What was Nintendo's golden decade?

[DioShiba]

But he's right with Smb3's levels.

True, they're considered linear. But when you really play the levels there's actually several paths you can take to get to the goal roulette of the level. And this is especially true in the pipe zone's levels and to some extent some of the fortress levels.

This stands even more true for SMW, granted that you consider secret exits and ghost houses. And that one level in world six where whatever zone you were taken to depended on the amount of time it takes you to get to the pipe. That said I think when it comes to linearity in 2D mario games it depends on how noticable it really is.

[Iceman404]

Yeah, it's something, but not necessarily built the way I'd actually care about it or notice really. In Mario it's always a choice, a warp pipe or something. I meant if they took the Sonic route for a game and set every level up like: Top = Hard to maintain, quickest, and most rewarding/ middle = regular route and a middle man path to each one/ bottom = hard to stay alive (deathpits) and not as rewarding (as well has hard to escape).

[DarkMalfunction]

I have about 2 games from decade 2 as I was only born in '98 so was a bit young, but I'm choosing it because one of them was Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga.

When you're only 5/6 years old, the gameworld was massive, even if it's tiny compared to the sequels. The music is legendary (as MIDI music goes xD) and although looking back, it doesnt quite hold the same standard as my modern favourites, f.e the layton games, the fact is in my early years, we couldn't afford much games, so I loved what I had, so this game holds a special place in my heart, even though I'm sure its a pirated cart. And the save battery went. And it suffers terrible slowdown because its probably pirated.

Anyway, its an awesome game, reflected by the popularity of its sequels, and if for some stupid reason you haven't played it, play it now. It gives you a warm fuzzy feeling. Like coffee.

"DECADE 2, I CHOOSE YOU!"

/cliché

[Kriven]

in my early years

fpfidofiffujfo you were born in 98, it's still your early years, go enjoy them!

[DarkMalfunction]

in my early years

fpfidofiffujfo you were born in 98, it's still your early years, go enjoy them!

earlier years

[puggsoy]

but I'm choosing it because one of them was Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga.

my modern favourites, f.e the layton games

I didn't know I had a twin!

[Omegajak]

What was Nintendo's Golden decade? I was born midway of Decade 1 which I see as the foundation for a lot of my pre-determined notions about gaming. (buttons and D-pads no better way to play.) So when I started understanding more about myself and could competently read, and form opinions I'd say Decade 2 is the best. In all honesty nintendo set industry standards on a lot of their iP's like Super Mario 64 is to this day consider the penultimate 3D platform experience.

The amount of time I sank into Super Mario Sunshine out of pure boredom is ridiculous. No child should be that enthralled by a world that does not exist but, I feel some of my cultural background made me gravitate towards that game. Also all the GB-GBC Pokemon games, that were absolutely delicious. Pokemon Crystal to me personally is what every new Pokemon iteration should aspire to me. Not only did it acknowledge the past it approached the future. You can no be a girl, I didn't even think about that possibility as a kid but when presented to me it made too much sense. My only question in Pokemon now is the lack of focus on customization OF THE PEOPLE. Yeah you can dress up your Pokemon but they don't stay dressed up in battles. Do I have to be a trainer? Can I be a journalist? I'm not asking for some big mmo but I know it's not hard to have occupational choices in a DS cart (there's lots of memory in those things even more so now with 3DS carts.)

Star Fox needs a new adventure we need something other than Andross to want to take over the Lylat system, and not just aliens invading to make everyone mindless drones I mean renegade mercenaries, an emerging republic, separatists. The charming thing about Star Fox was the questions you asked about the dialogue between the characters their relationships outside the battle field. Like Wolf and Fox use to be best friends but they had a falling out and Wolf went on to create the StarWolf Fighter series which is as far as wiki and manuels are concerned is the superior ship so why are they so easy to defeat?

While I'm on the subject of Nintendo's lack of forward thought, let's discuss OoT and MM, people claim OoT is the true masterpiece, but I would argue a masterpiece can only be called that when compared to something similar. If you do that with OoT against MM. MM beats it in every regard. The palette, the sound track, the characters which are reiterations a lot of aimless characters were given purpose and more life in MM. There was more personality, people knew each other by name even if they were directly related to one another. Lest we forget, of course the biggest change is the tone. Sure Zelda games are pretty bleak in terms of plot when analyzed but MM takes dispair to a whole new level. One of the saddest points of the game is when you realize the Deku mask you receive is of the Deku attendants is actually the soul of the dead Deku Scrub tree you see at the very beginning of the game. (If you didn't already guess that was his son in the first place.) That level of...mental distraught is almost maddening.

Decade 3 has a lot of safety and play to the crowd kind feel to it. Which I don't understand why Nintendo is doing because it's not like casual players remember Super Mario Bro's 3 or Super Mario World any less to the now catered to them New Super Mario bros.

Oh and before I forget to vent it. Metroid Other M was a solid Metroid game. That game is exactly what it looks like when Nintendo is trying too hard to analyze it's hardcore crowd. Which I think the Penny Arcade series Extra Creditz is right: that game could have benefitted story-wise on small banter between characters during the points of isolation and adventure.

Nintendo needs to go back to it's hay days of just taking a fun quirky idea and just running with it. Kirby's Epic yarn is a fantastic example but Kirby in himself is often the safest bet you can make in terms of Nintendo IP's. So I discount him usually of being the constant progressive IP because it's so easy to make a cute accessible imaginative world with Kirby as your focus point. I'd even go so far to say that there could conceptually be no such thing as a bad Kirby game his Mythos is so well designed it's hard to put him someplace he won't fit in.

but yeah anyway walls of text.jpg. Decade 2 wins.

[Ash Crimson Prettiest Princess]

What do I get to say as someone who never owned any of these consoles, and besides Super Metroid and Win Waker legit being a good game, thinking that other consoles, especially the PC had more to offer.

[Kriven]

Banned apparently...

what for? O-o

[Garamonde]

An alt. account.

It's a long story.

[Kriven]

An alt. account.

It's a long story.

Keeping up now.
Sorry I was a little slow on the uptake >.>;

[Goemar]

EarthBound, Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario Kart, Super Metroid, A Link to the Past - all in decade 1. I mean surely that's enough to win right? Hell if you slide Yoshi's Island into decade 1 you've got pretty much all the best Nintendo games.

Sure, Mario 64 was good but Decade 1 has all the games that made Nintendo, Nintendo. And in many cases have NEVER been surpassed. The SNES Mario Kart is still seen as the best one, Super Metroid is still seen as the pinnacle of the Metroid series (and for it's time was just unbelievable), and Zelda 3 (yeah I slapped a number behind it, deal with it) was just out of this world. For the sheer scale, wonder and creativity decade 1 wins hands down.

However, I'm not counting Golden Eye or Perfect Dark as they aren't really Nintendo games...

[Kriven]

The SNES Mario Kart is still seen as the best one

Huh? O-o

[DioShiba]

The SNES Mario Kart is still seen as the best one

Huh? O-o

I agree with that statement.

Most of what make SMK good was that it relied more by chance rather than being completely balanced. so it was pretty fair and hell, it still has a lot of re-playability

[Koopaul]

Mario Kart will never be able to beat Diddy Kong Racing.