Let's be honest, most of the games coming out early in the year for the Wii U will barely give the hardware a bump. Titles like Bayonetta 2 and The Wonderful 101 will probably be critical successes but few people are going to buy a console for them. Likewise most of what is releasing for the Vita in the west, though after a full year the library is building up nicely.
However, the Wii U will surge over the holidays. All they need is one big Mario game. A certain segment is conditioned to buying Mario because it's the game they know and are familiar with. It's like how everyone will go to McDonalds if they have to stop in a small town, even though the locally owned burger joint might be a lot tastier. No, I'm not saying Mario is like mediocre fast food, I'm saying that comfort and familiarity sell, especially to parents picking out Christmas presents. It's an exceedingly safe choice.
