How does Nintendo manage to do it so often

[Scoobes]

kjj4t9rdad said:

Scoobes said:
So many different reasons:

- Nintendo create games by concentrating and nailing the gameplay and game mechanics first to ensure they're easily accessible to a large audience. Everything else is secondary.
- Reusing well-known and popular characters for the past 20 yrs. Everyone knows Mario and Yoshi etc. so why not use them to sell a game in another genre?
- Linked to the last point, superb advertising and marketing.
- Not over-saturating your franchises with too many titles in too short space of time. Unlike Call of Duty and other franchises, you don't get that many Mario, Zelda, Kart, Smash Bros. games in a gen and Nintendo let the games sell for as long as possible.
- Linked to the first point: the games are targeted at the largest demographic possible meaning a much larger customer base.

What?  There are way more mario games than Call of Duty games.  I would be willing to bet that there are more mario games this gen than CoD has in its entire history.  I could be wrong, if I am, I'm sure the number is very close.

Lots of games with Mario as a character and selling point, yes, hence the comment about reusing popular characters. Now look at the gameplay mechanics of each of those games:

• Mario Galaxy: 3D platformer
• New Super Mario Bros.: 2D platformer
• Mario Kart: Weapons based Kart racer
• Super Smash Bros. : Non-traditional beat em up
• Mario & Sonic @ the Olympics/Winter Olympics: OK 2 games, but family sports titles with range of different gameplay options
• Super Paper Mario: 2D/3D mix

Now look at Call of Duty:

• CoD 1-3 & WaW: World War 2 pseudo realistic FPS
• COD4 & MW2: Modern setting pseudo realistic FPS

Which is more likely to oversaturate its fanbase? Although there a lot of Mario games, the gameplay and mechanics in each is different to the next. And CoD is now an annual release making things worse for that particular franchise.