Comments on: The Life and Times of a Nintendo Fan (Editorial)

By: Jarrod Nichol

Jarrod Nichol — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 20:31:08 +0000

Yeah there are literally billions of side quests in that game. I really want to check out The Last Story now. Tim’s review made it out to sound fantastic :).

By: Ahmed Mosly

Ahmed Mosly — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 17:35:46 +0000

Well the Wii isn’t over yet for you. The Wii U is backward compatible after all.

I just put in another 3 hours in Xenoblade. I swear every-time I think I finished all the sidequests, new ones pop up.

By: Jarrod Nichol

Jarrod Nichol — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 13:18:26 +0000

Awesome Ahmed. I think why the Wii didn’t immediately resonate with me was simply because I felt as though instead of giving me everything I had wanted Nintendo went in a direction that just seemed off to me. I have since gone back and played through countless Wii games, and had a real blast, but it was games like BioShock, Fight Night and others that appeared early on the Xbox 360 which had such a huge impact on me. I was absolutely floored by how these games made me feel. That said, going back and playing through Super Mario Galaxy was just awesome and I’m super glad I experienced them before the Wii U hit.

Looking forward I think the Wii U will offer games that more closely match what I mentioned above, but at the same time retain that certain something Nintendo is known for, and that’s really exciting. I can’t wait to see what Nintendo has in store for us :)

By: Ahmed Mosly

Ahmed Mosly — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 08:08:04 +0000

Excellent article indeed. You’re on a roll these days. For me though, that feeling of sadness came in very late, like during the GameCube era. The reason why is because the internet during that time became the source of all information, including sales figures and troubles. I was oblivious to all the technicalities before the GameCube/PS2 hit and I didn’t care. It was a much simpler time for me back in the old days. All I cared for was the games. I enjoyed the n64 and PS1 equally because each console offered a certain niche for me to fill. I was grateful for the PS1 for expanding my RPG tastes, and the n64 for epic platformers and multiplayer games. That’s why despite the sales difference, both were equally successful in my eyes.

I’ve been trying to take the same approach since, but it’s hard to do so because everything is open in the internet and politics do influence my perspective at times. In the same time though, just like the n64…the Wii did fill a certain niche for me as well. I played it as much as the PS3 and then some. Not just for the fun games and motion control when it worked, but for epic single player experiences as well. As an example, Xenoblade is now officially the longest game I’ve ever played in my life. I’m 135 hours in and I still have not finished it. That alone is worth a lot for me. So for these reasons, I think the Wii took the right approach at the time and it’s one of my favorite Nintendo consoles. Yeah, it missed out on a lot of things, but it managed to do so much right as well.

By: Jarrod Nichol

Jarrod Nichol — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 21:14:13 +0000

Thanks Tim :) You’re 100% right, the great shift began with the N64 and that was felt with the delays. At leas that’s how it worked for me. Games were taking longer and longer to get released for some reason, while my PlayStation was spinning one classic after another. I remember hearing about OoT around the same time as RE2, as in OoT being released that is. Then RE2 came and went with no sign of OoT, and that was when I said to myself, ok Nintendo really isn’t going to be the market leader anymore.

The GameCube days were more of the same, but damn did we get some incredible games that generation. That felt like Nintendo’s last hurrah, like they did everything they could to compete with Sony and MS. With the Wii I didn’t really like the direction, but the games were still excellent. The Wii U though feels like sort of middle ground between the GameCube and the Wii. It might not have all the bells and whistles of the PS4/Xbox3, but it should be something else. Can’t wait for it :)

By: Tim MacKenzie

Tim MacKenzie — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 19:52:40 +0000

I’ve always been a big Nintendo fan, ever since my dad brought home a NES. To me, few other companies really capture the wonder of video gaming. Nintendo just has something special that few other companies ever really hope to have. Even if I have a lot of fun playing games on other consoles and from other companies, with Nintendo, I have a sentimental feeling that I just don’t get with others. So it’s natural to assume that as the company tries new things, it’s going to have a pretty profound effect on people. For many, the NES and SNES were kings. The SNES is still my favorite game console of all time because of its amazing library of games. And deep down, I do have a tinge of sadness, because I don’t think Nintendo will ever really be back to what they were in the NES and SNES days–they won’t be the undisputed market king with all of the amazing exclusive games. For me, the N64 was the major shift. Before then, Nintendo was all I needed. During the N64 era though, I looked on with envy when the PlayStation got so many great games–so when games like Final Fantasy VII and Mega Man X4 hit, I had to play them.

Going into GameCube era, I felt the same way as N64–there were plenty of great games, but the PlayStation 2 was the place to be. Also, even though I’m quick to defend the Wii (I think there are plenty of wonderful exclusives), the Wii absolutely did not capture the same magic that the NES and SNES did. So I definitely agree with you. When I played Wii, I didn’t assume that motion controls were the way of the future, but another wacky experiment for Nintendo (they do have a history of trying all kinds of peripherals and new game ideas). And I had a lot of fun with motion controls. I loved using the Wii remote in Skyward Sword, Red Steel 2, Sin and Punishment Star Successor, and Zack & Wiki. For other games, it didn’t really matter, like Tatsunoko vs. Capcom and Xenoblade (where I opted for classic controls).

I’m with you on being excited for the Wii U! I managed to get a pre-order in for the Deluxe model and I’m pretty psyched to pick it up. This is the first time I’ve actually ever pre-ordered a game console.

Great article Jarrod. :D