[QUOTE=shy guy]
Zuh? I think the Wii - the single fastest-selling video game console ever, that’s been virtually sold-out since its release a year ago - might have something to say about that. Not that the 360 is doing poorly, of course.
[/QUOTE]
Sorry, I didn’t mean to bash the Wii (I own one), it’s just that I don’t even consider to be in the same category as those at this point. Nintendo has gone in a completely different direction with that console and created a parallel market; I just don’t even think of it as being in competition with the PS3 and 360. It certainly fills a completely different niche in my life, and I think of it as a “side system” to a 360 and even a PS2.
I predict that there will be a backlash against the Wii in the US within the next year or so due to the lack of games and the lack of decent graphics. I think it was a poor choice to use the guts of the GC as the guts of the Wii because it is already showing and the console war has only been on for about a year now.
[/QUOTE]
That’s not going to happen; it’s simply not how video games work.
Popular consoles attract developers who create games which attract more buyers, making the console more popular, which attracts more developers, etc.
That’s how it’s been for the entire history of console gaming; it’s not going to change now.
Also, there are plenty of good Wii games (lots, in fact), and the graphics are more than decent. Only the super-hardcore needs everything to look like Gears of War; the vast, vast majority of people are fine with graphics that aren’t bleeding-edge.
[QUOTE=VCO3]
I ask this because I’m worried that if the 360 is the success over here and the PS3 is the success over there, we’re not going to see all the cool Japanese games that I love in the American market for this generation - Shin Megami Tensei games, Atlus stuff, Nippon Ichi stuff, and all the other unique and weird JRPG’s that I go crazy for.
[/QUOTE]
JRPGs aren’t getting much love from any of the next-gen systems really. Eternal Sonata and Blue Dragon have failed to make inroads on the 360, and early word on Lost Odessey is that it’s no system-seller either. On the other hand, it’s not like there’s much of a JRPG scene on the PS3 yet. Maybe Disgaea 3 and the upcoming Final Fantasy sequels will spur more development next year, but for the time being, it looks like the whole scene has mostly shifted to the handheld market.
[QUOTE=Justin_Bailey]
No More Heroes, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Destroy All Humans! Big Willy Unleashed, Ninja Reflex, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, Mario Kart Wii, Wii Fit, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (with Wiimote duel mode!), Okami, Dragon Quest Swords, Animal Crossing Wii and Spore say hello.
Also, it’s been my experience that the only people that complain about the graphics of the Wii either 1) don’t own one or 2) didn’t buy their Wii themselves.
[/QUOTE]
You can make all the lists of upcoming games that you want for Wii. I can make an equally impressive list for 360 or PS3 (though it is debatable how impressive your list is), but none of that matters until the games come out. So far nearly every game that has released on all 3 consoles gets mediocre to terrible reviews on the Wii. Why? Because the “extra” control features added to these games for the Wii normally make the gameplay WORSE ( go read multiplatform reviews for your cite) so all you are left with is poorer graphics and a virtually non-existant online component. This is on a system that lives or dies on it’s quirky controller.
Like I said, after all the families go out and buy their Wii’s they will spend some time playing Wii sports and Brain Academy or whatever other family fair is on there and then they will collect dust once the novelty of swinging your remote around wears off.
I would like to see some numbers regarding how much SOFTWARE the typical Wii household purchases once they have their Wii. I’ll bet that you will find that most households have Wii Sports and maybe Wii Play, but a suprising number will have 0-1 more Wii games. All the barking is about how many Wii consoles are selling. Lets see how software keeps it afloat in the next 2 years.
(Justin Bailey should change his name to Nintendoman because if you say anything less than flattering about a Nintendo console he comes back like you took a dig at his little sister or something. Not an insult, just an observation)
[QUOTE=Cubsfan]
You can make all the lists of upcoming games that you want for Wii. I can make an equally impressive list for 360 or PS3 (though it is debatable how impressive your list is), but none of that matters until the games come out. So far nearly every game that has released on all 3 consoles gets mediocre to terrible reviews on the Wii. Why? Because the “extra” control features added to these games for the Wii normally make the gameplay WORSE ( go read multiplatform reviews for your cite) so all you are left with is poorer graphics and a virtually non-existant online component. This is on a system that lives or dies on it’s quirky controller.
[/quote]
Comparing multiplatform games between the Wii and the Xbox 360/PS3 is stupid. Because of the Wii’s controls, it deals mostly in exclusive titles and the Wii has a ton of those (and many of them are even well reviewed):
As for bestsellers, I give you these numbers of million sellers on the Wii and PS3 (the Xbox 360 naturally trumps them both because of it’s longer development life). All numbers are from VGChartz.com:
PS3 (in millions)
Resistance: Fall of Man - 1.95
Motorstorm - 1.77
Wii (in millions)
Wii Sports- 13.92
Wii Play - 7.07
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - 3.84
Mario Party 8 - 3.11
Super Mario Galaxy - 2.30
Wario Ware: Smooth Moves - 1.96
Super Paper Mario - 1.71
Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree - 1.22
Rayman Raving Rabbids - 1.15
Red Steel - 1.03
Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition - 1.02
I’m merely trying to point out that you’re holding the Wii to a standard that most Wii owners (who enjoy their purchase) don’t do. You are the anomaly, the rest of the world doesn’t think like you.
[QUOTE=Cubsfan]
all you are left with is poorer graphics and a virtually non-existant online component. This is on a system that lives or dies on it’s quirky controller.
[/QUOTE]
I don’t understand a lot of the Wii criticism. Seriously, when you got your Wii did you imagine that you’d be using it to play Call of Duty 4 in 1080p against your Live buddies? The Wii is a showcase for Nintendo franchises and new gameplay experiences using the “quirky controller.” Clearly that’s not the right choice for all gamers, but it’s obviously something that a lot of people find compelling. I share some of your apprehension that within a year or two, Wii fever will die down and the system will ultimately be the GameCube of its generation instead of the PS2. But to talk about a “backlash” and a Dreamcast-esque failure is ridiculous at this point.
[QUOTE=Autumn Almanac]
Iwhen you got your Wii did you imagine that you’d be using it to play Call of Duty 4 in 1080p against your Live buddies? …
[/QUOTE]
This is really the key point I think. These are different platforms tapping completely different appeal markets. When the Wii is evaluated on its strengths (puzzle games, party games, controller) there is no other system that has the same appeal.
Now, would I ever pick the Wii to be my online CoD deathmatch platform of choice? No, I’m looking at the 360 to fill that desire for me. Would I pick the 360 as my strategy sim or RTS or civilization game builder? No, the PC does that far better. Would I pick the PC as the ultimate party platformer? You see where I’m going with this…no platform dominates all categories.
The coming year for me:
I love my Wii (Smash Bros baby!)
I love my PC (Pirates of the Burning Sea baby!)
I love my 360 (Soul Calibur 4 baby!)
[QUOTE=Cubsfan]
I would like to see some numbers regarding how much SOFTWARE the typical Wii household purchases once they have their Wii. I’ll bet that you will find that most households have Wii Sports and maybe Wii Play, but a suprising number will have 0-1 more Wii games. All the barking is about how many Wii consoles are selling. Lets see how software keeps it afloat in the next 2 years.
[/QUOTE]
In addition to the numbers posted by Justin Bailey, I’ve read but don’t feel like looking up again that the attach rate for the Wii is almost identical to that of the PS3. And that’s with a lot more Wii consoles out there.
Software on the Wii is selling just fine, although it’s being outshine on that front by the 360, which moves an insane amount of software. Still, the myth that the people buying Wiis are a bunch of grandmas who will never touch anything but Wii Sports is just that.
I’m not a console person but I’m sorely tempted to get a Wii mainly because I always enjoyed the Nintendo core franchises when I played them on family members’ consoles when I was younger and because the left-field games coming out for the Wii sound interesting. I’m not really interested in a lot of the games that dominate the PS or Xbox platforms, so comparisons between the systems (as others have said) don’t really seem that relevant.