It was one year ago today that the phenomenon of gaming hit shelves all over the world; what phenomenon you ask? Why, it was none other than the Nintendo Wii.
The Nintendo Wii didn’t have much to live up to with its release, with the Gamecube having done so poorly before it. The Wii literally had a clean slate; of course there were quite a few people who doubted just how well this new fangled system would sell. Well, as we all know they were proved horribly wrong. Once came launch day the Wii sold like hot cakes, it was hard to find one anywhere. It didn’t stop there either, after days, weeks, months even and the Wii was still difficult to find and still selling as fast as ever.
But, once the first question was answered, along came the next, how long would such a demand for a console like the Wii last? Many predicted that it would end quickly, saying that come summer the Wii will have died down, they said you’d probably be able to get one easily at that point. Oh boy, were they ever wrong. Once again the Wii proved all those speculators wrong, and in a spectacular way. On September 12th, 2007 the Wii overtook the Xbox 360 in sales despite the Xbox’s one year lead. But Wii didn’t stop there, it kept on chugging along and now, today on November 19, 2007 the Wii has sold 13.87 million systems worldwide and holds 42.3% of the market in console sales. So after one year the Wii has sold over 13 million systems, certainly that is quite an achievement and shows those that are optimistic that the Wii isn’t simply a ‘gimmick’.
But now, a system can’t simply sell itself, it needs games to fuel its fire. When the system was released we saw 30+ games released in the first five weeks, now that is already an impressive amount for a launch. Amongst these games was one game that would be very well received, and long anticipated; The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. This game had been delayed, delayed, and delayed some more; it was arriving at a point were fans were getting angry, they wanted their Zelda and they wanted it now! Nintendo realized this and decided to release the game on the Wii, a smart move by a smart company. So on the day of the Wii’s launch fans got there hands on the game they’d been waiting for, and when they got home they popped it in and had a go. But, Twilight Princess wasn’t the only game that marked the occasion, there was an even simpler game that revolutionized what a game can be, and that game is Wii Sports. Wii Sports took simplicity and made it fun; being a pack in the game was definitely worth the while and was a lot of fun. Fans became engaged in long matches of tennis, bowling, golf, boxing and baseball. These two games would set the standard for the hardcore and the not hardcore games to come in the Wii’s future.
But, amongst the good games there were some mediocre games that were still plenty of fun. For instance, we were treated with games like Excite Truck, the spiritual successor of Excite Bike. We also got to play games like Call of Duty 3, Trauma Center: Second Opinion, Madden NFL '07, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz, Elebits, Rayman Raving Rabbids, and more. All of these games gave us a sample of what we were going to be getting in the months that would pass. Some of these games helped to define the genres of mini-games, and shooters.
Speaking of shooters, one game was released that held incredible expectations and did a nose dive when it came to living up to them. Red Steel was a game that people expected to show just how great a shooter could be on the Wii; unfortunately the game wasn’t very good. It lacked in key places; the aiming wasn’t great, nor was the A.I, it simply didn’t live up to the standards placed upon it. But, even amidst its faults, many people found it to be an enjoyable experience, one that they didn’t mind playing. After this, we didn’t see many worth while shooters for some time until August of 2007. But along the way there were other defining games that aided in structuring the Wii’s lineup of games.
One of the games I’m referring to is Wario Ware: Smooth Moves, which released in January 2007. This game was very well received and helped to craft what Rayman Raving Rabbids had started on the Wii. Smooth Moves brought in many small micro-games that were incredibly fun and easy to play, it was a game that appealed to both the hardcore and the newcomers. It also emphasized on multiplayer fun which was becoming a huge part of the Wii. Multiplayer was almost pretty much there slogan, like they say in their commercial: “We would like to play”. With such a slogan it’s no wonder Wario Ware created and used as an example.
But, Nintendo also did something that helped them break out of that “Nintendo is just for kids” image. They allowed the release of a few M rated games. For instance, the Godfather: Blackhand Edition hit the Wii with force; the game was the first of a few M rated games that would help break the mode. Packed with guns, violence, and mobsters the game was gobbled up by the Wii’s hardcore players. After The Godfather, along came Scarface and Resident Evil 4 and the more recent. Manhunt 2 and Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles. These five games showed that Nintendo wasn’t just for kids; it was also for adults and hardcore gamers.
But, rewinding back to right after the release of Wario Ware: Smooth Moves, hardcore gamers would be left in the dark for awhile with simply mediocre games being released. They were treated with SSX Blur, a fun game but not enough. It wasn’t until a few months later when Super Paper Mario was released that hardcore gamers got to get there hands dirty. But, unfortunately, Super Paper Mario was really just a Gamecube game brought over to the Wii. So, the hardcore games would have to wait even longer until they could get there hands on Wii made game.
Some hardcore gamers at one point may have thought there dreams were about to come true, in June Pokemon Battle Revolution was to be released and gamers were getting desperate. Unfortunately, when the game released, it was just one big flop. All it was was a lame excuse to see your Pokemon from the DS games in 3D. Yet again, the hardcore gamers would feel cheated.
Hardcore gamers had a long summer, but they were treated with Mario Strikers Charged which was an all right game, but the real fun was coming in August. August 22nd 2007 one of the greatest games ever was released: Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. The game was incredible, the controls were great, the graphics amazing, and the gameplay staggering. It was all a hardcore gamer could ask for, finally Nintendo had done it right, it set an example for how first person shooter controls should be done, which was later followed by Medal of Honor: Heroes 2.
The Wii had begun to really shine for the hardcore gamers who were graced with games like Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Zack & Wiki and the Quest for Barbaros Treasure, Battalion Wars 2, Guitar Hero 3 and more. Things were finally looking up for hardcore gamers and the Wii had never looked better. This brings us to today; with one game that literally shatters all perception: Super Mario Galaxy.
Super Mario Galaxy was only released a little while ago and has already surpassed The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time in scores placing itself as the greatest game of all time (score wise) for the time being. It’s the prettiest game on the Wii and is probably the most diverse and definitely one of the most fun games. Gamers all over the world are drooling over the greatness that is Super Mario Galaxy and I don’t think that drooling will stop anytime soon.
It seems the Wii is on a train leading to success and nothing can stop it. As right around the corner we have probably the most anticipated game of all time being released: Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The Wii doesn’t look like it wants to stop selling either as everyday there are hundreds of consoles sold worldwide and are all adding to the incredible numbers already sold. It’s been a good start, and a good year for the Nintendo Wii and come this time next year, I wouldn’t be surprised if I’ll be writing about how amazing the Wii’s done in the past 2 years. Until then, enjoy your Wii and have fun playing those jaw dropping games.
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