Topic: Episode 62: What Have Wii Done for Me Lately?

[oksoda]

The bad puns never stop as the Newscast strolls down memor-Wii lane.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/newscast/27249

This week, the Newscast boys strap on their recollection caps and fondly look back at the Wii over its nearly-five year life span. From E3 giddiness to post-launch disappointment, the crew discusses a wide array of success and failure, surprise and dismay. Join them as they traverse the peaks and valleys of the Wii's existence with hopes of arriving at some sort of zen-like understanding of the little white box's purpose. Spoiler warning: Wii Music doesn't even get mentioned!

The gang also throw on their prediction monocles and answers a reader's question about whether or not the Wii U and 3DS can ever live up to their progenitors' commercial successes. 

Have a memory or thought about the Wii and its legacy you'd like to share with us? Email us at newscast@nintendoworldreport.com and we'll read it next week!

[Scatt-Man]

Sounds like an awesome topic. Looking forward to the listen, chaps. :3

[ZNemerald]

Isn't it too early for this. The wii-U is coming out late 2012 not late 2011. Well, maybe not because there is no announcements of anything besides that Zelda game.

[TJ Spyke]

Sometime in 2012, not late 2012. All we know is that it will be sometime after April 1, but that is as specific as we know. I do think is might be a little too soon, though I am sure the discussion will be entertaining.

[Ceric]

I think this is a timing thing.  People like these types of episodes so the best time to strike is when RFN is on vacation to branch out.  I haven't listen yet but, how do you get away without talking about Wii Music.

[NWR_DrewMG]

That wasn't the plan (putting out a feature topic when RFN has an off week) at all, but if it helps get a few extra listeners, cool.


Also we didn't talk about Wii Music because it's such a forgettable title that none of us even thought to bring it up.

[ThomasO]

Well, maybe not because there is no announcements of anything besides that Zelda game.

Kirby Wii and Mario Party 9 don't count?

Also we didn't talk about Wii Music because it's such a forgettable title that none of us even thought to bring it up.

Thought it was because you had beaten it to death several times already.

[NWR_DrewMG]

Thought it was because you had beaten it to death several times already.

I can't remember the last time the game came up on the podcast.  Truthfully, the game completely escapes my memory when I talk about the lifespan of the Wii. 


When, exactly, did we last "beat it to death"?

[NWR_Neal]

I'm super excited for Kirby Wii and mildly interested in Mario Party 9. I would consider neither game a huge, monumental release, though. Like, I'll be there day one for Kirby, but I feel like I already played that game and know too much of what to expect. I hope to be surprised, but there's a big feeling of deja vu with that game. Same with MP9.

[NWR_DrewMG]

I've never played any Kirby games except Kirby's Adventure for NES and Kirby's Canvas Curse for Nintendo DS.  So, no, I'm not really looking forward to that Kirby game because it's just not a series I'm emotionally invested in.


Also, I live far far away from most people I would play Mario Party with, so that doesn't really do much for me either.

[NWR_Neal]

If Mario Party 9 is online, my interest in it might be higher. MP8 was cool for me because I was in college. MP9 might not carry the same interest for me. It depends what my friends are up to when it comes out, honestly.

[NWR_DrewMG]

Mario Party Online kind of misses the point though, doesn't it?

[oksoda]

As to whether or not this topic is a bit premature, our rationale was that after a rather quiet E3 this year and then the straight up "no thanks" to Operation Rainfall, it seems that Nintendo has moved on from the Wii, so why shouldn't we prepare to do the same? Yeah, Kirby, Zelda, and Mario Party may be in the pipeline still, but not one of those games will redefine the console or change our impressions of it 5 years into its life. We are at the precipice of the Wii's final stand; this is the perfect time for a little reflection.

Also, it was a good excuse to talk about Excite Truck.

[Kytim89]

Unless Operation Rainfall is a success then the only good post-Skyward Sword Wii game will be Dragon Quest 10. From here until the launch of the Wii U the line up for the Wii is going to get even darker. Hell, it already is in darkness.
 
 

[AV]

I'm glad you enjoyed my question. I'm not part of doom / gloom cynical nintendo group yet, but I will be critical and expect more from the company as I grow up.


BTW the golden era I mean sales domination, not quality games. 

[AV]

I have a huge catalog of Mii's for 3DS:


3DS Mii QR Codes HUGE inventory (65 Total)

[Traveller]

I'm super excited for Kirby Wii and mildly interested in Mario Party 9. I would consider neither game a huge, monumental release, though. Like, I'll be there day one for Kirby, but I feel like I already played that game and know too much of what to expect. I hope to be surprised, but there's a big feeling of deja vu with that game. Same with MP9.

Im not interested in Kirby at all at the moment, looks so bland and uninspired to me. Im just finishing up Epic Yarn, so that might have something to do with it. Mario Party 8 was a let down for me and my friends when it was released. Seriously the best later Mario Party games were 6 and 7 on the Cube!

[NWR_insanolord]

I think the fact that we haven't had a Mario Party in four years makes me a lot more likely to pick up Mario Party 9. I never bought 8, but played it at a friend's house; I remember feeling disappointed by how little it did with the Wii-specific inputs, so I hope this one goes all-out. Kirby looks good, but I just picked up Kirby Super Star Ultra for DS, and it's the type of game I'd much rather play on a handheld.

[Killer_Man_Jaro]

Hm. So it doesn't sound like any of you are really happy with the Wii. That's a shame. For me, Nintendo is still delivering the goods on their first party software - you remarked that they were conservative with their new games, and I would only say that applies to the base structure of these games, as I feel like there was a lot of imagination and creativity in most other elements of their game design. I also disagree with Mike's characterisation of Metroid Prime 3, but whatever floats your boat. As for third party support, it might not be as strong as the other systems, but I think there are still some diamond titles out there. More than ever, though, you have to be very much tuned in and looking closely to find those diamonds.

To bring up a few that I don't recall being mentioned on the episode, both Zack & Wiki and the Boom Blox duo definitely delivered on what you were discussing, the promise of new experiences brought about by the Wii controller. Original, clever and great fun. If we extend this to the download arena, I'd put LostWinds and Fluidity/Hydroventure under the same category; these are the kind of games that you couldn't get elsewhere, the kind that are made more enjoyable by motion controls. Of course, that philosophy isn't required for everything; two examples are Little King's Story and A Boy & His Blob. Despite not utilising any special control scheme, this pair is the kind that probably wouldn't be created without the Wii either, simply because of industry trends.

As for disappointments, the conspicuous absence of certain games on Virtual Console is a big one. Supposedly, the lack of representation for Nintendo 64 is related to difficulties emulating Expansion Pak features, yet it must be possible given that there are ROM websites that have managed it.

[Traveller]

Hm. So it doesn't sound like any of you are really happy with the Wii. That's a shame. For me, Nintendo is still delivering the goods on their first party software - you remarked that they were conservative with their new games, and I would only say that applies to the base structure of these games, as I feel like there was a lot of imagination and creativity in most other elements of their game design. I also disagree with Mike's characterisation of Metroid Prime 3, but whatever floats your boat. As for third party support, it might not be as strong as the other systems, but I think there are still some diamond titles out there. More than ever, though, you have to be very much tuned in and looking closely to find those diamonds.

To bring up a few that I don't recall being mentioned on the episode, both Zack & Wiki and the Boom Blox duo definitely delivered on what you were discussing, the promise of new experiences brought about by the Wii controller. Original, clever and great fun. If we extend this to the download arena, I'd put LostWinds and Fluidity/Hydroventure under the same category; these are the kind of games that you couldn't get elsewhere, the kind that are made more enjoyable by motion controls. Of course, that philosophy isn't required for everything; two examples are Little King's Story and A Boy & His Blob. Despite not utilising any special control scheme, this pair is the kind that probably wouldn't be created without the Wii either, simply because of industry trends.

As for disappointments, the conspicuous absence of certain games on Virtual Console is a big one. Supposedly, the lack of representation for Nintendo 64 is related to difficulties emulating Expansion Pak features, yet it must be possible given that there are ROM websites that have managed it.

I think their disappointment comes from a perceived notion that GameCube was so much better than the Wii in regards to quality titles. Nintendo's output alone was far better on Wii, then you have a bunch of fantastic third party games not only at retail, but also for Wiiware. There's a bunch of games I havnt even picked up yet that I know I would enjoy.
 
Also I think if Nintendo pushed a title like The Last Story, it could generate some big numbers. Its from the creator of Final Fantasy, and by the looks of it, seems to be a very polished experience. I dont buy that it is too hard to sell such a game. 

[TJ Spyke]

Also I think if Nintendo pushed a title like The Last Story, it could generate some big numbers. Its from the creator of Final Fantasy, and by the looks of it, seems to be a very polished experience. I dont buy that it is too hard to sell such a game. 

Lost Odyssey was marketed this way and got pretty good reviews, and it pretty much bombed. Considering it was on Xbox 360, it got decent numbers in Japan I suppose.

[NWR_Neal]

I'm very sad I missed this episode, because I was very much in Scott's territory as someone who went through college with Wii. It launched my freshman year of college. I played the crap out of Wii Sports, Excite Truck, WarioWare, Mario Party, Brawl, Mario Kart, etc. with people at school. The only games that rivaled my social playtime with Wii was Rock Band and Halo 3.

It was downright joyous when I had all of my family playing video games through Wii Sports. I've never had that experience before, and it led to things like my mom playing Mario Kart and singing Rock Band, and my dad playing Tiger Woods with me. That all happened because of what I was going through at the time (late teens/early 20s), but it was very special nonetheless.

And WarioWare might be the worst WarioWare game (worse than Touched? Really, Sklens?), but the multiplayer made is a staple of drinking get-togethers for years. Single player is weak, I'll admit, but who cares when that multiplayer is so rock solid (and inexplicably locked when you first boot the game up...).

[Ceric]

I thought this was a pretty good episode of Newscast.

[NWR_insanolord]

I was happy with the Wii in the sense that it had a lot of games that I loved. The Galaxy games are both top 10 all time for me, if not top 5, and even though RE4 and Metroid Prime were originally GameCube games, I didn't play them until Wii and they will forever be tied to the Wii in my mind because of their enhanced controls. Donkey Kong Country Returns is also amazing, at least when you play it with a Classic Controller like I did. And I got a ton of use out of both Wii Sports games, playing with friends and family.

Still, though, I'm disappointed in the system because of how much wasted potential it had, and how Nintendo made some boneheaded mistakes that ended up hampering the system in the long run. Judging it for what it is, I'm happy, but it could have been so much more if a few things had gone differently.

[Lithium]

Still, though, I'm disappointed in the system because of how much wasted potential it had, and how Nintendo made some boneheaded mistakes that ended up hampering the system in the long run. Judging it for what it is, I'm happy, but it could have been so much more if a few things had gone differently.

My thoughts exactly. it could have been so much more, and it's because of being burned by nintendo so many times over the years the Wii might be my last nintendo console, I dont even like the stuff that's on the other two systems either so i'm probably going to be just a handheld gamer. Im waiting for the 2nd version of the 3ds to buy it though, not that it matters because the DS had so many good games i could play it for another 2 or 3 years no problem