It's a "problem" that persisted, in large part, because even after the relative retail failure of the GCN Nintendo continued to promote its Wii and Wii U primarily with what are essentially cute cartoon characters (DK, Mario, Link, Kirby, Animal Crossing, etc.), which is an illustration style that is associated with kid's entertainment. Even the aesthetic for Metroid screams "late afternoon TV shows aimed at young boys." Nintendo has made its bones with this audience and approach, but it makes more "mature" games on the system seem out of place.Cronozilla wrote:The argument is that it was the perception of the time, and continues to be an issue in the gamer-public's eye in regard to Nintendo.
Is anyone making the argument that the GameCube, in retrospect, is actually a kiddy consoles with kiddy games? No
It is also true that the vast majority of best-selling games on Nintendo consoles are games that kids can easily engage in, are rated E, etc.
Nintendo might have more "mature" games available on its consoles, and some have had sales success, but I don't think it is fair to say that there's a misconception that Nintendo consoles are for kids. It's a very reasonable perception: Nintendo consoles are primarily marketed that way and are especially successful with younger audiences. The Gamecube, much more so than its competition, is a "kiddy console with kiddy games" (as is the Wii, Wii U, etc.).