We are. Let's admit it.
I was thinking about this the other day, now I've found this article over the UK ONM Blog (
LINK) and I just felt like posting what I though about this whole situation.
After E3, like all of you, I was disappointed. I even wrote about that and you can check my older posts to read what I thought, but you know what? After realizing that my disappontment was the result of my stupid high hopes for the Nintendo show I relaxed, looked at what's coming from the third parties (The Conduit and Madworld just to name the two I always have in mind) and most of all I looked back at what I received in the last two years on Wii and DS.
That is probably something not everyone has done yet, and the author of that ONM article sums up what Nintendo gave us:
" A new 3D Mario game (Super Mario Galaxy)
A new side-scrolling Mario game (New Super Mario Bros)
A new Paper Mario game (Super Paper Mario)
A new Mario Kart game (Mario Kart Wii)
A new 3D Zelda game (Twilight Princess)
A new handheld Zelda game (Phantom Hourglass)
A new Metroid game (Metroid Prime 3)
A new StarFox game (StarFox Command)
A new Smash Bros game (Super Smash Bros Brawl)
A new Pokémon game (Pokémon Diamond/Pearl)
A Pokémon Ranger game, with another on the way
A new Kirby game (Kirby Mouse Attack)
A new Yoshi's Island (Yoshi's Island DS)
A new Advance Wars (Advance Wars: Days Of Ruin)
A new Fire Emblem (Radiant Dawn)
Two new Mario sports games (Mario Strikers Charged Football, Mario Slam Basketball)"
Those are just first party titles, and even if you didn't like every entry of that list you can't deny it is a heck of a lot of content. Basically every Nintendo franchise is there and we had this "core" stuff in a pretty short period of time especially considering what appeared on the Wii in less than two years. If you add that there were awesome third party games for both the Wii and DS, because thank God there's not just shovelware on Wii and DS, and you have something that probably has never been done before on a home console - on the Wii side - and something that is boosting the DS to be one of - if not
the - most successful console of all time period. So probably we've become like spoiled little brats, always looking for the next thing, forgetting about what was new and exciting just not too long ago. Whilst looking forward is a good thing, one should never forget what happened before.
I include myself in the spoiled brats category and now that I realized I am there I'll try to get out and look at things in a different way. Hell, if no games would come out for the next year I'd have my hands full of titles I haven't beat or even started yet, on Wii, DS, PSP and PC. I have no problems for this holiday season, the end of the fiscal year and well beyond. And since we know for a fact the so-called "core" (or better "traditional") games are being developed for the Nintendo platforms I think I'll have no problem for my gaming needs without having to buy a new console. Because I don't want to be a spoiled brat anymore, hence I don't whine to have the new toy but I enjoy the ones I have, spend more time with the ones I couldn't spend too much time with and while I do that the new toys will come out anyway. But I'll have saved myself the months of speculation, rants and painful, painful waiting.
sad to say though, looking at gamereleases.net, and taking a look at what's planned to be released on the Wii for the rest of the year, there isn't much that excites me or other core gamers.
its unfortunate, but there does appear to be a comming dead area of big effort, high excitement titles on that console
LEGO Batman Nintendo Wii Monday, 1 September 2008
Operation Thunder Nintendo Wii Tuesday, 2 September 2008
Rapala Fishing Frenzy Nintendo Wii Tuesday, 2 September 2008
TNA Impact Nintendo Wii Tuesday, 2 September 2008
FaceBreaker Nintendo Wii Wednesday, 3 September 2008
Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. Nintendo Wii Wednesday, 10 September 2008
Monster Lab Nintendo Wii Tuesday, 16 September 2008
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Nintendo Wii Tuesday, 16 September 2008
Wario Land: Shake It! Nintendo Wii Monday, 22 September 2008
Iron Chef America: Supreme Cuisine Nintendo Wii Thursday, 25 September 2008
Don King Presents Prize Fighter Nintendo Wii Tuesday, 30 September 2008
GUITAR HERO WORLD TOUR Nintendo Wii Wednesday, 1 October 2008
High School Musical 3: Senior Year DANCE! Nintendo Wii Wednesday, 1 October 2008
Crash: Invasion of the Bandicoot Snatchers Nintendo Wii Tuesday, 7 October 2008
Legend of Spyro: Darkest Hour Nintendo Wii Tuesday, 7 October 2008
Ben 10: Alien Force Nintendo Wii Tuesday, 14 October 2008
Dokapon Kingdom Nintendo Wii Tuesday, 14 October 2008
Naruto: Clash of Ninja 2 Nintendo Wii Tuesday, 14 October 2008
NBA Live 2009 Nintendo Wii Tuesday, 14 October 2008
All Star Cheer Squad Nintendo Wii Monday, 20 October 2008
Bratz Kidz: Pajama Party Nintendo Wii Tuesday, 21 October 2008
Ghostbusters: The Video Game Nintendo Wii Tuesday, 21 October 2008
Rubik's World Nintendo Wii Tuesday, 21 October 2008
Spider-Man: Web of Shadows Nintendo Wii Tuesday, 21 October 2008
Mushroom Men: Spore Wars Nintendo Wii Tuesday, 28 October 2008
Animal Crossing: City Folk Nintendo Wii Saturday, 1 November 2008
Bolt Nintendo Wii Saturday, 1 November 2008
Disney Sing It Nintendo Wii Saturday, 1 November 2008
Rock Band 2 Nintendo Wii Saturday, 1 November 2008
Wii Music™ Nintendo Wii Saturday, 1 November 2008
Tomb Raider Underworld Nintendo Wii Monday, 3 November 2008
Sonic Unleashed Nintendo Wii Tuesday, 4 November 2008
WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009 Nintendo Wii Tuesday, 11 November 2008
Build-A-Bear Workshop Nintendo Wii Thursday, 13 November 2008
Paragraphs is like make-up for your blogs. Too much, and she looks like a prostitute.
Just the way we like it.
I was planning on writing something up about it, but really, what can they give us now? A new Animal Crossing, we know is coming, but then Pikmin, F-Zero, and Pilotwings, and then what? They're spent; they need new IPs, or to move forward on the existing ones.
And what I think most people were upset about is the fact that Nintendo has all but abandoned support for the hardcore gamer in the future. Yes, they've had it in the past, but it looks now like we are no longer their focus.
@Phantom Spaceman : I know, but it's a fact that big titles take years to develop so especially after all those content was put on the shelves a period of draught is inevitable. At least there is content from 3rd parties coming (Deadly cretures for example,I forgot to name it in the article).
You can't have a Metroid Prime game every year, at least without it being like Madden or FIFA which are just yearly updates.
@Dexter345: on one hand we have the casual gamers wich are becoming more and more important, because casual stuff sells...I still can't believe how many copies of WiiPlay and Carnival Games have been sold! On the other hand the traditional "core" titles take years to be made,and the main franchises like Mario,Zelda,Metroid,Kart,Smash Bros etc have already had a release on Wii. So either they go for other franchises (Kid Icarus,Pikmin,F-Zero.Pilotwings,Punch-out) or new IPs (Factor 5 new game,Monolith new game,Retro Studios new game) it takes time. Add the fact they told they won't show stuff too many months in advance and we have a drought. But it's not the stuff isn't there, is we are not being shown it and that's something people don't like. We want everything and we want it right now. That's why I said "spoiled brats" :)
I agree with you, Jondarkwood.