The hype was strong in this one.
Nintendo made so much noise especially as 2016 came to an end but not for the good reasons.
First, there was the lack of NES Classic Edition. The modern take on the classic and iconic gaming console was met with so much excitement that many people wanted it for Christmas. But despite Nintendo's promise to produce more in time for Christmas Day, many were left hanging. But don't get me wrong, aside from a few issues here and there, the mini NES is a great buy especially for its nostalgic appeal. The problem is that Nintendo greatly miscalculated the demand for the console which left its fans wanting for more.
The Japanese company also introduced the Nintendo Switch which is another much-anticipated device. So far, the rumors of its any features have been generally positive. Nintendo is now pinning its hopes on the Switch to turn around their controversial end to the year.
Speaking of controversial, the release of the mobile game Super Mario Run was met with mixed reviews. It was greatly hyped as the next Pokémon Go, a location-based game played on mobile devices which integrated augmented reality.
The game was full of promise.
After its initial release, Super Mario Run was downloaded an impressive 40 million times. And that was just during the first four days after its release, according to Polygon. In mid-December, the game was on top of the list of top-grossing apps in the United States. Indeed this was a pretty huge accomplishment especially considering this was in iOS only as the game will only launch for Android phones in 2017.
The game is beautiful. The iPhone's Retina Display made sure the Super Mario Run is a feast for the eyes. It also integrated some of the classic elements of the first games under the Super Mario franchise which is great for nostalgic gamers.
Now for the bad news.
Despite the impressive figures, Nintendo figures to stay in its downward spiral. Since Super Mario Run is a "free to start" game, the downward trajectory seems inevitable. Of course, many (millions, in fact) will download the game because of the hype and because it is free at the onset. Users are allowed to play a small sampling but will need to pay $9.99 later on to get the full version and to keep playing.
Here lies the problem. People love great games but not many are willing to pay for them. Nintendo made a bold move by pricing the game a bit higher than most want it to be. And now, it seems the company will pay the price sooner or later. One way Nintendo can prevent a downward slide is to lower the price but for no it isn't budging.
Nintendo is hoping a new update will keep its fans interested. The 1.0.2 update is available for download over at the App Store. The update improves some of the features of the game. What those features are, we are in the dark since Nintendo refuses to give out details.
