Here's the thing. I introduced Monster Hunter Tri to my friends, I was the one who backed Skyward Sword, and I've been the one who supported Xenoblade and the Last Story. I'm a Nintendo fan, and I look for cool experiences on Nintendo consoles because they're often unique and engaging in ways FPS and God of War and what-have-you are not. Nintendo is a shining example, a beacon of hope for all the gamers who believe that games don't have to be bloody, violent, and consecutive to be good. Nintendo has stated time and again that gameplay is what matters, the experience is the key. They may be somewhat old-fashioned in that sense, and that's kind of a reason to be upset with them- but I don't think that they should change their approach, not for one second. Nintendo is a niche developer, innovating on recognizable concepts time and time again and proving they have what it takes to approach a series continuously with a new take on it. But that's not all they've done- they have allowed other developers to take their crack at the franchises they have created to see what they can do. The second-party developers under Nintendo's eye are those that largely follow the same approach that Nintendo does- the experience is what counts. Metroid Prime is a game with ambience, depth, cleverness, and solid, well-thought out controls- Retro took a bold step and it paid off. Monolith creates immersive, deep titles. Game Freak attempts to innovate its core franchise while keeping to the same mechanics.
But that's beside the point. Mostly, what Nintendo has truly strayed from is the online infrastructure. Using online to benefit their gaming experiences. If Nintendo wishes to cater to the modern young gamer and develop something with an online community, they have to do so by also sticking to what appealed to their original fans. I mean, that's what we all want, right? We joke and poke fun and roll our eyes about a Pokemon MMO, but we would all crap our pants if it actually happened. Hell, the internet would probably crap its pants, too. We all want to see what Nintendo could offer with an immersive online experience. The main issue, however, is that most online games are competitive, and while Nintendo is a fan of Mario Kart and Smash Brothers, not many of their IPs are really competitive fare. Nintendo focuses on the personal experience, and they know it. We all like the personal experience. But hopefully Nintendo can create something for me AND you, which is what their new console hopes to bolster. That's going to be key.