Wii - Are you disappointed?
Tuesday, May 8th, 2007 at 2:16pm by Staff
Videolamer has an article up talking about the “GameCube 1.5″ bashing that the Wii has endured. They basically trash the idea that Wii is just two GameCubes duct-taped together. What we want to know, Infendo Nation, is if you’re disappointed in the Wii. Is there anything about it that leaves you unimpressed?
[Thanks, Jason!]
May 8th, 2007 at 2:21 pm
Ugh, I need a good party game ASAP. Big Brain Academy better be good. I have no interest in Mario Party.
May 8th, 2007 at 2:49 pm
I am extremely disappointed in the lack of online play. I’ve been waiting and waiting, and who knows if the games coming out soon will satisfy my desire to play my friends in some real competitive gaming. Wii is definitely missing out on Worms which is currently on Live. Man, if that game was online for Wii VC, I would be all over it.
But yeah, seriously I don’t care about browsing the web with my video game system. I just want to play games with my friends and be able to play online!!
May 8th, 2007 at 2:51 pm
Well…
There are technically a lot of things I’m disappointed with… but nothing that isn’t typical for Nintendo. Honestly, I like to not criticize Nintendo and just wait for the good things to happen… maybe it’s the fan boy in me. I agree with the lack of party games, there really aren’t any amazing 4 player games yet… the best one at the moment is Tennis from Wii Sports. Also I feel like the online ball has been dropped… it’s still awfully clunky for having been about a year now. But it is their first attempt at it, so I’ll cut them some slack.
May 8th, 2007 at 3:02 pm
It’s kind of interesting that you guys are upset with the lack of party games when, from my perspective, that’s just about all Wii has going for it right now. Wario Ware, Wii Sports, and Rayman are three of the better Wii games out there right now, and I bet they’d make most Wii owners top 10. That’s about a 3rd of your top ten being party games.
Personally, I’m annoyed at the number of “waggle-added” titles out there. The Wii will only succeed if people start making games from the ground up for it, instead of taking existing games and adapting motion controls to them. I didn’t like SSX, I didn’t like Madden, I didn’t like Far Cry. Those games are already fine with standard analog controllers. Let’s get creative. I want to see more games like Elebits, Wii Sports, Trauma Center.
Also, adding a better variety of games to the VC would be nice. I’m a pretty big VC supporter, but I’m getting tired of seeing so many overhead and scrolling shooters. Why not put up some beat-em-ups like Turtles in Time, or Battletoads. How about Mutant League Football/Hockey for Genesis?
While we’re complaining, if the DS doesn’t get some RTS love sometime in the next year, the terrorists have already won.
May 8th, 2007 at 3:33 pm
I’ve always been a Nintendo fan/supporter — and as such, have come to expect certain quirks from them that I’m not necessarily comfortable with–when Miyamoto says things like “I don’t think very many people want to play long rpg type games anymore” it scares me a bit–I do not care for party games at all, I’m all about the excessively long, immersive type games. Unfortunately, the Wii thus far is primarily the former and lacking in the latter. Guess that’s what my 360 is for.
Regarding online — Nintendo just doesn’t get it. They pioneered playing with friends in the same room, and are continuing in that vein with the Wii, but are clueless/idiotic when it comes to online play. I wish they’d just blatantly rip off Xbox Live. Friend codes just suck–and for each game? Horrible. I’m not sure what’s worse–trying to find people to play with offline or messing with friend codes. VC isn’t much more satisfying, for me. As if the slow, dial-up like interface to the store isn’t bad enough, I’m really tired of being strung along with occasional good games and a lot, lot, lot of filler/crap.
My biggest disappointment with the Wii, however, has been a series of hardware issues. First, my disc drive suddenly ceased to function. 3 weeks later, after having it sent in and returned to me “repaired”, it was back in the mail — it came back with a working disc drive and corrupted memory. Most of my game saves were wiped out, DLC didn’t work, the whole system was just unusable. All this, of course, when Nintendo finally released a game post-release that I was looking forward to. (Paper Mario).
Hopefully this time they send me a working Wii so I can get some hands on time in and find out how I really feel about it.
May 8th, 2007 at 3:47 pm
ONLINE PLAY ONLINE PLAY ONLINE PLAY. The lack of a clear online strategy thus far is disappointing. It doesn’t look like we are going to get anything nearly as nice as the 360 has.
May 8th, 2007 at 3:48 pm
jimmy: “Also I feel like the online ball has been dropped… it’s still awfully clunky for having been about a year now.”
Whoah now. What world do you live in? The Wii came out at the end of November. It’s barely been out six months, not even close to a year yet!
I personally like the Wii a lot. I’ve played lots of great games on mine and still have to beat many of them. I love the hardware itself, and the Wii channels. I’m not disappointed in my purchase at all. It’s just what I expected it to be.
I don’t know why so many people expected Nintendo to have tons of online games out already. They don’t support online very much, and never have. Do some research before you buy an expensive product. You’ll be much happier with your purchase if you don’t expect things that were never promised.
That said, the only thing I’d change about the Wii itself at the load times between channels. They aren’t horrible, but it would be so much more steamlined if they weren’t there.
May 8th, 2007 at 3:53 pm
PlusDrew I’m totally with you on the VC front. I’ve been wanting them to put Mutant League football/hockey on there for some time. the games are pathetic crappy games from older systems that didn’t do well on those systems either. WTF!!!! come on nintendo, you’ve got a huge fanbase who are dying for you to make some good moves. stop squeezing out sh*t and give us some good titles there. And why the hell do different continents get different games. Thats just a waste of time in my opinon.
All the games so far on the Wii i have been happy with. Twilight, elebits, wario. but now its time for some more games that aren’t owned by nintendo to come out.
May 8th, 2007 at 4:10 pm
As a followup, I’d like to saw that as soon as the “Vote for Mii” channel comes out (didn’t Miyamoto say end of April or May?) that I’ll stop complaining.
May 8th, 2007 at 4:11 pm
For me, like with most people, is the online strategy…
@ underhero5: It’s not the current lack of online games, is the lack of a strategy at all! The fact that the “friend code” specter hasn’t been exorcised yet and we don’t know what to expect on that tells me that Nintendo is still trying to work out the basics, which is scary.
I’m with allen: Nintendo, just copy Xbox LIVE! Why mess around with a formula already perfected by years of experience? You can even keep your precious Friend Codes, just give me a way to tell if my friends are online right now, and playing what! I don’t want to have to load and check the “connection room” of every single game I own to find out if they are connected to that one specific game at that very moment… can’t you see the statistical improbability of that??
Other than that, I’m happy with the toy. I’ll just use my Xbox for online play, I guess…
May 8th, 2007 at 4:25 pm
“Do some research before you buy an expensive product. You’ll be much happier with your purchase if you don’t expect things that were never promised.”
HUH? Yeh, I guess the fact that they include wireless networking in the product (along with internet messaging, and internet-requiring channels such as weather, news, etc.) should clue me into the fact that their online strategy for gaming is nonexistent. Nintendo did promise online gaming–they are just slow to follow though and the execution strategy appears questionable.
May 8th, 2007 at 4:39 pm
Online Play.
Right now I’m playing old Gamecube games on my Wii anyhow, which is either a tribute to the good games I missed, or a sad sign for the new system. BUT, I am trying to finish Paper Mario before I start Super Paper Mario, so I am looking forward to that.
May 8th, 2007 at 5:21 pm
As everyone here! Online play… Where is it? Is it gonna be a limited as it it is on DS? I have a Xbox and a 360, and Live rules! FC sucks…
BTW, my first post, this blog is awesome, i check it at least twice a day
May 8th, 2007 at 5:34 pm
I don’t really get all the whining about online play. Nintendo has already announced games which will include online gameplay and yet people are still complaining because, oh, Nintendo didn’t update Twilight Princess and turn it into an online deathmatch game or something along those lines?
Nintendo has online enabled games coming, they made that announcement quite some time ago, so why still all the crying and moaning about lack of online play?
And as for friends codes, I’m actually for them. I think Xbox Live is great, but if you think I’m letting my little niece go anywhere near that indecent, profanity-ridden place you have another thing coming. I feel much more comfortable allowing her to play Mario Kart online, and I’ll happily let her play Pokemon online when that comes out for the Wii.
If you want Xbox Live then use Xbox Live. I don’t see why everyone should expect an Xbox Live clone on every console.
May 8th, 2007 at 5:51 pm
I guess I am perfectly satisfied, for now. I agree that it is an upgraded Gamecube, just as the 360 is an upgraded xbox and a ps3 is an upgraded ps2. The big difference is that Nintendo chose to upgrade in a different direction. That direction was to try and make an accessible system that would expand the market as well as appeal to gamers. The other two guys? More processing power and the same old tired shooters that look marginally better. End of story.
I am waiting for the online component to mature and see what the experience will be like. I see no reason that they have to “copy xbox live, because it works.” They aren’t outselling all the other consoles because they copied them.
Chris in TN
May 8th, 2007 at 5:56 pm
To caion:
I guess the complaint is not about the whole idea behind Friend Codes. In a way, LIVE uses Friend Codes in that sense, too: it is just that instead of numbers, they use user-generated names, if available.
The complaint is really about the lack of an online “hub” run by Nintendo (or any centrilized online service) where you can see if a friend YOU chose, not just anyone, has which games, and, if the game has online play, whether he is available to play with at that time, or to invite him/her. The fact that something like that doesn’t yet exists is what worries me: there was a rumor, I’m not sure if from Nintendo, that through online connectivity you would even be able to see which games your chosen friends had. At least that part of the service should be perfectly capable right now: there is online connectivity, Wii knows which games you have saved, it even knows which game is in the system right now and whether it is being played. So, why don’t we have a “Friends Channel“, then? I think THAT’s what people are talking about here when we say “please copy the LIVE model!” and that “Nintendo doesn’t have an online gaming strategy”.
May 8th, 2007 at 6:12 pm
Online deathmatch mario or zelda would be awesome!
May 8th, 2007 at 6:31 pm
I can’t say I’m “disappointed” because based on my prior experience with Nintendo, my expectations are low!
Lack of online community play, ala Xbox Live, is a glaring hole. Imagine how much more fun Wii Sports boxing would be online! My son loved it, until he figured out all those names popping up weren’t real people.
Nintendo makes some great games, but the Wii’s current lead is theirs to lose, and they could wind up disenchanting the expanded market they’ve created.
May 8th, 2007 at 7:03 pm
U are missing a great party game: Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz. Its gameplay is pretty good.
May 8th, 2007 at 7:06 pm
I am fine with Nintendo’s current plan. It is admittedly frustrating to not have even a mildly robust online plan, but I think it’s short sighted to call the Wii a disappointment until Pokemon Battle Revolution is released.
Whether anyone is a Pokemon fan or not, I have a suspicion that the Diamond/Pearl/BR trio will finally demonstrate what gave the “Revolution” its codename when it was designed. The combination of multiple DS handhelds manipulating games on the Wii via WiFi, with multiple Wiis connected over the Internet representing the action on your big screen, opens a lot of doors for new styles of online games.
The classic PC, turn based, play by email franchise Warlords is just one example of a way the systems can be used cooperatively, allowing you to play single player anywhere, then play online once you have access to the Wii. The Pokemon model will be a huge eye-opener to third party developers too, as they will no doubt be salivating at the prospect of selling a game two times (DS + Wii versions) or more.
Nintendo *could* disappoint, but I’ll reserve final judgment until at least the end of the summer. I think the DS-to-Wii WiFi will break down barriers many people didn’t even see before, just like the Wii Remote.
Also, as a father of a seven year old, I applaud Nintendo’s stand on friend codes. Blocking my child from “griefers” is absolutely a huge issue to me, and this could not be more present than when you cannot monitor a childs activity because they’re using a very personal, private handheld system.
Lastly, I think everyone needs to come to grips with what the Wii is, and what it is not. Nintendo has maintained for quite some time that they are not selling a device you already have. IMHO, I take that to mean that if you want to play FPS online ‘the old fashioned way,’ buy a PS3, buy a 360, or use your PC.
The Wii is fine.
May 8th, 2007 at 7:17 pm
I absolutely hate the 512 internal memory, I love browsing the web, I love playing games, but not being able to watch more than 45 mins on google video is so friggen annoying.
Sort it out Big N
Rowan
May 8th, 2007 at 8:04 pm
I personally am pretty disappointed with the Wii right now, because to me so far it IS nothing but a minor upgrade to the GameCube. Sure the PS3 and 360 are upgrades, but they are pretty signicant. The Wii…not nearly as much.
The online, or lack thereof, is extremely disappointing. The reason many are “whining” is because here it is, 2007, and Nintendo STILL hasn’t proven they can get it done. And online gaming is something everyone else figured out LAST generation, even the Dreamcast! It’s not whining at this point, it’s pathetic that Nintendo is still so far behind.
I find the graphics disappointing. We knew they’d be less than the other 2 but being less than high end GameCube games is pretty bad. I keep hearing the Wii is more powerful than the Xbox, well I’ve yet to see it. The 2 biggest games, Zelda and Super Paper Mario, are both essentially GC ports. And enough with the PS2 ports with Wii controls slapped on.
I know I’ll be a lot happier when SM Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3, and RE:Umbrella Chronicles all come out, but for now, my Wii is collecting a lot of dust.
May 8th, 2007 at 8:26 pm
On a personal level I’m very disappointed by Wii and haven’t played with it much - but it’s a really big party maker.
What I like:
+ Miis
+ Wii Sports BOWLING (surprisingly more than just a tech demo)
+ Wii Console itself (small, simple, elegant)
+ I think there will be a lot of great ideas to use the Wii-remote
What I dislike:
- No games that interest me (I bought Zelda:TP of course to play it how it was meant: GC), come on where is SSMB etc.?
- HUGE DESIGN MISTAKE (NO RJ45?!) I don’t want to buy some WLAN just to play with Wii that doesn’t feature online gameplay anyway.
- Missing online strategy (and online service - and I don’t mean online multiplayer)
- No Miis for third party developers??
- Let’s face it: 60 bucks for a controller is EXPENSIVE
- Nintendo’s release strategy: where are the good games and why don’t they support third party better?
Compared to PS3, Xbox 360 and PS2 the Wii is my least played console this year - so far…
May 8th, 2007 at 8:39 pm
One word:
NO FUCKING MULTIPLAYER (offline doesn’t count)
May 8th, 2007 at 9:28 pm
As I get older, (Mid 20’s) I notice that different things start to matter to me as a gamer. The first thing I think about these days is system reliability. I would trade all the online play in the world to get a system that has 99% chance of never breaking. How many of you can dust of your Nes and power it on. I can. Incredible.
I’m very lucky, because I get to work in a video game outlet. And I also get to see all those over powered systems come back, time and time again. The one thing I never see is a Wii come back.
I think thats due to alot of reason’s, but primarily because it still works and guess what?
People have fun with it.
Imagine that…
Anyway, this is easily the best system I have ever owned. It combines the old and the new beautifully.
And in 20 years it’ll still work.
May 8th, 2007 at 11:21 pm
Without going into a lot of detail because I’d be typing for hours, I’d just say that, yes, I’m disappointed with the Wii. Games weren’t as great as I expected and there’s still no online.
May 8th, 2007 at 11:41 pm
Im not that disappointed in the games really. But I do want the graphics better, the only Wii games that has impressed me visually so far is SSX and Mario Galaxy. I want good Wii graphics. Most Cube Launch titles are better graphically and its just sad.
May 9th, 2007 at 12:36 am
I am dissapointed in the lack of online gameplay.
Red Steel online would have saved the game from being a medioker game.
The games are comming, we can see the great titles on the way, but right now it just feels to far away.
So, really, the 2 things that dissapoint me are the lack of Online play and also the slightly expensive price for VC games.
Just a littel lower and people might you know…IMPULSE buy,,,
Overall Wii is very good, but it needs more quality games, cheaper VC and ONLINE gameing to be great.
GO WII !
May 9th, 2007 at 12:58 am
Blah, blah, blah, online, blah…
That is all I am hearing. I am very content with my Wii so far. As for graphics, get the component cables, 480p is great. If you graphics junkies want the higher, you can see the sweat on the football/basketball players resolution, get your 360 or PS3. But I don’t need to see guys sweat.
I am all about fun games. Halo is not ‘fun’, Gran Turismo is not ‘fun’, they are boring to me. They are kinda like PC games. Mario & Co. is all about fun. I am now awaiting Strikers Charged online, even though I am American and soccer generally sucks, Mario & Co. can pull me in. And I can’t wait for some online Mario Kart.
May 9th, 2007 at 1:31 am
it’s all because of the graphics. . .and the new spiderman game doesn’t help it.
_________
http://www.howtogetfreewiipoints.com
May 9th, 2007 at 5:19 am
Yes I am disappointed as well. My main gripes are a.) the games themselves. How many games on the wii were designed for the wii. Some of the ports look even worse than the original. look at blazing angels. it looks worse than it did on the Xbox. Ive already beaten Prince of Persia so why would i wanna spend 50 bucks to play it again? When all the games are half-assed ports of PSP games thats really saying that the system is/will fail. b.) the lack of online play is unforgivable. the system has been out for over 6 months and still nothing. hell COD3 didnt even have multiplayer at all. and c.) the third party producers are the biggest problem. they tack on simple wii controls and pawn it off as innovation. I want gameplay and graphics and judging by the presentation of SKATE for the 360 i may have bought the wrong system last christmas.
May 9th, 2007 at 5:28 am
Yeah, kind of disappointed. Bottom line, they need to release more 1st party games and more in-depth games that hardcore gamers would play like Zelda.
May 9th, 2007 at 5:29 am
Im still amazed by the wii as a machine but not by the games. Some more games must be produced and those shouldnt be any childs games. Zelda is to easy, he only game i have so far. And wii sports is nothin else than a “what should i do now” game.
Cmon nintendo and other developers, make some!
May 9th, 2007 at 1:31 pm
I don’t even care about online gaming or VC titles, but start releasing some games in Europe!
May 9th, 2007 at 2:22 pm
To the “anon” who said you don’t need to see sweat in sports games, you are missing the point. Everyone knew going in the Wii was less powerful. What most everyone is complaining about is that the Wii games graphically are mostly all WORSE than many GC games. That is unacceptable, especially when Wii apologists keep saying “The Wii is 2-3 times more powerful than the Xbox”. If that is true, start proving it. And don’t give me this “The system hasn’t been out long”…one of the “positives” given by Nintendo themselves is that since the Wii is so similiar to the GC, it shouldn’t take developers long to get the most out of the system. Knowing that, there’s no excuse for worse graphics at all.
As far as your “fun” comment, now you’re lowering yourself to pure fanboy. Just because the games are on the Wii doesn’t automatically make them “fun”, and just because you don’t think Halo and other games aren’t fun doesn’t mean they aren’t.
May 9th, 2007 at 4:07 pm
I can’t really complain about Wii graphics since I know Wii is capable of a lot more graphically than what 3rd-party developers have led us to believe… just look at that Super Mario Galaxy preview!
What I do see by intersecting all the comments above is that absolutely everyone was expecting more from the online service, which I’ve said before is an essential element of any modern game gadget, be it console or hand-held… that element will be the one that makes or breaks Wii’s success in the long run.
And many point out to how great online gameplay will be with games like Metroid Prime 3 and Super Smash Bros Brawl, but it is all speculation: Nintendo hasn’t given us even an inkling of what the online play will be like, which this late into these games’ development seems very suspicious to me…
May 9th, 2007 at 4:22 pm
Mario Party 8 will be amazing. What the Wii does best is create a social atmosphere where everyone is invited. I am slightly dissapointed that the system lacks games that would keep me entertained alone, but then again I don’t really have time to do that anymore. If this is a Gamecube 1.5 then the critic must have really liked the GC.
May 9th, 2007 at 4:56 pm
The only thing I’m not too keen on is the lack of portability. With a GC or PS2, you just grab and take and plop it down. The sensor bar makes easy travelling a little cumbersome. And, the Noki G-Pak carrier for it is dumb. I’m thrilled with the wifiness of it, and it’s still too early in the cycle for me to have any game opinions. Though I’m playing GC games with it (Urbz, NFSU, 007:EoN). I’m dissapointed in myself for buying old VC games and then not playing them. And, in my little dream world, I wish I could print from the browser.
May 10th, 2007 at 5:42 pm
The system is very oriented towards multiplayer games. I feel stupid playing wii alone. I don’t always wanna jump around to play a video game (>_