Dear Reader:

You are viewing a story from GN Version 4.0. Time may not have been kind to formatting, integrity of links, images, information, etc.

GoNintendo 'End of Day' thought - Week of Nintendo Love with Jon Holmes!

by rawmeatcowboy
24 December 2013
GN Version 4.0


I'm expecting it to be a quiet week of work. I'll still be here doing my regular routine, so whatever pops up will be covered. I hope you all are enjoying time off, no matter what you celebrate!


"I have to follow Reggie!??!"

Those were the exact words that Jonathan Holmes sent over to me when he saw Reggie's 'Week of Nintendo Love' feature shared last week. I didn't slate Jon to come up as the post after Reggie...things just worked out that way! I have no worries, though. Jonathan is one of the brightest and most interesting Nintendo fans out there.

I've had the pleasure of working with all sorts of wonderful people in the industry, but I really do feel like Jonathan is one of the nicest out there. So well spoken, so kind and caring. I've talked/worked with him in all sorts of manners, but we hardly ever get a chance to meet up in person. When we do meet up with each other at an event, one of us is running to an appointment. Cruel fate has kept us apart!

Like I said, while we may not get a ton of time in person, I do get to chat with Jon via other means. Through his work at Dtoid and Nintendo Force, it's quite obvious that he has a deep appreciation for Nintendo. A 'Week of Nintendo Love' feature wouldn't be complete without something from him.

_____________________________




The following comes from Jonathan Holmes.


I've been a fan of Nintendo from pretty much the start of their videogame career. Donkey Kong was the AAA title that made Colecovision my "must have console" of 1982, and in 1983, Mario Bros. on the Atari 5200 was my GOTY. Back then, Nintendo represented a new way of thinking about videogames. In a market dominated by quarter-munchingly tough sci-fi themed shooters, sports sims, and maze games, Nintendo offered something beyond what we'd seen before. I may be hard for you kids to imagine now, but having the jump button be the main input in a game was pretty unusual back in the early 80's. The way Nintendo made jumping in Donkey Kong feel tactile and physical, then added to its function and environmental effects in Mario Bros., then made huge, side-scrolling worlds you could destroy/explore/alter with those same mechanics in Super Mario Bros. felt nothing short of astounding. Witnessing the intertwining creative and technical progression of Mario's games between 1981 and 1985 felt like watching videogames evolve in fast-motion.

While my love of Nintendo's games hasn't always been consistent (the N64 was my least favorite console for a time), my respect for their work has never wavered. There is a reason why Nintendo is the last of the old guard of game developers (Atari, Sega, Capcom, Konami, ect) to hold a true power position in the industry today. They've proven time and time again that (with rare exceptions) that they make the kind of games they want to make, working to lead the industry, engaging the audience with games that reflect their unique personalities while working to make as many players feel included and cared about as possible.

When looking at the games Miyamoto has produced over the years, there's a clear auto-biographical arc starting with Mario --the blue collar hero, taking on the world with limited tools, using those tools to overcome all obstacles and reach heights never before seen. Then we have Link -- a hero with an expanded tool set and a huge world to explore, where there are no clear paths to success, and endless exciting discoveries around every corner. This leads us to Fox McCloud, a hot shot interstellar explorer who's proven his skill at scoring big hits on his own, but has learned that sometimes its the team that counts more than the leader. Finally, we have Olimar, leading a huge diverse team against constant threats, feeling the guilt and pain that comes from every minor loss, trusting that his small army of resources can defeat even the largest enemies, but only if he makes the right decisions.

Some will tell you that Nintendo's lasting appeal has a lot to do with nostalgia. That's like saying the only reason The Beatles are still popular because of nostalgia. That may be an element of the appeal for some, but if everything that inspired nostalgia was as critically and commercially successful as Nintendo games, we'd all be watching Ren and Stimpy while drinking Ecto Cooler right now. Like The Beatles, Nintendo are masters of their medium, infusing personal ideas with master's level craftsmanship on a consistent basis. Nostalgia isn't why people love Mario. They love him because his games are always so damn good.

No, nostalgia is the last thing on my mind when it comes to Nintendo, especially in the midst of this influx of indie games making it big on the same principals that have made Nintendo so successful over the years -- simple and relatable characters, satisfying game feel, plenty of room for the player to stretch out and make the game world their own, and refusal to rely on violence, cut scenes, and other Hollywood mumbo-jumbo to get attention. They were "indie" before "indie" was a thing, and it doesn't look like that's ever going to change. Nintendo makes videogames that are videogames first and foremost, and that's why I'll always be interested to see where they go next.

Thanks for the 40 years of videogames, Nintendo. Looking forward to the next 40.