My Take On The Negativity Surrounding The Wii

On Nov. '06 Nintendo realesed the Nintendo Wii. Two generations before this launch Nintendo had hit very hard times. They lost several key 2nd parties such as Rare and Factor 5. The N64 had the best games to offer that generation but failed to suceed because of the uber-rookie PlayStation. After that, the GameCube was thought to be Nintendo's comeback but ended up becoming their greatest mistake. It lost almost all 3rd party support and was labled as a "kiddy system" despite games such as Metroid Prime 1 & 2 and Eternal Darkness. It was the end for Nintendo. If the Wii , their last shot, failed they would become the new SEGA or worst yet....shut down forever. But due to mass marketing and customer curiousity and satisfaction, the Wii became an overnight success. It was so successful that it not only passed NES sales but it made 3rd parties apologize to Nintendo for their actions towords the GameCube. However, even though Ninty got it right with the mass appeal or "casuals" most of their loyal fans fired off at the company for not supporting the "core gamer" and not being "advanced" liked the HD Twins. I've observed these complaints for years now and I believe these complaints are not only abundant and annoying but baseless. My job today is to debunk and [possibly] destroy these complaints.

Now let's start with the most common one:

Complaint #1: Sub-Par Graphics:
So far in the history of gaming no GRAPHICALLY SUPERIOR system has ever dominated the industry. That system (or enhancer) has either come in 2nd place, dead last, or landed in oblivion never to be seen again. Want proof? Here it is:

- The Intellivision and the ColecoVision were better than the Atari 2600 in terms of graphics but could not manage to top the giant that was the 2600.
- The SEGA Master System was slightly superior than its competitor the NES but could not beat the powerhouse due to a severe lack of 3rd Party support. This also applies to the 32X and SEGA CD vs. SNES.
- The Atari Lynx,SEGA Game Gear & Nomad,Game.com,Gizmondo,PSP, and a whole lotta other handhelds could not kill the GameBoy line or the DS line due to uncomfortable designs, horrible screens (Even though they soooo advanced), equally horrible battery life, facepalm worthy games, lack of support, high prices, and possible over-saturation.
- The N64 & GameCube were technologically superior than their competitors [the PS1 & 2, Xbox, DreamCast, Saturn] they both failed to win top spot due to: (again) bad 3rd Party support, confusing contoller layout, & limitaions of storage (Cartratiges vs. CDs; MiniDVDs vs. DVDs).
- The Xbox 360 and PS3 is failing to top the underdog behemoth that is the Wii due to: high prices (at one point) & mature demographic (Specifically the online community and games).


Complaint #2: Rehashes, Ports,Shovelware, and Unoriginality:
Now I know the Wii gets alot of these 3 things but that doesn't mean that all of them are bad (with the exception of shovelware). Resident Evil 4 got a reasonable scoreand so did lots of other ports such as Metroid Prime Trilogy. And even if they are a lazy approch, they were still worth every penny. Another thing that I find weird, If NSMBWii is a "rehash" of the DS Original wouldn't Uncharted 2, Left 4 Dead 2, and any other sequal released last year or maybe this year be considered "rehashes". Isn't Uncharted 2 just like Tomb Raider or Indiana Jones? Isn't Left 4 Dead an American Resident Evil? Wouldn't Bayoneta be a sexier DMC? Isn't Guitar Hero and Rock Band DanceDanceRevolutions just without J-Pop songs? As for shovelware, it's everywhere. You cannot avoid it. There was shovelware in the beggining and it is now. So don't act like it's some new thing that just started to appear on Nov. '06. The PS2 had loads of shovelware but no one (as far as I know) started flame wars about it. Now as for Nintendo being unoriginal just think about this: Natal is a rip-off of the EyeToy. The SonyMove is just like they WiiMote. PlayStation Home is a console version of Second Life and 1 vs. 100 on XBL is based off of a canceled primetime TV game show that used to air on NBC: Home of the now-defunct "Jay Leno Show".

Complaint #3: No Surround Sound???
Actually, believe it or not the Wii has Surround Sound cabibilities. The Wii uses Dobly Pro Logic II (the same output that the GameCube and PS2 used). According to Wikipedia:"Dolby Pro Logic is a surround sound processing technology developed by Dolby Laboratories, designed to decode soundtracks encoded with Dolby Surround." In translation, it's an emulator for surround sound.

Complaint #4: Nintendo Abandons The Hardcore?!
IMO there is no such thing as "hardcore" [for gaming]. The "hardcore" of today IMO is comprised of nothing but a bunch of whiny little babies who complain and have fits when they don't get their way. They are exccesively jealous of other people's fortunes and try to crap all over that persons parade as much as possible. Not to mention they contradict themselves in everyway possible and have the personality of a hamster with extreme ADHD. Nintendo didn't REALLY abondon the "hardcore" as everyone says. They just slightly drifted away. The "hardcore" I'm refering to are the abandoners. These are the ex-fans (At least that's what they call themselves). They probablly moved on to better pastures and when they heard that their former homeland was making a comeback they scoffed and were eventually proven wrong. Thus starting a massive, endless flame war. If Ninty really abandoned the "hardcore" then epic games such as Super Mario 64, Ocarina In Time, Metroid Prime 1-3, Eternal Darkness, F-Zero GX, Twilight Princess, MarioKart Wii, NSMBWii and upcoming games like the new Zelda Wii, Pikmin 3, Other M, Sin & Punishment 2 (Which success may determine if other JP Only games come to the States.), & Galaxy 2. So yeah, they REALLY forgot about who matters.:roll:

Complaint #5: Bad Online

Nintendo's online service is now where near as good as PSN or the mega-popular XBL. But if you've played MarioKart Wii online you can tell Ninty is starting to get the idea. So far I've experienced no lags. I've been disconnected before but it was quite rare. And it has been confirmed that Netflix will be on the Wii.http://www.netflix.com/NRDInfo/Wii.

So this concludes my epic rant. Feel free to PM me.

Dude, they did fine with Gamecube, it was still a very profitable system for Nintendo.

That's to much to read at this time of day.

All in all I think the Wii is garbage and a punch in the gut to long time fans of Nintendo such as myself. Yeah they got some good titles out there, but come on with the times Nintendo and step up with the Next Gen like you use to. I don't like the fact they took the Gamecube and slimmed it down and changed the controller to a Wii mote, is what they basically did. It worked this time around, but there are only so many chambers in a gun when your playing Russian roulette. If they try that gimmicky crap next time around, well they lost me as a costumer.

That's to much to read at this time of day.

All in all I think the Wii is garbage and a punch in the gut to long time fans of Nintendo such as myself. Yeah they got some good titles out there, but come on with the times Nintendo and step up with the Next Gen like you use to. I don't like the fact they took the Gamecube and slimmed it down and changed the controller to a Wii mote, is what they basically did. It worked this time around, but there are only so many chambers in a gun when your playing Russian roulette. If they try that gimmicky crap next time around, well they lost me as a costumer.

ItsBriskBaby

man you got to understand games dont revolve around us on this thread the so called"hardcore"every company is doing this so they must lost you as a customer 2?

Good points.

angers me that such a worthy post doesnt get as much as something like a graphics comparison thread

Who really cares about negativity. Nintendo doesn't. Otherwise we would have already seen the Nintendo of old.

Nintendo is happy rolling around in the money that we all gave to them. Just because we all had a fun day playing wii bowling at a friends house we all went out and impulse bought.. in hope that they would release the top quality games they used to. In the end, playing games in a new way, just isn't for me.

Now, they've ruined everything for everyone. Games are never gonna be how they used to. Instead of playing beautifully played out stories and exciting gameplay, game companies are gonna take the easy way out. You'll see...You'll all see.

I don't like Essay posts nor do I ever read them but I was bored and I read your Essay.

and I have one thing to say.

The Virtual Console.

That's "Hardcore".

I don't get it why people don't think the Wii isn't Hardcore when games like Ninja Gaiden, Castlevania, Megaman, Contra, Gun Star Heros, Metal Slug, Zelda, Metroid, F-Zero, Star Fox, etc are on the Wii's Virtual Console.

I mean those games are pretty "Hardcore" IMO.

It is so simple, SO simple...

For the first time EVER, the console that has sold the most has the least amount of AA and AAA games. That has never happened, ever, before this generation.

That's it, that's all. That's the major reason for the negativity towards the Wii. The fact that it sells the most by far yet has the least impressive library.

That's all.

It is so simple, SO simple...

For the first time EVER, the console that has sold the most has the least amount of AA and AAA games. That has never happened, ever, before this generation.

That's it, that's all. That's the major reason for the negativity towards the Wii. The fact that it sells the most by far yet has the least impressive library.

That's all.

RuprechtMonkey

It is so simple, SO simple...

For the first time EVER, the console that has sold the most has the least amount of AA and AAA games. That has never happened, ever, before this generation.

RuprechtMonkey

I just don't but it. There are lots of Wii games that get AAA and AA scores. But far fewer that get consistant AA or AAA scores. When you look at different publications/sites list of top 20 Wii games below the top few you get a wide range of views.

Some suggest this shows bias against the Wii. But I reckon this is the ways reviews should be. It's the mainstream game reviews on the HD systems that I suspect of bias.

Anyone who believes that Nintendo purposefully went against their "hardcore" fans is kidding themselves and not looking at the bigger picture. The consumer market is constantly shifting, and Nintendo saw that the gaming audience was moving to an older demographic, which naturally would shrink over time. Nintendo decided to craft their console to appeal to a large audience, so they might be able to generate more interest in gaming.

Nintendo, despite having great profitability from Wii Sports, Wii Fit, and other less -game-like experience, is crafting more core games, from Zelda, from Metroid, from Mario, etc.

So many of "Nintendo's hardcore fans" and "Core gamers" seem to be upset that Nintendo has offered to bring in younger children, mothers, grandparents and other consumers outside the male 13-35 age range into their exclusive club.

That's to much to read at this time of day.

All in all I think the Wii is garbage and a punch in the gut to long time fans of Nintendo such as myself. Yeah they got some good titles out there, but come on with the times Nintendo and step up with the Next Gen like you use to. I don't like the fact they took the Gamecube and slimmed it down and changed the controller to a Wii mote, is what they basically did. It worked this time around, but there are only so many chambers in a gun when your playing Russian roulette. If they try that gimmicky crap next time around, well they lost me as a costumer.

ItsBriskBaby

As an old school nintendo fan, I feel like I got punched in the gut when no next gen console like the PS3 or 360 would put out a classic style game that feels like the yesteryears of the 90's or 80's and only focuses on big budget blockbuster movie games.

And I don't like the fact that they took a PS2, made it 5 times it's original size, and added a bluray player. It's basically what they did.

It's somewhat odd that you separated out Sega Genesis vs. SNES into Master System vs. NES and Sega CD vs. SNES. While it's true that those systems did technically compete with each other, the fact of the matter is that the Genesis began making inroads just as the NES began to show its age. But the SNES, which by all means was the more graphically impressive system, ultimately proved the more successful console.

Sega CD was nothing but a failed add-on - more in the vain of Project Natal than anything else. It was always meant to attach to the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive.

So yes, the graphically superior system, the SNES, was more successful than the Genesis.

Putting that aside, it's important to note the real reason why the PS2 won last generation and the PS1 won the generation before that had nothing to do with people wanting the less powerful system. Far from it, in fact; the PS2 was hyped as the most powerful system ever designed, a console which would blur the line between computers and gaming systems, and that is why it defeated the Dreamcast. Much like the PS3, these systems standardized new and larger disc formats, which was appealing to third parties. No one knew anything about Dolphin (Gamecube) or the "X-Box" when the PS2 was released.

So the argument that the most graphically advanced system never wins, I think, is sometimes based on a false premise. Usually the system that wins is the most graphically advanced system on the market at the time of release. In any case, the success of the Wii - a system technically a whole generation behind its HD competitors - is absolutely unprecedented.

The Nintendo Wii was sold on potential. They had hoped the low cost of development and motion controls would garner the same support as the Nintendo DS which became a haven both traditional gaming and innovation. Initially the Wii was written off by gamers and the industry as Nintendo's last hurrah before they go the way of Sega. This mindset has led to developers to hedge their bets on the 360 and PS3 becoming dominant platforms. They were wrong. The Wii dominates and becomes a huge success. Instead of looking at Wii Sports as a blue print for potential gaming ideas, they viewed the Wii audience as idiots ie: casual gamer and tried to exploit Wii's success by releasing cheap minigames compliations also known as shovelware to unsuspecting gamers. It worked well..for a while until the Wii market became saturated with them. This is what damaged the reputation of the Wii.Games such as RE4 (which was a marriage of traditional gaming and innovation) were very successful which showed there was a market for core gaming.When the minigame compilations stopped selling, 3rd parties released"litmus tests"in the form of half hearted games which didnt resonate with the audience. They conclude Wii is only for teh casuals and are now giving up on the platform altogether. The gems are there but they're drowned in the sea of terrible software.The 360 and PS3 are now putting aside power for interface with their own versions of motion controls. If the developers put out great software for these motion controls and succeed, I have no doubt they'll abandon the Wii entirely. Nintendo gets stuck with all the hate and stigma when they are the ones that consistently release quality software.

those are good facts.

Dude, they did fine with Gamecube, it was still a very profitable system for Nintendo.

HotRevolver

They did make a profit off of it. But it only sold 22 mill. units which is small compared to Original Xbox sales and was an amoeba under a microscope compared to the PS2. So it wasn't much of a profit (at least compared to now with the Wii and DS).

Oh and I forgot to mention that I originally posted this on IGN as a response to Matt Cassamina's notorious 'Lazy' article and I realize that I forgot to edit that out. But then again I was tired and didn't notice but it's good to know that people agree with me and thatthe world isn't entirely idiotic.

Don't take system wars seriously. Anyone who can look past the bashing and enjoy any system holds a lot of wisdom.

I pretty much agree with everything you said.

Except the online. The online is pretty bad, when connecting. Once you are on it's good. But it's not even the Wii, it's the companies that make the games.

Such as Modern Warfare Reflex has no loading time when connecting and everything is almost instant. While The Conduit, it takes 5 minutes to connect and enter a game.

there are still more good games tobe had on 360 or ps3. take a look on metacritic and see the ratio of games scoring above 85 to those scoring below on each platform. the wii has many many more games scoring below 85 than the 360 or ps3 whilst having a much smaller catalogue. thats not to say there aren't any good games on the wii. that's not the case at all. it's just that there's a bigger variety of highly rated games on the other platforms which, imo, make them better value

then again, the only way to make sure you experience the majority of the good console games this gen is to own a wii and either a 360 or ps3. however, a lot of people don't feel the number of games worth playing on the wii is worth the financial out lay. which is why core gamers have a negative opinion on it while casual gamers or gamers that have used this generation to start gaming love the wii. because it's straightforward, simple, easy to get to grips with and family friendly. which explains its wild popularity. it's a real shame that the wii hasn't beaten the competition because of the quality of its games

I pretty much agree with everything you said.

Except the online. The online is pretty bad, when connecting. Once you are on it's good. But it's not even the Wii, it's the companies that make the games.

Such as Modern Warfare Reflex has no loading time when connecting and everything is almost instant. While The Conduit, it takes 5 minutes to connect and enter a game.

awssk8er716

Oh Crap guess I forgot to touch up on that. But that's what happens when you're half asleep and typing extremely long posts.