IGN “predicts” the Project Cafe launch lineup

Rocket Launch

Nintendo, let's make Project Café's launch a great one.

Nintendo has taken on a fair amount of criticism after the 3DS’s launch, in that the selection of games for the system was mediocre at best. I’m sure a lot of you will agree that we don’t want the Wii’s successor to suffer from the same launch blues next year that the 3DS did.

With this in mind, IGN’s Lucas Thomas wrote up a three-page piece on what games Nintendo would need to have right out of the gate to ensure that Project Café will be off to a smashing start, and listed games from past Nintendo system launches to illustrate his points. The article’s a good read, but if you’re of the tl;dr mindset, here’s a quick summary of what Lucas thought would make for a killer launch:

  • a killer multiplayer game, like Ice Climbers on the NES
  • a game that promotes an unusual peripheral, like Duck Hunt on the NES
  • a game that shows off the system’s visual capabilities, like Pilotwings on all three systems it appeared on
  • a game that showcases gameplay which is only possible on that one system, like Super Mario 64 on the Nintendo 64
  • an addictive game with crazy viral appeal, like Tetris on the Game Boy or Wii Sports on the Wii
  • a meaty single-player adventure, like The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess on the Wii
  • a AAA third-party game that shows fans that Nintendo isn’t the only company interested in the system, like Super Street Fighter IV on the 3DS
  • a free demo to get fans excited for a major upcoming title, like Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt on the Nintendo DS
  • a nostalgic game for long-time Nintendo fans to sink their tooth into and feel right at home with, like Super Smash Bros. Melee on the GameCube

Again, this is only a rough-and-dirty summary of the full article. Wii 2 news has been really slow over the past few days, so it’s a great way to spend some time while we wait for the next exciting leak to come.

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Comments, Reactions, and General Hooliganism

  1. Wertville

    While Smash Bros. Foodfight being a launch title would surprise me, I would not be surprised at a re-launch of Ice Climbers. It’s what they’re doing with Kid Icarus, except Ice-Climbers have been in twice as many Smash Bros. games!

    What would be a good replacement for Smash Bros. Streetfight, though, would be that often rumored Nintendo Vs. Capcom game… C’mon Capcom, we know you want too…

  2. Auzzie Wingman

    1. Ice Climbers sequel/prequel/remake/completely new game wouldn’t be bad at all. Having ‘four’ people simultaneously scale a mountain, and then not interfere with each other’s cameras coz of a touch screen, sounds like multiplayer brilliance. If Nintendo’s history shows, not so good online multi, absolutely kickass local multi.

    2. Third party support is a must… no, correction. Nintendo VS Capcom is a must this generation around. Don’t care if it’s at the beginning, middle or end, if it doesn’t happen on 3DS or Cafe, I give up.

    3. I personally wouldn’t mind a multi genre nostalgia game. If that means perhaps a smaller roster of characters than brawl, but extending beyond just a fighter, then it wouldn’t be too bad.

    3.5 The only thing I’d add to the list is that the launch has to cover all game types: Adventure, Puzzle, Fighting, Shooters, Sports, Racing, RPG, Mystery solving etc. Otherwise, people will try to find a silly excuse to say ‘Hurr durr Cafe has no gaems I like’ or something (I think we can pretty much confirm, there are selective people out there…)

    4. Demos, demos, demos. Why is there a lack of demos in the industry? You can sometimes find gold amongst the shovelwares, but people don’t know because it looks tainted (graphics, gameplay, price). Honestly, I wouldn’t mind paying $8 for a disc that had 5 or so demos on it.

    5. Awesomeness!

  3. i hate crap articles

    Take the list replace with ps3 titles and you have an article for the ps4. repeat for xbox 720.

    come on write something better.

    No one knows what Nintendo are up to so your gonna be wrong.