be bought out/up and released by other companies, probably even using the same teams and creators currently/formerly working on such titles. Hell, someone might buy Nintendo outright and 'reboot' the entire brand.

The above scenario may be a great thing, rather than continuing to be run by the lumbering, imbecilic and out of touch dinosaurs running it now.