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Fun Club "Mario, Zelda, and _________"

What is the third title that comes to mind when completing that sentence?

  • Pokémon

    Votes: 148 43.8%

  • Smash Bros.

    Votes: 6 1.8%

  • Fire Emblem

    Votes: 3 0.9%

  • Kirby

    Votes: 12 3.6%

  • Pikmin

    Votes: 4 1.2%

  • F-Zero

    Votes: 1 0.3%

  • Metroid

    Votes: 114 33.7%

  • Donkey Kong

    Votes: 22 6.5%

  • Other

    Votes: 2 0.6%

  • (Added) Splatoon

    Votes: 8 2.4%

  • (Added) Animal Crossing

    Votes: 12 3.6%

  • (Added) Xenoblade (Chronicles)

    Votes: 5 1.5%

  • (Added) Star Fox

    Votes: 1 0.3%

  • (Added) EarthBound

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    338
SiG

SiG

Chain Chomp
It always eludes me how Nintendo seems to be responsible for exactly only three franchises (according to the the internet).

Only three.

The only thing that seems to vary is which franchise seems to take the 3rd spot. I noticed it might be a generational thing, too...

Which title comes to mind when you hear that phrase?
 
0
Tbh, DK is the first that comes to mind for me when thinking of Nintendo series in general.
 
0
Mario, Zelda and Metroid are essentially the triforce in themselves, there is almost perfect synergy between them.

Pokémon is Hylia to their Din, Nayru and Farore.
 
No Animal Crossing in the poll? New Horizons is literally second best selling standalone release (third if you combine Red/Blue with yellow). It's Mario, Zelda, Isabelle.
 
I've always considered Mario, Zelda, and Metroid to be Nintendo Triforce of sorts, even if I've always known Metroid has never been the same sort of sales or mindshare juggernaut as the other two.

It's very different in tone and setting, and entirely disconnected, and yet it still feels very much Nintendo, like it belongs next to those two. It presents a very different Nintendo and yet one that's not actually different at all.
 
Mario, Zelda and Metroid cover a wide variety of distinct tone, gameplay style, art aesthetic, etc while still embodying Nintendo's game design and philosophy.
The three share common DNA and split off into creating some of the best 2D and 3D archetypes of their respective genres.
Look at the highest rated games of all time and you'll find these three.
They're a good representation of the diversity of Nintendo IPs and their mark on the industry.
 
As far as I'm concerned, it's Zelda, Metroid, and Fire Emblem. In no particular order.
 
0
Metroid. It’s the only other franchise in the same league as Zelda and Mario in terms of prestige and influence. It’s essential to Nintendo’s legacy, regardless of its mediocre sales.
 
I would say Metroid, mainly because of their similar origins, similar length as franchises and similar pedigrees. The connection is pretty apparent imo.

If we talk about sales or overall popularity obviously it's Pokemon, but to be pedantic I wouldn't say "Mario, Zelda, and Pokemon" but "Mario, Pokemon, and Zelda". Though I guess you could make an argument that if you're talking sales, Animal Crossing should be there instead of Zelda anyway.
 
From a historical perspective, it’s probably Metroid. Those three franchises pretty much defined Nintendo on the NES and SNES, and inspired countless franchises.

From a current perspective though, come on. It’s Pokémon.
 
If we have to make this a trio then Pokemon due to its success and importance to Nintendo's games business. However Pokemon is from a separate entity in control of the franchise and isn't an in-house Nintendo IP like Mario and Zelda.

To be honest I don't think there is a third IP. It's just Mario and Zelda. Those two have been the most consistent franchises, biggest influencers, and among their best sellers during the entire time Nintendo has been in the industry back to the NES. They also share a ton of creative staff and visionaries between the two.
 
Mmmmm I wanted to make a thread about how Metroid is discussed in relation to other Nintendo IPs but I’m not sure how that would go lol
 
business speaking it is hundred percent animal crossing (especially how Pokémon is in a sort of grey realm as an ip) but I would like to think splatoon after Animal crossing, as they are the most well known Nintendo franchises (aside form pokemon) and how they advertise them as their big 4 (the guest characters in Mario kart 8 aren’t a coincidence)
 
I dont even believe the "big three" thing but i will vote on metroid because i know some people here get annoyed by that.
 
Serif said:
Mario, Zelda and Metroid cover a wide variety of distinct tone, gameplay style, art aesthetic, etc while still embodying Nintendo's game design and philosophy.
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surely this isn't accurate when Nintendo hasn't made Metroid in decades
 
One thing to keep in mind with this prompt is that we don’t have any context to the series provided. Depending on how the words leading to the series is set, one can easily get different answers.

For example, if one were to look at someone talking about big Nintendo franchises (Video game publisher Nintnedo, known for iconic series like…”) , then a Mario/Pokémon/Zelda trio makes sense. Meanwhile, if one wanted to talk about long running and acclaimed Nintendo franchises (Over the past several decades, Nintnedo has continued to evolve and refine franchises like…), than Metroid could be a better fit. If we want to look at it from a Shigeru Miyamoto perspective (Shigeru Miyamoto, legendary creator of…), than I can see Donkey Kong as a probable third choice (maybe Star Fox or Pikmin if someone is particularly bold). I suppose if one wanted a more EPD focused answer (think along the lines of the Mario Kart 8 DLC), I could see someone leaning towards Animal Crossing or Splatoon, but I think this would be a… odd way to look at it.

The others make much less sense to me. Smash Bros. is very much a crossover so doesn’t really fit that way, F-Zero is far too niche to fit in a good way, Fire Emblem is a bit too far removed from Mario/Zelda for a good fit, and Kirby is popular, but again, hard to find a natural answer that would include Kirby without feeling like it’s missing something else (I may actually argue Kirby would be better fit in a Mario/Pokémon trio).
 
Raccoon said:
not made by Nintendo
Click to expand...
Nintendo and Sakamoto supervised that project, and I didn't say "Nintendo (EPD/EAD) made". Games Nintendo has supervised on can still embody their game design e.g. Minish Cap. Dread is not a radical departure from how previous 2D Metroids play.
 
Serif said:
Nintendo and Sakamoto supervised that project, and I didn't say "Nintendo made". Games Nintendo has supervised on can still embody their game design e.g. Minish Cap. Dread is not a radical departure from how previous 2D Metroids play.
Click to expand...
I suppose I can't refute that, but when I think of games that embody Nintendo's design philosophy I generally turn to games they actually made
 
Thunder84 said:
From a historical perspective, it’s probably Metroid. Those three franchises pretty much defined Nintendo on the NES and SNES, and inspired countless franchises.

From a current perspective though, come on. It’s Pokémon.
Click to expand...
I always think of Metroid here too, and I think it’s because it has been around forever. Pokémon feels a bit more separate and new even though it has been around for like 25 years.
 
0
In terms of critical acclaim and legacy, I think the NES trinity of Super Mario, Zelda and Metroid.

On sales and buzz it's either Pokémon or Animal Crossing. I think Animal Crossing as New Horizons joins Mario Kart 8 in doing the unthinkable and outselling Super Mario Bros.
 
Raccoon said:
I suppose I can't refute that, but when I think of games that embody Nintendo's design philosophy I generally turn to games they actually made
Click to expand...
What's your perspective on Metroid Prime?
 
rickyson33 said:
the Metroid answers here strike me as pretty silly between the sales and the length of time the series has had between games at times
Click to expand...
Why?
Zelda was always considered alongside Mario despite never having outsold any Pokémon ever until BotW.
Legacy, defining generations, dating back to the NES and critical acclaim bonds the three franchises together.
 
Raccoon said:
I suppose I can't refute that, but when I think of games that embody Nintendo's design philosophy I generally turn to games they actually made
Click to expand...
You’re being weirdly pedantic. Dread was co-developed by EPD, was supervised by Sakamoto, and closely adhered to the conventions established by Nintendo when they created the franchise and made its initial and most iconic titles. That poster’s comments were accurate.
 
Serif said:
What's your perspective on Metroid Prime?
Click to expand...
generally? I'll get back to you on the 22nd (damn you Nintendo...)

in terms of this conversation? it was made by a bunch of (admittedly very based) white dudes in America, not Nintendo
 
TGB86 said:
You’re being weirdly pedantic. Dread was co-developed by EPD, was supervised by Sakamoto, and closely adhered to the conventions established by Nintendo when they created the franchise and made its initial and most iconic titles. That poster’s comments were accurate.
Click to expand...
well in fairness, this is a pedantic thread. if said elsewhere I'd agree with the notion that Nintendo's involvement imbues the games with their essence, but when we're narrowing it down to three I think speaking to Nintendo's "design philosophy" is shaky. more succinctly, Splatoon, Pikmin, or even Animal Crossing are better candidates by that metric
 
Raccoon said:
in terms of this conversation? it was made by a bunch of (admittedly very based) white dudes in America, not Nintendo
Click to expand...
It wasn't developed in isolation from them, Nintendo EAD were heavily involved and exchanged / provided game design documents.
I think I'm just not agreeing with the distinction you're making.
 
Mekanos said:
Mmmmm I wanted to make a thread about how Metroid is discussed in relation to other Nintendo IPs but I’m not sure how that would go lol
Click to expand...
I would argue the same about Zelda. Before BotW it was always talked about alongside Mario, despite its best selling entry being less than 9 million and Mario's being 40(while also having other 5 titles above 20M).

The distance between Zelda's best selling single platform release (OoT 7,6M) and Mario's best selling (SMB 40M) was way larger than it's distance to Metroid Prime's 2.8M.

Yet I don't recall people arguing that it should've been Mario and Pokémon or Mario and Wii series instead of Mario and Zelda.
 
Serif said:
It wasn't developed in isolation from them, Nintendo EAD were heavily involved and exchanged game design documents.
I think I'm just not agreeing with the distinction you're making.
Click to expand...
as I said in my post above I object to the idea that Metroid is exemplary in its reflection of Nintendo when presented in favor of series that have come directly from them
 
If you discount Pokemon (which is by far and away the actual answer if it does count), then it comes down to who you ask. Animal Crossing and Splatoon with the younger crowd, Donkey Kong and Metroid with the older crowd. I'll say Animal Crossing for the poll.
 
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