AceBandage said:
They'll avoid a pack in game like the plague.
Wii Sports sold systems, but it completely corrupted the user base.
Actually, I think the smartest option of all would be to go a step further, and offer two pack-in games; one casual friendly, the other appealing to the more established gamer.
I'm thinking back to the NES, and the commonest (as far as I'm aware, unless anyone can correct me?) bundle: Super Mario Bros (accessible game, appeals to the hardcore, but had quite a lot of depth for the era) combined with Duck Hunt (Entertaining, but extremely simple and extremely casual-friendly). Anyone could play Duck Hunt, but hopefully some of them would be tempted to try out SMB as well, and hopefully a good few of them would get hooked.
To be fair, I think Wii Sports could potentially have filled that role with the Wii; while all of the titles were simple, I think one in particular - Golf - had the depth required to have appeal to more established gamers; unfortunately, though, it didn't resonate. Perhaps a full campaign mode would have done the trick, but I suspect that Golf just didn't quite have the overall appeal that was needed.
(Now I'm thinking further, and I'm wondering what effect a "gamer overhaul" would have had on the entirety of Wii Sports; links between the sports, prize money, purchasing gear in each sport, full tournaments in Tennis, secret unlockables. Start up, choose "Just Play!" or "Campaign", and the latter offers more options. I think that idea could have been the magic bullet)