This doesn't suprise me at all really.  This early in the consoles life, some people are writing it off in certain sectors. However, as the console grows it's userbase larger and larger, it'll pick them back up.  Doesn't mean the Wii will specifically get a Silent Hill title, but it will get lots of games of a similar nature.

I'd agree that the success of Mature games on the Wii has not yet been established, however I don't agree that it's because it's demographic is just kids. The reason is too long to post in here, but if you really want to ask go ahead. A quick point though to counter that belief is that the 12 and under market is the smallest market in gaming, and if that was all that bought a Wii, it would have capped at 4 million sales and died.

So kber81 (and Konami) would you call Red Steel, a game aimed at teen gamers (16+), a family game or a sale failure? I mean, the game's controls sucked and still i'm pretty sure it has passed the million mark. (and it's not a known franchise like Silent Hill)

It hasnt reached the 1M mark yet, but its getting close.

At the moment I could understand a certain level of resistance for a company to spend a lot of money developing an exclusive "Mature" title for the Wii, in particular a Japaneese company producing a  "Mature" title for the Wii; so far the Japaneese audience has not (really) bought any non-family friendly games for the Wii, and in the rest of the world sales have been (reasonably) poor due to the majority of those games being ports or poor quality.

Now, games like Manhunt and Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles (if they're well executed) will likely sell moderately well in North America which should demonstrate that there is a certain interest in these games; if a Wiimake like Resident Evil 4 does well (for what it is, say 250,000 to 500,000 worldwide) you may see other companies test the waters and Wiimake PS2/Gamecube/XBox  "Mature" games by the end of the year.

In the long run I think that you're going to see Konami (and other developer) eventually producing  "Mature" games for the Wii because as its userbase aproaches 20 to 30 Million users there will be a large market for these games.

This is either a serious case of a developer misunderstanding what kind of people own Wiis, or just another attempt at the same old "we won't be developing on that console, so let's make it sound bad" fud. Sure the Wii has more casual gamers than the other two consoles, but right now way more hardcore gamers than the PS3, and in year or so many more than the Xbox 360. The console is in any case so new that the mainstream isn't well aware of what it is, and most people who have bought it are active gamers who've read about it online and have waited eagerly to be able to buy one. Nintendo's own top grade first party games tend to be rated 11+ at the highest, so it would be a smart move from third party developers to focus on more "mature" titles to avoid direc competition. I can only speak for myself, but I would certainly appreciate some more violence on my Wii. =P Has any of the Silent Hill games sold over a million copies btw? None are present on our worldwide million seller list, but a quick googling uncovered this article. Apparently they overestimated sales back then? I agree the franchise has its share of problems, mostly what Gballzack listed, but hey're still worthwhile games, and who knows if they'll suffer a stroke of brilliance and make the next part absolutely awesome again.

I hope this perception that Wii owners only want family games dies...and dies soon. If the only games they keep bringing over are "family" games, then of course that will be the majority of the market. Publishers and Nintendo need to push for greater software variety. Wii owners should also push for better software variety. Without it, we all lose.

I reckon developers are scared to bring out Mature rated games on the Wii, similarly on the DS.  We will see how Manhunt 2 and Resident Evil will perform on the Wii when they come out....but they still won't be good indications, seeing as one is a remake and the other will be released on the PS2 and PSP at the same time.

There is still the perception of "kiddy" games on the Wii and DS and I reckon the Wii won't be able to shift this for some time, if at all. 

Scarface: The World Is Yours is expected soon, another M-rated game, although I expect it will only achieve Godfather-like numbers on Wii due to its port status. RE4 may provide interesting contrast to GameCube and PS2, but will be hard to judge the market based on its performance. I think Manhunt 2 could be the watershed test -- good early buzz, Wii version the lead SKU, and definitely appeals to a different segment of the market than most Wii titles. If it flops then there may be some justification to believe that the Wii is mostly a family-oriented system.

Honestly, I think Manhunt 2 will flop on the Wii. It may even flop on the PS2 as well. Just doesn't seem like the kind of game that will get mainstream appeal. It's not really a game that most "gamers" want. Something like GT4 or the like would be a better indication. It's a popular title and has mainstream appeal. If a game like that flops, then we know. -Darkness