Before the Wii U was launched Nintendo made the right noises about third-party support — here was a powerful system with backing from major players like EA, Activision and Ubisoft, we were told, and the innovative new controller would encourage unique, multi-screen experiences. Of course, everything is always amazing when pitched at E3, though the realities of the situation quickly dawned on us all and, actually, the perfect storm of Nintendo-exclusive content aligned with a packed third-party catalogue turned into a different kind of storm — of the public relations variety. The Wii U, throughout 2013, was caught in a maelstrom of negativity, some of it fair and based on fact but plenty that was undeserved.
The current malaise of major third-party developers is impossible to deny, as the line-up of multi-platform games actually coming to the Wii U is painfully thin, and those that are coming to the system are prominently supported by or published by Nintendo. Bayonetta 2 is a classic example — and may still tempt a modest number of gamers to put down the cash for the increasingly affordable system — while others such as Sonic Boom are part of deals Nintendo has struck, in that case the final part of a Sega agreement. When incentive and money isn't on the table directly from Nintendo support is minimal, with the likely exception of traditionally solid family-based genres that often perform for Nintendo, with the likes of Skylanders, the emerging power-house of Disney Infinity and Just Dance.
That last example is an interesting one as it brings Ubisoft into the frame, and even more so as it was the Wii — not Wii U version — of Just Dance 2014 that performed over the Holiday season. Therein lies part of the problem, of course, that thousands of gamers are still buying a Wii version of a game available on the newer system, exposing the challenge that Nintendo faces in converting that enormous last-gen audience — or some of it — to the new system.
Of course, Ubisoft is currently on the minds of Nintendo fans following its decision to delay the Wii U version of Watch_Dogs until after its release on other platforms, placing Nintendo's system at the bottom of that particular pile. Ubisoft's thinking is clearly driven by the best prospects for profit, and the minor contribution of Wii U sales of its games sales over recent months provide ample evidence of why the Wii U is last pick — it's making the company the least money.
While business logic has arguably been applied, plain-old common-sense suggests that Ubisoft has given Watch_Dogs on Wii U an unavoidable likelihood of failure. Yes, there are gamers that will only own a Wii U, yet with all of the other platforms — especially with PS3 and Xbox 360 bundles now available at budget prices — doing the rounds, it's likely that the majority with an interest in the game will already own it by the time it eventually hits Wii U. Delayed ports can play a role for the Wii U, but are highly unlikely to contribute much to hardware sales or to make the system a must-have.
As has been the case with other publishers, Ubisoft partly has itself to blame for Wii U software struggles, albeit while facing the challenges inherent in Nintendo's continued drive for unique control interfaces and infrastructure. Bringing games to Wii U may be awkward for development teams better accustomed to Sony and Microsoft's most recent generations of hardware, but Nintendo system iterations don't always have much of a chance — Rayman Legends missed a quiet earlier release window to grab game-starved Wii U owners, Splinter Cell Blacklist didn't include the popular local co-op, and Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag skipped DLC. Examples abound elsewhere, too, especially with EA's early and only contributions to the Wii U library. Business rationale contributed to a self-fulfilling prophesy — the Wii U versions of various games don't deliver sizeable numbers so publishers invest less, and the resulting pared-back games are even less appealing than before.
It can be a frustrating scenario for Nintendo fans, especially those that may have fantasised in optimistic pre-launch 2012 days of a Nintendo system that would deliver first-party and attractive multi-platform experiences. As it is, gamers that seek a broad experience and a lot of major triple A games have to contemplate other means, with PC, Sony and Microsoft each offering options. The Wii U is becoming — perhaps already is — a system for Nintendo games, occasional if exciting exclusives, and a potentially prosperous download market. The question is whether that's a particular surprise or, even, an issue.
For those that can only afford to own a Wii U, it is a problem. It's the Wii all over again, with the bulk of third-party multi-platform games duking it out on Sony and Microsoft platforms, though Nintendo's last-gen box of tricks did have a diverse and fairly attractive range of exclusives from out-with Nintendo's legendary studios. The reason that Ubisoft and others dabbled with exclusives was because it was worth a punt, due to the Wii userbase being impressively broad; taking a gamble is relative when tens of millions of units — now over 100 million — are out in the wild. So with the inevitable shovelware and nonsense we did have some solid titles such as Red Steel 2 and Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (the latter also on PS2 and PSP, admittedly) that came from third-parties keen to give the Wii a whirl. As we've already suggested above, with the Wii U Nintendo is having to provide incentive to studios to bring their games to the console — money on the table, we'd wager, in most or all cases.
As we've suggested in the past, it's not new for Nintendo to be outside of the triple A club in third-party multi-platform games, and it's been argued here in the Nintendo Life office that this has been the case since the Nintendo 64. Once Nintendo went its own way in terms of its technology and interfaces, and also struggled with the GameCube, support from major publishers has fluctuated depending on a system's performance, and always with that awkward perception — which is pretty accurate — that Nintendo games sell most on its hardware while the rest fight over scraps. The NES and Super NES days of Nintendo being the go-to hardware manufacturer are long gone.
The reason the Watch_Dogs revelation matters is because it should, we'd anticipate, wipe out any remaining pretence that the Wii U will deliver a viable platform to enjoy the bulk of high-budget multi-platform games. That ship sailed before now, but the Ubisoft title was a remaining gleam of light, an example of console parity for Wii U owners that'd rather get their fixes through just one system. Of course, it's possible to only own a Wii U and have a variety of games to play — it's a Nintendo box with big N goodies — but it's a reality that indulging in the best-selling offerings from other publishers is becoming something for other systems. For Nintendo gamers with a taste for ever-increasing diversity, owning more than one home console — or a PC — is once again a necessity.
None of this is to say Nintendo doesn't need third-party support, of course it does, yet it needs that support to relate to the audience that the Wii U forges, so may take the form of those family-friendly, accessible games that arrived on Wii. Should the latest system successfully revive its fortunes through its various big-name titles that are coming in 2014, then more games from other developers will follow — it's not an instant or immediate fix, however, and studios that work on the biggest franchises to flood Sony and Microsoft systems are becoming another generation removed from Nintendo, stripping away familiarity with the hardware and, by extension, increasing the investment needed to produce games for the platform.
So Watch_Dogs isn't the big-name IP to show the Wii U can mix it with its contemporaries for mainstream, triple A projects. The Wii U is pushing ahead on its own path, just like the Wii before it. Its long term prospects are unclear as yet, but we need no more hints, delays or cancellations to tell us one thing.
The Wii U is a system for exclusive, different experiences mostly from Nintendo and, in some instances, from allies, partners and third-parties. It won't deliver all of the multi-platform blockbusters with enormous marketing budgets — it just won't.
Comments 358
Reader,
Enjoy the poopstorm in the comments.
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Cuddles
@Cuddles
THANK YOU BASED CUDDLES.
I'm not sure what's up for debate. You have to be a pretty delusional to think the Wii U, or any console, doesn't need 3rd party support to be successful.
Microsoft and Sony pay 3rd party developers to shun Nintendo because they are frightened and weak. They are poor 1st party developers. Just saying....
actually seems feasible...
As long as I have X coming and more 1st party, I'm fine with a PC and a 3ds.
Its not up for debate. It officially makes the Wii U a niche system at best and an afterthought/irrelevant at worst. Gaming has changed. Nintendo has not.
The parallels between the dying BlackBerry brand and Nintendo are frighteningly similar. Sure, die hard fans will forever swear by their every move and decision, but that base is getting smaller and smaller every generation.
@DarkKirby exactly.
@Zach777 you better be joking.
@Zach777 I know you're not joking and fail to understand why people don't realize these under handed tactics are occurring. Kudo's to you for posting this and putting up with people who disbelieve. Nintendo does not play the game the way the gluttonous industry does and that's hurting them, but I won't own anything other than a Wii U and I may get few games, but at least the games I get are all quality titles with great replay value. I am disappointed with what is happening to the Wii U, but not so naive to not realize Nintendo's failures have amplified the negative press proliferated by it's competitor's. Nintendo needs to figure out how to become less Japanese in it's PR, but maintain this part of their culture which enables them to make amazing games!
Is this an argument for having less consoles? Is three one to many?
I'm not sure why Nintendo thought 3rd party support would be better with Wii U than with Wii when they have followed the same pattern of innovation over power.
For the first time in my life, after having every Nintendo console since the NES, I am considering selling the damn Wii U. The thing has been a disaster from start to finish and I can't believe how Nintendo have messed it up so badly.
It's very sad to see but their mantra of "we must not go for power alone and create new experiences" I think is biting them on the donkey. Look how well PS3/360 sold using the old formula. Look how well PS4/X1 have started off using the old formula. I feel Nintendo think they have to do something different just for the sake of doing something different and now it's backfiring big style...
And this is the only bad thing when Nintendo is trying to be different. Whatever, I stopped caring about 3rd parties on the Wii U anyways.
@Zach777 Very delusional comment bro that's just like saying the same about Bayonetta 2 being "payed" off by Nintendo to force hardcore fans that love the series to buy a Wii U oops "excuse me they actually did that" so who a "coward" (Sarcasm) seriously though this is a business not some battleground.
And that's why I got a PS4 as well this gen. Of course I have always been a two console person ever since the 16 bit era when I had a Genesis right next to my SNES. I am a gamer first and foremost and I enjoy games. I don't care about consoles A power vs consoles Bs power or how many games console a has compared to console B. As long as I each company keeps putting out games I will own the consoles.
I knew that the Wii U would lack 3rd party support compared to the PS4 or Xbox One so I got a PS4 to play games like Watchdogs and GTA and Sony exclusives. I bought my Wii U to play Nintendo games like Mario 3D World and MK 8.
People just need to let the fanboyism go. What is Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft paying you? Probably not in the end you are just hurting yourself and missing out of a bunch of good games.
@Zack777 Do you realise how crazy you make Nintendo fans look? 3rd parties don't get paid off by Sony or MS. They put their games on the Xbox and Playstation consoles because the games sell on those, while they're not on Wii U. Wii U got the same launch support the others did, ports of 360/PS3 games, and in fact, Ubisoft gave them an exclusive in Zombi U, something they gave to neither MS or Sony.
When Ubisoft sell 1.3 million copies of Black Flag on 4 million PS4s, 600,000 copies on 3 million Xbox Ones, and 100,000 copies on 5 million Wii U's, it's not hard to see why they're dropping support.
Oh well, such is life. I must say that, from a strictly personal standpoint, I'm okayish with that, since my favorite games tend to be Nintendo first-party offerings. However, I'll say that there should be a bigger effort from Nintendo to keep games (first-party and otherwise) coming.
I still think something like a deal with Capcom to produce an exclusive, Nintendo-aided Mega Man game would do wonders. That's the kind of third-party game they should be after; ones which speak to Nintendo's own peculiar fan base. As much as I enjoyed Assassin's Creed IV, for example, that series is bound to be an afterthought for me as long as we have franchises with the so-called "Nintendo magic", be them tried-and-true powerhouses or brand new IPs. That's were the focus should be if Nintendo wants to make the most out of the Wii U.
One delay and suddenly we're doomed again. The situation hasn't changed in the slightest. Wii U was dead to EA on arrival and dead to everyone else by early 2013. If Nintendo's games sell some consoles we will get more 3rd party support. I would advise all Wii U fans to stop commenting on this incessant drivel that keeps being pumped onto the internet and enjoy what little support we get because it will be 5 years before we go through the same thing again.
@Gaterboi352 I don't remember Blackberry having a 3DS to keep their phone brand vaguely relevant. Nintendo has changed plenty in the last 10 years, just not in the way that would allow them to win this generation of console wars. I also suspect there are some infighting problems dragging the whole organisation down. Wii U is doomed to an extent but will no doubt return a small profit and please a similar number of people to the Gamecube. In 2005, if you had said that Nintendo would sell 100M units of their next console, nobody would believe you. They were far worse off after the GC than they are at the moment.
@Zach777 Sony would be insane to team up with MS just to hurt Nintendo and if they did start trying to stop their rivals from getting games, MS could outbid them for every single game. The truth is, all 3 companies pay for support, pay for people to advertise their products, either openly or covertly, and Nintendo have done a terrible job of it for Wii U to the point where it would need an exclusive as popular as Wii Sports was, just to come second.
I still believe Iwata had an feeling Wii U would flop and that the currency fluctuations and deferred tax assets would make their 3DS losses look far worse if they fully supported the Wii U so they never gave it the resources. They never once have looked like they advertised this to the level of the SNES, let alone the Wii or DS.
@GunstarHero234 uh Nintendo didnt "Pay them off" the game wasnt going to be made what so ever as no one would fund it as the first game bombed in sails and Nintendo is the only company thay was willing to fund it....
@Samurairu Nintendo was the reason the Turbo Graphix 16 wasn't allowed to be sold in toy stores. They put pressure on stores that this upcoming and impressive system if made available would mean Nintendo would pull out. That's why the system was only sold in Radio Shack. Nintendo is a company, a company filled with greed likle any other company and made a selfish choice then that hurt gamers. So although it suck I have no sympathy for Nintendo
@Mizore "Whatever, I stopped caring about 3rd parties on the Wii U anyways."
Way to be a part of the problem, and not the solution.
Typical Nintendo owner: "I only buy Nintendo for the 1st party games. SCREW YOU (fill in the blank 3rd party) for not supporting Nintendo! "
I LOVE my Wii U! It's an amazing console! I love my PS3 and Xbox 360 just as much.
I just wish the media stop feeding Microsoft and Sony fanboys. Hurry up with your Direct, Nintendo!
@Peach64 "When Ubisoft sell 1.3 million copies of Black Flag on 4 million PS4s, 600,000 copies on 3 million Xbox Ones, and 100,000 copies on 5 million Wii U's, it's not hard to see why they're dropping support."
And yet Rayman sold better on the Wii U than in platforms with 80-million-plus user bases. Which is to say: the problem isn't whether a game is third-party or not; the problem is whether it has the particular feel Nintendo fans tend to enjoy.
10 years from now, the people who refused to buy Wii U and spouted off a million reasons not to are the same hipsters who will claim they owned a Wii U and all of its best games
Well 3rd parties, it was fun for what little while it lasted!
@Tasuki Thank you man I keep stating this on the W_D page instead of having one console get a secondary system jesus what's so hard about that. I have plenty of machines during my generations and I barley miss out on the titles I like so regardless of these people calling me snobbish because I got more than one they need to look at reality and get out of this hate and enjoy all gaming experiences consoles/PC and 3rd Parties has to offer.....
@Peach64 Microsoft bought Titanfall.
@GunstarHero234 Nintendo paid for Bayonetta 2. That means they paid for development, will pay for distribution, advertising, etc. Microsoft bought Titanfall, an already completed game. You see no difference?
@JosieC84 A Nintendo Direct is FAR overdue by now. They should have prepared a big one to come out the week after the sales prediction cut. I love Nintendo and I'm a big fan of Wii U, but it's very annoying when it seems like they are this oblivious to the gravity of the situation.
@Nintenjoe64 i agree with that. I look for Wii U to be like the Dreamcast in that 10-15 years or so from now everyone will look back on it fondly with much underdog adoration. They did with with GCN too.
@eaglebob345 I know that I was being sarcastic.
"Before the Wii U was launched Nintendo made the right noises about third-party support."
Sorry to say that I bought it. Hook, line and sinker. That was a main reason for me buying a Wii U. If I'm honest, even though I love the system and no promises were made, I do feel cheated and I do now regret my purchase.
@gatorboi352 with the way they treat nintendo users as 3d class gamers, why they should care? i'll understand if those games were as good as the other versions byt they aren't. They are diluted and made with mediocre effort. Why I should by X or Y third party if it's a mediocre effort? just to "support" them? they are in the business, not charity. if they want me to pay them attention then make good quality projects, not uninspired ones and then blame for not supporting them.
And let's face it, 3d parties would have never ever supported the wii successot no matter what. I dont know what is going on with gamers that like to pretend that the wii was a failure. Are you really that delusional to believe that the other consoles were much better? Xbox only sells in america and UK, PS3 took like 6 years to get better sales.
Please stop pretending the wii was a failure. it wasn't.just because some 3d party (mediocre) games weren't released on it doesn't make it a failure.
First off I don't think every third party publisher will just walk away. Ubisoft is not nearly as stupid as EA. They know that abandoning Nintendo outright would just damage their relationship further. @Peach64 You fail take into account how much does it cost to port a game to Wii U. from what I understand it costs 1 million to port which is ridiculously cheap by today's standards. A publisher usually receives 25 dollars per game sold so if I were to multiply that by 100,000 I would have a profit of 2,500,000. Its not unreasonable to believe that Wii U versions of multiplats must have a lower break even point
I like the article and respect the authors point of view, but I think he's looking through rose tinted glasses.
Before i'm shouted down - Yes, I am one of those gamers that only own a Wii U, and im a mature gamer as well.
To say "The Wii U is a system for exclusive, different experiences mostly from Nintendo" is absurd as the games that Nintendo release are just rehashes of the ones that have come before. At the moment I only own two Nintendo WiiU games: The underwhelming Nintendo Land that came with the console (I would never have bought this) and PikMin. The other Nintendo releases I have purposefully ignored because I already have them in my collection albeit they are not in HD, but so what, its the gameplay that attracts me to a game not the HD visuals.
So what Nintendo 'system for exclusive, different experiences' are on the horizon for 2014, not that many as MK8 is let face it is a combination of past MK's in HD, Super Smash Bro's HD - Oh im sure thats going to offer a different experience to Super Smah Bros on Wii!
The only game that I think for me that meet the criteria is Bayenetta 2 as I haven't experienced the first.
Now if Nintendo announced some re imagining of some older near forgotten IP's i'd agree with that statement, but right now the WiiU is wandering aimlessly into the game console graveyard.
I have been solely Nintendo home console owner from the SNes purchasing from day one of release, never owning a Sony or Microsoft. After the WiiU I think I will seriously consider before buying the next Nintendo Console (if there will be a next). In fact the WiiU will probably be my last console and I'll find another past time that is more suitable to my age (as my wife says)
@GunstarHero234 " I keep stating this on the W_D page instead of having one console get a secondary system jesus what's so hard about that"
Uhhh different financial situations? Some of us would like to enjoy an all in one console experience. Shocker concept, I know.
@cornishlee
I feel the same way :S
I'll take passionate Indie developers over lazy third parties
Nintendo failed in a number of ways, no doubt.
HOWEVER, I still predict a masterpiece will be made on Wii U. And that, my friends, is what we should ALL look forward to.
@gatorboi352 Those consoles are dumbed down PCs. Yes they are very overrated. Only game-industry zombie followers buy them.
@gatorboi352 Actually it's a great experience to play more than one but I have to agree with you though.
@gatorboi352 I disagree, there is no way I play Watch Dogs on the WiiU, its gonna be ps4 most likely or less likely pc. The only thing I care about is whether we gonna see X and smt x fe anytime soon this side of the pacific. Can't think of any multi-platform game I'll ever want to play on the Wii U, the hardware is too limited and the controll setup to specific to care for anything multiplatform.
What is true though is that there a people who are gonna get hurt by this, people who are going single-system, but somehow I doubt any1 caring more about Watch Dogs than Wii U would (in his right mind) have chosen Wii U in the first place. It sucks but I can't see the big deal. The real problem tough is the lacked of exclusive 3rd party content =(
Nintendo could turn the Wii u in to a must have console. They own dozens of game studios, use these studios to come up with new Ip's, aimed at the core gamer, games which use the pad for more than off tv play. (Think Zombi u ) If gamers knew a game like this was coming every couple of months, as well as the normal Nintendo stuff, the Wii u would fly out of the shops, but they won't. I love my Wii u, but I think it will be dead by the end of the year.
@minotaurgamer so then how do you explain the situation on GCN, where 3rd party titles were routinely equal or even better than other consoles and they still didn't sell? Wiis success, while impressive, has now proven to have been lightening in a bottle more than anything.
@Laxeybobby It's funny to see you write that, because I think the exact opposite. Nintendo's games almost always feel fresh to me, even if they're using tried and true franchises. All the while, best sellers on other consoles are FIFA, COD, Assassin's Creed, and any number of other rehashes and generic shooters.
And by the way, what the hell does being a "mature" gamer even mean? Liking shooting zombies over stomping on goombas doesn't make anyone more "mature". Sorry for the rant, but I truly hate that word used in this context.
@minotaurgamer "Wow I must be a game-industry zombie for buying ps4 too" yay......-_-
@Laxeybobby boom. Nailed it. Would love to see the author respond to this.
Sometimes I think Nintendolife has been way too heavy on the negativity lately.
"The Wii U is a system for exclusive, different experiences mostly from Nintendo and, in some instances, from allies, partners and third-parties. It won't deliver all of the multi-platform blockbusters with enormous marketing budgets — it just won't." In a way both yes and no We will likely still see games like COD. The third parties are to blame as well for giving us half donkeyed versions and generally treating us like a bunch of fools
Tough topic.
Despite the hopes and dreams of many fans, Wii U is quickly turning into a "failed" console. First party games alone will be enough for some people (probably enough for me) but the almost complete abandonment of the platform by major third parties is terrible news and has serious implications for the profitability/sustainability of the console.
The good news for Wii U owners is that "failed" doesn't necessarily mean "bad". Dreamcast failed and was awesome. As long as Wii U support isn't pulled by Nintendo themselves, the console will still be worth owning and will end up with some awesome, exclusive games.
Here's hoping that Wii U is more of an N64 than Virtual Boy.
@gatorboi352 "a lighting in the bottle"?! seriously?!
That "lighting in the bottle" outsold the dumbed down PCs for 5 years! how on earth is that a lightning in the bottle?! wii sports, mario kart, NMSBW all those game outosold other famous franchises in their lifetime,
That's what pisses me of videogamers nowadyas. They follow the game industry's lies and propaganda without seeing real life. You people are pathetic.
@ejamer the batts last longer in my Virtual boy than they do in my wii u pad!
@minotaurgamer "Only game-industry zombie followers buy them."
Sure thing. Must be A LOT of those zombies out there then.
@minotaurgamer Dude you need to look at reality bro and play video games you like rather than being nosy worrying about what other gamers are buying and playing.
@gatorboi352 Not really. You can see those gamers are just the same old gamers from the past generations. They are a shrinking audience. Everybody is praising the PS4 sales but they are pretty much the same as the pS3 when it was released. There are no new gamers just the same ones.
And when a console like the wii that attracted new gamers appeared they hated it and call it "a lighnting in the bottle"
Idiots
@GunstarHero234 Not if those gamers are spreading lies and buying them from the game industry.
@minotaurgamer you're misunderstanding me. I mean lightening in a bottle over the course of the entire console generation. When i say that it has been proven to be that, i mean in light of the Wii Us turmoil and troubles. And dont kid yourself, easily half of all Wii sales were due to one experience: Wii Sports.
The comments section is already poopypooppoopystorm. People can't accept some people don't want other systems cause they don't like the games on the other systems. Nope, just fanboyism. No way people don't like the AAA Western titles. Everyone has to have the same tastes.
Im not as worried about 3rd parties walking away as I am Nintendo. Where are the 1st party games Nintendo?
DKCTF is next Friday, that's good.
MK8 is May. That's ok, if it happens.
SSB is "Planned 2014" Hello, Nintendo, it IS 2014, has been for over a month now, can't you narrow it down anymore than that? Planned is for years ahead, not the year you are in.
When is X coming out?
When is Bayonetta 2 coming out?
Where is Yarn Yoshi?
Got anymore than 1 clip for Hyrule Warriors?
Seriously Nintendo, where is the Wii U support? Why should any other company give a date for a game on your system when you won't? Telltale has 2 dates for Lego games on the Wii U - Lego Movie 2/7 and Lego Hobbit 4/8 - that's 1 more retail game than Nintendo has on it's own system.
Show your own system the love and then maybe, just maybe, some 3rd parties will as well. .
@minotaurgamer "They are a shrinking audience. "
PS4 sales total matched Wii U sales total in 11 fewer months. Shrinking how exactly?
@minotaurgamer What the hell are you smoking because I want some of that and what "lies" you speak off??? Just because of opinion and preference what a gamer buys that isn't a Nintendo device that doesn't mean they either stupid or a "zombie" they have a quota of what they want and he or she will buy it so why you so salty about this?
Ubisoft has been burning Nintendo fans since the launch of Wii. I still remember that Rayman platforming game that was promised at launch, and instead of getting it we got some stupid freaking mini-game compilation.
I'm not interested in Watch_Dogs as it looks like a boring piece of poop. I have a PC that can play it, but I refuse to support Ubisoft any longer.
@Cuddles
@ricklongo
Mature gamer was purely a reference to my age not to the style of games I or others play. (I'm in my mid forties).
I suppose for me only ever being a Nintendo Console Owner from the SNes, through the N64, GC, and Wii and now WiiU - games that have appeared on the WiiU, like Assasin Creed and Deus X are different experiences for me compared to the same MK and Smash Bro etc that I have been playing for the past 25+yrs
Hopefully the Wii U situation will improve, they can always walk right back over
Sigh...
This is silly.
@Zach777 It must be nice living in a delusional bubble.
"For those that can only afford to own a Wii U, it is a problem. It's the Wii all over again..."
Hardly. Wii was cluttered with shovelware by Nintendo and third party devs. At Least Wii U has some great Indie games on it.
@datamonkey
"look at how well the PS3 sold"
Do you realize that Sony lost 5 billion dollars with the PS3? That's more than Sega lost with the Dreamcast and Microsoft with the first Xbox COMBINED. I suppose the PS3 sold "well", but definitely not a strategy Nintendo should aim for.
Yeah I can say the PS4 or One don't interest me one bit. And yes I do buy Nintendo systems for Nintendo games.
@GunstarHero234 No, Nintendo offered to publish when Sega refused. The game wouldn't exist if Nintendo didn't publish. It's hardly paying off to force fans into buying a Wii U.
@gatorboi352 I think I've owned every 'failed' console since the Saturn and it always annoys me that the same people who constantly disrespected my choice of consoles are now claiming they owned every game for it (although Saturn love is quite rare). The Wind Waker lovers are the worst because they were the people who used Wind Waker to prove Nintendo was out of touch and doomed.
@rjejr too many sensible questions in that post. Nobody seems worried that we're getting 1 retail release for the first 5 months of the year and not even a tweet from Reggie to say that there will be any game announcements.
Something nobody ever seems to acknowledge is how all of this ultimately plays into Nintendo's hands. They can sell 1M copies of a remake because of the lack of other games. They can remake Gamecube games at a fraction of the cost of a new game and their captive audience of die-hard fans will make them a huge return. Meanwhile, the lack of other support will allow games like WWHD and SM3DW to sell for the life of the console.
@GunstarHero234 lol i sed it befor the other guy and you chainged your coment.
Im just happy the game will be made tbh
I already have the PS4 as a planned purchase next November. But that is because my girlfriend wants KINGDOM HEARTS 3 and I want MIRROR'S EDGE 2, THE ORDER: 1886, and whatever Rocksteady Games is working on. But as a parent I was looking forward to having some adult titles on the Wii U so I could play them on the gamepad while my kids are awake. Now I feel like I will have to buy a Vita (but probably won't). WATCH_DOGS was important to me as an open world title I could play on my gamepad without hogging the TV.
@datamonkey Wii U problems are not about power...power is not third party doesnt come to nintendo, its because hardcore gamers have more then one console and buy theirs games on ps or xbox and that would remain like that even if the wii was just as powerfull...nintendos only hope is to offer something unique with its systens, but if this uniqueness fails to appeal, them we have the currently situation...and despite this article, nothing is set in stone so far. EVERYTHING CAN CHANGE if nintendo proves the value of the gamepad. Have we even seen anything yet? Have seen what epic franchiseslike zelda and metroid look like in HD? Have we seen miyamotos new ip?
I am just going to make a pat response to these weekly doom threads:
Nintendo needs to find a way out if this catch 22 before the next generation or we will simply get a repeat on the "fusion" or whatever it happens to be.
What bothers me the most is that calling the system Wii2 and putting in a faster CPU would have aleviated some sales problems and porting issues, respectively.
An "attach ratio" of ten games during a consoles lifetime is generally considerd as good. With only one and a half year on the market Wii U has allready enough critically acclaimed first and second party games to let everyone achieve this ratio. And still the biggest first party games are still to come. It may not be sufficient for boys between 15 and 30 and that is what all these dicussions are all about.
@vamkar Yup. I easily play that much, so...
1 hour goes to the newest game I have
1/2 hour goes to SSBB
1/2 goes to minecraft
1/2 to Pokemon
1/2 goes to an old random retro game.
@FarsanBaloo Agreed. X is my major title this year. I hope Nintendo has an insane E3. I'm 32 and use my WiiU every day. It's one of my favorite systems of all time.
It's sad how some people seem to think that we should buy hacked and gimped ports so as not to be "part of the problem".
The problem has, primarily, been the attitude of 3rd parties towards Nintendo consumers. Why should said consumers buy these games when they're being treated like second-class citizens. It makes no logical sense
@Laxeybobby Oh, I see then.
And also make no mistake; I actually enjoy some of the games I mentioned. FIFA is always fun, and I recently got into Assassin's Creed. But as far as innovation goes, I think there's a lot more between, say, Mario games than between each annualized FIFA or AC instalment.
@darkgamer I really agree with you. And like the article says, this recent move by Ubisoft pretty much ensures WD won't sell well on Wii U, even if it's technically better than the PS3/360 versions.
I agree with @datamonkey Nintendo tought they would make success once again with Wii U by bringing a totally different and unique type of controller like it was with Wii but it's failing very badly even if the actual concept of the Gamepad is very, very good IMO. The reason? Terrible marketing work and the actual name of the console. Wii U still confuses casual people thinking it's an add-on for Wii, that's why Just Dance 2014 sold even more on Wii! How the heck that could be possible!!? Because casual people go to stores and say: "Hey here's Just Dance 2014, but one copy says Wii U and the other says Wii... Wii U sounds like it's a special edition or something, plus it's more expensive, and we already have a Wii so let's buy the one that says Wii on the box"
I would never understand why the hell Nintendo used the "Wii" brand once again on the name for their next-gen console. They could had name it "Nintendo U" or just simply "U" idk! But something completely different, that could had solved 80% of the problems Wii U is facing right now I'm sure.
And Nintendo, in total silence as always, they are releasing DKC: Tropical Freeze in less than two weeks, it's shaping to be an insanely awesome game probably better than Rayman Legends and NSMBU together and yeah, we have seen commercials on the TV? ads on YouTube like PS4/Xbone was doing when they launched their consoles? Nope and nope, almost zero of it. They have a great console but that's not enough, Nintendo needs to go out and offer it to every single 3rd Party developer, and that means, offering all kinds of support and technical help, lot's of entusiasm just like Sony is doing with it's 3rd Party games by creating exclusive content for games like Destiny and Watch_Dogs on PS4.
Let's admit, Nintendo lives in a cloud, they think they can manage all the stuff on their own, that means, ignoring all kinds of 3rd Party support for the most part, but that needs to change insanely bad right now because even Nintendo hardcore fans just can't keep supporting this anymore. Almost two months without a Nintendo Direct or actual Nintendo news in terms of games or something exciting in general. Mario Kart 8 releases in May but what about March and April? Another 2 month drought without retail releases!? And what's next after MK8? Another 3/4 month drought until september to see if we can at least have Smash there or we have to wait until 2015 if it's delayed? I don't even see Bayonetta 2 or X releasing this year anymore, and Yarn Yoshi it's probably cancelled since we have not seen any of that game since it's original announcement more than a year ago...
See? That's what happens when Nintendo stays in silence for so long. We start thinking the worst! Aw Nintendo, I just hope you are planning something big that could benefit you as a company and us as customers because we are losing all hopes, seriously.
@Laxeybobby Your first comment pretty much speaks for me also. I have since the N64 exclusively played Nintendo consoles. The first party software is often great but I do feel that the updates of some of Nintendo's franchises do also feel rather samey over the years. Third party support has helped to ameliorate this in the past, but it really does look like this generation third party games will be ever thinner on the ground.
@GunstarHero234 LOL wow now thats pathetic your orinal coment did not say enithing but "@Zach777 Very delusional comment bro that's just like saying the same about Bayonetta 2 being "payed" off by Nintendo to force hardcore fans that love the series to buy a Wii U oops excuse me they actually did that" dont eddit a coment and not have the guts to admit it...
The Wii had a fantastic and wide variety of games, with tons of games from numerous third parties. The Wii U is having none of that, and even indies aren't stepping up to the plate just yet. If this continues, the Wii U will have terrible droughts and a very poor game selection.
Had a Wii U since launch and I love it. But there is no way I would ever buy a game on the system that I could get on ps4, or xbone.
My Wii U is for Nintendo exclusives only, and I am fine with that. I will always buy consoles from Nintendo just for Zelda, Mario, etc....
@Blister
Im glad I'm not alone I was getting worried
Problem with major 3rd parties.....they place all their eggs on blockbuster's.....not everything needs to be giant blockbuster to be worth making and since Nintendo is different then Sony/Microsoft/PC it takes more effort to get the port over with quality. So they cut corners and gamers are informed of this and choose to buy it on another console. Nintendo needs 3rd party support....it needs games worth playing apart from it's own.....maybe Indies supply some of that but we still need the EA's Ubie, Activision's to have well rounded choices for all gamers.
Mostly Nintendo needs to announce the 2014 lineup with release dates.....if they have games that are coming it is time to share the info and get some positive buzz going for what I consider the most fun console I've owned to date
@darkgamer001 Gimped ports? So what's your reasoning for GCN 3rd party games not selling as well? Because those ports were generally superior to the PS2 and even Xbox at times.
3rd parties are walking away? More like already walked away. Let's face it, the major triple A devs are long gone.
I don't see the point of a PS4 of Xbox One considering what my PC can do. If the industry is moving towards Sony and Microsoft I will happily miss out.
What I don't understand is the thinking that 3rd party games are always better on playstation and Xbox.
What's really damning this Wii U generation has been Nintendo doing two things: either apologizing out the a$$ or just going radio silent. It is KILLING them and making the media coverage that much worse for the wear.
As I've said before the problems for the Wii U are many. To review:
1. Nintendo themselves see the console as something for kids and families sitting together on the couch. This doesn't match the market outside of Japan.
2. Large Third Parties (EA, Activision, Ubisoft) have produced poor or old ports of their software and wonder why no one wants them when better versions exist. Then use it as justification to abandon the console.
3. NoA/NoE for whatever reason cannot come up with a message to sell the console to the average age gamer (late 20's/early 30's).
4. Statistically Nintendo games sell well on the console, no so much for third parties.
5. Their online strategy is non-existent, but then see #1 for where their focus is.
6. No sports titles (Madden, FIFA, NBA, NHL, MLB, racing)
@originaljohn PC excuse again sigh I respect your opinion of having a "High Tech PC" but everybody doesn't have the resources or revenue to buy a proper PC so that probably be the real reason why those consoles are still successful and 3rd Parties go where the success is.
@gatorboi352 All the ports were of an acceptable quality at that time. These days even the best possible version ends up buggy as hell in many cases.
OK seriously stop, the only reason third party support for wii u is low is because the gamepad requires extra work and creativity that would be cut short and easy if it was a normal controller and cause of low marketing not much consoles were sold so dev don't see why they should bother. Its too bad that none of these big companies have the balls to have a section of their company to make exclusive games for the wii u that make creative uses of the gamepad feature either on retail or eshop, the only one is ubisoft they are awesome and Rayman Legends shows how you can use the pad. My experiences with multi-platform games is 1. They don't take 'full' advantage of the consoles features and 2. Why bother getting that game for anything but the best looking version or the one with the most interesting gameplay feature
With all did respect, this is nothing like the Wii situation... People seem all to willing to forget that, despite Nintendo dominating the platform, third-parties released a wide number of obvious and obscure gems during the Wii's lifetime.
@originaljohn The problem is they make the wrong compromises and you don't get any choice in the matter. (Or the option to wait until you can run it properly at 60fps).
@samiamiamsam
agreed if i can get it on my 360,ps3 or ps4 im not even thinking about getting it on my wii u. only getting nintendo made games on the u. ps4 versions of watch dogs & rayman for me.
@samiamiamsam 100% agreed here. I only get Nintendo consoles for Nintendo exclusives these days, not for anything else.
The third party support at launch was mediocre to say the least
FIFA 13 Sorry not quite its fifa 12 with stuff removed.
Ben 10: Omniverse
ESPN Sports Connection a crap kinect game & a crap wii u game
Rabbids Land oh great one of the first shovel ware pile of crap
Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth another awesome kinect game gets posted over. but its even worse.
Yeah old argument Nintendo always promotes their games first (and cough cough they usually are better).
What some of these big publishers should remember it dosent take long to lose your crown.
Buy a pc get cheep digital games. Graphics improve then upgrade pc. PLay unique games have a wii u. Strange EA etc etc wanted a piece of the steam pie & they gave us origin biggest pile of crap ever. I bought two games on sale then it sent me to steam to DL it.
My thoughts are reflected by many other commenters:
Who's left? Capcom? Konami? Done. Gone.
All we Wii U owners have left are Nintendo first- and second-party releases, and indies on the eShop. I don't regret my purchase, but I am completely resigned to the fact I need to get a PS4, X1 or PC if I want to enjoy a major third-party title.
I don't have the resources to buy a PS4/X1...I am seriously disappointed...can't get my fix from just Nintendo releases.
Darknyht said:
3. NoA/NoE for whatever reason cannot come up with a message to sell the console to the average age gamer (late 20's/early 30's).
I think you might find the average gamer slighty higher than early 30's. Playing candy crush on facebook, or only playing COD or FIFA really cant be counted as a gamer'
@Savino Couldn't say it better than myself lol.
I don't need 3rd Party titles on the Wii U. If only Nintendo would release more VC games and create a few new IP's. Than I would be really happy with the my Wii U.
I really honestly think Nintendo will make a huge comeback next generation. Maybe it's blind hope. But I think they'll put a lot of focus into making sure their console is comparable in terms of specs and online infrastructure. They'll provide gamers with real accounts and some sort of achievements. It will be innovative in the sense that it will be very closely tied to their next generation handheld as well. And they'll dominate because it will FINALLY be equal to the others in all ways EXCEPT it has Nintendo games too. And that's the only thing they need to recognize.
You know whenever I see the typical I don't need 3rd party responses, its hardly surprises me 3rd parties are turning around and essentially saying we don't need U
Nintendo wants to be so different that solves deliver a console that does not have optical output, not read DVD, Bluray does not read, does not have variety of online games, the damn sound LPCM 5.1 is incompatible with most HTs.
she puts on the market a console and compel us to buy one million things she sells as accessories. We are still forced to exchange our home theaters, TVs, changing the position of the furniture in the room, etc. ... This, my friends, is to be different! What is the reason to facilitate when you can complicate?
Excuse me, I'm a big fan of Nintendo, but if she insists on things so difficult, Mario Kart 8 will probably be my last Nintendo game... and leave for other alternatives where I'm not forced to change HT, TV, furniture, sell my cat, play with two screens, do a barrel roll, etc.
English by Google Translate.
Nintendo's exclusives are great, problem is there is just not enough of them. Its time they opened the vault and bought some more studios. Enough exclusives on any system will sell it. If Nintendo did this then they would be big enough not to need third parties. Then of course they would probably get them.
Oh no the Wii U is doomed. .. again!
The Wii U is a Nintendo and indie box,I am fine with that,if Watch Dogs comes out for the Wii U I will get it,if not.so bad too sad.
At least the WiiU still gets 3rd party when it comes to E rated games/ family games. I'm not too into the whole western realistic, dark, and gritty side of gaming, so I can't complain when those "AAA" games comes up lacking or not at all on the system.
The best thing imo these developers can do is cater to the large demography that plays the system instead of the small ones that sounds like alot on the web. It's reminds me of the people asking for M rated for the Wii and the response to it.
@minotaurgamer
Last gen I only had the Wii and my PC which was fine. I certainly would not consider the Wii a failure in any sense of the word. However taking that attitude makes you look ridiculous. There have been some huge industry redefining releases in the last year and most of them were 3rd party games. If you have never played any of the major new IPs such as Mass Effect, Arkham and Bioshock games you are missing out on a huge part of gaming. I know there is a lot of mediocre and uninspiring content which sells in ridiculous numbers which has nowhere near the attention to detail or craftsmanship of Nintendo's core releases. Do not casually dismiss the areas of greatest innovation in the industry last generation.
@Anguspuss Origin at least somewhat works. Uplay (Ubisoft's equivalent) shows a complete utter contempt for their customers.
@samiamiamsam @Rafie Wouldn't you prefer if Nintendo went 3rd-party on consoles, then? Their lone output simply isn't enough to support home console/handheld.
Doom and Gloom!
What happened to the Nintendo faithful? This console was just launched and all the 'smart' money is betting on failure. Give it time my friends. Capcom and Konami not supporting- Not Going to Happen. Nintendo is much more then the latest box- It is a culture of gamers who prefer how Nintendo expreses artistically- everything from OS to online shop, bears the indelible mark of Nintendo. If you bought this system you recognise the music sense of humor and artistic flair that Sony and the others cannot buy at any price. The first party games all wear this badge with pride and third parties that want to bask in this glow of quality, creativity and personality will develop great games not to make the most money but to share in this culture. Developers are not so cynical as painted in this forum. Treasure's motto is "Develop what you want on the system you want". Unfortunately they decided to go PC. Bu t other equally creative developers will step forward and create games for Nintendo just because they love Nintendo and that is what compels them to create great unique- Yes the very Best games for any system.
@Zach777 Even if they are not getting paid it would seem the rest of the industry would be very happy if Nintendo just dissapeared. This would creat a nice monopoly for them on very similar machines.
@Anguspuss Yeah, I could only remember it was trending upwards and not teens/early 20's. The average in 2013 was 35.
@AdanVC +1
@cornishlee - "Sorry to say that I bought it. Hook, line and sinker. That was a main reason for me buying a Wii U. If I'm honest, even though I love the system and no promises were made, I do feel cheated and I do now regret my purchase."
That's exactly how I feel about my Wii U...
Okay, let me clarify something for all of you once more.
Yes, Sony and Microsoft /do/ in fact pay third parties to favor them over Nintendo, but also over each other. Why do you think Sony and Microsoft each have "exclusive launch content" to offer? Unlike Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft's platforms cannot and will not self-sustain on first-party releases. Halo only made sure that the original X-Box wasn't a dismal failure. PlayStation only survived because third parties migrated over after being angry with Nintendo. These are not opinions, these are facts.
To date, Nintendo is the only console maker whose first party releases can not only self-sustain, but drive a company. They're the Disney of the video games industry. To carry that analogy further, Sony is the, well, Sony, of the games industry while Microsoft is the... oh... let's call them Universal. Some shady business practices to go along with some good and bad stuff.
Some Nintendo fans do need to get a grip. Sony and Microsoft aren't teaming up to gang up on Nintendo. They are, however, both going after Nintendo as they go after each other, especially Sony, who has huge gaming capital from the PS2 and Sony's other entertainment divisions, which they've scaled back on to focus more on games and movies. They have surplus capital too, but rather than save it, they use it to try and double down on their investments.
As for third parties, I think there's another reason for this delay, and again, it's Nintendo's own fault. How? By being too good at their own game. Third parties can't compete on a Nintendo platform against their first party offerings. Oh, they'll have their fans, maybe even technically be better in some regards, but the Nintendo mascot juggernaut really is unstoppable on their home field. Why? Because the people who bought the Nintendo system specifically are buying it specifically for what Nintendo has to offer. This is the nature of Nintendo nowadays.
Sony and Microsoft system owners, on the other hand, generally buy it for services and performance. Maybe there's a franchise or two they want to keep at, say, Halo or whatever Naughty Dog is doing, but they'll buy it just for that performance upgrade, like it were just their next car or computer, which is what game systems are rapidly becoming, dumbed down computers.
As for me? Being someone who doesn't like having multiple consoles, long story there, I made a choice a long time ago. Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, Kirby, Kid Icarus, Punch-Out, F-Zero, Star Fox, & Pokémon, or Halo, Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid, Little Big Planet, Spyro, ModNation Racers, Crash Bandicoot, Destiny, Kameo, Banjo-Kazooie, and probably that Beyond Good & Evil sequel? I've always had the most fun with Nintnedo systems and that's where I pledge my allegiance. I couldn't imagine gaming without Nintendo, so I'm sticking with them to the bitter end for either one of us.
And, honestly? I think companies are dreading the day Nintendo goes multi-platform or third-party. Why? Because they'll reach their biggest audience they ever have, their characters will effectively become immortal, and virtually every game they ever made will become another little gold mine waiting to happen for them. Will it happen? Yes, I think it will. And in our lifetimes. But only because I think everyone will go multi-platform for the universal gaming medium in whatever form it takes.
...and, hey, if there's something I /really/ want that isn't on a Nintendo platform, I can always look for it on Steam.
@AJWolfTill I would have liked the Arkham games better if the combat was more technical. (Like say Guardian Heroes). Bioshock is watered down in many ways compared to System Shock. Not bothered about Mass Effect either. The first Deus Ex was really good but that ended up watered down as well. Seems they swapped a slightly better story for gameplay.
@AJWolfTill There are a lot of great games out there from smaller third parties, but most get drowned out by 'AAA' titles from the big companies. Most people just run from one major title to the next and never see the wealth of indie/mid-tier titles out there.
An issue with video games is similar to the issues film had after George Lucas's Star Wars. Major studios stopped looking for the novel or interesting to instead focus on the next blockbuster (like the major studios do now with gaming). Video Games are only just now starting to emerge from it. If Nintendo was smart, they would get on the front of that next wave of developers/publishers.
Hey guys look, another article on bad 3rd party support for Wii U.
I've said it once, and I'll say it again. If Mario Kart 8 and Smash Bros do not save the Wii U then the Wii U is DOOMED, DEAD, AND NEEDS TO BE BURIED. I love my Wii U, alot actually, but even I can admit Nintendo messed up bad. They need to go after the bro-shooter audience, they need to go after the Madden/Fifa audience, and they need to cater to the developers. Times are changing and Nintendo needs to change.
People don't realize that Nintendo can still be the unique, innovative Nintendo we all know and love, but they need to also become the powerhouse and go-to console we all knew in the NES-SNES era. Nintendo can kick the Xbox and Playstation's butt if they tried, but they won't and they continue to make STUPID, STUPID decisions. It's 2014, and Nintendo needs to change.
You know there is a slight light at the end of this tunnel. If Nintendo can boost it's hardware sales, maybe it will get the GOTY edition by the end of the year.
Ubisoft still hasn't abandoned Nintendo per se, just scaled back on releases so hopefully, if it's not cancelled, Wii U will get the definitive version, like what happened with Deus Ex: Director's Cut.
@Chi: The Nintendo faithful finally took being screwed over and lied to over and over again a little personally. That has become the new indelible mark of Nintendo. If there's humor anywhere then the laugh is obviously on us.
I mean just look at their efforts to restore consumer confidence after that catastrophic hit it took when they had to renege on the lies they'd been feeding us for the last year: Nothing. Zilch. Nada. Because that is all they have right now.
Of course they're not doomed, but if nothing else, then the last weeks have made it quite clear that we, the stupid suckers that already gave them our money, are very last on their priority list.
@Darknyht Better to not have inferior versions of those titles at all. Then people might be the worthwhile exclusive 3rd party stuff. People buy what they know if they can regardless of how good or bad it is.
The Wii U needs third party support because, the concept of the gamepad isn't enough by itself. This is not another Wii success even tough Nintendo still thinks that it has the potential. I think it would be wrong to presume that the Wii U needs GTA, FIFA or Watch Dogs for that matter since the majority of the gamer population are already looking to PS4 XONE and PC for those type of games. Nintendo needs very awesome exclusive 3Party games that support the gamepads uniqueness. No-one cares about Nintendo when it comes to games like GTA etc. because those games excists elsewhere. Innovation, fun and cheapness is Nintendo's strong site in this race. And PLEASE OH PLEASE. This story about 3party tripleAtitles being prioritised less on Nintendo consoles is hardly news anymore. It's been like this for the past 10 years.
@JJtheTexan careful you're far too sensible for messageboards. As you've correctly stated this is the situation facing the WiiU. Has been for some time. I'm looking forward to 1st party and indie support.
As I've said before, one haf of the WiiU's issue is Nintendo's fault and the other half 3rd party devs.
@gatorboi352
Go on. Name these superior ports that didn't sell well then. And whilst you're at it, explain to me how Rayman Legends sold as much as the 360 and PS3 version despite having a fraction of the install base, and despite the delay saga....so much for Nintendo fans being part of the problem
@schizor It is less than 10 years since that started. (Dreamcast / Gamecube / Xbox always had pretty good quality versions of all the 3rd party stuff that were on them. If something was ported from elsewhere to the PS2 that was often poor quality but that is all and it had lots of exclusives that made up for it that had the same issues after they were attempted to be ported to other systems).
@Samurairu Well put
@darkgamer001 Resident Evil 4 I think is one of them. (Don't think it is fair to count ones where even though it is a really good version it was much later.)
There's really no point in wooing 3rd parties at this point. Getting exclusives is near impossible for any company to risk on any platforms. If Wii U has a better version of a game that's on ps360, the definitive versions would still be ps4xbone. So we're talking lose lose. What they need to do is continue partnerships for their popular brands and add new, relevant IPs to the platform.
Didn't Resident Evil 4 sell nearly 2 million for the GC, and over 2 million for the Wii port?
@unrandomsam Okay
Then please join us with your version of what needs to change for Nintendo to bring back some homeconsole success.
On the bright side....actually, I can't think of a single silver lining on this one. I'm just glad I own a PS3 & 360. Nintendo only gamers have been dragged to a desert of game releases, with only a Mario Kart & Smash Oasis to look to. I love the Wii U, but I feel sorry for anyone that just games on it. You're missing out on too many games, DLC, etc...
@sceptic-
Not sure what you are referring to as lies etc.- at least one example would bolster your argument.
Very sad news but maybe they are going to take a longer time to utilize the gamepad. I still refuse to buy this game on another console if its not released on wii u
@SecondServing
I agree totally. This is becoming a damn joke. And I love the Wii U as well, but my god...this is the worst third party support I can remember for any major console. There's no way it can succeed on its current path.
The Wii doomed the WiiU. Wii attracted an audience of millions who couldnt actually care less about gaming, but were just there for Wii Sports and Wii Fit and Just Dance. Now that audience is gone, Nintendo. THEY ARE NOT COMING BACK. They have iPads and iPhones now, where they can get their dinky, casual gaming experiences for free to play, or under $5. They don't want to buy $300 game consoles anymore because they don't have to. The Wii gave Nintendo a false sense of success and they confused the casual market with the gamer market. Wii's fluke success justified their 'do something unique, strange and underpowered' approach because it made them lots of $. Unfortunately, when it came time to make a new console, Iwata and Miyamoto failed to recognize market trends, and used a similar strategy. But the casuals were gone, and Nintendo's real audience (gamers) had been alienated by Wii's lack of AAA 3rd party games in favor of shovelware and fitness accessories. When Nintendo even used the Wii name brand for its new machine, WiiU, all gamers were doing were collectively rolling their eyes. And it seems they were right to. Nintendo created another Wii. An underpowered system with a gimmicky interface and outdates online features that 3rd parties don't want to make games for. Only this time, the casual market isn't there to buy Wii Fit U. They're too busy having fun with Flappy Bird and Candy Crush Saga and Minecraft and Words with Friends. All Nintendo has left are people like us. Their hardcore fans. But that isn't nearly enough to keep WiiU from being deemed a failure.
@unrandomsam 100% agree I just dont see where ubisoft were trying go or as the case most of the time not go.
But had sooo many issues with origin. If I didnt play sim city it would be deleted from the HDD.
EA even screwed the pre order up on that as well. Had a long fight to get what they taken my money for.
@Chi: I'm referring for example to the claim that (I'm sure you can dig up the quote) 'great things' were just around the corner. Nothing came. Not 'less than great things', but just nothing.
But yeah, maybe "lies" is a bit harsh. Let's call it 'fantasy'. Like their sales projections.
@bizcuthammer: Very true.
They should rename this site "Nintendo Death". This article is nothing more then troll trying to inflame the faithful so they can show their corporate sposors how many comments they can produce. Really Sad.
Nintendo does not need a new console, WiiU has not failed- In the darkest hour the meek whine and self pity while those with heart and vision know of the darkness before the brightest dawn!
@Nintenjoe64
"I also suspect there are some infighting problems dragging the whole organisation down."
Are you privvy to corporate meetings or something?
"They were far worse off after the GC than they are at the moment."
Do you have some sort of evidence that led you to this conclusion?
"I still believe Iwata had an feeling Wii U would flop and that the currency fluctuations and deferred tax assets would make their 3DS losses look far worse if they fully supported the Wii U so they never gave it the resources."
Once again, how is it that you would know what he is thinking? Did Iwata lay down on your couch and tell you his innermost feelings?
@sceptic
its called advertising. Maybe they would sell more units if the said"well, its not so great, but maybe someone will like it".
Name me a product that does not promote itself positively.
With the games Nintendo has already delivered I believe the statement you qoute is honest- and it is not even a year old!
Honestly, show some guts, some character-wait and see!Would this be the first or last time Nintendo pulls a rabbit out of the hat?
@darkgamer001 According to vgchartz.com (Which may or may not be totally right.) the Gamecube version (Which was a far better version than the PS2 one which launched much later) sold 1.69 million whereas the PS2 version sold 3.62 million.
Wii U has plenty of 3rd party support. Just look at what indie devs are trying to bring to the system. They aren't scraps; they aren't 2nd tier; they aren't what you play when you're done with GTA and waiting on CoD. They're legitimate games with legitimate gameplay. The only difference will be that they don't have multimillion dollar budgets, and won't need to sell 5 million or more to be profitable. Saying Wii U is only 1st party and indie is actually more insulting than what people are saying Ubisoft is being.
Well, thankfully Nintendo understands the situation (more or less) and is trying to make Wii U survive through some big first-party titles that are coming out this year. Wii U needs support from third-parties, but Nintendo has proven in recent years that it can survive quite well with focus on great first-party titles. For example, 3DS is doing fine with mediocre third-party support.
@Chi: I admire your faith. I wish I could see what you're basing it on.
Wii U probably appeals to Mario fans and fans of other Nintendo fanchise only. Nintendo franchise games usually have some common characteristics. The problem is that if you do not like these games you will buy other consoles. That is the problem of relying only on first-party support.
@unrandomsam
I wouldn't trust vgchartz completely, but multiple sources state that the sales were between 1.5 to 2 million, so I guess in this case, it's quite accurate.
So yes, it sold considerably less than the PS2 version, but we all know what install base the PS2 had. However, despite a far smaller install base on the GC, the title did rack up a good amount of sales. I'm sure Capcom profited quite well from the GC version
@Liquid_ice Those 3DS titles last on average about 2 days or so. Which leaves me just playing NES games which have a reasonable difficulty level. Even playing an hour a day no way anybody could just play NIntendo 3DS first party games.
@rjejr I am not so worried about Nintendo pulling support. I do agree with you that it seems like the Nintendo first party offerings are slim pickings for the Wii U but then I did some research and just wanted to add some perspective. Here's a comparison of Nintendo Published games with 3DS which everyone unanimously agrees is a Nintendo first-party powerhouse.
2013 3DS
Fire Emblem: Awakening (February)
Brain Age: Concentration Training (February)
Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon (March)
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity (March?)
Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins (April?)
Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D (May)
Animal Crossing: New Leaf (June)
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team (August)
Pokémon X and Y (October)
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (November)
Mario Party: Island Tour (November)
2013 Wii U
Lego City Undercover (March)
New Super Luigi U (July)
Game & Wario (July)
Pikmin 3 (August)
The Wonderful 101 (September)
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD (October)
Wii Party U (October)
Wii Fit U (October?)
Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games (October?)
Super Mario 3D World (November)
11 games for the 3DS versus 10 games for the Wii U. Yes, the Wii U games were crowded in the second half and yes, they arent as big IPs as some of the 3DS titles, but its hardly Nintendo pulling support.
And both have about the same number of announced titles for 2014...
3DS
Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy
Yoshi's New Island
Disney Magical World
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
Kirby: Triple Deluxe
Mario Golf: World Tour
Wii U
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Mario Kart 8
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Bayonetta 2
X
Hyrule Warriors
(Note that all these are North America dates). Now it seems to me as we have a huge double standard. How can we say that Nintendo is giving ridiculous support for 3DS and almost no support for Wii U when the number of games across both in one year seem to be quite similar? I think it's this negative media bias that is affecting all of us... even the Nintendo fans...
Sorry for the long post.
@Doma No I wouldn't want Nintendo to go third party at all. That would damage Nintendo entirely. Also, I truly believe in my heart of hearts that if Nintendo goes down....eventually the other 2 will follow suit.
Nintendo going 3rd party like Sega just wouldn't bode well. Originality and complete innovation would be missing from the gaming industry. Mario being on Xbox and/or Playstation just wouldn't feel right at all. Not to mention Zelda and others. That's why they (Nintendo) should continue to keep trucking and get ideas from their fans and actually implement them, if it's realistic and business savvy.
@Mrclaycoat "Nintendo was the reason the Turbo Graphix 16 wasn't allowed to be sold in toy stores. They put pressure on stores that this upcoming and impressive system if made available would mean Nintendo would pull out. That's why the system was only sold in Radio Shack. Nintendo is a company, a company filled with greed likle any other company and made a selfish choice then that hurt gamers."
I bought my TG16 at a Toys 'R Us (the mother of all toy stores) and bought many games at the now extinct game store, Babbages. I also bought my Turbo Express there. Where on Earth did you hear that from?
great article. This site might not be as active as some others but the articles are very well thought out and written. Keep up the good work
@unrandomsam That may be true, but third-party games aren't exactly longer than Nintendo's first-party titles. Because average gamers don't get dozens of games in a month, I think it's safe to say that many gamers get only few, high quality games in a month and play them until these games are finished.
Nintendo's games can take easily around 30-40 hours to complete, so I think I could keep myself busy by playing only Nintendo's first-party titles. That said, I do like third-party games because they offer variety.
@minotaurgamer "Those consoles are dumbed down PCs. Yes they are very overrated. Only game-industry zombie followers buy them."
Wow.....That's just ignorant on so many levels. Either you're trolling, or a fanboy....or perhaps a trolling fanboy. I'm going with C: A trolling fanboy.
@MC808 ok i am guilty of hypocrisy and adding my own wild speculation to this but seeing as I own lots of Nintendo products I'm allowed at least 3 conspiracy theories.....
I suspect infighting with no proof because of all the mixed messages about what they're up to since 2011. I can't believe every inside will agree with preserving staff over profits.
Their cash reserves were smaller and their last consoles were trounced in the PS1 and PS2 gen.
As for me thinking they knew it would flop, it's purely down to the almost nonexistent marketing. They would have realised they weren't getting a word-of-mouth success like Wii by the end of Jan 2013 so why did they barely advertise or announce new games? They advertised the hell out of 3DS...
What is particularly disturbing about this is that it is Ubisoft... sure they screwed us over with Rayman Legends, but that was after the very disappointing sales they had for their Wii U launch titles... including ZombiU which they put a lot of effort into. Ubisoft was the Wii U's biggest third party supporter out of the gate with their big and much applauded presence at E3 2012. So to see what happened with Rayman and now this is very very discouraging. It shouldn't be written off as just another "Nintendo is Doomed" post because this is pretty significant. Nintendo and indie developers can't support the Wii U on its own for the next four or so years and they are losing their biggest third party supporters.
I could afford multiple consoles, but I'm not going to spend that much on gaming. Wii U and iOS are enough for me. I did buy a number of 3rd party games, including Just Dance 4 and Need for Speed U, but if the big third parties don't want my money I'm happy to give it to indies instead.
The idea that a system can be successful without 3rd party support is ludicrous. Loyalties off of 3rd parties is the biggest money-maker for a console maker. To say it's not important is foolish.
At the very least, the Wii had 3rd party support. It was different support, but it was there in tremendously large quantities. With the Wii U, that's not the case, and it's not looking likely to change.
@gatorboi352 is it really relevant though if 3rd party success is strictly COD, BF, Madden, 2K, and 1-3 action games? for some people, sony and microsoft are niche systems for shooters, sports and netflix. for example,im an all around gamer, but last year, the only 3rd party i enjoyed not from nintendo was tomb raider, i usually buy batman every release, i was not interested due to it not being up to par, i usually buy nba, did not due to it not being much better, i hate madden (EA altogether), i dont like COD, and bioshock was the only game i wanted to play but didnt. my point is no 1 system will ever be king or the system to have, because despite all those 3rd party games on my ps3, it still doesnt have my nintendo games, and thus vice versa. not arguing, meerly advocating.
@samiamiamsam That is exactly how I feel. I love Nintendo to death, but I would never buy a 3rd party game for their console that I could also buy on the PS4. I just wouldn't. I think this is the crux of the problem they need to solve. I honestly believe that.
I think they need to really think long and hard about customer loyalty. It sounds like they're thinking about it based on what they've been saying about loyalty programs and price reductions and that sort of thing. That sounds fantastic, but I'm here to tell you that it's a LOT simpler than that: Build an achievement system. You have the opportunity to look at the achievement systems of your competition and IMPROVE upon them. Some people don't care about it, but lots more do. It will build loyalty. Do it.
I bought my Wii u on release I had followed the news on it since release I had high hopes for third party support but it's not the end of the world I do actually prefer call of duty games on Wii u to any other platform to be perfectly honest I own ps3 and also have ps4 and vita but my Wii u gets the most use it's just genius
@minotaurgamer I still love Mario and Zelda,so would that be another re-hash of familiar franchises just on a new system?I guess by your logic I should continue to play games on my eight year old consoles"minus the wii u"and forget about new hardware because it's a waste of time?
@Nintenjoe64 I don't have any problem with speculation. It just seemed like you were stating things a little too matter-of-factly. I do understand your logic, however, and you could very well be right. We may never know.
This was an excellent article, Thomas
@Liquid_ice What they did with 3d land and a harder set of levels is probably all they would need to vastly increase my enjoyment. (Could be worse for them though because I wouldn't be getting the stuff I wasn't really bothered about like now).
@Nintenjoe64 Nintendo's staff costs are basically negligible. 7000 staff that is all. Staff more than likely costs less than NoA wasted on advertising that didn't work in the slightest.
@Zach777 poor fanboy
@sceptic
Based on the history of Nintendo.
Well they deserve every bit of shun from developers. They've had it coming for too long now and I applaud any developer who refuses to develop for Wii U and I hope that Nintendo learns a lesson from all this(they probably won't anyway).
@moomoo What both Sony and MS did was lose loads of money. (Whilst the 3rd parties made loads). Doing what they did requires losing loads of money and never making it back. (Sony's loss is going to be bigger than Nintendo's this year anyway and that is selling the PS4 at a profit).
Holy Crap, @Bizcuthammer #146 nailed it. Absolutely nailed it. Everyone needs to read this comment.
The same could be said about the PS vita but it's not going to go away that easily. The Wii U though has more support than the PS vita from their brand. Sony is basically treating it either like an newer PSPgo or an overpriced PS3/4 controller.
Nintendo on the other hand, even though third parties are walking, they aren't going to give up what their company believes in.
So rather condemning either, I'm taking it with a grain of salt and looking towards to how things unfold for each. After all I'm just a simple gamer that just likes what I like. shrugs
I just don't see how this is that much different than how the PS3, XB360, and Wii were in the so-called last generation.
If you wanted high-powered action games, then you'd need a PS3 or an XB360 (or a Windows comparable PC, I suppose). If you wanted a different style of game and a different gameplay experience than either of those could deliver, then you used a Wii.
This seems very similar to me, except that I now need to replace PS3, XB360, and Wii with PS4, WBOne, and Wii U, respectively, in the paragraph above.
it should say "Western" 3rd party support. Ubi's games haven't been selling well on any platform so it's natural that they'd not risk losses on the Wii U. even EA has been having some problems as of late, sales haven't been so great on any platform. Activison is doing well because of Skylanders and they still bring games to the Wii U. Warner Bros is still working with Nintendo. maybe we won't get all the DLC but whatever.
honestly does Ubi or EA really make games that are absolute must haves?
Nintendo has addressed the issue by saying they'd bring over more games from Japanese devs and indie devs.
the 3DS is predominately gamed by Nintendo, Japanese and indie devs and it's doing fine.
the problem with the Wii U is the price. the Wii U was the #1 most wanted item by children but tablets were the most bought because they are so much cheaper. hmmm let's a see a Wii U for $299 or a cheap tablet for $150.
@minotaurgamer "That's what pisses me of videogamers nowadyas. They follow the game industry's lies and propaganda without seeing real life. You people are pathetic."
Dude, there's only one thing that's pathetic here.....and everyone but you knows what that is, don't we?
The article fails to mention that they might actually just need more time. Nintendo doesn't have that "simultaneous release" clause that Microsoft has, so Rayman got delyed on Wii U, because of Xbox 360.
Why can't we just trust Ubisoft and understand that they need more time? Why would we question their statement that the Wii U version will take more time?
@GunstarHero234
@minotaurgamer What the hell are you smoking because I want some of that and what "lies" you speak off??? Just because of opinion and preference what a gamer buys that isn't a Nintendo device that doesn't mean they either stupid or a "zombie" they have a quota of what they want and he or she will buy it so why you so salty about this?"
He's just butthurt. Who cares about sales figures? Who cares what other people are playing? Does it make you feel better to insult people because they actually enjoy something you don't? How exactly does someone playing the so called "dumbed down PC's" affect you? You are the epitome of the arrogant ignorant fanboy.
@SCAR392 I doubt people don't trust Ubisoft. People just realize that Ubisoft cares the least about the Wii U version or the Wii U in general much like other developers and rightfully so considering all the fanboys who were claiming to buy the game before now all of a sudden don't want to support Ubi anymore which will result in even less sales than the game was going to have if it was released on time.
Theirs not too many new exciting cd games on the way but whats surprising is that the virtual console eshop is not realeasing much stuff either. From what i can see their are no Mega Drive or Neo Geo games available on the new virtual console, no arcade releases either. I thought i might be seeing some Marvel vs Capcom or SNK vs Capcom oreven a new console being added. The Wii U is a nice little console but they really need to start releasing stuff for it.
On a lighter note, I've been playing a lot of Unepic (when I can) these last weeks. I feel I am behind on the few games I do want to play, so when I do get back on track with my games, perhaps all of this will be settled and new games will be out. I like to call it: game play time traveling. You go to work, you play a game, you make a dinner and BAM! Now it's April.
@brucelebnd Even with the 3DS Fifa has done better than say Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 even though it has been the exact same game every year whereas Konami actually were improving it but basically for nothing.
@PokeTune People shouldn't trust Ubisoft same as in other walks of life if somebody fails to do what they say consistently they cannot be trusted period.
@bizcuthammer Indeed, Nintendo seems to have missed the memo that the casual gamers moved to the phone/tablet they have already, the Wii seems to have been a fluke, a casual-oriented console released right at the dawning of the casual gaming-age, now casual games are "Flappy bird" and facebook-based match-3 or freemium stuff, and Nintendo have... Mario games, and an obsession with doing stuff differently for the sake of it.
I say is that sales =/= quality. As long as Nintendo makes enough money to continue making consoles and good games for those consoles, I don't think it should matter if they "win" the console war, especially since 1) they've "lost" the war more than once before despite having consoles and games that were well-received and 2) Sony and Microsoft struggle to so much as break even, let alone make a profit. The Wii U could sell the worst of the three consoles this generation but still be loved by Nintendo fans and still make Nintendo enough money to keep on doing what they do. As far as I'm concerned, that's more important than outselling Sony and Microsoft.
Nintendo has sort of gone in a loop when it comes to 3rd party support, and hopefully they can get back to the top of that loop. The NES and SNES had great and more importantly quality 3rd party support. The N64, and more so GCN obviously didn't quite have the same amount of support. The Wii (an anomaly due to the amount of non-traditional gamers - who might have never bought a game console and might never will again - that purchased one), and even more glaringly the Wii U 3rd party support has been pretty abysmal. Three big problems I see with Wii U's 3rd party support thus far is 1. bad ports; 2. lack of features; and 3. delays. 1. If a player has an option to play a better version of the game, they more than likely will. 2. If another version of the same game has more features, the gamer will more than likely go for the version with more features. 3. If a game is delayed on only one console, a gamer who really wants to play said game will likely buy it for another console to play it ASAP.
Obviously there are other problems, but these are a few that I think could be fixed rather easily.
@unrandomsam 7000 staff on £20,000pa (half the Japanese average and probably a fraction of a good developers salary) is £140,000,000. It might be chicken feed to you but to me it's a lot of money.
@PokeTune
All I'm saying is if Ubisoft says they need more time, we should probably trust what they say. Saying it has to do with sales is technically spinning the story.
@unrandomsam
What exactly have they failed to do consistently?
The article is referencing instances that aren't related to to this decision. The games might be selling poorly, missing features, or being released late, which do effect sales, but that's missing the point that all they said was that they needed more time.
Nintendo are genius thay are the only company that can flat out lie to it's user-base, "Nintendo Wii U is 19X more powerful than the PS3"
http://mynintendonews.com/2012/10/08/nintendo-reps-claim-wii-u-is-19x-more-powerful-than-playstation-3/
@banacheck And when did they say that?
@Sakura_Moonlight2421
I have a Vita, and I can say with absolute certainty it's more than a new PSP Go or an overpriced PS3/PS4 controller. Right now I'm getting much more enjoyment from the Vita than I am the WiiU. Doesn't mean the Vita is the greatest thing ever, or that the WiiU is crap. It just means I'm liking the games on the Vita more right now, that's all. I'm probably playing my 3DS even more than the Vita right now.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that I go wherever the games are, and I've been doing that since the 2600 and Colecovision. I don't care who makes the console or the game. A good game is still just as good even if it's outsold by another game, or on a console that's outsold by another console. It's so disheartening to see all the petty fanboy crap being thrown around nowadays. I don't understand how people could be so blindly loyal to any company that doesn't care anything for you other than how much money they can get out of your pocket. There's a difference between being a fan and being a fanboy.
/rant
@banacheck
That wasn't even ever confirmed. No one took that seriously unless they like to believe baseless rumors.
@unrandomsam Point me to the worthwhile 3rd Party stuff that fits the genres I like. I am not interested in Bayonetta 2, Rayman Legends, Sonic the Hedgehog or Zombie U. I am not going to buy the game just because it is exclusive, just like I will avoid gimped versions of multiplatform games such as Arkham Origins, Assassin's Creed VI, and Splinter Cell (Arkham Origins lost a sale from me because they pulled first the multiplayer, then the DLC). I am probably not going to purchase a game I already played on another system prior to selling it (Batman: Arkham City, The Cave, World of Keflings).
X so far is the only exclusive third party (although I am not sure if it is a third party) title announced that interests me so far. Although I may have been tempted by a Mass Effect Trilogy or Dragon Age: Origins release as I really liked the early titles of both those series.
NIntendo may be the system for exclusive experiences, but the blame also rests on third parties for jut straight up not trying and not trying to foster the same public persona that their stuff is buyable and worth it on the system.
Going by the title of the talking point, Ubisoft has demonstrated to me that I'm walking away from them. This was a must buy game for the system, and now I'm not going to buy it at all because the only way to stick it to these barstewards is not paying them for their efforts and that includes not buying it on my PS3 either. It's a two way street and if you leaving a flaming bag of turd on my doorstep then that's how you'll be treated in kind.
And as far as Nintendo goes if they don't start buying up third parties or second parties let alone bribing companies to bring the solid games to their system I can't say for certain I'd be lining up for whatever replaces the Wii U in another 4~ years. The 3DS has been a booming fun success for me but their whole Wii branded line is pissing me off both by their efforts and third parties blatant lack of intentional non-efforts.
@Kawaii_Neko I personally think the Wii was the worst, but man the Wii U is coming close. I bought a Wii in 2007 for Twilight Princess, Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3, and Brawl. After that it pretty much became dead. It got a little more playtime in 2011 with Zelda SS and Xenoblade but then I was done for sure.
I was a DIEHARD Nintendo fan before that. SNES, N64, Gamecube, GB and GBA. Boy oh boy have the golden days gone. Nintendo doesn't cater to TRUE diehard fans like myself. Nintendo tricked me into thinking the Wii U was going to be the return of the "hardcore Nintendo" of the days of old. But now I'm convinced it's all a facade. I do applaud them with the 3ds however, it's a true successor to the handhelds of before. As for Wii U, it's a freaking disgrace. Next time Nintendo better be willing to compete with Sony and MS or I'm out for good.
Another thing while I'm at it, is why in the world isn't there a freaking Nintendo Direct?!?!? The whole world is falling down on the Wii U and what do they do? Announce that there going to focus on fitness products? UH HELLO! How about you focus on getting your Wii Failed U back in shape! Uh, I swear, sometimes I wonder how Nintendo has survived this long.
Honestly, I really don't care. Ubisoft's games have been stagnating for years, and their policies are just as awful. In addition, sequels that should happen (Beyond Good and Evil 2, Rayman 3D platformer, Prince of Persia) are being put on the backburner to make more awful ButtCreed games and Tom Clancy titles. Watch_Dogs looks like a futuristic version of AC, and I couldn't be less interested. Before I start clamoring for their support, they need to show that they're capable of making interesting games, not just pointless sequels.
@StreetRat
I think the point is this delay is indicative of a much larger "problem".
Let it be known than. Nintendo & exclusive games.
@JosieC84 I agree Josie!! I'll be picking up Watch_Dogs for my PS3 which are super affordable now with plenty of other great games now and still coming. So if the Wii U is solely a Nintendo only system that's fine by me as it still has a great line-up of games this year that I want...no NEED to have!
With (hopefully) more to come.
Insert comments about lack third party games being Nintendo fault, ignoring 3rd party's guilt.
Insert rebuttal as to why it is also the third parties fault.
There, saved us a bunch of arguing.
@banacheck this is not a nintendo official statement. As u know, nintendo doesnt comment about specs.
@MC808 #207 completly agree there I tend to keep up with Nintendo and Sony. I play games for Fun
@MC808 I should clarify that this was in Canada so we didn't have babbages. we had Toys R us and a second tier chain called Toy City. I had a TG-16 early on and used to get my games from a Toys R us store that my uncle ran, he told me one day that they had to ship it all back due to pressure from Nintendo. The reason given had something to do with shelf space allocation but he told me that there was massive pressure from nintendo to get this system out of shops before the SNES arrived. From that point onward I noticed that all toy stores and department (Zellars, Simpsons, Woolco etc.) dropped the system too. A couple years later I found the Turdo Duo at a Radio Shack and was super pumped! I asked the manager why they carried this and no other systems and although I don't remember his answer word for word it was very similar to what my uncle mentioned years earlier. NEC's competitive system was not "welcome" by Nintendo.
Nintendolife: never missing the chance to write a click bait article we've seen 100 times before.
At this point, 3rd parties are dead to me. I've been burned to many times this last year. Rayman delay, AS 4 delay and no dlc, arkham origins delay and no dlc, injustice delay and no dlc in my region and now a watch dogs delay. Enoughs enough. If your gonna treat a potental audience like dirt, expect the same thing back. At this point im gonna keep my wii u as a indie and nintendo game hub. Might get a ps4 years down the line if theres more then just kingdom hearts 3 that interests me.
You can all continue to blame nintendo as much as you want for the sales, but this situation is mostly the gamers fault for not buying 3rd party games and the other half of the blame goes to third parties for not putting any effort into their third party offerings and giving consumers any notion of respect.
@StreetRat Assassin's Creed sells, which is the reason why that series keeps getting new games. All those games you mentions were either poor sellers(Beyond Good & Evil) or have sold poorly in recent years(Rayman and Prince of Persia)
This is just like Shenmue with Sega. People expect these companies to make these games even though they have proven to be poor sellers in the past. How many more Rayman games have they made in recent years? How many of those games have flopped? The last Prince of Persia game bombed in sales, and the 2008 reboot did not do much better. As for Beyond Good & Evil, it bombed back when it came out. What will be any different 10 years later?
You may not like Assassin's Creed, Tom Clancy, and Just Dance games but those are the Ubisoft IPs that sell.
Its like Nintendo with series like F-Zero, Star Fox, and Metroid. Those are all series that fans are asking for, but the reality is that they aren't major sellers anymore.
That's the reason we see Nintendo focus so much on Mario, Zelda, Pokemon, and Kirby. Because those games are what sells.
It may not be the games you want, but its true for Nintendo, Ubisoft, and others. They all focus on a small set of core IPs that tend to sell.
you know what? this article does make a few good points but i still disagree. not in a confrontational fanboy way, but in a sense of perspective switch. the way i see it; if a company decides to delay the wii u version then that means they wont be rushing an unfinished product and want to polish it enough to exploit its full potential on the platform. that, to me, says that they have some sort of confidence that the extended amount of work will be worth it and that it will move units. if they didnt care they would either pull out entirely or push it out without adjusting it to adapt to wii u's specs. So in conclusion, i dont think the question is whether or not major third parties departures hurt the system, it is whether or not other third parties will invest the kind of time ubisoft is willing to invest to make sure they push a quality product.
@Mrclaycoat
Wow. I had no idea that went on in Canada. Nothing like that took place here in the States, thankfully. At least you got a Duo before they became scarce!
Nothing gets us in touch with our inner nerd like these articles
2013 Nintendo optimist: The Wii U will be fine.
2014 Nintendo optimist: The Wii U will be fine...with no games. Lol
@MC808 I agree with you I have a PS4 and it is honestly collecting dust I've not played it for days there really is no games that really appeal to me for the PS4 yet ., I've noticed it seems most people really dont care about the Watch Dogs news because of Donkey Kong TF , Mario Kart , X , Smash Bros , and some of the other titles coming this year .
@scrubbyscum999 It was a Nintendo rep (which means practically nothing) trying to toot his horn about the Wii U. I think WIi U graphics are fine but it definitely isn't 19x more powerful than PS3.
@BinaryFragger
Nintendo strong-arming? No, not cute cuddly Nintendo. lol
Here's the thing...
3rd party developers don't really benefit from selling their games on Nintendo consoles. like, at all. It's pretty rare that a 3rd party game will be profitable, and when it is it usually just barely breaking even.
What sells on Nintendo consoles are Nintendo games, and I believe that Nintendo has a solid fan-base that will buy their games.
So while I think it's a shame that the 3rd party support atm sucks, I don't really care that much. Give me more Smash Bro's. Give me more Kid Icarus. Give me more Kirby and Zelda. Keep a healthy relationship with Square and I'll be happy.
@BinaryFragger Nintendo has a legendary practice of being shady, lol. In the NES era especially when royalties to develop on the system were outrageous. This is part of what killed them going into the 64 and Gamecube. They were sill under the mentality that "Hey, we're Nintendo, we can do whatever we want and people are going to pay for it just because we're Nintendo." You know, kind of like what Microsoft is doing now. Needless to say Ninty did all kinds of garbage to kill the competition right after they became a prominent figure. I always find that funny... they just happened to get it right going from a nobody to a powerhouse seemingly over night and then commanded all the respect immediately after!
@BinaryFragger Amazing info!, thanks for the link, I'll be reading this on the subway ride home!
Who are these "tricked" Wii U owners who bought the console on or around launch, when they were skeptical on the system in the first place? That's a chop!
I love Nintendo and will only buy their consoles, but at this same point in the Wii's lifespan, I was grasping for straws! Besides Brawl, one of the only reasons I bought the Wii (and that was 2+ years in...) was because of the Virtual Console. By comparison, I already own eight for the U (5 cased including New Luigi & 3 downloaded) and got it this Christmas! I have faith that Nintendo will turn up the heat in the next year or two...and if they don't, guess what? I'll just buy their next system that truly returns them to the 'flash-and-brawn' formula that MS and Sony are currently using, should the "Doom and Gloom" of the U continue to prosper. By then, like the last two predecessors, I will have a 20+ game library that I'm proud of and will enjoy many times through for years to come.
#146 had some great points, but I believe #165 said it best: "I am looking forward to the future of Wii U because I play video games."
@MC808 And I loved it! Like Nintendo, their games we're original and refreshing! Also, if you look below your reply, BinaryFragger attached a link to the situation I mentioned. Apparently it DID happen in the states too! Crazy times. Regardless, I love Nintendo's products and I still love my Wii U
@gatorboi352 is it a problem if they only own nintendo consoles NO! , if they like nintendo only then ok that's fine no need to criticise them stop focusing on what people buy :/
@Mrclaycoat
Yeah, I stand corrected. lol Although, I never did encounter anything like that. The Babbages and Toys 'R Us in my area continued to sell the system throughout it's life-span. I have very fond memories of the ol' TG16, and it remains one of my favorites to this day. It's a good example of a failure that had more than enough good games for it to be very successful to me as a gamer. Kind of like the Coleco, the 5200 (yes, I actually enjoyed it), the Master System, the Lynx, the GameGear, the NeoGeo AES, the NeoGeo Pocket and Pocket Color, the Saturn, the Dreamcast, the N64, the GameCube, the PSP, the Vita. There are even a couple Jaguar games I really like. I imagine the WiiU will be added to that list some day. All of those systems were considered failures to some degree, but that didn't mean a thing to me. If you actually enjoy playing games, rather than spouting off about sales figures or staunchly defending some corporation that could care less about anything other than making a profit, it shouldn't mean anything to you either.
Just sayin'....
..and that last bit wasn't directed at you, Mrclaycoat.
@Nintenjoe64 +20 (I still have my collection of GCN games and love it) I belive time will be kinder to the Wii U, than the current doom sayers will have you belive.
Phil (Huge NZ Nintendo fan for Life!!)
As usual there are so many Nintendo fans that only care about Nintendo games and are quite happy with that. Therefore the wii u is powerful enough for them and they downplay the more powerful X1 and PS4 as being "PCs".
The hard fact they need to wake up to is that the sales are horrible and the company is suffering financially. How could this be good??
I like Nintendo and for the good of the company none of what is happening is good. I want third-party support, I want better wii u sales etc.,
Some fans hate to hear anyone "dooming" the system. They are out of touch with reality, like the fanatics in Berlin hoping for a miracle to save them from losing the war in 1945 when common sense indicated otherwise.
The above analogy may be a bit extreme but it really is like that in a not so morbid sense.
@MC808 well said
If you own a Wii U and are currently dissatisfied from lack of 3rd party support, you're probably just not a Nintendo fan, simple as that. My logic for this statement is as follows:
There are 3 types of gamers in the world. Gamers who enjoy titles exclusive to Nintendo platforms. Gamers who enjoy AAA multiplats. And gamers who enjoy both. Ok then.
If you enjoy titles exclusive to Nintendo platforms, like Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Monster Hunter, Pikmin, Donkey Kong, Mario Kart, Smash, Xeno series, Fire Emblem, Star Fox, etc... then you have no reason to be dissatisfied. The offerings in this department have been solid thus far, with games like Pikmin 3, Zelda Windwaker HD, Super Mario 3D World, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, Wii Sports Club, DKC Tropical Freeze, etc. We have some very nice titles coming this year, and many years to follow. If you like these games, Wii U is a dream come true. First HD Nintendo console. Screen on the controller. Awesome 1st party games. Nuff said.
Now, if you don't particularly enjoy titles exclusive to Nintendo platforms but like AAA 3rd party games, well, you goofed up buying a Wii U. I'm sorry but you did. There's a decent backlog of highly acclaimed ports right now on Wii U, like Darksiders 2, Mass Effect 3, Injustice, Splinter Cell Blacklist, Assassin's Creed 3/4, CoD BO2/Ghosts, Batman Arkham City/Origins, Resident Evil Revelations, Deus Ex, etc... all with gamepad integration, but by no means will the system provide future 3rd party titles coming to other consoles and PC. You bought the wrong system, simple as that.
Now, if you enjoy both titles exclusive to Nintendo platforms AND 3rd party AAA games, you have no reason to be dissatisfied, and here's why. You like both sides of the coin. You're a diverse gamer, and you like all kinds of experiences, not limited to a single genre or type. So on the one hand, you have a Wii U which gives you half of what you crave- the Nintendo platform exclusives. But it doesn't deliver the other half. Which is where your second console comes in. Your PS/Xbox gives you the OTHER half of what you crave, but not the Nintendo half. So your Wii U sits as an equal with your PS/Xbox. Each console provides one half, and together they provide the whole.
You're not dissatisfied with Wii U for not having 3rd party AAA games any more than you're dissatisfied with your PS/Xbox for not having Nintendo games. Even if Wii U is your only console, you understand that no console since the NES has ever provided both halves. And that still holds true today. Sure it may suck to only own a Wii U, and miss out on those games. But you'd be feeling the same way about missing Nintendo exclusives if you only owned a Playstation, because again, you like both.
So the only people who should be dissatisfied with the Wii U are those individuals who don't like Nintendo exclusive titles. And if that describes you, by all means contact me privately. I'll be more than happy to discuss purchasing your Wii U.
Not good news at all Nintendo games are amazing.
So nintendo's on games that's cool they make the best games anyway it will be a wait time for next games.
My stand on "no 3rd party support" for the Wii U is this...I don't have the time I used to to play games, so to be honest I pretty much stick to mainly the Nintendo franchises. I do this because a) I'm a long-time fan, of course and b) I know it will be quality. I work two jobs and go to college, so at the end of the day I would rather play a good, old-fashioned Nintendo game. I understand for people with more free time and have no other ways of playing those 3rd party games (PC or other consoles) may get upset by the fact it's getting little support. For me though, I don't mind, just hope the system doesn't have a small lifespan because of it...
The majority of Wii owners - "we never cared about graphics and we still don't"
Simple truth to a portion of the Wii U's problems. Either way, it's going to be home to some incredible exclusive titles.. and already is!! I really love the Wii U!!
@hotlfusion
Ten years ago, when you owned a Gamecube, did you freak out over Nintendo not getting all those AAA ports on PS2? Did you constantly worry about Nintendo being doomed from the horrible home console sales? I know I didn't. I was too busy enjoying the games.
Likewise, no one WANTS Nintendo to perform poorly in the market. But you have to keep things in perspective. They've sold about 6 million consoles in just under 1 year and 4 months. So honestly, estimate how many they'll have sold total by the time 2019 rolls around. If nothing improves, probably about 20 million, give or take. Same as the Cube. And if things improve (and I couldn't imagine the Wii U NOT doing better than last year, considering the library is filling out and consumer awareness is increasing), then it could even match the N64. That's not the equivalent of Berlin in 1945. That's actually, with the exception of the Wii, the Nintendo norm, albeit the lower end of the spectrum, but still.
It is what it is man. No, we don't like it, but we accepted what Nintendo consoles are decades ago. Not sure where this resurgent belief came from stating Nintendo needs AAA ports to survive. It'd be nice to have, but that ship sailed back in the 90's man. The games aren't on Nintendo consoles for one reason: not enough of US buy them. They're not profitable enough. That's not on Nintendo, that's on the consumer.
We do want better sales. Of course we want to see Nintendo and Wii U succeed. But 3rd party AAA games aren't the ticket. The sooner people realize this the better. I know everyone believes "if the Wii U just had more AAA games..." No. Those games will never sell Nintendo consoles.
Why, you might ask? One reason. Unless Wii U gets ALL the 3rd party AAA games, it may as well have none. Because unless it's offering the equivalent of PS/Xbox, people will STILL CHOOSE PS/Xbox for their console of choice when it comes to 3rd party games. And not just because they offer more, but they offer them with better visual fidelity, which plays to the strengths of those types of games.
Wii U has the potential to improve it's position in the marketplace, but those games won't move units for Nintendo. It's exclusives that move units when it comes to Nintendo hardware. Nintendo DOES need to focus on 3rd parties, but not for multiplats. They need as many ZombiU's, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimates, Bayonetta 2's, Lego City Undercover's, Sonic Boom's and Wonderful 101's they can get their little Japanese hands on. It's all about the exclusives- doesn't matter if they're 1st party or 3rd party.
@JaxonH
You make some excellent points. Well said. It's really all a matter of perspective, not everyone's is the same.
Of course the Wii U needs 3rd party support ! I was more of a retrogamer until I bought the Wii U. I totally skipped the Xbox and PS2/PS3 era. But now, with games like NFS Most Wanted, Lego City, Assassin's Creed IV (love the pirate theme, such a nice universe), and mostly Mass Effect 3, i just want more like those. Playing Nintendoland and Mario was, I'm sorry to say that, a bit boring. Fun, yes, but nothing really new. Just like when I was playing Mario on NES / SNES, then Mario on DS and Wii. The new sports club is a scam, I like the game but I'm happy with the Wii versions. Mario was as cool on Wii than on Wii U, just some little differences. Rayman was better than Mario, and makes better use of the game pad even. I can even say that I hate Nintendoland. Doesn't make me wanna play long ... only when my son wants me to play it with him, and the good mutiplayer mini games are too scarce.
With Mass Effect 3, I was so INSIDE the game. On Wii U, I'm still waiting for Mario Kart (mostly because I'll play it with my wife and my son, but I'm a bit bored with that game now), Zelda (the real one) and X ! Because X looks pretty new and exciting to me. Not really excited by DK, Yoshi, Pikmin, Smash Bros. I know too much what it is about. The worst thing, besides my personnal taste, is that Nintendo cannot demonstrate a good use of the Game Pad. I won't pay for a new version of Golf just to see a ball on the floor for exemple. Rayman, on the contrary, was very nice to play with the Game Pad and quite innovative.
I dislike the modern trend of violent videogame, like FPS. But some nice graphics and a good STORY TELLING is cool. I don't find that anymore with Nintendo ... Is that too much to ask ? Nintendo games, OK, but something deeper with nice graphics. You can't imagine how much I hope for the next Zelda. I want them to show they are next gen. Best would be, for me, some new and exciting Nintendo games and cool multiplatform games from 3rd party devs. It won't happen, and while I didn't care at all about Sony and modern gaming, I'll end up buying a PS4 I own a very good PC, but I just hate so much playing on PC. I like to keep it for some serious work, and playing from your sofa is much better. So yeah, a PS4. And I saw some very nice game on PS3 like Ni No Kuni ... I mean, new stuff.
Whose fault ? I don't know. But I think that, with the situation of Wii U now, Nintendo should do anything, like just showing a damn early screenshot of the next Zelda or tell more about X or anything, for people to keep the faith. We just have those Smash Bros screenshots each week and it's not what i'd like to see.
Don't get me wrong, I love Nintendo, it's not even that I changed and dislike their games. I just feel like playing the old games I have is enough sometimes, without having to buy something new because it's not really new. I won't ask for any HD remake again (even though I buy them when it's Zelda, because I just buy any Zelda), playing them on the original console is great. Maybe that's because I'm 34 soon, I played those games too much already, dunno. Damn, what an old fart
PS4 + Wii U for me, without big hopes for upcoming 3rd party games on the latest.
I believe wii u has one last chance to turn a its bad fortunes around by the end of the year. If not, than wii u will be a nintendo fan console only which is not so bad.
At this point I only want a WiiU for X. Nintendo have definitely lost the diehard fan in me. I may get a competitors console first in a console generation for the first time ever.
Dear GOD,
Please bless every Wii U and it's loving owner!
AMEN!
@Nintendo6400
Gamecube was a Nintendo fan console. And it's one of my all time faves.
@hylianhalcyon
I may not understand how a diehard fan could only be interested in X and not enjoy Pikmin 3, or Wonderful 101, or Super Mario 3D World, or be excited for DKC Tropical Freeze, or Mario Kart 8, or Smash Bros 4, or SMT x Fire Emblem, or the new "Zelda U" or the new "Metroid U" (whenever those games eventually come), or the scores of unpredictable franchises Nintendo will surely litter the console with over the coming years. But I can, and do, respect it.
However, think that opinions will differ once this generation is over. I think that once the FULL Wii U library is completed over the course of 6 years, it will be held in high regards, even by those who doubted at first. I've never owned a Nintendo console that I wasn't fully impressed with after everything was said and done
yeah, this is the end really for WiiU but not for Nintendo by a long shot. I can't wait until it's really gone and we can just get more space here for the all the great 3DS content. It's time to let it go and dump the resources into 3DS content until something else is ready for market. It's a sad situation but the console 'fight' this generation has clearly dumped one of the contenders which is a relief somewhat. Now I can pick something (or both), and then maybe still pick up a dusty WiiU in a year for cheap and try it's few good games.
It's ok. I'll be supporting Nintendo for years to come. Come on Smash Bros!
Wii U was actually my first console. Then I got a PS3, a 3DS and a Vita latter on. You can't have only one console if you are looking for games... I mean, Wii U has awesome exclusives and some third-party support, PS3 has a huge third-party support from western AND Japanese developers, not to mention Sony's exclusives. 3DS has unique content from both Nintendo and third-parties, and Vita has a handful of JRPGs you can't find anywhere else.
So as long as Nintendo keeps making games for the Wii U, I have nothing to complain. Of course, having a larger Wii U install base would make things easier.
@gatorboi352 Wii U's failure is, first and foremost, because of the 3DS. 3DS is why the Wii U lacked games, causing a snowball effect leading to where we are now.
Hell, 3rd parties walked away from the 3DS too, with the exception of Capcom and Atlus. Level 5, Sega, and Square Enix eventually joined in later.
What it basically boils down to is that Nintendo's studios are spread far too thinly by trying to juggle both the 3DS and the Wii U. I can guarantee you that the 3DS will suffer a major games drought in 2016 because Nintendo's studios are focused on Wii U games.
I feel like this is the same old stuff just different day. I buy Ninty consoles for Ninty games, not 3rd parties. I can play 3rd party games on my pc, just that simple!
@Ren
I think you're wrong, with all due respect. In fact, the 3DS will be gone before the Wii U is. Wii U isn't doing as bad as you think. It's not doing so bad it should be discontinued. It's on track to match Gamecube, and if it improves it could match N64. Now sure, this is the end for 3rd party AAA support, but that doesn't mean the end for the console. Wii U got more AAA support in 2013, in just one year, than any Ninty console in the past 2 decades. It was a short lived experiment that didn't pan out. As expected, the games didn't sell enough. Back to being a normal Nintendo console now, like all its' predecessors.
The Wii U is still relatively young. It's got 5 long years ahead of it, with full 1st party support of all our favorite Nintendo franchises, and whatever 3rd party exclusives Nintendo secures (like MH3U, Bayonetta 2, Sonic Boom, etc...) Why on earth would anyone look forward to that going away? Great games are great games, whether the console they're for is selling or not. And whether there are AAA ports in the library or not. Not having AAA games hasn't been an issue for Nintendo in 20 years. Why is it all of a sudden an issue now? What, just because it's doing poorly you think THAT is the reason? The two are unrelated.
The next console will be no different. Just a continuation of where the Wii U left off, and a repeat of all Nintendo's top franchises. Let's enjoy THIS one first before we start anticipating the next one. 3DS will be fine regardless. They're not going to SHIFT Wii U support to 3DS. They'll support Wii U til 9th gen, whether it sells 10 million or 100 million. So kick back, relax, and enjoy the exclusives! Unless you mount your consoles on your car like a hood ornament, a proud token of units sold.
@JaxonH Well that's the thing, I'm not a diehard fan anymore. I will get a WiiU at some point, primarily for X, and I will of course pick up some of those other titles as well, I never said they don't interest me. But they don't excite me. They don't make me want to go out and buy the system. Nintendo has been playing it too safe in their game releases this generation so far. If that changes, and I hope it will, then I agree, people could be looking back at the WiiU's library in fondness.
Additionally though, at this point the WiiU is shaping up to have the worst third party support for a Nintendo home console ever, and that also dissuades me from wanting to go out and get one when I'm not sure it'll be a worthwhile investment on either the first or third party front.
And contrary to what the average Nintendo fan thinks, Nintendo cannot keep releasing home consoles forever that have paltry third party support and hope to remain in the business. Unless they somehow get as lucky as they did with the Wii now and again.
To be honest, 3rd party support isn't necessary for Nintendo's consoles to succeed. 3rd party games have never, and will never, sell Nintendo consoles. Not sure why this is an issue. Guess what? The Wii U's successor won't have 3rd party support either outside of whatever exclusives Nintendo secures.
@hylianhalcyon
Ah, I see. Well, you can't help how you feel. And I would absolutely recommend owning another console, whether 3DS, PS4, or whatever. I play Wii U most, my 3DS second most, my Vita 3rd most, and my PS4 the least. But I do play, and enjoy, every one of them. And the more consoles you own, the less and less droughts are an issue.
For me, games that look really exciting are never as fun as they look. And the games like DKC Tropical Freeze, that might not be the most interesting to watch a trailer for, always end up being the funnest. I've found through many years of buying games that it's not always the "exciting" ones that turn out to be the funnest. Like, I'm playing Tomb Raider (PS4) right now. Game looked STUNNING in trailers. And it's great. But I still think I had more fun playing Pikmin 3, which looked pretty lame in trailers. Idk, diversity is the spice of life. Play what makes YOU happy
I prefer the Pro Controller over the gamepad. Make a bundle with Mario+LuigiU/3D World bundle w/ the Pro Controller optional. I'm so happy I got the WUPC in late Jan. 2014. I never wanna play Assassin's Creed or other major 3rd party games with the gamepad again. The gamepad was the selling point for me until I played Rayman Legends. (Rather just played w/ the WUPC) The gamepad is also the selling point for everyone else out there. 3rd parties are gone Nintendo. Up your game. Do actually GOOD VC releases and maybe GCN. That will for sure move units up a bit for a while until MK8 comes out. Wii U at least got major 3rd party games unlike the Wii. (Go to any page on Nintendo.com in the "Games" section, click on Wii, and tell me if you don't see shovelware galore.) The Wii formed Nintendo's "Kiddie" Image more. (DS also helped a lot w/ that too.) Wii had 3rd party support, and a lot of it, but most was shovelware. Did the Wii U have shovelware? Yes (Turbo, Monster High).
You know, I don't even know why I typed this comment.
@IceClimbers The NES, SNES, and Nintendo's handhelds have strong third-party support, and they were very successful. The NES won its generation due to the the third-party titles that could not be found anywhere else, while a major factor behind the SNES beating the Genesis was the third-party games that could only be found on the SNES.
Look at Nintendo's handhelds, and see how the strong third-party support helps them dominate.
I know Nintendo's first-party efforts will always be the man attraction, but I think you're underselling the impact of third-party games on Nintendo's platforms. All those systems has Nintendo's first-party classics, but they also had very strong third-party support as well.
@JaxonH I agree with you on that. I usually end up most enjoying the games that didn't have me too excited before I actually played them. Which hopefully will be the case for some WiiU games. I also agree that the more consoles the better, within a person's budget of course. Less droughts and more game diversity. And expanding one's gaming horizons is only a good thing.
@Gold Which is a shame because there are some really good 3rd party gems among the sea of shovelware. Games like Little King's Story, Madworld, etc. sold poorly and are extremely underrated primarily because most gamers passed over them, thinking they are shovelware. Even some 1st-party games were mistakenly thought to be shovelware. Sin & Punishment Star Successor comes to mind.
@Caryslan Nintendo forced 3rd parties to develop for NES/SNES, often times exclusively. Not exactly 3rd party support. As for the handhelds, GameBoy and GameBoy Color fall under the same thing as the NES/SNES. GameBoy Advance had no competition. DS was hyper-casual and thus received mostly shovelware. 3DS has crappy 3rd party support - only Capcom, Sega (Atlus), Level 5, and Square Enix are willing to support it. The others are either running around with mini defibrillators trying to bring the Vita back to life (double standards much?) or just ignoring handhelds all together.
Playing the devil's advocate for a moment. It's no wonder that 3rd parties aren't clamouring to make games on the WiiU. You've got a system that is basically a generation behind in terms of power, has a unique architecture and input device, competing against a new generation of systems that are essentially optimized PC hardware that's easier to code for, and have a larger install base. That's a no-brainer for the bean counters. It's sad but true.
@hylianhalcyon
Right. I've never been that big of a fan when it comes to 3rd party AAA games. Most of them bore me to death. But there are some gems out there. I have a PS4, and I frequent Pushsquare often, as I do Nintendolife. And I hear all the Sony fans all pumped up for games like Thief and The Crew. And ya know, those aren't really my thing. Ya they're flashy and have VERY good graphics, very high production values. But the actual fun of playing the game just isn't there for me.
But, what makes owning a PS4 worth it for me, are those rare games like The Witcher 3 and Final Fantasy 15 (if it doesn't end up launching as a PS5 game lol). Stuff like that. I'll probably only buy 5-10 games a year for the console (compared to the DOZENS I buy for Wii U every year, same for 3DS), but it makes the console worth owning. Likewise for Vita. It's niche, but I like niche. I like owning a forgotten handheld, then wham, you get a gem that no one else is playing because no one else owns the system. It's great.
@JaxonH
I know exactly how you feel. I'm the same way.
That reminds me......A few weeks ago I was chatting in an IRC channel and mentioned the Vita. Some guy chimed in with the comment: "The Vita is complete garbage, it has no games. It's only sold 4 million units.". I asked if he'd ever actually held and played a Vita before and wasn't surprised when he answered: "No". I said there's more than a few games I have that are really good, and proceded to name a couple of them: Lumines, Rayman Origins, Wipeout. His response was: "I thought you said you had good games?". I didn't even know what to say to that, so I said nothing. Now, anyone who likes the puzzle, racing, or platformer genres knows those are quality games. Whether you like them or not, to cite them as examples of the Vita being garbage is absurd. This guy has never even held a Vita, nor will he EVER have a positive thing to say about it. It's so unfortunate that there are people out there so blinded by love/hate for a corporation that they'll miss out on so many good games because of it. All just to maintain their fanboy attitude of: "That system sucks, it's not made by the corporation I worship.". Oh well, that's their loss.
I know this talking point is about 3rd party support for WiiU and I keep ranting about fanboys. That's because they're everywhere now, and plenty of these comments scream "Fanboy!"
@ricklongo The problem is largely due to advertising.
Multiplat games aren't given the same treatment on Wii U therefore it's a self fulfilling prophesy.
"Won't sell well - so lets not bother - but then it doesn't sell well - next time lets not bother - oh wow it didn't sell well, glad we didn't bother" Rinse and repeat.
@gatorboi352 I love both the Wii U and the Dreamcast I think if Wii U sales don't increase and Nintendo does make a large incentive to bring back third party developers then it'll be even more niche than the Dreamcast. The dreamcast had the golden age Capcom fighters on it's system, that's something the Wii U certainly will never have. Then again Wii U has Nintendo's first party titles so they may be on even ground. I think Nintendo can easily turn this around and meet around Gamecube numbers if they just market the damn thing and listen to the fans about the games we want. They have the ability, which SEGA did not have.
sad that wii u is getting less third party teams working o wii u
i don get it they say "yeah we support wii u" and have yet done anything this year all i can think of is that were getting spiderman, watch dogs, project cars, sonic boom, disney infinity sequel, and indie titles but thats about it.
This is how i see the comments...
Watch dogs gets delayed
OMG Nintendo IS DEAD!!
Wii U IS DED!!
WAHHH!!
Fans Get pokemon cards to Wipe the tears
WAHH!! Nintendo IS NINTENDOOM'D!!!
Wii U IS NOW 90001% DED!! THE NEXT GAMECUBE!!
NINTY IS DED!!
Nintendo IS TURD PARTEH!!!
Finishes Crying
My Controversial Response:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQYob6dpTTk
Oh no, I Play VG's only to have fun and now i will be flamed because i expressed my Opinion..Seriously..You guys DO NOT Dictate Nintendo's Future..Iwata promised! He was the same Man to push the Wii and DS into the 100s! He won't let us Down! Reggie and Iwata's Bodies are Ready!
FLAME SHIELD READY!!
I guess i'm dead 'Reputation Wise'..:
:c
@Memeboy3 Blasphemer!!
@hylianhalcyon Exactly. Nintendo needs to get it together, which they are now just starting to do. I'm sick of how fanboyish some sites can be, and this site is starting to take that direction. Wii U is a good niche system from what I've heard, but even Ubisoft can only afford to be so kind. Watchdogs probably won't be that last 3rd party game to grace Wii U, but it will certainly be the beginning of even less support. I wish NLife made an article about how Nintendo can make a comeback instead of sensationalist or we'll be okay articles. Niche stuff is nice and all, but can we get a better network experience on 3DS? Can Nintendo pay Rockstar Games to port GTA V with Yoshi, mushroom hallucinations, and a bunch of funny exclusive stuff? A few things like this could persuade people to buy a Wii U. 2014, X still isn't here, network accounts aren't finished, slow download speeds, no advertisement, etc. Better late than never, so hopefully Nintendo gets back on it. Iwata's a capable guy, after all.
@VincentV
Sadly, I think Reggie and Iwata have already dropped the ball. Maybe the Big N needs some new blood?
@MC808 See guys? I'm dead 'Resputation Wise'...
I'm gonna go away..
Take my comment with a grain of Salt..
Still enjoy the Poopstorm though! :3
@Rafie Originality and complete innovation? What from Nintendo lately has fit that description, if you don't mind me asking.
I was proposing they went 3rd party on consoles only, btw.
@Memeboy3
If people can't find the humour in your comment.....well then, I have little hope for humanity's future.
@SahashraLA I would rather play Metal Slug (Other than 7) or Alien Soldier than almost everything on the 3DS. There is one good Dsiware but it got 5/10 here for some reason when it is basically a clone of Metal Slug. (Commando : Steel Disaster.) But it is better overall than Metal Slug 7 (And doesn't have the normal scaling problems because it uses the bottom screen).
@gatorboi352 I think the average Nintendo owner does like and purchases third party games for the most part. These responses are typical on here from Wii U owners upset that third party aren't better supporting their console. It's true that Nintendo's shortcomings of failing to advertise and put out great content in a timely matter paired with third party releasing cheap or feature lacking ports are BOTH hurting the Wii U.
I really hope Nintendo aren't gonna push their console as a second console in the same way the Wii was. Yes the Wii probably was a lot of people's second console. I started with a Wii but when games like Borderlands and Red Dead Redemption came out, getting a 360 as well as the only option.
But it really isn't fair to expect people to buy two consoles. It should never be like that and Nintendo really need to do something to make theirs be the best it can.
But sadly this has not happened and Nintendo at this rate will be lucky to sell more consoles than the Gamecube
I love Nintendo and will always buy and support Nintendo consoles, even to the point of buying watered down 3rd party ports on Nintendo consoles…
When I need/want to try other publishers games I just use PC/Steam, it really isn’t that hard to be a Nintendo Fanboy and experience the goodness that occasionally pops up on the other side of the fence.
@MC808 You're right, those meltdowns are always fun to read and laugh at.
@Ren I agree fully.
@bizcuthammer Another correct comment. Well done.
nintendo are you reading or hearing the news that everyone is leaving you, you are by yourself now you have no third party support what in gods name are you going to do about it please just release some games or make a direct thats tells us that failed us and we will release games to fill those gaps and bring back third party support and everyone in the world thinking the wiiu will survive and wont be the end of us god nintendo think.
@rdenton85 "But sadly this has not happened and Nintendo at this rate will be lucky to sell more consoles than the Gamecube."
I was too busy playing Metroid Prime, Metroid Prime: Echoes, Windwaker, RE4, Super Smash Bros, F-Zero GX, XtremeG, Luigi's Mansion, Wave Race: Blue Storm, Rogue Squadron, Super Mario Sunshine etc.. Had I known it wasn't selling well I would have stopped playing and gotten rid of it.
@MC808 Oh the Gamecube in no way deserved to die the death it did. That machine had some incredible titles And I'm pretty sure it is the only machine to have 3 Zelda games. GBA is a grey area as 4 Swords was on the same cartridge as Link to the Past, which was a transfer.
Gamecube had three original Zelda games, 7 all together if you remember the NES and N64 games on that collectors disc , and arguably the best version of Twilight Princess.
And it had my favourite Paper Mario game, three Resident Evil games, the revival of the Metroid franchise, Sonic games on a Nintendo machine for the first time, and many new franchises such as Viewtiful Joe and Wario Ware.
It looks so doubtful that the Wii-U is gonna hit those levels, but I wouldn't mind something, although if I buy one one day, Pikmin 3, Wind Waker HD and Mario 3D Land would be bought on day 1
@rdenton85
Oh I knew you weren't taking a dump on the GameCube. I merely saw an opportunity to be a sarcastic fanboy and took it.
For me, Metroid Prime alone would have justified the system's purchase. IMO it's one of the best consoles ever. The day I finally received the component cables directly from Nintendo and my friend and I first played Prime in 480p, is a day I'll never forget.
has anybody even thought that maybe they delayed the game so they can have more time to work on the gamepad features or getting things right with the Wii U?? it's funny because when a game gets released half assed people complain why did they release it like that... but when they delay to make improvements people still complain... smh..
@Senario Same here, I was going to buy this game but I'm gonna wait to see what they are doing with the Wii U version, right now I'm thinking of saving up to build my first PC.. since my laptop isn't cutting it for me anymore.
@Peach64 or 660k on one console like they did with zombie u a new ip after a whole gen bloated with zombie shooters yup yup. Do ya know why that is? No delay, no bugs, no missing features and no platform favoritism. As far as I can tell you don't have a wii u. Ubi may have brought games but all except zombie u have had issues well and just dance I guess
@Doma We'll be here all day if we talk about innovation on a Nintendo console. You must be talking about the current situation with the Wii U. Well both the gamepad and Nintendo's own social media network alone is innovation not seen on other console. Just saying....
As far as them going 3rd party (even for just consoles) is a big no for me. I guess part of me still wants Nintendo to be it's own entity like it has always been. I have all consoles, so it doesn't matter to me. It just matters with Nintendo if they go 3rd party. They would lose huge credibility as a gaming company.
@JaxonH My friend hitting them with that knowledge again. I definitely agree with you here, as usual. I'm in the 3rd option of those who enjoy Nintendo exclusives and enjoy 3rd party titles. So yes I own multiple consoles that accommodates my enjoyment.
@Rafie Innovation doesn't matter unless the concept is actually good, imo.
I feel that they've already lost huge credibility as a gaming company, by screwing things up this badly.
@ThomasBW84 Your articles are always insightful and a good read, but they're quite hard to get through. It's not because you're a poor writer or you're speaking at a level that's "too high" to understand, it's because your whole article is filled with breaks. Have you noticed how many times you stop to add a remark in an article with "—"? You use one in every segment except the second to last, and most of the time you use two. There are 17 breaks in this article when accounting for only those which use "—". Many of your breaks are so long, by the time I get to the other side, I have to backtrack to remember why you broke off in the first place.
It's not like you're using them incorrectly, and I don't think you're a poor writer. I know I'm not in any place to criticize you, seeing that I'm just some user you don't know. Heck, I could be some angry teenager who thinks he's always right just as easily as I could be an old curmudgeon with a PhD in English or Literature (I'm neither of those, but you don't have to believe me). I also understand that my opinion doesn't mean anything unless you choose to place meaning on it, and I certainly don't think it's the "general opinion". I'm just a concerned reader who's having trouble stumbling through all these breaks.
As a Nintendo fan i put the blame for poor third party support at Nintendo's feet. They've got the money, so why not use it to fund some exclusives or buy some more developers and make them second party devs. All I keep hearing about is how much money Nintendo has, yet the don't seem to be using it to get more exclusives for their system.
If they would throw some money capcoms way and maybe get an exclusive monster hunter game for Wii u, some at square for an exclusive dragon quest ( not DQx but a real single player game), and a Wii u version of Pokemon, they would practically own japan.
Then they would just have to work with a couple of developers to get a few exclusives that would appeal to western audiences, maybe a first person shooter for all the brain dead man-children out there trying to prove their maturity, a serious westernised RPG like the ace looking The Witcher 3, and maybe a decent third person action game. That's just six games that would probably really turn the Wii u's fortunes around.
Seriously, Nintendo have the money, why don't they use it? Half the gamers on this site could probably run Nintendo better then they are at the moment.
It wouldn't really matter that much if the games were more interesting or made better use of the Gamepad, usually Nintendo's first party offerings made up for the third party support. But now? They're not really doing anything new or exciting, and gamers can't help but look at games like NSMBU, 3D World, and DKC:TF and think that it's just the same games we've seen before.
Woah, a lot of people writing mouth full paragraphs; took awhile to scroll to the bottom on my mobile!
Nintendo diehards- Oh yeah your amazing, we think you are really cool, we'll give you apart my love, but you would have to play the fool.
@Doma The concept was good though. Just not widely accepted....but neither was the Wii motes and look how the Wii turned out.
Also Nintendo isn't the only ones to blame here. Devs and their apprehensiveness can take some credit here. I don't know man. I just think Nintendo has plenty to stand on instead of giving up and going 3rd party.
I don't think I can blame devs for thinking their games won't profit on the Wii U.
I can blame them because they're not trying to appeal to Nintendo's audience at all, they keep making those dark, gritty mature games on Microsoft and Sony games and most of Nintendo's fans aren't that interested in that style. Third party devs should stop being so narrow minded.
3rd party's are a stop gap between exclusive's, that's always has been the case. It's not no longer 1980-90's it's 2014 and your trying to sell a console based on its first party's alone. Good luck, today's market- content is getting cheaper fast and people expect more for there money in the year 2014.
In fact Nintendo from the 90's would be more appealing today, than Nintendo today.thay use more of there IP'S back then, and that's how you should be with 3rd party support .
3rd parties are abandoning Nintendo. This is not something we can just ignore. For those of you who are saying "We don't need third parties anyway", that is your prerogative as a consumer, but we all know deep down inside it's anecdotal and it doesn't work that way, IF Nintendo wants to remain in the console race.
Nintendo needs to realize that it needs the same kind of hardware that its competitors have. Yes, the Wii did "win" the last generation, but it was a one-hit wonder that will most likely never be repeated. Gamers are not going to own two consoles like they did the last generation, and I seriously doubt that people will drop $300 just to buy Smash Bros.
What Nintendo needs to do now (I have said this before and I will keep repeating this until this actually happens) is to start developing a true 9th generation console that will truly make Microsoft and Sony squirm. No more gimmicks, no more half-hearted support from 3rd party developers, and actually ASK them on what want out of a 9th generation console. The days of developers making games for Nintendo are long gone; it has to be the other way around this time. That kind of research needs to start now.
@Zach777 Lol I hope that was a joke. Source if you're being serious.
You know I'm going to be honest. I don't blame 3rd parities. Cause Nintendo has failed. Its not what it use to be 5 years ago. I just wish Nintendo could just listen to the developers and customers. Especially hardcore fans like us. It's a shame it really is.
My children, (7 and 9 years old), own a Wii U. Their buddies owns either playstation 3/4 or X-BOX 360. What hits me is that all of their buddies thinks that the games on the Wii U are much better than the systems they own. They are amazed over Lego city undercover, Super Mario 3D, Wind Waker and even the old Wii titles zelda twilight and skyward brings a smile on their faces. Heck, even Rayman legends is better on the Wii U. When DK freeze, Mariokart 8, Smash and the long awaited Zelda titles clocks in everone will be sorry they don't own a Wii U. The new titles on PS4 ain't exactly gold.
Nintendo have always and will always make the best games. That's it...
@PokeTune Those 3rd parties deserve every bit of shun too. Not just from Nintendo fans, but Sony/Microsoft fans too. Their sales are eventually going to falter, and they will crash and burn. To be perfectly honest, I cannot wait for it to happen. This industry is set to crash. It is inevitable. The faster it crashes the better.
@gatorboi352
@GunstarHero234 " I keep stating this on the W_D page instead of having one console get a secondary system jesus what's so hard about that"
"Uhhh different financial situations? Some of us would like to enjoy an all in one console experience. Shocker concept, I know."
I managed to keep saving up while under threat of becoming homeless.
You don't get much more dire than that.
If I can do it, anyone can. Being cheap and wanting everything on one system is not a good excuse to wish death-by-dropping-out-of-consoles on Nintendo.
Man up, save up, then get the games on the systems they were meant to be played on.
@Shadowkiller97
Good point!
While i don't think Sony or Microsoft would pay anything to organize a 3rd party Nintendo boycott (they're already too busy payin' for their own exclusives, after all), a similar idea came to my mind lately...
When you look at last gen, Nintendo made the most money of it: 150 million DS, 100 million Wii, soooo many multi-million sellers of their own, plus all the fees on any 3rd party game sold... so, what if THE WHOLE GAMING INDUSTRY sees Nintendo as a too though competition, which needs to be weakened in order to gain a larger part of the global gaming pie?
Just think of it, and you know it makes sense... because Nintendo not only releases hardware with business opportunities, like Sony or Microsoft: they release games, like any 3rd party you could think about... they release VERY good and VERY successful games, and that's why many 3rd parties are maybe the ones who can't stand Nintendo's huge success anymore... the competition isn't only Microsoft or Sony in the hardware part of the business, it's EVERYONE in the software part of it...
@IceClimbers agreed. The sooner it crashes, the sooner devs and console makers alike will get that long time coming wake up call that the crap their pulling these days across the board is unexpectable. Ubisoft will be first giant to fall
@jenkje I'm not surprised. Outside of Minecraft I'd think the pickings for the pre-teen market would be pretty slim on those systems and you'd be lacking the iconic Mario. Can't say I've met a kid yet who doesn't like those games. If Minecraft was on the Wii U it would be the perfect family system, but I can get it on iPad for five bucks and it saves kids fighting over the machine so that's okay.
The second year is just starting so news of the system's doom is still premature. If sales take off mid-year following a Mario Kart release third parties will be scrambling to put something on the machine. We also shouldn't discount Nintendo making a concerted effort to recapture more of those folk who bought a Wii. I don't think we can completely write off the non-game-obsessed market just yet, because Nintendo simply hasn't made their value proposition known there. I still think a big promo like an upgrade trade-in would be a good idea to get those folk along for the ride.
If not there will still be games on my slightly less little white box I want to play, regardless of what the likes of EA and Activision do.
@BXXL I'm sorry, i don't buy the whole "Everybody is jealous of Nintendo"-story, the reason third parties don't make WiiU-games is twofold: The WiiU's architecture is too different (Makes ports expensive to do, re-programming and all) and secondly, the "We buy Nintendo for Nintendo games"-crowd that seems to be the majority of WiiU-owners, which means that if the developers spend the time and effort to port a game to WiiU, it gets snubbed because it doesn't have Mario in it.
Publishers don't give a damn which console "wins the console war" this generation as long as they make money publishing games for it, the WiiU isn't making them any money so they ignore the WiiU, pure and simple, and no matter how hard you cry "We can do without third-party games lol!", Nintendo will need those games anyway to make their next console profitable (Nintendo can't make the games they need to be competitive on their own), the casual/soccermom market has gone to phones and tablets now, so they need to get big-name games out there and fast.
The thing that's really starting to annoy me the most is the complete and utterly deafening SILENCE coming out of Nintendo at the moment. Where the hell is the Nintendo Direct for 2014. Everyday I check the web thinking ,'" will today be the day that Nintendo announces their next Direct?". And everyday the same thing, nothing!
Does Nintendo think that all of us Wii U owners who have invested our money into their new console are quit happy to sit around twiddling our thumbs with no news as to what we can look forward to. The next Nintendo Direct is way over due in my opinion, especially in light of recent events.
Is Nintendo so out of touch with their fans that they really don't know what we want? I'm just completely lost as to their way of thinking at the moment.
@smashbrolink Yes I agree but these people wants to miss out on the great experiences on other consoles and when something like this happens on their "Brand" system they run to a fansite and complain it to the world like little children at a playground when they can't get the "sweets" they want and trying to have it they way so tragic to me and embarrassing. So like you say everybody isn't rich hell I'm NOT rich but I work for what I want so what's so hard to buy a console you want, half of these people quickly saved up $350 to buy a Wii U on launch so.........why couldn't they save up for the rest of the consoles/PC if wanted to?
we have known this for a while but then again I get Nintendo consoles for Nintendo games I have my PS3, PS4 and PC for everyting else
@Bolt_Strike Bolt dude first off your community need to stop being narrow-minded majority of ya'll hardly buy 3rd Party titles that isn't Nintendo made in the first place look at reality on the other thread about Ubisoft Q3 2% to 4% that's pathetic and you have the audacity to comment that 3rd Parties needs to stop being narrow-minded just because they develop titles you don't freaking like which is nothing but give different experiences out what Nintendo gives sigh....-_-
I hate you now Nintendo, you are not the big N anymore not the king of games anymore, you don't deserve people respect. Just die like Sega, let Sony and Microsoft run the show. I hate you I hate you.
PS: I hate you.
I skipped reading all the love/hate relationship comments because I would rather get back to playing the superior DIGITAL 4 LYFE version of Assassins Creed 4 on Wii U. So now it looks like 2014 will officially become the year of ↓
Not even the mediocre 3DS can save them now
i am probably buying a ps4... i want to play some of the big games also... and not like AC3... the drive went crazy
@GunstarHero234 It is their own fault they firesale everything after only a few months. They are not a charity doing good work or anything. With Nintendo get it straight away or wait a year and it makes little difference in terms of cost usually. With Ubisoft you can get it for a quarter of its cost. (Or even less if you can tolerate uplay which I personally cannot). Everything is a sequel from them yet is almost exactly the same as the last one. (With the worst version on the Wii U). If it is a good version of a good game like Deus Ex I see the point. But buying inferior versions of games is worse in the long run as it gives the impression that is acceptable.
@DIE4GOD Is that sarcasm? Because that comment is quite childish if it's not.
@unrandomsam Well in your analogy of Ubisoft "failing" is a category for you but to me which I practically just don't give a damn but I see the problem that can be solved by buying the version that isn't inferior nor "waiting" for a delayed version so sorry I just cannot agree with your comment because I don't see games from Ubisoft that was the "same" regardless of Assassins Creed.
I think the only way Nintendo is going to shift the Wii U is to give existing Wii owners (100m) a trade in offer for their console, you then get a good discount off a Wii U, makes perfect sense to me, come on Nintendo!
Nintendo is far from dead. Nintendo is one company that can rely on it's own first party to stay afloat. and not only stay afloat but completely excel. I have been openly loving sony lately. the ps4 is completely epic. it really is. BUT the fatc remains Nintendo is a better developer. if MS or Sony lost their 3rd party support what would they be? they have some original 1st party content but not much. I for one never liked halo. MS and Sony are almost completely made up of 3rd party games. Nintendo has survived and thrived on their original 1st party titles. that is strength, complete power. I bought a ps4 for 3rd party games. I bought a Wii U because I knew it would bring me things only Nintendo could. Nintendo should forget 3rd party and remember how legendary itself is. bring us the games only Nintendo can bring and the Wii U will prosper. release a new Metroid, starfox, Zelda, super Mario galaxy 3 or Mario sunshine 2, the ideas are out there. a lot of titles that could turn heads.
hardware honestly is not the issue. 3rd party isn't the issue either. Nintendo seems to have forgotten itself.
@GunstarHero234 ZombU is the only one that is not a sequel.
@unrandomsam Remember though Ubisoft did state that there was going to be a sequel for the game but got canned due to ZombiU didn't do pleasant in sales.
Why do everyone blame the lack of third parties on Nintendo when the real culprits are the third parties and consumers? This is like blaming Russia for being invaded by Germany after Germany promised and signed an alliance. After all the games that came to the console where year latest port with less features and overpriced.
@DarkKirby The problem is that on PS and XBOX EA, Ubi et al don't have anything getting in their way- they are the system sellers. On Nintendo there are the first party games which sell the most. My friends work at Ubisoft and were explaining to me how disappointed they were with ZombiiU- arguably one of the system's best games (rightly so) but they lost millions on it. I have to be honest- I picked it up for £8 in a bargain bin. If the companies aren't going to make money on a platform then why would they produce games but I think that Nintendo can ride this storm if they sort out their own releases and the eshop.
@SuperBoo76 What on earth do the 3DS versions have to do with people's understanding of the Wii-U? Obviously they shouldn't have used the name Wii-U in the first place, but too late for that now, so all that's left for them to do is get/create more games for the system and market the hell out of it.
Shamefully, Nintendo seems to be scared to invest more money into Wii-U, which could bring them into the cycle of getting less sales, investing even less, getting even less sales, etc.
IMO they should be persuading (better put: pay) other developers/publisher to get exclusive games on the Wii-U, because that's the only way I'd see sales drastically improving. Most people don't buy a Wii-U for multi-platform titles anyway.
Other than that I think the amount of first-party Nintendo titles on the Wii-U is also pretty damn scarce and should be improved upon (though there are already quite a few big names releasing this year). It's actually quite astonishing that Nintendo has only released FOUR (three if you don't include the Zelda-port) proper titles for the Wii-U since it's release, namely: Super Mario 3D World, Pikmin 3, Wonderful 101 and Zelda: WW HD.... how can they expect it to sale a decent amount when even their own support is tragic?
(WiiFit U, WiiSports Club and Wii-U Party don't count as proper games in my book, since they're just rehashes of Wii titles)
I'm sorry but it's just so hilarious when you remember that less than year ago the arguments were about how the Wii U was gonna have the best third party support because of being cheaper to develop for (an argument that never made sense) and now its all about how third parties don't matter to the Wii U
@datamonkey
I agree with everything u say. Though selling wiiu is not a wise move. With new Zelda, Donkey Kong, Metroid, Mario kart, Bayonetta, X, Smash Bross on the way i would not dare to think selling the damn thing
what sucks is that no one in nintendo seems to be doing anything about it we havent even seen another direct o.O
Eh, its not a big deal. Granted the Wii U isn't doing to well, Nintendo doesn't need third party support to survive. Many of the major third party developers backed out of the Wii U before it even started. So why bother with it?
Note: I am speaking for myself here. I can easily be wrong about this.
@SuperBoo76 Well the 3DS is already a winner and both the XL and 2DS cater to different demographics (XL for older people, 2DS for children).
Dunno about that 'Family Wii' and if it was ever even launched (it's not purchasable now), but I doubt the Wii-Mini has any significant impact on the Wii-U sales. It's the name Wii-U that's stopping people from getting it, since they already own a Wii, but it's not like a lot of people now buy a Wii (Mini) and not notice they'd need the more than twice as expensive Wii-U to play the Wii-U specific games.
@MC808 I agree with you 100%!
Third party support is very important, but Nintendo doesn't do much to secure it. As much as people like to disagree with Iwata, he's right when he says a certain type of game appears on Nintendo systems. Perhaps it's because Nintendo consoles have a stigma attached to them as of late for being under powered and, less recently, for kids. The big N probably can't shake that image, but they can do their best to get at least some more third parties on board. That being said, the best thing they can do is get exclusives, as fanboys will still act like the Wii U has no games worth owning. When they say Wii U has no games worth owning, they mean the Wii U has no exclusives worth owning. Nintendo has great games, but they have more to prove in the eye of the "core gamer", a term I've come to abhor, so they have to work on the Wii U's image problem.
"The Wii U is a system for exclusive, different experiences mostly from Nintendo and, in some instances, from allies, partners and third-parties. It won't deliver all of the multi-platform blockbusters with enormous marketing budgets — it just won't."
Again, Thomas pretty much says what I was thinking. I'm actually okay with that this go around, as I'll be a new dad soon and I won't have time to play a ton of games for a while. When I do get time to game, the Wii U will have more games for me to play and I'm okay with that. For the rest of you who have nothing else to do but play games, having a Wii U might not be for you right now...
@SuperBoo76 your experience is not mine. After heavy use my 3ds is as trusty as ever. It's actually better built than the early DS lite. My 3ds is from 2011.
@GunstarHero234 I am quite satisfied with the 1st and 3rd party support on Nintendo. Steam is literally only for Skullgirls for me. Of course we all have to love the AAA Western titles, can't have different opinions.
We've known for a while third-party support was going to collapse. Problem is if Nintendo are happy with that they have to prove they can support the machine alone if it's to have a chance of even Gamecube sales and any kind of profit.
Given the indolence consistently on display by them I'm not confident at the minute. Their release schedule for the machine has been, by their very high standards, poor. 3 platformers with another due next month. 4 mini game collections (6 if you add Wii Sports and NES Remix from the eshop), 2 singing games. Add another platformer and another mini game collection if you count the Sega exclusives. Zelda is a HD remake. We only have firm release dates for one game. Some of those eagerly anticipated titles with a TBA date haven't been seen for months. No sign of beloved franchises like Metroid, Starfox etc. and the VC is an insult.
Wake up Nintendo.
@Macarony64
If a platform holder wants third party support, they have to create an environment where third parties are confident they'll make money. If the same publishers are happy to support other formats, it's the platform holders fault.
@Shadowkiller97 - I guess it depends on your definition of "support".
2/3DS is selling, it has a great back catalog of games, and it has Pokemon and AC, I think some people would buy the system just for those 2 games, and if you look back over the past week or so there has been more good news for 3DS than Wi U
And most importantly, I don't read about people worried about 3DS becoming the next Dreamcast or 3rd parties dropping support for the 3DS. So the Wii U NEEDS support, and right now. The 3DS is basically fine. But Wii U owners, and prospective Wii U purchasers - if there even is such a thing - could really use some psychological support for their system.
So maybe yes, 3DS and Wii U have the same number of games coming out this year, but the Wii U has been taking much more of a beating in the news.
In the ER, 1 person has a paper cut, 1 has a gunshot wound, if you show those people the same level of bare minimum support the gunshot victim is going to die.
if the price was lower 3rd party support would not matter and nintendo games will fly off the shelf. but at the store this morning there was a ps3 with 1 year ps plus and 2 games for $299.99. i only saw the barebones wii u with nintendo land, not even the mario bundle which should have been standard. i have 2 wii u and i paly mostly pikmin 3 and mess with the web browser a lot but i do wish they would allow .avi and .mp4 video playback. but in another year we will see what happens
@electrolite77 you are half right. It is true that Nintendo has to help them but is also true that Nintendo didn't have to help half asset games that didn't have a wiiu advantage. If they want Nintendo help they have to give Nintendo something to advertise or else Nintendo is just wasting money promoting games for the other plaforms. Did you notice his Nintendo killed all adveirtse when rayman legends was send multiplat and deus ex? Nintendo will not do the same stupidity Sony is doing for the sake of third parties unless Nintendo is also getting something in return.
@Sceptic
"if nothing else, then the last weeks have made it quite clear that we, the stupid suckers that already gave them our money, are very last on their priority list."
As a Nintendo fan of 23 years vintage I'm getting used to feeling like that
It's O.K.
@MC808
Yep, I love the Prime games although I preferred 2 with its horrible difficulty, but while I owned a PS2 at the time, I remember how Prime was delayed in Europe and didn't come out at Christmas. A big shame as I don't think enough people knew of it with its spring release. A shame as to me Metroid Prime and Wind Waker were the two games that really showed off what the console could do.
Mario Kart and Smash Bros were great games but I think those two were the best early ones. I just never enjoyed Mario Sunshine though
Eh, I got a Wii U with the same mindset as the Wii - I got it for games I could only get on the system, be it Nintendo, Virtual Console, or 3rd party. Granted, I only have a few 3rd party games - Sonic Lost World, The Amazing Spider-Man, Disney Infinity, ZombiU - but I love the console's features. I really like the Off-TV play, as now I don't have to wait to use the TV, Miiverse is cool, and I got to experience DuckTales Remastered and EarthBound. I'll also be getting Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Mario Kart 8, and Super Smash Bros. It might sound dumb, but the reason I didn't bother going for Xbox One or Playstation 4 is because none of the games on either system really interest me. So, I'm just sticking with Wii U as my console this time around.
@Tasuki so true! Games come first for a gamer. I love all the systems. It's incredible to have all this variety to choose from and enjoy.
@MAB lol nice. Ppl are so dramatic.
Nintendo is making the same mistakes again!
@scrubbyscum999 Actually that's your opinion but in fact my opinion of hating Skullgirls but seriously my point was not to force everybody to buy 3rd Party titles but people don't have to be a douche spreading their agenda on the internet about what's better than the other or having some fanboy hate on others what they experience that isn't a Nintendo product.
@rjejr Yes, that's my point. It's all just bad news... And that is fueling the perception that Nintendo needs to do something more... As a consumer, how can you demand Nintendo to release more games for the Wii U when you don't make similar demands for the 3DS and its pumping out the same number? Games take time to make... months and years... even if they change their strategy and shift all focus to Wii U after seeing the low sales... it will take a couple years for the fruits to show up.
Yes, the 3DS has a bigger backlog, but the 3DS is 1.75 years older too. AC and Pokemon both came out more than 2 years after the console was launched. The Wii U is barely 1 year old. Third party support is not that different for the 3DS and the Wii U... Assassins Creed: Liberation came out for Vita but skipped 3DS... Same for Rayman Legends... etc. It is getting copies of Lego games and Skylander games and Disney Infinity games... but the Wii U is as well. So the big M rated games are skipping the Wii U... but surprise surprise... there arent that many M rated games on the 3DS either. The big difference is that the media is very focused on these M rated big-budget games in the home console arena.
I dont think the problem is a severe lack of support/games for the Wii U but rather a horrible perception created by negative PR. I dont think it's a good idea for Nintendo to empty its coffers trying to get the big AAA games on its console. Rather I think they need to try harder in pushing positive PR.
To your analagy, in the ER, its 1 person with a paper cut all calm and collected and the other person with a paper cut as well screaming in pain. The treatment is the same, you just have to be more patient and nicer with the screamer.
@SuperBoo76 So aren't you part of the problem? I've only had one 3DS since it was first released and would never want a XL, seeing as it just blows up an image that was made with a smaller screen in mind (aka making the screen bigger but keep the resolution the same = blurriness). Never had any reason to 'upgrade' my 3DS and basically let my wallet say: "yes Nintendo, please make a new iteration of your handheld each year, I'll buy it!"
I've also owned every single Nintendo console to date (apart from the DS Phat/DSXL and as stated the 2DS/3DSXL) and all of them still work like a charm, as does the 3DS obviously. Hell, it's part of the reason why I love Nintendo so much; their stuff just doesn't break out of the blue. So that really makes me wonder what you're doing to your hardware that makes it break so easily? Only thing I can agree upon is the 3DS screens weirdly aligning, which is why I always have a piece of cloth between the two screens when I close it.
@SuperBoo76 My 3DS XL has been sent back once because the circle pad wore out incredibly quickly. I don't think it is a good design. (Worse than the cheap and nasty chinese tablets when it comes to build quality.)
We all need to understand that it's not just 3rd parties that are to blame, nintendo have been sleeping on the job. I would call it 50/50, half nintendo and half 3rd parties.
The quality of the Wii U is not the issue here, anybody that owns one knows how good of a console it is, and if you say otherwise then there's no pleasing you.
It's not even the games, I highly doubt that X1 or PS4 will have games like wonderful 101, pikmin 3, mario 3D world, and Zombi U out in their first year, for Wii U owners in 2013, there was always games to play. It's the future that worries us.
It doesn't matter if the Wii U was a success or not, most 3rd parties just dislike nintendo for some reason (maybe because they don't cough up the green)
I can prove it, remember when black ops 2 was announced ? why is it they had already decided not to give the Wii U version nuketown 2025 before the Wii U was even released ? for all they knew the Wii U could have been a runaway success. But NO, they wouldn't even give it a chance.
Maybe not this gen, but when the war is over and the dust has settled, nintendo will still be standing, and all the 3rd parties (the ones that are left) will be crawling back to nintendo with their tail between their legs.
Despite phenomenal success with the PS4, sony are in a bad, bad way, and the X1 hasn't exactly had the impact the 360 had.
But good old nintendo are doing Ok, so they must be doing something right.
@Peach64 ZombiU sold 600,000 copies on a 3.5 million install base.... so.... yeah...
@SuperBoo76
The 3DS is very well built. The original is arguably better built than the XL. I know what you're talking about on the back coming off, but that really isn't that big of a deal for alot of people. I had an original 3DS from 2011, then got an XL when those came out. My brother dropped both of them from 3 feet or higher multiple times and only got a few scratches.
So, from my experience, 3DS/DS systems are very durable. The backing might try to come off a little if you accidentally pull at it, but it won't even come off all the way without unscrewing it. I can assure you that the 3DS variations are VERY durable. Maybe you don't like the design or have been very rough, but I've never had a Nintendo handheld or console "die" from physical damage.
@SuperBoo76 I wasn't trying to flame you, sorry if it came of that way. Hadn't noticed you returned ALL items (not just the Amazon purchase), which makes me wrong about calling you part of the problem, seeing as I thought you now owned multiple 3DS'. That is something which (IMO) way too many people do and which is just an incentive for Nintendo to first release a worse product and then upgrade it a year later.
Does seem weird to me that, even though a bunch of people I know own a 3DS/DS and none of them ever had any issues with it (except for one of them who bought it second hand with a broken mic). Guess, as you say, the build quality can vary between factories/regions, though it seems kind of illogical to me that the manufacturing process wouldn't be bound to the same work method in each factory, no matter where it's located.
@gatorboi352 It's hard to care about 3rd Party when OUT OF THE GATE in 2012 their games on Wii U never had parity with other console versions of the same game. Before they could make the excuse about Wii U not selling, their Wii U LAUNCH titles were:
-Lacking features, modes found on other systems
-Had framerate and stability issues
-Cost more (Mass Effect 3 for $60 vs. Mass Effect Trilogy for $60 on other consoles)
-Delaying highly anticipated games (Rayman Legends)
-Little to NO DLC
3rd Parties shot themselves in the foot on Wii U LONG BEFORE they could make excuses about sales. And they continued to blunt their own Wii U game sales by continuing to cut features, DLC and they expect Wii U owners to buy INFERIOR PORTS?!?
They did everything they could do wrong to make sure their games didn't sell on Wii U in. Facts are facts.
Nintendo needs to assimilate 2 or 3 more studios into second party developers,like they did with Retro.
@Mizzah_Tee
sp right my friend.... so right... such a shame with those circles of doom....
@Shadowkiller97 - "Rather I think they need to try harder in pushing positive PR."
That's all I ask. A list on their Facebook page or website that has some Wii U 2014 games and "tentative" dates.
Feb: DKCTF
Mar: Bayonetta 2
May: MK8
Summer: Yarn Yoshi
Autumn: SSB
Holiday: X
It's a pretty nice list, I don't even need any more than that, I'm not expecting Zelda this year, or a new Metroid game, I just want a time frame or stuff we already know about but Nintendo won't - for whatever reason - talk about. They could even throw in some 3rd party stuff to round out a few moths like Lego Hobbit in April.
Know what really bothers me though? Seeing that link to "TOP WII U STORIES" at the bottom of this page - 2nd entry is:
"Nintendo Direct Focusing On Wii U And 3DS Games Coming Spring 2014 To Air Tomorrow"
EVERY FREAKING SINGLE TIME i SEE IT i THINK IT'S A NEW POST. I know that's my fault for being an idiot, but still.
This is an age-old problem with Nintendo, and it's easy to see why as they don't prostrate themselves for the likes of EA, but at this point mainstream gaming has deteriorated creatively to the point where, personally, I just don't care. I haven't gone with just one console in a generation since literally the NES, but I don't see why I shouldn't stick with Wii U now. If modern AAA gaming is an unsustainable model, maybe Wii U isn't in such a bad position after all.
electrolite77: "We've known for a while third-party support was going to collapse. Problem is if Nintendo are happy with that they have to prove they can support the machine alone if it's to have a chance of even Gamecube sales and any kind of profit"
This, a million times.
@Macarony64
Maybe they're blaming Nintendo because Nintendo made the system? That would be my guess.
@SuperBoo76
I'd have to say that your experience, if true, is the exception, not the rule. Never have I had anything from Nintendo that I would describe as poorly made. Everything I've ever bought (and I've pretty much bought everything they've ever made..even the Virtual Boy) has been, and still is, solid as a rock. I also don't know anybody who has experienced anything remotely like what you claim to have gone through.
The odds of getting 5 defective systems in a row are absolutely astronomical, but I suppose it's not impossible. Although, I think you'd have a better chance of being struck by lightning, mauled by a bear, and winning the lottery.... on the same day....in less than an hour..... making you the most unlucky human on the face of the Earth. Well...at least you would've won the lottery. Making you the most unlucky lucky human on the face of the earth, and you could afford to buy 5 more 3DS XL's.
...and just because someone disagrees with you, or disputes what you say, doesn't mean they're trolling or flaming you. Just thought I'd throw that out there.
Sadly everything in this article is true. What Nintendo will do to fix this IDK but it's going to be hard that's for sure.
@GunstarHero234 That's not the way the business world works, though. Consumers don't simply buy something they don't want, it's the responsibility of the developers to create a product that appeals to consumers. If third parties want their games to sell on Nintendo consoles, they need to make games that appeal to Nintendo fans, plain and simple. The third parties mainly want to make games for the generic dudebro shooter fans of Microsoft and Sony most of the time. And that won't work on a Nintendo console because Nintendo fans have completely different tastes in games. Variety is good, but what the third parties are doing isn't variety, they're limiting themselves to the same settings and audiences. Hence why I say the third parties are being too narrow minded.
@Bolt_Strike
They will always take the path of least resistance to profit. As long as people keep eating this crap up and they continue making money hand-over-fist, things aren't going to change.
People like us on this site are the minority. They rarely, if ever, pay attention to the minority.
Although, a vocal minority is another matter.
@BinaryFragger And Microsoft has a deal with EVERY developer. If they are making a multi-platform game, it has to come out on the Xbox at the same time as every other version, or they won`t allow it on their system.
The guy @ IGN, went home to review a Wii U title, came in next morning, handed in his review. Problem was, everyone had already noticed he had left the game, still in its jiffy-bag on his desk all night. That smacks of being biased.
Sure, Nintendo HAVE to start spending some of their massive reserves. I have said it before, offer to co-publish 3rd party titles, thereby off-setting a lot of the cost to the developer. In return, they would not have to sell as many copies to return a profit.
As for Xbox ONE owners, if you are stupid enough to not understand that they WILL start to re-introduce those policies they did a quick u-turn on, then that is your fault. They had those policies for a reason, and they have not simply gone away. Once they have sold enough units, it will hapen. And there is talk of a cheaper version to be released, which has no physical drive, mmmm, DRM comes to mind!!!!!.
It has been shown time and again, if anyone can turn a bad situation around, it will be Nintendo. It was the same when the 3DS was launched. Everyone saying it is doomed, will not sell. Well, I think the figures speak for themselves.
Lastly, does nobody remember the bad start the PS3 had? Of course not, because they eventually turned it around. Although, they only started making a profit after 6 years. And to bring the PS4 to the market, they had to lay off staff and close down several offices. And now they are set to sell of their computer division, why? Need the money maybe?
@Darknyht Nintendo is not too bad with the smaller studios though. Considering how great they are doing with Indie's right now, I wish they would enter negoitiations with the more artistic and experimental studios. Although we get all the retro throwback titles they are still missing out on the most creative/important indie titles in the industry. When the successful kickstarter campaigns start coming through this might change.
@boynerdrambling Indeed. Capcom will fall before Ubisoft does. I still have respect for Capcom though - they were the ones who stood by the 3DS by releasing the exclusive Resident Evil Revelations instead of pulling all support like most of the other 3rd parties did when it was failing. Sega has my respect, but also a lot of pity at times too.
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