Your take on Mii's life in NS1 era?

[Dorayaki]

Well it's not news Miis treat today are far from Wii era. Do you feel indifferent or very much bothered?

 

[AgentMuffin]

Even if the Wii brand met an unfortunate demise, it's a shame that Miis seem to be downplayed ever since. I loved the idea and hoped they would persist into future consoles… but not like this. I keep imagining ways Miis could be enhanced, like using outfits as a systemwide achievement system, or even just adding facial features included in other avatar systems like Apple's Memoji.

At the same time, Miis really don't work in series like Animal Crossing, much less Pokémon. In these cases, I think they should be used to set the initial appearance of customizable player characters like Villagers, Inklings, and Pokémon Trainers, providing a personalized starting point for character creation screens. This is basically already how NPCs were created in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. (Mind, that doesn't support all Mii customization options, and this adaptation idea wouldn't necessarily have to, either.) Elsewhere, with this new level of graphical quality, maybe we could've seen stylization of Miis to make them fit in better in certain titles, like a subtle wooden texture to make them look more like kokeshi, rather than abstract fleshy humanoids (or hamburger homunculi) that look inconsistent with human characters in most series.

I can dream! At least the situation isn't dire for Miis. They're still being carried over across consoles, they're still getting dedicated games, and it seems like Nintendo received the backlash over Sportsmates in Nintendo Switch Sports given the big deal they made of adding Matt.

 

[Princess Viola]

Miis are ass and the further Nintendo moves away from the Wii era shit the better imo.

 

[Shmaluigi]

I've always liked Miis but I think where they're at now is fine. They don't need to be crammed in every game, and most of the time I'd rather play as a character that was designed for the world and fits into it better. I'd rather have them in stuff without a pre-existing IP like Miitopia, Tomodachi, Wii Sports etc. Since we're getting a new Tomodachi next year Nintendo clearly isn't phasing them out completely, so it's not like "dang, Miis are dead" yet.

Would be nice to see more customization options for them though, even if it's not necessarily as extensive as what's in Miitopia. I like that we finally got so many hair colors for the Switch, but we're well overdue for fantasy skin colors and stuff like that. Nintendo should've realized that we'd want to make Miis that don't have to look so much like real people a long time ago.

 

[AgentMuffin]

Nintendo should've realized that we'd want to make Miis that don't have to look so much like real people a long time ago.

Oh, 1000%. It would also be nice to have nonhuman features. I see a lot of people trying to do antennae with eyebrows, for example, and as much as i like the creativity, these workarounds tend to fall apart the moment the Mii's expression changes.

 

[Hint Toad]

Man. I miss Miis. It just added something unique to my experience with the Wii and 3DS that you just don't get with the Switch.

 

[Xiahou Ba]

I don't want Miis return, period. They're clearly a product of their era, restrictions and all, especially with their namesake, and I think they should be left there. I'd rather they come up with an entirely new avatar with a new style.

 

[winstein]

I like Miis, so its a shame they're not available as often as they used to be. It's why their inclusion in Mario Golf: Super Rush feels unusual yet refreshing, because it's rare that they get included in non-Mii titles. Especially when Mario Kart World excluded them this time around.

From what we've seen, it appears that Miis probably are generally confined to their own games, with the occasional guest appearance like in Switch Sports. The games like Miitopia or the future Tomodachi Life game show that there is life to these little people, but I wonder if they could appear in new types of games beyond what was started in previous consoles.

I feel that it's admirable that Miis got to continue to appear even if not in the most popular games ever, because it goes hand-in-hand with how Nintendo retains their most popular IPs. If there's a desire to see popular series like Mario, Pokemon, or Animal Crossing continue to appear, I think it's fair to want Miis, who are also one of Nintendo's popular characters, to keep appearing in the future as well. Some of those IPs are old and might be accused of being out of fashion at times, but their appeal plays into their staying power despite their relatively primitive look (even Animal Crossing's flat textures like triangle grass became part of the series' visual identity).

With that said, Miis would ideally need more customisation. I think that certain games showcased what it could have been, such as Miitomo with additional clothing choices. I am not sure when they'll get there, but I'm glad they have added more choices like hair colour (and special mention goes to how the Miis don't use designated gender mentions in recent customisations).

Thank you for reading.

 

[LuigiFan24]

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is giving the Miis a grand comeback!

 

[Koopa con Carne]

I love Miis. They're very simple avatars, but they're clearly a trademark of Nintendo and I wish they would cram them into everything so I can immortalize my family and friends in Mario.

 

[LuigiFan24]

I love Miis. They're very simple avatars, but they're clearly a trademark of Nintendo and I wish they would cram them into everything so I can immortalize my family and friends in Mario.

Me too. While I do like the Sportmates from Switch Sports, I still think the Miis are more charming.

 

[Dorayaki]

I don't want Miis return, period. They're clearly a product of their era, restrictions and all, especially with their namesake, and I think they should be left there. I'd rather they come up with an entirely new avatar with a new style.

Regarding to the recent games, I think the trend is having most games apply their own customizeable avatars that cater to the art style, such as the Pokemon trainer protagonists. If my understanding is correct, Miis are implemented in every game so they need to be as simple as possible, which is why they cannot be too complicated and sohpisticated.

I think Miis have potential to upgrade with more details and customization, not that Nintendo need to come up with a brand new avatar. For now, I just feel like it's not difficult to apply Mii faces to the protaginists from Pokemon and Pikmin.

 

[LuigiFan24]

I do somewhat prefer the Sportsmates over Miis in Switch Sports tbh

 

[BigBoom1946]

I kinda want a return to something like the old Streetpass games because from what video's I've been able to find they looked pretty good. Maybe Nintendo could make a new Miiverse to go along with them.

 

[BigBoom1946]

I do somewhat prefer the Sportsmates over Miis in Switch Sports tbh

Even if the Wii brand met an unfortunate demise, it's a shame that Miis seem to be downplayed ever since. I loved the idea and hoped they would persist into future consoles… but not like this. I keep imagining ways Miis could be enhanced, like using outfits as a systemwide achievement system, or even just adding facial features included in other avatar systems like Apple's Memoji.

At the same time, Miis really don't work in series like Animal Crossing, much less Pokémon. In these cases, I think they should be used to set the initial appearance of customizable player characters like Villagers, Inklings, and Pokémon Trainers, providing a personalized starting point for character creation screens. This is basically already how NPCs were created in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. (Mind, that doesn't support all Mii customization options, and this adaptation idea wouldn't necessarily have to, either.) Elsewhere, with this new level of graphical quality, maybe we could've seen stylization of Miis to make them fit in better in certain titles, like a subtle wooden texture to make them look more like kokeshi, rather than abstract fleshy humanoids (or hamburger homunculi) that look inconsistent with human characters in most series.

I can dream! At least the situation isn't dire for Miis. They're still being carried over across consoles, they're still getting dedicated games, and it seems like Nintendo received the backlash over Sportsmates in Nintendo Switch Sports given the big deal they made of adding Matt.

That's a cool idea