A Wii Drought?

Joystiq asks whether or not we’re in the middle of a Wii drought - and at the same time, whether or not the novelty value of the Wii is starting to wear off.  Commenters seem to divide down the middle.  I’d say that the answer to both of these questions is a definite “sort of.”

The big problem with the first question is that it depends on how the Wii’s releases stack up relative to what you’re personally interested in - a very subjective issue.  Nintendo definitely has games coming out this spring - but whether or not you’re actually interested in any of them probably dictates how you’re going to feel about a “drought.”  The big ones on my list are SSX Blur, Sonic, and Super Paper Mario.  If any of those disappoints, there’s going to be a drought in my book.  On the other hand, people with more ecumenical tastes - or with larger appetites for the Virtual Console than myself - will be more pleased.

Of course, Nintendo has compounded this problem by (once again) overpromising and underdelivering.  I’m sure many people remember Reggie Fils-Aime’s much heralded denial that the Wii would face the same drought that afflicted many of its predecessors.  Unfortunately, he also just implied that Metroid Prime 3 - Nintendo’s big gun for the Spring release season - would be delayed.  Since Nintendo consoles have become so incredibly dependent on first-party games, this represents a big setback for lots of people, who equate the Wii with big-name franchises. 

The Wii’s “novelty value” is a related question.  Outside of party games - even excellent party games like Rayman Raving Rabbids - the Wii is still struggling to find its place; if its only function is to serve as a platform for hundreds upon hundreds of Mario Party clones, the Wii is doomed and the drought will become indefinite.

Developers are still learning how to use the Wii effectively, and since its unique controls are really 95% of the console’s selling point, how well they’re used is critical here.  Given how important those controls are in differentiating the Wii from its Sony and Microsoft competitors, if they can’t provide a truly unique gaming experience, the Wii will always be thought of as a graphically inferior PS3 or 360 minus.

Nintendo’s always been good on the innovation front.  Unfortunately, my optimism here is tempered by the fact that even with many more years of lead time, developers still haven’t come out with too many must-own DS games that use the touch screen effectively.  Aside from Kirby’s Canvas Curse, most games do what we fear the Wii will devolve into - creating standard games that tack on a few extra controls to justify their existence on the platform.  It hasn’t hurt the DS that much, since until recently it was only competing with another graphically inferior Nintendo product.  But despite the PSP’s mis-steps so far, I’m not going to write its successor off yet.  Sony is good at capitalizing on its competitor’s overly cautious approach.

My hope is that the Wii’s retail success will lead to newfound developer interest, and that they’re starting right now to create some great Wii games that will begin to hit us starting next year.  There’s a huge amount of potential in the Wii that is still yet to be tapped.  But of course, Nintendo has a long and consistent track record of missed opportunities.  Call me cautiously optimistic.