14 DAY TRIAL // Nintendo has been under a lot of scrutiny for some time now. The fact that they tend to promote more casual games which appeal to a younger audience or one that isn't that technology savvy has gained the disapproval of more serious, hardcore gamers. Although they tried to come up with titles which could attract a wider audience, the Japanese company still isn't looking so good in the eyes of the “core gamers” as they named their more serious clients.
In an effort to appeal to them, at the recent Fall Press Conference held in San Francisco, they announced the main titles which would bring the Wii back into the spotlight for hardcore gamers. Among them, a new generation revamp of the hit cult classic Punch Out or a sequel to the Japanese developed shooter Sin and Punishment. But that didn't really seem to please Nintendo’s fans.
Here's what Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo of North America, had to say about the situation, “The gaming enthusiast that buys a tremendous amount of games is truly insatiable. As an example, in March, we launched 'Super Smash Bros. Brawl'. In April, we launched 'Mario Kart'. In later April, we launched 'Wii Fit'. Then, in July, at E3, they say, 'where are the games?' They say they want the next Mario game. 'Super Mario Galaxy' isn’t even a year old yet. We believe today that we have shown a plethora of games and genres that can satisfy the most casual to the most core. Even that doesn’t seem like it’s enough”.
Although some of the titles launched for the Wii and DS have appealed to the core players, they are still a tough crowd to please. A steady stream of high quality games will definitely help strengthen the image that Nintendo has among these customers. But the Japanese company can't do all on its own; in my opinion, third party developers definitely need to start making games which attract a wider audience in general and focus on hardcore gamers in particular.