The Criticize Nintendo Thread

[LoganRuckman1]

The day Nintendo becomes a 3rd party developer is the day I die of a broken heart.

[Atarifever1]

[QUOTE=LoganRuckman]The day Nintendo becomes a 3rd party developer is the day I die of a broken heart.[/QUOTE]
Well, you have very little chance of dying of a broken heart then. 

[LoganRuckman1]

[QUOTE=Atarifever][QUOTE=LoganRuckman]The day Nintendo becomes a 3rd party developer is the day I die of a broken heart.[/QUOTE]
Well, you have very little chance of dying of a broken heart then. [/QUOTE]

Oh, I know. There's practically zero chance of this ever happening. Every time someone says Nintendo is doomed, I laugh and roll my eyes. I was just replying to ActRaiser's comment.

[Atarifever1]

[QUOTE=LoganRuckman][QUOTE=Atarifever][QUOTE=LoganRuckman]The day Nintendo becomes a 3rd party developer is the day I die of a broken heart.[/QUOTE]
Well, you have very little chance of dying of a broken heart then. [/QUOTE]

Oh, I know. There's practically zero chance of this ever happening. Every time someone says Nintendo is doomed, I laugh and roll my eyes. I was just replying to ActRaiser's comment.[/QUOTE]
I certainly can't picture how they could ever be a third party CONSOLE maker for sure, which is what most people mean by the term. Yes, after for some reason the huge infusion of cash from putting virtual console on tablets and phones as a second to last ditch effort doesn't straighten the ship enough to ride out whatever their next console after the Wii U is in 2017, and their last ditch effort of making their own smartphone/tablet doesn't work, after an all in one tablet/handheld hybred itself would have had to fail, surely the saviour for them will be publishing AAA titles on platforms sold to the people who already don't buy their games. That will surely be what they think will save them, a playing card maker, who then made toys then videogames will go "the next step for us is more of the market that somehow has nearly depleted our billions of dollars."

The day they fold their hardware division is the day console makers can't make a go of it, or the day the one remaining one is essentially selling PCs anyway.

[scotland171]

Hey, this is the criticize Nintendo thread, not the Nintendo Will Never Die thread.

So, I say this - if Nintendo thinks they will be making video game consoles for basically our lifetimes, then that is hubris fit for a greek tragedy. Atari was printing greenbacks, and now they are nothing but a 'remember when' legacy brand. They did arcade games, home computers, home consoles, and it did not save them. Sega was cool and innovative and had been making arcade and console games for years, and now they basically have pimped out Sonic as a digital escort service to Mario. Huge industries get cut off at the knees in just a few years time due to technology, legal decisions, investment bubbles, medical concerns, tragedy, cultural events, whatever. Nintendo is linked fully to the video game market. One of the prime rules for reducing risk in the marketplace is to diversify. Thats like making financial lifeboats. Cash reserves help weather financial storms, but its not the smae thing.

Now I am not predicting the fall of Nintendo in a few years, or a few decades, but enough with the 'The Titannic is Unsinkable' talk. They never saw their iceberg until it was too late, and I don't see Nintendo making many lifeboats.

(the preceding is an opinion created just this moment in response to other opinions. Its an invitation to discuss, not an invitation to kneejerk contradiction. I welcome you to debate me, or just quietly judge me by my opinions, or bring up relative information, or even comment on how I present my opinions. If your reaction is basically a juvenile "sez you, my opinion is different", then that just leads to locked up topics, and we are meeting that quota just fine already.)

[Vexer1]

Nintendo absolutely could fail if they keep focusing on the wrong things like Atari did, so don't think for a second that they are indestructible.

Totalbiscuit sums it up pretty well here:

https://soundcloud.com/totalbiscuit/the-inconwiinient-truth

 

[Atarifever1]

[QUOTE=scotland17] Now I am not predicting the fall of Nintendo in a few years, or a few decades, but enough with the 'The Titannic is Unsinkable' talk.  [/QUOTE]

"My Great Grandfather was a welder, he helped build the Titanic. He certainly didn't think, that it was unsinkable." -- The Tragically Hip Titanic Terrarium

Sorry, give me a reason to quote The Hip and I'll do it.  

As usual Scotland, you're point is well made.  My reply is that I have not said they are unsinkable.  I've said they'll never be a third party console developer.  

The difference between your examples and Nintendo is that the market was different at all those points.  The console market is where dying console makers had to go to sell games.  3D0, Sega, Atari, where else were they going to go?  

My point is that a dying Nintendo has a million better options than third party console game developer.  If all their money, all their talent, and all their other options (across both forms of hardware) can't save them, selling Halo fans copies of Super Princess Peach isn't the answer.  Selling SMB on a mobile store and Xenoblade on a PC storefront beat that.  There are better, bigger markets for a family friendly company with colourful IP than Sony and Microsoft platforms.  I cannot see a world where following Sega and Atari appeals to Nintendo more than setting up digital store fronts of their own that they still control on more open, or more ubiquitous platforms.  

Sega's first move after moving on was porting a lot of content to Nintendo (and other) systems to get through the lean times.  That was what made sense 13 years ago (before Facebook or youtube or ipads, or heck ipods, in a different world not close to ours).  Nintendo would be crazy to do something similar today.  During their lean times they just put Nintendo classic games on mobile platforms for .99 and the lean times immediately become rich times.   

I'm saying the day they can't make a go of their own consoles is the day they stop trying to make a go of it on consoles at all.  Companies that ONLY make games, and only EVER made games are already making that choice without even going nearly bankrupt first.

[scotland171]

[QUOTE=Atarifever] My reply is that I have not said they are unsinkable. I've said they'll never be a third party console developer. My point is that a dying Nintendo has a million better options than third party console game developer. During their lean times they just put Nintendo classic games on mobile platforms for .99 and the lean times immediately become rich times. I'm saying the day they can't make a go of their own consoles is the day they stop trying to make a go of it on consoles at all [/QUOTE]


Always a pleasure to chat with you my friend.

Nintendo on mobile would face many challenges, but thats a different thread. Since they have handhelds, even if consoles went away that might be enough. If both went, well, I suspect Nintendo would go third party but keep the family brand, like Lego or Disney. They could even let another comapny make a Nintendo themed version.


What I could criticize Nintendo for is still not diversifying to decrease the risks they face. Comic companies are likely making more on movies now than comics. Sonic has had a 20 year and counting run in comics, plus multiple cartoon series. Those things require letting go on your IP, to let others build, adapt, and expand on them. Yes, it can spiral out of control like nipples on the batsuit, but learn and try again. Leverage the Nintendo family brand, not just with Mario and Link, but to make family friendly holiday movies or animated features with non Nintendo characters. Those characters could then be introduced into Nintendo video games. Thats how toy companies do it, just ask He Man. Merchandise it all. I see a bit of Mario merchandise, such as a type of building block, but build on it like Lego products are diversity for star wars and superheroes. Praise worthy video games are expensive, so figure out how to make money other ways.

Anyway, I am feeling very American after typing this. Time to drink my [insert product here] like I do everynight to ensure a good nights rest.

[Segatarious1]

Nintendo gaming making infra-structure is far deeper than any other game company.

They can do whatever they want with pricing at any time.

Nintendo decided to be a stalwart and protect game prices this  gen. It is not working out great for them mass market - on the other hand they are NO DOUBT making more money per customer than ever before, when you figure in their growing digital sales. So - even a Gamecube comparison is out of date and somewhat worthless.

Planning their next consoles they can decide what they want to charge for software, and then plan game sizes accordingly. They will become more efficient. They are combing development assets between home and portable consoles. A Nintendo making more games that are smaller and making fewer long budget games could dump out a lot more software, and make up price erosion with more volume and presumably a much larger console base.

The point is - nothing is stopping them form doing a major overhaul of their software and bringing a mobile type or steam type store in house - they do not need to outsource to do this guys. Not at all. So so not look for 3rd party Nintendo.

 

[BanjoPickles1]

I may be a bit of a broken record when it comes to my main complaint, but I have something(s) to add:

When is Nintendo going to get 2007-serious about the virtual console? I find it sort of lazy for them to put the same lone NES game on 3DS AND Wii U, especially considering that they apparently have no intention of implementing cross-buy. I honestly thought that the Wii had a great vc, at least until the launch of WiiWare. With the exception of games like Lit, Mega Man 9/10, Swords and Soldiers, and (maybe) Lostwinds, I personally saw WiiWare as nothing more than a cheap hindrance.

However.....

The Wii U eshop is far superior, when it comes to original content! I just don't get why they've slid back instead of opting to evolve the vc!