gamecube 25th anniversary
retrospectiveComments
Which specific titles is the author using as benchmarks for this "grit" versus "maturity" distinction?
The Guardian claims Nintendo avoided "adult themes," but what about Eternal Darkness? Was that just "uncomplicated fun," or were they exploring maturity in a way the competition couldn't?
Regardless of a few outliers, the "grit" marketed by the competition often resulted in generic shooters that aged poorly. That is exactly why the distinction between maturity and grit matters.
This "grit" trend was largely a response to the technical capabilities of the PS2 and Xbox to render realistic textures and facial animations. The shift toward adult themes was as much a hardware showcase for fidelity as it was a creative choice.
the mini-dvd capacity was the actual bottleneck.