This is an extremely interesting article I found, and I think it's well worth a read.
I'm gonna be posting some excerpts from it here, but the full article can be found at Gamingbolt.com
Anyway, some excerpts:
The Nintendo Wii is a bit of a conundrum, probably the biggest paradox that has ever existed in the gaming industry. Here you have a console that literally exploded in retail overnight, going on to sell nearly 80 million units in less than four years worldwide- a feat that not even the legendary Playstation 2 managed- but a console that has been plagued with numerous problems pertaining to its software. So many of them, in fact, that it is almost justified to question the almost unstoppable success of the console.
To begin with, the Wii has become notorious for its shovelware- while no one is for a minute denying that there are good games to be found on the system (some of this generation's best games are to be found on Nintendo's little white box, after all), the problem that they are so greatly outnumbered by buggy and glitchy half assed titles that going shopping for Wii games is literally like finding a needle in a haystack.
The problem is further compounded when one considers that quality third party support on the Wii is increasingly becoming a thing of the past. Although we still get gems like No More Heroes 2 and Monster Hunter, most developers and publishers are increasingly washing their hands off the Wii, claiming any kind of success on the console is hard to be had. They do have a point, though: quality third party games on the Wii have, with few exceptions, bombed hard. Add to that the fact that the Wii is considerably weaker than the other current gen consoles and the PC, and one can see why most developers refrain from releasing any of their popular multiplats- like Red Dead- on the console.
The final problem that the Wii faces, of course, is WiWare. It's a great service- in theory. But Nintendo's archaic online policies have been the bane of the service, with WiiWare missing out on so many quality games that it's not even funny. Some ridiculous restrictions- like the 40 MB size cap- have ensured that most indie developers give WiiWare a miss entirely. The few gems that are to be found on the service almost never make their money back, simply because Nintendo cannot be bothered to promote the service, or its titles.
With so many problems to face, ans the competition becoming increasingly competitive- both in price, and in the motion sensing capabilities on offer- the Wii went into 2010 facing its toughest year on the market ever. Was 2010 the year when the Wii finally lost relevance, fading into the background to become the shortest lived mainstream console ever? Or was it the year when against all odds, the little white box gained favor with the fickle hardcore crowd? Read on…GamingBolt
Q4 2010
And at this point, I officially give up.
Q4 2010 can be described using two words as far as the Wii is concerned. One word is Oh. The other is F**k.
Remember how I've been hinting at a 'storm' and 'Nintendo taking charge' all throughout this article? Well, this, buddies, is it- this is when **** hit the fan. This is when Nintendo unleashed the Wii in a bellow of fury at everyone around, bolstered by jaw dropping third party support, to prove, once and for all, that the Wii was relevant, that it was here to stay, and that the competition better watch out.
There are so many games to list out! Beginning with the adorable and fresh new take on a beloved character with Kirby's Epic Yarn, to the return of the undisputed king- I mean Kong- of gaming, with Retro Studios' finely crafted Donkey Kong Country Returns, to the re imaging of one of the most beloved games of all time in Goldeneye 007, to the triumphant return of Sega's mascot in Sonic Colors, the game that finally got Sonic in 3D right, to Warren Spector's finely made yet divisive epic, Epic Mickey, to Treyarch's Call of Duty: Black Ops, which for once represented a third party game not compromised on the Wii, to the surprisingly god party title Wii Party, to the sequel of the dance hit, Just Dance 2, to the return of a much loved SNES ****c in NBA Jam, to Nintendo's blast from the past with Super Mario All Stars, to the third hurrah of star music game series with Rock Band 3…
And even WiiWare got in on the fun. Whether we talk about Bit.Trip Fate, the last entry in the retro rhythm game series that truly was a fitting farewell to the beloved saga, or of Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 1, which was Sega's attempt at taking Sonic back to his roots, the downloadable service was in full form these three months.
I mean, what were they smoking? How can one console see so many worthwhile and un-missable releases in so short a time frame?
If this is where the Wii picks up from in 2011, then well, I'm gonna have to throw my cynic hat away. GamingBolt
There's a reason why so many people proclaim the Wii 'won' 2010- the console was a beastly juggernaut. Just look at that list of software. It's not even half of what the console had to offer. Many worthwhile releases had to be trimmed down from this piece, just because this article was running so long.
2010 is the year when Nintendo took charge- it's the year when they returned to their roots. Even as Microsoft and Sony began to chase after the fickle casual crowds with their own takes on motion control (with, I may add, varying degrees of success), Nintendo finally acknowledged the hardcore gamer, and gave him his due.
2010 was the year when the Wii's library swelled to epic proportions. At this point, anybody who buys a Wii really has no right or reason to complain- there are too many darn games to play on the system!
2010 was the year when third parties game appeared on the Wii, and they actually sold. It was the year when Nintendo ditched the motion control act, and went after the traditional way of gaming. It was the year when the WiiWare service finally came into its own. The year when Nintendo's sales, ironically, slowed down to such an extent that even company head honcho Iwata expressed concerns.
As always, it was a year riddled with contradictions. But, for the first time, it can also well and truly be said that this, this was the year of the Wii.GamingBolt
What do you guys think? Was 2010 truly the year of the Wii? DO you aree with the article?
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