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[Htown]

I haven't put down Mario Kart Wii since the day I got it.

Just sayin'.

I have, but only because Wii Ware came out and Lost Winds was awesome and Defend Your Castle was fun, and then I picked up Ghost Squad for cheap and it's pretty great.

 

[Deku]

Look at its sales on the PS2. The game was just a bomb in general.

They'd be smart to release Vice City and San Andreas on the Wii -- I bet both would sell a million copies.

A clever marketing and well timed release might make this happen, but more than likely it will be a slapped together farmed out port that is berated by press before it is released and we'll have a 20 page NPD arguing over the wisdom of such a port happening.

I don't care for GTA and I'm quite happy not partaking in the madness, though it now appears it wasn't as maddening as expected. The bigger point however is that trying to match the HD platforms on their terms, is almost assuredly a failed strategy.

DS got laughed at when Ridge Racer DS was compared to Namco's superior rendition on the PSP. But no one was laughing when the DS found the software that worked well on it and it began to trounce the PSP both on a sales basis but more importantly as an overall superior gaming platform.

For me, the Wii is far from being in that position and time is running out for it to achieve its potential. The DS in 2006 was beginning to blossom and Nintendo, outside of releasing the same franchises everyone knows would sell very well, has yet to make any moves to convince me even they 'get' where to take the Wii next.

The doubters may very well be right and after Wii Fit, is a long decline. That's not to condemn the Wii, or to cheer for the HD platforms that have only really catered to the tastes of the few, it's simply a statement of fact if Nintendo fails to expand on what they have achieved they will fail in the end. And certainly, SSMB and Nario Kart Wii aren't going to do it.

 

[Avrum]

I have, but only because Wii Ware came out and Lost Winds was awesome and Defend Your Castle was fun, and then I picked up Ghost Squad for cheap and it's pretty great.

True enough, the point I was making though is that it's not as if Wii owners have nothing to play and yet the sect that hangs out on message boards only have numbers to "enjoy."

 

[Andalus0880]

Plenty of fanboys worrying about company profits...I can only pray that the most vocal of you have shares or God help us all...

 

[bishoptl]

Guess you must just suck at the controls...

Well played, sir.

*claps*

 

[Anasui Kishibe]

holy mother of Abraham and Moses' boots floating in the desert, this is absolutely STAGGERING


no words, no words

 

[C4Lukins]

Hey quick question, say I never liked the previous GTA games. I never could get use to the wonky controls and I couldn't figure out what to do besides running over people. Is GTA4 more of the same, or should I go rent/buy it and see what all the fuss is about?

If the controls were your main issue, then I say I give it a try. Even in GTA4, they will seem wonky at first, but they are actually quite intuitive once you get them down. Unlike previous GTA's where gun battles in particular always felt a bit like a crapshoot, the cover system and aiming works surprisingly well once you get the nuances down. As for the driving, some people complain about it, but I think it is far and away the best of the series in that area.

As for your other issue, I assume you thought that the games were a little confusing? With the introduction of GPS into the game, you are not going to have a problem with that. You just look at your overhead map, there will be icons for all the potential missions you can do, and then you click on the mission and drive to it. If you hated the other games then you probably are not going to suddenly love this one, but it really does streamline many of the frustrating qualities of the past games.

 

[Azelover]

I don't agree because I think the hardcore wii games have to compete with thier HD counterparts as well. The quirkier it is, the more it stands out and the more the hardcore audience will pay attention.

I agree that it's good to have a differentiation compared to the games on the so-called "HD systems", not visually though, as in quirky cel-shaded style, I completely disagree with that and I think few inspired and counter productive. The other side of the equation isn't less flavor, which I believe is more in line with the real differentiation.

I think the differentiation exists already with the kinds of hardcore games Nintendo makes, and that's where I believe other publishers need to get a clue from, but correctly. When I look at a Mii and I look at a game trying to copy it I can see immediately what went wrong. A lot of people don't understand the power of neutrality in image. I think Wii Sports, Boom Blox, Mario Galaxy and Zelda are fairly neutral looking, and not all of them need to not be "hardcore". No More Heroes, Okami, Mad World is I think the wrong way to go visually, but that's my opinion.

 

[Shaheed79]

You are lying.

How much does rockstar pay you? That shit has happened to PLENTY of us especially in the Cadillac type cars which is especially odd.

 

[Shaheed79]

Guess you must just suck at the controls...

Touche but as the thread "things you don't like about GTAIV" shows apparently I am in the majority and not the minority like he was. Most people find GTAIV controls too stiff on foot and too wacky in a car. Those seem to be the most common complaints and wtf is the camera on the side of car? Don't get me started.

Actually forget the controls it's not even about that. It's about the absurd physics while driving a car that are suppose to be "realistic". He asked a question I told him the truth. I asked in the other thread for someone to find me a video of someone whipping around corners without breaking a sweat upwards 20-30mph and no one supplied it. If I can counter the physics with some tricky breaking and steering then I'm all for it but that still has nothing to do with the fact that cars can flip over turning corners leading up to and upwards of 20mph.

 

[EmCeeGramr]

Touche but as the thread "things you don't like about GTAIV" shows apparently I am in the majority and not the minority like he was. Most people find GTAIV controls too stiff on foot and too wacky in a car. Those seem to be the most common complaints and wtf is the camera on the side of car? Don't get me started.

Yeah, my biggest problem while playing san andreas was the lack of a consistent control scheme between the different modes of transportation. I seriously could not drive around without raising the alert.

 

[Pimpbaa]

How much does rockstar pay you? That shit has happened to PLENTY of us especially in the Cadillac type cars which is especially odd.

A car as big as a boat is gonna handle like a boat. There are plenty of cars that drive excellent. You'd would have to be seriously incompetent to not get the hang of the car controls within a few hours.

 

[Shaheed79]

Yeah, my biggest problem while playing san andreas was the lack of a consistent control scheme between the different modes of transportation. I seriously could not drive around without raising the alert.

I had no problem driving in San Andreas nor GTAIII before it. The motorcycles were especially fun and relaxing. Have you played GTAIV? For someone who had problems with San Andreas controls I'm curious as to what think about GTAIV's driving physics. When you really think about it the controls are not the problem when I turn the car turns, when I break the car breaks. Its the physics and the camera that screw you.

 

[Shaheed79]

A car as big as a boat is gonna handle like a boat. There are plenty of cars that drive excellent. You'd would have to be seriously incompetent to not get the hang of the car controls within a few hours.

So your calling the majority of people who posted in that GTAIV topic incompetent? I didn't see you saying that in the thread where everyone complained about it. The fact that there are other cars that drive better is besides the point the fact that a car CAN turn over turning a corner at relatively slow speeds is a problem with the physics engine not the player. If you enjoy it and have no problem with it good for you but just know that tons a people disagree and I know you read their complaints in the other topic. This isn't a GTAIV topic however so we'll just leave it there.

 

[leroy hacker]

When I look at a Mii and I look at a game trying to copy it I can see immediately what went wrong. A lot of people don't understand the power of neutrality in image.

A very good diagnosis of EA Playground.

A slightly distinct kind of neutrality problem a number of Wii games have had is that the design is targeted to children in such a way that it is extremely unappealing to anyone older. I'm specifically thinking of Zack & Wiki and Dewy here. A good character design can be most appealing to with the target group without being unappealing to other groups, or that doesn't have any particular target group at all. Mario and Megaman are good examples of this.

I think Zack & Wiki would be much more appealing(to me and to anyone else older than 10) if they had dumped the baby pirates and instead used treasure hunters from the Power Stone games. It feels like Capcom thought "Nintendo systems are only liked 10 year old boys (In fact Christian Svensson did say exactly this) so let's design all the characters for ten year old boys even though we didn't design the gameplay for them-no reason to waste a well-designed character here."

One can also compare it to Prof. Layton, another game of puzzles, that succeeded in reaching a mass market with the help of an elegant and well thought out presentation.

 

[Mike Works]

i've never tipped over a car in mario kart

just sayin...

Spoiler

this thread is awesomely stupid

 

[EmCeeGramr]

I had no problem driving in San Andreas nor GTAIII before it. The motorcycles were especially fun and relaxing. Have you played GTAIV? For someone who had problems with San Andreas controls I'm curious as to what think about GTAIV's driving physics. When you really think about it the controls are not the problem when I turn the car turns, when I break the car breaks. Its the physics and the camera that screw you.

GTAIV is not going to be a purchase. I suspected the franchise was mediocre and san andreas confirmed it. 360 was considered a possible purchase until worldwide breakdowns became common. 2/3 people I work with both have had their systems break at least 2 times.

 

[Eteric Rice]

A very good diagnosis of EA Playground.

A slightly distinct kind of neutrality problem a number of Wii games have had is that the design is targeted to children in such a way that it is extremely unappealing to anyone older. I'm specifically thinking of Zack & Wiki and Dewy here. A good character design can be most appealing to with the target group without being unappealing to other groups, or that doesn't have any particular target group at all. Mario and Megaman are good examples of this.

I think Zack & Wiki would be much more appealing(to me and to anyone else older than 10) if they had dumped the baby pirates and instead used treasure hunters from the Power Stone games. One can also compare it to Prof. Layton, another game of puzzles, that succeeded in reaching a mass market with the help of an elegant and well thought out presentation.

I remember Miyamoto talking about this in a Galaxy interview I believe. It was about one of the game's composers, and after the guy had done all the work, Miyamoto listened to it and hated it. He said it was because it sounded kiddy, when Mario is supposed to be a "cool" character, not a kid's character.

Basically appealing to everyone.

Hell, Ratchet & Clank is a good example as well.

 

[EmCeeGramr]

I remember Miyamoto talking about this in a Galaxy interview I believe. It was about one of the game's composers, and after the guy had done all the work, Miyamoto listened to it and hated it. He said it was because it sounded kiddy, when Mario is supposed to be a "cool" character, not a kid's character.

Basically appealing to everyone.

Hell, Ratchet & Clank is a good example as well.

Eh cant agree there. Ratchet falls in line with Crash. Theyre both trying to emulate the appeal of early sonic but wear out their welcome quickly.

 

[Shaheed79]

Well played, sir.

*claps*

That must of made your day. Always nice giving people a smile. I'll hook you up tomorrow too with a different front man.

 

[Tmac]

Wii numbers have more to do with the increased production than anything else. Until its widespread avaible, its hard to drawn any conclusions other than its selling a lot.

 

[tHoMNZ]

700k non-gamers

mint.

 

[Davidion]

How cute, they're still bitter. :lol

 

[jman2050]

Wii numbers have more to do with the increased production than anything else. Until its widespread avaible, its hard to drawn any conclusions other than its selling a lot.

Considering 700k is far beyond what any other system in history managed to do during this month, knowing that it could potentially be higher is a scary thought.

 

[perfectchaos007]

Speaking of Next-Gen Racers...

ExciteTruck >>>> Motorstorm

 

[donny2112]

I'm sorry, it was an excutive of Take Two. So... I know he is just one person and that's not representative for the whole company, but I don't think he will be the only one who will think the same way.

... and that was before they saw the lower than expected first week sales of GTA IV on PS3/360 and the near total lack of impact to those systems' userbases. I think there is a great possibility that they are rethinking any executive's assumptions about how best to maximize their profits. In fact, I think the entire industry is likely to be rethinking a lot of assumptions about this generation after seeing these numbers. :lol

 

[stewacide]

It's not because of the graphics and it not being HD. It's because I know with it selling THIS well, Sony and MS are going to try and emulate parts of it next generation (be it lower technology, crazy controller, w/e) and I don't like that at all, because I really don't like playing the wii.

Everything else being equal, and given competently designed and implemented controls, there are very few games I wouldn't rather play with Wiimote (+ Nunchuck) vs. a standard issue dual analog. The pointer in particular is something that's really difficult to give up once you're used to it.

 

[Opiate]

Who says Rockstar has the final word? Not that I think they would port a GTA game for Wii, but such a decision would ultimately be decided by Take-Two, NOT Rockstar.

There are times when this isn't true -- when a development house becomes so overwhelmingly popular that their publisher will concede to significant demands. Blizzard is one example of that. I believe Rockstar is another.

And Rockstar has come a hair's breadth away from explicitly stating that they hate the direction of the Wii, and want nothing to do with it. I think Rockstar would fight tooth and nail to avoid doing a Wii project, and I think they're one of the few developers in the industry powerful enough to win that fight.

 

[donny2112]

I think Rockstar would fight tooth and nail to avoid doing a Wii project,

In the hypothetical world where Take-Two decides to port last gen's GTAs to the Wii, it would likely be 2KPlay doing the ports (since they've done the most development on Wii so far) and not Rockstar.

 

[Opiate]

In the hypothetical world where Take-Two decides to port last gen's GTAs to the Wii, it would likely be 2KPlay doing the ports (since they've done the most development on Wii so far) and not Rockstar.

That's a reasonable point that I hadn't considered. A port does seem possible. An original work, however, seems extremely unlikely, as that can't be outsourced from R* without a huge fight.

 

[Saint Gregory]

Speaking of Next-Gen Racers...

ExciteTruck >>>> Motorstorm

I just started playing Motorstorm ($15 at Target) and if Excite Truck is really better I might have to break down and pick it up... Why is Excite Truck still full price new a year and a half after launch again?

 

[mj1108]

Half the fun is watching people cry about the Wii. "DER IS NO GUD GAMES BUT IT SELZ SO MUCH PEEPUL R STEWPID!"

It's delicious.

If the Wii was failing those people crying would be sitting there and laughing at Nintendo's failure. They just can't stand to see them do well.

 

[J-Rzez]

HD machines make very poor substitutes for PC gaming, if you're actually honestly into PC games.

You should go into PC gaming now as you're missing out on quite a bit. Actually while you're at it, pick up portables as well.

I happen to have a really good PC that most gamers would deem very capable. My PC plays Crysis at a more than acceptable quality. I enjoyed Sins of a Solar Empire, love World in Conflict, and play WoW on a nearly daily basis. I also have both portables.

More whiners and bitter fanboys.

Yeah, that's it! That's why I own everything else: PC/360/PS3/PSP/DS. No, it can't be that I just don't know it's appeal?

There's one machine I don't own, and it's because I have no reason to own it. There isn't enough to warrant $250 on it to me, and that money would be well spent across the other systems. When I want mini-type quick games, there's flash and PSN/XBLA/DS/PSP games to play. My problem is that it's a console, and it should have a purpose to be played on my HDTV through my rig. It should have a console experience. It does not to me. This is just my taste.

I have nothing to whine about as I clearly said there are more than enough games out there for me, and the future games on these machines are superior in every way that I still have zero ambition to own the one machine I don't have. So yeah, :lol at you.

 

[perfectchaos007]

I just started playing Motorstorm ($15 at Target) and if Excite Truck is really better I might have to break down and pick it up... Why is Excite Truck still full price new a year and a half after launch again?

They are both good games, don't get me wrong. I just found more fun in Excite truck. Doing stunts with the Wiimote and gaining boost just feels awesome. I actually took the time to 100% Excite Truck it was that good.

 

[Eteric Rice]

I happen to have a really good PC that most gamers would deem very capable. My PC plays Crysis at a more than acceptable quality. I enjoyed Sins of a Solar Empire, love World in Conflict, and play WoW on a nearly daily basis. I also have both portables.



Yeah, that's it! That's why I own everything else: PC/360/PS3/PSP/DS. No, it can't be that I just don't know it's appeal?

There's one machine I don't own, and it's because I have no reason to own it. There isn't enough to warrant $250 on it to me, and that money would be well spent across the other systems. When I want mini-type quick games, there's flash and PSN/XBLA/DS/PSP games to play. My problem is that it's a console, and it should have a purpose to be played on my HDTV through my rig. It should have a console experience. It does not to me. This is just my taste.

I have nothing to whine about as I clearly said there are more than enough games out there for me, and the future games on these machines are superior in every way that I still have zero ambition to own the one machine I don't have. So yeah, :lol at you.

Okay, we get it, stop crying about it.

 

[mre]

I just started playing Motorstorm ($15 at Target) and if Excite Truck is really better I might have to break down and pick it up... Why is Excite Truck still full price new a year and a half after launch again?

 

[grandjedi6]

I just started playing Motorstorm ($15 at Target) and if Excite Truck is really better I might have to break down and pick it up... Why is Excite Truck still full price new a year and a half after launch again?

Because Nintendo stopped printing it.

 

[Father_Brain]

And Rockstar has come a hair's breadth away from explicitly stating that they hate the direction of the Wii, and want nothing to do with it. I think Rockstar would fight tooth and nail to avoid doing a Wii project, and I think they're one of the few developers in the industry powerful enough to win that fight.

Well, the next real GTA would never be for Wii anyway, regardless of how well the system sells. However, I can't imagine that Rockstar would really fight tooth and nail against, say, putting San Andreas Stories on the system.

 

[fernoca]

Found this at some other place..

April 2008 vs. 2007

Wii
2008: 714.2K
2007: 360.0k

Nintendo DS
2008: 414.8K
2007: 470.0k

PSP
2008: 192.7K
2007: 183.0k

Xbox 360
2008: 188.0K
2007: 174.0k

PlayStation 3
2008: 187.1K
2007: 082.0k

PlayStation 2
2008: 124.4K
2007: 194.0k

Basically, everything was the same..except the Wii and PS3 which were basically new and kinda plagued with shortages...

Overall on April 2007...

Hardware
01. NDS: 471,000
02. Wii: 360,000
03. PS2: 194,000
04. PSP: 183,000
05. 360: 174,000
06. GBA: 84,000
07. PS3: 82,000
08. GCN: 13,000

Top 5 Software Items
01. Pokémon Diamond Version (NDS): 1,045,000
02. Pokémon Pearl Version (NDS): 712,000
03. Super Paper Mario (Wii): 352,000
04. Wii Play (Wii): 249,000
05. Guitar Hero 2 (360): 197,000

The rest of the info is at the link.

Interesting to note:
-Pokémon is still going strong after 10 years, sales numbers are for only 2 weeks of it's release.
-Wii went up in sales thanks to store receiving some more extra shipments, but still in limited supply.
-Xbox 360 went down even after the release of the Elite version.
-PSP sales went up around 10% from the previous month, thanks to the new price tag.
-PS3...ehr..well, not even the guys at Sony could spin the numbers like they did every previous month (when it was selling around 100,000 per month)...and with no release or big annoucement so far in May...sales may go even more down in the may charts.
-The previous Paper Mario game on GameCube, sold 190,000 copies on it's debut month (on it's route to it's LTD of a million copies)
-Spider-Man 3 on both 360 and PS2 managed to be on the Top 10 of April, even though the game was officially released on May. Meaning that there were like 2-3 days from May counted, apaprently preorders were strong for those 2 versions.

 

[Rad Agast]

It was Zelnick, the CEO, who laughed when they asked him about bringing GTA to the Wii. I woudn't worry about a GTA Wii anyways until this EA/T2 ordeal is settled, and if EA gets GTA then you can forget about GTA Wii altogether because they definitely won't put GTA on the Wii (Not that it would matter because the series would be dead at that point).

Did we miss something here? Didn't GTA4 sell over 6 million units in the first couple of weeks (World wide)?

 

[Father_Brain]

Found this at some other place..


Basically, everything was the same..except the Wii and PS3 which were basically new and kinda plagued with shortages...

I think it was demand for PS3 that was so abysmal at the time, not supply. Didn't the NPD for the previous month lead to Sony PR flat-out lying about the low sales being the result of shortages, and GAFers responding left and right with photos of PS3s sitting on store shelves? Or something like that.

 

[Scrubking]

Did we miss something here? Didn't GTA4 sell over 6 million units in the first couple of weeks (World wide)?

I'm not talking about sales.

 

[kame-sennin]

I just started playing Motorstorm ($15 at Target) and if Excite Truck is really better I might have to break down and pick it up... Why is Excite Truck still full price new a year and a half after launch again?

Iwata doesn't think games should go down in price. He's a believer in the long tail.

 

[fernoca]

I think it was demand for PS3 that was so abysmal at the time, not supply. Didn't the NPD for the previous month lead to Sony PR flat-out lying about the low sales being the result of shortages, and GAFers responding left and right with photos of PS3s sitting on store shelves? Or something like that.

Well, I tried to be gentle..
Thanks for pouring more salt into the wounds... XD

 

[J-Rzez]

Okay, we get it, stop crying about it.

Yeah, wasn't directed at you. More so the people I was discussing with and replying to people quoting me. So yeah nobodies crying, and I don't care.

 

[Rad Agast]

I'm not talking about sales.

Aha, care to explain why it's going to die then? I still haven't tried the game yet (getting it next week). Do you think there is no room for new stuff in the game or just running out of steam?

 

[AlphaTwo00]

Iwata doesn't think games should go down in price. He's a believer in the long tail.

Donkey Kong Barrel Blast is $20 everywhere

 

[perfectchaos007]

Donkey Kong Barrel Blast is $20 everywhere

He's a believer in good games having a long tail. He believes bad games should go down in price.

 

[Saint Gregory]

So I'm guessing that the chances of there being a Wii Platinum Hits line are pretty slim then eh?

 

[Eteric Rice]

Well, the next real GTA would never be for Wii anyway, regardless of how well the system sells. However, I can't imagine that Rockstar would really fight tooth and nail against, say, putting San Andreas Stories on the system.

I don't really think sandbox type games are a good idea on the Wii anyway.

Maybe a mature game with a good story that takes place in a small city? Maybe stylize it as well?