Publishers Scrambling for Wii Titles 328
Bloomberg is reporting on the publisher scramble for Wii titles, prompted by the console's explosive popularity since its launch late last year. Though the article focuses on EA's initial coolness on the console, they certainly weren't the only company that initially missed the bus. "Electronic Arts wasn't the only publisher slow to see Wii's appeal. New York-based Take-Two Interactive Software Inc., maker of Grand Theft Auto games, had no Wii titles when the player was released and now plans to have three this year, said spokesman Jim Ankner. Activision Inc., based in Santa Monica, California, plans to release six Wii games this year, giving the second-largest publisher a total of 11, said spokeswoman Maryanne Lataif." Though that's great news for Wii gamers, the question is: how many of these titles are going to be 'shovelware'?
The more the better (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
That's no different than the PS1 and PS2 libraries: mountains of crap and a dozen or so gems.
Actually (Score:3, Interesting)
Aren't most of the titles "shovelware"? (Score:2)
fool will buy it to have some new game fix.
Re:Aren't most of the titles "shovelware"? (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
And I'd rather play a really fun game than a so-so game that looks really pretty. Too many publishers are pushing super shiny graphics as the fix to poor gameplay.
shovelware (Score:4, Interesting)
But if the big publishers rush Wii tiles out the door, the Wii could get a reputation for having nothing but crap ports, and lose some of its appeal. On the other hand, with the lag time involved in video games, market share might be cemented before that could happen.
Silly question (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Silly question, wabbit, or is it? (Score:5, Informative)
Not true.
My son and his friends watched the E3 coverage and he sold his Sony stock within two weeks and bought Nintendo stock - he's made a killing.
88 shares and counting - I've got the other 312 shares, and it has been a sweet ride
Anyone who couldn't smell the end result was buying the hype and not paying attention to the reality.
Re:Silly question, wabbit, or is it? (Score:5, Insightful)
Now, the degree of success is up for grabs, not even *I* thought that it would be THIS big, but my suspicions are not really that far off. The teeny-bopper XBox and PlayStation crowd didn't want to agknowledge the Wii's possible success, because of its threateningly, "family oriented" stance. A lot of the game press is teeny-bopper centric, so a lot of people were blinded by their own personal bias.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Imagine X years from now when Hot New Title comes out. Either that title exists for only one platform, or it's cross-platform. If it's cross-platform, then it will likely be the least appealing on the most underpowered console -- the Wii. If it's single-platform (or worse -- 360/PS3 only), then it will only cause Wii owners to become disenchanted with their bargain purchase. This is why people upgrade in the fir
Re:Silly question, wabbit, or is it? (Score:5, Insightful)
I disagree. If power was that important, the PS2 would have died one year into it's life when the Gamecube and X-box (both more powerful systems) were launched. HD Graphics aren't as important as the typical gaming press wants to believe. Final Fantasy seems to have done well only supporting 480i.
People do want the best of what's available, but once again that doesn't mean graphics... So far EA has (surprisingly) been able to take several franchises and successfully launch them on Wii in a way that is new, better and more immersive than is possible on any other system. Madden, Tiger Woods, and The Godfather are all made better on the Wii by their intuitive and immersive control schemes.
I have a Wii60, and as pretty as Fight Night Round 3 looked on my HDTV, I can't wait to buy Round 4 on the Wii.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
I'd say the PS3/360 are VASTLY underpowered compared to the Wii - power being defined by an easy, intuitive, FUN interface. A cross-platform game on all 3 systems will sell far more on the more powerful system, I agree. That system being the Wii.
Witnessing the last 4 months, the market so far agrees with me.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
I think people will lose interest in the Wii's controller around the time people realize that mice, trackballs, and tablets are just gimmicks and go back exclusively to arrow keys.
Re:Silly question, wabbit, or is it? (Score:5, Insightful)
There is absolutely not evidence to back that up. During the last generation, the Gamecube was the cheapest console. The PS2 still won. People don't just run out and buy the cheapest console. People buy the Wii because it is genuinely a lot of fun to play with it.
That's really all there is to it.
If you still call the Wii controller "gimmicky," you do nothing but betray your fanboyism. Have you played "The Godfater: Blackhand Edition"? This game alone is proof that the Wii controller is anything but a gimmick.
People play with the Wii because they want to. Because it's an accessible and fun. No amount of good PS3 games can change this. The people who love to play Wii quite simply won't switch to the PS3 for games like FF or MGS.
And yes, if you can't see the change in game design philosophy from the GBA/PS1/PS2 to the DS/Wii, you're blind.
Re:Silly question (Score:5, Insightful)
Prior to launch, most people in the industry thought of the Wii as a cheap toy that would sell as good or worse than the GameCube, and they decided to throw their development dollars at the XBox 360 and the PS3 instead. They simply misjudged the market for the Wii.
Of course, if you believe the idea that the Wii is successful only because it has brought a whole new demographic (casual gamers) into the console market, these publishers that specialize in catering to the hard core gamer market may still not do very well on the Wii. Time will tell.
Re:Silly question (Score:5, Informative)
I'm 29 and while I can have fun with wii sports, I like games like GTA, sports games (WE/PES), FPSs and stuff like that. I used to be part of a Quake2 clan in the lanparty days. However, I decided to go for the wii (can't afford more than one console), because while graphics do matter, I'd rather have something somewhat new, more fun to play (so far the Wii has definetly delivered) than photorealistic graphics.. Wii's graphics are just good enough for me, I really prefer efforts be spent on other directions (diversification for example) than have the same games all over again just with photorealistic graphics and better AI. With the Wii I *can* have the games I already know, plus the oportunity to try out some new things (or new, funnier ways to do old things other than just a paintjob: I tried Godfather BHE on the PC, but the controls sucked. On the Wii it's a blast).
Re:Silly question (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Silly question (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
I doubt it. A large number of people chose to purchase it because it was inexpensive. They will be looking for traditional games.
I plan to be one of them when I can find a Wii. (All jokes aside.)
Re:shovelware (Score:5, Insightful)
Nintendo usually has enough first-party titles in the pipeline to prevent that from happening. As a result, the third parties get a reputation for making nothing but half-assed ports to the Wii. Glad to see that not much has changed since the GameCube.
Re:shovelware (Score:4, Interesting)
I bought a wii at launch time, and so far have been pretty disappointed. Wii Sports is nice, but every title I've picked up since then has been something of a disappointment - cooking mama is terrible, Monkeyball is nice but the minigames are hideously bad (and reviews of Sonic say it's more of the same), and the Metroid title promises to be singleplayer. I've yet to see a multiplayer title for the Wii where the multiplayer gaming is anything but hacked-up minigames.
I'm worried that the Wii will end up collecting dust the same way my DS does.
Re: (Score:2)
For singleplayer games, I'd sugguest zelda, paper mario wii, and maybe rent elebits, rayman (its a singleplayer minigame game at heart), and metal slug (though the "new" metal slug 6 on it is absolutely horrid).
Re: (Score:2)
First off, go buy Puzzle Quest for the DS.
For the Wii I admit I've spent more time playing virtual console than Wii games (although Marble Mania and Elebits were at least worth renting), but I'm hoping that will change now with super paper mario. And for third party Bust-A-Move bash looks very promising, and I'm also really hoping that MK Armagedon will have online play of some kind (this might be hoping a lot, but I can hope).
But given all that I still don't see a reason to buy a PS3 yet (little bi
EA has done pretty well (Score:5, Interesting)
If they keep up that quality level, I'm very happy. I doubt the Wii is going to be another Cube.
Also, if you have a Wii and only own Wii Sports, Cooking Mama and Super Monkey Ball, you have no right to complain about the games. At least get Zelda, Excite Truck, Wario Ware and Rayman, in addition to the EA games mentioned above. There are quite a bit of great games for the Wii available right now.
Re:EA has done pretty well (Score:5, Interesting)
I don't know about you, but I find Tiger Woods 07 DAMN addictive on the Wii. Even now I want to run home and play. Tiger, and Madden are much more 'Simulation oriented' (and addictive) than they ever were. Madden is simulating backyard 'double touch' football in an NFL setting and Tiger is simulating golf real nicely... I can't wait for Fight Night...
DS collecting dust? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:shovelware (Score:5, Insightful)
Exactly. This gamepad thing is never going to catch on. One button joysticks, [atariage.com] For The Win!
(dramatic pause)
We've been here before. Several times, in fact. We'll be here again. The "hardcore" gamers will adapt, just as they always have.
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
Probably not, though. No major system has ever failed for having too many games, even if most aren't "A" quality titles.
Re: (Score:2)
I thought Conventional Wisdom considered the PC a failed platform?
</snark>
Re: (Score:2)
(For the exact reason you listed.)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
The longest-lived and one of the best-selling video game consoles of all time, despite an abundance of low-quality titles throughout its lifespan.
It overstayed its welcome, certainly, but the Wii can only hope to do as well as the 2600.
Re: (Score:2)
Of course, games were still produced for the 2600 until nearly 1990, so it still wasn't a failure.
Re: (Score:2)
A system will never suffer because of TOO MUCH shovelware. It can only suffer by TOO FEW great games.
Are "crap ports" such a bad thing? (Score:5, Interesting)
It's pretty apparent that a significant part of the Wii's appeal is coming from casual or even "non gamers". These are not the players that get excited about a new Zelda game, or Metroid Prime, or Mario Galaxy, etc. Rather, they are comfortable with games with much more massive appeal (Wii Sports, Wii Play, various party games, etc.).
Sometimes that also includes licensed games (based off movies, TV shows, etc.), which are often regarded to as "shovelware" by hardcore gaming enthusiasts. Believe it or not, one of the better selling DS games in Feburary was Hannah Montana [gamespot.com], based off the popular Disney TV show.
As hardcore gamers (and yes, I am one), I think we often forget about the massive number of other gamers there are, that buy and enjoy these types of games (otherwise they wouldn't continue to sell the way they do). As much as I hate to think it, Nintendo could probably do quite well business-wise focusing on just the casual audience entirely. Sure, they'll lose much of the hardcore fanbase, but more than make up for it in other ways. In the meantime, they'll always have the Nintendo faithful on board no matter what they do (these are the ones that need their Mario/Zelda/Metroid-fix).
Re: (Score:2)
Different meaning behind "mass appeal" (Score:2)
I don't think you get it.
"Mass appeal" in terms of the existing gaming audience? Sure. However, is it something your parents or grandparents (assuming they're not already gamers) would get into?
Go to the middle of a busy intersection in a maj
SMB3 is not the best selling game ever (Score:4, Interesting)
Sorry, you are wrong [wikipedia.org]. SMB3 was the best selling console game at 18 million. Want to know how much Tetris sold for the original GameBoy? 30 million. And that's only on that portable. There are countless Tetris games and clones available on the PC, web, mobile phone, PDA, etc. Yes, I'm aware that Tetris was a bundled game, and that skews the numbers considerably. But I'm more interested in the influence and mass popularity of games. Being bundled helped it tremendously, just like how Wii Sports is gaining mass popularity from being a pack-in for the Wii. (And on a small note, the original Super Mario game sold even better, since it was also a pack-in game. That has far more influence than its predecessor.)
Want to know another mass appeal game that has sold like crazy, and was released less than a decade ago? The Sims, at 16 million (and that number is probably out of date by now). Most hardcore gamers, myself included, thought it was a fun game, but quickly got bored of it and moved onto newer things. However, the vast majority of gamers (who are not hardcore, don't read gaming sites every day, etc.), keep buying expansion pack after expansion pack. I don't think those numbers even include the Sims 2 sequel either.
I am not saying that the Mario brand is insignificant. In fact, it is the most influential franchise out there. That said, I still disagree that a Mario game is going to be the pinnacle of a "mass appeal video game". The numbers are actually quite telling, if you take a look at the sales numbers of Mario games after SMB3. It's going down, not up.
Again, try going to your non-gamer friends and family, and ask them if they have ever played or heard of SMB 3, or if they look forward to the next Mario game. The answer will probably be no. That said, those same folks are probably giddy about American Idol, or Lost, or the next James Bond movie.
I think you've fallen into the trap that most hardcore gamers fall into. That may be how we got into gaming. But why do you make the assumption that they're "going to want more"? The typical grandmother who has picked up a Wii because it's fun to play with her grandkids and maybe her friends from time to time, is not going to change her lifestyle and suddenly be into games like Zelda or Metroid, just because they happen to be on the same console.
... is rather absurd. We just don't see it, and I've been in the business for a while now.
As some who's in the casual games industry, I can tell you that most of the women that play our games adapt them to their lifestyle, not the other way around. Bejeweled gamers seek out similar puzzle games, and "bite size" games. They might try marginally more complicated games (such as Diner Dash, etc.), but there is such a huge leap to more "traditional" games, that your idea that they will eventually become fans of Starcraft, Call of Duty, Zelda, Metroid, Halo
Anyway, I'm not saying that short pick-up games are the only answer t
You want the real answer or the sugarcoated one? (Score:5, Insightful)
Sugarcoating: Developers are going to port their existing set of games to the Wii, but they're going to spend hundreds of hours fine-tuning the controls for the Wii Remote. The graphics won't matter because it will be so much fun playing on the Wii!
Real Answer: Developers are going to do a half-ass port of existing games to the Wii, and they're going to spend most of their time removing graphical features and figuring out how to read "waggle" from the controller. Since no one will actually optimize their games for the ArtX chip, the graphics will be substandard in comparison to the first-party Nintendo titles. Even worse, the games will have all the "fun" sapped out of them as the publishers don't yet "get" the Wii.
The end result? Miyamoto will need to yell louder. [1up.com]
Re: (Score:2)
I'm bored with my Wii (Score:3, Interesting)
At first it was a lot of fun however I soon found that lack of decent single player games and no online made the console a total bore for me. I tried to convince my wife that it was fun to play and while she did enjoy it the first couple of times she said it was "too robotic" which I do agree with.
I don't have people round the house all that often as we tend to go out. When we do have people round it is more to chat than play games. When I first got it and people came round we played but after an hour most people found the games too repetitive.
So basically it now sits under my TV doing nothing. I am a single player gamer and the Wii really doesn't work well for me. I had (still have but it is modded) an Xbox and used to really like Live however canceled my subscription after 2 years as I didn't feel I used it enough. I have thought about getting a 360 however it is too noisy for me so until they put in a quieter drive I won't be picking one up.
I really wanted to like the Wii however it just doesn't excite me, after the initial novelty wears off it does feel rather gimmicky and it doesn't really revolutionise gaming, it is just another form of input, it doesn't really add any additional depth to a game.
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
Also, Super Paper Mario comes out today.
Honestly, you're just going through what every new console goes through. After the initial "Oh wow this is awesome!" period, interest necessarily wanes.
But don't worry...there are tons of great games lined up for the system's future.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:I'm bored with my Wii (Score:5, Informative)
Secondly, the Virtual Console [wikipedia.org] gives you all the classics under one roof. Whether you want to finally play Bonk, zip along with Sonic, relive Mario World or Mario 64, fly with StarFox, enter your favorite adventures with Zelda, or have a go at the hidden classics that you missed, the Virtual Console has a lot to offer.
Lastly, the free web browser is more than just a web browser. It's a portal to casual games [wiicade.com], a television channel [stumbleupon.com], and even a WiFi stereo system [finetune.com].
I won't even get into the fun you can have with hacking your Wii through the SD Cards and WiiMote. (If you're into that sort of thing.) Suffice it to say that you can transfer your Miis to the Internet, play your favorite SCUMMVM games, use your WiiMotes to play your computer games, and other fun hacking possibilities.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Firstly, my friends and i have found ways of keeping the games interesting. No meters, No practice-swing golf stays hard and interesting. Just like Goldeneye got boring without structuring the games so that they stayed challenging, so must you adapt your wii gaming to being good at it.
I also look at things like the everbody votes channel as indicative of what's to come. I think they're clearly testing their servers fo
Re: (Score:2)
I don't know if I would say I'm bored, but that might be true. I really haven't played it much in the last couple months. I play the Virtual Console games a lot. I played Zelda a lot. I just played that Marble Game, which was a lot of fun but took about 2 hours to play all the courses. I'm waiting for a chance to rent Blazing Angles (I hear the reviews suck, but I want to fly around London and Paris for nostalgic reasons to see how well they mapped out the cities).
They released
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Just to shjow your not the only one getting old:
"....after the initial novelty wears off
reminds me of some og the complaints that was around when Pong came out.
Yet here we are with outstanding games that were unimaginable then.
Wii may very well prove to go on to do some amazing things, or at leastr lay the ground work for them.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Skies of Arcadia: Legends
Smash Bros. Melee
Metroid Prime 1 & 2
Zelda: Wind Waker
Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes
Tales of Symphonia
Mario Sunshine
Just to name a few A+ titles. (I know I'm forgetting some big one
Buy new games! (Score:2)
Buy more games! Seriously. You can't expect one single player game to entertain you forever!
Here's a bunch of single-player games I like to get you started: Super Paper Mario (great fun), Madden, Trauma Center, The Godfather (the control change this from a mediocre GTA clone to an awesome festival of violence), Excite Truck (don't trust the reviews, this is fast, fun and, well, exciting), Elebits, SSX Blur, Sonic and the Secr
Re: (Score:2)
I canceled live due to my Xbox being modded. I planned to purchase another Xbox to use with Live but then the 360 was announced so I never did.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
DBZ is funnier when you play against a friend, but the adventure mode is addictive (warning: I used to be a SF2 junkie, so take it in context
Re: (Score:2)
It isnt realistic, but that adds to the fun. If you like golf, this is a solid buy. Its also a great party game, even if you have only one controller.
Take Two interactive!? (Score:3, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
You missed a major gameplay element! Both you and your woman are sitting on opposing couches, trying to drink the coffee. But remember, nice guys finish last.
(I just finished GTA:SA. No Hot Coffee mod though.)
What's on tap? (Score:2, Interesting)
And now, my time is taken up by work, bills, etc. However, the Wii is really starting to appeal to me, as it seems like a console you can just play periodically without being a die-hard. And the (more) physical nature of it is appealing.
However, I really would enjoy
Release dates vs. inclusion in bundles (Score:2)
When Walmart.com, etc. started offering Wii bundles [walmart.com], I was concerned that the bundles might only let you draw from a subset of all the Wii games sold by that retailer.
I was pleased to notice that when "Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII Wii" came out, it became a bundle option shortly soon-after at Walmart.com. Just a few days later, iirc.
Does anyone know: if a game comes to market and proves really popular, do retailers like Walmart.com tend to exclude it from being one of the game options that's inc
All of them. (Score:3, Insightful)
Rob
Just one question (Score:4, Funny)
I saw the first Star Wars movie when I was 6 or 7. All potential Wii games are irrelevant, relative to the light saber game idea.
Re:Just one question (Score:4, Interesting)
Hey, I can dream
Shovelware? (Score:2)
*Runs away*
Give it a Year (Score:2, Insightful)
I picked up Need For Speed: Carbon the other day. Driving games are really fun for the wii, I must say. Now, all I need is a Star Wars game and a RTS game and we are set.
Silver Lining (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Silver Lining (Score:5, Interesting)
What I'm suggesting is that the nuncuck's motion sensors be used for turning, not for movement. The analog control is great for movement, and should still be used... although side to side on the a-stick would strafe side to side, the way left/right arrow keys (or A/D keys, more likely) are used on a keyboard. Tilting the nuncuck to the left would turn you to the left, tilting it to the right would turn you right. Tiliting it downward would look down, tilting it up would look up. This way, all movement and positioning are controlled with the left hand, and then the Wiimote is used exclusively for aiming, shooting, and switching weapons (via the d-pad, which would work wonderfully).
the future of the wii (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Are there any good driving simulators in Wii? (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Are there any good driving simulators in Wii? (Score:4, Interesting)
If you want a bit of advice, don't waste your money on GT Pro [wikipedia.org]. The Steering Wheel attachment might make it tempting, but I guarantee that you'll regret the purchase. Try one of Ubisoft's better games, like Rayman. I have not heard anything about Monster 4x4 World Circuit [wikipedia.org], but I recommend that you be wary of it. Nintendo really had to strain the quality in order to round out the Wii launch titles.
Re: (Score:2)
Gamefly (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
And once you figured out the mechanics, you have the potential for a whole new genre of games: first person swordplay.
I'll be amazed if we don't see some Star Wars themed light saber games.
Re: (Score:2)
It's hard to accurately simulate parrying without any force feedback, and that's half of fencing right there.
Re: (Score:2)
The one thing that really "wouldn't work" in a fencing game would be when a opponent deflects your blade. However I think this problem is surmountable without force feedback. You could deflect the player's on screen blade, req
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
*Gamecube has 24 MB of RAM, and 16 MB of ni
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Have you ever seen a PS game? Have you ever seen a N64 game? There's no comparison. The N64 beats the PS hands-down. The PS has one advantage: More storage space. That's it. Other than that, the N64's hardware, and the 3D capabilities in particular, are superior to the PS in every way.
Re: (Score:2)
As a similar example, making PSP shovelware has never been a storage issue in the slightest for us, despite UMDs having less storage space than DVDs. Really, the only companies tha
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Wii needs signed executables (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Have you even used a Wii? (Score:3, Insightful)
Or maybe you're complaining about something else, and I'm misunderstanding the problem?