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5 Times Nintendo REALLY Screwed Up

5 Times Nintendo REALLY Screwed Up

Nintendo. The Big N. One of the oldest gaming companies still around. They’ve made some of the best games of the last few decades and are a hit with kids and adults alike. They’ve innovated when they didn’t need to and they’ve found multiple successes in their quirkiness. The Nintendo Switch is a surprisingly welcome convenience with some surprising titles and the Nintendo Wii was an unconventional platform that captured the hearts of retired old people who wanted to bowl against their friends. But, for all its success, Nintendo isn’t perfect. Over the years, it has certainly had its share of blunders. For example…

Wii U

Wii U

Personally, I think the Wii U is a fantastic system and some of its first party games are amazing. However, it didn’t seem to catch on. There were reports that some people saw it as an accessory to the Nintendo Wii, which could be a result of the console’s name. The Nintendo Wii also had momentum at the time of the console’s launch and a lot of people didn’t see a reason to upgrade. In terms of power, it lagged behind its contemporaries and, as was often the case with Nintendo, online performance was middling at best. Now that the Switch is out and a lot of Wii U titles are being ported, the system is sinking faster into irrelevance.

Virtual Boy

Virtual Boy

The Virtual Boy is another symptom of Nintendo’s ambition. The system represents one of the first major mainstream attempts at virtual reality but its failure isn’t merely a result of being ahead of its time. First, the system lacked strong titles. Second, the controller and stand were wonky and uncomfortable. Finally, a system that practically promises to give you a headache? Pass.

Wii Music

Wii Music

I’m not really sure what Nintendo was thinking when they launched this title. Sure, it came out at the height of the rhythm game craze but the thing about rhythm games is that they are actually games. Wii Music , however, is an exercise in silliness. Players waggle and press buttons on the controller to play notes and at no point are they challenged. You practically can’t be bad at the game. And who wants to hold a Wii Remote up to their face to pretend they are playing a trumpet? Perhaps children but older audiences were prone to boredom playing the game. All that said, the game didn’t exactly underperform in terms of sales.

e-Reader

e-Reader

The e-Reader was a peripheral for the Game Boy Advance that allowed players to slide cards through a slot in the device to gain certain benefits in games. Some NES titles were available, by sliding a series of cards through the e-Reader. Pokemon cards also utilized the e-Reader to a small degree and Animal Crossing for the Gamecube also had somme bonus content that could be unlocked through cards. In some ways, the e-Reader feels like a prequel to amiibo, but the device lacked support, felt like a platform for DLC, and, really, didn’t do all that much. Overall, it was a hard purchase to justify.

NES Classic

NES Classic

This one was a toss-up. I was inclined to write about Nintendo’s relative disdain for online play. Then I thought about the Super Mario Bros. movie and how much of a trainwreck that was. But the empty spot in my entertainment center where I would put an NES Classic if I had one is too much of an inspiration.

The NES Classic is an undeniably cool machine, but it initially released in limited supply with an abundance of hype. Then, Nintendo stopped making it. Further accentuating the problem was the announcement of the SNES Classic. Because of the tragedy of the NES Classic, gamers were put on edge for months as they waited for the SNES Classic to launch because, really, nobody knew if they’d ever be able to get one. Fortunately, the SNES Classic wasn’t discontinued. For most people, the discontinuation of the NES Classic was a big “wtf.” But for scalpers, I suppose it was paradise.

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