Nintendo: All These Sequels Don't Mean We're 'Playing It Safe'

[orniletter]

Veknoid_Outcast said:

Well, there are two questions here in this article. The first is, "is Nintendo playing it safe?" And the answer is "yes." Games like Mario Kart, Super Mario, and Donkey Kong Country are safe bets. They're popular, they're critically acclaimed, they sell a lot of copies.

But the other question is much more interesting: what defines a "new IP"? Is it a new character and a new world? Or is it a brand new idea? Because Nintendo regularly pumps new ideas and mechanics into its established IPs, even if the characters and environments are familiar. I think Miyamoto, in this interview, demonstrates again why he's the best game creator alive: the priority is a fun and unique gameplay experience; the stories, characters, and environments come later and help round out that experience.

You are right on the money with this question ! We should take a look at the Kirby games on the DS: You CAN count them as "Kirby games" if you wanted, but if you take a closer look (honestly, you don´t even have to look that closely) there is Squeak Squad (which plays like a traditional Kirby game) Canvas Curse/Power Paintbrush (which doesn´t play like a traditional Kirby game rather than using the touchscreen for a wierd but fun on-rails-I-Can´t-describe-it-game) and Mass Attack(which isn´t traditional at all, you control 10 Kirbys at once with the stylus )

Nintendo could have slapped a new skin over Mass Attack and called it a new ip....which would have likely resulted in the game selling significantly less

what defines a "new IP"? Gameplay, setting, characters, graphic style ? Is Remember me better than Kirby´s Mass Attack just because it is located in a new Universe but is a shameless Uncharted clone on the other hand ?