By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close
noname2200 on 06 October 2008
Edit Thread

Golf games are already selling best on the Wii, so we can't say that you're entirely correct.

Still, I take your meaning, and while you're wrong about Wii games not having legs (see this site for details) their legs don't carry them far enough to reach their HD counterparts. RolStoppable listed some plausible reasons, but I honestly suspect that things go deeper than that. I propose we examine Tiger Woods as our starting point, since again that version is the best-selling one.

I don't think one can argue that Tiger Woods does not have far and away the best and most natural controls in the Wii version (note: this does not mean perfect controls). I also don't think we can argue that the same yet applies to other sports games; the only hockey game we've gotten was kind of clunky compared to traditional titles, Madden kind of shoehorns motion controls in (although it IS getting better) and basketball games are barely trying.

As for baseball and tennis, which one would think the Wii would excel in, third-party games haven't really taken advantage of the Wii just yet. Top Spin uses this bizzare system where you use the wiimote and nunchuck together to direct your ball, and the third-party baseball games are trash, plain and simple.

We finally come to soccer. One would think that PES would do great on the Wii, and yet it did only alright. I have two theories. The first is the obvious one: it came out six months after the others! The second, however, might be more on point: it's not a very accessible game. Fun as hell once you get the hang of it, but it often plays more like an RTS than a sports game. And while I think that's the way sports games should go in the future, it's not something you can just dive right into...

To summarize the above: Wii simulation sports games generally have yet to be of high quality, which may explain their lackluster sales. But I still don't think we're done yet.

I believe that the demographics of the system may be playing a role. Let me be the first to admit that I'm on thin ice here, and that my assumptions may be so far off that they bring the conclusion crashing down around me, but I don't think that the people who most purchase the traditional sports franchises have migrated to the Wii just yet.

The stereotypical Madden gamer is a young guy in his late teens/early 20's, for instance, and similar images exist for the other franchsies. While I believe the Wii does have many of those, I strongly suspect that the majority of those gamers are currently on the HD consoles, or have elected to stick with their PS2s for now.

Those that have a Wii and an HD system are probably picking the HD version both for the extra features and for the fact that they're more familiar with the controls. The expanded audience, by contrast, would pick the Wii version if they pick up any version, but considering the fact that they haven't bothered to jump on the bandwagon in the past twenty years, why should they choose to do so now? If I was in their shoes, I'd go with a Wii-specific game, since I've already spent the past few years ignoring the traditional franchises.

Put alternatively, if I didn't care then, why would I care now?

This hypothesis might explain the Tiger Woods phenomenom: my best guess is that the average golf enthusiast is older than those of other sports, and that such an audience is statistically more likely to own a Wii than the other consoles. Consequently, the people who've been buying the games are the people who already have a Wii, but probably not an HD console. Alternatively, since Tiger Woods is the franchise with the most natural Wii controls, the audience could be opting to pick it for that reason.

I have more thoughts to share on this matter, but I'd like to pause and see what the rest of you have to say first. I know full well that my theories aren't perfect, and if I had more time and energy to refine them I would cheerfully do so, but for now I welcome your comments on the situation (not just my post), and I'll take this chance to learn from the rest of you.