An ode to play and the story of the company that has redefined it—Nintendo’s quirky beginnings in 1889, its singular ethos, its endlessly innovative leaders and developers, its massive cultural impact, and, most of all, the video games themselves, which have inspired joy and creativity in millions.
Spirited ... Offers acute and entertaining analysis of the company’s many game franchises, but it sidesteps closer examination of the business side ... Although the book occasionally veers into hagiography, it does pull back part of the curtain on a secretive gaming company that mass-produces fun.
Ms. MacDonald’s love for the company—the book ends with a ranking of her 50 favorite Nintendo games—can veer toward blinkered adoration. But her enthusiasm can also be catching.
The tone of Super Nintendo is effervescent but insufficient. Enthusiasm alone is not enough to distract from grating clichés ... For all the talk of fun, there’s a strange medicinal feel ... An endless sunny cutscene, inoffensive but interminable.
