Friend Codes and why Nintendo loves them

Nintendo to settle down with Friend Codes, make babies

Nintendo’s decision to use Friend Codes was and still remains baffling. The Nintendo 3DS will improve on things, requiring only one, but it’s still a long way from a completely open friend system like on… well, all of the others out there. However Nintendo says they’re doing it for a reason, and that some games just need them or things would turn bad. Speaking to MTV, Reggie Fils-Aime has come out and explained why Nintendo has Friend Codes.

"The thing that we’ve learned is that there are some games that you want to battle head to head, but you don’t want to necessarily want that other player to have full access to the space. Probably the best example is something like ’Animal Crossing.’ We may want to trade items in ’Animal Crossing,’ but do I really want the potential for you to come into my town and maybe disrupt it in some way? That’s what Friend Codes are all about. There are certain games where Friend Codes are important. There are other games where, because of the head to head nature of the game, it really isn’t necessary."

Is Nintendo’s use of one Friend Code better? Of course it is. Is it perfect? That remains to be seen.

Source: GoNintendo