Three Reasons Why We Still Need Nintendo

In an age where online gaming and photo-realistic graphics rule, sometimes it's easy for the classics to be looked over. Most of the legendary series from gaming's past still live on yet tend to play second fiddle to newer titles such as Call of Duty or Bioshock, but is it time Mario and Link hang up their dungarees and tunics or do we still need them to fight the forces of evil on Nintendo systems far into the future? Should Miyamoto and the many other Nintendo creators and developers carry on doing what they do best? Let's take a look at some of the reasons we still need to support the Japanese champions of console gaming.

1. Innovation

Yo dawg I heard you liked screens...

Throughout the generations we've seen Nintendo experiment with many different ways to reinvent how we perceive video games should be played. From 3D glasses with the Virtual Boy in 1995 to 2006's motion sensor control with the Wii, this is a games company that, after popularising the home console in the early days, have strived never to be complacent with what they know and are never intent on repeating itself.

The company who created the technology used for the Wii's motion sensor was first presented to Sony and Microsoft for their consoles, but both dismissed it. Nintendo realising the potential, embraced it and it soon became a hit, especially with people who wouldn't usually play games. Sony and Microsoft have learnt from their mistake and have since incorporated similar motion sensors with the PlayStation 3 Dualshock 3 controller and Xbox's Kinect software.

One of the many innovations was mastering the handheld. While other companies created handheld devices such as Sega's Game Gear, no-one could match the Gameboy. Partially helped of course by the incredible collection of games available for it, most notably Pokémon but anyone who owned a GameBoy with simple games like Tetris no doubt have fond memories of the machine.

Gradually improving throughout the years with the Gameboy Colour and then the Advance, Nintendo realised they could not just make another handheld with better graphics. So in 2004, the Nintendo DS was born, with its latest successor, the 3DS which was released recently. The Dual Screen handheld games console was an incredible success, bringing not only double screens to the table but also touch screen. Touch control has now been used in the PS Vita, proving once again that Nintendo will always be ahead of the game in terms of innovation.

2. Classic Original Franchises

The latest Smash Bros roster even included outsiders Sonic and Solid Snake

The undefeated mascot of video games himself is a Nintendo character. What more needs to be said?
Super Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong, Princess Peach and Bowser are just a few of the many characters in the Mario universe that make up some of the most famous and most loved games of all time. From the single player platform games right up to Mario Party and Mario Kart will forever have people enjoying different ways to explore this particular Nintendo franchise for as long as Nintendo continue making games. But just because those characters are the most famous, doesn't mean the rest of the company's home-grown franchises get left out.

Other huge games such as The Legend of Zelda will always be known as a classic games series that just doesn't get old. Whenever a new Zelda game comes out, it will always have something different about it, in order to feel brand new to players, whether that's thanks to Wind Waker's cel-shaded graphics or Majora's Mask time-based gameplay, fans will never feel like they're going through the same adventure over and over again.

Super Smash Bros. and its sequels are a result of Nintendo's unmatched and prolific stable of famous characters and franchises. A fighting game based around having characters from different games coming together to battle it out, it proves that no other company could compete in terms of original character designs. Although Sony gave it a go with as many recognisable characters as they could in PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale, Parappa the Rapper vs. Heihachi could never beat a fight between Mario and Pikachu.

Speaking of which, Pokémon being one of the most successful franchises to ever come from videogames probably since Mario says all that needs to be said about Nintendo's history of original intellectual property. A lot of current games franchises lack the creativity and uniqueness but I'm certain we will still be seeing unique characters and games as well as original spins on the classic games we know and love.

3. Multiplayer

If you don't recognise this shell, you probably never fell out with anyone over Mario Kart

Nobody makes a Multiplayer game like Nintendo does. From Mario Kart to Goldeneye 64, some of the best splitscreen Multiplayer action has been had thanks to Ninty consoles. They even popularised Multiplayer on handheld devices thanks to the battling and trading capabilities of Pokémon through the use of a trade cable.

The current age of gaming sees a massive step back in same screen/same room Multiplayer thanks to the emergence of online gaming. More and more frequently now, we are seeing games companies refusing to implement splitscreen gaming in favour of being able to play with groups of people online instead. Now as technologically superior that may be, nothing really beats the days of being able to play in the same room with a group of mates. That's why games like Smash Bros. and Mario Party will always be kings of Multiplayer. I'm starting to think without games like these, competing developers would probably abandon all hope at implementing such a feature altogether. That's why we need Nintendo to carry on being the driving force of Multiplayer gaming.

The innovation continues to grow with the Wii U and the Multiplayer possibilities expand thanks to the Gamepad controller. Even though I've yet to buy my own Wii U or 3DS, they're still higher up on my to-buy list than a PlayStation Vita or PlayStation 4.

Agree with what I've said? Maybe you have a different opinion on Nintendo? Let us know in the comments section below or tweet me - @LZR_ATK