I hate how sanitized modern Sony & Nintendo feels. I miss irreverence in games.
- Thread starter Stay Up Be Easy
- Start date
Given gaming is a huge business now, opposed to the relatively niche thing it was in the 90s, everything about the tone had to be curbed in order to maximize revenue.
That's just the sign of the times. 90s advertising was fun, because you implicitly knew none of it was to be taken seriously, beyond just quoting memorable lines.
Besides, being a kid with no money in the 90s, it was literally a case of the ads being entertaining without making any connection to the actual products.
That's just the sign of the times. 90s advertising was fun, because you implicitly knew none of it was to be taken seriously, beyond just quoting memorable lines.
Besides, being a kid with no money in the 90s, it was literally a case of the ads being entertaining without making any connection to the actual products.
there's quite a lot for Nintendo on the channels I watch at least
I miss the 90s and early 00s internet. So many small communities here and there, so many obscure websites. Now most people visit 2 or 3 gigantic sites where they have everything conveniently filtered by a big corporation and that's it.
It makes me feel old saying that but I really feel like things were more fun back then.
Is it fair to judge games for their budget or not being AAA?
I was such an Xbox 360 boy in college. Like I was all about it and didn't want to hear shit about PS3. But then those Kevin Butler commercials came on, and dear god, straight gold. I would die laughing. Fast forward to now, I feel so burnt by my XBox One, so enthralled by my PS4.. but I'm going to get both again. Give Microsoft one last go.
Somewhat, I think it can make the visuals and world feel more immersive. With an AAA budget there's also more possibility for 3D platformers like how many there were during the PS2 gen.
Shouldn't have skipped the Wii lol. Also there's plenty of stuff like that on the Switch.
Really? Those were fantastic ads that probably moved a lot of hardware.
Really? Those were fantastic ads that probably moved a lot of hardware.
That sounds about right to me, too, especially with OP posting a couple old ads to illustrate their point. Given how absolutely shit games advertising has been, I'm fine if there's more of a focus on straightforward advertising. Just show gameplay - I don't need any pandering attempt at edginess served with it.
As for the actual games, well, of course large budget, blockbuster games are sanitized to some degree. They're like large budget, blockbuster movies, albums, or novels in that way. There's still some room for departures from that, like that list of Nintendo games illustrates. On the Sony side, this gen we've had The Last Guardian, Gravity Rush, Bloodborne, etc. Blockbuster third party releases can also have plenty of personality, too, as illustrated by the entire Yakuza series.
I'd argue that those 90s Crash Bandicoot ads don't really hold up over time seeing how, he ended back at Plumberboy's feet to ask for a job to be on his console after Sony sold him off to Activision. Even "Kevin Butler" made a run to Nintendo (Sort of) when he had the the chance. I will admit I do miss a lot of the old commercials from the 90s and and even mid to late 80s though.
I'm glad it's dead. I hated it even more when they focused on it at e3
I don't miss at all these childish stupid ads that did nothing but fuel stupid wars on impressionable kids. I have every and single one of those "radical,dont tell ur parents" or "the competition is lame and childish,come here" commercials.
That's all i have to say regarding the old marketing.
That's all i have to say regarding the old marketing.
I wish the community could have evolved to something that was inclusive towards all kinds of people, but also didn't take itself too seriously. It feels like right now we have the worst of both worlds where things have gotten better by minorities but their experiences still suck, but also we're all jaded adults and everything is consolidated into a few boring platforms like Reddit and Twitter.
sony is the big dog this generation though they can't punch around when they're winning
and nintendo needed the back to basics campaign
now xbox though, they should be picking up the slack
and nintendo needed the back to basics campaign
now xbox though, they should be picking up the slack
We always go through these cycles where "the way things used to be" was better, like every 10-20 years. In a decade or two people will have nostalgia for Uncharted. "Why doesn't ND make games like that anymore instead of **insert whatever they are working on at the time**". Nostalgia is funny like that.
As to the OP more directly, a lot of that is changes in culture. Those type of ads you are fawning over fit with the time period when companies were desperately trying to market to edgy pre-teens and teenagers. They do that less so now, because gaming as a market has grown and diversified some since then, and also because what teens want in 2020 is different than what teens wanted in the 90s and 2000s. That's just how shit works. That you are still nostalgic for that kind of stuff, or think most of what you are waxing poetic about would even work the same way today, says more about you than these companies. Reminds me a lot of the "Bring back the Attitude Era!" type of wrestling fan.
I applaud a few efforts from both companies like Labo and Dreams, but it used to feel like we got fresh risky ideas like this all time. Now we get like 1 per gen just so they can say 'look how creative and artistic we are', but in reality they just want to crank franchise game X out ten times per year and leave the creativity to tiny poor indie teams.
While true in terms of production values, if we're being real the best of the current indie games are definitely just better games overall than the 90s/00s mascot platformer stuff.
I don't entirely disagree in the broad sense that budgets have risen to the point that AAA games have to play it pretty safe.
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Yeah, this was my takeaway too. I prefer focusing on the quality of product over corporations focusing on developing 'personalities.'
Eh, the Crash games for example are colorful and pretty solid games, but there's definitely tons of much tighter platformers.
I always thought the rivalries were silly and just encouraged toxic behavior on the part of fans, I don't miss it at all. Especially when they were making stuff up (the Sony used games bit from the lead-up to PS4/Xbox One was funnier than literally anything from the '90s, except maybe Segata Sanshiro who was just bizarre)
That said, I definitely agree that in-game Nintendo in particular was pretty stale between 2012-2016. They've gotten much better since, though. It's possible to be funny and creative without being crude.
That said, I definitely agree that in-game Nintendo in particular was pretty stale between 2012-2016. They've gotten much better since, though. It's possible to be funny and creative without being crude.
I don't think we need to go at each other's throats, but some irreverence goes a long way. The ads for PS4 with Perfect Day were funny, and the Mario Odyssey commercial was fun, but many trailers from all three platform holders this gen have been to the point but not the most fun.
Microsoft has allowed Obsidian, Double Fine and Ninja Theory to maintain their marketing which goes a long way. I love their work on the Game Pass account and main Xbox account too, super funny and sneaky (they hid the color Scarlet in many of their pre-E3 posts)
Nintendo and Sony have great social media moments too, the great Direct tease of January 2018 with Chibi Robo jumping to mind for Nintendo, and Sony's meme trolling in March.
But yes, I miss the Regginator. I miss Kevin Butler.
Microsoft has allowed Obsidian, Double Fine and Ninja Theory to maintain their marketing which goes a long way. I love their work on the Game Pass account and main Xbox account too, super funny and sneaky (they hid the color Scarlet in many of their pre-E3 posts)
Nintendo and Sony have great social media moments too, the great Direct tease of January 2018 with Chibi Robo jumping to mind for Nintendo, and Sony's meme trolling in March.
But yes, I miss the Regginator. I miss Kevin Butler.
Eh, I feel like this kind of "edginess" has died from over-saturation at this point. It's a similar thing to how games with "anti-corporate themes" just come across as kind of lame and impotent now. Times have changed, we've all seen the argument / thesis, there is no fun in returning. Let's look forward to new things.
Idk, I never really had a problem with the Crash controls. Crash 1/2 are both top 10 platformers for me, not to mention all the other platformers that released during the PS1/PS2 gens.
If you want juvenile bullshit then stay tuned to this forum.....shit is about to get real with PlayStation and Xbox having big blowouts in the next month or so......I could do without the compnies themselves engaging in it though,lol.
Exactly, why waste time/money on console-warring advertisement when you've got rabid fans happy to do it for free without even being asked?
A lot of those old ways of marekting are cringey nowadays, where throwing jabs at the competition use to be viewed as fun, it's kind of seen as distasteful now.. Some still hold the test of time, and yeah, the PS4 used games one is iconic for this gen, but I'd argue it's iconic because we don't get that many of those type of videos anymore. If we got them every few months, no one would care about the used game video 7 years later.
That all was some 90s era attitude living on, and i'd argue this mentality also prevented cross-play to be a thing for so long.
You can't be sassy without invoking some console wars shit like that. With those online play barriers collapsing that shit ain't got that big a place anymore.
You can't be sassy without invoking some console wars shit like that. With those online play barriers collapsing that shit ain't got that big a place anymore.
Isn't how they try to be relatable and posting memes and stuff on twitter kinda like that, just instead of attitude we have fear of fading relevancy...
