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 Two years, has it been that long? I guess it has been. Two years ago today the Wii was released worldwide, because Nintendo loves you… or so we thought. What has the last two years brought Nintendo and it’s Wii? Let’s delve into the past, and see where the future lies for Nintendo. Nintendo had a cool concept. Motion control in a game, would it be a gimmick or a novel innovation? Well, two years has passed, and honestly, the verdict is still out. There are the games that just tack it on, such as Super Monkey Ball did. Did they even play test their game? Super Monkey Ball should have been great on the Wii. Alas, it was not. Fortunately, there have been games that do make excellent use of the Wii Remote, and these games shine amongst the games that treat motion control like an afterthought. Games like No More Heroes, De Blob, Zack and Wiki, and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption all make excellent use of the Wii Remote. Super Mario Galaxy was a refreshing reinvention of the platform genre. Truly there are the gems in what seems more and more like an endless pile of crap, and my, there is crap. Why is there crap? Well, it might be because the Wii sells like hotcakes from McDonalds. It sold almost 850,000 units in North America alone last month, and quite frankly that’s impressive. It’s enough to make the Wii the clear market leader, and we’ll talk about that later. But now, let’s talk about the effects of being the market leader. See, being number one tends to bring a lot of crap to your console. Games like Target: Terror. What is that game like? Well, you know what Lethal Enforcers is, right? Well, it looks just like that, except with Terrorists. How novel for the Wii, especially when it could probably run on an N64. Great job there, Konami, you really must have been bitter after the sales of Elebits and Dewy’s Adventure. I bought Elebits! Don’t hate me! And don’t think that it’s just the third parties giving us steaming piles of shit. I see that the fourth worst ranked Wii game on Gamerankings is Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast. Now, I am sure that game is full of win, but the score speaks for the masses. And don’t forget about Wii Music! Is that even a game? You decide. If you would have told me with a straight face that the Wii would be far and beyond the market leader right now prior to its launch I would have laughed. I was a Nintendo fanboy at one point, but just because I was a fanboy does not mean that I am not a realist. C’mon, Nintendo had a good idea, but was there really something as a casual gamer? I sure as hell didn’t think so. I guess I was wrong, because as they say… it prints money. Unfortunately, it only prints money really for Nintendo. See, the Wii third party tie-in ratio is rather poor. It seems as though the real winner in all this is Nintendo and the companies that realize shovelware. It’s sort of sad because it limits creativity. Why be creative when you can make money with a low budget piece of crap? It’s sad, and it’s true.  Well, the future, what does it hold? Being on top means that Nintendo has the most to lose. It’s quite obvious that Nintendo cares most about the casual gamer these days, and it hurts. Nintendo really, really needs to either invest in games for gamers or encourage third parties to innovate rather than defecate. Maybe it could, you know, do both? Who knows, really? I certainly hope they do, because to a certain extent Nintendo has really tried to see what the breaking point of their fanboys is. Maybe to them that’s okay, but they have to realize that you can have your hardcore faithful in addition to being super trendy. Apple does it, somehow. Isn’t that who Nintendo is trying to emulate anyways? Does that mean that we’ll soon see a super thin Iwata in jeans and a black shirt with a goatee? God I hope so. The truth is though that Nintendo needs to know that some of Nintendo’s biggest fans are becoming some very bitter people, and bitter people can bring some very negative press. Best then to keep the fans happy, I suppose. Might you start with localizing Captain Rainbow and Mother 3? Please? PLEASE? Nintendo’s console will probably have a bright future. I know I am personally as giddy as a schoolgirl for No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle and Mad World. I guess you could say I’ve become a person to enjoy violence more as I’ve gotten older. I also know that in the future I’ll probably own a PS3 to satisfy other needs. But don’t you worry Nintendo, because you’ve already made more than enough money off of me, and chances are you’ll make more than enough money off of others. Congrats on that. Well, what do you think? Where has Nintendo been over the last two years for you? Where will they be in the future? I know where I think they’ll be, but it’s always more interesting to find out where you guys think the future lies, so tell us, won’t you?
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Trombone Champ Is a Good Game (12/30/2023)
Thoughts on the Nintendo Switch OLED Model (11/21/2023)
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In my opinion the Wii has been right on par with the other two this gen. Not above, not below. They are all equally mediocre so far.
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@Crabmaster2000:
Then you haven't played much this generation! :p
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I've played my share
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I just want to tell you all I told you so.
Gaiii...
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I think the fact that 2 years after the console's release, it's still a feat if you can find one in a store, speaks volumes for the Wii. It's one thing to have a system sell above retail for the first few weeks, of it's life, but the first few years? That's insane.
I got my Wii in April this year and it's the only current generation system I own. And if I had the choice between the Wii, PS3, and 360, I would still choose the Wii. I just love the simple pick up and play fun the Wii offers.
And don't forget about WiiWare, I was weary of paying for a game I didn't actually own a physical copy of, but I think it was worth it for World of Goo. It is kind of nice being able to play a game without worrying about having a disc in the system.
I think the Wii will continue being the top selling console this system and will probably continue to sell well into the next generation (see PS2). And as far as people that say "the Wii is just a bunch of shovelware" I think that's the stupidest excuse to not buy a system. I do not enjoy playing Barbies next adventure so I simply don't buy the games, it's as simple as that, no one will force you to buy a game simply because it is available. There may be 200 crap games, but if there's 50 good games, isn't that enough? The Wii probably has as many if not more good exclusive games than the PS3 or 360.
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@NES_Rules:
It's funny that Wiis are so hard to find in the U.S., up here retailers get them in groups of 30-40 at a time and they literally stack the floors with them everywhere you go. Ironic for a population a tenth of the size no? Same thing when the DS and DS Lite was so scarce down there. The only thing scarce for the Wii as far as I've seen are selections of LAN Adapters. Luckily the one I have works well, it's the only model available for purchase without resorting to trial and error on a non-Wii endorsed item. 
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@Nes_Rules:
I totlay agree. I get sooo tired of hearing about the Wii Shovelware. I own a few of these so called Shovelware games. And they aren't really THAT bad. They can be fun with groups, Kids, women, etc. Just b/c they don't catch OUR eye. Doesn't mean they are bad. My wife loves the cooking games, and things like that for the Wii and the DS.
Like Nes_Rules said, if you don't like it, don't buy it. Get your zelda's, mario's, etc. And leave the shovelware for the casual gamer.
Obviously, catering to the casual gamer is the way to go. Speaking from a business point of view. They have the HOTEST selling console and Handheld. While we are complaining for better games, they are wiping there butts with $100 bills 
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@c3363:Heh, the same thing here. I can go to any store here and take home 10+ Wii's. You guys in the U.S. must be mighty undersupplied. And yes, the Wii sells like crazy here too, so it's not like it's easily findable because nobody is buying the machine.
To answer TJ's question: Nintendo hasn't been around the last 2 years for me. I will pick up a GameCube one of these days (one of these months would be more accurate) for the 20 or so good games that are on that system.
I'm really having a hard time liking the Wii, the motion sensing controller just isn't my thing. 
I will get one though, eventually.
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I also don't get to concerned with shovelware. If people like to play those games, I say live and let live. I would be curious how much use all the Wii's sold in the US get after purchase though. Is Nintnedo creating a different kind of fan, or just happened to be the current fad? I purchased mine the Christmas after it was released, however for the last six months it's sat unused in it's travel case. I brought it home with me on my last trip to the US thinking we'd play a lot of Smash and actually barely touched it. It always seems to be a second thought compared to my 360 (althought part of this has to do with the connectivity the 360 alows me to have with family at home).
While I hope the time between hardware generations has increased eventually it will come. Not sure where Nintendo goes from here. The last two cycles indicate they're pretty content with the look of their first party games, so probably aren't going to push the tech envelope, and outside of Wii Shop are not really into internet connectivity. Without another good gimmick they may have painted themselves into a corner.
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It has Mario Galaxy which is like, godly. There are a ton of complete crap games, but there are also phenomenal single player games such as Metroid Prime, Zelda, Mario Galaxy, No More Heroes, World of Goo, etc. And if you enjoy actually getting in to your games and you know, having fun actually doing something unique with the controller, the system is phenomenal.
I mean, if you buy Mario Baseball while going through the motions it is like 3x more fun than sitting on the couch and realizing that hey this thing is just a controller. Same goes for other games like Warioware, Mario Party, and especially Wii Sports. If you don't really get in to the games you are missing out big time.
So... I think the Wii is as fun as you make it. Can't say the same for the other consoles.
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@Hedonism Bot: Check out this thread to see the a sampling for the members on this site owning a Wii regarding your question about Wii use after purchase.
http://www.rfgeneration.com/forum/index.php?topic=7298.0
I have no plans to buy a Wii. It's been available to purchase several times, but I'm just not into its current library of games.
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I can't wait for Dead Rising on the Wii. There is just something about swinging a control around to hack up zombies that makes it all the more satisfying. I use to be anti-Nintendo, but to be honest this generation and all of the over hyped crap coming out for the other systems.
Let me just put this real simply, 1st person shooters are not made for consoles. I mean try to walk down to your local shops after having your leg amputated. Sure you'll still get there in the end but it'll take a lot more effort and will be no more rewarding once you do.
The more I play 360s or PS3s, the less I like them. The size of both of these systems and the fact they sound like vacuum cleaners when running doesn't help either. I too would like to see more quality games on the Wii though, but like said Crabmaster2000 I think most people owning any current gen system have the same wish.
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i love my wii 
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This is TraderJake's Blog.
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This is where my thoughts go and are never heard from again.
Well, maybe not, but this is the repository for all of my published thoughts and rantings. It'll make my day if you find at least 10% of it amusing and enjoyable to read.
Sorry for the other 90%.
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