Today's Direct I think has somewhat clarified a certain feeling I've had in the back of my mind for a while, and I really wanted to collect my thoughts so that the following came more from heavy consideration rather than outright emotion. (Do forgive the major self indulgence of this post).
I've played my Switch a great deal the last five years and it might very well the console I've bought the most games for. However, in spite of that, there's been a sense of quiet disenchantment with Nintendo for some time and couldn't really understand why, especially given that the turnaround from the previous console. The Wii U era was one filled with a lot of frustration at what I was seeing, but there was a certain quiet satisfaction in that it felt like the decisions that were alienating me as a fan were not paying dividends for the company and in fact were being outright rejected by much the market. The Switch's success and quantity of titles on paper then should be something that's been much more rewarding and while it has, I just don't feel as engaged by much of the major output.
The reason for that is the slow realization that Nintendo's priorities with games don't really allign with mine anymore. Oh they've put out things I've liked, BotW was an experience, much of Mario Odyssey is fantastic, Smash's greatness speaks for itself, and even spin-offs like Age of Calamity get a lot of play. However when I look a the landscape of the system, so much of my interests seem to lie with indie titles or certain one offs by third parties. Metroid Dread and to a lesser degree Kirby and the Forgotten Land are the only two major games in the last 18 months that have really grabbed my attention. So much else just are either series I formerly liked that now feel undercooked (see the Mario Sports games) or are belonging to genres that simply don't interest me (see the online focus of Splatoon or the many, many SRPG/JRPG releases).
Now, when watching the Direct, its hard to not sense that Nintendo's big focus simply isn't with the kind of games that I'm really into or are just shinier versions of older titles I did like. Now keep in mind, this is not a doom and gloom post, I have no doubt a new DK, more Metroid, and maybe Star Fox is coming down the pipeline. But however understandable it is that certain series essentially need a dedicated studio for them to come out with any regularity, none of that changes the fact that given Nintendo's resources and reach, finding and utilizing such teams potentially could have happened sooner if was considered important enough. Quantity has a quality all its own, and in that sense the make up of major games from them has increasingly become one from high level series/genres that nonetheless aren't terribly attractive to my tastes. The (admittedly idealized) image of Nintendo in my head and the current reality of it don't really match these days.
And you know what? That's okay.
Geek Critique (a genuinely fantastic content creator, please check him out), put out a video looking at the change in the industry beginning with the 6th generation, illustrating how the focus changed and what it was like feeling increasingly alienated by the direction everything was going. As much as he does note the unfortunate trends about what constituted mature content and "real games" he does note that it was ultimately a necessary evolution; a shift taking place in gaming's adolescence that ultimately made it stronger in the end. Many of his style games would come back, the kind of games he initially wrote off proved to be quite good, and much of his disappointment was rooted in his own chaotic growth from being a kid to becoming a teenager and ultimately an adult.
I bring it up because my ultimate conclusion is not bitterness at Nintendo's direction or antipathy towards the IP's that feel like they're getting all the attention. Its an understanding that companies/industries/fandoms? They all change and grow over time and Nintendo at this point has a gaming structure that has brought them back to the forefront of gaming and made a heck of a lot of people happy. There's entire generations of younger fans having their own deep connection to Fire Emblem, Xenoblade, Splatoon, etc just as I did with Donkey Kong Country and Star Fox 64 back in the day. I realize now that stubbornly clinging to a specific idea of what Nintendo is supposed to do and expecting that they're going to put out that magical Direct that features all the sequels and revivals I want is foolhardy and (as silly as it sounds) ultimately letting go of that emotional expectation is probably best for ones own mental health.
Yet there's some peace to be had from the knowledge that really exciting presentations are still happening for people, even if not for me. Moreover the indie scene is providing a lot of the kind of titles I do love and the Switch as the means to that has proven to be a worthwhile time. Spiritual successors are wonderful things, for every franchise that has gone into hibernation, there are numerous ones looking to fill the gap, and often with their own new spins of it. The Ori duology brought back a sense 2D atmospheric aesthetics and level design I hadn't experienced since the DKC SNES trilogy and I cherish it deeply because of that. The Metroidvania renaissance in general has been a remarkable journey in the past few years and ensured that gaps in Metroid releases will never feel as long as they once did.
I guess my overall reason for posting this long diatribe is that for some that have ever felt like I have in any way about Nintendo (or any company for that matter), that I would just say to not give into cynicism and/or resentment. Gaming is too varied and life is too short let one's disappointment about it dominate your outlook. One very often doesn't get what they want out this industry, but there's so much real quality out there that is worth trying if you look hard enough and let yourself experience it.
