Why Sports Gamers Need Nintendo

[RaychelSnr]

As a child of the '80s and early '90s, the majority of my earliest sports-gaming memories were forged on the Nintendo Entertainment System. I can remember countless hours spent with games like Pro Wrestling, Punch-Out!!, Excitebike, Baseball, Ice Hockey and many more first-party, non-licensed, titles for Nintendo's first home console.

When the Genesis was released, followed by the Super Nintendo, the days of first-party Nintendo sports titles seemed to be scaled back drastically. Starting with EA's NHLPA and Madden series, licensed sports games became more of a necessity in a market clamoring for realism in the sports-gaming sector.

This trend was the beginning of the end for unique sports titles on the Nintendo consoles, and also served as the end of the fictional players and teams of yesteryear. One of the more disturbing results of this shift in sports gaming was that Nintendo, in many ways, even abandoned its own first-party sports titles -- I would argue that there has not been a relevant sports game on a Nintendo system since the N64 days.

Read More - Why Sports Gamers Need Nintendo

[SBartlett]

kool

[smokeyvol]

I'm 50/50 on this.... Next gen sports games are taking over.

IMO kids will still enjoy the Wii sports/"N Sports" line games but true hardcore sports gamers want next gen and killer graphics!

[DC]

No real sports gamer gives a damn about Nintendo.

[WatchdogXC]

I would be interested to see Nintendo bring back the Nintendo Pennant Chase MLB game that was canceled on the GameCube. I'd love to see a MLB sim with wii controls done right.

[Peninc]

couldnt have said it better

[The Gird]

The Nentendo sports games are fun to bust out every once and while, but honestly, they really don't compare to what is going on with sports gaming these days. Solid article though. Just don't really think any of those games would garner much attention from our sports gaming community on a regular basis. IMO.

[Bumble14]

I think that is a very shortsighted statement DC. In fact, I couldn't disagree with you more on it.

Anyone who is a diehard, "real", sportsgamer shows a lot of respect to Nintendo for what they've contributed to the genre as a whole. Without Nintendo there wouldn't be any console gaming. Have a little respect to the elder consoles that started this whole sports gaming trend we enjoy today.

I'm also not really understanding the notion that people would not be interested in a solid Nintendo Wii sports title because "Next Gen games are taking over". Why does it matter?

A solid sports title is a solid sports title. It shouldn't matter how good the graphics of a game are, or how realistic the sweat beads off a players forehead- the only thing that should matter is rock solid gameplay. That's what the article is all about- because Nintendo is all about solid gameplay- and maybe all of us serious sports gamers should stop being so enamored with the aesthetics mentioned above, and start focusing back on core gameplay.

[Laettner32]

Can't remember when N made a sports game I gave deuce for. Waverace 64 I guess. As far as cross platform titles, i.e., EASports the N version is almost always the worst of the bunch, since the SNES days. The Genesis had all the good sports games. The N64 was a horrible sports machine, as was the GCube. I don't like playing football, basketball, baseball...hell, tennis with plumbers, ghost, princesses, or elves.

In short, I disagree with you. But props for getting me to type up a comment, mission accomplished!

[Admiral50]

What a stupid article.

There is some good fun to be had with basic sports games on the Wii but beyond that you can't compare the gimmicky flash type games to any real next-gen sports game.

We could go into the whole argument where gameplay rules over graphics but no one would ever choose Wii graphics over lifelike stuff like NBA 2K is producing etc.

But that argument aside, Nintendo haven't got it in them to create a decent sport sim.

Their tennis games are arcadey and lack any depth and going back to Kobe's Courtside, that game was a joke.

I could go on, but the article is flawed and laughable in too many ways to bother.

[shyvoodoo]

I think Nintendo really is... Nintendo. They really dont need sports games to sell but real sports gamers dont need Nintendo.

[zzyzx]

I think the point of the article was that, as a developer rather than a console manufacturer, Nintendo's record for quality control absolutely shames that of certain other devs *cough* 2k *cough*.

The GC wasn't a generation behind the PS2. Next time around, if Nintendo is competing on anything close to a level playing field w/ Sony and M$, it would be nice to see Ninty make a serious effort at a non-cartoon sports title.

I would agree, but there are a lot of "if"s in that short paragraph. It's too soon to bother thinking about, IMO.

[punkologist]

I have never played a better Cricket game since super international cricket on the snes and Aussie Rules on the nes is still the best ever Aussie rules football game.

[SouthernBrick]

Re: Why Sports Gamers Need Nintendo

Nintendo sucks all around now... I would get a wii but the only games i would get for it would be mario(classic) and that tennis game That looks like it would take some energy. but overall the nintendo sucks gamers don't need it.

Maybe children need it but they don't know better they just want something colorful, fun, and easy to play. Anyone at least 14 and up would agree that the wii blows.

If mario was on the xbox or ps3 there would be hardly no one playing the wii that would know a good game when they seen one.

[allBthere]

Re: Why Sports Gamers Need Nintendo

I actually really want a nintendo DS. I hope it stays relevant for another couple of years because I'm picking one up soon.