"We're Not So Different You And I."
Before I start this article, I'm sorry for the extreme acts of fanboy-ism in my last article. Nintendo is dear to me, and that is why I want new writers for the blog. I do my best to sound unbiased but I'm secretly trying to word things in Nintendo's favor.
The Nintendo GameCube was released in 2001 and was Nintendo's 4th and least successful console. I find that weird. The GameCube was very durable (though it can't withstand a 2 story drop 4 times) and had a crap ton of raw power. It had the best controller of it's generation and should of been a success. However, it's not so bad that it was a failure, it gave Nintendo the opportunity to try new things and, dare I say it, innovate. Now, hold on, I know what you're thinking, "Nintendo's goal has always been innovation!" But was it? Was it really?
No, it wasn't.
The NES innovated, but it's primary goal was power and just making games better to play. It had to innovate, because it had no choice. Then the SNES, seriously, they didn't even change the name. They just put Super there and called it good. What did they do? They just did some minor upgrades to compete better with the Genesis and have more raw power. So when a deal between Nintendo and soon to be rival SONY went sour, Nintendo fought the only way they knew how, power. The N64 was ridiculously powerful compared to the PS1 and once again only innovated because Nintendo needed to. They fought SON with power and that didn't succeed, but hey, try try try again right? So, the GameCube comes out and is a power house ready to rip apart it's opponents but for reasons I will never understand failed. Which forced Nintendo innovate. Deciding that maybe power wasn't everything and that they just needed something that set them apart. Thus how they came up with the Wii. Also, the library of the GameCube is so full of innovation and new ideas that really only happened because they needed to get out of this sinking ship.
That's where the Wii U comes in. Finding an awkward spot between trying to innovate and trying to bring back their hard-core gaming market, the Wii U has fallen between the slots of a lot of peoples radar. Which is sad, because they are missing out on some truly wonderful gaming experiences. However, here Nintendo is again, being forced to innovate. Which means one of two things. They'll get things right and make the Wii U a worthy competitor, which is less likely but seeing how the One is going right now, they may be able to secure a 2nd place finish for this generation. Or, their next console will blow our minds.
That is why the Wii U & the GameCube are so similar, not in design but in position. Both of them are in that odd spot where Nintendo is forced to try new ideas and innovate, which thus far has proven to create great offspring.
Now on the subject of Nintendo's handhelds, let's not even try to say they innovated there. The GameBoy was a neat idea, but was nothing new, just an upgraded Game & Watch. Then the GameBoy COLOR and GameBoy ADVANCE, there is no way you can defend those as innovative. The DS is part of the GameCube generations offspring where Nintendo decided to risk it all, and create two powerhouses as a result. The DS and the iPod touch. The 3DS is not innovative but it is awesome.
Thanks for reading, put a comment in if you want to write.
-TheS2Guy
The Nintendo GameCube was released in 2001 and was Nintendo's 4th and least successful console. I find that weird. The GameCube was very durable (though it can't withstand a 2 story drop 4 times) and had a crap ton of raw power. It had the best controller of it's generation and should of been a success. However, it's not so bad that it was a failure, it gave Nintendo the opportunity to try new things and, dare I say it, innovate. Now, hold on, I know what you're thinking, "Nintendo's goal has always been innovation!" But was it? Was it really?
No, it wasn't.
The NES innovated, but it's primary goal was power and just making games better to play. It had to innovate, because it had no choice. Then the SNES, seriously, they didn't even change the name. They just put Super there and called it good. What did they do? They just did some minor upgrades to compete better with the Genesis and have more raw power. So when a deal between Nintendo and soon to be rival SONY went sour, Nintendo fought the only way they knew how, power. The N64 was ridiculously powerful compared to the PS1 and once again only innovated because Nintendo needed to. They fought SON with power and that didn't succeed, but hey, try try try again right? So, the GameCube comes out and is a power house ready to rip apart it's opponents but for reasons I will never understand failed. Which forced Nintendo innovate. Deciding that maybe power wasn't everything and that they just needed something that set them apart. Thus how they came up with the Wii. Also, the library of the GameCube is so full of innovation and new ideas that really only happened because they needed to get out of this sinking ship.
That's where the Wii U comes in. Finding an awkward spot between trying to innovate and trying to bring back their hard-core gaming market, the Wii U has fallen between the slots of a lot of peoples radar. Which is sad, because they are missing out on some truly wonderful gaming experiences. However, here Nintendo is again, being forced to innovate. Which means one of two things. They'll get things right and make the Wii U a worthy competitor, which is less likely but seeing how the One is going right now, they may be able to secure a 2nd place finish for this generation. Or, their next console will blow our minds.
That is why the Wii U & the GameCube are so similar, not in design but in position. Both of them are in that odd spot where Nintendo is forced to try new ideas and innovate, which thus far has proven to create great offspring.
Now on the subject of Nintendo's handhelds, let's not even try to say they innovated there. The GameBoy was a neat idea, but was nothing new, just an upgraded Game & Watch. Then the GameBoy COLOR and GameBoy ADVANCE, there is no way you can defend those as innovative. The DS is part of the GameCube generations offspring where Nintendo decided to risk it all, and create two powerhouses as a result. The DS and the iPod touch. The 3DS is not innovative but it is awesome.
Thanks for reading, put a comment in if you want to write.
-TheS2Guy