In 1998 Nintendo introduced the Game Boy Colour in any colour you liked – as long as it was purple. I never paid much attention to this until 1999 when Nintendo released a little thing called Pokémon throughout Europe. I, like many others, was totally gripped by Pokéfever with my level 100 team that included heavyweights such as Mewtwo, Zapdos and…Snorlax?!
In June 2001 my wallet took another battering with the release of the Game Boy Advance along with classics such as F-Zero: Maximum Velocity. The game that hooked me most was Mario Kart Advance. I personally felt that most developers never really pushed the Game Boy Advance as hard as they could.
In May 2002 Nintendo launched the GameCube – and so began my least favourite generation of gaming. Being a Nintendo fan was toughest during these times, with seemingly no developer really wanting to release on the Gamecube with its mini discs. Despite games such as Luigi’s Mansion, Metroid Prime and Super Mario Sunshine – and devices such as the Wavebird and Game Boy Player – it appeared Nintendo had fallen from grace.
My interest in Nintendo’s home consoles started to waver at this point and I turned to the dark side of Microsoft and Sony.
In March 2003, the Game Boy Advance SP was released, adding a new clam-shell design. The new system was an instant success and I continued my trend of purchasing Nintendo’s handheld upgrades.
January 2004 saw the worldwide announcement of Nintendo’s ‘mystery system’ – the Nintendo DS; a dual-screened handheld with Touch Screen technology – oh how we scoffed! It looked like a child’s ‘my first laptop!’ It would never catch on surely? Well on March 11th it not only caught on, but set the world on fire – selling a million units in Europe in three months. I had mixed feelings during my time playing the Nintendo DS.
At first there was nothing on it that I thought was a must have, but as developers got to grips with the system, quality titles started appearing. The phenomenon that is ‘Nintendogs’ took the DS by storm, and games such as ‘Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training’ attracted an entirely new audience to the world of gaming. In June 2006 the Nintendo DS got an Apple style makeover with the Nintendo DS Lite, which featured brighter screens along with a slimmer design. Suddenly the clunky DS looked like a desirable machine you wouldn’t want to hide.
Needless to say I bought one.
2006 was a whirlwind of hype that ended with the launch of Wii – Nintendo’s brand spanking new home console with its motion control system. In my opinion the DS paved the way for the ‘new Nintendo’ – and the Wii cemented that reputation.
Suddenly we were seeing slick, family orientated adverts on the telly with celebrities lining up to be the face of Nintendo. The Wii sold by the shed load. I was one of the people who queued until midnight to get my console (receipt says the time was 00.01am) and rushed home to play Wii Sports.
Unfortunately things soon declined for me. The Wii’s family focus was far too apparent, and it was left gathering dust – only to be brought out for games such as Mario Kart Wii, Super Mario Galaxy and oddities such as No More Heroes and Madworld.
The Wii really is a marmite console – the detractors hate it with a passion, claiming it has nothing but shovelware on it and Nintendo has abandoned the hardcore gamer; whilst the fans love it and will defend it to the hilt. My opinion? Yes the console has its fair share of shovelware – but did Nintendo really abandon the hardcore? It’s always been focused on fun gaming. There is also the issue of what exactly defines a ‘hardcore gamer?’
To me, a hardcore gamer is someone that will play anything – be it Halo or Professor Layton. Genre shouldn’t be an issue; it’s all about sampling as wide a variety as you can. Of course this is just my two cents on the matter.
I was also one of the millions that ran out and purchased ‘Wii Fit’ and the Wii Balance Board when it was released – for the wife of course! Did I …I mean she…play it for long? No. I guess one of my biggest gripes with the Wii is the promises that sometimes aren’t kept. The balance board has hardly been supported, the Wii Wheel has been relegated to parts unknown, and since its release in 2009 the Wii Motion Plus peripheral has become a paperweight. With Nintendo launching the Vitality Sensor too you really have to wonder if they should just not focus on what they already have.
Mid 2009 saw the launch of the Nintendo DSi – this included two low res cameras, sound manipulation software and ‘DSiWare’ – essentially a games download service. I bought one expecting some revolutionary new ways to play games – but I’m still waiting. To date this has been the only Nintendo purchase I’ve regretted. Perhaps this is why I didn’t even give the Nintendo DSi XL a second glance when it went on sale early this year – my fingers had already been burnt.
So what does the future hold? Well the Nintendo 3DS is making waves at the moment – and it’s something I’m really keen to get my hands on; and with confirmed titles such as Resident Evil, Street Fighter, Zelda and Mario Kart – it’s looking like it will have the software to make a massive impact on the handheld market.
Of course, I’ll be there wallet in hand – old habits die hard.
tonycawley
Good read that. I too remember the glory days of nes and snes. Everything since has been crap. Both my mrs and my mum love their ds, and i know a lot of girls that love the wii. Seems odd but i reckon it’s a much more female friendly company than the other big 2.
Dan Lee
I honestly think the 3DS will hark back to those glory days – first console launch I’ve been excited about for a few years.
xHeatherx
Ahh, the good old retro days. Was a huge Zelda Ocarina of Time fan and loved my Goldneye, Banjo Kazooie too. I’ve even bought myself an N64 back, just to get back into the classic games again.
My daughters love their wii too. You always hear the screams of Rayman’s Rabbids in this house (That’s not always a good thing)
You really can’t beat the N64 days though, what a brilliant console it was AND still is :)
Thanks for writing this Dan… Memories, memories, memories <3
Dan Lee
Glad you enjoyed it!
Danza Di Fuoco E Ghiaccio
Yeah there’s so much shovelware that it really saddens me. I’m glad the virtual console and Wiiware gives you choice.
jayboy31
I too lost interest in Nintendo ever since the Playstation appeared. But I loved my SNES, it was my first proper console (Commodore & Spectrum before), I seem to remember buying it very close to launch day with Mario World, I picked up F-Zero too, amazing games. But as you said the introduction of the FX CHIP was a real pant wetter, Starwing & that Stunt Race FX were like nothing i’d played before, although if you revisit them the actual playing screen is tiny and the game runs so slow. What a great idea though to add harware to the game cartridge to give the machine a boost, those nintendo boys do seem to come up with all ideas and the others add a little and release it as their own.
Wii has held no interest to me, any time i’ve played someones i’ve felt frustrated at the unresponsive controls leading me to be beaten by an 8 yr old girl at boxing, not happy, as if that would happen :)
DrNate86
Great article, I think of Nintendo as a casual gamers brand now but had forgotten the glory days of the SNES and N64. If anyone has released a better game than Conkers Bad Fur Day, then I certainly haven’t found it! I think they have become too focused on new peripherals and short-lived promises, but they are selling fantastically so clearly it is working. I can’t remember the last time I turned on my Wii though.
minerwilly
I always thought of Nintendo as a casual gamers thing , very few in Europe could afford a NES (the games where so dear) and it never took off . In the UK and Spain also (ive heard)the Sinclair Spectrum ruled till the Amigas and ST’s then it was Megadrive time and i picked up a SNES which had a few decent games (Mariokart, Zelda, Starfox and especially ISS ) .
Nintendo has really gone downhill since the SNES and though I have a DS there are so many awful games on it and then you get the tiresome Mariokarts, Zeldas,Castlevanias, etc just rehashes of 20+ year old games . If your an RPG fan (which im not) then the DS is the place to be though .
cc_star
I was always a SEGA man.
Had the Master System, Master System II, Megadrive, Megadrive II, 32X, MegaCD, Saturn and of course a Dreamcast. (still got them all, and all except the Dreamcast is in my parents loft which I still play on every now and again)
but I had some great times on my mates SNES, where we used to take our consoles around each others house through the whole school holidays and play on them solidly for the whole day.
Great days slinging your console and a stash of games into a rucksack and biking round your mates house to game all day, something all these online gaming young whipper-snappers will never experience.
Anyway, I’m currently saving up for a Wii and I can’t wait – and awesome back catalogue of games, the virtual console where I know I would buy EVERYTHING and of course stuff coming out like Epic Mickey, Zelda Skyward Sword and Donkey Kong Country.
I know I’m late to the party but I’m super hyped for the Wii
It’s just a shame SEGA don’t try and compete these days
Kennykazey
I used to be quite a Nintendo-fan myself, starting out playing NES and SNES with my relatives (I never got one myself… :'( ), I remember buying a Gameboy Pocket in the US, which thankfully was compatible with EU games, I have no idea how many weeks went into Pokemon Blue and Super Mario Land 2…
I then bought a 64, loving it to bits, it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship with console gaming. I disliked the PS1 for being “the enemy” and that dislike also kept me from buying a PS2, so for the next generation I wanted a GameCube, but ended up buying an Xbox (the new kid in town),
I now have a Phat PS3, which I love.
The 3DS could be the device that brings me back into handheld gaming, and the realm of Nintendo.
Dan Lee
Ah this brought back memories – PS1 as the enemy!! I was exactly the same
Charmed_Fanatic
Good read, nice to notice to similarities between your Nintendo buying and my Sony
Always brought Sony stuff and always will :P
aerobes
Superb piece, Dan and thankyou for making some memories approach the forefront of my mind.
You mention how the N64 (Stunning machine and incredibly well supported device that it is/was) had no truly great fighting games … uhm, may I bring forward Killer Instinct Gold (of which I still own a copy)? Superb game and me and my best friend probably played that nearly as much as Goldeneye.
A truly great fighting series which is potentially lost now what with Rare having docked their boat in Microsofts harbour (so to speak).
Dan Lee
My apologies! Never played Killer Instinct Gold, so thanks for bringing it up!
mynameisblair
Ah, I do love Nintendo. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: The N64 is my favourite console and was my ‘golden age’.
Also: “Then of course there was The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time which I could write an article on itself.”
An article? I could write a book!