Reggie responds to the "apology" from Iwata I linked earlier:
Really? You want to compare this cash-in "Metroid" game to a brand new IP? Come on now.
His explanation is essentially that Iwata was doing the Japanese businessman thing. And that's fair; a lot of people don't understand Japan's corporate culture.
But leaving content alone, the reaction to Metroid Prime Federation Force vs Splatoon is entirely different. Splatoon was met with intrigue and confusion. MPFF has been met with outrage and disdain.
And while I want to say "if Reggie is that confident about it, we'll have to see." For all I know, we'll all eat our words when the game comes out and it'll be amazing. But I can't use Nintendo confidence as a litmus test, because remember Code Name Steam? Nintendo didn't just announce Splatoon at E3 2014; Code Name Steam was the other new IP, which was a big deal that E3. But Nintendo didn't do much to support it and when the game came out, those few of us who bought it discovered why--it was mediocre. It was just an okay game, but really not worth $40, and it got boring fast. Notice Nintendo hasn't mentioned it once since release. I found that odd.
We could see the same with MFPP. Minor advertising, and then silence upon release. We'll have to see, but I can't imagine this being the next Splatoon.
I'm not too thrilled at the new Zelda either, and I never thought those words would come out of my mouth. While I admire their intent to create a new Four Swords-inspired adventure, this time with cooperative elements that plays more like an actual Zelda game, for those of us without two friends to play through the game with, there's going to be a lot of stop-and-go with the gameplay. I really don't see that as being super engaging. Nor would it necessarily be so if you're playing as a group. That tower looks awfully two-player.
Between those two games, there seems to be a big emphasis on 3DS multiplayer, but that's an iffy goal. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate works fantastic, but Smash Bros 3DS online remains spotty even 9 months after release. Will MPFF get dedicated support or will it be the site of frequent uplayable lag?