Nintendo is a company that is always veiled in mystery. While the games they release are usually of top tier quality, every once in a while they make you question their strange rationale, even if it doesn't make any sense. Last year at E3 when they first showed off the Wii U, it made people wonder if the tablet controller was an add-on or not. A full year of secrecy and tons of rumors later, many eager gamers hoped Nintendo learned their lesson and would put on a better show. To their dismay, it was terrible. Not only did it not have anything spectacular to end with, but it was terribly paced, counter-productive and still leaves many mysteries to unanswered questions.
The biggest question after E3 is third party support for Wii U. While Nintendo was supposed to unveil their full launch lineup at E3, they not only decided to not include third party support from Japanese companies like Sega and Capcom, but some Western companies like EA and Activision as well. The latter 2 produce games like Skylanders and Call of Duty (Activision) with EA producing Madden, Fifa, Dead Space, etc. The important thing to note about this is that the last time Madden did not appear on a home console at launch is the Sega Dreamcast. This in part led to that system's discontinuance and Sega dropping out of the hardware business. If Madden doesn't come to Wii U, it is ultimately a sign of platform weakness for Nintendo. Third party support hasn't been strong on Nintendo platforms, and while there were reassurances that things would finally change with Wii U, to most, it feels like more of the same from them.
Another problem facing the Wii U is their online infrastructure. All of what you see in the Wii U's interface doesn't seem very user-friendly and instead comes across as a big marketing attempt. In addition, while Nintendo has confirmed user accounts via Miiverse, they have yet to provide a clear cut explanation on friend codes. We've heard that they exist, they don't exist, and they exist in some form, but better than ever, whatever that means. Also, we're still waiting for Nintendo to add meaningful online functionality to their games, i.e. cooperative and competitive multiplayer for games like New Super Mario Bros. U and Pikmin 3, both of which have local multiplayer, but not online. It's an expectation that many have, but Nintendo never wants to try and take that leap, disappointing many fans, leaving others feeling aggravated and see Nintendo as lazy in their attempt to reach the core gamer.
Speaking of games, where were Nintendo's? We had the long awaited announcement of Pikmin 3, which looked good but not great. We had New Super Mario Bros. U which looked cleaner but less fun than New Super Mario Bros. 2 for 3DS, and releasing only a short while after it this year. Then we had the long demonstration of Nintendo Land, a mini-game collection based on core Nintendo franchises. I won't judge the game until I play it, but it definitely leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouths to end off their Conference with. Given the limited amount of games coming out at launch, they failed to show games beyond this year. It put a lot of fear in Nintendo fans about the future of the company, myself included.
Going into E3 I said I would not buy a Wii U for Pikmin 3 or New Super Mario Bros. at launch. After E3, I'm not going to buy a Wii U at launch unless I start hearing some really good things. The lack of Retro's game, a Zelda, a Metroid, heck even a DK Platformer, fails to garner any excitement for me. I want to buy a Wii U, I really do, but Nintendo, you have to give me something more than a barrel full of promises and a jar full of tears before I put money on you again.
