Argue all you want about the current quality of games, many hardcore gamers will still mention that the Super Nintendo was the greatest gaming console of all-time. It could be the nostalgia, it could be the fact that the better games in the system remain amongst the best ever made, it could be the simplicity of the content, or lastly it might be that the ratio of classic versus regular game is highest for the sophomore Nintendo machine. One thing holds true though: the Super Nintendo is the system we most refer to when talking about Nintendo’s better days. While the Wii and DS became Nintendo’s biggest moneymakers, we still don’t hold a happy candle to those systems when compared to the SNES. So could this explain the sudden glimpsing into the past Nintendo has been doing lately?
Link to the Past has been constantly linked to rumors about a sequel/prequel/remake. Super Mario 4 has been registered—which would potentially make it a sequel to Mario Bros. 3 or even Super Mario World. 2-D Metroid has been rumored on and about. Even good ol’ F-Zero has been brought up as making a comeback. While this is a longshot theory as to why this is happening, one thing remains true: if Nintendo wants to win the hardcore back it must imitate the Super Nintendo.
Super Mario World launched with the SNES, Zelda arrived around a year later, and then after a few old and new franchises sprouted about we got Metroid three years into the SNES lifespan. Lastly, several surprises graced the end of the SNES like the Donkey Kong Country sequels, Kirby Super Star and Dream Land, and of course Super Mario RPG. The WiiU should copy this lifespan down to a T. The last time a Nintendo system launched with Mario was the Nintendo 64—which some will argue was Nintendo’s last truly amazing system.
Super Mario 64 pretty much represented the Nintendo 64 and all it stood for----3-D immersive gaming full of graphical, control, and software innovations. Nintendo serious about Super Mario 4? They need to make Mario the man that will display what the WiiU is capable of---whatever that may be since we are still sorely lacking in details. Super Mario has been the go-to franchise since it never fails to bring in great numbers. The best-selling fighting, racing and platform game involves Super Mario.
We all know Zelda has seen better days, so why not deliver a massive epic 2-D Zelda adventure in Year 2 of the WiiU? It would not be too far off the launch, and would be the first console non 3-D Zelda since Link to the Past—whom most consider to still be the pinnacle of Zelda and adventure games in general. Then Metroid should also get the 2-D treatment as a throwback to Super Metroid—one of the 10 greatest games ever made.
But to win the hardcore back and imitate what the Super Nintendo delivered, Nintendo must do one thing that will alienate companies and may cause some tiffs amongst the industry: control the third-party content. The NES and SNES were the last two systems to have a near-dictatorship like authority over what can and cannot be released. In the NES days, Nintendo only allowed a select few games not from them to grace the system. The SNES days also were quite cruel in making sure nothing was half-arsed before release. The Playstation would be the system to destroy this trend and method of thought as they opened the floodgates to anyone that can make games. This is why the PSX sold more than the N64, had many more games, but at the same time had a much more pitiful ratio of classics. Come on, try naming 10 classic PSX games.
Now think of the SNES---it wasn’t just Nintendo making the classics. Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy III, Donkey Kong Country, Street Fighter II Turbo, NBA Jam, Super Ghouls n’ Ghosts, Mega Man X, Turtles in Time, and many other gems were made by other companies. While Nintendo may lose the amount of games in the process, they need to set the third-party companies straight and prevent them from just mailing in stupid games like what happened with the Wii. Force the companies to take you seriously, as if you really want to impress the hardcore audience.
Bottom Line: The WIiU is coming out this year, and its success relies on its ability to imitate the SNES: start with Mario, closely follow with Zelda, sprinkle plenty of good-looking games here and there throughout the lifespan, and lastly don’t forget to throw in some good surprises. The Wii lacked true surprises, which is something even the Gamecube had (Rogue Leader, Viewtiful Joe anyone?), and its smaller-profile classics that can really propel a system to new heights of quality. Perhaps Miyamoto realizes that the SNES is the image hardcore gamers rely on when talking about how far Nintendo has separated from its fanbase, which is why we have Super Mario 4, an old-school look at Zelda and Metroid, and even revivals of dead franchises like F-Zero occurring.
While an HD Nintendo system is sure to bring some attention, its going to take a lot more than that to remove the sting the hardcore, long-running Nintendo enthusiasts experienced when seeing what the Wii delivered (er, didn’t deliver).
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