Why does Iwata ignore the hardcore crowd and underuse lesser IP's

[IanTheGamer]

Part of the reason why the Wii U is failing is because Iwata won't try to steal some of the PlayStation and Xbox crowd, instead he is content on overusing Mario, 5 Mario games a year is just too much, 5 per console is fine, making a Donkey Kong game instead of a new Metroid, which would draw in the hardcore crowd. As for my other argument, JUST LOOK AT THE AMOUNT OF UNDERUSED IP'S. Metroid, Star Fox, F-Zero, Sin and Punishment, Fire Emblem, Eternal Darkness, Mach Rider, Kid Icarus, Wave Racer, Excitebike, Kirby, Starfy, Earthbound, Xenoblade, and Golsen Sun.
Part of the reason why the PS2 was so successful because it had a great game for every genre, which is what the Wii U is lacking, here are some examples Sports games: MVP Baseball 2005 and NFL 2K5, FPS: Soccom US Navy Seals 3PS: Ratchet and Clank Action: God of War and GTA RPG: Final Fantasy X2 Fighting: Tekken Tag Tournament and WWE SmackDown!: Here Comes the Pain Space Shooter: Gradius V Platformer: Sly Cooper. Racing: Grand Turismo 3 , Need for Speed, Midnight Club, Burnout , and NASCAR 2005:Chase for the Cup

 

[Sarki Soliloquy]

While I agree with the thesis/topic of this thread, you could have addressed it better.

Nintendo's in a pretty bad spot right now, especially with nothing significant to get in the way of the Xbone and PS4 launch and holiday sales. There's just not enough demanding releases, 3rd party support, or even advertising around.

I think your definition of hardcore is waaaay off. Hardcore implies a game that requires time, effort, and investment in order to complete. Casual implies a game to pick up in order to stop boredom. I suppose one could play any sort of game for one purpose or another, but the design directions remain distinct.

Mario and Donkey Kong Country not hardcore? Rehashed, yes. Casual, no! Nintendo's going to give us those 5 or so Mario games every year because that's their main franchise. I can't confirm this, but Nintendo has expressed that they want to keep Mario in the same rinse-and-repeat formula we're seeing in NSMB and 3D Land/World. This is because if they happened to tarnish his franchise's reputation (think Sonic '06) that means a lot of financial loss. This is why you see Luigi star in more innovative, fresh games such as Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon or even Mario & Luigi: Dream Team Bros.

I think what your getting at is that if Nintendo made a new game for a franchise such as Metroid, that would bring out more of the dedicated, loyalist crowd of Nintendo fans (like me!) They sit on mountains of franchises and they only pluck a few out while making the rest effectively dead. With the Wii U, there's a lot of brilliant opportunities to revolutionize these games. I mean, look at Pikmin 3! What about new IPs, always welcome. In fact, Miaymoto is said to reveal us one after Mario Kart 8.

When you point fingers at Iwata, you seem to be addressing his business leadership and directions overall. He's responsible for a lot of bad mistakes Nintendo has made, always apologizes and says it won't happen again, and hits the same beats. Don't get me started about Reggie either. As much as I love his cult of personality, he doesn't seem to be making much impact on the North American market and pressing effective sales decisions. At best, he's a hype man. At least Iwata was a game designer, so he knows his trade. I believe Iwata can improve himself if he brings Nintendo up to the realities of the modern game industry and tech as well as actually being adamant on correcting his mistakes and Nintendo's reputation altogether. If not, fire his ass and bring someone fresh who actually knows how to run a company.

I'm confident that the Wii U will pick up just like the 3DS did. Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. 4 next year will be system sellers and you know it!

 

[PsychoIncarnate]

I've had Nintendo since NES in 1990 and I can tell you right now another FPS Metroid game would not make me want a wii u more than DKCR 2

 

[I_hate_usernames]

Although I agree with you're general statement I disagree strongly with your reasoning.

Name one original IP that the Xbox has released in the past 7 years which is not a overly over the top action FPS with more testosterone and Ho-aahs than me on the bathroom after eating to much Indian. Nintendo is never going to win the "hardcore" Xbox crowd because the "hardcore" gamers are 17 year old dude-bro's who play nothing but CoD and think that they are some hardcore FPS fan. (Fun fact, playing nothing but CoD and BF does not make you a hradcore FPS fan).

Nintendo will always be famous for being the console that was different, for the longest time Nintendo has been the sole reason genres like platformers and rail shooters even exist in this modern day gaming scene, and catering to Xbox and PS fans will lose what it has had going for it all these years.

IP's like Starfox, Metorid and Sin and Punishment would bring around more gamers, but not from the Xbox/PS crowd. I would payy top $$$ for a new Starfox game because I know there will be no other game released on the market which actually plays like that!

 

[Spire]

What is that super successful video game series that takes numerous properties mostly owned by Nintendo and mashes them together, simultaneously making millions and shedding light on otherwise forgotten franchises, possibly garnering enough popularity for future releases?

Fire Emblem succeeded (and is one of Nintendo's rising properties) because of Smash Bros. These things take time. Some franchises might only appeal to niche audiences. It's business. It's risky to invest money in something that might not yield much profit, no matter how good the game is. The Mother franchise was never a household name, not after three games. It has retired until further notice. F-Zero has undersold since GX, hence its demotion to handheld titles and then disappearing almost completely (Nintendo Land includes it, above Star Fox interestingly...). Let's look at some Nintendo franchises from a genre perspective:

• Super Mario — Multi-Genre (Platformer, Racing, Sports, Adventure, etc.)
• The Legend of Zelda — Action-Puzzle Adventure
• Donkey Kong — Platformer
• Metroid — Adventure Platform Shooter
• Yoshi's Island — Platformer
• WarioWare/Wario Land — Microgaming, Platformer
• Pokémon — RPG
• Star Fox — Rail-Shooter, Action-Adventure
• F-Zero — Racing
• Pikmin — Real-Time Strategy
• Kirby — Platformer
• Fire Emblem — Tactical RPG
• Mother — RPG
• Kid Icarus — Rail-Shooter, Action, Platformer
• Golden Sun — RPG

Half of those are either primarily or secondarily platformers. Four are RPGs, or a variant thereof. Three are adventure-like games. Here are observations I've made:

• F-Zero, a racing-only game, loses in sales to Mario Kart.
• Mother, a quirky RPG with a ton of personality loses in sales to the vastly more popular Pokémon.
• Star Fox, primarily a rail-shooter, fills a very niche, arcade-style market. It has potential, and I want it to succeed, but Nintendo doesn't seem bent on reviving it.
• Metroid competes with Castlevania and Batman: Arkham. Arkham Origins is on the Wii U and Arkham Origins: Blackgate, a Metroidvania-style game is on the 3DS. Metroid has a sizable following and Nintendo knows that. Donkey Kong Country Returns was far more successful than Metroid: Other M, hence Retro Studios being issued with another DKC and not Metroid Prime.
• Pikmin has been fairly successful, despite only seeing three releases in the past 12 years.
• Kirby games are hit and miss. They explore platforming creativity in ways the slowly evolving Mario and Donkey Kong do not, which may or may not alienate people.
• Kid Icarus has only recently been revived and it did moderately well, so who knows if it has a future.
• Golden Sun has yet to escape handheld confines and continues to do "okay" with each iteration. Not a console seller, barely known. It needs to evolve out of its generic anime/rpg-ish aesthetic into something more "Nintendo" to nab that feel.
• The Legend of Zelda continues to be very successful, especially in the west. It's a flagship series and frankly, it's awesome. I'm super biased because it's my favorite, but c'mon, it's THE LEGEND OF ZELDA. Keep in mind, its most popular title Ocarina of Time has been regarded by most to be the best game of all time since 1998. I understand that Super Mario Galaxy's aggregate score beat it, but OoT held that spot for a long time.

What it comes down to is: which franchises are household names? Super Mario, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, and Pokémon. Even non-gamers are familiar with these. Time has passed and new generations of gamers have come to life. Younger people have less a chance of knowing what Metroid, Star Fox, F-Zero, Mother, Ice Climber, and Punch-Out are. Nintendo makes attempts to revive their properties, but they usually fail. That's why you see more Marios, more Zeldas, more Pokémon, and to a lesser extent, more Donkey Kongs and Fire Emblems. Super Smash Bros. should be a testament to what Nintendo hasn't forgotten. Even Nintendo Land for that matter, which championed the likes of Balloon Fight and Game & Watch. Nintendo is a business and they've gotta do what's best for the business.
Maybe we're seeing more of the same because: a.) they sell well and b.) they're trying to stay ahead of the curve, because the curve is catching up. Nintendo has gratuitous amounts of cash and can afford to fail a console or two, but they don't want to. They will instead do what they can to save the Wii U by releasing more Zelda, more Mario, more Donkey Kong, a Smash Bros., and hopefully in the next year some surprise revivals. A huge, open-world Metroid game could move the console if executed properly. F-Zero would not, though you wouldn't hear me complaining if they made one—I love the series. Oh, and let's not forget the LAST RESORT option to save anything. A full-fledged console Pokémon MMORPG.
Man, I don't even know where this post started or really where it went. My spontaneous thoughts on the matter. Cheers.

 

[PsychoIncarnate]

I want to see more fossil fighter games, though people might feel it's just a dinosaur pokemon.

The game needs some improvements but there are a lot of fun aspects to it, and it's got dinosaurs

It just needs to be less cliche anime with the story, and it's super evolutions were STUPID!!! Sure, they are more powerful but they don't even look like dinosaurs even more - AND they are not unique! A lot of the dinosaurs are the same with some minor changes, which they can get away with because that's how they were in real life, BUT the super evolutions are simply palette swapped and nothing else.

The game could also take some notes from pokemon instead of trying to be so different from it, despite what I said earlier. Trainer classes, for example, would probably be good instead of fighting the same 4 people over and over throughout the journey.

 

[finalark]

Spire being awesome

Good ****, Spire. The thing that really caught my eye was your point on Golden Sun. I'll be honest, if I didn't play the first two as a kid I would probably pass it off as a forgettable, generic JRPG trying to cash in on SNES-era RPG nostalgia. I've always wanted to see that series get a proper console release, but since it isn't a particularly well-known series an JRPGs tend to sell poorly on consoles these days I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo keeps the series portable unless there is a resurgence in popularity for the JRPG genre in the west. Too bad Nintendo isn't really interested in doing anything with GS and would rather have Camelot make Mario Sports games.

The other thing I wanted to address was your statement on Metroid. The way I see it, Nintendo just really doesn't know what to do with it. Other M was an attempt to take the franchise in a new direction the same way Prime did, but Other M was met with less than stellar feedback from fans and critics alike. I feel like Nintendo doesn't want to get Retro to make a Prime 4 simply because they're afraid that they've done everything they can with the Prime series. Honestly, I personally think that a true 2.5D game in the same vein as the 2D installments would be a good step for the series. Plus I really don't feel like they're in direct competition with Castlevania anymore, since Konami is determined to stick with Lords of Shadow for some stupid reason (I could go on all day about how that's the worst possible direction they could have taken the series). As for the Arkham games, I feel like the only game in that franchise that was a true Metroidvania was the first one, which replicated the whole "explore various corridors looking for new items/power, go back to old corridors and use that item to progress" game play of the CV and Metroid series. The sequels went for a more generic "sandbox" style structure that really kept me from getting into them.

Plus I have to agree that F-Zero is at an instant disadvantage since it has to compete with Mario Kart. Shame, really, since those two games appeal to different kinds of racing game fans.

 

[Spire]

Plus I have to agree that F-Zero is at an instant disadvantage since it has to compete with Mario Kart. Shame, really, since those two games appeal to different kinds of racing game fans.

The new Mario Kart 8 gravity-bending mechanic may be proof enough that F-Zero is truly diminishing. Aside from hyper speeds, racing in pipes and ceilings became a trademark of the series starting with X and exemplified in GX. I don't think F-Zero is dead, but it seems to be dormant for the time being. A future call could always beckon Nintendo to wake the series up.

It's not like Nintendo hasn't tried to make F-Zero work. They licensed a freakin' anime! They haven't even done the likes for Metroid; methinks Star Fox could work very well in this medium. I think with proper character redesigns, both aesthetic and narrative, that F-Zero could work. The anime, from what little I've seen, wound several characters into a villainous group which is quite necessary. In the games thus far, everyone is just a racer. If they introduced an element of weaponry and robust vehicle customization, for both existing and custom crafts, the series could be saved. I've always dreamt of an F-Zero game wherein the story mode follows Captain Falcon both in-vehicle and on foot, racing and tracking criminals. Take his proven martial arts from Smash Bros., mix with weaponry and gadgetry in a Batman: Arkham style setting across multiple intergalactic cities, and...

Wait a minute. Nintendo: you need to make an F-Zero/Metroid/Star Fox crossover. Incorporate the established gameplay types of all three series into one narrative following Captain Falcon, Samus, and Fox McCloud. These three series all take place in space, with Falcon and Samus having some connection to Earth. Imagine Falcon and Samus encountering each other while tracking the same bounty (Zoda or a MP Hunter probably), then competing and losing the mark. Just imagining all the possibilities... Black Shadow, Ridley, and Andross could appear as subvillains beneath a new common threat. I could see Andross learning of and trying to utilize Mother Brain (probably by merging with it) to become a super-intelligence capable of controlling an entire planet; aha! Metroid-Andross might try to merge Venom and Zebes into a super galactic body that it would become the mind of, capable of creating an endless, planet-wide army. Captain Falcon's bounty hunting involves him in Samus's struggle to prevent the Andross takeover. Man, this could WORK.

 

[Ulti-Bman]

If a new F-Zero were to be made, I think it would have to make DRASTIC changes. I feel that it should take a more open-world approach, but still keep it's racing elements. Allow Capt. Falcon to leave his vehicle and beat baddies and such, for example. It should also follow a Story Mode. For some reason, I have a hunch that Retro is working on a new Metroid.

 

[finalark]

If a new F-Zero were to be made, I think it would have to make DRASTIC changes. I feel that it should take a more open-world approach, but still keep it's racing elements. Allow Capt. Falcon to leave his vehicle and beat baddies and such, for example. It should also follow a Story Mode. For some reason, I have a hunch that Retro is working on a new Metroid.

I wouldn't care much for melee combat, but it would be cool to be able to explore some of the different locations in the F-Zero universe. Maybe have story mode consist of several small maps that you can freely explore to find new car parts, drivers and tracks to unlock kind of like the adventure fields in Sonic Adventure.

 

[XTheElegantShadowX]

While I don't feel that Nintendo is ignoring some of their older IPs (I mean, just look at SSB, the entirety of the concept is playing as your favorite characters from various Nintendo IPs, such as Ness, Samus, Captain Falcon, and Fox.) I do agree that they aren't giving them the attention they deserve. Though, I must say that Nintendo is wasting a fine opportunity to revive some of these lesser known IPs in between that awkward stretch of time where there are no Mario or Zelda games coming out, or it would be some time before one is announced.

The new Mario Kart 8 gravity-bending mechanic may be proof enough that F-Zero is truly diminishing. Aside from hyper speeds, racing in pipes and ceilings became a trademark of the series starting with X and exemplified in GX. I don't think F-Zero is dead, but it seems to be dormant for the time being. A future call could always beckon Nintendo to wake the series up.

It's not like Nintendo hasn't tried to make F-Zero work. They licensed a freakin' anime! They haven't even done the likes for Metroid; methinks Star Fox could work very well in this medium. I think with proper character redesigns, both aesthetic and narrative, that F-Zero could work. The anime, from what little I've seen, wound several characters into a villainous group which is quite necessary. In the games thus far, everyone is just a racer. If they introduced an element of weaponry and robust vehicle customization, for both existing and custom crafts, the series could be saved. I've always dreamt of an F-Zero game wherein the story mode follows Captain Falcon both in-vehicle and on foot, racing and tracking criminals. Take his proven martial arts from Smash Bros., mix with weaponry and gadgetry in a Batman: Arkham style setting across multiple intergalactic cities, and...

Wait a minute. Nintendo: you need to make an F-Zero/Metroid/Star Fox crossover. Incorporate the established gameplay types of all three series into one narrative following Captain Falcon, Samus, and Fox McCloud. These three series all take place in space, with Falcon and Samus having some connection to Earth. Imagine Falcon and Samus encountering each other while tracking the same bounty (Zoda or a MP Hunter probably), then competing and losing the mark. Just imagining all the possibilities... Black Shadow, Ridley, and Andross could appear as subvillains beneath a new common threat. I could see Andross learning of and trying to utilize Mother Brain (probably by merging with it) to become a super-intelligence capable of controlling an entire planet; aha! Metroid-Andross might try to merge Venom and Zebes into a super galactic body that it would become the mind of, capable of creating an endless, planet-wide army. Captain Falcon's bounty hunting involves him in Samus's struggle to prevent the Andross takeover. Man, this could WORK.

... I think that my brain just exploded. x.x

Good ****, Spire. The thing that really caught my eye was your point on Golden Sun. I'll be honest, if I didn't play the first two as a kid I would probably pass it off as a forgettable, generic JRPG trying to cash in on SNES-era RPG nostalgia. I've always wanted to see that series get a proper console release, but since it isn't a particularly well-known series an JRPGs tend to sell poorly on consoles these days I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo keeps the series portable unless there is a resurgence in popularity for the JRPG genre in the west. Too bad Nintendo isn't really interested in doing anything with GS and would rather have Camelot make Mario Sports games.

The other thing I wanted to address was your statement on Metroid. The way I see it, Nintendo just really doesn't know what to do with it. Other M was an attempt to take the franchise in a new direction the same way Prime did, but Other M was met with less than stellar feedback from fans and critics alike. I feel like Nintendo doesn't want to get Retro to make a Prime 4 simply because they're afraid that they've done everything they can with the Prime series. Honestly, I personally think that a true 2.5D game in the same vein as the 2D installments would be a good step for the series. Plus I really don't feel like they're in direct competition with Castlevania anymore, since Konami is determined to stick with Lords of Shadow for some stupid reason (I could go on all day about how that's the worst possible direction they could have taken the series). As for the Arkham games, I feel like the only game in that franchise that was a true Metroidvania was the first one, which replicated the whole "explore various corridors looking for new items/power, go back to old corridors and use that item to progress" game play of the CV and Metroid series. The sequels went for a more generic "sandbox" style structure that really kept me from getting into them.

Plus I have to agree that F-Zero is at an instant disadvantage since it has to compete with Mario Kart. Shame, really, since those two games appeal to different kinds of racing game fans.

These^ These a thousand times. You and I should chat some time. XD

 

[Snakeyes]

Part of the reason why the PS2 was so successful because it had a great game for every genre, which is what the Wii U is lacking, here are some examples Sports games: MVP Baseball 2005 and NFL 2K5, FPS: Soccom US Navy Seals 3PS: Ratchet and Clank Action: God of War and GTA RPG: Final Fantasy X2 Fighting: Tekken Tag Tournament and WWE SmackDown!: Here Comes the Pain Space Shooter: Gradius V Platformer: Sly Cooper. Racing: Grand Turismo 3 , Need for Speed, Midnight Club, Burnout , and NASCAR 2005:Chase for the Cup

Half of these aren't even made by Sony.

That being said, I agree that Nintendo needs better third party support.

 

[IanTheGamer]

Half of these aren't even made by Sony

As for the PS2 games, I was talking about variety of games, the PS2 didn't just rely on two games to sell the console, unlike the Wii U which is using Nintendo's two cash cows, Mario and Zelda, even when the Wii was selling like crack, Nintendo didn't make F-Zero or Star Fox, fans have been clamoring for a new game in each series for years, but instead we get MARIO, MARIO,MARIO, ZELDA, MARIO.

 

[Snakeyes]

Most of the PS2's variety came from third party developers. You're basically asking why Nintendo's first-party software lineup doesn't have the same variety as a system that basically hogged every third party franchise that mattered for most of its life cycle. Thing is, there isn't a single publisher capable of releasing games in every popular genre, especially with today's development costs. It's a practice that hasn't been financially viable since the N64 era.

What Sony did was create a platform based on the needs of third party developers, who responded by bringing their flagship series to PlayStation and gave the system a well-rounded library. There would be no problem with your statement if you had simply said that Iwata needs to work harder to get the big third party games on board.

On to your Wii comment; true, we didn't get a new Star Fox or F-Zero. However, we got Sin & Punishment 2, which is the best rail shooter in a long time and better than any Star Fox game to date. We got Xenoblade, which is still one of the most impressive JRPGs of the last generation despite running on souped up Gamecube hardware. Excitebots was an excellent arcadey racer. Punch-Out was a ton of fun. They you have other niche stuff like Pandora's Tower and The Last Story. In fact, Nintendo has published a lot more new IPs on the Wii than on the Gamecube. Finally, F-Zero and Star Fox haven't been system sellers for years - and I say this as a huge fan of both. They have always sold better as technical showpieces released early in a system's life and would have benefited very little from the Wii's hardware and lackluster online.

 

[IanTheGamer]

Most of the PS2's variety came from third party developers. You're basically asking why Nintendo's first-party software lineup doesn't have the same variety as a system that basically hogged every third party franchise that mattered for most of its life cycle. Thing is, there isn't a single publisher capable of releasing games in every popular genre, especially with today's development costs. It's a practice that hasn't been financially viable since the N64 era.

What Sony did was create a platform based on the needs of third party developers, who responded by bringing their flagship series to PlayStation and gave the system a well-rounded library. There would be no problem with your statement if you had simply said that Iwata needs to work harder to get the big third party games on board.

On to your Wii comment; true, we didn't get a new Star Fox or F-Zero. However, we got Sin & Punishment 2, which is the best rail shooter in a long time and better than any Star Fox game to date. We got Xenoblade, which is still one of the most impressive JRPGs of the last generation despite running on souped up Gamecube hardware. Excitebots was an excellent arcadey racer. Punch-Out was a ton of fun. They you have other niche stuff like Pandora's Tower and The Last Story. In fact, Nintendo has published a lot more new IPs on the Wii than on the Gamecube. Finally, F-Zero and Star Fox haven't been system sellers for years - and I say this as a huge fan of both. They have always sold better as technical showpieces released early in a system's life and would have benefited very little from the Wii's hardware and lackluster online.

Well maybe Star Fox and F-Zero could be system sellers IF NINTENDO ACTUALLY ADVERTISED THEM FOR ONCE!?

 

[finalark]

Most of the PS2's variety came from third party developers. You're basically asking why Nintendo's first-party software lineup doesn't have the same variety as a system that basically hogged every third party franchise that mattered for most of its life cycle. Thing is, there isn't a single publisher capable of releasing games in every popular genre, especially with today's development costs. It's a practice that hasn't been financially viable since the N64 era.

What Sony did was create a platform based on the needs of third party developers, who responded by bringing their flagship series to PlayStation and gave the system a well-rounded library. There would be no problem with your statement if you had simply said that Iwata needs to work harder to get the big third party games on board.

This guy knows what he's talking about. Sony has always handled third parties better than Nintendo has. Back in the PS1/N64/SAT era Sony actually assisted studios who were developing for the console for the first time by giving them PS1 dev kits that made programming for the console easy while Nintendo was so afraid of people stealing the N64 cart's secrets they didn't tell anyone how to use them to their fullest extent.

Well maybe Star Fox and F-Zero could be system sellers IF NINTENDO ACTUALLY ADVERTISED THEM FOR ONCE!?

You can't force a game series to be popular. Advertising raises awareness, but if people aren't interested then they still won't buy them. IMO I don't ever see Star Fox and F-Zero being system sellers, good additions to the console's library, but not system sellers.

 

[Snakeyes]

This guy knows what he's talking about. Sony has always handled third parties better than Nintendo has. Back in the PS1/N64/SAT era Sony actually assisted studios who were developing for the console for the first time by giving them PS1 dev kits that made programming for the console easy while Nintendo was so afraid of people stealing the N64 cart's secrets they didn't tell anyone how to use them to their fullest extent.

Yup. Yamauchi even claimed that the N64 was difficult to program for on purpose in order to weed out the trash. Truly a winning attitude.

 

[finalark]

Yup. Yamauchi even claimed that the N64 was difficult to program for on purpose in order to weed out the trash. Truly a winning attitude.

With an elitist attitude like that its no wonder that the console failed in Japan. IMO the only reason why the N64 did so well in the rest of the world was because its lower price tag made it optimal for parents to grab during the holiday season (although I doubt that most of those parents realized that the games were significantly more expensive on N64 than they were on PS1 and SAT). Plus SEGA had no idea what the **** they were doing with the Saturn outside of Japan, which allowed Nintendo to easily take second place.

 

[Snakeyes]

Well, to Yamauchi's credit, he did secure some key games and partnerships with Western developers for the N64 which gave the console a stronghold on the emerging console FPS genre, among other things. Plus, their in-house software was top-notch at the time. From a technical standpoint, I don't think there's a game on PS1 that outclasses Super Mario 64, let alone Banjo or Ocarina of Time.

The N64 was built with the exploration of 3D worlds in mind and it did this better than any other competing console, but that didn't make up for the lack of Japanese third-party support and the system's other shortcomings.

 

[finalark]

Well, to Yamauchi's credit, he did secure some key games and partnerships with Western developers for the N64 which gave the console a stronghold on the emerging console FPS genre, among other things. Plus, their in-house software was top-notch at the time. From a technical standpoint, I don't think there's a game on PS1 that outclasses Super Mario 64, let alone Banjo or Ocarina of Time.

That is true, since the N64 was the more powerful console giving it a technical edge over the PS1. On the offhand, Nintendo's complete resistance towards third parties meant that most multiplatform N64 actually looked inferior to their PS1 counterparts due to Nintendo not being willing to show third parties how to optimize their performance on the N64. I still give most of my credit for Nintendo taking second place to SEGA ****ing the Saturn hard. You can't forget that even though the N64 had a strong library in hindsight you have to remember that it was known as the console that has 2-3 incredible games a year and not much else.

The only games that come to mind when I think of technologically impressive PS1 games are the original Spyro games, which had a neat way of getting around the poor draw distance of PS1/N64/SAT era consoles by having the game constantly load objects in the distances with low polygons until you got closer. As you approached the objects, the games would rapidly load the higher polygon models. If you haven't played those games before and find programming tricks neat, they're worth looking at (plus they're ****ing fantastic games in general).

 

[Snakeyes]

True, true. At the same time, I'm not sure the PS1 would've dominated as much if Sega knew what they were doing.

I'll try checking out Spyro if I get a few PSN bucks to spare.

 

[birdy21]

Donkey kong country return was by far my favorite game on the Wii.

Spent hundreds of hours in time attack mode. The hidden medals are so difficult to earn.

 

[BindingBlade]

Well, let's look at the list of series that haven't had a game in the last, say, 10 years:

1. Star Tropics (Last Seen: 20 years ago)
2. F-Zero (Last Seen: 10 years ago)
3. For The Frog The Bell Tolls (Last Seen: 22 years ago)
4. Panel de Pon (Last Seen: 19 years ago)

There are many more (Takamaru, Duck Hunt, etc) but these come to mind right away. Additionally, look at the franchises that are under-represented in recent years:

1. Mother
2. Star Fox
3. Yoshi
4. Fossil Fighters

There are many more than that. These 8 franchises have huge potential and are being undermined.

 

[finalark]

Well, let's look at the list of series that haven't had a game in the last, say, 10 years:

1. Star Tropics (Last Seen: 20 years ago)
2. F-Zero (Last Seen: 10 years ago)
3. For The Frog The Bell Tolls (Last Seen: 22 years ago)
4. Panel de Pon (Last Seen: 19 years ago)

There are many more (Takamaru, Duck Hunt, etc) but these come to mind right away. Additionally, look at the franchises that are under-represented in recent years:

1. Mother
2. Star Fox
3. Yoshi
4. Fossil Fighters

There are many more than that. These 8 franchises have huge potential and are being undermined.

Yoshi has plenty of recent games.