I hate to use the age old phrase but in this specific situation, I deem it appropriate; “If I had a nickel for every time someone said that Wii is a fad, I would be a millionare”. Nintendo Wii has become a global phenomenon and shows absolutely no signs of slowing.
Recently a representative from Sega had the following to say about Nintendo’s revolutionary system:
?How much value can developers and creative folks get out of this wrist motion two years from now, or 5 years from now, or 10 years from now? How can they design products that aren?t too derivative of what?s already out there? [?] We know the PS3 pool is pretty deep. There?s a lot to exploit there.?
I am baffled by how certain individuals are reacting to the runaway success of Nintendo’s 5th console and immediately result in calling the system a “fad” and will not have staying power in this generation.
Remember when the DS came out? It seemed like everyone was stating that the innovative handheld would never hold its own when compared to the “impressive” multimedia playing machine Sony’s PSP and look how that turned out.
Facts are facts and the fact is Nintendo has already sold a truckload of systems and you still can’t find one anywhere. With huge titles like the inevitable Mario Kart, Animal Crossing, Smash Bros, Mario Galaxy, Metroid, Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Soul Calibur Legends among others, I have to say that the Big N will be riding this wave of success for at least another 2 years to come.
3rd parties know this, the consumers know this, non-gamers know this and the gaming community know this; Nintendo Wii is not a fad and is a great system that everyone can enjoy. Game On.
(I guess I just had to get this off my chest)
Comments
I’m extremely conflicted on this, Game On. My initial reaction was, “Oh great. Another person coming out and saying the Wii doesn’t have staying power. Another person to make a fool of themself in the media. Another person to attempt to rectify their statements the next day (as was done today). But what if something he says is true.
What if this “wrist motion” doesn’t get us through the next few years. (Almost) every game you listed above looks and sounds amazing and I can’t wait for any of them, but they are all set to debut this year. We’ve heard very little about the next few years.
Now, my reason for agreeing in some sense with this guy isn’t because we don’t know what’s coming; I’m fully confident that Nintendo and 3rd parties will continue to release good games. My only worry is how well these games will use the Wiimote and other accesories. Therein lies the question: Will developers actually figure out how to use the Wiimote and tap into that pool of creativity to make new good games, not just games where a swing of the Wiimote is a replace for the B button?
I have no fear that there is no place for creative ideas on the Wii. My only concern is that some developers won’t tap into that, thus dooming the Wii more than we care to think.
and the quote was talking about the ps3
Great response guys! My opinion, I think that 3rd parties will almost have to learn how to make great games on the Wii. The reason why I say they “have to” is because so many people are buying up the system that they will naturally want their titles on the system. From a purely sales prespective, the Wii is the hottest thing going and I think that 3rd parties are really taking notice and will be producing more games for the system.
PS2 and the DS were not the most powerful systems in their generation and look how well they did. I do beleive however that Nintendo needs to implement more “classic” controls in some of thier titles for the “hardcore gamer”. If they do that, not only do you have more options for controls, I think you will score major points with consumers and developers alike.
That’s precisely the thing: 3rd parties need to learn how to make games that truly use the Wiimote. The problem so far is that they’ve been flirting around the controls, not really making anything all that great yet. And yet, those sell extremely well. So, will they continue to support the Wii with the same poor controls or new good ones?
Classic controls should be utilized when appropriate, but I still feel that motion controls should be attempted first.
Im not sure about this because i never had a Gamecube, but last generation wasnt the same kind of thing happening? Not from a sales aspect.. but from a games aspect. Didnt they put out most of their “big” games in the beginning leaving not much else to support the gc later on. Well not nothing else.. but all the big N games.
Not really Pwn. At launch, they only had about four games worthy of mention. Prime and Sunshine came in 2002, Wind Waker and Mario Kart (I think) in 2003, Paper Mario and Prime 2 in 2004…I guess what I’m saying is that first party titles were pretty evenly distributed over the years. There were plenty of third party titles interlaced in there as well, but on a whole, there seemed to be a lack of really good “gamer” titles from Nintendo (known for their delays) and third parties, who gave up on the GC.
I think that the developers will eventually get used to the console. At first, with the DS, games were often gimmicky in using the Touch screen, but after awhile the possibility’s of the handheld really came into focus. The same goes for Wii, I don’t think we’ve truly seen what it’s capable of, but in time I’m sure it will happen and only then will the console really flurish.