Topic: Are we Nintendo fanboys for life?

[Kairon]

It is better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

~Alfred Lord Tennyson

~Carmine M. Red
Kairond@aol.com

[TMW]

I come from the other side of the tracks.  I was a Sega fanboy throughout my adolescence (thats not to say we didn't have an NES.  I just went the route of Sega when that time came).   I did get to play some SNES games, mostly through my Nintendo owning friends, but I was a diehard Sega fanboy, right up until the Dreamcast bit the dust.

From there, I had a decision to make.  And, I went with the Gamecube because the Wind Waker had just been released and all the awesome things I heard about Metroid Prime.

I mean, hell.  I might have been a diehard Sega fanatic, but I still loved Zelda!  

[Caterkiller]

I just turned 20 on the 2nd of June, and if you asked me 8 years ago when I was 12 if I still would be playing Pokemon by the time im 20 I probably would have said no. I am an actor and martial artist in training, I work 7 days a week, 2 at my Wushu school, 5 at Universal studios. I also have a girl friend who I try to spend as much time with as possible(thank god we work at the same place). And even though alot of different things demand my time I usually always find some time to play games(mostly just DS right now).  I work with alot of actors, and soo many of them, love video games, and comic books. I figure if these guys in there 30's and 40's still enjoy this stuff and can find time to enjoy them why couldn't I? But to be fair we get alot of breaks every day, which means we read and play games during these breaks, so I guess the same can't be said for everyone.  

I have endured alot of criticism througout my junior high, and high school years. And I couldn't imagine what could be worse than that, and if I am still enjoying my comic books, and games more pationately then ever,  the only reason I could ever see giving them up is if they dip in quality significantly like Sonic. I do enjoy games, but am seriously ready for change.

Video games have affected me very heavily in life, I have a big urge to go out and have huge adventures and such. I always feel like I should be the hero if something goes down,  if I know I have the ability to help. Sure im going to get killed that way but hey I wanna go down in a bang. TV, movies and the like are the only way I know that I could make a great future for myself acting like Link fighting a Moblin or Mario tripple jumping over some obsticle. Because of Soul Calibur's Kilik, Shangua, Sungmina, and Yung Sung, I decided to learn Wushu, and man its the best decision I have ever made in my life. When Wind Waker came out, and there was so much hysteria over looks and such I became so much more open minded its not even funny. I just remember the arguments back and forth on these boards,  and the statements from Miyamoto. Everything about judging things by their looks, it hit me hard.  I have a  few more things like that but im sure you guys get the idea. Yeah I guess it makes me a big nerdy geek, but the games mean alot to me, in more ways than just how much fun im having infront of the tv.  

It will be a long time befor I am officialy done with games. Oh and I only own Nintendo, nothing else since the Genesis.

[Mario]

I'm already out of this group by default since I was a Sega fan back in the day, Sonic absolutely destroyed all of Nintendos lame offerings back then, even though I hadn't played any of them. I think I saw one of my friends playing Super Metroid or something and called it crap. Then *gasp* I was a huge Playstation fan, thanks to such mega hits as Destruction Derby 2, Crash Bandicoot and uh... Croc.

Then Pokemon came out. All my friends were playing it, I didn't even look at it and called it lame and tiku tiku tiku! , then went home to play Croc. Eventually I somehow ended up trying Pokemon and got hooked. I got a Gameboy and Pokemon Blue and it became my favourite game ever! Then I just HAD to get a Nintendo 64 because of Pokemon Stadium (Pokemon in THREE DEE OH MY). I was in heaven! This system made PS seem like a piece of junk. Then I was browsing some store and found a cheap game called "Zelda". Hmm, what's this? I had no idea, even though the game (OoT) had been out for 2 years or so now. Then it pretty much changed my life and Majoras Mask came out just after I beat it and it was the best thing ever.

Then I played a bunch of other Nintendo games and realised they were the best ever, then I pre-ordered a GameCube and joined PGC.

As for the future, it's all Nintendo coloured for me. Mainly because Xbox 360 and PS3 are a joke and DS is currently occupying all my gaming time. I don't see any reason i'd stop gaming. When i'm married the wife will come second to a furious beating off session with Donkey Kong.

[IceCold]

As you can tell, Mario has a lot of VC catching up to do..

[Mario]

Yes... can't wait.

[Athrun Zala]

very interesting topic ^^

(warning, pretty long >_>Uu)

ok, let's see....I got my NES back in 1991, when I was a mere 4 years old, and I owe it to my eyedoctor (or whatever it's said in english ) since he told my parents to buy me one to help me with one of my many eye problems (focusing on one small object to stop the eyes from moving to be precise). I played a lot of Super Mario Bros and Duck Hunt, later MegaMan and many more (it was pretty popular here, so most people had one and thus, could get many games) which in really had me hooked and aware of this "world" (besides the TV ads), and in turn, a year later, when I was capable of more complex reading, my mum bought me a Nintendo magazine (Club Nintendo) that I bought for many years....
Then in 1993, when I was pretty much a fanboy and wanted to get a SNES, my dad went to the US, and believeing that the NES and SNES were the same thing, he brought me SNES game, which obviously didn't fit (in the end, it the perfect excuse to get a SNES, but they kept refusing, which was ok actually, as it was really expensive back then). Later in 1994 my dad went to Europe and this time he did bring the SNES with him (since there it was a lot cheaper), but the problem was that the other game that I had didn't work, and that I was pretty much screwed since all the SNES here were the US version (the TV wasn't an issue because here all the TV are strange hybrid that play the most bizarre formats including most types of PAL and NTSC).....so in the end I only had 4-5 game that I could get by some people that went to Europe...
Sometime later in 1997, I was able to buy a N64 (I had to get it here, after a failed attempt to get one when I went to the US in 1996.....because I went in april XD) but had to sell my SNES (how was I able to do that I'll never know), and of all of them this one was the one I played the most (the amount of time invested in GE's multiplayer is simply ridiculus...). Even though I was already aware of the other consoles (MegaDrive, etc), and dissed them in the past because I was simply a fanboy, I started to get really interested in them by that time (MegaDrives+SegaCD+32X weren't uncommon, N64, NES, SNES were really popular, Saturns weren't as popular, and PSX were extremely rare), but I didn't buy any of them (some friends had some, others simply rented). Obvously my interest peaked when the Saturn simply disappeared and the PSX were suddenly popular (yet nowhere near the N64's). The reason of the sudden interest for the PSX was pretty clear......modchips, thus pirated cheap games and access to (European) games in spanish as well as obscure japanese games...
This interest made me see the industry as whole (ie. not Mario kicking Sonic's ass) and starting to care about other companies (and thus ending my fanboyism) which resulted in me getting a Dreamcast in 2001 (between the picedrop and a friend going to the US, there was no way I'd miss the oportunity ^^.....even if I knew it was doomed and all...) which is a system I really loved, and had all kind of games, and felt like a different Sega in general (even if not as drastic, I see certain similarities between the Wii and DC...), it was really like an experiment, with a lot of "one of a kind" games....
But since I still love Nintendo and all, fan of the Metroid games and Zelda and Mario and etc, in Jan 2004 I got a GC (used, but I didn't have much money and between $150 and $300....) and although I haven't played as much as the others, I still love it (altough to me, is at the same time the strongest and the weakest Nintendo console...)

since this has gone for to long, I'll just end by saying that at least I know that still a bit of that fanboyism is there, and always will, because in the end, Nintendo has given me a lot of things, and have a lot for the videogames in general as well....

so yes, I'll be a fanboy forever

[KDR_11k]

I'm trying to avoid fanboyism, it clouds your judgement.

[Ian Sane]

"I work at the second rate video store that is Hollywood Video, and these two kids, probably 7 or 8 years old, were so excited to be renting Cars, the game based off the movie. Now, I haven't played the game, but I'm betting it's a completely mediocre experience at best. It is just an absolute shame that most kids play movie licensed games, Halo, and nothing else."

Honestly I didn't think it was that different when I was a kid.  Sure we remember the really awesome NES games like Mega Man and Mario but I knew kids that whenever a popular licence was turned into a game, they rented it.  I remember renting an NES and the game I picked was Terminator.  It SUCKED.  Easily one of the worst games I've ever played.  My neighbour would rent all sorts of great games but the second some new Simpsons game came out he rented it and it always sucked.  That really isn't anything new.

That is one thing I'm going to hate dealing with with kids.  I know my kids will ask for some game based on a hit movie and I'll have a hell of a time demonstrating to them that that game will suck and they're better off getting something else.

[JonLeung]

Quote
Originally posted by: Ian Sane

Sure we remember the really awesome NES games like Mega Man and Mario but I knew kids that whenever a popular licence was turned into a game, they rented it.  I remember renting an NES and the game I picked was Terminator.  It SUCKED.  Easily one of the worst games I've ever played.  My neighbour would rent all sorts of great games but the second some new Simpsons game came out he rented it and it always sucked.  That really isn't anything new.

Really?  I don't remember The Terminator NES game but for T2: Judgment Day I remember playing it and saying, "For a game based on a movie, this is actually well-done."  The stages were based on actual locations featured in the movie, you actually had to get into the habit of shooting people in the knees to avoid killing them...it wasn't, like, say, Home Improvement on the Super NES where all of the sudden you're collecting weird things and avoiding dinosaurs...

Yes, some licensed games are REALLY bad.  Cash cows to be milked, really.  That's not saying they can't be good, but that's still the exception.  Though I try not to support bad games, if I ever become a parent, I may have trouble saying no on some occasions if my kid really thinks he wants something...  

[couchmonkey]

Interesting!  I started out with my dad's Vic 20 and Commodore 64, and I started to become pretty interested in videogames over the years, but it wasn't until I played Super Mario Bros. at my cousin's house that I fell in love.

I was a total Nintendo fanboy, I hated Sega (though years later I like the company a lot more) and I defended Nintendo through the various generations, right up to this day.  I have become more open to other systems and games in recent years, even going as far as to consider buying a second system, but at the end of the day I don't have the time to play more games.

I can enjoy pretty much any system and any game (like SUPER said, even the bad ones), but Nintendo is my favourite, and that's why I stick with Nintendo first and foremost.  I have to admit, though, I would probably buy a second console if Nintendo had another run like the N64.  
The N64 is actually one of my favourite systems, but it just didn't have the game selection I wanted.  Luckily it doesn't look like that's going happen to Wii, things are going quite well so far.

I also wonder if I'll slow down on games.  Well, I know I will, when I start a family, but I have a feeling I'll still keep up with the news.  It doesn't take too much time to just browse PGC once a day.  Heck, the forums are the only thing that really takes up a lot of time.  But yeah, there will no doubt come a day when I'll have to ease up on my own videogame site, and most of my game play will be with my kids.  It'll still be worth it.

[JonLeung]

^couchmonkey, aside from the first paragraph, you pretty much summed up me!  o_0

I was also a fanboy in that I probably said that I "hated" Sega, especially during the 16-bit days.  I did play Master System and Genesis games, but I always felt Nintendo had the better selection.  My friend had the Sega systems (as I mentioned) and a guy who stayed at our house for a little while had a Saturn.  (Later, my brother bought a Dreamcast off of eBay, the only post-NES non-Nintendo console in our household.)  Now I like Sega a lot (not more than Nintendo, though) and I respect them as games makers tons more than Sony or Microsoft.  At least their games are good, and challenging - most of my "black list" (games so hard I couldn't finish them 100% on a single rental) is comprised of Sega games.  Their business sense...not so good...

Quote
Originally posted by: KDR_11k
I'm trying to avoid fanboyism, it clouds your judgement.

Perhaps, if you prefer, the world "fan" (as opposed to "fanboy"/"fangirl").  Will you always be a Nintendo fan?

As has been said, though, whatever happens with Nintendo in the future won't take away our childhood memories of the NES/Super NES (unless Microsoft makes a time machine and introduces the Xbox in the 1980s).

[Avinash_Tyagi]

Quote
Originally posted by: Ian Sane

That is one thing I'm going to hate dealing with with kids.  I know my kids will ask for some game based on a hit movie and I'll have a hell of a time demonstrating to them that that game will suck and they're better off getting something else.

You're going to have to give them only great games in advance, quell any desire for the junk, either that or teach them about game reviews

[TrueNerd]

Quote
Originally posted by: Ian Sane
"I work at the second rate video store that is Hollywood Video, and these two kids, probably 7 or 8 years old, were so excited to be renting Cars, the game based off the movie. Now, I haven't played the game, but I'm betting it's a completely mediocre experience at best. It is just an absolute shame that most kids play movie licensed games, Halo, and nothing else."

Honestly I didn't think it was that different when I was a kid.  Sure we remember the really awesome NES games like Mega Man and Mario but I knew kids that whenever a popular licence was turned into a game, they rented it.  I remember renting an NES and the game I picked was Terminator.  It SUCKED.  Easily one of the worst games I've ever played.  My neighbour would rent all sorts of great games but the second some new Simpsons game came out he rented it and it always sucked.  That really isn't anything new.

That is one thing I'm going to hate dealing with with kids.  I know my kids will ask for some game based on a hit movie and I'll have a hell of a time demonstrating to them that that game will suck and they're better off getting something else.

I am aware that bad licensed games aren't a recent fad. Maybe it was just me and the kids I knew, but licensed games were hardly ever mentioned when video games were discussed, outside of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle games, but those were good games as I recall it. It also could be I now have a better perspective of the bigger picture.
Let's just say I said this:

There was a time when Mario ruled the world and it sucks that he doesn't anymore.

[IceCold]

Quote
^couchmonkey, aside from the first paragraph, you pretty much summed up me! o_0

Heh, I seem to remember couchmonkey commenting how strikingly similar you two were, as well..

Alt account

[please let me in, please]

the first videogame i played was mario kart 64. From then on, i have been a complete nintendo fanboy. For the future? i probably will be, unless nintendo loses its creative and fun magic. Then, sadly if it happens, i will turn to another.

[IceCold]

Who will there be to turn to, then?

[King of Twitch]

What happens if Sony and MS continue to be in the red with future systems? Won't their shareholders demand an exit strategy? If one pulls out, would the other have a better shot at making a profit? What if no replacement rises to the greatness of Miyamoto once he retires?

Either way I'll probably let my kids have all my nintendo parafanelya and let them relive my childhood, added with a filtered set of good games only age and experience can offer. Of course, I could find some enjoyment in any game when I was a kid as well as tell which ones were really good, so maybe I'll just let them play whatever they like.

Or maybe my kids will become goth/emo and resent me and break all my stuff, then cut their wrists with the corners of the NES controller. I can't really see that far ahead.

[couchmonkey]

Alternate account?  I do say, I'd never do such a thing, and since JonLeung and I are mental clones, I know he wouldn't either.  Actually, I totally would, and I'd see how long I could keep it going before someone pointed it out.  I'd have conversations with myself too, that s**t is awesome.  But if I had an alternate, I wouldn't make him like myself, it's more fun if I can have arguments with the alt.

Back on topic: I'm pretty sure Sony is making tons of money on PS2.  PSP seems to be a different story, and PS3 looks like it might be a total failure, but I think it's only MS that's actually losing money right now.

When it comes to kids wanting to play liscenced crappy games, giving them lots of good games to play won't stop them from wanting the liscenced ones.  I went out of my way to play liscenced games back in the day, in fact I still own a fair number, including a few pretty bad ones.  But if you love Ren & Stimpy or Spongebob Squarepants, you're going to want to play games starring them, and you will probably enjoy those games even if they aren't as good as Mario.

I'll let my kids play the liscenced ones, but unless they have positive reviews, I'll make them rent them first.  Game rentals were one of my favourite things as a kid, there was a store near my house that would rent one game for two days for like $3, and three games for $6, so once every month or so I'd head over there and rent games.  Good times.  Now I have to go to Blockbuster or Rogers where rentals are more expensive, and actually buying games has become cheaper, plus I don't have time to spend a whole weekend playing games...so it's just not the same any more.  

[Ian Sane]

"Now I have to go to Blockbuster or Rogers where rentals are more expensive, and actually buying games has become cheaper"

This is why I never rent games anymore.  Aside from the price the selection is the sh!ts.  The big rental chains have the same attitude towards games as they do for movies.  So they get like six copies of a huge game like Super Mario Sunshine that everyone is going to buy anyway.  But unlike with films they don't have as much shelf space so the less common games (ie: the ones you want to rent to try them out) aren't available.  When I was a kid all the rental stores in my area were independent and their NES game selection worked like this: one copy per game, but tons of games to choose from.  So there was only one copy of Mega Man 3 and you were lucky to rent it when it was a new game but there was also weirdo stuff like Clash at Demonhead available.  The selection combined with the relatively cheap price of renting meant that you got to try out all sorts of games (it helps that at the time games were shorter).

I think at the time though things were more unofficial.  It seemed pretty obvious to me that those rental stores just went to Sears on release day, bought a copy of all the new games, and rented them out.  These days the game companies probably allocate certain copies to the big rental chains and the store manager wouldn't be allowed to just rent whatever he felt like without going through the chain of command.

While I like DVDs in a way I hate them because the switchover to that format killed the local videostores in my area (and pretty much everywhere I visit).  Blockbuster could switch to the new format easier than Bob's Video Rental could so the local guys got less business.  

[Gamebasher]

Yeah, the guys with the big money and big ambitions are a greedy bunch and it shows more often than not!

Fortunately, they never will get to push out Nintendo. They tried, but they failed. Now, where itĀ“s time for revenge, itĀ“s more like Nintendo who is going to push them (Sony/Microsoft) out. So, while I agree with you that itĀ“s a shame that local shops are forced out because of bigger corporations moving in, I think itĀ“s a joy to see how history teaches us the lesson that whenever there is downs in life, there is always bound to come the upĀ“s as well. So the bright side is that Nintendo has just proven that they can withstand any attempt to destroy them, having constantly reinvented itself over the years and made various wise business moves which safeguarded the company (they bought up all of their stock some years ago, in order to prevent hostile takeover)

That is why I will always be a Nintendo fanboy! For me my relationship to Nintendo is one of trust, loyalty and excitement. Trust, because I know they will always give me the best games to play. Loyalty, because they are worth being loyal to having time and again proven themselves able to deliver the entertainment that rocks my life, and even changed it in various ways thanks to the content of the games. Excitement, because of the feeling I get from playing their games. A feeling no other gamescompany has ever been able to make me feel.

[Spak-Spang]

I may not be a Nintendo fan for life...but the day I give up Nintendo is the day I give up gaming period.

Nintendo is the only company that consistantly makes games I enjoy to play, and it is the only company that is keeping the traditional spirit of gaming alive.  

[Gamebasher]

Yes! That was the magic words!

The Spirit of Gaming!!

And...this is where Sony have failed and Nintendo Succeeded.

Hmm... Spirit of Gaming. That must be that thing which makes Nintendo games feel so fresh and exciting to play!

[Kairon]

Quote
Originally posted by: Ian Sane
While I like DVDs in a way I hate them because the switchover to that format killed the local videostores in my area (and pretty much everywhere I visit).  Blockbuster could switch to the new format easier than Bob's Video Rental could so the local guys got less business.

I..I... never thought about that before...

I..I...I HATE DVDS! *WEEP*

~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com
Bleeding Heart

[IceCold]

shouldn't it be /weep?