Nintendo: To infinity and beyond (part 2)

Having already discussed the future of Nintendo and where they need to go in order to “survive”, there are a number of third party developers that would no doubt love to get their games on Nintendo’s new system. These developers would also bring their most popular franchises to the system. Which developers would most likely bring their games to this console? Let’s take a look.

Bioware

I doubt that at the rate the Bioware is developing Mass Effect 3 (which we all know is coming) that it will be released after Nintendo’s newest console. Instead it’s safer to assume that a game like Dragon Age 3 could appear on Nintendo’s newest and highly graphically powered console. If such a thing to take place there would definitely be the option of bringing the previous games over as well, giving the system a trilogy of amazing Western RPGs that could very well tie all together.

Bungie

Right off the bat, Bungie is one of the names that come to mind. Why? Due to their move to Activision, it is only natural to assume that whatever their next major franchise is, it would be released on all major platforms. Since this deal lasts ten years, it’s safe to assume that any game Bungie releases during then will be released on Wii (if possible) and Nintendo’s newest console.

Insomniac

Insomniac is now multi-platform! No longer are their games only released for Sony’s consoles (although their franchises will remain there). This opens the doors to many possibilities. Everyone knows they’re going to be releasing games on the Xbox 360 now, so why not Nintendo’s next system? Insomniac is known mostly for their Ratchet and Clank games, which feature great, cartoony characters and wonderful humor… sound familiar?

Square Enix

Nintendo used to have the most powerful RPG franchise as its exclusive partner. I am of course referring to Final Fantasy. Even though many people believe the quality of the true FF games have dropped (I am not one of those people), you cannot deny the amount of fans that still remain and would no doubt love the series to return to its roots at Nintendo.

Treyarc

Just like with Square Enix and the RPG genre, Nintendo has no strong foothold with first-person shooters. With a new console and quite possibly a new control scheme (though it would more likely be an evolution) and a stable online presence, there’s nothing to stop Activision from providing Nintendo’s next console with stronger Call of Duty support – one of the most significant FPS franchises currently. If Nintendo were to release a console just as powerful as the other systems, the possibilities are endless. Remember when everyone loved to play GoldenEye on the N64 back in the day? Or Banjo-Tooie? That same thing could very well happen again.

Valve

And last, but definitely not least, we have Valve. Now, I firmly believe that Nintendo’s views and DLC policy for their future console will be the deciding factor for whether or not Valve decides to release games on the Wii’s successor. But think about it, how fun would it be to play Portal with a Wii-mote like device (and hopefully not a peripheral)? Shooting the portals would be so much more precise than having to use analog sticks. Games such as Left 4 Dead would make great used of the motion controls as well with the melee attacks and weaponry. Valve’s titles seem like the perfect fit for where Nintendo seems to be going in the industry, and above all, it would help “hardcore” gamers perceive them better.