Before I get started, I at first wanted to make this a monthly opinion piece, but figured given my track record on this site that I have too much to say. Bear with me while I will be creating a banner fo my next episodes later on. Give me tips on anything about what I am saying that bothers you so I know how to tweak this to further create topics and talk about things. Everything is a building process. :)
The Return of the Wii60?
It might not seem so obvious to many, but I am seeing some similarities between last generation and this generation. No , no....it's not the Wii60 deal because its obvious the PS4 is properly priced this generation. For the late person the Wii60 deal was a combo of the popular online option to purchase The 360 at $399 and the Wii at $250 over the PS3 at the time of its launch. Some say it was protest, others actually believed it was a legitimate deal seeing the offerings Nintendo was giving alongside Microsoft compared to the PS3. Online it was the running theme of the day since the 360 and Wii were both (as far as the media was concerned) more popular on the internet. On this group back in 2008 when I first joined I only had a 360 and noticed this Wii60 coalition going on and it was memorable, especially at moments like E3 when we would all hang out and just talk about games. Hope this helped with giving you the synopsis of what it was about, which was in essence not the deal, but rather the combination of owning both consoles at the beginning of the generation over the Playstation which takes time to become what it was meant to be.
Since you're caught up on last gens Wii60 history, let me get you up to speed with some reminiscent thoughts i've had thus far in the new generation. The Playstation seems to have pulled ahead of the competition as it naturally does. Of course, being that they didn't screw up it was bound to happen; however, after some thought and playing all three consoles it has led me to a staggering issue. Sony always starts off the slowest. Whether they are late to the party or on time, it doesn't seem to matter...Sony's first, second and third party fleet never seems to show until two years into the generation and the notable games start to accumilate. This has created familiar open spaces for the Nintendo and the Xbox, which were both popular out of the gate. Of cours the PS3 was popular out of the gate as well, despite its price, but I am talking about the internet hype.
Much like the XBox 360 last gen (despite the switch of position) Microsoft was clobbering Sony with third party exclusives and timed exclusives. They were just keeping games away from them and some returned to Sony at a later date or never came at all revealing a devastating perception that "Sony has no games". Remember that? I'm sure you do if you were glued to the net like was in those days. The Wii came out of the gate with a new look and a new audience to impress. Sure it wasn't aiming squarely at the core games like it used to, but based on what their console was designed for the message was sent no matter how short lived their reign was. Combined the Wii was the perfect secondary console for the Xbox 360. You got unforgetable nintendo exclusives and two new Rare titles and a revived Perfect Dark, as well as the hot third party exclusives and the exclusive PC ports which Microsoft during that era was known for either publishing or procuring from third party..
Exclusively on the Xbox One, Microsoft has revived one of the most anticipated Rare titles while they were a second party at Nintendo, Killer Instinct and the community is growing with the help of (primarily)the Street FIghter community, and other fighting fans. On top of that they have exclusives from top talent who used to work for Capcom during its post 90's glory days after. Dead Rising from Capcom and Scalebound from Platinum Games are coming. The Wii U though lacking third party games has become the core Nintendo fanatics wet dream. When I say it like that, I mean...highly rated and highly anticipated core first and second party to the platform much like the Dreamcast was for Sega fanatics. Combine those two consoles together and you get the feeling of the Wii60 again, but better and being that they are losing this time...a far more passionate and valiant effort, thus more games for us.
Unlike Microsoft, Sony has no ones games collection to pick at. Sony has to make their own legacy, but of course (as always) it takes time. Much like the PS3 gen it seems, it will take a little while for "Greatness" to reach its peak an to overshadow the competition once more.
The console that to me exemplifies what the XBox One and Wii U offerings combined remind me of is the N64. The greatest decent selling console that had highly rated content from both Nintendo and Rare. Will Rares IP's return or will there be more great additions? Of course I can conclude that both the Wii U and Xbox One are offering experiences that you and your friends can share that cannot be found elsewhere. Thats what made the N64 so great. Great single and multiplayer experiences and yes....I'm talking about from the couch because the N64 didnt have online. This gen....it gets even better...because we have the online.
The great thing about that old Wii60 is that it left us with memories and the WiiXBone (WiiBoxOne) or WiiXB (Whatever you want to call it) The N64 fan in us all...owes it to ourselves to own the Xbox One and Wii U right now.
Xbox One +Wii U= N64 greatness together to me
This can go in many ways and of course, if you were a fan of the old fashioned Playstation vs Nintendo war (which yielded many great games), the PS4 and Wii U might be right up your alley as well with their future offerings. Sony offers a much better balance of new IP's and Nintendo returns with the classic nostalgia in a new and old ways.
I will have all three platforms this gen..but these are just some thoughts on the current state of things. What are your thoughts?
