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GoNintendo Thought: Which Nintendo franchise have you neglected or never played?

What's your Nintendo blind spot?
by rawmeatcowboy
20 October 2020
GN Version 5.0

There's a lot with GoNintendo keeping me busy right now, but I'd like to get at least 3 written features a week on the site. Let's see how this week goes with our first feature! As always, thanks for reading.

Nintendo offers a wide variety of characters and franchises. From household names like Mario and Pokemon to fan-favorites like The Legend of Zelda and Metroid, there's all sorts of experiences to have. Those brands also include a number of different genres among them, especially when you consider spin-offs. If you take a step back and look at the vast library of titles under Nintendo's umbrella, you can find pretty much anything you'd like to experience.

While that wide range of genres is certainly great when it comes to choice, it also means that not every IP is going to be the one for you. Nintendo has platformers, action games, puzzlers, first person adventures, racing, and so much more to choose. While many are willing to give any game a try, there's still some IP that might be too far outside of your comfort zone. This leads to a series or two that might have escaped your attention.

I'm always down to try new gaming experiences, even when they fall into genres that aren't in my wheelhouse. I have nothing against RPGs or strategy games...they just scare me. I know I'm absolutely terrible at them, and I spent an insane amount of time trying to plan out my next move. After all that time I finally commit to an attack, and then watch as everything I laid out goes terribly wrong. My mind just isn't made for those type of games! I'll struggle through them from time to time and I always have fun, but I can clearly see that they're usually beyond my abilities.

In terms of Nintendo, that means my blind spot is the Fire Emblem franchise. I have played numerous installments in the series, and I really do get a lot enjoyment from them. That said, they are the definition of labors of love for me. I miss so much of the nuance poured into these titles it's ridiculous. The stats you can tweak, the approach to battles, the smart planning, and so on. I just end up fumbling my way through from first battle to the climax. It's not pretty, but I eventually get the job done.

Again, while I do enjoy the Fire Emblem series, I just know that I'm not experiencing it to its fullest. I see others talking about the franchise and realize all these amazing bits and pieces I missed along the way. That's not just gameplay mechanics, but story connections as well. I'm so laser-focused on doing my best to survive that I miss just about everything else along the way. I'm so stressed out when I play Fire Emblem games, knowing that the next move could be the one that seals the fate of a whole group of characters. That constant nervousness and fear picks at me the whole time, and I miss everything else!

Is there any Nintendo franchise that gives you the same trouble? Perhaps a whole series that you haven't even bothered to play? What would it take to give it a go, and why have you skipped out on it for all these years?