Are fan-games better than official games?

[OddieTheRock]

Are their examples of Nintendo guilty of this type of thing?

List of projects I eventually plan to finish after the indefinite hiatus is over, assuming I don't abruptly cancel them:

Spoiler

Mario's Rather Unusual Trilogy (Mario's slightly unusual Boss Rush (Completed), Mario vs. Some Unusual Foes (In development), Mario's VERY Unusual Final Frontier (In development))
Sonic's Foray into Random/Unusual Zones (spin-off of Unusual Trilogy, in development)
Angry Birds Slingshot Frenzy (In development)
Super Mario Flashback: Really Good Edition (In development)
Super Hilda DX (In only conceptual phase)

Yes, I am aware that I have about 6 or so fangame projects currently in development at the same time. And yes, I am also aware that all of this is very ambitious.

+ List of projects I'm helping out with in some small capacity during my hiatus:

Spoiler

Super Mario Bros Dimensions 2 (as a spriter, only for Mario's sprites)
MFGG Community Fangame Project 3 (as a spriter)
WordGirl ReWired (as a artist)

[Minerador Slime]

YES!! https://mfgg.net/index.php?act=resdb&par...2&id=28242

Really unfunny jokes aside, nowadays it's pretty rare to be so, since fangames quantity is lowering. If you manage to find one then it's probably that shiny amount in MFGG.
But one thing is sure: There are MANY fangames that are better than the first Super Mario Bros.

[VinnyVideo]

The majority of fangames aren't as good as most of Nintendo's official games. It's an apples-to-oranges comparison: Fangames are usually made by just one person who has to make everything on their own, and if they can't create all the graphics and music (which is almost always the case), they have to use whatever's available. In contrast, Nintendo has a small army of programmers, artists, and marketing people to help turn their creative vision into reality and distribute the finished product to as many people as possible. On the other hand, Nintendo faces time constraints (there's more pressure to release games on time, so some compromises must be made), and like most large companies, they tend to be a little risk-averse. This means Nintendo is unlikely to do something really out of the box - and that's a niche that fangame makers can fill.

That said, some fangames on MFGG exceed the quality of official Nintendo games (for example, Psycho Waluigi is a much more inspired and enjoyable game than Yoshi's New Island), and it's very easy to make a fangame that's better than the typical mobile game or licensed DS shovelware.

If you're making fangames or indie games, do what you do best - make fun, creative games, and don't obsess over trying to outdo Nintendo in length or scope.

Course clear! You got a card.

[Mariotroid]

There's no real comparison. Fangames are creative endeavours from one to a handful of dedicated developers. I've never seen a fangame with the quality of a 2017-2018 official Nintendo game.

However, creatively speaking, AM2R (another Metroid 2 remake) is a superior game to Samus Returns. And Samus Returns was a great game. Speaking technically, Samus Returns is superior to AM2R by any stretch.

These are just my two cents on the matter.