Nintendo have done an amazing job with the DS and Wii. It was only a couple of years ago that there were rumors of Nintendo getting out of the console market, being bought out by another company (Microsoft), or just becoming anther Sega, where they would just focus on creating software. With the DS doing incredibly well, and the Wii coming out of the gates at amazing speeds, some analysts are predicting Nintendo to be second place in the console wars, with a couple being bold enough to say Nintendo will be number one for the first time in over a decade.
I like the Wii, but I do not like the software. Sure, we all thought Zelda was great, but we have to get past that. It was originally designed to be a GameCube game, and Nintendo simply used it to help drive attention to the Wii. Here we stand a couple of months after its release and I can honestly say that the software is pretty bland. The games consist of either mini game compilations, or ports of games that have come out on Playstation 2 or Xbox 360. Even the first party games are compilations (WarioWare, Wii Play, Wii Sports, Mario Party 8 ) or ports (Zelda). The worst part about all of this is the third parties that continuously announce another game that will be ported over to the Wii. Here is a quick rundown, right off the top of my head: Scarface, Godfather, Mortal Kombat, Prince of Persia (PSP port), and Blazing Angels. When these games were announced, the press releases would always make sure to mention that their respective game will "take advantage of the unique capabilities of the Wii".
This is quickly becoming the weak point for the Wii. All we have to do is look at how the PSP turned out. The PSP has been getting a whole bunch of ported games form the PS2, and now the trend seems to be moving toward making remakes of Final Fantasy, but I digress. The problem with these Wii ports is that the games have already been designed, coded, and shipped. All they are doing is using the same game and forcing some control scheme that works with the Wii remote and nunchuk. Then, if that doesn't work for you, you can always use the forbidden funny how they always throw in that line at the very end, just for some assurance that the game will definitely work, in one way or another.
With the PS2's huge installed base, publishers are not hesitating in developing games for it, and simply making a port that runs on Wii. There is very little risk involved, mainly because it is much cheaper than developing for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. It seems like everyone is jumping on the Wii bandwagon, but how long can it last? Will these graphics hold up for much longer? What if all of these Wii ports result in poor quality and negative feedback from those who are buying these games? Will Nintendo step in and once again have to monitor all of the software, the same way they did way back for the NES and SNES? Who knows? Maybe I'm being too cynical on the whole thing.
However, I am still looking for the games that really show me what is so special about the Wii. Games like Wii Sports and Wario Ware just give you an idea of how well the hardware can read your movement, but I want that game that takes it all and puts it into something more full and complete. There are a few games that I'm looking forward to, but just a few. It'll be interesting to see how all this pans out.