9. The Wii-U Launches To A Whimper
Alright, alright, so every console has growing pains when it starts out; several of the A-list titles always flop, whereas the rest of them are typically more tech demos than anything revelatory, and if gamers get one single killer app within the lot, then the launch can be considered a win. The early consensus with the Wii-U was that most of the good games were already available on other platforms, and the only launch title to break 80 on Metacritic was New Super Mario Bros. U, which is essentially just an old game given new clothes. Though critics praised the new controller, the console has been by and large met with mixed reactions simply because it doesn't leap out at players with anything
really new. The Wii was a revolution that made gaming more social and completely revitalised the landscape of the medium, but the same does not appear true here; it's cool to have a glorified tablet for a controller, and it's great that we can now play games within the controller if our TV is occupied, but there needs to be more to it. I mean, the console's graphics are virtually indistinguishable from the PS3 and 360, and I'm no graphics whore, but really, this doesn't feel next-gen in any way whatsoever. The console had solid sales but fell short of the original Wii's numbers.