I agree that there are things Nintendo could have done that would have boosted the sales up over 10 million, but I don't think it's fair to call SMG a 'failure' because of it.
What Nintendo really needed to do, however, was market more effectively to the blue ocean. That means focusing more on the player and demonstrating that the player is having fun, and token motion controls simply do not work well enough for that: you have to go whole-hog. It's a design flaw that sadly has been repeated with NSMBWii, for which I predict similar sales figures.
If you want to market to the blue ocean, you have to not only make the game look fun, but to make the gameplay -what the player is actually doing- look fun. Button-mashing just doesn't cut it.
Complexity is not depth. Machismo is not maturity. Obsession is not dedication. Tedium is not challenge. Support gaming: support the Wii.
Be the ultimate ninja! Play Billy Vs. SNAKEMAN today! Poisson Village welcomes new players.
There is much to hate about modern gaming. That is why I support the Wii.
