Quickies: The great divide...
Quickies: The Great Divide
Source(s): Damnlag
DamnLag has an article up about the relationship between Nintendo's fans and it's developers. I have to say the piece is pretty interesting and paints a rather good picture of how the vocal fanbase reacted before games are released ( basically revulsion and negative speculation ) and after (surprise and adoration). I actually like that the author mentioned the fan backlash of Metroid Prime before the game was released, because I remember being dead in the middle of that. The comments basically amounted to "It's going to be horrible" and "this is a ruination of everything that we've come to enjoy about metroid". Of course it wasn't. Oddly enough people fought against those same claims with Other M only to discover the game wasn't the successor to Super Metroid that people thought it was.
I also like the mention of Wind Waker, and the strange logic behind the fact that every game in the series has to be like Ocarina of time. I love OOT, but I don't want to go through the same scenario or a similar one with every new installment. For the issues WW had it was a breath of fresh air with some nice ideas and I enjoyed the game for that, but I'll get into that in a future post. As I was reading it a lot of the points made sense (something rather difficult to come by in an article these days) as well. The last part resonated with me the most.
So is it really that we're kind of letting our memories of the games we love getting the best of us? Possibly. Should we not clamor for "more of the same"? The logical answer would be yes. Hollywood is one big example of why mining the past is a bad idea. The results are always not as good as people remember, but it seems to have a better reaction to people experiencing it for the first time. So there's always going to be that generational split there. However, Nintendo is always going to strive for something that appeals to everyone across the board.
Well that's enough rambling for now. I just wanted to let you all know that next week I'm going to be spending most of my time writing about E3's events as they happen so i'll be updating a lot more frequently than my weekly / bi weekly schedule. I'm pretty excited and I can't wait to see how things are going to turn out.
Game On!
Source(s): Damnlag
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| what are you a freaking Roman emperor or something? |
DamnLag has an article up about the relationship between Nintendo's fans and it's developers. I have to say the piece is pretty interesting and paints a rather good picture of how the vocal fanbase reacted before games are released ( basically revulsion and negative speculation ) and after (surprise and adoration). I actually like that the author mentioned the fan backlash of Metroid Prime before the game was released, because I remember being dead in the middle of that. The comments basically amounted to "It's going to be horrible" and "this is a ruination of everything that we've come to enjoy about metroid". Of course it wasn't. Oddly enough people fought against those same claims with Other M only to discover the game wasn't the successor to Super Metroid that people thought it was.
I also like the mention of Wind Waker, and the strange logic behind the fact that every game in the series has to be like Ocarina of time. I love OOT, but I don't want to go through the same scenario or a similar one with every new installment. For the issues WW had it was a breath of fresh air with some nice ideas and I enjoyed the game for that, but I'll get into that in a future post. As I was reading it a lot of the points made sense (something rather difficult to come by in an article these days) as well. The last part resonated with me the most.
"Here lies the divide with Nintendo and its fans. Nintendo’s games have always been about universal qualities, from puzzle-based designs to simplistic controls. They appeal to children and adults, shaping the way the former views gaming and satisfying the latter’s perception of what makes an enjoyable gaming experience. Thus, to maximize their efficiency, Nintendo has always relied on innovation and creating new techniques to widen the appeal of their games.
Contrast this desire for the new with the yearning for the familiar that fans have expressed. Fans want more of the same; they want to re-experience the touching and inspiring adventures that Nintendo has already given them. Even I am guilty of this desire for the old: I would love to see Nintendo give me a sequel to Majora’s Mask one day. However, with this lust for nostalgia, gamers often forget that it was the freshness of the original experiences that made them so special in the first place. While other companies may rely on working with gamers in different ways. Nintendo games often end up in a compromise between innovation and nostalgia, with priority being set on the former. Hopefully, this ability to constantly innovate won’t die anytime soon, and we can keep expecting satisfying, and dazzling Nintendo experiences."
So is it really that we're kind of letting our memories of the games we love getting the best of us? Possibly. Should we not clamor for "more of the same"? The logical answer would be yes. Hollywood is one big example of why mining the past is a bad idea. The results are always not as good as people remember, but it seems to have a better reaction to people experiencing it for the first time. So there's always going to be that generational split there. However, Nintendo is always going to strive for something that appeals to everyone across the board.
Well that's enough rambling for now. I just wanted to let you all know that next week I'm going to be spending most of my time writing about E3's events as they happen so i'll be updating a lot more frequently than my weekly / bi weekly schedule. I'm pretty excited and I can't wait to see how things are going to turn out.
Game On!
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