Halo, GTA and other kill them before they kill you fare may boast an aggressive, testosterone-laden affair, but in reality the experience is skin deep. Real men and women play Wii Fit, it seems, and the sales confirm that in spades.
Sorry, kids, the bubble hasn’t burst just yet.
Earlier this week, we brought you word that Nintendo would probably never, ever give the Wii a price drop, even though the Xbox 360 has a basic model that’s currently $50 cheaper than the Wii and sales have slumped slightly in recent months.
To better understand why Nintendo will never entertain the idea of a price drop anytime soon, consider this: In Japan this week, all it took to once again decimate the competition was a new console color and Monster Hunter 3.
THQ sent the Queen of England a Gold Plated Wii this morning in promotion of their most recent “party” title, Big Family Games.
“BIG Family Games is the ultimate Wii game to get all family members, from grandparents to young children, playing together.” THQ’s Danielle Robinson said in a Thursday morning press release, “The Royal Family is arguably the most important family in the country so we felt that they had to have a copy of the new game.”
This sort of promotion only begs one question: Why? As in, why bother? Any avid gamer will take one look at a title like “Big Party Games,” and dismiss it as another mediocre collection of mini-games for the Wii – so why make a big fuss about it and send an excessively decorated console to the leader of the old English monarchy? Maybe because it’s the only way the game will sell.
Call me jaded, but family mini-games collections aren’t exactly the cream of the crop on the Wii – in fact, they’re a dime a dozen. Seeing as most avid gamers won’t touch this one with a ten foot pole, THQ is targeting the non-gaming masses – the same non-gaming masses who treat the Royal Family like, well royalty. Although it’s an interesting marketing move, and it’s fun to see a gold-plated Nintendo – this particular console will probably see very little playtime, if any at all. Still, many English nationals hold their Royal Family in high regard, so this stunt just might boost UK sales. After all, if it’s good enough for the Queen…
Head to page 2 for the full press release.
Just a quick thought that I ignited earlier today…Where the snap are the Wii Balance Board titles?! Let me rephrase that…Where the snap are the GOOD Wii Balance Board titles? As we approach the feet-laden peripheral’s one year anniversary (May) you might begin to wonder, like I did, why we haven’t seen all that strong developer support “promised” by Nintendo. Sure, you have your top-tier Wii Fit, Raving Rabbids, Skate It, and the likes, but did these really uphold the ninety buck-a-roos you slapped down for this digital weight scale? I begin to worry the big N might of gotten a little ahead of itself when releasing white plastic accessories. But all is forgotten when you see the sales top a whopping 16.3 million copies sold worldwide.
These ideas were spawned from an article I read this morning that questions whether or not Nintendo’s upcoming Wii MotionPlus will steal the balance board’s thunder.
Will it? Should it? Do you even give a care? Comment!
Surprisingly or unsurprisingly, depending on what you know about Nintendo strategy these days, Wii Fit exploded last week to the tune of 300,000 units sold.
Failed New Year’s resolutions waiting to happen? Gift card bonanza? As far as Nintendo is concerned, they could care less as long as this thing (and the rest of its software) continues to defy the traditional video game sales model.
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