Thunderball

I'm not sure where to begin, but I know it starts when I was growing up, and my friend Chris was the first one to get a Nintendo Entertainment System. He lived 2 minutes from my house, and everyday afterschool I would run over there to play Contra, Mario Bros, and countless other incredible games. I could play for hours, and become immersed in the worlds. Christmas that year, my dad got me one, and got me Zelda. I was so amazed at this awesome world. My little mind was blown. I aquired a VAST library of Nintendo games, probably over 200(every holiday I'd ask for games), then when it came to "upgrade" there were 2 choices, the SNES and the Genesis. I went with the SNES initially(got a Genesis a little later). I loved the SNES probably more then life itself. Super Mario World was just...amazing. To this day its amazing. Thats saying something. (Don't forget the magic of A Link to the Past either!).

At this point, I became "too cool" for Nintendo. I bought a Playstation, since all my friends had one, I purhcased a used N64, but didn't buy any games other then the Zeldas and import pro wrestling games. I was "too cool" for Mario and his friends.

I at one point during this generation, picked up PS2, XBOX and Gamecube. The PS2 was the first to go, didn't really like it that much, and the games were on the XBOX looking prettier. THe XBOX, oh how I loved you for the sports games. THen I realized thats all I loved you for, so I sold you. You gave me one month of happiness for each sporting season, then I was bored. Sure you gave me GTA and Halo, but nothing else really caught my eye. The Gamecube still sits here, patiently waiting for the new Zelda to come home in 2006. Even though I know the Revolution will take its place on my entertainment cabinet, I know its there waiting for me. Super Smash Bros, Monkey Ball, Wind Waker, all sit there patiently. I can't bear to part with any of those games.

Then I realized it. I wasn't "too cool" for Nintendo, Nintendo was too cool for me. I have begun my Nintendo fanboyism once again. Picked up a DS 2 weeks ago, and am enjoying the hell out of it. Mario Kart, Castlevania, Mario &Luigi. So many fun games, so little time.

Thank you Nintendo, for letting me realize that blood and gore isn't everything, making badass fun games is. There's a reason you were the first system in town, and there's a reason you'll be the only next gen system sitting on my shelf. (At least til there's a price drop so I can plya my sports games again, because for some reason, your controllers are never meant for sports titles)

DJ_Longfellow

Ummm, maybe you should write that to Nintendo....not sure what good it does here, some will ridicule, some will agree.

IT sounds like your GameCube sits just as much as your XBOX also....so, I don't get it.

gimmepilotwings

I will do both!

PixyJunket

Due to the EXACT same reasons you listed, Nintendo is single-handedly responsible for me being back into video games.. or at least putting that "spark" back that I had from when I was a kid until the Playstation 1 came out. Their games are purely about being "fun." Of course, in my case, thanks to Nintendo I also got a PS2 and have healthy collections for all three current systems. But if I hadn't given the Gamecube and Metroid Prime a chance, I probably would have had an Xbox for a year and gotten rid of it after wearing out Jet Set Radio.

gimmepilotwings

I agree though. Throughout this generation, I have enjoyed playing my Gamecube and DS more than I have Xbox/PS2. Nintendo is so refreshing, not afraid to have the awkward come out and stick by it.

The Revolution will be the first console that I buy next year. The price alone has sold me, in comparison to the other consoles. The fact that it will be BC with the Gamecube and will have the ability to play previous gen games. I am all over it.

DarthMarino

Your story sounds very similar to mine. Super Nintendo will always be the best system ever as far as I'm concerened. I was never really into Nintendo 64 so I resorted to Playstation. Admittedly, I didn't really like Playstation either but that's when I was introduced to mod chips. At that point Playstation was the only system I would play for a few years. But after a while I just cared less and less and I'd mostly just watch other people play because I really wasn't enjoying it. Then Playstation 2 came out and I was so unimpressed that I gave up any interest in new games altogether (I went back to my roots and just played Atari 2600 games). One day my friend had something called a Gamecube with a game called Super Monkey Ball 2. I initially popped it in as a joke. "Monkey Ball? What the hell is this?" To my suprise the bowling game on there was unexplicably addicting. He then showed me a game called Super Smash Bros. Melee. Needless to say I bought a Gamecube the next day and now have over 60 games for it. I have at least 10 games for that dual screened portable that everyone laughed at when it was announced with countless others coming out in the next few months. I will do all I can to get a Revolution on launch day. I'm on the Nintendo boat again and don't plan on getting off. The 360 and Playstation 3 just don't interest me in any way (I could end up owning one down the road if Mortal Kombat 7 doesn't come out on Revolution but I'll worry about that later).

Looking back I don't think I ever felt I was too cool for Mario. It was just that being so in love with Super Nintendo and fast paced, two-dimensional games, the new system just didn't work for me. Everything was now in three dimensions and the graphics were blurry. The big Mario launch game had a whole lot of exploring and not a lot of jumping on hundreds of enemies. The competition had loading times which wasn't something I'd expect on a console and full motion video was just an annoying gimmick which I hated for the same reason on Sega CD. To this day I just don't care about full motion video in a game and I absolutely hate when video game commercials just show cut scenes and not actual game play footage. I'm glad to see that others have seen the light as I have.

story

Er, what is the price? Is it far lower, comparably, to XBox360 and PS3?

PixyJunket

The price isn't set yet, but from what they're trying to achieve with it the best guess would be $200, $250 max.

The Bus

Prices are rumored to be between $99 and $199.

Johnny Boy

SEGA!!

That's all I have to say.

gimmepilotwings

$99 would be a wet dream. The R&D alone would make this price impossible. With the 360 coming out at $400 and the PS3 at $400 or higher, a $199 pricetag is the best that we can hope for IMO.

I am now a member of a different breed of gamer. The "cheap bastard" as I like to call it. I have purchased exactly 5 titles the week that they come out due to the price, 4 of them happen to be for the Nintendo DS. The max that I will spend on a console is $200. The max that I will pay for a game is $30. Many, in fact most of the games that I buy I buy them for $10 or less.

I know I will probably have to break this at least a little when the Revolution comes out. I don't think that I mind that much, because the 4 DS games that I have from Nintendo, (Nintendogs, Advance Wars, Castlevania, and Mario Kart) have not disappointed in the least.

darkside

I think its probably because of my age, but I've also liked the Cube and the DS more than anything from the PS2, PSP or Xbox. To be fair I was not a big fan of the N64 and other than a few major titles (Zelda, Mario 64) I greatly prefered the PSone and all its RPG glory. However, I've really flipped this generation of consoles.

For this generation I get why FPS games and violent games are popular and many of them are great, but I grew up in a different era of gaming and I'm pretty thrilled with Nintendo focusing on just making great games and giving you a different experience. I'm just tired of the FPS games and the GTA clones and have had more fun with my DS and its limited graphics than I had with the PS2 or Xbox. The Cube has been great as well and while it really is lacking in third party games compared to the other two it has had enough top notch exclusives to make it worth owning and probably keeping for a long time after the new consoles are out.

I'm probably going to grab one of the old Xbox units at some point to fill in a few games I want that the Cube is missing, but overall the Cube has been my favorite console of the past 4 years and the DS has destroyed the PSP in every way game related.

jediwicz

I had already typed a page worth for this thread but no one wants to read biographical fanboyism so I'll just say thank you too. Thank you from my first Game & Watch to my DS. Thank you for bringing something new to next-gen. Thanks Nintendo.

Tarantino

The PSP plays games?

oh...there are only like 7 out for it...

= J

Chris_D

eh I thought nintendo was going the way of sega..

er nvm.

lukewarmwater

OMG!!! Nintendo reads these boards? Which one is he?

BobDole42

I love my xbox, but can't imagine not owning a cube and a DS. Before I got the DS, the GBA was my favorite system. Zelda and Metroid alone made the cube a must-buy for me.

I'm still quite nervous about the Revolution's controller, but if anyone can pull it off, it's Nintendo.

Outlaw

I'm not ashamed to admit I love Nintendo . I always laugh at people saying on forums that they won't play games made for Nintendo systems until they "change their ways." When they do that that'll be the day I stop playing Nintendo games. With everyone trying to cash in on blood and sex, its nice to play games that don't rely on catering to the mass public and are made the way they are because the developers put their heart into it and thought it'd be a fun game. And thats what its all about for me, fun. If the DS is any indication that Nintendo can still innovate and bring out new and fresh ideas in a market that is stale with "me toos" then I'll gladly give them my money when the Revolution hits. I bought my DS in the summer and now have 9 games for it (I've never bought that many games for one system in such a short amount of time) that I won't sell because I love them so much, plus it provides and experience that you simply cannot get anywhere else. Some people are too afraid or reluctant to try new things, but I've been able to save lives by removing tumors, solve unsolved crimes and defend the defenseless, use a virtual canvas to control a game, and play Mario Kart across country from a coffee shop.

I'd also like to applaud Nintendo at keeping their systems and games affordable. The Gamecube is an incredible value at $99, as is the DS at $125. I have enough of a hard time paying my apartment rent, utilities, gas for car, going out, so its nice I can just go out and plop down $35 for a DS game and get a good game without feeling guilty.

Dazed

The only Nintendo i owned was a Nintendo 64 but im tempted by the revolution.

Out of the next gen consoles I will get a PS3 for sure and and possibly the revolution mainly due to its ability to play all nintendo games from the past .

The Xbox 360 does nothing for me although I hope the next batch of games will start to show of its power.

milo bloom

I guess I can go ahead and admit buying an Xbox was probably a mistake. We just picked up a used one earlier this year, and while Halo is incredible, and I love me some Doom, I realize that if I'd never bought an Xbox, I wouldn't know what I was missing, and aren't both available on the PC anyways? I'm not sure what I was expecting out of it, but I didn't get it. Sitting on the side of the entertainment stand? The SNES. I had it out not too long ago, just kicking it with Starfox and SuperMarioworld (still one of the most well designed games ever).

You can see from our game collection in my sig, that we have a varied collection, including many PS1 and PS2 games, but Nintendo will always have a place in our home, and I feel the new controller for the Revolution will actually bring a revolution in gaming. I think the graphics are reaching a plateau, and the designers are going to have to start making games fun again.

msdmoney

It's funny, I was in high school when the N64 and playstation were released, but I never realized one was "cooler" than the other at the time. If anything the N64 was the cooler system to own among my friends because of all the 4 player party games like MK64 and most of all Goldeneye. I had both systems, enjoyed both, but always enjoyed my N64 more because of the 4 player games and my favorite game of all time Zelda OoT.

I realized I favored Nintendo during the N64/Playstation generation, but I will probably continue to buy all consoles. Although Zelda is my favorite series I still like GTA, I won't exclude other systems because Nintendo is my favorite.

I really like my DS too, it is my first portable system since the Game Gear. I love all the different gaming possibities, games like Meteos wouldn't be possible without having a touch screen.

darkside

That is what I remember about the N64 as well. That was the ultimate multiplayer gaming system that really started the party type of gaming. Goldeneye, Mario Kart, etc.

The Playstation was the console you mostly played single player or maybe some Madden with one other person on occassion.

Legolas

The N64 was the beginning of Nintendo's downward plunge in the video game race, but the thing is that's the system that got all the play with people I know -- Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Mario Kart, Mario Tennis, Dr. Mario...

milo bloom, I'm thinking having bought an Xbox 360 was a mistake.

Chris_D

Yeah the N64 suffered from catridges, lack of rpgs etc, but in many ways it was my favourite nintendo system due to massive amounts of time spent playing mario kart, goldeneye, and fzero with my buddies. Add to that some great times with blast corps, zelda oot, and mario 64, and you have some great gaming memories.

Superboy

Nintendo going down? Nintendo going DOWN? Nintendo's only been going in one direction: UP.

What was game of the year for 1996? the game that spawned a whole new genre? that created a formula that almost every game to follow since has copied?

What was game of the year for 1997? the game that surprised everyone and changed console and PC games for years to come? changes that have caused major ripples through the industry that can still be felt to this day? changes that made people think about their gaming biases, the way they played their games, and the way they thought about how to play games as well? a game that successfully blended so many different genres into one, without people even knowing it?

What was game of the year for 1998? what game made people stand in awe for the first time in as many years, when they finally laid their hands upon cherished treasure, knowing, somewhat tenuously, that they were about to journey into something that was both extremely familiar and yet, so stunningly innovative? a game that has a quality that most games cannot yet emulate - that timelessness, that magic that makes you feel like the game didn't begin as a bemusing idea in the back of the mind of some half-hearted developer, but rather, that it was a work of art, of blood and sweat that was built from the ground up and every piece of the puzzle was carefully constructed and built together.

Now I ask...when you shave away those sales numbers, when you cut away all that marketing and the bullshit that doesn't make the games any more fun...you end up with Nintendo, a gleaming beacon throughout the years that will make you buy a game that will make you look at every OTHER game you bought and wonder...what are they doing wrong? why isn't it the same? what's different?

That's what you get with Nintendo games. You get games that don't make you think about what ifs, about what the left out, about what they didn't do, but what they did differently, what they did that was new, and most of all, what they did that actually made you remember the game. As far as i'm concerned Nintendo has only one direction to go: UP.