Feature: Hopes and Dreams for Nintendo's 2017

I just want plentiful, good games, regardless of platform.

Third party support or bust.

Nintendo must support their systems/games and understand the video game market. That's the only way the Switch will succeed!

My wishlist for the Switch.

-Strong first and third party support throughout the console's lifespan.

-At least a 4 hour battery life, preferably longer.

-Price no higher than 300 dollars.

-A good eShop and Virtual Console.

-Actual, proper marketing. What we saw with the Wii U was not proper marketing.

-None, or at least not as many, of the same mistakes that were made with the Wii U.

WiiU had plenty of quality games, however the majority were made by Nintendo so better 3rd party games (which it seems will be coming!!) and more frequent releases from Nintendo of the same high standard (which again is likely to happen)

I hope the switch gives us the same old games again and again. Same old enhanced Mario kart new Mario series new 3D Mario and of course another smash.

I only buy Nintendo for the first party.

These new games will come out again and again, buy early or pay expensive eshop digital prices

Not exactly totally on topic but...

When the rumors came around that the Switch would be 1080p on the TV but 720p on the go, why did everyone automatically assume it was because the Switch would be less powerful away from the dock?

Maybe it's just because the Switch has a 720p screen, in which case I would probably expect BETTER graphics while it isn't trying to force itself to make a 1080p picture

Dear Netherrealm Studios,

I'd like to play Mortal Kombat on the Switch.

A safe, dependable cross-console account system for when your console inevitably one day decides to make like Brick Tamland.

@UK-Nintendo Uh... MOST studio's games are the same characters / universe but with new worlds / gameplay / refinements. GTA, CoD, God of War, Ratchet and Clank, Halo, Fable, et cetera.

@TeslaChippie oh that's great

I think my worries have already been addressed. Nintendo have already begun to aggressively use their IP everywhere from mobile phones to the Olympic Games! They are strengthening their brand and letting a new generation run with it with tech that has a great concept and (hopefully) not a million miles away from its peers to be perceived as 'last gen'.

My wish?

For Nintendo to absolutely blow us out of the water with amazing games, for the Switch to be a must own gaming platform along with a knock out release schedule.
If they do those few things the rest of my wishes will be fulfilled.

I hope they attract, at least, the eastern third parties, like Square Enix. Nintendo doesn't have a good relationship with western developers, so not much hope on that front, but definitively hoping to see S-E, Capcom and some other third parties games.
If not, we'll again have a Wii U situation.

Still, hoping for the best and really excited for January 12th!

Hopefully breath of the wild is the greatest game of all time. That will sell a few extra consoles.

I'd love another NBA 2K game on switch. I played a ton of NBA 2K13 on Wii U and absolutely loved it, but they never released 2014 or 2015 or 2016 on Wii U.

Absolutely no more 2D Platformers must be a priority of the company. It is 2017 and 2D platformers are no longer acceptable. Some Nintendo series like Kirby and Yoshi have yet to even see a 3D entry and others like Donkey Kong have been relegated to 2D for over a decade. Nintendo also needs to keep up with a steady flow of games. They need at least 10-15 major games a year.

I'm definitely going to stay positive for Nintendo's 2017. However, if the Switch doesn't look like it's going to pull, say, close to PS4 numbers, I'll be hesitant to buy one. I'm not putting money into a flop console with only first party titles.

But I'm still on board for 3DS support until they sunset it. At least sticking around for Yoshi & Poochy, Mario Sports Superstars, and the surely-inevitable release of EOV. Those three games are enough to keep me going for most of 2017.

@UK-Nintendo I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic or not, but those words could define nearly every gaming company on the market right now. If a game sells well and people like it, they're going to keep making enhanced versions of them.

If you want to play something different, then buy a game from a different series. That's why there is such a variety of game franchises.

I'd like Switch to be about the games.

Region free.

I like Ben's idea of bringing back old franchises but most of all bringing out a new proper Metroid and capping off the DKC returns trilogy!

@LeRaposa "2D Platformers are no longer acceptable."

Why should a certain style of gaming be "unacceptable"? Some of my, and most certainly others, favorite games are 2D platforms, such as Super Mario Bros. 3 and Yoshi's Woolly World.

A 3D game isn't instantly better that a 2D one. By that logic, Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric is better that Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

That kind of backwards logic is what lead to the rise of the Ubisoft cookie-cutter open world game, saying that linear games are objectively worse.

There's also the question of how these games would translate to 3D. Yes, Mario and Zelda translated over well, but how about Kirby snd his signature direction-based attacks that allow for multiple interesting play styles? Look at Kirby 3D Rumble and tell me you could turn that into a game as good as Kirby Super Star or Kirby Planet Robobot.

@Mega_Yarn_Poochy if there's no 2D platform games on the switch than that's me done. Wii u had the best platform games this gen and last gen

I like Mitch's comment at the beginning. It'll be hard to truly erase a player as big as Nintendo from the industry, especially considering their historic popularity and popularity in Japan especially, but you can't help but think back to SEGA's history, where the problem was less so about the failure of the Saturn, and more about the PlayStation's IMMENSE success in the meantime. This definitely played a big part in the N64's lower-than-expected sales, and the truth is SEGA's past failures isn't what killed the Dreamcast, it was the PS2. Nintendo might have a great product, but how will consumers view the product in light of the competition? That will determine Switch's fate. Also what defined the failures and successes of every other Nintendo system when you think about it.

@UK-Nintendo Haha, that's a really cool chart!

My wish: a lot of great games, from 1st, 2nd, and 3rd parties.

@LeRaposa A whole genre of games is no longer acceptable. Sorry but that's laughable. 3D platformers aren't automatically superior to 2D, that's ludicrous.

@KirbyTheVampire My thoughts exactly. The Wii U had a dismal launch line up, and it took forever for me to feel it was worth upgrading from the Wii. The Switch has my interest, now they need to keep it.

I play a lot of virtual console games so I hope it has GameCube games. Also a new 2D Zelda games.

@Mega_Yarn_Poochy I think what @LeRaposa is getting at is that 3D games are more marketable to a serious gaming audience than 2D games, which can only really sell to casual players, retro gamers, or kids (those three also being Nintendo's current audience, so you and me).

But I think there's another point there, a point about the sheer number of 2D platformers we've received this past generation, and how its limiting the variety of games we're seeing on Nintendo's platforms.

Personally, this past gen, when I heard that the next Pikmin game was going to be a 2D platformer on 3DS; when I heard that instead of producing a new Metroid game that Retro was making another 2D DKC game; heck, at Wii U launch when I heard we were getting ANOTHER NSMB game...I wasn't excited at all, it felt like more of the same, and it didn't feel like we were moving into a new generation of gaming.

So, not saying 2D platformers aren't fun and don't have a place in the industry anymore (if that's what you're saying, @LeRaposa, then you're dead wrong), just saying that Nintendo has been pumping out a TON of them and that personally, I would like to see them try some different stuff. And YOU BET my late-90s-born self would totally support Nintendo experimenting with and continuing to evolve the 3D platformer (outside of Super Mario, of course, which they already do a great job with), but in whatever Nintendo does, it should be unique and fun (Splatoon, anyone?). That's what they should be going for! And on a side note, was that not Iwata's whole vision for Nintendo in the first place? I remember presentations where he said stuff like that about how Nintendo ought to be.

I honestly don't see nintendo coming back strong with the Switch...I see them making a hit console, but not something that's going to take anyone's attention away from PS4 or XBONE...it's just too late. However, when the Switch becomes 5 years old, Sony and Microsoft will be announcing their next consoles (which nintendo will be getting ready too). This is something that can give nintendo a little boost into trying to outdo the other companies...or at least keep a momentum going. Nintendo doesn't compete with the other companies, which is one thing that keeps them from being taken seriously from many gamers...I love nintendo and their games and IP's, but I will admit that they need to step away from all of the kiddie titles (not completely, but start creating something that's not complete cartoony). Splatoon is still cartoony, but they could defiantly use a new Metroid, better Star Fox, a console version of Kid Icarius or even bring back some of their NES titles that were popular at the time, but they ended too early (Faxanandu, Startropics and possibly their old sports titles). But I do agree that they can't have more 3-4 month droughts...they need plenty of games coming out at least 2 months, not a long wait (hello to the long wait for Breath Of The Wild). But, this statement also goes back to them needing the third party support, because if they don't care, nobody else will either. I think that they'll keep the 3DS around, just in case on if they have another flopped system, but if the Switch's sales actually happen, I feel the end of the 3DS. Basically, I think nintendo needs to step out of their own little worlds and start looking at various internet sites about them and listen to their fans...maybe some new younger blood into their offices would help this, but I really think nintendo needs to shape up. January 12 is kind of late to basically tell everyone about the Switch and the Games, as it's then only 2 months away from the launch at that time...not really a great time for launch as they've missed the holiday season, but they need to advertise like crazy for the ones with tax returns and the easter season starting...since it's portable, it's also a good time to advertise for vacation trips...but, I don't see nintendo really advertising, and I don't really see them learning from all of their mistakes....time will tell.

I'm hoping 3ds gets support this entire year. The few months are promisng with DQVIII, Pocchy and Yoshi, and Ever Oasis on the calendar.

The Wii U just didn't click for me - never quite realised why two independent screens were in use... Improved account systems across multiple platforms would be what I want to see from the big N in 2017

My eyes is on the Switch now! If they get that marketing down, fair price, a steady outflow of games they got themselves a winner. All they need to do is to IMPROVE them online services and overhaul miiverse. And whatever 3ds surprises come in store for me personally. Hurry up clock, If I have to wait another second!

@JLPick your comments are always a very nice read.

I'm thinking pretty much along the same lines as Mitch. I'd like to be optimistic, but the stakes feel a notch higher this time. The Switch launch needs to be a mainstream media event to generate excitement and sales outwith the usual Nintendo audience. Strong third party support has to last the lifetime of the console. If this fails I imagine the company becoming primarily a developer for the mobile sphere.

since they are going for cartridges like the ds systems i am hoping it also makes the games cheaper to buy as well, after all 39.99$ for brand new games would be amazing.

I would like all my Wii U (and maybe 3DS) digital content transferrable, but I think I have got 3 hopes of that

@Clownshoes "Plenty of evidence suggests nintendo has yet to learn from their biggest mistakes."

Such as?

@UK-Nintendo I can never tell if you're serious or not

As far as the third party support situation goes, there's been plenty of signs that things are different this time around.

Wii U had a near obsolete architecture, a lack of support for modern engines, wonky and outdated APIs, piss poor documentation, and an extremely inefficient developer support system that made the Wii U difficult to port to.

Switch has modern architecture, support for modern engines, and straightforward APIs. Night and day compared to the Wii U.

We're less than 3 months away from launch and developers and publishers have had nothing but positivity towards the Switch, including the likes of Bethesda and Take Two. With Wii U, pretty much every dev/pub not named Ubisoft was badmouthing the Wii U, provided no comment, or said "lol hell no". Sure, there's the EA "unprecedented partnership" thing, but that was 2 years before launch.

The question remains how different things are, but all the signs indicate that things are different this time around.

@JLPick From the sounds of it, the younger developers have mostly taken the wheel with the Switch, which is a good thing. Nintendo has been pretty stuck in the past, and it's time for them to start following modern trends. Breath of the Wild is a great example of this, and I hope they can keep that momentum going.

Here's hoping the Switch can get Nintendo back into the fray. It would be great to see them return to their former glory. Even if it doesn't, I think it's at least a step in the right direction. Once we reach that point where hardware becomes much less important and software is what really drives a system to success, I think Nintendo will really be able to shine. Whether they'll still be in the console business by then remains to be seen, but I'm very confident that the Switch can carry them to that point.

@gatorboi352 lol. I buy Nintendo only for Nintendo games. PlayStation handles the rest.

I've come to think as the cost of a Nintendo console as a fee for access to Nintendo games, and I'm OK with that. (Nintendo is the only console maker whose exclusives are worth such a fee.) So long as they include unique features that make their consoles more than underpowered PCs that connect to a TV, so much the better. But I won't shed many tears if they one day go third-party so I no longer have to pay that fee.

I agree with Mitch's cautious optimism. Think about the last few years, basically every time there has been a situation like "Oh I hope Nintendo has done X instead of Y which will disappoint everyone", it's been Y, sadly. There are too many pitfalls which they have an amazing track record of falling into, they will not avoid them all with Switch, will they? Can they?! (I hope so!)

@Shiryu "I just want plentiful, good games, regardless of platform."

You sir, are a poet.

Agreeing with James and with the notion of less 2D platformers. The Wii U was terrible at introducing new ideas, most of their games were either formulaic like the 2D platformers or spinoffs no one wanted. Let's see them legitimately evolve their IPs with new ideas and introduce new ones that work with the Switch's unique environment, that'd be infinitely more exciting than another generic 2D platformer sequel that offers little more than new levels.

I really feel like Mitch Vogel nailed my cautious optimism about the Nintendo Switch. There's been some commenters that seem to label anyone who's not wholeheartedly hyped for the Switch as some sort of Nintendo hater when in fact there's very good reason to be concerned at the very least. Nintendo still struggles with a lot of basic things that should not be issues for a console maker in today's marketplace. They have shown time after time to have the same issues with each console and have been incredibly slow to address them if at all. I want the Switch to be successful for the same reason, if it is a flop then why would anyone take Nintendo seriously as a console maker. Nintendo console should not ONLY be Nintendo boxes for Nintendo games.

@Nin10doh I am know to dabble with the written word here and there.

Im sure the system will be cool out of the gate but just like the 3DS, a few years later there will be a newer version that comes out and rounds out the edges like battery life, size, etc.

" Let the other systems have the generic shooters; the Switch will be the only place to get quality Nintendo games".
Yeah.
"I hope 2017 is a year of revived franchises"
I want a new F-Zero game.

My hopes and dreams for Nintendo in 2017 are that they do what they said they would do in 2016 but never did: start making games for the casual market again. Women and children. What happened?!

Gotta say 2017 is looking exciting. Very exciting. And I'm not saying that just because I'm a Nintendo fanboy.

However, I will bite the bullet and say that while I love my Wii U and it's quality collection of games, it could have done better. It should have done better. And while part of it is certainly down to the marketing, the console itself and it's games - Nintendo is also wholly to blame.

I can' tell you the amount of times I've looked at a game or played it and thought to myself "wow this game's great, but it would be so much better if they did/added..." and looking back over the games I have bought and played for my Wii U, it's become a common nitpick. That's why there needs to be much more games coming to switch this year -absolutely no droughts- that will fill those holes so that everyone can get what they want out of the new console. Regardless of gameplay style or preference.

Something's got to be said about the lack of options in some games.

Just keep making quality games and quality systems. Switch is a handheld, Nintendo does well with handhands and it will double as a cheap companion Nintendo machine for the gamers who prefer a home console.

Will it sell 100 mill.....no but I think 40-60 mill seems reasonable......assuming January 12th is a quality event

I want fun stuff basically. If it's actually a decent portable, it'll probably get more use than my PS4 does. Not because the PS4 is a bad home console, because I'm not saying that at all. Portables just fit into my busy life better than a home console likely ever will.

Let's see! With all the rumours.... No, with all the uncertainty born of all the rumours, at this point I'm simply hoping that it doesn't suck. That's not a place I want to be.

Logically, I can find ways the issues in the disappointing rumours could be circumvented or just plain proved untrue. There are also indications that Nintendo is doing certain things differently. BUT, the lingering doubt remains and I truly cannot wait until we get the definitive answer.

Metroid NX or gtfo!

@LeRaposa
"Absolutely no more 2D Platformers must be a priority of the company. It is 2017 and 2D platformers are no longer acceptable"

Ughh... really? It's 2017, I deem RPG's no longer acceptable. And while we're at it, anything that isn't open world needs to die as well. And turn based games... what is this the 90's or something?

2D platformers (good, quality high budget ones) are almost extinct- EVEN from Nintendo. We got what, a whopping THREE of them from Nintendo on Wii U? Yup, those 3 games are totally the source of all their problems. Especially given they all sold over 1 million copies, and one of them is the top grossing game on the entire system.

But sure, let's just throw all that away. After all, it's 2017 (whatever that's supposed to mean)

Um, HELLO!!! How about better online?!

@Oat
"very good reason to be concerned at the very least. Nintendo still struggles with a lot of basic things that should not be issues for a console maker in today's marketplace"

That's probably true. But why get "concerned" over a company halfway across the world? If it fails, so be it. Nothing we can do about it, and it's certainly not worth worrying over.

No matter what happens, I'm just here along for the ride to enjoy great games. Whatever happens happens. Why waste time getting worried, or concerned, or cautious... even if all your worries come true, and everything you feared might happen happens... so what? Can't be worse than Wii U (not that I think Switch will be like Wii U- I actually think it'll be the greatest Nintendo hardware since the GameCube), and that console provided countless hours of amazing games.

I wish for :
1. REGION FREE !!
2. White or Blue color for Switch
3. More cute kid friendly games
4. Plenty of Girlie games
5. Sturdy material (Won't break easily)
6. Affordable price (Both machine and games)
7. Customizable accesories for Switch
8. More Japanese third party support
9. Long lived battery
10. The Sims 4, Animal Crossing Switch, Mario Kart 9, Pokemon Switch, "Go Vacation 2", DDR (again), MaiMai from SEGA (Maybe...), Kickboxing games, Bokujou Monogatari Switch in HD, Cute RPG like Fantasy Life, Miitopia 2 (???), Switch Party, Switch Music (With KORG like features, create your own music and share), Sport LEGO games (With Boxing inside, I can die in happiness if I can edit my own LEGO characters with complete boxing outfits), 3D platformer games like Super Mario Sunshine, Nintendogs Switch, Style Savvy in HD, etc...

I just want to feel like I'm playing a modern system. Not some archaic first attempt at one. The Wii u was way behind the curve on launch, it's a bit better now but not ideal. All I need is Nintendo to get their ducks in a row and make this a great system for developers to work on. Great games will certainly come to the system, but if it's not worth the developers time all those games will be made by nintendo.

Funny thing is that Nintendo's almost unmatched when it comes to spreading wildfire hype across the internet with it's IP's. Pretty sure Pokemon ruined youtube with how many videos there were leading up to it's release. If only they knew how to bring that kind of hype onto the Switch itself - oh wait... it has.

Now just KEEP that hype going strong from January 12th onwards and the Switch will sell SO well! Even if only half the number of people who watched the initial Switch reveal buys the console itself in it's first week alone - that's still around 10+ million sales. Switch could definately be a strong contender in 2017 with ease. Nintendo just needs to know what it's doing and know what it wants. So... fire your marketing division who handled Wii U, Nintendo.

I'd love to see some amazing new IP. Also redeem StarFox and revive Wario World.

Switch will have games like Pokémon, Monster Hunter, Splatoon, Animal Crossing, Mario Kart, Mario 3D, Smash Bros, Zelda, Level-5 games and much more, series that guarantees much sells, no problem for sells guys. The Switch will be the only Nintendo's console for the future. It will be a success.

@Clownshoes
Mr. Vogel really nailed Nintendo's dejavu of mistakes. I think they are always aiming for lightning in a bottle like early Wii years, but that kind of planning can be devastating to a loyal fan base. Nintendo is a Really, Really, stubborn company and unwilling to make the best decisions more often than not. My gut tells me this console will fall short, although I really hope it does well.

3rd party games plus big Nintendo games on the Switch.

1. Nintendo is making bank with mobile titles, nes classic, and amiibo

2. Nintendo has plans for TV shows and movies

3. Nintendo is about to open theme park attractions on multiple continents

4. Nintendo has sold over 60 million 3DS consoles and Sun and Moon are at the top of the charts right now

5. Nintendo is releasing the first hybrid console out of the big three in about 2 1/2 months

And.......we still have people saying Nintendo is on the brink of being doomed and not being considered one of the big three anymore. Give me a break. You're not being cautious, you're all being pessimists/haters and spouting the overused and false "nintendo is doomed" line as usual. And it's coming from all the usual suspects. End rant.

On topic:
My wishes are....(not in any particular order)

1. Expansive online overhaul on the Switch(this includes system wide voice chat). Bring it DeNA, we know you can

2. Good marketing

3. Retro's new project, whatever it may be

4. Big name third party titles

5. One new Nintendo IP on the Switch even if its just announced

Only ten more days guys! The hype is real!!!!

As long as Nintendo makes enough off the Switch to stay in the console market, I'm happy. I only play on Nintendo systems and usually stick to Nintendo-developed games. Don't have much free time to waste on games I probably won't even like, I can always rely on Nintendo to provide me with something fun and long-lasting. I'm really not that difficult to placate.

I just want the silly thing to be in stock. I refused to play the eBay game for the mini. I wanted a Wii on launch day and it took me weeks to find one. Maybe ban them from eBay or something. eBay guaranteeeing a price of $220 for the mini was ridiculous and artificially inflated the price. If I can't get a switch easily I'll just wait a few months and my confidence in Nintendo further eroded.

Come on, Vogel

(Vogel says Switch will make or break Nintendo.)

"Cautiously optimistic."

kek.

I just want games that are really fun to play, it would also be very nice if NoA stopped censoring everything.

@capitalism
I think whenever people shout out "doom" for Nintendo, I think they're mostly referring to their home console division. The first 4 things you listed has nothing to do with their home consoles (with a minor exception to amiibos), and this may have people believing Nintendo just simply can't captivate on their home consoles because ever since the SNES, Nintendo has been losing it's fanbase with each new home console installment (with the exception of the Wii). Side note, I pretty much agree with everything else though.

Getting on topic, I'm optimistic for the Switch. It's key selling point (the whole hybrid concept) to me sounds very interesting, and something I can see myself using considering I travel a lot.

My only wishes for Nintendo this year, and throughout the rest of the Switch's run is:

1. Market, Market, MARKET! Let people know this thing exist, and let it be known what it is capable of, which is something that the other consoles can't do without additional means (like playstation now).

2. A Strong Library of First Party Games/Exclusives. Nintendo is usually known to deliver with this one, but during the Wii U's run, the consistent droughts made the console feel a bit dry between releases. If the Switch does receive games that would have been only on the 3DS or Wii U, than I think it will mostly eliminate that problem.

3. Third Party Support. Anyone who seriously believes Nintendo doesn't need this is very delusional.

4. A Solid UI and other features. Things like quickly accessing menus, and features like voice chat/party chat and on screen notifications.

If these 4 things happened in some way, shape, or form, then I can see the Nintendo Switch having a great run. But of course, this is just all of my opinions.

I think the key thing for me is that the third party support is either brand new games/IPs, or at least release parity. The Wii u's downfall in that regard is because most third party publishers released games that were already a year old (and therefore already owned on ps3 of 360).

Nintendo (and publishers) need to be conscious that Sony and Microsoft have already sold what 60-70m consoles, so anything for a core gamer has probably already been purchased on one of those consoles.

@Clownshoes There's also plenty of evidence to the contrary.

To quote @capitalism:

1. Nintendo is making bank with mobile titles, nes classic, and amiibo
2. Nintendo has plans for TV shows and movies
3. Nintendo is about to open theme park attractions on multiple continents
4. Nintendo has sold over 60 million 3DS consoles and Sun and Moon are at the top of the charts right now
5. Nintendo is releasing the first hybrid console out of the big three in about 2 1/2 months

Regardless of whether most of their recent successes have been due to 3DS, they are in nowhere near as bad a shape as some are claiming.

@Claytonbob This is the major issue for me, I would like to buy it on day one but if it is not available anywhere other than on ebay for three times the price for two months I probably wont get round to buying it.
I had cash in hand for the Nes mini classic over Christmas but they were nowhere to be found so I bought a Tassimo machine instead, I can't imagine I will bother buying one now.
Same will be true of the switch if it is not readily available around the launch window.

@TeslaChippie EXACTLY. The screen is obviously way smaller so why would it need such high res?! Makes total sense

Well, once the WiiU and 3DS are finished, having just the one console to develop for should drastically improve the quality and quantity of their output.
With the European and USA branches of Nintendo being supporting roles in software support, that has to change. Nintendo needs to put NST back in the position of making proper games again. 1080 and Wave Race have been sadly missed for a long time now. And it wouldn't hurt to give them F-Zero aswell. Also, let NERD have their own projects to work on aswell.

Nintendo needs to buy out all the share holders so they can concentrate on making good consoles and games. All these things they get wrong now are the same as they have always been and is unlikely to change. But at least there were less 'political' issue's with these failures , now these are causing them to satisfy others and distract them, and also diluting their strong assets.

@UK-Nintendo Thank you!

I pretty much hope for all of the above, but as the father of two youngish kids, I really want the Switch to be usable in the car as shown on the trailer. Hard to drive with dualing iPad noises, and more seriously, the upcoming generation seems to be really hooked on free iPad games.