Publishers Scrambling for Wii Titles

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'?

Re:Are there any good driving simulators in Wii?

[jandrese]

I don't know if it's any good, but I saw one in Bestbuy that came with a steering wheel in the package. You slip the wiimote into the center of the steering wheel and use that to drive. It seemed like a pretty good use of the technology and IIRC unlike most driving games that come with a wheel, this one wasn't more than $10 over the normal price of a game.

Re:I'm bored with my Wii

[Anonymous Coward]

You need Trauma Center. Now.

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:Silly question

[cHALiTO]

Agreed

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:I'm bored with my Wii

[Anonymous Coward]

You do know Super Paper Mario comes out today, right?

Re:I'm bored with my Wii

[AKAImBatman]

The Wii is interesting at the moment, not just because of its controller. It's so much more than that. First, you can grab all the used Gamecube games [wikipedia.org] you can handle. All for super-cheap if you know where to look. Which means that the Wii can be used to play all the cool titles you might have missed. (I highly recommend Donkey Kong Jungle Beat!)

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:Silly question, wabbit, or is it?

[WillAffleckUW]

Yes, but nobody (even Nintendo) expected the Wii to take off like it has. So they didn't start things early enough and now see there's money to be made.

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:Silver Lining

[MemoryDragon]

Heatseeker is somewhat hit and miss (it is released in Europe already) they screwed up the two more interesting control schemes (nunchuck movement and analog stick movement) while the mouse like wiimote controle scheme more or less works to a satisfiying degree. This is a bummer, because the game itself is really good. The wii currently is in the same situation as the DS was in its first year, it was a hit and miss phenomenon whether the control scheme is done right or wrong. Usually Nintendo are the first ones getting things right, after that others follow. (Seems exactly the same with the wii, it seems Metroid will be the first shooter getting the controls definitely right, while others simply try to simulate a wsad scheme, which does not work out on the wii as expected) There is one main difference however compared to the DS, the DS only had 1-2 games worth playing in its first year, after 4 months, the Wii is definitely in a way better situation with about 10 titles worth playing and the rest being shovelware, which is a very good rate of about 20% of good titles. And a lot of interesting titles are in the pipeline.