Will The Conduit and MadWorld alter the Wii’s image and audience?
The Wii has succeeded like no other console before it due to it being afforded a very particular image and gaining a very particular audience. But will the release of two titles which look as though they’d be better suited to the PS3 or Xbox 360 change things for the Wii? Could this signal a change of direction for the Nintendo console?
With the Wii, Nintendo has carved out a very large niche this generation – the mainstream. Everyone from the youngest kids to the oldest grannies seems to want a go on the machine because it offers something the other consoles don’t. OK, so that feeling that you’re actually playing a game for real doesn’t last long and in my experience, the Wii will likely gather dust after a few months, or weeks, or days of play. But so what? By then Nintendo has got your money safely ensconced in its giant bank account.
Every time I write a less-than-positive article about the Wii, the fanboys who stay silent while we discuss the PS3 and Xbox 360 come out of the woodwork. And without fail, they rip me a new hole for suggesting that the Wii is more a short-lived toy living by reputation alone than a serious games console for serious gamers.
Maybe they’re right to do this. Even I can concede that there are some fantastic titles on the Wii. Games such as Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Mario Kart Wii, Super Mario Galaxy, and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess are titles that would sit comfortably alongside the best games on the other two consoles of this generation.
However, the goodness of these games is somewhat overshadowed by the glut of average to crap games that punctuate the Wii’s release schedule. Once games developers and publishers realized there was a huge market for selling five-minute-wonders to schoolchildren and adults who know no better, they decided to cash in. Which has left with the more serious-minded and picky Wii owners wanting.
Two titles have been on the horizon for awhile now, both which have promised to change the Wii’s image for the better. MadWorld is Sega’s ultra-violent black-and-white action game which has now been released to a selection of mediocre and average reviews. Most complain that MadWorld is shallow, repetitive, and easily beaten by a combination of button-bashing and Wii Remote-waving. So that’s one down, one very big fail.
The other game is The Conduit, a Wii-exclusive due out in June which promises to up the graphical ante on the Nintendo console, and give the hardcore a reason to buy a Wii into the bargain. While I’ll obviously reserve complete judgment until the game is actually released, early coverage isn’t looking too good.
Sure, it looks better than most other Wii games, but that isn’t exactly hard. Unfortunately, this first-person-shooter still cannot hope to come close to games such as Halo 3 and Killzone 2. So really, what’s the point?
This may seem like another Wii-bashing article but it actually isn’t. Instead, it’s me admitting that the Wii has found its audience, and just because that doesn’t happen to be an audience I or most real gamers are a part of doesn’t necessarily make it a bad console. Ignore these games trying to muscle in and change the Wii’s image and audience. After all, why bother changing something that is working so well?
Related Posts:
24 Responses to “Will The Conduit and MadWorld alter the Wii’s image and audience?”
Leave a Reply:
You must be logged in to post a comment. Don't have an account? Register today!
March 30th, 2009
wii would like to play
March 30th, 2009
Madworld looks absolutely tits!!!
March 30th, 2009
i have a wii… only thing its good for is to get my girlfriend to play a video game… loser of bowling/boxing does something for the winners (eheheheh and no “saos-esk” comments…IM LOOKING AT YOU HARRY)
as soon as she or my 9 year old cousins arnt in the house?… i dont actually know when it gets used… i dont think it found its market… i think it just replaced board games… u no… only good at parties or with a few people who r bored shitless… or of different ages
March 30th, 2009
The art direction of Madworld it bad ass.
Still I have to point out… when was the last good Wii release? Smash Brothers? That was released a year ago… What have the people who only own a Wii been playing since then? Wii Fit? Worst console ever!!
March 30th, 2009
Mad World is rubbish. Talk about overcompensating.
-Arvis
March 30th, 2009
fuck you arvis… you just cant appreciate the masculine need for tits and blood… ITS A MAN THING!
what would you know… you like JRPGS where you cant even tell the difference between the guy and the gal…
you know what… we are playing Dead Rising 2 co-op… me and you… when you are faced with zombies… you will learn to appreciate gore more…
March 30th, 2009
DWH,
I’m going to stop talking to you when we play SF4. I’m just going to unplug the headset.
Either that, or I’m just going to start making crap up. “Yeah, DWH, I’m gong to culinary school next month, gonna learn how to be a seafood chef. What’s that? Oh definitely, I have a down payment on a Cessna, gonna fly out to Virginia to spend some time with Tiger Woods and Gizelle. I’m a straight balla, yo…”
-Arvis
March 30th, 2009
I dont get it… are you trying to be funny?
Haven you been playing soggy sao with harry?
RAWR!
dude we gotta play something co-op… I never played anything CO-Op… CMON!!! FIDDY CENT! SAND ON YO CRACKA ASS! lets play…
March 30th, 2009
Meh, my Wii was worth it for the 7 or so games that are actually worth playing on the machine.
If it were the price of the PS3 it would be another story.
March 30th, 2009
DWH,
I’d rather give up gaming forever than touch that game. You should be ashamed of yourself. Not only for suggesting that game, but just in general. At any given moment, you should be feeling shame. Work on that.
-Arvis
March 30th, 2009
Speak of the devil! It’s really pretty sad at this point.
.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=22961
I will also point out the 3 to 1 ratio of PS3 to 360 titles in the top 10.
March 30th, 2009
*tear*
YOU ARE NOT MY DAD!! I HATE YOU!!!
ohh didja hear? Squareenix bought Eidos… Lara Croft RPG coming soon…
Hand in your testicles arvis… youre now officially NOT A GUY anymore…
March 30th, 2009
ARVIS! I GOT IT!
Dragon Age Origins… Bioware RPG… its supposed to be the spiritual successor to Baldurs Gate… it looks good but plays like a typical RPG… I dont like that kinda gameplay… but if it has co-op… we can play together… YAY!
March 30th, 2009
DWH,
Why don’t we just keep playing whatever we feel like playing, and if happen to be able to play together, then yay? RE5 would be fun co-op, it’s just too violent. I don’t want to ignore my conscience just because I was a huge fan of the series.
Besides, I’m in a committed relationship, so I’ve already checked my testicles at the door, thank you.
-Arvis
March 30th, 2009
YES! PLEASE RE5… wait… well Roy has prolly finished it… and Id rather finish it with someone who knows what they are doing *Winky smiley face*
violence? what do you think street fighter is? YOU. ARE. FIGHTING. ON. THE. STREETS.
Maybe that social commentary of the bronx… I dont know… hopefully uncharted 2 will have co-op…
March 30th, 2009
OMFG!
negativegamer.com/2009/03/30/this-is-the-best-thing-to-happen-at-gdc-fact/
wow… just… wow…
March 30th, 2009
Yeah, Street Fighter is about as violent as an episode of Tom & Jerry. Actually, less violent, since SF has no guns, explosions, or dismemberment.
-Arvis
March 30th, 2009
Don’t forget the animal abuse… Poor Tom.
March 31st, 2009
“Every time I write a less-than-positive article about the Wii, the fanboys who stay silent while we discuss the PS3 and Xbox 360 come out of the woodwork.”
Not this time Dave. Keep trying though.
March 31st, 2009
Wii is garbage Madworld looks like shit i cannot never play a game that look so dated and weaird plus ugly.
March 31st, 2009
You’re weird and ugly Ivan.
But then again, I wouldn’t play with you either.
March 31st, 2009
me_:
You so lame wow.
April 1st, 2009
Feb’s NPD sdales numbers certainly showed up all that ‘the Wii is running out of steam’ speculation.
April 2nd, 2009
“MadWorld is Sega’s ultra-violent black-and-white action game which has now been released to a selection of mediocre and average reviews. Most complain that MadWorld is shallow, repetitive, and easily beaten by a combination of button-bashing and Wii Remote-waving. So that’s one down, one very big fail.”
All of which would be fine, if it were remotely true. An average of 83 out of 55 reviews on metacritic would suggest otherwise. It’s not a crime to have an opinion – trying to dress an opinion up as fact isn’t a crime either, but it makes your argument a little weak. Perhaps what you should have said is:
“MadWorld is Sega’s ultra-violent black-and-white action game which has now been released to a selection of mostly favourable reviews. I’m not a huge fan myself. Having played MadWorld it is shallow, repetitive, and easily beaten by a combination of button-bashing and Wii Remote-waving.”
Or something like that. Weasel-y fixed. (Geddit?!)