This year’s E3 conference in Los Angeles sparked a monolithic wave of anger and revolution among Nintendo gamers on the grounds that core gamers have been swept by the wayside since the release of the Wii. Players felt “cheated” with only consolatory announcements of Mario and Zelda games in the works to satisfy their hunger. However, the masses responded in a ferocious epidemic of internet posting and it has become all too clear that Nintendo fans are far from satisfied. Nintendo have been praised for expanding the existing gaming market as a whole since the unprecedented global successes of the Wii and DS, so is it fair to accuse the gaming giant of deserting their core gamers?
While the main announcements from E3 centred around Wii Motion Plus, Wii Music and Animal Crossing: City Folk, the general consensus is that Nintendo have consolidated all their efforts into further expanding their user base with casual games which, if internet forums are to be heard right, are of little interest to the average core gamer. But without sounding too much like a logical thinker, I can’t help but feel the worst of the backlash is unfounded.
For one, the Wii hasn’t even seen its second birthday in the UK and since the November 2006 launch we have been treated to a Legend of Zelda launch title, Super Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime Corruption, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Mario Kart Wii and a packed inventory of DS titles: all Nintendo franchises expanding on a successful formula for the current generation. Even though Nintendo have made no secret about attracting a wider audience, these games have clearly been developed for their faithful, existing user base. While the outlook over the next 12 months may appear bleak, Nintendo have promised to leak reveals closer to game release dates and the year ahead could be considered the time lapse between two very influential years for gaming.
I think a lot of people have quickly forgotten the struggle that Nintendo faced during the previous generation. While the GameCube struggled to shift 22million units, the PS2 has sold 150million units worldwide (and counting). Nintendo lost a legion of support in the 128bit war as a resultant backlash from further lack of support during the N64 generation in the 1990’s. Why is there revolution in the air when Nintendo are dutifully recruiting back the support they missed out on last time round? The unforeseen success of the Wii and DS was simply too good an opportunity to miss. At the time of writing, Nintendo have sold 30million Wii units and nearly 80million DS units which is not only a Nintendo record, but a record for gaming too.
Finally, the steady release of hardware and peripherals mark a return of old for Nintendo. While the Wii carries a healthy price tag of £180, packaged peripherals add a hidden expense with many games. While a large number of these games are notably casual titles, the bigger picture suggests that Nintendo are slowly releasing a set of optional extras which can give gamers the full gaming experience: the Nintendo vision. The key word here is ‘optional’. Core gamers are complaining about Wii Fit being a prime example of Nintendo losing focus of their market. Nobody complained when Duck Hunt was released with the NES Zapper…
As it stands, promises of new Mario, Zelda and Pikmin games combined with rife internet speculation over prospective Starfox, F-Zero and Kid Icarus titles are keeping the wolves from Nintendo’s door, if only just. The influx of casual games are supposedly aimed at new audiences, but I continue to believe that Nintendo has more than earned the right to reclaim the market which they helped create in the first place. What I don’t understand is why so many core gamers won’t even take casual games into consideration. Frankly, they’re missing out on a large chunk of the current catalogue that, like it or not, is reshaping the way the world perceives gaming. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to give them a go?
Some discontent is being needlessly directed at Nintendo’s recent quarterly sales figures. From 1 April to 30 June Nintendo raked in a staggering billion dollars, with forecasts holding up for $4 billion by the end of the financial year. So where does all the money go? Well, in case you hadn’t noticed, the Wii and DS marketing teams have been busy advertising on numerous major TV stations. Each 30 second slot costs Nintendo a staggering £100,000 but I guess you have to speculate to accumulate. In fact, I’m almost getting tired of looking at Mario’s face, but not as tired as Mario’s face could start to look…
I can’t help but thinking that Mario’s face holds the subtleties of Nintendo’s ambiguity towards their user base. Once the proud face of Nintendo, recent times have seen the mascot whored to the world as the face of the gaming industry in general. The E3 announcement of a new Mario game in development could translate into any number of possible outcomes if his recent outings are anything to go by. The next double-trolley-dash round Delfino aisles in ‘Super Mario Sweep’, ‘Win, Lose or Mario!’ or ‘Honey I shrunk the Mario’ could be closer than we think…
Regretfully, I have to say I’m not holding my breath over a new Super Mario adventure, rather I’m expecting him to appear in a sports title I haven’t yet imagined. Boulez, maybe.
On the other hand, the announcement of a new Zelda game can only have one possible outcome: Link will be returning to Wii once again to save Hyrule from the clutches of evil. You see, with the exception of his honorary appearances in the Super Smash Bros. series, Nintendo has reserved the character of Link for Hylian adventures alone. The result is a triumphant character with a preserved decadence that Mario sadly lost some time ago, amidst making one of his 200 odd appearances. Instead of being utilized to push sales of toothbrushes, book ends and pillowcases, Nintendo have purposefully given Link a sheltered up-bringing through the ages, leaving the impression that the sole purpose of our hero’s existence is to save Hyrule from the evils of darkness and returning it under the rightful rule of Princess Zelda.
I won’t go so far as Calin Ciabai in suggesting that Mario should retire (although before “Mario, Sonic and Megaman Start the War Against Lara Croft and Duke Nukem in Liberty City” might be a good idea). I’m simply suggesting that Mario has earned himself a backseat and could give way to a fresh faced adventurer with his dignity intact, and I reckon Link is a more than worthy candidate for the new face of Nintendo, to go with our ‘New Face of Nintendo’.
In times gone by, the mere mention of video games would have conjured an image of a spotty four-eyed geek lurking in the shadows of their bedroom with the curtains pulled. Of course, that wasn’t entirely true but it wasn’t until the Wii came along that people started to recognise that playing games could be fun for everyone. Your folks can train their brains in minutes a day and your annoying little sister can be silenced on long car journeys with Nintendogs. So isn’t it a good thing that more people are discovering how much fun you can have with an extra box under your telly?
