Hi there Sean,
With regards to your post about the Wii’s momentum.
Isn’t MotionPlus being pushed majorly big by it being included in third party software titles? With very succesful sports titles nonetheless!
And what about the major launch of WiiSports Resort in Japan and of course in other countries?
Nintendo strikes me as a company that is stunned.
Momentum is not lost due to recessions, acts of God, the weather, or the orbit of the moon. Nintendo did something to stop the momentum. I think this is why they are currently stunned. From Iwata’s words: “Making a sequel to Wii Sports would be the easy thing to do.” So why is Nintendo taking the easy thing to do? It sounds like they are changing tactics and the sequels, as well as 2d Mario (which I wonder when it was started in development) are buying Nintendo time.
I think someone at Nintendo planned on user generated content to be the next big thing and when these games went down in flames, they had to change. At least, I hope they change. They’d be insane to keep going the user generated content path.
The big problem was that Wii Sports, the original launch game, was STILL the best game to show off motion controls and the system. That is absolutely pathetic after three years. It would be as if Super Mario World still was the game with the best graphics on the SNES three years into it. People bought the Wii for motion controls. Nintendo and third parties weren’t holding up their promise. Wii Sports should have been surpassed long ago. People’s patience ran out with the system.
Nintendo comes across as confused with motion plus as well. I think they are curious whether or not motion plus will overshoot the customer’s needs. They are probably seeing how people respond first.
And finally, you say that Nintendo should be making their way into the interior of the new continent now that both Sony and Micro$oft are on their way.
But, when E3 came along you said that Sony was only in survival mode and that Natal was like the Voltron of Birdmen.
I Get your critisism and I agree with what you said. Nintendo is indeed taking the safe way this year with sequels.
And i understand a company should never rest on it’s laurels, but it seemed as if your beginning to see Sony and Microsoft as threats all of a sudden.
Microsoft’s boat would likely begin shooting at the fish. Sony’s boat would go around in circles while the captain talked about the technological superiority of its sail. They’ve got a long way to go.
By look how slow Nintendo is moving on the content side. They haven’t made any significant motion control games with content. Right now, they are playing the ‘make sequels’ card which will only buy them time. Sequels, alone, will not rebuild the momentum. Why be so excited over Wii Sports Resort if that is the ceiling of what we’ll see with motion controls? After all, that is what happened with Wii Sports. People no longer believe in the Revolution. They no longer believe Wii is going to revolutionize gaming with motion controls as was the promise. Even at E3 2009, Mario Galaxy 2 isn’t going to be doing anything interesting with motion controls. Metroid Other M won’t be using motion controls like Motion Plus.
So why doesn’t Nintendo put out motion control games with some content on them? Nintendo doesn’t even believe it is in the content business. This is confirmed with Nintendo’s push towards user generated content. What doesn’t make sense is that user generated content is a red ocean area as Sony and other companies are (well were, the games all bombed) making games there.
Nintendo has bought themselves time with the sequels. But they can’t just keep making sequels to games like Wii Sports. With Miyamoto saying he wants Zelda to go the motion plus control route, either the Wii is going to move in the correct direction or Zelda is. We’ll have to see how Nintendo approaches their other games.
Microsoft and Sony are being so absurd it is funny. But Nintendo is also making mistakes. If they weren’t, they wouldn’t have lost the Wii momentum so suddenly.
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