By and far, more people are playing Nintendo games than they have been in the last 6-8 years. That’s awesome, right? Good on Nintendo for coming up with a concept that hits with consumers. The problem now is that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, a fresh Legend of Zelda title, Mario Kart 8, and, arguably, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe have hit the casual Nintendo fan where they need it most. Party games, likely enjoyed with a healthy dose of nostalgia from younger years with friends after school or late nights with siblings, are the lifeblood of the Nintendo casual fanbase.

Now that the heavy hitters are released, we move into what I like to think of as the peripheral Nintendo titles. As much as the rabid fanbase would like you to believe, Animal Crossing is still very much a niche title. So is Fire Emblem. As much as I’d like to say that consoles are flying off the shelves for Yoshi’s Crafted World, they just aren’t. So what does Super Mario Maker 2 have to do with all of this? Where does that fit in? In short, it doesn’t. In fact, despite success on the Wii U, it didn’t really fit in there either.

With additions coming to the sequel to the creation platformer fans, for the most part, are getting their first taste of the Mario Maker now, not from the Wii U. We all know the Wii U was a sleeper hit, full of great titles. What we don’t know is how some of those peripheral titles would have done on a popular console. For example, is Pikmin 4 going to sell in 2019? It very well may not. As far as peripheral titles go, Super Mario Maker 2 is going to be Nintendo’s best chance to answer a big question.

That question, central to every Nintendo console cycle since the beginning, is: who is playing on the peripheral? For the Wii and Nintendo 64, a lot of people were. That’s why obscure titles on those two huge consoles like Mario Golf 64 and WarioWare: Smooth Moves actually got played. Because the players were willing to play the weird stuff. What drives that desire? A true dedication to the experience of the console.

The Switch is a hit, no doubt, but is it loved? Not just picked up for Smash or Mario Kart but is it cherished as a place to play honestly and without the caveat of needing a distraction or time killer. The Wii was not a time killer. People loved the Wii. Casual gamers are always going to play the classics on Nintendo, but a truly great console for the Japanese company is told through the sales and experiences of their peripheral titles. Super Mario Maker 2 is the first big peripheral title following the Switch’s heavy hitters. Time will tell if the console keeps pushing more gaming experiences, or sits comfortably on shelves until younger cousins come over for family events.

Phenixx Gaming is everywhere you are. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.