The Nintendo Report: Golf equipment, Codenames, and Cubes

Welcome again to The Nintendo Report, the place we’re looking at Nintendo’s mental properties and seeing how they’re doing. With every passing 12 months, it turns into increasingly more baffling that extra of their properties haven’t been given an opportunity on the highlight on Swap, whereas others appear to return out of nowhere with sequels you’d by no means anticipate. Final time we lined the letter B which naturally leads us to C. How are their C-tier video games doing? Let’s discover out. 

Chibi Robo

Oh, my beloved Chibi-Robo. This poor franchise is so lovely and enjoyable, but it surely’s only a bit too bizarre to make it mainstream. The unique sport on GameCube appeared to carry out properly sufficient because it noticed numerous comply with ups, and the titular character even received himself his very personal amiibo. 

Well being ranking: Not so good

Chichi-Robo has by no means been a gross sales juggernaut. It presumably managed to take care of a level of profitability since they saved making them. Nevertheless, the final sport within the sequence, Chibi-Robo: Zip Lash had a little bit of a cloud over it. The creator mentioned one thing to the impact of if that sport wasn’t successful, it will imply the top of the Chibi-Robo franchise. And wouldn’t you already know, the sport sort of flopped.

It’s an actual disgrace too as a result of it was fairly enjoyable, apart from some completely baffling design selections. Having the following stage picked randomly, that means gamers would typically be pressured to play the identical levels time and again for no cause was actually a selection. Regardless, the character has a cult following, so I would not rule something out ceaselessly. Perhaps they’ll remake the unique one and provides the entire sequence a recent begin sometime. 

Clubhouse Video games

It’s virtually arduous to consider this sport works in addition to it does, however a group of public area/legally distinct board video games is definitely fairly the recipe for achievement. The unique Clubhouse Video games on DS was a type of underneath the radar must-have video games. Not everybody knew it, however people who owned the sport hardly ever let it out of their sights.

Well being ranking: Fairly good

Clubhouse Video games received a reasonably stable sequel on Swap just a few years again. It’s lacking a LOT of video games and options the DS sport had that appear like no brainers, and it actually regarded prefer it was set as much as obtain DLC in some unspecified time in the future, but it surely’s been fairly stagnant since its launch. Regardless, it’s nonetheless a very enjoyable sport in its personal proper, and it stands to cause it wasn’t all that costly to make. There’s at all times an opportunity it should go away as I’m fairly positive the Swap sport didn’t carry out practically in addition to its predecessor, however contemplating how little effort the idea in the end requires by comparability, I believe we haven’t seen the top of it. 

Code Title: S.T.E.A.M.

In Japan, this sport is named Code Title: S.T.E.A.M.: Lincoln vs. Aliens. So if that doesn’t inform you precisely how bonkers this sport is, I don’t know what is going to. This got here to us from Clever Methods, in all probability greatest identified as of late for Hearth Emblem and Advance Wars. This was one more technique sport, however with a way more action-oriented method. The purpose was to attempt to make one thing a bit extra approachable for informal gamers, and wrap it up in a cool Civil Struggle steam-punk aesthetic, Abraham Lincoln and all. 

Well being ranking: Very lifeless

Sadly, this sport simply didn’t work. It managed a small cult following, however nothing about its premise or visible model related with audiences. Outdoors of an compulsory Spirit battle in Smash Bros. Final, Code Title: S.T.E.A.M. hasn’t proven any indicators of life, and if I had been a betting man, I wouldn’t anticipate it to anytime quickly. 

Cruis’n

Initially an arcade-style racing crew up between Nintendo and Halfway, Cruis’n has been on fairly a wild journey, pun very a lot supposed. Its focus was at all times on enjoyable, and the unique three arcade releases mirrored that. They had been fairly darn fashionable too, with the unique Cruis’n USA serving as a form of preview for Nintendo’s then-upcoming Extremely 64 console. When it lastly did make it to the Nintendo 64, the sport carried out simply as properly there, solidifying itself as a dependable model for Nintendo in each the house and arcade markets. 

Well being ranking: Nice

Issues went very poorly for Cruis’n after the third entry, Exotica. Halfway went by their very own set of troubles, and the Cruis’n model was solely connected to 2 mediocre video games for nearly 20 years. In 2017 although, the sport’s unique creator as soon as once more teamed up with Nintendo to create Cruis’n Blast, and launched it into arcades the place it managed to efficiently recapture the magic of the originals. It even received ported to Swap with a ton of latest content material added! Cruis’n appears to be in good fingers. 

Cubivore

This sport is bonkers. It’s as soon as once more an Clever Methods joint, and it is one way or the other much more off the wall than steampunk Abraham Lincon. In it, you management a dice who has to attempt to evolve by killing and consuming different cubes. This course of finally triggers mutations that assist your character transfer about and grow to be a extra environment friendly predator. It’s an interesting and weird idea. 

Well being ranking: Very lifeless

Fascinating isn’t sufficient to equal gross sales although. Nintendo didn’t even need to localize it in North America. The one cause it made its method right here in any respect was as a result of Atlus determined to take up the duty. It’s one of many extra uncommon GameCube video games on the market because of extremely low gross sales, and fetches frankly absurd costs within the aftermarket. Personally, I’ve at all times been a fan of this one, and I want I owned it, however not as a lot as I want it may get a second probability. It’s ugly as all heck, however there’s a sure allure right here that may very well be executed so significantly better with at the moment’s expertise. That’s an especially unlikely state of affairs although.  

Customized Robo

Whereas its identify could also be much like Chibi-Robo, the 2 sport sequence couldn’t be extra totally different. Customized Robo is an arena-style fighter the place gamers select totally different robotic elements to make a, umm, customized robo, and combat it out. Like Chibi-Robo, Customized Robo received its begin on the GameCube (at the least in North America) and whereas it was by no means fairly the runaway success of Nintendo’s larger franchises, it has earned a notable diploma of fandom. 

Well being ranking: Not so nice. 

Customized Robo appeared to be doing fairly properly for itself for some time there, particularly in Japan. Abroad, the sequence began on the Nintendo 64, and noticed numerous releases that had been by no means localized within the West. Nevertheless, the final title within the sequence is identical in all territories, 2006’s Customized Robo Enviornment for Nintendo DS. Not a peep has been heard from the sequence since then, apart from the plain Spirit battles in Smash Bros. Sequence developer Noise appears to have settled into cellular sport growth as of late, however they’re nonetheless round at the least! So perhaps we’ll see a grand return to Customized Robo one among as of late. 

And that about wraps up the letter C. Not a spectacular exhibiting this time round. Nintendo has some nice cult hits on this group, a few of which I actually assume may have executed rather well on Swap, specifically Customized Robo and Chibi-Robo. Fingers crossed they get the recent possibilities they deserve. Be part of us subsequent time as we delve into the depths of D for a deep dive of detectives, disasters, and Donkeys (of the Kong selection).