Honestly, as someone who doesn't care much for platformers or games that lack some degree of complexity in terms of characters or storyline, the Wii left me cold. I had this feeling like Nintendo didn't really care if they had me as a customer or not. It was like they waved a hand at me and sent me to the back of the third-party line.
For the Wii U to really win me over, and to have a chance at being my primary console, Nintendo is going to have to show me that they're serious about wanting me as a customer.
- Prove to me that Bayonetta 2 is not a token core game for mature gamers. Nintendo would have to extend the scope of their first-party offerings in terms of genre -or- show that they're going to work closely with second- and third-party developers to produce exclusives of the same type and substance as you see with Sony or Microsoft. That means a few IPs along the lines of Halo, Gears, GoW, Uncharted, Valkyria Chronicles, Disgaea--you get the picture. I want variety, which is where I feel Nintendo lacks.
- Prove that they're not just mimicking PSN/Xbox Live. The Nintendo online experience can't be seen as a slightly goofy little brother going into next gen. It has to stand out on its own merits. The Miiverse thing, or whatever it's called, honestly sounds like a good start, but they're going to have to continue building up a competitive and expanding service.
- Next gen third party games. Right now, I don't really care. Crysis 3 or GTA 5? I don't care, I already have a machine for this gen. However, if the Wii U turns into another Wii, with extremely limited support for next gen multi-platform games, then I probably won't get one, or I'll get one late as a second console.
- RPGs. This is an area where the Wii U should continue what the Wii started at the end of its life cycle and transform itself into the premier place for Japanese RPGs. Project Rainfall was seriously the first time I considered buying a Wii. More quality RPGs and I'll be interested.
- Less Mario and more Metroid/Zelda/something new. No, don't argue with me, I can't stand Mario and no one is going to change that. I hate that Nintendo systems sometimes just feel like vehicles for Mario games. People talk about Playstation not having a mascot, but I happen to love that fact, that all the different characters represent the brand. I want other Nintendo IPs to step-up their game and to be important factors in the Nintendo landscape going forward.
- The last point is less about the Wii U than about the other two. In short, the Wii U is going to have to hold its own after the PS4/720 are unveiled. If they blow it out the water, then I'm sorry, it's game over. If those other two are underwhelming/over-priced, though, then the Wii U is right back in the picture. Basically, I'm not going to buy the first console out in a generation, probably ever. I'm going to wait and compare and buy the one that hits the most bullet points.
