Four days ago I was sitting at the computer, the same way I always do every day. Today was different though I was trying to think of a news article to write for Wiiwarewave while simultaneously thinking of a new list I wanted to write for Lunch.com. So sitting there with a terrible case of writers block when I get a Text message on my phone, Its Wiiwarewave’s Twitter (Yes Wiiwarewave’s tweets come directly to my phone), I don’t know who it was but they were asking me to write an article about My top Ten Nintendo News Stories of 2010/2011 (obviously I changed it cause I honestly don’t remember much big Nintendo news stories from 2010). I accepted and got to work. Here is the list Enjoy.



1) Rumor Nintendo Developing 3 new franchises for WiiU
https://www.wiiwarewave.com/t1878-rumor-nintendo-developing-3-new-franchises-for-the-wii-u-more

Why: People have been wondering for year’s whether or not Nintendo was going to be working on a new franchise. People have actually been saying they should instead of relying on all the old ones to make money. (Mario, Zelda, Metroid etc) As great as those franchises are some fans want to see Ninty try something new. So this news is good because it seems like they have been listening.




2) Nintendo considering DLC for Super Mario 3d land and Mario Kart 7

https://www.wiiwarewave.com/t1669-nintendo-considering-super-mario-3d-land-mario-kart-7-dlc

Nintendo Blasts DLC says the 3ds is different
https://www.wiiwarewave.com/t1480-nintendo-blasts-dlc-says-3ds-is-different?highlight=Nintendo+DLC

Why: Think back to games like Super Smash Bros Brawl, Mario Kart Wii, Zelda Twilight Princess and even Metroid Prime 3. All these games have to potential to be made longer through the use of DLC, New Characters for Brawl, new maps for Mario Kart, and more Stories for Zelda and Metroid.  Once again this is something fans have wanted from Nintendo for years.

These articles don’t explicitly state that Nintendo is going to do it but, the fact that they are considering it is good news. Also, the fact that Nintendo is disgusted by other developers DLC practices, (i.e. forcing players to pay for Content already on the Disc, (Resident Evil 5)) we can assume that if or when Nintendo decides to release their DLC it will truly be a new experience. Good for you guys.




3) WiiU to only Cost $299

https://www.wiiwarewave.com/t1801-wii-u-to-only-cost-299

Why: I would like to point out that this is a rumor and may or may not be true, but hypothetically IF the console were to launch for this price that would be insanely great for potential early adopters of the console. It’s a great competitive price, almost on par with the current prices of the Xbox 360 and PS3, it’s affordable, and so people are not spending insane amounts of money for the thing, and it goes with Nintendo’s belief of cheaply prices consoles that everyone can afford.

I always said that the price of the Wii U is very important because if this thing flops Nintendo is up the creak. As great as the 3DS is doing right now I personally think that if the WiiU flops they can’t rely on the 3DS to bring them out of it. But like I said this is a hypothetical scenario so take what I say with a grain of salt, also Nintendo is a smart company they know what they are doing, so I don’t worry too much about it.



4) Nintendo loses nearly 1 billion as sales plummet

https://www.wiiwarewave.com/t1373-nintendo-loses-nearly-1-billion-as-wii-sales-plummet

Why: This is not good news, Nintendo at this point was in trouble, Wii Sales had dropped 40% and the 3DS was not doing so well. Things were not looking good for Ninty. But this reinforced the fact that Nintendo had to get the WiiU launch right. (At this point I had no hope for the 3DS). Defiantly a low point in Nintendo’s illustrious history, luckily for them a few months later……..




5) Nintendo 3DS set to beat DS first year sales

https://www.wiiwarewave.com/t1448-nintendo-3ds-set-to-beat-ds-first-year-sales

3DS tops 4 million in sales
https://www.wiiwarewave.com/t1575-nintendo-3ds-sales-top-4-million-in-us

3DS reaches 4.5 million in sales
https://www.wiiwarewave.com/t1824-news-3ds-sales-reach-45-million-in-the-us

Why: When the 3DS was released it wasn’t good times for Nintendo, the thing never sold as well as they expected and everyone was predicting their inevitable doom. Six Months after launch Nintendo announced a price drop on the relatively new console and that when sales started to pick up (not just the price but the lack of games also contributed to the slow sales of the 3ds). Sales picked up so much that by November 2011 the 3DS was set to beat the DS’s first year sales; they jumped a whopping 260%. By March 2012 3ds Sales reached a jaw-dropping 4.5 million in sales; to contrast by its first year the DS only sold 2.3 million, THAT’S NEARLY HALF. This was great news as by this time things were looking up for Nintendo.




6) 58% of indie Dev say Nintendo is hard to work with
https://www.wiiwarewave.com/t1037-nintendo-life-survey-58-of-indie-devs-say-nintendo-difficult-to-deal-with

Tiga calls out Nintendo on game Data Policy
https://www.wiiwarewave.com/t1616-tiga-calls-nintendo-out-on-game-data-sharing?highlight=Tyga+calls+out+nintendo

Why: As one poster under the article said “I like Nintendo games a lot but Nintendo makes a lot of enemies with their giant ego”. And it's true; Nintendo can be a giant prick sometimes. They have said things like, they don’t support garage Developers (some of these guys make some great games, ever hear of Angry Birds), they will never develop for Smartphone’s (Smartphone’s and tablets are becoming a real threat to Nintendo and Sony in the handheld market) and the kicker, the day they stop making console s is the day they stop making games.

Sometimes Nintendo acts like arrogant pricks which really irks me because I hate arrogant pricks, which sucks because I like Nintendo. Hopefully, they change this attitude because if you’re a prick no one is going to want to make games for your console. And based on E3 2011 the biggest thing you guys are trying to do is get more third party support.



7) WiiU easier to develop on than PS3
https://www.wiiwarewave.com/t1486-wii-u-easier-to-develop-on-than-ps3

3DS favored by developers over PS Vita
https://www.wiiwarewave.com/t1757-nintendo-3ds-reportedly-favored-over-vita-among-developers

Why: It would seem though from these two articles that Nintendo in some way is really trying to improve their relations with third parties. Mainly by making consoles that are easy to develop on. I’m no game developer, as much as I like Video Games and gaming in general; developing video games is something I can’t do. Not after my disastrous attempt at taking Computer Programming in tenth grade. No sir that’s something I just am not meant to do, anyways while I am no developer I think it’s safe to assume that a console that’s easy to develop for will make a lot for developers want to make games for it.

That’s why this is good news; and what’s great is it’s not just the WiiU, both the Wii U and 3DS are easy to develop for. Based on this I can safely say Nintendo should do well in this console cycle.  



8 ) Nintendo Announces the “Nintendo Network”
https://www.wiiwarewave.com/t1653-nintendo-announces-nintendo-network-for-wii-u

Why: Personally for me this is one of my favorite news Articles of 2012 (so far). The thing that made the Xbox so popular when it first launched, no it wasn’t its graphics or the fact that a hard drive was in the thing, it was, in fact, the Xbox Live Online network. Everybody loved the thing you could talk to your friends, it would tell you who was online and who wasn’t, it was the coolest thing ever.

Then the seventh generation of Consoles came around Microsoft brought the service to the 360 and Playstation decided to jump on the Networks bandwagon with the PSN service. I don’t have to tell you that Wii went with a more ………..traditional means. But all that is about to change because in late January of this year Nintendo announced the “Nintendo Network” their very own Xbox Live/PSN service and it performs the similar function, Online Personal Accounts, DLC, “Digital Distribution of Packaged Software”, and…….. well that’s all they announced. But the fact that they are currently working on this is a big leap. Apparently, the Nintendo Network will be available on both WiiU and 3DS.



9) Nintendo has new Zelda game in Development
https://www.wiiwarewave.com/t1602-nintendo-has-a-new-legend-of-zelda-game-in-development

Why: Do you really have to ask why? It’s a new Zelda game. And if it’s going to be on Wii U then there’s even more reason to be excited. Moving on.



10) Xenoblade coming to North America
https://www.wiiwarewave.com/t1513-xenoblade-chronicles-to-be-released-in-all-american-countries

Xenoblades North American Sales can affect The Last Stories Localization
https://www.wiiwarewave.com/t1535-rumor-xenoblade-s-sales-in-america-could-affect-the-last-story-s-us-localization-more

Why: Cause you asked for it. Yes, fans of this game have Operation Rainfall to thank for getting this game Localized. The happiest moment on the internet is when Nintendo said the game would be coming here. Fans rejoiced, Nintendo had actually listened to them and delivered on it. Xenoblade is a great looking game so when it was first announced that it was going to be a Japan exclusive North American (and European) fans took to the interwebs and let Ninty know how they feel. This news was a victorious moment. And if all goes well another Japan-exclusive RPG maybe making the trip across seas also. Depending on how Xenoblade sells, The Last Story might also be released here.


So there it is my list of the top ten news Articles of 2011/2012. Hope you enjoyed it.