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72 Comments
- LucerinRed, on 12/13/2008, -1/+25Really the biggest people to blame for the wii's lack of solid titles isn't Nintendo, but third party developers and publishers. They're the ones that keep deciding to hash outdated ports with added wii waggle and lackluster party games. They don't seem to realize that they can create games with far more potential than anything on the 360 or PS3 if they would just put the proper time into a project. And the sad part is that it would cost them a LOT less money. But instead they're taking the quick cash out option rather than trying to be a respectable developer.
Now that's not to say Nintendo can't or shouldn't do anything about this. Some of it is definitely their fault, and they can learn a lot from Microsoft's AMAZING 3rd party relationships. Just because they themselves are focused on more casual stuff doesn't mean they can't work closely with third parties and commission them to create more amazing and hardcore games. - inactive, on 12/12/2008, -12/+32"I think the Wii could open way to the creation of actual good games."
It hasn't. - ashes0, on 12/12/2008, -14/+29Totally true.
So many developers are coming out with crappy games for the HD systems, and are able to fall back on the easy part. The graphics.
I think the Wii could open way to the creation of actual good games.
Without being able to rely on graphics to sell a game, developers will be forced to invent exciting gameplay, and intriguing art.
People talk on and on about how few games the Wii has. I could argue the same only adding that the Xbox and PS3 have so few GOOD games.
Would you rather have games like FF7, Ocarina of Time or a wave of Superman 64? - DonJuanAussi, on 12/12/2008, -15/+29It is about time someone said it. "Waggle stick" is not fun. This is not what I signed up for when I purchased a Wii. In fact the games encourage you to make small waggle movements because they are faster than full swings.
The author should have mentioned that the Wii is a slightly upgraded Gamecube. This fact is important. Not to claim that the Wii is underpowered... my claim is that ALL the developers including Nintendo are doing a horrible job even trying to get Wii games up to the standard of Gamecube games! Graphically and playabillity wise, Wii games are not as good as Gamecube games. The Wiis only saving grace is the fact that it can play Gamecube games... the whole family prefers to play the Gamecube games than the Wii games. In terms of game product, the Wii is a downgrade from the Gamecube.
I d not have nice things to say about the PS3 either. The games are graphically stunning... but 12 hours after buying the PS3 I felt ripped off... and I still do. The games are terrible. Even "Little Big Planet" sucks hairy, fungus infested balls. By god! What a pathetic excuse for a game?! The levels are short, the game is shorter. The damn game designers obviously believe that you can compensate for lack of game by making the levels so fiddly that no one wants to play it because the fun has gone. Oh, and it turns into a pathetic excuse for an egg hunt to try to drag out another couple of hours of frustrating gameplay. Little Big Planet should be playable by children too... but they don't want to play it... I could not even BRIBE my child to play Little Big Planet with icecream and lollies... after the first 10 minutes of ***** gameplay, he has never wanted to see it again. How ***** difficult is it to add an "easy" mode?! ***** EASY! I have worked in a game studio before and I can tell you that it is pretty damn easy compared to the rest of the production! I feel that the Little Big Planet developers have reached a new level of "Lazy Developer"... The only way I believe I can get my children to play it is to build my own bloody levels! I thought that is what I paid for when I forked over the cash for the game! for someone else to build fun levels! The PS3 has this critical flaw with all the games I have tried... too damn difficult for "everyone else" to enjoy themselves... note... we want to have fun... not train up to be an elite killer.
One last thing I would like to see... is a way for "Bedroom programmers" to legally create games and release them... it did not hurt the Amiga when an army of determined artists musicians and programmers started making new games, sometimes with new gameplay styles. - fasda, on 12/12/2008, -4/+17But the Superman 64s seem to more common on the Wii but this might just be me I don't like the motion control its pretty fickle about movements compared to dependability of two analog sticks, 4 buttons, 2 triggers, and 2 bumpers.
- dareyoutomove, on 12/13/2008, -0/+12Zack and Wikki is a great 3rd party game
but for the most part, yeah I see your point - Rockkybox, on 12/12/2008, -5/+15The wii has literally no 3rd party games that interest me (still happy with my purchase thanks to Nintendo somehow having the ability to keep ***** out gold)
- chongli, on 12/13/2008, -0/+9Too difficult? Sir, you need to play MegaMan 9 before complaining about any of those games being too difficult!
- emjaymj, on 12/13/2008, -0/+6Graphics are indeed the easier router. All it takes is more time, money and competent staff. Very little creativity or imagination is needed. Most accountants probably have more art to what they do than today's game developers. What this means is there's very little challenge. There are LOADS of people who are capable of 3D modeling high-resolution (in fact, low-poly modeling is generally considered more difficult because high-res allows for lots of wasted polygons.)
So, developers can hire a handful out of countless capable people and already know that their graphics will be strong. In contrast, there are very few people in the industry you can put into story, gameplay, music, etc and guarantee success. This is part of why graphics are a safer investment, but also clearly why it's easier. - Noelix, on 12/13/2008, -0/+6Xbox Live now offers games made by "Bedroom programmers" - called the Xbox Live Community Games: http://creators.xna.com/en-US/
This feature was recently rolled out to Xbox owners everywhere with the required dashboard update dubbed the "New Xbox Experience", or NXE for short.
Sounds like you've been burned by the other two consoles. I recommend Xbox 360, my friend. If you're worried about RROD, Google search how to identify a Jasper console at the store, which should fix the overheating issues the system has been plagued with. - Fallout911, on 12/13/2008, -4/+9I have the Wii and I haven't turned it on in months.
Ubisoft just keeps pumping the shovelware by the hundreds and ignorant parents keep buying it.
This is a BAD thing for gamers as companies will stop making good games for 100 really ***** kiddy games about poniez, dogz and bratz. - bigsheldy, on 12/13/2008, -3/+8I was thinking about this the other day...there's hardly any games worth buying for the Wii, and the sports games...has anyone played Madden and NBA Live? They're filled with bugs, the gameplay is horrible, the graphics suck and they don't have any of the features the other consoles do. It seems to me that companies are half assing games for the Wii on a regular basis.
- KayakJim, on 12/13/2008, -3/+8I truly find it sad that the Wii Sports that comes with the console beats any other game that has been produced by any other developer. The Tiger Woods golf series is absolutely pathetic. Nobody knows how to make a *fun* game anymore - just shoot 'em ups, which get boring as hell after a few.
- smacksaw, on 12/13/2008, -0/+4Agreed. I passed on the PS3 Shaun White because of the Wii version - but I have yet to buy a balance board. The only time I saw them I was in Target, did some shopping, came back 20min later and they were all gone. Lesson learned.
Most of the Wii stuff is shovelware, but it doesn't have to be that way. Even awesome graphics I don't care about. Hot Shots Golf for Wii would be awesome. - opnickc, on 12/13/2008, -3/+7"there's hardly any games worth buying for the Wii, and the sports games...has anyone played Madden and NBA Live?"
Why would I want to play those games on any console?
I find it ironic that last-gen the sports game player was the very definition of a shallow, casual gamer with no concern for quality content, and now such players complain about the Wii, claiming it is shallow and without quality content.
But hey, I'm just a guy who likes games like Half Life, Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, Metroid Prime, Portal, Zelda, and Final Fantasy. What do I know about quality content? - elfprince13, on 12/13/2008, -2/+6i feel like I read this post somewhere else on Digg today....
- SpeedSteamBoat, on 12/13/2008, -0/+4The problem is that a lot of those same third parties create crappy games for the PS3 and 360.
The overwhelming number of rotten games are not relegated strictly to the Wii. The Wii simply gets the lions share because it is so much cheaper to develop for. - conversekid, on 12/13/2008, -1/+5Wat
- dysonlu, on 12/13/2008, -2/+5"So many developers are coming out with crappy games for the HD systems, and are able to fall back on the easy part. The graphics."
So many developers are coming out with crappy games for the Wii, and are able to fall back on the easy part: the novelty of motion sensing game controller. - Noein, on 12/13/2008, -1/+4"How ***** difficult is it to add an "easy" mode?! ***** EASY! I "
Somewhere in the millions of lines of code for Little Big Planet, a boolean for easy was been mistakenly set to false, I am sure. - eryximachus, on 12/13/2008, -0/+3I'm so glad someone else thinks so. I hadn't played a megaman game for 15 years. I thought maybe I was just getting old. The game is impossible!
- kingUssop, on 12/13/2008, -2/+5It's fairly bizarre to me that Nintendo is back as the mainstream system and they STILL can't get third party to really return. Put some damn money in their hands Nintendo, do what it takes. I like your creativity but you've been inexcusably lazy about making friends with the other developers of the world.
- Langford, on 12/13/2008, -0/+3To be fair, it is technically possible for a port to be good. Bully for the Wii is excellent. Thats probably because Rockstar didn't halfass the controller, and instead let it function as both a mouse and like boxing gloves.
- emjaymj, on 12/13/2008, -0/+3"and they should have put brighter IR leds on the sensor bar as well"
You know you're not supposed to SEE infrared, right? Or does the aiming function just not work well for you? The Wii I got at launch is in a VERY sunlit room and I've had no problem with it until the controller batteries start dying. I have a very hard time believing the sensor bar is lacking in anyway. Besides, Nintendo is practically legendary for build quality and the abuse their hardware is able to take.
Granted, I'm playing my PS3 much more right now but only because it's had much better releases recently. I own LittleBigPlanet, Resistance 2, Fallout 3, Prince of Persia, MGS4 and GTA4, and only the last two are more than a month and a half old. - inactive, on 12/13/2008, -1/+3if Ubisoft continues, expect lots of unskippable cut scenes
- Pinkshisno, on 12/13/2008, -2/+4I agree Nintendo shouldn't take the blame a lot. If they focus on delivering their triple A games then developers whine saying they cannot compete (like the Gamecube era). If they release casual games, then developers just try to cash in on that too, releasing cruddy games.
It's obvious Nintendo found a good audience to target, and like any other company they'll do anything to keep hold of it. I'm already satisfied with what they released; all their big names came out and were awesome. - bigsheldy, on 12/13/2008, -0/+2i accidently the whole post
- conversekid, on 12/13/2008, -0/+2Whatever they do, I hope that they keep fresh blood in the industry. Original ideas are what got videogames where they are today, and I think that many great, creative games don't get the attention they deserve.
Let's hope things change for the better! - vashgunfighter, on 12/12/2008, -3/+5Actually, that story about Nintendo being such a polluting company is iffy. Greenpeace puts it out and they score Nintendo the worst possible scores because Nintendo doesn't communicate with Greenpeace about their environmental practices. So they score low because they don't want to disclose it to Greenpeace, not based on any real figures or numbers. It's suspicious that a company wouldn't disclose that but you can't just assume the absolute worst because they won't tell you.
That'd be like your friend asking if the sex you've been having with your girlfriend is good, you refuse to tell him/her because it's none of his/her business, and he/she assumes it's not just because you won't talk about it. Well, maybe not quite but you get the idea. I remain impartial on whether or not Nintendo deserves panning for that. Shame on them for not disclosing their information but shame on Greenpeace for exclaiming to everyone that they're the worst company out there for pollution simply because Nintendo won't talk to them. - Noein, on 12/13/2008, -1/+3"All it takes is more time, money and competent staff."
Assuming infinite time, money, and competent staff, EVERYTHING is easy. Same thing can be said about gameplay.
Programming and modeling, like story writing and game design, also takes talent. True, there are loads of people who can model and program, and want to work in game industry, that's the nature of the field. But truly good ones are few and far between, and even fewer out of those are able to push the boundaries. There are plenty of challenges in making cutting edge graphics and lots things can go wrong. I am really not sure how familiar you are with making current gen video games, when you are comparing it to accounting. Then again I know nothing about accounting, so you might be right.
Graphics require time, money, and competent staff, like you said. But just throw money and people at it don't guarantee you games that look and performs great, like what you are implying. Same holds true for any software development in general. If it's all about money and the number of code monkeys you have, Microsoft would be making the best software in the world.
There's no point in debating over this further, it's like comparing science/engineering to liberal arts. Lazy developers to me are the ones that pump out sequels every year with slightly updated graphics. I respect peoples behind Unreal engine and CryEngine just as much as people behind Shadow of the Colossus and Katamari Damacy, because I know not everyone can do what they do. - KayakJim, on 12/15/2008, -0/+2I have TW 07 and rented TW 08 and they are no where close to as good as the Wii Sports Golf. Since they sucked so bad I haven't tried TW 09 but will due to the recommendations provided. My real point was that *usually* the games that come with the console or are created by the console manufacturer generally suck compared to the games provided by third-party developers but with the Wii it is totally opposite. The only really good games are from Nintendo and they are very fun. My entire family (ages 5, 6, 24, 39, and 78) all have a blast playing Mario Kart or Wii Sports.
- LucerinRed, on 12/13/2008, -0/+2They actually making a NEW pikmin game. This has been confirmed by Kotaku to be different than the port
- inactive, on 12/13/2008, -0/+2What really bothers me about Wii Sports is that those games really demonstrated that the motion controls could be used for more than as a substitute for a button press, and yet we have yet to really see many games take advantage of that fact.
- Vanor, on 12/13/2008, -2/+4To quote Captain Nagase from Ace Combat 5: "Why are people so stupid?!"
Ya know, I'm glad the Wii is underpowered compared to PS3 and the 360. That means the developers have to bust their ass and push the hardware to the limit and actually focus on *gasp* making the gameplay shine compared to the system's more graphically-inclined rivals. This has already been done on the PSP and DS. I've spent more time on my handhelds in the last two years than I have on my consoles, and only in the last few months have I been plaing consoles consistently because a friend of mine made me play the "Tales of" games, which have a gameplay-first mentality. These games put GAMEPLAY first, and the rest attends to itself.
Is it any wonder that the Monster Hunter Portable games is the most profitable series by far for the PSP? Seriously, go look it up. Three of the top five selling games for the PSP are Monster Hunter, and the top two are both Monster Hunter games, which outsold their closest competition by astronaumical units and light-years.
These games outsold the likes of Final Fantasy Crisis Core by a wide margin in Japan. Final Fantasy, a series produced by a company that has a "graphics-first" mentality. And then Monster Hunter, which has no plot, and is completely and totally devoted to gameplay. And guess what? The gameplay won out over graphics/story-first. Monster Hunter has practically printed Capcom money, even while their arcade division is tanking. So knowing this, and despite all their games being on the PS2/PSP (and PC), the third one is coming out on the Wii.
The people responsible for Monster Hunter have always had to work within the confines and limitations of their respective hardware. And instead of whining and crying about wanting more processing power and graphical muscle, they bust their ass and push the hardware to its utmost, and then they push it even farther beyond its limitations that even Sony didn't know was possible. They put the gameplay first, and the people played it, and they loved it, and they wanted more of it, and that's what they got. These guys could probably code games with the ENIAC if you asked them too. You could hand them a pack of matches and some popsicle sticks and lock them in a room, come back an hour later and they've built a fully-detailed replica of the Sistine Chapel.
THAT is what we need in video games right now. These guys are making MH3 for the Wii. And from what I've seen at TGS it's gonna be amazing. Even graphically it's absolutely stunning. And gameplay wise it'll a complete and total blast. While everyone else cries about the Wii's limitations, these people are like "Okay, where can we hit a happy place with the graphical output, and how can we make it work for us in terms of gamplay?" And they just go. There's no pissing an moaning about limits. Compared to working on the PSP and the PS2 it's probably a lot like working on a 360 to them.
At TGS the line for MH3 was longer than the line for when the Wii was first unveiled. It's not to say that they don't care about graphics, but if the game has a unique style, good gameplay, fluid controls, then graphics don't matter. In fact, many games often succeed despite their graphical limitations. That's because the gameplay comes first.
Now I've gone on long enough. The drought of third party support for the Wii is over. You can bury me for those of you who are willfully ignorant, but that doesn't change the simple truth of the matter. I'm going back to playing Tales of Symphony 2, a game by a third party. So now you all can go back to burying your heads in the sand, because there's nothing to see here. - inactive, on 12/18/2008, -0/+1Why not throw money at developers and buy exclusives?
It works. - jackal14, on 12/13/2008, -0/+1Do you know why I'm not complaining about Xbox originals or PS1 classics? Because the Xbox 360 and PS3 actually have good libraries once you sift the crap out. The Wii doesn't. I wouldn't have a problem with re-releases on the Wii if the system wasn't so damn starved for quality titles. For every No More Heroes, there's 500 Sudokus. For every Metroid Prime Corruption, there's easily 10x as many Duck Hunt rip-offs.
I didn't buy the Wii for its technological prowess (or lack there of), I bought the system so I could play the same kind of games that made Nintendo a household name. I, and people like me, haven't gotten that. Having a few brilliant titles here or there doesn't overshadow that the system, by and large, is a shovelware player. The reason it's a shovelware player is because the casual audience everyone seems so intent on pleasing only cares about waggle and nothing but. Epic stories? Good, memorable game play? Outside of 10 titles, there's been absolutely none of that. I'm not saying developers should quit making games for the casual players, but it shouldn't come at the core's expense. Let's not forget that, last gen, casuals overwhelming rejected the Gamecube in favor of the PS2. The hardcore/disenfranchised Dreamcast owners went to the XBOX. NIntendo's system was selling to those demographics as well as the necronomicon sells in the Westboro Baptist Church. If it wasn't for the core audience, the Gamecube would've sunk like a lead weight and there'd be no Wii to argue about.
Re-releases are a good way of giving new adopters a chance to play older games they weren't previously able to enjoy. There's nothing wrong with that. But when your system is essentially a barren wasteland with a few oases here or there, you start questioning the validity of these re-releases. The Wii might be an enhanced Gamecube (literally, since you can use a Gamecube devkit to make Wii games), but it's still going to take time and money to port older Gamecube games. That investment could easily go to making an original Wii title that doesn't completely suck (Wii music) or isn't an expensive gimmick (Wii Fit). I know I'm getting dugg down in droves, but there's a reason why my Gamecube library is vastly larger than the Wii's library. The Gamecube had its flaws, but at least first, second, and third parties actually put effort into the system; the same cannot be said for the Wii. - chamberlanderic, on 12/16/2008, -0/+1Ubisoft ??? advice for others ??? wait !!! the people who gave us the Brother in Arm port ? no way. Ubisoft stuff is always bugged especially on PC.
- DefiniteFail, on 12/14/2008, -0/+1I don't understand how the Wii is the most popular console, everybody I know, has an Xbox 360.
The people that actually did buy a Wii, they stop playing it in a month because it becomes boring. - EtherGnat, on 12/13/2008, -1/+2"This is a BAD thing for gamers as companies will stop making good games for 100 really ***** kiddy games about poniez, dogz and bratz."
*****. Hardcore gamers are one of the most lucrative markets for game developers. You're not going to be abandoned, stop being so paranoid. The market is, ::gasp::, actually large enough that both the hardcore and casual gamer can be satisfied.
In fact if anything the rise of casual gaming is good for the hardcore market. Many people who are drawn in by the Wii's casual gameplay will eventually graduate to more complex games, growing the market. - EmmanuelGoldstn, on 12/13/2008, -0/+1"One last thing I would like to see... is a way for "Bedroom programmers" to legally create games and release them... it did not hurt the Amiga when an army of determined artists musicians and programmers started making new games, sometimes with new gameplay styles."
XBox 360 has this. It's called XNA. Pretty cool, as you can create games in your favorite .NET language and play them on your xbox. It costs you around $100 per year, but in theory you can make your games available to others and even sell them. - EtherGnat, on 12/13/2008, -1/+2I actually really like Tiger Woods 2009 for the Wii. It could be improved, but it's just about the most fun I've ever had with a golf game.
- inactive, on 12/18/2008, -0/+1Two Words: Wii Sports
- Rockkybox, on 12/12/2008, -3/+4Agree with you on the homebrew front, many people are willing to crack open the wii's protection to create their own games for free, think how many more would be willing if it was sanctioned and even supported by Nintendo (nothing spectacular; a cash prize to the best game of the month or something) Oh wait, that would mean that Nintendo would be making less money from selling licences to developers, lets ignore the fact that they are also the only company making money on the consoles sale. Oh and how much is that 10 year old virtual console game that you were not making a penny off until last year? 'A tenner mate'
I absolutely hate Nintendo displaying a big friendly image; but actually being more money grabbing than Its competitors; and listed as one of the worst 10 companies for pollution too; - dandonia, on 12/13/2008, -2/+3It is just different taste. The wii has plenty of good games for a different audiance. Kind of like when you here someone say "cartoons today are crap compared to the 80's" funny that the kids watching them still love them. It's because we have different tastes. When the kids of today are older they will be saying "god the cartoons of today are crap compared to the ones when I was a kid"
I wonder how many people out there hate the idea of Gears of War or Resistance and would much rather play Animal Crossing. The rating of a game is subjective and Nintendo are appealing to the mass market with the Wii and DS, rather than the hardcore gamers. The Wii has 66 games rated about 75 listed on Metacritic and it is only 2 years old. With a completely different style of input to program for. - foofightrs777, on 12/13/2008, -2/+3Get over it. Sports games can be fun. As can the games you listed. Stop being exactly what you're hating against. You're the other side of a 2-headed coin.
- Coffeedemon, on 12/13/2008, -0/+1I like all of those listed games too but you'll get my NHL 09 when you pry it from my cold dead hands.
- chaosblade77, on 12/13/2008, -1/+2Like Microsoft? Just throw money at developers and buy exclusives?
Nintendo is gaining the support of Japanese developers. Capcom with Monster Hunter and SquareEnix, who hasn't shown much support for the Wii at all, is putting DQX on Wii. It's only western developers that aren't beginning to move to the Wii, and I honestly don't expect them to ever favor Nintendo, no matter what their console is capable of. - chaosblade77, on 12/13/2008, -0/+1I guess next you are going to complain about Microsoft's Xbox originals? Or Sony's PS1 classics? The biggest difference is that Nintendo's are going to be updated to include motion controls, and they don't have the storage space to allow for them to be downloaded.
I would agree that they are probably going to charge too much for them even though they've been confirmed to be offered at a discount price ($20 is more fair than $30) but I'd hardly call them out as shovelware on par with the absolute crap being release for the Wii - If they weren't good, (generally) overlooked games then they probably wouldn't re-release them. - Rockkybox, on 12/12/2008, -1/+2Well thank you digger for ennobling me with that information. Still annoyed by the moneygrabbing though
- SpeedSteamBoat, on 12/13/2008, -0/+1What. The. *****. Are you talking about.
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