Comparison. It’s a world that groups and combine many things into one thing or more, a person likes. We read it in reviews of food, games, music, movies, and other products that are new and fresh for consumers. It’s nothing bad but it the purpose of it is just to show what familiar qualities you might look for or expect. Comparing clothes and fabric to have a balance style or comparing boyfriends or girlfriends to certain things is something very easy to talk about and offer an opinion. So why is it important to developers and publishers to play the Comparison game when it comes to Nintendo and it’s games?

I was reading a article in Game Informer and the question that was ask was why third parties can’t make money on Nintendo platforms? They posted some answers from different developers and one of the answers were “It’s a frustration for all third party publisher when a platform holder does less to promote third party content”. It is but one thing is that why should Nintendo do most of the work of promoting their games instead of them? When questions like these come up, the third parties start comparing how Microsoft and Sony work well with third parties and Nintendo doesn’t do a good job. The problem is that you can’t compare what Nintendo does because when you do, you will only end up in circles.

Reason I say that is because third parties believe that if they make a game for Wii, it won’t sell. If they make a game for the other systems, it will. Now here’s the big problem. Has there been anything on Wii that hasn’t sold and that developing company has closed down compared to a game that hasn’t sold for 360/PS3 without reading a story that the publisher closed down that company or fired half of that staff? How can companies compare sells between the systems when majority don’t want to make quality games for Nintendo?

That is one of the problems of comparing when it comes to Nintendo. When third parties place a belief on a system they barely make games for to what they do for the other systems, it makes a argument hard to discuss. Take Epic for example. They only make shooters and have a belief that their products and engine won’t do well on Wii or even DS. It’s hard to agree with that when they won’t even attempt to prove one of their games running on their systems. Nintendo isn’t better with it too. Comparing what they offer with 360/PS3 on their system, it is vastly different. It’s good to know about Virtual Console but you wouldn’t know how or what to do to get it without tinkering around or even knowing how to put the Wii online. I heard the PS3 is a bit confusing but 360 has it down pack and those two could learn.

I feel like when people want to compare Nintendo to other things, they should know it cannot be done. Nintendo set a standard for games and they do their best to set new standards. What will happen is that every one else will copy off of Nintendo and try their best to out do it, so people can start comparing and contrasting what the other’s now have to what really started it. Motion Controlling isn’t all that new but when Nintendo did it, it became a major hit and sold very well. When we were introduced to Kinect and Move, all the Wii references and comparisons flew off the wall. When Nintendo introduce the DS, touch screen wasn’t very huge at the time but somehow, and this is only from my perspective, touch screen games have proven to be successful and popular. It’s good that we have the iphone, android, ipad, and other things we can touch but it seems hard to compare games on those items to the DS. It’s not always what Apple allows on their iOS but you can’t find that same enjoyment as a portable system. That includes the PSP being successful too. All I been hearing about comparing with that is actually carrying these things.

I usually compare things in games to other games and leave systems and portables out. They offer their own functuality and sometimes, that’s good for me. Game Informer did ask a good question and for me, my answer would have been to actually release games that are outside the box and have a expectation how it will do. I like that motto with Atlus games. Not everything will sell on the Wii. Just like everything won’t sell on the other systems (take Bulletstorm for example).

I can’t wait till E3 and hear about everyone next plan for their systems and upcoming games. I know tons of journalist will bring out the comparison between the three but I like it when they compare the games more. Hardware has less comparison qualities than a game has. Don’t believe me? Take God of War, Ninja Gaiden, and Devil May Cry and look at all the comparison you can come up with then the Game Boy and 3DO?