Nintendo: Out Of The Frying Pan And Into The Fire?

While the current generation of video game systems saw Nintendo pulling in big sales numbers with the Wii and DS, the general perception of Nintendo as seen by the established video game fan crowd was that Nintendo was not a producer of “hardcore” products. Rather than engage Sony and Microsoft in a battle for the best graphics and online, Nintendo opted for a less powerful, non-HD system with a pretty minimal online experience. Instead, Nintendo focused on producing content at a cheaper price than their competitors, and to a broader demographic than just the typical gaming audience.

Nintendo let the other two companies fight over essentially the same crowd, diving sales almost equally between them, instead targeting a new crowd. Many felt that the Wii, and to some extent the DS as well, was far too “casual”, and Nintendo was no longer a “serious” video game company. Nintendo aims to dispel these notions in the next generation with the already launched 3DS, and the upcoming Wii U. Nintendo may very well succeed in shaking that label, but they are in danger of being branded with something potentially worse than the “casual” label.

Both the 3DS and the Wii U look to add all the things that the previous generation lacked, such as better online support and more impressive graphics, while innovating in new ways, such as 3D and the Wii U’s unique controller. This seems sound in principle, as Nintendo’s putting an emphasis on winning back the support of third party game developing companies, as well as the support of the “hardcore” crowd. Nintendo can continue to make a lot of money off of the casual market with Wii-like games on the Wii U, while regaining a foothold among more serious gamers. It’s true that third party companies are excited about the Wii U, but their remarks about the system, combined with what we’ve already seen from the 3DS, leads me to believe that Nintendo’s headed in the wrong direction.

You can read dozens of interviews with big-name developers raving about the Wii U, but a very common remark is something along the lines of, “We’re excited to bring PS3 and Xbox 360 titles over to the Wii U.” Now take a look at the 3DS, and while there’s quite a few solid titles coming out soon, there’s another trend going on that could prove detrimental if it continues. Ocarina of Time 3DS. Star Fox 3DS. Cave Story 3DS. Metal Gear Solid 3DS. See a trend? Sure these are great games, and they are great remakes, but the 3DS deserves to be more than a remake machine, just as the Wii U deserves to be more than a port machine.

Improved graphics and online combined with innovation is great, if it means getting new gaming experiences. The 3DS can be used for so much more than making the outdated graphics of Ocarina of Time fresh again, and the Wii U controller has far more potential than making Madden have a less cluttered screen. There are some exclusive titles coming to the systems, such as Resident Evil: Revelations on the 3DS, but so far, we’re hearing mostly about a vast array of remakes and updated ports. While people who are already buying a Wii U or a 3DS because they like Nintendo products will be happy to get these things, anyone who wasn’t planning on buying a Wii U isn’t going to have their opinion changed because of a remake. Nintendo needs better exclusive titles on the 3DS, and a strong lineup of unique games on the Wii U, or they’ll go from being the “casual” company to the “I don’t need to buy that, I already have that game on another system” company.