just to point out; what other companies even HAVE 7 different IPs that garner as much popularity as what nintendo's got?

Clearly Nintendogs.

No matter if one is personally interested in this game or not (I‘m not), it got very good reviews and people seem to love it because it obviously is very well done. If this wasn´t a top quality game, it wouldn´t have sold nearly 18 million copies by now. Ubisoft proved this point with their poorly selling ripoffs (poorly in comparison).

eab said: It’s true that they don’t release that many new IPs but there sequels are more than “sequels”. Is Mario 64 really a sequel to Super Mario World? Seriously, try to find any similarities besides the characters. That’s an extreme example but still, when Nintendo makes sequels it’s like it’s not like Guitar Hero 1&2, or San Andreas and Vice City (what are the differences between these two games exactly?). Nintendo does make sequels that are just that (Metroid Prime 1 and 2) but a lot of the time they really change the fundamentals of the game. Mario 64 was running in open levels, Sunshine was thoroughly bizarre, and Galaxy was in space. Can you really call these sequels like you call Halo 2 and 3 sequels?

I agree with your points here...they do change things up and switch the gameplay or add a new mechanic or 2. But I don't know...somehow it just feels the same to me. Like story of these games is usually exactly the same, and the feel too... I'd love to see Nintendo do something diferent other than clean family fun entertainment.

Imagine games like god of war or Bioshock were made by Nintendo...how awesome would that be?

Also, Halo 1,2,3 were the introduction to the series...just like Mario 1,2,3 on nintendo. Halo Wars comes out next and I don't think that will be the same at all.

swyggi said: Game_boy said: Metroid Prime. In terms of gameplay it was completely unlike any previous Nintendo game. I thought Retro Studios made Metroid Prime.

 First of all the metroid series is a nintendo ip. Second of all nintendo published it while retro developed it.

Pikmin, Animal Crossing, Nintendogs and Brain Training.

disolitude said: Imagine games like god of war or Bioshock were made by Nintendo...how awesome would that be?

Bizzare. Awesome, yet bizzare. I also don't see them doing it. Families associate Nintendo with family games, if Nintendo produces a M rated violent game critics will never let them live it down "How can we be buying our children games made by the same people that make games like this! *point to a headless body spewing blood* "

Brain Training, Wii Sport and Nintendogs are clearly no AAA in my eyes...

In my eyes a AAA titel is a hig budget, higrated game ...sell dont have to do with if a game is AAA or not..

I think some people here underrate how much time & money Nintendo spend on new IP's like Nintendogs (research, gameplay, controls, adjustment to console/handheld capabilities). I, as well, don't have a clue how much they really spend, but I bet they take their time (meaning some years) on developing and balancing every new IP. In my opinion that's one main reason for their success - and the most underrated one.

I think Nintendogs is clearly a high budget, high quality game. They didn't put this together in a few weeks and spent only some Yen on development.

eab said: disolitude said: Imagine games like god of war or Bioshock were made by Nintendo...how awesome would that be? Bizzare. Awesome, yet bizzare. I also don't see them doing it. Families associate Nintendo with family games, if Nintendo produces a M rated violent game critics will never let them live it down "How can we be buying our children games made by the same people that make games like this! *point to a headless body spewing blood* "

Heh. Yeah I know...but still I can't help but feel that Nintendo game designers are some of the best in the business(if not the best). I'd love to see wha they could do with an M rated game.

Gears of War Galaxy? :)