Talking Point: Nintendo's Wii U Lineup Makes Commercial Sense

Posted Wed 12th Jun 2013 10:00 by Thomas Whitehead

Nintendo plays it safe, like everyone else

E3 presentations can be strange occasions, often prompting exaggerated reactions — either delight or dismay — immediately after the event, before a following hangover of acceptance and anticipation for the games on the way. That's the general sense within the Nintendo Life team the day after Nintendo's E3 Direct, an acceptance that the lineup given to us may not have satisfied a desire for hype-tastic surprises but, nevertheless, dishes up games that are likely to be a delight to play.

Continue reading on in the link: http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2013/06/talking_point_nintendos_wii_u_lineup_makes_commercial_sense

I'll tell you thing, someone's going to say that this is just damage control...

Damage Control only happens when something ended up extremely bad. This is not the case with Nintendo's E3 Direct. The games they announced will work for them this Holiday.

Everyone expects them to lay all their cards on the table this year, but why? So Nintendo has nothing for next year?

Nintendo seems to be circling the wagons this year. Playing all the safe hits, aiming for reliability over a chance mof breaking big. Although some people are understandably disappointed, I have little trouble with this state of affairs. If this is what it takes to ensure the Wii U sells at least 50 million units lifetime, then I'm willing to settle for some fairly predictable yet masterfully made experiences.

Was just saying to brother (who also has a WiiU) unless I missed something, there have only been 2 games announced by Ninty that are any interest to me.

Mario Kart and X

The latter probably wont be out until sometimes 2014, so come November this year I will have owned a £300 big black paper weight, as I dont even have a game to play on it until something of worth comes out.

EDIT: wonder if its why they didnt have a presentation, as making what they had in store last over an hour might be a stretch

While I wanted a different game from Retro, I just don't get the general negativity on what Nintendo showed at E3. The games look great and seemingly hit top-tier quality.

Pikmin3 is going to be amazing.

NSLU will be a great pick-up game for most.

Mario looks like a great game with a return to SMB2 player choice and where you'll have to learn with character is best for which level as well as some interesting new gameplay mechanics and powerups.

ZeldaWWHD is going to be great and I'm glad they are redoing it for WiiU.

W101 still looks amazing.

WiiFitU and WiiPlay if priced right can be big games this holiday as they have strong mass consumer appeal.

DKCT looks to be another great game even if I did want something different from Retro myself.

I think this holiday with some great bundles, we'll see WiiU take off right. I'm still keeping my up to 10m by end of this year sold estimate out there.

I don't totally disagree with that but I do have some problems with it.

First, let me just say that I think Nintendo screwed up by allowing the Wii U to languish without a top-level game during its first year. I will always believe that they should have had something major to represent the console BEFORE this year's E3. They should have had a system seller out so they could start working on a nice installed base. Yeah, perhaps they were trying to entice third-party publishers and developers but a mistake is a mistake.

Now, that being said, going head-to-head with the PS4 and XO this holiday season would probably be futile. Those systems are going to sell out. They're going to bring hype and excitement and it really won't be possible to stop them. Bringing out one of the big guns might very well be wasted. Still, I would have liked to see them have Smash Brothers or Mario Kart out for Christmas because, as it stands now, the Wii U will probably be roadkill. That might sound harsh but I don't see much of an alternative.

So, really, it looks like Nintendo has decided to cede this year to Sony and Microsoft, for the most part, and move the battle into 2014. It might not be such a bad idea, especially if timed with a redesign or a price cut, or the rumored "relaunch". They'd just better have more up their sleeves for next year, because if they can't turn things around by 2015, it might be too late.

I didn't go to Neogaf. But from what I heard, the direct was pretty bad in their perspective... Pretty much anybody who's expectation that was really high! :/

And I've people said the most baffled things on youtube... O.o'

It's their issue that they set their expectations to "Sky is the limit." This E3 made sense for Nintendo, in almost every way.

that image has a Galaxy vibe to it. I like ^-^

I agree with this. I think people spend way too much time trying to put Nintendo in the same "box" that Sony and Microsoft operate in. Not bashing those companies or their new systems, but the majority of the games they offer are just completely different from the types of games and experiences Nintendo has always been known for. It's literally comparing Apples to Oranges. Yes, Wii U has had a slow first half of 2013...low sales, little hype...but there's a reason for that...in the first 5 months of this year, the only NEW notable games available have been Lego City Undercover and Monster Hunter 3 (an upgraded version of an older game). As Nintendo says, and as 3DS has recently proven, when Nintendo brings their core, highly-polished franchises to the system, the system will begin to sell. Some people act as though 3rd parties are Nintendo's only hope, and without them Nintendo is DOOMED. Newsflash: Nintendo has NEVER been able to rely on 3rd parties to truly sell their systems or pick up the slack. Nintendo's games sell their systems and THEN some 3rd parties jump back in as well. Also, just because Wii U doesn't have a comparable amount of RAM to Xbone and PS4 doesn't mean there isn't still a place for it in the market. This past generation all THREE companies were able to find success with their consoles at their own pace. Wii will end up over 100 million, and the other two will probably come close to that in the long run or at least 80 million plus, each. Yes, the dynamic will probably shift to where Sony "comes out on top" in sales compared to Nintendo and Microsoft, but again, Xbone and Wii U can both comfortably coexist with PS4 and make a profit for their companies, which is the whole point of this business, despite what some entitled, self-absorbed gamers may believe.

Also worth mentioning...would Retro making Metroid or Star Fox or a new IP have been more exciting and have been more of a surprise and more hype-worthy than a Donkey Kong Country sequel? Of course. But Nintendo really had two choices with Retro and this E3... 1) tease or show off the next Zelda, and have Retro make "hardcore" games like Metroid or Star Fox that are going to excite everybody at E3 and receive a bunch of positive press about it for the important, though probably smaller than we all want to believe, "hardcore" group of gamers who follow E3 and all the new information...OR...2) save Zelda and some others for next year since they weren't going to come out this year anyway, AND have Retro make a title that has a sales potential of at least DOUBLE Star Fox or Metroid. Look at the facts...Donkey Kong Country Returns sold TRIPLE what Metroid Prime 3 sold, and almost SIX times what Metroid: Other M managed. It's just a more mainstream option and since they're ultimately out to sell systems and make money, it's a better choice in the long run, hype or no hype. People always talk about Mario, Zelda, and Metroid as if they're Nintendo's "Big Three"...but that really hasn't been accurate...maybe in terms of review scores, hype, and the goodwill of the hardcore gamer crowd...but in terms of sales and the ability to move systems, Mario, Mario Kart, the Wii-series, Pokemon, Animal Crossing, and Smash Bros. all have more clout than Metroid at this point. So yeah...maybe Nintendo is playing it a little bit "safe" with their games for this holiday...but ultimate it's probably a smart decision and their best move to ensure that the Wii U has a shot at carving out its niche in this gen. Besides, if Nintendo DIDN'T take steps to ensure their survival, then we'd NEVER get another Metroid or Star Fox or anything anyway. This way, Wii U has a fighting chance, and when it DOES find its footing, THEN in a year or two they can show off those other great franchises.