http://wii.ign.com/articles/976/976958p1.html
IGN: Excitebots, which goes online, does not support WiiSpeak. Why not? Seems to us that if Nintendo doesn't set and enforce a standard, leading by example, there's no reason for any other developer to bother.
Denise Kaigler: Nintendo has a variety of optional peripherals that can be used with its software. You probably know them by heart: the Wii Wheel, the Wii Balance Board, the Wii Speak microphone and so on. When Nintendo introduces a new peripheral, we like to launch it with a game that really demonstrates its versatility. So with the Wii Wheel, you get Mario Kart Wii. The Wii Balance Board arrived with Wii Fit. And with Wii Speak, there's Animal Crossing: City Folk. Pretty soon we'll also have Wii Sports Resort, which is designed to show off all the fun ways to use the new Wii MotionPlus accessory for the Wii Remote.
What do all these items have to do with Excitebots: Trick Racing? I mention them to help make my point that Nintendo does lead by example. But, with that said, it's up to the members of the development community, then, to pick and choose which peripherals they want to use for the games they develop. Nintendo can offer developers a full toolbox, but it's up to those individuals to decide which ones they want to make use of when they make their games. That goes for internal teams at Nintendo, second-party development teams and outside, independent developers.
Watch IGN's Excitebots video review..
You suggest that Nintendo "enforce" the use of its peripherals. But we think it's best to let the creative teams make up their own minds. Every game is different. Can you imagine the alternative – if we mandated that every Wii game use the Wii Balance Board or that every Nintendo DS game use the touch screen or voice recognition? Developers – and gamers – would revolt. Letting developers decide what's best for their games lets creativity flourish. Every hour spent programming for mandatory peripherals takes time and resources away from other creative areas – you might lose the wild features like bowling balls, clown faces and sandwiches that have helped Excitebots: Trick Racing grab everyone's attention.
The underlined portion smells funny...
As for the answer, a large part of it smells like a non-answer, and yet I'm hard pressed to disagree with the ultimate philosophy. Pressing things on developers ultimately seems unnecessary. On the other hand, not supporting your own peripherals seems...odd.
I wish IGN had been more specific in asking its question. Rather than making it a broad subject from the get-go, they should have asked only why Excitebots doesn't use it, and then used that answer to launch into the broader subject of developer requirements.
