Top 10 Nintendo Fails

[NoirSon]

Oh and here is my own top ten in graphic detail/rant form.

10. No unified online accounts: Really this makes no sense, especially given Nintendo's other strides within setting up their own unique online functions like Miiverse, Club Nintendo and eShop. I can't see why it is so hard rather then binding all that to the console itself, Nintendo just doesn't create a unified accounts that make things less complicated when moving from one system to another or just provides a more streamlined way to have all your purchases recognized. I'm not expecting Live level of content and multimedia features nor am I expecting Playstation Plus type of free games offered (although Club Nintendo could easily be made into something similar). I can't believe it would be that hard to combine these features since they are already up and running and one would hope Nintendo eventually has it in their plans to do so but as of now it is a clear cut failure.
9. Gamecube modem: Built from before the system was released and despite Nintendo seeing a rise of LAN parties during the Goldeneye craze and Sega's willingness to gamble with them porting over their popular Phantsy Star Online franchise, they pretty much put it out there and left it for dead not unlike more then a few accessories they dropped. Now obviously they weren't likely to have a online experience comparable to what Microsoft started with their Live service but had they put HALF the effort they did in other ventures (including the next item on this list) into getting games that used the modem, the GC might have had a stronger following then what it wound up having and some of their online woes of later systems (Friend Codes for every game I looking at you) might not have occurred.
8. Gamecube – Gameboy Advance connectivity: We knew from the start based on the name that Nintendo wanted the Gamecube to be connected with their big money making Gameboy line in ways their previous consoles weren't able to. The idea of games using the Gameboy Advance as a controller or second screen or to get bonus features itself isn't necessarily a terrible idea. The implementation however sucked. They were never able to justify the purchase of a Gameboy Advance for those that already had a GC or vice versa. The bonuses were nice but old games, altered features, it is sort of pointless. The games that required the GBA connection also weren't mainstream enough to get people's attention. In the end, all the time/effort they tried pushing the idea could have been better used else where as these days, Nintendo themselves have barely even tried to push the feature since even in areas where it might have helped.
7. Abandoning C level and below franchises to fate: We all know that making games is a costly and time consuming venture. We all know that Nintendo is a business about getting the most profit as possible from everything they do. That being said, it is idiotic how quickly they seem to drop certain franchises or ventures that don't fit their standard big name brand model. Certain games like Earthbound/Mother where the head creators themselves don't want to do another one, that makes sense. But the way they treat long establish ones like Star Fox, F-Zero and others is heartbreaking. They will be quick to call out to fans for support but in this era of digital releases that rings hollow. Nintendo is one of (if not) the most profitable game companies in the industry. They have teams of developers world wide, you have these characters appearing in your spin off games like Nintendoland, Smash Bros and other spots why is it is so difficult to get them games when it is obvious that they fill needs your other software schedules aren't meeting? Heck the few times they do release games, more often then not they put them in bad spots. Punch-Out! On the Wii was a great game, most people never even knew it was released despite the NES original being one of the classic games of the era. Even just recently, Pikmin 3 was released on the Wii U a system in desperate need of a brand to help push it along and was dropped almost silently like a stone in the ocean. Nintendo needs to support games outside of the Mario, Kirby, Pokemon and Zelda families in the Western territories (where the console market is still king) if only to the degree that they don't have to rely on buzz/word of mouth for the only form of advertisement.
6. 64DD: Many may not know but the N64 had a special add on meant to be released early on that would have pushed the system in some revolutionary ways. The 64DD in a way a successor to the Famicom Disk System and the Super Famicom Satellaview satellite modem add ons. The device was meant as a way to offer cheaper and rewritable medium (the size of the largest N64 cartridges) for games besides cartridges via the magento disks and it would have a online service called Randnet that would allow for web surfing, downloading game demos, online multiplayer, music distribution, game customization features and community interaction such as message boards and chats. This was all planned around 1995, but due to a number of things (the N64 struggles in its home country, the costs, etc.) the project was left in limbo until a small limited release in 1999 exclusively in Japan. With many of its titles being either canceled (Mother/Earthbound 64 and a Pokemon game), released via cartridges without some of the intended features (F-Zero X, Hybrid Heaven and Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask) or ported to the Gamecube (Animal Leader aka Cubivore and Resident Evil 0). No telling what this might have meant for the N64 or its legacy if made available closer to the original launch as it was intended or if it delivered on the promise that it seems Nintendo has only been recently able to do with providing a online experience to its consumers before any other system had the chance.