dvdsteve2000

I do own a Wii from launch day, and I have since expressed my dislike for the console. After reading the article below, I see that I am not alone. Many of the points that are made are the same as I have shouted here. I do wish I/we liked it more, but even my 6 & 7 year old have spent a whopping 60 minutes on the Wii in the past 2 months, only to play Smash Bros Brawl. I'm sure this thread will turn ugly, but I think the article hits home with many Wii-go-ers. Comments?

Wiimorse-from The Escapist site

I bought a Wii on release day, seduced by its reasonable price, magical controllers and family-friendliness. General tech lust and the promise of a new Zelda title didn't hurt, either. Now it sits atop my entertainment center, blanketed in a layer of dust. Cold, unplayed and unloved. I haven't switched it on in weeks.

It took nearly a year and a half, but buyer's remorse has finally kicked in.

I'll be honest: I've no right to be surprised by my own disillusionment with the Wii. Nintendo's little wonder was never really for me, and deep down I've known that all along. I'm an avid multiplayer gamer, but I play almost exclusively online. I rarely have a living room full of friends. I'm a sucker for impressive graphics. And Nintendo's persistent fan service does little for me. In other words, it wasn't my cup of Kool-Aid to begin with. But I drank it nonetheless, inspired by Iwata's heartfelt idealism and Miyamoto's uncomplicated charm.

Like many gamers, I bought the Wii as an auxiliary console, believing it would fill any gaps left by my PC and Xbox 360 gaming experiences. I thought I'd eagerly delve into its growing library of vintage Virtual Console titles. I hoped it would allow me to play more games with my wife and daughter. I put stock in Nintendo's claims that the company would genuinely enter the online gaming space. And I figured that even among the inevitable shovelware and licensed dreck I'd find games that would use the Wii's motion controls in brilliant, mind-blowing ways.

I'm finally ready to admit that I've been disappointed at nearly every turn.

Top-tier Wii exclusives have been few and far between, and I can't think of a single multiplatform title I would have rather played on the Wii since its release. In terms of inexpensive downloadable games, so far the Virtual Console's old-school emulations aren't nearly as interesting as the selections on GameTap, PlayStation Network or Xbox Live. Why download Super Mario Bros. when I could be playing Rez HD? And while we're on the subject of online services, Nintendo's dogged insistence on friend code systems and other unfriendly conventions has completely erased any interest I might have had in the system's meager online multiplayer experiences.

My wife and daughter haven't embraced the Wii either, much to my surprise. We're continually renting family-oriented Wii titles like Carnival Games, Endless Ocean, and Cooking Mama, only to send them back almost immediately. Oddly enough, our Nintendo DS units see almost constant use, even though they're running the same types of games we rent for the Wii. DS cartridges seem to multiply endlessly, yet our Wii library consists of a mere five games.

I think the Wii's lack of popularity among the non-Me members of my household may actually have something to do with the console's most unique feature: its controllers. When you get right down to it, they're not so familiar. In fact, they're kind of alien and off-putting. Gamepads, keyboards, mice and touch screens all offer familiar tactile feedback, in contrast to the Wii's floaty, disembodied pointing. Once the novelty wears off, it can be a little disconcerting. And for every game with the smooth, pinpoint-precise control of Metroid Prime: Corruption or Resident Evil 4 there's one with an awkward, ugly interface that fights you at every turn.

And then there's the waggling. While I still thrill a little at the perfect buzz/crack that emanates from the remote with every Wii Sports: Tennis volley, in most cases the charm of smacking, suturing, stir frying and slashing is all but gone. It doesn't feel like magic anymore. Instead, the gesticulations most games demand often end up feeling gratuitous and contrived.

Even extended family members and friends who initially begged me to bring the Wii to gatherings lost interest after a few play sessions. You know those charming stories about senior citizens enthralled by Wii Sports? I have one of those. My grandparents thought the Wii was the coolest thing since sliced bread - once. Now, as before, they'd much rather get down with a tabletop game of Scrabble. Like the others, they saw the Wii in action, they thought it was neat and that was enough.

Granted, the Wii has played host to a handful of truly sublime experiences. I loved Super Mario Galaxy, for example, despite the fact that its pure design brilliance was in the service of yet another mascot machine. I wonder, does Nintendo have any good ideas that it might be willing to employ for an entirely new franchise? Or are its best minds obligated to toil the remainder of their days in the service of the mustachioed one and his ilk?

Sadly, the last Wii game I attempted to enjoy was No More Heroes, the most recent Wii exclusive to be held out as proof that the console could still entertain players with an appetite for mature, robust gaming experiences. It was a sorry, underdeveloped game and yet another tragic misapplication of obvious creative talent. Clever but poorly constructed, in a way it was the final blow to the starry-eyed Wii owner idealism I clung to for so long.

Steady demand and solid sales figures suggest that my own assessment of the Wii's value is in the minority, so I'll admit my own opinions have probably been tarnished by unique personal factors. For the remainder of humanity, the Wii is probably still the embodiment of technology-induced joy. But for me, the honeymoon is over.

Nintendo could still rekindle my interest in the Wii, but it's going to take a lot more than Wii Fit and yet another Mario Kart. I'm ready to be pleasantly surprised by the upcoming WiiWare releases, and there's a chance that a Wii Animal Crossing could still reel in the family, but otherwise I'm not so sure the little console that could will see much more use in my home.

fumanstan

I think a lot of people have felt the same way, purchasing Wii's only to have them see little playing time. I know it's been like that in my apartment, and only recently thanks to Smash Bros has it picked up any playing time outside of a couple Wii Sports rounds when I have multiple people over.

The only thing I really disagree with is the assertion that top Wii games have been few and far between. If anything, i'd say the consistent release of top games has been a Nintendo strong suit, with Zelda, Metroid, Mario, Smash Bros, and Mario Kart all spread out and released in a year and a half. That's not too bad

boredsilly

I don't own a Wii, but I do have my own console buyers remorse for the 360. I don't really blame the 360, so much as my lack of interest in "hardcore" gaming these days.

I think I would be much better off with a DS to scratch the gaming itch, since I use my 360 more for Arcade games rather than retail stuff. Still I won't get rid of it since there are a few games each year that I really want to play.

discostu1337

couldn't agree more...no one I know likes their Wii (at least 7 people), and most sold them off long ago. I never understood the appeal.

Puzznic

It's more a case of wasted potential. I love the controller and the 1st party games have been great.

They could have had good graphics performance without being bleeding edge and included a small harddrive. The online barely works and feels completely barren without voice-chat. I would have loved to download a bunch of virtual console games but the prices were WAY to high for pretty much anything on there.

I did recently sell my Wii but I could see myself picking it up again down the road, if they fix a few things.

TheBigDave

I currently own a PS3 and 360. I've often though about picking up a Wii (if I could find one) based on it's popularity and uniqueness. Perhaps if it was more readily available, I would have grabbed one on an impulse buy. But I really have absolutely zero interest in playing any of the games. So it's probably good I haven't wasted the money.

Giantrobo

I think I got caught up in the hype; and I bought one after having no interest in Nintendo games since Super Nintendo. Like the writer, I realize we're in the minority and I agree on many of his points. The one Non-Gamer friend who played my Wii only did it a couple times and she hasn't asked to play it for some time now. I think for her it was a cool thing but it apparently didn't hold her interest. Every time I go to store game sections I look at the Wii area and I just roll my eyes at the selection and thoughts of selling the Wii start creeping into my thoughts.

I agree with an earlier poster who mentioned "wasted potential".

taffer

After seeing what happened with both the N64 and Gamecube, I figured there would be a very likely chance the same thing would happen with the Wii. IE most of the good games would be first party titles while most third party companies would do half-assed efforts.

The only real difference between the Wii and Nintendo's past two consoles is that the Wii has an innovative controller that is very different from the typical controller and changes the way the game is played. People bought into this and a lot of Wiis were sold on that alone.

But no matter how potentially awesome the Wiimote is, the Wii still needs games...

maxfisher

To provide a counter-point, I've been completely satisfied with my Wii. It doesn't get as much play as my 360, but I assumed that much when I got it. Zelda, Mario, Paper Mario, Wii Sports, Zack & Wiki, RE 4, RE Umbrella Chronicles and Link's Crossbow Training have all provided me with quite a bit of quality gaming. Mario Party is fun if you have a group of people. Sitting in my queue of unplayed games that I expect to enjoy, I have Smash Bros., Metroid 3, and No More Heroes. That makes for a dozen games that I'll have gotten a fair amount of enjoyment out of, which isn't too shabby for a year of owning the console.

I also really like the Virtual Console. There are some good games on Xbox Live Arcade, but at least for me, there are very few that hold a candle to the best offerings on the VC. Sure, some of that's nostalgia, but that doesn't diminish the advantage for me. I will admit that I find the VC games to be over-priced for the most part, but that's not unique to Nintendo's downloadable titles. Personally, the high cost of the VC games is offset for me, as I was lucky enough to find a bunch of Wii Points cards on clearance at Walmart for $6 each just after Christmas. At full price, I'd only picked up 5 or 6 VC games, but I've picked up another 15 or so over the last couple months and like them quite a bit. I think Nintendo would be smart to cut VC prices to about half of what they are now, as it would probably more than double their sales.

tbird2340

The article is spot on for me.. I bought into the hype, called around 15 stores every day for weeks to finally land one.. This was about a year ago.. I lent it to my sister for 4 months and didn't even miss it.. The 3 months before that I never even turned it on..

Sure, it was awesome at the beginning, but the novelty just wore off. I do love Zach & Wiki though and it has brought me back to playing it..

spainlinx0

I understand the author's points, but I think the Wii is stuck at that point where the controller isn't perfect, but you see where this is taking us. To say there haven't been fun games is a little disingenuous. Perhaps they weren't to his style, but Zelda, Metroid, Mario Galaxy, etc. were absolutely amazing. The "novelty" aspects have worn off for me as well, but it's not like the Wii can't have good games because of the controller. You can make normal games. Use the parts of the controller that work for you, and stick to traditional for the rest. I think some developers get a little caught up in using every controller feature that they shoehorn in waggle that hurts the overall gameplay. Once they tone it down, I think you'll see that flicks of the rest will become as second-nature as the trigger buttons have become.

RichC2

This is how I felt initially, but being a multi-console owner, I can honestly say it has passed. I actually really like the system right now.

PixyJunket

In general, I think the America mainstream gamer, who now pretentiously claim to be the "hardcore" but will shy away from any game that doesn't auto-save for them every thirty seconds and provide them with Easy and Baby difficulties and only play the games featured heavily on the cover of The Official Xbox Magazine and advertised on their favorite NBC show, are probably the ones the Wii is definitely NOT meant for.. yet they're the ones that will be the most vocal about it disappointing them because they feel it threatens the hobby they've been so intimately attached to for the precious six years it's been MTV "cool" to play Halo and they tend to be the ones who spend all their times on forums, blogs and podcasts trying to be a part of the "new majority."

I think there are certainly valid complaints about the Wii. The controls aren't perfect in every game, but it's wildly new technology and it's not as simple as the on and off switches of past controllers. But there are valid complaints about every system, there always has been and there always will be. However, the pendulum will swing heavily in one direction here because this is a VERY, VERY, VERY mainstream gaming forum. Plain and simple. Most of the gamers here are the ones that are essentially focus group fodder. They're interviewed by obnoxious research firms in the mall and they give all the expected answers, never straying from the path. We have an eight page thread on Lost via Domus. Eight pages! Of course, the people that happily put their $60 down on that tripe are probably the ones dismissing the Wii (and complaining that Ikaruga is $10), so it's hard to take the complaints seriously, in my opinion.

Now, don't get me wrong. There's nothing wrong with that (I guess). You play what you like, I play what I like. But would you want an eleven year girl reviewing Gears of War 2 and writing it about it her blog? No, it'd be absolute nonsense obviously. So why is it okay for somebody who tracks their Call of Duty 4 rank on an daily basis and has watched every Grand Theft Auto IV trailer seventy times have a valid say on Wii Fit? That's the general feeling I get with most of "Wii Remorse" posts. Most, not all. That's certainly not to say there can't be any cross-over and that's not to say people that the Wii is more aimed for won't be disappointed with it, but most of the venom you see on the internet comes from people whose opinion on the matter is pretty far from being relevant to their tastes.

Groucho

I'm irritated by the Wii because online play is not fun unless you can insult other players using racial and homophobic slurs, all the while hiding behind a Family Guy-inspired username.

FantasticVSDoom

My Wiimorse comes more from the fact that I just have so many things vieing for my time that I dont get to play it as much as I would like. Also, I never planned on getting a PS3, but since its the only BD player worth getting at this point (totally my opinion) I got one and feel that I need to get games there as well to make it cost effective for me.

The games that Ive played I have enjoyed and I love the VC. The controls are probably my biggest issue, but more so for the fact that in my cramped NYC apt., its hard to get enough "room" sometimes to play it. Also the lack of playing time doesnt allow me the chance to really get used to them either. I have gone back and forth many times with whether or not to sell it. As soon as I do, I end up fireing it up and enjoying it and then its back to zero again.

boredsilly

I still want one just to play Mario. I would sell it right after though, since I don't do the Metroid and don't have the time for Zelda. Still...really want to play that Mario.

darkside

I have no remorse for my Wii purchase. I wouldn't want it as my only console, but it makes a great partner for the PS3 or 360. I've played more on my PS3 overall, but some of my favorite gaming lately has been Fire Emblem, Mario Galaxy, Endless Ocean and a little Pinball Hall of Fame. Definitely a console worth owning.

jdpatri

Maybe it's because I don't have enough time to play... but the Wii has been more than satisfying since its launch purchase. In the beginning I had Zelda (which I never finished but would revisit should I ever set aside the time), Rayman and Wii Sports. Elebits was a decent title that used the Wiimote pretty well... even if it did get ridiculously hard to finish levels as the game continued. Somewhere during this time I bought a PS3, maily for BD support and the promise of Metal Gear Solid 4. Still, I played the Wii. Metroid Prime, Mario Strikers (aggravating, addicting, obsessive), Zach and Wiki (brilliant) and soon Mario Galaxy came along. How much gaming time do these people have? If I'd only stuck with my Wii and not had a PS3 to distract me with Uncharted, Rock Band and The Show, I'd have still had a full Wii gaming slate. In fact, I'm in the middle of No More Heroes... and I haven't even opened SSBB, Raving Rabbids 2 and Pro Evolution Soccer all for the Wii. And it's not for a lack of desire. I blame Rock Band and hockey season for the Wii backlog. But the point I'm trying to make is if you're not a fulltime gamer, how is there a shortage of great titles for the Wii? Sure, the Wiimote has been largely a gimmick to date, but when it's done right (and it's being done right with increasing frequency) it's a great gimmick and developers are only going to get more talented with the technology. I dunno. Seems to me that having Wiimorse is a choice. If you want to be disappointed by the online capabilities, the heinous overindulgence off the mini-game titles, you will be. If you just want to enjoy the cool slate of games and not press the Wii to be the console to end all consoles, then you'll probably be pleased with the progression.

SmackDaddy

Replace the Wii references with Xbox360 and that's pretty much how I felt about the 360. Even without the multiple hardware failures I had to deal with, I would have ended up selling it anyway. It just didn't do much for me. Got very little play.

The Wii has been a hit with me and just about everyone that has played it. Main reason? The controllers and how easy it is to get into most games. I mean, when my 70 year old mom can actually play games and enjoy them, that's something.

Don't get me wrong, I can see that the 360/PS3 have much to offer. But, nothing that I am really interested at this time. I really laugh when it's said the the Wii is not a system for "hardcore" gamers. Well, it's basically a system built just to play games. How much more hardcore can you get?

To the O.P. obviously you dilsike the Wii (you pretty much state that in your Sig) so why do you keep it?

The Bus

I'm really disapppointed with my Wii. I definitely got my money's worth from it the first two months, but I never played any retail game on it after about 4 or 5 months and it's been unplugged since October. I keep wondering if I should sell it only to realize I would probably buy it back once a game comes out for it.

The other thing is, I don't feel like paying $50 for Wii games. There's plenty of crappy expensive games on both systems, but I feel like the Wii has more of them than any of the others.

To be fair, if it wasn't for Pixel Junk Monsters I wouldn't be playing my PS3 either.

Krayzie

I would love the Wii much more if it had a hard drive and better online. I would pick up Rock Band if it had all the features the 360 has but it doesn't =/
Still debating if I want to return GH3 to activision for the $100+ check.

boredsilly

Well, when you look at what "hardcore" gamer/games has shifted to mean over the last few years, I don't think it's that crazy to hear people say the Wii isn't for that type of person -- since it isn't. But I definitely see your point. Plus, having to label what type of "gamer" you are is a bit silly in and off itself anyway.

"I'm 'hardcore' because I play this!"
"Oh, no! For I am 'hardcore' because I play these!"

I think it's silly when "hardcore" or "casual" are used in a derogatory fashion about games. Is it really that serious?

I just use both as shorthand to mean a certain type of game, that I think most people who play games understand. The definitions may be off (like podcast, which should have been called netcasts or something), but I think the terms are generally understood in the gaming community.

fumanstan

I think the Wii defenders are assuming incorrectly that the majority of the "Wiimorse" posts are coming from the hardcore Halo nut that hangs on to the assertion that Nintendo = kiddy. I have a hard time believing that audience even purchased a Wii to complain about to begin with. While this forum leans towards the mainstream, for every long thread on a game like Lost sits a thread on something like Okami. Let alone the constant mentions of Psychonauts or Beyond Good and Evil as far as obscure games go. I think DVDTalk generally has a diverse enough taste and generally fits into the Wii's target audience. Surely Mom and Dad aren't the ones buying Smash Bros and Zelda.

And when the attach rate for the Wii is supposedly only 3 games, I think the feeling of Wiimorse is fairly common.

DaveNinja

whats this about? rockband is out for the Wii? you can return GH3 for 100 bucks?



i got the wii right around launch and hardly played it for a most of a year. mainly just a little zelda and sports when people were visiting. but since i've got it hooked to the internet and picked up Super Smash bros the wii has been on almost everyday. my 5 year old daughter loves SSBB so ive been playing it a lot (she's been playing it more than me). My wife is getting me the new mario kart game for my birthday so that will probably get lots of play as well.

forsho01

i feel the same way. i haven't played with my wii since i got mlb power pros a long time ago. i gave it to my gf b/c i only used my 360 anyways. shes putting it to good use though, so it works out. though i'm tempted to try it out this weekend with the 2 perfect shots i just bought.