The Nintendo Revolution, and Why Wii Were Wrong

I

inotocracy

Supreme [H]ardness
Joined
Jul 25, 2004
Messages
5,625
Pretty good writeup about the Wii's history. If you look back there was a lot of negativity, then E3 came and BOOM the Wii took off. Still selling out today, and even though its not a "hardcore" system, you can't argue how popular the damn thing has become :eek:

http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/54076
 
Can't read the link thanks to my oh-so-friendly work firewall, but I can offer this - when my 71 year old mother, my 60 year old mother in law, and my uber-technophobe neighbor all have a Wii, not to mention my epic quest last Christmas because that's all my non-gaming wife wanted (special thanks to Toys R Us for saving my ass on that one), Nintendo did something right.
 
While I agree that the wii is extremely popular, I don't know many people that still play theirs. Mine sits and collects dust. The wii is reminding me of the Atari 2600 and all the shovelware that was made for it... that system was the cause of the video game crash; everyone had one and instead of paying $50 for a top notch game, people opted to buy the cheap $5-$10 games.

Last week, I saw a bargain bin of wii games for around $10 a game.. there had to be 30 titles in there and they were being nabbed right up. Meanwhile, great games like metroid prime 3 and Zelda were sitting on the shelf with a layer of dust on them.... :confused:
 
I've played my Wii a whole three times since I bought it on launch, played Zelda, SMG, and SSB.

Overall it was a huge waste of money.
 
I bought my Wii, beat Zelda and sold it in the same week... Its really the only game for it that made it worth buying. Wii Sports is better than 90% of the crap devs are putting out for it...
 
I think what Nintendo did right was that they bundled the "killer app" (wii sports) with the actual system. For the time I had my Wii, the one game that got the most play was bowling on Wii Sports. That game was addicting!
 
I hope their shovelware bites them in the ass. Probably too much to hope for now that everyone wants a wii though...
 
I don't understand the shovelware comments. Don't you remember the PS2? That had more shitty games than anything, that's what happens when you're the most popular console.
 
I don't own a Wii, but several of my friends do. I get the impression they never get turned on if there's not someone visiting; we'll have a few drinks and play Rock Band or Wii Sports on it for a bit, maybe Smash Bros., then turn it back off and do something else. I personally don't like the controller, not because I'm lazy or don't want to move around (I have been known to climb all over the couch and headbang while playing Rock Band...) but because I just find it difficult. I have no trouble with a mouse, a joystick, or any other input device I've ever used, but I look like a crack addict in the middle of a fit with the stupid Wiimote just trying to start a game from the menu. For some things it's fine -- tennis is kind of fun, and bowling is okay -- but for others I don't ever feel like what I'm doing is ever properly mirrored on screen (boxing, baseball, and golf in particular, though boxing is the worst by far). Maybe the 'increased sensitivity' addon thing will help with that, but I doubt it. Probably just makes clicking on things in the menus harder.

Also, the thing is behind the times before it even starts. Playing Wii ports of games that came out first (or even at the same time) for Xbox 360 or PS3 is an exercise in disappointment. No downloadable content in Rock Band or Guitar Hero, no customization of the band members? What is this crap? It's the same game the PS2 gets, and that's ancient, plus you get to pay current gen prices (or worse) for a last gen title (which is almost always cheaper for PS2 for the same game). Nintendo didn't learn their lesson at all so far as I can see, at least when it comes to 'real' gamers. Maybe they decided they just couldn't compete in that market after the GameCube, but the end result -- sub-par titles that cost as much as current gen versions with last gen graphics and content -- is really frustrating for those of us stuck with one of these little white boxes because someone else in the house wanted it and we now can't justify buying another system.
 
Nintendo succeeded at making a popular console. Nintendo failed at making a console I want to play.
 
ScreamingBroccoli said:
I don't understand the shovelware comments. Don't you remember the PS2? That had more shitty games than anything, that's what happens when you're the most popular console.
Click to expand...

The shovelware to decent game ratio on Wii is way, way worse than it ever was on PS2.
 
the wii is garbage, and yes, I own one. It gets no gameplay in my house. Even my 4 year old prefers playing zelda on the gamecube with the cube controller. No online presence, terrible code system, rehashes of just the same old mario games, terribly stripped down ports of good games (dead rising).

Dunno why I ever bought one, even the casual gamers in my house don't like it.
 
Technoob said:
the wii is garbage, and yes, I own one. It gets no gameplay in my house. Even my 4 year old prefers playing zelda on the gamecube with the cube controller. No online presence, terrible code system, rehashes of just the same old mario games, terribly stripped down ports of good games (dead rising).

Dunno why I ever bought one, even the casual gamers in my house don't like it.
Click to expand...

Guess what, anecdotal experiences don't apply to everyone. I live in apartment (4 college students) and we got all 3 systems. 360 is almost never touched, PS3 a little bit and the Wii is played much more than anything else as far as consoles go. We all have nice PCs/Laptops and they get the most play out of anything, but Wii has somethings to offer that our PCs don't. Not trying to make an argument, just showing another side of the coin.
 
ScreamingBroccoli said:
Guess what, anecdotal experiences don't apply to everyone. I live in apartment (4 college students) and we got all 3 systems. 360 is almost never touched, PS3 a little bit and the Wii is played much more than anything else as far as consoles go. We all have nice PCs/Laptops and they get the most play out of anything, but Wii has somethings to offer that our PCs don't. Not trying to make an argument, just showing another side of the coin.
Click to expand...

That's why I was sharing my opinion. Nobody else's experiences with the wii will change my opinion that it is ticky tack shit. Just like my opinion doesn't keep you from having a great time with it. Enjoy. I don't see how though :)
 
Lines at Dunken donuts were empty when the Wii Fit was released.

nothing better than capitalizing on the fats.
 
Could it possibly be that people have different tastes :eek: say it isnt so.

While I enjoy my Wii I would like them to stop making more controller addons and other stupid things like that and concentrate on the gameplay to keep all their new customers. Its the only game system I can get my wife to play which is a huge + for me.

Someday I will get a PS3 now that they are starting to have a good library and support.

Like it or not the Wii is the number 1 console at the moment, its staying there depends on how soon real quality games hit the market. There have been a few but a lot of Meh ones.

A lot of the people on this forum are heavy gamers of a certain type in which the Wii is just not a good system for main gameplay. Doesnt mean you have to hate on something else for outselling the others.
 
Paper Mario, Zelda, Mario Galaxy, MP3, and SSBB were all worth my time and were solid titles. IMHO, those few first party titles make it worth it. However, I'm glad one of my good friends bought the console so I could sell mine!
 
I played with my friends Wii (if I was still in school I would have gotten my ass kicked for saying that sentence). Its only kind of fun with other people, as a single player machine I think its dreadful. It would be fun if you have room mates but other than that its a really bad system for a "hardcore gamer" that likes epic or skillful games. But even with other people it gets boring fast if you are looking for something to test your skills and are sick of "mastering" games by just waving the controller around like a maniac.
 
ScreamingBroccoli said:
Guess what, anecdotal experiences don't apply to everyone. I live in apartment (4 college students) and we got all 3 systems. 360 is almost never touched, PS3 a little bit and the Wii is played much more than anything else as far as consoles go. We all have nice PCs/Laptops and they get the most play out of anything, but Wii has somethings to offer that our PCs don't. Not trying to make an argument, just showing another side of the coin.
Click to expand...

And what fabulous game is causing the Wii to be played so much?

If it's Wii Sports, I'm gonna jump out a window. That game was fun for about a month. Then it got older than a banana stuck in a pool of sour cream 90 miles south of Cairo.
 
obs said:
Nintendo succeeded at making a popular console. Nintendo failed at making a console I want to play.
Click to expand...

+1. Zelda, SSB, Mario cart are all games worth playing, all 4 star titles, but there isnt a single 5 star title on that console and as such I just wont buy it.

Wont buy Xbox360 till i have confirmation that the new chips in the channel don't push out 3Jigawatts of heat, and I wont buy the PS3 because every almost every game I expressed interest in for that console turned into a 3/5 from a 5/5 way too quickly.

@ Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo, I really do want to give you my money, I really do! First one to fix the problems gets $600 from me :p
 
PWMK2 said:
And what fabulous game is causing the Wii to be played so much?

If it's Wii Sports, I'm gonna jump out a window. That game was fun for about a month. Then it got older than a banana stuck in a pool of sour cream 90 miles south of Cairo.
Click to expand...

I think your being overly generous there!! 2 weeks tops.

Only game that got a decent amount of time outta me was Mario Kart, but even that now never gets played as the online points system is a pile of shit and annoys the hell out of me :mad:

Only time ours ever gets used now is if my 3 yr old daughter wants to play Nights/Disney Princess. Without that it would have been long gone.
 
I bought the wii when super smash came out and have spent a grand total of 30 minutes gaming on it. After mario kart for the wii came out and brought the entire system over to my brothers' house (3 nieces/ 1 nephew) and they play those games daily. The system's good for kids... but I can't get into it.
 
ScreamingBroccoli said:
I don't understand the shovelware comments. Don't you remember the PS2? That had more shitty games than anything, that's what happens when you're the most popular console.
Click to expand...

The PS2 also had, oh, I dunno, decent games? What does the Wii have? Oh joy, another Mario/Zelda/Metroid game. :rolleyes:
 
The Wii is a niche and a bagwagon system. You will find that most Wii owners are not traditional gamers, but women and non-gamers.
 
I love my wii, it gets by far the most use out of any system in my apartment (well maybe the modded xbox gets more "running hours" since it streams movies and tv shows from the server).

My girlfriend is addicted to wii fit and mario kart. I like mario galaxy, smash brothers online, and mario kart online.

Trauma center was also fun :)
 
Fire Emblem is a 5 star game in my book....it uses the classic controller and should be a Game cube game but hell it's good.
 
MrFace said:
The Wii is a niche and a bagwagon system. You will find that most Wii owners are not traditional gamers, but women and non-gamers.
Click to expand...

Thats why Nintendo is printing money, they seem to appeal to the majority. :p
 
We regret every buying our Wii console; we rarely ever turn it on. Wii Sports is still the best title for the system, and [sorry] that ain't saying much. Such a shame Nintendo obviously doesn't give a crap about lifelong/hardcore gamer crowd anymore; only kids, soccer moms and elderly people.

I will not purchase another Nintendo console in the future - I have lost my faith in this company to produce games and systems that I enjoy playing. Wake me up when they have an online presence worth anyone's time, they decide to put a worthwhile storage solution in their system, and they decide that 480p and Pro Logic II isn't good enough in 2008.
 
Daggah said:
The PS2 also had, oh, I dunno, decent games? What does the Wii have? Oh joy, another Mario/Zelda/Metroid game. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Yeah, you're the same kind of person that will bitch when nintendo doesn't show a new Mario/Zelda/Metroid game at e3 too... :rolleyes:

There are tons of decent games on the Wii, I've had it since launch day and I haven't been upset that I bought it for one day. The problem is nobody, including Nintendo, Third party devs or even people on this board knew how successful it was going to be. Now due to it's superstar status companies are trying to make the quick buck on it because they didn't have anything in the works for it before hand. There is no denying the universal appeal of the Wii and that it is the ultimate party machine, but it also has enough games (at least for me) to earn it's single player keep. I think all the fanboys are getting upset that things are changing in the industry, and they can't understand it. Oh well, I'm happy with my purchase, and if you aren't with yours sell the damn thing and stop bitching, it's not like there is no demand for them :rolleyes:
 
The thing is though, of all my friends who are really 'gamers', the ones that bought one returned it a very long time ago. This system simply offers very little to the gamer who would call themselves one.

In turn, you know who owns a Wii that I know? My girlfriend, her dad, and my uncle. So hats off to Nintendo for pulling in the obscure gamer and continuing to sell units. My gut feeling however tells me that once this 'fad' (I'm not calling the controller a fad, I'm calling the entire console a fad) wears off, I'm wondering what Nintendo is going to do next round.

I would consider a Wii, if there were actually games on it I was interested in. Currently I've rented and played Zelda, and SSMB, Kart on my gf's Wii but I'm done with them, and I dont see longevity in Wii Sports or Wii Music (lol). Nintendo has lost touch with the core base I believe, but will likely reestablish with a newer Mario/Zelda title in the next 2 years.

Last time I looked at the attach rate numbers for the Wii, they were in last place. Meaning, people buy the console, but not games. Now.. the DS on the other hand.. is an overwhelming success on all fronts. Either way, hats off to Nintendo for pulling themselves out of that hole they were in last gen and making a few dollars. I'm more interested in seeing what they do for next gen, and I'm not talking about a simple WiiHD. I dont want to see them slap a little more under the hood and rebadge it.

I want to want a Wii, but I cannot justify a $250 Gamecube. I've said this since the beginning ... there isn't much there besides the Wiimote and with no game library calling at me this will remain a no buy for me. I look forward to wanting one, someday.
 
I love Penny Arcade's spin on E3.

20080716.jpg


Funny thing is, I just bought a Ps3. :D Now I own all 3 systems. w00t! :cool:
 
theNoid said:
In turn, you know who owns a Wii that I know? My girlfriend, her dad, and my uncle. So hats off to Nintendo for pulling in the obscure gamer and continuing to sell units. My gut feeling however tells me that once this 'fad' (I'm not calling the controller a fad, I'm calling the entire console a fad) wears off, I'm wondering what Nintendo is going to do next round.
Click to expand...

I'm wondering that as well. I'm also wondering if all of these "non-hardcore gamers" that bought a Wii will also buy Nintendo's next console. I'm thinking most of them will see a new console by Nintendo and say "Why would I want to buy that, my Wii still works fine."
 
Well i think that Nintendo said from the start it was not for "hardcore" gamers.......if we were all 4-16yrs old we would not even be on [H] talking bout this, much less saying if it was worth the money or not. I love the Wii.........when i play it. :eek: ( gets turn on in my home bout 2 times a week) but it got my wife into gaming and she just wont stop!!!! I 'm still glad i got one and you still cant hardly find them but its fun to me. I have had mine going on 2yrs now.
 
They might as well have just not even had a disk port on 2/3 of the Wii's sold.
All of the non-gaming Wii owners I know put Wii Sports in it when they first plugged it in and that disk hasn't left the system for over a year. For that matter, in most cases they only get turned on when "company is coming over."
As a serious gamer - I got my Mario Kart and Smash brothers. Yes, both were nerfed, but they were fun.
Now that we've gotten those (and Zelda and Mario), there's nothing else to do but wait for the next generation of Wii.
 
Wii games suck in comparison to other systems. Wii Sports is awesome, as is Wii Fit, other than that the Wii is useless and the only reason I have it in my sig is because I find that hilarious.

I may just add mine to the FS thread I'll post tonight/tomorrow.
 
This is an unintended consequence of the Wii's success.

The demographic that's really driving it, the casual, non-gamer crowd, is perfectly content to play Wii Sports, Carnival Games, and other such mini-game collections for all of eternity. When shareholders and investors see this combined with all the money that the Wii is bringing in, they're going to want more of the same, even if it means that they have to abandon their core fan base. With the exception of RE4 and Nintendo's flagship titles(which are actually pretty casual in nature themselves), core and hardcore games sell far better on the PS3 and 360, because the casuals are just fine playing Wii Sports all day long.

I understand why Nintendo chose the direction that they did, especially after seeing the success of the DS, but this demographic is very fickle, and while they may eating out of Nintendo's hand now, what they want tomorrow could be totally different. I'm really interesting in seeing what Nintendo is going to do for the next console.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top