In this time of 'best of' lists, Amazon has trumped all others by revealing what is perhaps the most depressing one I've ever seen. In its list of top gaming products, everything is Wii-related, and 50% of the list can't even be rightly classified as a videogame.
Amazon used sales figures and buyer feedback to determine its list of the hottest "gaming" items this year, and I think it gives a clear indication of where this industry is headed:
- Best-selling Product -- Nintendo Wii
- Most-Loved Product -- Wii Fit
- Most-Wished-For Product -- Wii Fit
- Most Popular Gift Product -- Mario Kart Wii with Wii Wheel
I'd be more sad than I am, but in a world where
American Idol is considered addictive programming, it's not really a surprise. After all, this list was made by people stupid enough to
feed credit cards to their Wii disc slots. What a time to be alive.
Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize.
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PS2, iPod Touch, Silent Hill 2, Metal Gear Solid, Dynasty Warriors 3
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Contest:
12:00 PM on 12.30.2008
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I simply do not get it.
Suicide then?
At least I'll get your PS3.
*hides copy of My Japanese Coach behind the couch*
In all seriousness, I can see the use of these sorts of products, my concern with them is more the quality than the fact that they exist and are selling. IMO a company can develop whatever they want for a console, it just needs to be a)something that has a market and b)not total crap. Most of this stuff seems to meet a but not b.
Look at this list. Croc shoes, the plastic shoe for the lazy retard who can't manage laces OR VELCRO. The day men decided to wear one of these in public was the day that male dignity died.
Anazon Kindle? Is paper that freaking difficult to manage? Used book stores weep at this device's existence.
Razor Scooters? God, the only thing I hate worse than these are Heely shoes.
Jeff Dunham? That right there is proof there isn't any need to use this list as any barometer of taste. Jeff Dunham is like the persistent proof of American low-class standards. So long as he's working and making bank, America will suffer culturally.
Know what's wrong with this picture? The fact that you'd think that these pieces of plastic would make Pushups easier to do or that they would somehow motivate you to actually exercise at all. Exercise equipment as a gift is the equivalent of giving someone a gift that just says "I HATE YOU AND YOUR FATNESS" in big black letters on it.
Bestselling Products
* Books: "Breaking Dawn" by Stephenie Meyer (The Twilight Saga, Book 4)
* Music: "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay
* Electronics: Amazon Kindle
* Home & Garden: Oster 4207 electric wine opener
* Shoes and Handbags (Amazon.com and Endless.com): crocs Cayman sandal
* Sports & Outdoors: Razor A Kick scooter
* Home Improvement: First Alert CO600 plug-in carbon monoxide alarm
Most-Loved Products
* Kindle Books: "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer (The Twilight Saga, Book 1)
* DVD: "Jeff Dunham: Spark of Insanity"
Most-Wished-For Products
* Music: "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay
* Amazon MP3: "I Kissed a Girl" by Katy Perry
* Electronics: Amazon Kindle
* Gourmet: Godiva truffles
* Sports & Outdoors: Perfect Pushup
Most Popular Gift Products
* Books: "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer (The Twilight Saga, Book 1)
* DVD: "Best of Elmo's World" DVD Collection
* Electronics: Amazon Kindle
* Home & Garden: Oster 4207 electric wine opener
* Beauty: Fizzy Baker Birthday bath cupcake
* Sports & Outdoors: Razor A Kick scooter, pink
God, man, do you really think this crap started with the Wii? People have been selling and buying shovelware for years. The Wii has a little bit wider user base, so they sell more of it. With a few exceptions, these games are NOT made by talented developers who would otherwise be making better games.
Sure, I wish Nintendo would show a little bit more restraint with some of this bullshit, but this wasn't created by Nintendo nor will it destroy the industry (or even affect it much).
This just isn't possible. Unless of course, Amazon is getting a ginormous kickback from Nintendo. Like $800 million?
But those games sell like hotacakes on the Wii, developers now waste less effort making a game knowing that it'll sell regardless of the quality if it has motion controls on the Wii. The Wii needs to cease to exist, and Nintendo needs to make a nextgen console. Because in reality, the Wii is a sick joke to gaming.
Also, there's no way in hell that you can argue that Jeff Dunham is worse than Larry the Cable Guy.
So...screw you, soccer moms.
But those games sell like hotacakes on the Wii, developers now waste less effort making a game knowing that it'll sell regardless of the quality if it has motion controls on the Wii.
Do you have any proof of "those games sell[ing] like hotacakes" on the Wii? I am not denying that the Wii is not inundated with shovelware, but I am questioning as to how you know they are profitable.
Yes, Ubisoft has found success there.
Yes, development costs are lower on the Wii.
But, there are few - if any - success stories of shovelware on the console.
I am all for quality software on the Wii, but I think too many folks are applying the shovelware label to anything that is a mini-game collection or is not a FPS/RPG/etc.
It uses no motion controls.
You people can relax, "real" games sell on the Wii just fine.
But at what cost do you want games to grow? Do you want shitty titles like Wii Music to be common in the future?
@Daxelman
I have a PS3 and a Wii.
As noted above, there are only a few examples of successful shovelware. Also, there are legitimately good games for the Wii that I'm happy I own. For example: Smash Bros, Super Paper Mario, Zelda TP, Mario Kart, Mario Galaxy, No More Heroes, Blast Works, and some non-exclusives.
I do think the Wii is less than perfect, but so are all the consoles. No console is as solid as, say, the NES, SNES, Playstation, or Playstation 2 in this generation. The XBox is cheap and has some hardcore games, but it has very few exclusives I care about (almost everything else is available for PC). The PS3 is ridiculously expensive and only has a handful of great exclusives (although all of them are particularly tempting, I admit). The PC is amazing this generation, but everyone overlooks that fact because the PC is supposed to be dying. The Wii is cheap and has some unique, interesting things, but it also has lots of shovelware and crap too.
Problem solved, you can stop crying on your dads shoulder now.
If Nintendo wasn't around, the top 10 would be dominated by generic brown shooters and ricer games.
Shows you how little HD has done for the industry. We're literary playing the same games with higher resolutions on the PS3/360/PC, the Wii is actually reinvigorating and reinventing the industry with innovation software and hardware.
Also Crocs are sexy.
I used to really enjoy Jim's posts (the top tens in particular), but it seems like all he does now is post Wii news with a string of unfunny comments about how he hates the Wii so much. We get it--it's time to move on.
The day Twilight is taught over Huck Finn and Guitar Hero and Wii Music replace all music programs in high schools across America...
I weep for the future.
I post around ten stories a day. If we were to say I did one post being unkind to the Wii a day (bit of an overstatement, but let us run with it), that would only amount to 10% of my work being anti-Wii.
So no, "all he does is post Wii news" is so melodramatic as to be absurd. You'll find that others accuse me of "only" posting mean things about the PS3 and others accuse me of "only" posting mean things about the Xbox 360.
And nobody ever mentions all the nice posts I make. You know why? Because you people ONLY pay attention to negativity. Don't blame me for your own perceptions.
If the mainstream people are a big river, gamers are a tributary. Nintendo is perfectly happy to set up shop along the banks of that main river to hand out casual stuff to those people, and companies like Valve and Atlus are just as happy to setup shop along the banks of our little tributary to hand out Persona 4 and Left 4 Dead. Hardcore gaming is not dying, if anything its flourishing under a better understanding of games and more acceptance in a mainstream casual gaming world. If parents and friends of theirs are enjoying some Wii Sports, they don't feel as out of it when their 17 year old is in their room using Ventrilo to talk to their friends while they blow away zombies hordes.
Just look at movies, just because there are box office hits does not mean the indie movie industry is suffering. And for every American Idol there is an Office or what have you. The media out there is a big big ocean, so there is lots of space for everyone, and plenty of fish for us all.
Please, please tell me you're making that up.
I'm probably coming back to this way too late, but I'll try anyway. I can understand you'd think that it's simply a perceived bitterness (that for what it's worth might just be a personality issue), but you think "melodramatic" and "absurd" to share my perception? I like this website and I wanted to use it--no need to be defensive: we're still reading your stuff.
1) Why do you OWN a Wii if you hate all the stuff on it? Stop crying and play your PS3. Or some good games for Wii, like No More Heroes and whatnot
2) Don't say Nintendo has ruined gaming for exploring new options. I wouldn't be too excited if we had 3 of the exact same console coming out from different companies. Also, Nintendo released probably the most famous console ever SNES which pretty much revolutionized gaming for it's time. It's not Nintendo's fault for all the Shovelware coming out to work with the Wii's "virtual reality" thing it's got going.
Yes, that is exactly what the internet needs - two MORE years of "Wii is two gc stuck together, am i rite."
I'd have to disagree, the Playstation 2 was the most famous console ever.