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Ever since 1969, the James Bond series has been plagued by this theory. The “Codename Theory” is a theory even supported in the 1967 spoof of Casino Royale. That film isn’t seen as “real” by many fans. I thoroughly love it as a comedy; there’s no harm in a laugh and jab at Cold War tension. I’m getting off-track, though. This theory means that the name “James Bond,” and the number “007” are part of a codename, and given to that double-o agent. If an agent becomes 007, they are now named “James Bond” as well. This theory doesn’t hold up, and there’s plenty of evidence to prove this.
Lazenby’s line at the start of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
In 1969, Sean Connery was replaced by George Lazenby to play James Bond. In the beginning of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, George Lazenby saves a woman from assailants. When she runs away, she leaves behind her shoe; Bond then smirks, and says “this never happened to the other fella,” before looking at the camera, and this can go two ways. Leaving the shoe behind, Lazenby picks it up when he says his line, and this can be taken as a reference to the classic tale of Cinderella, especially because that’s the woman Bond fawns over during the film. Others took it as a sign that this is a new Bond, and not the same man we left in You Only Live Twice.
Bond smiling at Honey Ryder’s knife from Dr. No.
In this same movie, however, this theory starts to fall apart. When Bond returns to MI-6, he cleans out his desk, and finds effects from other films. Honey Ryder’s knife from Dr. No, Red Grant’s garrotte watch from From Russia With Love, and his respirator from Thunderball all come out of his desk. Why would he have these things if he wasn’t the same man? Q and MI-6 wouldn’t go out of their way to steal a woman’s knife; Bond probably got it as a memento from Ms. Ryder after their near-death experience at the hands of Dr. No at Crab Key.
The opening title sequence of the film also has plenty of imagery to past Bond adventures, as well as time passing. The most notable is when the sand in an hourglass is replaced with scenes of Dr. No and Goldfinger. Why would we care about the passage of time for a new man?
A still from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service‘s opening titles sequence.
The Marriage Angle
Bond and Tracy (Diana Rigg) on their wedding day.
As the film goes on, he meets with Blofeld, and supposedly for the first time, even though they met in the last film, but this is just credited as a writing error. After changing actors, the writers wanted On Her Majesty’s Secret Service to be as close as possible to the original novel by Ian Fleming. In the novel, Bond meets Blofeld for the first time, and gets married to a woman named Tracy. It was kept so close to the novel that it’s reported that George Lazenby had a copy of the book on set to reference. At the end of the film, Bond resigns from the service after he is married. His married life is short-lived, however. With Blofeld driving the car, Erma Bunt kills Tracy in a drive-by meant for Bond.
Sean Connery in his last official outing as Bond in Diamonds are Forever.
When Sean Connery returned for another film in 1971’s Diamonds are Forever, the film starts with him presumably hunting Blofeld, because Blofeld had a hand in Tracy’s death. We don’t see Connery’s face, but we hear his voice while he pummels leads, much like how they kept Lazenby in shadow during the opening of the prior film. Blofeld doesn’t return for ten years, and when he does, it’s just implied that the man is Blofeld.
After Tracy is brought up, the meeting turns sour between Bond (Roger Moore) and Anay Amasova (Barbara Bach). (The Spy Who Loved Me)
Before Blofeld’s appearance in 1981, Tracy was referenced in 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me. When Bond meets Agent XXX of the KGB, she runs down his dossier. She includes how he likes his drinks, his resume of how he handles situations, and his married life. “Married only once, wife killed-” when she’s cut off by Bond “that’s enough.” Blofeld’s return in 1981’s For Your Eyes Only comes in the form of the pre-titles sequence. After Bond places flowers on Tracy’s grave (showing her year of death is 1969,) he is told a helicopter is coming to pick him up. It’s quickly realized to be a trap by Blofeld. Bond quickly gets away, and flies the helicopter himself; he then finds Blofeld on a rooftop, and proceeds to kill him. If you haven’t seen the death, I’ll let you imagine what happens; it isn’t a gruesome propeller death, so keep thinking.
Tracy’s grave in For Your Eyes Only.
Della (Priscilla Barnes) and Felix (David Hedison) with Bond (Timothy Dalton) in Licence to Kill.
Bond being married is brought up by his friend Felix Leiter in 1989’s Licence to Kill. In my opinion, it’s still the most gruesome and intense film in the franchise, but that’s not what we’re talking about right now. In the start of the film, Bond attends Felix’s wedding, and after the reception, Felix’s wife, Della, tries throwing Bond the garter. He smiles and says “no, thank you,” and that’s when Della throws it at him anyway. Bond smiles softly before putting it in his pocket. When Della asks Felix if she did something wrong, he just softly responds, “he was married once, but that was a long time ago,” obviously a reference to twenty years prior.
Alec (Sean Bean) and Bond (Pierce Brosnan) near the end of Goldeneye.
Pierce Brosnan’s time as Bond still kept this continuity going. In 1995’s Goldeneye, Alec Trevelyan mocks Bond near the end of the film. When Bond decides to poke Alec and try to make fun of Alec’s motives, Alec fires back. “I might as well ask if all the vodka martinis ever silenced the screams of all the men you killed. Or if you found forgiveness in the arms of all those willing women, for the dead ones you failed to protect.” It’s reasonable to assume that more women than Tracy have had a target on their back for being with Bond, such as Aki’s death in You Only Live Twice; Aki was killed in a botched assassination attempt meant for Bond.
Elektra King (Sophie Marceau) in her casino dress.
Tracy in her wedding dress.
In 1999’s The World is Not Enough, Bond’s relationship with Elektra King is reminiscent of his time with Tracy. I say this because of her attitude, the way she dresses, and her story supposedly striking a chord with Bond. Her attitude towards Bond is very rigid; when she and Bond meet, she acts as though she wants nothing to do with MI-6, because they couldn’t protect her mother or father. She needed some convincing, like Tracy did. Her dress in Valentin’s casino was an elegant mesh, but instead of Tracy’s white dress, Elektra’s was red, and this was probably used as foreshadowing. The audience can also note that Tracy wore her hair up, and Elektra wore it down. Her story of escaping captivity is also a parallel to Tracy’s at the end of Secret Service. At the end of that film, Tracy tried seducing Blofeld, while keeping him at bay; this is the same tactic Elektra used. She openly tells Bond that she used her body to seduce the guards, and then killed them when their guard was lowered.
Orbis Non Sufficit: “The World Is Not Enough”
Bond’s coat of Arms in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
In On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, James Bond’s coat of arms is shown to the audience. The audience hears “Orbis Non Suffict,” which translates from Latin to “the world is not enough.” Other than the 1999 movie being called The World Is Not Enough, Bond actually tells Elektra his family motto. When Bond has been captured, Elektra tells him she could’ve given him the world, to which he coldly replies, “the world is not enough.” Elektra says it’s a foolish sentiment, and Bond smirks, saying “family motto.”
It’s possible this connection was planned for the thirtieth anniversary of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, but either way, it connects Pierce’s Bond at least back to George’s with little-to-no effort.
Bond’s Allies
Felix Leiter (Jack Lord) in Dr. No, meeting Bond (Sean Connery) for the first time in the series.
Of course, we have to mention Felix Leiter, Bond’s contact in the CIA since 1962. Felix is a pop-up character in the series, often flipping between many actors when Bond needs help in the United States. We can also assume that Bond and Felix are genuine friends based on the way they talk to each other, and because Bond was Felix’s best man. In Dr. No, the two had mutual respect for each other; it turns into friendship and understanding throughout the films, too. In Goldfinger, Felix finds Bond getting a massage, and makes a quip; “I knew I’d find you in good hands,” to which Bond smiles and the two get down to business. This is how they’ll interact in Sean Connery’s movies. They have quips back and forth, enjoy each other’s company, and Felix’s actors are hit-or-miss levels of quality. In Live and Let Die, the two discuss lunch plans, and it isn’t just a business lunch; you get the feeling from how they talk that this is a bond between two genuine friends, like in Goldfinger.
John Terry playing Felix in The Living Daylights.
While in Timothy Dalton’s run, Felix Leiter had his last runs in the series. He appeared in The Living Daylights spying in the Middle East. He catches Bond after the staged murder of a general, and the two “talk shop,” as Bond puts it. While it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for a C.I.A. operative to want Bond’s attention, especially since Bond is a wanted man in this film; Felix doesn’t just arrest Bond and hand him over to the Russians. Felix has Bond trapped by two attractive women and brought to Felix’s hideout to explain himself. Licence to Kill is Felix’s last appearance in this canon. Felix is played by his actor from Live and Let Die, David Hedison. After Felix’s life is torn apart by a Colombian drug lord, Bond goes on a rampage. Felix is left missing limbs, and his wife has been murdered. Bond resigns from MI-6, and goes out by himself for Felix. Bond wouldn’t throw his years of service away for a man who just knows him by a codename.
Jack Wade (Joe Don Baker) meeting with Bond in Tomorrow Never Dies.
After Felix’s departure from the series, Bond needed a new American ally. Cue Jack Wade! Wade is a stereotypical American (and I’m okay with that for some strange reason,) and he seems to be just a contact Bond is stuck with at first, much like Felix’s first appearance in Dr. No. He only appeared in two of Brosnan’s movies, but had a fun presence. He could be seen as the newer 90’s version of a grown man. He wore Hawaiian shirts with fishing hats, asked Bond about gardening, and had the military on standby, yes, but didn’t deploy them on time, and didn’t wear tactical gear when he was with them. When Bond arrives on an American airbase in Tomorrow Never Dies, Bond is wearing his commander uniform; Wade is wearing his usual clothes.
Christian Slater as Riley Hale in Broken Arrow
Bond looks Wade up and down, and shakes his head in a “no” way, while making a disgusted face. Bond was on the run with a forty-eight hour deadline to stop World War III, and he found time to stop; getting formally dressed. Wade’s dress can also been compared to the 90’s film Broken Arrow; when coming from a crisis, Christian Slater’s Riley Hale is wearing the same clothes he’d been wearing the whole film while on a military base. Bond is the classy man who’s always formal, while the newer age of men were more casual.
Moneypenny (Lois Maxwell) and Bond in From Russia With Love.
Moneypenny is another prominent ally. She has a crush on Bond, and even cried when he got married, or went missing. With how she composes herself around Bond, there’s no way she’s carrying a torch for any other agents, or at least we haven’t seen it. She wouldn’t just be attracted to everyone who held a codename, unless part of the requirements for 007 is “tall, dark, and handsome,” and that sounds more ridiculous than any villain’s plot in the films. This also clears Moneypenny of being a codename for M’s secretaries.
Q (Desmond Llewlyn) giving Bond his explosive pen in Goldeneye.
Q is also a staple in Bond’s life. Without Q’s gadgets, Bond “would’ve been dead long ago,” and the classic line “grow up, 007” is burned into fans everywhere. Now, Bond is incredibly immature when given new toys to play with, like a child. He doesn’t read the manual, can master whatever’s in his hands in seconds, and ruins most things. Most people in this position would be scared to use some of the equipment; a remote-control for your BMW? I’m certain that would be forgotten by most agents who received it, or they’d use it as a last resort, but Bond was so quick to whip out his phone and drive the car; he must’ve been excited to use it a real situation.
Q tricking R (John Cleese) into wearing a coat that’ll put a protective ball around the wearer. All to show Bond and have a laugh.
When Q retires in The World is Not Enough, Bond is visibly heartbroken. John Cleese steps in to take Desmond Llewlyn’s place, but this letter is an abbreviation for “Quartermaster,” so it makes sense that this is handed down. Bond refers to Cleese’s Q as “R,” and I’ll admit, I prefer that because he’s Q’s replacement, but Q had been with Bond since 1963.
Ex-KGB agent, Valentin Zukovsky (Robbie Coltrane) being held up at gunpoint by Bond in Goldeneye.
Valentin Zukovsky is only in the 90’s films, but he shows Bond’s progression from the Cold War-era to modern day. Some of Valentin’s first lines poke fun at Bond being an old man; “do you still work for MI-6, or have you decided to join the twenty-first century? I hear the new M is a lady.” Valentin is an ex-KGB agent who has a history with Bond, and that’s because Bond shot him in the leg during the Cold War. Bond and Valentin share two movies. In Goldeneye, they reluctantly work together and help each other; Valentin’s mob business, and Bond’s investigation both grow. In the older films, Bond has worked with the KGB, but never an ex-KGB agent like Valentin. In The World is Not Enough, Valentin has a smile on his face when he sees Bond in his casino. It quickly fades when he sees Bond waving his gun around, but he sees Bond as a friend after the events of Goldeneye. This is a testament to Bond’s adaptability that he’s always had throughout the series, reminding us of times Bond’s charisma has been a great asset. Like when he worked with Anya Amasova in the 1970’s, or destroyed England’s A-TAC system so neither the East or West would have it in the 1980s.
All the M’s together (Screen Rant gets the credit for this shot). Bernard Lee, Robert Brown, Judi Dench, and Ralph Fiennes.
The final ally to discuss is Bond’s boss, M. Played by different actors, and used as a code, M grew into a bigger role as the series went on. Under Bernard Lee, M was strict and Bond respected him out of rank. In his final film, Moonraker, Lee’s M is softer to Bond. He figures if Bond has a hunch, let him run with it, because Bond has never steered him wrong. We also grew to see M in the field more often under Lee, and this kept up with Robert Brown. With Robert Brown, Bond does meet him in the old office, but he’s known for appearing places, like in Florida when he wants to talk with Bond face-to-face in Licence to Kill. During Licence to Kill, M has agents hunt Bond, and when he’s on the run, he eventually gives up and invites Bond back after Bond successfully avenges Felix. Judi Dench’s M is something special for Bond.
The opening car chase in Goldeneye, during Bond’s evaluation.
It’s reasonable to assume after Bond resigns from MI-6 in 1989, he leaves active service for a few years, and this is backed up with Goldeneye‘s opening. The opening of Goldeneye is in 1986; this would be under Robert Brown’s M, and before the events of The Living Daylights. The first scene in 1995 has Bond completing his driving evaluation. After leaving the service in Licence to Kill, he would have to be re-evaluted to become 007 again, just like in Skyfall. He has a problem taking orders from Judi Dench’s M at the beginning, and she sees it. After some verbal sparring, the two grow respect for each other, and their relationship turns into a “mother and son” deal. He originally took orders without question because the other bosses were military men who climbed the rank, but this M seemed to be more of an “accountant” in Bond’s eyes at first.
What About Daniel Craig’s Bond?
Daniel Craig in his first scene as James Bond
Well, I’ll admit that’s tricky. But, his Bond is a complete reboot of the series. After Pierce Brosnan was let go from the role (a terrible shame if you ask me,) EON Productions finally had the rights to Casino Royale. This would’ve been their first chance to “properly” start Bond’s story with his origin story. Since 2006, we’ve had the new James Bond timeline, with new faces and old names.
Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter in Casino Royale.
This explains why Felix Leiter is back; Licence to Kill didn’t happen in this timeline. The new Blofeld would also need some explaining, of course. The last four movies have been establishing the James Bond from the 1960’s in modern day. Casino Royale had the heartbreak of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service; Quantum of Solace had the vengeful Bond of Licence to Kill; Skyfall proved that Bond still had a place in the world, like Goldeneye, while laying the groundwork for the MI-6 regulars; finally, Spectre gave Bond his arch nemesis of the Connery-era.
All we can do now is see where No Time To Die takes us, whenever that comes out. We have the blueprint done up for a classic 007 adventure, but something tells me that’s not what we’re going to get.
I wanted to throw this in at the end, because I do like this poster design.
Drive was directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and released in 2011. Drive received massive praise at the Cannes Film Festival, including winning the award for “Best Director”. Ryan Gosling plays “Driver”, and he is a mechanic/stunt-driver during the day and moonlights as a getaway driver for criminals at night. He falls for his neighbor, Irene (Carey Mulligan) and he becomes close with her son, Benicio (Kaden Leos). After the man of the house, Standard (Oscar Isaac) comes home from jail, they get in trouble with the Los Angeles underground; most notably Bernie Rose (Albert Brooks) and Nino (Ron Perlman). After Driver offers to help them get out of a jam, something goes wrong and he ends up on the run with them.
The directing in this film in on par with some of the greats of film, some shots reminding the audience of what Citizen Kane accomplished in film editing, specifically in one shot early in the film. Driver must do a stunt for a film and he needs to wear a mask to look like the lead, the camera sweeps on a mirror where the lead actor is getting worked on by the makeup artists, and when the mirror swings around the side, the audience sees a mirrored image of Ryan Gosling getting his makeup and hair done for the mask. There are a lot of long shots in this film, which itself is very impressive for feature films. On Driver’s jacket, there’s a large scorpion, and this along with this being a great idea for a getaway driver (being quick and efficient like a scorpion), it relates to the story of the “Scorpion and the Frog”.
A promotional shot, showing the scorpion on Driver’s jacket
In the story of the “Scorpion and the Frog”, a scorpion asks the frog to help get across the lake, but the frog declines due to scorpions being known for stinging. The scorpion tells the frog that if the frog is stung, they’ll both die, so the scorpion gets no pleasure out of stinging the frog. Due to the scorpion’s nature, the frog is stung and they both die. Late in the film, Driver and his girlfriend, Irene, share a scene in the elevator with a nameless man, Driver notices the unknown man is armed. He slowly pushes Irene away from the man, turns around and kisses her before he beats the hitman to near death. After the beating, Irene is seen outside the elevator shocked at what she saw, and Driver looks back terrified as well. This relates to the story because Driver wants to change for Irene, but the job is his nature and he’d hurt her anyway.
The colors blue, yellow, and red are prominent in the film, as well. In close scenes with the villains, red is filling the screen, through the wall, clothes, and eventually blood. Late in the film when Driver makes a villain literally eat a bullet, we follow Driver to the villain’s place of work. At the villain’s place of work, the carpet, ceiling and mirrors all show a deep red color. This is the point in the film where Driver begins to lose everything, and all because of a phone call to Nino. The deep red shows how he is in hostile territory and is sinking deeper into a Hellish place he can’t get out of.
The final shot of the scene: Driver being the only thing draped in white, with a sea of black and red surrounding him.
Irene’s red sweater, in a yellow environment; Driver’s white shirt in a blue environment.
There’s an early scene where Irene, Benicio, and Driver are going for a car ride after Irene’s car breaks down; Irene’s sweater is a deep red, but after she gains an attachment to Driver, the sweater comes off, showing a blue shirt. When they go back to her apartment, the sweater is back on, possibly to symbolize she can’t break away from the looming danger forever, but she can for a short time. The song playing during this scene backs up the claim, “A Real Hero”, by College and Electric Youth: the song starts when Irene’s sweater first comes off and fades away when the film cuts to see her wearing it. This scene uses blue to show warmth for Driver, along with others.
When there’s pure white light in the back, Irene wears blue and the two finally kiss.
A shot of Driver in his garage.
Blue is seen on the backgrounds that feel like home for Driver, especially his garage. In shots with Shannon (Bryan Cranston), the hue is overwhelmingly blue and soft, for example. Driver’s apartment and garage have a blue wall in the background. This is most likely to show where the heroes are, as opposed to the villain’s classic red. The only points the villains wear blue is when the audience sees them at their weakest; as humans who have bills to pay and don’t want to be caught.
Driver’s first bloody scene, not to spoil the rest.
At two points in the film, Driver gets blood on him, like he was doused with it. When he doesn’t wear his trademark jacket, he wears a blue denim jacket. Still blue, yes. However, it’s a dark blue; almost black. During this scene, he kills two gangsters with a shotgun and is covered with blood. This happens again late in the film, Driver gets blood on his white jacket that doesn’t come off for the rest of the film, and this is possibly showing Driver’s true colors: he was never a real protagonist. Driver was never interested in killing or money, his love of cars and his ability to drive led him into this life and he couldn’t escape.
Yellow is used as more of a color for light and for emotions. The scorpion on Driver’s jacket is yellow and this is very vibrant, yes, but yellow is used in heavy scenes when there are shifts in character. This loops back to the screenshot I used a few paragraphs ago: Irene is contemplating her emotions while wearing the red sweater. During the elevator scene with Irene, Driver, and the hitman, it shows a yellow overtone on the film, emphasizing the change in Driver’s life and his emotions. After the death of Driver’s close friend, the car he gets his bag out of is yellow, showing a change in his heart to vengeance more than the hope of survival. When Nino is fearful after an initial brush with death, his face in shown with a yellow light source on it, until the shot cuts away to white headlights on him. After Driver commits his first two kills, his face is lit up as yellow until he turns the corner and his face is covered in a plain-colored hue and he’s out of frame.
The elevator scene, with all three characters in a wide shot.
Driver, hearing the diegetic sound turn non-diegetic, it sinks into his mind, as he stops working.
The sound Drive uses is impactful to the scenes as well. The use of more diegetic sound in the film lets the audience know about the thoughts of the characters. The song “Under Your Spell” by Desire plays in a muffled volume in Driver’s apartment at first, showing him working on a car part; the film cuts to a “welcome home party” at Irene’s apartment for Standard, where the song is playing normally; here we see Irene staring into the room and the camera zooms in on her while Standard gives a speech about being home; finally, it cuts back to Driver’s apartment where the song plays at full volume. After a moment of reflection, he decides to stop working and quietly leave his apartment. This simple use of sound suggests that our characters are connected even when their minds seem to be in different places: they’re thinking of each other. There’s another scene where sound is used to shock the audience and it’s done well.
Standard is shot in the ear, shocking Driver into a state of disbelief.
There’s one scene in the film where Driver and Standard go to hold up a pawn shop. Driver is waiting in the car for Standard’s return; Standard is seen walking out of the pawn shop in a calm manner, but then tragedy strikes. Standard is shot in the neck through the front window of the store, seeing this Driver gets out of the car and looks at his wounded friend. As Standard is crawling around, the shooter comes out of the store and shoots him in the back two more times. After this, Driver quickly drives away and is chased by mobsters. During this scene, it’s dead silent. The audience feels the anticipation as Driver does and is taken by complete surprise by the first gunshot. After that, most people would be in a state of shock and not hear what’s going on around them, focusing on the person who’s been shot, but after he’s shot to death, Driver regains his senses and does his job.
The introduction shot of Albert Brooks as Bernie Rose.
The writing is the film is well done, as well. We see simple exchanges have heavy meanings. Early in the film, Bernie Rose is asked to see Driver on the racetrack, seeing how they’ve never met before, they shake hands. In the exchange, Rose holds his hand out, Driver says, “I’m sorry, my hands are a little dirty,” and Rose keeps his hands out, coldly saying “So are mine,”. This may seem like simple banter, but to an audience it shows how uncomfortable Driver is shaking the hands of a mob boss with Gosling’s delivery on his lines. It also throws the audience a curve, because Bernie is wearing a blue shirt; surely, he must be a good guy. Or he’s at least coming to Driver on good terms, right? Well, Driver is wearing his denim jacket when meeting him, so we’re not out of danger.
A production still of Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver
Driver also has very little to say in the film, offering the assumption that he is a very secluded man, like Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver. Not giving Driver much dialogue makes he’s a much more menacing character, and a relatable character for some. It could also be taken that Driver is mentally disturbed and wants to be a hero like in the old westerns, this could be backed up with the final shot of Driver driving into the night as the film ends: a cinematic callback to cowboys riding off into the sunset on horseback.
A behind the scenes shot of the stab; Gosling wear white, red, yellow, and blue.
The end of the film combines all of these aspects in the last few shots before the credits: the shot pans up to Driver with all three colors on him: yellow from his clothes and the light, red from a stab wound in his stomach, and blue from his jeans. The song “A Real Hero” starts up as he puts the key in the ignition to drive off. It cuts to Irene knocking on his door to no answer, and she slowly walks back to her apartment through the red hallway. Then we see shots of Driver with red lights outside, blue lights on the dashboard, and yellow streetlights together with the blackness of night. After a few seconds of that, the film fades out to credits.
Driver riding off into the night; yellow lights. His story is complete.
Drive is a fantastic movie that lets beginner film students explore how a film can truly be a work of art, as well as entertaining. The film itself is a very moving story of how someone can come into a person’s life and completely change them, but people can’t be saved from who they truly are. The film will use the different mediums to show the story and character development, the most interesting being through the colors and how they coordinate with events.
Drive is truly a landmark event in film-making, being a film that audiences need in a current time of only superhero films, but sadly it’s not a film audiences want right now. At it’s core, it’s a simple story of a man turning his ways to meet his conscience, but it’s done so tastefully that it’s its own entity as a film. The soundtrack by Cliff Martinez makes the film truly interesting and lively. This is very visible in the intro scene when “Tick of the Clock” plays as Driver lays out his rules and carries out his first getaway we see on-screen. The pulsing rhythm, the tense atmosphere, and the whole plot being planned so simply in front of the audience is genius. With the cast chosen, everything is believable, as well. I’d highly recommend anyone to watch it; it’s a slow burn, but it’s worth it. Whether for the artistic value, or the entertainment.
The start of the film. Driver on his phone with a client.
When I was young and watched Bond with my grandmother, I would also watch horror movies with her. Modern (well, then-modern) movies like Ghost Ship, classics like Night of the Living Dead, and everything in between. The downside of this whole deal was that I hated watching horror. Not because I was scared, but because people make the dumbest decisions every time. There was one piece of horror that always grabbed my attention: video games, and specifically: the Resident Evil games. At three years old, I would be kicked out of the playroom in my house so the older kids could play Resident Evil on the family Nintendo GameCube.
Resident Evil 2’s original 1998 PlayStation cover
When I turned ten, my brothers figured I was old enough to start playing them, and the first one I chose was 1998’s Resident Evil 2. It was a week after my tenth birthday: I stayed up late, turned off the lights and entered the “world of survival horror,” as the game calls it. It wasn’t the start of the franchise, but the main character was a redhead like me. The first minutes of gameplay take place in the middle of a city overrun by the undead, and I died. I didn’t adapt and learn the controls fast enough, causing failure.
When your health depletes in the series, your character will start limping and move slower.
It’s not just the horror that makes Resident Evil fantastic, though. Your choices always affect you later on. Little choices, yes, but the player still has to make split-second choices that could mean the death of your character now or later on. Let’s say a player gets scared, they hear the shuffling and moaning of the undead: they fire handgun ammunition somewhere off-screen. They could completely miss their target because they couldn’t see, and now they’ve got another problem along with zombies between them and the exit: they wasted their ammunition. Everything in the game is limited: bullets, healing items, even the amount of times you can save your progress is limited. No horror movie will ever compare to being at the end of the game: the emergency alarm blaring; the countdown on your screen; the sweeping score mixed with the fear of impending detonation; only a handful of bullets in your gun, and you’re desperately limping along from your wounds.
Mr. X slowly walking toward his prey in the 1998 Resident Evil 2
The recent remake of Resident Evil 2 makes the sense of dread ever-present. Because the remake came out in 2019, technology is immensely more impressive than 1998. Along with the example I gave, the game barely has any lights: it usually comes from your character’s flashlight, and they added a character to give chase throughout half the game. Originally, Mr. X (the added enemy) was only in half the original game and showed up at specific points, never to return unexpectedly. In the 2019 game, he can appear anywhere, and he can’t die. He gives chase, so the player now has to worry about lights not working, zombies, other horrific monsters, and Mr. X chasing them throughout the story.
Mr. X’s entrance in the 2019 remake of the 1998 classic
The original 1998 ending results screen for Resident Evil 2
It’s not just about horror or killing zombies, but how quickly the player can react with extremely limited resources and means of survival, while having to live with their choices. The series did have a less-scary, more action-focused phase in its life, but after fan feedback, Capcom decided to listen and return the series to survival-horror. The story of the franchise is just dumb fun: there are double-crosses everywhere and the “main villain” has died three times (once in a volcano,) but I can let the plot slide as long as the game is fun; which these games are, but they also have the challenge that attracts both horror fans and strategists alike. Especially when the final results screen comes up after the credits: a player in their target audience will always want to try to perfect their run.
Yes, I’m a massive fan of James Bond. Ever since I can remember, I’ve loved watching the movies, playing the video games, reading the books, and digging deep into the world of the most famous secret agent. My first encounter with the series was through the 1997 Goldeneye game based on Pierce Brosnan’s first movie in 1995. I was born in 1999, and I’m sure I first played the game before 2001. There are so many pictures floating around of a baby Rory watching people play it and holding a controller, trying to play it. In 2002, my parents bought me the VHS of Goldeneye for Christmas, and that was my go-to tape growing up: was it smart to give a three year-old kid that tape? I certainly think so, because without it, I doubt I’d have gone to Le Moyne for communications. In my opinion, that tape was such a thoughtful and impactful gift that I bought a plastic case for the tape for some nostalgic preservation in my later years.
Principal Photography shot of Pierce Brosnan for Goldeneye
I’m sure the major push into the movie series was from my grandmother: she loved Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan. I would go to her house and stay the day if my mom had errands to run and didn’t want to bore me. My grandmother would put movies on while I visited and it was often a Bond movie. I remember sitting on the floor with a paper plate, eating crackers and drinking orange juice with The World is Not Enough playing on her TV. She had an immense VHS collection, and sadly it’s long gone. I was only six when she passed and I wish I were old enough to think about her collection when she passed and asked for some movies. She had a lot of horror movies, but she also had the Bond collection.
My first Bond movie on VHS
I only owned three Bond films growing up and two were on DVD, so I couldn’t watch them often, as our DVD player was in the living room; the VCR was in my room. I would watch my Goldeneye VHS often and play with my GI Joes or Star Wars toys with it on. There was even an ad at the start of the VHS that’s burned into my memory. It was a commercial with big, bombastic music showing highlights from the films up to Tomorrow Never Dies. Even though I was a fan of Bond, I wanted the whole collection after watching that commercial. The different cutaways to classics like Goldfinger and The Spy Who Loved Me while also featuring the recent films at the time were magical for a three-year-old, and the voiceover was so intense and imperative. “One name, one number, no equal. The James Bond 007 collection: the biggest thrill is owning them all.” I’m sure it’s available on YouTube, but I would love watching that commercial; it’s a shame that wasn’t aired on television or put on more tapes.
A screenshot of the trailer, VHS quality
All three sets together, using Amazon’s listing picture
When I was old enough to have a very small income, I saved up for a whole summer to buy my own Bond collection. In 2013, I made money doing small chores and the 2002 box sets were $30 each (brand new), so I spent the summer whittling away and buying each set at different points in the summer. By the first day of school, I had all three sets and all original twenty films on DVD. That’s how I saw a few of the movies for the first time, and the rest were fun to rewatch, thinking back to simpler times and still enjoying them as an older fan. I remember sitting down at my desk on the first day of high school, popping in my copy of Live and Let Die and doing my homework with the TV being the only light in my room. Was that healthy for my eyes? Probably not, but I was finally able to experience the films anytime I wanted, and I firmly believe there isn’t a “bad film” in the franchise, just missteps.
The branch’s logo
When I interned at WSYR (an ABC affiliate) in my Junior year, there was a special report on my station that I remember talking to my boss about. There was a segment on the morning news called “The List,” and so many facts about Bond were wrong. For example, the leading fact they had was that Goldeneye released on November 14th, 1997; this is false. The film was released on November 17th, 1995. The early premiere in the US for the press and crew was on November 13th, but this isn’t November 14th either. Tomorrow Never Dies released on December 19th, 1997. They then claimed “ten actors have played Bond,” and there were only six (eight if you include the unofficial films starring Barry Nelson and David Niven). The fact that made me contact my boss was that in 1961, JFK said one of his favorite novels was From Russia With Love, while this is true, the news team claimed that’s why the next Bond film was From Russia With Love; this is also false because they didn’t even make Dr. No yet, as that was filmed and released in 1962. I don’t think there’s any documentation connecting JFK’s love of the novel to it being the second Bond film. I contacted my boss about the errors, and I think he might have spoken with the news team, but I’m not sure.
A quick Google screenshot to show I’m telling the truth
Recently, Sean Connery passed away on October 31st, 2020. When this happened, I couldn’t believe it: I honestly thought he was invincible: he was THE man. When Roger Moore died, I was told point-blank in the high school engineering wing, and I had to excuse myself to the bathroom to have a private moment. Another childhood hero had passed. When Sir Connery passed, I watched a few of his movies and after I crawled into bed, I wept. Thinking about how much he did in his life made me insecure about mine: am I going down the right path to make me happy? After some deliberation, I firmly believe the answer is yes.
Even in death, the actors are making sure I’m staying true to myself in my life and work.
Sir Sean Connery during his iconic delivery; “Bond, James Bond”
I was only a toddler when I was swept into a galaxy far, far away, and I can’t remember what won me over or when: the imaginative action, amazing score, great story, or memorable characters and their homeworlds. Growing up, I watched all the movies on loop, played the video games, read the books my brothers had, then I collected the original soundtracks and posters. Han Solo became my favorite character very quickly, if I remember correctly. He may not have had a lightsaber, but he had Chewbacca, and I had a dog: it made sense that we were just like them. His relationship with Chewbacca was pretty accurate of my relationship with my first dog: we loved adventures together, we never left each other’s side, and he’ll always be my favorite friend I ever had. In real life, though, Han survived while Chewie passed. I still have his puppy collar and it’s draped around a 12” action figure of Han Solo I purchased right after I saw Solo in theaters.
James Bond and young Han Solo hanging out in front of my Funko’s.
One of my favorites was this Bespin Luke Skywalker
I remember getting all sorts of toys when I was little, too. I’m even trying to recollect a bunch of the ones I had growing up that got misplaced or donated. None of the ones I had are expensive, thankfully. I remember having so much fun making up my own continuations of the series, or even something dumb, like if I had multiple versions of a character, I would think of conversations between the characters.
Yoda telling Luke the secrets of the force when Luke fails to raise his X-Wing.
There was a brief time I thought I had outgrown it, then I rewatched the trilogy and realized it’s a story about growing up. Luke Skywalker starts out at home, and doesn’t really want to leave. He and Obi-Wan go on an adventure because Luke has nowhere else to go, and Luke has to grow up quickly to ensure the survival of the rebellion. Even in The Empire Strikes Back, Luke’s lesson was to stay and complete his training with Yoda: because he jumped to a decision, and it almost cost the rebellion everything they had.
Anakin and Count Dooku fighting in the dark.
I absolutely love the original six films with all my heart, even the “bad” ones like The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones because of nostalgia, I admit. Attack of the Clones and Die Another Day were the first movies I remember watching in theaters. Both aren’t very good, and are highly regarded as the worst of their franchises, but I do love them on their own merits. I remember sitting in the theater, breathless at the ending lightsaber fight between Anakin and Count Dooku; the only lights in the theater were from the lightsabers. I’ve never seen that replicated before: there’s always a different light source in the same room, or the television is too bright and I can see the actors’ whole bodies.
A poster burned into my brain forever.
Revenge of the Sith was probably my favorite movie-going experience growing up, though. I didn’t go to any midnight showings for Revenge of the Sith like I did with Spectre and The Force Awakens, but at six, I remember being swept away by the tragedy and John Williams’ best work. I honestly think the fight theme between Anakin and Obi-Wan (“Battle of the Heroes”) is the best song in the entire franchise. It has a mix of “Duel of Fates,” “Binary Sunset,” and I believe a hint of “The Imperial March,” showing that through this fight, Obi-Wan is fighting the boy from Tatooine, but he’s as angry and evil as Darth Maul. The dialogue is a bit punchy (and not in a good way) because they cut a part of Obi-Wan’s dialogue. I remember reading up on one the earlier drafts and when Anakin belts out “I hate you” and his eyes turn colors, that was supposed to happen after he pleads with Obi-Wan for help and Obi-Wan says “no.”
The first time I cried in a theater: “you were the chosen one”
Nintendo has been in business since the late 1800s, and fully became Nintendo in the 1950s. The company started with playing cards, and designed and created toys. During the video game boom in the 80s, before 1983’s crash, Nintendo was known for arcade machines, and their Game & Watch LCD handheld games. In 1984, Nintendo released their first home console in Japan. After successfully reviving interest in the video game market, they’ve made video games since.
Currently, their newest console, the Nintendo Switch, is a hybrid between a handheld game console and a home console that requires a television.
Mission Statement
“Nintendo’s mission is to put smiles on the faces of everyone we touch. We do so by creating new surprises for people across the world to enjoy together. We’ve forged our own path since 1889, when we began making hanafuda playing cards in Kyoto, Japan. Today, we’re fortunate to be able to share our characters, ideas and worlds through the medium of video games and the entertainment industry.”
Target Market
Nintendo’s target market is full of consumers from the age of fifteen to thirty that can play video games, not necessarily hardcore gamers that crave an in-depth story with deep gameplay. This demographic has few distinctions: they could be young people who just now have a disposable income for fun things, like video games; they could be young parents that want to share Nintendo products with their children. A new target market could be older people trying to get in shape as well, because the Nintendo Switch has a number of games to help with that, including Ringfit Adventure and Fitness Boxing.
There doesn’t seem to be a distinct income target for Nintendo customers, but Nintendo games are notoriously expensive. For example, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, a game that launched in 2017 with the Switch sold for that price, while the PlayStation 4 exclusive, The Last of Us Part II, which released this year went on sale for $30.
Products and Brands
Nintendo has focused on two brands and products this year: their Switch console and Super Mario. The Switch is Nintendo’s only pillar of gaming now (not including their mobile phone games like Fire Emblem: Heroes). After discontinuing the 3DS in 2020, Nintendo has been putting all their faith and trust into the Switch, which shows no signs of slowing down in sales. This year is the 35th anniversary of Super Mario Bros on the Nintendo Entertainment System, so there has been a year-long celebration, even including a pre-recorded live stream all about Mario with the Super Mario Bros 35th Anniversary Nintendo Direct on September 3rd, 2020.
Positioning
Currently, the Nintendo Switch is being positioned as a console that anyone can find fun with. Whether the fun is getting lost in an adventure, or playing with others, Nintendo can help find something for an audience of nearly all ages.
The two most important characteristics being considered are accessibility and overall fun. This is seen because of the ads they run: playing with others and genuinely enjoying yourself in the company of others. In Nintendo’s advertisements, playing Mario Kart with friends should give you as much joy as playing Super Mario Odyssey by yourself.
Brief History of Nintendo
Nintendo started as a playing card and toy company in 1889 under Fusajiro Yamauchi. The first cards produced were the “Hanafuda” (flower cards) Japanese playing cards. After producing toys and playing cards for years with a variety of names, the company was officially named “Nintendo” in 1951. In 1980, Nintendo released their Game & Watch games, easy to understand, score-based handheld LCD games. In 1981, Donkey Kong hit arcades, giving birth to “Jumpman,” before he was named Mario. After the release of Donkey Kong, it was widely loved by arcade patrons; it was supposedly the most profitable game in the business. In 1984, Nintendo released the “Family Computer” (dubbed the “Famicom” by fans) and it was a runaway success. Instead of the top-loading design from Japan, the United States received the same system, but in more of a blocky tank-like design, and it was named the “Nintendo Entertainment System” (dubbed the “NES” by fans) with the same lineup of blockbuster games a year later on October 18th, 1985. A year later in 1986, Europe joined the party and got the NES in their market.
In 1989, Nintendo released the Game Boy at $90; their handheld game console with interchangeable cartridges, beating Sega to the punch in 1990 with their Game Gear. The Game Boy had one color: green, and varying shades of it. That didn’t stop the system from being a hit: the thought of being able to play video games on the road or in while your parents have the television was intoxicating for kids and adults alike. The system was sometimes packed in with Tetris, giving the buyer an endless, addicting puzzle game with their purchase of a game console. Sega’s Game Gear had a full-color display, but used more batteries than the Game Boy and was more expensive at $150.
Throughout the past 35 years, Nintendo has released numerous consoles as shown below in the data table.
Nintendo’s Console Timeline
Release Year Console Name
1985
Nintendo Entertainment System
1989
Game Boy
1990
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
1996
Nintendo 64
1998
Game Boy Color
2001
Game Boy Advance
2001
GameCube
2004
DS
2006
Wii
2011
3DS
2012
WiiU
2017
Switch
Currently in 2020, the Switch is ruling sales charts, but is still behind the Sony PlayStation 4 in total sales. To be fair, the PlayStation 4 released in 2013 and has accumulated over 112 million units sold, but the Switch was released in 2017 and has over 68.3 million units sold. Statistically, it’s possible for the Switch to overtake Sony’s Playstation 4, especially now that PlayStation 4 production will slow down due to Sony releasing the PlayStation 5 this Winter.
Nintendo’s Mission Statement
According to Nintendo of America’s official website, the company’s mission statement is as follows:
“Nintendo’s mission is to put smiles on the faces of everyone we touch. We do so by creating new surprises for people across the world to enjoy together. We’ve forged our own path since 1889, when we began making hanafuda playing cards in Kyoto, Japan. Today, we’re fortunate to be able to share our characters, ideas and worlds through the medium of video games and the entertainment industry.”
Based on this mission statement, we know that the brand Nintendo has created is one that reaches everyone; the fun of video games knows no bounds to them. Boys and girls of all ages and any backgrounds can find joy in the entertainment they provide.
Nintendo’s Target Market
Simply put, Nintendo’s target market could be perceived as anyone and everyone. However, based on research, it’s stated that Nintendo’s target market is the demographic that Sony and Microsoft ignore: people who aren’t hardcore gamers. The target audience can be specified as families (preferably with younger kids), women, older folks, and casual gamers. Nintendo once saw this as a curse and tried breaking into more mature markets. This was especially prevalent in the era of the Nintendo GameCube.
Numerous M-rated titles (“Mature” for ages 17 and up) were made exclusively for the console, some even published by Nintendo themselves. These “Mature” titles included two developed by Silicon Knights: Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem, a gruesome, violent horror game released on the GameCube in 2002; Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, a full remake of 1998’s Metal Gear Solid from the Sony PlayStation released in 2004. The biggest hit wasn’t published by Nintendo, however; that was Resident Evil 4. Published and developed by Capcom, its a highly-regarded sequel to a critically-acclaimed horror series released near the end of the GameCube’s life in 2005 (and it’s rumored that after its success, Capcom broke their exclusivity deal with Nintendo: releasing it on every system they could). In the “25 Best-selling Gamecube Game List,” Resident Evil 4’s success brought it to number 13 with 1.6 million copies sold, but it wasn’t only released on the GameCube, and became a phenomenon. Meanwhile, the top three games all starred Mario and multiplayer fun: Super Smash Bros. Melee (7.41 million), Mario Kart: Double Dash (6.96 million), and Super Mario Sunshine (6.28 million), and I’ll include some more in the table below (there will be a break in the table and we’ll compare it to the other consoles that generation, the PlayStation 2 and Xbox). The numbers will be from a few console generations ago, but this is definitive data we now have.
Best-Selling Nintendo GameCube Games
Rank Title Units sold (in millions) Details
1
Super Smash Bros Melee (2001)
7.41
T-rated fighting, multiplayer
2
Mario Kart: Double Dash (2003)
6.96
E-rated racing, multiplayer
3
Super Mario Sunshine (2002)
6.28
E-rated platformer, single player
4
The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker (2003)
3.07
E-rated action, single player
5
Luigi’s Mansion (2001)
3.03
E-rated horror, single player
13
Resident Evil 4 (2005)
1.60
M-rated survival-horror, single player (Nintendo exclusive Mature title- first one to appear in the best-seller list)
Best-Selling Xbox Games
Rank Title Units (millions) Details
1
Halo 2 (2004)
8.49
M-rated Sci-Fi Shooter, multiplayer
2
Halo: Combat Evolved (2001)
6.43
M-rated Sci-Fi Shooter, multiplayer
3
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell (2002)
3.02
T-rated Stealth Action, single player
4
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (2002)
2.86
T-rated Fantasy RPG, single player
5
Fable (2005)
2.66
M-rated Fantasy RPG, single player
Best-Selling PlayStation 2 Games
Rank Title Units (millions) Details
1
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004)
20.81
Open world crime, single player
2
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002)
16.15
Open world crime, single player
3
Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec (2001)
14.98
Racing, multiplayer
4
Grand Theft Auto III (2001)
13.10
Open world crime, single player
5
Gran Turismo 4 (2004)
11.66
Racing, multiplayer
After this data, it’s apparent Nintendo is still seen as a just a family-friendly company. Games meant for more mature audiences do get published and created by Nintendo, but those are highlighted more as treats for older consumers now. Also keep in mind that the GameCube wasn’t Nintendo’s most popular console, but it was in direct competition with the PlayStation 2, the best-selling console in history with 155 million units sold. We could potentially also look at their next console’s top five games and see if the trends changed on the Nintendo Wii.
Best-Selling Wii Games
Rank Title Units (millions) Details
1
Wii Sports
82.87
Pack-in title to show Wii capabilities, multiplayer sports game
2
Mario Kart Wii
37.20
Racing, multiplayer
3
Wii Sports Resort
33.10
More Wii Sports-types of events, multiplayer
4
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
30.26
2D platforming, multiplayer
5
Wii Play
28.02
More Wii Sports-type of games, multiplayer
Highly-accessible games for anyone to have fun with seems to be what Nintendo strives for: simple platformers and games of all genres starring Mario; gigantic adventures in The Legend of Zelda; exploring alien worlds in Metroid: there’s no shortage of imagination on Nintendo consoles, and they know how to use that and appeal to people who want to use it, whether it’s a businessman looking for some down time in a simple game, or a young girl looking to get lost in a world of adventure and mystery.
A target market, however can be found in children from six to twelve years old, but through their parents, making young parents the target. The games Nintendo creates are right up their alley in most cases: kids that age want to create, explore, and learn new things while being entertained, and Nintendo helps them with that. Nintendo even knows this and tailored a Super Mario Maker 2 ad campaign around this, but we’ll discuss that in the coming pages. There’s also a heavy pull for parents to get their kids a Nintendo console if they grew up with one themselves. Microsoft recently released an ad with that in mind, but Nintendo has a richer history, so I have no doubt in my mind they can make a better ad campaign in that style.
The new target market would contain parents from forty to twenty-five years old. This demographic was playing video games when Nintendo was starting to make an impact on the video game industry: they grew up playing Super Mario Bros. on the NES, or even Super Mario Galaxy on the Wii and want to share their experiences with their children, or just want to keep up with Mario’s adventures as they grow older.
Nintendo Marketing 2019
In 2019, Nintendo’s marketing message and theme has revolved around something they’ve always held near and dear: fun, but in 2019, it hadn’t evolved much. In 2017, Nintendo released the Switch, their hybrid game console that can be played on a television or portably on the system’s tablet. Ever since their Switch console released, news outlets have been praising Nintendo on their marketing endeavors, with Forbes even headlining their articles with “The Switch Has Had Nintendo’s Best Marketing Campaign In Years.” In 2019, Nintendo used more of their games to push their console, of course.
Throughout the year of 2019, Nintendo released plenty of games they personally published. When these games were released, the advertisement message didn’t change, but they made sure you knew those games were only available on the Switch, while also usually showing multiple people playing together. They always wanted to show families playing the console together with smiles on their faces; showing the audience there were numerous memories to be made and laughs to be shared with this specific console. The theme they obviously went for was for a family-friendly environment: boys and girls of all ages, their parents, and even grandparents can get in on the fun with Nintendo products. Even during the Wii-era in 2007, there was the “Wii would like to play” campaign, showing two men going house-to-house playing the Wii with families: mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters all playing the then-new console.
Nintendo’s target market is identified as consumers between the ages of fifteen and thirty who want to play video games. Looking further into it, this target market makes sense for Nintendo: teenagers are starting to get a taste of disposable income from their first jobs, and people up to thirty are starting their careers and families. The higher end of the age range may want to start sharing Nintendo products with their small children, or maybe still want to play video games in their downtime. The creative on how Nintendo reaches their audience relies on their virtual conferences, known as “Nintendo Directs”, along with reliable television and YouTube commercials with some social media ads thrown into the mix.
In 2019, there were six total Nintendo Direct events showcasing upcoming games. Roughly every three months, the company would release a blanket “Nintendo Direct” about any upcoming games, and shortly before or after the conference, release a Direct about a specific game coming soon. For example, in June of 2019, Nintendo had their E3 Direct, and just a week before a full Direct all about their new Pokemon games: Sword and Shield. This is one of their more important ways to advertise to many internet users, and they realized this in 2020, as we’ll discuss more in the 2020 section. Nintendo insiders, and even the current president, Shuntaro Furukawa, believe that Directs are the best way to show consumers their products in an effective, transparent way. In the beginning of 2020, while fans waited for the first Nintendo Direct of the year, fans were clamoring for information and hoping for any kind of news (the attached footnote is just one example,) and this shows that this is one of the most important forms of marketing that Nintendo has.
In 2019, the Directs were as follows: the first Nintendo Direct of the year was streamed on February 13th, containing over half an hour of new announcements, as well as new details and updates to the production of Fire Emblem: Three Houses. The Pokemon Direct followed on February 27th, and this stream was very short, just detailing some information about then-upcoming Pokemon games. May 15th had the next stream, and it was all about Super Mario Maker 2, and then another Pokemon Direct on June 5th, followed closely by Nintendo’s E3 Direct. Finally, the final Direct of the year was on September 4th, and this steam highlighted Nintendo’s Christmas lineup (well, to an extent) with Pokemon Sword & Shield as well as Luigi’s Mansion 3. Six streams over the year, with varying degrees of content in each; this is changed up in 2020. I’ll include the data in the table below for a more visual representation.
Nintendo Direct Schedule (2019)
Date Type of Direct Details on Direct
Feb.13
Nintendo Direct
Details mainly on Fire Emblem, but also other projects
Feb.27
Pokemon Direct
Presentation on the new Pokemon game only
May 15
Super Mario Maker 2 Direct
Presentation on the new Super Mario Maker game only
Jun.5
Pokemon Direct
A shorter presentation entirely on Pokemon again
Jun.11
Nintendo Direct
Nintendo’s E3 Direct, showing off their upcoming projects in a blanket E3-tailored Direct
Sept.9
Nintendo Direct
40+ minute presentation on multiple games, mainly Pokemon and Luigi’s Mansion 3
In 2019, Nintendo spent roughly 76 billion yen on marketing (equivalent to 726 million dollars in USD). There was also a special report back in August of 2019 about Nintendo’s ads that July. In July of 2019, it was reported that Nintendo spent 3.2 million dollars on commercials for Super Mario Maker 2 during popular kids shows like Spongebob Squarepants. This specific commercial was called “The Level of Your Dreams,” and it showed how easy and accessible Super Mario Maker 2 is. There was upbeat music from the game, a welcoming voiceover talking about the game, along with CGI scenes of Mario and Luigi being construction workers because the game is about constructing levels to play. This shows that while Nintendo played to their strengths with their Directs, they don’t neglect the kids: the audience of gamers that parents (the target market) will buy for. Two commercials aired in late 2019 and solidified Nintendo in the hearts of families, and they both ran in 2020 because of their success. One of the spots (featuring a father and daughter playing their Switch together) last aired almost a whole year later on September 16th, 2020. There was also an ad about playing games together with any group of friends or family, and it made the news about Nintendo’s inclusion of a child with Down Syndrome. It was said that Nintendo’s stance on inclusion didn’t just apply to ethnicities, but also physical, developmental, and mental disabilities.
In total, it’s estimated that Nintendo spent $46 million dollars on television advertising in 2019 in the United States alone, which leaves $680 million dollars for everything else. In my research, I couldn’t find the exact numbers on where the other $680 million went, but there’s no doubt it went to all their advertisements online, or even possibly into their Directs.
However, there’s also the simple matter of exclusives on the console over others. Nintendo has the fantastic reputation of having great exclusives, and some of those exclusives are often new intellectual properties, or revivals of ones fans miss. They also do keep their strong properties in the pipeline as well. Below is the table of Nintendo exclusive releases in 2019, and this was before Nintendo killed 3DS support to solely focus on their Switch.
Mario and Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story + Bowser’s Minions (3DS)
Mar 8
Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn (3DS)
Mar 29
Yoshi’s Crafted World (Switch)
Jun 28
Super Mario Maker 2 (Switch)
Jul 26
Fire Emblem: Three Houses (Switch)
Sep 13
Daemon X Machina (Switch)
Sep 20
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (Switch)
Oct 18
Ringfit Adventure (Switch)
Oct 31
Luigi’s Mansion 3 (Switch)
Nov 15
Pokemon Sword / Pokemon Shield (Switch)
All of these exclusives show that Nintendo likes to release their games close to one-another, and have enough content coming out that there was almost a new game from Nintendo to play every month. Nintendo also got help from Platinum Games, the company behind games like Bayonetta to make Astral Chain, and that’s an exclusive but developed outside of Nintendo. They also released a new revision of the Switch in 2019, the “Switch Lite,” where the ability to “switch” the console from portable to a stationary TV console is gone, but that revision is still being sold in 2020, so it must be doing well.
Competitor Marketing 2019
As we’ve discussed earlier, Nintendo has two major competitors: Sony and Microsoft. Both consoles get games that can’t run on Nintendo’s current console, which puts them a step above Nintendo in the sheer amount of games they can offer. For example, in the very beginning of 2019, Capcom released the highly-anticipated remake of Resident Evil 2. The game was met with glowing reviews and had an enormous advertising campaign: TV spots, online banners, social media, even a live-action commercial for people who may remember George A. Romero’s commercial that aired in Japan: it was everywhere. As of December 2019, the game had sold approximately five million copies, and those are all sales going to Capcom, Sony, and Microsoft.
The competition may have more of a community, but Nintendo is releasing more exclusives than either of them, which helps drive consumers to the Switch and Nintendo’s other offerings. Listed below are the exclusives on both competitors’ consoles. From my research, the only confirmed Xbox One exclusive I could find was Gears 5, released on September 21st, 2019.
Below are Sony’s offerings in 2019. Ori and the Will of Wisps released on Nintendo Switch, so that’s not an exclusive.
Sony PlayStation 4 Exclusives in 2019
Release Date Software Title
Mar 26
MLB The Show 19
Apr 26
Days Gone
May 21
Everybody’s Golf VR
May 28
Blood and Truth
Oct 8
Concrete Jungle
Oct 25
MediEvil
Nov 8
Death Stranding
Nintendo Marketing 2020
Nintendo’s advertising for 2020 is very different than we’ve seen before, but they kept their message of playing anyway, anywhere. In the middle of the year, Nintendo announced that they will start advertising outside of their target as well to attract new customers. This is obviously something that was decided because of the pandemic. Because of COVID-19, Nintendo experienced a shortage of Switch consoles, but not because they didn’t make them, but because they flew off the shelves when people were in lockdown. In March, they released Animal Crossing: New Horizons, a game that soared past sale expectations. It’s also an entire game about being a farmer, trader, and living a life out in the wild while also accommodating for villagers that want to live on your island. This title is now up for the award of “Game of the Year” at the official Video Game Awards.
This year, Nintendo also officially killed their support for the 3DS, their last foray into the completely handheld market. With the Switch selling as well as it is, and the Switch being available in a “lite” version where it plays strictly portably, there was no reason to keep the 3DS line going in the company’s eyes. This opened more opportunities for Nintendo to push the Switch’s hardware and games. According to Nintendo’s annual report, over 10 million units of Switch hardware were sold in the second quarter of 2020, within three months of Animal Crossing’s release.
In 2020, there were many more Nintendo Directs, but they were labelled as “Nintendo Direct Minis,” where the streams may not have been very long, but there were more of them throughout the year. The schedule of these Directs are as follows: the first Direct of the year was the Pokemon Direct on January 9th, followed by Animal Crossing: New Horizons Direct on February 20th. The first “Nintendo Direct” of the year was a “mini” on March 26th, less than a week after Animal Crossing’s launch on March 20th. The next Nintendo Direct was on July 20th, and was the first “partner showcase” from Nintendo, showing off third-party support on the Switch; a month later on August 26th, there was another “partner showcase.” On September 3rd, there was the Super Mario Bros. 35th Anniversary Direct; this whole stream was about celebrating the legacy of Super Mario with announcements only pertaining to the Mario brand, including more games, collectible shoes (I wouldn’t wear them out), and Lego sets. Two of the last three directs were also “partner showcase” events on September 17th and October 28th. The last game-specific event was the Monster Hunter Direct on September 17th right after the Partner Showcase event. It was a whole time slot dedicated to Capcom and their upcoming Monster Hunter game for the Switch. This data can also be better visualized in the table I’ve provided below.
Nintendo Direct Schedule (2020)
Date Type of Direct Details on Direct
Jan 9
Pokemon Direct
20 minute of Pokemon
Feb 20
Animal Crossing Direct
25 minutes of Animal Crossing information
Mar 26
Nintendo Direct Mini
A shorter format of the normal Direct
July 20
Mini “Partner Showcase”
A shorter format, but emphasizing 3rd party support
Aug 26
Mini “Partner Showcase”
A shorter format, but emphasizing 3rd party support
Sep 3
Super Mario Bros. 35th Direct
A full Nintendo Direct all about Mario
Sep 17
Mini “Partner Showcase”
A shorter format, but emphasizing 3rd party support
Sep 17
Monster Hunter Direct
A shorter format, just for the new Monster Hunter
Oct 28
Mini “Partner Showcase”
A shorter format, but emphasizing 3rd party support
Judging from this data, Nintendo knows that their Directs get a lot of views, and figured dropping pieces of content throughout the year was more effective than one big lump-sum, especially during the pandemic. During the pandemic, it’s understandable for games to miss deadlines, and it’s presumable that Nintendo doesn’t want to upset fans by announcing a game too early, only for it to be pushed back months (if not years) due to the pandemic. I also believe that’s why we haven’t seen many new live-action ads from Nintendo this year, and if we have, a lot of it is reused from 2019 but with new gameplay in the outros to show off new games, like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which is sitting at the top of Nintendo’s sales list.
Nintendo released a commercial in the UK where a group of friends is separated because one moves away. This is an ad that people can resonate with because they’ve had friends move, or they’ve moved. However, this has a double meaning. Friends being distant is how this whole year has gone: by including friends staying together over Animal Crossing, Nintendo has planted the idea in consumers’ heads that if they play the Switch, they can stay in touch with friends during the pandemic as well. It’s honestly brilliant: it doesn’t tie the ad down to a time frame like other COVID ads and supplies a want people have: being social.
Nintendo exclusives in 2020 are also firing on all cylinders. Below is the list of exclusives released on Nintendo’s home console.
Nintendo Switch Exclusives Released in 2020
Release Date Software Title
Jan 17
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore
Mar 6
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Mission DX
Mar 20
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
May 29
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
Jun 5
Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics
Jun 15
Jump Rope Challenge
Jul 17
Paper Mario and the Origami King
Sep 18
Super Mario 3D All-Stars
Sep 23
Kirby Fighters 2
Oct 1
Super Mario Bros. 35
Oct 16
Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit
Oct 30
Pikmin 3 Deluxe
Nov 20
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
Dec 4
Fitness Boxing 2: Rhythm and Exercise
Dec 4
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & Blade of Light
When Nintendo had to announce the delay Metroid Prime 4, fans were understandably disappointed, but there was no shortage of Nintendo content this year. There is a way that they could expand their market, however. Since their market includes people from fifteen to thirty, those people do care about their body image too. Nintendo has put out a number of exercise games on the Switch and they could target people stuck at home who would like to get back on an exercise regiment through their games like Fitness Boxing and Ringfit Adventure. Speaking from experience, Ringfit Adventure will work up a sweat relatively quickly and teach a consumer about properly stretching before working out, so even when the consumer is out and about, they’ll remember what the game has taught them and talk about it with their friends; leading to more consumers. Especially during COVID, Americans and all citizens are trying to find ways to stay active and healthy: Nintendo can supply that, meaning millions of possible consumers.
I think the best way to grab those consumers is through informative morning ads during local news. Seems dumb, but the people they want to attract do watch the news every morning for their commute, and also for new COVID numbers in the vicinity they live in.
Competitor Marketing 2020
In 2020, both Sony and Microsoft put their efforts into their new console launches. This also helps consumers understand why these companies may have had a lackluster 2019 in terms of content. Both consoles are marketed heavily now that they’re flying off the shelves. This is reportedly Sony’s biggest launch, but the marketing seemed lacking to my personal experience. I was never bombarded with advertisements like I was in 2013 with the PlayStation 4. It’s possible that the pandemic has also made these companies rather conscious of how much money people have and aren’t pushing them as hard as they used to. However, now that the consoles are being immensely scalped, this puts the systems on news stations for reasons other than their popularity, and that puts the system in front of consumers every time they read an article or turn on the nightly news. This is also making Sony and Microsoft’s jobs very easy by letting the news report.
Sony was going to stay out of E3 this year anyway, so the pandemic didn’t necessarily hurt their window of announcements, so that’s incredibly convenient. While they were missing out, they would’ve released one of their biggest titles, The Last of Us Part II a few weeks later.
Sony PlayStation Exclusives in 2020
Release Date Software Title
Feb 14
Dreams
Mar 13
Nioh 2
Mar 17
MLB The Show 20
Apr 24
Predator: Hunting Grounds
Jun 19
The Last of Us Part II
Jul 3
Iron Man VR
Nov 12
Sackboy: A Big Adventure (both on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5)
Nov 12
Spider-Man: Miles Morales (both on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5)
As for Microsoft’s Xbox, the only console exclusive released this year was Gears Tactics on November 10th. That is according to BestBuy.com’s listings of Xbox games.
References
(@NE_Brian), Brian. “Nintendo Says It’s Increasing Ad Expenses to Promote Switch and Target Those Who Don’t Usually Play Games.” Nintendo Everything, 15 May 2020, nintendoeverything.com/nintendo-says-its-increasing-ad-expenses-to-promote-switch-and-target-those-who-dont-usually-play-games/.
Brian (@NE_Brian). “Nintendo Specifically Wanted Someone with a Visible Disability for Its Recent Switch Commercial.” Nintendo Everything, 16 Nov. 2019, nintendoeverything.com/nintendo-specifically-wanted-someone-with-a-visible-disability-for-its-recent-switch-commercial/.
“Chronology of GameCube Video Games.” Codex Gamicus, gamicus.gamepedia.com/Chronology_of_GameCube_video_games.
Minotti, Mike. “The RetroBeat: Why the Heck Didn’t the GameCube Sell Better?” VentureBeat, VentureBeat, 14 Aug. 2020, venturebeat.com/2020/08/07/the-retrobeat-why-the-heck-didnt-the-gamecube-sell-better/.
Parker, Garrett, et al. “The 20 Best-Selling Wii Games of All-Time.” Money Inc, 2 Sept. 2019, moneyinc.com/best-selling-wii-games-of-all-time/.
Reece, Paula. “Healthy Lifestyle More Important Than Ever.” The Definitive Source For Grand Junction Business News, 18 Aug. 2020, thebusinesstimes.com/healthy-lifestyle-more-important-than-ever/.
Steves, Vinny. “Target Marketing: How to Market the Nintendo Switch.” Medium, Medium, 29 Oct. 2019, medium.com/@vinnysteves/target-marketing-how-to-market-the-nintendo-switch-658174701f6c.
Who doesn’t love movies? Growing up, my movie choice was pretty limited, however. Not because of overbearing parents; it was because we didn’t have many movies in the house. I only had a VCR and TV in my bedroom for years, and my four main tapes were Goldeneye (probably not something a toddler should watch but it’s still my favorite James Bond movie) and the original Star Wars trilogy before the 1997 special editions.
I remember countless weekends, spending my day watching those tapes as I played with my GI Joes, or any other toys. Maybe recreating fight scenes from those movies, or making my own fun stories. As I got older, I upgraded to DVDs, bulking up my movie knowledge and collection throughout high school and college. My first major movie purchase was the James Bond collection: the character was a big part of my upbringing, and it’s my favorite movie franchise. Every first date I’ve been on includes a viewing of Casino Royale, with varying success.
Amazon Listing photo of the Blade Runner Collector’s Edition
Even after buying all the James Bond movies on DVD, I still bought VHS tapes at Goodwill for fifty cents each; that’s how I first experienced amazing films like Collateral and Seven. I remember going to Goodwill almost every week to see what was up for grabs; sometimes it was amazing and there were so many movies I wanted to watch, and others were wasted trips. My best find at Goodwill was probably the five-disc Blu Ray collector’s set of Blade Runner for five dollars. It had every version of the movie in the box, a ton of special features, and the incomplete workprint of the film.
That title is actually from a character I love named B-Mo from Adventure Time, but this is about video games. Like I said, my first video game was based off the James Bond movie, Goldeneye. I loved this game and it was certainly a fantastic entrance to video games. When video game conventions still happened, I attended Retro Game Con in Syracuse, and competed in their Goldeneye tournament. I remember having my friends there with me, I remember sweating during the games, panicking that I was the youngest in the tournament, and I remember a wave of relief coming over me after each round when it was announced I had the most kills, winning the match. This may be my favorite game ever released, but that doesn’t mean I’m the best player in the room.
The Boxart for the 1997 game release
Jango Fett and Count Dooku, after the game
Of course, I grew up with games like Super Mario Bros and The Legend of Zelda, but I admit my personal game collection was unorthodox. Mario and Zelda were saved for the older kids and my Christmases were full of Star Wars and James Bond games: those were great years. I may have played more “advanced” games than kids my age, but I got to experience so much that I wouldn’t trade for the world. For example, Star Wars:Bounty Hunter gives context as to why Jango Fett was the man chosen for the Republic army’s clones. Darth Tyranus (Count Dooku) pays him one-million credits to track down and kill a rogue Sith. This game also proves why I think Jango Fett is way cooler than Boba Fett; Jango killed a Sith with little-to-no trouble, while Boba needed most of the Galactic Empire’s help to kidnap Han Solo.
Before I ever completed a Mario or Zelda game, I played through Metal Gear Solid: a solid twenty-hour spy game heavily influenced by James Bond. I admit this game was heavy for a kid, but a lot of the references to inappropriate things were as heavy-handed as a Bond movie, so it was nothing new. The harder messages throughout it totally went over my nine-year-old head, though. The message of honor, empathy, obeying orders, and betrayal were missed.
North American cover art for Metal Gear Solid
Now that I’m twenty-one, I play this game at least once a year. I may still suck at it because it’s stealth-based, but I love everything about this game so much. Along with the well-written story, the music is oscar-worthy at times: sweeping orchestrations through heavy scenes, haunting compositions while the plot develops, and a pulse-pounding song for the finale all help tell the story of the main character, codenamed Solid Snake. After you complete the different endings, you’ll unlock a tuxedo for the main character to wear in subsequent playthroughs.
The main character, Solid Snake, wearing his tuxedo
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