Right now, I'm playing Mother 3. Later this month, Pokemon Let's Go Eevee will likely hold me over until Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Then, I'll probably disappear and go into hiding for a while to play Smash. I don't know if I'll have time to play anything else this year; we'll see.
Kingdom Hearts III comes out in January. Thirteen years. That's how long I've been waiting for a true, proper sequel. Let me finally finish this stupid story.
Red Dead Redemption II. I played the first one, and it was pretty fun. Great story. Tedious at times when traveling, but brilliant game overall. Red Dead Redemption II looks freakin' amazing.
All of Rockstar's other games. All the GTAs. Bully, L.A. Noire...
Assassin's Creed Origins and Odyssey. I've completed all the other AC games, but I'm two years and two games behind at the moment. Why did Ubisoft have to release a new AC game every year? This is not a good idea.
Bioshock. I'm ashamed that I haven't played Bioshock yet. Shame, shame, shame.
Nier: Automata. Seems like a game specially made for me. Hack-and-slash, existentialism, and cyberpunk all wrapped into one package.
The Witcher 1-3 and The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion and Skyrim. I love fantasy and action role-playing games. Why haven't I played Witcher 3 and Skyrim yet? I'm worried about how much time they will require...
Other PS4 games - Horizon Zero Dawn, Odin Sphere Leifthrasir, No No Kuni II...
JRPGs - Xenogears, Vagrant Story, Chrono Cross, Suikoden I-II, Persona 3-5, Phantasy 1-4, The Last Story, Lost Odyssey, Blue Dragon, Bravely Default, Dragon Quest, Xenoblade Chronicles X and 2...
Dark Souls trilogy, Bloodborne, Nioh... I played a bit of the first Dark Souls and enjoyed it. I know I'll suffer and have fun with these games.
Mass Effect 3. I finally played through the first two games earlier this year. I still need to play through 3 so I can finish the trilogy.
Grim Fandango. Again, I'm ashamed that I haven't played this game yet.
Shenmue I and II. More shame.
This is just part of my endless bucket list of video games that I need to play before I die. Many of these games have been on my list for seemingly forever. I feel bad. There are still a bunch of other Nintendo, Playstation, Xbox, and PC games on my list that I haven't included, spanning every console generation. I'm considering getting an Atari Flashback 9 Gold as well...
A gamer's journey never ends.
Wednesday, November 7, 2018
Sunday, November 4, 2018
Nintendo: Love, Hate, and Neglect (Part 2)
My censure of Nintendo is not wholly based on how much money I've thrown away or how long I've had to wait to play a Zelda game. Over the years, I've gotten used to games getting delayed; such was the case with Skyward Sword and Breath of the Wild. Delays don't surprise or bother me so much anymore.
All in all, Nintendo has been performing exceptionally well when it comes to sales and profits. Learning from their mistakes with the Wii U, Nintendo has found much success with their most recent console, the Switch, which serves as both a home and portable system (and a capable one at that). Personally, I thought the Wii U was a decent console with a few great first party games, but Nintendo failed to communicate its appeal and value effectively; to this day, many average consumers don't even know what the Wii U is or that it ever existed. Say "Wii U" and they'll think that you're talking about the Wii. The commercials for the Wii U really sucked ass too.
Despite my disparagement of the Wii, we cannot deny that it is Nintendo's best-selling home console to date at 101.63 million units. The Switch, only in its second year in the market, has already reached 22.86 million units. In comparison, lifetime sales of the Wii U stands at an underwhelming 13.56 million units, making the Wii U Nintendo's worst-selling console of all time (outside of the Virtual Boy and 64DD). Though I like the Wii U more than the Wii, sales-wise, the successor could not reach the same heights of its predecessor. Not even close.
Here's the thing about Nintendo: for every console generation following the SNES, Nintendo has always relied too heavily on their first-party titles while alienating third-party developers. The insistence on cartridges over CD-roms for the Nintendo 64 and the focus on motion controls while sacrificing graphical or HD capabilities for the Wii convinced developers that perhaps Sony or Microsoft provided more suitable platforms for the types of games they wanted to make. Recently, though, things have been changing with the Switch, with games like Doom, Skyrim, and Diablo III finding their way to the system. However, these are all games that have already been released prior on other consoles. Nonetheless, Switch has been a great console for indie titles and first-party exclusives (as always), but we'll have to wait and see whether Nintendo can maintain the Switch's momentum following the year's end.
Now, I must return to several other reasons why I sometimes hate Nintendo.
Virtual Console
Besides despising Nintendo for their poor grasp of supply-and-demand, resulting in people selling consoles and Amiibo for inflated prices on Ebay, I also hate the fact that Nintendo keeps trying to force people to buy the same games over and over again. I don't mean this in the sense of buying each new Mario game when they all essentially play the same. This is not a Call of Duty or Assassin's Creed situation. No, I mean actually re-buying the same, old games that we previously purchased.
When I buy an app from Apple's App store, I can proceed to download it on each of my Apple devices so long as I am logged in to my Apple ID. If I buy a PS One classic from the Playstation Store, I can play it on both my PS3 and PS Vita at no extra cost. In contrast, if I want to play an NES or SNES title on my 3DS, I have to repurchase the game despite already having it on my Wii U's Virtual Console. Having a Nintendo account that can track each of my purchases does nothing to alleviate this situation. Instead, Nintendo wants people to re-buy games they already own.
The Wii spent several years building an impressive Virtual Console library, spanning consoles such as the NES, SNES, Sega Master System, Sega Genesis, and Nintendo 64. Even games for the TurboGrafx-16 PC Engine, Neo Geo, Commodore 64, and MSX were added. For the Wii U, Nintendo allowed people to re-buy the games on the Wii U's Virtual Console at a discounted price ranging from $1-2. If someone wants to play the game on their 3DS, however, they have to re-buy the game entirely. GBA and DS games are available on the Wii U's Virtual Console but not the 3DS's. Brilliant logic.
Furthermore, the emulation quality for these games is nothing to write home about, and that's all it is: emulation. Nintendo's lack of a cross-platform structure for their Virtual Console, a structure that should allow people to simply buy a game just once and then be able to play it on any of their Nintendo devices supporting the software, is unforgivable. Nintendo also announced their discontinuation of the Virtual Console on the Switch, so none of our past purchases on the Wii, Wii U, or 3DS can carry over to the new console. Instead, we have to subscribe to Nintendo's online service to be able to play NES games on the Switch, games that we probably already own and have played through countless times.
At the same time, I suppose that with the NES and SNES Classic consoles, the need for a Virtual Console is arguably unnecessary. However, the NES and SNES Classic are still missing a lot of notable games that people might still want to play.
Why does Nintendo require us to re-buy games we already own?
And why the hell were GameCube games never released on the Virtual Console?
Online Gaming
Tis' a redundancy at this point: Nintendo really sucks when it comes to online gaming. They now charge $20 for what used to be a free service. For voice chat, they require us to use a phone app. Perfect example of how Nintendo can be out of touch, stupid, and impractical at times.
But maybe it's not that bad? $20 is better than the $60 that Sony or Microsoft charge for online gaming. But Playstation Plus and Xbox Live Gold also offer amazing sales and free (often great) games on a monthly basis.
Nintendo offers... NES games, and the ability to pay another $60 for controllers that only work on NES games on the Switch... OK.
Preying on Nostalgia
The NES and SNES Classic consoles have sold well because people are victims of nostalgia. People continue to buy and play Mario, Zelda, and Pokemon games for the same reason. Because Nintendo knows how easy it is to profit off of people's nostalgia, they charge $60 for NES-style controllers that can only be used for NES games on the Switch's Nintendo Online service. $60.
Nintendo recently released new Switch bundles for Smash Bros. Ultimate and Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee. Because I'm a dumb-ass, I purchased both of these limited edition/specially designed consoles in spite of already owning a Switch. The Switch was the only console I ever bought on release date. Soon I will have three. I'm a stupid idiot.
As a collector who made the conscious decision to buy these products, I really shouldn't complain. But that's $800 down the drain. My hopeless love for Nintendo's franchises, amplified by my nostalgia and fond memories playing Nintendo's games, has (mis)guided me into making ill-advised purchases because I love Smash Bros. and Pokemon enough to the point where I am willing to give up so much of my hard-earned money.
Nintendo, of course, primarily cares about money, like any other business or corporation. Collector's editions of games, specially designed consoles (I have 7 3DS/2DSes wtf), Amiibo, action figures, books (mainly limited edition guides and artbooks), and other collectibles compel me to waste my money on products that aren't worth their hefty price tags, all because of my love and stupidity. Isn't it natural for people pour money into the things they love? Isn't it cruel to take advantage of the fans by preying on them like this? That's how I feel: taken advantage of. My video game and shopping addiction helps fuel Nintendo's corporate greed.
Yet, despite being aware of this, I still continue to pay so much for Nintendo and other video game products. It's my own choice and fault for not quitting.
Neglected Franchises
Nintendo has, for the most part, treated their main franchises with rightful respect. The best-selling ones, at least. Thankfully, each major title in the Mario, Zelda, Kirby, Fire Emblem, or Pokemon series is usually a quality game (or at least not a bad one). We also mustn't forget Animal Crossing and Donkey Kong Country. Undoubtedly, Nintendo is a pioneer and leader in the industry for quality game design. Nintendo has not devalued their characters or products in the ways that other companies (Hi Capcom/Konami/Square-Enix/Sega) have. However, Nintendo also has franchises that they have callously neglected.
Why hasn't Mother 3 been released outside of Japan? Where is the next F-Zero game? What happened to Ice Climbers or Kid Icarus? Will we get any more Punch Out, Pikmin, or Star Fox games? These are not Nintendo's priorities, evidently.
At the same time, sales dictate whether creating a new game is worth investing the necessary money and time. Had it not sold well, Fire Emblem: Awakening would likely have been the last game in the series. Since then, Fire Emblem has enjoyed a renaissance and resurgence (which is well-deserved I might add). On the other hand, Nintendo's insistence on gimmicky motion controls for Star Fox Zero, a likely factor contributing to its less-than-stellar reviews and sales, may have helped ensure that another Star Fox game won't be made in quite some time. Poor sales can lead to a franchise dying, being put on ice, or at the very least, being neglected for extended periods of time. As in any business, sales and profits dictate decision-making.
At least Metroid has regained support from Nintendo in the form of Metroid Prime 4 and Metroid: Samus Returns. But this comes many years following the poor sales performance (and terrible story) of Metroid: Other M. For a long while, it was clear that Metroid fans like me loved Metroid more than Nintendo did. For Other M, Nintendo didn't really want to make a new Metroid game, so they asked Team Ninja to do it, resulting in an average game at best (certainly not one of Metroid quality) and weak sales, and, at worst, a story that is sacrilegious and contradictory to the Samus we love and know. As a result, We had to wait six years for a new Metroid game. Nintendo even sent a cease-and-desist for the project AM2R (Another Metroid 2 Remake). The people who worked on AM2R loved Metroid, and, I will say it, made a better game than Nintendo did (don't get me wrong; I enjoyed Samus Returns, but AM2R was better). For a long period of time, Metroid was neglected by Nintendo, much to the chagrin of the fans.
How can you neglect Metroid? Metroid! Super Metroid, Metroid Zero Mission, Metroid Fusion, Metroid Prime 1, 2, and 3... all games on people's "best games of all time" lists! Shame on Nintendo. Will the combined releases of Samus Returns and Metroid Prime 4 help rectify the situation? Maybe, I don't know. We're still waiting on Metroid Prime 4, and we'll be waiting a little (or maybe a lot) longer.
Today, Nintendo of America still refuses to release Mother 3 on the Virtual Console. Oh, right, Virtual Console is dead now. It has been fourteen years since the last F-Zero game. The most love and exposure a lot of franchises and characters can get now is being featured in Smash Bros.
Nintendo is an inconsistent, oftentimes neglectful parent. Tons of love and attention for their best-performing children. Mario, you're number one! Zelda, you get second place! Pokemon, keep making us money!
Neglected fans and neglected children. This sums up the situation.
This is why there are times when I like Sony more.
All in all, Nintendo has been performing exceptionally well when it comes to sales and profits. Learning from their mistakes with the Wii U, Nintendo has found much success with their most recent console, the Switch, which serves as both a home and portable system (and a capable one at that). Personally, I thought the Wii U was a decent console with a few great first party games, but Nintendo failed to communicate its appeal and value effectively; to this day, many average consumers don't even know what the Wii U is or that it ever existed. Say "Wii U" and they'll think that you're talking about the Wii. The commercials for the Wii U really sucked ass too.
Despite my disparagement of the Wii, we cannot deny that it is Nintendo's best-selling home console to date at 101.63 million units. The Switch, only in its second year in the market, has already reached 22.86 million units. In comparison, lifetime sales of the Wii U stands at an underwhelming 13.56 million units, making the Wii U Nintendo's worst-selling console of all time (outside of the Virtual Boy and 64DD). Though I like the Wii U more than the Wii, sales-wise, the successor could not reach the same heights of its predecessor. Not even close.
Here's the thing about Nintendo: for every console generation following the SNES, Nintendo has always relied too heavily on their first-party titles while alienating third-party developers. The insistence on cartridges over CD-roms for the Nintendo 64 and the focus on motion controls while sacrificing graphical or HD capabilities for the Wii convinced developers that perhaps Sony or Microsoft provided more suitable platforms for the types of games they wanted to make. Recently, though, things have been changing with the Switch, with games like Doom, Skyrim, and Diablo III finding their way to the system. However, these are all games that have already been released prior on other consoles. Nonetheless, Switch has been a great console for indie titles and first-party exclusives (as always), but we'll have to wait and see whether Nintendo can maintain the Switch's momentum following the year's end.
Now, I must return to several other reasons why I sometimes hate Nintendo.
Virtual Console
Besides despising Nintendo for their poor grasp of supply-and-demand, resulting in people selling consoles and Amiibo for inflated prices on Ebay, I also hate the fact that Nintendo keeps trying to force people to buy the same games over and over again. I don't mean this in the sense of buying each new Mario game when they all essentially play the same. This is not a Call of Duty or Assassin's Creed situation. No, I mean actually re-buying the same, old games that we previously purchased.
When I buy an app from Apple's App store, I can proceed to download it on each of my Apple devices so long as I am logged in to my Apple ID. If I buy a PS One classic from the Playstation Store, I can play it on both my PS3 and PS Vita at no extra cost. In contrast, if I want to play an NES or SNES title on my 3DS, I have to repurchase the game despite already having it on my Wii U's Virtual Console. Having a Nintendo account that can track each of my purchases does nothing to alleviate this situation. Instead, Nintendo wants people to re-buy games they already own.
The Wii spent several years building an impressive Virtual Console library, spanning consoles such as the NES, SNES, Sega Master System, Sega Genesis, and Nintendo 64. Even games for the TurboGrafx-16 PC Engine, Neo Geo, Commodore 64, and MSX were added. For the Wii U, Nintendo allowed people to re-buy the games on the Wii U's Virtual Console at a discounted price ranging from $1-2. If someone wants to play the game on their 3DS, however, they have to re-buy the game entirely. GBA and DS games are available on the Wii U's Virtual Console but not the 3DS's. Brilliant logic.
Furthermore, the emulation quality for these games is nothing to write home about, and that's all it is: emulation. Nintendo's lack of a cross-platform structure for their Virtual Console, a structure that should allow people to simply buy a game just once and then be able to play it on any of their Nintendo devices supporting the software, is unforgivable. Nintendo also announced their discontinuation of the Virtual Console on the Switch, so none of our past purchases on the Wii, Wii U, or 3DS can carry over to the new console. Instead, we have to subscribe to Nintendo's online service to be able to play NES games on the Switch, games that we probably already own and have played through countless times.
At the same time, I suppose that with the NES and SNES Classic consoles, the need for a Virtual Console is arguably unnecessary. However, the NES and SNES Classic are still missing a lot of notable games that people might still want to play.
Why does Nintendo require us to re-buy games we already own?
And why the hell were GameCube games never released on the Virtual Console?
Online Gaming
Tis' a redundancy at this point: Nintendo really sucks when it comes to online gaming. They now charge $20 for what used to be a free service. For voice chat, they require us to use a phone app. Perfect example of how Nintendo can be out of touch, stupid, and impractical at times.
But maybe it's not that bad? $20 is better than the $60 that Sony or Microsoft charge for online gaming. But Playstation Plus and Xbox Live Gold also offer amazing sales and free (often great) games on a monthly basis.
Nintendo offers... NES games, and the ability to pay another $60 for controllers that only work on NES games on the Switch... OK.
Preying on Nostalgia
The NES and SNES Classic consoles have sold well because people are victims of nostalgia. People continue to buy and play Mario, Zelda, and Pokemon games for the same reason. Because Nintendo knows how easy it is to profit off of people's nostalgia, they charge $60 for NES-style controllers that can only be used for NES games on the Switch's Nintendo Online service. $60.
Nintendo recently released new Switch bundles for Smash Bros. Ultimate and Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee. Because I'm a dumb-ass, I purchased both of these limited edition/specially designed consoles in spite of already owning a Switch. The Switch was the only console I ever bought on release date. Soon I will have three. I'm a stupid idiot.
As a collector who made the conscious decision to buy these products, I really shouldn't complain. But that's $800 down the drain. My hopeless love for Nintendo's franchises, amplified by my nostalgia and fond memories playing Nintendo's games, has (mis)guided me into making ill-advised purchases because I love Smash Bros. and Pokemon enough to the point where I am willing to give up so much of my hard-earned money.
Nintendo, of course, primarily cares about money, like any other business or corporation. Collector's editions of games, specially designed consoles (I have 7 3DS/2DSes wtf), Amiibo, action figures, books (mainly limited edition guides and artbooks), and other collectibles compel me to waste my money on products that aren't worth their hefty price tags, all because of my love and stupidity. Isn't it natural for people pour money into the things they love? Isn't it cruel to take advantage of the fans by preying on them like this? That's how I feel: taken advantage of. My video game and shopping addiction helps fuel Nintendo's corporate greed.
Yet, despite being aware of this, I still continue to pay so much for Nintendo and other video game products. It's my own choice and fault for not quitting.
Neglected Franchises
Nintendo has, for the most part, treated their main franchises with rightful respect. The best-selling ones, at least. Thankfully, each major title in the Mario, Zelda, Kirby, Fire Emblem, or Pokemon series is usually a quality game (or at least not a bad one). We also mustn't forget Animal Crossing and Donkey Kong Country. Undoubtedly, Nintendo is a pioneer and leader in the industry for quality game design. Nintendo has not devalued their characters or products in the ways that other companies (Hi Capcom/Konami/Square-Enix/Sega) have. However, Nintendo also has franchises that they have callously neglected.
Why hasn't Mother 3 been released outside of Japan? Where is the next F-Zero game? What happened to Ice Climbers or Kid Icarus? Will we get any more Punch Out, Pikmin, or Star Fox games? These are not Nintendo's priorities, evidently.
At the same time, sales dictate whether creating a new game is worth investing the necessary money and time. Had it not sold well, Fire Emblem: Awakening would likely have been the last game in the series. Since then, Fire Emblem has enjoyed a renaissance and resurgence (which is well-deserved I might add). On the other hand, Nintendo's insistence on gimmicky motion controls for Star Fox Zero, a likely factor contributing to its less-than-stellar reviews and sales, may have helped ensure that another Star Fox game won't be made in quite some time. Poor sales can lead to a franchise dying, being put on ice, or at the very least, being neglected for extended periods of time. As in any business, sales and profits dictate decision-making.
At least Metroid has regained support from Nintendo in the form of Metroid Prime 4 and Metroid: Samus Returns. But this comes many years following the poor sales performance (and terrible story) of Metroid: Other M. For a long while, it was clear that Metroid fans like me loved Metroid more than Nintendo did. For Other M, Nintendo didn't really want to make a new Metroid game, so they asked Team Ninja to do it, resulting in an average game at best (certainly not one of Metroid quality) and weak sales, and, at worst, a story that is sacrilegious and contradictory to the Samus we love and know. As a result, We had to wait six years for a new Metroid game. Nintendo even sent a cease-and-desist for the project AM2R (Another Metroid 2 Remake). The people who worked on AM2R loved Metroid, and, I will say it, made a better game than Nintendo did (don't get me wrong; I enjoyed Samus Returns, but AM2R was better). For a long period of time, Metroid was neglected by Nintendo, much to the chagrin of the fans.
How can you neglect Metroid? Metroid! Super Metroid, Metroid Zero Mission, Metroid Fusion, Metroid Prime 1, 2, and 3... all games on people's "best games of all time" lists! Shame on Nintendo. Will the combined releases of Samus Returns and Metroid Prime 4 help rectify the situation? Maybe, I don't know. We're still waiting on Metroid Prime 4, and we'll be waiting a little (or maybe a lot) longer.
Today, Nintendo of America still refuses to release Mother 3 on the Virtual Console. Oh, right, Virtual Console is dead now. It has been fourteen years since the last F-Zero game. The most love and exposure a lot of franchises and characters can get now is being featured in Smash Bros.
Nintendo is an inconsistent, oftentimes neglectful parent. Tons of love and attention for their best-performing children. Mario, you're number one! Zelda, you get second place! Pokemon, keep making us money!
Neglected fans and neglected children. This sums up the situation.
This is why there are times when I like Sony more.
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