Your Favorite "Gimmick"

I get bored at work and read the Gamefaqs boards for lulz. I have read thread after thread bitching about "needless gimmicks" and outdated tech, bla bla bla...

I happen to enjoy gimmicks, as it deepens the player immersion (when done right).

What are your favorite gimmicks?

I really do love the rumble feature. When Majora's Mask used it on my N64, it just... I was stoked every time it would tingle (pardon the pun). So many climatic moments were further enthralling for me because of the shaking and dynamic wiggling.

I also really do love touch screen controls. My 3DS is, by far, the favorite handheld of everyone in my home. We have been handheld supporters as a family since the GBA SP (Crystal Chronicles, man!!!). The DS, while a fine handheld, still just didn't have oomph to make it my favorite (The SP was at the time).

Those are my two faves. Analog control and trigger buttons are close, too.

I'm a huge gimmick fan too, but some of those things have become so mainstream that they're almost just an integral part of gaming. When they started they were gimmicks and rumble was about as awesome as anything on Starfox 64. Touch screen on the handhelds have been a great addition that I love. Motion control seems to becoming a mainstay thanks to the Wii even though the usage has been toned down for Wii U. At least it's there to utilize when a game really needs it. I like it.

It's still new but so far I like how NFC has been implemented in Skylanders and I'm waiting to see how they use the NFC on the GamePad. Yeah it's kind of a side thing since we don't use it really in gameplay but I like it for the cooler experience.

Man I really wish I could have gotten into a co-op game of Crystal Chronicles. It would have made that game so much better for me. Just didn't get into it playing by myself. Maybe it being a Final Fantasy game didn't help much either lol.

Nintendo has really done well blazing the trail with new gimmicks that's really hard to pick favorites. When a new gimmick from Nintendo seems to be on the horizon (Vitality Sensor) and it doesn't look to add much they just can the idea.

I guess if I had to pick faves I'll say Motion Control because it has come a long way and matured. Also Rumble. Even on the DS with the Rumble Pak. I seemed to enjoy beating Space Invaders Extreme that much more with the force feedback. Now I just got to get that Paddle controller and see how the game controls with that.

IMO something is only a gimmick if it's a cheap trick to get attention and doesn't have lasting entertainment value. None of rumble, motion controls, or the new tablet controller fall into this category. Even FFCC doesn't fit. I could pick that back up and still love it. It just didn't get continued because it was an expensive and clunky system. It was still an outstanding idea from a gameplay standpoint.

Conclusion- there's very little Nintendo has done in games or systems that I would classify as a gimmick.

Antilles... read the definition of gimmick. All of those examples are gimmicks, it doesn't make them bad or obnoxious.

Noun
A trick or device intended to attract attention, publicity, or business.

A trick is bad and usually obnoxious because it is, in this context, a deception. It is only intended to get attention- not add value. (Yes, something could do both, but then it would not be a trick.)

Even if we try to interpret the word gimmick differently, we have to take into account cultural context. Culturally, gimmick only has a negative connotation. As with the actual definition provided above, people see gimmicks as a trick. They do not view a gimmick as positive. Most of what has been described above as gimmicks by Nintendo has, in fact, changed the gaming industry for the better- something a mere trick could not do.

Perhaps I am splitting hairs, but as one with an English degree, and perhaps as an English nazi, I take offense to the application of such an unfairly negative word to some of Nintendo's best innovations. In fact, I believe that is the word that should have been used in the place of gimmick- "innovation."

As a son of an English professor who has had rules and regulations strictly taught since birth I understand your anger at not being able to twist the language to better define your feelings but you said it yourself: "trick OR device".

Also, "In marketing language, a gimmick is a unique or quirky special feature that makes something "stand out" from its contemporaries. " Doesn't sound negative to me, and you can spin something any way you want. Culturally, you say this has a negative connotation yet it usually sets the product apart and achieves its success... The hypocrisy there is insatiable! My point is, "if its a failure its a gimmick if its a success its innovation."

Blast processing was a gimmick, right? Look at how motion control was marketed: like a gimmick. People flailing their arms, making goofy poses (that none of us made)... I could go on.

Splitting hairs is what people with degrees do best so lets keep this going!

Let's check out device:

Noun: A thing made or adapted for a particular task.

The only task a gimmick designed to accomplish, as defined above, is attract attention, publicity, or business. Nintendo's innovations did more than that. They advanced the state of gaming. Ask your mom if innovation = gimmick. She'll tell you they are practically antonyms.

Anyway, Blast Processing was a non-entity. It didn't even exist. I guess maybe you could call it a gimmick, but I'd call it more of a flat lie.

Things like toys in cereal boxes or Happy Meals are gimmicks. Things like jet engines are innovations. Happy meal toys add nothing of food value to the overpriced meal you just purchased. If you like the toy or want to collect it, that's fine, but your meal still didn't get any better. Jet engines were really cool and got a lot of attention- but they also advanced the state of flying.

Anyway, I didn't mention my English degree to sound all high and mighty. It's a worthless degree. My point was that if I know nothing else- I do know English words, and gimmick is not the right word to describe Nintendo's innovations. Generally only Nintendo haters use that, because they are either too ignorant or too stubborn to see the genius of Nintendo's innovations.

ZeldAnTales wrote:

Also, "In marketing language, a gimmick is a unique or quirky special feature that makes something "stand out" from its contemporaries.

You realize you are quoting people for whom deception is a way of life, right? It doesn't matter whether or not the product they are marketing really is good- they'll make it better. And they won't do that by actually making the product better because they can't- they're MARKETING.

Agree to disagree then Antilles.

I will not concur that all marketing is deception. If not for marketing, we wouldn't know about anything ever, if only by accident. Or in this billion-people world, do you think word of mouth is still good enough (honest question)?

Also: what about Nintendo? They market, and you can then argue that they market the gimmick of their controller to sell their consoles. I'm sorry, but a constant inventory screen is not innovation.

Your McDonalds analogy is flawed to me. McD's never says their toys will make your meal better, I have NEVER heard them claim that. But if you are saying that we buy the meal for the toy, and that that is the gimmick, then... you buy the Wii U for the tablet, which is its gimmick. Right?

And Jet engines are innovations. Wii U's tablet controller is not, I'm sorry dude. I think its cool, but it is not an innovation in any sense. The DS was, perhaps, but the Wii U seems like a console clone of it. Not innovative in my mind. Cool and fun, not innovative.

I'd also like to point out that no one is saying all of Nintendo's innovations are gimmicks. Just that the Wii U's tablet is.

Come on man, tablets are all the rage and you're trying to tell me Nintendo didn't think to themselves... "bandwagon... here we come!?"

Nothing wrong with my analogy. McDonald's gimmick does its job without them having to make any kind of statement. It is implied- kids are more likely to want the food if it comes with a toy- regardless of the food quality.

Nintendo does market- they market the hell out of us. And none of can say Nintendo has never deceived us through marketing. I'm not claiming they are saints in that department, nor that they have never resorted to gimmickry. I am just saying I do not think most or possibly any of the examples given are of gimmicks.

The tablet is NOT a gimmick. I am agreeing to disagree. Strongly. It follows the same idea Saturn used for a screen in a controller and expands it much further. I actually thought Sega did their first real innovation there. The fact that Nintendo's controller resembles a tablet in form and somewhat in function is as least partly coincidence. They used existing technology to accomplish their goals for a new type of controller. I do not think they said "hey, tablets are popular- they can sell our system!" If they thought that, why not just come out and say, "Hey, our new system uses a tablet! We call it the Wii-U-tablet controller. Buy it because you like tablets!" There's no logic in that- people don't play tablet games because they are on a tablet. They play them because they own a tablet that does other things and the games are quick, cheap, and simple. People don't own tablets, in general, to play games. The Wii U gamepad cannot hope to duplicate that experience, and it's obvious to everyone.

You are thinking of the Dreamcast, not the Saturn. And if you think that was their first innovation, man, I know you don't fully know what you're talking about. Sega was ahead of the curve in so many ways, its what killed them!

You don't think people will buy Wii U's because it resembles tablets? Ok then... I guess I should just disregard what family and friends have said about the system: "neat tablet controller" "wow, this thing feels like a sturdy tablet!"

And if you don't think they think the controller is what will sell the system, what do you think they think sells the system? Remember the last 2 E3s? They didn't even show the console itself, soely the controller, the main selling point of the system.

Yes, I did mean Dreamcast. I can't keep up with the Sega stuff the kids are always going on about.

I never said the controller won't sell the system- the controller has been the integral part of the system for nearly every Nintendo system since NES, AND WITH BOTH WIIS IT HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO THE FOREFRONT LIKE NEVER BEFORE. (Caps turned on- too lazy to fix.) I'm just saying it's not a "me, too" move by Nintendo. Comparisons to tablet gaming are silly. They may have some superficial similarities, but in practice, the gaming on Wii U compared to on tablets couldn't be more dissimilar. It's really much more akin to DS, which I think was around before tablet fever, but even that isn't the same.

Again- can't agree. DS/Wii U similarities are ridiculously obvious. And no one compared gaming on tablets to gaming on Wii U in terms of quality or type. I merely said that the comparison is there and that uneducated people like my family immediately see the similarities. and that Nintendo knew that would happen. How could they not?

As for "keeping up" with Sega... Dreamcast was out in, what, 2001? Plenty of time to get the names right.

Also, of course controllers are integral parts of a system... what system is that not true for?

The only thing I could see as an innovation is the asymmetric gameplay. That is not the same thing as the controller itself.

Do you really think gaming has been revolutionized with this gamepad???? If your answer is yes, then discussion over as its obvious we just don't exist in the same reality!

There's a difference between necessary and integral. That is the main reason Nintendo 1st party games really need Nintendo hardware. Play control has long been central to what Nintendo is about. I could try to list what systems the controller has not been integral for, but that would list basically almost every other system. I'm not going to debate this one because it's clear you have no idea what I am talking about and I don't have the energy to explain it clearly enough.

Revolutionize? Time will tell on that, but I said nothing about revolutionizing. Analog joysticks did not revolutionize gaming, but they did advance it and they are now standard. Nobody will call it a revolution until Wii U starts selling and Sony and M$ move to copy. That does not mean it has not done a lot to improve the few games it has been implemented on, and it has the potential to improve virtually all games.

Antilles wrote:

There's a difference between necessary and integral. That is the main reason Nintendo 1st party games really need Nintendo hardware. Play control has long been central to what Nintendo is about. I could try to list what systems the controller has not been integral for, but that would list basically almost every other system. I'm not going to debate this one because it's clear you have no idea what I am talking about and I don't have the energy to explain it clearly enough.

Revolutionize? Time will tell on that, but I said nothing about revolutionizing. Analog joysticks did not revolutionize gaming, but they did advance it and they are now standard. Nobody will call it a revolution until Wii U starts selling and Sony and M$ move to copy. That does not mean it has not done a lot to improve the few games it has been implemented on, and it has the potential to improve virtually all games.

I was courteous enough to use the term in quotations (in the beginning of the thread) in case people in the forum didn't like the term. Then you went all ridiculous about it so... yeah. You didn't even bother staying on-topic at all... You could have just given your answers and called them features instead of gimmicks without the useless arguing... but you didn't! Way to go! I apologize for keeping it going this long, what a waste of all our time. My bad.

Also: thanks for insulting my intelligence. I understand your argument and do not agree.

This topic is too air tight I don't know where I can get in! So I'll just say that I'm an idiot and run along.

Well, first I'll put in some bullets of my thoughts.

• Wii U gamepad is more of an evolution than a revolution

• Gamepad was not meant to copy tablets, but rather emulate the dual screen experience of the DS/3DS.

• Nintendo needs to sell it more as a tablet since that is what consumers will liken it to, but show them the integration with the tv that makes it much more than the tablet they know.

I think you both made some great points. I don't know what I can really add to the discussion. My brain already hurts.

I'm just not smart enough to explain it.

I thought those quotations meant you did not agree with the term "gimmick." After all, it is a negative term, and I wouldn't expect that from you. (I have yet to see ANY gimmick advertised as a "gimmick.") I was just taking exception to anyone who actually agrees with that epithet. imagine my surprise when you actually did argue.

You can think its a negative term all you want, and in Antilles-land you're right.
But me? I don't care if it carries a socially negative context or not, I thought for myself and decided it wasn't a bad term and good lord if I had thought you were gonna mess yourself over it I would have just not posted at all. And again- you don't even bother staying on topic.

Come on, man, just list your favorite features or leave the thread.

I've always thought of gimmick to mean something that was a cheap flash in the pan, but I'm always open to broadening my mind. It's quite possible that it can stand for positive qualities too I guess.

Reason why I say this is because I've always thought of gossip as a bad thing, but currently learning how gossip can actually be a good thing and lead to positive outcomes. The English language is filled with all sorts of riddles!

It's probably best I stay out of this before I accidentally get knocked out like a ref in the WWE.

Nah, your opinion is valid. Everyone can think what they want about the word.
Its not like I think its some Uber-positive compliment when something is called a gimmick, but I also don't think its something to get my panties in a twist about when the term is tossed around. Honestly, it doesn't stop you from having fun with it whether its a gimmick or not.

A feature that I think is fail is the Wii Speak. Didn't do what it should have and had almost no support. Not even MH3 could make it useful. lol Most players I played with had it off.