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Is Nintendo's "Midas Touch" with the Switch going to bring back a renaissance of core, niche IP's like 2D Metroid?

Marty-McFly

Banned
The Metroid series, while iconic, has not exactly been one of Nintendo's best selling franchises, or even close.

The fact of the matter is though, is that virtually everything Nintendo touches on Switch turns to gold and I have little doubt this will be at the very least among the best selling Metroid games in Nintendo history.

Where we might not see have seen an F-zero on Nintendo's consoles of the past, I feel it's a very likely we will see franchises like this again on the Switch or future iterations of the platform.

Switch and its future iterations represent a golden opportunity to bring many of their lesser known franchises to the mainstream where they can be nurtured into superstar franchises in times present and future.
File:Eternal_Darkness_box.jpg


Wave_Race_64
 
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Perrott

Gold Member
I hope so, this is the best time ever for Trauma Center from Atlus to make a return. Hopefully it happens within the next year or so, because after that the chances would be really slim...
 

Marty-McFly

Banned
2D Metroid is so niche there's a whole genre named after it.

It's not niche.
That's kind of irrelevant.

In terms of Nintendo's best selling franchises it's certainly niche.... and the dollars are what are going to make bringing these franchises back make cents :messenger_ok:
 
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ReBurn

Gold Member
That's kind of irrelevant.

In terms of Nintendo's best selling franchises it's certainly niche.... and the dollars are what are going to make bringing these franchises back make cents :messenger_ok:
Number of units sold does not make a game niche. Metroid was the #18 best selling game on NES. Super Metroid was the #33 best selling game on SNES. The games were popular in their time.

When 2D Metroid was at retail there were many popular games that became scarce due to manufacturing limitations. Nintendo manufactured carts for licensed games and they completely stopped manufacturing some games in many cases. After a period of time you just couldn't buy some games any more even if you wanted to. This was a real problem when games were on carts and it affected all systems.

Nintendo is also notoriously bad at releasing games that are not Mario, Zelda and Pokemon. On top of that they are bad at allowing people to actually buy their back catalog of games.

2D Metroid defined its genre and inspired many games. That's about as far from niche as it gets.
 

Marty-McFly

Banned
Number of units sold does not make a game niche. Metroid was the #18 best selling game on NES. Super Metroid was the #33 best selling game on SNES. The games were popular in their time.

When 2D Metroid was at retail there were many popular games that became scarce due to manufacturing limitations. Nintendo manufactured carts for licensed games and they completely stopped manufacturing some games in many cases. After a period of time you just couldn't buy some games any more even if you wanted to. This was a real problem when games were on carts and it affected all systems.

Nintendo is also notoriously bad at releasing games that are not Mario, Zelda and Pokemon. On top of that they are bad at allowing people to actually buy their back catalog of games.

2D Metroid defined its genre and inspired many games. That's about as far from niche as it gets.
It doesn't really matter what your definition of niche is. 2D Metroid, one of Nintendo's lower selling (niche) franchises, is seeing a new entry for the first time in generations. If it strikes gold, the possibilities of franchises that could come back are virtually endless.
 

Marty-McFly

Banned
Nintendo’s Midas touch is just rehashing the same games that have always been popular over and over again

So if Metroid never sold gangbusters before, then some indie looking spinoff isn’t going to do it either
Will quote this post when Dread becomes the best selling Metroid ever, like nearly every other Nintendo franchise on the Switch does in its respective franchise. :messenger_ok:
 

lo zaffo

Member
No. Nintendo is super conservative regarding releasing games on winning platform like Switch because of self-competition with other Nintendo internal heavy hitters. If the platform does not sell, Nintendo does not care, if the platform sell, Nintendo likely say «no». In any case the budget is low and low. As low as it can be.
 

Marty-McFly

Banned
No. Nintendo is super conservative regarding releasing games on winning platform like Switch because of self-competition with other Nintendo internal heavy hitters. If the platform does not sell, Nintendo does not care, if the platform sell, Nintendo likely say «no». In any case the budget is low and low. As low as it can be.
If this was the case we wouldn't being seeing Metroid Prime 4, or Dread for that matter.

I think the floodgates are just beginning to open. Nintendo has pretty much run out of Wii U games to port to Switch. Now the real fun begins.
 

James Sawyer Ford

Gold Member
It only needs to pass 3 million to be the best selling Metroid ever, and people are calling it "low budget" and a "cheap indie game" so I'm sure Nintendo will consider that a massively worthwhile budget to success ratio.

im sure they will

as a gamer though, not so much. Looks like table scraps for not being able to make Metroid prime 4 in a reasonable time
 

Marty-McFly

Banned
I don't think you understand what niche is.

"Niche is used to describe products that appeal to a small, limited, or specialized group".

That pretty much fits the bill of what a niche franchise like Metroid would represent to Nintendo.

Exactly. There's zero room even to dispute it.
 
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Spukc

always chasing the next thrill
I don't know what to say but if you think metroid is niche your scales are all fucked.
Have you heard of this other niche video game series? I think it's called FIFA.
It's based on some European sport i think.
 
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Marty-McFly

Banned
I don't know what to say but if you think metroid is niche your scales are all fucked.
Have you heard of this other niche video game series? I think it's called FIFA.
It's based on some European sport i think.

Has nothing to do with me btw.

Nintendo is the only one who's definition is important here because they are choosing to release the game.

Maybe a franchise which best selling game never even broke 3 million wouldn't be considered niche to one of the other console makers, but to Nintendo those numbers are paltry and niche. This is why we haven't seen Metroid on the block for a while.
 

Marty-McFly

Banned
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Metroid_media

16 games and 8 of em 2d is not niche i get the clickbait title but no.
If it was "to Nintendo those numbers are paltry and niche"

then why in the fuck do we have 18 games? :messenger_tears_of_joy:
guys metroid sells like shit let's make more.

we haven't seen wii sports in a while does it make that game niche?
If you didn't notice they stopped selling new entries years ago because they weren't selling, and probably only resurrected the franchise because Switch has the Midas Touch.
 
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Spukc

always chasing the next thrill
If you didn't notice they stopped selling them years ago because they weren't selling, and probably only resurrected the franchise because Switch has the Midas Touch.
Nah nintendo is weird like that with their IP's
they sometimes let stuff stay on shelves until they have something new to offer.

look at F-ZERO and Mother this shit will sell like hotcakes the second they release it.
 

Marty-McFly

Banned
Nah nintendo is weird like that with their IP's
they sometimes let stuff stay on shelves until they have something new to offer.

look at F-ZERO and Mother this shit will sell like hotcakes the second they release it.
What new things does it really offer other than some new moves and a fancy coat of paint? Ah yes... the Switch, because it has the Midas Touch!
 
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lo zaffo

Member
If this was the case we wouldn't being seeing Metroid Prime 4, or Dread for that matter.

I think the floodgates are just beginning to open. Nintendo has pretty much run out of Wii U games to port to Switch. Now the real fun begins.
I like to insist here, but I'm not personal with who does not agree with me, that's super fine.
I'm gonna call Metroid Dread «bomba», let alone Metroid 4 that is so bomba that it does not even worth a release. Because they are freezed releases Nintendo has in its sleaves for so long time. Idem is Bayonetta 3, it is just a freezed bomba, released or not.
 
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Mr Branding

Member
So niche that all 2d exploration platformers are named after it, mhm.

Hope Dread does well tho as I really like the devs behind this. They made Mirror of Fate and the LoS games no?
 
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MagiusNecros

Gilgamesh Fan Annoyance
Dread will do well I think. The scalpers drinking the Special Editions through a straw will make sure of that. A lot of people have been wanting a proper continuation of the Metroid story for a long time so I imagine some form of success is guaranteed.

If it breaks 3 million then it's already done well. Since that will be higher then Metroid Prime. And people are STARVED for a new Metroid.

The thing with Nintendo is they only use their IP's based on new ideas and gameplay mechanics they want to implement and which franchise they feel will best implement that. It's the way it's always been.
 

KungFucius

King Snowflake
Number of units sold does not make a game niche. Metroid was the #18 best selling game on NES. Super Metroid was the #33 best selling game on SNES. The games were popular in their time.

When 2D Metroid was at retail there were many popular games that became scarce due to manufacturing limitations. Nintendo manufactured carts for licensed games and they completely stopped manufacturing some games in many cases. After a period of time you just couldn't buy some games any more even if you wanted to. This was a real problem when games were on carts and it affected all systems.

Nintendo is also notoriously bad at releasing games that are not Mario, Zelda and Pokemon. On top of that they are bad at allowing people to actually buy their back catalog of games.

2D Metroid defined its genre and inspired many games. That's about as far from niche as it gets.
18 and 33 would be good for a 3rd party publisher, but for Nintendo it is second class. Calling that niche is reasonable. Even 3D Metroid is lower tier sales wise. That is why they are notoriously bad at releasing more.
 

Shut0wen

Member
The Metroid series, while iconic, has not exactly been one of Nintendo's best selling franchises, or even close.

The fact of the matter is though, is that virtually everything Nintendo touches on Switch turns to gold and I have little doubt this will be at the very least among the best selling Metroid games in Nintendo history.

Where we might not see have seen an F-zero on Nintendo's consoles of the past, I feel it's a very likely we will see franchises like this again on the Switch or future iterations of the platform.

What franchises would you like to see the king of gaming bring back to current day and enjoy the great success?

Kid_Icarus-Uprising_logo.jpg


File:Deluxe_package.jpg


F-Zero_logo.png


Punch-Out%21%21_series_logo.png


Golden_Sun

Switch and its future iterations represent a golden opportunity to bring many of their lesser known franchises to the mainstream where they can be nurtured into superstar franchises in times present and future.
File:Eternal_Darkness_box.jpg


Wave_Race_64
Honestly its time nintendo just released a new or even a hd version of f zero, no gimmicks or anything and release a sequel to star fox 64 or another on rails game, i had faith when they finally brought star fox 2 to life because the wii u game was awful purely because of the gimmick controls that nintendo obviously forced on platinum games
 

RoboFu

One of the green rats
The funny thing is that any game has the potential to be great it’s just because nowadays big money is involved in AAA gaming so no ever really puts the budget behind anything “ risky “ that doesn’t fall inline with some stupid focus group.

Except Nintendo, they still will get behind anything they think would make a great game.
 

Zannegan

Member
I highly doubt it.

Now, if Metroid goes on to do BotW numbers, that would be a different story.
 
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Marty-McFly

Banned
The funny thing is that any game has the potential to be great it’s just because nowadays big money is involved in AAA gaming so no ever really puts the budget behind anything “ risky “ that doesn’t fall inline with some stupid focus group.

Except Nintendo, they still will get behind anything they think would make a great game.
I'll always enjoy a PC AA romp like Stalker, but on consoles I agree!
Agree to disagree.

Something like Ori looks to have much better production values. Metroid Dread looks like something from 2005.
You'll never see in engine 3D scenes like this in Ori, which shows the production values are not the same. Ori looks cluttered graphically as well.


47kzatk21u671.gif



Dread02.gif
 
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