Nintendo Double Diamond Anniversary Retrospective Part 7: The Motion of Resurrection (56k Warning)

I think right now it's safe to say the 7th generation of Video game consoles is pretty much over, with ports of 8th generation games tanking , lack of exclusives anymore, and more and more developers jumping ship to the new consoles. Nintendo knew they had to be done asap since the big three (including them) were up to bigger and better things, and the last thing hey needed was a console that was barely more graphically capable than the original XBOX. But even with a huge burden on their back, they struck back with the powerhouse of the first few years of the seventh generation...

Read Part 6 if you haven't already...



In 2005, Nintendo was met with their first real competitor in the portable market since the 90s. That was the PSP, It was capable of displaying console level graphics on a handheld, so how did our favorite games company fight back? They were really intimidated... with good reason too. Sony took first place from them almost a decade ago, and a few years later, Microsoft sat on them and made them slip to third place. They fought back with ditching the old and aging Game Boy in favor of...



The DS was probably one of Nintendo's best pieces of hardware they produced because it was something new rather than a portable version of an existing console (not knocking the GBA, GBC, OR classic Game Boy or anything), It had a touch screen, wi-fi internet connection, better graphics (some 3D games too), and a controller layout similar to the SNES. the only thing it didn't have was compatibility with GB/GBC games, but it had compatibility with GBA games, at least until the DSi Came out, but we'll get to that, It actually got better with the slimmer DS Lite. It also ahd some great games like New Super Mario Bros., Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, Various Pokemon Games, Metroid Prime Hunters, Kirby Super Star Ultra, Animal Crossing: Wild World and lots more. Nintendo kept their throne in the Handheld market, adn the PSP with it's high price tag, Huge Piracy Problem, and games that failed appeal to a lot of markets, doomed it to remain in the shadow of the Big N.



The next big thing for Nintendo traded sparkly HD graphics for innovation, That was the Wii. It really had quite a few good games, motion controls, internet connectivity and was as family friendly as a console can get. But all these had a catch, there were twice as much cash grab games for the Wii than the good ones, Motion controls lost their novelty later in the consoles life, The Wii's internet was a joke (even if it was free), and hardcore gamers lost all respect they had for Nintendo which was happening as early as the 90s with censorship on their games being more apparent. I don't like hating on the Wii, I love the Wii to an extent, But I've got to call it as I see it.

FAST FACT:

The Wii and DS weren't the first time Nintendo had online they had online for the Famicom, the Super Famicom (via Satellaview), N64DD (via Randnet), GBC/GBA (via Mobile Adapter GB), and Gamecube (via LAN adapter and Broadband adapter). Some of these never made it out of Japan.

The reason the Wii did so good was 2 words...


WII. SPORTS!!!!

Who could forget Wii Sports, whether you loved it or you hated it, it created new players from old people and real young people. 5 sports, innovative and responsive motion controls, it introduced more gamers than a lot of other consoles, and it made headline news for a while. It's currently the best selling game on a Nintendo console and for a while was the best selling game on any console...

Kind of got a 90s feel, don't you think?

The Wii had one of the best marketing campaigns for Nintendo, since "Now you're playing with power!!!", "Wii would  like to play" It was just so corny that people actually enjoyed it. It only lasted a few years and the Big N tried to appeal to kids and families after that. Kind of a shame really, but We'll talk bad marketing next time...

Nintendo's biggest franchises were still pumping with 2 of them winning many game of the year awards...

Zelda: Twilight Princess was the best show of motion controls in any game with it's swordplay, Mario Galaxy had spot on controls just like a Mario game should and out of this world gameplay (it and it's sequel blew all expectations to outer space). Lastly Metroid Prime 3 showed a new way to play first person shooter games. These gave Nintenfans a nintengasm. *Rimshot*


For Every good game on the system there's 2 or 3 games like ninjabread man Anubis II which were cookie cutter shovelware games, and as much as I hate to say it, these games were some of the most important games on the system since they showed why shovelware is bad on any console.


The wii Also had the virtual console, and later WiiWare, which allowed for some great and quirky games, Both old and new. The Virtual Console had games from NES, SNES, N64, Genesis, Neo Geo, TurboGrafx, Commodore 64, MSX, and others, however prices were ridiculous. but it was a start...

The Wii was a multiplayer party system, It had games Like Smash Bros Brawl, Mario Kart Wii, New Super Mario Bros Wii and the DS wasn't left out with games such as Mario Kart DS and Pokemon. The Online multiplayer was okay for some games, but games like brawl lagged, crashed, and were unplayable online. kind of a shame because It's competition was miles better as far as online.

People were losing interest with the Wii when microsoft revealed their Kinect and Sony revealed their Move. both of which never had the same impact. So Nintendo had the Wii MotionPlus. it had more movement, and 2 games actually used it pretty well...

Wii Sports Resort had more games, more options and Kendo is probably the best game of the bunch. You could also do Dogfights with a friend. It was a much better game than the original. Zelda: Skyward Sword also used the technology pretty well, and some say it's better than Ocarina of Time, I don't know if I'd go that far you know...

As both Consoles aged, new technology came through, with the DSi, Which was a premium DS with a camera and microphone. and the balance board (which was gimmicky and barely worth mentioning)...

Sadly Nintendo lacked a significant market share, It just didn't have the hardcore games that the other systems had. The Wii/DS Had some hardcore games like Madworld, No More Heroes, and GTA Chinatown Wars, but yeah they didn't sell all that well.

Nintendo needed a console that would appeal to everyone, and they're next console would do just that. Coming in the final part, the present day and future,

KEY PEOPLE:

Reggie Fils-Aime might be the most arrogant individual on earth, but his enthusiasm, and his role as Nintendo of America president showed he was a significant player in this game.

Satoru Iwata is Nintendo's CEO, He called all the shots on the Wii and DS, and he never gave  up even at a loss. unlike their old rival, SEGA.

HOMEWORK:

I personally recommend both Mario Galaxy games, both Zelda Wii titles, Metroid Prime 3, and All the "Wii" title games, for examination for their innovative and spot on controls.

In the final part of this long Saga, we'll discuss Nintendo Now and in the future, with the Wii U and 3DS...

We're at the Final Lap, what did you think of this since we're at the home stretch. You know the drill, Constructive criticism. No flame or hate. So until next month, see you...

For almost 45 years, gaming has played a pivotal role in our lives, it helped people, it hurt people, it made people feel all kinds of things, This series will be talking about gaming history, gaming nostalgia, gaming series, gaming systems, Gaming Companies, games in general, and everything in between. I'l be talking about some of the systems of the late 90s/very early 2000s (Windows 9x and it's games, the Dreamcast, The N64 (REVISITED), Playstation 1, and maybe the handhelds of that era (Game Boy Color (REVISITED), Neo Geo Pocket Color, and the Japan only Wonderswan (Color))), I'll be talking some systems not many people know about (PC Engine/TurboGrafx, MSX/MSX2 Computer Systems, and the Japanese computers that birthed many franchises, ports, and little known companies like Nihon Falcom and Game Arts), I'll be talking about games from all eras and systems (like Pokemon for it's 20th anniversary in a year), I'll be talking about Companies that are interesting in one way or another, and most of all I'll be talking about anything and everything gaming.


BUT WHEN DOES IT COME OUT?

I'm looking to a release sometime in May or June, if nothing else september, remember, Summer has lot's of movies coming out and the Kinnikuman retrospective, but Look forward to this series, on my blog, and Screwattack...

New Series: Kinnikuman Retrospective... An In-Depth Retrospective on the best manga series of all time, coming May 29 only on anonymousyoshi007.blogspot.com...

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