Nintendo broke away from competition with Sony and, new arrival, Microsoft with what some call the “Blue Ocean” business strategy. The Blue Ocean strategy is the metaphor of leaving a “red ocean” (one dyed by the blood of competition) for unclaimed waters filled with the potential for creating new demand. From a business stand point this brave (or stupid) move has paid off and now Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 are competing for second place.

Nintendo managed to succeed because they did something more than incrementally improve and repurpose old features. Yes, Gentle Reader, I’m talking about the “I” word, innovation. It’s debatable if the Wii controller is a true innovation as some gamers will still belittle it and mock it, but from a business standpoint it’s a successful change that’s brought in tremendous profit. Nintendo is as guilty as everyone else of giving us sequels by the truck load, most games in each series offer something new every one or two games. In truth, sequels are not really a bad thing as long as they are different enough that it stands on its own or adds to the previous experience. (continue reading…)

Okami is a game you’ll either get to hate, or get to love. But for everyone, the first two or three hours of the game are spent in a neutral state of confusion. Questions like “What’s going on?” or “What the hell am I supposed to do in combat?” will pass through one’s head, as none of this is really clearly explained at the start of the game. But if you put a few hours into the game, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by this amazing gem.

There’s so much to be done in this game – so many things you’ll never notice until your second or third or fourth playthrough of the game – that you’ll never feel bored. Quite the opposite, first-time players may feel  a bit overwhelmed. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, there hasn’t been a game that really made me, at least, feel overwhelmed, since Ocarina of Time, and it’s a beautiful feeling when playing a video game. It seems like you can do everything and go everywhere. But for some people, this may seem a bit daunting. So much to do and no idea where to start? Some people may not want to muster up the effort to explore everything before them. (continue reading…)

Part 1 – What Have Wii Become?

I had been aiming to write something like this but found some of the key points I’d touch on already addressed in Alex’s “A Second Video Game Crash?” I suppose I’ve got enough to say that makes it worthy of its own article so without further ado; here is my take on what’s happening in the game industry…TODAY.

While I may not be some sort of untouchable, game industry guru, I, like many of you, carry within me a passion for video games that burns so strongly we believe it can guide us through the stagnant and uncertain time our hobby faces.

The Wii is plagued with shovelware so abundant that some would try and use it to define the system. Microsoft and Sony have been practically offering the same thing they have been for the past few years and while this may not sound like a bad thing to some people, those that have developed the insight to think ahead will see the problem with this sort of planning.

I’m going to focus on matter of the Wii before I address the potential folly of Microsoft and Sony. The Wii has been a ridiculous success. With the least amount of graphical prowess it has become the best selling console, like the PS2 was last generation, and sold so well that Nintendo can even boast that Wii Sports has sold even more than the original Super Mario Bros. On this silver cloud of new exciting things is a dark lining of reluctant publishers and confused developers that are not only unsure how to approach the Wii but don’t seem to understand the audience that have carried it to victory.

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EA is going to release Dead Space for the Wii. Word of this has probably spread like wildfire and there might be very few who haven’t heard this news, but there is no news like good news!  Dead Space was released for PS3 and XBox 360 October of last year and the decision to put it on the Wii means that the developer and publisher feels Isaac Clarke and the Necromorphs aren’t done yet. Does this mean the sales for both consoles didn’t meet their expectations? Probably! Should we expect additional content? Who knows!

While details are slim and all that has been said from EA is that there will be a Dead Space for the Wii it’s a safe bet that Dead Space will use the Wii remote’s pointer and allow the player to get even more precision in dismembering the horrors above the USG Ishimura. Considering the nature of Dead Space and the core gameplay similarities, over the shoulder shooter, it shares with Capcom’s Resident Evil 4 (which was also released later on the Wii) it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to assume it might play much like Resident Evil 4: Wii edition.

Last year EA demonstrated they were a little more than another uninspiring, sequel factory when they released two new intellectual properties, Dead Space and Mirror’s Edge. With some sort of awareness of quality within the company there’s hope that Dead Space for Wii won’t be a diluted port.

When I read this blog, I was astonished. I couldn’t believe what I just read. I completely disagree with the aforemented blog, and here’s why.

First of all, what do these casual games have anything to do with us ‘real’ gamers? Veraliis suggests that for some reason gaming becomes less fun because his grandmother is playing Peggle. Really, I don’t care at all. If I play a game because of my e-peen, I’ll at least compare myself to others that play the same game, not people that are playing an entirely different game.

Secondly, it’s not like there are suddenly less real games coming out because of these casual games. Almost all developers that make these games are new to the market. There are almost no renowned developers making flash games or easy downloadable games, unless they have already been doing so from the start (PopCap, for example). Most developers that make these kinds of games are new to the market, just looking to make a couple of bucks and using video games as a medium. These are honestly not interested in video gaming, but just see it as a business. They will never make real games, and will continue to pump out bad games until they stop making a profit.

10/10, best game of last year

So Veraliis, could you please tell me how casual games are destroying the PC? It’s the medium that’s probably suffering the least from the fad of casual games. Other systems suffer from renowned developers, like Ubisoft, making bad minigame collections or amazing Imagine games. Have you ever looked at the shelves of the Wii in a game store? At least 50% of it is pure, unfiltered crap. And do you know why? Because the Wii hasn’t got a download service for new games. You can just download your crappy games from the internet on your PC, but for the Wii you have to buy them.

The flood of casual games can be annoying, yeah. But it’s never more than a minor nuisance. The PC definitely isn’t dying because of this.

Two years ago, development studio n-Space (Call of Duty DS, Geist) showed the world its developing Wii exclusive horror game, Winter. The title, which can be compared in its style to Silent Hill, was something that stood out over the mountains of shovelware. It was an actual mature Wii title, dealing with mature subject matter and a darker storyline. It also actually LOOKED good, actually using the hardware of the Wii to a standard most developers don’t even bother with. Even though it wasn’t completed, it still looks better than a lot of Wii games (however this isn’t saying all too much).

However, due to lazy marketing teams, Winter was never meant to be. It wasn’t due to the game being poorly developed or that it didn’t have promise, it had an abundance of both. The problem was being brought in the marketing area. The idea of an “adult” game on a “kid” console was too much for them. Eventually, this led to the project being scrapped.

Now, what does this mean for the Wii? Will this just be an isolated case? Or is this just a small example of the overlying problem of the Wii. Publishers don’t want to take a chance anymore. Yes it’s all about money, but it stops quality titles coming out. Will the Wii just always be riddled with shovelware and “kid” titles?

Yes we have our No More Heroes, and we have Mad World. That’s it though. Nothing else. The rest are titles that are akin to “Barbie Horse Adventures”.

Here is to hoping there will be one day that the Wii puts out quality titles. Instead of just shovelware and “Mario Goes To The Corner Store”.

Won’t somebody please think of the CHILDREN?

That’s essentially the rallying cry of the watchdog group Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, or CCFC. The name may ring a bell to those who follow the gaming news; those who don’t, well, really didn’t miss much. 

Once again the CCFC’s antics don’t fail to deliver on the entertainment value, and this time the object of their (pointless) ire is Lego Batman: The Videogame. Why, you ask? I don’t know either. 

Let’s try to rationalize the two basic components of Lego Batman: The Videogame:

• Lego = good, educational, mindless fun.
• Batman = awesome story revolving around the concept of justice and about how crime doesn’t pay. 

I certainly don’t see any problem with it; it looks like a winning formula when looked at from any angle. But of course, CCFC being a watchdog group that dedicates itself to the unneeded, unwanted, and unnecessary cause of taking commercialism away from childhood, they condemned Lego Batman as a virtual spawn of commercial Satan, including it in their list of Toys Oppressive and Destructive to Young Children. Check out their write-up:
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I’ve been a loyal GameFly customer since March 20, 2004.

Let that sink in for a while.

In a matter of weeks, and two more payments of thirteen dollars and some change to them, I’ll have been a paying GameFly customer for five years. Five long years. I don’t want to even think of how much of my money I’ve given to them.

It started with Viewtiful Joe for GameCube. I was trying to rent it from all my local Blockbusters and Hollywood Videos, but none of them had it, and I was getting frantic. My poor fifteen-year-old mind yielded to a banner ad on IGN or Gamespot, and I signed up for the free trial. Around the same time I had been given my own bank account with debit card linked to the family one. What better use for a 16-digit piece of plastic linked to my money than a subscription based-service?

Yes, my logic was flawed. How many 15-year-olds do you know that don’t spend their cash on video games?

But I was a happy customer. I played over a hundred games with GameFly. I never had delays on getting games and I could get the best new releases within days of release. It was fantastic. Splinter Cell, Soul Caliber, Eternal Darkness, I played them all. A glorious existence! (When it came to gaming) I saved so much money that I even was able to buy a Nintendo DS on launch day.

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It’s no surprise that Nintendo has won this gaming generation in terms of sales. Yes, we know about the shovelware and yes, we know that the Wii and the DS do have gimmicks, but even the most hardcore fanboy can’t deny the fact that Nintendo is literally making a killing, even with the recent economic crunch. Sony’s laying off people, Microsoft is planning to lay off people, Nintendo is in fact hiring more people to cart the ridiculous scads of money they’ve been making from the bank to their secret underground vaults, where they also store the world’s only supply of Nintendium. They’ve dominated each and every NPD chart since the history of forever, and it looks like they’re not stopping.

Take this latest NPD Group update, which tackles the sales of all videogame consoles last December (i.e. December of 2008). Here’s the actual list, first:

* Nintendo DS – 3,040,000
* Wii – 2,150,000
* Xbox 360 – 1,440,000
* PSP – 1,020,000
* PlayStation 3 – 726,000
* PlayStation 2 – 410,000

Oh, look, Nintendo’s at the top. No surprise there. What’s surprising is that for the entire month of December, Nintendo has sold over 5 million consoles. That’s both the Wii and the DS hardware sales combined. According to NPD, that makes a new record high – breaking the PlayStation 2’s record of 2.7 million sales for a month alone. And that’s just for the US. Nintendo is making so much money, it should be a crime.

Of course, now with all your money, Nintendo, isn’t it time to do something about your software? Come on. We’re literally eating right out of your hand. Take some risks! Be creative with your IPs! Super Mario Galaxy was great, Twilight Princess was pretty cool, but it’s always been more or the same. Ask Rockstar to help direct the next Zelda. Have Suda 51 develop the next Mario game, anything. Break the mold. PLEASE.

The guys at Nintendo sure are a mystery. On one hand you have them consistently stating they aren’t trying to be copycats, and pioneer where the video game industry will turn. On the other hand, you have them doing exactly the opposite, and moving into territory well-tread by the other two consoles. Rather than improving certain features that still seem rashly implimented.(Friendcodes. FRIENDCODES NINTENDO!?)

Despite my short rant, Nintendo still seem to want to release this in Japan around Q1 2009 with other territories coming ‘later‘* as usual. And don’t expect them to be in 1080p glorious high-definition either, because that’s a pipedream and you and I both know that. Standard 480p and don’t forget that little 512mb memory limit the Wii has going on at the minute. Or perhaps we should just put them all on SD cards like they previously suggested we do with VC titles.

Source: Yahoo Tech

*later means 2012