PixlBit

Diablo 3 made damage numbers trigger me. Every video I saw of the game people had them on. Remember when Diablo used to be an immersive game? But I didn't mind them in other games like Borderlands.

And yeah, you're right about the abilities. I forget that a lot of people aren't familiar with squad tactical games/tactical RPGs. They didn't have the advantage of growing up as the genre was evolving and learning how to play them as the games started simple to more intricate

I'm thinking stream 3DS and Wii U games from a server onto Switch. A glorified virtual console.

N64 wasn't a massive success. Nintendo lost the market.  Nintendo is and has always been about expanding the market. On the home console front, they've been in tailspin mode ever since, with a brief reprieve with the Wii, which was ideologically opposed to the N64 mindset that resulted in the GC, Wii U, two other relative failures. Every attempt since then has been an effort to recover from the N64 disappointment.

 As far as 2D Mario not convincing people to buy hardware, history shows otherwise. NES, SNES,DS, GB,Wii - all of their top devices, all with a side scrolling Mario at or near the top of the sales chart. GC and N64, their "losing" consoles: absent. Sunshine and Mario 64 didn't do much for them, regardless of their novelty at the time. The outliers are 3DS and WiiU, with unremarkable NSMB reduxes...that were stilll among their top 3 sellers and pushed hardware; both with 2D/3D hybrid games (right now, their best bet to appease the "3D is more interesting crowd" while not driving off everyone else). They made instructional DVD just to convert people over to Galaxy. If it was such a viable system seller, why would they need to do this? Outside of the media echo chambers and "hardcore" gamer minds, caught up in production values and technological prowess as they are, no one thinks 3D Mario is the more vital design. They just know what is fun to them. These games are slow and steady sellers, that don't drop off the charts like other big releases do.

 And we're not talking about A sidescroller, but a Nintendo one. Even the less popular Donkey Kong Country Returns rules over the platforming competition.

 The market has spoken so far, and the evidence points to classic Mario being a safe bet to get the masses. I don't see why there is resistance to the idea. Should they make another F-Zero instead of Mario Kart? No, no one would suggest this in a business/success potential discussion. Well, maybe if MK used sprites... . That Nintendo doesn't see or want to strategize accordingly, along with other poor software decisions they've made (Federation Force. Really? An HD remake of one of their least popular Zelda games?), explains their woes.

Keep in mind that this was a hardware reveal, first and foremost. A tease. Not a software reveal. This is a good thing. They've whet people's appetites an created speculation. People will now be tuning in by the droves when they do their software reveal.

And obviously they are aiming at "normal" people, so far. This casual/hardcore duality that gets a lot of press in the fishbowl/echo chamber that is the games' press and forums does not exist in the real world. You don't sell 80 million plus consoles to nerds or fanboys or any other niche groups.

I'm looking from a business perspective.  I can make several arguments why 3D Mario is less interesting than the best of the side scrollers, but that matters little in the context of a business perspective. We are talking about the practical here, not the emotional. You may think novelty is great, but that's not going to get 3D Mario to do 2D business or push hardware, which is what Nintendo has trying to attain. And there is no reason that different stuff can't be done with a side scroller, any less so than 3D. Nintendo just don't have the imagination to do so, apparently.

I'm thinking you will be able to stream WiiU and 3DS games. Maybe the entire Nintendo catalog going back to NES. A robust account system.

I read something a while back about how the bosses had to force Miyamoto to work on NSMB. Since when do employees get to choose what they want to work on. The game wound up reversing the fortunes of the DS. I didn't care much for it, seemed like a step backwards, bland.

I mean, it's no sweat off my back. They can cut off their noses to spite their face if they want,by half assing one of their top sellers because the employees aren't 'in the mood.'

 I remember the tutorial DVD for SMG2. Here's the thing though: where is the evidence that people had a hard time grasping the controls, or that that was the reason? There was none that I saw. This was complete speculation on Nintendo's part, and a rather arrogant one. They can't come to terms with the possibility that the majority just don't like 3D as much for reasons of design and appeal and suitability. All things cannot be equal. First person Metroid sells more than side scrolling. No one questions it. It seems there is bias towards 3D, some assumption that it's superior (I know you don't think that way, but many do I believe) or that it's the evolutionary path that 2D should take by default.

 For the record, I think the Galaxies and 3D World are better than NWMB2 and U, but not because of technology or some inherent superiority of 3D perspectives.

But again, why not lead with your proven sellers instead of your second placers? That's the main point. They're doing it with Mario Kart. This is symptomatic of Nintendo's stubborness and lack of business acumen, especially now that Iwata is not around. He had to force Miyamoto to make NSMB basically.

I just checked. NSMBU is the second highest selling game on Wii U. And it wasn't even a very good effort. They saddle these 2D games with inferior production values and uninspired design. Miyamoto, who has a personal disdain for working on 2D Mario, has been trying to push 3D for the longest time. It hasn't worked. They keep coming up with every excuse in the book. Except the posibility that: Mario games work better and are more fun to more people as side-scrollers. Just like Sonic games work better. Maybe it has nothing to do with the conditions you mentioned, maybe it's just better or more fun (well, if NSMB were SMB3 level, I'd say it's definitley because it's better AND more fun). But note that 3D World and Land both have significant side-scrolling portions. 3D World is great and I believe it's in no small part to the deft combination of perspectives, and production values that outshined NSMBU.  But the question is why keep prioritizing 3D over 2D when 2D is the odds on sales favorite? Why insist upon this? It's the same mindset that came about with the PSX. Everything had to go 3D, whether it was sensible for that particular game/franchise/genre or not. 

 Well, they'll never top SMB3 and World anyway, so maybe it's for the better...

Here's the thing: Nintendo is looking for independence from the TV, which they feel will not be the center of media for much longer. This is their declaration. People are consuming entertainment on smartphones, tablets, and possibly through VR headsets soon. The TV will become an artifact. The Switch is a console you can play on any screen, anywhere, or on no screen (meaning, the tablet screen). The average person does not care about having the 50' screen experience. Convenience and keeping up with lifestyle trends are the top concerns.

Let's talk about next gen consoles: The hardware is selling, the games are not. PS4 has a horrible software attach rate. Even the WiiU has games closer to the double digit millions mark. The indsutry thrives on software, not hardware. Nintendo is abandoning the ship of status quo.

Maybe it will work, maybe it won't. Their marketing after the Wii has been weak. With a strong enough marketing assault, you can sell dogshit to people who don't want it. And their software approach is also weak. 2D Mario is the Mario that sells, pushes hardware, yet they keep trying to lead with 3D Mario. This is stubborn and stupid. Where is their cool action/shooter game, like Metroid. Oh, that's right, they don't know what the fuck to do with that series. They think "narrative" or cuddly are the way to go. It's insane. It's a bunch of old and effeminate, milquetoast men calling the shots over there.