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Why is the Wii so good?

A

austin316

Diamond Member
Actually, there are 3 games rated a 9 or higher, but one is Resident Evil 4, which is available for the Gamecube. (Zelda and Metroid being the others).

I know the console is cheap and innovative, but there just doesn't seem like that many good games for it.

PS3 has 5 (although again, Ninja Gaiden is a remake).

360 has 14.
 
numbers don't really mean crap when it comes to reviews ... but I'll try to answer your question.

the reason it does so well is that it just appeals to the casual market much more than Xbox360 or PS3. It costs only $250 and comes with a game, even though it's more of a tech demo.

most of the games on wii are easy to pick up and play for anyone, regardless of if you are experienced with games.

of course there are exceptions to that (Zelda, Metroid, etc) but most of them are very simple and yet still fun, and are even more fun when you have a bunch of people playing with you.

the (artificial) supply/demand problem is also helping push the wii sales because when people see them in a store, it's a pretty rare site, and $250 is not that much to spend on a game console on an impulse purchase.

i also think that there are a boatload of shovelware games for the wii because most third party companies were very hesitant to invest time/money into making quality games because they were skeptical of the succcess of the system before it was out. now that it's doing so well sales wise, I think there will be a lot more quality titles in the future.

me personally, it's my least favorite of the three systems I own and it hardly gets any play at all.
 
The games that DO rate high are epic masterpieces. And while that is true sometimes with the other two systems, it's often not, and generally always true for the Wii.

Edit: To further clarify so I'm not labeled as a "fanboy" (my Wii is my least played system btw). Zelda and Metroid are absolutely amazing, and there's no doubt Mario galaxy will be as well. I can think of one game on the 360 that is "omg must have!" (Halo 3) and none whatsoever for the PS3.
 
People (including reviewers) are pretty well polarized on their feelings towards "casual" games. I think it's kind of odd that the same people that review FPS games are given the task of reviewing Super Monkey Ball, but as consumers we can take that information into consideration.

For entirely different reasons, I personally like Warioware and Rayman Raving Rapids just as much as I like Gears of War and Halo 3, but there are plenty of people who only prefer one type of game or the other. Obviously, there's nothing wrong with that. It's just that sometimes that personal preference shows through in reviews and online testimonials.

Actually, for my money the best "casual" game of the last few years was Viva Pinata on the Xbox 360, but sadly no one seemed to buy it.
 
Originally posted by: austin316
Actually, there are 3 games rated a 9 or higher, but one is Resident Evil 4, which is available for the Gamecube. (Zelda and Metroid being the others).

I know the console is cheap and innovative, but there just doesn't seem like that many good games for it.

PS3 has 5 (although again, Ninja Gaiden is a remake).

360 has 14.
Click to expand...

A lot of it has to do with the fact that there are certain things you can do on the Wii that you just cant do on the other consoles. On the other hand, the games are often missing a few things (HD, Online) that tend to drag scores down.

There is an abundance of crap, yet there are a few games like wario or trauma center that are so unique that even though they have a few aspects that drag their scores down a bit, they're must plays.

 
Ratings are dumb. Game descriptions are fine.

Nintendo makes games that are unlike anything you will find on the 360 or PS3 right now. They are a different type of fun which means that it may appeal to a different type of gamer. I plan to get one soon and my favorite titles are going to be Zelda and Metroid at first, but I am also going to really get into games like Paper Mario and some of the more ridiculous titles like WarioWare: Smooth Moves just because they are simple fun and great when you have guests over.
 
For one, 360 has been out over twice as long.
Also, those amounts will change based on where your numbers come from. (ex. gamespot: wii - 3 (but 1 is a VC game), ps3 - 3, 360 - 10)
And how much do you suppose a wii game is automatically knocked due to lack of HD support or inferior graphics compared to other 2 systems -- how much do graphics matter to a person buying the wii?

But I agree that the success is surprising. I have a wii and also a gamecube. GC was considered a loser. I enjoyed playing it. But I don't think I'm enjoying my wii any more than I enjoyed my GC - I feel similarly about the two. So I don't see why wii is succeeding where GC failed - other than the new controls that have non-traditional gamers intrigued along with a friendly price point.
 
Well if you're going to throw RE4 out you better throw Zelda out as well since it was on the Gamecube too.

The thing is, good games don't have all that much to do with people buying them. The average consumer doesn't care all that much. Remember that the Wii is aimed at casual gamers more than anything. Like was already pointed out, the Wii is fairly polarizing. Also, reviews don't necessairly mean the end all be all. I haven't looked at a gaming magazine in years, but I always liked that EGM would have a few people review each game. This way you can have a person who is really into the genre play it, someone in between, and then someone not into the genre. Granted that really wasn't the case either as plenty of the reviewers shared the same viewpoint, but it was still better than a single person reviewing it. Also, the reviews don't always tell the tale of what the game is really like. Halo 2 was plagued with all manner of idiots (shouting racist and other horrible things) and yet you weren't really given fair warning of that until you went and played it online.
 
I purchased a 360 when it first came out, love it.

My brother-in-law got the WII, we all kinda laughed at him since it did not compare to the 360 or PS3.

Well, after an evening at my in-laws house with all of us playing WII sports we did not laugh at him anymore. The following week.

Mother-in-law goes out and buys a WII - its just mother-in-law and father-in-law no kids, they love playing it together.

Other brother-in-law goes out and gets a WII

I go out and get a WII. So now the whole family has a WII and I am still the only one with a 360.

Whenever we go over each house, we just load up our MII on the remote and take it with us.

Its easy to learn and play. Simple.

I would choose my 360 over the WII but I glad I do not have too. 🙂
 
It's popular because it's easy for people to play, cheap enough where they can afford one and fun to play.

As for why there aren't many great games out there, some of it is because the Wii is being compared to the 360 and PS3's graphics and online capabilities. Some of it is because most gamers aren't interested in the types of games available for the Wii and those are the same gamers that write the reviews. A lot of it is because a lot of third parties are just porting games and tacking on the motion controls.
 
Just to throw some thermite on the fire - Wii bubble to burst?

Recent suggestions that the high-flying Nintendo Wii's days at the top of the console sales charts may be numbered are beginning to look less ridiculous every day, as more people in the know come round to that point of view.

The latest naysayer to pitch in is heavyweight business newspaper The Nikkei in an analysis piece headlined 'Software Houses Miscalculate Audience, Demand For Wii'. In the subscription-only article, author Tomoyuki Kawai reflects on a range of concerned voices within the videogames industry.
Nintendo the only winner

One of the prime worries seems to be that, while it's true the Wii has driven up software sales for the industry as a whole, Nintendo has been the only real beneficiary because it has been best placed to analyse demand from early adopters and deliver the hits.

Other software houses have been less agile and many have ended up with flop titles on their hands. The result for them has been no overall increase in sales compared to the previous year and a reluctance to commit to the Wii platform.
Wii gathering dust?

The report goes on to discuss the likelihood that many Wiis are gathering dust in owners' cupboards, citing one software house president as saying, "People bought it out of curiosity, and it's likely a lot of them haven't used it."

Given that September saw Wii sales fall sharply in Japan for the second consecutive month, it seems reasonable to speculate that the bubble inflated by the novelty factor is starting to deflate, but writing Nintendo off at any stage is a perilous course to steer.
Click to expand...
 
What website are you getting your ratings from? Gamerankings lists only 1 PS3 game over 90% - Oblivion. I wouldn't call it a remake like Ninja Gaiden, but it did come out a year later on PS3 than on 360 and PC.

But this isn't really about the Wii.

Yes, the Wii is lacking in great games. Right now. But there are several games coming out soon that have a lot of potential.

1. Fire Emblem. Play the Gamecube game. It kicks ass. This is the game that I am expecting to give me a reason to use my Wii a lot more (I haven't played it as much since I got my 360)
2. Mario Galaxy. I'm apprehensive, but it should be good.
3. Mario and Sonic @ Olympics. Wii Sports was great, but lacking in some areas. If this ends up being like Wii Sports with more games and more depth, it'll be a great game.
4. SSB Brawl. Got delayed. I don't care, I'm not a fan of the genre or the previous iterations. But many people are holding out for this game.
5. Rayman 2. Rayman was an awesome game. I'd put it in the high 8s if it wasn't so damn short. If they can improve, it'll be great.

I think just looking at 9+ games is flawed. Most of my favorite games are below 90% on Gamerankings, but most are above 80%. I'd be happy with a system with a ton of games in the 8s.
 
Originally posted by: Queasy
Just to throw some thermite on the fire - Wii bubble to burst?

Recent suggestions that the high-flying Nintendo Wii's days at the top of the console sales charts may be numbered are beginning to look less ridiculous every day, as more people in the know come round to that point of view.

The latest naysayer to pitch in is heavyweight business newspaper The Nikkei in an analysis piece headlined 'Software Houses Miscalculate Audience, Demand For Wii'. In the subscription-only article, author Tomoyuki Kawai reflects on a range of concerned voices within the videogames industry.
Nintendo the only winner

One of the prime worries seems to be that, while it's true the Wii has driven up software sales for the industry as a whole, Nintendo has been the only real beneficiary because it has been best placed to analyse demand from early adopters and deliver the hits.

Other software houses have been less agile and many have ended up with flop titles on their hands. The result for them has been no overall increase in sales compared to the previous year and a reluctance to commit to the Wii platform.
Wii gathering dust?

The report goes on to discuss the likelihood that many Wiis are gathering dust in owners' cupboards, citing one software house president as saying, "People bought it out of curiosity, and it's likely a lot of them haven't used it."

Given that September saw Wii sales fall sharply in Japan for the second consecutive month, it seems reasonable to speculate that the bubble inflated by the novelty factor is starting to deflate, but writing Nintendo off at any stage is a perilous course to steer.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...


I don't know...every vendor I have spoken to (which has been a lot as of late) are all telling me to get my Wii really early before Christmas. They are all anticipating it to be harder to get than last year. Besides, all the consoles so far have had a ton of flop titles. It's the same with every console every generation. Each one has some hits and tons of misses. People buy the consoles for the hits and sometimes they will experiment with some new misses. That is especially true with the much younger (ages 8-14) crowd.

The Wii is attracting a new type of customer is a new way with it's unique games and controller interface. I believe that the Wii is fine. It's the game developers that need to learn how to make good games using this new money making machine that is sitting in their laps. Change is tough.

 
I think we'll tend to see Wii console sales this high for a while, but software sales to be significantly lower than you'd expect for the install base. Many casual gamers who bought the Wii have it sitting in their entertainment center collecting dust, only got it for Wii Play, or might have purchased 1-2 games max. The problem with casual gamers is that they don't thrive for a new game experience every few weeks like the hardcore segment. The hardcore segment is losing interest because the lack of non-casual games recently.
 
Originally posted by: joshsquall
I think we'll tend to see Wii console sales this high for a while, but software sales to be significantly lower than you'd expect for the install base. Many casual gamers who bought the Wii have it sitting in their entertainment center collecting dust, only got it for Wii Play, or might have purchased 1-2 games max. The problem with casual gamers is that they don't thrive for a new game experience every few weeks like the hardcore segment. The hardcore segment is losing interest because the lack of non-casual games recently.
Click to expand...


That's a very good point. Estimating the success of individual titles will be harder to do than other consoles because the sales of the games will be more gradual instead of a giant burst within the first 2 weeks of release. Thus, estimating the success of the Wii will also have to evaluated differently.
 
Originally posted by: RandomFool
It's popular because it's easy for people to play, cheap enough where they can afford one and fun to play.
Click to expand...

And it's fun for all ages! I've been wanting to buy one to donate to the senior daycare center (for old people) at the church next to my house, but I haven't seen one in a store.

A lot of it is because a lot of third parties are just porting games and tacking on the motion controls.
Click to expand...

I hope they've learned by now that we're not going to settle for crappy games just because they added motion sensing.

Why is it that the first-party developers make such consistently better games than third parties? Hudson Soft must have known that Wing Island was no Pilotwings.
 
Originally posted by: Queasy
Just to throw some thermite on the fire - Wii bubble to burst?

Recent suggestions that the high-flying Nintendo Wii's days at the top of the console sales charts may be numbered are beginning to look less ridiculous every day, as more people in the know come round to that point of view.

The latest naysayer to pitch in is heavyweight business newspaper The Nikkei in an analysis piece headlined 'Software Houses Miscalculate Audience, Demand For Wii'. In the subscription-only article, author Tomoyuki Kawai reflects on a range of concerned voices within the videogames industry.
Nintendo the only winner

One of the prime worries seems to be that, while it's true the Wii has driven up software sales for the industry as a whole, Nintendo has been the only real beneficiary because it has been best placed to analyse demand from early adopters and deliver the hits.

Other software houses have been less agile and many have ended up with flop titles on their hands. The result for them has been no overall increase in sales compared to the previous year and a reluctance to commit to the Wii platform.
Wii gathering dust?

The report goes on to discuss the likelihood that many Wiis are gathering dust in owners' cupboards, citing one software house president as saying, "People bought it out of curiosity, and it's likely a lot of them haven't used it."

Given that September saw Wii sales fall sharply in Japan for the second consecutive month, it seems reasonable to speculate that the bubble inflated by the novelty factor is starting to deflate, but writing Nintendo off at any stage is a perilous course to steer.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...


EGM also had an article about Nintendo and the overabundance of shovelware on their systems. It went over how they used to have an "Official Seal of Quality", then they took out the "Quality" part and pretty much let any non M Rated Game that applied have a license.

It's actually a pretty good read, not sure if its available online though.
 
Originally posted by: Yreka
Originally posted by: Queasy
Just to throw some thermite on the fire - Wii bubble to burst?

Recent suggestions that the high-flying Nintendo Wii's days at the top of the console sales charts may be numbered are beginning to look less ridiculous every day, as more people in the know come round to that point of view.

The latest naysayer to pitch in is heavyweight business newspaper The Nikkei in an analysis piece headlined 'Software Houses Miscalculate Audience, Demand For Wii'. In the subscription-only article, author Tomoyuki Kawai reflects on a range of concerned voices within the videogames industry.
Nintendo the only winner

One of the prime worries seems to be that, while it's true the Wii has driven up software sales for the industry as a whole, Nintendo has been the only real beneficiary because it has been best placed to analyse demand from early adopters and deliver the hits.

Other software houses have been less agile and many have ended up with flop titles on their hands. The result for them has been no overall increase in sales compared to the previous year and a reluctance to commit to the Wii platform.
Wii gathering dust?

The report goes on to discuss the likelihood that many Wiis are gathering dust in owners' cupboards, citing one software house president as saying, "People bought it out of curiosity, and it's likely a lot of them haven't used it."

Given that September saw Wii sales fall sharply in Japan for the second consecutive month, it seems reasonable to speculate that the bubble inflated by the novelty factor is starting to deflate, but writing Nintendo off at any stage is a perilous course to steer.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...


EGM also had an article about Nintendo and the overabundance of shovelware on their systems. It went over how they used to have an "Official Seal of Quality", then they took out the "Quality" part and pretty much let any non M Rated Game that applied have a license.

It's actually a pretty good read, not sure if its available online though.
Click to expand...

Yea I actually read that too. I was hoping the article would be a little better than it was though.

Basically all they said was that Nintendo is by far the most laid back about what they allow to be put out on their systems.
 
Originally posted by: purbeast0
Originally posted by: Yreka
Originally posted by: Queasy
Just to throw some thermite on the fire - Wii bubble to burst?

Recent suggestions that the high-flying Nintendo Wii's days at the top of the console sales charts may be numbered are beginning to look less ridiculous every day, as more people in the know come round to that point of view.

The latest naysayer to pitch in is heavyweight business newspaper The Nikkei in an analysis piece headlined 'Software Houses Miscalculate Audience, Demand For Wii'. In the subscription-only article, author Tomoyuki Kawai reflects on a range of concerned voices within the videogames industry.
Nintendo the only winner

One of the prime worries seems to be that, while it's true the Wii has driven up software sales for the industry as a whole, Nintendo has been the only real beneficiary because it has been best placed to analyse demand from early adopters and deliver the hits.

Other software houses have been less agile and many have ended up with flop titles on their hands. The result for them has been no overall increase in sales compared to the previous year and a reluctance to commit to the Wii platform.
Wii gathering dust?

The report goes on to discuss the likelihood that many Wiis are gathering dust in owners' cupboards, citing one software house president as saying, "People bought it out of curiosity, and it's likely a lot of them haven't used it."

Given that September saw Wii sales fall sharply in Japan for the second consecutive month, it seems reasonable to speculate that the bubble inflated by the novelty factor is starting to deflate, but writing Nintendo off at any stage is a perilous course to steer.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...


EGM also had an article about Nintendo and the overabundance of shovelware on their systems. It went over how they used to have an "Official Seal of Quality", then they took out the "Quality" part and pretty much let any non M Rated Game that applied have a license.

It's actually a pretty good read, not sure if its available online though.
Click to expand...

Yea I actually read that too. I was hoping the article would be a little better than it was though.

Basically all they said was that Nintendo is by far the most laid back about what they allow to be put out on their systems.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I read that too. The long and short of it is that Sony and Microsoft require developers to submit game ideas and have them approved. That article made me wonder - does it really make a difference? There are plenty of crappy games on all platforms. My conclusion was that no, it doesn't make a difference. If you look at the average ratings on Gamerankings, the DS's average game rating is slightly higher than the PSP's. The Wii is a few percentage points below PS3 and 360, but I think that is more indicative of a few other factors.
1. It's new and different, and it'll take time for developers to learn to use the remote effectively.
2. There are some games that kids love but reviewers obviously would not.
3. The phenomenal success caught developers off-guard, and they rushed to get stuff out and get on the bandwagon. I think the next round of games might be better.

I think the DS's game ratings are a better indication of the impact of Nintendo's standards or lack thereof though, because it's a more mature platform. Companies don't need Nintendo and Sony and Microsoft to tell them their games aren't good - reviewers and our money will tell them if their game sucks.

It's also interesting that in the same article they had a list of games that might not have made it past Microsoft's or Sony's standards but turned out to be hits. The Seal of Quality existed because of the video game crash of 1983. People stopped buying games, because so many games sucked. We have a little thing called the Internet now. Most people don't buy games because the box art is cool or because it sounds like a cool concept anymore. We don't need Nintendo to tell us if a game is good, we can find out on our own.
 
Originally posted by: Queasy
Just to throw some thermite on the fire - Wii bubble to burst?

Recent suggestions that the high-flying Nintendo Wii's days at the top of the console sales charts may be numbered are beginning to look less ridiculous every day, as more people in the know come round to that point of view.

The latest naysayer to pitch in is heavyweight business newspaper The Nikkei in an analysis piece headlined 'Software Houses Miscalculate Audience, Demand For Wii'. In the subscription-only article, author Tomoyuki Kawai reflects on a range of concerned voices within the videogames industry.
Nintendo the only winner

One of the prime worries seems to be that, while it's true the Wii has driven up software sales for the industry as a whole, Nintendo has been the only real beneficiary because it has been best placed to analyse demand from early adopters and deliver the hits.

Other software houses have been less agile and many have ended up with flop titles on their hands. The result for them has been no overall increase in sales compared to the previous year and a reluctance to commit to the Wii platform.
Wii gathering dust?

The report goes on to discuss the likelihood that many Wiis are gathering dust in owners' cupboards, citing one software house president as saying, "People bought it out of curiosity, and it's likely a lot of them haven't used it."

Given that September saw Wii sales fall sharply in Japan for the second consecutive month, it seems reasonable to speculate that the bubble inflated by the novelty factor is starting to deflate, but writing Nintendo off at any stage is a perilous course to steer.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

That was my reason to sell my Wii a few weeks after launch, but I think I got out way to early and wasnt greedy enough when I did(didnt profit). Everyone says that its so innovative, but I dont see many good innovative games yet. Was really hoping for a nice fishing game, is there one of those yet? All the good games have just been the same old nintendo remakes of thier NES franchises(zelda, metroid, mario). Personally I got tired of them after thier snes iterations...
 
I don't have a Wii but my friend has one. He got it for their 7 year old and their entire family of 4 absolutely love it. The games they play most are the Wii Sports ones and while they are very lame looking they are still a lot of fun. I must confess I got sore from Baseball. 😛
 
Why is the Wii so good?

1) My 4year old son and I can play several of the simpler games together and both have fun.
2) I get to play all the old Gamecube exclusives I've missed out on and longed to play.
3) It's hard to get non-gamer friends to play the 360 or PS3, but it's easy to get them playing with your Wii...(snicker)
4) Exclusives like Mario, Metroid, F-Zero, Starfox, Zelda, etc., which you will absolutely not find on any other platform.
5) Doesn't require a HDTV to get the full experience the system can provide.
6) $250 vs $350 or $400 for XBox360 and PS3 respectively.

Our Wii gets a workout daily (snicker again). The innovative controls make it an experience you just can't get on any other console. Personally, when I look through the top 50 rated games for the XBox 360 on gamerankings, I think to myself, "I can get that on the Wii, on my PS2 with slightly worse graphics, or it's out/will be out for the PC (Q6600, 4GB, 8800GTX thank you very much)." Also, what is this paying for Online multiplayer gaming you speak of on the 360?! Finally, the PS3 is just a clusterf**k of abysmal right now as far as game selection goes. I might consider it when I can get a descent sized hard drive, backwards compatibility, and some descent exclusives (God of War 3, Metal Gear 4, Devil May Cry 4, Final Fantasy XIII) for $300-$400.
 
The only reason my Wii doesn't collect dust is BC and the VC. The only game on the Wii that I am truly happy with is Metroid Prime, which is a very excellent game by itself. However, the are no other Wii games sitting beside it in quality for me. I'm not counting RE4 or TP, since I would have enjoyed both games just as much on the Gamecube. Also, I didn't really even like TP as much as I though I would. I don't know if I'll like Super Mario Galaxy, but I hope so since it is supposed to be the modern reiteration of Super Mario World.

What game do I desperately await to come out on the Wii? Super Smash Brothers Brawl. I have tons of hours in SSBM since my girlfriend loves it as well, and Brawl keeps on adding more and more seemingly phenomenal characters, stages, modes and items.

I cried a few days ago when Brawl was announced to have been delayed a few days ago. 😉

PS: In all fairness, I only own 3 games on my 360 (Halo 3, Bioshock and Gears of War), one of which I could have played on PC. Also, the only games I like on my PS3 are Resistance and perhaps Heavenly Sword (I haven't opened the game yet, but from the demo I think I'll like it.)
 
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