Since when do gamers hate Nintendo?

[Aulayna]

I was a teenager when I had the PS2 and Gamecube. Heck I went to University then too. The PS2 *was* my DVD player, and subsequently saw way more use than the Gamecube, my PC was so old it didn't have a DVD drive. We had "broadband" which back then was like 256kbps, so torrenting a film would literally take days.

I sometimes think Nintendo doesn't realise that a lot of kids have a TV in their room with their consoles, and that the console isn't in a living room that people are competing over.

Even the phone app market is slowly but surely eating away at their handheld market share.

I mean really the reality is these days, that most systems can do everything Nintendo's can do - but better, and Nintendo relies on unconvential gimmicks to shift systems and the games that tend to make the best use of these are first-party ones. Which is probably why they get so much flack these days for not evolving with the market, and trying to ride on the coattails of the Wii's success with the misguided Wii U and the Wii's library of large amounts of shovelware still hangs over them.

They still make great first-party games, but their market share is probably going to stagnate or dwindle unless they seriously rethink the angle they are coming from - especially as the Wii U, pre-launch during the reveal at E3 2011 (I think, might've been 2012), was angled as being designed to bring the core gamer back into the picture and then they botched it. I think the crux here is that a lot of gamers want to like Nintendo still, but Nintendo's archaic stance toward proprietary distribution methods and hardballing with third parties means that people will no longer see the value in giving £300+ to Nintendo each console generation to play the latest iteration of their beloved childhood IPs. More to the point, older consumers buying for their families may not see the merit in doing it when competing consoles come with additional value in terms of multimedia services and connectivity. Sure most people probably have a myriad of devices they can already access those services with, but when Netflix is one of the most used things on XBOX Live, it's kinda telling about consumer habbits.

[Skyblade]

I think the crux here is that a lot of gamers want to like Nintendo still, but Nintendo's archaic stance toward proprietary distribution methods and hardballing with third parties means that people will no longer see the value in giving £300+ to Nintendo each console generation to play the latest iteration of their beloved childhood IPs. More to the point, older consumers buying for their families may not see the merit in doing it when competing consoles come with additional value in terms of multimedia services and connectivity. Sure most people probably have a myriad of devices they can already access those services with, but when Netflix is one of the most used things on XBOX Live, it's kinda telling about consumer habbits.

This actually was what prompted the thread. This was always my opinion on how most gamers saw Nintendo. It's certainly how most of us here feel.

But the comments I read that caused me to write this were extremely different from that view, or any of those expressed here. Frustration at Nintendo's policies, desire for them to change, or disappointment at their errors I totally get. I think we all understand the feelings here, and I really am thankful that we can have such deep and well thought out discussions on the matter.

But the comments I read didn't seem to take this approach. There was more outright hatred of the company in general, not to mention tons of disgust and unabashed bias against the 3DS merely for being a Nintendo product. I saw it dismissed as a kiddy handheld, called inferior to an iPhone, berated for not looking as good as the Vita, and followed with a litany of profanity that I really do not care to repeat, or track down to quote. People dismissed Bravely Default as "another Square screwup" because they "made the mistake of sticking it on a Nintendo system" (again, ignoring the review they were commenting on which pointed out that Nintendo funded the translation).

This was what I didn't get. The honest skepticism and frustration I can understand. But blind dismissal of the company and products I just find...wrong.

Maybe I've been spoiled by being a part of positive gaming communities like EoFF for so long.

[Ayen]

Were you browsing the comment section on different sites? Those places in general usually breeds the most stupidity and from my experience those who dismiss anything from one company or the next hold blind loyalties to their rivals.

[Wolf Kanno]

These people just sound like overzealous fans who are trying to dismiss Nintendo, I mean the 3DS is doing pretty damn good for itself to be honest once it finally started getting some games for it. The Vita is the handheld that seems to be in trouble due to lacking that killer app most systems need yet I find it funny no one talks about that, though I'm sure it will even out before it's lifespan is over like the PSP did.

I honestly didn't have a good opinion of the 3DS but after I obtained one, my view completely changed, I think part of the issue is that some people just think it's a DS with a gimmicky 3D mechanic, when in reality it is basically the DS 2 with a gimmicky 3D element attached to it but things like spot pass and it's other functions show that Nintendo are really smart about how to make an engaging handheld system without going overboard on useless features. Sure I can do Youtube and Netflix on the thing, but why would I want to when I'm too busy collecting Mii's, downloading games, or playing the game's decent library? You know actually using the system for exactly what I bought it for. I guess the hate could be partly because all of the games that are 3DS exclusives, I do hear a lot of complaints from people wanting the games to be multi-platform like Persona Q or Bravery Default, but handhelds are kind of the last bastion of exclusives anymore.

[Scotty_ffgamer]

Nintendo just needs to invest in some of that blast processing.

[Colonel Angus]

A lot of the anti-Nintendo people are on Bill Gate's payroll. That's where all that Bill & Melinda Gates foundation money goes to.

[maybee]

I feel the kiddie moniker started with the N64, mainly because all the mature third-party games wound up on Sony whereas Nintendo was left with their more family friendly first-party titles.

Though what's hilarious is that most teens- young adults flock towards Mario, Zelda, Pokemon, Starfox, and Metroid

And where are the young kids and tweens going ? To the Call Of Duty swearing, trolling, making rude jokes, sexist and rape jokes, and yell/ scream at their screen everytime they lose.

Adults do play Call Out Duty but most of them act just as childish some of them do be mature but the point is that the labels are stupid.

The Nintendo VS Sega and Nintendo VS PlayStation thing is stupid too, stop being brainwashed by marketing and supporting a certain side or team, because all of the consoles make amazing and memorable well-developed games.

This is why I can't stand Game Grumps, because they are so Nintendo biased, like it's still 92 and it's annoying.

It's 2014, but because of the console wars, people still act like the other console that was the rival of their beloved team is the enemy, and it's obnoxious and childish.

I do agree with the opinion that Nintendo does get hate due to people growing up during console wars, same with Sega and PlayStation and it's annoying as trout.

[Bolivar]

Hate is a strong word, I vacillate between enthusiasm and apathy when it comes to Nintendo. Unfortunately, I will never reach enthusiasm for the Wii U if they expect to get by with the same old sequels for the rest of the generation. I swung pretty swiftly towards apathy for the 3DS, as once I came down from the nostalgia high, all those hyped 2013 titles were actually pretty boring. I bought a Vita at the end of the year and haven't turned on my 3DS since.

I understand why many of the hard core turned against them as Nintendo basically gave a massive middle finger to the gaming community. They willingly let their games pipeline dry up as they made money from other areas. And the games they do have today are largely stale sequels in franchises well past their prime. It always saddens me to see Nintendo fans who expect the system to come around once they get just another Mario or Zelda; they should expect more. Even worse are the fans who brag about how much money Nintendo made on the Wii and how they could keep losing money for another 40 years at this rate and still not go bankrupt.

Nintendo should spend that money instead to build a new development community centered around their products. Instead it looks like they're following the Wii trajectory by investing in NFC and QOL.

[Vyk]

When SEGA finally died out of the console market, there were two major types of fans. Especially since they've steadily been destroying their brands (mostly Sonic). Granted, some fans saw it coming and prepared themselves. But the major two groups of fans either held out hope until the end and were either saddened and disappointed; or felt completely burned and turned their fandom into absolute hatred for the company

I don't know what point caused the turn-around, it's probably different for every fan. But I think the same thing basically happened with Nintendo. A group of their fans feel burned and betrayed and have turned their hurt and anger outwards and have begun to lash out at the company. I honestly have a feeling I might have been one of those fans, had I ever been a diehard Nintendo fan. And had I decided to try to stick with them

The people that are absolutely head over heels in love with Nintendo products are completely foreign to me. Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Starfox, Smash Bros., Pokemon, none of it interests me anymore. I really honestly didn't even enjoy those games as a kid. So Nintendo was never really for me. But I think I can understand where some people's hatred comes from. Just can't really relate to it

[Skyblade]

Hate is a strong word, I vacillate between enthusiasm and apathy when it comes to Nintendo. Unfortunately, I will never reach enthusiasm for the Wii U if they expect to get by with the same old sequels for the rest of the generation. I swung pretty swiftly towards apathy for the 3DS, as once I came down from the nostalgia high, all those hyped 2013 titles were actually pretty boring. I bought a Vita at the end of the year and haven't turned on my 3DS since.

Of course you think the games are boring. You're a Call of Duty fan.

[Dat Matt]

Game theory did a topic on innovation in gaming and Nintendo. Apparently Nintendo is as bad as the Fifa/Madden series.

[Skyblade]

Their follow-up to that one was actually more interesting, in my mind.



I've known for a while that Nintendo was not handling the YouTube community well, but I hadn't really considered just how much that could affect sales.

[Bolivar]

Hate is a strong word, I vacillate between enthusiasm and apathy when it comes to Nintendo. Unfortunately, I will never reach enthusiasm for the Wii U if they expect to get by with the same old sequels for the rest of the generation. I swung pretty swiftly towards apathy for the 3DS, as once I came down from the nostalgia high, all those hyped 2013 titles were actually pretty boring. I bought a Vita at the end of the year and haven't turned on my 3DS since.

Of course you think the games are boring. You're a Call of Duty fan.

In Nintendo's defense, all games seem boring compared to Call of Duty!!!