This is all well and good, but my gut tells me that, even if Nintendo communicated with third-party publishers extremely well, third parties still wouldn't make games for the Wii U if the hardware didn't fit for the games they wanted to make. Also, the bottom line in any business is turning a profit, and there's no way excellent communication would overshadow the Wii U's poor sales.
I definitely think there's validity to what he's saying--people buy consoles for games, and the Wii U's launch titles were unfortunately lackluster, to say the least--don't count Nintendo out just yet. At the same time, strong software support of a console is just one facet of what makes it successful. Companies need to convey to casual gamers why they should buy their console, and they need to do so simply and succinctly. Wii Sports wasn't the next Ocarina of Time, but people got what the Wii was about, which led to Wii Sports bowling tournaments in retirement communities, parents playing Wii with their toddlers, et cetera. I think the biggest problem that Nintendo has right now is the lack of a clear message to the casual gamer, the reason to buy a Wii U. Even if Nintendo comes out with a boatload of first party titles, and--somehow--manages to gain tremendous third-party support, they won't ship the number of consoles they want to if the average gamer doesn't 'get' the Wii U.
@Morphine_OD Journey was co-op, Portal 2 was linear, Heavy Rain was nothing but quicktime events; I think it's less "these things are bad" than "let's make sure these elements fit the game".
How can we, as consumers, hate on developers and publishers for electing to create sequels over new IPs? How can we, when every single title on the top 10 list for January is either a sequel, reboot, or part of an existing franchise? As developing AAA titles becomes more and more expensive, it naturally follows that companies would want to stick with the safer, more reliable product instead of risking millions of dollars in a new IP that, even if successful, has little chance of selling as well as established franchises? Just look at Ni no Kuni--universally acclaimed, made by a well-known developer, Level-5 and a beloved company, Studio Ghibli--and it fails to crack the top 10. It's all well and good to rag on Activision and EA for not innovating enough and 'selling out', but ultimately, companies will stop making sequels once consumers stop buying them.
An excellent article, with some very insightful points made. What most resonated with me is your assertion that 'fun' games such as Halo and Mario can exist alongside Bioshock, Braid, and Heavy Rain. I think that the public perception of video games does not see them as an art form, precisely because they can most easily point to popular franchises such as Halo and CoD, and argue that games are primarily made for teenage boys. And I think your point about Bioshock Infinite's advertising is relevant here as well--many game publishers sell themselves, their developers, and their games short, believing that the public is more interested in an action-heavy FPS experience, rather than a heavy tale of xenophobia set in an alternate early 20th century America. But I've always believed that games, just like film or literature, can't ALL be artistic masterpieces. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and Citizen Kane both use the medium of film, but are worlds apart in their subject matter and artistic value. Games have the potential to be art, just as books and film, but it is unrealistic to think that all games will eventually evolve to the level of which Mr. Cage and Mr. Spector imagine.
After reading this article, it seems that Nintendo's big problem with the Wii was a lack of flexibility; developers were forced to use motion controls--the Wii's big "gimmick"--and were unable to utilize traditional controls and let the game simply speak for itself. Going off of what Tom said, hopefully the Wii U, with it's multiple options for developers--the Wii U Pro controller, the GamePad, and the traditional Wii remote--will offer the best of both worlds to all developers. Namely, the room to experiment and innovate within the Wii U's unique features, in addition to the freedom to develop a great game for the Wii U without incorporating any of the "gimmicks".
This is awesome. With so many amazing and beautiful video game soundtracks, it's stunning to think that this is the first video game soundtrack to be nominated.
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