Hardcore Nintendo Fans - Thing of the Past?

So I'm looking around Giant Bomb, and I'm noticing that we've got a lot more green and blue usernames than we have red usernames. I suppose it kinda reminded me just how far Nintendo have dropped in the eyes of the hardcore gamer, and I think it's fairly safe to say that all of us here are. Nintendo used to have tons of hardcore fans, myself included, but ever since the Wii the number of hardcore Nintendo fanboys seemed to have dropped massively. And it's all Nintendo's fault. We all saw the Nintendo press conference, saw how much they focused on the casual games, justifying themselves with sales charts and the like. Wii Music? Really? Animal Crossing? That's the best you've got.

I just think it's sad that the company responsible for some of the best games in the history of the industry has turned their backs so drastically on the hardcore gamer and focused just on the casual gamer. I know that that's where the real money is in this modern industry, but surely there's room for both the casual and the hardcore gamer on your systems, Nintendo.

Anyone think that Nintendo are eventually going to become just a casual games company and totally ignore the hardcore gamers i.e. dumbing down Zelda, more lame peripherals etc., or could we someday see a return of Nintendo's glory days?

Nintendo is going downhill with all this Casual crap.

"Nintendo is going downhill with all this Casual crap.
"

Atlas said:

"

So I'm looking around Giant Bomb, and I'm noticing that we've got a lot more green and blue usernames than we have red usernames. I suppose it kinda reminded me just how far Nintendo have dropped in the eyes of the hardcore gamer, and I think it's fairly safe to say that all of us here are. Nintendo used to have tons of hardcore fans, myself included, but ever since the Wii the number of hardcore Nintendo fanboys seemed to have dropped massively. And it's all Nintendo's fault. We all saw the Nintendo press conference, saw how much they focused on the casual games, justifying themselves with sales charts and the like. Wii Music? Really? Animal Crossing? That's the best you've got.

I just think it's sad that the company responsible for some of the best games in the history of the industry has turned their backs so drastically on the hardcore gamer and focused just on the casual gamer. I know that that's where the real money is in this modern industry, but surely there's room for both the casual and the hardcore gamer on your systems, Nintendo.

Anyone think that Nintendo are eventually going to become just a casual games company and totally ignore the hardcore gamers i.e. dumbing down Zelda, more lame peripherals etc., or could we someday see a return of Nintendo's glory days?

"

I hope they go back the glory days.  Playing Twilight Princess really took me back to those days. But i don't think nintendo will change anything. They seem to be doing well in terms of sales.

Nintendo is leading this gen by tailoring and marketing towards a new demographic. Don't be fooled though... they are still pumping out their hardcore franchises.

-Zelda
-Metroid
-Mario
-Brawl
-Kart
-Fire Emblem
-Animal Crossing (finished development)
-Star Fox (being developed)
-Pikimin (being developed)
-Another Zelda (being developed)
-Another Mario (being developed)

There are a few more... I'm just too lazy to type more or don't care about Pokemon. :)

The thing Nintendo needs to improve on is its online service as well as its third party support.

I think the real hardcore Nintendo fans for the most part are loving their Wii's. I know though that hardcore fans are on the decline just for the sole fact that kids these days don't have as much of a chance to get into Nintendo like I did and many others did in the 80's... more choices nowadays.

i love nintendo, but they haven't produced this year...

I used to be a hardcore Nintendo fan up until the wii came out, and I've yet to buy one for the lack of hardcore games, especially 3rd party. 

I rated myself neutral as I have enjoyed many of Sony and Microsoft's games. That is not to say that I am in any way not a hardcore Nintendo fan, who was bitterly disappointed at their obvious disregard for those wanting a first party franchise continuation or new IP. I was sat there gone 2am in the UK clicking refresh on the live blog of the developers roundtable to find an announcement of Pikmin 3, but no substantial news. The core is still there it's just second to the 'I want my DS to tell me how to cook' market.

I am no longer a Nintendo hardcore fan, I am fed up with them with this Wii and DS crap.

"I'm so stoked that the site is up.

On topic, It's not necessarily that the Nintendo fan is dead.  I think the hardcore Nintendo fan is still much alive, however, Nintendo's recent decisions are alienating those fans.

What most people don't realize is that the hardcore Nintendo fan basically got 5 of Nintendo's top franchises (all quality mind you, and maybe even best in series for each) in 18 months.  The problem with that is that it has created a drought.  How do you answer that drought?  You give fans hope with a trailer or something.

e3 gave us nothing, and no Nintendo hardcore's are panicking.  They shouldn't, because we know the games are coming, but this drought is only making matters worse.

Pushing the matter further, Nintendo keeps stressing the casual side of gaming without a mention of something "hardcore", so a lot of Nintendo fans think the end is near, and Nintendo will eventually abandon their hardcore, or compromise it by appealing to the casual.

The coming months will definitely say something about where Nintendo is going.  There was a lot of pressure on e3, and they just tanked it.  But considering Miyamoto's words about how e3 just isn't for the hardcore anymore opens the door for some huge announcements at other conferences.

Once Nintendo shows the hardcore's some love, the Nintendo fan will be born again.  I hate how people jump ship on Nintendo with stupid "i'm selling my wii" "i've been loyal and now they've abandoned me" crap.  If you're truly a Nintendo fan, have faith. 

I know I will.
"

IMO Nintendo isn't in the current console war. They've gone casual, and have successfully split the market. People who buy a Wii buy it for a very different reason then someone who buys an X360 or PS3.

i am not fed up with the wii, however there is a severe lack of fan worthy content coming out for it, an multi format games seem to be better on the 360, but the DS i havent bought a game for that since Zelda

It's not that there's no hardcore Nintendo fans it's that we, the Nintendo fans, know better than to bash other platforms as we suffered greatly during the GameCube era

If Nintendo had acted as before, it likely would have resulted in another GameCube. (Although they also featured the mantra of games for everyone) Obviously the Wii was an effective financial decision, a factor to which the other companies such as Microsoft are beginning to truly appreciate. However, before making a statement on the "hardcore" games aspect of the Wii system, it likely may be more effective to simply wait and see what games are released, instead of basing opinions on a press conference during an event which has since fallen from past glory.

C'mon F-Zero Wii!

I also didnt realize that by picking a console when mcreating your account it changes the color of your name and that specific color represents microsoft, sony and nintendo lol

I decided that I would align myself with the Microsoft crowd, as the 360 is my platform of choice at the moment. I do own a Wii and have been a Nintendo fan since I first started gaming with the SNES, but there isn't a single game on the horizon that makes me glad I own a Wii. Granted, I enjoyed Super Mario Galaxy, SSBB, Twilight Princess, etc., but for the most part I could care less about what's coming in the next year.

The hardcore Nintendo fan, if not exinct, must surely belong on an endangered fanboys list.  I really think this strategy that's been so successful for Nintendo could end up being harmful to them in the long run, as they will essentially have to capture lightning in a bottle twice in order to have a massive success like the Wii again, as there won't be many fans left to give them another chance and the casuals will forget and move on to something else.

When I'm being completely honest with myself, however, I realize that Nintendo has and probably always will cater to a younger demographic, and there's a near limit-less supply of younger players to pander to.  No matter what, Nintendo will always have that segment of the videogame market cornered.  It's like they've perfected the formula necessary to keep kids attentive and entertained.

I think it is likely that Nintendo could shift to being entirely casual. It might not happen but with the money they can get from it they could just stay casual and rake in the money from it. Then again, what happens when the time comes to make a new system? What if the casual gamers are content with their Wii and won't buy the new one? What if Nintendo treated the hardcore gamer so badly that they didn't want the system either? It's all a series of "What if" questions. But the profits right now are coming from people who never used to play games. The people who outnumber the gamers. And that's what makes most sense to a company. Profit.

Most likely they'll continue making some titles for us fans of them, at least for a while. But if this gold mine  that they've struck doesn't run out anytime soon then I can see them abandoning the idea of going after the normal gamers. It takes more effort to dig a burried coin up than it does to take one from a mountain made of coins.

"Alucard said:

"Nintendo is going downhill with all this Casual crap.
"

Or maybe they are smart and wanting to make money? :P
They even said E3 was more about getting to the casuals though.
"

"Alucard said:

"Nintendo is going downhill with all this Casual crap.
"

Or maybe they are smart and wanting to make money? :P
They even said E3 was more about getting to the casuals though.
"

How can you still be a hardcore Nintendo fan at this point? I was embarrassed for Nintendo fans at the E3 press conference and I don't really care for Nintendo. You guys certainly take a lickin'.

"Nintendo is going downhill with all this Casual crap.
"

I still like nintendo. I hope they keep the great games around for the "hard core" gamers.

"lettuceman44 said:

It's too bad no casuals care about E3."

My name is red, but I wouldn't consider myself a fanboy. I just happen to really enjoy Nintendo consoles/handhelds and games a lot more than the competitors. The DS is earning the spot as the Best Gaming System of All Time in my eyes, there are just so many games that I've loved and more are coming out (FFIV tomorrow!). The list of games that I want for my Wii and DS is getting bigger all the time. I do realize that the Wii and DS have more shovelware than any other system, but there are plenty of diamonds in the rough. : )