Einsam_Delphin said:
What big-time games? Mario Kart 8? Wont do much more than NSMBU and SM3DW already have for the system. |
Says the guy with the Mario Kart 8 banner. Right.
No offense, but have you been living under a rock the last several years? From Gen 6 to Gen 7, the Mario Kart and Smash Bros. franchises BOTH rose immensely in overall visibility, and popularity. But most especially Mario Kart. This has also been discussed ad-nauseum in these threads over the last year, but here's the facts. BEFORE-hand, Mario Kart was a fun and popular franchise, but it was still mainly popular with Nintendo faithful, and people who might buy a Nintendo system for some reason would also tend to get it because it was a great multiplayer game. But MK on N64 (as great as it was) and GC, as well as GBA, were nothing, sales or popularity-wise, as the franchise would become. In Gen 7, on DS and then Wii, the MK franchise exploded, reaching sales heights few games ever have, let alone the MK series. The franchise gained a mainstream visibility with consumers that it had not quite enjoyed before, and as such, it wound up selling over 20m on DS, and eventually over 30m on Wii. Those are unprecedented numbers for a racing game, of any kind.
As for Mario Kart 7 on 3DS, it's doing well, and in fact this year it will likely surpass the LT sales of MK64. MK7's release back in 2011 absolutely helped kickstart 3DS's slow early sales. But the difference between MK7 and MK8, is substantial. People were enthusiastic for 7. People are outright excited for MK8. There is a buzz about it that there hasn't been since likely MKDS, and quite frankly, it looks like the series is finally taking the biggest leap it has seen since MK64. The last few MK games have been good (in spite of bike-related cheating in the Wii game). But MK8 just LOOKS better, and I'm not just talking about the fact that the graphics look gorgeous. No, the actual track designs themselves, for the first time since MK64, look like they've really "evolved". Not simply because of the "gravity driving" mechanic either, but rather, the actual creative design of the tracks, the sheer size and scope of the tracks, etc., all look bigger and better. It just looks like they're really finally pulling Mario Kart into the "next generation". This looks like what a "Next Gen Mario Kart" SHOULD look like. And as such, people are excited. It's bound to be a great game, and if the online is at least as good as MKWii's (if not hopefully better), and the game has better racing and item balance than that game had, not to mention an actual battle mode, it should be a major hit.
Beyond all that though, and I've said this in coutless threads on here by now, between real life and various internet sites/forums, I have continually heard it echoed from many people who want to get a Wii U, but haven't yet, that they are waiting for either MK8 or SB to come out, to finally buy one. So yes, MK8's sales absolutely are going to give a much needed shot in the arm to the console. And to answer your question, though I really shouldn't have to, I'll just say this. How many "big-time" games has Wii U had BEFORE now? It has a lot of GOOD, some even GREAT games, for sure. But please name even one true "system seller", one true "must have" title that makes people run out and buy the console. You can't, or at least shouldn't be able to, because there hasn't been one. Nintendo Land was alright, but it simply wasn't the "killer app" type of game that Wii Sports was. NSMBU is a great game, but it unfortunately suffered from "2d Mario fatigue", because Nintendo was foolish enough to release NSMB2 on 3DS just months beforehand. That really negatively impacted the Wii U games enthusiasm and sales. Pikmin 3 is a good (though sadly flawed) game, but that series has never been a system seller. Wind Waker HD is reported to be great, but the fact of the matter is, people will be far more excited for a NEW HD Zelda, than simply a remake of (quite frankly) one of the overall least popular and most controversial entries in the series. Wii Party U sold well, but in general the Wii ____ series does not hold the luster or power it did last gen. The only thing that might be able to sell really well, would be a truly new, full blown Wii Sports sequel. Mario 3D World is a great game, one of the best of the 3D Marios for sure, but, as good as it is, hype and enthusiasm for it simply weren't what they could have been, because in a lot of people's eyes it's "just a 3D Land sequel". And of course DKCR2, again, a great game, a huge upgrade over the already good Wii game, but it is "just another 2D platformer".
If you don't understand the difference between all of those, and something monumental like a true HD, "next gen" Mario Kart release, or the hype surrounding a new Smash Bros. game, or the inevitable hype and excitement that will surround the true "Zelda U" title, then I don't know what to tell you. But I CAN tell you, whether you seem to agree or not, that all three games will be "big-time" hits in a fashion that Wii U has yet to have. All three are far more "must have" type of games than anything out on Wii U beforehand. And yes, THAT is bound to have a positive impact on system sales. In fact, a Mario Kart 8 bundle just in time for fall, and just in time for people to be able to get a new Wii U, with MK8 AND SB for only $300? That prospect alone should guarantee the system at least a million in sales, by itself. Bold? Sure. But also logical. If anything is going to do it, that will.
