Nintendo MMORPGs

Shooters and open world RPGs. They're seemingly the biggest two genres in modern gaming culture, with multiple big franchise titles in each. Practically all of them have extensive online modes. Some of them are exclusive to online play, having no single player content at all, a state of affairs that would have been unthinkable fifteen years ago.

This is unless you're playing a Nintendo console. In the world of Nintendo platform games still reign supreme. Not that there's anything wrong with platform games. Or Nintendo's more family-friendly approach for that matter. But shooters, open world RPGs and a focus on online play remains a gaping hole in Nintendo's line-up. I suspect this is a large part of the reason the Wii U underperformed and the company as a whole is considered a notch below Sony and Microsoft in the home console war.

Those holes are the bad news. The good news is that it would be easy for Nintendo to solve the problem. They have the ideal franchises. The Metroid Prime series is a highly regarded set of first person shooters that keeps the standard issue Nintendo charm but comes about as close as the company's ever going to get to giving us an army grunt in the style of Mass Effect¹ or Halo. Meanwhile it's very easy to imagine the Legend of Zelda being tweaked to be Ninty's answer to Skyrim.

A new Zelda game is very much in development for Wii U (and probably the yet-to-be-properly-unveiled NX) and has been cautiously framed as an open world title in which you can travel to the (far off) horizon and beyond. The last original Metroid Prime title was released in 2007. That's a long time for a series to stay idle, but there's a strong chance that a new title is in development: Retro Studios haven't released any information on what they're working on since the release of their last major game (Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze) in February 2014.

These games will focus on single player content, because that's the Nintendo way. Personally I feel it would be a mistake to do anything else with them: they're both clearly established as single player experiences (particularly Zelda) and the company can't rely on having a large enough user base for the NX to make online play the central focus of any game (especially one carrying the Legend of Zelda tag, that being their second biggest franchise after Mario). It can be argued that the Wii U, renowned for having a weak sales record, has managed to support Splatoon, a game that focuses more on online content than a single player mode, but that's very much an experimental title by Nintendo standards. They wouldn't do something as bold as that with an established and important series.

This does not mean the games cannot provided the structure for extensive online play after launch. The LOZ series is the perfect faux medieval setting for an MMORPG. Prime is the perfect setting for a space exploration shooter. The trouble is title has is that they're so tied to their established lead characters, something which isn't terribly practical for online play. Not everyone can play as Link. Even if you through Zelda, Ganon and a bunch of secondary characters into the mix the best you can come up with is a battle mode. While that doesn't sound like a bad thing it already exists in the form of Hyrule Warriors and it's not the experience people would want.

So what would they want? I think people would want the chance to explore the Hyrule of "Zelda U" as a new character, taking on quests at Kakariko village, Hyrule town and whatever other settlements make it into the game, trekking up mountains and into forests to fight crazy monsters like that mechanical octopus from the game's initial trailer or the more established dodongos². Toss in a impressive character creation screen, set the online content six months after the conclusion of Link's Latest Epic Quest™ and you've got yourself a big, open world settign that people are going to be interested in. Same goes for Metroid Prime.

I know there's more to it than that. It's not simply a matter of stitching on multiplayer. Done right it takes as much time to get right as a single player campaign. But the hard work, creating the world, characters, and (most of³) the enemies, would be completed. It's not even something that would need to be available at launch. If it was polished enough online play for both franchises could be launched as their own separate things. The new Zelda (presumably) being available on Wii U and the NX would be a slight problem because it's probably not in Ninty's best interest to make this available for Wii U but the good news is that they're not in a position where they've confirmed any sort of online functionality. They could announce Zelda U will be made available for both consoles and that an MMO element will come exclusively to the NX version several months after release. That provides a reason for people to buy an NX without depriving Wii U owners of the core game they've been promised⁴.

If Nintendo did this they'd have a pair of evergreen titles⁵ to update with fresh campaigns every six months to a year, encouraging continuous waves of sales. That's an approach they need to go with for the NX. It works well for their competitors and is a large part of the reason the Wii U was not the success it could have been. If they're not planning this for these titles, they should. I they're not developing a new Metroid Prime title, they should.

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¹ Hey, you may love Mass Effect and Halo's characters but they're not what you'd call nuanced or interesting. Mass Effect does better than Halo in that regard but a large part of the reason for that is that the game's narrative and gameplay are strongly tied to a decision-making system that makes a healthy substitute for character development⁶. 

² Not fussed enough about Zelda to know what monster is what? They're the lizards that are defeated by fooling them into swallowing bombs. They've appeared in most of the series' instalments. It's amazing that a species that can be pretty easily tricked into swallowing something so clearly deadly has managed to evolve and be such a prominent part of Hyrule's ecology, but there you go.

³ I feel like online content for both a Zelda title and a Metroid Prime title would need to offer monsters to fight that weren't present in the single player. This simplest answer to this is to create new bosses that are only encountered online.

⁴ It could even be offered at a lesser price than the NX version to reflect the difference in online content (something which will probably happen anyway).

⁵ Look, I hate this term as much as anyone but it makes sense and is a handy shorthand. Don't hate me for using it, I already hate myself for it enough.

⁶ Not that character development is particularly important to me. One of my favourite series of games ever is the Mario platformers, and they're about as light on character and story as you can get.

Nintendo Mobile Gaming suggestions

Last March Nintendo announced that they were developing games for mobiles. This was pretty significant news, a notoriously reticent developer indirectly admitting that in order to remain relevant to the gaming marketplace and community they need to expand beyond their own hardware. It was also pretty exciting. There are plenty of games available for smart phones that are obviously influenced by Nintendo games. There are also classics that once appeared on Nintendo consoles available for purchase. But this is the first time actual Nintendo games will be available on anything other than Nintendo consoles. It's exciting to see what a publisher with such a long history of excellence will conjure up.

At the same time as the initial announcement it was confirmed that five games were to be developed and released, all of them original, and with Pokémon Go, the much anticipated Pokémon mobile game, being an entirely separate project (basically, it's a sixth game developed by The Pokémon Company with input from Nintendo, not one of Nintendo's own five). There was, understandably, a lot of speculation about which characters and game genres Nintendo would go with. Things went quiet for a while, as they all too often do with Nintendo. Then, at the end of October, they announced their first game. Miitomo.

According to Nintendo's official website Miitomo will see the user answer questions on currently unspecified topics¹ with answers being "communicated" with people you've added to a friend list. It is dubbed a "friendly communication starter" designed to get people discussing subjects they normally would not. "Deepening friendships" is apparently one of the game's key goals.

It initially sounds boring. It sounds seems like a texting app with typical Nintendo security² and cutesiness attached. Nobody needs more texting and basic communication apps. It's an unspectacular first offering from Nintendo and one that failed to build confidence in their move to mobile gaming.

There is a glimmer of hope with Miitomo though. Nintendo have an established way of doing things: they like to encourage communication and a positive, inclusive atmosphere. That approach is what led them down the Wii Sports route and, more recently, to Street Pass and Miiverse. In case you don't know, Miiverse is the central piece of communication software used on the Wii U. It's used for leaving in-game comments and chatting with people on your friends list. Street Pass is essentially the same thing for the 3DS, only geared more towards carrying the console with you due to its portable nature. None of that sound too dissimilar from the (admittedly broad) Miitomo outline, does it?

I'm currently thinking that Miitomo is intended as some sort of hub app for Nintendo's smart phone offerings. Somewhere to share hints and tips on more traditional and competitive games released later, as well as a tool for checking high scores and related accomplishments. If this turns out to be the case I think it will make sense as a first app. If it's still only a communication tool once other Nintendo games start releasing I can't see how it will be anything but a disappointment³.

Practically nothing is known about the other four games Nintendo have confirmed. They've said that the game that follows Miitomo will feature one of the company's "best known characters" and that's it. It will be interesting to see what they produce because with that comment it's almost certain that the second offering will feature Mario or Link, at a push Donkey Kong, Luigi or Bowser. If it's Mario it seems odd not to confirm it as far ahead of time as possible to get people excited, so I don't think we'll be seeing him in that second game.

Anyway, because I know you've all been wandering what I think Nintendo should produce I've written up a list of the four games I think would work best for Nintendo's initial smart phone line-up. It's been confirmed that the first five offerings will be free-to-play. As such I'm not going to advocate seeing full Mario platformers and Zelda RPGs. They absolutely could and should make those but it's not practical to put them out as free-to-play games. Everything I've gone with would (I think) work as a free download with additional content (or lives or what have you) being offered for purchase.

WarioWare

An obvious choice, this one. This is a series that's appeared on Game Boy Advance, Gamecube, DS, Wii, and Wii U, three of which have non-conventional control setups. Every entry in the series focuses on minigames, many of which are over in a matter of seconds. It's a series that's appeared on Nintendo's own touch screen consoles before and is designed for playing in short bursts. It was basically a game version of Takeshi's Castle as made by Nintendo. It's the ideal free-to-play app from the company's existing IP.

An Advance Wars tower defence game

What's Advance Wars? It's a war simulation series, the most well-received editions of which have made excellent use of the DS touch screen and turn based mechanics. What's a tower defence game? A game in which you have to protect a goal from enemies walking down preset pathways by constructing towers, all of which have different attributes, on a selection of locations. These two things seem like a natural fit. Tower defence games are popular and Advance Wars has enough Nintendo Charm™ to make it an appealing purchase. An added bonus is that if the game failed it wouldn't be tarnishing one of Ninty's bigger franchises.

Donkey Kong

You know the drill with this one: you play as Mario⁴ and have to climb up a tower of scaffolding while leaping over barrels thrown by Donkey Kong. The control system would probably need rejigging because the traditional D-pad and jump button setup would be too clunky on a touch screen. Making it into an autorunner where you tap a button to jump and hold it to duck or pause or slow down or speed up would be a nice idea. In the vein of the Game Boy's Donkey Kong game they could begin with a few levels based on the scaffolding setup from the arcade original before branching out into different sorts of level designs with obstacles that extend beyond barrels thrown by an ape.

Captain Toad

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is a Wii U game that has its origins in bonus stages of Super Mario 3D World. In those you guided Captain Toad through cube-shaped, rotatable isometric levels in search of stars, the character's inability to jump being used as the central conceit with regard to puzzle design. The spin-off game saw the controls and graphics brushed up a little and applied to well over fifty entirely new levels. An Android and iOS version would need a graphical downgrade but that wouldn't be a problem for a company that specialises in charm. A tighter camera arrangement could actually benefit the game. The controls would work nicely, Captain Toad has a particularly non-frantic pace and would be well suited to a "touch where you want Toad to go next then wait as he walks there" approach. Monument Valley with Captain Toad and gold stars is what I'm thinking here.

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These are the games I think would hold the most appeal and portray Nintendo in the best light. There are other titles that could be tweaked for mobiles, like Wario's Woods⁵, Mario & Wario⁶, Yoshi's Cookie⁷, and Doctor Mario⁸, but I don't think they're as quintessentially Nintendo as those I've suggested, nor are they especially interesting. And what's the point of Nintendo making mobile games in the first place if they're not going to play on being Nintendo?

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¹ Don't expect anything saucy, this is Nintendo we're dealing with.

² I don't mean this in a technological sense in which personal and private data is kept secure. That's obviously a good thing and something Nintendo is, as a rule, pretty good with. I'm referring to Nintendo's overly cautious and safe approach to online communication amongst strangers. Another good thing, you may be thinking. Well, yes, but Nintendo have a habit of going too far with it. An example? Sure. Despite it being a standard part of online shooters they omitted voice chat from Splatoon because they wanted to ensure a safe online environment in which kids (and calm adults) aren't screamed at by overzealous nutters. Admirable, you may be thinking. Again, yes, but what about the adults who play Splatoon online with friends, people they actually know and know won't scream at them? Should they not have the option of voice chat? There were plenty of ways to create the online environment they wanted without leaving voice chat out all together⁹. It was left out because of their cautious nature¹⁰.

³ That said Nintendo are targeting new people with their smart phone games: people who view their phones, rather than a dedicated console, as their primary gaming device. That's likely a factor in their "go with a texting app before anything else" approach, because texting is pretty darn popular.

⁴ Playing as Mario is a big deal in itself. He's Nintendo's most recognisable character and absolutely needs to be featured in one of their mobile titles.

⁵ A falling block puzzle game that wouldn't look out of place alongside the likes of Candy Crush. Its story, such as it was, focused on Wario trying to blow up some woods with bombs. Because he's a baddie.

⁶ A side-scrolling puzzle game where you played as a fairy guiding Mario, whose head was trapped in a bucket (Wario¹¹ was to blame, obvs), to the safety of the level exit. It was a SNES game and required a mouse accessory to be used, because Nintendo love their mad input methods on home consoles.

⁷ A tile matching game in which you swipe cookies left and right to create matches, earning points and creating space for more cookies. Another game that wouldn't look out of place alongside the likes of Candy Crush. It gets bonus points for featuring the highly recognisable Yoshi and foodstuffs, which Candy Crush has taught us makes games highly addictive.

⁸ Yet another colour match game that would fit nicely alongside the ranks of similar games already out on mobiles. This one saw Mario (dressed as a doctor because why not) throwing red, yellow and blue pills into a jar filled with red, yellow and blue germs, creating colour lines to vanquish the germs.

⁹ Having voice chat turned off as the default setting, adding a function where you can online chat with people on your friends list, and creating a "non-chat" online option are all things Nintendo could have done but didn't.

¹⁰ Just to be clear, I don't care about voice chat and wouldn't use it if it were an option.

¹¹ It's purely coincidence that I've mentioned three potential games starring or prominently featuring Wario. He's tended to wind up in a wide variety of games over the years, Nintendo tending to use him in an experimental fashion to see if new ideas work. If they don't then they've not harmed a more popular character. If they do then the ideas can be refined then reused with a more marketable character.

Splatoon Sequel suggestions

Last year Nintendo released their first game to feature an entirely new set of characters in over ten years. It was a third person shooter called Splatoon in which you shoot ink instead of bullets and transform between a kid and a squid (something the company's advertising campaign pushed incredibly hard), with squids travelling fast through their own colour of ink but being unable to use weapons. It proved to be a big success, selling 2.5 million copies in its first six months. I imagine a contributing factor there is that it was a fun, colourful offering for a genre of game that all too often sees you playing as a grizzled marine in samey desert locations, although it being the only shooter of note on the Wii U may have helped.

Whatever the reason, the game was successful. It also taught Nintendo some important lessons about experimenting with new types of games, not being overly reliant on established characters, and providing downloadable content. It was such a hit and taught the company so much that it's impossible to imagine them not producing a sequel. It's too obvious and sensible a move to not make, even for a company as frequently self-destructive as Nintendo.

Which is what I want to write about today. Splatoon may have been out less than a year but as Nintendo recently announced that they've finished their series of free updates (and haven't mentioned anything about paid ones) we now have what appears to be the full Splatoon experience available to us. Which means it's now easy to point to things and suggest Nintendo do them differently, elaborate on them, introduce them or cut them when Splatoon 2 rolls around¹.

I'll start with suggestions for weapons. The game features several dozen guns split, very broadly, into three categories. Regular guns which can be aimed and fired quickly, long range sniper rifles, and portable Gatling guns (dubbed splatling guns because wordplay) which are charged up before releasing a brisk burst of ink. It also features buckets and large painting utensils like brushes and rollers, because, as mentioned already, you shoot ink and not bullets². Each weapon type handles differently but allows you to pursue the same goal, laying down ink so that you can swim around the map more quickly and, in certain game modes, gain victory by having more of your colour than the opposing team's on the ground.

I only have one suggestion for an addition to this: spray cans³. They could range from having short and wide cover areas to long and narrow ones and they'd be great weapons for getting good coverage⁴. The natural assumption would be that spray cans would offer good coverage and make it easy to douse enemies⁵ and that they'd have generally good range. So a weakness (every weapon needs a weakness) of weight would probably be the best choice. Make them hefty things to lug about so they're not considered overpowered⁶.

There are other weapon types in Splatoon. Specifically sub weapons and special weapons. Subs are things like grenades and mines, the general theme with them being that they'll explode and create a small circle of ink, killing opposing team members unlucky enough to be nearby. Special weapons are things like missiles, which create a momentary large circular vortex of your ink colour at any position on the map, and locators, which reveal the whereabouts of al enemies until a timer runs out. That's handy when you remember that a popular trick amongst Splatoon players is to hide, undetectable, in ink until somewhere gets close enough to be splatted.

I have two ideas for special weapons. One would be something that allows you to swim through ink of any colour for a short amount of time⁷. This would be excellent for sneaking behind the opposing side's line. Right now you can only really accomplish that by shooting your way there, which leaves a trail of your ink colour and shows where you are (although putting your ink down is kind of the point of the game). With this special your could swim through enemy ink and sneak up on people. It would be useful for experienced rifle users and newcomers alike, allowing the former to get to desirable sniping points and the latter a fairer chance of escaping hectic bombardments. It would introduce a stealth style of play to the game that isn't there now.

The second idea is something that effects the enemy team. When activated it would make your enemy see their teammates as enemies and enemies as teammates. Recognising who's on which team in Splatoon is all down to colour: you and your teammates will all be one colour and the enemy will be another⁸. If you think enemies are teammates then you won't try to do the sensible thing and avoid or splat them. You'll also spend time trying to splat your teammates (which won' harm them but will waste your time). The idea would be for it to be an attack that confuses the opposing team and allows you to pick them off. It could be a little overpowered though, and if it were then the same idea would work just as well as a grenade that targets enemy players individually.

In the original Splatoon you obtain all these things as sets: a weapon comes with a sub and a special that can't be switched. That's a good practice as it keeps online play pretty balanced. It's a practice that should stay. That said I wouldn't be averse to a play mode where weapons, subs and specials can be selected separately (I'd just have no interest in playing it).

The second suggestion I have concerns DLC. I feel that Splatoon has been the best Nintendo title ever for DLC content. After its release the game saw nine maps added to its initial line-up of five⁹, well over thirty weapon pack combinations, and three additional online play modes. All of this was free. A similar approach would be a good idea for the sequel: the player base has come to expect it and it's proven to be an effective way of keeping people playing. However, I'd suggest that after six months or so of free maps, weapons and outfits¹⁰ that paid DLC be offered. There's no reason Nintendo shouldn't make money out of a popular game, especially if the sequel winds up with as much base content as the original.

The argument against paid DLC is well worn. Basically, some people don't like having to pay for extra content, feeling that buying the game should entitle them to everything ever created for it for no extra charge. I agree with that to an extent: if you buy a game that can be completed very easily and offers very little value for money then it's cheeky for companies to expect people to shell out more cash for fresh content. Generally speaking I'm happy to pay for extra content if it looks interesting and I feel the core game is good enough value. Splatoon is good value and I'd happily pay for more content now. I imagine I'll feel the same when a sequel arrives.

Talking about additional content is a natural time to discuss Amiibos. These are at once Nintendo's greatest achievement of the last few years and their biggest failure. They're a simple idea: collectible figures that unlock extra content for certain (at this point most) Nintendo games. They're a failure in that Nintendo have very little idea on how to use them. That's a subject in its own right but there's a very obvious way the line could be tied to a Splatoon sequel.

I'd like to see every Amiibo unlock clothing and weapons in Splatoon 2. A Link¹¹ Amiibo could unlock his trademark hat, tunic and boots and a weapon designed to look like a bow and arrow. Maybe it could even be some sort of ink-firing bow. A Pikachu Amiibo could unlock a Pikachu ears hat, a Pika-T-shirt and... I dunno, some yellow trainers with lightning emblems on them?

You get the idea. Each Amiibo would unlock a weapon and some unique clothing to be purchased in the relevant in-game shops. It would be impractical for every character to have an entirely new weapon, so maybe they could be variants, with special decorations on them (something already in Splatoon for weapons with different sub and special combos) or alternate sub and special combos. All Legend of Zelda characters could come with the same weapon, sub and special but with different markings depending on who'd been scanned in, for example (Triforce for Link, a crown for Zelda). The only sensible weapon addition from outside of Splatoon would be the FLUDD from Mario Sunshine as that was a weapon that squirted water. It's ideal. Luigi could maybe have a version of the Poltergust¹² but even that's pushing things.

Amiibo figures unlocking additional maps and challenges would be nice but it's impractical. It' simply too much to add to the game and lock away behind additional payments. At least it is for non-Splatoon Amiibo. I think it would be a nice touch for Amiibos of Splatoon characters. In the current game the three Splatoon Amiibos that exist unlock single player levels that have to be completed with rifles or rollers, as opposed to a the regular gun you use, or within a certain time limit. For completing those challenges you earn additional clothing and a weapon. The clothing you get is interesting, the weapons less so. They're basic weapons with sub and special combinations that already exist. Splatoon character Amiibo are the perfect opportunity to introduce unique, desirable combos and outlandish outfits. That's what should be done in the sequel.

The final thing I'd like to mention on Amiibos is that the game is popular enough to warrant more when the sequel arrives. I understand why only three generic characters (Inkling Boy, Inkling Girl, and a Squid) were initially released: the entire game was something of a gamble for Nintendo and they didn't want to commit to an extensive line for something that may not have sold well. With the game now a success Nintendo should ensure a strong Amiibo line to arrive alongside the sequel. Callie and Marie¹³ are certainly popular and significant enough to deserve figures. The same goes for Judd¹⁴. There are other options like the four shop owners, Spyke, Cap'n Cuttlefish and lead heel DJ Octavio. If Nintendo really wanted to they could have ten Amiibos from these characters, plus some new generic Inklings, but that would be overkill. It's worth noting that the option is there though. It would certainly be worth considering if they tied worthwhile DLC to each. It may go against the established Nintendo approach but it would give people a reason to want to buy the new Amiibo figures.

My last two suggestions are relatively straightforward ones: bring back some of the maps from the original game and expand the single player campaign. Even though I find some of the current multiplayer maps frustrating to play¹⁵ I appreciate the number of them and the variety in their layouts. No two maps feel the same, each one having its own identity and quirks.

We can assume that level of creativity will make it into any new maps in Splatoon 2. Returning maps would be nice and I'd like some to have alterations and changes to them to show that time has passed since the first game. It would make the world of Splatoon feel more lived-in and real¹⁶, something the first game has achieved nicely which has added to its charm and appeal. Hammerhead Bridge is a good example of a map that could be updated. In the first game it's under construction and the Inklings are essentially fighting on a construction site. The sequel could see it completed, with a layout that's similar and familiar but different enough to make it a new experience. Arowana Mall could be realistically added to with new shopping precincts and Bluefin Depot could be the subject of some urban regeneration. Pretty much any course could have the "passage of time" idea applied to it.

Expanding the single player campaign is pretty self-explanatory. What we got in the original was good but it didn't last too long. Splatoon is primarily a multiplayer game but that doesn't mean it can't have a substantial (or at least more substantial than what we currently have) single player element to it. Octo Valley¹⁷ is a really nicely designed area and I'd be happy enough if it returned but Inkopolis¹⁸ itself would be an interesting setting for a single player mode, especially if it allowed you to travel around all (or most (or some)) of the mutliplayer areas and featured them as single player courses.  

Would these suggestions all make it into a Splatoon sequel? No. Some are just too outlandish or too far removed from how Nintendo operates to work. Would they make Splatoon 2 an even better game than the first? That's not for me to say. But I don't think they'd make it worse.

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¹ There are various spelling puns Nintendo could go with for a sequel, all variants on Spla2n. I don't care which they go with but they need to go with one of them. If a Splatoon sequels comes out and is called Splatoon 2 or, worse, Splatoon: Insert Generic Subtitle Here then Nintendo need to fire every member of their western localisation team¹⁹.   

² Because Nintendo wants to make fun games. Not going to see those marines using paintbrushes are you?!

³ Just because I only have one suggestions doesn't mean I don't want more. Ideally we'll get a few new weapon types in Splatoon 2 in addition to the predictable set of new gun and roller variants.

⁴ As the amount of your ink on the ground determines how easily you can move around maps, and in some game modes whether you win or lose, ink coverage is important to gameplay. Some weapons have great coverage but are poor in other regards, such as range and rate of fire.

⁵ Which "splats" them. Splatting is essentially "dying", although you regenerate at your start point so it isn't that similar.

⁶ This is an accusation common in online gaming communities. Any weapon or character or what have you that is relatively easy to use and can help win games runs the risk of being labelled "OP". Because lots of people who play games online like to whinge about losing^20..    

⁷ Just to clarify, you can swim through your own ink whenever you like and it's quicker than walking. You can't swim through your enemies ink. It doesn't kill you but it weakens you and means you can be polished off in less shots by enemies.

⁸ Colours are chosen in pairs at random before every match. So you could have teams of pink and yellow playing one another but never orange and yellow, for example. I assume it's something to do with having contrasting colours that can't be confused if you're colour blind. It's an obvious and good thing to include in a game in which colour is such an important feature but I do have a gripe about certain sets of colours only being available when playing certain online modes. Why should I have to play a ranked battle just to get that sweet yellow and purple colour scheme I find visually pleasing, Nintendo? Why?!²¹    

⁹ One of those original maps was significantly restructured in August 2015, to the extent that it essentially became an entirely new map.

¹⁰ Outfits are important in Splatoon as they give your character abilities like swimming more quickly or spending less ink when firing a weapon, all of which make it easier to fight in some way or other. They also keep your character (and those of other online players) visually interesting. Stay fresh!

¹¹ Unaware of Link? He's the guy in green from the Legend of Zelda series, silly! If you've played one of those games you've played as him!

¹² The Poltergust 3000 and 5000 were weapons used in the Luigi's Mansion games²². Both were made from modified vacuum cleaners. They sucked things up rather than squirted things out but visually-speaking a version of the weapon would be a rather nice fit for Splatoon. The Poltersplat? That sort of works. And if any Nintendo character warrants their own weapon besides Mario then it's Luigi.   

¹³ Two Inkling pop stars who announce updates and the currently playable maps every time you turn the game on.

¹⁴ Judd is a cat who hangs out in the game's hub area. He gives you tips when you talk to him, rewards when you've reached certain levels in multiplayer, and appears on-screen to announce winners in online matches. An explanation has never been offered as to why a cat is featured in a game where literally every other character is based on some form of aquatic life. Not that a game about kids who shapeshift into squids should worry about such explanations.

¹⁵ I tend to find that the older maps are too easy to bottleneck, trapping a team near their base and splatting them when they try to move out. If you end up on a poor team this can make for a boring match of constant respawns. These maps may play better in other game modes that I don't use but it's noticeable that maps deigned after release seem far more balanced and make bottlenecking far tougher to achieve.

¹⁶ Realism is never a high priority in Nintendo games but the world of Splatoon feels far more coherent that that of, say, Mario. How many iterations of the Mushroom Kingdom are we up to now? How many neighbouring countries have been visited?

¹⁷ Octo Valley is the setting for the single player campaign. It's exclusively underground but giant walls and rocks have murals and designs on them to fool you into thinking you're above ground (see the picture below). There's no need for it but it really makes the game visually compelling.

¹⁸ Inkopolis is where all the online multiplayer maps are located, as well as the game's plaza hub area. There are sometimes glimpses of one map (a dock area that could be Bluefin Depot can be seen from Moray Towers, for example) when you're playing on another but there's no actual map of the city and it could just be coincidental. It's nice to think there's purpose to it though, and it helps with that sense of realism I mentioned.

¹⁹ That said, I've referred to the Splatoon sequel as Splatoon 2 several times here for simplicity and ease.

²⁰ Of course we all know that the only acceptable complaint that can be levelled at Splatoon regarding online play is getting a poor team that isn't up to your own highly competitive standards.

²¹ Let's just assume this is Miyamoto's doing and move on.

²² Those are games where Luigi, scaredy-cat brother of Mario, toured around haunted houses getting spooked by ghosts.

Pokken Tournament roster suggestions

Pokken Tournament is coming to the Wii U sometime this year. It's a fighting game that mixes "the play style of Tekken" with Pokémon characters, although apparently it's more the development team than "the play style", as it's said not to play like an actual Tekken game. It also, understandably, discounts the established type advantages of Pokémon. It received an arcade release in Japan last year and failed to take the country by storm. Which is maybe a little surprising considering the general popularity of Pokémon.

I'm not really one for fighting games but I do have a proclivity for Pokémon. I thought I'd suggest some characters to round out the roster. There are currently twelve announced¹, with a thirteenth to be revealed on January 15. Realistically, we'll probably end up having around fifteen or sixteen characters when the game launches, with more added later via DLC. But I'm going to suggest eight more characters. Because twenty sounds like a good number of fighters for a launch roster. Plus it barely makes a dent in the 721-strong list of every Pokémon ever (until Gen VII). Slightly excessive for a debut fighting title but still not enough to please Pokéfans, basically.

I didn't have any particular criteria when I drew up this list of suggestions. It was all about the Pokémon I  thought looked the part and who could have a unique play style because those are the things that make the best sense and the things that the design team have said they're actually taking into account. I definitely didn't go out of my way to cram in fighting type Pokémon because there aren't that many that look like they could inspire a play style all their own. Arguing in favour of adding lots of fighting types to Pokken is to suggest limiting the game and I want no part of it.

My suggestions are given in list form with pictures. Because who doesn't love a list and pictures? 

Blastoise

There are very few slow but powerful Pokémon confirmed for the game so far. Blastoise would fill the role nicely and would have something to offer that few other bulky 'mon do: ranged attacks. The water-spurting cannons would make Blastoise an interesting fighter, slow and powerful, not something you'd want to get too close to, but also capable of attacking from a distance.

On top of that Blastoise has always struck me as a counterpart to Charizard in a way the Venusaur (the other generation I starter) doesn't. It would be nice to see the pair of them in the game together.

Scizor

Although Scizor looks like a Pokémon that would be pretty nippy it's speed in the main series games is actually pretty average. It's not really powerful enough to be a heavy-hitter either. What Scizor has going for it is the wings and pincers combo. It adds another flying Pokémon to the roster and the pincers (full-on clamps in its mega evolution form) would make it play like no other Pokémon. Plus it's one of the few Pokémon that can learn Bullet Punch, and Bullet Punch would be a hell of a signature move for a fighting game.

Hariyama

I think Hariyama is one of the few fighting types to stand out enough to warrant inclusion in this game. It's a sumo wrestler. Make him the slowest fighter, give him an E Honda² move set and you've got a powerful fighter who can do massive damage if he gets in close. He'd probably make a really good expert option.

I'm sure a lot of people would feel the Hitmon family deserve to be added instead of Hariyama. The thing is that while each member of the Hitmon family has their own gimmick that could be fleshed out into a Pokken fighting style it would feel odd including one without the others. Putting in all three when you're working with (presumably) a relatively slender roster doesn't feel terribly efficient or diverse. They're DLC or sequel material.

Excadrill

 

The obvious thing to point out is that, being a ground type and, more importantly, a giant mole, Excadrill would make sense as a fighter who dives under the arena floor and pops up somewhere else. Its large, presumably part-steel, claws create options for jabbing and swiping attacks that deal large amounts of damage. I think it would work as a fighter that closes ground with its underground movement and does some damage before retreating. That's a play style only Weavile seems to offer from the current confirmed line-up, and there are no underground dash larks to be had there.

Darmanitan

Although Darmanitan's burly arms are ideal for a fighting game they're not the reason I'm suggesting its inclusion. There are lots of burly Pokémon. Burliness is not what makes Darmanitan special. What makes it special is its Zen Mode ability, in which it becomes a blue statue and gets a secondary psychic typing.

Granted, becoming a static object in a fighting game isn't exactly ideal but it's one of the best options for a unique fighting style available for the game. In its regular form Darmanitan could be all fire punches and bursts of speed. In Zen Mode it could be throwing out telekinetic jabs and throws and absorbing damage. There is no better option in terms of unique play style than Darmanitan.

Aegislash

This is another Pokémon with different forms, although they're not quite as diverse as those of Darmanitan. One is Shield Forme, the other is Blade Forme. Obviously these are defence and attack based respectively. In the RPGs each Forme provides a stat boost and a stat drop, as you'd expect. Switching between the two Formes could make Aegislash an interesting fighter here, unleashing a combo in Blade Forme before switching to Shield Forme and backing off. Alternatively players could select a Forme before the fight and only use that throughout, although that would seem a bit limited and not actually in line with how the Pokémon actually works.

Staraptor

Satraptor is strong, quick, has intimidate for its ability, and is blessed with probably the best design of all early game flying type's final evolution. In the main games it learns powerful fighting type moves Close Combat and Final Gambit by levelling up, both of which would look good in Pokken. So, for that matter, would Brave Bird. It would give the game another flying type option, something I think is a good thing considering this is meant to be a Pokémon fighting game and the number of flying types that are out there.

I'm sure a lot of people would favour Pigeot over Staraptor. I don't think it would be as good a fit. Real talk, the most sensible bird Pokémon from Gen I would be Fearow because it looks mean. But Staraptor is better.

Goodra

Finally, there's Goodra. In the RPGs of the main series it's a defensive tank with pretty high attack stats and average speed. That sounds like  good basis for a character in a fighting game. On top of that there's the goo. Its hidden ability is Gooey, something which slows down other Pokémon whenever they make physical contact. Sounds like a good gimmick for Pokken to me.

The game also needs a dragon type, because it's so popular, and Goodra would provide that. It's not one of the more iconic or popular dragon types like Dragonite, Salamence or Garchomp but that's not necessarily a bad thing. They could be saved for DLC or a sequel.

***

This isn't intended as a definitive or extensive list of Pokémon that have to be added to Pokken Tournament. They're my top suggestions. I could have made more. I could have argued in favour of Primeape, Alakazam, Breloom, Slaking, Toxicroak, Dusknoir, Scrafty, Golurk, Hawlucha and a bunch of others too. But that's the point really. Not everything's going to get in and expectations need to be limited. If just one of these fighters gets added I'll be happy.

***

¹ These are Lucario, Machamp, Charizard , Pikachu, Pikachu Libra³, Gardevoir, Suicine, Gengar, Blaziken, Weavile, Shadow Mewtwo, and Sceptile.

² On the off chance that you're reading this and aren't overly familiar with the video gaming world, E Honda is a sumo wrestler from Street Fighter. He has a signature move referred to as the Hundred Hand Slap in which his hand becomes a blur.

³ This is a Pikachu in a luchador outfit. Apparently it will play differently to regular Pikachu. Presumably less electric attacks and more suplexes and power bombs...

Nintendo: My Plan

I know what you all want to know. You want to know what I'd do if Tatsumi Kimishima woke up tomorrow and announced that he'd had enough of running Nintendo and named me his successor. You're only human, of course you're thinking that. I've thought about it too. In fact I've thought about it so much that I've felt the need to write down exactly what I'd do.

The first thing I'd do would obviously be to get a full briefing on exactly what the NX is. It's Nintendo's next console but nothing beyond that (and that Nintendo have been patenting some really weird tech concepts over the last year or two) is known. For the purposes of writing this I'm assuming it's what I think it should be, a home console with portable functionality. Basically something that's not dissimilar to the Wii U and gamepad setup, but with the gamepad capable of operating away from the console, playing parts of larger games, or mini games or full smaller scale games.

I'm pretty sure this won't be what Nintendo do in reality. They're too strong in the dedicated handheld market to step away from it in this fashion. But doing as I've suggested would allow them to cut down on developmental costs, developing games for both home and portable devices at the same time. Every title would be a home console release and a handheld release. The biggest negative would be that there'd be no dedicated handheld console to buy, although a gamepad only purchase option could maybe be worked out for a year or two after the NX release. Probably two.

The next thing I'd do would be looking at the games in development. That again leads to a lot of assuming, mostly about what's in development and how close to being finished it is. I'll detail that below. A list of fictional game releases is the main reason this is getting written.

After that I'd do a slight rejig of the development side of Nintendo. The main development unit the company has is Nintendo EAD (Entertainment Analysis & Development), which is split into five groups, each one focusing on one of the company's main IPs and (usually) a handful of minor ones. This is the place that, generally speaking, produces the company's best games and seems to employ the most talented workers. I'd add another two groups and hire new employees to spread across EAD in its entirety. I think this would make development quicker and give some of the more talented employees the chance to take on bigger roles, what with their being more available. Shigeru Miyamoto would remain the general manager of EAD while deputy manager Katsuya Eguchi would be made general manager of a new division.

This new division would be Studio Iwata, a name chosen partly for a laugh, partly because it has a nice ring to it and partly because it's the sort of name I think Nintendo could actually go with IRL. The purpose of Studio Iwata would be to give larger roles to mid-level employees from the various groups of EAD and Nintendo's various subsidiaries. It would be designed as a "developmental" development team (see what I did there?). People with experience of working on larger games in "lesser" roles would lead a team consisting of talented low-level people brought in from other studios and some new hires. It would be designed as a place to put developers who show promise so they can learn their craft in a low-pressure environment before being moved to more high profile studios. Why would it be low pressure? Because the team would focus on lesser games like the Mario sports and Party titles. Not only would this provide the teams with experience but it would get some fresh ideas into some series that are pretty stale.

The final thing I'd do with developer setup would be to buy or enter into exclusivity deals with some studios. This is something Nintendo hasn't really done a lot of over the past decade. It saves them money but it also leaves them reliant on too small a batch of people. Buying or entering into exclusive deals with developers who have a record of doing good work would mean more people to work on Nintendo IPs and a regular source of exclusive third party games to pump up the NX release schedule.

I'd target Platinum for this first. They're the most obvious one to go with because they've actually stated they want to be a second party developer for Nintendo. 2013's Wonderful 101 and 2014's Bayonetta 2 were both Nintendo exclusives. The latter was a big success, relatively speaking. Hideki Kamiya, Platinum's main man, has said that he'd like to make a Wonderful 101 sequel starring Wonder Blue. Offering him the chance to do that would probably help a Platinum-Nintendo deal happen even quicker.

After that I'd go for WayForward, Shin'en Multimedia, Good-Feel and Yacht Club Games. The latter is probably the most fanciful of the four because their one and only game has been a huge success and they'd likely enjoy retaining their autonomy. But this is all about an ideal situation, and it's not impossible. Maybe the Yacht Club lads would be won over by the chance to play with Nintendo IPs while being encouraged to produce a Shovel Knight sequel (after they've hit their existing DLC commitments, natch). Having those sequels (though not the already announced DLC, obvs) be exclusives would be a pretty sweet deal for Nintendo.

All of which would give me fifteen development studios to utilise: Nintendo EAD, Studio Iwata, 1-Up Studio, Intelligent Systems, HAL Laboratory, Monolith Soft, Nd Cube, Retro Studios, Creatures Inc, Next Level Games, Platinum, WayForward, Shin'en, Good-Feel and Yacht Club. That's a nice selection of places to spread work across without overworking any one place or rushing teams.

With this done I'd start assigning games to studios. This is another thing I'll detail below but this is probably the best time to acknowledge that it's yet more guesswork because there's no way of knowing how close to release any Nintendo game is until about a month before it's due for release (they aren't shy of a last minute postponement). I'd give games to studios I feel are the best fit based on previous work and importance of the title in question. I'd also be trying to keep major titles spread out so that there are frequent releases for the NX. The likes of Mario Galaxy and Zelda would be things for EAD, for example, while Future Build would be on the Mario Party 11s of the world. I'd be making use of Bandai Namco for things like Smash Bros though, because they did such a strong job with the most recent instalment.

Games in development for the NX would need to have DLC and Amiibo functionality be big parts of them. In 2015 Amiibos were incredibly popular, simply as collectible figures as much as anything else. Towards the end of the year it seemed far easier to find previously rare figures, which means Nintendo got their act together on the alleged supply problems but also hints at Amiibo not being as popular as they had been a few months earlier. If that's true I think part of the reason for it has to be that they don't really do that much in a lot of Nintendo games. Not that many people are going to want to buy Amiibo just to have a complete, or semi-complete, unopened collection. In order for Amiibo to remain attractive purchases they have to unlock extra content in games.

Which is a simple thing to type but quite hard to gauge in reality. Lock too much content away behind Amiibo figures and you isolate people who don't own any. You also risk being accused of ripping people off by forcing extra purchases to get a complete gaming experience. There needs to be enough DLC attached to any given Amiibo to make buying it worthwhile but not so much that it feels as though the content should be available as part of the main game. This is actually a topic I think I'll go into more detail on in a separate post. For the purposes of this discussion I'll say that this is a balance each development team would have to find with every game they develop, and obviously some games would be better suited to it than others. For example, tapping a Mario Amiibo into Splatoon could unlock a Mario hat, dungaree top and boots, and maybe a new weapon (*cough* F.L.U.D.D. *cough*). That's the sort of level that Amiibo work well on.

With this focus on Amiibo in mind I'd have a new game developed that focuses on them. I'd want Lego Dimensions to be the inspiration. In case you don't know that game comes with three Lego figures and an item that allows them to be scanned into the game. Lego has released a variety of tie-in sets offering additional characters and vehicles, each of which also opens up a new level to play. It's similar to the Skylanders model but the game seems better made. That approach with Nintendo IP applied would be a solid NX title and something that gives value to the figures. This is another topic that probably warrants its own post."Lego Dimensions with Amiibo" is fine as a summary for now.

Of course, there would be future Amiibo lines too. Those will be covered in the fictional release schedule I'm obviously building too. For clarity I'll say here that every main game released would get a suitable number of Amiibo tied to them.

Then there's downloadable content. This has been one of Nintendo's strengths as a company over the last year or so. They've supported the games that warrant DLC and only charged money for those with established player bases. Mario Kart and Smash Brothers are the main games they've released paid DLC. People know what they're getting from them and will be willing to pay for additional arenas and characters. Splatoon has had nothing but free DLC, which is sensible as its Nintendo's first new series in over a decade and its initially been very popular. Free DLC keeps people playing the game and therefore talking about it.

Games like Smash and Mario Kart should never offer anything but paid DLC because they start off as large games anyway. Anything offered for them after the release should be considered a bonus (which is the right way to do DLC). So the next entries in those series would be developed with that in mind. I'd want Splat2n (hilarious name, no?) to offer six or seven months of free downloadable extras in the form of extra courses and weapons before switching to another six or seven of paid extra content. By that point I think the game would be established enough for paid DLC to not be unreasonable.

The sort of DLC I'd want developed would mostly be courses and weapons, but I'd want something far grander for the Legend of Zelda and Metroid Prime series. Those are ideal as MMO games. They're an RPG and an FPS respectively, the two biggest genres in MMO. The trouble with each is that you play as an established character, somewhat difficult for taking things online because you can't have everyone playing as Link or Samus. I'd want online content developed for each which works separately from the main game, having you start out with a new character that you create yourself. They could be set after the conclusion of the single player campaign and you could begin in or on a completely new region or planet. Complete a short solo mission or two as this new character (a handy opportunity to introduce any additional mechanics for online play) and then go online. I like this as it stays true to the histories of the series by retaining established characters and stories while making use of the big worlds created for online play.

Then, and only then, would I start preparing announcements for the public. There'd be a Direct in early February (fronted by everybody's fave Reggie Fils-Aime, natch) going over the Wii U and 3DS release schedule for the rest of the year and then E3 in June (that would be as it currently stands, with the addition of a Pokémon Z in November and some dates for things like Zelda U and Pokken Tournament). For the record, I really enjoyed the Nintendo World Championship the night before E3 last year so I'd bring that back. I wouldn't tie in any announcements to it though. That was a mistake: it ended up overshadowing what Nintendo did at E3.

Before I transition into simply reeling off release schedules I'll talk about what I'd want for the NX as the Big Boss™ of Nintendo. I've already touched on it being both a home and portable console. In addition to that I'd like it to have backwards compatibility for Wii U games (thought they obviously wouldn't be portable) and, if possible 3DS. I'd want a solid eshop at launch, with at least one key title from each of the company's franchises available. I'd also try to entice back third party support outside of companies which will always develop for Nintendo, such as Sega and Capcom. Here I'm thinking of the likes of 2K Sports and Activision. I personally don't care for either that much and I don't think either company having their games on the NX would be enough by itself to convince anyone to buy a console, but those games along with the various Ninty exclusives could be enough.

My direction for Nintendo as a company would be to make the NX the best console they've ever had, with a strong line-up of enjoyable games featuring iconic, recognisable characters, many of which can support a stream of DLC across a number of years, keeping people playing. Having a successful home console is what Nintendo needs more than anything. The theme park deal and move to mobile gaming is important and a positive thing (though nothing I'll be covering in my fantasy lists below) but the video game market is what supports such things.

Also, I'd keep the name NX. Because I've gotten use to it, can't think of anything better, and think it works well enough for what I'm doing here.

So... the NX launch would be revealed at E3 in June. I think holding off the launch until summer 2017 would be the best thing for Nintendo in the long run. It would give them another six months to get a solid launch line-up together rather than scrabbling to have everything finished as I feel they're going to have to in reality. They rushed the Wii U launch to a large extent and the console has been paying the price ever since.

This said I don't think a summer 2017 launch would really work considering how long they've been touting the machine as in development. Winter 2017 would be too far away for a reveal at this year's E3, and the machine has to be announced at this year's E3 because it's been a mystery for too long. If it doesn't get revealed sometime during 2016 (and E3, as the centre of the gaming calendar, is the obvious place to do it) people will begin to question what Nintendo are doing with it.

All of which is to say that if I were in charge I'd go for a late November or early December 2016 launch for the NX. That would give Nintendo a big new system to push at Christmas. The trouble with doing it this soon is that there aren't that many games I feel could be reliably (and realistically, for the purposes of this writing) ready in time. Pikmin 4 was said to be nearly complete last year so that seems like a safe choice. By the time the launch rolled around it would have been six and a half years since Mario Galaxy 2, easily enough time to get Mario Galaxy 3 ready. It would have been three and a half years since Animal Crossing: New Leaf, again enough time for a sequel to be fully prepared. Retro Studios have been working on something secretive for a while now. For the purposes of this writing I've assumed it's Metroid Prime because that seems most likely. Project Giant Robot has been mentioned on and off for a few years now. If it's not ready for release by now it's probably not a good enough idea to work so I'd have it finished off and put out as a launch title. Let it succeed or fail and make use of years of work.

That's five games. Not enough to a launch a console with by themselves but a good core to build around. I'd flesh things out with games that could be quickly developed from scratch and offered at a cheaper price than the bigger games. Studio Iwata's first game would be Mario Golf. Platinum could put together Wonderful 102 (Wonderful 101 is so unique in its presentation that seeing that engine again with just a few new assets would be a satisfying experience). 1-Up Studio would be tasked with producing Captain Toad 2.

Which takes us to eight games. Street Fighter V would be nice as a launch game for the NX but it's a Playstation exclusive so can't even work within a fictional line-up like this. What could work is "masterpiece" editions of Pokken Tournament and Legend of Zelda U (which would have come out on the Wii U by late summer at the latest). For Pokken Tournament that would be the Wii U edition with the option to buy or download any DLC already released plus two or three version exclusives that would never make it to Wii U (because I'm a big ol' Pokémon nerd I'll say that Shiftry, Darmanitan, and Goodra would be excellent inclusions that are unlikely to make it to any finished version of this game and would be fun as exclusives). For Zelda U this would be a newly created area (if Nintendo started working on this for an NX port now it could totes be ready, whatevs!). This would not be the Zelda game with the MMORPG stuff I mentioned above though. That would be a later entry in the series.

That takes the total number of launch games from Nintendo to ten. With third party games (I'd definitely encourage Playtonic to develop an NX version of Yooka Layla for launch, for example) and the eshop content I think that would be a good initial line-up for the NX (and I'd also announce game releases through to Splat2n in May 2017). It's at this point that I'll switch over to the list format and lay out every first party title I'd have developed for the NX through to Christmas 2019. I'll be mentioning who developed each and a month for release too (assume lesser studios have helped on EAD titles). Because lists are how I roll. I'll begin the lists with the order in which I'd reveal the NX games. Because I'm into lists...

NX launch line-up revealed at E3

Preceded by chat about the console's general functionality and capabilities , as well as a montage of games in development for the NX. This would feature everything below (except Mario Galaxy 3) and Amiibo World, F-Zero Infinity, Mario Kart 9, Paper Mario, Splat2n and Super Mario Bros 4.

Pikmin 4

Pokken Tournament: Masterpiece edition
Project Giant Robot
Mario Golf
Captain Toad: Treasure Hoard
"Any and all non-Nintendo games"¹
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Wonderful 102
Legend of Zelda: Secret of Mudora: Masterpiece edition
Metroid Prime IV: Awakening²
Mario Galaxy 3

And before we go further here's a key that helps make the stuff below slightly clearer:

White for software releases
Red for DLC releases
Blue for Amiibo releases
Green for hardware releases

2016

Releases

Animal Crossing: New Horizons (EAD, December)³
Animal Crossing: New Horizons Amiibo (December)
Captain Toad: Treasure Hoard (1-Up Studio, December)⁴
Legend of Zelda: Secret of Mudora: Masterpiece edition (EAD, December)⁵
Mario Galaxy 3 (EAD, December)
Mario Galaxy Amiibo (December)
Mario Golf (Studio Iwata, December)
Metroid Prime IV: Awakening (Retro Studios, December)
Metroid Prime Amiibo (December)
Nintendo NX console (Nintendo hardware team, December)⁶
Pikmin 4 (EAD, December)
Pokken Tournament: Masterpiece edition (Bandai Namco, December)
Project Giant Robot (EAD, December)⁷
Project Giant Robot Amiibo(December)⁸
Wonderful 102 (Platinum, December)
Wonderful 102 Amiibo(December)

2017

February  2017 Direct

Hype... F-Zero Infinity and Paper Mario.⁹
Announce work on... Super Sma5h Bros¹⁰.¹¹
Announce... Mario Part 11 August release, Amiibo World August release and Mario Kart 9 July release.¹²

Releases

F-Zero Infinity (Shin'en Multimedia, February)
F-Zero Infinity Amiibo (March)
Captain Toad Amiibo (March)
Paper Mario (Intelligent Systems, April)¹³

May 2017 Direct

Hype... Splat2n.
Announce... Details of Nintendo's E3 schedule and how the Nintendo World Championship will work, ending on a Super Sma5h initial roster trailer.¹⁴

Releases

Splat2n (EAD, May)¹⁵
Splat2n Amiibo (May)

E3 2017

Hype...Mario Kart 9 and Amiibo World.
Announce work on... Mario Maker 2, Advance Wars X, Fire Emblem , Mario Baseball, Hyrule Warriors II, Star Fox, Bayonetta 3, and Xenoblade Chronicles III.
Announce... Super Mario Bros 4 September release, Metroid Prime DLC September release, Shovel Knight II November release, Luigi's Mansion 3 October release, Mario Kart 9 DLC December release, and Super Sma5h Bros December release.

Releases

Mario Kart 9 (EAD, July)¹⁶
Mario Kart 9 Amiibo, wave 1 (July)
Paper Mario Amiibo (July)
Amiibo World (EAD, August)¹⁷
Mario Party 11 (Studio Iwata, August)

September 2017 Direct

Hype... Super Mario Bros 4.
Announce work on... Yoshi's Loose End, Kirby: Dream Cacophony, and Pilot Wings.
Announce... A new Sma5h character everyone's desperate to see¹⁸.

Releases

Metroid Prime DLC (Retro Studios, September)¹⁹
Super Mario Bros 4 (EAD, September)²⁰
Luigi's Mansion 3 (Next Level Games, October)²¹
Shovel Knight II (Yacht Club, November)²²
Legend of Zelda: Dungeon Maker (EAD, November)
Mario Kart 9 DLC (EAD, December)²³

November 2017 Direct

Hype... Super Sma5h Bros.
Announce... The final Super Sma5h Bros character or characters available on the disc and-or some sort of exclusive content deal.

Releases

Super Sma5h Bros (Bandai Namco, December)
Super Sma5h Bros Amiibo, wave 1 (December)
Luigi's Mansion 3 Amiibo (December)

2018

February 2018 Direct

Hype... Changes to Splat2n DLC.
Announce work on...Wario World.
Announce... Metroid Prime DLC August release, Mario Baseball March release, Advance Wars X April release, Pilot Wings July release, Bayonetta 3 June release and Super Sma5h Bros DLC May release.

Releases

Splat2n DLC (EAD, February)²⁴
Mario Baseball (Studio Iwata, March)
Advance Wars X (Intelligent Systems, April)²⁵
Super Sma5h Bros DLC (Bandai Namco, May)²⁶
Super Sma5h Bros Amiibo, wave 2 (May)
Bayonetta 3 (Platinum, June)

E3 2018

Hype...Pilot Wings and Metroid Prime DLC.
Announce work on...NX-Go²⁷ (acknowledging it will be ready for December at this point), Metroid: Initiation, Pokken Tournament 2 and Super Mario 3D World 2.
Announce... Super Mario Maker 2 November release, Kirby: Dream Cacophony August release, Splat2n DLC August release, Yoshi's Loose End September release, Xenoblade Chronicles III November release for Japan, Hyrule Warriors II October release, Mario Kart 9 DLC November release and Star Fox December release.

Releases

Pilot Wings (EAD, July)²⁸
Kirby: Dream Cacophony (HAL Laboratory, August)²⁹
Metroid Prime DLC (Retro Studios, August)
Splat2n DLC (EAD, August)
Yoshi's Loose End (Good Feel, September)
Bayonetta Amiibo (September)
Yoshi's Loose End Amiibo (September)

September 2018 Direct

Hype... Super Sma5h Bros DLC and Mario Maker 2.³⁰
Announce work on...Wonder Blue, Mario Soccer and "New IP".
Announce... Metroid: Initiation December release, new Pokken Tournament 2 characters, Fire Emblem February release for Japan, and that new Sma5h DLC is available straight after the Direct.

Releases

Super Sma5h Bros DLC (EAD, September)
Super Smash Bros Amiibo, wave 3 (October)
Hyrule Warriors II (Omega Force, October)
Mario Kart 9 DLC (EAD, November)
Super Mario Maker 2 (EAD, November)³¹
Xenoblade Chronicles III (Japan only) (Monolith Soft, November)³²
NX-Go (Nintendo hardware team, December)
Metroid: Initiation (WayForward, December)³³
Star Fox (EAD, December)³⁴

2019

February 2019 Direct

Hype... Splat2n DLC.
Announce work on...Wave Race and Donkey Kong Country: Exotic Continent.
Announce... Pokken Tournament 2 July release, new Pokken Tournament 2 characters, Wario World March release, Metroid Prime DLC April release, Super Sma5h Bros DLC May release and Xenoblade Chronicles III July release for the rest of the world.

Releases

Fire Emblem (Japan only) (Intelligent Systems, February)
Fire Emblem Amiibo (Japan only) (February)
Splat2n DLC (EAD, February)
Wario World (Yacht Club, March)³⁵
Metroid Prime DLC (Retro Studios, April)
Super Sma5h Bros DLC (EAD, May)
Super Smash Bros Amiibo, wave 4 (May)
Xenoblade Chronicles III (rest of the world) (Monolith Soft, June)

E3 2019

Hype... Pokken Tournament 2.
Announce work on... The final Metroid Prime DLC update, Super Mario Universe, Pikmin 5, and Legend of Zelda: Brotherhood of Eleven.³⁶
Announce... Wonder Blue September release, Mario Soccer August release, Wave Race August release, Mario Kart 9 DLC September release, "New IP" game October release, Fire Emblem October release for the rest of the world, Donkey Kong: Exotic Continent November release, Super Mario 3D World 2 December release, and Pokémon Generation VII November release.³⁷

Releases

Pokken Tournament 2 (Namco Bandai, July)
Pokken Tournament Amiibo, wave 1 (July)
Wario World Amiibo (July)
Final Splat2n DLC (EAD, August)
Mario Soccer (Studio Iwata, August)³⁸
Wave Race (EAD, August)
Super Mario Kart 9 DLC (EAD, September)
Wonder Blue (Platinum, September)
Fire Emblem (rest of the world) (Intelligent Systems, October)
Fire Emblem Amiibo (rest of the world) (October)
Wonder Blue Amiibo (October)
"New IP" game (EAD, October)³⁹

November 2019 Direct

Hype... Pokémon Generation VII.
Announce... That Super Sma5H Bros DLC is ending and that the final characters are...⁴⁰

Releases

Pokémon Generation VII (Game Freak, November)
Donkey Kong Country: Exotic Continent (Retro Studios, November)⁴¹
Donkey Kong Country: Exotic Continent Amiibo (November)
Pokken Amiibo, wave 2 (November)
"New IP" Amiibo (November)
Super Mario 3D World 2 (EAD, December)
Final Super Sma5h Bros DLC (EAD, December)

2020 and beyond

Legend of Zelda: Brotherhood of Eleven (EAD)⁴²

Final Metroid Prime campaign (Retro Studios)⁴³
Final Mario Kart 9 DLC (EAD)⁴⁴
Super Mario Universe (EAD)⁴⁵
Pikmin 5 (EAD)
So there we go⁴⁶. That's a schedule I think we can all agree would make Nintendo's NX the greatest console on the planet.

***

Footnotes

¹ This is pretty broad, I know. It's designed to encompass anything that's not a major first party title. It would probably be fairly sports games-heavy.⁴⁷

² This would be presented as the final game of the line-up, cutting back to the presenter (probably Reggie⁴⁸) who'd talk for a bit before doing a Columbo-esque "One final thing..." and revealing the real last game: Super Mario Galaxy 3.

³ Why don't you try coming up with an authentic-sounding Animal Crossing subtitle? They've already done New Leaf, and that's clearly the best the series will ever get in the subtitle department.

⁴ Yeah, I'd give it a subtitle rather than go with a bland 2. Captain Toad deserves better than a numbered sequel. That and this launch line-up is already numbered sequel heavy...

⁵ I got tired of referring to this as "Zelda U" so I decided to go with Secret of Mudora to keep myself interested. I chose that because the most recent trailer had a book attached to Link's waist. I've seen speculation that it's the Book of Mudora, which I like so I've used it here.

⁶ Obviously.

⁷ Yes, I'd keep the Project Giant Robot name. It's daft and catchy.

⁸ This would be a good opportunity to do something a bit different with Amiibo. Maybe each figure could come with interlocking part, maybe some spares, and different robots could be built. This isn't some random though, it's been said that the idea of the game is that you make your own giant robot (hence the title) and fight other robots. Seems ideal for a Transformers-esque line of Amiibo.

⁹ "Hype" under Directs and E3 shows refers to games that would be focused on, or hyped, during the presentation. The idea is that a Direct or E3 show would create interest in them and explain their key features shortly before release to drum up interest. If there's more than one (and there frequently is) then they're listed in the order they'd be shown in.

¹⁰ For the record I like the idea of the Sma5h trailer starting with all the usual suspects being introduced one by one for an increasingly rowdy fight scene, culminating with one of them (probably Mario, because he's Mario) getting knocked into a puddle of ink, standing up, flicking it off his shoe, and then getting inked by... Inkling Boy and Inkling Girl. Although the reveal of those characters being in the game is probably best saved for E3.

¹¹ Fairly self-explanatory I'd have thought. These sections are where new titles would be announced. This isn't an announcement that work's beginning: I've written this assuming that by the time I'm ready to announce a game work's been going on it for a while. Again, these are always listed in the order of reveal.

¹² Another pretty obvious bit, I like the idea of closing every presentation with upcoming releases. These too are listed in reveal order. All release dates given are universal unless stated otherwise because that's something Nintendo really needs to get their act together on.

¹³ Sticker Star came out in 2012! This is easily long enough for a new game to be developed. I'd want it to be more similar to the style of the first two games though. Sticker Star was okay, and the sticker mechanic was strong, but Paper Mario is at its best when you're getting party members every so often.

¹⁴ I've not mentioned Nintendo World Championships after this but I'd keep them as a feature the night before E3 kicks off. It's a good way to hype upcoming releases. With no more May Directs I'd instead announce details of them through YouTube trailers⁴⁹.

¹⁵ I'd want this to be an expanded version of the first game. More multiplayer maps, a few more ranked modes, and more weapons. Single player warrants being a bigger deal in the sequel too. I might even ask the development team to include some single player content in DLC updates.

¹⁶ This would continue the emphasis on non-Mario characters we saw in MK8. I don't think I'd want it to be taken to the extreme of Smash Bros but I'd want it to feel more like "Nintendo Kart" than Mario Kart.

¹⁷ I've never been a big fan of the Wii Sport-esque games but I realise they're popular. I'd want this to appeal to that market. Somehow. It feels like it could work as it would probably end up being pretty mini game-heavy and would be tied to Amiibo, which can appeal to non-gamers.

¹⁸ Like Professor E Gadd.

¹⁹ This and all subsequent Metroid DLC would be an online campaign and a single player campaign, probably linked.

²⁰ I'd want a better title than this. I used it because it's evocative enough for what I'm doing here.

²¹ This would be released as close to Halloween as possible because that's such an obvious Marketing Thing™ to do.

²² I'd pay Yacht Club for exclusivity, to be clear, that's why I'm listing it here.

²³ This and all subsequent Mario Kart 9 DLC would consist of two new cups (consisting of four tracks each) and three (or possibly four) new characters. Diddy Kong and Kamek would be two characters I'd push for⁵⁰.        

²⁴ Up until this point Splat2n would have been receiving free updates with the same degree of regularity as the first game. That would end in July, DLC becoming paid in August. Every few months there would be a trailer hyping upcoming DLC. Players would pay at any time during this period and receive all the DLC shown in the trailer, dished out over a few months.

²⁵ Another bit of solid naming, no? This would be marketed more as an on-the-go title for the NX. Maybe there'd be a reason for that revealed at E3... who knows?!

²⁶ This and all subsequent Super Sma5h Bros DLC would consist of some new fighters (probably no more than three at a time) and related stages.

²⁷ The NX-Go would be a gamepad-only purchase option. The components required for TV-play wouldn't be in the box. It would be able to play all games in full, though possibly via downloading "chunks" of each because memory. I'd do this as a cheaper purchase option and as a way of staying relevant in the portable market.

²⁸ Without any major summer game Pilot Wings would get a main event push.

²⁹ I hate Kirby games. I'd release one just because people would buy it and he'd be a character in Sma5h. He is the most boring character Nintendo owns and I'm frequently disgusted that they didn't faze him out when they had the chance.

³⁰ Hyping MM2 in addition to the Sma5h DLC allows for a swerve at the end of the Direct where it's revealed that Sma5h DLC is actually ready.

³¹ More level skins, more blocks, more enemies, more everything.

³² Another game designed to be massive and unrelated to other games in the series.

³³ This would be a side-scrolling Metroid game. Y'know, like the early Metroid games everyone raves about? Developed by WayForward because they're great at side-scrolling stuff, they love 90s Ninty, and they've said they want to work on a Metroid game of this type. Seems like an obvious move to me. The game would be pushed as a good on-the-go purchase to go with the NX-Go, probably getting a bundle deal.

³⁴ This wouldn't be a reboot or a remake, this would be a sequel to the Star Fox Zero due out later in 2016. A common and entirely fair complaint about the series is that it's repetitive with the locations it uses. I'd want this game to introduce new planets and new characters to go with its new story. The only bad part of this is that there wouldn't be a Star Wars film coming out to get people hyped about spaceships shooting at each other.

³⁵ Quite like the idea of a Wario game made up of remixed stages from 2D Mario games where you can get Wario's hat power-ups from the first two Wario Land games. Let's say this would be that.

³⁶ These software release would have been in development since the NX launched (before in the case of the LOZ game because the team will be finished on the Wii U game before the NX launch). They could be sprinkled across the 2020 release schedule or saved for the Christmas period and released for The NX's Strongest Christmas Since Launch™. Personally I like the idea of doing Pikmin 5 in spring, Super Mario Universe in summer, and the Zelda game for Christmas.

³⁷ Main line Pokémon games are never announced far in advance. It's completely normal for Nintendo to just rock up at E3 and be all like "Hey, guys, we're dropping a hot new Pokémon gen in five months, don't even worry about it."

³⁸ I've used "soccer" for ease. I'd probably have it released as Mario Football outside of the US and Canada.

³⁹ I've been referring to this as "New IP" because I don't know what it would be. I'd be asking EAD to start on this in January 2016. They should have something worthwhile to show  after three and a half years.

⁴⁰ I think we can all agree Professor E Gadd being amongst the final characters announced for Sma5h would please everyone. No, of course not. I do quite like the idea of putting in Judd from Splatoon because he'd play differently to any Inkling characters that could go in, but it's likely he'd have gone in before this point if he were going in at all. Let's say one of the real final characters would be Geno. Because everybody wants Geno in a Smash game.

⁴¹ Not a great title, no. But are you telling me Tropical Freeze is?

⁴² Good working title, no?

⁴³ Check out this DLC support. Over three years since the game's release and it's still coming.

⁴⁴ And here too!

⁴⁵ This would be the follow-up to Mario Galaxy 3. It's possible it would end up being Mario Galaxy 4 if the whole Universe thing seemed too grand. Or if we wanted to save it for the NX's replacement.

⁴⁶ Although it's not all I could write. I didn't touch on the incredible things I'd want to see from a Captain Toad sequel or (probably more significantly for something detailing how I'd run Nintendo) the fact that Nintendo are developing mobile games⁵¹, for example.

⁴⁷ I hope you're prepared for footnotes...

⁴⁸ I'd be giving Reggie a big push in Directs and at E3, the man's gold.

⁴⁹ And while we're on the subject of YouTube videos... I'd use those to announce aspects of games being developed, like new characters and whatnot. I could have put YouTube trailers into this schedule but it would have been a step too far.

⁵⁰ Not Professor E Gadd here. He has no place in a racing game.

⁵¹ This could very much be its own post though. Just saying.