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In light of recent revelations, Nintendo's ip breadth is highkey amazing, isn’t it? And that they're all genre kings, not also-rans is insane too.

Uniomni

Uniomni

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I'm just speaking on how varied their portfolio is.

Mario = Platformer both 3d and 2d
Zelda = action adventure
Metroid = platformer
Kirby = platformer
Smash = Platform fighter
M Kart = arcade racer
Animal Crossing = Life Sim cozy corner
Splatoon = 3Person team shooter
Pokemon = Monster tamer jrpg
Xenoblade = Epic jrpg
Fire Emblem = Strategy rpg
Advance Wars = Strategy game
Luigi Mansion = Action adventure on smaller scale
Mario whatever = sports titles
Arms = Zany fighter

And I know I'm missing some titles but man, it's too much to recall.

Like, you might not like everything they make but damn they've got some spread.

Looking at this list, makes me miss Sega as a hardware maker, because they carried their own boat as well.

My only concern is that the workforce needed for those titles plus whatever new ips they're working on will mean droughts ahead.

But really, has there ever been a portfolio as well rounded as Nintendo's? I do acknowledge they're sorely lacking western fp titles like shooters and rpgs.
 
Starlatine

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i appreciate the diversity but to call the mario sports games and arms "genre kings" is a bit much
 
OGlol

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They definitely have some bangers and decent diversity but calling a lot of those genre kings is a bit of a stretch.
 
Manmademan

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their depth is good, their breadth is not. There are gigantic genre gaps that just don't show up at all on Nintendo platforms.

Nintendo has a LOT of platformers and they all tend to be pretty good.
Nintendo has a good amount of party games and kart racers and they all tend to be pretty good.
Nintendo has a decent amount of action-adventure titles and they all tend to be pretty good.

outside of that it's a desert.
 
Lotus

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7qrtp6.jpg
 
Faceless_Caesar

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PBalfredo said:
Hell, Zelda is now the king of immersive sims too
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I didn't have to put 0451 into anything in Zelda how can it be an immersive sim? /s

Nintendo has a lot of great games but they do basically nothing when it comes to accessibility and they should be doing a lot more with that since a lot of their messaging is based around gaming being for everyone.
 

Gunman

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You forgot Yoshi and Pikmin, the highkey genre kings of crafted platformers and garden strategy.
 
Fumpster

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I think there's also something to be said about how much of their stuff are unique takes on existing genres or laid the groundwork for genres as well. Smash Bros. is a unique take on the fighting genre, Pikmin is a unique take on the RTS genre, Kirby is an interesting blend of platformer + beat-em-up, there's really nothing else out there quite like Splatoon... I think it contributes a lot toward these series still getting sequels all these years later while still mostly feeling fresh; there just aren't a ton of alternatives for what they're dishing out.

I think this is probably why stuff like Xenoblade and Fire Emblem stand out a bit, and aren't as popular with the oldhead Nintendo fans. They're great games on their own but as anime-styled JRPGs/SRPGs respectively they aren't exactly super aesthetically unique in the gaming landscape.
 

giapel

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Oct 28, 2017
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thread leans into hyperbole but Nintendo is the only platform holder that has enough in-house breadth to support a console completely by themselves
 
Starlatine

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Fumpster said:
I think there's also something to be said about how much of their stuff are unique takes on existing genres or laid the groundwork for genres as well. Smash Bros. is a unique take on the fighting genre, Pikmin is a unique take on the RTS genre, Kirby is an interesting blend of platformer + beat-em-up, there's really nothing else out there quite like Splatoon... I think it contributes a lot toward these series still getting sequels all these years later while still mostly feeling fresh; there just aren't a ton of alternatives for what they're dishing out.

I think this is probably why stuff like Xenoblade and Fire Emblem stand out a bit, and aren't as popular with the oldhead Nintendo fans. They're great games on their own but as anime-styled JRPGs/SRPGs respectively they aren't exactly super aesthetically unique in the gaming landscape.
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what
kirby is just a platformer
and fire emblem was absolutely a stand out as a character based strategy game instead of "general and a bunch of faceless armies"
 
masizzai

masizzai

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Genre King Mario Super Strikers how could I have ever forgotten. Nintendo makes dope games though no doubt about it they have a lane and they do it very well.
 
Rellodex

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Rowsdower said:
What the heck is an also-ran?
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A figure of speech that means wannabes, imitators, or lackluster entries in a category (genre, field, medium) where they are outclassed by their competition.

www.merriam-webster.com

Definition of ALSO-RAN

a horse or dog that finishes out of the money in a race; a contestant that does not win; one that is of little importance especially competitively… See the full definition
www.merriam-webster.com www.merriam-webster.com
 
Dyle

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Ring Fit was robbed

Yes no one else comes close. Most other big companies have specialized themselves to their own detriment which Nintendo has managed to completely avoid.
 
Fumpster

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Starlatine said:
what
kirby is just a platformer
and fire emblem was absolutely a stand out as a character based strategy game instead of "general and a bunch of faceless armies"
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I won't argue with FE, I do like those games a lot and can see that perspective!

I don't see how Kirby is just a pure platformer though, in terms of gameplay I really think it has a lot of common DNA with something like Streets of Rage. It feels strongly like a beat-em-up with platformer elements rather than vice versa, imo
 
Ashes of Dreams

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Anyway I strongly disagree that most of these games are genre kings. But a lot of them are definitely high quality and I understand why people like Nintendo games. I find a lot of their stuff way too safe and by the numbers, personally. If it wasn't for Zelda and their good relationship with JRPGs, I would probably write them off as "not really for me" by now. But I'm sticking around because of those two things.
 
Anth0ny

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Oct 25, 2017
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I would adjust:

2D Mario = 2d platformer
3D Mario = 3d platformer
Metroid = metroidvania lol
Zelda = action adventure
Smash = fighting games
Mario Kart = arcade racer
Animal Crossing = social sim
Pokemon = JRPG
Fire Emblem = Tactical RPG
Mario Party = party game
Ring Fit = exercise game
 
Starlatine

Starlatine

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L Thammy said:
I'd say that's more true when Fire Emblem started out than now. Fire Emblem had competing series - more than one! - debuting a year later.
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well yeah im talking about the very first here. the life sim stuff mixed with the new games is somewhat unique as well, but not as much as when the game made its way back in 1990 when most of the strategy games popular at the time were nobunaga ambition clones or super hardcore economy sims
 
PucePikmin

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It's almost like not obsessing over hardware grunt and graphics and pursuing a wide array of genres and sizes of games rather than just endless open worlds lets you create a lot of varied stuff!
 
Rowsdower

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Thanks for the definition guys.

In the spirit of the thread, I'd argue Pokemon is a genre king RPG over Xenoblade.
 
HououinKyouma

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The Mario sports games have been mediocre at best this gen.

Theeennn againnnn, so have most of the sports games, period.
 
Zinogah

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Not genre kings, but their ability to completely shift conversations when they make something truly exceptional is remarkable. Breath of the Wild was their first crack at an open world game, and it's one of the single most influential in recent memory.
 
808s & Villainy

808s & Villainy

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Rowsdower said:
Thanks for the definition guys.

In the spirit of the thread, I'd argue Pokemon is a genre king RPG over Xenoblade.
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In terms of sales, absolutely. In terms of genre prestige? Pokemon primarily appeals to Pokemon players, but for people into RPGs in general, Pokemon games nowadays are thoroughly mediocre compared to the rest of the genre
 
klastical

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Not calling Metroid a metroidvania is a crime. I don't think Luigi's mansion is the king of a specific genera, what sets it apart from Rachel and clank?
 
Neoxon

Neoxon

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Anth0ny said:
I would adjust:

2D Mario = 2d platformer
3D Mario = 3d platformer
Metroid = metroidvania lol
Zelda = action adventure
Smash = fighting games
Mario Kart = arcade racer
Animal Crossing = social sim
Pokemon = JRPG
Fire Emblem = Tactical RPG
Mario Party = party game
Ring Fit = exercise game
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Why no Splatoon?

Funkelpop said:
Kind of wish they just introduced new IP's though or more often
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They introduced ARMS, Ring Fit Adventure, & Astral Chain this generation.
 
Neoxon

Neoxon

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Anth0ny said:
Splatoon is good and unique but the "third person shooter" is a heck of a genre.

I wouldn't call Splatoon a "genre king" like I would the others in that list.
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It's one of the only shooters that took off in Japan & popularized an entire control method (gyro aiming), those two alone deserve props.
 
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