The only fixable problems that existed with this event given all the context of Nintendo being in that awkward transitioning phase and everything that is the Wii U at current is that too much of the focus of this direct was on stuff that were known entities for too long already. We're nearing the third year since we first heard about stuff like Yoshi Woolly World and Xenoblade Chronicles X and they both got extended looks on stream. Super Mario Maker segments were also much longer than necessary given the Nintendo World Championships' focus on the title. Even StarFox which set a decent tone for the beginning had a bit less punch due to the psuedo reveal it had last E3 with the Time Magazine leak and of course the strange omission of Platinum Games' involvement with the title alongside internal EAD.
There were no third party gigatons Nintendo could rely on for sheer shock factor and honestly, if you were looking for that, it speaks more to you wanting spectacle over wanting content from Nintendo. That said, Nintendo messed up this time for highlighting too many things that were already losing their "mysticism". The Digital Event worked last year because it was a damn near blow out of a ton of things that still had strong intrigue behind themselves (remember before this time last year, no one knew what the fuck a Splatoon was, Smash hype was still going strong with almost 3/4th of the game(s) unaccounted for and Star Fox was mothball'd status) with live stage plays immediately following the event to give further clarity and "additional hits" of the stuff coming up. This time around, the intrigue for the stuff shown off is almost all nonexistant from the jump or counting on audience reception for max appeal and given how people already feel about Metroid alt takes (hi Other M reception/scars), Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi (Sticker Star still stings for a lot of folks and Dream Team is apparently <<<<< Bowser's Inside Story) or the "anime-zation" of Fire Emblem, that plan fell through quite admirably.
There were no third party gigatons Nintendo could rely on for sheer shock factor and honestly, if you were looking for that, it speaks more to you wanting spectacle over wanting content from Nintendo. That said, Nintendo messed up this time for highlighting too many things that were already losing their "mysticism". The Digital Event worked last year because it was a damn near blow out of a ton of things that still had strong intrigue behind themselves (remember before this time last year, no one knew what the fuck a Splatoon was, Smash hype was still going strong with almost 3/4th of the game(s) unaccounted for and Star Fox was mothball'd status) with live stage plays immediately following the event to give further clarity and "additional hits" of the stuff coming up. This time around, the intrigue for the stuff shown off is almost all nonexistant from the jump or counting on audience reception for max appeal and given how people already feel about Metroid alt takes (hi Other M reception/scars), Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi (Sticker Star still stings for a lot of folks and Dream Team is apparently <<<<< Bowser's Inside Story) or the "anime-zation" of Fire Emblem, that plan fell through quite admirably.