When Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp was postponed earlier this year in response to current events in Ukraine, there was an interesting perspective that did the rounds. It meant a longer than normal gap between Nintendo retail titles, and we'd have to wait — gasp — for a few weeks to play Kirby and the Forgotten Land. Likewise with the delay of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 to 'Spring 2023'; as it stands we'll only have a new Pokémon generation to enjoy this Holiday season. Gosh, tough times, though of course Nintendo will have a Direct or two to come that'll likely fill even more gaps. We were disappointed to see Zelda pushed back to next year, but there's no shortage of other Switch games to occupy our twiddling thumbs.
We're in an extraordinary position in which Nintendo almost releases a retail game — often a major one — every month of the year. Of course we don't all buy or even want all of these titles, but the point is that the Switch has a consistent flow of high profile games throughout the year. It's been like this for most years of its lifecycle, albeit we had a few quieter moments during the peak lockdowns and disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic. Naturally, this doesn't even account for major third-party games and the steady stream of fascinating Indie / eShop titles, either.
Nintendo, it must be said, has always been equipped for this. Up to 2017 the company's core business model was to support two major pieces of hardware at once — a dedicated home console and a (typically) more successful handheld. In an under-performing generation, though, this became a problem — Nintendo grappled with this in the 3DS and Wii U era, in essence having to put the console on the backburner to focus on saving the portable. Those struggles, and the financial challenges it brought, would have been one of multiple factors that led the company to adopt the hybrid approach of Switch.
Unifying its development divisions and teams started as far back as 2013, and Nintendo also has numerous trusted partners and a small number of acquired studios to call upon. Over the next couple of months Next Level Games will bring us Mario Strikers: Battle League, while MonolithSoft has Xenoblade Chronicles 3 not far behind. Oh, and long-term partner Koei Tecmo is delivering Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, too. There'll be multiple notable arrivals through Fall and Winter, as well.
Games like these, all of them exclusive titles and IPs, help keep the Switch in rude health despite all the arguments about its ageing tech. People say it's past its peak in sales, but that's stating the obvious — it's over five years old! Yet, as a fun fact, Switch is projected to sell more hardware units this year than PlayStation 5; the chip shortage is a major factor, but let's remember that the Switch is now in its sixth year as a 2015 tablet posing as a console. As always, Nintendo hardware is more than the sum of its parts.
as Nintendo fans we often go through the line-up for the year and get a bit sweaty if there's an empty month... yet elsewhere in the gaming hardware market the picture is a little different
It's interesting, though, that as Nintendo fans we often go through the line-up for the year and get a bit sweaty if there's an empty month, or wonder if an undated game like Bayonetta 3 will fill out October, for example. Yet elsewhere in the gaming hardware market the picture is a little different. PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S are having relatively quiet years, and with a number of low-key months to come. On PS5 (and PS4) it's a lesser problem — the company has had a number of cross-gen titles arrive in a timely manner since the new system launched. There's been Gran Turismo 7 and Horizon Forbidden West already this year, both massive games, and God of War Ragnarok is still apparently due in 2022. Sony can also point to third-party exclusives (often timed) like Ghostwire: Tokyo this year, though not all of the upcoming titles in that category are likely to hit on a mainstream level.
At Xbox meanwhile, Microsoft is in a pickle. Despite all of that Windows wealth and all of the company's acquisitions, at present there are zero first-party exclusives confirmed for 2022, and there haven't been any in the year so far. This was exacerbated by the recent delays of Starfield and Redfall into next year, the only Xbox Game Studios titles that were actually pinned down for 2022. As already mentioned, the first half of this year has brought no major first-party games on Xbox, and even last year there was the delayed Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5 to lead the way, but notable gaps in the schedule. That's after Series X|S launched without any new first-party games, unless you count the console port of Gears Tactics.
For a more direct comparison, let's take a look at the first-party published games from each of the big three in the last year.
First-Party Exclusives FY2021/22 (April 1st 2021 to 31st March 2022)
Note. This list excludes Switch exclusives that Nintendo either published or distributed in some regions (primarily outside of Japan), such as DC Super Hero Girls: Teen Power and Triangle Strategy. It also includes titles that had a PC release but were exclusive to a single console.
Microsoft is certainly lagging behind in the first-party game department, and it seems like a messy picture for Xbox for the next year or so, as well. The industry is rife with rumours of major Xbox projects being rebooted, studios being overhauled, and plenty of games with no release windows at all. No doubt Microsoft will bring something for 2022 in its major showcase next month, but ultimately it is under a lot of pressure to do so. From an Xbox perspective, its get-out-of-jail card is Game Pass, the low cost subscription that keeps new (and some older) third-party gamers coming on a monthly basis and a value proposition that most players find too good to pass up.
Of course, we should recognise that the dynamics and businesses here are rather different. Sony and Microsoft are competing at the high end of the gaming market in terms of hardware, and one dilemma they face is the demand for increasingly impressive gaming experiences. High profile projects now have enormous development budgets, team sizes in the hundreds (or even thousands) and sky-high expectations; delays and budget overruns are almost the norm. Sony and Microsoft also get pretty much all major third-party triple-A titles, so even in the absence of exclusives there are often big-name multi-platform titles for PlayStation and Xbox players to enjoy.
Nintendo, on the flipside, is supporting weaker bespoke hardware, and typically misses most of those big-budget third-party games. The Switch isn't all about 4K, raytracing and bleeding edge graphical technology, and gamers / consumers of all levels intuitively understand that. It's the less expensive option with games that are often more focused on being colourful, creative and fun. While there are plenty of gamers that will deconstruct the technology, the fact is that most don't — Nintendo's identity since the DS / Wii era has been on experiences over graphical prowess, uniqueness over virtuoso technical showcases. Nintendo games can still be beautiful on the eyes today, albeit at 1080p and without HDR. And, of course, with the lovely hook that we can play on the go or at home on the TV.
Nintendo's history, the way it's continued to grow internal development teams while fostering strong third-party partnerships, and the fact it's developing for a tablet-like device, lends it various advantages; a near-monthly turnaround of first-party published games that millions want to play is just one of those advantages, while Sony and Microsoft grapple with triple-A development budgets and projects. From life-consuming JRPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles 3 to lighthearted and more affordable family fare like Nintendo Switch Sports, there's nearly always something to look forward to in the near future on Switch.
How long this inherent advantage lasts will depend on how the industry and Nintendo's hardware evolves in the next five years. Ultimately, though, we wouldn't bet against Nintendo continuing to forge its own path while doing its utmost to maintain that extraordinarily steady stream of quality games that has worked out well for everybody this console cycle.
- Further reading: 30 Upcoming Nintendo Switch Games To Look Forward To In 2022
Comments 98
This is shaping up to be one of the Switch's best years ever, dare I say it might even surpass 2017 for me.
I can play all the Xbox exclusives from a PC.
Such is the Power of Nintendo!
Extraordinary? Uh...yeah sure. :/
Yeah, I’ve never seen PlayStation or Xbox put out first party games so slowly, and the variety of types of games get more and more limited. Love my PS5, but it isn’t in a very exciting place right now.
Considering that Horizon Forbidden West is like a billion Wario Wares in terms of complexity, I don't think this is all that extraordinary.
Meanwhile, actual ambitious games like Bayo 3, BotW 2, and Prime 4 are still MIA years after being announced...
It feels like so much has been revealed between the February Direct and the trailers in April that Nintendo could technically get away with not having a general Direct until September. Meanwhile both PS and Xbox could do with having showcases soon (sure a Xbox showcase is confirmed for June 12th but it honestly feels a bit late).
@Phostachio
The first party Xbox games schedule has been this poor throughout the entire Xbox One generation, so near a decade now their first party output has been shocking.
@Yodalovesu And in my opinion, a billion levels less fun. I don’t know why people make such a big deal about complexity and graphics when games like Forbidden West are already so played out. How many open world Assassin’s Creed style games is Sony going to put out before they realize a lot of their fans want to see something innovative and different? Sony used to have so many different genres and creative franchises under their belt, and now they’re laser focused on cinematic movie-like games or pretty but kinda boring open world games. For Christ’s sake, they’re remaking Last of Us which isn’t even an old game!
@KindofaBigDeal You’re right, I guess I’m just feeling the sting more because of the studios they’ve bought recently and the fact that I didn’t really love Halo Infinite as much as I’d hoped.
As much as I love my PS5, it is true that it has little to play on it despites some PS4 games that I haven't had the occasion to play back when they came out. I play my Switch way more than any other consoles since years now, and 2022 won't be any different. Looking forward for Xeno 3 and Bayonetta 3 primarily, but smaller project like Mario Striker are in fact not far behind for me, especially in terme of fun, which is the most important factor after all
Nintendo games cost way less to produce and are less graphically challenging to create and require lowered specs. So yeah it's obvious that nintendo can put out games more than the competition, plus a lot of their games are straight up ports or remasters so yet again quicker and cheaper to do.
Its not a bad thing though as we get games at a steady rate and their games are always fun and always sell well. But comparing them to playstation and xbox exclusives is just unfair
@Phostachio
Probably be the end of 2023 before Xbox starts seeing the fruits of those acquisitions.
Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5 were OK but nothing special, just standard sequels really.
I haven't secured a PS5 yet but I can wait.
I am very happy with the first party output of Nintendo, finally seeing the benefit of the home console/handheld studios combining.
Delays only happen when they announce a game too early. Think of the Nintendo games we’ve known about for over 2 years- Bayonetta 3, Metroid Prime 4, and BOTW 2, that have either been delayed or have taken a long time.
I love Nintendo’s lineup, but I would also say there’s a mix of budgets for these games that allows Nintendo to be more manoeuvrable with their release calendar (such as Splatoon 3 and XBC 3). It’s obvious that Nintendo has a few ‘rainy day titles’ that are done but they’re holding back for the right release. Every XBX and PS5 first party game is so massive that it has to be released immediately, and if it is delayed, there’s nothing to replace it with. What doesn’t help Xbox is people are paying every month when there isn’t regular content. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a scaling back on the size of these triple A games in the future to keep a steadier run of titles.
Yeah Nintendos first party output compared to Sony/MS is really nice. I've seen people arguing that Sonys/MS may be of higher quality most of the time but that doesn't change the fact that I still enjoy for example a Kirby and the Forgotten Land more than every single Sony first-party game.
I guess I simple prefer fun over flashiness or someting
Yes, one may have more games releasing than the others, but the others have more games I want to play. So it's kind of a wash, for me, but to each, their own.
@UltimateOtaku91
It really isn’t, though. No one told Sony or Xbox to just focus on big open world games, cinematic games, or microtransaction filled multiplayer games. I absolutely will compare Nintendo to them because Nintendo is focused on putting out fun experiences whereas Microsoft is content with stripping out tons of content in a decades old multiplayer franchise and giving it back to us piece by piece every few months, and Sony is content with making movie games with samey gameplay.
@mariomaster96
Higher quality is subjective. Nintendo’s putting out higher quality games than both of them because they’re focused on the most important thing with videogames imo, pure fun.
Game development is at a point where it's reach exceeds its grasp. Beautiful, surreal, and realistic graphics are now possible on this generations hardware, but requires a thousand developers and half a decade to achieve it. Then the game may not even be good
So I chalk it up to Nintendo's emphasis on gameplay over graphics. What people thought would be the Switch's greatest weakness- it's multiple generational gap in power- has turned into its greatest strength. Without the overhead of needing to harness the "power" of a costly console, Nintendo can churn out consistently fun games, graphics be damned. And I 100% prefer it this way
@Phostachio I'm not saying sony or xbox games are better or more fun, I'm just saying that they require a lot more time to produce and cost way more, and have bigger marketing. The time it takes for them to create the character models and environments which are more detailed than the cartoon style nintendo go with, then there's paying voice actors and doing motion capture.
There's reasons why sonys games take longer to make, but I'm not necessarily saying they are always better
@Phostachio Yeah exactly. Many think that a game is of higher quality if it's complex, big, is technically ambitious etc and I guess that is true, for them (which ofc is absolutely fine).
But for me the most important thing is if a game is fun and I came to realize that most of those big AAA games like a Horizon Forbidden West or a God of War just aren't that fun, at least to me
I'll take gameplay over graphics any day of the week.
@ItsOKToBeOK
Beautifully put, exactly this. Honestly I hate that AAA require so much work, so many developers and so much money and investment. It’s become too much and I think it’s actually detrimental to true innovation because publishers are too afraid to fail on such a huge scale. Indie games and Nintendo are keeping things real, providing fun and often unique experiences without being so resource intensive.
This is the fulfilment of Iwata's vision, of not having droughts of first party games, regardless of third party support. And, budget makes no difference, in terms of the quality of the titles released.
@UltimateOtaku91
You’re right, my bad. Too often I hear simplicity thrown at Nintendo as an insult, and I just don’t understand it. I got the platinum trophy for Elden Ring a couple days back and while I loved that game, it’s too dang big and it’ll be a while before I play a game on that scale again. Definitely think the open world actually hurt Elden Ring in places compared to Bloodborne.
(Platinum proof: https://youtu.be/8KBgqkVtnls)
I don't get, if playstation and xbox made games like Nintendo then there would be no variation in gaming, the fact Nintendo create the games they do is great because they do things differently to the competition, I own all three consoles and all three provide me with different experiences and all three produce amazing games spanning different genres and art styles. Nintendos games are more family and child friendly hence why they sell more, whilst playstation are big AAA blockbusters that win game of the year awards and xbox create a variety of games like forza horizon 5 which let's you experience of Mexico yourself and soon to be big western Rpg's from Bethesda.
There's no real winner here, all three are great at what they do, but bottom line is nintnedo can produce games at a quicker rate due to their low cost and simple art style and amount of ports/remasters
@ItsOKToBeOK
A lot of Nintendo games still look fantastic too thanks to art direction.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe STILL looks great. Breath of the Wild can be beautiful at times with the weather effects. Link to the Past remake looks gorgeous. Mario Odyssey looks fantastic. Even Skyward Sword HD really shines on Switch. And so on.
@UltimateOtaku91
Owning all three is definitely the way to go if you have the money but the average gamer doesn’t, and personally if I was going to only have one of the three I’d roll with Nintendo every time. I guess that’s my complaint with Sony and Microsoft right now, they don’t stand out enough imo compared to Nintendo. Most of the games I play on my PS5 can be played on my Series X, I’m lucky to get two PlayStation first party games a year that I actually want to play (this year being Returnal and Kena).
I no longer care about anything but Xenoblade Chronicles 3 this year, I was going to get Strikers but I will not support Nintendo b.s no content at launch for their sports games and add the real content in later, don't care about Splatoon, Pokemon is trash, I don't like Warriors games, I'm not buying ports anymore so to me 2022 is a bad year especially with BOTW 2 no longer releasing this year
@Phostachio nice one platinuming elden ring, I'm currently level 81 in the atlus plains and it's getting quite tough now, I seem to be using summons more and more, but I'm determined to complete it.
Nintemdo have some long games as well though, xenoblade 1 and 2 took around 100 hours each for me, fire emblem three houses took me 75 hours, bravely default 2 50 hours, zelda BoTW 120 hours, monster hunter rise over 70 hours, monster hunter stories 2 60 hours, I bet shin megami tensei 5 takes 70+ hours as well, I think long games are OK in moderation like 2 a year, but I agree the majority of nintnedo games are short and sweet like Kirby, daemon x machina and Yoshi
Impressive first party flow in isolation sure. You can't really compare to Xbox or Playstation divisions though since they are operating on much more powerful and complex hardware causing longer dev cycles. It's apples to oranges.
Since Nintendo is operating on effectively 16 year old tech that puts them at an advantage.
They also don't have any live service games taking up dev time such as Xbox does with Halo Infinite, Forza Horizon, Sea of Thieves, Grounded and MSFS.
Its also most likely that they do have delays (or even cancellations) but since they generally unveil games so close to release it is unlikely to occur to be known to most outside the studios. That is the smart way to do it even though they mess up sometimes (Bayonetta 3, MP4).
This is what it should be only having to develop for one console. They aren’t getting any major kudos from me.
I’m interested in what will be revealed at E3 and if any unannounced titles for the Q3/Q4 22 window.
I saw a commenter on here recently trying to argue that merging the handheld/console divisions hasn't produced a steadier flow of releases. Ridiculous. The Switch is getting around 8 1st party titles a year in year 5, go look at the WiiU and 3DS release schedules and tell me the pace hasn't increased. Sure we could hope for more like 10-12 a year, but I'd also factor in some increased complexity, some sub-studios developing for consoles for the 1st time (ILCA and Pokemon BDSP), pandemic delays, and a war starting recently (Advance Wars remake).
Though I will say I miss the smaller, more experimental games the 3DS would get at the $40 USD price point. WarioWare is the only game to approach that legacy so far.
Extraordinary? Um, not sure I'd go THAT far, but there have been some very solid selections as of late. Metroid Dread and Kirby were both fantastic. I'm honestly not a Pokemon fan, so can't pass judgment on those. Most of the "casual" stuff like Switch Sports and WarioWare holds no interest to me at all. I guess in that regard the variety that Nintendo is pumping out has been fantastic, but I am looking for more "action/adventure" games like Bayonetta 3, Metroid Prime 4 and BOTW 2 over the more casual stuff.
The past six months have been so good as a Nintendo fan. I haven’t touched my other systems in nearly a year. So much to play!
Edit: Note this article isn’t about if you like the games Nintendo is outputting, just that they are keeping a steady flow of games and that should not be down played.
The pacing of the releases are perfect for me. Giving me just enough time to finish a release and I can already begin a newer one.
Most of the games have released with good quality, no real detrimental complaints so far on my end.
Yup I’ve been thinking about this since I started paying attention to next-gen. Sony and XBOX titles without a doubt have higher production values and flashier graphics. That said, the exclusive games have been a lot more sparse on them, mainly the XBOX. Nintendo games definitely look more outdated due to the hardware they’re on… but there’s no denying that most of the games still have a ton of passion and some of the most satisfying gameplay loops I’ve played between my Switch, PS4 Pro, and Series X. I love all of the consoles I own but my Switch is usually what I come back to the most due to its more consistent releases and emphasis on simple fun.
"Developing games on more powerful hardware must take more time" is simply untrue.
Sony and Microsoft consciously choose to produce more expensive, resource-intensive, demanding games: story-driven cinematic adventure games, open-world action RPGs, GAAS multiplayer shooters, etc. There is absolutely nothing stopping them from producing more simplistic, less demanding games at a quicker pace, but they choose not to because they appeal largely to the western 17-35 year-old male audience who are mostly interested in the those type of games.
To be clear, this isn't just an issue that impacts Sony or Microsoft - this impacts 3rd party developers and publishers as well. The best example is Rockstar, who went from producing nearly two dozen different games during the PS2/Xbox/GCN/GBA era to producing one new game last generation (Red Dead Redemption 2) and presumably one new game this generation (the next GTA).
When Nintendo moves on to more powerful next-gen Switch successor, they will still continue to produce simplistic, less demanding games like Switch Sports, WarioWare, or Big Brain Academy, alongside more ambitious titles like 3D Zelda, Xenoblade, or Super Smash Bros. Nintendo consciously chooses to develop a wide range of games that cover a variety of genres, budgets, and artstyles in order to attract the widest possible audience and to prevent a software drought (like the one Microsoft will experience this year).
Sure, Nintendo's software lineup hasn't always been consistently good - 2018 had too many Wii U ports while 2020 was impacted by Covid lockdowns - but they are usually always publishing content on a regular basis, whether you personally like that content or not.
@UltimateOtaku91
If you ever need help with some of the harder bosses you’re about to come up on, let me know! My game time is becoming increasingly more limited and we’re expecting our first baby in November, but I’ll do my best to get on and help you! You’re definitely getting to the Big Leagues in terms of difficulty haha
Oh, and Kirby and the Forgotten Land is fantastic. Haven’t commented on it here but man, haven’t liked a Kirby game this much since Rainbow Curse and that was more like a spin-off.
Nintendo is probably the only publisher that can literally sit on (finished) games for months...or, like in XC3s case, move games up a few months.
They've created a well-oiled machine.
It must be frustrating if you're a Playstation or XBOX owner, they have the existing IP to make A and AA games, alongside their AAA games to fill out the calendar, but they don't. Microsoft could be making Banjo, Conker and Killer Instinct games...what happened to Project Gotham Racing?
I mean sure, this year is amazing. But we've also had years like 2018 with a very lackluster output from Nintendo.
@Yodalovesu I dunno. I'm watching three different people in my house (and I've picked up the controller a couple times myself) play Forbidden West and it's just...not interesting. It's stupid pretty, but even then the only location that actually wowed me was Vegas.
If anything, it proves we don’t need new hardware. There’s countless great games on the Switch and unless you’ve got very deep pockets and hours upon hours of time to play games there’s no way you can’t find something to play. It’s Nintendos finest hour without doubt.
@westman98 I'm just replying to agree to your point. Nintendo still has actual interest in games that aren't massive projects, and as long as that's true it will remain a fundamentally better gaming company than the competition because of variety and quantity alone. Nintendo could make games I like LESS than the competition on average, and I would still probably respect Nintendo more as long as they kept that up.
Psychonauts 2 shouldn't even be on the Xbox list, that released on PS4 too lol
Actually none of the MS exclusives are exclusives. All of them are on PC as well.
Playstation does have some exclusives, but only Horizon Forbidden West is actually worth buying.
Nintendo has more "smaller" games, but even those are of high quality and fun.
And if you go by big third party exclusives, then yes, the Switch falls a bit short. But the Switch has the best third party indie games and AA titles.
I agree with this piece. The variety, quality and quantity of Nintendo's first party output is one of the many reasons why Nintendo/the Switch is so awesome in my eyes.
I love Nintendo's approach of spin-offs and more "AA" games too. For me personally, I think it would pay off in spades if Sony and Microsoft made some of these types of games, but then again, those audiences are so thirsty for the next game to out do itself in terms of graphics and scope.
This is a super complicated break down of an insanely simple fact:
The "age of endless delays" is not just video games, it's movies, manufacturing, and basically everything else. It's the result of a global pandemic.
Japan was, more or less, excluded from that pandemic. The response from the government and the universal, socially responsible efforts from the general population meant no lock downs, no mandates, no protests, and almost no disruption at all. The move to hybrid offices was flawless and quick. I mean, you can look at the numbers ... it's like COVID just didn't happen.
So yeah, the company that makes most of its game in Japan is going to see fewer delays then most. Go back 3 or 4 years and that disappears; Nintendo wasn't any better at hitting deadlines then anyone else, beyond that fact that they tended to under-promise.
That's the long and the shot of it. COVID impact on Japan was less then elsewhere, so the effect on game development was also less.
It is amazing how much they put out and how consistently they keep the pace up. I know MS and Sony are chasing different targets in terms of what they make whether it’s be huge blockbusters or GAAS, but that’s their choice. Part of the reason I became such a PlayStation fan was games like Jumping Flash, Ape Escape, Kurushi, Patapon, Locoroco, Flipnic, Frequency which they don’t really do anymore. Nintendo still provide a real mix of games and seem to manage their projects and their budgets extremely well.
I'd prefer if they just improved the online system and focused on releasing more classic titles. When they do that I'll call it extraordinary.
@HeadPirate It also helps that masking happens regularly in Japan, whether or not in a pandemic. It's not some "political virtue signal" like it's been made in the US and some European countries.
Nintendo became powerful from the time that stopped supporting 2 consoles at the same time. This generation is great because all creativity, all fantasy, all work has gone to switch. Games are not divided and we can see great games on large numbers. I am 42 years old and always in love with nintendo but i think switch generation is unique!!!
I just want Advance Wars
@Grumblevolcano i don't think Nintendo will wait until septembre to do her tradicional Nintendo Direct.
@HeadPirate
The fact remains, though, that PlayStation and Microsoft are putting increasingly more stock in bigger, more demanding AAA games and are spending less and less time on franchises that don’t quite sell as much. Look back at the days of the PlayStation 3 and how huge their first party catalog was compared to today. Not only that, them dipping out of the handheld market has pretty much taken an axe to smaller franchises that I loved like Patapon. Even with the delays, PlayStation’s output just hasn’t been as steady as it used to be and it’s been getting worse pre-pandemic.
They likely held back on some announcements and reveals in-case there was to be an E3 this year and since there isnt, there'll likely be a regular summer Direct with some big E3-worthy stuff.
@moodycat Some people really think that Xenoblade 3's release date was pushed forwards because it's finished early.
As opposed to it being finished regardless.
@kingbk
Most of the data we have points to that being the key factor, both in Japan and the rest of SEA. Everyone was already waring masks because ... why not? And it neve became a political issue, so the virus just never had a chance to entrench itself.
Also the only reason wasn't a lockdown is the government said "please stay home so you don't kill people" and everyone was like "I like staying home AND I like not killing people, so I'm going to do that!". You don't have to force people to do the right thing when they already do it.
when Microsoft and Sony focus in big triple AAA games, taking half a decade to develop and thousands of developers with increasing powerful hardware, Nintendo focus on a variety of games we have the very ambitous triple AAA games such as Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild and it sequel, but also less demading games such as Mario Party Superstar, Nintendo managed to balance it budget with this variety of games, Microsoft e Sony only want to make big triple AAA expensives games.
Hardly extraordinary at all, when u consider their 1st party outputs Wii U & 3ds.
@Phostachio
Hard disagree with regards to MS. I think you're statement has a lot more weight if you extend it to exclusives in general or 3rd party studios, but not first party games. Microsoft games Studio (the publisher) is more an indie publisher now then a AAA powerhouse, with the vast majority of games coming though the @ID pipeline. Every first party game from MS comes out on PC as well as Xbox, and moving forward is going to be part of Gamepass day one. They are not SELLING games any more, they are creating products for a streaming service. High impact name drops are still important, but having indie darlings is just as important. Sure, we'll still have Starfield and Halo, but that's not the focus of Xbox first party, it's the exception.
As for Sony ... it's hard to say what they are focus on because they don't really seem to have any idea what they are doing. At all. They've spent almost a decade seeing themselves as the one player in the video game market, but Gamepass is devastating them in the West and the Switch's success is costing them almost every major exclusive in Japan. They are in complete freefall right now, and while the far more brand loyal West is going to take some time to catch up, they've already burned all their good will in Japan. I think most of the delays from Sony come from frantic re-focusing efforts as they try and fire-fight.
Just compare the amount of genres the game developers release.
Nintendo:
(Also, there’s 2D and 3D variety in some)
Then there’s playstation:
Microsoft:
I’m probably missing a few. But it is clear that Nintendo has such a large variety of experiences on their platform. Well done I’d say!
@UltimateOtaku91 the point is they could make some littler games too once in a while, and they have done it in the past. Games like Concrete Genie, Wipeout or Everybody's Golf to name a few. Sony and Microsoft in the latest years only made AAA open world, but they can make both big and smaller games, just like Nintendo do. For every Metroid Dread, there's a Brain Academy. For every Kirby Forgotten Land there's a Warioware, and so on. Not saying Sony shouldn't make game like Horizon, just alternate them with something smaller.
Still waiting for the massive amount of first party games we were promised after 3DS and Wii U teams could concentrate on one hybrid system. I'm far from impressed, if you don't like two Pokémon games every year there ain't much out there!
This.
Xbox feels like it's collapsing under the weight of its lengthy development times... I'm pretty frustrated with the lack of games over there. When BOTW2 was bumped, I was bummed, but figured fair enough, I still haven't gotten to Arceus or Kirby. When Starfield was bumped, it's like... ok. Guess it's a good thing I haven't gotten to Arceus or Kirby...
Lots of 'safe' franchise games. I don't see much in the way of innovation. Hardly extraordinary.
@HeadPirate
And believe me, as a fan of indies I love that Microsoft is pushing Gamepass these days. It’s definitely the best third party system out there. Whether or not Microsoft’s focus is AAA or smaller indie games, though, is irrelevant. As you’ve said before, all of their games can be played on a PC, including the games that used to sell their consoles (Halo, Forza, Gears). Forza Horizon is the only one I’m still interested at this point, both Halo and Gears turned into live service microtransaction fueled machines that I’m just not a fan of and it really seems like Microsoft is more interested in just buying studios than they are developing games in-house. I enjoy the Series X but between the big three it’s the least essential imo, especially since we’ve seen such a huge resurgence in people gaming on PC.
It makes me laugh when I read people say that Sony make big open world games yet everyone is waiting for Botw 2, an open world game.
😜
& then there’s titles like Tunic, only out on Xbox yet I’m waiting for the inevitable Switch release
I'm not personally interested in first party whether they're from Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft. Their offerings simply doesn't appeal to me these days and hasn't for quite a few years (the last first party title I really enjoyed was Soul Sacrifice Delta on the Vita and that's 8 years old).
I did buy Xenoblade Chronicles 3D and Metroid: Samus Returns for my 3DS, but I can't seem to really start enjoying them (good thing Nintendo first party fetch such good prices used ).
So I can't say that I'm much interested in the whole first party debacle.
What I can say is that I'm also underwhelmed by the 3rd party offerings on Switch (when not counting remasters of old games).
I've bought very few last/current gen games on the Switch (it's the same on my PS4 really - Batman Arkham Knight and The Evil Within 2 are great games though IMO).
On the Switch it amounts to Darksiders 3, God Eater 3, Tormented Souls and G.I. Joe: Operation Blackout (okay and Super Bomberman R and a few others on deep sales).
Not really impressed with the current state of gaming I admit (but I'm awaiting the arrival of my Steam Deck eagerly, so I can play some old games handheld plus Resident Evil 4 Remake, if it can run it ).
@Freek
For starters, of course Sony's first party slate isn't just open-world games.
But that's not the point - the point is that though when Nintendo delayed BOTW2 to spring 2023, they still have a strong cadence of first party content in 2022.
When Microsoft delayed RedFall and Starfield to H1 2023, they now have no first party content scheduled for 2022 outside of Forza Motorsport (and maybe a Gears of War remaster collection if rumors are to be believed). If Sony were to delay God of War Ragnarok, they would find themselves in a similar issue, though not nearly as bad since they already launched big titles like Horizon and Gran Turismo earlier this year.
Yeah I’m looking forward to bayo 3 , Metroid prime 4 and Zelda sequel but that’s it really, I haven’t proporley played a game for a while. Have been reading books xxx
Wasn’t Tunic an Xbox exclusive? Or should I say, a Microsoft exclusive as it’s also on PC. Surely that should factor into things goi by forward as Microsoft has been pushing Game Pass so the idea of a purely ‘console’ exclusive is less relevant to them
@WaveBoy A modern Startropics with fun puzzle solving would be amazing. So many great franchises that just get sat upon with inaction.
@andyg1412 the fact that people don't consider the switch a successor to both handheld & console, (& therefore should have a proportionate output to both) is mindblowing to me. The last gen (2011-2017) they had 2 MarioKarts, 6 Mario platformers or related products, (including captain toad), 4 Mario RPGs, 4 Zelda remakes/remasters, 3 original Zelda games, 3 kirby games, 4 pokemon games (pokken), two metroid games (including Botw, on account of the time period, 2 smash games, 1 Pikmin game (& a spinoff), 1 DKC game, 2 yoshi games, 1 mario maker, 1 splatoon 1 Wario ware game, one pilot wings game, 1 xenoblade game, 1 Star Fox game, (take it or leave it), 4 Mario Parties or so, 3 fire emblems (but really 4), 3 or 4 casual/mii games like Tomodachi life & Nintendo land, & a bunch of smaller puzzle games or double aa budget games from their smaller studios; not to mention 6 or so exclusives from capcom, 3 from platinum games, a handful from square enix, & from factor 5 & from sega as well, & whoever else. How can the switch's output even compare, I guess it has more pokemon games, hooray?
@Friendly
PlayStation have some girlie games like Horse Club Adventures, My Universe games by Microids, Cooking Mama Cookstar, etc.
PS4 and PS5 now have more diversity games for kids during year 2030 and beyond.
Also, PS3 have some quirky games like Move games, Fitness games, Drawing games (UDraw), etc.
This whole article is such a stretch I'm left wondering if its actually just satire. The table showing 1st party releases is laughable. I'll give that Sony and Microsoft are both doing no better, but painting the long list of games under Nintendo as something to be proud of is pretty cringe.
Metroid and Kirby are great. There's a conversation to be had about if they're worth $60 given the amount of content though.
I'm sure Pokemon SV will sell millions to the masses this holiday, and that's great for business, but when has that ever been the metric for a good game worth being proud of?
Advance Wars...
@Phostachio Agreed
@WaveBoy I feel you. You know, as hyped as I was for Elden Ring, I’m finding that I wish it were a tad more focused like the other games are. By the time I get end-game, I’m finding I’m less inclined to finish!
Non-sense. Nintendo delays their games all the time. The games they DO release tend to be smaller games that they choose to 'complete' over the next 1 - 2 years. Lots of remakes, or re-skinning of existing games. The games the other first part develoeprs are making are significantly more complex and larger in scope. They're more ambitious.
People are not factoring in the Playstation's "more powerful tech architecture" in their assessments. Not sure if that makes things "easier" to develop games?
Anyway, I am happy.
The PS4 has been highly secondary since the arrival of the Switch anyway No inclination yet to get an expensive PS5.
@mariomaster96 I think it's a balance. If Nintendo only released the likes of BOTW, Splatoon 2, Xenoblade, Mario Odyssey, Mario Kart 8, Metroid Dread, Animal Crossing Fire Emblem Three Houses, Legends Arceus, etc.
And just didn't release smaller experimental games like Wario Ware, 1-2 Switch, Mario Tennis/Golf, Labo, Miitopia,etc. You could say Nintendo's output would be "better quality" by metacritic average or whatever, but really they'd just be releasing less games.
It'd be like if Sony still released games like Parappa the Rapper, Okage Shadow King, or Microsoft games like Voodoo Vince, Viva Pinata. Their average metacritic "quality" rating would come crashing down to deliver software that isn't in-vogue but they would be serving a wider range of players.
Extraordinary?! I been waiting 5 years for Mario and Zelda, 23 years for another proper 3D Donkey Kong, 8 years for Mario Kart 9, 20 something years for Pokemon 2, who knows how long for Metroid Prime, where's F-Zero... I mean yeah I guess it is extraordinary.
It certainly doesn’t feel that way. Not sure what first party game I am looking forward to in 2022.
I don't care for any pacing, I hardly play videogames anymore these days, but I'd have loved to play Advance Wars, delaying it because of RL events seems odd to me. There were plenty of wargames available during several american conflicts brewing. I prefer to remove all real world, political controversial topics from my gaming, which is an escape from exactly that.
@NintendoWife what type of game / genre do you like?
@Friendly I think I do like quite some different ones, my Switch library is perhaps.. 40 games? But the first party lineup for 2022 is not for me. Not into shooters (Splatoon), over-the-top-action (Bayonetta) or Pokemon. Xenoblade is from a genre I like (Zelda-ish), but I couldn't get into the first one when I tried it back then.
Looking forward to Live-A-Live, new MK8 courses, Return to Monkey Island, possibly Sports Story and Braid Anniversary Edition.
And won't stop moaning about the Zelda delay.
@NintendoWife @NintendoWife ah, ok. I see. If you don’t like Splatoon, Bayonetta and pokemon, the end of this year is looking pretty slim indeed. I’m sure we’ll get some surprises still, perhaps in June. i’m rooting for you! Fingers crossed
@Friendly Thanks Likewise I am happy for fans of the upcoming games. I'm merely finding it a bit strange that NintendoLife would write a piece titled "In An Age Of Endless Delays, Nintendo's First-Party Flow Is Extraordinary" when Nintendo has just been the worst offender of delay with Zelda, and none of their first tier franchises are getting an entry this year. I'd have called this a holdover year.
All about balance of genre and pacing out the titles. You need a big hitter every holiday season without fail, and at least an exclusive for every season with the odd exclusive additional other game every now and then in my view.
So 4 top titles plus 2/3 other B/C tier for the console to keep firing throughout it's lifecycle.
Near the end of the console lifecycle traditionally a classic's range should get added to get the last drop of revenue out of the evergreen titles, but in Nintendo's case they seem to sell regardless, so with Switch I don't think that will happen..
"The Switch isn't all about 4K, raytracing and bleeding edge graphical technology, and gamers / consumers of all levels intuitively understand that."
I don’t know about that one chief
2022 Switch Exclusives
Absolutely legendary. Combining handheld and console was the best decision they ever made. It's a nonstop onslaught of amazing exclusive after amazing exclusive. And that's not even accounting for all the killer multiplats and ports that are chef's kiss on the hybrid OLED, like Zombie Army 4, Portal Companion Collection, etc.
@GrailUK Same. I know I'm not the average consumer by any means, and it probably helps that I grew up with the NES and "low-quality" graphics, but I really do prefer great gameplay and fun, cartoony graphics over gritty realism.
Except for Ring Fit haven't played my switch in at least 2 years. I've been looking for games that I want but everything interesting I already own on the wii u. Gamepass is filling that gap, and cheaply too.
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