Ever since I could remember, I’ve been a fan of video games. I’ve been a fan of many genres of games: whether it was fighting, adventure, platformers, etc. Let’s just say I know my way around the gaming community. I’ve played games from many consoles, such as Crash Bandicoot for the Sony PlayStation, Sonic on the Sega Genesis and don’t get me started on PC games. Even though I found joy in all the games from those consoles and brands there was one brand that stood the test of time for me. That brand’s name was Nintendo.
Nintendo is an extremely popular video game company. It has the creators of some of the most noted video game characters in history: such as Mario, Link, Donkey Kong, Samus Aran and plenty of others. All these characters have been relevant since the late ‘80s-’90s. I remember my Uncle leaving his Super Nintendo at my Grandma’s house, and spending countless hours trying to beat games like Donkey Kong Country, Super Mario Bros: Lost Levels and more. At five-years-old, I struggled with games in those days, but I do remember eventually, I was able to complete these games. Nintendo had been a big part of my childhood, and I do stand by my opinion of Nintendo being the top gaming company. Nintendo isn’t perfect and it has had its downhill moments, but it always picked things right back up. One example is that Nintendo is great at keeping their games relevant. I remember owning a Nintendo Gameboy Advance in 2004 as my first Nintendo console.
The console had one of the biggest libraries of games compared to other consoles. After two years of enjoyment, my parents finally got me the Nintendo DS. The cool thing about the Nintendo DS was not only could it play Nintendo DS games, but it could also run Gameboy games as well. The Nintendo DS went on for three more generations and is still a relevant console to this day. Another thing Nintendo is good at is being able to adapt to the modern gaming culture. In 2006, Nintendo started something revolutionary by releasing the Nintendo Wii.
The Wii was ahead of its time making motion control games extremely popular. I remember getting a Wii for my tenth birthday and thinking it was the best thing ever. However, after about a year or two, the whole motion control thing died. People were leaning back to playing games on regular controllers. Earlier versions of the Nintendo Wii came with GameCube controller ports. However, when Nintendo released the Wii U, they sold GameCube adapters for $15 more. Nintendo released the Wii U pro controller around the same time the Wii U was released. People were also able to use the Wii U GamePad, Wii remotes, classic controllers and other attachable controllers that were previously used on the Wii. This gave gamers the options to use up to seven different controllers to enjoy their games.
While being different from other gaming companies, Nintendo has always stuck to their ways of standing out from other gaming companies. Most of their games are colorful, creative and full of personalities such as Splatoon, Mario Party and ARMS. However, Nintendo can switch up gears by releasing games on a darker scale such as Bayonetta, Breath of the Wild and Majora’s Mask. I’m not saying that other gaming companies don’t project this kind of emotion in their games, but Nintendo seems to project it better. Nintendo will always hold a place near and dear to my heart. This review isn’t biased at all, Nintendo is the best company in my eyes, and deserves more recognition than it already has.
