Anyway, this is my prefered line-up (not nessesarily at launch) by team:
OH DEAR, here we go.... I made this mistake with the launch of the Wii, I will not make it again. Simply put, Nintendo's been leaving a LOT of choice development talent to languish for YEARS, and I don't expect that to change any time soon.
But just for giggles, I'm gonna point out the major problem spots and the biggest wasted potential in Nintendo's roster of designers:
NST: Project HAMMER (if only, it looked pretty cool IMO)
It's not just your opinion. Brawlers are awesome and I want to see them again, and this one actually looked like fun. I think the cancellation of Project HAMMER was when everyone saw the writing on the wall from Nintendo in terms of the final outcome of the Wii.
But the outcome isn't likely for a return to consoles for them right now. Which is too bad. I kinda liked what they did with Wave Race (douchey character design aside, anyways)
Monster Games: New realistic arcade racer IP ala Excite Truck, or just Excite Truck 2/Super Excite Truck (Bots isn't ET2), maybe even F-Zero
NO. DO NOT GIVE THEM F-ZERO. Don't give them ANYTHING.
Retro Studios: New IP or Star Fox
Jeez, Star Fox now too? At this rate, GAF wants Retro to be responsible for Nintendo's entire catalogue. But at least you picked a franchise in need of saving instead of the Skyward Sword "OMGBOMBA" reactive GAF wanting to wrench it out of EAD's hands.
But they are the wild card for next gen. They've spent a LOT of time shoring up talent, but no one is quite sure what for. If I were to hope, simply put, I want an Eternal Darkness sequel from them. Will it happen? Probably not, but of all the Nintendo talent to do it, they're the ones who could.
Next Level Games: Strikers 3, revival of another dormant IP ala Punch-Out, maybe a new IP, or how about for fellow Canadians; Super Mario Slapshot! XD
I may have heard incorrectly, but these guys (like most of the Vancouver development community) isn't doing so hot right now. Or at least I'd assume so, with so many in the programming and art fields being out of work. Most of the people I know in that field are moving to California where there's more work. Sad, really, cuz a lot of good gamestuffs come out of this city. I at one point toyed with the idea of opening a dev house myself in New Westminster with a friend of mine to give some of our friends jobs, but neither of us could get the financing for it.
Monolithsoft: New RPG IP (they are making a game for Wii U, so it's likely, WOOT!)
Glad to see Nintendo is FINALLY doing something substantial with these guys. I was worried that they'd be relegated to the DS forever after they were bought. Then they gave me Xenoblade. It only took.... how many years before this well was finally tapped?
Mistwalker: The Last Story 2 or a new RPG IP
Speaking of... considering that Microsoft is unlikely to want to touch them ever again, despite funding them outright, wouldn't it be hilarious if Nintendo BOUGHT Mistwalker? I'm sure Sakaguchi would love to have bunches upon bunches of different teams to sift through his creative visions one by one.
But seriously, never going to happen. We MAY get The Last Story 2, but it would have to include an HD remake of the first, for people who didn't bother to pick it up the first time.
Arzest: New mascot platformer IP, mayjor bonus points if Prope got on board with them for a Ohshima and Naka double whammy of platforming greatness!
No, see, THIS is the team to give Star Fox. Hands down. They're formed from Artoon folks (who know how to make a character shine, which...... yeah, hasn't happened in a while for this series) and former members of the Panzer Dragoon dev team. PANZER. FUCKING. DRAGOON. (as a side note, the Panzer Dragoon team can't catch a break.... first absorbed into Smilebit within Sega, then Smilebit is absorbed into Amusement Vision, then Sega totally restructures and fractures their teams, and most of them leave, meaning that the team essentially doesn't exist anymore.... same for the Jet Set Radio team. Sad.)
Stop screwing with this franchise, Nintendo, either develop Star Fox internally again or put it in their hands and give me a furry-tastic space opera with epic orchestral soundtrack and crazy-ass dogfight sequences. STAT.
As for your suggestion, I think the industry has enough "mascots" as it is, and Nintendo most assuredly does, so let's let them do what they do best: craft a nice and pleasant game.
Oh, and as for Prope? We can't really make claims on their "awesomeness" when we've seen practically nothing from them yet.
LOLno. Let 'em try something new. The quality of Custom Robo has declined, you can tell their teams have fatigue and only keep making it because Nintendo can keep selling it and they could use the work. Let them do something new.
Ambrella: Hey U Pikachu 2 (the original was fun dammit!)
Do not suffer Ambrella to live. They are a bane on existence.
Genius Sonority (if they ever make console games again): New RPG IP (seemingly they were underway with just that on Wii, but it went kaput under wraps)
Talk about wasted talent. These guys are partly responsible for some of the best-selling RPGs in Japan's history (DQVI and VII) and they end up making Pokemon games?! If that's all you're going to use them for, Nintendo, let them go. If you won't do that, give them the freedom to make something totally AWESOME.
But will either of those things happen? No, probably not. Mind you, we've heard pretty much nothing from them and their website IS in maintenance now... hmmmm..... prepping for a hiring bonanza?
Brownie Brown (a stretch): New HD 2D RPG IP
Sorry, any hope of them doing something off portables is pretty much gone. I remember their rumored GameCube project all too well. It's been 10 years since they said they wanted to do a console game. My hope is lost. Ahhh well, they're an under-appreciated asset to Nintendo and would like to see them do something else that isn't a portable game, but.... ehhh, it's time to give up the ghost.
Sandlot: Zangeki 2 (damn awesome and gorgeous in concept that we never got to play, imagine that on Wii U)
Didn't most reviews comment that it was a very shallow experience? Not that I dislike arcade-y games, but.... I dunno, it feels like a one-off to me.
Paon: Glory of Heracles, or with Namco; Klonoa 2 HD!
Why, so Namco can send another Klonoa port to die?
Anyways, what I would like to see more than anything is for Nintendo to continue fostering developer goodwill and perhaps recruiting more studios into the fold. Monolith Soft was a HUGE surprise to GAF, but I think that their purchase of them was a reflection on Satoru Iwata's style of leadership. And I think we'll see more and stranger 2nd-party partnerships and acquisitions going forward.
But let's temper this with a bit of an understanding: in every console generation since the beginning of time, Nintendo has let certain franchises surge and others languish. The same is true for their development teams and partners, sadly, some of which never truly make it out the other side. And I expect this upcoming generation to be no different, despite people being of the assumption that Nintendo will magically begin using EVERY source of development to flood the console with content.
