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As I lay in bed, slowly coming around from a dream in which I won a dance contest against Lex Luthor, I was disturbed by an e-mail.
The mail in question, was from none other than Nintendo;
Satoru Iwata has won the company raffle and is now off to enjoy a glorious year-long cruise, so you’ll now be heading Nintendo as CEO.CongratulationsP.S — Bring muffins
I realized that this was indeed my time to shine, my chance to save Nintendo. To bring back the once legendary company that followed most of us throughout our gaming lives, time to give back to the kings, as well as recoup some fiscal blunderings that have plagued Nintendo over the last few years.
I also realized there was every chance I may have soiled myself during the dance contest.
Saving a company in itself is a difficult task, but I also feel that ‘saving’ is too strong of a word. Sure, Nintendo aren’t in the most valid of positions at the present and I can’t see them toppling the Playstation 4 and Xbox One anytime soon — if at all. But, they could very easily bridge the gap.
One thing that I would do as CEO is use some of Mario’s trust-fund to actually market the Wii U. I could probably count on one hand the number of adverts for the Wii U that I’ve seen on TV here in the UK, and considering the head start it’s had, that’s not a good thing.
I’d also change how games like Just Dance are advertised. I couldn’t actually find the advert in reference, but it says “available on Wii” with the Wii version of the game taking front and center, whilst the Wii U version sits unnoticed and unmentioned behind it. Now, to me, that basically says that the Wii and the Wii U are indeed the same console and not that the Wii U is a brand new, far more sophisticated piece of technology that is leaps and bounds better that the Wii.
In keeping with adverts, look at Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag. At the end of the advert, it says “available on Ps3, Xbox 360, Playstation 4 and Xbox One” but not Wii U. Even though it is out on Wii U, and (compared to the PS3/Xbox 360 versions, not PS4/Xbox One) it is the better version.
There is little to no marketing for the console, and with the exceptions of Super Mario 3D World and Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD, there’s literally no marketing for the software. It’s little wonder that people are of the misconception that the Wii U is an add-on to the Wii, because to those not ‘in the know’ that’s exactly what it looks like, and that’s the first thing I’d change.
I have a Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U and Playstation 4, and recently also got into PC gaming, but over the Christmas period, I played the Wii U the most, purely for Super Mario 3D World. It’s a genuinely wonderful game, and my girlfriend and I had so much fun playing it together.
For me personally, Sony and Nintendo have the best first party exclusives on any platform. Nintendo has the likes of Mario, Legend of Zelda, Pokemon, Donkey Kong, Super Smash Bros., Mario Kart, Metroid and tons more.
Sony has Uncharted, The Last of Us, Heavy Rain, Ratchet and Clank, Killzone, LittleBig Planet, Tearaway, Escape Plan, inFamous and many more, whilst Microsoft has…well…Halo?
I am very aware that Microsoft does indeed have a few more exclusives than Halo, but there is no denying that Nintendo and Sony’s first party exclusives are much better, so why isn’t Nintendo drumming this in?
Give people a reason to own a Wii U, give them something that can’t be found on any other platform, give them ‘The Legend of Super Pokemon Kong: Metroid Smash Kart’ and see how many units would be shifted overnight.
Overnight, I tell you.
Then there’s the gamepad. I honestly don’t see people’s problem with it. Sure it’s big, but it’s surprisingly comfortable and easy to use, with my only gripe being it’s very under utilized. Nintendo’s announcement that DS games are coming the Wii Virtual store is a neat idea, and I believe the gamepad will prove very functional for it, but only if the games are there. Again, give people a reason.
People who don’t have a DS may be more inclined to get a Wii U, as if it can play DS games they’ve missed out on for lack of the handheld, then the Wii U would offer more value, as well as opening up loads more software that they have missed; namely the Wii U’s catalog. A DS and a Wii U for £250? Seems a bargain to me. But only if the marketing is there.
Once they nail the marketing, then it truly is down to how good the games are.