No one has abandoned the Wii

So, I've been hearing a lot of flack against the Wii lately for all sorts of random dumb things, but what has really surprised me is the stupid things actual game designers and companies have been saying. Recently I read a quote against the Wii from one of the co-founders of Dice, saying something along the lines of it being "a virus." His reasoning didn't make any sense but the gist of it was that didn't like the wii because he thought of it more as a toy and that gamers were becoming bored with it. Well, as far as gamers getting sick of crappy gimmicky mini-game filled games coming out for it, then yes gamers are bored of that. But as for gamers getting sick of the Wii, I think the sale numbers from New Super Mario Bros Wii will speak for itself. The way I see it, a lot of game industry people have been getting frustrated with their low sales on the Wii as compared to other consoles. This causes then begin making all sorts of dumb comments and making excuses. I even caught Sega bitching about the low sales of their crappy Wii games.

So, for all those who just can't seem to figure out why their game sales are low, let me explain.

You see, a company can make a sub-par game for the x-box 360 and the PS3 and it will get moderate sales. However, they will make a sub-par game for the Wii and get no sales. They brush this off by complaining that people have abandoned the Wii or are getting sick of the Wii, which is dumb. The real reason is that the Wii hardcore gamers are just picky as hell. I know this is true because I'm one of them.

This occurred to me the other day when I started to play Dante's Inferno on my roommates x-box360. I thought the game was ok, but not that good. He was baffled and couldn't figure out why. I then went on to explain all the things I didn't like about it, i.e. lame leveling up system, unoriginal game play, half assed level designs, etc. My roommate said he didn't mind any of those things and thought the game was great.
As a Wii owner, I tend to compare everything to Nintendo's line of games for the Wii and most games just aren't that good. This is the reason that a game can do good on the x-box or PS3, but not the Wii. Its not that Dante's Inferno is a horrible game, its just that compared to other games its not worth my time and money.

When it comes right down to it, its not that the hardcore have "abandoned" the Wii, its just that most of the industry doesn't make games as good as Nintendo. They can complain and bitch all they want, but it's the cold hard truth.

My advice to game companies is this: If you can't make a game as good or better than Nintendo, don't make it on the Wii. If your not up to the challenge of making a great game then make it on another system where people will shell out $60 for your half assed games.

7 Reasons why video games are better than movies

1. Sequels don't suck- Almost every movie sequel, with the exception of Terminator 2 and Aliens has sucked or at least hasn't been as good as the first. Video games hardly ever have this problem. Heck, legend of Zelda's franchise has been going strong since the late 80's and keep getting better. Even if you don't like the newer zeldas to the older you have to admit that at least video games have never had as bad a sequel as Transformers 2.

2. It's like books and movies put together- Let's face it, the melding of books and movies almost never works as well as it should. This is mostly because they are two completely different mediums. It's hard to represent something visually in a book and you can't make people read a lot of text in a movie no matter how well it's written. You can do both quite successfully in a video game, sometimes at the same time. Both good writing and a good visual narrative come together in video games, giving us the best of both worlds. You can have your cake and eat it too (unless the cake is a lie that is).

3. A much longer narrative - The length of movies have been pushed over the years but long movies, no matter how great the are, usually tend to become a drag when they hit the two and a half hour mark. Video games have exceeded this by leaps and bounds. Disregarding any replay most video games clock in at 10 hours. Heck, most RPGs are expected to take upwards of 20 hours. With the extra time, you have time for a more rich story and a better connection with the characters.

4. They fill the void of goriness - Lately, our movie have turned into big sissies. Even the goriest of movies these days pale in comparison to the slashers of the 80's. Fortunately, video games have come in to fill the void, pushing the boundaries of gore and violence. Earlier today, I used a drill to mulch up the face of a crazy, Tommy gun toting, drug addict. That's fantastic. Thank you video games.

5. Kids and adult media in one - With the exception of Disney/Pixar, most kids movies suck if your not a kid. This makes it hard for kids and adults to enjoy the same movie. This is far from the truth in video games. Heck, just mention mario kart and people of all ages will want to play. Not only that, but a lot of modern video games like mario galaxy and Little Big Planet can be appropriate for kids, but also have depth and complexity of game play that hardcore gamers want, perfectly connecting to two different audiences.

6. A better connection with the story - Many movies are good at sucking you in or "taking you away" to a different place, but even in the best situations you are still someone simply watching. You have no control over anything thats happened and in that way you will always be an outsider. With video games it's not just you sharing in the adventure, you are actually living it (sort of). Video games suck you in by not only taking you to another place but by making you the main character. The main characters choices are your choices and their triumphs are your triumphs. Like wise, their losses are yours also, and in this way video games surpass movies by giving you a deeper connection with the characters that just isn't possible in movies.

7. No Shia Lebeouf or Nicholas Cage - As far as I know, Shia and Nick have stayed the heck away from video games (save for recordings in their respectively awful movies made into game performances). Lets hope to God that it stays that way.