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144 Comments
- Trifold, on 01/13/2009, -2/+71I'm sure Nintendo will get around to caring about these points right after they're done counting their money...which at the rate they're going should be sometime around 2057.
Stick to music, MTV. And by "music", I of course mean terrible, terrible reality shows. - dekuscrub, on 01/13/2009, -4/+59The "no jump Link" was not an attempt to simplify.
Rather, it was a clever way of getting the most out of the controller. Every other button was being used for something else (sword, items, music, etc.). There wasn't any left for jumping, so they introduced the auto-jumping thing.
It worked very well IMO. - lukas88, on 01/13/2009, -1/+52After all, MTV would be the most authoritative source on "dumbing down"
- silver26, on 01/13/2009, -6/+57I still think the Gamecube controller is one of the best conventional controllers. Although the c-stick and shoulder buttons could be better.
- Branchex, on 01/13/2009, -13/+57The No-Jump Link - There never has been a jump button in traditional Zelda games because it was not needed, its not a platformer.
Paperweight Role-Playing Games - This was continuing the tradition of Super Mario RPG made by Square.
A Giant Green Button - It was very easy to confuse the X and Y buttons, same shape and color, right next to each other, letters whose top half are the same.
A Two-Input Racing Game - They also made the F-Zero games.
Stylus and Remote - How is using a handheld with all the buttons of an SNES controller and a touch screen plus another one to look at simpler to play then a Game Boy?
Barely-Controllable Tennis Players - They wanted to emphasis the Wiimote in Wii Sports. - Dagreenman, on 01/13/2009, -6/+45While some will bitch and moan about nintendo "kiddifying" their consoles, i belive that they are bringing the medium to new heights. Thanks to their mass marketing and casual appeal, Video Games have taken a huge leap into the mainstream, bringing geek culture in general with them.
- jamesallen74, on 01/13/2009, -1/+38I guess Zelda 2 on the 8-bit NES didn't have a jump button.
- protogenxl, on 01/13/2009, -2/+38Random Button mashing has been replaced by Random Stick Waggling
- Shawn4168, on 01/13/2009, -9/+44I don't really understand the negative attitude toward Nintendo in this article. So they want to make their games fun for people. Is that a crime? Every single point that they listed was a really good move on Nintendo's part, in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I love complex games (my 2 favorite genres are RPG and Strategy), but there is strength in simplicity.
No jumping Link on OOT? That was smart. The focus in Zelda games has never been on platforming, it's been on puzzle solving and combat. Having to worry about timing your jumps would only detract from the experience.
The Paper Mario series is more fun than 90% of RPGs out there today. They're simple enough to be played by just about anybody, and they still have a surprising amount of depth for the hardcore and the completionists.
The GameCube controller was one of the best controllers designed. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've gotten Square and Circle confused on the Playstation controller, or mixed up all the lettered buttons on the XBox or SNES controllers. The GameCube controller had instant recognition of all its buttons, the game tells you to push "A" and you know exactly where it is.
I could go on, but it really all boils down to the fact that simple video games are great. I think this XKCD sums it up pretty well: http://xkcd.com/484/ - asdfgafawer3, on 01/13/2009, -0/+23I liked the shoulder triggers when they were used well, it was the placement of the Z button that I didn't like. I agree on the C-stick.
- marc123, on 01/13/2009, -0/+22ah when i was a lad... nintendo made cutting edge video games and mtv was a tv channel that played music
- monkeysama, on 01/13/2009, -6/+26Those are some pretty weak points. Especially the GCN controller design.
Buried. - asdfgafawer3, on 01/13/2009, -6/+26I know, it's horrible.
- CaptZomborg, on 01/13/2009, -1/+19dumbing down? how does being able to push buttons in a sequence have anything to do with intelligence?
Most the articles on this site are completely useless. - DrunkenSavior, on 01/13/2009, -2/+20Funny, the SNES controller was way more complicated than the Genesis one.
- coyote1284, on 01/13/2009, -0/+17"Paperweight Role-Playing Games - This was continuing the tradition of Super Mario RPG made by Square."
And made something that strayed from what really made Super Mario RPG a solid RPG
"A Two-Input Racing Game - They also made the F-Zero games."
Just because you only used the d-pad and accelerate button doesn't mean that there weren't break and "flap" (L and R) buttons. - jdames1980, on 01/13/2009, -0/+17It was a brave choice at the time, but it was the correct choice. It also helped differentiate Zelda from Mario. Zelda is not a platformer and the player should not be punished for not making a jump. That is not what Zelda is about.
- mikbunn, on 01/13/2009, -0/+14While the layout is weird, I still like it much better than the Wiimote for Brawl. Don't even talk to me about the classic controller.
...and how did you make that backwards 'b'? - MelekTawus, on 01/13/2009, -0/+13They always forget about Zelda 2.
- PJBovoNox, on 01/13/2009, -1/+13What other kind of jeans are there?
- staticneuron, on 01/13/2009, -8/+20"There never has been a jump button in traditional Zelda games because it was not needed, its not a platformer."
You don't even get what they are saying. Most games allow you full control over your character even if it is an rpg normally they at least allow you a button to do important actions out of the norm. The sheer fact that link DID jump and the game DID it for you mean that there was some simplifying going on.
"Paperweight Role-Playing Games - This was continuing the tradition of Super Mario RPG made by Square."
Not really. In SMRPG there were still menu's and menu based commands during battle. I mean they even said "Imagine a side-scrolling “Final Fantasy” suddenly playing like “Super Mario Bros." So no SMRPG played more like a colorful version of Final Fantasy than a Super mario game with JRPG influence.
"A Giant Green Button - It was very easy to confuse the X and Y buttons, same shape and color, right next to each other, letters whose top half are the same."
I had alot of fun using this controller. There was now way to really confuse the controls. To this day I cannot tell you which one is which letter but the on screen prompts and the corresponding play never left me confused.
"A Two-Input Racing Game - They also made the F-Zero games."
And what was the point of that? This list is showing how they simplify games and showed an example. Naming F-zero doesn't will kirby's air ride out of existence.
"Stylus and Remote - How is using a handheld with all the buttons of an SNES controller and a touch screen plus another one to look at simpler to play then a Game Boy?"
Same reason why people enjoy using wacom taplets instead of the mouse. Instead of having to interpret movement based off of the translation of the dpad/analog to the screen. what is more simple than touching the screen itself? Unless the screen is broken you never have to guess about the translation of your inputs.
"Barely-Controllable Tennis Players - They wanted to emphasis the Wiimote in Wii Sports"
By simplifying movement..... great job not countering that point.
I am sorry but nothing you have said is an actual counter to what is being presented here. There is nothing wrong with what nintendo is doing. Their aim has been clear for years. - asdfgafawer3, on 01/13/2009, -0/+11I'm guessing portable Zeldas don't count.
- Mujokan, on 01/13/2009, -0/+11Let's all agree to miss this one.
- Groovel76, on 01/13/2009, -1/+12It's cool since MTV doesn't play music anymore.
- SantaDuJuan, on 01/13/2009, -1/+10Did I miss a meme again?
- Mujokan, on 01/13/2009, -0/+9I just knew your comment would jump by more than one when I dugg it up.
- DrKarl66, on 01/13/2009, -1/+9I love how we're taking gaming analysis from MUSIC TV
- Grazfather, on 01/13/2009, -1/+9yeah the dual analog controller is good too. Microsoft got the trigger/button combo from sony undoubtedly.
- Halsfield, on 01/13/2009, -0/+83 button controllers confuse and enrage me
- Scrappy1850, on 01/13/2009, -0/+7say the word in the cadence of the last level of every world from super mario bros.
- zip000, on 01/13/2009, -2/+9I've just finished Super Paper Mario on the Wii, and I have to say it is the most fun game I've played in years.
Sure it's simplistic, and sure there is room for improvement - e.g. making the bosses a little tougher would be good, and cutting out about half of the dialog - especially at the beginning - would be good - but I really had a lot more fun playing it that I have had with any other game I've tried in a while. - gcauthon, on 01/13/2009, -1/+7The reason the dpad on the 360 controller is never used is because it works so poorly. You're using circular logic to defend the indefensible.
- ruarctb, on 01/13/2009, -2/+8Accessibility is not the same thing as simplicity.
- cougar3429, on 01/13/2009, -0/+6I only waggle my own stick. Waggling random sticks is just gross.
- oninbonin, on 01/13/2009, -0/+6I found the Gamecube controller to be very natural and comfortable. Each to his own I say.
- Takfam, on 01/13/2009, -2/+8MTV needs to say what they mean. Just put an old white guy in a $800 suit on the page and have him say: "Hey, we understand your generation yo. We're all down with the ...um... is it ell-three-tee?... l33t? like pronounced "leat"?... Okay... We're down with the mad leet skillz yo. Nintendo be like, frontin' and stuff with the simple games. We're down with you homeys and the... um... what do those hooligans call them?... something like Boxy-X and Piss-three?"
- sandiegodude, on 01/13/2009, -0/+6I love how its called "Music TV" when it's really just a network for *****, faux-reality shows.
- inactive, on 01/13/2009, -0/+6Tank: We're supposed to start with these operation programs first. That's major boring *****. Let's do something a little more fun. How about... combat training.
Neo: Ju jitsu? I'm gonna learn Ju jitsu.
Tank: No. Button mashing, stick wagging and stamp collecting. - inactive, on 01/13/2009, -2/+8But Digg users are the masters at random stick...ahem...waggling.
- mikbunn, on 01/13/2009, -0/+5Only if a forwards g o o d.
- krogothwolf, on 01/13/2009, -0/+5That would cause me nightmares my good man, horrific evil nightmares. I pray that will never ever happen, and if it does, I'll just bomb MTV.
- Mujokan, on 01/13/2009, -3/+8Nintendo in-house development defies lists. It is more like an artistic style that can't really be summed up by a critic. Trying to explain the appeal of the Nintendo aesthetic to someone who'd never played their games would be like trying to explain Van Gogh's style to a blind person.
Just talking about the control-scheme innovations, Nintendo has been very influential. Among big dev houses, they stand out as having some kind of internal consensus on working hard to perfect the control side of the games. I think a lot of developers learned from their approach not only to designing control schemes but teaching the player how to use them. You have to give Nintendo credit for having a great corporate culture when it comes to game design. - namelessXsilent, on 01/13/2009, -0/+5And that's a shame
- krogothwolf, on 01/13/2009, -4/+9I'd have to say Playstation control is perfect for me. But the 360 is pretty close. A Major improvement over the Original Xbox controller.
- Halsfield, on 01/13/2009, -0/+4the biggest thing i have a problem with that concerns simplifying of video games is the way some developers of games that go to both console and pc have started dumbing their games down to make them playable on the console version. Oblivion for instance has a number of things dumbed down for it so it can be played on the console easily (interface dumbed down to work with a button controller for instance, also the reduction of potential skills, animations, etc). Instead of making both versions slightly different they just dumb the pc version down as well to make it easier on themselves. Mass effect was another game like this where you could tell the interface and a lot of other things were meant for a controller, not a mouse and keyboard. Does it kill most good games? not really, but i hope in the future they could go back through after completing the console version of the game and make the pc version a little more robust.
Nintendo on the other hand most of nintendo's changes are there to make gameplay more intuitive for the player, not to dumb anything down. - noumuon, on 01/13/2009, -0/+4for what it's worth, most strategy games require intelligence.
- oninbonin, on 01/13/2009, -0/+4It also added another level of challenge not being able to jump onto objects and platforms that sometimes were just out of reach.
- Elranzer, on 01/13/2009, -0/+4Bromance.
You may bomb when ready. - GIJosh, on 01/13/2009, -0/+4Not to mention it was necessary to tap the throttle to AND use the flap buttons to take turns with the pros. F-Zero was hardcore, my friends.
- Elranzer, on 01/13/2009, -0/+4I like the SNES controller, too. All it really needs are handle grips, and maybe a second set of L/R buttons...
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