The Wii Is Popular, But Wii Users Aren't Buying Many Games
from the wii-sports-is-plenty dept
The traditional economics of the video game console market are fairly well known. You sell the console itself at either cut rate margins or even at a loss, and then make it up in selling very expensive games for the console. That’s worked in the past for the various version of the Sony Playstation and the Microsoft Xbox. But, apparently things are a bit different with the Nintendo Wii. While the Wii has been a huge success, opening up a tremendous new market of console buyers and users thanks to its unique input mechanism and gameplay, it turns out that Wii owners are buying noticeably fewer games than owners of competing consoles. In fact, it appears that many Wii owners haven’t bought any games and are satisfied with the Wii Sports package that comes with the Wii. At this point, I should admit that I’m in this group as well, though part of the reason is simply not knowing which types of games are likely to work well with the Wii controller. As such, it’s not worth spending a huge amount to find a game that’s simply disappointing. The article suggests, also, that since Wii buyers tend to be very different than other console buyers, the marketing and advertising strategy for Wii games is all wrong. The real question, though, is whether or not this is really a long term problem. The Wii itself (unlike the PS3 and the Xbox) is sold at a profit, according to most assumptions. So, while selling more games is important, it’s not as important as with the other consoles.
Comments on “The Wii Is Popular, But Wii Users Aren't Buying Many Games”
I imagine it’s a short term problem. Once the marketting guys have their new audience figured out and they can show the new users other games that they might enjoy as much as Wii Sports, I think we’ll see more of them buying games. That being said, if the Wii is sold at a profit and traditional gamers (like myself) are still buying games the way they used to, I don’t think Nintendo’s at a disadvantage.
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Stop bitching and buy a computer.
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Got one, thanks, but there’s a significant difference in user interface between computers and traditional consoles, let alone the Wii. I’m not sure what point your comment had.
The number is 3.6/year for the wii to 4.6 or so for ps3 and 360 so it isn’t as much of a difference as the article would suggest. If there are so many “casual” people buying no other games, then there would have to be a lot of people buying a lot more than 3.6/year to get the number even that high.
I’m really shocked you guys fell for this obvious FUD. The article gives us actual numbers, let’s take a look.
In other words, Wii owners will only buy one less game per year! Wow, Houston, we’ve got an incredibly insignificant problem on our hands!
Re: ima fish
well, the thing is that’s one fifth less profit, rounding up. That’s like your boss lowering your yearly pay from fifty thousand to fourty thousand. you don’t just take the individual price, you multiply it by the entire demographic. that’s a loss of severa BILLION dollars
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It might be only one game less, but the profit margin is slim to begin with and the cost of console manufacturing remains constant. That one games less eats directly into profits, so it’s considerably more important than you might think.
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check out some parts reports from isuppli, etc. the profit margin on the wii is not slim at all, nintendo makes a hefty profit on it, and has since launch while sony and microsoft still lose money selling their consoles, and as they approach a break-even point, they will both need to undergo another pricedrop to stay competetive with each other and not fall behind nintendo even more. also, by bunding wii sports and charging $250 instead of not bundling it and charging $200, nintendo makes even more money.
I have a Wii but what holds me back from buying more is few of the titles interest me. There are titles my kids enjoy but as ‘the guy with the wallet’ I find Wii’s library geared towards a younger audience. Wii can increase it game sales by getting titles that are popular with us adult-sized kids.
Nintendo 1 - PS3/XBOX360 0
They might not be selling a lot of games, but you STILL CAN’T BUY A WII IN A LOT OF THE COUNTRY! This said the still on going shortage of the system itself is profit enough… for those of us who still buy the games, we are just added profit. Yes Nintendo is not making as much money as it possibly could, but since 20 Wii systems come in and within an 30 min they are gone and still customers are left with the disappointment of not having one is still massive, Nintendo is still making huge margins over PS3 and XBOX360 on that stances alone. Also if I was a game company and a game that I put out such as Wii Sports, which was a tester game, has such a high replay value that you don’t need to sell as many different games then I say chips and dip to you. Because damn it as a gamer I want a game that is going to allow me, my wife, my mother in law, my grandmother, my little cousins to play the same damn console! And my XBOX360 doesn’t get that. I play Halo3 and I normally play with a 1 maybe 2 friends. I play the Wii and everyone is involved! Nintendo hit it big with this system and whether they sell tons of games or not, they are still racking in the big bucks and will be for a long time to come… the game sales will come just for them existing!
Re: Nintendo 1 - PS3/XBOX360 0
Just to add
Wii – 7 games soon to be 9
XBOX360 – 5 soon to be 6
all of which I enjoyed playing on some level! some I play more then others but I enjoyed them all.
Re: Re: Nintendo 1 - PS3/XBOX360 0
Just to add my numbers
Wii – 4 games and 10 virtual console (more if square would get into it.)
Xbox360 – 28 games and 24 xbox live games (a few were free) and GTAIV next week. I am not counting original xbox games.
I’m getting a PS3 but not for games.
The numbers I’ve been hearing are much different from the ones stated here. I’ve heard 2 games for the Wii, 4 for the PS3 and 9 for the 360. I don’t listen to estimates or averages, they just don’t seem like real numbers.
Re: Nintendo 1 - PS3/XBOX360 0
You could throw a paragraph in there maybe. Then it wont look like a blob of a amorphous text.
Zelda and Smash are the only games worth buying.
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You fail at life… you probably cum in your PS3 every night while you play call of duty 4. Mario Party was a great game, as well as mario galixy and Metroid Prime! go fucking get a life you wortless piece of crap!
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Even your NAME speaks volumes about your age (or MENTAL age). Learn to spell and what grammar is. – your VS you’re for example. Until then, you only embarrass yourself.
LOL
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@ your an idiot
the man raving about games telling others to get a life. Ironic
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Mike can’t you at least put some **** in the profanity of this person’s *****ing ****y reply???
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Heh… the two games you mention are the two Gamecube-ish games – one being a ported GCN game, and the other is a pretty graphical game best played with the GCN controller.
Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime 3 are both great and are great uses of the system’s best parts. Super Paper Mario is a mediocre game (AFAIAC) and shows that you can do well with a simpler controller and simple control scheme.
The real WTF is that the only decent games are the first party games. But that’s not really uncommon with new systems (especially Nintendo) and they usually overcome that after a couple years when developers figure out what they’re doing. If the Wii doesn’t have crapload of good 3rd party games within the next few months, I’d get worried. Until then, I think they’re doing pretty well.
14 and counting
I’ve got 14 games bought so far. I’m planning to buy my next 2 in May (Mario Cart and Wii Fit)
Wii games
I have a PS3 and a Wii. Here are the # of games I have for each.
PS3 0 and soon to 1 with GTA4
Wii 6 and soon to be 7 with Mario Kart
Both consoles have lots of bad games, just need to able to pick them out. I like every Wii game I bought, but then again I research the games first.
Why buy when you can rent from services such as Gamefly? I don’t buy DVD’s anymore either, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love movies and won’t spend money on DVD-player upgrades when they become available. Many games are in fact disappointing, but with Gamefly I can rent them for next to nothing, and keep them as long as I want. And if I do like a game a lot, once I beat it I’ll probably never play it again. So why buy?
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Exactly what I do. 2 game plan from Gamefly is what I use. Once in a while I buy a game from Gamefly because a lot of the time the price is 30-50% less than the store. I haven’t bought any games from Gamefly for my Wii though I’ve bought probably 10 for the 360. Wii Sports is good enough for now. Most people that come over want to play Rock Band on the 360.
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I subscribed once, received the first game very fast, played a bit and returned it. The next game in the list took 3 weeks to arrive. So I paid 1 month and got 2 games. no more
forgot to mention
Nintendo makes money off of each Wii sold, unlike MS and Sony with their consoles.
And I forgot my 2 Virtual Console games, so that makes 8 and soon to be 9 for the Wii.
And as mentionned, the Wii touches a demographic that is totally different than Xbox/Playstation. My grandparents will play with the Wii and won’t touch anything else. Even my uncle who was anti-gaming now wants a Wii for the bowling/boxing and golf (not Wii sports golf but Super Swing Golf Season 2)
Not New for Nintendo
IIRC, Nintendo’s never taken a loss on sales of their consoles or handhelds. They’ve always made a profit on them. The whole “give away the razor to sell blades” scheme is used by their competitors who hope that gouging early adopters, economies of scale, and the forward march of progress will eventually let them not bleed cash on their consoles.
Not just the consumer
Sure, blame the consumer, but don’t ignore the retailer’s role too.
Retailers had the lowest expectations for the WII upon its release and they were slow to reallocate store space and cooperative marketing dollars for the 3rd system. I have a GAMESTOP right by work and the WII had the smallest amount of shelf space: One floor to ceiling shelf – the same amount of space that was allocated to the GameCube. PS3 and Xbox 360 had three times the space. In the last two months, the store has reorganized and now the WII has 3 shelves! But its taken over a year. At two of my local BestBuy’s (Los Angeles) the Wii has 2/3rds of one side of an aisle (it was previously only 1/3rd of one side of an aisle) and the XBOX/PS3 both have both sides of an entire aisle for games and accessories. There’s also no focus on New releases in the WII area – titles are totally disorganized, mislabelled, etc. You have to come in knowing what’s been released and look for it. Guitar Hero has been the only exception at the Best Buy’s as the WII version has been featured in the center of large aisles by the XBox and PS versions. The retailers were not stupid, particularly after the disappointing performance of the GameCube, but they have been slow to adopt.
The WII console has been out for a little more than a year. Its success surprised nearly everyone including game journalists. Its been plagued by supply problems that would discourage stores from investing heavily in in-store promotions (Why bother if most people can’t get the console? Indeed, Nintendo lowered its holiday advertising budget to reduce demand when the console supply was limited). Demand for the console is still not entirely under control but as the number of owners have risen, the stores have just started to respond by increasing their floor space for the games and accessories.
Clearly, Wii owners are going to be a challenge for traditional game companies to identify as a market but the rewards should be greater when it succeeds. There are a lot of over-a-million selling titles on a one year old platform including odd ball games like Cooking Mama. If Cooking Mama can find a market, then there’s room for a lot of different titles. Zack and Wiki and No More Heroes are both original intellectual properties without the recognition factor of the Mario and Zelda games. What did these game companies do, beyond the typical game magazines and websites, to reach the broader WII audience?
The consumer is only one part of the issue – retailers, supply problems, prevalence of shovelware, and confusion about how to reach the market, all contribute to the type of sales drops and weak releases that some titles on the Wii have experienced.
There’s no guarantee of instant success for anything. Just ask Sony about the PS3. It takes time. It takes having a good product. And it takes some leadership to get the product in front of the right consumer.
I like some of the nuttier games on the WII like Endless Ocean and the first Raving Rabbids. I think WiiFit is going to be very successful. Wii owner’s are clearly spending money but they are not necessarily plugged into the same magazines and media that other gamers are used to. How about advertising the WiiFit in women’s magazines that emphasize leisure and health? It has a better chance of being featured on Oprah than Gears of War or Halo or Metal Gear Solid and keep in mind the big “O” understands her audience. Some game company, beyond Nintendo, is going to make a lot of cash by thinking outside of the typical console “box.”
Sure blame the consumer…
Blame the journalist for over-simplifying…
Blame, blame, blame. So much blame to go around, who has time to play games?
Isn't it obvious?
The reason people don’t buy as many Wii games is simply because the Wii games just aren’t fun.
They’re either lame ports from other systems (or old Gamecube games), or they’re sub-par “cookie-cutter” with nothing innovative, or they’re rushed poor-quality adventure games based on bad movies that were just released in theaters. None of the games released for Wii actually make good use of the Wii controller’s full capabilities. So far, every game I’ve purchased has been a disappointment and has collected dust on my desk (except for SSB:Brawl, and even then I use a Gamecube controller for it).
I find it amazing how they’ve managed to fill an entire shelf from top to bottom with games I wouldn’t even buy for 20 bucks, let alone 50 or 60. What frustrates me is how myself, and friends of mine, have all kinds of great game ideas, yet it’s simply impossible to ever get into the gaming industry without knowing someone on the inside.
Maybe if we’re lucky, piracy and development costs will change the methods of game design in the near future.
Wii Games to buy
I have the Wii and the xbox 360 and no question I buy more games on my 360. I typically play my Wii when my 360 fails or when a killer app joins the fray like Mario galaxy, Zelda (launch title) or Super Smash Bros. The reason I buy more games for the xbox is the online gaming aspect.
If nintendo invested in voice chat and an actual friends list I’d probably be playing brawl with my free time or big brain academy instead of halo 3 or rainbow six vegas for the 360.
Re: Wii Games to buy
I must admin the Wii-Connect is about as user friendly that a 20 long battering ram in a one person army, but the online play is still ok. I play brawl online sometimes and the implication of it now are great but I agree not nearly as well done as Halo 3 or COD4. The no voice chat or friends list annoy me a little, but with a slight software mod on the system side and the already existing mic chip in the controller it would become a very robust play experience.
This is terrible…charging for scarce goods, consoles, but also charging for infinite goods, games.
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Halo3 charges for Map packs that they later offer free! whats the difference?
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Interesting MLS. But comparing the Console/game sales to CD/Music sales is like comparing apples and spinach.
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Well except that, “virtual console” aside, the games they sell are ‘scarce’ too, in that they come on plastic disks. The value-added being that you purchace “storage” for your games as you purchace the games themselves, rather than purchacing storage upfront in console hardware and then populating it with infinite data.
But the difference is probably lost on someone who’s just out to make Mike look like a hypocrite.
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That does not even come close to explaining the price though. Zero dollars for the infinite good, plus $50 for 1) a blank storage disc 2) the service of burning, printing and shipping the disc and 3) the box and whatever else comes in it? No, they’re charging for the game. If they thought the physical stuff were worth $50, they might offer the game for free download, as well as selling it in stores. Can you imagine them doing that? Can you imagine anyone buying the game if they did?
Well I’m not one of the people playing Wii Sports all the time, but I can see why people would. Consider that I’ve paid $50/ea for Metroid Prime 3 and Zelda: Twilight Princess. Games more than a year old going for as much as the newest releases like No More Heroes (another one I bought) and Super Smash Bros. (I haven’t bought yet), it seems that Wii games never get priced down.
Re: Re:
thats because there is still a lot of people without the core system… as soon as they get one they want to buy the games they are slacking on, so why underprice them when all the copies you still have could easly be sold at the new game price!
What?
The Wii has bad games? Why didn’t anyone tell me???
All the consoles have bad games. Wii is no exception. If Wii’s game library is so terrible, I’d really like an explanation for Nintendo’s sales thrashing the competition. “Well, the Wii appeals to soccer moms and kids everywhere.” OK, why isn’t Microsoft and XBox doing the same thing? Opponents change their arguments to fit the current situation. Back when Playstation 2 was dominating the market (despite having the weakest hardware of the three consoles), numbers were all that mattered. Suddenly, Wii storms the competition, and numbers no longer matter; only graphics hardware matters.
Sure, Wii has only a few good games come out every so often, but that’s not as terrible as everyone makes it out to be. Super Smash Bros. Brawl will keep my happy for years by itself. Do I REALLY have to buy tons of new games to validate the Wii as a good console?
First Party vs. 3rd Party
I think the more telling thing about this is the problem it will cause when combined with the longstanding idea that the only games that sell on Nintendo systems are first party games. Sure, it may only be 1 game less than 360 and PS3 but of those 3.6 games how many are WiiPlay, Zelda, or Mario (I’m guessing Smash is too early to be counted in those numbers). Other than Guitar Hero III, there isn’t a major 3rd party success. Sure a lot of that is shovelware but with the current cost of creating games, 3rd party companies are going to see themselves at a double disadvantage for releasing on Wii. And that’s gonna hurt consumers.
as a wii owner… the problem stems from a lack of better games than what nintendo themselves have put out so far.
for example: wii bowing is GREAT… but any attempt to improve on the game by third party developers has been HORRIBLE. it makes you burn that nintendo themselves didn’t expand on the the original wii sports games.
it would help if wii could scoop up the hot titles out now… “rock band” and the upcoming “GTA IV”.
no doubt with mario galaxy and smash bros, nintendo is doing fine themselves producing the best games for their own system.
i still think wii is in the right direction… i’ll take originality over button mashing anyday.
Ok, sounds like you want a list of games to play.
I’m convinced that the only reason people aren’t buying more Wii games is ignorance (and extreme satisfaction with what they already have). Here are some favorites that actually gasp take advantage of the controller:
The first Rayman Raving Rabbids was good (and enjoyed especially long life if you wanted to go hardcore on every minigame).
Trauma Center, an addictive but difficult surgery game that uses the wiimote as scalpel, forceps, laser, meds… there’s already a sequel that allows cooperative surgery mode.
Zak and Wiki, a very well-designed adventure/puzzle game that uses the controller with a variety of motion controls to unlock doors, hammer things, open an umbrella, saw, etc.
SSX Blur, a snowboarding game with motion detection and drawing. It’s not as great as classic Tony Hawk, but it was great fun for a while.
Super Mario Galaxy was pure fun (a little on the easy side).
Then there’s more on the horizon:
Okami is finally out. The brush. It’s probably my next buy.
My wife and I have been waiting for Wii Fit for months.
Mario Kart with the driving wheel.
Pro Evolution Soccer is supposed to be pretty neat.
Seriously, read reviews on wii.ign.com or a similar site and you’ll see the fine work that’s already out there.
Buy??? What are you talking about? Two words… Bit. Torrent. 😛
Wii is a Myth...
I will only believe this crap exists the day I see one available to purchase at a store. Until then it is just like Santa
Re: Wii is a Myth...
No kidding! I am not one of those consumers who is going to stand in a line at 1:00am until opening to buy something. I have more important things to do.
Re: Re: Wii is a Myth...
PLUS… the stores offer ZERO security in those lines and people have been robed
Re: Re: Wii is a Myth...
PLUS… the stores offer ZERO security in those lines and people have been robed
Re: Re: Wii is a Myth...
I walked into Target at 10:30 am on a Sunday and picked up a Wii and Super Smash Bros. the same day Smash Bros. came out…
Wait, what's issue here?
The Wii comes with a game, and has only been out a year and a half… the game that comes with it should cover it for its deficiencies last year, and this year isn’t over yet. Where are these crazy numbers coming from?
Statistics
Please don’t read articles that give the average as their only statistic. It is by far one of the most misleading and awful numbers to look at. They are obviously not separating the demographics (hardcore gamer versus casual older person who thinks it’s cool etc.), alternative uses (wii virtual console) and other things that I can’t think of right now.
I personally would’ve enjoyed more numbers to compare and crunch with.
lame
Every game listed so far is either a clone of a previously made game, is a sequel, or an ex-Gamecube game.
It just doesn’t interest me anymore.
Such a powerful and innovative controller design and no one’s bothered to capitalize on it with anything original.
What about an adventure RPG like Oblivion where the nunchuck is a shield and the wii-mote is the sword? Few games (and by few I mean NONE) have ever had the advantage of dual input technology. The Wiimote + attachment is just that! Why wont someone take advantage of this??
The games are just boring to me. I’ve been a gamer since 1985 and this idea of cut-and-paste video game ideas are getting old. SSB:Brawl will hold some people over for a little while, but that would’ve been a success regardless of WHAT system it was on. Wii or no Wii.
Maybe because 70% of the games are for kids under the age of 10. And the majority of the rest of the games are crappy ports of other games.
Maybe if the devs would actually program games for the Wii that were enjoyable, ppl would buy them.
Come on, there are very few fighting games for the Wii, develop them and they will be sold!
It’s pretty rare to see techdirt fall for a fud article like this. The source used for the numbers is VG Chartz, an unreliable fansite, not an actual merchandise tracking organization like the NPD. According to real sales numbers from the NPD, Smash Bros sold 2.7 million in the US in March, while according to VG Chartz’s guesswork, it’s much lower.
The lifetime attach rate for Wii (3.5) is pretty close to the PS3 (3.8) and this count doesn’t include Wii Sports, which comes bundled with the Wii. The Xbox 360, which has been out a year more, has a much higher attach rate of 7.5, however, in December and now in March, the Wii has generated more software revenue than the Xbox 360, so the tide is turning on that too.
So basically, a NYT writer wrote a FUD article using an unreliable source for numbers. One more example that being a big news organization doesn’t mean anything when it comes to reliability.
(Source for numbers used)
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=18291
Agreed, it's FUD
Wii owner here, I own 11 games and 7 VC downloads so far. I would have at least 6 more but I can’t afford them right now…
The whole story is this: a lot of people are buying the Wii for Wii Sports. The casual market that it’s been so successful with are far less likely to go and drop $50 on a new game than the hardcore players. They are also not getting bored as quickly as people who’ve seen the games in Wii Sports before many times.
None of this matters for a few reasons. First, Nintendo are making money regardless. Unlike MS and Sony, their business model does not depend on selling games so they can concentrate on making 1st party titles as great as possible (look at how many times SSBB was delayed. Was it worth it? Yes).
The only problem thus far is the attitude of 3rd party developers. Many developers push head on into HD gaming and missed out on the Wii market. They bet on the wrong horse, numbers-wise. Some are trying to backtrack as quickly as possible, taking the quick route of porting PS2/GC games. This will work for a while but the market is demanding quality.
As this gen continues, developers will use the controls in much more imagininative and interesting ways, driving sales (look at the number of quality games available this year compared to last April – massive improvements) Then, when sales start to dip the Wii 2 will surface, selling to those of us who love the Wii but desire HD.
All else is FUD. Different markets, different numbers, different playfield.
And a copy of Crysis.
This just means they finally made a decent game for a change.
People will buy others.
RE: FUD & Ima Fish
It doesn’t take a math genius to realize that if every Wii owner buys one less game then their competition that it really does have a huge financial impact.
20 million owners x $50 is a HUGE financial difference.
So before you go shouting FUD do a little math.
A game is not worth $50-$60 to me...
The games are too expensive. What Nintendo failed to take into account when “waking up” a generation that was raised on Atari, Nintendo and Sega is that we are used to spending $25-$30 on a game. Games are now double that and it just doesn’t seem worth it to me, especially when most of them are children’s games or harder-to-control ports from other systems.
For example, if I play a Star Wars game on Wii, I want to actually control the light saber on the whole game, not just on one small added part. I want the Wiimote to be a baseball bat, a hockey stick, etc., etc. I don’t want it to go through a standard animation when I “swing” it.
So basically, it boils down to this: if you are going to make a system with a super cool controller, how about actually making 2 games that use the controller properly?
WII Games NOT
There are few exceptions for spending $50 on a WII game. Most are not worth the price. Zelda is almost worth it but not quit. Having rented several games for the WII I can’t even justify the $50 price tag for these games and most are priced as such.
And, maybe another reason people are not buying these WII games is because they are buying the older console games through the WII console store.
Does this fit into the equation?
Only 4.7?
Well I don’t have a Wii, don’t plan on buying one, know only one guy who owns one.. and ya I find the so-called problem BS.
Now out of the 8 or so guys I know that have a 360… I would say the average games owned is 7 or so. I have 8 currently but have owned 20? since release, but I tend to trade in 2 or 3 to get the latest games.
Xbox Live is where its at!!
grow up nintendo
honestly they need to give up this whole kids are innocent BS.
They need to add real online play (not friend codes up the asshole) and more shooter games and GTA.
Want to protect kids from obscene language? add a parental control that blocks online play or cripples it like the current system. But for the rest of us, make a normal online system….
Why did the not put GTA in this console and also no Rock Band when these are obviously popular selling games?
if they would have the ****ing thing when i have the money to buy it. Maybe there problem is they just dont have the production to bring up to the demand so Gamers such as myself would be able to buy it when we got the money (i dont know any gamer that…errr…saves, maybe im wrong) I think alot of this fact is the fact that they just cant make enough.
And Virtual Console?
I want to know if the games sold via Virtual Console show up in these ‘reports.’ Same for the Xbox Marketplace or the PS Network.
I think that the VC would be an especially big area for a lot of Wii owners, many of which I would guess are previous game owners and literally had to change their pants five times when they found out their old games could be had on a new, working system.
Great for the family, Hardcore gamers need not apply
I got a wii for Christmas and it has been great!
Wii Sports is one we still play all the time. We even bought extra chuck and remotes for the whole family (more $$ for Nintendo). With wii sports and Smooth Moves it was the first time I had ever played a video game with my Mom, my wife and my daughter. My Mom even bowled with us.
Zelda was good for family entertainment (the nunchuck for the shield and the remote for the sword). We had a great time finishing it with everybody helping out with the puzzles and where to explore. Only a few scary things but not like most of the FPS games I have to close the door to the office when I play.
For those who want something ‘different’ try Smooth Moves (based on the DS game Touched). A bit hokey at times but a great use of different interactions with the Remote, I was bummed when I finished it.
I have been gaming since the C64, NES and Doom. I have found that new FPS are all just rehashes of the previous version just with better graphics (but I still enjoy them). Only Quake and Decent were truly ‘new’ in that respect. Many of the 8-bit games are just as entertaining to play even without all the graphics- Spear of Destiny anybody?
I personally don’t like online gaming except with a few choice people. I am not a big fan of playing against strangers since I have yet to find a filter that works well to shield me from rude people and jerks.
For many years I was disappointed about the lack of new ways to interact with games until I saw some games for the DS (Touched, Dogs, Big Brain Academy).
I see wii as a whole new idea in ‘natural’ interaction with technology. Face it: a keyboard/mouse/controller are not physically intuitive ways to control complex motion on a screen to most people (the way some people drive a steering wheel isn’t intuitive either).
That said I haven’t bought many games for the wii maily because most don’t look like the really use the motion based interaction to its full potential. If I want to play a ‘standard interaction’ game I have a pc, a PS2 and a Xbox, not to mention a bunch of board games.
Sorry, at the end of the day grammar takes a back seat to spastic ramblings.
Forgot my count
I bought 4 games, a nunchuck and 2 extra controllers (not including the included Sports)
Zelda -twilight princess
Mario world
Smooth Moves
wii Play (combo with extra controller)
All have been worth the money. Looking forward to wii Fit.
Re: Forgot my count
Don’t forget the host of ‘old school’ games available for purchase from the online wii store
Again, a blog that seems "surprising" given the facts are out.
I’m a Wii owner and I must attest I am very, very disappointed in my purchase. I purchased it from someone who was going to give it as a gift, but the receiver didn’t want it.
Since my purchase, I’ve played one game from beginning to end: Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.
Why only this game? Because the rest suck so bad, they’re worthless to play. But before people fire back at saying “But Twin, there’s so many good games for it!”, let me explain.
I’ve been a gamer since the ol’ 2600 days and I’ve watched as games “matured” with great graphics and increasing abilities. However, the core game itself hasn’t really changed much.
For example: The Legend of Zelda series. From its inception, this game’s “formula” was to travel and seek items to gain access to other areas of the game. When Ocarina of Time was released, it was garnered with tons of awards.
But what people failed to realize is the game was released for a console that was dead before the first one was sold. The N64 only supported ~400 games in its entire library, the worst of any console to date.
When Nintendo finally “learned” of its mistake, they decided to follow up with the GameCube, which turned out to be a developer’s dream, but a consumer nightmare. Thus, it garnered the nickname “kiddy console”. Sales for Nintendo plummeted as developers strayed away from the console. If it wasn’t for Nintendo’s handheld division, they would have gone the way of SEGA.
Enter the Wii, Nintendo’s “100+ million console seller” per Reggie Fils Aime. Sure, the hardware’s flying off the shelves per casual gamers, but did anyone here expect these casual gamers to actually purchase the latest Metroid Prime game?
This is the fallback of the Wii, and developers are once again straying from this console. Much like the handheld division, developers simply port PS2 games, or worse, create overnight crappy “mini game” collections to appeal to the “casual” gamer. These aren’t selling either.
Casual gamers don’t buy games. This is been a known fact since the 2600 days. If it’s not free, forget trying to appeal to them.
Thus, all the hype for the Wii is now overshadowed by the fact its owners are pretty pissed there aren’t many titles for it. For those that say “OMG! But there’s Smash and Party and Kart and Galaxy! Dude, you don’t know crap!”, let me ask you this: When has a Nintendo title ever not sold well?
Come on, think! I know you can do it. Okay, now that you’ve played all your Nintendo titles, go play Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles. Having fun yet?
Or, why don’t you go and play the rehashed games you’ve already played on the PS2, such as Okami, Prince of Persia, or Resident Evil 4.
The Wii has placed itself into a fantastic position to allow developers to begin changing the base core of games since the 2600 days. Instead, they waste the opportunity by catering to the controller, and not the game. Even the new Harry Potter game focuses more on controller use than actually finding inventive ways to play the game.
And this is where the Wii will sit because developers aren’t going to spend the big bucks on a game system specifically developed for casual gamers who are known by the industry not to buy games.
So this blog shouldn’t be any shock to anyone. Just because some of the readers own more than the average amount of games doesn’t mean it’s successful, especially when one looks at the number of consoles sold versus the titles sold to support it.
Yikes. I feel like, once again, my investment has been lost.
Luckily, though, I generally have 2 consoles which is the only way I can “game”. Nothing’s worse than watching a game you want to play developed for a console you don’t own.
Nintendo, you’re screwing up. Again.
PS: If you’re a Wii owner and haven’t played Metroid Prime 3, shame on you! Retro Studios has, beyond any doubt, showed how the Wii remote can be utilized successfully without making it the primary focus of the game itself. Rent it. You won’t be sorry.
PS#2: Reggie, if you read this site, you had best start keeping your “promises” of “developer friendliness” because I’ve yet to see it. And, as the blog points out, neither has anyone else.
Lame
We have had a Wii for a good while – and have bought lots of games. Wii Sports is great. A lot of the other games – well frankly their lame. Super Smash Brothers uses none of the features of the Wii – it has just adopted to the new controls – otherwise its still joystick and buttons to play the game. The games that use the Wii controllers are FUN! The games that dont use the Wii controllers are yawn.
buying games for the Wii
We just got our Wii and we bought a whole bunch of games that very week, making out “investment” much larger.
We won’t be buying more games anytime soon for 3 very good reasons.
1 – The games themselves that we bought are VERY VERY good and have a lot of replay value
2 – The games that interest us are pricier so we may decide to rent them first
3 – A lot of the titles we’re holding out on aren’t released until later this year.
All in all, while I haven’t purchased as many Wii games as I did when buying other consoles, my household is certainly ahead of the curve anyway
Wii Games are for kids.
I’d buy more Wii games if every single one didn’t suck.
I own all three systems and was excited about the Wii when it first came out, besides the great first party exclusives and a few third party games (no more heroes, resident evil 4) there really isn’t much out there that interests me on this system. After playing Mario Kart Wii and Super Smash Bros. Brawl hundreds of times all summmer my Wii has been collecting dust. It’s too bad, I love Nintendo games but I just don’t see the system as a true “next-gen” console. I mean do you really think a hardcore gamer is going to choose Wii music or Wii Fit when there are games like Gears of War 2 and Resistance 2 out there on superior systems.
Ihave a Wii and 360 and while I like some Wii games it doesn’t get near the play my 360 does. If I want people to get involved with a game I just break out Rock Band.
Games owned for 360 – – 23
Games owned for Wii – – 4
New Wii U game in November
I see they are going to bring out another Donkey Kong game later in the year. It is Donkey Kong country: Tropical Freeze.
They have added another character called Dixie Kong, who I think is Donkey Kongs niece maybe??? Not 100% sure. Just reading the rumour mill as usual. But could be one to try out on your Wii U. Can’t go too far wrong with the Donkey Kong games for a bit of fun.