The Nintendo Wii Thread!!

[mikeszekely]

You gotta admit how Nintendo integrated the Wiimote and nunchak into the zapper is nothing short of brilliant.

I guess, but I still liked the earlier mock ups that looked that the old NES Zapper. Maybe not as useful for games like RE4, but I was really hoping for a new Duck Hunt anyway.

[Fort Max]

Really disappointed that No More Heroes was absent from the show but Mario Galaxy looks superb.

Some of the casual stuff seems fun, I liked the look of Spielberg's Blocks game and the De Blob looked more fun then Deweys Adventure.

[Hoptimus]

I think that their E3 show was pretty much what I expected. This is why I have to own the Wii and also the 360. I need the Wii for the Nintendo games and the very rare good 3rd party game.

[Kin]

Uhm here's a joke...

After playing with the playstation for 3 hours he said to his brother "I'm going for a wee"...

Silly huh?

[Hoptimus]

Picked up RE4 on the Wii.

I never finished it when I had my cube. I was just too distracted. Anyway, I am really diggin the Wii version.

Nice aiming and for some reason I can get around better and I like the native WideScreen 480p Support.

[Radd]

I think that their E3 show was pretty much what I expected. This is why I have to own the Wii and also the 360. I need the Wii for the Nintendo games and the very rare good 3rd party game.

I doubt this will wind up being the case, if the Wii continues to ride strong sales figures. Developers make games for the console that is likely to make them the most money. When one console dominates, it gets the lion's share. When one console is lagging far behind, developers don't give it much of their attention. When the playing field is more level, developers try to get their games to all of the successful consoles.

Also, following mention of Katamari for the PS3 getting canned:

http://wii.ign.com/articles/800/800761p1.html

[mikeszekely]

I doubt this will wind up being the case, if the Wii continues to ride strong sales figures. Developers make games for the console that is likely to make them the most money. When one console dominates, it gets the lion's share. When one console is lagging far behind, developers don't give it much of their attention. When the playing field is more level, developers try to get their games to all of the successful consoles.

I actually shudder to think that the Wii is pulling ahead to take the lead in the console wars. It's a fun little system, to be sure, and I'm glad I bought it. But I bought it for the unique experience it could offer, and just because I crave something different now and again, I'm still more of a traditional gamer. I want 75% of my games in HD with Dolby Digital sound and a trusty ol' gamepad. I'll settle for 480p Gamecube-ish graphics, Pro Logic II, and a gimmicky controller only if that controller really adds something to the experience, like Wii Sports.

[Radd]

I'm kinda the opposite. First, I don't want to see consoles pushing the price envelope like the 360 and (especially) the PS3 have been. Second, I want to see more games where the controller, which I see as a long overdue push in an area that has been pretty stagnant for far too long, is put to good use. I would agree that likely we'll see lots of titles shoehorned into the Wii, rather than designed with the Wii in mind. Still, if honestly good games that take advantage of the remote continue to sell well, that may change with time.

Third, competition. If the Wii continues to do so well this generation, we'll likely see games in HD with Dolby Digital that also make use of an excellent controller in the future. Whether Nintendo manages that within a decent price, or Sony or Microsoft make that push to gain back ground.

Plus, just as there was never a reason to drop 2D games, the emergence of a new controller standard doesn't mean old style gamepads should dissapear entirely.

[mikeszekely]

I'm kinda the opposite. First, I don't want to see consoles pushing the price envelope like the 360 and (especially) the PS3 have been. Second, I want to see more games where the controller, which I see as a long overdue push in an area that has been pretty stagnant for far too long, is put to good use. I would agree that likely we'll see lots of titles shoehorned into the Wii, rather than designed with the Wii in mind. Still, if honestly good games that take advantage of the remote continue to sell well, that may change with time.

Third, competition. If the Wii continues to do so well this generation, we'll likely see games in HD with Dolby Digital that also make use of an excellent controller in the future. Whether Nintendo manages that within a decent price, or Sony or Microsoft make that push to gain back ground.

Plus, just as there was never a reason to drop 2D games, the emergence of a new controller standard doesn't mean old style gamepads should dissapear entirely.

Your arguments are all very good, but I still can't shake the feeling that the Wii is becoming kind of a fad. I mean, the price helps, and I really do think that $300 is still the sweet spot for a console, but a lot of people, especially less traditional gamers, are buying into the gimmick. And like I said, that works great for some games... I really love Wii Sports Tennis and Bowling... but it's also leading to stuff like Wii Fit, or having the waggle tacked onto games like Marvel Ultimate Alliance. And going for an inexpensive console is still no reason to give us a console who's graphics aren't even quite up to the original Xbox's level.

Like I said, I don't really have anything against the Wii. I love it for what it does well, and I'm looking forward to Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Mario Galaxy, and Metroid Prime 3 as much as the next guy. Heck, I even have a PS3, although I've used it more for Blu-ray and Linux than as a game console, there's still stuff like Heavenly Sword I want. But between now and Christmas, the vast majority of the games I want happen to be 360 exclusive, or multi-platform. And when a game is multi-platform, Xbox Live will have me getting the 360 version 99% of the time.

[Radd]

I don't see Wii Fit as being something to write off, sight unseen. I might have before the Wii launch, but now I'm still playing Wii Sports and Wii Play pretty regularly. You are quite right about Marvel Alliance, and unfortunately we'll see more of that. Remember how the DS went a year or two before developers really began taking advantage of it, and learning when not to use the touch screen at all? It's the nature of the industry as it stands today, they'll keep trying to hammer out the old formulas until they see something else making more money.

Graphics-wise...I dunno really. I see how one would get the impression that the Wii can't do Xbox quality graphics, because developers really haven't been pushing them. I have seen little things that pop out as stuff the Xbox couldn't do, or at least that I never saw. I really have to wonder if this is because of the console itself, or because developers are trying to push out titles as fast as they can, especially when no one really expected the Wii to be such a success. Maybe the Wii is limited to less than Xbox like graphics, but I'm not so certain. Of course, the point is mute if no one pushes the hardware to its fullest.

I'm also not saying I want Nintendo to dominate, like the PS2 did last generation. If you ask me, that's the worst case situation for gamers, and last generation is a good example of why. The PS2 offered nothing that the other consoles couldn't do better, yet it dominated, and so the whole generation was held back to the PS2's pace. Nintendo didn't really offer anything new other than better graphics but that was still something, but the Xbox had Live going, and if it had done better last gen I'd imagine that both Nintendo and Sony would be pursuing that market more aggressively. Strong competition always works in the consumer's favour.

[David Hingtgen]

I've rapidly gone from "still looking for a Wii all the time" to "I think I'll snag a PS3 first".

From Nintendo's press conference, it really looks like they want NEW gamers, and casual gamers, and that's all they're developing for. Get rid of Metroid Prime 3, and what else is there really, that's not just another version of Wii sports or Mario Party?

I want my RPG's, 3rd-person action-adventure, flight sims, and thrill/horror games, like I have for the past 15 years or so. Wii has almost none of that. I plan on getting Zelda for the GC now, instead of Wii. It's really the only "gotta have" game, and it was for the GC in the first place.

I still consider my GC "borderline" in "was it worth the money?". It's spent more hours playing GBA games via the GB player than actually playing GC games I think. About the only games I ever got for it were Metroid Prime 1 and 2, Resident Evil 4, Soul Calibur 2, Wind Waker, and Rogue Squadron 2. There just wasn't much else. (And I picked up Geist when I saw it like 80% off) "True" Mario (and Zelda) games are once a system now, and it's just not worth buying another system for.

IMHO, Nintendo has utterly abandoned the "hardcore gamer" market for consoles. It's their handhelds that are getting all the good stuff. The Wii is to expand the market to non-gamers and families, not to sell to hardcore gamers. Nintendo is basically abandoning the "traditional" game market to Sony and MS, and trying to make their own new market.

[Radd]

IMHO, Nintendo has utterly abandoned the "hardcore gamer" market for consoles. It's their handhelds that are getting all the good stuff. The Wii is to expand the market to non-gamers and families, not to sell to hardcore gamers. Nintendo is basically abandoning the "traditional" game market to Sony and MS, and trying to make their own new market.

I'm not going to say don't get a PS3, though the 360 seems the better deal right now unless you already have one or just aren't interested in the games available, but comments like this just seem to warrant a response.

Off the top of my head, from Nintendo alone coming before the end this year:

Mario Galaxies

Metroid Prime 3

Smash Bros.

Three A-list "traditional" titles in addition to "mainstream" gaming titles like Wii Fit, Wii Music, et all which seem to have shown broad appeal to traditional gamers as well as the moms and dads and grandparents market Nintendo is wooing.

The biggest thing is, though, as I've stated above, as the Wii gets more popular, and continues to sell as well as it has, developers will be giving it more attention. We're already starting to see that, but since the Wii was hardly expected to be as successful as it has been it will likely take developers time to switch gears. Capcom already seems to be throwing decent weight behind the system, EA too, and games like No More Heroes certainly look promising. Word is Konami is taking a closer look at Wii development.

If you want to avoid the Gamecube situation all over again, the best advice would to wait until next year to buy anything other than a 360. That, at least, is pretty much guaranteed to get decent support over the next couple years, probably all through the generation so long as the PS3 lags behind. PS3 seems to be in the most danger of becoming this generation's Gamecube, unless it's stock moving price drops convince enough people that $500 is cheap and it can break further into the market by the end of the year.

[David Hingtgen]

Nintendo always (except for Metroid on N64) has the big 3 (Mario, Metroid, Zelda) in the first year or so after launch for a new system. Then---well, often times nada after that. The GC was the same way. The majority of games I bought for it were in the first year, then very little after that.

I definitely plan to hold off a year---there'll be a million used copies of any big-3 title in the future. And maybe the Wii will be cheaper. (unlikely, if it's selling this fast at the current price)

[Radd]

That's a short term look, though, and that's my major point whenever people say things like that. The Gamecube's biggest problem was a lack of third party support. There are two major reasons for the Gamecube's lack of support. The first is obvious, the PS2 was already selling like hotcakes for a year before it arrived, and continued to sell as well, outpacing the Gamecube before it had a chance. Developers don't want to waste the investment of development time and money on a console with less than a third of the marketplace. They're going to go where the money is.

Second, and possibly less obvious, is the fact that for years Nintendo was known for giving developers the hard end of the bargain. They'd burned a lot of bridges and had few "friends" among the market. They had more developers at the beginning because they had been at the top of the market for so long, Capcom didn't promise them Resident Evil exclusives just because they're buddies, and they got out of that deal as soon as they could after it was very obvious that Nintendo just had too small a portion of the market, their time was better spent on Sony's console. Same for everyone, once it was clear that there was no way Nintendo was going to come even close to Sony's market share.

Now, Nintendo can't erase the past, but for the second generation in a row they've been trying to bend over backwards for developers, just like Microsoft. Now Nintendo may still have the brand name disadvantage with the "traditional" market, but their name is definitely better among the "mainstream" crowd. Also, they no longer have the problem of only having a small fraction of the market. Wii sales have remained strong, putting Nintendo further and further into the spot developers like to see.

Cause. Effect.

But, yes, waiting a year would still be the best option to avoid another "Gamecube". If Sony can get PS3 prices down far enough to convince people it's cheap, their good name with the market should boost them up to a better position. If third party games fail to hit the Wii soon enough, the Wii will look less and less desirable with the traditional market, and developers may take notice if their "traditional" games aren't selling so hot.

Like I said a year ago, it takes at least a year after all consoles have hit the market to get a good read on where it's going to go.

[Fort Max]

Currently I'm holding on to my Wii for Mario Galaxy and No More Heros, I'll be getting a 360 for bearing the brunt of my gaming needs.

[mikeszekely]

Radd... I'm not really writing Wii Fit off. If it turns out to be a solid game, I'm sure I'll check it out. What I am saying is that I don't want to see/play a glut of those sorts titles just because Nintendo is playing to a different audience, while more traditional games have Wiimote controls tacked on instead of allowing us to use the classic controller.

And, let's be honest... I have a 52" HDTV and a 1000w Sony 5.1 channel receiver. If a game comes out on both the Wii and the 360, even if if does use the classic controller, I'm going to get the 360 version.

As for the Wii not being on par with the original Xbox, while their CPU and GPUs have similar clock speeds, the Xbox supported higher resolutions. While they weren't necessarily very common, there were games that supported 720p, and an extreme handful, like Enter the Matrix, even supported 1080i. The Wii only goes up to 480p. The Xbox also supported Dolby Digital, and the Wii only does Pro Logic II.

The bottom line isn't that I'm unhappy with my Wii. I very much appreciate the Wii for the unique experiences it can bring to the table. All I'm saying is that the more tradition gaming experiences brought by the 360 are much more likely to be the bulk of my gaming, and I like it that way.

[Radd]

Huh, I wasn't aware of that bit about the Xbox, and ja when one has a sweet entertainment centre like you do, it's only to be expected that they'll want a game console that takes advantage of it.

I think we're mostly agreeing, it's just some of the finer points I'm nitpicking on. I don't want to see games with the Wii controls tacked on, but I do want to see more games that take good advantage of it.I liked Zelda's use well enough, but I'm really looking forward to No More Heroes to see how the swordplay is in that. I'm glad you can just plug in a Wavebird for Metal Slug, or the upcoming Smash Bros., but I also agree that if a traditional style game comes out on both systems, the 360 version will be the version to get.

I share your concerns about gimmicky Wii games, but I'm hoping we see the console move past that quickly, like the DS has grown out of that early batch of gimmicky touchscreen games that were more like confused demos.

I'm just saying that I'm happy the Wii is doing well, I'm also happy with the 360 and I hope both consoles have a successful generation. I wouldn't like to see the Wii floundering in Gamecube territory as far as success, we'd be even less likely than we are now to see a wider breadth of good third party games that make good use of the system.

[mikeszekely]

Yeah, I too want to see games that really make the most of the Wii's unique interface, and I'm glad it's not tanking like the Gamecube. I'm glad that non-gamers are enjoying it, too. But as I said, it's just a million shy of 1st place, and to maximize profits, developers want to go for the biggest installed base. While I don't want the Wii to fail, I fear its success because in a world where the Wii is number one, I'm afraid you're going to see a glut of second-rate Wii Sports knock offs, mini-game collections, and more traditional games with Wii controls haphazardly tacked on.

[bandit29]

My nephew has Wii. Its fun. I like it. The old downloadable games peak my interest too.l I might buy one for myself eventually...if I could find one around here...jeez. You'd think in the Chicago area you'd be able to find one.

I think the Wii has crossed over. I usually see girls or women buying games when I'm out. And not ugly ones. I saw some hot girls buying games yesterday. I was like "man where were these girls when I was growing up" lol

[Apollo Leader]

Over the last 5 or 6 weeks, I have FINALLY seen the Wii available in stores where I could buy one if I wanted one.

The Wii has done well, but has it done it at the cost of alienating Nintendo's core fans and gamers in general? More and more opinion pieces and blogs are starting to reflect that (this one below sums it up nicely):

http://citizengame.wordpress.com/2007/07/23/ennuwii/

Edited July 25, 2007 by Apollo Leader

[David Hingtgen]

Ah, the Wii Fit parody----it's hilarious (IMHO)

[jenius]

The wii fit looks great with anything from Ikea!

[Radd]

Wii apparently has more exclusives in development than either the 360 or the PS3:

http://www.gamepro.com/news.cfm?article_id=124629

It was to be expected eventually with these sales. However, I suspect, as the article states, a lot of these "exclusives" will feature lighter gameplay. Games like Wii Sports and such. However, I would imagine a significant number of games aimed at the traditional market as well.

Edited July 26, 2007 by Radd

[David Hingtgen]

Don't forget the Wii safety video:

[UN Spacy]

I'm itching to play Mario Strikers Charged this weekend.

It's got online play as well. It just came out yesterday.

Who's getting it?

[mikeszekely]

Wii apparently has more exclusives in development than either the 360 or the PS3

That's pretty much the way it should be... Nintendo's a software company as much as a hardware company. Besides, I think EVERY game for the Wii should be an exclusive. Developers should make unique games that take advantage of the Wii's unique interface, instead of getting PS2 and uglier next-gen ports with a Wii control scheme tacked on.

Meanwhile, Sony and Microsoft can take pot shots at each other over who's console is superior, but the fact is games are looking nearly identical on both. Microsoft and Sony will have a few 1st and 2nd party exclusives, maybe buy a few 3rd party exclusives, but for publishers looking to maximize their audience, and therefore their profit, multiplatform's the next-gen way to go.

[UN Spacy]

Wii Console Update v3.0 is out!

Channels:

-Digital Clock added to the Wii Menu right under the channel bar

-Forecast Channel now displays the current condition (cloudy, raining, etc.) directly in the Wii Menu in the Forecast Channel box

-News Channel can now show 2 scrolling headlines at a time in the Wii Menu, 3 when you click on the button

-Message Board now has the “Today’s Accomplishments” message as a white message which allows it to stand out from other messages

-Address Book entries can now be shifted around using A+B but only to empty spaces. Not too convenient.

-Calendar in Message Board no longer shows “Today’s Accomplishment” only days as having messages

-Scrolling messages in the Message Board now uses a different sound

Wii Shop Channel Overhauled (Visual aesthetic is the same, changes made to organization and browsing methods mostly)

-New Welcome screen detailing 4 Recommended Titles and the points they cost (gone is the title screen bar that had linkable games). The title bar can be clicked on to bring up a list of 20 recommended games.

-Titles You’ve Downloaded was moved to the main shop menu

-New ways to browse

-Popular Titles (2 pages of 10 and includes launch games so not only based on recent info)

-Newest Additions remains the same

-Search for a title which can use partial names

-Search by Category

-System shows the different systems and how many titles have been released under each

-Publisher showing different publishers and amount of titles released

-Genre (different genres listed and amount of titles under each)

Settings

-Warning added pre-system update detailing that technically modified consoles may cease to function upon being updated. Also the only way to not accept an update is to power down the console by holding the button for 4 seconds (the user can’t back out of hitting I Accept w/o powering down)

[Gunbuster]

there's also limited support for USB keyboards. you can use them in the shop channel and the messaging board, however it does not work with the internet channel.

[Radd]

Really? Odd that it doesn't work there. I suspect that will be changed in a future update. Just seems like such an odd thing.

Just got my Wii back online in time for the update. Amazed at all the great games available through the virtual console now. Also looking forward to a lot of titles I've seen upcoming for the Wii. A bunch later this year, and more early next.

[UN Spacy]

Looks like Nintendo has some suprises leading up to the Metroid Prime 3: Corruption release later this month.

Heads up! Head over to the Wii Ware section on the Shopping Channel and download a totally free Metroid Prime 3: Corruption preview. After downloading, it becomes its own Wii Menu channel. It's not a demo, but has trailers and other vids from the game. This kicks off a "Month of Metroid" for Nintendo with Metroid (available for 400 points) and Super Metroid (800 points) getting Virtual Console releases on August 13 and August 20th respectively. MP3: Corruption drops August 27th.

[Black Valkyrie]

From magicbox :

RUMOR: Nintendo is planning to release a Famicom model of Wii and Nintendo DS in Japan, which will have the same color scheme used in the classic 8-bit Famicom console.

[yellowlightman]

Not a bad bet, considering they've pimped out just about everything else they make in that ugly color scheme.

[jwinges]

Has anybody installed a wiikey on their wii yet. I know a site selling them for $25 and am really tempted to get one to play imports and backups.

[Keith]

Question: Has Nintendo released any kind of firmware upgrade that will let you use the classic controller to play gamecube games? Or do you still have to have a specific gamecube controller? I only ask because I picked up a copy of Twin Snakes a while ago, never really wanted to pick up a gamecube, but do plan on eventually getting a wii. Just wondering if I should also track down a gamecube controller.

[Radd]

I don't know of anything letting you use the classic pad for Cube games. Given that the classic pad isn't wireless, it is probably worth picking up a Wavebird controller, especially if you plan on also getting Smash Bros.