Man, this is truly a new low for them. Why has the VC output so drastically reduced? First from 3 games a week to 2, and now down to 1…and still no sign of the much-awaited titles like Earthbound and the Enix games.
When I can actually find a goddamn physical Wii console (sometime next year, maybe) I’ll start worrying about VC stuff…
Yeah, if Nintendo Wii’s are still hard to find then that is idiocy on Nintendo’s part. Ideally you have a very low inventory that turns over quickly, sure. But to have consistent stock outs means many customers are probably turning to other options for gaming than the Wii. I’m really surprised Nintendo hasn’t made more of an effort to increase availability.
After a certain point I think any “buzz” or factor that comes from Wiis consistently being sold out is undermined by people not able to buy them.
FWIW my nephew got one pretty easily by asking a store when they get Wiis in each week and going to that store the hour they opened on that day of the week, you may try that.
Nintendo has to start getting stingy with VC releases at some point or they’re going to run out of good stuff to put up. I’m sure they want to keep the faucet on for the life of the console, or close to it.
Square-Enix has said that they’re not interested in making their games available on VC. Which is really lame. I really want to be able to play Secret of Mana without digging out my SNES. Why is it that the whole Final Fantasy series can get re-released for PSX, GBA, PSP, cell phone, and God knows what else, but Secret of Mana has gotten zero love since 1993? :mad:
I know I could find one if I put some effort into it; I just think it’s ridiculous that I haven’t found one without doing so.
This is America. It’s 2008. For the right price, my every whim should be gratified instantly.
Seriously, though - what other consumer electronics item remained scarce a full year after its release? I shudder to think what’ll happen if I haven’t bumped into one by Christmas.
I have the utmost respect for Nintendo and think they’re a very good company that is culturally relevant and you can’t ever count them out.
With that being said, they’re completely fumbling the ball on Virtual Console, from what I hear. You should be able to have access to any previous Nintendo game at a nominal fee, no questions asked. Any problems therein (not able to get the licensing, other legal crap) notwithstanding.
I don’t have a desire for a Wii, but I wouldn’t mind having one. Not being able to download every frickin’ game I’ve ever had for all the Nintendo consoles I’ve ever owned is completely stupid. If you owned the game, you should be able to download it for free. If you didn’t own it and can’t provide proof of that, then you should pay to get it now (again, at a nominal fee).
I won’t even wade into the “their titles suck” argument, because it’s plain as day that they do. There’s nothing that’s there for Wii that I must have. Until they get that, they’re simply a gimmick. Smash Brothers is highly anticipated and I don’t dislike the game, but it’s got to come out and be successful. I mean VERY successful.
Allow me to clear up all the crap that is littering this thread.
“Reduces Output” are strong words that actually have no place in a discussion of the VC because:
- Nintendo never promised 3 games a week.
- Nintendo has released 1 and 2 games a week previously, so this is not unprecedented.
- The VC still has more titles than the PSN and XBLA combined.
- With WiiWare scheduled to launch on May 12, a rollback of VC titles was expected.
Next, Wii systems are still hard to find because Nintendo has been selling them at a clip that has never been seen in the industry before, ever. It’s ridiculous to say “Nintendo should do something” when they are making (and selling) more consoles than any manufacturer has ever made (and sold) before. It is also easy to find a Wii if you hit the stores early enough on a Sunday morning.
Thirdly, the VC does not have every game Nintendo has ever made because then Wii owners would be overwhelmed with games. By parcelling them out, they can keep the VC relevant for years to come and encourage gamers to try out games they might not get when the back catalog is bursting with titles.
Finally, to say that games on the Wii “suck” is absurd and anyone saying it obviously doesn’t give two shits about playing good games, only about playing fanboy console wars crap.
It’s not really fair to say that they’ve reduced their output to one game a week yet.
For over a year, we had three games a week. Then we had a few weeks of two games a week. So far we’ve only had one week with one game (this week), and this happens to be the same week that a new Wii channel was launched in Japan. Let’s wait and see before we say that we’re only getting one game per week from now on (which would indeed be disappointing).
The Wii is the single fastest selling console in the history of video games. Even Nintendo itself was taken by surprise by how popular the thing is. Nintendo is also a very, very conservative company. It’s not surprising that they’d be wary of dramatically increasing Wii production and potentially ending up with warehouses full of unsold Wiis. Nintendo also hasn’t had to deal with a really popular home console in a long time. The Wii passed the Gamecube’s lifetime sales sometime late last year.
In other words, I can cut Nintendo some slack when the’ve got a product on their hands with unprecedented demand.
I don’t get this at all. Why would Nintendo offer that service? The kindness of their hearts?
Not even close. The Wii has a very good library at the moment.
Why? Are you under the impression that it won’t? Are you under the impression that the Wii isn’t moving software? Because it is. A lot of it.
FWIW, there are over 3,500 Wiis listed on eBay right now. It may not be instant, but it takes a heck of a lot less time than finding out when a store gets a shipment and waiting until then.
Seriously. Take a look at the VGChartz.com sales data on the Wii and PS3 sometime. It’s very interesting.
Oh, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl has already sold almost 1.5 million copies… just in Japan… just in the last month. And I know I have my pre-order already paid in full at Amazon for when it releases this Sunday in the US.
I don’t do eBay unless we’re talking about an item I can’t find at all elsewhere- collectibles and suchlike.
I was an early adopter and I’ve had a lot of bad experiences. Also with PayPal, which I gather limits my options pretty severely.
I’m pretty sure LOUNE was joking, by the way.
It’s not so much fanboyism, because if I am a fanboy, I’d have to say that I’m a Nintendo fanboy. I’ve got every Nintendo console up until Game Cube and I’ve loved their games. I really really want to see Nintendo succeed, but I don’t see that game that I must have yet. I’ve heard that developers have really been excited for the wiimote, but I haven’t seen anything come from that yet. I hope I do. Judging from what’s out there now, their games simply suck. They get that game that I must have, the next day, I’ll be in line getting a Wii and that game.
Yeah, having all the games that Nintendo has ever made in the Virtual Console would be a little bit of overload, but dammit, I don’t care. Put the games in there now and let me get at them. Let me deal with the overload. That’s like saying that there are too many games for a console.
I was mildly joking about getting the games that you’ve paid for in the past, but that certainly would be nice to get those games in the new format at a lesser price if you can prove that you physically have them, much in the same way that it’s not illegal to have a ROM of the game if you physically have the cartridge.
I’m 26. I’m too old for console war bullshit. I just want that game that I’ve dreamed about. That’s all I want.
Additionally, I hope that Smash Brothers sells a ton of copies. It’s sold like mad in Japan, but that doesn’t mean it’ll sell like crazy here (I think it will anyways).
Smash Brothers won’t push me to get a Wii. (Well, maybe it will, but more for my girlfriend.)
I guess I’m just confused then, because I think the Wii has a lot of must have games, a ton of great games and a decent selection of above average stuff.
With Brawl coming this week and Mario Kart Wii coming in April, I can’t think of a better time to own a Wii. And I haven’t even gotten to Mario Galaxy yet because I’ve been so enthralled with Culdcept Saga (an Xbox 360 game, I know).
EDIT:
Super Smash Bros Melee was the best selling game on the GameCube. It would be more of a surprise if SSBB wasn’t a huge seller.
Honestly, Mario Kart will probably be the game to make me get a Wii. I’ve got a gift with that game and my girlfriend and I play Mario Kart on her Super Nintendo every once in a while.
Actually, now that I think about it, that game will definitely make me get her a Wii.
After that, Mario Brothers will be a must-have, and I’ve heard that Galaxy is a pretty solid game as well.
I’m also spending a ton of time with my 360. Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4, specifically.
I for one welcome the focus on new and original games in WiiWare rather than ROM dumps of old games. Now Nintendo, where is my damn storage solution?
For goodness’ sake. I feel like this forum needs a sticky that’s just a list of good Wii games that we can point to everytime someone claims that there isn’t anything worth playing on the console.
Off the top of my head -
Super Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3, Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, No More Heroes, Zelda: Twighlight Princess, Resident Evil 4, Super Paper Mario, Sonic & the Secret Rings, Ghost Squad, and, of course, Wii Sports.
And that’s on a system less than a year and a half old.
You may not find a single title on the Wii that appeals to you, but its library absolutely does not suck.
Hell yeah! Ghost Squad is awesome and House of the Dead 2 & 3 drops next week. If only I can tear myself away from SSBB long enough to get to the store.
If Halo and Call of Duty are your idea of games that don’t “simply suck,” then you may as well resign yourself to not enjoying what the Wii has to offer. And there’s nothing wrong with that! I don’t like FPS games and WRPGs, so the 360 doesn’t have much to offer me personally. I can still acknowledge that the system has a lot of great games even though they may not be my style.
“Suck” is subjective. I say they suck from what I’ve heard. I’ve played on a Wii (with Wii Sports). I’m not drinking the Kool-Aid. Again, I’ll be getting a Wii for Mario Kart.