Playing with Power: The Nintendo Story

Its better to name it the nintendo america story. 2 star for effort.

The series itself is fun to watch with great nostalgia, but the music/sound effects completely ruin the whole thing. You can hardly hear half the people talking. Did someone actually watch this before releasing it? Why on earth would you feel the need to make the background music so loud that you can't hear half the dialogue? Really did ruin the whole experience for me.

These episodes could be cut in half, truly. Long, long sequences of boring animations for transitions, long shots of uninteresting miniatures used for lack of content, overly dramatic music that never stops (even when people are finally talking). This thing takes itself way too seriously and it's incredibly annoying to watch (and hear).

Seems like it was made by some guy just out of film school, who wants to make an "epic" documentary about Nintendo... The music is so out of place and over the top at times. In the beginning we find ourselves in feudal Japan, late 1800s, and the soundtrack makes it feel like we're somewhere in interstellar space in some sci-fi movie.

And it's SO LONG in-between actual dialog and information... Like I said, could be half as long.

Such a shame.

How can you screw up a documentary about gaming and Nintendo? Never fear, they found multiple ways.

The driving (driving me mad) soundtrack overtakes the video and certainly the interviews. It's OBNOXIOUS and you can't hear the "experts", half of which are just obnoxious, irrelevant, semi-celebrities.

Such a shame... I really wanted to walk down memory lane and gain some perspective while looking back.

This documentary effort was KILLED BY BAD EDITING, terrible D-List "celebrities", just how it was presented.

As a proud member of GenX who grew up during the golden age of gaming-from the Atari to the NES-I found Playing with Power: The Nintendo Story absolutely riveting. I've seen countless gaming documentaries over the years, but this one stood out for its depth, historical context, and thoughtful narration by Sean Astin. It doesn't just drop you into the era of Game Boys and Mario-it goes all the way back to Nintendo's 19th-century roots in Japan, and that level of detail was both unexpected and incredibly enlightening.

I've read some of the negative reviews and, frankly, I don't get it. Complaints about too much focus on Japan seem misguided-Nintendo is a Japanese company, after all. If you're looking for a flashy, surface-level doc about recent gaming trends in America, this probably isn't it. But if you care about how we got here, about the cultural and corporate evolution that made Nintendo what it is today, this series delivers.

The editing is solid, the pacing worked for me, and it never felt like it was talking down to the audience. It assumes a certain level of interest and maturity, which might be why it doesn't appeal as much to younger viewers. I can see Gen Z or kids raised on modern consoles getting bored by the slower, more narrative-driven structure. But for those of us who lived through this era-or just love learning about the deeper story behind pop culture-this is essential viewing.

Playing with Power is smart, nostalgic, and unexpectedly emotional at times. It deserves far better reviews than it's getting. Don't be fooled by the low ratings-if you're a lifelong gamer or someone who appreciates real documentary craftsmanship, you'll love it.