Those comparing these announcements to games that failed to "save" the GameCube... to put it simply, that was then, this is now. These franchises -- Mario Kart and Smash Bros. in particular -- they're not the same franchises we knew 10 years ago. Mario Kart doesn't sell 7 million lifetime any more. It sells 7 million in its first year. Smash Bros has also grown from a 7 million-seller to an 11 million-seller, and more importantly, from a hit game to an absolute system-seller.
Add Bayonetta 2, Wonderful 101, Pikmin 3, Wind Waker HD, SMT X FE, and Xenogame to the list; these are the kinds of games that made the GameCube a bit of a cult hit, a console many Wii haters reflect on with admiration.
Then consider the likes of Wii U Party, Wii Fit U, Game and Wario, Yoshi's Epic Yarn, Mario Kart U; these are the kinds of games that made the Wii such an enormous global sales success among the so-called "casual" crowd.
And unlike Viewtiful Joe and Resident Evil 4, there is ZERO possibility of these games finding a home on other consoles in the near future: every single one of them is directly funded or developed by Nintendo themselves. They have complete control over these titles, and every single one will remain a Wii U exclusive for the next generation.
What we have here is not history repeating itself. What we have here is a potential perfect storm of a console, one that demands the attention of all gamers, not just one group.
