Nintendo Watchers are an Odd Lot
Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008
(I should probably save this for Pipeline as it comes close to being comics-related, but I think the video game stuff trumps that. Besides, I’ve got plenty of stuff lined up for Pipeline next week already.)
E3 happened last week. It’s the video game convention that’s in the midst of a transition. What was once a giant spectacle has been toned down in the last couple of sessions to something closer to a series of press conferences aimed at the media. It’s not consumer-focused. It’s there for the press.
Sadly, not everyone gets that. Some think E3 is still the E3 of old. They think it still has glitz and glamour and should have the biggest announcements of the year.
Take, for example, Nintendo watchers. Both those who decry the most successful gaming console on the market today as a fad, as well as its fans, have lamented Nintendo’s announcements this year at E3. It’s to be predicted from the usual throng of detractors who think “gaming” means “buying 10 first person shooters per year and spending all your spare time with them.”
But from Nintendo fans?
I can’t be the only one annoyed at all the whiners who say in one breath that they are upset with Nintendo for not announcing anything new for them, before saying in the next breath that they wanted a new Zelda, Mario, Kid Icarus, or Pikmin game. Right? They’re just as bad as the comic fans who want something “new” in comics when they mean they want a new “Superman” or “Spider-Man” mini-series.
The timing this year didn’t work out right for Nintendo to make blockbuster announcements. They never promised any, really, either. They had a few new things to talk about, including a whole room mic and an extension to the Wiimote. They didn’t come empty handed. Heck, they officially announced Wii Sports II, fer godness’ sakes! It’s the most popular game the Wii has. Many posit that the game is responsible for sluggish sales on other games — many are just happy playing that one. Why buy more?
Nintendo didn’t rush anything to force an announcement they couldn’t back up. Bully for them. When the time comes, they’ll tell us what they have ready to go next. I’m a patient man; I can wait. I suppose that puts me in the minority.





