This is something I wrote for a game news site a little while ago. But heck, I may as well post it here. It's blog...ish.
During a time when Nintendo gamers were satisfied with duking it out in Smash Bros. Melee, or cleaning up an island tarnished by the graffiti of a mysterious dark Mario, the company behind it all turned the tables. With the release of the Wii, designed to appeal to a much wider audience, it was almost as if Nintendo went under the knife. Ever since then, the word “Nintendo” is synonymous with sleek white channel layouts, motion control, Miis, and that electronic beeping ambiance we hear on the Wii homepage. Their newest handheld, the 3DS, and the upcoming WiiU seem to follow this new face. The question is; is it working?
The Wii’s initial release was a success. Newcomers made their purchases alongside many hardcore gamers. And while lobbing a tennis ball back and forth or boxing with the nun-chuck were exciting experiences at first, it wasn’t long before the dust began to settle for the more dedicated players. Realizing that it there was no wizard after all, just an awkward bumbling man behind a curtain, the hardcore gamers very quickly lost interest. The Nintendo Wii became “the system your grandmother has,” instead of “the system your older brother won’t let you play,” not necessarily a bad thing given Nintendo’s original goal for the product. They most certainly snatched up tons of new customers, non-gamers everywhere became casual gamers in the blink of an eye.
Not much has changed since then, as far as the Nintendo fan base is concerned. Of course, there are those who will always have a nostalgic soft spot for the company and their franchises, but for the most part- hardcore gamers tend to laugh at the Wii, while spending their time with the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Has Nintendo taken the right steps to change that, and bring back the audience that they’ve lost?
The shorter answer is no. With the disappointing sales, launch titles, and online interaction service of the 3DS, it’s looking like the competition with the Playstation Vita will be far heavier than originally expected. Not to mention the massive groans of disappointment that spread like wildfire once the WiiU was announced. Originally building up to sound like the second gamecube, Nintendo very well may have lost their chance to appeal to the hardcore demographic once again. Times like these get people talking. Will the WiiU save Nintendo, or destroy it? Will we see Nintendo follow the path of Sega, and end up focusing only on software development? The gamers are speaking out, and it doesn’t sound pretty! What will Nintendo’s future hold? Only time will tell.
During a time when Nintendo gamers were satisfied with duking it out in Smash Bros. Melee, or cleaning up an island tarnished by the graffiti of a mysterious dark Mario, the company behind it all turned the tables. With the release of the Wii, designed to appeal to a much wider audience, it was almost as if Nintendo went under the knife. Ever since then, the word “Nintendo” is synonymous with sleek white channel layouts, motion control, Miis, and that electronic beeping ambiance we hear on the Wii homepage. Their newest handheld, the 3DS, and the upcoming WiiU seem to follow this new face. The question is; is it working?
The Wii’s initial release was a success. Newcomers made their purchases alongside many hardcore gamers. And while lobbing a tennis ball back and forth or boxing with the nun-chuck were exciting experiences at first, it wasn’t long before the dust began to settle for the more dedicated players. Realizing that it there was no wizard after all, just an awkward bumbling man behind a curtain, the hardcore gamers very quickly lost interest. The Nintendo Wii became “the system your grandmother has,” instead of “the system your older brother won’t let you play,” not necessarily a bad thing given Nintendo’s original goal for the product. They most certainly snatched up tons of new customers, non-gamers everywhere became casual gamers in the blink of an eye.
Not much has changed since then, as far as the Nintendo fan base is concerned. Of course, there are those who will always have a nostalgic soft spot for the company and their franchises, but for the most part- hardcore gamers tend to laugh at the Wii, while spending their time with the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Has Nintendo taken the right steps to change that, and bring back the audience that they’ve lost?
The shorter answer is no. With the disappointing sales, launch titles, and online interaction service of the 3DS, it’s looking like the competition with the Playstation Vita will be far heavier than originally expected. Not to mention the massive groans of disappointment that spread like wildfire once the WiiU was announced. Originally building up to sound like the second gamecube, Nintendo very well may have lost their chance to appeal to the hardcore demographic once again. Times like these get people talking. Will the WiiU save Nintendo, or destroy it? Will we see Nintendo follow the path of Sega, and end up focusing only on software development? The gamers are speaking out, and it doesn’t sound pretty! What will Nintendo’s future hold? Only time will tell.
