Sunday, July 12, 2015

This is the worst time to be a Debbie Downer...

...but deep down you know it's true.

Fuck.

17 comments:

  1. Reggie insisted that Iwata's statement was not an apology, but rather him acknowledging the fan feedback. http://www.polygon.com/2015/6/18/8802789/reggie-fils-aime-iwata-didnt-apologize-for-nintendos-e3-we-make-great

    But man, Iwata came across as a CEO of the people if ever there was one. He was a skilled programmer who made invaluable contributions to the industry long before rising through the ranks to be the head of Nintendo. Since then, he put himself out there and claimed personal responsibility whenever Nintendo's value faltered, even taking a massive pay cut. He's been the very face of Nintendo with his Nintendo Directs, speaking *directly* to fans, press, and shareholders alike. He will be dearly missed.

    R.I.P.

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    1. Originally, they couldn't fit Johto into a Game Boy cartridge. Enter Iwata...

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    2. Nope. They couldn't even fit Johto before Iwata came in. They didn't decide to stroke the nostalgia boner until they realized just how much room Iwata made on the cartridge...

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    3. As you can tell by my profile image, I have another reason to appreciate Iwata...

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    4. No matter how dumbed down Kanto was in Gen 2, it adds to the post-game. I'd say that BW, B2W2 were the only games in the series that could top the GSC HG SS post-game. Give them some credit.

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    5. It wasn't as dumbed down in HGSS, to be fair. The originals still prove why it wouldn't be a good idea to have every single region, including Orre for some reason, on one game. Inevitably, things will have to be simplified or cut to save space. Especially with 6 known regions in the main series. Really, I'd play Touhoumon or something if I wanted two regions or more...Or SoulSilver. Besides, if they had to worry about making 6 regions that are decently fun to take over, then either the next Gen would take far longer than they'd want, or the competitive balance would be non-existent. Patches help, but everyone knows it's that first week that really matters to people that make such things...

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    6. I think gen 6 had it right when it comes to the post-game. Actually giving us something tangible to go for is a lot better than "go there and fight a bunch of trainers". Quality over quantity anytime.

      Of course, it doesn't really help matters that X/Y's post-game was better written than the main story itself...

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  2. I don't know what to say. This is just sad. I haven't been this sad since my first dog died. :'(

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  3. Very sad. He was so young, too. RIP

    He was one of the last ones left there still fighting the good fight. I know one person doesn't make a company, especially one as big as Nintendo, but I now see your skepticism about their future as somewhat more justified. We'll see what happens.

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  4. this whole time
    That's why he had a puppet at e3 instead of him
    He apologized for the e3
    He died thinking his last effort was in vain
    Rest in Piece Iwata, we will forever understand

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  5. Let's face it: Everyone who has played video games for a very long time has lost a part of their heart and soul this week. We have lost someone who may as well be a big part of the biggest video game company and even the video game industry as a whole. This is by far the most tragic death of all time. We shall miss you Satoru Iwata. May your death not be in vain.

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  6. You know,I don't usually get sad for people whom I have no direct relation,but considering this Man's work is responsible for at least 80% of my gaming experience, I say with full sincerity-Iwata,rest in peace.

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  7. Truly a loss for gaming. As much as I think Nintendo's business practices have been shit for the past few years, Iwata was genuinely for the gamers and only wanted the best for Nintendo. If I could have said one thing to him before he died, it would be "Please understand. We only criticize because we love Nintendo, and we love you." I'm going to miss him in the directs.

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    1. Nintendo as a whole has been questionable for the last 20 years on the business side, aside from striking gold with the Wii. I refuse to hold any single person, least of all Iwata, responsible for that, though.

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    2. Yeah, it annoys me when people pin the blame on one person, even if that person has the most power. Corporations are bureaucracies, with large groups of people making decisions and even shareholders having a degree of input. You can hold a person responsible for what they say or explicitly do themselves, but generally not for the direction a company is headed. Going by what Iwata said and did, he was one of the best people Nintendo had and only wanted to please the fans.

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    3. Well, let's not forget that their grip on the handheld gaming market has never faltered (phones are a different market altogether so aren't "true" competitors per se). I'd say they struck gold with the DS and the 3DS is starting to shine better these days. But pedantry aside, yeah no one single person is to praise or blame for big N's ups and downs. That said, he was an important part of their modern history and his absence will be felt.

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  8. I liked how he didn't appear as imposing as many other CEOs. He always seemed very approachable and a genuinely nice person to have a chat with. It's true that some of Nintendo's policies have to change, but I hope that at the very least they'll keep his mentality that even the president should be allowed to look like he's having fun with his job during presentations.

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