Wii Believe! 9 Common and Unfair Criticisms of Nintendo’s Current Console
There are many who are still sceptical of the Wii’s success, or who see it as a problem for the games industry. The great things about games whether they are chess, internet blackjack or Wii is that they will provide you with hours and hours of entertainment and enjoyment.As a Wii owner I am very happy with the console and want to counter some of the negative things often said about it.
“The motion controls are a gimmick”
When Nintendo announced its new “Revolution” console, the motion controls took a lot of the headlines. Not every game has got it right, forcing players to waggle or move when it was not necessary. MotionPlus has dealt with concerns over accuracy, but it will take a while for everyone to own one.
“There’s too many poor games”
The leading format always attracts a lot of games, and the Wii has also been cursed with many lazy ports from the PS2. However, there are many Wii exclusive games – No More Heroes, Super Mario Galaxy – that are up there with the best.
“It’s attracting too many casual gamers”
This is, in many ways, a misleading argument. The Wii is attracting people who would not have bought a console before, and while they are not buying large quantities of games, it does bode well for specialist game shops at a difficult economic time.
Generally speaking you will find that females aren’t into games as much as males. They like things such as bingo, Scrabble and Bejeweled but they don’t tend to get as drawn into it as male players.
“It’s a fad that won’t last”
Going into this Christmas, demand is still high for the Wii worldwide, even though hardware sales have dropped off in many markets. In Thanksgiving week alone, half a million were sold in the USA – down on last year, but still way ahead of the other consoles. Advertising and the high profile of titles such as Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympics will ensure another big season for the Wii.
“Online gaming on the Wii is poor”
Nintendo was sensible to take cautious steps with online-enabled games. Again, the Wii Speak accessory is not yet widespread, but more games to support it will be on the way. Titles that do feature online play are less affected by lag and disconnection than rival consoles too.
“The Virtual Console and WiiWare cost too much”
So, many gamers would be able to emulate the classic titles for no cost. But for nostalgia hunters like me classic titles available and so accessible is a great feature. Even more so when events such as the Hanurabi Festival provide previously unseen games. And now WiiWare is becoming a viable platform for launching games. The Art Style and Bit.Trip series are both superb, and these bite-sized chunks of game are worth checking out.
“The Wii is not next generation – it’s so much less powerful”
Power is not everything. The Wii is home to some unique games, and while it cannot chuck around the polygons and textures like the other two machines, it is capable of some impressive graphics and effects.
“It will go the way of the GameCube”
Third-party support is a lot better for Wii than the GameCube, plus it has the added benefit of backwards compatibility – pick up some cheap GameCube games now and play what you missed.
“My Wii is gathering dust”
I have not played mine as much recently, but over Christmas it will get some play. One of the things that I like about the Wii is how quickly I can be playing a game from switching on – a matter of seconds for a Virtual Console title, and disc games start much faster than certain other consoles. And while not everyone approves of second-hand games, there are bargains to be had. My brothers both have a Wii, my parents enjoy Wii Sports and even my three-year-old niece likes to watch it being played. The Wii is here to stay.
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