2010: The Year of the Wii

In fact, in 2008 the average score for a Wii game on IGN was 5.77 (as compared to 6.6 on 360 and 7.06 on PS3), while in 2009 it was 6.19 (while the 360 was 6.95 and the PS3 was 7.15). 23.9% of all Wii games reviewed in 2008 scored 4.0 or less. This improved markedly in 2009, with 12.9% of all Wii games scoring 4.0 or less, but this was still well behind the Xbox 360 (10% in 2008, 5.1% in 2009) and the PS3 (7.9% in 2008 and 4.7% in 2009). Things haven't been good for the Wii at the other end of the scale over the last two years either. Less than 2% of Wii games scored 9.0 or above in 2008, with that only marginally improving to 2.1% in 2009. Again, this compares very unfavourably with the 360 (over 5% in 2008 and 6.7% in 2009) and the PS3 (over 10% in 2008 and 11.92% in 2009). You can see the full stats for 2008 here and the full stats for 2009 here.

Given that the Wii hasn't been able to compete with the PS3 and Xbox 360 over the last couple of years, why might 2010 be the year the system will turn it around for the core gamer? Simply put, this is the best line-up the Wii has had in a long time, with a good mix of blockbusters and more obscure games that we never thought would see the light of day in the West. Plus, there's a good chance the system will be able to keep the releases ticking over steadily throughout the year, as opposed to previous years where the great games were dotted across the calendar like boats on the ocean, great empty chasms between them.

The real key to this year for the Wii, however, lies in the company's own titles. Nintendo recently announced that Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Metroid: Other M - both of which we assumed would hit towards the end of the year – would be coming mid-year. That's a huge boost for the Wii and a great way to build on the momentum it's gathering right now. Importantly, it shows great confidence on the part of Nintendo that it has the goods for the end of the year as well. After all, if it didn't have something significant up its sleeve for the Christmas period, wouldn't it hold one of these two blockbuster titles back? Why release them so close together unless you're sitting on gold?


That gold, of course, would be the next Legend of Zelda game, and with the dates for Galaxy 2 and Other M locked in, we think that it's very likely that it will be a late 2010 release. We know that the game's producer Eiji Aonuma is aiming for the game to be playable at this year's E3, while Satoru Iwata was actually quoted at the start of the year as saying that the game would be out in 2010. Sure, Reggie Fils-Aime followed up on that by saying that it wouldn't be released until it was perfect, but even so, there's plenty of evidence to suggest it's going to happen.

The takeaway is this: if Super Mario Galaxy 2, Metroid: Other M and the new Legend of Zelda all hit in one year, that's one hell of a bumper crop. Without Zelda, however, the Wii is likely to get off to a great start, then peak mid-year, without a great deal to back it up heading into Christmas. Let's take a look at the titles that will define the Wii this year.

So far in 2010 we've seen the excellent 2D fighting game Tatsunoko vs Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars, as well as Endless Ocean 2 – a title that's involving and deep enough to appeal to a really wide gaming audience. No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle is also out in the States (due in Australia and Europe in April or May), as is the Project Aces-developed flight combat title The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces (on sale in Australia on March 25).


Looking ahead, the highly anticipated Cave Story is hitting WiiWare on March 22, and Red Steel 2 is out before the end of the month, as is Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon, a promising adventure/RPG from tri-Crescendo. Moving into April, the follow-up to the Trauma Center games, Trauma Team is hitting on the 20th in the States (no word on the AU date just yet), as is Monster Hunter Tri, the game that will prove once and for all whether the Wii's online service really is an integrated part of the system. Tri will most likely come out in Australia in May.

Jumping ahead to May and June, things really heat up. Super Mario Galaxy 2 – the sequel to the best game on the Wii – hits the States on May 23, while Metroid: Other M will come just over a month later on June 27. No dates have been set for the titles in Australia, but they're likely to be around the same time. The long-awaited and entirely unlikely sequel (given that the original N64 game was never released outside Japan) Sin & Punishment: Star Successor also hits in that window, with a May 7 date for Europe and a June 7 date for the U.S. Rounding out June is Arc Rise Fantasia, a traditional JRPG which looks like it'll be pretty special, and And Yet it Moves, the critically acclaimed indie PC platformer, which is making its way to the system via WiiWare.


And that's where things trail off a bit. Presumably there'll be a number of games that will emerge from the woodwork for that period, but as it stands now, there's Epic Mickey pencilled in for September and NBA Jam, which will probably hit towards the end of the year. The former is a bit of an unknown quantity, but we're inclined to have faith in Warren Spector, while the latter looks like a complete blast. Wii's on fire! Bit.Trip Runner will also come out at some point. And in addition to the titles above, there will be a few big cross-platform titles on Wii, like Sonic 4 and Rock Band 3, and potential cult hits like Super Meat Boy.

Honestly though, whether Wii gamers have top tier titles to play all the year round really does come down to Zelda. Get that out before Christmas and a great year will end with a bang. Push it back and all the momentum that Nintendo is going to build up on the way to Galaxy 2 and Other M could scatter in the breeze. One thing's for sure, it's going to be an interesting year for the Wii.