{"id":94375,"date":"2019-05-31T21:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-05-31T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/news\/2019\/05\/talking_point_the_changing_definition_of_lthe_nintendo_differencer"},"modified":"2019-05-31T21:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-05-31T21:00:00","slug":"talking-point-the-changing-definition-of-the-nintendo-difference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2019\/05\/31\/talking-point-the-changing-definition-of-the-nintendo-difference\/","title":{"rendered":"Talking Point: The Changing Definition Of \u2018The Nintendo Difference\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a><\/div>\n
\"PLAYTOGETHER\"<\/a><\/figure>\n
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“Can you play with your friends online?” you ask. Odd question, but… erm, well no. Because that would introduce a conflict of interest with the game\u2019s online leaderboards, you see. \u2013 Nintendo, 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

After making a design decision that had many a journalist double and triple<\/em> checking sources, Nintendo confirmed this week that it is not possible to play with or against friends online<\/a> in Super Mario Maker 2<\/a><\/strong>. As with so many aspects of the modern world, it seems that with every step forward, the Kyoto company takes two steps back. Or maybe its head is moving too fast for its body. Or perhaps the body is dragging the head along behind it…<\/p>\n

Whatever analogy you care to employ, Nintendo\u2019s slightly baffled replies to seemingly obvious questions used to play as charming, in a way. In the past you could brush off quirky implementations of industry-standard features with a smile. \u201cOh Nintendo!<\/em>\u201d you\u2019d laugh, before diving into some incredible Mario game and forgetting about whatever it was that the company had borked this time round.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re being generous, you could argue that there\u2019s a childlike naivety to its thinking and it\u2019s this that leads to the company\u2019s unique ideas. There’s arguably no better example of ‘the Nintendo difference’ than the original Wii. We remember looking that TV remote controller and feeling perplexed. What is this thing, strange and yet reassuringly familiar? How is two GameCubes duct taped together supposed to topple the might of Sony and Microsoft’s offerings?<\/em> Fortunately, Nintendo had clear and coherent answers to those questions and ended up reframing how people – gamers and non-gamers alike – viewed console gaming, expanding the definition to be more inclusive. Lovely<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"Remember<\/a>
Remember this? Probably best forgotten…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Other times the company fails to answer even the most basic questions to anybody’s satisfaction. Take Wii Speak, the room-wide microphone peripheral from 2008 that sat next to your telly and let everyone in the room converse with everyone in another room over the internet. Years after the wider console gaming community got comfortable with headsets, Wii Speak seemed like an anachronism to everybody but Nintendo. The inclusive philosophy was quaint – admirable, even – but to the majority of gamers the company sounded like your gramps recalling the first time he encountered telephony. \u201cLook!<\/em> You speak and the soundwaves travel across the world wide web as if you\u2019re somewhere else!\u201d Yep, got it.<\/p>\n

\n

The inclusive philosophy was quaint – admirable, even – but to the majority of gamers the company sounded like your gramps recalling the first time he encountered telephony.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

We can forgive the developers the odd ill-conceived peripheral and chuckle at ‘crazy ol’ Nintendo’. Remember the Vitality Sensor? Ha! Onl<\/em>y Nintendo,<\/em> am I right?!<\/em> It gets harder to chuckle heartily when it comes to key components and core services, though.<\/p>\n

Remember the launch of the Wii U when we were all intrigued with the GamePad and the potential it brought? Nintendo fans the world over were dreaming of brilliant ways to interact with each other and the games using this new input method. What about two-player? Can you use a second GamePad to play golf with a mate? What about as a simple touch pad with party games?<\/em><\/p>\n

These were obvious questions to people seeing the concept for the first time, but Nintendo\u2019s response made it seem liked two<\/em> GamePads had never been considered. The questions sent reps scrambling for senior team members. \u201cTwo<\/em> of them? Yeah, seems plausible – there’s only one in the box. Let me just check that for you\u2026\u201d Confusion went on to characterise that entire console cycle.<\/p>\n

\"Two?<\/a>
Two?<\/em> That would just be silly.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s getting harder for fans to give Nintendo the benefit of the doubt, too. Super Mario Maker for 3DS<\/a><\/strong> didn\u2019t allow players to upload creations online, instead opting only for local sharing and cutting the legs off one of the brilliant original\u2019s core concepts. Rather than find a solution to protect younger games, it seems features are simply cut out and then glossed over with a bit of marketing speak.<\/p>\n

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For every golden idea to come from ‘the Nintendo difference\u2019, nowadays there seems to some backwards piece of thinking to negate it.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

For every golden idea to come from ‘the Nintendo difference\u2019, nowadays there seems to some backwards piece of thinking to negate it. The odd disconnect between simple solutions and Nintendo\u2019s reluctance to follow the crowd creates a space which, on one hand enables the company to think outside the box and solve problems in new ways. Splatoon 2<\/a><\/strong> reimagines the squad-based shooter, with \u2018the Nintendo difference\u2019 enabling even rubbish players to be useful to their team by inking the terrain.<\/p>\n

Conversely, we all remember the comically convoluted spaghetti mess of cables of the officially licenced Splatoon 2 voice chat headset<\/a>. Developers have taken it upon themselves<\/a> to remove the cumbersome Nintendo Switch Online voice app from the equation, and other companies are ready to provide assistance<\/a>, yet Nintendo\u2019s app-based solution is the one it\u2019s doggedly ploughing ahead with. We say ‘doggedly’ because we can’t imagine the developers are oblivious to other solutions – this is a choice.<\/p>\n

\"All<\/a>
All in the name of protecting the kids, eh? What about the ones who died tangled in this mess?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So, again, \u2018the Nintendo difference\u2019 becomes a negative. Where it once referred to the overall polish of a game or some genius spin on a mechanic that we\u2019d never seen or even thought of<\/em> before, it\u2019s increasingly synonymous with some inexplicable decision or ungainly solution to a problem that\u2019s already been solved.<\/p>\n

The \u2018problems\u2019 introduced through playing with friends across the internet in Mario Maker 2 are easily remedied. Add an unranked option, for example, or allow for a team mode. Why is the co-op mode affected when that doesn’t even have leaderboards? These are choices. In the past you could imagine that the company simply didn\u2019t consider the option, blundering down a path once the design doc was finished, but that isn\u2019t believable anymore. It comes across as wilful ignorance and refusal to embrace the way we actually play games in the 21st century.<\/p>\n

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Yes, the local experience is usually optimal, but for some it\u2019s simply not practical to go to a friend’s house, or meet up in the park with your Switch.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Yes, the local experience is usually optimal, but for some it\u2019s simply not practical to go to a friend’s house, or meet up in the park with your Switch. What if you live miles away? What if you live in a dangerous neighbourhood? What if it\u2019s raining? What if your friend isn\u2019t allowed out past a certain time?<\/p>\n

The internet has brought gamers together for decades now. Sure, there are grimy parts \u2013 and the mute button is a godsend \u2013 but if we\u2019re already dealing with the cumbersome Friends list set-up Nintendo seems married to, it\u2019s unthinkable that we can\u2019t use it to, you know, play with friends<\/em>.<\/p>\n

None of this would be quite so perplexing or galling if Nintendo wasn\u2019t now charging for its online service. Even at its lower price compared to online services on other consoles, paying for it raises expectations. Nintendo\u2019s ineffectiveness in the online space might be expected given the company\u2019s history, but it\u2019s incredible that it seems content for \u201cOh, Nintendo is rubbish with online\u201d to be a common refrain with even die-hard fans.<\/p>\n

\"I<\/a>
I don’t know any of these people.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Not supporting amiibo<\/a> is one thing, but being able to play with your friends online should be a given in 2019. This isn\u2019t blind, childlike naivety or a unique vision \u2013 this was a decision made and it was obviously<\/em> the wrong one. Obvious, that is, to everyone except Nintendo, it would seem. We can hope for a patch, and we\u2019re sure Super Mario Maker 2 will have plenty<\/em> to make us smile, but it\u2019s a shame that these fundamental mistakes take the sheen off what is otherwise shaping up to be a glistening jewel<\/a> in Switch\u2019s crown.<\/p>\n

What does ‘The Nintendo Difference’ mean to you these days? Are you content with Nintendo’s approach to online gaming? Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions below.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“Can you play with your friends online?” you ask. Odd question, but… erm, well no. Because that would introduce a conflict of interest with the game\u2019s online leaderboards, you see. \u2013 Nintendo, 2019 After making a design decision that had many a journalist double and triple checking sources, Nintendo confirmed this week that it is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-94375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nintendo-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94375"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94375\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}