This next year will prove incredibly important for Nintendo’s fledgling console. All the pieces are here: The game lineup looks good; they are taking steps in the right direction to unify accounts between the Wii U and the 3DS; There will soon be no more “looming” consoles; and Nintendo will have (hopefully) learned much from this year, filled with great accomplishments and great failures. I hope to look at this, one year from now, on November 18, 2014, and see that our fears and our assumptions about “the death of Nintendo” were absurd. I hope to own a successful console, instead of a console filled with questions and promise.
I suppose we’ll see.
I wrote the above one year ago. It is now November 18, 2014, and the Wii U is officially two years old. So, what has changed? Has it changed for the better, or is Nintendo's doom in clear view? I am going to go about this blog by taking the "what they should do" section from last tear's review, and seeing how they did.
Keep the price(for a while)
They certainly kept the price, although new bundles certainly make it more appealing. However, moves from Microsoft have changed the situation. When I wrote last year, the Xbox One was about a week away from launch. Now that the system has been on shelves for almost a year, Microsoft has acted relatively unpredictably. Here is an updated lineup of pricing:
PS4: $400
Xbox One: $350
Wii U: $300
What I said about last-gen consoles is true: they have been phased out in the public eye. People simply don't buy Xbox 360 or PS3 anymore. Therefore the Wii U is indeed the cheapest real console on the market these days. However, I expected Microsoft to be selling at $200 more than the Wii U, yet it has dropped to merely $50 more. Nintendo needs to drop the price. What they should do is keep the bundles as is, but drop the price to $250. In addition, they should make a standalone console that sells at $200. They already sell Refurbished models at that price, and those come with NintendoLand. Surely they can sacrifice the profit to sell more systems. If they do this, my theory is that next holiday things will look more like this:
PS4: $350
Xbox One: $350
Wii U: $200 ($250 bundle)
That looks a lot better for Nintendo.
More games
This one is a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, third party support haas dropped almost entirely. Ubisoft, once a diehard supporter of Nintendo and the Wii U, has no stated that they will not bring any more "adult" level games to the system. Both Assassin's Creed Unity and Rogue were both skipped by the system, and their final adult game for the Wii U, Watch Dogs, came out today (about 6 months later than all the other consoles). EA still does not support Nintendo, and even SEGA, while making another Sonic game exclusively for Wii U, made something so atrocious that right before the game's release there was a mass exodus from the company because they didn't like what they made. Perhaps most painfully, Nintendo completely missed out on this year's Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.
On the other hand, the games listed in last year's exclusive list are buttressed by the likes of Super Mario 3D World, Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze, Mario Kart 8, Hyrule Warriors, Bayonetta 2, and (as of Friday) the behemoth known as Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Not only has Mario Kart 8, a fantastic game in its own right, been released, but it has also seen two DLC packs, and a third one planned for May 2015. The experiences available for this system, are staggeringly high quality.
Utilize smartphones
Sigh. Another year, another hollow promise, it seems. At E3 2012 they announced Miiverse, available on the Wii U and eventually smartphones, first via browser, then later via standalone app. That "later" looks (so far) to be in 2015. However, they have clarified that it is no longer simply a Miiverse app. Instead it is a "Mii" app, and seems to have a lot of functionality. We will see.
Greater Wii U/3DS connectivity
This section remains relatively unchanged. We now know more about how Smash Bros. will connect the 3DS with the Wii U, but to my knowledge no other games have been announced. It must be mentioned that accounts are finally unified between the two platforms, and now the groundwork is laid for all sorts of connection, provided they actually do anything to connect the two. The most obvious application in my mind is to have shared save files between virtual console games that you own on both platforms (along with, maybe, one purchase for both licenses). Time will tell.
Collaborate with Sony and Microsoft
This one was admittedly a long shot, and a shot which Nintendo certainly didn't take. I still think, however, that it could be beneficial for them. But they almost certainly will not.
So how was Nintendo's year? Do I "own a successful console, instead of a console filled with questions and promise"? It's a hard answer. It is certainly not the success I'd like it to be. Popular view of the system, while better than last year, is still quite dull.
And yet, when I look at that list from last year, when I think of not having had the experiences of Hyrule Warriors, and the sheer enjoyment of riding a dinosaur in Super Mario 3D World, and the competitive fun of Mario Kart 8, I am left a little sad. These games are great, and they make the Wii U a definite must buy, even if most will not give it a chance. But I do, and am all the more entertained for it.
Year Three
As Nintendo enters its third year of selling this fledgling system, what can it do to succeed?
Lower the price
As said before, a Wii U for $199 looks really appetizing, and a bundle with two or three games for $249 does too. While it would obviously eat into their profits, I think it is something that will have to be done in order for the Wii U to succeed. The Xbox One is only $50 more than the Wii U at the moment, and that just shouldn’t be. The Wii thrived in large part because it was so much cheaper than its competition. The Wii U can’t compete graphically, nor can it compete with third party offerings (at the moment). Nintendo’s ticket is to compete financially.
Cater to third parties
Of course, as I said last year, third parties are very important. Mario and Zelda are great, really. But only diehard Nintendo fans will buy the system exclusively for them. The problem is that the diehard Nintendo fans have already bought the Wii U. If more people are to buy it, Nintendo will have to cater to people not quite as partial to Mario Kart.
Embrace modern technology
It sounds a little rude, but Nintendo is traditionally a little behind the times. While there does seem to be some progress (smartphone app, ability to preload Super Smash Bros.) in general Nintendo tends to stay about half a generation behind, and that is a shame. Make the app a major part of the Wii U experience. Utilize the Cross-Buy and Cross-Play wonders that Sony has already managed. Nintendo has a lot of growing room in this respect.
Effectively utilize amiibo
This “amiibo” concept has potential. Skylanders started off this NFC toy craze, but Disney Infinity really took the concept off the ground. This is due primarily by the fact that the Skylanders characters are brand new for the series, and nobody comes to it caring about any particular character. Disney characters are everywhere. It has Elsa and Anna, and that in itself sells millions. Add in Marvel, and they have a success story on their hands.
But when it comes to memorable characters in the gaming world, nobody can touch Nintendo. They have the perfect lineup of characters. Add in Pokemon and you have a new craze. If they utilize amiibo effectively, this will pay dividends, I guarantee it. If they don’t, it will join the ranks of the Game Boy Micro and the e-Reader as failed Nintendo products.
Metroid
Of all of Nintendo’s IPs, none are more suited to the HD world than Metroid. Mario, Zelda, and others have been rather cartoony. Metroid has always been realistic and just creepy. The graphical and audio enhancements from the Wii U are perfectly suited for such a game (and its been 4 years since the last Metroid).
Actually release Zelda
We are told that Zelda will come out in 2015. At this point, I just add a year and assume that’s the date (although Skyward Sword did indeed release in 2011 when it was announced to). I think Nintendo needs to get Zelda out as fast as possible. Wind Waker HD showed the world how beautiful a Zelda remake can be. This new Zelda needs to push the Wii U to its limits.
Announce a new system?
Balderdash, some might say. Even I hesitate to endorse it. And yet, Nintendo may be in the best place for a counterattack. If they announce a successor next year, and release it the following year in 2016, there is potential for a grand sweep of the playing field in Nintendo’s favor. “But that would only leave the Wii U with a life span of 4 years!” Indeed it would. This is not, however, without precedent. In fact, the Xbox released in 2001, while the Xbox 360 released in 2005. The original Xbox, then, only had a life span of…that’s right, 4 years. But it didn’t seem too short. It is clear, though, that Microsoft and Sony won’t play this game. The Xbox One and the PS4 are here for the long haul. If Nintendo can learn quickly from its mistakes, create a system that is to the PS4 what Wii U is to the PS3, then there will be likely about 5 years where Nintendo’s system is the most powerful graphically. That is the perfect vantage point to retake third party favor, to get a second chance in marketing (such as dropping the Wii label and making people think that their system isn’t a screen for their already existing system), and to come out with IP updates that take advantage of the new software (Mario Kart 9, Super Smash Bros. 5, New New Zelda, etc.).
Microsoft and Sony will not expect much from Nintendo. The average consumer will not expect much from Nintendo. This gives Nintendo pretty good cover to strike. As much as I have enjoyed the Wii U, Nintendo will likely be better served by a new system.
So I hope, one year from now, on November 18, 2015, to possess a system with more realized potential than I can dream. Until then, there is hope.
No comments:
Post a Comment