We've been here before. The trickle of new releases has dried up. Release dates that seemed so near have been pushed to the distant future. Third-party developers are nowhere to be found. It's the ugly reality of Nintendo's consoles, and this worrying cycle is on display once more with the Wii U. And as is always the case, just when people have almost lost hope, a light shines down from Kyoto, illuminating the bleak tableau in a ray of blinding white promises. The characters and worlds that you love most, that you cut your teeth on in your formative years, are set to relieve your boredom once more. Franchise updates are on the way, but are more sequels enough to elicit excitement?

A light shines down from Kyoto, illuminating the bleak tableau in a ray of blinding white promises.A television psychic could have proven his telepathic might by forecasting Nintendo's latest announcements. Coming soon to a Wii U near you are the latest iterations of franchises that anyone who has a mild interest in the industry saw coming a mile away. Nintendo's hallowed Tokyo studio tries its hand at another Mario platformer, Eiji Aonuma vows to "rethink the conventions of Zelda" in his latest attempt to top Ocarina of Time, Yoshi enters a world that looks strikingly like Kirby's Epic Yarn, and Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. add more fuel to the flames of friendly competition. Anyone playing Nintendo Bingo at home would have won with a clean sweep, though a couple of surprises caused a mild stir. Intelligent Systems is working on a mash-up of its own Fire Emblem series with Atlas' revered Shin Megami Tensei, and Monolith Soft looks to be taking on Monster Hunter in another expansive role-playing game.

There's no doubt that Nintendo has cheered up those who have been lamenting their purchase of the Wii U. News has been dire since the troubled launch. A bloated firmware update had eaten up a large chunk of the system's meager storage space, third parties have been announcing games for every system except for Nintendo's, and interesting offerings in the future have seemed depressingly far away. Nothing can brighten the day quite like another entry in a beloved franchise, and though we have no idea when those newly announced games will hit, Nintendo extended a bonus for those in need of coaxing. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, the most endearing of Link's many outings, is being reimagined in high definition this fall. All is right with the world.

When will we learn our lesson? And, more importantly, when will Nintendo?How quickly we forgive Nintendo for their mistakes. They have pulled this same maneuver in the past, and it's tiring to suffer through lengthy neglect followed by effusive apologizing to make us forget about how they wronged us. For the last two decades, Nintendo has ventured forth alone. Third-party developers have flocked toward Sony and Microsoft, forcing Nintendo to pick up the slack. And they've yet to solve the constant dilemma that has infected every one of their consoles. They simply cannot create enough games to fill an entire calendar year, which leads to aching dry spells while we wait for the next release. Promises followed by promises followed by promises. To appease us a decade ago, those who preordered Wind Waker received a bonus disc containing both the original and Master Quest version of Ocarina of Time. Now, while we wait for Zelda Wii U, we're given a remake of Wind Waker. The circle is complete. When will we learn our lesson? And, more importantly, when will Nintendo?

Nintendo has a knack for catering to its excitable fan base. It has earned that trust through years of churning out top-notch games, so it's no surprise that people are willing to forgive Nintendo for every misstep the company takes. But Nintendo is so infatuated with its history that it seems reluctant to pull away from it, even slightly. They are being smothered by their own legacy, forced to endlessly resurrect elderly franchises to appease the unquenchable desire for the same-old experiences. A ripple tore through the industry when Nintendo announced a slew of new franchise installments. But how much longer can Nintendo rely solely on the same tried-and-true characters to push its products? At some point, Nintendo has to step boldly into the future, without the rope of frayed memories holding it back.

Nintendo has earned goodwill by periodically reinventing its most enduring properties. Mario has been as malleable as he is portly, pushing the bounds of platforming in every 3D adventure he undertakes. Kirby and Donkey Kong are just as flexible. The pink puff can be found in a delightful world constructed of yarn or floating in a dangerous land as you use the stylus to guide him to safety, while his simian pal might fancy the rhythmic tapping of a plastic bongo drum. It's these forays into previously unexplored realms that keep aging Nintendo franchises feeling fresh despite their years of digital work, but they are rare exceptions to the rule.

It's hard to get excited about the newest round of Nintendo announcements, because it feels as though we've been in this exact place before. What can be done with Mario Kart that we haven't seen before? Why should we trust Aonuma's claim that he's going to reinvent Zelda when he has failed to do so in every attempt thus far? Does a new Smash Bros. have much appeal beyond the requisite roster update? Chances are that every one of these games will exhibit the high quality that Nintendo is known for, but that doesn't change the feeling of sameness that suffocates this upcoming lineup.

Excitement is a difficult property to bottle. Nintendo has briefly conjured interest in the Wii U after it had been collecting dust in the months since release, but it has done so by courting the very people who have already made up their minds about the system. The company's reluctance to break new ground has made it appear like a tired relic desperately grasping old ideas, and that identity is only going to be harder to shake the longer Nintendo embraces it. Nintendo has the talent and expertise to forge a glorious future. It just has to trust that it can fly without the safety net of nostalgia underneath it.

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I'm not posting this to troll Nintendo! I want to hear what you guys have to say.

The Wii U has only been out for a few months. We must wait till it has at least one Christmas!

But I kind of agree, Nintendo do need a stronger line-up for this quarter. That's a "kind of agree" though.

nice article... and no its not troll... i dont think so

It's the Super Gamecube. It will bring the core games they love again, but they won't continue to interest the new Wii audience and third party support is worse than ever.

And wow is this a real article that isn't positive about Aonuma?

My main problem with this article is the exceptation that these announcements do not reflect Nintendo trying something new. Understandable to an extent, since we have yet to be shown what sets the new 3D Mario, Mario Kart, Zelda, and Smash Bros. games apart from the rest. However, I think Nintendo deserves the benefit of the doubt, because the past one or two entries in each series display some remarkable changes, if not innovations. And Nintendo, unlike many others, appears to believe that new hardware is the best reason to create a sequel, as it can bring forth new possibilities.

Most importantly, we also see Nintendo taking some huge gambles. A bizarre (yet cool) Fire Emblem/SMT crossover? Super Smash Bros. developed by Namco? And do I see Nintendo pushing a relatively fresh, triple-A console JRPG? Madness.

Yep. Nintendo is putting faith (and money) in third-party developers and franchises, and getting serious about a first-party IP for "core gamers", and not necessarily the typical Nintendo fan. If this is all just a huge bomb, at least I'm happy knowing that it will explode in a glorious fashion.

Yes....anddddd no. They are the most traditional of all the console manufacturers but that's also because they know what works and what doesn't.

Lately they seem to want to innovate their lesser known franchises a little more but...they will keep 3D Mario, SSB and likely Zelda pretty similar in formula that made people fall in love with them in the 1st place.

They need the "core" yes they will always need the Nintendo fans, and we're fine with the formula (most of the time.)

I think they tried to excessively innovate with the Wii, and while it paid off in the short run, it damaged Nintendo's image in the long run. They need a good balance between the two.

The DS is a fine example of innovation+tradition. The clamshell design and the dual screens of the 1980 Game and Watch/GB SP combined with the touch screen was brilliant. And the Sales showed it. They brought the quality core games to it but also maintained innovative software like Nintendogs and Brain training. They need more of that. 

WiiU seems to try to go the more "core" route. The dual screen/tablet has been done before. It's up to them that they can take those 2 concepts and really bring home the software to really maximize it's usage.

Speaking as someone who has little interest in platformers and almost no interest in Mario or anything involving yarn, I came away from that Nintendo Direct wanting a Wii U only because of the X project.  The Shin Megami Tensei project is interesting, too, but I'll need to be sold on it.  Beyond that, it was for people who are already Nintendo fans, people who buy everything branded with the Mario name.  Truthfully, my guess is that a lot of the people excited by that Nintendo Direct already have a Wii U or were just waiting until the expected franchises were announced.

As it stands, I want a Wii U for Monolith, possibly Zombie U, possibly the 101 game, and not a lot else.  It's kind of the same with every Nintendo console.  I wait to see if there will be anything different and ultimately end up skipping it.  I didn't want a Wii until Project Rainfall but by that point it seemed kind of a waste of money.  

I have nothing against Nintendo but I'm not going to buy their console just because it has the expected games.  At this point, a lot of the hype about Nintendo having more core games just seems to be lip service.  If Nintendo wants me back, they're going to have to bring some fresh experiences to the table.

I think Nintendo is trying to have it both ways. We're getting sequels to massive multi-million selling franchises (surprise!), but we're also seeing Nintendo push a triple-A game unlike anything else they've done recently. Factoring in the collaborations with Platinum Games and Atlus, I see a Nintendo trying very hard to expand and diversify their game library, but is either unable or unwilling to do so on their own. Gives me some mixed feelings, but ultimately I do believe in applauding them for making more of an effort this time around. Because I will gladly take Nintendo returning to its fanbase and occasionally trying something fresh and cool over Nintendo swimming in pits of money from selling peripherals I have no interest in.

It could be some sort of amazing satire, or just a tired sequel to an overmilked series of journalists' brainfarts. They should make some new thoughts and leave the old ones behind, but lots of people seem to like the current ones.