New Year’s Resolutions For Nintendo
Nintendo’s had a pretty stable 2018 overall, ending off the year with two of their heaviest hitters: Pokemon Let’s Go and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. On top of that, they’ve also released a few other notable titles, including Octopath Traveler, Mario Tennis Aces, and Super Mario Party.
The launch of the Labo was also a fairly big success, although their online services still leave much to be desired. Things are looking pretty good for them this year with a ton of games in their lineup. That said, here are some important new year’s resolutions Nintendo should definitely keep in mind in 2019.
Add More Classics to the Switch
Who could forget the battle between Nintendo and ROM pirates earlier this year? Because the big N finally took action, they managed to close down a handful of emulator sites that were hosting their classic titles.
With illegal emulators out of the way, Nintendo should use 2019 to definitely build upon their classic library. Sure, the online service does give exclusive access to some charming NES titles, but it’s definitely not enough. With services such as PS Now and the Xbox Game Pass, the measly NES emulator hardly holds a candle to what services the competition provides.
There’s no doubt Nintendo does have plans of building up their classic library eventually, but it wouldn’t hurt to speed up the process this year. Here’s hoping we also see SNES, GBA, and even GameCube games added to the online service, too.
Keep Up the Crossovers
Nintendo’s been on a roll with their collaborations lately –Ganondorf armor in Diablo III, Star Fox in Starlink, and even Super Smash Bros Ultimate in general. Fans love seeing Nintendo playing nice with other franchises, so that’s one thing they should definitely keep doing this year.
With characters like Mario and Pikachu, Nintendo has some of the most iconic faces in the gaming industry. Watching them team up with other crazy characters is a surreal, enjoyable experience, evident by Mario + Rabbids alone.
There are still tons of characters who haven’t been used outside of their games, and there’s plenty of potential just sitting there. Who knows, Nintendo might just end up making that Luigi x Castlevania crossover this year.
Bring In Netflix and Other Similar Services
The Nintendo Switch is a great entertainment system, but it still sorely lacks plenty of other streaming services. Within the past two years, we’ve only gotten both Hulu and YouTube to watch videos and movies.
Streaming services would no doubt be perfect on the Switch, as you could watch on the big screen and continue streaming on handheld mode. Since launch, fans have been asking for Netflix, so that’s one thing Nintendo should definitely strive to focus on this year.
Other services like Spotify, HBO GO, Amazon Video, Crunchyroll, and Funimation would also be a welcome addition to the Switch’s growing entertainment library.
Improve the Online Features
Nintendo’s online services leave much to be desired, especially since fans have already started paying for it. The mediocre service hardly takes advantage of the Switch’s social features, which is something Nintendo has to improve on if they want more people to pay for online.
For instance, removing that Nintendo app and adding in voice chat to their games is a great way to start. Having to toggle between two devices just to talk in-game, to say the least. Similarly, Nintendo should also take advantage of the friend list by being able to directly invite friends to sessions in-game.
Nintendo could also add in an in-game messaging service, similar to Swapnote but preferably something a bit more conventional. Adding some exclusive online features would sway more fans to shell out some cash for the service if they haven’t been enticed by the low price point already.
New Year’s Resolutions For Sony
2018 has been an amazing year for Sony, with amazing titles such as Insomniac’s Spider-Man, Ni No Kuni II, and Yakuza 6: Song of Life. Not to mention that Sony won the Game Awards 2018 with God of War, too.
Following their massive milestones, it seems like they’ll be laying low this year. Apart from canceling PSX 2018, they will also be skipping E3 2019 entirely. The gaming giant definitely has a few surprises up their sleeves, but here are a few new year’s resolutions they should also strive to achieve in 2019.
Embrace Cross-Play
Out of the big three, Sony’s had the hardest time adapting to cross-play. After plenty of nudging and shoving from both fans and critics alike, Sony finally loosened their grip and added in some leeway for cross-play.
After amending their policies, Sony’s still pretty strict when it comes to playing nice with Xbox and Nintendo. Only a handful of titles are available for cross-play, and it seems like they still haven’t finalized their list just yet.
While company rules can be difficult to work around, Sony should definitely strive to be more open to cross-play in 2019.
Reveal Games Closer to Release Date
Making games doesn’t happen overnight, as the magic often happens over years. And while that’s perfectly understandable, announcing games way too early isn’t.
Sony’s had this ongoing issue where they try to hype up games a bit too early, in that they end up showing the same games year after year in the same event. Detroit: Become Human was announced in 2015 and didn’t see the light of day until three years later. Spider-Man was definitely a bit more manageable with a two-year gap, but still a bit too long from release nonetheless.
With the PS5 on the horizon, 2019 seems to be the perfect time to hype up some of its launch titles, not games that’ll launch in 2022. The same treatment still stands for titles such as Death Stranding and The Last of Us Part II, which still have no solid release dates.
New Year’s Resolutions For Xbox
Xbox has been making strides in 2018 by bolstering their services and shelling out a pool of great games. Forza Horizon 4 was definitely one of their biggest highlights in 2018, improving the Forza formula with tons of other interesting qualities. Meanwhile, State of Decay 2 was another decent foray into the apocalyptic zombie universe.
And who could forget their stunning E3 presentation where they revealed tons of other first-party studios joining their team? Obsidian Entertainment, Ninja Theory, and Undead Labs are only a few members of the Xbox’s growing family. Not to mention they also opened their doors cross-play, which opened up more opportunities for players on different platforms.
While Xbox will definitely be keeping up their momentum in 2019, here are a few new year’s resolutions they should still keep.
Grab More Exclusivity Deals
One big reason why people choose a certain console over others lies mainly with exclusivity. Xbox falls a bit short in that regard, although they’ve been trying hard to nab a few deals here and there.
The Fallout 76 beta was exclusive to Xbox users first before it launched across all platforms. In the same sense, they should target these exclusive pre-release access deals for other popular games launching soon. There’s no shortage of multiplayer games, and those are titles that Xbox can focus on when it comes to pre-launch testing.
Moving forward, Xbox should definitely build up and bring back some of their more dormant franchises for both the Xbox One and next gen. Announcing Halo was a step in the right direction, but what about games like Fable and other series fans would be happy to see resurface?
Use the New Studios
There’s no real point in collecting all those first-party studios if Xbox won’t end up using them, after all. These teams are known for their creative works, such as Pillars of Eternity and Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice.
If Xbox can manage to deliver completely new IPs with the same quality as those games, then chalk that up for exclusivity. These new studios can pave the way for better, exclusive franchises that’ll have fans lining up for the Xbox consoles.
2019 is the perfect time to announce some new projects spearheaded by their studios. This will no doubt keep their momentum going while they plan for their next-gen projects behind the scenes.
Published: Jan 10, 2019 12:23 pm