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padib said:
RepedeGoesWoof said:
padib said:
RepedeGoesWoof said:

He's commenting on how PS4/XONE will have a large selection of other titles coming out. Both sides seem to have really weak exclusive IPs (LBP3/Driveclub for PS4...Sunset/Forza/Halo for XONE), but has a large lineup outside of their own even though the games are fairly conservative (filled with sequels and only a few original IPs like Evolve, Destiny, and The Evil Within).

There's no doubt in mind that the games he listed will at least sell respectively well (LBP3 and Evolve) to very, very well (Destiny). As strong as Nintendo's software lineup is, they can't push hardware alone. Do their games push a lot of hardware? Yeah, of course. Enough to justify a console to be a financial success? Nope. I still believe 2014 will be Nintendo's biggest year with Smash and MK8. 2015 will be interesting however. Lots of quality titles coming out, albiet less popular franchises.

The Wii, DS, 3DS, GB and GBA all disagree though.

For any other manufacturer you're right, but for Nintendo, their games are their bread and butter, it's true for all their consoles, the more popular and the less popular ones. 3rd party games haven't made Nintendo's success since the SNES.

The main pitfall with most posters is that logic that works for Sony and MS is employed for Nintendo but it always leads to discordance with the final numbers.

They do push hardware. When did I state otherwise?  Considering the Wii U is in direct competition with the PS4/X1, I think it's clear to see from the numbers that Nintendo games, despite their quality, aren't going to push units on the level of X1/PS4 numbers without additional support. Same could be said about the N64 and Gamecube. Nintendo struck gold when they introduced motion controls, but sales really simmered down after the initial hype, and as evidenced by the Wii U numbers, many of those who bought a Wii abandoned the brand completely. Unless Nintendo can find another fad to latch onto, the cycle will repeat. I also agree with with you on the GBA, GB, and 3DS, but again we're talking about their consoles here. No doubt that Nintendo games sell like hotcakes on their portable offerings.

I would say Nintendo should give more attention to third parties, but in reality, we have no idea how that plan would pan out. Nintendo games are too good to justify buying anything else, leading to third parties dropping support completely.

I agree with you. I was trying to say they not only push hardware, but they also justify a console's financial success if executed properly, in essence challenging what I bolded. The consoles listed are good examples of that.

As for how your plan for 3rd parties would pan out, I think the best way to look at a recipe for success for Nintendo is to look at their portables. If you look at 3rd party support on those consoles, it gives you an idea of how 3rd party support, when executed properly on a Nintendo console, can work.

Examples of series that work/worked well on Nintendo consoles:

  • Monster Hunter
  • Final Fantasy (portable versions)
  • Kingdom Hearts
  • Yokai Watch
  • Dragon Quest / DQ Monsters
  • Sonic
  • Harvest Moon
  • LEGO Star Wars
  • Cooking Mama
  • The Sims
  • Imagine (Petz, Babiez, ...)
  • Just Dance
  • Guitar Hero
  • Michael Jackson: The Experience
  • Zumba Fitness
  • Sports collections (Carnival Games, Deca Sports, EA Sports Active)
The common element in all these games seems to be simulation or Role Playing. Some form of profile progress essentially.

the portable vision is an interesting take on it, but Japanese developers have to willingly develop for the Wii U. They seem rather content with churning out software for the 3DS/Android/iOS at the moment. Not much left in terms of console development. The market is there for the 3DS, but not for the Wii U. Gamecube had some good support early on, but that left really quickly. Same for the Wii.