Which Nintendo series has been handled the worst

F-Zero for me.

With the exception of Earthbound, which isn't really a series outside Japan (as far as I know) and is quite a niche game, the others have all had games on the main Nintendo platforms in recent years, and some with multiple iterations. Even if they're trying something new, or changing the formula somewhat, they're at least doing something with the series. But with F-Zero they just ignore it.

Not an exhaustive list, but off the top of my head:

- Donkey Kong (games on SNES, N64, GameCube, Wii, Wii U, and some handheld games)
- F-Zero (SNES game, N64 game, some crappy GBA games, last game on GameCube)
- Metroid (games on NES, SNES, GameCube, Wii, handhelds, new game in development)
- Paper Mario (games on N64, GameCube, Wii, Wii U, Switch, and handhelds)
- Star Fox (games on SNES, N64, spin-off on GameCube, Wii U)
- Yoshi (games on handhelds, N64, Wii U, Switch)

I'd say F-Zero is most starved of attention, and then probably Star Fox.

I know the sales of F-Zero GX weren't great, so that could be the reason they ignore it. But Miyamoto also said something about there being nothing new or revolutionary that they could do with the series, and they'd want or need that to start developing a new entry in the series. That doesn't seem to stop them with other series though, where they do the bare minimum, or just create the same game over and over with minor tweaks. I guess those have higher sales though, so that might be why.

I think they could do any or all of the following to either generate new interest in the series, or breathe new life into it:

- release F-Zero X with the 64DD content
- release F-Zero GX with the AX content
- add online play
- add a track creator
- make a remastered version of X (not that I think it needs it, but might open up the series to a new audience) and chuck GX into a package with it

Seems like it's not worth the effort, at least from Nintendo's point of view though. Real shame though, as F-Zero X is one of my favourite games. I just want a new version with new GPs, new tracks, maybe some new characters and vehicles.

Same with Star Fox, just do Lylat Wars again with better visuals, a new story, and online dogfights and such. Doesn't always have to be reinventing the wheel.

Doshin the Giant.

Petition to add 1080 to the list, just in pure terms of the hurt.

My heart says metroid, though I am biased. For what its worth, as much as a new F-Zero would be cool it's pretty hard to say where it would go after GX, which really was the pinacle of both the series and that kind of game. Kirby does what kirby does and I think it's fine as is. I have little investment in the rest. Yoshi is a problem in that they're reluctant to change what they're doing, but I expect little from Mario spinoffs.

Unlike other series Metroid hasn't just been left alone; it's been almost desecrated and its clear nintendo aren't exactly sure what to do with it, and tend to leave it in the hands of people who don't understand it. Of the last three games, two were original, and both had issues. These two games each belonged to one of the two typical sides of metroid; other m was done by sakamoto and demonstrated that he's a strawberry floating hack who should be kept away from this series henceforth. Federation force was done by the current retro team, which is comprised of many people who worked on Prime 3, but few who worked on 2, and almost none whom worked on 1; while Prime 3 is still a good game you can see mistakes in the general direction of the series beginning here, and they come to a head in federation force which especially for the time was tone deaf.

We also got a remake, which while seemingly a return to form follows the trend of making metroid more of an action game and thus similarly moves away from the horror theme that was originally there as intended by Gunpei Yokoi.

I am not convinced the current team at retro knows what they're doing with prime 4, but we'll see.

Actually I’m not sure why Yoshi and DK are up there at all. Yoshi has had two games on the last two home consoles that are 7/10s and, if we’re honest, only had the one really good game in its life before that; so it’s not like the series is currently in sharp decline. (The handheld games have been bobbins but they’re offset by Woolly and Crafted IMO.) Meanwhile Donkey Kong has had a solid platforming entry on the last three complete home consoles, as well as interesting spin-offs (Jungle Climber, Konga).

I would at least replace DK with a collected ‘realistic Nintendo sports’ banner (Wave Race, 1080, Excite), even though I have no interest in said games. (I have to admit not being terribly interested in F-Zero either... :shifty:

)

Mario Tennis for me - not dropped or forgotten, just made progressively worse. Fantastic start on the N64 and peaked on GBC with its RPG mode (and these two can basically be counted together for being developed together with the really damn cool transfer pak functionality). It's been a series in decline ever since - gimmicks shoehorned into the console titles, RPG mode dropped from handheld post GBA.

If we count plain old dropped as mishandled then yeah series like F-zero take a good swing at it. What exists of F-zero is bloody great though and it ended on a high.

Return_of_the_STAR wrote:
Pedz wrote:
Return_of_the_STAR wrote:Where’s the Wave Race and 1080 snowboarding sequels?

On the GameCube.

Sequels to them?

Well, that I don't have an answer to

I’m saying F-Zero and I’m not even a fan of the series.

Return_of_the_STAR wrote:Indeed recent Kirby games have been excellent however it’s never going to have mass market appeal around most of the world.

You'd think it does the amount they churn out

Lotus wrote:- F-Zero (SNES game, N64 game, some crappy GBA games, last game on GameCube)

Rude

Yeah, those ‘Crappy’ GBA F Zero’s are very good. The one that was Japan exclusive is particularly well regarded if memory serves.

I've got a couple of them, but I didn't rate them really. They're not awful, but feel lightweight and lacking compared to the mainline entries, and the speed - crucial to what the series has become - just isn't there. Maybe the others I haven't played were good.

F-Zero. I suspect the popularity of Mario Kart (easier, bullshit items to enable catch-up etc) killed this off.

Hypes wrote:
Return_of_the_STAR wrote:Indeed recent Kirby games have been excellent however it’s never going to have mass market appeal around most of the world.

You'd think it does the amount they churn out

Lotus wrote:- F-Zero (SNES game, N64 game, some crappy GBA games, last game on GameCube)

Rude

I can only assume Kirby sells well in Asia mainly and it's relatively cheap to make in the grand scheme of things.

I've long held the belief that titles like wave race and 1080 snowboarding would be good launch titles for any new Nintendo console. Launch titles often get the grace of not needing to be too in-depth and can be designed to show off q new consoles features.

This could have been the console to do an F-Zero game because they're not going to release a new Mario Kart

Hypes wrote:This could have been the console to do an F-Zero game because they're not going to release a new Mario Kart

Yeah indeed.

In defence of Donkey Kong being underserved, in fairness, it was always gooseberry fool.

In the case of 1080, F-Zero and Wave Race, (which need sequels to their GameCube iterations), none of these series need reinventing or revolutionary new mechanics. All Nintendo needs to do is design a fresh batch of courses. That's it.

They do this for Mario Kart all the time.

Lotus wrote:I know the sales of F-Zero GX weren't great, so that could be the reason they ignore it. But Miyamoto also said something about there being nothing new or revolutionary that they could do with the series, and they'd want or need that to start developing a new entry in the series. That doesn't seem to stop them with other series though, where they do the bare minimum, or just create the same game over and over with minor tweaks. I guess those have higher sales though, so that might be why.

This always annoyed me because it's blatently a load of bollocks.

As you already said it's simply a sales figure thing. The series that do gangbusters for them get consistent and solid support whereas anything that is middle of the road, or hasn't had anything proven in a while is simply sidelined.

They have no interest in any of their IP that doesn't meet their expectations/requirements, which is entirely sensible from a business point of view. It does however make being a fan of any of that IP utterly frustrating.

The only real value these IPs now have to them is as fanservice within Smash and their piss-poor online offerings. Occasionally they try something to see how it does, but it rarely leads to more.

I really wish they'd let other people take the helm of those sidelined IPs, because as we've seen with GX, it can result in great things.

Which Nintendo series has been handled the worst

Which Nintendo series has been handled the worst

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