The fine wine: Nintendo

I don't know what is is about Nintendo. How they can take a decades old concept and keep it fresh years later. How they can refuse to include modern features such as voice acting and a functioning online system and still be as fun and as fresh as most competing games and in some cases even better than the competition. I don't know another company in the video game industry that has created a lifelong fanbase and a group of internet dwelling fanboys who will defend their beloved lord and savior Nintendo at the slightest sign of a threat. Nintendo has got it made despite the flaws, but what makes them so good? What brings them the the fans and loyalty that every console generation?

I think it has to do with that the basic formula behind a majority of Nintendo's games. When you get down to the basics they are simple game play formulas but being simple is what actually makes them so appealing. Mario is getting from point A to point B with a munch of obstacles in your way. Zelda is going through a series of dungeons with puzzles, traps, and bosses at the end. Metroid is the same only focusing on one huge world to explore and secrets to find hidden in the world to make you stronger. These basic game play elements have been around since the beginning of time every modern game has some of these styles of game play in them. Nintendo keeps it simple and focuses on game play over all else. Just take a look at their latest console the Wii and you can immediately see their design philosophy reflected through their creation. Nintendo spent their resources on new ways to play and control games instead of HD graphics and online play like their competitors. Nintendo made games have always been about game play over all else and that is why they last, because at the end of the day no matter how they look compared to their HD counterparts they are still fun and still engaging to play. Even though a majority of their modern games do look fantastic, but that's a completely different argument.

Characters are also what makes Nintendo memorable. Everyone knows who Mario is whether you play games or not. His face, his voice, and just his colors have become character trademarks and made him know around the world. Link and Samus while not as famous as Mario are still well know by many people and if you play games or have played games at all during the last 15 years you probably are aware of who these characters are. Once again these characters are minimalistic. They don't have amazingly deep back stories and layers of human nuance but it's minimalistic approach to character actually helps the gamer identify. In Zelda, the main character has been established as Link but at the same time you can name him any name you want. Samus is a mute and rarely ever speaks. This like Claude Speed from GTA III and Gordan Freeman from Half Life 1 and 2 allows the player become the protagonist and lets them live the game from their own perspective.

Finally it's the charm and lightheartedness in their games which makes them enjoyable. Zelda and Mario is about saving the princess and saving the world. However, they never delve into the realm of being too dark, too depressing, and too serious to be unfun. Even Nintendo's "darkest" games like Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess still had light hearted characters and in jokes to take a break from the bleakness. The games do a great job balancing serious fare and a level of casual light heartedness to make you keep in mind the important task at hand and still feel comfortable in the world in which the game takes place.

Nintendo keeps it simple and in doing that keeps it's fanbase happy and the rest of the gaming population having fun. Their philosophy still stays the same today and in a generation of graphics, online gaming, and FPS fare, still makes them fresh and stand out from the crowd.