Topic: Nintendo Switch Launch Lineup - About 17 Minutes.

[MagicCow64]

I think we'll get pairs of Pikmin games. 1&2 were something of a piece, not that far apart, somewhat different structures.

3&4 will probably feel pretty close, and I'm curious about how they can further tweak the formula. 3 almost got all the way there finally. Also, I believe 3 had Wii origins? Even if 4 doesn't rock the boat too much a new Pikmim with a big graphical upgrade could be quite something.

To Kairon: Eh, I dunno, I think it's possible to make a good Pikmin game on a reasonable budget. Photogrammetry techniques could do some heavy lifting. The scope of the actual environments isn't huge, so you could spit shine it. The campaigns aren't super long, but they do usually include a lot of side content. They could tilt back toward more generative stuff, like the Pikmin 2 caves.

[ThePerm]

sometimes if they pour enough money into a project they MUST complete it. Though, there was the movie Super Man Lives.

[Spak-Spang]

Everyone is forgetting that Nintendo is coming of a hugely failed system.  Public perception is poor, and Sony and Microsoft are releasing updated versions of there systems this year or early next year...with an already large game base, infrastructure and 3rd party support.

Nintendo NEEDS Mario and Zelda out ASAP, and they need to get as large of a user base as possible ASAP as well.  They need their numbers to look big.  Perhaps not Wii big sales, but Nintendo needs something to turn it around.

Mario and Zelda together would do that.  Plus, you can't just count on Zelda to sell the system, because it is also on the Wii U.  Sure the numbers aren't great but Nintendo fans already have the Wii U, and if they want to wait and see if the Switch is a success before purchases they can do that and not wait to play Zelda. 

[NWR_insanolord]

It depends on what else is in the channel. If they've got a solid crop of games for the rest of 2017, I could see them launching with both. They need to come out of the gate strong, and having both a new Mario and a new Zelda day one is about as strong a launch as there's ever been. They just can't do it and then have nothing for months.

[Soren]

I'll stick with my guns. No way they release Zelda and a 3D Mario game at launch. Of course, they could release that other Mario game no one really likes.

[Luigi Dude]

Nintendo NEEDS Mario and Zelda out ASAP, and they need to get as large of a user base as possible ASAP as well.  They need their numbers to look big.  Perhaps not Wii big sales, but Nintendo needs something to turn it around.

See this is the thing, having both games out at launch isn't going to do much.  We already know Nintendo plans on shipping 2 million Switch for it's launch in March.  Zelda by itself will be enough to sell those early systems at launch, and the Wii U version isn't going to do anything since the people Nintendo is trying to get to buy the Switch at launch are people who didn't buy the Wii U in the first place.

This is why it's overkill to release both at the same time since the system will be supply constrained around launch anyway.  Plus some of you are vastly underrating how huge Zelda is going to be.  It's reveal at E3 is the biggest a Nintendo game has received since the Wii at E3 2006 and it's trailer is by far the most viewed Nintendo related game on Youtube history.  Seriously, Zelda by itself is already going to be huge, it's basically looking to be a modern day Mario 64 in terms of potential genre refining in what's right now the most popular genre in gaming, open world.

And everything we've currently seen from Zelda is from less then 2 percent of the actual game, with Nintendo still saying there's still more new game mechanics to come.  Assuming Nintendo doesn't pull a Sonic Team and is only focusing on the early part of the game and neglects the rest, Zelda isn't going to need Mario to help sell the Switch at launch.

[Ian Sane]

I figure Nintendo has enough of a dedicated fanbase that the Switch is going to sell well at launch anyway to those die hards.  The success of the system will be based on how things go as that audience gets their Switch and the next wave of buyers comes in from outside the Nintendo fanbase.  So in that sense Mario and Zelda together will make no difference in the launch sales.  I think Zelda being there is important so that the Switch makes a good first impression and there is buzz for the system from day one.  If Zelda is getting great reviews and good word of mouth it makes the Switch look like a more worthwhile product.  Then later in the year when the early adopters already have their Switch and Nintendo has to sell to the general public a Mario release gets that buzz going again.  Each of those games will spur some media coverage.  If they're both launch titles then it all gets grouped together but spaced out a bit will create two time periods in the first year where the Switch is a hot topic.

[KeyBilly]

I would like Nintendo to take their time and make a Mario game that is large in scope, with orchestrated music and a lot of creative ideas.  They can always drop in a NSMB or 3D Land style Mario if they feel the need to have the franchise represented before then.  Plus, the inevitable Mario Maker, whether it ends up being a port or a true sequel.  I hope that it includes a lot of new features, but is able to load and edit all the Wii U stages.

The launch lineup should differentiate the Switch from other mobile platforms, with an emphasis on more traditional game styles that people can't find on phones.

[Evan_B]

Isn't Pikmin 4 potentially also super far along, possibly even finished?

I believe Pikmin for 3DS is the likely candidate for those news and rumors.

[Kairon]

Isn't Pikmin 4 potentially also super far along, possibly even finished?

I believe Pikmin for 3DS is the likely candidate for those news and rumors.

Pikmin doesn't sell enough to afford a third dimension T-T

[KeyBilly]

I hope the 2D Pikmin is more of a one-off, unless it turns out to be better than expected.

[Oedo]

Miyamoto implied that the game he mentioned back at E3 2015 was being worked on by an internal Nintendo team and in a separate statement Nintendo called the game "Pikmin 4" (which to me says mainline entry). I'd be really surprised if Pikmin 3DS was the game he was talking about.

[Kairon]

So Laura Dale, who has had a pretty envious record these past couple months regarding switch and ps4pro rumors, is claiming her sources are saying the last remaining Smash Amiibo are being delayed to 2017 to coincide with Smash Switch port potentially aimed within the first six months for the console.

I know it'd just be a Port, but the Smash name in year one, with zelda and mario, is looking like a ridiculous early slate of titles. It's hard to believe that some of the things we've been talking about won't slip to 2017 2018.

[Shaymin]

You mean 2018, right?

[Kairon]

Gah!

[Stratos]

Well the console itself already slipped to 2017, so easy mistake, yes?

[ThePerm]

It's 19 days until January 12th. We'll know the lineup then. (hopefully)

[pokepal148]

If the Switch Port has all the content from the 3DS game then that will be amazing.

[Kairon]

God, I feel like most of my videogame life is on hold while I wait for the Switch Launch lineup to get revealed!

[Evan_B]

Mario, Splatoon, Skyrim and the newest SteamWorld game.

Saved you some worrying and tempered those expectations!

[Spak-Spang]

There was the one rumor of Splatoon being kinda of a half sequel like just having a few upgrades and being the pack-in game.  I personally hope that isn't true.

I think Splatoon could have a significant upgrade.

Single Squid 4 Vs games.

2 Team Vs games of course would return.

3 Team Vs games would be fun as well.

Adding more platforming elements to multiplayer and of course adding more content to single player would be great as well.  Finally adding multiplayer to the story mode or just an interesting survivor mode could be fun. 

Splatoon needs a full sequel not at half step.  The game and franchise are great, but it could be so much more.

Finally, the rumor between Mario being the launch title because Zelda is late is interesting.  I personally, don't believe Zelda is running behind, but I do believe Nintendo could delay it because they believe Mario is a bigger seller than Zelda.  However, if they were truly worried about sales just release Mario and Zelda and let Splatoon be the big seller for the holiday.

[Evan_B]

Splatoon could certainly upgrade, considering the first game was barely full-featured in any way. I don't think it will be as extensive as you think because Nintendo is probably scrambling the jets on all fronts, but I imagine that it, Mario Kart, and Smash Bros will have a bit more content than their Wii U forms.

[ThePerm]

If the system came with a Pack in that Included Mario Kart, Smash Bros,  and Splatoon. How insane would it sell?

[Spak-Spang]

Every system should come with a pack in game.  It is silly to think that you can buy a product and potentially be able to nothing with it.  Having 3 pack in games is just insane.  Mario Kart is too much of a seller for it it be packed in.  Same with Smash Bros.  However, I think Splatoon is a strange game...it was wildly successful for the Wii U for a new franchise, but it seems better as a pack in game.  Just enough meat to the game to be fun with friends and family, multiplayer supports online gaming and could be used to promote the unique controller breaking away from multiple people to play. 


EDIT:
One thing I thought would be interesting for a company to do was randomly give a pack-in game.  If Nintendo launched with 3 first party games, imagine booting up the system and launching the download store to find out you randomly got one of the 3 first party games.  Yeah I know there is so many reasons this idea sucks...but it could work for the virtual console and it would have an interesting spread of word of mouth.  What did you get?  I launched the Virtual console and got a free Mario 3.  How about you?  I got Donkey Kong Country.  Wow you are so lucky, I wanted that.

[ThePerm]

Well, there is some logic to having a super pack in.  Having a pack in creates value for customers. Customers buy systems in larger numbers. More games sell because system has a larger audience. Its not unprecedented. Saturn has Virtua Cop, Virtua Fighter, and Daytona USA packed in with it. The system was $399 though.

Nintendo could make a big statement by having an at launch multiplayer lineup. Also, as shitty as it sounds it also gives them some leeway in not making Wii U content transferable.

Nintendo needs to sell systems, and sell a lot of systems all throughout 2017. The more systems it sells the more games it can sell. I'm sure they also want 4-6 game per console adoption ratio. People think Nintendo did bad this generation, but whatever systems Nintendo sold, people bought enough games to write off that system.