Attracting New Game(r)s
Nintendo has done little to attract new gamers to the GameCube. It has taken no real risks, developing the same games it always has with the same familiar faces it always has, and releasing them just as it always has. While things might have been better had there been only the PlayStation 2 to compete with, Microsoft's Xbox has further dissolved Nintendo's fan base and impacted sales quite a bit. Combined with Nintendo's complete lack of online support, this has led to the GameCube being the odd man out when developers are choosing platforms for games with online play or features. The complete elimination or postponement of a number of GameCube titles has resulted. Truly excellent games like Burnout 3 can now only be played on the XBX and PS2 and many games, like Mortal Kombat: Deception, have been delayed for the GameCube and stripped of online functionality. Examples like these are common and only further diminish the status of Nintendo's system in the eyes of gamers and the media alike.
However, Nintendo has been working together with 3rd party developers much more than they probably ever have before. This is definitely a good thing and will help the company a great deal in the future. The deal with Capcom that led to the GameCube getting the likes of Viewtiful Joe, Resident Evil 4, P.N.03, and Killer 7 was definitely a step in the right direction. If only there were more such examples. The majority of deals Nintendo has been making with 3rd parties involve little more than the creation of games using established Nintendo brands. Titles like F-Zero GX and the upcoming Star Fox Assault were developed by Sega and Namco respectively. Aside from quenching the appetites of thirsty Nintendo fans, these types of partnerships do little to bolster hardware sales or reach new audiences. Instead of pooling the collective talent of Sega and Nintendo together, what we have is Sega making a Nintendo game. As great as it may be, it is but a shadow of what could have been.
Namco's Soul Calibur II is another issue entirely. Im sure many consider the inclusion of Link in the GCN version of Soul Calibur II to be a very positive thing, but what message is it sending? That third party titles can sell better on the GCN than their PS2 and XBX counterparts, but only if Nintendo hands over its most revered mascot character? It is almost depressing to think of just how niche the user base of GameCube (and Nintendo consoles in general) has become. An incredible fighter like Soul Calibur II would have sold worst on the GameCube if not for the inclusion of Link. Nintendo's audience is so segmented that sports games, role-playing games, and a multitude of other genres are under represented on the Cube because, well, they don't sell. In other words, they arent Nintendo games. If Nintendo doesn't start taking serious steps to attract fans of all genres, it is going to find itself fighting a continual uphill battle in the years to come.
Nintendo has made a few modest attempts to attract fans of different genres to its console though. The problem is that these efforts are very limited. Remakes of big PSone games like Metal Gear Solid and Resident Evil have been one strategy Nintendo has tried, but what it fails to realize is that fans of these games have already moved on. Trying to attract new audiences by rehashing games of their past, just doesnt work in the long run. The other problem with this tactic is that these are just two games. To truly attract fans of these and other genres, they have to have something to play once they finish Resident Evil. Having to wait a year or more for even a decent game of any genre isnt something gamers should have to put up with. If Nintendo truly wishes to attract a new audience, it is going to have to try a lot harder.
Direct Sequelitis
But how can Nintendo ever hope to attract a new audience and a greater variety of games, if the company itself is providing little more than a pile of direct sequels to support its system? Not only are many of its core franchises suffering from a lack of originality, its secondary franchises are feeling the burn as well. For every supposed original game Nintendo puts out, there are at least two sequels that lack any form of originality whatsoever.
Nintendo has been doing this for years, but never has it been as evident as it is this generation. The N64 was just as bad, but the intense popularity of games like Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time gave their respective series' a new 3D face and seemed to energize the system. The Nintendo 64 also became the home to a great deal of original titles from Rareware. Games like Goldeneye 007, Perfect Dark, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Jet Force Gemini, Blast Corps., and Banjo Kazooie went a long way to keeping Nintendo afloat at that time. Other newcomers like Wave Race 64, 1080 Snowboarding, and Star Wars: Rogue Squadron all helped to define the system as something fresh. Ill even go as far to say that games like Mario Party, Super Smash Bros., and Paper Mario were good for the system. They were new types of games and needed additions to the relatively weak library of the Nintendo 64.
The difference between then and now is that this generation we have seen an even smaller number of original games on both the gameplay and originality side of Nintendo. The Big N has dissolved its partnerships with Left Field, Silicon Knights, and Rareware and done little to make up for their absence. So gamers are now not only feeling the sting of a Nintendo unwilling to take risks and develop new brands, but also the pain of having little to no creative support on the 2nd party and 3rd party front. The vast majority of Nintendo games this generation are direct sequels to their N64 predecessors. So now we have games that lack any form of originality on all fronts. How many Mario Parties is it going to take for everyone to realize that the best one was the original? Nintendo cannot attract new audiences by releasing unoriginal games. This is something that the Nintendo of today does not seem to understand.