Why do we really buy games?

[Final-Fan]

I see. I concede that the control schemes for Metroid and Zelda have been more or less similar since they went 3D, but that's not to say that the two series really stagnated.

Zelda OoT was followed my Majora's Mask -- a crazy experimental game IMO; then Wind Waker, also a bold move that many questioned; and finally (for now) Twilight Princess, which -- although the Light World/Dark World thing is hardly new to Zelda -- still added a lot to the franchise.

Metroid Prime was followed by MP2:Echoes, which, although derided by some, was certainly not simply "more of the same". We'll see if MP3 keeps things fresh (I believe it will). In all honesty though I must say that Metroid is probably the most vulnerable to your claim.

As for Mario Party, I never really got into it, nor do I have much direct knowledge, but if they were all the same dumb thing then why would used copies of Mario Party 5 cost the same (or MORE!) than used copies of Mario Party 6 or 7?

I don't see Mario (insert sport here) as terrible because (a) it added an original Mario-flavored take on each sport and (b) look at Madden and tell me they're derivative. Now if they start to be LIKE Madden I'll consider burning my Nintendo Club card.

Anyway, in sum, I just don't see evidence that Nintendo is letting its flagship titles go stale at all, aside maybe from Pokemon. (*Waits, cringing, to see if flamers pop out of the woodwork.*) Even if I were to concede (which I don't) that the sports titles are abominations, they are a sign that Nintendo is trying to expand its horizons.