Innovation Isn’t Dead: Why Nintendo Will Lead the Upcoming Generation of Games

With the upcoming swoon of games that will be coming out in 2014, the question that comes to everyone’s mind is:

“Is any of this actually going to be new?”

Yes, and I think that whatever’s new and next will come from to the Big N.

You heard me right:

Nintendo will lead innovation for the next generation of games

Xbox and Sony go for sales, but with every new console Nintendo goes for innovation and new ideas. The Wii U was meant to do that, and I think the newest batch of games (which begins with Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze) will start to rebuild their foundation. The E3 demo of DKC:TF looked great. Nintendo has always tried to go that extra mile in terms of new ideas.

Innovation will be core to Mario Kart 8 and the 2 upcoming editions of the Smash Brothers series

Nintendo is still thinking outside the box

Using what Mario Kart 7 did so well as a stepping stone, Mario Kart 8 will be able to transition into the Wii U racing era smoothly. If it isn’t the flying and aqua racing from MK7, it’s the zero gravity upside down driving. How can you not mention the touch screen car horn? Mario Kart 8 might not be the same innovation level that was seen from the Wii version to MK7, but it will absolutely show that Nintendo is still thinking outside the box.

In terms of the Smash Brothers franchise, the idea of two different games being created at the same time is another way that Nintendo is going that extra mile. It would be nice to see Squirtle make another appearance in the games, but I can understand if the Pokémon Trainer is a no-show. Also, with everything that goes into a new Smash Bros game, innovation is indeed the best way to describe it. The music, the new stages for battles, and the new characters add to the build up and fun of what characters make the cut and who gets left out.

In the old days of Nintendo, innovation would just be the assumed way Nintendo was going to go

You can see how things have changed just in the timeframe of the Wii U. Look at the start of the system and you see games like ZombiU and NintendoLand. The system didn’t do so great at the start, thus you don’t see Nintendo taking too many chances (but you do see them greenlighting Mario games and Zelda remakes).

This is make or break time for Nintendo

When you look back at the Gamecube era with games like Luigi’s Mansion and Billy Hatcher, it’s clear that innovation was once at the forefront of Nintendo. Nintendo needs to go back to this level of uniqueness if they are going to show the world why they still belong beside Sony and Microsoft. Innovation needs to be front and center if they’re going to turn things around – and I see them doing just that!