Tag Archives: Nintendo

The rise and aversion of a Nintendo PR distaster

Tomodachi Life

Poor Nintendo. After the runaway success of the DS and the Wii it was almost inevitable that the Wii U would be a bit of a disappointment, and verily it came to pass that profits fell, forecasts were missed and expectations lowered. Then came the clamouring for them to get out of the hardware business, focus on software and jump into the mobile market, because we know how well that worked for Sony.

All in all, they could really have done without the internet shitstorm they created when they announced no same-sex relationships in Tomodachi Life.
Read More →


Game music: Tetris

Tetris Banner

It’s been a year now since I started this series with Bastion so let’s celebrate with the greatest piece of video game music ever written. If the whacking great big banner up there didn’t give you a clue and you skipped the title completely, I am of course talking about Tetris.
Read More →


Nintendo bosses taking pay cuts

Wii U

In the wake of poor Wii U sales (the beleaguered and under-appreciated console is about to be outsold by the much younger competitors from Sony and Microsoft) and the attendant drop in share price, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata will be temporarily halving his pay while other members of the board are taking pay cuts of 20-30%.

Nintendo have had hard times before and come back strongly, and I have no doubt they’ll manage it again (especially if they resist calls to get out of the hardware market and start making free-to-play mobile games – ewww). In the meantime though the pay cuts are a gesture not often seen in western companies, especially ones the size of Nintendo. It’s a culture and an ethos that some might do well to emulate. Even if it’s only temporary and will likely make zero difference to their lifestyles, the gesture cannot hep but be appreciated by employees, fans and investors alike.


A personal history of game music: Part 2 – The NES

Mario Sheet Music

After the Spectrum came the NES (or Nintendo Entertainment System for those who really enjoy syllables), a revolution that brought gaming out of arcades and into the living room. With it came a generational leap in audio quality, a series of truly iconic soundtracks and, for the first time, composers who would go on to become infamous.
Read More →