At this point, the gaming world knows how well Nintendo’s Wii/DS strategy is working across the world.
Even though sales have gone down a bit from the incredible pace they’d set over the past few years, they are still doing well. However, now that Nintendo has a hefty Wii/DS install base to work with, the company’s near future growth will likely fall short of Stockholder desire, and more and more gamers are moving on to HD gaming, it may be time for Nintendo to tweak their strategy a bit.
No, this isn’t a call for Wii HD. That will happen when it happens, if it happens. Truthfully speaking, with the Global Economic climate on the downward spiral, with no end in near future sight, Nintendo, with their cheaper to develop for mediums are likely in the best position still, (the next 4-6 months or so aside that is).
What Nintendo needs to revisit is their strategy of withholding from gamers what they want in order to dictate to them what they want. Simultaneously, they need to bulk up their strategy of creating games that appeal to every audience.
How does Nintendo withold from gamers what they want? Here are some examples:
Ever since shortly after the Wii released with amazing ‘The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess’, Wii gamers have been starving for R.P.G.’s. They offered Super Paper Mario, which isn’t much of an R.P.G. but more of a platformer with a play along story, and Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, which was O.k. but clearly a hold-over from the Game Cube era in that there was no Wii remote pointer functionality (On a game that screams no brainer for such a thing) and graphics that didn’t improve.
Many gamers bought these games anyway, just because they were starving, and have become disillusioned with Nintendo and moved on, or are disgruntled and on the verge of doing so, which is a shame. Lo and behold, Zangeki no Reginleiv, a new Nintendo R.P.G. being created for the Wii looks to fill the gap. Unfortunately, it will release during the same year as Final Fantasy XIII, which while the series may be getting into ridiculous range in number of sequels, still sets the bar for the genre.
Not to mention that this game will only remind gamers of the Wii’s relative lack of power, and by the time the game is released, it will be at least 3 1/4 to 3 1/2 years after the release of Twilight Princess. Furthering the sting and annoyance surrounding this is that we still don’t know whether or not the game will be released in America, or anywhere outside of Japan for that matter.
Some would say “You have a DS right? There are R.P.G.’s galore on that platform.” but what needs to be understood about R.P.G.’s is that most people enjoy playing them on their console. On their couch. Often with friends. You know? One of the best aspects of Wii gaming?
I’ll play Pokemon on my handheld all day long. But that is Pokemon. A game where I can play against others face to face or across the world, regardless of the fact that I hold the gaming machine in my hands. This isn’t the case with a game like ‘The Legend of Zelda: Spirit tracks’. I just don’t want to play such a game on the handheld. I’m not utterly opposed to it, and I’m sure they’re good games, but if I’m going to spend my money, I want to spend it on what I want. For many, many people, R.P.G. gaming is something to be done on a larger screen, with at least some form of comraderie. Be it someone playing with you as they sit in the same room, over the internet where you can playfully talk trash or even if you are the only one playing, those watching helping you to solve puzzles, and laugh together during the humorous times.
Nintendo keeps missing with the R.P.G. Hopefully with Zangeki no Reginleiv, we will be seeing an honest heartfelt move in the right direction, and hopefully they aren’t just playing the experiment game with only the Japanese audience.
Speaking of Pokemon and the Wii…
There has yet to be a Wii Pokemon game that hasn’t been utter garbage. Why? It’s mind boggling to think that one of the largest fan bases in all of gaming, (perhaps THE largest) and one of the cheapest IP’s to develop games for has nothing but crap going for it on the console.
I can’t BELIEVE I bought Pokemon Ranch. Without properly researching it, I bought it, thinking that it was a new way to raise and interact with Pokemon by transferring them from the handheld to the Console. Not only wasn’t it that, it wasn’t even really a game…
Pokemon battle Revolution? Never has online gaming been more boring or isolating. You know the online aspect of a game is a failure when you can’t even be sure whether or not you’re actually playing against other human beings. Not to mention that the localized game consists of little more than a few hundred may as well be nameless AI trainers to battle for no reason other than to unlock more of the same.
Pokemon gamers want a console game, where you can walk up to, challenge and play other humans playing the console game, within the Pokemon world set up on a base created for localized play. As stated before, I love handheld Pokemon games. But after over 10 years, it’s getting old. It’s time to take the next step. Everyone knows in their bones that we’ve reached the limits of creating masses of new Pokemon at a time, of re-releases with slight graphics improvements, of non-interaction interaction online, etc. I plan to buy Heart Gold or Soul Silver for pretty much nostalgia’s sake alone. After that, I may have to move on. And that is a damned shame, considering the fact that I and millions of others would gladly shell out a reasonable monthly fee to play Pokemon online in the way described.
Surely Nintendo knows this though. Which begs the question: Why won’t they do this? It will ensure more growth, more easy profit. We and others have covered many times on how it can be done without endangering children. So why? Are they saving it for that proverbial rainy day? If so, I hope they see the clouds gathering in the sky. Nintendo, like a Major League Baseball slugger keeps either knocking the ball out of the park with hits or striking out with their obstinance or lack of knowing the heart of their gamers. But at some point, the strikeouts subtract from the value of that slugger, and the team has to move in another direction. Maybe Nintendo Shareholders can light a fire under these guys…
