Ok sure, anyone who has seen my post knows I don't like the Wii but, it's for a reason. It's because the Wii really is worse than previous consoles Nintendo has made and it really can't compete on the same level as the other consoles. What's worse that Nintendo isn't even trying to compete but, instead opened what some see as a goldmine for Nintendo and what I see as a Pandora's Box to gaming.
Let me start with what Nintendo did in the past to make the Wii such a disappointment. I think most of us can agree that NES andSNES were the saviors of console gaming back in the day and Genesis was the SNES's only real competition. There weren't many gaming options back then but, Nintendo did raise a lot of bars back then. Even when they ventured into the 3D with the N64, they still had games such Banjo, Pokemon Stadium, Zelda OoT and MM, the highly praised Mario 64. Things were great but, Sony had brought their own game console to the table that really rivaled the N64. Some would even say it was better.
Where am I going with this? Well hold on because case I have more to say. You see, Nintendo had their fair share of innovations even then. Sadly, most of them didn't work well. Hey You Pikachu tried to give players the ability to actually talk to Pikachu but, the end result was pretty poor. I'm sure most of you know of the failure that was Virtua Boy as well but it wasn't all bad. Pokemon Snap gave players the chance to make pictures using snapshots they got in the game. Back in day, you could even get the pictures converted into real live stickers. I guess what I'm saying is that Nintendo has tried to innovate games before but, really only had little to general success unlike the massively successful Wii.
Still don't get it? Well that's because there's more. Years went by and Nintendo released Gamecube and GBA and things were still ok but, Nintendo was no longer the only gaming giant. MS entered the picture introducing their massively popular Halo series which basically sold their system. Sony was also working on an innovated yet ultimately pointless gimmick called EyeToy, the Natal of the last generation. It failed just like Sixaxis really didn't catch on for PS3 so really, it was nothing.
Nintendo had their own innovations atthe time however. The DK Bongos andGBA motion sensor were just a few of the things Nintendo did to change gaming but, still didn't spark with the masses in the same sense as the Wii. Only a few games even used those features and they were argueably bad even for their time. Really, Jungle Beatis the only thing I truly remeber from the GC age as far as GOOD innovative games. Everything else during that entire generation from all consoles were pretty standard in end. I mean having a dance pad in your own home really isn't that big a deal.
So what is wrong with Nintendo? They seem ok even now right? Well if the sudden drought in Nintendo franchises like Kirby, Starfox, and DK haven't flashed any signals in decline, my upcoming points might. As the current generation we're in now came along, Sony began to brag about their system and MS releases the 360 with the RROD putting fright to the hearts of many consumers. Things were weird back then and the fact that Nintendo offered to go "new gen" rather than "next gen" was even stranger.
Then Nintendo revealed what has become the biggest gaming craze yet, the Wii. The promises of games the whole family can love and people swinging Wiimotes around caught on amazingly well. PS3 games like Eye of Judgement offered innovation but, simply vanished as the Wii and its motion controls conquered the other consoles.....in sales.
Ok sure, the Wii has its fair share of good titles. Games like Galaxy, Zelda, Smash Bros., and Metroid have graced the system though honestly, I'm not to crazy for those games myself. What really annoys me is that not only is the Wii selling off of a family friendly gimmick that was really just released at the right time but, the selection of games for the system along with its price is what helps it sell. That's good for Nintendo but, really, this bad news for gamers becausesome of the best selling Wii games have been Wii Fit and Wii Play.
Catching on now? No? Let me explain. Now I don't know about you but, Wii Fit, Wii Play, We Ski, My Sims, and all those other family friendly games aren't really real games to me. Anyone can play them and as many have said before, casual gamers are the Wii's main targets. You see the Wii isn't selling as a game console persay. I know some of you are going to freak when I say this but, the Wii seems to be selling more as a toy than a game console in the same sense as the hula-hoop craze or any other popular fad though if Wii is a fad, it's a pretty long one.
Remember when I said Nintendo opened a Pandora's Box. This is what I meant. Wii isn't a fad, it's a trend and apretty strong one at that. Notice that MS and Sony are trying to copy Nintendo to cash in on the new trend. A trend so popular that it could change gaming but, is this change a good thing? Well to me, the Wii trend is scary beyond belief mainly because Nintendo proved that you just barely need to improve anything to make money. Just appeal to the masses and watch the money roll. MS and Sony want some of that money too so expect them to start cutting corners too.
"Cutting corners? Sonic the Megaman, you silly fanboy, Nintendo isn't cutting corners". Well in both hardware and software they kinda are. Let me explain. It's obvious that the Wii has the weakest technology but, it's severely lacking in many aspects. For example, you can't download demos with the Wii and DS downloads must be made via the Wii and have distrubution datelines. What this means is that if you want to try a game, you need to rent it or just buy it and be disappointed. PS3/360 allow for demo dowmloads so when inFamous came out, all you need to do was download the demo and decide if it's worth $60.
Let's not forget that the Wii is the only system that has online play heavily reliant on friend codes. That's just flat out annoying. It can't play movies which is something even PS2 could do and simply just isn't pushing any technical boundaries. The Wii's graphics are just a result of this but, it gets worse. Wii gets what can easily be considered the worst version of a multiplat almost everytime. Sometimes games that would multiplat with Big N consoles in the past like SC2 for GC skip right over the Wii. Instead of SC4, Wii gets SCL, a game that I consider to be flat out embarrasing in the same senseas Death by Degrees.
Oh, and have you noticed the vast amount of re-releases on the Wii. Pikmin, Mario Tennis, Klonoa, Okami, RE4, and even Jungle Beat only without the bongos. There is even a Phatom Brave re-release along with the Metroid Prime trilogy which is just a Wii game you've played before and two GC games you've played before. For a "new gen" system, Nintendo is green-lighting a lot of old games. It's like many gamers have said before, "It's a GC with motion controls."
Well PS3 and 360 aren't that much better right? Well that's hard to say because the Wii appeals mainly to a totally different crowd. However, the increase in family friendly games and amazing price drop of the 360 has seen some increase in sales. Now I may not be looking at any sales chart when I say this but, I think the appeal the Wii has is what MS is trying to copy and it seems to have increased sales. Not to mention it's cheap now and the 360 apparently doesn't need all the bells and whistles to sell. The PS3 is struggling yet the most "fun for the family" is probably Buzz! the Quiz game.
See what the problem is? Sure, casual gaming isn't bad but, it's what is selling and online play, HD graphics, and tons of horse power mean nothing. Wouldn't be a so bad if the Wii was at least better than the GC but, it isn't and it's easily worse than N64 and SNES in terms of quality hardcore games. What's gonna happen if Sony and MS follow in Big N's footsteps? What reason will companies have to improve on systems if Nintendo can earn tons of cash with what's pretty much a last generation system?
Be honest, you can't compare Wii to Ps3/360 because Nintendo has a totally different goal in mind, making money. Sure that's every companies' goal but, Nintendo has "sold out" so to speak in terms of giving up on stronger technology to start a rabid new craze that earns they big bucks. Sure, a lot of you will disagree or like the Wii more and that's fine. I don't blame. This really just my opnion anyway. I just wanted SW forum to know what I thought of the Wii and maybe give people an idea of why I dislike the Wii so much. I spent an hour writing this so hopefully we can start and nice, long, healthy dicussion in this topic.
I apologize for any who were offended or any spelling errors. I thank you for your patience if you took the time to read this loooooong OP:D
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