Wii will look "dated" in next few years, says SEGA exec

[Chone]

The N64 was not bad, I owned very few games for the 64 (OoT, Mario 64, Mario Kart, Mario Tennis, World Cup 98 and some Formula 1 game which was quite fun actually) but I rented and borrowed from friends often, it was a nice console, it just need more games but the quality was definitely there, Conker Bad Fur Day is still one of the best games I've played and I don't think much needs to be said about GoldenEye

 

[pcypert]

I owned the PS first due to wanting to play FF7 and Tomb Raider. I loved those and the system and played quite a few games on it. The only games that got any long term play though were Crash Bandicoot and Parrapa the Rapper. Not the gleaming graphical powerhouses of the system

I bought the 64 later and in college played that system quite a bit more due to Diddy Kong, Mario Kart, etc...games with "cartoony" graphics but solid fun.

Same these days. Had a 360 and loved GeOW and others...but the games took way too long to get into if you had some friends pop over and wanted to play something for thirty minutes or so. The Wii is perfect there...and a lot of people want that.

Paul

 

[takao]

a guy from sega predicting console sales...

they better should concentrate on making their games better

 

[0098386]

they better should concentrate on making their games better

They did. They made Sonic the Hedgehog and it flopped, then they made Sonic and the Secret Rings and it didn't do so badly So much for dated hardware!

 

[JackAxe]

Sega... Bleh, I miss the old days when they rocked. I'm glad to see peeps like you and your friend still pursuing pixel games. Even though no game in any way can ever be better than the greatness that is R-Type. It's a shooter religion now, so your comment is blasphemy.

I played Mario Party 8 yesterday. Loads of fun with lot of fun dated graphics. I really like Nintendo's use of 8-bit art in their newer games. In MP8 one of the candy powerups makes your character into a 3D version of their 8-bit counterpart.

I've also notice that like pixel art, lower-poly art is growing in to its own style, not just a technical limitation.

<]=)

 

[0098386]

That's very true. It's becoming an art style in itself, a few pixel art portfolio sites I visited years ago now host low poly galleries. I think it's great and only hope for a future less obsessed with forcing as many polygons out of a GPU.

 

[jdechko]

I played Mario Party 8 yesterday. Loads of fun with lot of fun dated graphics. I really like Nintendo's use of 8-bit art in their newer games. In MP8 one of the candy powerups makes your character into a 3D version of their 8-bit counterpart.

I got it for father's day and my wife and I played it for a couple of hours. I noticed that the graphics weren't as smooth as they could have been, but that didn't stop us from having a great time (after my wife finally got the hang of it all).

That's very true. It's becoming an art style in itself, a few pixel art portfolio sites I visited years ago now host low poly galleries. I think it's great and only hope for a future less obsessed with forcing as many polygons out of a GPU.

I think that's becoming a key idea in the gaming industry, and it's been mentioned in this thread a few times. Graphics (overall) are becoming less of the focus, and it's becoming more about the art style. The industry, though, will be segmented on this, but that's fine. You're always going to have people obsessed with numbers (like how many polygons you can squeeze out of a GPU, CPU clock speet, RAM, etc) and the results that are associated with them. And that's fine, it's a large enough market that it's profitable for companies to pursue them. Then there are markets that like great graphics, but also like the art style associate with them (Okami is one of them, Wind Waker is another).

I guess my point here is that the market is expanding. There are many more people playing video games today then last generation, and the generation before, and the generation before (you get the point). So what's the harm in catering to these specific markets (that don't appreciate 1080p/60, or don't even know what it means)? Heck, it seems like Microsoft, who was disinterested in this market is now scratching their heads trying to come up with a strategy to take some of this market (away from Nintendo).

 

[JackAxe]

You had to wait for Father's day. Bummer.

There are some areas that maybe could have been done better, but overall MP8 has been improved noticeably over the previous games. The characters and many background elements have been polished up, where as others have obviously been left quite simple, which goes back to my earlier low-poly style comment.

I've only noticed that the games not as smooth on HD sets. On a good CRT the game looks good and doesn't suffer from the roughness. Well given one likes this type of style. And speaking of HD, I was surprised that Nintendo simply framed the game into a 4:3 aspect when viewing on a widescreen.

Nintendo was still too nice this time around. I really miss some of the harsh chance events of earlier games like MP4. But MP8 overall is better than MP5 - MP7 IMO. I miss the repetitive button mini-games though, since I was king at these event.

Buy the taunting feature if you haven't already.

<]=)

 

[JackAxe]

That's very true. It's becoming an art style in itself, a few pixel art portfolio sites I visited years ago now host low poly galleries. I think it's great and only hope for a future less obsessed with forcing as many polygons out of a GPU.

And if you're expecting low-poly art, it's not an eye sore. On some of these uber-games that make heavy use of the realistic-plastic look, low polys only add to the eye sore. Nothing says realism like a photo mapped on to a hexagon shaped head.

I personally like working with in constraints for my art. OK, not my paintings. I spend much time fretting over details. And I know you do also, or you wouldn't be working with pixel art. Tis why I personally would like to develop for the DS and prior to its release the GBA.

<]=)

 

[zero2dash]

IMO Nintendo and their 3rd party developers need some ground breaking things to go along with their ground breaking console; enough with the motion based mini games that everyone is doing. I think that's where the Wii will succeed or fail - when they ultimately do or do not deliver more than just mini games and ports with motion controls. Give me something worth owning the system for. Nintendo aside - let's see some other developers come up with something. I loved my Gamecube for RE4 but by in large, RE4 was the only successful game for the Gamecube that wasn't from the house of Mario. I don't want to see a repeat of that.

As for the DS being a fad or not being a fad...it started out as such and since then other developers have come up with their own stuff for the DS that made it a worthwhile system; which is precisely what I want to see happen with the Wii.

I agree with what the guy said though because he's absolutely right. People (even the drones and casuals) will only digest so much of the same rehash games before they get sick of the system and trade them in droves. Developers need to quit with the 'make a fast buck' ideas and start actually putting some thought into the games and ideas that they come up with. What also kills me is people act like a company like EA supporting the system is a knight in shining armor, when I see it as a sharpening of the blade on the guillotine. No one needs EA...no one. EA is the king of the halfassed game releases.

 

[JackAxe]

Ground breaking and good 3rd party support are great for any system. They all need this. Sorry, but like my convoluted rants about thumb-twiddling, this point is getting a bit cliché. I say this only because the Wii like the PS3 is still in its infancy and developers are still busy at getting their better stuff ready.

The Wii is sitting strong right now and already has a healthy list of developers working away on new ideas for it, not just rehashes. But like anything, it takes time, not just 8 months. It took the DS a year and it's a simpler systems in terms of development.

3rd party developers don't seem to be given the chance to shine these days, mainly because the required budgets are astronomical in comparison to earlier game development costs. This forces them to rely on publishers like EA, whom won't give them as much freedom, because it's more of a risk. The only system that has been able to avoid this is the DS. This is only because of its much lower development cost. The Wii is really the only current TV console that has this to a degree and that alone will almost guarantee it succeeds. Small 3rd party development studios have sprouted up just to focus on the Wii and DS, so things are changing for the better. Even the fact that E3 scaled back so much says to me that the industry is tired of its current bloated-marketing-state.

EA has made some uber-crap over the past decade. This is sad, since they've aquired so many great studios. I think they've finally come around though, well partially, because they seem to be rethinking their strategies. I have nothing but praises when it comes to Madden on the Wii, but not so much for any of their other games. You can tell by the interviews which development teams at EA actually cared to make a good game. The director peep that made Tiger Woods, which is an OK game with some good points, really didn't have the same kind of enthusiasm as the team that made Madden.

Mini games bring friends and family together, there's allot to be said about that. Motion works better for these games than just pressing a button, so there's little chance will see that going away anytime soon. I can't see people trading their systems in droves. This seems to be something younger gamers do, where as more recent polls have shown that the majority of gamers are people my age. People my age have less time for games, so mini games, quick games like WC3 DOTA, or quick death matches are the best solution for me and my friends.

<]=)

 

[zero2dash]

Ground breaking and good 3rd party support are great for any system. They all need this.

True, but the Wii needs it the most because it has the least to offer consumers, and Nintendo's last two home consoles had pathetic 3rd party support so they also need it to save face in the eyes of most gamer consumers.

The Wii is sitting strong right now and already has a healthy list of developers working away on new ideas for it, not just rehashes. But like anything, it takes time, not just 8 months.

Agreed. I hope that for everyone's sake, we're not complaining about a lack of interesting Wii titles by this time next year otherwise the system will be in a heap of trouble.

Mini games bring friends and family together, there's allot to be said about that. Motion works better for these games than just pressing a button, so there's little chance will see that going away anytime soon.

Is it good to bring people together? Sure.
Does it need to become an integral part of the system's library? No. Enthusiastically - no.

If you want me to ballpark it or put a number out there - IMO no more than 10% of the console's library should be comprised of minigames. As it stands now...it's well over 10%. I won't argue semantics or compare game lists, but I know when I go into Blockbuster to look over the games they have for rent, the majority of the Wii titles I see I would classify as a minigame collection, and that's not a good thing (at least in my book).

I can't see people trading their systems in droves. This seems to be something younger gamers do, where as more recent polls have shown that the majority of gamers are people my age. People my age have less time for games, so mini games, quick games like WC3 DOTA, or quick death matches are the best solution for me and my friends.

This is a fine idea, and a fine sentiment, but when we're talking about a minigame collection being $20 or $30 as opposed to a full $50 or $60 dollars, then that's when I draw the line and say "there's a problem".

If I pay $50 or $60 for a game, I expect things like features I can take advantage of. I'm not saying multiplayer or online play is a deal breaker, but two games stacked side by side, one of which includes online play, multiplayer, online leaderboards, updates, patches, expansions, HD graphics and sound, etc. for the same $50 as another game that has local multiplayer and nothing more (ie outdated graphics and sound)- well I won't be purchasing that latter $50 that is missing all of those other features of game #1. I want more bang for my buck, period.

I'm sorry, but the Wii has one thing going for it in terms of hardware, and that's motion-based control (which is practically an all-or-nothing idea that they've thrown their hats into). There's nothing wrong with that, but if they (Nintendo and their 3rd parties) cannot grasp more ideas than what they have now, then the system is doomed. At least with the other two consoles, you get a lot more for your money, and you can usually count on other things remaining constant, which is high end graphics/sound and online support.

I've been gaming a long time (I'm 29) and I'm not jaded on Nintendo anymore. They screwed up quickly with the last two consoles of theirs I owned (and I've owned every Nintendo console except the Virtual Boy) and it's not something I'll just shrug off and say "that's ok, I grew up on Mario". I hope for their sake they turn things around, but if they don't...well don't expect me to be defending their actions this time around when people bring up a "why Nintendo f'd up" list.

 

[0098386]

This is a fine idea, and a fine sentiment, but when we're talking about a minigame collection being $20 or $30 as opposed to a full $50 or $60 dollars, then that's when I draw the line and say "there's a problem".
If I pay $50 or $60 for a game, I expect things like features I can take advantage of. I'm not saying multiplayer or online play is a deal breaker, but two games stacked side by side, one of which includes online play, multiplayer, online leaderboards, updates, patches, expansions, HD graphics and sound, etc. for the same $50 as another game that has local multiplayer and nothing more (ie outdated graphics and sound)- well I won't be purchasing that latter $50 that is missing all of those other features of game #1. I want more bang for my buck, period.

Would it not matter if the games were good? Frankly I've had more fun in some minigames than full price games. I like Warioware (£30) so much I played through to completion and still play from time to time, on the same hand I played Gears of War (£50) and didn't play past the 2nd level. Even if Warioware was full price I wouldn't fret about spending that much. I measure games on level of enjoyment. I wouldn't mind paying £50 for a game so long as it's got replay levels of the Gods, heck since I lost Smash Bros Brawl once (and stolen once too) I've unregrettably spent a good £90 right there.

I've been gaming a long time (I'm 29) and I'm not jaded on Nintendo anymore. They screwed up quickly with the last two consoles of theirs I owned (and I've owned every Nintendo console except the Virtual Boy) and it's not something I'll just shrug off and say "that's ok, I grew up on Mario". I hope for their sake they turn things around, but if they don't...well don't expect me to be defending their actions this time around when people bring up a "why Nintendo f'd up" list.

Screwed up? In some respects. They screwed up the Virtual Boy completely. They gave me 3 of the highest rated games ever. Who's eyes are you looking at this through? The N64 was a huge failure, but from a gamers PoV it had 3 of the highest rated games ever. The Cube wasn't too big a failure, from a financial stand point it netted them total profit and to the gamer it gave them Zelda and the Prime series. Sales wise it was just behind the considerably more powerful, HDD and online capable and well marketed Xbox 1.

And the Wii and DS are evidence that Nintendo has taken all their prior mistakes on board. Kiddy system? Give them Manhunt 2, RE4 and Mortal Kombat updates, Killer 7 sequel.
No 3rd party support? Make it cheap and easy for anyone to develop for it.
No marketing? Let's knock them for six.
Then throw in some bonus points like a much lower price point for folks who can't afford the other systems and open it up to non-gamers.

I just hope the whole gaming market doesn't become a monopoly to Nintendo. They own the handheld and the monthly sales show the Wii is doing the same for consoles. I don't like monopolies *Microsoft*

They've still to learn about online. Still, at least its free and doesn't have me buying clothes for my Mii

 

[sonarghost]

Sega... Bleh, I miss the old days when they rocked. I'm glad to see peeps like you and your friend still pursuing pixel games. Even though no game in any way can ever be better than the greatness that is R-Type. It's a shooter religion now, so your comment is blasphemy.


<]=)

Man, I miss the good ol' Sega Genesis that system rocked.. I too was a really big shooter fan, loved R-Type (hard as hell though)

 

[MRU]

The N64 was a failure - not in the quality of some of its titles but in this sense.

Nintendo was the leader of the pack. It had outsold it's competitor Sega and others like Atari.

Yet due to complacency and it's insistence on sticking to a format that whilst allowing some years of copy protection and instant loading, hindered a lot of the development community who were woooed by the new kid on the block.

Sony came in - the naughty little upstart. "What did it know about gaming consoles ?" Nintendo laughed... But in the end it's marketing, new maturer format, and ability to attract developers who were looking for new ways of moving their games on - but hindered by size restrictions / cost of cartridge based medium.

In the space of 1 generation of consoles... Nintendo had lost the top spot in regards to home consoles.

That indeed can be seen as a massive failure. And it goes to show what happens when you become complacent in a marketplace. You dont decide what the consumer buys - the consumer does.

This was re-inforced with the incredible failure of the virtual boy. A sign that lessons were still being learned.




In many ways if it had not been for the mammoth success of the gameboy handhelds - Nintendo may not be with us now. Another possible Sega. Thankfully they did and they are still here.


Now...

However if we look at today.... That situation has almost gone the direct opposite, and the once jumpy little upstart 'Sony' who took on and became the giant of home consoles - is now looking a little sad.

It too has become complacent. It too said 'you will buy' dictate methodology rather than listening to what the consumers actually want.

And now it finds itself in the unenviable task of being in current 'third place'

If in 5 years the PS3 is still bottom of the sales pile, I'm sure it too in 10 years time will be seen as a 'failure'....





But....

Nintendo do need to get those bloody games out. The games that attract as much enthusiasm as Wii Sports. I mean where is Wii Sports 2 ? Why are games like BrainAge taking SO long to come out of the burner. These are not overly complex games, but they are the games that have attracted 'new audiences' - the very same new audiences who for the last 8 months have been criminally ignored.

And as for releasing PAL versions 6 or months later. I question if they really understand the European market, especially in 2007, when we are used to near identical cinema / dvd / cd releases. When the age of waiting for stuff has been done away with thanks to the digital medium.

Nintendo have done an amazing job getting the Wii into peoples homes. They have done a god damn awful job so far of following that up.

Apart from gamers - I know very few of the original people who bought the Wii at christmas for wii sports fun - who are still using the machine. It has in many ways become the Breville Sandwich Toaster, every home has one.... but who's using them ?

So complacency is still there.

A follow up to a free 'demo' which is still the pinacle of 'wii gaming' is still not here. That is BAD in anyones books.




-----


Only time will tell.

 

[takao]

yeah gotta agree with MRU, the public conception of failure is always a relative one, after all the the xbox sold less than the n64 and is considered a success simply because they started at zero and not with 50 million

also with the industry learning from errors: i think the next one will be blockbuster bubble bursting
seriously... a game which did cost 20 mio to develop and having a promotion and marketing budget of another 20 millions simply not gonna work out over the long terms.. how much do they have to sell to break even ? 1,5 millions ?
and that's for a game like Lost Planet

just look at take2 who had the most successful game series of the last generation with GTA with more than 36 millions sold just for ps2 and PC hits like civ4, pirates! etc. yet they barely survive financially

edit: on the euro delay.. boy i wished they would finally sort that out without sacrificing on the translation but on the other side it's understandable why for _some_ titles it's very difficult especially for japanese developed games... sure the Uk and ireland have to pay the biggest price of course
that said i'm rather happy that they finally translate nearly all games released and not like 10-15 years ago where you could be happy if you had 2-3 on the console games shelf
actually the slowest translators of today Nintendo and Square where best known for actually offering their games translated to german
and overall it helped the console industry a lot for catching more of the game market from the PC

actually it's really difficult for japanese developers to even find native speaking testers for translated versions especially for italian or german.. jobs listing which read like "native german/italian speaker, english, passion for video games, willing to work in japan for 4-8 months" are regularly showing up and i actually know somebody who did such a thing

 

[Haoshiro]

Sure, it could be called a "relative" failure, but that is besides the point.

It wasn't a market failure, it still sold well. It wasn't even a failure in terms of games. There are many great games on the system.

I suppose you could say it wasn't a "complete" failure, but honestly, the only thing it really failed at was selling more then the PlayStation.

I don't even think the hardware bad, and it certainly didn't much limit developers. What's the big deal with CD media? What did it bring to games? Besides lowering media cost, all it really did was allow FMV and CD Audio. Two things games can exist just fine without.

Look at XBLA and PSN games. These games are often extremely small compared to the full disc games, and people love them... most could have easily been done on older systems like N64. Look at DS and GBA games... minus the touch controls (which only a handful use really well), these games would have been perfect for N64/SNES.

PS may have given developers CDs, but the benefits weren't more then what Sega did with it's horrid "Sega CD", FMV and CD Audio... ooh ahh. I'd take an N64 with it's 32MB OoT anyday, along with Starfox, Goldeneye, etc.

 

[zero2dash]

When I say "failure", my argument is that the N64 and Gamecube were decent systems in their own right, when you take into fact the Nintendo games released for the system. But that's all they really had in the latter lifecycle of each system, respectively. 3rd parties jumped ship rather quickly with both systems. Now, it's fine and dandy that they have the support now and 3rd part devs are talking up the Wii as the second coming, but...let's see how devoted these companies are in a few years. That's my problem with the Wii. Maybe I'm apprehensive to throw my "Wii love" into the mix, but...I'm quite apprehensive because I've been burned by the last two Nintendo home consoles I bought.

At the end of their lives, the only reason to own either system was because of Nintendo's games; that's not something I want to happen as a Wii owner. The DS is the lone exception to the rule, because there's still a huge amount of 3rd party support for the system that I don't think will fade away like it did with the last two home consoles. But what about the Wii? How long will these companies keep their interest and see it as a viable platform? Sure, they can say "well, we're in it for the long haul" but IMO that's only because it's the sales king right now. What if that doesn't hold up after a year? Two years? Will they stick around?

I applaud Nintendo for being a little "out there" and pushing the envelope, but at what expense? Go against the grain to satisfy the needs and urges of some gamers, but don't alienate the people who would like to still be able to play with a traditional control scheme. Granted, I knew that when going in and buying a Wii; that I was buying a console centered around a newfangled control scheme.

Something I was thinking about the other day...in relation to console power and how I used to think it didn't matter. I was watching the video for Splinter Cell: Conviction and while the graphics were really good, all I kept thinking was "wow, the power of the 360 will enable the world inside the game to be more lifelike than ever" and I think that's the point I've missed up until now. Power doesn't necessarily mean pretty visuals or framerates; power can also be equally as important in terms of constructing the world or story that you're playing in. It was at that moment that I was proud to own a 360 and realize that I could look forward to some games that really showcased the cpu power that is now available to developers and gamers alike.

I'm not trying to piss on the Wii (no pun intended, I swear ), but like MRU said...where's the games? Wii Sports was/is huge. Where's a sequel? With online play, if you would be so kind, Nintendo? People can say "well, Mario Galaxy is coming, so is Metroid Prime 3: Corruption", to which I say...and...what's after that? It's almost like they're putting enough out there to keep people moderately interested, but their long term vision just isn't there yet. And, couple that in with the "burn" factor of 2 prior Nintendo consoles, and I think you can now understand why I'm a little leery of jumping for joy into the "Wii party".

 

[sikkinixx]

Sure, it could be called a "relative" failure, but that is besides the point.

It wasn't a market failure, it still sold well. It wasn't even a failure in terms of games. There are many great games on the system.

I suppose you could say it wasn't a "complete" failure, but honestly, the only thing it really failed at was selling more then the PlayStation.

But for most it will still be a 'failure' because it didn't win. Just like now when people look at the PSP and say "well, Sony is d00med in the handheld market! the DS sells 10x as many!" but the PSP is still selling a lot of units, in May is was in 3rd place ater the DS/Wii no?

 

[0098386]

I'm not trying to piss on the Wii (no pun intended, I swear ), but like MRU said...where's the games? Wii Sports was/is huge. Where's a sequel? With online play, if you would be so kind, Nintendo?

Funny. I thought SSX Blur, Metal Slug, Mario Football, Mercury Revolution and Excite Truck were good games.
Wii Sports 2 better not have online play, or they had better take very good steps to ensure against lag. It all but destroys any of the 360 or PC games I play now. I try to avoid any games with a ping more than 20. And LOL, the Wii has been out 7 months and you want a sequel to it's flagship sports game? It isn't coming anytime soon. But Wii Music and Wii Motorsports are.

People can say "well, Mario Galaxy is coming, so is Metroid Prime 3: Corruption", to which I say...and...what's after that? It's almost like they're putting enough out there to keep people moderately interested, but their long term vision just isn't there yet. And, couple that in with the "burn" factor of 2 prior Nintendo consoles, and I think you can now understand why I'm a little leery of jumping for joy into the "Wii party".

I don't get this comment. Doesn't this apply to every video game system? After Halo 3 what will I have to look forward to? After HL2 Episode 2 what PC game have I got left? What about Zelda and Sim City on the DS?
I tell you what I normally do - buy games now. Look forward to upcoming games, and not worrying whats happening beyond them since games get announced all the time.
After Prime/Smash Bros/Galaxy I have the true Wii Zelda game to look forward to. After that? Who knows. Wii Sports 2 in late 2008? Who cares at that expanse.

 

[0098386]

But for most it will still be a 'failure' because it didn't win. Just like now when people look at the PSP and say "well, Sony is d00med in the handheld market! the DS sells 10x as many!" but the PSP is still selling a lot of units, in May is was in 3rd place ater the DS/Wii no?

Answer me these questions 3 - is the system making a profit yet? What's the attach rate? Will Sony pull a MS in that despite the catastrophic loss of the Xbox 1, they continue in the market?

 

[zero2dash]

Funny. I thought SSX Blur, Metal Slug, Mario Football, Mercury Revolution and Excite Truck were good games.

I have no experience with any of those games and honestly I'm not really that interested in them. SSX went downhill after Tricky IMO, Metal Slug I've played since the NeoGeo days, and Excite Truck looks like a rental to me. Mario Soccer may be a good game, but playing against the computer in multiplayer sports games is not something I like doing, so most likely I won't bother with that one for that reason.

Wii Sports 2 better not have online play, or they had better take very good steps to ensure against lag. It all but destroys any of the 360 or PC games I play now. I try to avoid any games with a ping more than 20.

I haven't had lag in 360 or PC games in god knows how long.

And LOL, the Wii has been out 7 months and you want a sequel to it's flagship sports game?

Would it really take that long to make?
Is Wii Sports complex or deep? No. It's a glorified tech demo.
They could put together a sequel with at least double the sports or activities in a few months and release to retail by Christmas.

And referring to Wii Sports as a "flagship sports game" does not bode well for the future.

Doesn't this apply to every video game system? After Halo 3 what will I have to look forward to? After HL2 Episode 2 what PC game have I got left? What about Zelda and Sim City on the DS?

I tell you what I normally do - buy games now. Look forward to upcoming games, and not worrying whats happening beyond them since games get announced all the time.

Sorry, but that's a foolish way of thinking when it pertains to a Nintendo console.

And no, it doesn't apply to every video game system, because I have no worries about continued 3rd party support on those other systems.

The Wii's announced future lineup, sans Nintendo's titles, leaves a lot to be desired IMO.

 

[0098386]

I have no experience with any of those games

Discussion over. You can't criticise the games and not play them. Anyone got that Paper Mario screenshot to hand? Hell, I was castrated and my opinion disregarded for putting only a few hours into Oblivion. So I'm sorry. Without experience you can't talk about games being rentals or whatever. Go out and play them if you like games so much.

Oh, and Excite Truck 2 is rumoured to be in the making. Be silly not to make a sequel for that going off how fun the original was.

The Wii's announced future lineup, sans Nintendo's titles, leaves a lot to be desired IMO.

IMO I'm looking forward to Mercury Revolution, Manhunt 2, BWii, Final Fantasy, Tomb Raider, Tony Hawks, that EA dance game, Guitar Hero 3, Guilty Gear, Midnight, NiGHTS 2, RE4 Wii, Sadness and Soul Calibur are all under my radar and they're not Nintendo developed games. If none of them take your fancy then fair play. But 3rd parties are bringing stuff out for the Wii and as the system continues to soar there will be more devs joining the party.

Not to mention the Nintendo stuff like Mario Kart, F-Zero, Smash Bros, Metroid, Mario, Zelda, Kirby, Fire Emblem... and I want to limit my game purhcases now I'm 21.

 

[MRU]

edit: on the euro delay.. boy i wished they would finally sort that out without sacrificing on the translation but on the other side it's understandable why for _some_ titles it's very difficult especially for japanese developed games... sure the Uk and ireland have to pay the biggest price of course

That's true for japanese text heavy RPG's - but most games are not like that.
Why do microsoft and sony offer near simultaneous release schedules in moat teritories ? Language translation for most games is done during development as an ongoing thing - and not somthing grafted on after the game is finished.

So there's still no excuse. Super Paper Mario, Trauma Center, Elebits ? Can they justify the 6 month or more delay ?

Would it really take that long to make?
Is Wii Sports complex or deep? No. It's a glorified tech demo.
They could put together a sequel with at least double the sports or activities in a few months and release to retail by Christmas.

And referring to Wii Sports as a "flagship sports game" does not bode well for the future.

Exactly my point.

 

[e²Studios]

Discussion over. You can't criticise the games and not play them.

Why can't he? You do the same exact thing. Excite truck while somewhat fun lost my interest in about 2 hours of play, there is nothing groundbreaking nor revolutionary about the Wii. I have a feeling if Nintendo released a steaming pile of cow dung you would be here telling us how innovative and revolutionary it is.

Zero & MRU have nailed it spot on imo, good posts from both of you.

Ed