Browsing the highest-rated games on Metacritic, you might come across some well-known names.Nintendofranchises likeThe Legend of ZeldaandSuperMario Bros.make an appearance, of course, as do classics likeHalf-Lifeand severalGTAtitles. Among these beloved games, one name stands out as being completely out of place.
Rated 93 and nestled right betweenWorld of WarcraftandForza Horizon 4onMetacriticis the2009 Nintendo DSiWare title,Flipnote Studio.How did an animation-making program even make it onto a list of games, and why did it get such high praise from fans and critics alike? To find the answer to that, we have to go back to a time when internet culture and Nintendo consoles were a completely different place.
What Was Flipnote Studio & How Did It Score So High?
The Free Program Was A Must-Have For DSi Owners
When the Nintendo DSi was rolled out in 2009, it struggled to win over fans. The system was too similar to the DS Lite, no longer included a Game Boy Advance slot, and suffered from apoor launch lineup.Nintendo’s solution was DSiWare, a marketplace separate from the Nintendo eShop that housed exclusive DSi games and programs.
Flipnote Studiowas afree Nintendo title available for download from DSiWare.Users could draw or create animations from scratch or from photos, using the stylus to draw and mark up pages like a flipbook. The “game” was bolstered by an active online community and the freedom to create whatever players wished using intuitive controls.
Looking back on it now, it seems like a strange “game” for Nintendo to push out, but it worked. In fact, it worked so well that a 2009 review of the program onIGNinironically declaredFlipnote Studioto be “the system seller Nintendo really needs,“stating:
“After toying with the program for hours and seeing co-workers' reactions and excitement, both in what I produced and how easy it is to use, I’m now comfortable in saying thatthere’s a real reason to own a DSi system.”
Flipnote Studio Couldn’t Happen Today
Conditions Were Perfect For Its Success When It Launched
Flipnote Studiowas a product of its time,launching when fan-made animation sites like Newgrounds were still huge, and stickman battles (anyone else remember those?) were making the rounds. The internet hadn’t yet become oversaturated with memes, and the idea of making shareable content was just beginning to take off.
The program wouldn’t have been able to find the same level of popularity today as it did when it arrived on the scene in 2009. For those who got to experience the phenomenon, findingFlipnote Studioat the top of the best games of all time on Metacritic just makes sense. In a 2009 edition ofIwata Asks,the late president of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata, had ahopeful outlook for the mighty little program:
It would be great if, when this software goes out into the world, the number of people who draw animation would increase. I also strongly hope that… Flipnote Studio spurs people on to become animators, video and film creators and video-game makers.
Judging from the fond memories fans have of the freeNintendotitle,Flipnote Studiodid manage to make a lasting impression on the minds of many who played with it. It was a simple but incredibly powerful program that influenced many creators and even led to some fans starting careers in animation, as Iwata had hoped. Today, it’s certainly earned its spot among other influential video games on Metacritic.
