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[nkarafo]

Remember that one?

I remember reading magazines at the time without being able to go a few pages without seeing this being mentioned.

Especially in my country where videogames only got popular enough with the Playstation, the N64 was always the kid's console according to them. I remember reading reviews about Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie, constantly reminding everyone these are kiddie games. But when they reviewed Crash, Spyro or Croc, there was no such mention. These games were "cool" because they were on the Playstation you see.

So if that was the case, then why no other console ever had this reputation? Even the Wii, which had a ton of games specifically made for young children (N64 only had a handful), had the "Casual console" label instead of another kiddie console. No other system in history had this rep. Only the N64, despite having things like Turok from early on and stuff like Goldeneye.

Spoiler

It's almost like the whole thing was Sony's marketing trick to patronize the N64. Could it be?

I just wonder, all these PS1 users who supported this claim, what is their opinion now in retrospect?

 

[Excess]

That contrast was happening way before PlayStation. Sega used to taunt Nintendo with ads about how their consoles were just baby toys, and how Sonic was "cool" in comparison to Mario. This was especially a big talking point when the Genesis variant of Mortal Kombat had blood effects and the SNES version did not.

BTW, I still consider Nintendo consoles to be more kid-friendly. Sure, adults buy them, but I think the appeal is to be kid and family friendly.

 

[a multicultural team of v]

The Genesis was considered the "grown up" console compared to the SNES (thanks to sports titles and Mortal Kombat 1 having blood), and the GameCube also somewhat had a kiddie reputation. The Wii is different because by that time gaming became truly mainstream so it was harder to make blanket statements like that (though the 360 was definitely seen as the Dude Bro console).

 

[Captain Toad]

All I remember was every gaming magazine calling Super Mario 64 the best video game ever made.

That game actually lived up to the insane hype.

 

[Sub_Level]

I just wonder, all these PS1 users who supported this claim, what is their opinion now in retrospect?

I have the same opinion as back then because its a true claim. PS1 had way more Mature & Teen rated games than N64. PS1 had an older target demographic, roughly 12-24 year olds, versus the N64 target demographic which was more like 8-18year olds. By the time you got to PS2 with an even greater number of Mature rated titles, it was pretty much men aged 14-32. Kids were officially no longer the core focus of console gaming like in the 80s & 90s.

The Gamecube had a similar reputation in the US. It doesn't mean Gamecube or N64 are inferior platforms, nor does being a Mature rated title mean its actually "mature". But its clear that Sony and Nintendo just took a different approach.

 

[TGO]

So, apparently the N64 was the only console ever made for young kids.

Every console with Nintendo at the beginning is made for kids, the only people who say otherwise are adults that love Nintendo but don't want to admit it's for kids.
It's okay to enjoy stuff aimed at kids ya know

 

[Moses85]

The N64 was superb!

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

PlayStation had Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid, Twisted Metal, Tomb Raider, Final Fantasy, Gran Turismo, Tekken, etc etc. Most of the big name games on PSX were aimed at an older audience, whereas most of the big name games on N64 were very cartoony and family friendly, and/or iterations of games that people had been playing since they were kids.

Also Nintendo were infamous for e.g. censoring blood in Mortal Kombat and for talking shit about JRPGs. The only JRPG for N64 was freaking Quest 64 which looked like a little baby’s game and was supposedly terrible, whereas PSX had tons and tons of JRPGs that were aimed at a teen audience.

I loved N64 but it definitely felt like more of a kid/family friendly system, especially in the early days.

Edit: also nobody thought Croc was cool

 

[Hinedorf]

N64's kid-based theme has far more to do with losing major third party support because of the cost of the physical cartridges which is where Sony made up the difference in having varying degrees of content for all ages versus Nintendo pushing out primarily Nintendo IP.

And lets look since the N64 the business decisions Nintendo has made specifically in regards to hardware....

Gamecube: Minidisks - How'd that go?
Wii: Motion Controls - How'd that go?
Wii U: Controller w/display - How'd that go?
Switch: Console hybrid - STILL CAN'T FIGURE OUT 4K

Nintendo might be the absolute king in IP and gaming altogether if it could just get out of it's own damn way with unnecessary hardware.

 

[bender]

Every console with Nintendo at the beginning is made for kids, the only people who say otherwise are adults that love Nintendo but don't want to admit it's for kids.
It's okay to enjoy stuff aimed at kids ya know

All video games are for children. Stupid, stupid children.

 

[mcjmetroid]

God no it haunted the GameCube for all its life as well.

 

[Azelover]

Sony took the ball and ran with it

 

[Kilau]

Who knew this actually bothered people, lol.

 

[HellforLeather]

Wasnt Nintendo much more particular about what they would allow on their consoles? Sony seemed to let just about anything fly, which is probably why they have the reputations that they do.

Yes, there were "mature" games on N64 but not nearly as many as on PS1.

 

[Saint Boot]

Remember when Reggie threw shade at Sony?

 

[Jme]

Sega Pico - Wikipedia

 

[ReBurn]

It's amazing how upset gamers get when you make reference to the fact that video games are toys and are, indeed, also meant for children.

"This is not a toy, it's a sophisticated piece of electronic equipment."

Yeah, that you spend hours and hours a week playing with like you were a kid.

 

[Bruno_Arrais85]

I think the Gamecube was a worst "offender". The design, shape and even the original color of the console was very toy-like. Not to mention the controller with "cute" button shapes.

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

I think the Gamecube was a worst "offender". The design, shape and even the original color of the console was very toy-like. Not to mention the controller with "cute" button shapes.

Yeah definitely. Nintendo was trying to shake their “kiddie” image, then they went and released a teeny purple box with a handle and a controller that looked like some “fake toy version of a grown-up’s device” (kind of like the remote control and smartphone toys my kids used to play with as toddlers). They brought it on themselves.

 

[kretos]

imagine if there was no PS1 what gaming would look like today, no blockbusters everything Nintendo and kids games

i still remember MGS and the corridor massacre scene was most shocking at the time, i doubt N would've allowed that

 

[Vae_Victis]

Edit: also nobody thought Croc was cool

Croc is life and you shan't claim otherwise.

 

[JoeyWestSide]

The one with the largest possible controller was designed for kids?

 

[Futaleufu]

Labbo and Mario Kart Live, totally not for children.

 

[CrustyBritches]

I had N64 before I got a PSX, and one thing that always stood out to me was how I could never find a good FPS on PSX. Quake II was the best I found, and that port wasn't very good at all. Meanwhile N64 had god-tier FPS in GoldenEye and Perfect Dark. Then more good FPS titles in Turok series and DOOM 64.

 

[StormCell]

Every console with Nintendo at the beginning is made for kids, the only people who say otherwise are adults that love Nintendo but don't want to admit it's for kids.
It's okay to enjoy stuff aimed at kids ya know

O rly? So you don't care what the manufacturer says about their product? Nintendo is about being inclusive of people of all ages. Frankly, I don't see how this departs from Sony's or MS's aim, but the three obviously have different ideas about how to reach mass market appeal. Nintendo makes games that are engaging to people of all ages including adults (ie. BotW, Mario Odyssey, SSB, XC2, Fire Emblem, RingFit) and also produces a few titles predominantly aimed at children (Kirby and Yoshi). Sony chooses to produce their own slate of titles that appeal to people of various ages with mature titles mainly aimed at the older audiences (teen and older) and less mature titles aimed mainly at kids and teens (AstroBot, Ratchet, etc) -- and yes, I know you're going to say that Astro, Ratchet, and the like also appeal to adults just like Zelda, Mario, Donkey, and the gang. The key difference here is that Nintendo doesn't really publish many mature titles but it does publish a few.

What Nintendoes is deliberately try to appeal to families.

 

[mcjmetroid]

imagine if there was no PS1 what gaming would look like today, no blockbusters everything Nintendo and kids games

i still remember MGS and the corridor massacre scene was most shocking at the time, i doubt N would've allowed that

Haha maybe on consoles

 

[StormCell]

I had N64 before I got a PSX, and one thing that always stood out to me was how I could never find a good FPS on PSX. Quake II was the best I found, and that port wasn't very good at all. Meanwhile N64 had god-tier FPS in GoldenEye and Perfect Dark. Then more good FPS titles in Turok series and DOOM 64.

PSX didn't get analog sticks until late in the generation. That's the most likely reason why FPS didn't catch on for PS1.

 

[PleaseDontBanMe]

All I remember was every gaming magazine calling Super Mario 64 the best video game ever made.

That game actually lived up to the insane hype.

they said the same about half life 2 and MGS

and

they were right

*shrugs*

 

[StormCell]

imagine if there was no PS1 what gaming would look like today, no blockbusters everything Nintendo and kids games

i still remember MGS and the corridor massacre scene was most shocking at the time, i doubt N would've allowed that

They allowed all the fatalities in MK4 and all the content from Resident Evil 2. I'm not sure what about the cut scenes from MGS would have really been a problem for them at that time. N64 had its share of blatantly adult content.

 

[Patrick S.]

You're from Tenerife, right? I half grew up there as well, and tbh, consoles in the 8 and 16 bit era weren't really popular among kids. I myself knew only two people with 8 bit consoles; one had a Master System, one had a NES. Later on, I knew a handful people with a SNES or Mega Drive, but really not more than 5-6 in total.

Video games were just a hard sell for parents, when a SNES game cost 12.000 Ptas., where you used to be able to buy home computer games on cassette at the gas station for maybe 800...

Also remember piracy... everyone had Amigas or PCs and was just buying copied games on Sunday flea market lol

Consoles really only became popular with the PlayStation over there.

 

[TheGrat1]

Also Nintendo were infamous for e.g. censoring blood in Mortal Kombat and for talking shit about JRPGs.

I never heard of this. Can you provide an example?

The one with the largest possible controller was designed for kids?

Nah, it was designed for people with three hands.

 

[nkarafo]

i still remember MGS and the corridor massacre scene was most shocking at the time, i doubt N would've allowed that

Shadowman is a far darker and more violent game and exists on the N64 (and it's much better than the crappy PS1 port).

Turok is pretty violent too, though it's more silly.

Conker is uncensored on the N64 but heavily censored on the "dudebro" XBOX console, imagine that.

Mace The Dark Age is also more violent and darker than any Mortal Kombat game.

 

[ManaByte]

God no it haunted the GameCube for all its life as well.

It was a purple console with a handle.

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

I never heard of this. Can you provide an example?

Nah, it was designed for people with three hands.

Industry Quotes – Hiroshi Yamauchi on RPG gamers

[People who play RPGs are] “depressed gamers who like to sit alone in their dark rooms and play slow games.” – Hiroshi Yamauchi in a 1999 interview Oh Yamauchi, I could d…

onegamersthoughts.wordpress.com

Controversies surrounding Mortal Kombat - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[Roronoa Zoro]

Sony people have said they were trying to make everyone feel 19. They said something about how everyone wants to be 19 whether they're older or younger which was weird to me but they were clearly targeting the cool young adult crowd. Nintendo always aimed at kids. I'd say GameCube was the most kiddy console just by looking at it

 

[nkarafo]

PSX didn't get analog sticks until late in the generation. That's the most likely reason why FPS didn't catch on for PS1.

There were plenty of FPS games on the PS1, many more than the N64. It's just that the N64 ones are better.

 

[TGO]

It was a purple console with a handle.

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

Can’t find it now, but right after GameCube was announced there was a photoshop going around of the Teletubbies, with the purple one holding the GameCube instead of his purse.

 

[TexMex]

There actually was merit to that though. Calling it out isn’t wrong, but it was on the consumer for allowing it to be a negative.

Pointing to exceptions and calling them the rule doesn’t change the fact that PlayStation had significantly more games aimed at adults than N64. That’s just objectively true. Whether it MATTERED to anyone or not is a personal problem.

 

[Birdo]

In the UK, the N64 was the Frat Boy console, because of it's four player games. Every university dorm had one.

 

[DeltaPolarBear]

All video games are for children. Stupid, stupid children.

And secretly, every adult know they are still stupid children on the inside.

That is why Nintendo figured out they can stay a toy company at heart and still make games for all ages. Because only teenagers worry about playing kids games; adults and little kids don't care.

 

[Cherrypepsi]

I remember that I was the happiest kid on my birthday of 97 when I got my N64 and I could'nt give a shit about what anyone said because I was too busy collecting 120 stars

 

[Corgi1985]

 

[nush]

Kids Gear

 

[joedan]

And lets look since the N64 the business decisions Nintendo has made specifically in regards to hardware....

Gamecube: Minidisks - How'd that go?
Wii: Motion Controls - How'd that go?
Wii U: Controller w/display - How'd that go?
Switch: Console hybrid - STILL CAN'T FIGURE OUT 4K

Uhm… Didn’t these go very well? Plus (lack of) 4K hasn’t hampered the Switch.

 

[TheInfamousKira]

As has been mentioned, this isn't an N64 thing, not solely, at least. I think it's relative to when you grew up, probably. I'm 30, so the N64 always seemed like the cool thing, you had OoT and MM, which were sufficiently mature (blood, corpses, ghosts, swords) and RE2, Mace (I can't be the only one who remembers), Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Turok, etc.

GameCube is what I remember getting the kiddie slant, mostly because of Wind Waker, Mario, Pikmin, and Animal Crossing. But it also had the first two Metroid Primes, the entire RE series at that point, MGS, Twilight Princess, Eternal Darkness, etc, so...

I wouldn't/don't care so much about what console warriors have to say about anything. Different things suit different people, and my subjective enjoyment is not at a detriment to yours, nor does it need to be judged. Golden rule in life is do what makes you happy so long as it doesn't hurt yourself or others.

 

[Umbasaborne]

If nintendo wants to prove they can make a big boy box then they should make yoshi and birdo fuck in the next mario party.

 

[demonstr8]

I love how you make all these claims about what magazine(s) did but show no evidence and then at the end you turn around and put a loaded question to the users of the PS1 as if it's not 0.01% of them who wrote for gaming magazines. Not only that, instead of considering the fact that because the Nintendo 64 had primarily and most popularly child age rated games it was seen and talked about as a childish console, you posit that it was because of Sony, also with no evidence. Lol pretty poor excuse for a thread my friend, step it up.

 

[carlosrox]

Literally one of the worst things to happen to gaming was that idiotic "kiddy" or "cool" bullshit.

Idiots still buy into it to this day.

 

[realcool]

All video games are for children. Stupid, stupid children.