302: Who Cares About Mario?
- Thread starter Chris Chafin
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While Mario certainly does get around, his dedicated adventures are still top-notch. SMG 1 and 2 are some of the best games I've played this generation. He still got it! ...but fewer people still want to see it, these days.
Really, when you look at Nintendo's situation aftet the 'Cube, positioning itself as kid-friendly was the only thing that made sense from a marketing perspective. I'm not sure it'll pay off in the long run, but it was that or bust.
What I always found strange is that, when Nintendo was pretty much the king of videogames, during the NES and SNES era, Nintendo of America would violently censor games (spoony bard, etc). Now that it's a small niche market and it wouldn't harm the industry as much to do it, they don't. While I'm usually against censorship in all forms a game system that you could buy for your children and not worry that they'll play MadWorld on it would be a powerful force for a medium that often forgets how to deal with any customer other than the hardcore. And if releasing a hardcore violent game to try to quell the thirst of the gamers that don't fit the profile worked, True Crime: New York City would be game of all years for the 'Cube.
April is the month of the Yorkshiremen.
What I always found strange is that, when Nintendo was pretty much the king of videogames, during the NES and SNES era, Nintendo of America would violently censor games (spoony bard, etc). Now that it's a small niche market and it wouldn't harm the industry as much to do it, they don't. While I'm usually against censorship in all forms a game system that you could buy for your children and not worry that they'll play MadWorld on it would be a powerful force for a medium that often forgets how to deal with any customer other than the hardcore. And if releasing a hardcore violent game to try to quell the thirst of the gamers that don't fit the profile worked, True Crime: New York City would be game of all years for the 'Cube.
believer258 said:
April is the month of the Yorkshiremen.
um... think it's also a really bad situation of a throw away and instantly out of date way video games are sold.
No kid today cares about Nintendo and won't really have much nostalgia for anything cept for retarded cartoons when they get older because they have a million games.
I had the same collection of games for 12 years of my life.
No kid today cares about Nintendo and won't really have much nostalgia for anything cept for retarded cartoons when they get older because they have a million games.
I had the same collection of games for 12 years of my life.
The 13 year old kid in this article are actually much less biased than many other 13 year olds that I know. I know tons of kids that age that are simply devoted to Call of Duty and games like that and they pass off anything by Nintendo as awful (what makes me laugh is that these kids claim to be "hardcore" gamers, but when I asked them if they played God of War, they didn't know what I was talking about).
A lot of kids my age and younger these days have lost their interest in Nintendo and if Nintendo wants to stay a major contender, they have to start appealing towards these modern day tweens. But what scares me more than the fact that these kids have no appreciation for Nintendo anymore, is that it feels like I'm losing interest. I've always been a big Nintendo supporter, but I almost agreed with the kid in the interview. The only thing that is causing me to keep my Wii is Monster Hunter Tri, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and the fact that I don't have enough money to buy a PS3. The Wii successor better be killer.
A lot of kids my age and younger these days have lost their interest in Nintendo and if Nintendo wants to stay a major contender, they have to start appealing towards these modern day tweens. But what scares me more than the fact that these kids have no appreciation for Nintendo anymore, is that it feels like I'm losing interest. I've always been a big Nintendo supporter, but I almost agreed with the kid in the interview. The only thing that is causing me to keep my Wii is Monster Hunter Tri, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and the fact that I don't have enough money to buy a PS3. The Wii successor better be killer.
I thought Paper Mario was phenomenal. I only got to rent it back in the day, but it was only a three day rental and by the end of that rental period, I had exactly 34 hours and 34 minutes clocked. It was a long time ago of course, so I don't remember if I had beat it or not. I'm thinking not, because I do remember begging my mom to let me rent it for another three days, but she didn't let me.NaramSuen said:
It think the reason I loved it was because it was such a unique game. I do own the second one on for the Gamecube, I love that one as well. I need to get the Wii one, I rented it once, but I ended up not having the time to actually play it.
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I still think brand loyalty still exists, but in a way that has been around since Nintendo and the first Sega console. Whatever one people decide the buy is the one they have loyalty to, because they don't have the money to buy one of the other systems to see what it is like. So, these people create an air about them, that their console is better.
I'm a little guilty of that, and I think most people are.
But if I truthfully had to state how I feel about gaming, all the consoles and the PCs. If I had the money to buy the me all, I would enjoy them all. I'm the type of gamer that would play it all if I could.
I have a PC that runs only old games(games before 2007).
I have every Nintendo console and device up to the Wii and the DS Lite.
I also have an old PSP(won that in a poker tournament a few years back, probably wouldn't have bought it on my limited funds.)
I also have an Xbox 360.
Right now I mostly into my 360 because that is what I'm interesting in at the moment, I'm a sucker for achievements. I'm doing my best get through Mass Effect then move on to two in preparation for three. I also still play on my DS Light daily, Pokemon White, and a few lost GBA games that I found recently(Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Wario Land 4, and Advanced Wars).
When I have the money I don't discriminate much on what games I play and what platforms I get them for.
I play games of just about every genre and type.
But I do have my old Nintendo nostalgia, and that will never go away. I'm also not the type of person to sell games and systems when they get old. When I have kids, I want them to see what their dad enjoyed back in the day. Or I could be like the cool grandpa that has fun things that seem like obscure pieces of history.(My grandpa has this weird, large, single game handheld that has a little joystick and it is like a weird version of Pac-man, but the mover is a green circle, that the player moves around and gets the little dots, no ghosts it is just timed. It has the graphics and sound effects of those old black screen computers that had just green or orange-yellow type. I don't remember what the game was called. It was addictive like pac-man.)
I lost my train of thought, so I will end this here. I will add that Nintendo does need to remember the people that grew up with them and start throwing us a few games of our liking.
Ah Nintendo. We have such a long history, NES: awesome, SNES: one of the best consoles ever, N64: awesome, Gamecube: pretty good, Wii: um... at least you tried?
Yes, Pokemon White is awesome. My first team is at my "take a break cap" of level 75(Back in the old days of Gen 1 and 2, I use to train to level 100, I had like 35 level 100's, but I don't have as much time as I did back then). I'm now training some new recruits to give me some more variety and versatility in my choices.vxicepickxv said:
I think the author over-projects on a very small sample (two children as evidence of majority is a bit risky as a stats method).
I would agree that Mario is still quite popular and known amongst children. If not my personal experience, then surelly sales figures for New Super Mario Bros. or Mario Kart DS, which still manage to sell strongly after so many years in the market, seem to show that the new generations are growing up with similar experiences like the ones we had as kids.
I really don't see the smartphone scene as a real threat to "traditional" portable gaming consoles. Nintendo has been setting it's "hooks" to youngsters for a very, very long time and it will be hard for parents to get rid of them. If all the kids at school are still playing Pokemon or Mario, then it's a bit difficult to convince your kid to "settle" with playing an app on your iphone.
On the other hand, I don't think the article is completely off the ball. Nintendo seems to be at the end of a "communications cicle". I will also agree with Herman Zindler, that the company has shown the talent to re-invent itself over the years, especially with recent examples like the Wii or Brain Training, or even Nintendo 3DS to some extent.
If anything, their sales figures overall should suggest that they are still on top of their game. Time will tell how many more times they can get away with re-inventing themselves Madonna-style.
I would agree that Mario is still quite popular and known amongst children. If not my personal experience, then surelly sales figures for New Super Mario Bros. or Mario Kart DS, which still manage to sell strongly after so many years in the market, seem to show that the new generations are growing up with similar experiences like the ones we had as kids.
I really don't see the smartphone scene as a real threat to "traditional" portable gaming consoles. Nintendo has been setting it's "hooks" to youngsters for a very, very long time and it will be hard for parents to get rid of them. If all the kids at school are still playing Pokemon or Mario, then it's a bit difficult to convince your kid to "settle" with playing an app on your iphone.
On the other hand, I don't think the article is completely off the ball. Nintendo seems to be at the end of a "communications cicle". I will also agree with Herman Zindler, that the company has shown the talent to re-invent itself over the years, especially with recent examples like the Wii or Brain Training, or even Nintendo 3DS to some extent.
If anything, their sales figures overall should suggest that they are still on top of their game. Time will tell how many more times they can get away with re-inventing themselves Madonna-style.
Nintendo broke me with the DS. I, at the age of 19, switched to an iPod touch and have since sold my D.S They are no longer about games. It's a toy, a gimmick, and will be replaced in two years by a Lite version. The iPod has the Final Fantasy, it has the Street Fighter, It has what you want. The problem is the iPod and Apple don't invoke that same kind of loyalty that you speak of in the article.
I, like many of you I'm sure, feel that the greatest moment in my youth was when I slid my first game into my Gameboy (Bomberman Pocket). Or how about the hours I spent playing the first Pokemon? The problem is as I grew up more and more of the series I loved died by the hands of Nintendo (StarFox)or decided to become known as the most stagnant and unimaginative list of sequels in gaming (Pokemon).
I bought StarFox Command, I bought Pokemon Platinum, I bought the DS, DS Lite, AND DSi, all because I wanted to see Nintendo succeed as a game company. I wanted to play a good game on a good console and I wanted Nintendo to be able to do that, but they couldn't. I bought some of their DD titles. But everything came up short. StarFox Command was miserable, I beat half of Pokemon Platinum without realizing I'd gotten that far because I never had to work at it. I got bored. The DS Lite was a good console but didn't have games, and the DSi was shameless. Nowadays, if I'm going to buy a Nintendo console, It will be used and it will be for some game like SSFIV because a good game accidentally came out for it.
Nintendo has just lost that "new cartridge" smell for me.
I, like many of you I'm sure, feel that the greatest moment in my youth was when I slid my first game into my Gameboy (Bomberman Pocket). Or how about the hours I spent playing the first Pokemon? The problem is as I grew up more and more of the series I loved died by the hands of Nintendo (StarFox)or decided to become known as the most stagnant and unimaginative list of sequels in gaming (Pokemon).
I bought StarFox Command, I bought Pokemon Platinum, I bought the DS, DS Lite, AND DSi, all because I wanted to see Nintendo succeed as a game company. I wanted to play a good game on a good console and I wanted Nintendo to be able to do that, but they couldn't. I bought some of their DD titles. But everything came up short. StarFox Command was miserable, I beat half of Pokemon Platinum without realizing I'd gotten that far because I never had to work at it. I got bored. The DS Lite was a good console but didn't have games, and the DSi was shameless. Nowadays, if I'm going to buy a Nintendo console, It will be used and it will be for some game like SSFIV because a good game accidentally came out for it.
Nintendo has just lost that "new cartridge" smell for me.
It's just a shame kids these days wont have the nostalgia I have for great games like Mario 64. I grew up with that game and practically know that game like the back of my hand because of all of the hours I put into it. And really, 100 Mario games since 2000. No wonder these kids associate Mario with all of his ridiculous spin offs. I think what Nintendo is doing for it's brand right now is only gonna benefit them in the short run. All of the negative association they are getting for their current actions is not going to sustain them in the long run. I would hate to see Nintendo run itself into the ground like this but as of right now their digging their own grave.
I still care about Mario and Nintendo in general. It might have a lot to do with the fact that Nintendo consoles made up a large portion of my childhood. I never really fell into a "hardcore manly M rated game ARRRRRRRRGH!" stage. Even when I got older I always kept a love for Nintendo games (particularly Kirby, Mario as well.) and I think a lot of other people still do too.
Nintendo's still as relevant now as they ever were and tons of kids are growing up with Mario and his crew on the Wii and when they grow up they'll likely go back to his games both old and new.
Nintendo hasn't changed in years (kind of) they still pump lifeblood into all their big franchises, while the trends in gaming may change, Nintendo shall remain ever constant. A lot of people might think this is a negative, but I see it as a positive aspect. Who knows what the next "it" genre will be in ten years, people could get lost in the storm, but you can pop in the newest Mario game and you know that you're gonna get some of that classic platforming action.
Nintendo's still as relevant now as they ever were and tons of kids are growing up with Mario and his crew on the Wii and when they grow up they'll likely go back to his games both old and new.
Nintendo hasn't changed in years (kind of) they still pump lifeblood into all their big franchises, while the trends in gaming may change, Nintendo shall remain ever constant. A lot of people might think this is a negative, but I see it as a positive aspect. Who knows what the next "it" genre will be in ten years, people could get lost in the storm, but you can pop in the newest Mario game and you know that you're gonna get some of that classic platforming action.
I think I may offer you an interesting take on the subject. You see, I live in Poland. Computers did not become widespread here until late 80's/early 90's - in 1992 still the most widely owned computer was C64. Consoles (initially NES clones) did not appear until around 1992 - the year that PC got Wolfenstein 3D.
The result? Instead of consoles, computers (mostly PC and for some time C64, Atari and Amiga) became the foundation of the gaming culture in Poland. We had our Wolfenstein, Doom, Mortal Kombat and so on.
Nintendo did not have a chance to develop such loyal following, almost a cult as it has in the USA. Without that nostalgia, it has been considered a "console for the kids" and "something you grow out of" for almost 20 years already. For example, I have played only one game with Mario - the first one on NES (was it Mario Bros?) - and never made it past second level. And I never really felt like I missed out on something - why would I want to play a kiddy game about an silly dressed plumber stomping on turtles, when I could play Fallout instead? I have played my first Zelda game 3 years ago, when I got the DS (and wasn't impressed).
Reassuming, I believe US gamers of your generation have a very strong nostalgia for Nintendo, which stops you from noticing that the company has very rapidly lost its relevancy to the hardcore gamers throughout the 90's. People who did not grow up in the 80's USA, like me or modern kids, haven't cared about the company for more then a decade already.
The result? Instead of consoles, computers (mostly PC and for some time C64, Atari and Amiga) became the foundation of the gaming culture in Poland. We had our Wolfenstein, Doom, Mortal Kombat and so on.
Nintendo did not have a chance to develop such loyal following, almost a cult as it has in the USA. Without that nostalgia, it has been considered a "console for the kids" and "something you grow out of" for almost 20 years already. For example, I have played only one game with Mario - the first one on NES (was it Mario Bros?) - and never made it past second level. And I never really felt like I missed out on something - why would I want to play a kiddy game about an silly dressed plumber stomping on turtles, when I could play Fallout instead? I have played my first Zelda game 3 years ago, when I got the DS (and wasn't impressed).
Reassuming, I believe US gamers of your generation have a very strong nostalgia for Nintendo, which stops you from noticing that the company has very rapidly lost its relevancy to the hardcore gamers throughout the 90's. People who did not grow up in the 80's USA, like me or modern kids, haven't cared about the company for more then a decade already.
i'm 13, had a gameboy, DS and a wii. I now have an xbox. My sister is 10 and has a DS and plays it mainly for nintendogs. Coincidence?
Anyway, i still don't understand how anyone wouldn't know who mario is, and every one should experience the older mario games, such as super mario bros 3 and super mario world.
Your right about people being put off because nintendo are aiming much more to the younger demographic. That's what put me off. Guess it's the same over here in England
Anyway, i still don't understand how anyone wouldn't know who mario is, and every one should experience the older mario games, such as super mario bros 3 and super mario world.
Your right about people being put off because nintendo are aiming much more to the younger demographic. That's what put me off. Guess it's the same over here in England
This article was a great read, it really showed a side of Nintendo you don't see often: a side not tainted by nostalgia. And it's true, Nintendo has relegated itself to the "toy" business for non gamers. I agree on the DS, I haven't played mine in almost a year. Anytime I go to look at games, they seem to all be aimed at little kids (or are JRPGs, but I don't play them for different reasons).
Looking back, I never was all that attached to Nintendo. I grew up with a Playstation and a Gameboy, and I didn't have all that many games. All I had with Nintendo was the portable games, and while they were fun, they didn't blow me away. On the PS1 and PS2, I got the bulk of my gaming. The only time I had access to a Nintendo console was at a friend's house, so to this day I still haven't played through an entire Mario, Star Fox, Metroid or Zelda game. I even had a Wii for a year or two, and I tried to defend it. But they didn't give me much to work with, I only bought a few games before selling it in favor of an Xbox 360.
Looking back, I never was all that attached to Nintendo. I grew up with a Playstation and a Gameboy, and I didn't have all that many games. All I had with Nintendo was the portable games, and while they were fun, they didn't blow me away. On the PS1 and PS2, I got the bulk of my gaming. The only time I had access to a Nintendo console was at a friend's house, so to this day I still haven't played through an entire Mario, Star Fox, Metroid or Zelda game. I even had a Wii for a year or two, and I tried to defend it. But they didn't give me much to work with, I only bought a few games before selling it in favor of an Xbox 360.