New 3ds

It is no secret that Nintendo has seen better days. While the company is far from in trouble financially, the Wii U and 3DS have not matched the high profitability of the Wii and DS. Part of this is the normal rise and fall of the video game industry (think Xbox-Xbox 360-Xbox One). Yet there is another sign that the Big N might be in trouble that is actually far more worrisome than lackluster hardware sales.

Nintendo is a rarity in today’s video game climate. It is a company that survives largely without the support of third-party developers. Want to play Grand Theft Auto, BioShock, Star Wars Battlefront – buy another system. This absence would doom most video game console developers, but Nintendo has been able to fire back with the likes of Mario, the Legend of Zelda, Super Smash Bros., and Pikmin. They are a company that carries itself on its first-party (in-house) software library.

A sales chart in 2014 for the Wii U shows a predictable pattern: a top selling list dominated by Nintendo titles. — A sales chart in 2014 for the Wii U shows a predictable pattern: a top-selling list dominated by Nintendo titles.

In short: if Nintendo first-party games don’t sell, the company hasn’t got a chance. So far this hasn’t been a problem, since Nintendo games usually gather near-unanimous praise from gamers and critics alike. This past year, however, has seen a disturbing trend. Several first-party games have been released to less than stellar reviews, some of them coming from Nintendo’s most prominent series.

Mario Tennis Ultra Smash

Beginning on the Virtual Boy, the Mario Tennis series went big with its Nintendo 64 entry. Since then, the series has been a staple of fun sports games done well. While it never rose as high as Mario Kart, the series enjoyed success on the Gamecube, the Gameboy Advance, the Wii, and on the 3DS. Yet the Wii-version was just a redone Gamecube release and fans could not wait for the next console entry to continue the series’ high standard.

They’re still waiting.

Mario Tennis was a series that prided itself on its variety of modes and diverse game types, features that were completely missing in the lackluster Mario Tennis Ultra Smash. The result was immediately seen in the critical response. On Metacritic, while previous games averaged a 77, Mario Tennis Ultra Smash manged only a 58 (5.2 out of ten user score). This is a dramatic drop, and not just in review score. In its first month, Mario Tennis Ultra Smash sold just 18,000 copies (compared to Yoshi’s Woolly World at 97,000 which only debuted a few weeks prior). Mario Tennis had a reputation, and it was severely damaged by this lackluster entry.

This was a gorgeous, vibrant looking game. It's a real shame. — This was a gorgeous, vibrant looking game. It’s a real shame.

Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival and Happy Home Designer

How do you follow-up the surprising success of Animal Crossing: New Leaf on the 3DS? Apparently, Nintendo opted for a mediocre handheld game (which many critics said felt more like a mini-game) and a console release that convinced many gamers that amiibos were the stuff of gimmicks.

I would be curious to see how well these actually sold, given that Amiibo in general is doing quite well for Nintendo. Gamers are still very polarized on the figures. — I would be curious to see how well these actually sold, given that Amiibo in general is doing quite well for Nintendo. Gamers, however, are still very polarized on the figures.

While New Leaf received near-universal praise (88 on Metacritic with a 8.7 user rating), Happy Home Designer managed only a 66 (6.7 user score) and Amiibo Festival was worse at 46 (4.4 user score). In two games, Nintendo was able to erase nearly all the goodwill established with New Leaf. Now, when the next Animal Crossing game is released – customers will likely check to see if it is an actual new game, or another gimmick trodden out to pad game release numbers.

Most gamers would agree that the strengths of Animal Crossing lie in the ability to do a wide range of tasks and challenges. These two newest titles have gone strongly away from that - without adding any real depth. — Most gamers would agree that the strengths of Animal Crossing lie in the player’s ability to do a wide range of tasks and challenges. These two newest titles have gone strongly away from that – without adding any real depth.

To look at the units sold, it’s even worse. New Leaf sold a strong 8.87 million units. Happy Home Designer has only sold 2.83 million, and Amiibo Festival has yet to break a million (at this point it is unlikely that it will). Ouch.

The Legend of Zelda: Tri-Force Heroes

While this game did not receive the negative reviews of the others, it is worth mentioning because it is a Zelda game. Specifically, I believe that this game features the lowest average review score of any Zelda game made by Nintendo (these don’t count). The Legend of Zelda: Tri-Force Heroes earned only a 73 on Metacritic (user score was 75). To put that in perspective, the average of the other Zelda games, just on page one, was 92. Again, that is a large drop off in quality (far down from A Link Between Worlds, which earned a 91.

More players felt that the focus on three-player gameplay hurt rather than helped the franchise.

To look at units sold, Tri-Force Heroes sits currently at just over a million, whereas A Link Between Worlds is just under three million. Again, it is not incredibly troubling, but to release even an “okay” Zelda game damages the brand of one of Nintendo’s biggest franchises.

Star Fox Zero

I include this last one with an *. As of now, Star Fox Zero has not been released to the public yet in North America, but reviews are coming in. Currently, it is a 72 on Metacritic, which is not terrible (currently above Star Fox Assault). That said, Star Fox Zero was the first game since 64 that directly involved legendary creator Shigeru Miyamoto – so expectations were a little higher.

The dual screen gameplay appears to be receiving very different reactions.

Time will tell exactly how well this new Star Fox sells and is received by fans. Star Fox Assault, the last console Star Fox game, sold just over a million units, so that is the number to beat.

Of course, there are those out there who would argue that the series has been in decline for quite a while.

It is no surprise that higher review scores translate to higher sales numbers. In a world that is overloaded with games, it is tough to make a case to own any game that is less than good. Nintendo has survived on its brands and will continue to do so. Every misstep is costly. Series like Legend of Zelda will no doubt recover from Tri-Force Heroes, but when will we see another Mario Tennis game? To give a comparison, Rogue Squadron was a staple Star Wars franchise… that is until Rebel Strike came out.

Will Metroid Prime: Federation Force be the next first-party misstep for Nintendo? — Will *Metroid Prime: Federation Force* be the next first-party misstep for Nintendo?

The damage done by lackluster games cannot be understated. Here’s hoping that Nintendo rightens the ship before it is too late. Perhaps they are saving all their big ideas for the NX.

The new Legend of Zelda is a game that Nintendo cannot afford to misstep on.

Have you heard this one before: Nintendo faces PR fiasco over poor foresight and inability to clearly introduce new hardware. Yes, but the Wii U came out back in 2012 so what’s the problem? Well, not to be outdone by their past, the Big N is at it again with the announcement of their brand new hardware: the New 3DS.

“Wait,” you say, “don’t you mean their new version. It’s still a 3DS, right?”

Answer: Kinda but not really.

To begin with, the definition of hardware needs to be established:

“the machines, wiring, and other physical components of a computer or other electronic system.”

Google “hardware definition” and that is what comes up. Okay, so where does one piece of hardware end and another begin? Nintendo is no stranger to releasing new versions of their hardware. Ever since the days of Game Boy, Nintendo has released new versions of their product. There are already several versions of 3DS on the market right now: 3DS, 3DS XL, and 2DS (seriously, who bought this?). There are already differences in the hardware and they are immediate. The XL unit is larger and the 2DS does not have the ability to ever go 3D (seriously, who?). Yet I agree that they are not new systems, simply new versions of what was already available to work with.

What makes the New 3DS different from what came before? Sure, it adds a second analog stick and two more buttons, but isn’t it really just a better designed version of this:

That is how they’re trying to sell it, but no there is actually a much larger difference. The New 3DS has a brand new CPU (central processing unit). That means that this system is faster than the old and capable of better visual graphics. Better graphics… hmmm, now when is that style of marketing used?

Whenever a new system is introduced, graphical comparisons are almost always made. In fact, they are already being made about the 3DS and the New 3DS:

Okay but graphics aside, the New 3DS still really is not that different. It isn’t like there are games for it that will not work on the old 3DS, right?

Wrong.

So far, only one game has been announced exclusively for New 3DS, and that is the portable version of Xenoblade Chronicles. On the software side, that is not much (for now). Except when Amiibo comes in. The New 3DS features NFC support, meaning that it can interact with Nintendo’s new lineup of toy supplements. Both the New 3DS and the Wii U gamepad have NFC functionality built-in. Owners of the old 3DS will have to buy an additional adapter to take advantage of this new technology. Sounding new enough, yet?

Yeah, when you look at it, there’s a lot more that the New 3DS can do… so why wasn’t it released three years ago? The 3DS is only a year older than the Wii U, it is still a very new system, yet Nintendo has already made it outdated. Criticism existed from day one over the several features missing from the original 3DS, the most notable objection was the lack of second analog stick.

Revisionism can be a good innovator, but constant revisionism is a bad idea, especially in less than perfect economic conditions. Nintendo is already loosing ground to an ever-growing mobile phone gaming market. While some consumers may be willing to pony up cash every year for the latest phone, giving up a couple hundred dollars for a SLIGHTLY better 3DS is not the same sure bet.

Instead, many gamers may have reactions very similar to my brother, a man who recently bought a 3DS. Suffice it to say, he is not excited about this newer, better version. Instead, he feels cheated. Why buy now when they are going to release a clearly superior product in such a short time? Nintendo does not appear to see a problem.

Nintendo just released an edition styled specifically for Smash Bros., despite the fact the game will look and run (and have faster internet) on the New 3DS. — Nintendo just released an edition styled specifically for *Smash Bros.*, despite the fact the game will look and run (and have faster internet) on the New 3DS.

While Nintendo has been seen as an innovator in gameplay, their lack of forward thinking in regards to hardware has been a problem. This is the company that did not think a lack of HD would hurt the Wii in 2007 (it did not initially but things were different by 2010). Nintendo did not feel that the name “Wii U” would cause any problems, or that people would be confused by a controller-centric unveiling. Nintendo is the company that still treats online like a fad, rather than building games to take complete advantage of it. In short: holy hell, can this company not think down the road.

The visuals in Wii games like Skyward Sword would have been greatly improved by even 720p support. The orginal Xbox had 720p support. — The visuals in Wii games like Skyward Sword would have been greatly improved by even 720p support. The original Xbox had 720p support.

Right now they are not expecting any negative feedback to releasing essentially a 3DS 2 only three years after the 3DS made its debut. Should Nintendo fans or the gaming public in general be holding out for a “New Wii U” as well? There are already reports that Nintendo is planning a new console. Instead of abandoning and revising their hardware, Nintendo should take a good look at the competition for answers. Sony is a company to admire for their repair of a horrendous PlayStation 3 launch. Nintendo needs to do the same thing. They need a new image, and the company that roles out new hardware every two years is not it.

Should you buy a New 3DS? Maybe. The odds are slim that they will revise twice in a generation. Should you buy an original 3DS this holiday season? Absolutely not. Nintendo has already told you that they have something better. They are just trying to hide it so you won’t feel cheated.

The Troubling Decline of First-Party Nintendo Titles

A Rose by any Other Name… Can be Confusing: The New 3DS