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TheLastStarFighter on 21 May 2013
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Soundwave said:
TheLastStarFighter said:
This game NEEDS to be good. Actaually, not good, AMAZING. It needs to be groundbreaking and visually stunning. It needs to say this is why you buy a Wii U, it's what a Wii U that other systems... Wii, 360, PS3, even PS4 or Xi... can't. It needs a groundbreaking theme, next-gen visuals and classic Nintendo gameplay. I needs to be a game that creates buzz.

NSMBU couldn't move (many) systems because it was basically the same experience you can already get on Wii. It's a game people love, but not many people will buy a system for it, even for the HD. Visually, it would be considered average on 360 or PS4.

Wii U needs a stunning 3D Mario, flanked by titles like Wind Waker, X, MarioKart and others, as well as 3rd party games like Watch_Dogs, COD: Ghosts and others, to really present a compelling reason for consumers to spend $350 on the machine. If they can do that, other casual titles could take off as well as young families look at it as an option for having Mario, COD, Wii Fit, Netflix and other entertainment options in one place at a good price.

But Mario U needs to be good. If it bombs or fails to impress the way NSMBU did, the rest of the big push will fall flat. You need that title that makes people feel the machine is groundbreaking and fresh. If Mario U is Mario Sunshine2, Wii U is at least moderately doomed to be enjoyed only by the true Nintendo faithful.


Nothing will be more groundbreaking than Mario 64, a lot of people considered that the best video game ever made when it came out.

The N64 still barely sneaked past 30 million with Mario 64.

People need to really give Wii Sports its due. It changed the game for Nintendo and that's where they were able to bring in so many more consumers.

We already know what the game console that's centered around 4-5 "core Nintendo" big IP per year + weak third party support gets you -- 20-30 million-ish in sales.

It is not accurate to look at an old system and say this is what a future system will do based on certain similar factors.  No two systems are alike, no two circumstances are alike.  We do not know what a groundbreaking Mario title can do under the current circumstances.  As much as we can look at Mario 64, we can arguably say that Super Mario Bros. was more groundbreaking and more impressive for its time.  That title was a large part of a 85% market share. Every scenario is different.

The scenario for Wii U is very different than N64.  Playstation launched two years earlier.  It was cheaper.  It used the (arguably) superior and much cooler CD format.  It had a slew of former Nintendo 3rd party franchises that became PS1 exclusives.  Wii U is the exact opposite of N64, going with a cheaper approach, launching first, promoting mainstream media like Netflix and with a mainstream touch interface.

Given that many upcoming 3rd party titles like Watch_Dogs, CoD: Ghosts, AC4 and others could be potentially available on every system, consumers will look for other factors to differentiate which hardware is best for them.  Since the vast majority of people have little interest/understanding of computer specs beyond words like "HD", there is room for Nintendo to lure customers if they can present a piece of software that wows customers.  Mario U must do this.  Super Mario Bros. did it, Super Mario 64 did it, Super Mario Galaxy did it.  In writing that I just noticed that every second Nintendo console had a "derivative" Mario game, which may not be good for Wii U, lol.  But I do think if Mario U can create Mario Galaxy type buzz, Wii U can be a contender.

I don't think anyone questions the value of Wii Sports and the Wii series in general, as well at the innovation of the Wii.  I just think that Nintendo has tremendous brand value beyond the big hit that was the Wii, as is shown by the success of early systems like NES and SNES, as well as the recent and current massive success of its handhelds and associated software.  There are millions that have grown up with Nintendo products and continue to grow up with these products thanks to Wii, DS and now 3DS.  They have a 50% share of the hardware market even now.  If Nintendo presents a compelling package with Wii U, I think there will be strong consumer interest, and things don't automatically reset to pre-Wii levels.