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Something for everyone, though we hope there's a lot more Wii to come...
The three weeks since Nintendo's vision of the future first made an appearance in North America may have seemed like an eternity for loyal Nintendo fanatics on this side of the Atlantic, but finally the wait is over, the queues can move, as Wii makes its European debut.
Having suffered an uncharacteristic pasting in the last generation, Nintendo was widely considered to have lost the fight for second place, not because of the number of GameCube's they managed to shift (roughly around the same as Xbox), but largely because of an image problem amongst the changing demographics of the videogames market. A resurgent Nintendo promised a revolution in the subsequent years, returning to what it does best: innovating and surprising.
Amidst talks of takeovers and calls to 'do a SEGA' as the GameCube struggled to reach the half-way mark, a defiant Nintendo made the first suggestions of its future direction as far back as 2003, with Satoru Iwata prophesising, "Consumers today apparently don't want to sit in front of the television to play games for hours and hours".
Recognising audiences that typically wouldn't know their analogue sticks from a d-pad as a means to expanding a stagnant market and being key to success in the long term plan, Nintendo's executives talked at lengths about Blue Ocean strategies, disruptive technologies and other such marketing babble in the years running up to the launch of the Wii. Much of this flew over the head of many Nintendo followers at the time and raised one or two eyebrows in light of tech-demos and specifications, but the signs were apparent of the changes in store.
"It is the game experience that will most separate the Revolution from its competitors."
"The key here is not what you are playing but how you are playing."
"We expect the Revolution will create entirely new genres to expand the definition of video games." - Satoru Iwata
Of course, all of the proclamations and hyperbole might have been treated with a great(er) deal of scepticism if it hadn't been for the success of the Nintendo DS. Doomed to failure before the handheld bout against Sony's technically superior and more image conscious PSP had even begun, Nintendo's subsequent success has proven a number of things, most notably, never underestimate Nintendo. With the success of Brain Training and the Touch! Generations label breaking through Japan and seeping into the rest of the world, attracting an audience of female gamers and over-45s according to recent research, it's now a little harder to be too cautious of Nintendo's vision behind Wii.
With the objective to make videogames for the entire family to enjoy, Nintendo faces the hardest task it's probably had to face: attracting a new audience with fun, appealing games, but at the same time retaining a fanbase that demands much from Mario, Link, and Pikachu.
Masters of Miniaturisation, Channel Surfing and Mii...
Despite seeing Wii on numerous occasions since its unveiling at E3'05, the diminutive size is still the first striking aspect once you've unpacked it from the neatly organised box. Measuring just 44mm by 157mm by 215mm, Wii represents the 'new' Nintendo, one that has ditched peculiarity, replacing quirky handles and strange storage mediums, with a unit that wouldn't look out of place in the most style conscious home entertainment setup.
The admiration between Nintendo and Apple has been plain to see during the last few years, something that is immediately evident throughout the design of the console and the interface. Sleek, defined lines; the clinical white finish; a stand that does little but to elevate its style status; the disc-loading mechanism - Nintendo's suddenly the cool kid in town.
The slick Channel interface is markedly different to anything we've seen from Nintendo in the past, but at the same time, there's a constant reminder that you're playing with a Nintendo system. Chirpy synthesised tunes, typically Nintendo fonts and cursors, doodling and playing jigsaw with your photo collection; it's all unmistakably Nintendo's take on a unit that offers more then videogames, but at the same time reminds you that playing is the real reason you're there.
Expanding upon Microsoft's vision of Gamer Profiles, Wii's Mii is unmistakably Nintendo's take on the idea of gamers having their own persona whilst playing Wii. Custom avatars that share the charm and crudity of South Park, it's amazing just how much time you'll spend painstakingly creating these. Hinting towards the community element that Nintendo hopes to bring with Wii, Mii's can be set to 'Mingle' allowing them to wander off and onto a friend's Wii, theoretically travelling across the world from Wii to Wii. Indicative of the smart touches running throughout the Wii, players can also store their Mii's onto the Wii Remote, making it easy to transport your profile to a friend's house.
Although fun to put yourself in the game and play as your Mii in the likes of Wii Sports and Wii Play, future uses for the Mii will be interesting to see if the concept hopes to become anything more then a quirky novelty.
What It's All About
Chucking twenty years of joypad evolution out of the window, it's hard to determine at this early stage whether the Wii Remote will usher in the first seismic shift in gaming since Mario introduced the analogue stick, or struggle to become anything more than a curious novelty.
With a combination of accelerometers and an infrared sensor, Wii can sense the 3D position of the Wii Remote, along with motions such as rotation, tilts, and thrusts. Despite the fiddly process of setting up the sensor, the overall performance is surprisingly adept and easy to use without having laser-like precision when aiming towards the sensor. Sensitive to the point of sending the cursor hurtling across the screen with anything more then a twitch, it's not too long before getting to grips with the device... just remember, the strap is there for a reason, though we'd suspect Nintendo of Europe won't suffer from the same broken-screen crisis that Nintendo of America have had to deal with...
From the limited uses on offer in the launch line-up, it's largely Wii Sports that provides anything remotely different to what's come before. Slashing around mindlessly in Twilight Princess is fun, firing a gun is slightly more immersive and accurate, whilst driving is best forgotten, but the element of skill and finesse is largely the same as pressing a button on a joypad. The addition of a speaker is a fun little touch, being put to good use in Twilight Princess, but it's hard to imagine any groundbreaking uses for it. Credit for including rumble features, however, as vibration adds to the sense of immersion in a large proportion of videogames, and is something that's sorely missing from the PlayStation3 SixAxis.
Beyond the actual remote, the addition of the nunchuk peripheral makes traditional games a little more recognisable for gamers. The two work in tandem like a treat, a free-form control set-up that feels perfectly natural in a "traditional" game such as Twilight Princess.
Minor reservations aside, there is something to be said about the freedom that comes with the Wii Remote, playing freely from any position as opposed to the hunched, pad-gripped, posture that traditional joypads tend to reduce gamers to, is a welcome change. Hopefully we're on the brink of some genuinely unique and creative uses of the Wii Remote, careless slashing motions and mini-game motions are fun for awhile, but it would be nice to see what it offers for slightly more serious experiences.
Of course the Wii remote is built for further expansions, leaving it up for wild speculation as to what else Nintendo has up its sleeves... (hopefully one of them is a lithium battery pack/charger, AA batteries really doesn't cut it in this generation)
Launch Line-Up
Despite a lengthy launch line-up, it's fair to say that the appearance of so many ports with tacked on Wii options (and tacked on peripherals) reduces the genuine appeal somewhat. It's disappointing to find last-generation ports making up the majority of the list, or significant franchises being reduced to little more than fun but shallow mini-game collections. Wii represents an entirely new vision for videogames, one that will hopefully bring truly creative, unique, new experiences to the front and the end of tired old ports - though we suspect Sony will be giving away the PlayStation3 for free before this happens.
Wii Points + Wii Shop = Virtual Console
The Wii Shop, complete with apt music to make your shopping that little more enjoyable, is as you'd expect, an appealing, straightforward experience that makes rediscovering classics just a little too tempting on the wallet - even the process of your money disappearing from your account is made a little brighter as Mario runs along collecting up the coins!
Despite the mixed quality of the launch titles, the ability to instantly log on to WiiConnect24 and download a handful of classics from the NES, SNES, Nintendo64, MegaDrive and TurboGrafx 16 immediately adds appeal. Admittedly, if you're a Nintendo fanatic you can look down the list and think... Super Mario 64 made an appearance last year on the DS; Legend of Zelda featured in Animal Crossing and on the GBA in 2004; likewise Donkey Kong Country appeared on the GBA in 2003, and that's before we've even started with Mario Bros...
But that's being slightly cynical, the opportunity to have the entire Legend of Zelda series to hand (when they're all available) without having to hunt out the NES, must be tempting enough for any Nintendo nut to open up the wallet for a few Wii Points. It's also ideal for any gamers that might have missed a generation, or hopefully opens up the opportunity for some hard-to-find classics. The service should also ignite the options for independent developers, as Xbox Live Arcade has to some extents, with the promise of original content taking advantage of what Wii has to offer.
A Wii Concern...
Although it's easy to get caught up in Wii hysteria, there are a number of issues and reservations that cause a few concerns, particularly for the hardcore gamer.
Nintendo has made no secret of its desire to make games more accessible as it attempts to entice a new audience. A commendable challenge, but one that could leave the Nintendo fanatic and hardcore gamers feeling slightly alienated if Wii Play, Rayman Raving Rabbids and even the likes of Wii Sports, mark the future direction for Wii. Hopefully the search for new gamers won't result in too many fun but shallow mini-game compendiums, and developers will be encouraged to create unique, engrossing experiences of the traditional kind as well. Although it appears an older audience bought Brain Training by the droves, it's worth remembering the kids that buy the latest Pokemon by the millions and those that lap up the latest Mario Kart or Legend of Zelda.
Perhaps the most stinging question mark comes from a recent interview with EA's CEO Larry Probst, who suggested that third-party publishers would likely once again struggle to compete against first-party titles and make do with smaller shares of the Wii market. Lower then expected sales saw many third-party publishers downscale or completely ditch GameCube development, so it's a little concerning to hear EA suggesting that margins could be tight on Wii titles. Of course the obvious answer is for third-party publishers to treat the Wii with the respect it deserves, focussing on unique titles that exploit its wildly different capabilities, instead of porting across the latest brand or franchise and wandering why it's not matching the "flashy" versions on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation3.
Finally, it seems as though the consequence of not having to wait six months for Wii in Europe is the short supply that will likely make it's way to each territory. Specific allocations for Europe and the UK have yet to be announced by Nintendo, but after the success in North America and Japan, all indications suggest that demand for this Christmas No.1 gift will far outstrip the stock that Nintendo have managed to muster - the same seems to be said for the games themselves!
The Biggest Test
Without doubt, Wii already seems to have succeeded when it comes to striking appeal amongst a non-gamer audience. In our admittedly small and incredibly unscientific test, Wii Sports has suckered in passer-by's that wouldn't take a second glance at the likes of Gears of War; slicing away on the golf course or rolling down the gutter in 10-pin bowling, it seems Nintendo may be on to something. The subject of "Where can I get one?" from people who wouldn't know the Master Chief from Solid Snake, Wii could have everybody rioting to get one this Christmas...
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Added:Mon 18th Oct 2010 16:01, Post No: 346
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Added:Wed 22nd Sep 2010 08:07, Post No: 345
R U searching for a different game with unique game settings and challenges you must will play online
It is a Little Kings Story (Nintendo Wii). Designed for your Nintendo Wii, it makes your game exciting at all levels.
Added:Mon 21st Jun 2010 12:30, Post No: 344
Surely, if that's the case, it would be the 'perfect' venue for the vitality Sensor.
I think it's more to do witht he fact that Nintendo correctly identified E3 as being largely about core games. They didn't want the Vitality sensor to get the same reaction as Wii Music did when Miyamoto unveiled it.
Either that or Nintendo's scrapped it.
Added:Thu 29th Oct 2009 21:03, Post No: 343
It doesn't matter how good the Wii console is, all the games are rubbish.
family bowling
Family fishing
Family execise
Family necrophilia
There is no point improving the console unless they sort the games out
Added:Wed 21st Oct 2009 17:31, Post No: 342
Breaking News: Shigeru Miyamoto speculates that the next generation Wii will be more advanced.
Added:Sat 17th Oct 2009 16:06, Post No: 341
Yeah, apparently Ninty are working on a new console with graphics to match PS3/60, and motion controllers/games are being created by PS3/60, so its all gonna be good in the end eh! :)
Added:Fri 16th Oct 2009 10:58, Post No: 340
I really would like to see a Nintendo console with HD support. It's the standard, they really do need to catch up.
Added:Fri 14th Aug 2009 23:13, Post No: 339
if the sites so annoying dont use it =S simple
Added:Thu 30th Jul 2009 15:18, Post No: 338
What Bing popups - are you on about MS search engine? If you're on about the textual ads, just avoid hovering your cursor above em - simple.
Information doesn't drop from the trees I'm afraid...
Added:Thu 30th Jul 2009 15:10, Post No: 337
This site is so annoying with the stupid bing popups, they detract from me being able to read these articles...