When the videogame industry was in pieces during the early 1980's after the complete collapse of Atari and the general apathy of the general public regarding home gaming one company located in Japan had other ideas, their console called the Famicom (Short for Family Computer) was cooking up a storm and after a failed partnership with Atari for distribution rights in North America they decided to go it alone, the rest as they say is history!
Widely regarded as one of if not THE best game developer in the world Nintendo have produced entertained and delighted people of all ages for over 30 years with their constant bombardment of gamers around the world with game franchises you can only play on Nintendo systems, titles that are burned into any serious gamers soul.
If your reading this and you have never played a Mario, Zelda or Metroid game then congratulations on clicking on the wrong site or confusing yourself with being a gamer, Nintendo for many are the very definition of gaming and even when they are going through bad times after bad console launches or it seems like they are finished they bounce back stronger, no other company in this industry has their franchise catalogue and put simply nobody else makes Nintendo games.
During their history Nintendo have produced consoles that have completely changed the industry itself, they seem to be pioneers never content to just up the graphics levels and release the next machine, think Apple but opposite.
From the Mode 7 chip of the Snes to the Analogue stick controller for the N64 every single Nintendo console has something that makes you just think..... Oh I get it! Would you even have touch screen mobile phones with all the games if Nintendo had'nt broken the glass ceiling with the DS, chances are maybe but many many years later.
Japan may be Nintendo's home, where they come from and where all the R&D happens but North America is where they make their money, its reported that at one point 1 in 4 homes in America had a NES system they also hold the record for the biggest selling games console of all time the Nintendo DS which just last year 2012 passed the PS2 as the number 1 selling system and considering they still make and sell this machine means it's a record that will probably stand for quite some time.
Here at RetroGameGeeks we will try to show and explain why you should own play and love Nintendo hardware and software, I myself (Megatrons_Fury) see Nintendo as the very heart and soul of the games industry, Sega may have left us in some ways, Atari are dead but one of the originals is still with us and even though Nintendo today are much weaker than they used to be as long as they control the handheld market their future is secure.
From a playing point of view to make a list of must play games on Nintendo systems is a tough task, to produce a top ten list of the best games is nearly impossible, Link to the past, Mario 3, F-zero, Pilotwings, Super Metroid the list of in-house titles is staggering and don't even get us started on Capcom and Konami games from the NES and SNES era oh and a certain Uk developer called RARE from the SNES and N64 years, it's flat out embarassing how many top games Nintendo fans can play and enjoy.
Merchandise wise Nintendo also produce countless soft toys, play sets and associated material to help promote the games themselves as well as the rich history it has earned, considering they still make such things as they started off producing items such as playing cards before video games even existed is in some ways a nod to their heritage.
Collectors adore Nintendo for many reasons, not just the top quality games on show but the way in which early Nintendo products reached their market, cardboard boxes that can so easily be crushed or ripped make prices for games, even rubbish ones stand out a mile, if you dont believe us go search Ebay for Mint condition NES and SNES games. Modern Nintendo systems games prices right through the Gamecube and into the DS years remain high for the low print runs places like Europe got, even today Nintendo do not prioritise Europe as a region so everything PAL format is worth holding onto.
As stated earier the modern Nintendo is a different beast entirely to the company it was during its golden period of the NES and SNES. Even though systems such as the Marmite (love it or hate it) Nintendo Wii polarise the industry and gamers alike with its Fashion gimmick direction and obvious attempt at chasing a then huge casual fanbase they still continue to sell consoles in their millions and the games in the same quantities, it's a cash cow that simply shows no signs of stopping to Moo.
At some point in time the last of the ones that started this all ie.Nintendo will one day most probably become a super publisher making games for every available console much like their one time bitter rivals SEGA probably down to the fact that as a company they have maybe distanced themselves a little bit too much from what the majority want and that the recent Nintendo Wii U has been a real disaster sales wise across all territories, right now thank god they have the 3DS and as mentioned several times before a software catalogue nobody else has, its not all doom and gloom by any means but it is a matter of concern for people like us that know the games world NEEDS a strong Nintendo.
For now though and because this is a retro site we recommend playing as much Nintendo as is humanly possible because honeslty when they turn it on they do it better than anyone else and it doesnt even look like they are trying, making games like Zelda - A Link to the Past or Mario 3 is as easy to Nintendo as breathing is to you and me.
- Megatron's_ Fury