What do you want to hear first, the good news, or the bad news? I'll assume you said good. At the Game Developers Conference today, Nintendo project leader Takashi Aoyama announced that Wii titles in the future would support downloadable content. While this may have come late for games like
Guitar Hero, and
Smash Bros. it is welcome news none the less. Hopefully the service comes in time for the release of Harmonix's
Rock Band.
Additional content will be available for both WiiWare and disc games to be paid in Wii Points. It is not known which future games will currently make use this new addition or if it will stem to the possibility of offering game patches on Wii. Something Nintendo learned the hard way with
Twilight Princess and
Fire Emblem.
Ready for the bad news? You may want to take a few minutes to prepare yourself.
Along with the awesome DLC announcement Nintendo felt it needed to even things out a bit and also let us know that there will be some upcoming WiFi Connection games with a "Pay and Play" feature. As the name suggests this means that this will have gamers subscribing to each separate title that makes use of this. To avoid confusing consumers games requiring a payment to play online will have a red "Pay and Play" icon on their boxes.
At the moment things aren't fully clear on how this will function and whether or not Wii owners will only have to pay for specific features (in the vein of downloadable content) or if any online play at all will require payment, and if it will be a one time payment or a subscription of some sort.
As a company that has always put forward its free online strategy it is a little strange to see something like this come from Nintendo, but if they expect people to pay for something they've already been getting for free then hopefully it means improvements to the way their online service functions.
Written by: Marko Kalic
Reported by: Cpt.McCloud
The most bone headed move Nintendo has done so far aside from friend codes.
You fail Nintendo. Terrible...
It depends really. IF the service stays the same as it is then Nintendo can go to Hell if they think I'll pay for it. But if they upgrade it and meat it up in a similar fashion to Live (and maybe even drop Friend Code) then I'll definitely pay.
The DLC is a bit "meh" for me at the moment, missed Brawl and probably Mario Kart. But will probably see use in F-Zero (when it is inevitably announced)
...WHAT THE ****?!
God, if it weren't for Brawl I would have sold my Wii long ago. Pay for individual games?! Are you serious?! Nintendo better change their mind. Seriously. I better be reading this wrong.
*exhales*
Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but if I'm not, I expect extra DLC to be free if I have to pay to play online. You may be asking "don't you do it with LIVE?" and I'll answer that I sure do. LIVE however encompasses EVERY game I would want to play online, and it STILL offers some free DLC. Hopefully it's not a lot I would have to pay but regardless, I shouldn't be paying a damn thing extra for something that's free and other systems, as well as the Wii itself.
And they also left it open enough for us to assume that not every game will require you to pay as they said that they want to make a distinction between PfP games and ones that aren't. So there is some comfort in that, but it still isn't any good.
It definitely isn't good, want to know why? Think about it. Would casual gamers pay to play games online? Who are the only suckers who would consider it: the hardcore base. So if ANY games get stuck with this garbage, it will be the hardcore games.
Casuals would prefer to avoid paying for online and they like their gaming cheap (that was the whole angle the Wii took anyway)
I'm gonna go ahead and guess that 1st party titles won't be PaP just so Nintendo can toot their horn. I'm also going to venture and guess that the party game bandwagon developers are going to try and cash in on this.
What is the point of this move besides more money?
Maybe leave the door open for MMORPGs of some kind? We already know that Wii supports keyboard input.
We could hope, but I wouldn't get your hopes too high.
Although me being a real-life Sephiroth is more likely, the MMORPG is a possibility. Probably the only way something like that would be acceptable.
Although me being a real-life Sephiroth is more likely
There's always cosplay 
I'm thinking that maybe third parties weren't pleased with the fact that they'd have to pay for their servers considering the recent news of EA not wanting to pay for online servers in Australia for MoH.
EA are jerks. Those guys are bathing in money.
True, but in the end they're always looking to make even more money.
*MASSIVE facepalm*
That is all
You know? Nintendo's methods are so damned insular that I'm shocked they even show up at GDC. Reggie would take a look at something progressive like Steam and laugh at it.
Sigh...
*deep breath*
Sigh...
I have a enough of a problem having to pay for Xbox Live with things like Steam around as it is! Now Nintendo thinks they can push this mickey-mouse bullshit?
It ain't gonna fly, son.
Ain't gonna fly.
Nintendo can get stuffed if they think I'm paying to play online for each individual game, especially when the whole online thing on the Wii is nowhere near as good as Xbox Live.
That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard today and I just finished teaching English (Engrish) to foreigners. I mean c'mon! I don't see anyone willing to pay for each individual game, especially when they will be hampered by Wii Friend's Codes. It doesn't sound like it would be too easy to do and isn't the "new" Nintendo all about it being so that anyone could pick it up and play and use it? How will the younger generation be paying for this? Oh that's right, they'll have to ask their mommy and daddy to pay for them. I don't see the casual gamers (aka Mom, Dad, Grandpa, and Grandma) using their credit card so that their children/grandchildren can play these games online or download content for them.
"But Timmy, we've already bought the game. Why should we pay more?" "Mom, you don't understand. This is to add more content to the game and it will let me play it online." "Online? I don't like the sounds of that Timmy. There are all kinds of sin online. Why don't you just play WiiPlay with your father and I again and if you make all A's we'll get you Carnival on your birthday!"
Oh for f*** sake. They can't make us pay to play online. That's ridiculous. Can I just ask, has the Wii's online service ever "blown anyone away"? Because I think it's rubbish compared to the 360's. If they want me to pay then I will be expecting major improvements.
Haha, it is quite funny how almost every person has had a negative attitute towards this. Why don't we just keep an open mind and wait for the offical stuff. We could end up paying for good stuff, you never know.
Maybe leave the door open for MMORPGs of some kind? We already know that Wii supports keyboard input.
I thought Nintendo confirmed that a MMO wouldn't be happening?
