Yet, there seems to be a slight problem.
Nintendo's games and systems are great, and there's no denying that. However, why is it that over their recent console's lifetime, the profits and releases for it seem to have fallen flat? I'm sure there's no reason for concern, and I know making a game nearly flawless takes an impossible amount of time, but we fans are waiting outside, wondering why the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 are consistently releasing great game after great game while the Nintendo Wii, while awesome in its own right, has us bored.
Now, I won't lie. I'm pretty biased for Nintendo, and I'll love their games until I die. From the outside though, it just seems like the Wii is making some similar mistakes to its predecessor, the Gamecube. It too was tending to fall on the "boredom" side of the gaming experience near the later half of its life cycle.
There are obviously a number of factors that we consumers can see, and some others that we probably can't. The Nintendo console was always generally known for being the affordable system, able to play fun games with decent graphics, but always putting gameplay first above all else, which is probably why I'm so biased (A game should be fun to play, right?). I'm not saying Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 games don't do this, but I've heard one too many a person say before that a Wii game is bad because "the graphics aren't good", and that's just not true. Therefore, maybe the higher definition titles of the other consoles just wouldn't work on the lower budgeted hardware, so high profile releases are seen a lot less compared to the others.
One other possible reason that makes sense in theory are the kinds of companies that own the consoles. Microsoft is primarily a software developer, and Sony is an electronics manufacturer. They both have definite experience in their respective fields, but enough to succeed on their own in the gaming industry. With that said, they have many other products that they sell to keep the profits rolling in. To me, this says that they can afford to keep out the random third-party games, mostly sticking to the higher profile titles to ensure a profitable return.
On the other hand, Nintendo does nothing but make video games and products related to video games. The company is massive and it does bring in the profits, but they don't sell as many varied products as Microsoft and Sony do. So, in order to keep up a solid profit margin, they allow many third-party developers in on the Wii. In my theory, this could be why we see so many "party games", children's games, and cheap, $10-bin games on the Nintendo Wii. Obviously you should take this with a grain of salt; I'm not even a self-proclaimed expert here.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that Nintendo is unfortunately disappointing me with the lack of popular titles on their console right now. Their first half went off with a bang, taking the industry by storm with motion controls and the implications of turning everyone into a gamer by bringing past generations of adults into the fun of gaming. Now, it seems like they're just biding their time until the Wii U is released.
Oh, by the way, that's the name of their next console. Wii U.
For now though, I'm playing my Xbox 360. Oh, and PC games. Those exist too.
I think when you specifically cater to families, and kids of a certain age you completely alienate well...everyone who doesn't have children or is above a certain age. I admit the games (such as the party games) work great for the Wii. They aren't too complicated and easily entertain but they lack the depth that most gamers desire. IMO, Nintendo would have been just as successful creating two consoles- one geared towards those with a more lighthearted gaming attitude and one that would cater to those asking more of their consoles. Being the first company to take the motion sensor tech to the masses, the world was their apple. Now the Wii is just an expensive Netflix streamer and occasional party game player. Nothing more.
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