General Nintendo sales/business discussion topic (previously: The Wii U Thread)

[Scar]

Nintendo's biggest problem, in my eyes, is the fact that they didn't hold an E3 conference.

They decided to not have a keynote at one of the most hyped gaming conventions of the year. Why? I have no idea, its not like they can't afford it.

 

Talk about Nintendo Directs all you want, but those are only really watched by the gaming press and Nintendo fans. People who don't go looking for the Directs probably won't ever see any. I know, I've only seen about a handful of the numerous Directs released by Nintendo.

Having an E3 conference would probably get people who aren't normally interested in Nintendo, to watch and get hyped for the games they have coming up.

 

That and Nintendo need some goddamn variety.

That's right I said it. They need variety. Last couple years have been platformer overload. Mario and Luigi, and Donkey Kong and Kirby and Yoshi, and even Zelda (even though its not a platformer) are cool and all, but where is Metroid? A Next-Gen First-Person Metroid game with beautiful sci-fi visuals would probably do a good job of enticing the rather substantial crowd of FPS fans. It would provide more than substantial competition for the likes of Killzone: Shadowfall, while also satiating the Metroid crowd's hunger.

Edited August 30, 2013 by Scar

[\Lennox]

where is Metroid? A Next-Gen First-Person Metroid game with beautiful sci-fi visuals would probably do a good job of enticing the rather substantial crowd of FPS fans.

 

 

After Other M, I bet you, no one would have the guts to touch Metroid again. For those of you who may not know, compare Metroid: Other M with Final Fantasy XIII--divisive, to say the least.

 

Retro might have a slim chance of getting it again, but even then, they're creating a new IP. Who knows?

Edited August 30, 2013 by Lennox

[azoo]

Well before now they did do that (hype them to "AAA" status, I mean).

 

Its a shame because I seriously believe that the reason why Wii Us aren't being sold because of hype for these upcoming titles is because Nintendo just won't get the hype train running for them. And with the way Reggie talks about it, its like the reason why is because they've got too big of a head about Mario, DK, and Zelda and just expect it to sell without needing to build it up.

 

Tbh Smash Bros and Pokemon (and maybe Animal Crossing at this point) are the only two IPs from Nintendo I can think of that speak for / sell themselves.

 

Mario's got people wishy-washy lately (the "mainstream" platformer games I mean, since they've got so simple and samey lately), Zelda's game is a port (of one of the best games in the series, but still), and DKC I don't think has as big of a following as Nintendo would like to believe it does (just as Nintendo seems to think Metroid, Mother, F-Zero and Starfox don't have big followings).

 

Also yeah. We're getting so many platformers right now. As much as I love them, the crowd needs more variety.

 

Star Fox offers space-shooter air combat fun. Metroid offers an omnious FPS action-adventure experience (that Nintendo could do with right about now). F-Zero is a high octane racing game that isn't just karts. Just releasing a western version of Mother 3 would be Nintendo's equivalent to the incredibly story-and-cinematic-heavy blockbusters of today.

 

They need to give the Wii U a lot more balance (which is what will sell the console more than anything), and who knows if they're even going to go ahead and do it.

Edited August 30, 2013 by Azookara

[\Lennox]

Well before now they did do that. Its a shame because I seriously believe that the reason why Wii Us aren't being sold because of hype for these upcoming titles is because Nintendo just won't get the hype train running for them. And with the way Reggie talks about it, its like the reason why is because they've got too big of a head about Mario, DK, and Zelda and just expect it to sell without needing to build it up.

 

Tbh Smash Bros and Pokemon (and maybe Animal Crossing at this point) are the only two IPs from Nintendo I can think of that speak for / sell themselves. Mario's got people wishy-washy lately (the "mainstream" platformer games I mean, since they've got so simple and samey lately), Zelda's game is a port (of one of the best games in the series, but still), and DKC I don't think has as big of a following as Nintendo would like to believe it does (just as Nintendo seems to think Metroid, Mother, F-Zero and Starfox don't have big followings).

 

Also yeah. We're getting so many platformers right now. As much as I love them, the crowd needs more variety. Star Fox offers space-shooter air combat fun. Metroid offers an omnious FPS action-adventure experience (that Nintendo could do with right about now). F-Zero is a high octane racing game that isn't just karts. Just releasing a western version of Mother 3 would be Nintendo's equivalent to the incredibly story-and-cinematic-heavy blockbusters of today. They need to give the Wii U a lot more balance.

 

Problem is, the market that they choose to target their games to seems to love the samey, and they expect the market to buy them just because it's something they like.

 

People flock to familiarity, and as a result of it being a part of something they know, they feel safe and happy in their stagnation. When you're bound to that, you have no freedom to create as you truly wish. The pandering is one of the biggest sources of money for Nintendo as a result of this endless cycle of uncreativity. For a company like Nintendo whose ass was just shoved into financial horror, they need the money to cover their ground and recuperate from their losses before they can do anything. And it shows.

 

Otherwise, why alienate others at the risk of getting endless praise from just a set few.

Edited August 30, 2013 by Lennox

[SuperLink]

Yeah the lack of E3 conference definitely was a strange move. Perhaps something they thought was worth a try, but it's definitely not got the mainstream appeal that a conference has.

 

However I'd argue that if it's anything Nintendo has it's variety. They do rely on the same franchises too much, but most of those franchises are genres that no one else in the industry does regularly anymore. Plus I read a pretty good comment earlier that said if you only pay attention to Nintendo's big ones, Mario, Zelda, Metroid, StarFox, they're the only ones you're going to see, the other great games Nintendo make that don't show up don't deserve to be missed, but again that could perhaps be due to Nintendo not hyping things very well.

 

Maybe their intent is to have NDirect become such a popular thing that it's watched by everyone, but that's a bit over-optimistic.

 

I'm not sure why Nintendo just don't seem to get the hype rolling for their games. It's not like their games aren't worth the hype, but the whole timed hyped reveals things that CoD and GTA games have had lately is really clever and Nintendo need to not take their market for granted. They can't just hype one game and expect every succeeding game in the series to do well. I think only Pokémon is capable of that!

[Scar]

Problem is, the market that they choose to target their games to seems to love the samey, and they expect the market to buy them just because it's something they like. And it shows.

 

People flock to familiarity, and as a result of it being a part of something they know, they feel safe and happy in their stagnation. When you're bound to that, you have no freedom to create as you truly wish.

 

Those people probably already own a Wii U though. Chances are, if you're a Nintendo fan, you either already have a Wii U, or are planning to get one as soon as you can afford it.

 

Nintendo need to appeal to other people, because they are the ones that bring them additional sales and money. 

[PSI Wind]

Apple announces a new version of the iPhone 5 at $600: Stock goes up

Nintendo announces a $50 price cut on their Wii U, making it competitive with the PS4: Stock goes down

LOGIC, I HATE THEE

[\Lennox]

Nintendo need to appeal to other people, because they are the ones that bring them additional sales and money.

 

YES. Then again, what do these other people want? The marketing disasters (which cause Ninty to BLEED MONEY like a fountain) certainly didn't do anything good to bring them in.

[Scar]

Apple announces a new version of the iPhone 5 at $600: Stock goes up

Nintendo announces a $50 price cut on their Wii U, making it competitive with the PS4: Stock goes down

LOGIC, I HATE THEE

 

Situations aren't even remotely comparable. I reckon the jist of it is; "Nintendo are struggling, and the price-cut indicates that they are feeling the pinch from Sony's aggressive pricing. In other words, they're not confident their product can compete, unless they cut prices. Also Nintendo were already selling the Wii U at a loss (somehow), and that loss probably just increased now.

 

 

 

YES. Then again, what do these other people want? The marketing disasters (which cause Ninty to BLEED MONEY like a fountain) certainly didn't do anything good to bring them in.

 

Other people want good games. Good games that aren't platformers evidently. 

What what marketing disasters are you talking about?

[azoo]

The only explanation I can possibly give for the drop in sales after the announcement of the price drop is that people are waiting until the special edition comes out then it'll sell. Otherwise idk.

 

I guess right now I'm just very disappointed in how they're showing Super Mario 3D World. Its the next console-release 3D Mario game for poop's sake (let that sink in its the next big 3D Mario game thats a kind of big deal) , and its got nothing but an E3 trailer.

 

Its not even regularly brought up, and all it was shown as was "lol the next multiplayer family fun New Super Mario game but in the 3D yay". What happened to that ambition? You can tell there's much more to 3D World than they've shown, but they don't care. And the game only has a couple of months until release. What's going on?!

Edited August 30, 2013 by Azookara

[\Lennox]

What what marketing disasters are you talking about?

 

The recent Wii vs. Wii U handout, lack of commercials, what you said about E3, not to mention the fact that the Wii U is equated with the GamePad with no effort to differentiate the new console with its predecessor.

If you guys may have heard, when Reggie came on late-night TV, many hosts assumed that the Wii U was a peripheral. A peripheral. I wasn't talking about platformers though, to be fair. The Wii U in general is an uncertainty either way.

[SuperLink]

The only explanation I can possibly give for the drop in sales after the announcement of the price drop is that people are waiting until the special edition comes out then it'll sell. Otherwise idk.

I don't think sales have dropped, but stocks did.

 

I guess right now I'm just very disappointed in how they're showing Super Mario 3D World. Its the next console-release 3D Mario game for poop's sake (let that sink in its the next big 3D Mario game thats a kind of big deal) , and its got nothing but an E3 trailer.

 

Its not even regularly brought up, and all it was shown as was "lol the next multiplayer family fun New Super Mario game but in the 3D yay". What happened to that ambition? You can tell there's much more to 3D World than they've shown, but they don't care. And the game only has a couple of months until release. What's going on?!

Yeah basically. I have no idea why Nintendo isn't giving it the hype it needs. It's the first 3D HD Mario ever.. kind of a big deal.

[PSI Wind]

Except those same investors called out for a Wii U price drop

 

I don't think sales have dropped, but stocks did.

 

Yeah basically. I have no idea why Nintendo isn't giving it the hype it needs. It's the first 3D HD Mario ever.. kind of a big deal.

Do we need a new trailer every month showing off every little detail of the game or do we want little information so we can be surprised?

[Chooch]

What is the point in a new trailer for a game that has an experience that can be easily summarized in a single trailer? It's a four player co-op 3D Mario. That's.. it really.

 

Super Mario 3D World isn't the huge HD Mario title that most people have been waiting for. Feels more like a bootleg Rayman Legends than anything else. Maybe I'd have a reason to give a shit if the game had online play but Nintendo insists on being laughably incompetent in regards to multiplayer functionality.

[azoo]

No we don't need a trailer every month. But we do need something to let us know there's more to it than casual Mario fare. Mario 64, Sunshine, and the Galaxy games all had heavy amounts of ambition, and Nintendo wanted to make these games feel like a big deal because they were a big deal.

 

Now, though? Mario is basically just their run-of-the-mill product in how they handle him. Its "so long" to showing off Mario as a big series, and its "howdy do" to Mario being your casual family multiplayer funhouse, with all the nostalgic bells and whistles. It doesn't help that most Mario stuff nowadays is coated in that "Apple product white with shiny plastic" sheen on everything now, making it feel like they're advertising Mario almost like a mobile game series now, and you can't really take it seriously anymore.

 

And its sad too, because 3D World looks a lot better than they're letting on; certainly not as big as 64, Sunshine or Galaxy by any means but potentially much bigger and better than anything like 3D Land even if it seems to be somewhat sharing that style. I could see it becoming "the next big Mario game" but I can't with how they seem to be treating it (which is like all the NSMB games, basically).

Edited August 30, 2013 by Azookara

[Soniman]

 Feels more like a bootleg Rayman Legends than anything else.

 

Feels more like a bootleg Rayman Legends all right.... 

 

Except with different controls, characters, aesthetics, power ups/gimmicks, and the fact that it's 3D.. :/

Edited August 30, 2013 by Soniman

[Chooch]

Based on what you've seen, which do you seriously believe is the more genuinely well-crafted and ambitious co-op platforming title? Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze isn't even compatible with four players but it looks far more interesting.

 

I'm sure that 3D World will be a fun game, but it being touted as the next big 3D Mario title doesn't really sit well with me at all. It's fucking disappointing as hell seeing it after playing through both Galaxy games on the Wii.

Edited August 30, 2013 by Chooch

[PSI Wind]

 

Based on what you've seen, which do you seriously believe is the more genuinely well-crafted and ambitious co-op platforming title? Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze isn't even compatible with four players but it looks far more interesting.

 

I'm sure that 3D World will be a fun game, but it being touted as the next big 3D Mario title doesn't really sit well with me at all. It's fucking disappointing as hell seeing it after playing through both Galaxy games on the Wii.

A 3D Multiplayer Platformer IS pretty ambitious

[Indigo Rush]

What is the point in a new trailer for a game that has an experience that can be easily summarized in a single trailer? It's a four player co-op 3D Mario. That's.. it really.

 

Super Mario 3D World isn't the huge HD Mario title that most people have been waiting for. Feels more like a bootleg Rayman Legends than anything else. Maybe I'd have a reason to give a shit if the game had online play but Nintendo insists on being laughably incompetent in regards to multiplayer functionality.

 

With the exception of that bootleg Rayman comment (what the heck do you even mean by that), I suppose I agree with you.

[SuperLink]

A 3D Multiplayer Platformer IS pretty ambitious

Yeah it's not the biggest most amazing revolutionary Mario game but when have you guys ever seen a large-scale multiplayer 3D platforming game?

 

I think Mario 3D World deserves hype because it seems plenty likeable, Nintendo just have yet to tell the average consumer what's so great about it.

[Chooch]

The whole game kind of reeks of New Super Mario Bros. style standard fare to me regardless. I'd rather they just stick with what they've got going there rather than blur the lines between that and the 3D Mario game I've come to expect.

Edited August 30, 2013 by Chooch

[PaddyFancy]

Perhaps 3D multiplayer co-op is ambitious by Nintendo standards, but not nearly half as ambitious as if it were online.

Edited August 30, 2013 by Major Ziggy

[Kuzu]

I believe 3D Land will be a good title, it just...doesn't have anything we haven't already seen; Co-op was done in NSMB and the level design looks like typical Mario flare. I guess I'm glad they made Peach playable, but really that shouldn't have even been an issue in the first place.

[RisingForever]

Yeah it's not the biggest most amazing revolutionary Mario game but when have you guys ever seen a large-scale multiplayer 3D platforming game

 

 

It wasn't as good as it could have been but at least it had online play.

[Willsy]

3D multiplayer platformer, eh?

 

 

Sonic Lost World anyone?

Edited August 30, 2013 by Wil348