Editorial: Attack of the Gimmicks

Attack of the Gimmicks

          It’s no secret that Nintendo behaves very differently from the rest of the industry. Basically the grandfather of all gaming companies that exist today, Nintendo stands out in focusing very much on innovation and family friendly experiences, straying far from the current gaming trends. When they finally do jump into trying something everyone else has already done, they do it in a way that create an experience very different from everything else on the market. Look at Splatoon: it’s a multiplayer shooter, yes, but it’s one focused on something besides who can get the most kills, making it a very unique experience you won’t find anywhere else.

          Yes, Nintendo sure loves the weird and wild side of game development…but I really wish this didn’t extend into their console development as well.

          It’s funny to think that the last traditional Nintendo console was the GameCube, which was discontinued over a decade ago. The 3 consoles since then have been very focused on creating an experience outside the box, creating unique consoles that you can’t find anywhere else. And I sincerely want that to stop.

          Don’t get me wrong, I like that Nintendo is creating something different than the standard power brick. The Switch looks to be extremely interesting and I can’t wait to try it out. It’s just that when you create something so weird, wild and wacky, you run the risk of alienating the core gaming audience.

          Ever since the Wii took the world by storm, Nintendo has turned their attention very much towards the casual crowd. But there’s something important to remember about the Wii: it kind of died after 2010. The tech demos had basically come to an end, making the casual crowd lose interest, and the motion controls got in the way of creating a truly good game, disappointing the core gamers. Many games became boring waggle-fests due to the forced integration of the motion controls, and some of the Wii’s later library has aged poorly in less than a decade because of it.

          Nintendo’s next console was the Wii U, and while I still maintain it was a great system, there was one major reason it didn’t sell: the gimmick. Casuals couldn’t figure out what the GamePad was used for, and core gamers remembered how the Wii died out, and not wanting another console like that they passed. Despite the Wii U boasting a small yet strong library of titles, people just weren’t interested.

          Which is why it came as no surprise that the Wii U reached an early retirement, replaced by the new kid on the block known as the Nintendo Switch. But even then, there’s still a significant amount of gimmicks being used on the console, and not all of them are good. Yes, the portable console idea is neat, but the return of motion controls as used in the separate Joycon controllers is not welcome as far as I’m concerned. I was so happy we were basically done with motion controls that to see them coming back is excruciatingly frustrating.

          Fortunately, the fact that the main controller for the Switch resembles a standard controller tells me that Nintendo is more focused on a standard approach this time around, the fact that the gimmicks are still there frustrates me. Why don’t they just not have them at all and go with a similar approach to what their opponents are doing, but with the clever twist of a portable console? Why do you have to bring back the motion controls, Nintendo?

          Still, I’ll save judgement for when I actually have the Switch come March. I’ve also heard that primarily motion-controlled games like ARMS feel way more responsive than any Wii game, but I’d still rather have it be a standard controlled game. It looks like it could be a lot of fun, but I want to be able to play it without swinging my arms around the room looking really stupid. Bizarrely enough, just before I went to post this it came out that ARMS will be completely playable without motion controls at all. While this is a welcome change to what I thought it would be, my point still stands: if you’re going to make them optional, why have them at all? Why would you offer a more clumsy and cumbersome alternative when most if not all players will use the standard controls? Honestly, I’m still waiting for the day Nintendo realizes that less just might be more.

Song of the Week

          In the harshness of winter we all could use a taste of summer, so this week I’m going with Delfino Plaza from Super Mario Sunshine.