Would the industry be better off without Nintendo?

[QuickKick89]

Many of Yahtzee's recent reviews (including his one about the 3DS) seem to have one clear message - Nintendo, we gamers no longer like you, and the industry would be better off without you. But would it?

Nintendo brings in tons of revenue for the industry, and has been one of the most influential game companies of all time, if not the most influential. Howevr, there's really no doubt that they've hampered creativity, and now with the rise of shovelware, just about every two-bit crap developer has been able to make a quick buck on Nintendo's systems - this hurting the base principles of our industry: make good games, or die trying.

With Nintendo out of the industry, suddenly game devs will HAVE to try, or perish. That seems to be what Yahtzee wants.

 

[wolas3214]

In my opinion, Nintendo is that old vietanm veteran, in his time he was at the top, everyone loved him and honoured him. now hes completley senile and finds it freaking hilarious that he can shit in a box and call it a present.

 

[zestamaster]

yes, the industry would have a new face without them... sega could come back... more indies would flourish.. and so on

 

[Rayne870]

They still have tons of sales and families are still enjoying Nintendo products so I don't see how the industry would be better off. They aren't hurting anyone but themselves as "shovelware" mostly exclusive to their systems and rarely spills to the other consoles. There is room in the world for all games, even the really crappy ones. If we don't like them we don't have to buy them and the problem will solve itself, that's the beauty of capitalism.

 

[Wuffykins]

Rise of Shovelware? Err, I remember the PS2 having its fair share of last generation, mainly because I'm pretty sure it had the largest install base of the 3 consoles. Kind of like what's going on with the Wii and DS now. They're not getting shovelware because Nintendo is encouraging it, they're getting shovelware because companies are seeing there are a lot of consoles in homes and pockets, and they might make a quick buck from that massive amount of potential customers. Also because it's cheaper to develop for.

 

[Plurralbles]

Nintendo has hampered creativity...

WTF is this nonsense?

 

[Zantos]

Are we taking Yahtzee seriously now?

Nintendo has been for many years and is still a core part of the industry, with a massive revenue from the casual gaming scene. I don't think you could get rid of them if you tried.

Plus they bridge the gap quite nicely. As gamers we might not like nintendo because they're not really hardcore, but it bridges the divide between us and the non-gamers. If nintendo were out of the way people would just go back to seeing people who play games as anti-social dissidents with tendencies to overviolence. We'd lose all the ground we've made in convincing them otherwise.

 

[Gaiseric]

In my opinion, Nintendo is that old vietanm veteran, in his time he was at the top, everyone loved him and honoured him. now hes completley senile and finds it freaking hilarious that he can shit in a box and call it a present.

My dad is a Vietnam vet and I can assure you when he got back he wasn't honored, not by a long shot.

OP: I don't care for Nintendo, but I'd hate to live in a world without 'em.

 

[Death God]

No way. Nintendo may not be the most advanced or the most fun but it is bringing more people into the gaming world. True, they are only looking for something quick and easy to play but the more people we can bring into gaming the better. Plus they are still the most reliable as to when they say something, they follow through with it. And they are the leaders when it come to hand-held games. PSP is not going over anywhere and Xbox hasn't even made a hand-held to the best of my knowledge. So the industry needs Nintendo still... even if it is only using it as a crutch for a bit.

 

[Atmos Duality]

My current gaming habits would scarcely budge an inch at this point if Nintendo disappeared.
I think Nintendo could outlast their competition simply due to their presence in pop culture alone. They would morph mutate or deviate, but ultimately everyone would remember Mario.

 

[DustyDrB]

The company that is still making unique games in a sea of brown shooters?
The company that still values gameplay and fun in most of their games over photorealism, 100 cutscenes and "deep stories"?
The company that didn't jump on the "Achievement" and "DLC" bandwagon and has actual things to "achieve" in their games?
The company that still tries to innovate technologically (even if it fails at times)?
The company that lets about anyone develop for their platform without acting like a controlling regime? (which might also lead to shovelware...)

No...

Sir, I love your post. I'm gonna print it out and keep it in my pocket.


I did get fed up with Nintendo for a while, but I've been looking on them more favorably lately. The DS has a great library. The Wii does too, it's just weak in the shooter department. And weak in the ugly brown and grey games department. And I could not care less about either of those types of games.

 

[ZeZZZZevy]

removing a large source of competition would make things worse. If Sony and Microsoft no longer had to try to top Nintendo, stagnation would most likely increase.

Just think, without Nintendo the kinect probably wouldn't have been created, and (despite its terrible games so far) its potential would never be realized

 

[Dalek Hybrid]

If Nintendo never existed the industry would not be strong but they are shoveling more casual crap into our open mouths. Nintendo should stick to making toys and leave the video games to companies like Sony and Microsoft.

 

[Zouriz]

If Nintendo never existed the industry would not be strong but they are shoveling more casual crap into our open mouths. Nintendo should stick to making toys and leave the video games to companies like Sony and Microsoft.

They should stick with making Hanafuda cards then?

 

[AlternatePFG]

I'm sorry, but the other consoles aren't exactly bastions of creativity either.

 

[AyreonMaiden]

No, it would not.

I'm a little tired of hearing people ***** endlessly about Nintendo. I don't care how this makes me sound, but show some fucking respect for the people who saved our industry. I think they're entitled to experiment and to try whatever the hell they want to keep the business lucrative. There's room in this world for absolutely every single last kind of game. No, the industry isn't being stagnated by anyone. Exactly HOW are they stagnating anything? Did they stop Minecraft from being the megahit it is? Did they stop Shadow of the Colossus from giving credibility to games as an artform in the eyes of the people who DON'T matter? Have they stopped Rockstar, Bethesda, Ubisoft, etcetera, from pushing the boundaries of games in their own ways? Really, someone PLEASE explain this to me, how is ANYTHING Nintendo's fault?

I admit, I've grown up since the days I first got Nintendo consoles, but I'll never outgrow "pure fun," not for "deep intricate storytelling" or "establishing games as art" and "moving the industry forward," whatever the fuck that means. And in that front, Nintendo is one of the kings. Not THE king, not anymore, but one of them. Yeah, they love pleasing the casual crowd for how lucrative that business is, but something has to be said for how people keep coming back to the same franchises 15, 20 years later. A new core Zelda game, a new Mario game, that shit's an EVENT, a zillion installments later, it's still an event.

yes, i mad

 

[bluebomber138]

Get rid of Nintendo?! are you insane? any core game that comes out- pokemon, mario, dk, smash bros, zelda, metroid, they are not only the top selling game, but on a lot of sites the top selling item for the first week or 2 after they come out! IMHO, nintendo is still the best gaming company, and is still the only true gaming company around. Nintendo only makes games, whereas other than my 360 i have a pc from microsoft, and the only sony stuff ive got is a blu ray and some speakers. so no, dont get rid of nintendo. get rid of the developers that made wii sports resort or pilot wings or nintendogs? perhaps.

 

[GiantRaven]

If there was no Nintendo, then there would be no Nintendo games. The industry would be significantly worse off.

 

[RatRace123]

Nooooooo?
Nintendo still makes quality games, yes the Wii and DS were home to more shovelware crap than what seems humanly possible, but most of their inhouse stuff is still of high quality.

As much as people hate on them for reusing old franchises, each new Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Pokemon, what have you is almost always both a critical and commerical success.

They're still as relevant in todays market as they ever were.