Nintendo Is Still Being Wildly Underestimated

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Nintendo has always earned critics’ respect. At their best, its games are simply too good for anything less to be expected. It is widely accepted that Shigeru Miyamoto is one of the greatest and most influential game designers of all time, and that Mario and Zelda titles are foundational works of the video game medium that have continually reinvented themselves while remaining relevant over the years.

Yet there have been moments in the company’s history when Nintendo’s image, and the audiences it chose to court, undermined that reputation. In the edgy late 1990s and early 2000s, when PlayStation dominated, the family-friendliness and bright styling of Nintendo games led some to dismiss them as children’s play. And when Nintendo pursued a new casual-gaming audience with the Wii and DS, some of its core fans felt alienated, unable to find the depth or sophistication they sought in those titles.

I reflected on this while reviewing the superb Nintendo Switch Sports Resort this week. It is an exemplary, welcoming casual game (and, in fact, offers much more for the long-session solo gamer than its predecessors to the mighty Wii Sports). It may not be flawless, but in the big picture I found it very hard to fault. It has been a constant source of delight and surprise for me and my family. Personally, I consider it Nintendo’s best release of the year so far.

Yet reviewers don’t seem able to take it seriously—not as seriously as a hardcore epic like Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave, nor even as seriously as similarly all-ages, casual-leaning games like Pokémon Pokopia or Rhythm Heaven Groove. Even the lackluster Star Fox remake scores higher on Metacritic. That simply can’t be right.

It is telling that even the most glowing Switch Sports Resort reviews appear capped at around four stars or 8/10. In other words, there is a critical glass ceiling on casual games like this. Why? Because the sports lack depth? I would argue they have just the right amount—enough to discover over time, but not so much that a grandparent can’t grasp the basics on their first try.

But game critics aren’t primed to appreciate the immense skill and judgment involved in simplification, in leaving things out. It isn’t built into our value system. So, not for the first time in Nintendo’s history, its work is being undervalued—simply because it’s aimed at anyone other than the people reviewing its games.

Switch Sports Resort‘s fantastic free-roam “leisure sports” (skateboarding, prop plane, and power cruising) might seem simple compared to a cutting-edge modern adventure or platform game. But consider that they may represent a first step into free-form open-world gaming for many of its players. Then think about how rewarding and artfully designed they are, without leaning on hand-holding or excessive scripting. This is game design from the top drawer. Critics will catch up with that one day. Kids and grandparents, however, will understand it the moment they pick up the controller.

eShop game of the week: House Flipper 2

The great thing about playing House Flipper, a wonderful cozy sim in the PowerWash Simulator mode about remodeling and redecorating houses, is that it might inspire you to refresh your own home. The downside is that you’ll then realize how much harder the work is when you can’t just point at a wall to change its color.

Nintendo Classics game of the week: Punch-Out!!

Nintendo Music track of the week: “Main Tema (Wii Shop Channel)” from Wii Channels

Nintendo Switch Sports Resort got me thinking about the specific, premium-leisure aesthetic Nintendo cultivated during its Wii/DS casual-gaming era. Mix in just the right amount of Nintendo quirkiness and you get this deathless classic.

Nintendo Switch Sports Resort

• Oct. 22
• The motion-control minigame compilation returns with skateboarding and thumb wrestling

Final Fantasy Resonance

• Oct. 22
• Switch, Switch 2
• Finally, we get an HD-2D, turn-based Final Fantasy game

• Oct. 22
• Mountain-climbing friendslop sensation arrives on console, Switch 2 included

One Piece: Grand Gourmet

• Oct. 23
• What it says it is: a One Piece cooking and restaurant management game

• Oct. 27
• At last, a native Switch 2 version, and for digital copies, it’s a free upgrade