All These Years, Still No Real Pokemon Game for a Nintendo Console
After 4,000 versions of Pokemon on the Gameboy/DS, we still do not have a real, full featured Pokemon game for the real Nintendo console. Pokemon hand held games have been coming out through the life cycle of the N64, the Gamecube, and now the Wii. Back in the N64 days, I almost imported a device from Japan that would let you play Gamecube games on your N64, just so I could play Pokemon Red and Blue with a real controller on a real display.
The gameplay of these games is great - evidenced by the fact that they are now up to their zillionth Pokemon handheld game (what are they at now.... Pokemon Malachite? Pokemon Talc?). It boggles my mind that they have never released a full, big budget version of this game for their primary, non-hand-held console.
Everyone loves Pokemon! Hardcore gamers as well as kids. My 7 year old and my 3 year old are nuts for Pokemon.This is a win-win. Make it happen!
Market the Sports Games Where Sports Fans Are
There are more great sports games in the Wii than any other console. Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort probably jump immediately to mind (the picture over there probably helps with that), but that is just the tip of the iceberg.
Pretty much all the other third party mainstays are on the Wii as well, and in some cases the Wii is the best version. Madden football is the king of sports games, and many gamers find the control setup with the Wii Motion controller to be the best way to play.
Nintendo should be advertising its sports games on ESPN, ESPN.com, and other sports related television stations and web sites. Go after the sports fans where they live and breathe!
Make Better Use of the Online Capability
The XBOX 360 dominates the online console gaming space, but that does not mean the Wii has to completely surrender it. While it is true that many Wii owners probably do not know how to get their Wii online, that is what Bright Hub is for! There are a lot of gamers out there who play online games almost exclusively, and the Wii is losing out on all of those customers.
Wii owners have access to a wealth of free games on the Wii internet channel. That alone is enough to get people excited about the Wii's online capability. How about Wii Resort Sports played online? Or the above mentioned Pokemon game? Pokemon played online would be a titantic smash hit that could rival or surpass Halo.
Conclusions
The Nintendo Wii is dominating this generation of the console war. But you can never have enough success, and the gamers you abandon in this generation won't be there for you in the next when you might need them. With only a few years left in the lifespan of this console, now would be a great time for the Wii to go after this last untapped market - serious, hardcore gamers.