Former Nintendo employee Howard Phillips says that although Nintendo is a great company, the publisher has changed massively since the 1980s. Phillips claims that Nintendo titles made during 1985 to 1991 were more fun than modern Nintendo games because they provided simple, albeit fun mechanics with profound and challenging levels that entertained players. Now, according to Phillips, the video game industry focuses too much on detailing characters and stories.

“Nintendo is still a great company but obviously it has changed immensely since its heyday in the ‘80s. Back then there was literally just a handful of us who formed the core of the company – we worked closely together on almost every facet of the business and the camaraderie and friendships enjoyed then remains very special to me. Also, in the early years (1985-1991) the games were more fun as emphasis was on the simple but fun mechanics with deep and challenging levels to entertain and reward players.”

“Since then the industry became overly-enamored with character and story and to some degree content. The fun in games is determined primarily by what you do, but that fact has been lost or never realized by many current-gen game creators. Generally speaking Nintendo still honors an emphasis on gameplay, but the big budget productions and marketing efforts of today’s games can pull them off point.”