The results are in, and Super Smash Bros. Wii U is a huge hit. The game is officially the fastest selling game ever for the Nintendo Wii U console in the United States. So far, Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U has sold over 490,000 physical and digital copies in its first week of release (Nov. 21-23). That is even more than Mario Kart 8 sold during the same period. That is great news for Nintendo–and especially for the sagging Wii U Console. While it might be too early to say that Nintendo has completely turned things around with the Wii U, it is good to see Nintendo bounce back this year with two huge hits for the console: Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros.
Super Smash Bros. Wii U, the latest game launch from Nintendo for its newest console, is off to a fast start. It was a stroke of genius to release the game in conjunction with the Nintendo Amiibo figurines. The Amiibo toys particularly appeal to longtime Nintendo fans and children. Not to mention, interactive toy video games are all the rage now for the popular Disney Infinity and Skylanders franchises. It was a wise choice for Nintendo to capitalize on the interactive figure craze with the Amiibos, starting with Smash Bros. I am ecstatic to see that non-Nintendo characters will be produced in Amiibo form, specifically Capcom’s Mega Man and Sega’s Sonic the Hedgehog. That means that Bandai-Namco’s Pac-Man will not be far behind.
Nintendo’s Wii U experienced a very slow start. I believe the biggest mistake entailed releasing the console in 2012. That was way too early. By trying to get a head start on Sony’s new PlayStation 4 console and Microsoft’s new Xbox One, Nintendo rushed out the Wii U too early. The game support was simply not there for the Wii U in 2013. Not to mention, Wii U was not able to get the crossover platform support of other major cross-platform releases that emerged for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Plus, Nintendo’s own first-party game support was slow. It was not until 2014 that games such as Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. were finally released. The wait to get those games out for the Wii U was too long.
I could be wrong, but it looks like the current state of the Wii U is fragile, but repairable. The Wii U might not have some of bigger games released for PS4 and Xbox One, but the console is still producing classics with new editions to Mario Kart and Smash Bros.
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