WiiU = Dreamcast 2?

The WiiU has nearly been out for half a year now and it hasn't got off to the best of starts. After the initial launch hype there has yet to be a new release that has been able to sell units. Since getting the console I have only picked up one extra game, that being Darksiders 2, which, although a good game, can also be purchased on other consoles for half the price. People are confused with the system, worried that it is not a true "Next Gen" console, that it wont be able to keep up with the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Nintendo is in a bad position at the moment, no new first party games since launch. (no, Lego City doesn't count, even if it is a fun game) Barely any third party support, with EA actually saying that for the near future they will not be supporting the WiiU at all! Will the WiiU go the way of the Dreamcast? I doubt it will go that bad for Nintendo and here's why I think they could make a strong comeback in the later half of this year and beyond...

First Party Exclusives:

With Pikmin 3 being released in a few months time this will start the ball rolling for Nintendo, much like how before Ocarina of Time 3D was released on the 3DS there had been barely any support for the console. Pikmin is a much anticipated game for Nintendo fans, a game some people may have been waiting for before getting a WiiU. I understand that Pikmin is still quite a niche game and this brings me onto the next exclusive which is much more popular, this is The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD. Although its just a remake / port of the GameCube original many people have not experienced the game before and for those who have, to be able to play it again with new HD graphics and yet to be announced "gameplay improvements" should make this a game that many people are looking forward to!

As well as these two blockbuster first party games, E3 is coming soon. (in 8 days at the time of writing) Nintendo has already stated that we will see at least the next Mario Kart, Smash Bros and brand new 3D Super Mario game! I'm sure there will be many more surprises too.

Miiverse and the eShop:

For people who already have a WiiU, Miiverse has proved to be a big draw (no pun intended...) where thousands of gamers come together to discuss games, their favourite characters or just draw cool pictures, it has a great community at the moment, full of friendly like minded gamers, Nintendo is doing well to constantly update the service with all new releases so players have their own communities to discuss the games. At the moment this service is exclusive to the WiiU (and smartphones, but you need a WiiU to make an account), but soon it will also be supported on the 3DS.
The eShop got off to a slow start, with only a few games available, but now it has been online for a while the service has really kicked off, with the Virtual Console launching last month with classics such as Super Mario World and Super Metroid there is lots for gamers to enjoy, and don't forget, the entire Wii Virtual Console is also available on the WiiU  and if you already own a game on the Wii's download service you can upgrade to the WiiU version for a discounted price. As well as VC games there has also been a few original titles for the eShop including an excellent HD remake of Mighty Switch Force as well as the ability to digitally download most retail WiiU games, the eShop should not go ignored and is a bold step by Nintendo into the digital download market.

Unique third party games:

If the WiiU ends up following the same path as the Wii, with very little multi-format titles but plenty of original titles, this could be a good thing! The Wii got many games from developers that were exclusive to the system and very well received both in terms of reviews and sales, games such as No More Heroes, Pandora's Tower and Fragile dreams to name a couple, made the Wii a great console for the more obscure and interesting games of the last generation. It's quite likely that with the WiiU's unique controls and ideas, many companies are already creating interesting games that can only be possible on the WiiU, lets just hope some get shown at this years E3! One of the main reasons to buy a Wii, especially after a few years on the market, was the surprising amount of decent original IP's that originated thanks to the Wii, admittedly the WiiU is not likely to get quite the large install base that the Wii received, hopefully this won't put developers off. It's a catch 22 situation, Dev's wont make games for it until there's enough of an install base, but people wont buy it unless there's a good amount of releases..

Guess we'll just have to wait and see if the WiiU can pick up the pace after E3 this year!
Here's to a good future for Nintendo's new console!

... Meanwhile... The 3DS is selling millions so no need to worry about Nintendo's financial situation, they just released the 42nd Special edition and with Animal Crossing coming out soon the 3DS is just going to get even more popular!

Thanks for reading!