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[Pureauthor]

So, in other words: you believe there is nothing whatsoever that is innovative about the Wii, but the motion controller is technologically impressive?

I think the point is that the people who are buying Wiis apparently do.

No disagreement on the boss fights or level design, but almost as much disagreement as possible on the music. The music and Maria elevated PoR for me entirely.

Soul Ablaze owns any theme from PoR, and you know it.

 

[jman2050]

I have a Wii and hardly play it, its not a patch on the 360 and thats my opinion

Fixed.

 

[Gaborn]

#1 There is absolutely nothing innovative about the Wii.

#2 I enjoy the Wii as well.

#3 The main reason the Wii is such a huge success is 2 reasons. The first is they came in at a very smart price. The concept of the motion sensitive controller being used to play a videogame came across to a lot of people as technologically impressive. You guys have no idea how many people out there that aren't like us believed the Wii's controller to be the most high tech thing they've ever laid their eyes on. They really do think this thing is a technological masterpiece even more so than either the 360 and PS3.

I once told a group of like 12 that the 360 and PS3 were more technologically advanced and it was like I was the odd person out and everyone was laughing at me like I had no idea what I was talking about. They thought it completely bizarre that I would even suggest such a thing because it couldn't possibly be true.

It sounds like you don't understand your result if you think the wii is not "innovative." In a nominal sense companies have marketed technology with motion sensing capabilities, but never as the primary control method as their major console. The distinction I think, is arguably risky and the degree of versatility it allows (as well as the reliance in many cases to attachments to radically alter the experience in a way that different buttons don't do) is extremely innovative in terms of PERCEPTION. see, there is two types of technology. There's the "theoretical" tech if you will, that is developed but either has no practical use yet or doesn't have the funding to be widely adopted, and then there's the "practical" tech.

I think a good analogy is what Henry Ford did for automobiles (even though they were invented by Cugnot before Ford ever got his Model T and assembly line going). Ford's innovation was in the assembly line and the ability to produce a huge amount of his product quickly and cheaply, as well as standardizing cars so that if something breaks down it's much easier for a mechanic to fix it. Yet, if you ask 100 average americans I bet a majority of them are going to suggest that Ford INVENTED cars, which he didn't. He mainstreamed them. I view the Wii in much the same light. Nintendo took a pre-existing tech and standardized it, and made it the centerpiece of their product.

 

[llTll]

#1 There is absolutely nothing innovative about the Wii.



.

1- you are wrong. i hate Wii. i never liked it. for a simple reason. i believe its driving the industray backwards. and i don't like it. and its the reason i will never buy it. but to say nothing innovative about Wii is just wrong. there are many cool Ideas in games on Wii.

you don't have to troll about the Wii just because you hate it.

 

[Kandrick]

No disagreement on the boss fights or level design, but almost as much disagreement as possible on the music. The music and Maria elevated PoR for me entirely.


*looks* Huh, I somehow managed to interpret my own "0.5" as "5." ...Wow. But yeah, this makes the VC tie ratio seem worse still. Even putting aside the outliers like me, I have to figure there are however many lesser retro junkies out there who've bought at least ten games each.

Everytime you post, i look at your avatar, and the sound of Uguu~ comes to mind

 

[Jammy]

There's quite a few unique games/ideas on Wii that we wouldn't see anywhere else. I think a lot of people need to try out stuff like Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Trauma Center: New Blood, Wario Ware: Smooth Moves, etc. and start to realize where the Wii really shines.

 

[Neo C.]

I once told a group of like 12 that the 360 and PS3 were more technologically advanced and it was like I was the odd person out and everyone was laughing at me like I had no idea what I was talking about. They thought it completely bizarre that I would even suggest such a thing because it couldn't possibly be true.

They are not dead wrong. Before the 360 and the PS3 finally have 65nm-processors, all three consoles were based on 90nm-technology, it's just Nintendo went an other road (less power consumption instead of horse power). Also they made a step forward in miniaturizing and noise reduction, whereas the other two made a step backward (one in the first, the other in the second category). I think this is one of the main difference between core (who is just looking at horse power as technology advancement) and the casual who is more aware of the whole package.

 

[Slurpy]

#1 There is absolutely nothing innovative about the Wii.

Sorry, but what the fuck counts as innovation to you? I mean, do you mind giving me an example?

 

[Cruceh]

Sorry, but what the fuck counts as innovation to you? I mean, do you mind giving me an example?

 

[jgwhiteus]

Posted?

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/05/16/more_npd_game_sales_data_--_the_top_20/

More NPD game sales data — the top 20
By Mike Antonucci
Friday, May 16th, 2008 at 3:34 pm in Art & Animation, General, Hot Lists, Mike Antonucci, Movies & DVDs, Music, Nooch on Gaming, TV, Xbox.

Here’s the list of top-selling games for April 6 through May 3. Today’s release extends the list through the top 20:

(* = includes special and bundled editions)
(** = not in the top 20 for March)

March/April ranks……… Title/platform/publisher
**/1 ………………Grand Theft Auto IV (Xbox 360) Take-Two*
**/2 ……………….Mario Kart (Wii) Nintendo
**/3 ……………….GTA IV (PS3) Take-Two*
4/4 ……………….Wii Play/with remote (Wii) Nintendo
1/5 ……………….Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii) Nintendo
**/6 ……………….Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (PS3) Sony
**/7 ……………….Pokemon/Explorers of Darkness (DS) Nintendo
**/8 ……………….Pokemon/Explorers of Time (DS) Nintendo
7/9 ……………….Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Wii) Activision
9/10 ……………….Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (360) Activision*
6/11 ……………….Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (PSP) Square Enix
2/12 ……………….Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 (Xbox 360) Ubisoft*
20/13 ………………..Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3 (PS2) Namco Bandai
19/14 ………………..Game Party (Wii) Midway
14/15 ………………..Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (PS2) Activision*
18/16 ………………..New Super Mario Bros. (DS) Nintendo
**/17 ………………..Mario Kart (DS) Nintendo
**/18 ………………..Rock Band (Xbox 360) MTV/Electronic Arts*
13/19 ………………..Mario Party (DS) Nintendo
**/20 ……………….Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) Nintendo

That's
Wii-6
DS-5
360-4
PS3-2
PS2-2
PSP-1

Pretty well spread out, I think, and it's good to finally see what goes on below the top 10 - I guess that's where games like NSMB have been hiding for a while. Does anyone have numbers for any of the 11-20 games, or the highest selling game not on this list? Might give us a sense of rough numbers.

And, um, is Game Party Midway's best-selling (recent) IP?

 

[Brashnir]

So, in other words: you believe there is nothing whatsoever that is innovative about the Wii, but the motion controller is technologically impressive?

That's not what he said at all. He said that a lot of people think the Wii controller is technologically impressive.

 

[Neo C.]

I think Nintendo is trying to create a highbrid between the Playstation and Nintendo business models. Maintaining their profitability and strong first party games, while having a huge third party library. They've executed it on the DS, and though I'm in the extreme minority, I think they will do so on Wii as well.

The minority isn't as small as you think, in this forum there are several guys who see the same pattern too.
The main difference will be that the Wii can rely longer on Nintendo's software output than the DS. While the DS basically only had two years of full support (2005 and 06), I believe the Wii will see at least three years (07, 08 and 09), maybe even four, which depends heavily on the release date of the next handheld.

 

[legend166]

#1 There is absolutely nothing innovative about the Wii.

A lot of dumb things have been said in this thread, but I think this takes first place.

 

[kassatsu]

And Mega Man on VC will never happen. Capcom's gotta milk that cow dry.

In NA, Europe has already got Megaman games on VC.

 

[Lobster]

Game Party sold over 100k..Possibly over 200k..

That sucks..

 

[jgwhiteus]

Game Party sold over 100k..Possibly over 200k..

That sucks..

Over 200K lifetime most likely (released in March, where it was number 19, or before that? don't even know) but not for the month. Number 10 for the month was 140K.

 

[tahrikmili]

Wii is just as techincally backwards as it is practically innovative. It's, for me, a marketing success I liken to the ipod - an inferior product with a clever gimmick that has managed to appeal to a great share of the market. That does not mean I have to like it, that does not mean I have to buy it. I haven't, and I never will. It may well have damaged gaming consoles' technical advancement forever.

The same goes for DS.

 

[Thunder Monkey]

Wii is just as techincally backwards as it is practically innovative. It's, for me, a marketing success I liken to the ipod - an inferior product with a clever gimmick that has managed to appeal to a great share of the market. That does not mean I have to like it, that does not mean I have to buy it. I haven't, and I never will. It may well have damaged gaming consoles' technical advancement forever.

The same goes for DS.

If it can stall these advancements for two generations I think it may have singlehandedly saved the industry.

 

[Lobster]

Wii is just as techincally backwards as it is practically innovative. It's, for me, a marketing success I liken to the ipod - an inferior product with a clever gimmick that has managed to appeal to a great share of the market. That does not mean I have to like it, that does not mean I have to buy it. I haven't, and I never will. It may well have damaged gaming consoles' technical advancement forever.

The same goes for DS.

I think the technical advancements should be minimal next-gen.

Companies still haven't really gotten their heads around 360/Ps3 tech.

 

[legend166]

Wii is just as techincally backwards as it is practically innovative. It's, for me, a marketing success I liken to the ipod - an inferior product with a clever gimmick that has managed to appeal to a great share of the market. That does not mean I have to like it, that does not mean I have to buy it. I haven't, and I never will. It may well have damaged gaming consoles' technical advancement forever.

The same goes for DS.

lol, no.

If the industry continued putting out new hardware every 5 years with similar leaps in technology that we were used to, the industry would have imploded on itself.

There's a very valid argument to be made that Nintendo could have gone further, and I agree, but what you said is ridiculous.

 

[Asherdude]

So the Wii really is the new PS2.

Yep. Have you heard that they released a Japanese "shmup" on the US Wii this month? Castle of Shikigami III. In the past, it was usually the PS2 that got games like that.

I just hope that the masses don't start calling Wii games "tapes". That drove me nuts in the 80's.

 

[justchris]

Wii is just as techincally backwards as it is practically innovative. It's, for me, a marketing success I liken to the ipod - an inferior product with a clever gimmick that has managed to appeal to a great share of the market. That does not mean I have to like it, that does not mean I have to buy it. I haven't, and I never will. It may well have damaged gaming consoles' technical advancement forever.

The same goes for DS.

That doesn't make any sense. The Wii has done nothing to damage technical advancement, and the DS certainly hasn't, since it's exactly in line with technical advancement for portables. If anything, the PS3, PSP & 360 have done the most to damage technical advancement by overshooting the mark, and pricing themselves outside the mainstream.

Video games systems have never been the highest tech out there, and MS & Sony both tried to overshoot what PCs were capable of, which is a losing proposition, cause PC is dynamic and will always beat a platform that has to remain static for 4-5 whole years.

 

[F#A#Oo]

Some of you obviously didn't follow or read Nintendo pre-DS and Wii release.

iirc it was Yamauchi or Miyamoto that said that they wanted to release just the Wii-mote as a peripheral add-on to the GCN around 2003/2004. So those of you that think Sony or MS affected Nintendo's console philosophy are wrong...Nintendo marches to it own beat...if it wasn't for the fact that Nintendo used common sense and figured out it wouldn't be effective to do such a thing on the GCN...maybe Sony and MS would have had this generation all to themselves...

Now that would have been interesting...would the industry be as healthy as today? It's food for thought for those of you that are saying Nintendo is killing gaming...if you take the Wii and DS out of the equation the overall look and numbers of the industry would look pretty grim...

 

[jordan0386]

Years 3,4, and 5 of Wii define where MS and Sony go tech wise. If Wii is still king, I can see us getting something like 650MB instead of 3GB. Know what Im saying?

Should be interesting how this generation plays out.

 

[Thunder Monkey]

Years 3,4, and 5 define where MS and Sony go tech wise. If Wii is still king, I can see us getting something like 650MB instead of 3GB. Know what Im saying?

Should be interesting how this generation plays out.

Regardless of what happens this generation I expect Sony and Microsoft to take a good long look and realize that we are getting to the point where huge technical advances are giving us less of a jump.

They should (doesn't mean they will) redesign their current consoles and add another 512MB of RAM. The visual differences will be marginal at best, but the platforms might have a shot at the big time because of it.

 

[Lobster]

Years 3,4, and 5 of Wii define where MS and Sony go tech wise. If Wii is still king, I can see us getting something like 650MB instead of 3GB. Know what Im saying?

Should be interesting how this generation plays out.

Nintendo may not have been technically great this year but you guys gotta lay off the hyperbole.

They're not retarded.

 

[Avrum]

I just hope that the masses don't start calling Wii games "tapes". That drove me nuts in the 80's.

Heh, reminds me when my cousin kept referring to new level/stages as "boards." Like, in Super Mario Bros 3, I would use the flute and he would say "go to board 4" and I'm like WTF? (well, not literally, I was pretty young then so I was probably just like "W?")

 

[Annoying Old Party Man]

What seriously fails to go around people's minds that suggest that Sony and Microsoft should go with marginal technical advancements for their next systems is the fact that Sony and Microsoft DEPEND on technological prowess to sell their consoles.

Also, people are so dellusional about what nintendo actually did here.
Nintendo just decided to skip the technical race - since the N64 actually - and concentrate on these things

1) User friendliness - practicallity - form factor
2) Product differentation

They tried the same thing Gamecube but with DS and the Wii, they actually had the right products (radically different interfaces to sell), and this time they finally understood that it's the right marketing that will open the doors to the market, that's why even early design decisions were based on marketing (small size, the apple style for the design, etc)

Nintendo did just the right thing, that is expanding the market by offering some diversity to an industry which has stuck in one - way route, one way of thinking and decade old standard interfaces.

And with this i go back to my first observation:

If Sony-Microsoft just add 512 mb of ram and a couple of stuff and shrink their consoles, what will they sell it with?? Do you think that this industry's developers are creative enough to keep an industry going without a significant boost in power for each generation? You think that the Metal Gears and the Gran Turismos and the Gears of War of this world will be able to eternally driving the interest of the gaming world, without a huge boost in their appearance every 5-7 years?

 

[Version 3.0]

That doesn't make any sense. The Wii has done nothing to damage technical advancement, and the DS certainly hasn't, since it's exactly in line with technical advancement for portables. If anything, the PS3, PSP & 360 have done the most to damage technical advancement by overshooting the mark, and pricing themselves outside the mainstream.

Video games systems have never been the highest tech out there, and MS & Sony both tried to overshoot what PCs were capable of, which is a losing proposition, cause PC is dynamic and will always beat a platform that has to remain static for 4-5 whole years.

I'd say the truth is somewhere in the middle. The Wii has some nice tech in it, but graphically, it's definitely last-gen, comparable to the Gamecube, and the Cube was not a big loss leader like so many consoles are; Nintendo was able to sell it above cost, mostly. The Wii is definitely selling considerably below cost, while the 360 and PS3 are big loss leaders. I'd say they've overshot, yes, but the Wii is lagging.

if you take the Wii and DS out of the equation the overall look and numbers of the industry would look pretty grim...

You can't "take the Wii and DS out" and say what's left is what "would be". Nothing exists in a vacuum. The game industry has been booming for 20+ years. If there were no Wii or DS, that wouldn't change. Something would pick up the slack. Maybe it would be the HD consoles, or maybe it would be the portables, or maybe the PS2, or another company's device. But it wouldn't be grim. It'd still be growing.

 

[norinrad21]

Wii is just as techincally backwards as it is practically innovative. It's, for me, a marketing success I liken to the ipod - an inferior product with a clever gimmick that has managed to appeal to a great share of the market. That does not mean I have to like it, that does not mean I have to buy it. I haven't, and I never will. It may well have damaged gaming consoles' technical advancement forever.

The same goes for DS.

:lol :lol :lol wtf?

 

[AlternativeUlster]

#1 There is absolutely nothing innovative about the Wii.

I think I am one of those defintions of a lapsed gamers but I stopped playing games for about 4 years or so and then I just ran across something on CNN about the announcement of the new Nintendo controller and I was like, "Holy fucking shit, that is going to change everything."

It made me interested in playing games again and yeah, moving around and mimicking real life I think is quite innovative in consoles. I am just disappointed that not too many games other than Wiisports and the Godfather have put it to really good use. I am still hoping though.

 

[Thunder Monkey]

If Sony-Microsoft just add 512 mb of ram and a couple of stuff and shrink their consoles, what will they sell it with?? Do you think that this industry's developers are creative enough to keep an industry going without a significant boost in power for each generation? You think that the Metal Gears and the Gran Turismos and the Gears of War of this world will be able to eternally driving the interest of the gaming world, without a huge boost in their appearance every 5-7 years?

The alternative is consolidation, and rising costs.

They have to find something, otherwise the industry is screwed. People weren't willing to buy a $600 console. If they start over from scratch again, and shoot for as large a boost, they will find the same thing.

My problem with that line of thinking is where does it end? $1200 consoles, $300 million budgets, and development times of 5-8 years? Do you think gaming could support that? That's what we're heading for and there is no way gaming could survive.

 

[Avrum]

I think I am one of those defintions of a lapsed gamers but I stopped playing games for about 4 years or so and then I just ran across something on CNN about the announcement of the new Nintendo controller and I was like, "Holy fucking shit, that is going to change everything."

It made me interested in playing games again and yeah, moving around and mimicking real life I think is quite innovative in consoles. I am just disappointed that not too many games other than Wiisports and the Godfather have put it to really good use. I am still hoping though.

You bring up an interesting point. I know at my store when we have sales on Wii software one of the most frequent questions I get is if we have games similar to WiiSports and in that sense they're talking about games where you can essentially perform an action and it happens on screen. (for the nitpickers, I know WiiSports isn't completely accurate or 1:1 but damn if it isn't close enough that many feel otherwise) With that said, to be honest there really aren't that many games that do that. Even Deca Sports which I was hoping would be something of a spiritual successor to WiiSports doesn't really have that hook and that's a shame considering the packed in software should be something of a guide in that sense let alone other software (like Godfather, as you mentioned) among others.

Our store recently got in We Ski but for some odd reason isn't selling it until the day we sell WiiFit, but I've already been pushing the idea of this game to those coming in the store the past couple of days and they have a genuine interest for it; problem being that they have to find a way to get their hands on a balance board first. But at least on WiiFit day I'll have that opportunity with every WiiFit preorder claim we have. Deca Sports I still want to give a try though, but I think We Ski is a game that has at least attempted to get the point of some of the magic behind WiiSports.

 

[Olaeh]

The meltdowns in this thread are comedy gold. :lol

 

[legend166]

If Sony-Microsoft just add 512 mb of ram and a couple of stuff and shrink their consoles, what will they sell it with?? Do you think that this industry's developers are creative enough to keep an industry going without a significant boost in power for each generation? You think that the Metal Gears and the Gran Turismos and the Gears of War of this world will be able to eternally driving the interest of the gaming world, without a huge boost in their appearance every 5-7 years?

But like I said, that model is simply not sustainable due to rising budgets.

And on top of that, I think Iwata was right about graphical fidelity reaching a point where advancements are losing their value. I do think he said it a generation too early, however.

What I'd like to see next-gen is a focus on creating a 1080p, 60 FPS standard. The fact that you still get games that have major framerate issues is a sign that there's still improvements to be made, but it seems developers will just continue to push for more poly's and higher res textures than a stable framerate.

Of course, saying something like "We've reached a plateau of graphical fidelity" could came back and hit me in the face, ala Bill Gates "no one will ever need more than 640kb!" But to me atleast, I wouldn't mind if games never looked better than Crysis on very high at 60 FPS. Use the extra power that will inevitably come to focus on better AI, more on screen, etc.

 

[MrNyarlathotep]

#1 There is absolutely nothing innovative about the Wii.

You really need to qualify that statement.

The Wii console only, ignoring its input device?

Compared to it's predecessor, or compared to both PS3 and X360?

Because excluding its input device, it has an 'always on' internet feature out of the box capable of adding updates to games while you're not even playing a game and distributing user created data seamlessly and invisibly while you're not even playing, which is pretty innovative by itself, no?

It has a standardised non proprietary form of memorycard for backing up save data (think about that one Microsoft), user customisable dashboard GUI beyond just token graphical things like wallpapers (yeah, I went there - 360 and PS3 should let you move your most used features where you want them to be, not nested behind endless layers of trees), bluetooth wireless rumble enabled controllers as standard since day one, an incredibly small form factor with elegant, clean design and 100% backwards compatibility right out of the box, in every SKU.

If you consider the wiimote + nunchuk combo to be a part of the Wii (which you should unless you're deliberately trying to downplay it) it contains (at least) three major innovations that piss all over both the 360 and the PS3 from a great height;
- modular, ambidextrous control
- IR pointer functionality
- motion detection (differentiated from the PS3s attempts at motion detection in combining both motion detection relative to a specific point - the IR bar - as well as acceleration sensors to determine speed of movement)
It also has the ability to house the main controller inside plastic shells to change its ergonomics, a built in loudspeaker and 'on the fly' reassigning of controller port mapping.

EDIT: You can even check how much battery life is left on your controller without even turning the system on! F U Other Consoles!

Nintendo just decided to skip the technical race - since the N64 actually - and concentrate on these things

That's pretty revisionist history. The GC wasn't in any way technically inferior to the PS2, outside of - arguably - storage capability of its disks. Which (ask a 360 owner!) doesn't matter when you can multidisk, amirite?

 

[Timbuktu]

What seriously fails to go around people's minds that suggest that Sony and Microsoft should go with marginal technical advancements for their next systems is the fact that Sony and Microsoft DEPEND on technological prowess to sell their consoles.

I would agree with that somewhat. There is no guarantee that what Nintendo did with Wii and DS can be repeated. It's arguable that Nintendo was forced into making the choices it did, but the DS and particularly Wii came out in a unique context and somehow everything from the concept to the marketing fell perfectly into place. It's not just about the cost or the actual motion control, it caught on with the public imagination because it actually felt 'new' and it's this 'newness' that whatever comes next will need to replicate.

When people compare Wii to the iPod, we have seen already that it's not enough to displace Apple from the top by doing exactly what they do. It's been left to Apple to follow up the iPod with the iPhone, an entirely new line of products.

You can't "take the Wii and DS out" and say what's left is what "would be". Nothing exists in a vacuum. The game industry has been booming for 20+ years. If there were no Wii or DS, that wouldn't change. Something would pick up the slack. Maybe it would be the HD consoles, or maybe it would be the portables, or maybe the PS2, or another company's device. But it wouldn't be grim. It'd still be growing.

Looking at the people buying Wiis, DS and games on those platforms, do we really think they would all be playing PS3 and 360 if Nintendo didn't exist? The Japanese was shrinking and that is the context in which Iwata plotted this strategy. I'm not saying it would have been 1983 again, but it's perfectly plausible that the growth that we have seen would have proved unsustainable.

 

[kame-sennin]

You can't "take the Wii and DS out" and say what's left is what "would be". Nothing exists in a vacuum. The game industry has been booming for 20+ years. If there were no Wii or DS, that wouldn't change. Something would pick up the slack. Maybe it would be the HD consoles, or maybe it would be the portables, or maybe the PS2, or another company's device. But it wouldn't be grim. It'd still be growing.

Subtracting Nintendo sales and sighting the remainder as an estimate of what 360/PS3 would have sold had Wii/DS never been released would be faulty analysis. But the industry is not little league baseball where everyone gets a trophy. Consoles are not rewarded for simply being on the market. Sales of the PS3 and 360 went down the same month that the biggest franchise in console gaming released it's most anticipated sequal. Something has gone terribly wrong on the HD consoles. Do you really believe that the growth we have seen so far this gen could be sustained by consoles who's sales are anemic, even when boosted by killer apps? Nintendo is the primary driver of industry growth. At the same time, Sony and MS are facing a crisis (hence the meltdowns). If Nintendo had not released the Wii and DS, it is very likely that the industry would be in a downward trend. How anyone can argue otherwise after this month's NPD, is beyond me.

 

[Roders5]

I keep seeing wii being compared to the ipod as an inferior product and I'm wondering, when the hell did the ipod become an inferior product?

 

[Taurus]

This thread is pure gold. :lol

May NPD is going to be even better because of Wii Fit! Even more meltdowns, bitching, whining and bashing. Stay tuned!

 

[Culex]

I keep seeing wii being compared to the ipod as an inferior product and I'm wondering, when the hell did the ipod become an inferior product?

It's far easier to make false comparisons than to accept that fact that all your gaming hopes and dreams have been swept to the way side.

 

[Sir Alemeth]

Subtracting Nintendo sales and sighting the remainder as an estimate of what 360/PS3 would have sold had Wii/DS never been released would be faulty analysis. But the industry is not little league baseball where everyone gets a trophy. Consoles are not rewarded for simply being on the market. Sales of the PS3 and 360 went down the same month that the biggest franchise in console gaming released it's most anticipated sequal. Something has gone terribly wrong on the HD consoles. Do you really believe that the growth we have seen so far this gen could be sustained by consoles who's sales are anemic, even when boosted by killer apps? Nintendo is the primary driver of industry growth. At the same time, Sony and MS are facing a crisis (hence the meltdowns). If Nintendo had not released the Wii and DS, it is very likely that the industry would be in a downward trend. How anyone can argue otherwise after this month's NPD, is beyond me.

I have to agree. I gradually grew out of video games ever since I got out of college and started working full time. They(the kind of games from last gen such as) don't seem to be worth my time anymore, and I just kept losing interests in even enjoying them...until the Wii. Now I actually MAKE time to play it, and I have a blast each time with it! It's magical. =D

 

[PhoncipleBone]

I think most of this hate comes from just blind nintendo hate and a stereotypical eliteness that "hardcore" gamers have. Basically, the console that doesnt throw around the most horsepower is winning, and its pissing people off. They cant accept the fact that times are changing and its not how they wanted it to. Nintendo did something radically different than everyone else, and its working.

Maybe all the games arent showing it YET, but there is plenty of innovation in the Wii. You have developers having to completely rethink the way that they do things now because of it. Would it have been nice to have more horsepower on Wii and more storage space? Of course! But guess what? It doesnt! So all the whining, bitching, and moaning isnt going to change it.

Accept the fact that Nintendo soundly beat MS and Sony this time around. And you can bet that MS and Sony are trying to figure out a way for that NOT to happen next console cycle. I am curious to see what they do to differentiate themselves next cycle. The best thing to do now is suck it up and accept this is the way things are. The "inferior" product did not win this time. The different one did.

 

[Shaheed79]

There's quite a few unique games/ideas on Wii that we wouldn't see anywhere else. I think a lot of people need to try out stuff like Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Trauma Center: New Blood, Wario Ware: Smooth Moves, etc. and start to realize where the Wii really shines.

F*ck that play Godfather Blackhand Edition and repent! Someone has to expand upon GBE's astounding control mechanics sooner or later. Hopefully sooner rather than later. The Blackhand team was one of the few developers who "got it" and understood what the Wii could do which is quite amazing for a port of game that wasn't designed for Wii.

 

[bishopcruz]

I'm willing to bet a fair amount of people want Capcom to start milking in the first place. MMPU and MMHX probably killed any intentions of that stone dead. (Thus causing the world to miss out on Capcom-remixed MM2Dr. Wily Stage 1 music. AGAIN.)

*goes to listen to Dr. Wily's Wedding*

But that's no one's fault but Capcom's. There was NO marketing for MMPU and MHX, hell a buddy of mine is pretty damn casual (though I sold him on P3FES by having him watch me play). Anyhow he just started playing the new Mega Man games on his DS when I told him that they did a remake of MM1 on PSP like 2 years ago. He had no idea the game even existed.

Capcom's other mistake was in remaking the wrong game with MMPU. It needed to be Mega Man 2, MM1 did ok, but everyone's memories of Mega Man are very much of the second game. Mega Man 2 is what made the franchise. If Capcom was releasing an HD remake of Street Fighter and expecting it to sell gang-busters we'd call them insane. MMPU was the same thing.

 

[Guileless]

It does still seem that to the average consumer, finding a Wii is half the fun. Just the other week, after leaving Best Buy with a copy of GTAIV, I see a couple taking pictures of each with holding a Wii they apparently had just found. Then they probably go to all their friends bragging how they found a Wii...hell they probably spend more time doing that than playing it.

Perfect. :lol

 

[Tobor]

F*ck that play Godfather Blackhand Edition and repent! Someone has to expand upon GBE's astounding control mechanics sooner or later. Hopefully sooner rather than later. The Blackhand team was one of the few developers who "got it" and understood what the Wii could do which is quite amazing for a port of game that wasn't designed for Wii.

My hope is that Rockstar will work on a Wii GTA game that mimics what Godfather did.

A compilation, a new game, maybe even Bully 2, anything really. Bully Wii was a step in the right direction, but the aiming was better in Godfather.

 

[Salazar]

If Boom Blox had been a launch title (or close to it), I would totally still own a Wii.

 

[jercruz]

Wow at Wii and at this thread!

I guess Nintendo hatred is allowed to run rampart in this forums.

 

[Shaheed79]

My hope is that Rockstar will work on a Wii GTA game that mimics what Godfather did.

A compilation, a new game, maybe even Bully 2, anything really. Bully Wii was a step in the right direction, but the aiming was better in Godfather.

I totally agree. For all those people who own Wii's and bitch and moan that the wiimote isn't used to any appreciable extent that justifies its existence must at least try Godfather. That game is proof that the Wiimote and nunchuck could successfuly enhance a lot of our traditional and most cherished genres particularly the GTA sub-genre.