• Hey everyone, staff have documented a list of banned content and subject matter that we feel are not consistent with site values, and don't make sense to host discussion of on Famiboards. This list (and the relevant reasoning per item) is viewable here.
  • Do you have audio editing experience and want to help out with the Famiboards Discussion Club Podcast? If so, we're looking for help and would love to have you on the team! Just let us know in the Podcast Thread if you are interested!

Discussion Does Nintendo's fan base ever piss you off in terms of their buying habits?

Kreese

Kreese

Koopa
Banned
Sounds like a stupid thing to be pissed about, but it directly influences the games Nintendo make that I want to play.

I wish franchises like Metroid, Fzero, WaveRace, Kid Icarus ect. would sell like they deserve, but alas, even when we get a game like Dread (which I view as one of the best games ever made), it's still on the low end of Nintendo's first party game sales even under the most ideal circumstances (on Switch, launching with new hardware, great marketing ect.)

In short, I feel Nintendo is at their absolute pinnacle when they make games that appeal to a less traditional Nintendo audience (minus a few notable exceptions like Zelda). Bare with me, I know I'm a minority here and the numbers prove it, but I just wish more people liked what I like 😇

/end irrational rant
 
When I saw the title I thought it was going to be about Nintendo fans buying $60 ports, lol.

But to answer your question I think some games are just more niche than others, it’s not a Nintendo-exclusive thing. And 2-3 million units is still a great success, not everything needs to be BOTW especially if it doesn’t have an equivalent budget.
 
I, too, wish that the weeb shit I like would sell 20 million instead of just 2 so that I get even more and higher budget weeb shit. Alas...
 
Haha yeah I get that but yeah it's not just Nintendo. Wipeout is probably as dead on PlayStation as F-Zero is on Nintendo. And I love Metroid Dread but I don't think it would have sold much more elsewhere (£50, 2d gameplay.. that's a whole different discussion but I think it was worth it and so did 2.9m others)
 
I don't think those games not selling well can be attributed to the "Nintendo fanbase," but rather their marketing and their lack of appeal to mainstream consumers (especially children and families).
 
I think that ultimately the responsibility lies with Nintendo to create games that resonate with people and to appropriately market them. Of course, we can discuss the artistic merits of these games (I assume that's what you mean with with them being more "deserving") but that sadly cannot be divorced from the financial realities of the game business. As a platform holder Nintendo is in a unique position where they can also shape the tastes of their fanbase.

That said, financial success doesn't always results in more games of said type. Otherwise we'd be getting way more Donkey Kong games than we currently do.
 
I honestly do not give two shits, people can spend their money however they see fit and I’ve no rights to judge.

I do wish more people gave TMS#FE a chance however.
 
I mean yeah I wish the things I liked were more popular. But also even though I'm a Nintendo fan posting on a niche forum focused specifically on Nintendo, I unquestionably gravitate to their biggest and most mainstream franchises; Mario, Smash, Zelda, DK, Kirby, and (less so nowadays) Pokemon, to name a few. So it's only once in a while I feel like I wish those games got more success, like Kid Icarus Uprising.

We could have another discussion about how it feels like the more medicore installments in great series (like Pokemon) get rewarded with great sales, but nobody wants to have that discussion without lots of hurt feelings to go around.
 
I've always found it disheartening how little Nintendo fans care for Metroid, so I definitely get where you're coming from, to some extent. In one of Nintendo's more popular franchises, a game like Other M would have been taken as a mistake, sure, but the ball would've kept rolling. Games in that series would continue to be made, even despite a stinker. In Metroid's case, though, Other M did so much damage to an already niche (relatively speaking) IP, that it took until just last year for us to finally get another "real", non-remake Metroid game. I truly hope the series doesn't lose its way like that ever again, because I'm not sure if it'd be able to bounce back from it, a second time.

(Further clarification: I'm absolutely not saying more people should've bought Other M, heh. I'm just saying that if previous games in the series had historically sold better than they did, it's likely Nintendo would have been more amenable toward the idea of cutting their losses on a poop game, and getting back up on the horse sooner.)
 
Last edited:
Actually “pissed off” no, varying levels of disappointed with Nintendo fans and other general gaming fans occasionally yes. I really wish more Nintendo fans played Metroid, Pikmin, Sin and Punishment etc. and tried more cool 3rd party games like Neo: The World Ends With You, 13 Sentinels, Trails etc. but not every one has time/money/exact interest/whatever to play everything. Usually I’m just quietly disappointed outside of oddly specific instances like this thread.

I do get kind of mad however when people, mostly people I know, complain “nothing is coming out / there’s nothing to play” and don’t bother trying out games they’d clearly love (particularly when free demos are involved, dropping $60 or whatever on something you might not like I totally get). Bonus points when they claim they “weren’t marketed right” and/or then take pleasure seeing games fail. You can’t control people though, so whatever.

This all for me primarily stems from I want people to play games they enjoy. It always sucks when cool games don’t reach the people who would enjoy them. I want every good game to be a relative success even if it isn’t my particular favorite.
 
Thing is that we, the Nintendo fanbase, are a lot smaller than we sometimes think.

There are a lot of Switch owners who bought the device just because it's great hardware and has some cool games for it. Nothing less, nothing more. If Nintendo somehow makes the wrong decisions with their next-gen system, then the majority is gone.

The Wii U showed how 'big' the true Nintendo fanbase is (max 13 million).
 
I am pissed off rather at the gaming community at large, incentivizing remakes, remasters and ports. Nostalgia's a bitch.
 
IamPeacock said:
Thing is that we, the Nintendo fanbase, are a lot smaller than we sometimes think.

There are a lot of Switch owners who bought the device just because it's great hardware and has some cool games for it. Nothing less, nothing more. If Nintendo somehow makes the wrong decisions with their next-gen system, then the majority is gone.

The Wii U showed how 'big' the true Nintendo fanbase is (max 13 million).
Click to expand...

So you are saying Nintendo at it's worst commercial era of all time is the indicator of the 'true nintendo fanbase' - That's certainly an opinion.
 
eli said:
I am pissed off rather at the gaming community at large, incentivizing remakes, remasters and ports. Nostalgia's a bitch.
Click to expand...
I’m bummed humanity at large loves endlessly remaking things and consuming remakes over new things. Games, movies, books, music etc. Nothing is safe from being remade!

Infinite artistic possibilities > the same things over and over and over

We all can demand better!
 
I dislike when sequels of games become watered down to become more accessible to the general public, although this is much less of a problem then it was during the Wii days. However, the success of mainstream Nintendo games is what helps fund games like Metroid Dread, as the company can afford to make a game that won't necessarily sell too well.
 
0
Dread didn't even sell poorly; over 2.9m units sold so far and becoming the best-selling game in the series is super impressive. Not every game can sell as well as a Mario or a Pokemon, and not every game needs to in order to find success. If anything i'd say many core Nintendo fans DID show up and support Dread based on that performance; the "issue" lies in a lack of interest from a more general audience (especially certain regions like Japan).

In general though, sure, I wish the things I enjoy were more popular; who wouldn't. Chibi-Robo and Kid Icarus Uprising are some of the best games Nintendo have ever published and it'd be nice if their quality were more reflected in the amount of units sold; but I also understand why cases like this didn't turn into breakout hits (and Uprising still passed 1m, which is respectable). It sucks knowing that 70% of sales for Rhythm Heaven Megamix were in Japan only; the series has a huge audience there and nowhere else so the future of the series is partially in question. Not gonna work myself up over it or blame a nebulous number of other people though.
 
Mbolibombo said:
So you are saying Nintendo at it's worst commercial era of all time is the indicator of the 'true nintendo fanbase' - That's certainly an opinion.
Click to expand...

I do believe there is a correlation between the two yeah.

I know a lot of friends who own a Switch now and who weren't interested in the Wii U or Wii at all.
They like playing Mario Kart, other Nintendo games and also third-party games. But I also notice they haven't got that spark of interest when it comes to everything that revolves around Nintendo.
 
eli said:
I am pissed off rather at the gaming community at large, incentivizing remakes, remasters and ports. Nostalgia's a bitch.
Click to expand...
That's a valid perspective, but if I could propose an alternative viewpoint: remakes, remasters and ports aren't just for the people who've already played and want to revisit those experiences, but also those that never got the opportunity to play those games in the first place. One of my most desired port collections is the PS3 Ratchet & Clank games to PS5, simply because, despite me being super into R&C as a kid, I fell off it for awhile, and missed an entire run of what most fans consider to be some quality games. R&C is still alive and well, with Rift Apart earning some solid reception, but I refuse to skip straight to it, because I'd rather wait and play the Future games I missed first.

That's just one example, but you get the idea. If you ask me, we're living in a golden age of video game glow-ups, with games like Shadow of the Colossus, Resident Evil 2, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Demon's Souls, and countless others being available not just to existing fans, but reaching entirely new audiences, as well. Everything indicates that this trend will continue, with Resident Evil 4, Dead Space, Metroid Prime, etc. joining the list of games that have received remakes / remasters, and honestly, I tend to be optimistic about that.
 
Benzychenz said:
Nintendo fans killed Chibi-Robo and passed on The Wonderful 101. They’re monsters.
Click to expand...

First of all, I'm not convinced Chibi-Robo is dead for good. Secondly, even if it is, this isn't the fault of Nintendo's fanbase - at least not entirely. The problem is the series has been heavily mismanaged from the beginning. Of the first three games only the original made it to Europe, with barely any marketing at all. Then they didn't even bother to release the third installment outside of Japan. Evidently, NoE and NoA didn't believe enough in the IP to give it a chance to grow. Then the 3DS games happened and one was a gimmicky AR game and the other an uninspired platformer; both mediocre and without any of the gameplay mechanics the series is loved for. imagine being a fan in the West waiting for an eternity to get the next game in the series and what they release is Photo Finder and Zip Lash.
I really hope the series gets another chance and that they go back to the gameplay mechanics that made it so great in the first place.
 
Speaking about Metroid Dread specifically, it may not feel like it since it didn’t hit that cool 3 million copies sold milestone, but that game 100% was a big success (already the new best selling Metroid game of all time) and the story of that game is hardly over. There is still plenty of time to get more people to play it. The free demo finally includes the first boss fight (which it should have from the start), there’s new difficulty modes now including an easier one (which is big for people intimidated by the game), Super Metroid in its entirety is still immediately available to all NSO members so you can introduce Metroid in general to them (if you like this, you’ll like Dread!), and there’s going to be big attention on Dread for years to come when it gets featured at events like Games Done Quick (less than two months away!) and other prominent live streams. There will also definitely be boosts for it when the Prime Remaster and Prime 4 launch. Keep encouraging your friends and family to give Dread a try!
 
It is stupid , and you should never be angry about buying habits of different people....
with that sad, yes, i am, in a lot of fields, either because it supports corupt systems,
moves resources to wrong places, circumvents taxes, etc... (you see, not games specific my gripe).

Catalyst said:
When I saw the title I thought it was going to be about Nintendo fans buying $60 ports, lol.

But to answer your question I think some games are just more niche than others, it’s not a Nintendo-exclusive thing. And 2-3 million units is still a great success, not everything needs to be BOTW especially if it doesn’t have an equivalent budget.
Click to expand...
Kinda me xD yeah, some games will never be as mass marketable as others.
 
0
I think that the marketing done for Zelda or Mario games has nothing to do with the amount of effort they have invested for Metroid.
 
0
Kreese said:
Sounds like a stupid thing to be pissed about, but it directly influences the games Nintendo make that I want to play.

I wish franchises like Metroid, Fzero, WaveRace, Kid Icarus ect. would sell like they deserve, but alas, even when we get a game like Dread (which I view as one of the best games ever made), it's still on the low end of Nintendo's first party game sales even under the most ideal circumstances (on Switch, launching with new hardware, great marketing ect.)

In short, I feel Nintendo is at their absolute pinnacle when they make games that appeal to a less traditional Nintendo audience (minus a few notable exceptions like Zelda). Bare with me, I know I'm a minority here and the numbers prove it, but I just wish more people liked what I like 😇

/end irrational rant
Click to expand...
I feel like this is a very good post as well as a very good conversation to have especially with us Nintendo fans. I am partially to blame here myself because I am laser focused on certain games that Nintendo makes. When I was young and growing up I was a fan of each and every game that you listed and I made a effort to always buy those games. But now in my adult years I do not buy any of those games that you listed. I am laser focused on Nintendo first party jrpgs. In my opinion Nintendo needs to work harder to push those franchises into the mainstream before the sale start to rise. Those games need to have their own anime series or quite possibly a live action movie at the box office before a wider audience starts to really recognize these series for the legendary games that they are. I understand that f zero had an anime series already but that's not enough. F-zero needs to have a live action movie before a wider General audience starts to recognize it. For these great franchises just having a AAA game on the market may not be enough. Its going to have to reach outside of the media in order to gain attention. Especially Metroid. That series will need a well-made live action movie to go along with the games. Some games don't need movies or anime or outside influences in order to reach higher sales While others do. Now to speak for people like me who are laser focused on supporting certain series only, I feel like that would be extremely difficult for Nintendo to overcome. Like I said for me personally I'm only buying 1st party jrpgs and maybe there's a sizable amount of people that are just like me. Some people are just casual gamers and they buy certain games only.
 
IamPeacock said:
Thing is that we, the Nintendo fanbase, are a lot smaller than we sometimes think.

There are a lot of Switch owners who bought the device just because it's great hardware and has some cool games for it. Nothing less, nothing more. If Nintendo somehow makes the wrong decisions with their next-gen system, then the majority is gone.

The Wii U showed how 'big' the true Nintendo fanbase is (max 13 million).
Click to expand...
Again with this Home console bs perspective. Like the majority of Nintendo fans weren't on 3ds enjoying the cool games there. Or just overall how many Nintendo fans just grew up playing mainly portable all their life huh
 
xghost777 said:
Speaking about Metroid Dread specifically, it may not feel like it since it didn’t hit that cool 3 million copies sold milestone, but that game 100% was a big success (already the new best selling Metroid game of all time) and the story of that game is hardly over. There is still plenty of time to get more people to play it. The free demo finally includes the first boss fight (which it should have from the start), there’s new difficulty modes now including an easier one (which is big for people intimidated by the game), Super Metroid in its entirety is still immediately available to all NSO members so you can introduce Metroid in general to them (if you like this, you’ll like Dread!), and there’s going to be big attention on Dread for years to come when it gets featured at events like Games Done Quick (less than two months away!) and other prominent live streams. There will also definitely be boosts for it when the Prime Remaster and Prime 4 launch. Keep encouraging your friends and family to give Dread a try!
Click to expand...
Good points made! I love the raw positive energy emanating from this post, heh. 😅
 
IamPeacock said:
I do believe there is a correlation between the two yeah.

I know a lot of friends who own a Switch now and who weren't interested in the Wii U or Wii at all.
They like playing Mario Kart, other Nintendo games and also third-party games. But I also notice they haven't got that spark of interest when it comes to everything that revolves around Nintendo.
Click to expand...

With this logic we now know that the true Playstation fanbase is at about 12-14M? As that was what the Vita sold.
 
I can't stand the "I only buy Nintendo games" habit, but fortunately I don't think it's really widespread.
 
To play devil's advocate with the games you mentioned, I'm not into metroidvanias and F-Zero seems like a franchise that was "before my time." (Also I'm not that into racing games) I feel like both franchises would need a big reinvention to get someone like me on board.

Personally, I already think Nintendo spends so much time on NES/SNES/N64 nostalgia. I often wish Nintendo would spend more time pandering to my age group with more Gamecube/GBA nostalgia. (I'm sure every age group feels this way about the games they started with.)

I don't consider myself THAT young either. I turned 29 yesterday...

My first video game was Pokemon Silver and my first console game was Kirby Air Ride. I'm a die-hard fan of Pokemon, Animal Crossing, Zelda, Xenoblade, etc. I would just rather spend my money on something I know I'm going to like. Where you might be wanting a new F-Zero game, I would absolutely kill for a new Kirby Air Ride game.

With all that I laid out, I didn't know until this moment I wasn't part of the "hardcore" Nintendo fanbase. I need to accept I am a "traditional" Nintendo fan sellout lol.
 
mega-sellers like Smash/Mario Kart/Animal Crossing have really done a number on people’s standard for ‘success.’

Metroid Dread’s current sales tally would make it something like the 14th best selling game on the PS4. It’s a huge success.
 
I don't think so? I feel like the hardcore fanbase(s) show up when they can. Some games just have a lot less appeal to casuals or to those borderline fans.
 
0
Aurc said:
That's a valid perspective, but if I could propose an alternative viewpoint: remakes, remasters and ports aren't just for the people who've already played and want to revisit those experiences, but also those that never got the opportunity to play those games in the first place. One of my most desired port collections is the PS3 Ratchet & Clank games to PS5, simply because, despite me being super into R&C as a kid, I fell off it for awhile, and missed an entire run of what most fans consider to be some quality games. R&C is still alive and well, with Rift Apart earning some solid reception, but I refuse to skip straight to it, because I'd rather wait and play the Future games I missed first.

That's just one example, but you get the idea. If you ask me, we're living in a golden age of video game glow-ups, with games like Shadow of the Colossus, Resident Evil 2, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Demon's Souls, and countless others being available not just to existing fans, but reaching entirely new audiences, as well. Everything indicates that this trend will continue, with Resident Evil 4, Dead Space, Metroid Prime, etc. joining the list of games that have received remakes / remasters, and honestly, I tend to be optimistic about that.
Click to expand...

I'd rather they just simply emulate those (for a friendly price) than to spend a single $ that could go towards a new game.
And yes, I'm aware creating an emulator would cost money too.
 
0
Kreese said:
Sounds like a stupid thing to be pissed about, but it directly influences the games Nintendo make that I want to play.

I wish franchises like Metroid, Fzero, WaveRace, Kid Icarus ect. would sell like they deserve, but alas, even when we get a game like Dread (which I view as one of the best games ever made), it's still on the low end of Nintendo's first party game sales even under the most ideal circumstances (on Switch, launching with new hardware, great marketing ect.)

In short, I feel Nintendo is at their absolute pinnacle when they make games that appeal to a less traditional Nintendo audience (minus a few notable exceptions like Zelda). Bare with me, I know I'm a minority here and the numbers prove it, but I just wish more people liked what I like 😇

/end irrational rant
Click to expand...

Not really, never occured to me to be mad at millions of consumers. Sometimes, something I love just doesn't get as much attention or love publicly.
 
0
IamPeacock said:
Thing is that we, the Nintendo fanbase, are a lot smaller than we sometimes think.

There are a lot of Switch owners who bought the device just because it's great hardware and has some cool games for it. Nothing less, nothing more. If Nintendo somehow makes the wrong decisions with their next-gen system, then the majority is gone.

The Wii U showed how 'big' the true Nintendo fanbase is (max 13 million).
Click to expand...
Nah, the most reliable ‘core’ fanbase for Nintendo is the one that turns up for their portables.
 
Pixelknight said:
Nah, the most reliable ‘core’ fanbase for Nintendo is the one that turns up for their portables.
Click to expand...
If you mean Pokemon and Animal Crossing yep

Also Nintendo had always had a 20m+ console in Japan since the Gameboy at all times , so it has to be more than 13m when Nintendo has such consistency there
 
YEAH THEY KEEP BUYING BAD GAMES LIKE "THE XENO BLADE BIONICLES" AND NOT GOOD GAMES LIKE "DRAGON QUEST BUILDERS 2"
 
Mbolibombo said:
So you are saying Nintendo at it's worst commercial era of all time is the indicator of the 'true nintendo fanbase' - That's certainly an opinion.
Click to expand...
It makes sense, since it's 13 million die hards who dove blindly into a system that had very few redeeming qualities... but also I skipped on the WiiU while playing my 3DS a ton during the pre-switch era so I think that discounting "portable" Nintendo fans is a bit disingenious.
 
0
I don’t see the issue with Metroid Dread ‘only’ selling 2.9m , the only other ‘hardcore’ 2D franchise that can sell that amount at full price nowadays is DK. In any case it shows how Nintendo fans support their core franchises more than what 3rd party games of the same style are supported by the general gaming population.
 
Last edited:
Joseki said:
I honestly do not give two shits, people can spend their money however they see fit and I’ve no rights to judge.

I do wish more people gave TMS#FE a chance however.
Click to expand...
I "yeah'd" this and then "un-yeah'd" this just so I could "yeah" it twice. I'm no more bothered by Nintendo fans than I am with the 165m purchases of GTAV. Ppl are free to spend their money on whatever leisure activity they find the most appealing.

Also, TMS#FE was my first SMT game and I loved it! I wish more ppl shared my combined interest in Fire Emblem/J-Pop/JRPGs. Apparently there aren't that many of us!
 
Mario__s_Nintendo_64_Games_by_sonictoast-768x568.png

I've always pointed to the N64 library (composed of 70% Mario) and the arrogance of the Yamauchi era as the reason why many Nintendo fans have been configured to only like 4 franchises and dismiss everything else. NCL had a redemption arc with the GCN and GBA, but NOA didn't care enough to raise any franchise that wasn't proven, the big exception being Metroid (which went into coma after Other M). This thankfully changed after Operation Rainfall, but I think that was too late and it will not be until generation alpha comes of age when franchises like Splatoon, Xenoblade, Fire Emblem, etc. are going to get widespread appreciation.
 
I mean, perhaps "pissed off" is too strong, but there sure are a few commercial results that I wish had been different, as I feel they would make Nintendo and their closest partners change a few trends I see as bad.

When it comes to the Switch, I think my biggest complaints would be: the astounding sales Pokemon Sword and Shield had, as I felt they were lazy games done in auto-pilot to cash in on the franchise; and the recent statement by Nintendo that the NSO Plus has been successful in North America, as I still feel it doesn't offer enough content for the price that is charged.

I could throw the Metroid Dread numbers in there too, since I wish they had been better, but I think they are good enough to keep the franchise rolling so that's all that matters.
 
Joseki said:
I honestly do not give two shits, people can spend their money however they see fit and I’ve no rights to judge.

I do wish more people gave TMS#FE a chance however.
Click to expand...
Same here! It the game were better or looked more appealing maybe they'll sell more.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


Back
Top Bottom