I can’t help noticing on this site that there are some members who purchase a Wii and then spend a lot of time complaining about changes they want, that they are very unlikely to ever see. I’m suggesting a buyer’s guide to people who should not buy a Wii.
Don’t purchase a Wii:
1) If you expect to drive around Liberty City running over prostitutes. GTA and similar games will not ever come to the Wii, because those that want those games have already purchased HD consoles. Also the Wii is not a good platform for this type of game and the vast majority of Wii owners could care less about them anyway.
2) If you expect “Wiibox Live” online play. Nintendo doesn’t lack that type of interaction because “they haven’t gotten there yet”; they have no intention of going there. Their online model is designed the way it is on purpose to avoid online chat. Parents don’t want it, and believe it or not, a lot of adults are fed up with listening to adolescent boys compete to see who can be the most insulting and profane.
3) If you prefer traditional hand controls over motion control. Nintendo is fully committed to motion control and alternative use of the classic controller, GC controllers, or third party thumb wigglers will always be secondary and will become even more so as game developers learn to better utilize the Wiimote. The reverse is true of the PS360 who are committed to traditional controls and motion control will always be an afterthought.
4) If you are looking for the highest quality graphics. A lot of games don’t fully take advantage of the Wii’s very good graphic ability but at the end of the day, they will never compete with the true HD consoles.
5) If you don’t like Mario and Zelda. Nintendo’s own top IPs will always be the flagship games on their consoles. There will be more and more third party support because of the huge market share but Mario and Zelda et al will always reign supreme.
6) If you find things like Wii Fit irrelevant because they are not true “games”. You will see more and more of these innovative excursions to non-traditional areas because the Wii is building a demographic that supports a broader definition of what a console is for. You can expect Wii music to step out of bounds as well and who knows what else Miyamoto has up his sleeve.
7) If new and non-traditional control methods and hardware upsets you. First we had that weird Wiimote and Nunchuk and now the balance board; who knows what’s next. But it’s a path that Nintendo is committed to and if you don’t like the idea, get out now.
8) If being considered “casual” upsets you. It BS, it’s not an accurate description but the fact is that so many people don’t understand the Wii’s runaway success and the people who are buying it, that the label will probably never go away. Game purchases and user statistics don’t support it but somehow you are considered casual because you only play 2.2 times a day instead of 2.7 and 53 minutes instead of 72. Some people have an actual life that precludes playing WoW 18 hours a day, or playing GTA IV straight through until you beat it, but we can still be serious even passionate gamers … just don’t expect industry experts (except for Malstrom) to understand that.
9) If you prefer gaming sitting on your butt. The Wii requires more physical involvment than thumb wiggling. (Can't believe I left this out)
10) Expecting a solution to the memory issue is OK because I’m sure it is coming, if maybe slower than we want. It probably would never have been a major issue without WiiWare but it is and I’m sure Nintendo sees the value of WiiWare enough to solve it.
