Expected: SSBB will be released to rave reviews and sell millions. Wii Fit will dominate America, and sell a bit more modestly in EU/Others. Halo Wars will, surprisingly, be a multimillion-seller - not only on the name, but also because the developer works out an actually workable console RTS control scheme. Several new major franchise announcements (Gears of War 3, Mass Effect 2, Metroid Prime 4, Halo 4, Uncharted 2) will come to fruition before the end of the year. Killzone 2 sees reviews similar to its predecessors.
Unexpected: LittleBigPlanet flops due to lackluster reviews praising the graphics, but stating that the game is completely lacking in other areas. Spore is delayed across the board into '09. Mario Kart Wii meets with lesser reviews than Double Dash and MKDS, but sells in the millions anyway. Nintendo announces a revival of the Kid Icarus franchise - on the DS. Eidos/Crystal Dynamics announces a new Legacy of Kain game that will finally give a satisfactory end to the franchise.
(Okay, maybe that last one should be filed under "pipe dreams"...)
"'Casual games' are something the 'Game Industry' invented to explain away the Wii success instead of actually listening or looking at what Nintendo did. There is no 'casual strategy' from Nintendo. 'Accessible strategy', yes, but ‘casual gamers’ is just the 'Game Industry''s polite way of saying what they feel: 'retarded gamers'."
-Sean Malstrom
