With flagship titles like The Legend of Zelda, there is no denying that Nintendo has conquered the world of video games, and their consoles are usually some of the most popular. Despite this, not every gamer holds Nintendo's hardware in high esteem, and some players carry downright unpopular opinions.
From the NES to the Reddit took to the site to air out their numerous grievances with Nintendo's famous consoles. Even though Nintendo is world-renowned, even the best can't please everyone all the time.
In Love With A Virtual Boy
Nintendo is mostly known for their frequent hits, but occasionally a piece of Nintendo hardware failed so miserably that it would be considered one of the worst consoles ever made. A deleted came to the defense of one such console, saying "People like to hate on the Virtual Boy, but I think it's neat".
Nintendo's stab at a virtual reality system in the '90s was an abysmal failure on all levels. It wasn't fun to play and actually caused severe headaches, and on top of that, it didn't really deliver virtual reality to the handful of people who bought it. As a piece of retro curiosity, the Virtual Boy finds fans most likely because they are wooed by what it could have been, and not what it actually was.
Wii U Wasn't That Bad
Nintendo sputtered in the hardware department in the early 2010s after their tremendous success with the Wii. Attempting to set a new standard for console excellence, their first stab at a portable home console didn't impress. aliaswyvernspur saw a silver lining though, writing "Wii U wasn't a bad system, and is unfairly considered a failure (sales failure...but that doesn't mean the system itself was bad)".
It seemed as if everything conspired against the Wii U, and players rode a wave of bad press away from Nintendo's latest opus. The brand quickly whipped up the Switch, and many fans let the Wii U slip from their minds completely, or dismissed it as a failed first attempt. However, some s who actually bought the system saw a bevy of positives to go with the negatives including its backward compatibility.
The Wii's Small Library
After the strikeout that was the Gamecube, Nintendo turned their sites to an entirely new type of console and delivered the Wii. Despite its success, sparkzcomics had a grievance with the system, commenting "The Wii was an absolutely awful console...there were so few good games".
Game quality is subjective, and many players believe that the Wii had amazing headliner titles, as well as a multitude of hidden gems. While it could be finicky at times, its motion control system was an interesting and novel leap forward for gaming, and it set Nintendo on the path that they have recently traveled with each new console.
Not Much Of A Switch
Some fans consider the Nintendo Switch to be the finished product to the Wii U's first draft. gamerdork24 disagreed though, when they said "I feel like the Switch, other than the portability aspect of it, isn't that much better than the Wii U".
While fans will endlessly debate the merits of each console, it is obvious that the Switch did a lot more right than its predecessor. Though the downplays the portability angle, it is precisely that portability that makes the Switch such a revolutionary console. Never before had such a powerful system been so handy and transportable.
GameCube's Game Boy
Before the Wii U took the crown as Nintendo's most disappointing outing, the underrated GameCube took a lot of flack. In recent times though, many fans have revisited some of the console's best games, and found it to be an enjoyably underrated piece of hardware. A deleted had other ideas when stating "The only reason to actually own a GameCube is for the Game Boy player".
Just one of its many capabilities, the Game Boy extension wasn't the only great thing that the little purple cube had to offer. The aforementioned slate of amazing games wasn't limited to Nintendo exclusives, and many of the console's licensed additions were surprisingly good.
N64 - Party Of One
Party games have been one of Nintendo's strongest genres, and the Nintendo 64 was the first console to really push that concept. proggybreaks broke the N64 down simply, writing "The N64 is only good if you have friends to come play with you".
A lot of the N64's shining stars featured fully fleshed out multiplayer modes, but that doesn't mean that those games are limited to only that. Games like Goldeneye were certified hits with multiplayer fans, but the exciting campaign was not to be overlooked either. Like any console, the N64 had games that were specifically marketed as multiplayer, and those obviously don't stand up when played alone.
Game Gear > Game Boy
The Sega and Nintendo rivalry is the stuff of legend, and it carried over from their home consoles to their portable games as well. A deleted took a truly unpopular stance when commenting "The Game Boy was whack...the Game Gear was way way ahead of the Game Boy".
Both systems seem like clunky monstrosities compared to modern handheld gaming, but the Game Gear's many faults seemed to outweigh the Game Boy's. They both required an egregious amount of batteries, and were nearly impossible to see in low light. However, Nintendo's slate of well-made games took a sledgehammer to Sega's slew of butchered Genesis ports.
Super Ugly Super Nintendo
Aesthetics seem like a strange reason to critique one of the most popular consoles of all time, but some gamers couldn't get over the boxy design of older consoles. ComradeOj had an eye for the aesthetics of Nintendo when saying "I think the SNES is an ugly looking console. I don't even care for the JA/EUR ones much".
Limited technology meant that consoles had to cram as much tech in one small package as possible. Nintendo's SNES aimed for a neutral grey tone with purple accents, and it created a visual aesthetic that was consistent across all of the hardware. Aesthetics are entirely subjective in nature, and the SNES more than made up for any visual failings with a slew of great games.
Was 3d Necessary?
The video game industry felt growing pains when it ventured into the world of 3d gaming, and the Nintendo 64 wasn't immune to the struggle. IM_MT_ wholesale rejected Nintendo's 3d switchover, writing "I really have a dislike for the N64 and its games...making everything 3d wasn't a good idea".
Nintendo, like any other company, is subject to peer pressure and the winds of change. The gaming industry was obviously moving in a 3d direction, and Nintendo was used to being at the forefront of tech. Many gamers are used to Nintendo's permanently retro aesthetic that they have adopted in recent decades, but forget that they would have most likely been left behind if they didn't compete in a more modern sense.
NES = Overrated
Though it was far from the first console ever, the Nintendo Entertainment System pulled the video game industry out of the doldrums and saved the art from. mzupeman was a bit harsher with the classic console when they said "I have a lot of nostalgia for the NES, but I think some rose colored glasses values it a bit...overrated".
Compared to the amazing tech at gamers' disposal today, the NES seems like a primitive piece of ancient gear. However, it is almost impossible to overstate the influence that the big grey box had on gaming, and the art form of game design in general. One of the best things about the NES is that a large swath of its game library is just as fun to play today as it was when the console first debuted, and many modern games can't boast that feat.
