From “Super Mario Bros” to “Legend of Zelda,” “Pokémon” to “Pikmin,” Nintendo has made its mark in the gaming industry as well as in the hearts of children across the globe.
Since its breakout in the 1970s, Nintendo has come a long way since the Game Boy and the pixelated plumber Mario; but this year, Nintendo is reissuing some of their old games on the 3DS platform.
Some of the new-but-old games Nintendo recently announced are “Pikmin for Nintendo 3DS,” “Super Mario Maker,” “Animal Crossing: New Leaf” and “Pokémon Sun and Moon.”
All this follows the success of Nintendo’s 3DS release in July of this year, which quickly became the best-selling video game console in the United States and in the entire world.
“With so much news about the system hitting at once, everyone should find something to love. If you haven’t already, it’s a great time to jump into the fun of Nintendo 3DS,” Doug Bowser, Nintendo of America’s senior vice president of sales and marketing, said.
Most exciting for long-time fans of Nintendo are the releases of “Pikmin” and “Super Mario Maker.”
Nintendo announced the adventure game “Pikmin” will be a side-scrolling romp that breaks the mold of the past.
“Pikmin” will still have Olimar and the Pikmin, but now, players can tap the screen to throw the Pikmin to solve challenges and defeat enemies.
The purpose of the game, releasing in 2017, is to have players think about their next move and continue quickly in the adventure.
“Super Mario Maker” is an exciting new concept for handheld gaming, but still features Nintendo’s classic Mario character.
Players will be able to create their own courses, similar to the Wii U version of the game.
What makes the game really unique is a local share and collaboration feature that allows gamers to discuss course designs with friends before they’re complete.
Releasing in December of this year, “Super Mario Maker” also includes over a hundred courses designed by Nintendo with new challenges, ranging from enemy destroying to coin collecting.
These announcements haven’t been met without controversy: “Pikmin” especially is being targeted for breaking the game design that has been used for the past three “Pikmin” games.
Many dedicated fans are upset by the fourth installment to the series, mostly because they liked the game-play of past models. Some critics also feel that there are enough side-scrolling games already, so adding another one is unoriginal.
Some Nintendo naysayers have even gone so far as to start a petition to pull the upcoming “Pikmin” game.
“We, as gamers, have had to suffer a ‘Pikmin’ drought for four years,” starts the online petition on Change.org. “We heard the hype and heard the promises and we were finally about to receive absolution on September 1, 2016 with the announcement of a new ‘Pikmin’ game. We saw the trailer, and what we saw left our mouths agape at the slap in the face we received from Nintendo of America that a new ‘Pikmin’ game would play differently from the previous games in the series.”
The statement continues on to ask Nintendo not only to stop the release of “Pikmin” for 3DS but also to create a new “Pikmin” game that will star Orima and take place on Earth that follows the original gameplay.
Yet the disappointment from some fans isn’t enough to slow Nintendo as they welcome the new school year with their own Throwback Thursday.