Your Nintendo Memories and Thoughts

[gorfias]

Samtemdo8 started a great thread about just how great a library, particularly for exclussives, that the Nintendo Gamecube has. We quickly got to writing about other Nintendo consoles and it seemed a good idea to expand upon what Samtemdo8 started.

My own memories and thoughts:

I have had every Nintendo console since the NES save the Switch.
I cared about the console wars back in 1986. I was broke. I couldn't afford nor thought to even try to own both the NES and the Sega system. So I had to hope that developers would be more interested in the NES. I shouldn't have worried: there was plenty to go around.
I played with the light gun a ton. Mario 1 and 3. Skipped 2. Zelda 1 and 2 (2 to this day is considered hard and I beat it!) Before the NES I had a Commodore 64 which had its own strengths but loading Zelda in moments and the quality of its sound and visuals? I gave the Commodore away. Other highly held games included Final Fantasy, Faxanadu, Battle for Olympus, and Rygar. I also couldn't stop playing this WWF game.
SNES: my boy and I played mostly Lion King on that one. I beat Zelda Link to the Past on that one just before he was born! Then, if he wanted to play Star Fox or Primal Rage, that's what we played.
N64 graphics amazed me. The sight of Mario jumping through a painting? Never forget it. Zelda Ocarina of Time was very special. When me, the boy and my princess played N64 Wheel of Fortune, luck have it she won $1,500. She looked at me with innocent eyes and asked, "Daddy, when will they get me my money?" Then, the 4 Meg Pak: Star Wars Pod Racing (or the Star Wars Rogue Squadron? Or both) before and after? I could not believe the difference.
Gamecube: Sonic Battle 2, Lord of the Rings Third Age, Baldur's Gate were my favorite games for that system. Irked that the library was relatively small compared to the weaker PS2 but, by that time I had some money: had both and an Xbox. To this day, I still have 2 or 3 gamecubes lying around somewhere.
Wii: Actually, very popular, very under utilized. Monkey Ball. Wii Sports. I played a lot of Mad World and thought how much more I'd like it with a normal controller. Kinda defeats the purpose.
Wii U: HD graphics. Gamepad controller that is pretty different and original. Great library. Still playing Breath of the Wild on it.
Switch: My old hands cann't really handle the joycons. It's best games I have on other platforms already. Still, may get one and at a minimum, get a Nintendo Controller for it, which are supposed to be great. Use it as a portable console.

With Gen 9 approaching, I've heard nothing of Nintendo's next steps.

Your thoughts?

 

[Elvis Starburst]

I remember when we got the N64 as our first console. We were firmly in the Nintendo camp until the Wii/PS3/360 generation, where we had a Wii, but I got a 360 for myself at one point when I had the spare money for it. Got a PS3 even later but didn't use it for much so I got rid of it quickly. The Gamecube was the glory days for me, so many good games on there.
I also got the Gameboy Colour and GBA SP. And then I got the original DS with Nintendogs in 2004, and that was a portable game changer. Took until I had my 360 before I got a PSP, which was also excellent.
Then the 3DS game, and ho-ly-crap, what an amazing little system. I still look for games I might've missed that let me play it even now, cause that thing is a treat. Vita is still fun, but the 3DS in all its low resolution glory is still a blast.
The Switch is also absolutely amazing, making it and the 3DS my fave dedicated handheld and console systems.

Nintendo brought some incredible experiences for my family. So even when I have a lot of other consoles and systems from other companies, it all comes back to Nintendo for me. I could go into game specifics, but I ramble on enough on some of my posts, so I don't need the entire first page to just be me

 

[Samtemdo8]

I was born in 1992, so I probably played a video game during the time growing up, but the very first game actually remember playing for the first time was Super Mario 64 on the Nintendo 64.

Me and my older brother bought the game and the console from a store (probably was a Toys R Us) and before coming home, my mother took us to our Grandmother's house and because we wanted to play the game so badly, our grandma let us play in her living room TV.

Thus I was properly introduced to gaming from there. And that was my first memory of playing a video game, and what a game to have it be your first.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

The SNES was my first console so some of of my favorite games are in it. I like it so much that I got one of those SNES Classic emulators a couple of years ago to replace it. Other than that I've never owned another Nintendo home console. I got a Game Boy for a while but that was basically The Pokemon Machine.

 

[Trunkage]

I didn't care much about Nintendo until I started earning money. I bought a N64 (I was a Megadrive owner before that). This lead to college and playing tournaments of Golden Eye and Mario Kart. It was fantastic. 16 players on multiple device via to become No 1. Also, trying to do the speed run in Factory (I think it was called) to get the unlock always drove us forward.

 

[Phoenixmgs]

I remember a friend getting a NES and playing SMB1 there and I knew I had to have a NES. I think I played SMB3 more than anything even on SNES when it was apart of the Super Mario All-Stars collection. I remember loving Jackal, Duck Tales, Rescue Rangers, Tecmo Football. I had Bayou Billy, Battletoads, Top Gun for some reason. For SNES, I remember loving Donkey Kong Country, Daffy Duck, Tiny Toons, Killer Instinct, The Lion King, Ken Griffey Baseball, NFL Quartback Club (way better than Madden even back then), NBA Live 95, NBA Jam, the "Strike" games like Jungle Strike, TMNT games, Sim City (I would leave the game on all day collecting money and I remember thoroughly reading the instruction book). I remember playing a bunch of Batman, Spiderman, X-Men games, I forget the specific ones I played or for which system.

Mario 1 and 3. Skipped 2.

What?!?! You skipped the GOAT!!!

 

[gorfias]

I remember a friend getting a NES and playing SMB1 there and I knew I had to have a NES. I think I played SMB3 more than anything even on SNES when it was apart of the Super Mario All-Stars collection. I remember loving Jackal, Duck Tales, Rescue Rangers, Tecmo Football. I had Bayou Billy, Battletoads, Top Gun for some reason. For SNES, I remember loving Donkey Kong Country, Daffy Duck, Tiny Toons, Killer Instinct, The Lion King, Ken Griffey Baseball, NFL Quartback Club (way better than Madden even back then), NBA Live 95, NBA Jam, the "Strike" games like Jungle Strike, TMNT games, Sim City (I would leave the game on all day collecting money and I remember thoroughly reading the instruction book). I remember playing a bunch of Batman, Spiderman, X-Men games, I forget the specific ones I played or for which system.


What?!?! You skipped the GOAT!!!

OMG: Even the classic skips it! 1 and 3 only! (I mostly just replayed Final Fantasy on it).

NES Classic Edition - Official Site - Nintendo Entertainment System

The Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition is a miniaturized replica of the original NES system, and comes pre-installed with 30 NES games and an NES Classic Controller.

www.nintendo.com

I have a Vita. One day I'll root it and maybe get this in emulator.

 

[Chimpzy]

I'm kind of a latecomer to the Nintendo party. Had a Mega Drive (well, still do) as a kid and was exclusively gaming on pc until the start of the PS3/360 era. I was also in college at the time, doing a 45 minute one way commute by train 5 days a week. So I got my first Nintendo, a DSi, to fill all that time sitting on my ass. Got a lot of play out of it. Anyway, I picked most of the other systems over the following years. The perks of having a job and disposable income and all that.

First a Gamecube with Gameboy Player that I found at a thrift shop for 40 bucks. Basically access to 4 libraries in one go, so pretty decent deal. Then came the SNES, given to me by a friend along with all his games which included Yoshi's Story, Secret of Mana, Terranigma, Mega Man X and about a dozen more, most of them classics. That's one way to jumpstart a collection. Followed by a Wii in early 2013. Maybe weirdly enough, I really like it, not as much as Switch and SNES, but more than the N64 and a little bit better than the Gamecube. The motion controls always worked well for me and I guess it also helped that I only picked it up after the fact, so I could cherry pick all the best stuff. My newest is the Switch, which might end up being my all time favorite. Something about the full Nintendo console experience and a mean indie machine I can play while lying on my bed at my laziest is just scrumptious.

Then there's the lesser gods I guess. Like the N64. I have one, picked up from a yard sale along with a decent-ish set of games, but I'm not over the moon about it. I hate the controller. Most of the games I have IMO have better sequels on the Gamecube/Wii. Out of the systems I own, I like it the least. I also have a 3DS. It's alright I guess, but I haven't gotten much use out of it since I wasn't commuting by public transportation anymore. I never got a NES. Way I see it, the SNES improves over it in every way, so I don't see any reason to get what I consider a lesser version of that. And no Wii U, because the Switch exists, having gotten pretty much all the worthwhile Wii U games and I don't feel like buying a system for the 2 games that I'm interested in that haven't been ported (yet).

 

[CaitSeith]

I didn't have a NES as a kid, I had a Famicom-clone with NES adapter (such knock-offs and famicom cartridges were cheaper than NES, and you could play rented NES games too).

 

[gorfias]

I'm kind of a latecomer to the Nintendo party. Had a Mega Drive (well, still do) as a kid and was exclusively gaming on pc until the start of the PS3/360 era. I was also in college at the time, doing a 45 minute one way commute by train 5 days a week. So I got my first Nintendo, a DSi, to fill all that time sitting on my ass. Got a lot of play out of it. Anyway, I picked most of the other systems over the following years. The perks of having a job and disposable income and all that.

First a Gamecube with Gameboy Player that I found at a thrift shop for 40 bucks. Basically access to 4 libraries in one go, so pretty decent deal. Then came the SNES, given to me by a friend along with all his games which included Yoshi's Story, Secret of Mana, Terranigma, Mega Man X and about a dozen more, most of them classics. That's one way to jumpstart a collection. Followed by a Wii in early 2013. Maybe weirdly enough, I really like it, not as much as Switch and SNES, but more than the N64 and a little bit better than the Gamecube. The motion controls always worked well for me and I guess it also helped that I only picked it up after the fact, so I could cherry pick all the best stuff. My newest is the Switch, which might end up being my all time favorite. Something about the full Nintendo console experience and a mean indie machine I can play while lying on my bed at my laziest is just scrumptious.

Then there's the lesser gods I guess. Like the N64. I have one, picked up from a yard sale along with a decent-ish set of games, but I'm not over the moon about it. I hate the controller. Most of the games I have IMO have better sequels on the Gamecube/Wii. Out of the systems I own, I like it the least. I also have a 3DS. It's alright I guess, but I haven't gotten much use out of it since I wasn't commuting by public transportation anymore. I never got a NES. Way I see it, the SNES improves over it in every way, so I don't see any reason to get what I consider a lesser version of that. And no Wii U, because the Switch exists, having gotten pretty much all the worthwhile Wii U games and I don't feel like buying a system for the 2 games that I'm interested in that haven't been ported (yet).

You may want to consider getting the NES classic. Zelda 1 and 2 are special. A number of others including Final Fantasy OG on this one console.

ITMT: in another forum I got reminded of this thing of N64 Pokemon games and console like Hey You Pikachu, Snap and Tournament. Good times!

http://www.nintendo64ever.com/photos/bundles/Photo-Bundle-Nintendo-64-Nintendo-64-Pikachu-Set,61.jpg

 

[Chimpzy]

You may want to consider getting the NES classic. Zelda 1 and 2 are special. A number of others including Final Fantasy OG on this one console.

Unfortunately, lowest price I found for a NES Classic is €160 without shipping, so I find myself in a similar situation as I am in for the Wii U, where there's not enough games I'm interested in on it to justify buying the system to myself.

 

[Yoshi]

Unfortunately, lowest price I found for a NES Classic is €160 without shipping, so I find myself in a similar situation as I am in for the Wii U, where there's not enough games I'm interested in on it to justify buying the system to myself.

Wonderful 101 is on the Switch but the Wii U touch screen controls still makes the Wii U version better than the Switch/PS4/PC versions

if they Port Pikmin 3 to the Switch, that will also probably still be played better on the Wii U version than on the Switch.
you were able to play that game with a Pro controller, but the Wii remote and touch screen of the Wii U gamepad in your lap was still the best way to play that game.

 

[gorfias]

Unfortunately, lowest price I found for a NES Classic is €160 without shipping, so I find myself in a similar situation as I am in for the Wii U, where there's not enough games I'm interested in on it to justify buying the system to myself.

Holy moly. The same thing is happening to that thing that has happened to the Switch (should be $300 or less... where's the price drop? Instead its going for more like $500). Mine was $60 US in 2018. Hope if it ever gets back there, you'd consider it. That's $2 a game and to this day, they're worth playing.

 

[happyninja42]

Even having grown up with the original nintendo, and then the SNES, I don't really remember much about them. I can't recall if I had an N64 myself, or just played on a friend's system. But that was around the point I split from Nintendo and started Playstation.

The only memory that really sticks was playing one of those racing games, where they had incorporated the Power Glove for the driving controls. I remember playing with that at a friend's house, and it was fun. I mean, that's technically a memory of the platform I guess? *shrugs* It's not like it shaped my childhood or anything, I just remember it. Most of the other stuff just blurs into the plethora of video games that I played nearly constantly as a child. Nothing really standing out as unique or life defining. They were just games, like countless others.

 

[Chimpzy]

Holy moly. The same thing is happening to that thing that has happened to the Switch (should be $300 or less... where's the price drop? Instead its going for more like $500). Mine was $60 US in 2018. Hope if it ever gets back there, you'd consider it. That's $2 a game and to this day, they're worth playing.

I'm guessing that supply can't meet demand for the Switch in the US, possibly due to the crisis, so retailers are upping the price. Or maybe they're gouging just because they can. Apparently supply's not a problem in my country, since the price has remained stable at ~€329. Tho we also have pretty strict pricing laws, particularly in times of crisis, so it might not actually be legal around here. The NES Classic however is no longer in production, so the only way to get one is through 3rd party resellers and those aren't subject to most of those pricing regulations i.e. they can charge whatever they want. Hence the inflated price.

Wonderful 101 is on the Switch but the Wii U touch screen controls still makes the Wii U version better than the Switch/PS4/PC versions

if they Port Pikmin 3 to the Switch, that will also probably still be played better on the Wii U version than on the Switch.
you were able to play that game with a Pro controller, but the Wii remote and touch screen of the Wii U gamepad in your lap was still the best way to play that game.

Already got Wonderful 101 on PC tho (and Switch when my backer copy eventually arrives). I'm not buying a console just for a double dip. I'm not interested in Pikmin 3, so that's a no. Color Splash is not high on the priority list. I'd fancy Mario 3D World, but I'd be surprised if that doesn't make its way to Switch. Xenoblade X, but that's really only a maybe on my "do I want it" scale. That's 4 games at very best, but realistically just 2. That doesn't cut it to justify the purchase.

 

[gorfias]

I'm guessing that supply can't meet demand for the Switch in the US, possibly due to the crisis, so retailers are upping the price. Or maybe they're gouging just because they can. Apparently supply's not a problem in my country, since the price has remained stable at ~€329. Tho we also have pretty strict pricing laws, particularly in times of crisis, so it might not actually be legal around here. The NES Classic however is no longer in production, so the only way to get one is through 3rd party resellers and those aren't subject to most of those pricing regulations i.e. they can charge whatever they want. Hence the inflated price.

Troubling. Why would Nintendo cancel production of something that sold in about a year, nearly 4 million copies of something that plays 35 year old games?

NES Classic Edition - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I feel a little more fortunate that I scored one, though, currently I only have the SNES classic hooked up.

How long till Dreamcast and N64 classic? My bet, they are coming soon.

My next evil plan is while my missus is on a tear, throwing my stuff out, shoving stuff into cabinets rather than out where we need them cuz the clear areas look prettier to her, she made me put away a Wii. (and wanted to put a fake plant in one clear area... so far I've talked her out of that. All this as we just became empty nesters so, it is her time to make the house more like what she wants.)

Well, I have my own office/man cave in the basement. I'm going to take that Wii out of the cabinet in which she made me put it away and then put that Wii on a 39" Vizio I use as my desktop monitor. When she isn't looking. Cuz I'd get an ear full. I don't need it. My desktop PC has 100s of Steam games. But to be able to play Wii and Gamecube games @ 480p using component cable? I gotta! Even if it means a beating Being a loon, I may find myself collecting gamecube and Wii games again. I have very small libraries for them.

 

[Chimpzy]

Troubling. Why would Nintendo cancel production of something that sold in about a year, nearly 4 million copies of something that plays 35 year old games?

NES Classic Edition - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I feel a little more fortunate that I scored one, though, currently I only have the SNES classic hooked up.

Afaik, both the NES and SNES were always intended to be limited runs. Reggie Fils-Aimé confirmed in an interview that holiday season 2018 would be the last time both would be restocked and that would be it. No more production runs. Which sucks for people still interested, cuz they'll have to deal with price scalping resellers. Doesn't personally bother me much, since I already had the real hardware and most of the games I want, while the rest (i.e. the ones that would burn too big a hole in my wallet for a legit cart) I have on Wii VC. Which counts as "good enough" for me to emulate them. Also helps solve the problem of having like a dozen systems hooked up at once in a clusterfuck of cables. Way more convenient to concentrate most of it on my pc, aside from the PS3/360, and looking at recent advances, even that might change in the coming years.

How long till Dreamcast and N64 classic? My bet, they are coming soon.

Well, Dreamcast is Sega, so it'll be up to them. Doesn't look like a N64 Mini will happen tho. That same interview from before says legacy content will be done via Switch Online in the future, which sucks for anyone wanting that, cuz at the rate they're adding games it'll be a new decade before we get to N64, let alone anything beyond.

 

[Yoshi]

Afaik, both the NES and SNES were always intended to be limited runs. Reggie Fils-Aimé confirmed in an interview that holiday season 2018 would be the last time both would be restocked and that would be it. No more production runs. Which sucks for people still interested, cuz they'll have to deal with price scalping resellers. Doesn't personally bother me much, since I already had the real hardware and most of the games I want, while the rest (i.e. the ones that would burn too big a hole in my wallet for a legit cart) I have on Wii VC. Which counts as "good enough" for me to emulate them. Also helps solve the problem of having like a dozen systems hooked up at once in a clusterfuck of cables. Way more convenient to concentrate most of it on my pc, aside from the PS3/360, and looking at recent advances, even that might change in the coming years.

well if i was Nintendo, i would much rather people subscribe and pay yearly to play my old games rather than buy a mini version of a 35 year old console that theypay for once and then never again