It looks like Nintendo of America is soooo busy doing PR’s for Wii Fit and Super Smash Brawl that it has forgotten one of the games that gave hope to the Gamecube (not that it had enough, but thats another story). I talked about how Nintendo moved away from catering to the hardcore gamers, and now IGN itself has posted an editorial on how Nintendo has treated Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.

Here are snippets from IGN’s editorial about how Nintendo has failed to market one of its biggest franchises to the hardcore gamer.

Where’s the pre-release hype? In 2002, prior to the original Prime’s release, Nintendo had convinced the world that it was GameCube’s Halo killer. And for franchise fans, it was. But since that time, the Big N’s enthusiasm for the series seems to have dwindled, at least openly. Perhaps this is because Prime 2 Echoes sold about half as well as its predecessor, a significant drop-off for what should’ve been one of the company’s most lucrative sequels. Of course, it could be argued that Prime 2 performed worse because Halo mania had caught on and, for some strange reason, Nintendo actually shipped Echoes three days after Bungie’s hugely successful first-person shooter hit the market. It could also be argued, however, that Nintendo’s heart just wasn’t in it — the pre-buzz hype, the PR campaigns and the aggressive advertising blitz that propelled the original game past the million-seller mark were not extended to the sequel.

While Nintendo has a kick ass site in Nintendo Power, it looks like the Metroid website guys have been on a vacation:

One astute poster pointed out a gross example of Nintendo’s seemingly oblivious backing of Corruption. While Super Smash Bros. Brawl has a dedicated website that is updated five times per week, a quick check of the official Metroid website (www.metroid.com) reveals that it is still dedicated to the long-ago-released DS effort Metroid Prime Hunters, with no sign of Corruption in sight. There is not even an icon for the game on the page. And need we remind you that Prime 3 will be available to buy in, yes, three weeks?

IGN did contact Nintendo regarding their observation and here’s what they said:

When we contacted NOA for comment about this editorial, the company offered the following statement: “Nintendo fans will be surprised by the quantity and quality of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption information that becomes available before the game launches on Aug. 27. Your patience will be rewarded (or Corrupted).”