Nintendo's New Image
Just a little over a year ago, 2 new consoles launched and took a huge leap into the gaming universe. Nintendo launching there Gamecube and Microsoft with the Xbox. I myself expected Nintendo’s console to take off but many people stereotyped it as kiddy. Nintendo made many attempts to go for a maturer image but they didn’t seem to work perfectly. Anyone remember the first few GameCube commercials, they really showed Nintendo going for a maturer look. Even with that the Xbox somehow managed to pull ahead in sales over the GameCube because of one game, Halo. Nintendo continued to have more mature games and I do think they have plenty, but most people will take one look at a purple GameCube and just call it kiddy, and do I even bring up that SMS commercial.
Nintendo and Capcom come to a deal securing the Resident Evil series exclusively to Nintendo’s console but that wasn’t enough to convince people that Nintendo is definitely taking a change toward the mature image. Resident Evil was fully remade with some of the best graphics I’ve seem and it is certainly one of the most mature titles available, but people still would rather buy a PS2 or an Xbox for its one good game.
Working with Silicon Knights, Nintendo managed to create one of the best and most mature games out there, Eternal Darkness, but it still didn’t seem to get Nintendo up and over the top of the Xbox. I still predict some potential from Eternal Darkness as more people start looking past a consoles color and towards its excellent games, and the fact that it does have a good number of Mature games.
Now with the launch of Metroid Prime I see no way possible to call the GameCube a kiddy console. Metroid Prime bends over Halo and kicks it in the rear and it is really showing Nintendo’s path towards maturity. I am highly expecting Metroid Prime to get some excellent sales and to sell some systems. If you have seen the Metroid Prime commercial you can really see that the GameCube is trying for a mature image and you can no longer call it kiddy. The system is getting excellent mature games and people need to be more open minded and recognize that the GameCube is just as mature as the rest.
If have been calling the Gamecube a kiddy system then I implore you to reconsider. If Nintendo keeps up the constant stream of mature games that have been coming out then I predict the GameCube having an equal balance of mature games to game suitable for all ages. Even Nintendo’s non-mature games are excellent games for all ages. Mario and Zelda are two of the best franchises out there and just because they aren’t rated M doesn’t make them any less fun then an M rated game. I thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope that if you consider Nintendo kiddy that you take the time to reconsider and play some of there excellent games.