Wii are not amused
It’s been three months since my little bit of shameless eBay profiteering. Now I have Zelda, Wii Play, a classic pad and a points card. I want a Wii. Despite great sales, this may be the most disappointing console launch ever.
Any manufacturer knows how disastrous it would be for their machine to not fly off the shelves at launch, so shortages are obviously engineered. For it to still be unavailable after such a long time is inexcusable. The situation is compounded by the poor software line-up that has no doubt left thousands of consoles gathering dust under televisions while the shop shelves are bare.
OK, it isn’t the weakest console launch ever. That dubious honour probably goes to the 3DO. It’s almost certainly the weakest Nintendo launch ever. Let’s consider the evidence:
- The NES launched with Super Mario Bros.
- The Gameboy had Tetris, Tennis and Super Mario Land.
- The Super NES came out with guns blazing in the form of Super Mario World, F-Zero and Pilotwings.
- The Nintendo 64 had Super Mario 64, which some still say is the best game ever made.
- The Gamecube had Luigi’s Mansion (uh oh getting weaker…) and Super Monkey Ball.
- The Nintendo DS had Super Mario 64 (weaker still, a few extras tacked onto an old game).
The Wii launches with Zelda: Twilight Princess which, by most accounts, is brilliant. That doesn’t change that it’s a delayed and tarted-up Gamecube game with a tacked-on Wiimote control system. The rest of the launch crop look like rubbish. Then we have the Virtual Console.
Don’t get me wrong. I think the VC is a wonderful idea. I wish I could erase the part of my brain where I remember the challenge of figuring out the relationship between the Light and Dark Worlds in Zelda: A Link to the Past. Or hearing Mario’s giddy whoops when he either manages to grab Bowser by the tail or gets his pants set on fire in Super Mario 64.
But I can’t. So VC has precious little to offer me.
All this can be turned round. It took time for the DS to find its way and for games like Nintendogs, Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney and Electroplankton to show its unique potential. I expect Wii will be the same. There will be a lot of drivel, and some moments of genius.
They need to get some Wiis on the shelves. Right now. Before PS3 launches and Sony’s PR machine eclipses it. Before people like me lose interest. They need a proper 100% authentic AAA+ Wii game. Or three. We need Super Mario Galaxy. What we’re going to get is Super Paper Mario. That will have to do.
Hurry up, Nintendo…
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March 5th, 2007 at 9:31 pm
Err… I don’t think nintendo are worrying.
The PS3 got launched first here and once the christmas rush was over, most of the major electronics retailers had PS3s sat out on the shelves, but no Wiis. The PS3s were in massively shorter numbers in shipments, but the Wii is just so damned popular.
Sales are even eclipsing the 360 and its massive library of games.
And Wii’s launch title isn’t Zelda. While that’s the popular choice among gamers the reason for the Wii’s popularity has been the appeal to non-gamers. Proved by the fact Wario and Rayman continue to dominate the Wii charts.
As for the VC.. well again, remember the Wii is the first console for some of the audience and a lot haven’t owned one in years. For them, the games will be new and an insight into older games. Buying from the VC isn’t compulsory so I’m not sure the complaint… and what if they start offering some Dreamcast games in the future?
I don’t know any Wii owners who are yet done with sports, let alone the titles on offer… I’m still to make any decent progress in Zelda, Call of Duty, Trauma Center.. compared to the hetic pace of Rayman/Sports I get bored and quickly turn off for another round of boxing.
what they NEED to hurry up with, is the online gaming. Far more important than some heavy weight titles is to extend the life of the existing ones by allowing for multiplayer over the internet. We all know scores of people with Wiis, but it is so frustrating not being able to play against them.
March 5th, 2007 at 9:53 pm
Nintendo have a lot to prove with Wii. Not only did their previous two consoles get trampled on by Sony, but they’ve flown in the face of industry trends. I applaud them for that, but the market proves regularly that innovation doesn’t guarantee success.
They have hit the ground running and now they need to pick the pace up, or Wii will be branded a one-trick pony.
And Wii’s launch title isn’t Zelda.
Zelda has never been a huge seller for Nintendo compared to its other licenses. The fact remains that compared to launches of the past, the general standard of titles is weak.
My complaint with the VC is that Nintendo seem content to drip-feed the public on old games. They’re not exactly rushing to get their finest stuff out there either.
I think they’re holding back because they plan to release a lot of them over summer when the release schedule for boxed games will be thin.
I’d be very surprised to see Dreamcast games on VC - they’d be too big. Besides, to me it’s all the same because I had a Dreamcast.
March 6th, 2007 at 3:55 pm
Hence we’re getting rid of ours this weekend. It’s been sitting on the TV stand doing practically nothing all this time. Might as well get a 360, because at least we’ll use it.
March 6th, 2007 at 4:41 pm
I’m a little surprised that you’ve decided to part with it so soon… You may end up buying another.
I always find that if I get rid of a Nintendo machine before it’s absolutely dead and buried, something excellent comes out for it. It’s only thanks to Resident Evil 4 getting a PS2 release that I didn’t have to replace my Gamecube.
That’s why my (currently unloved) DS is staying put.
It’s a pretty damning indictment of how Nintendo are managing the platform if some early adopters are abandoning it.
March 6th, 2007 at 5:02 pm
We’ve talked about that, and basically we’ve agreed that buying one back some time in the future won’t be a big deal as they’re so cheap to start with. It were a £425 PS3, there’s no way I’d take the decision that lightly! (but I’m not stupid enough to buy one of those in the first place)
We have four games for the Wii. The one that’s been played the most is, unsurprisingly, Zelda. I’ve not bothered with the machine at all, and Steve’s grown bored of it.
One of my main gripes with the machine is the control methods. The remote was the new gimmick that everyone thought would work so well, but every time there’s a new game release I can’t help thinking “Oh, I don’t think the controls would really work on that”, and I’ve constantly favoured the idea of getting such games on the 360.
It’s a huge shame, but the Wii just isn’t living up to the expectations I had.