I apologize for my absence this past month or so, but I was really busy with other things. It's ironic how I make my return on the day Super Smash Bros. Brawl is announced as delayed - again.

Originally the game was supposed to come out to the masses almost a month before Christmas. Holiday sales would have been sky-high and people still would have had plenty of time to get the game before Christmas Day. Nintendo announced that the game needed more time to be fully finished and more content was being added. This is always their reasoning for delaying a game. It's better to release a perfect game late than to release a flawed game quickly. It's not only Nintendo's unofficial motto, but it's a very Japanese way of thinking.

One of real reasons for the delay could also be attributed to its potential conflict with other games coming out around that time, specifically, Mario Galaxy and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. Based on reviews, both games did really well, and Mario Galaxy became one of the best reviewed games for Wii.

The delay pushed Brawl way into the new year, February 12, and would mean and early battle in the sales department for Nintendo. Nintendo games that have come out during the first quarter have usually done well by taking advantage of the season's typically bland releases. Resident Evil 4 was one of those games that was delayed, but its January release date made it a successful top seller. If you consider the hype behind Brawl, the amount of pre-orders in both Japan and the US, and its daily updates, this date would have been astronomical.

Instead, or perhaps, because of all this built-up excitement for the game, Nintendo decided to push the game back again until March 9. Was this a good idea? For Nintendo games sales, yes. For fans waiting for the game for more than a year, no. No one is really going to not play Brawl or protest the game simply because of another delay. Fans may get upset and complain, but it won't stop them from ultimately buying the game. On the other hand, Nintendo can only benefit from this because it will give itself time to produce more games and ship them to stores. Plus, this delay will only give Nintendo a bigger sales revenue when it's released due to the sheer amount of pressure that's been building for the game.

"Nintendough" knows what it's doing.

Labels: games, nintendo, smash bros, wii