"Confirmed" 27 launch titles for Wii

[Ikohn4ever]

Wii Launch Promises a 27-Game Library

Even a quick glance over the Wii's starting lineup should be enough to convince the skeptics that Nintendo plans on hitting that launch date harder than a Ryu shoryuken special.

Doubly impressive is the fact that -- unlike other console launches we could name -- there's more than just first-party titles on the menu this time around. Check the roster of big name third-party support -- games like Call of Duty 3, Trauma Center: Second Opinion and Madden NFL 07 are standing tall up there with Nintendo's coveted exclusives.

The full list breaks down like this:

Avatar: The Last Airbender THQ
Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII Ubisoft
Blitz: The League Midway
Call of Duty 3 Activision
Cars THQ
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 Atari
Dragon Quest Swords:The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors SquareEnix
Elebits Konami
Excite Truck Nintendo
Far Cry Ubisoft
GT Pro Series Ubisoft
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers Square Enix
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Nintendo
Madden NFL 07 EA
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance Activision
Metal Slug Anthology SNK
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption Nintendo
Monster 4x4 World Circuit Ubisoft
Need for Speed: Carbon EA
Open Season Ubisoft
Rayman Raving Rabbids Ubisoft
Red Steel Ubisoft
SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab THQ
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz Sega
Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam Activision
Trauma Center: Second Opinion Atlus
Wii Sports Nintendo


http://1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3152817


there are like 5 games that I would def want, and like another 3 or 4 that I would maybe want, this launch could end up costing me more than if I were to get a PS3.

[AshesofWake]

looks delicious, i predict 15 of them actually being released on launch day, so can't wait for ZELDA >_<

[SilverPaw750]

Didn't Ubisoft just announce Far Cry / GT Pro Series for the Wii like a week ago? How many corners are they cutting to get them out for launch?

[Chacrana]

This is officially the best launch ever. I'll end up with at least 5 games since I see 5 already that I don't even need to think about.

[Roufuss]

Hm... not too excited about this launch lineup.

I think I'll just wait for Smash Brothers Brawl and Mario Galaxy to hit and get a system then.

[friedram]

Where the heck is the porno! The controller begs for it! "Control the thrusting action in real time!"

(Who knows perhaps the PS3 will have real time Gender switching!)

[ashram]

i thought red steel was delayed?

either way, METAL FREAKING SLUG AT LAUNCH!!!!!

[mr ryles]

Wii is only gonna be $250, but I'm gonna be spending $300 on games.

[alongx]

Well, that narrows down my launch day purchases. It'll likely be just Zelda - Metal Slug if it's a cheap purchase - and then wait until Christmas for Metroid and hopefully WarioWare

[Kaijufan]

I will get:
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

I may get:
Elebits
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Red Steel
Wii Sports

[Mattte]

I call shenanigans. The original site 1up cited, didn't really cite anything that I noticed.

Plus Zelda and Metroid at launch is foolish, they could release Metroid a month later and I bet it would most likely do better not launching next to Zelda. Also wonder what VC games are going to be available at launch.

[Ecofreak]

Well, they said "launch" but it could also mean "launch window" - so perhaps witin the next couple months after the Wii is released. So I expect maybe about 50% to actually be available on Day 1.

Even still, having 27 games so close to launch is a whole lot better than what happened with the N64 and Gamecube's insane drought.

[Vinny]

Hm... not too excited about this launch lineup.

I think I'll just wait for Smash Brothers Brawl and Mario Galaxy to hit and get a system then.

That's exactly how I'm feeling right now. Two of the most impressive games aren't making the launch though most of us already knew they weren't going to make it anyway. There is Zelda, at the very least, but that's also a GC title.

I think I'll probably get Zelda Wii (unless the reviews are terrible) and maybe Metroid Prime 3 or Wii Sports. Hopefully it'll be $200 so that I can buy both games.

[Roufuss]

That's exactly how I'm feeling right now. Two of the most impressive games aren't making the launch though most of us already knew they weren't going to make it anyway. There is Zelda, at the very least, but that's also a GC title.

I think I'll probably get Zelda Wii (unless the reviews are terrible) and maybe Metroid Prime 3 or Wii Sports. Hopefully it'll be $200 so that I can buy both games.

I made the mistake of buying a Cube at launch and barely having anything to play on it besides a few games... I figure it's always better to let these games come out, work out some bugs, get a decent library of games so I never experience a time when I have nothing at all to play.

[tbizzy1o1]

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers Square Enix
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Nintendo
Trauma Center: Second Opinion Atlus

Those are definates....i can't decide...rayman on wii or 360?

[upstart]

Wow, just wow...I myself don't see anyway anyone could not be impressed with a launch lineup like that. Of course it is yet to be seen if Ubi is just blowing hot air with their claims of more than 7 titles on launch or in the launch window, but that still leaves a pretty hefty list...

And anyways was anyone paying attention when 360 launched? Actually anyone paying attention now? It still has no truly great games that are exclusive to it. I am thinking that Saints row will be the first...and almost a yr after the 360 launch? And I won't even dig up memories of the NES and SNES and n64, ppl complain about no mario on launch, but ppl don't realize there was a time when mario was the ONLY game on launch worth spending 5 minutes with. I still to this day have bad memories of playing top gun for hrs on end because I got bored with mario.

Anyways I for one am glad they arent coming out with SMBG and SSBB or any other big titles...because in that case I just know I would probably be missing out on some other great games. I want a steady stream of games, not an overload that leaves my mind(and wallet) reeling.

[coolz481]

Maybe I overlooked something, but has anyone actually seen screen shots of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles for Wii? I'm going to do a search of IGN and Gamespot now, but none of the magazines had anything other than a title in their E3 coverage. Maybe something will be shown in Leipzig in a couple of weeks?

[CrimsonPaw]

Zelda and Metroid at launch is foolish, they could release Metroid a month later and I bet it would most likely do better not launching next to Zelda.
Gotta disagree here. I think they're going for market buzz and trying to capture as many genres off the bat as they can. Also, since Christmas will be just around the corner they want to get product on the shelf for purchase.

Could they hold off on Metroid, yes. Would it be adventagous? I don't think it would; in fact I think it's smarter to get it our early. Hell, I may even pick it up just to see how it plays with the controller (and to see if they got rid of those shitty space pirates).

[schuerm26]

That's exactly how I'm feeling right now. Two of the most impressive games aren't making the launch though most of us already knew they weren't going to make it anyway. There is Zelda, at the very least, but that's also a GC title.

I think I'll probably get Zelda Wii (unless the reviews are terrible) and maybe Metroid Prime 3 or Wii Sports. Hopefully it'll be $200 so that I can buy both games.


You guys are right. I miss the days of the xbox 360 launch titles. If this doesn't impress you then it is official that your opinions don't matter here anymore. You aren't going to find a better launch then this.

Not to be rude, but seriously, what the hell else do you expect from a "launch window" lineup?

[ksuwild25]

I think that launch lineup covers all the genres, but I'm not impressed by that list either. The 2 titles I'm interested in I can get for the 360, and the only exclusive title there I'm semi-interested in is Red Steel.

[y2jedi]

I must say Nintendo knows where their bread and butter is. My soon to be 9yo son is already talking about a Wii under the Christmas tree w/ Zelda and Avatar the Last Airbender.

[dastly75]

Hmm... what genre is this lineup missing?

I see a few games I might buy at launch. But ya if this lineup is solid, it's is damn good. Most everyone will find at least one game they might like on that list.

[Strell]

Hell yes!

...

Avatar, bitches!

HOW CAN YOU NOT WANT IT.

[willardhaven]

Don't forget how slick the Spongebob video from E3 was.

It's going to be hard to resist snagging a bunch of games at launch.

[David85]

I have never even heard of Tower of Mirrors.

I was thinknig about the fact there would be 25-30 games that are called luanch titles. Now even if 33%-50% of the games are delayed thats still one of the most impressive launches ever.

I most likely won't have the money at launch for one but I would buy....

Trauma Center: Second Opinion
Rayman Raving Rabbids
Elebits

Maybes....
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz
Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII OR Call of Duty 3
Excite Truck

[blandstalker]

I made the mistake of buying a Cube at launch and barely having anything to play on it besides a few games... I figure it's always better to let these games come out, work out some bugs, get a decent library of games so I never experience a time when I have nothing at all to play.

I got a PS2 shortly after launch, and ended up using it as a DVD player for months. Since then, I haven't bought anything at launch. There's just not much point, because for awhile, everything is all hyped up and even mediocre games get too much attention.

That said, I will be getting a Wii at launch if I can. This time, I don't want to wait an additional 3 - 6 months to be able to find one. Trauma Center is first on my list.

Hopefully I'll be able to do something with the GC Twilight Princess I've got coming to me.

[-Never4ever-]

This is officially the best launch ever. I'll end up with at least 5 games since I see 5 already that I don't even need to think about.

It might look good, but it's no DC launch.

[FurryCurry]

Looks pretty good.

I really want a Wii at launch but I'm afraid of the hardware error blues...

[willardhaven]

Looks pretty good.

I really want a Wii at launch but I'm afraid of the hardware error blues...

Generally, Nintendo consoles do not fall victim to this.

[Pancake Rabbit]

Zelda, Metroid and Metal Slug for me. All of the third party stuff seems kind of meh.

[Strell]

Planetgamcube's forums are reporting that Metroid and Final Fantasy might see delays. It is speculated that Metroid could be due to adding online capability, which I believe they said would not be in the game at some point, but would be a perfect title for that.

Which is just fine with me. I have enough titles that I want from launch, so I'd rather have a title here and there delayed (especially when they are games I want).

[suko_32]

Wha? When in Warioware Smooth Moves coming out then?

[furyk]

Yeah, the launch seems to be spaced out pretty nicely so far in terms of their first party stuff. Metroid and LoZ in November, Mario in December/January, Donkey Kong and Fire Emblem come out around there or in the Spring then maybe Smash Brothers for summer (make it happen Nintendo).

[onikage]

It's not a bad lot of launch titles, but most of them don't interest me too much.

There might be 2 or 3 that I will consider buying @ launch w/ EB credit:

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Wii Sports
Red Steel (maybe)

And these once they drop in price:

Excite Truck
Metal Slug Anthology
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Trauma Center: Second Opinion

[banpeikun]

DQS and FF:CC at launch would be pretty hot

[upstart]

IGN reports metroid might be delayed. Which is fine for me...I would rather have an overly polished game with even more playtime than another fantastic title at launch to decide how to spend my measely chump change I'll have saved up by then.

[I AM WILLIAM H. MACY]

Red Steel
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz
Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam
Trauma Center: Second Opinion
Hmm these are the only ones that really appeal to me, and Tony Hawk and Red Steel will probably end up sucking anyway, and Trauma Center's just a port...

Not really that great a launch lineup IMO

[mofo1115]

hmm not a bad launch. I can easily spot some that I want, zelda/metal slug/ trauma center/ ffcc/ dq / interested in trying out madden and monkey ball

It will really depend on how much the wii ends up coming out at.

Please oh please be cheap. Let me enjoy lots of launch games.

[Friend of Sonic]

It might look good, but it's no DC launch.
I hear that. The DC launch was pretty good, if there wasn't any of the errors with the printing of the discs it would have been perfect.

[Rodimus]

I think it's a good launch line-up, better than most. I see 3 I'm definatly gonna get. Zelda, Wii Sports, and Marvel: UA.

[chargeup45]

Elebits Konami
Far Cry Ubisoft
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Nintendo
Metal Slug Anthology SNK
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption Nintendo
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz Sega
Trauma Center: Second Opinion Atlus
Wii Sports Nintendo


Above is what I would consider getting. It honestly might be too much... I could see Metroid slipping under the radar with Zelda out in the same window along with Call of Duty 3 and Red Steel if it ends up launching in the Christmas time period. Never mind all those random Ubi games, etc. Some of them should probably move out of the launch window and into the first half of 2007, people who buy Nintendo stuff are bad as it is when it comes to buying 3rd party games. Overall though, solid lineup, if true.

The other minor detail I don't like about this launch is Wii Sports as a separate (and probably full priced) game. I haven't seen any sign of a golf/tennis minigame/home run derby being worth $50, and worst of all, you know the guys who make Monkey Ball could probably do this stuff in their sleep as part of Banana Blitz... they already covered all of these in SMB2 plus more. It's a perfect pack-in game for a system like this. If it's true that it's not being packed in, I'll wait for a price drop.

[FriskyTanuki]

I hear that. The DC launch was pretty good, if there wasn't any of the errors with the printing of the discs it would have been perfect.
Besides Soul Calibur and Power Stone (and possibly NFL 2k if you like the series), there was nothing else that was all that good. This launch looks better, with a more consistent quality amongst its titles, though there are still some questionable titles, but that's standard amongst all launches.

[Rodimus]

Besides Soul Calibur and Power Stone (and possibly NFL 2k if you like the series), there was nothing else that was all that good. This launch looks better, with a more consistent quality amongst its titles, though there are still some questionable titles, but that's standard amongst all launches.

Alot of people think the DC launch was the greatest, but when you take a second look it wasn't the best. Soul Caliber, Power Stone, Sonic Adventure and NFL 2K were the big hitters, besides that nothing else noteworthy. The Japanese launch was really bad. But the next round, (all the games that came out before the end of the year) was great.

I agree the Wii launch does look better.

[furyk]

House of the Dead 2 was a great launch title that is pretty much universally forgotten about. The Dreamcast had about five great games at launch in Sonic Adventure, House of the Dead 2, Power Stone, Soul Calibur, and NFL 2K. Trickstyle, Hydro Thunder, and Airforce Delta were also pretty decent games.

Anywho, the Wii launch is potentially the best launch of the modern era if half of their big games are good.

[Friend of Sonic]

I really did love Ready to Rumble then I suppose. I thought that game was great fun.
I really do think the DC launch was awesome, especially in comparison to other system launches.

[FriskyTanuki]

Alot of people think the DC launch was the greatest, but when you take a second look it wasn't the best. Soul Caliber, Power Stone, Sonic Adventure and NFL 2K were the big hitters, besides that nothing else noteworthy. The Japanese launch was really bad. But the next round, (all the games that came out before the end of the year) was great.

I agree the Wii launch does look better.
Sonic Adventure was crap. There was too much tedious adventure and not enough Sonic action. If there's a way to just play the action levels and skip the adventure crap, it'd be a much better game. There's also a little lack of variety in genres, though not nearly as bad as some (360).

[soonersfan60]

I actually thought Sonic Adventure was a fun game. I especially liked the different story angles. And once you finished it, you could replay the action levels.

[Rodimus]

Sonic Adventure was crap. There was too much tedious adventure and not enough Sonic action. If there's a way to just play the action levels and skip the adventure crap, it'd be a much better game. There's also a little lack of variety in genres, though not nearly as bad as some (360).

My point wasn't if it was a good game ( I don't like football games but I mentioned NFL 2K2) I was just simply pointing out the "big guns". A new Sega system comes out, and theres a Sonic game, of course it'll be a must buy. But IMO I enjoyed Sonic Adv. I think most gamers did. Awsome game, and still is. Now Sonic Adv. 2 was crap.

Now we've gotten pretty damn far off topic. Pardon Me.

[furyk]

Sonic Adventure was crap. There was too much tedious adventure and not enough Sonic action. If there's a way to just play the action levels and skip the adventure crap, it'd be a much better game. There's also a little lack of variety in genres, though not nearly as bad as some (360).

Sonic Adventure was a fun game that had a shit taken upon it by the rest of the gaming community when it got ported to the Gamecube with all of the issues that should have been ironed out with the camera. Looking at pretty much every Sonic Adventure DX review the three complaints are camera, Dreamcast graphics, and Big the Cat/Amy Rose levels. The Sonic/Tales/Knuckles parts of the game were awesome and the E-104 (101?) levels were fun as a diversion.

[Supercake]

Dragon Quest Swords:The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors
Elebits Konami
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers Square Enix
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Nintendo
Red Steel Ubisoft
Trauma Center: Second Opinion Atlus

I'd pick Zelda above all, given a choice, only cause the quality would likely be good. I'm honestly not that excited anymore for the Wii's launch, since all these games don't really jump out at me, but I'll still probably be there to get one at launch.

[evanft]

Excite Truck
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Metal Slug Anthology
Metroid Prime 3
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz
Trauma Center: Second Opinion
Wii Sports

:drool:

Metroid Prime 3 and Zelda should be enough to convince anyone who isn't an idiot.

[Spades22]

I'm actually not that excited...I just want smash bros, zelda, and mario galaxy lol...but Zelda I can get for the cube so I MIGHT wait a bit. But...if Wii has good online, I'll be especially tempted to get CoD3, maybe Metroid too even though I never found Metroid to be my type of game completely, but I still like it. With the new controller it makes me want to get it much more.

[dothog]

This is a really impressive launch line-up. With SM Galaxy and Smash not far behind, the first 6 months of gaming on the Wii will already be spoken for (for me, at least--don't have time to play things to completion right away).

My only concern for the Wii library is that there's a new, improved Mario Kart on the way. After hearing about the DS cooking games I'm hoping the Wii library contains a solid cooking game, which will be very popular with my friends and family.

[Hoffgod]

Hot damn. I already knew Nintendo was gonna take a large chunk out of my wallet this winter due to the DS titles, but this is too much!
Zelda, Metroid, Red Steel (I love me some FPS), Trauma Center, Wii Sports (hopefully a pack-in), and Excite Truck are musts for me. Then, I'll probably end up picking up Madden 2007, Far Cry, Rayman, and WarioWare. Then next year we'll have Mario, Brawl, Project HAMMER, Sadness...
It's official. Nintendo now owns my money.

[Strell]

My only concern for the Wii library is that there's a new, improved Mario Kart on the way. After hearing about the DS cooking games I'm hoping the Wii library contains a solid cooking game, which will be very popular with my friends and family.

You know, when I read this a few minutes ago, something stuck in my head, but I couldn't just quite understand what it was.

So I thought about it more and it hit me - there's a potential here for something very cool, or something very shitty.

As you've proposed, since the control schemes can essentially mimic each other per system (Wii vs DS), that leaves the possibility that we'll see games that are highly similar to each other, but with different coats of paint. Case in point already is Trauma Center, where the Wii version is a pseudo-sequel/remix sort of situation. It's not a direct port, but is sort of an enhanced version with new missions, characters, etc.

But at the core, it's the same game, same mechanics, etc.

Which worries me. Cuz it's like you said - what happens if the DS games, say, a simulation cooking game, and a Wii version comes out 3 months later that is essentially an improvement in every way?

I could see this causing competition within the N community between people going for one version over the other. Maybe Wii Cooking Mama has twice as many levels. Maybe DS Cooking Mama 2 has all of the Wii's version's upgrades, and adds two player wireless support. And then a few months later we get Wii Cooking Family, and it's a full-on simulation game with minigame cooking schemes.

There's a potential for developers, unfortunately, to rip not only each other off, but rip themselves off, AND create massive double, triple, and tetra-dipping situations for the consumer.

But then I thought...

What if this is a way Nintendo plans to do expansion packs?

In much the same way the GBA port can be used to expand upon DS games, what if the Wii could utilize a wireless connection to a DS *as* you are playing a Wii game, and it feeds/downloads/installs upgrades and things in the Wii's resident memory, thus allowing there to be standardized expansions available at stores?

For example, Smash Bros Brawl. Maybe they release it and it has 40 characters and no online play. Well, 3-4 months later, Nintendo releases a DS cart that contains information for 10 new characters AND wireless connectivity. So you turn on your DS and set it to wireless play, turn on the Wii and tell it to search for new content. It finds the DS's information, downloads all of it into it's resident memory, and then lets you play with those characters online and off.

You could even have it flush memory when you shut off the machine, meaning Nintendo could theoretically have multiple carts out. Maybe there's a Capcom pack, and you get Megaman, Dante, Ryu, and others. Then there's a Konami Pack. A Squeenix pack.

-OR- you could have the option to save the data to an external memory source, such as an SD card, so that when the Wii is turned on/off, it could load that external data directly.

This would solve the issue of allowing DLC when the Wii only has 512 megs of internal memory. Seeing as how it would be impossible for people to syncrhonize across wirelessly UNLESS Nintendo had a way to deliver it outside of WiConnect24. 'Cuz it would be damn near impossible when searching for online matches in SSBB to make sure that everyone had the same version, especially if someone doesn't have the memory available because they already downloaded a lot of VC games....a good solution would be add-on cards that get access from the DS.

I need someone with more technical info than me to tell me if this is even possible.

[Roufuss]

The problem with your idea Strell is for people who own a Wii but don't own a DS... they essentially have to put down $130 dollars just to get upgrades to their games.

But yea, I do see what you mean about developers just porting DS games to Wii and vice versa, it is something we'll see something of, no doubt. Trauma Center is just the beginning, I think.

[Strell]

The problem with your idea Strell is for people who own a Wii but don't own a DS... they essentially have to put down $130 dollars just to get upgrades to their games.

But yea, I do see what you mean about developers just porting DS games to Wii and vice versa, it is something we'll see something of, no doubt. Trauma Center is just the beginning, I think.

True.

I'm not worried about that right now (though it is a significant thing to consider), I'm worried about whether or not it works.

Also, Nintendo could push this much in the same way FF:CC connectivity was forecasted to work, which is "more people own a GBA than a GC." "More people have a DS than a Wii, so let's draw them in." Especially when Nintendo is so focused on the idea of bringing new people into the gaming sector - let's draw grannie into the Wii because she already likes the DS. Then she gets Brain Age Oldstyle Edition.

I could see the same logic there. I don't think it's great logic, but it's there.

[dothog]

As you've proposed, since the control schemes can essentially mimic each other per system (Wii vs DS), that leaves the possibility that we'll see games that are highly similar to each other, but with different coats of paint. Case in point already is Trauma Center, where the Wii version is a pseudo-sequel/remix sort of situation. It's not a direct port, but is sort of an enhanced version with new missions, characters, etc.

But at the core, it's the same game, same mechanics, etc.
I don't know that all DS-Wii ports will be a 1-to-1 control conversion, at least from Nintendo's perspective. For Trauma Center, the "essence" of the control, 2D drawing on the screen, is still there. But I would imagine that the Wii-port of the DS cooking game will involve the motion sensing more than pointing at the screen. We can argue that this difference in play control really isn't that "different." That is to say, stirring batter is stirring batter whether you draw a circle with the stylus or move the Wii-mote in a stirring motion, right?

However, if you talk about an adventure game action, such as selecting a target with L and pressing X to launch an arrow with the GC controller versus pointing with the Wii-mote, pressing Z, and hearing a 'thwap', the essence--shooting an arrow--becomes less important than the control. In either case, Nintendo's big campaign for the Wii hinges on this supposed difference being significant.

This was all just a comment on the "essentially mimic" in the quote. While I agree that the DS to Wii port for many DS games will simply be a case of making the Wii-mote into a big stylus and your TV screen into a big lower DS screen, Nintendo's PR people would probably argue that once a game hits the Wii, it loses the mechanics gamers cling to, takes on a new kind of control, and becomes a new game altogether. I don't know if I buy into that, but I'd bet it's an important distinction to Nintendo.


I could see this causing competition within the N community between people going for one version over the other.
VS.

What if this is a way Nintendo plans to do expansion packs?
These are both good points. The thing that is most interesting to me about the Wii is Nintendo's business strategy and not the Wii-mote, WiiConnect, Virtual Console, etc. (That's not to say I'm not excited for the Wii--I'll be buying one on release, downloading old favorites, and swinging away at Wii Tennis and Zelda.) In the excitement of a new console, people are losing sight of really interesing questions like the ones you bring up.

To respond, I don't think that Nintendo is going to parasitize its own business if they just stick to a DS version and a Wii version of certain games and leave it at that. As your good side notes, doing multiple iterations of games could be really frustrating for consumers.

As for the expansion your dark side mentions, I think that the DS-Wii connection will be available for extras, but will not be as critical as it is in the scenario you've proposed. The GBA/GC lesson was a good one for Nintendo, and I think they got the point: if you build a game like FFCC or 4 Swords around handheld/console connectivity, you're going to disappoint a majority of gamers. FFCC sold moderately well (IIRC), but I think that was mostly due to the lack of FF games on the GC and not due to the public's demand for GBA/GC games. I don't think that there will be enough customers who own both DSs and Wiis to warrant developing and releasing expansions through that system. It's hard to say for certain.

I hope that they do not make the DS/Wii combo so critical to getting new kinds of gameplay or unlocking features. It's going to leave a lot of people in the cold, and it seems like this is something N wants to avoid as they embrace non-gamers, who aren't as obsessive about buying multiple consoles, handhelds, and games as the devoted gaming crowd that N would be taking advantage of if they played up DS-Wii connectivity in a big way.

Expansions, if they exist, would in my mind be best served by WiiConnect, but I'll grant that WiiConnect is the biggest unknown variable at this point. Will it simply be a 24/7 background app that downloads ads and demos? Or will it incorporate itself into the games you play, providing special characters, levels, expansions, etc. to lengthen the gamer's playtime with the game? Outside of putting Yoshi's head on Mario's body as I play through SMW for the millionth time, my guess is WiiConnect will be a glorified demo/mini-games bit torrent delivery system.

[megashock5]

Alot of people think the DC launch was the greatest, but when you take a second look it wasn't the best. Soul Caliber, Power Stone, Sonic Adventure and NFL 2K were the big hitters, besides that nothing else noteworthy. The Japanese launch was really bad. But the next round, (all the games that came out before the end of the year) was great.

I agree the Wii launch does look better.

The DC launch was still far better than any that had come before, and IMO better than the PS2, Xbox or GCN. Part of what made it so great was that almost all of the genres were there - racing, sports, platform, fighting, survival horror, shooter, etc. I like the Wii lineup, but a Soul Calibur or PowerStone plus Mario (or even Sonic) would certainly help round it out.

[FriskyTanuki]

The DC launch was still far better than any that had come before, and IMO better than the PS2, Xbox or GCN. Part of what made it so great was that almost all of the genres were there - racing, sports, platform, fighting, survival horror, shooter, etc. I like the Wii lineup, but a Soul Calibur or PowerStone plus Mario (or even Sonic) would certainly help round it out.
To me, the PS2 and DC launches were nearly identical in quality, with maybe a little edge to the PS2 for the sheer volume of the launch. The range of quality is about the same, with only the PS2's larger launch accounting for a few more decent games compared to the DC launch. I don't get the praise for the DC launch while slamming the PS2 launch. Just because a genre is represented, it doesn't mean it's any good.

Genre - PlayStation 2 vs. Dreamcast
2 good fighters - Tekken Tag Tourney/DOA 2 Hardcore vs. Soul Calibur/Power Stone Verdict: Tie
2 Good sports games - Madden 2001/NHL 2001/Swing Away Golf/ESPN International Track Field vs. NFL 2K/NFL Blitz 2000 Verdict: PS2 for variety, about the same in quality.
The light gun game - Silent Scope vs. House of the Dead 2 Verdict: DC
Good racers - Smuggler's Run/Ridge Racer V/Midnight Club Racing/MotoGP vs. Hydro Thunder/Tokyo Extreme Racer (I guess) Verdict: PS2
The Ready 2 Rumble game - Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2 vs. Ready 2 Rumble Boxing Verdict: Tie
The Extreme Sports Games - SSX/ESPN X Games Snowboarding vs. TrickStyle Verdict: PS2
FPS - TimeSplitters/Unreal Tournament vs. N/A Verdict: PS2
The Decent Puzzler - FantaVision vs. N/A Verdict: PS2
Platformers - N/A vs. Sonic Adventure Verdict: DC
Etc. - Armored Core 2/Dynasty Warriors 2/Gungriffon Blaze/Kessen/Summoner vs. Blue Stinger/Monaco Grand Prix/Airforce Delta/Flag to Flag Verdict: PS2

From what I see these are the notable genres represented by each launch:
DC Genres: Sports, Extreme Sports, Platformer, Racing, Light Gun, Survival Horror
PS2 Genres: Sports, Extreme Sports, Racing, Light Gun, FPS, Puzzle, RPG, Beat-'em-Up, RTS, Mech Sim

[furyk]

To me, the PS2 and DC launches were nearly identical in quality, with maybe a little edge to the PS2 for the sheer volume of the launch. The range of quality is about the same, with only the PS2's larger launch accounting for a few more decent games compared to the DC launch. I don't get the praise for the DC launch while slamming the PS2 launch. Just because a genre is represented, it doesn't mean it's any good.

2 good fighters - Tekken Tag Tourney/DOA 2 Hardcore vs. Soul Calibur/Power Stone Verdict: Tie
2 Good sports games - Madden 2001/NHL 2001/Swing Away Golf/ESPN X Games Snowboarding/ESPN International Track Field vs. NFL 2K/NFL Blitz 2000 Verdict: PS2 for variety, about the same in quality.
The light gun game - Silent Scope vs. House of the Dead 2 Verdict: DC
Good racers - Smuggler's Run/Ridge Racer V/Midnight Club Racing/MotoGP vs. Hydro Thunder/Tokyo Extreme Racer (I guess) Verdict: PS2
The Ready 2 Rumble game - Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2 vs. Ready 2 Rumble Boxing Verdict: Tie
The Extreme Sports Games - SSX vs. TrickStyle Verdict: PS2
FPS - TimeSplitters/Unreal Tournament vs. N/A Verdict: PS2
The Decent Puzzler - FantaVision vs. N/A Verdict: PS2
Platformers - N/A vs. Sonic Adventure Verdict: DC
Etc. - Armored Core 2/Dynasty Warriors 2/Gungriffon Blaze/Kessen/Summoner vs. Blue Stinger/Monaco Grand Prix/Airforce Delta/Flag to Flag Verdict: PS2

From what I see these are the notable genres represented by each launch:
DC Genres: Sports, Extreme Sports, Platformer, Racing, Light Gun, Survival Horror
PS2 Genres: Sports, Extreme Sports, Racing, Light Gun, FPS, Puzzle, RPG, Beat-'em-Up, RTS, Mech Sim

Wait, what? You rank arguably the greatest fighting game of all time and a cult classic to this day with a shoddy port of a shallow fighter and a mediocre Tekken? The other major flaw with your analysis is you're confusing quantity with quality. The only truly memorable game from the PS2 launch was SSX while the DC had three that can go down without argument in Power Stone, Soul Calibur, and NFL 2K (more if you want to argue HOTD 2 and Sonic Adventure).

Like you said, even though a genre is represented, it doesn't mean that its good.

[elwood731]

Wait, what? You rank arguably the greatest fighting game of all time and a cult classic to this day with a shoddy port of a shallow fighter and a mediocre Tekken? The other major flaw with your analysis is you're confusing quantity with quality. The only truly memorable game from the PS2 launch was SSX while the DC had three that can go down without argument in Power Stone, Soul Calibur, and NFL 2K (more if you want to argue HOTD 2 and Sonic Adventure).

Like you said, even though a genre is represented, it doesn't mean that its good.
Agreed. There are games from the DC launch that I will play to this day. The only PS2 launch title that I would still play is SSX, and honestly I'd rather play SSX Tricky (best in the series).

[FriskyTanuki]

Wait, what? You rank arguably the greatest fighting game of all time and a cult classic to this day with a shoddy port of a shallow fighter and a mediocre Tekken? The other major flaw with your analysis is you're confusing quantity with quality. The only truly memorable game from the PS2 launch was SSX while the DC had three that can go down without argument in Power Stone, Soul Calibur, and NFL 2K (more if you want to argue HOTD 2 and Sonic Adventure).

Like you said, even though a genre is represented, it doesn't mean that its good.
The thing is that your opinion is subjective just like mine and anyone else's opinions. Tekken is pretty much the equal of Soul Calibur for their respective launches, as they're the top memorable games from the launches. To me, Soul Calibur's always a step below VF4. Power Stone could've been a great game if it weren't for the lack of four player multiplayer, while DOA2 was a good game, but it was still just DOA. I'm not confusing quantity for quality, as my second sentence in that post stated that the larger launch list didn't make for a better quality launch, just more chances to be better. As for memorable games, I'd say Tekken Tag and SSX for the PS2 and Power Stone and and Soul Calibur.

Agreed. There are games from the DC launch that I will play to this day. The only PS2 launch title that I would still play is SSX, and honestly I'd rather play SSX Tricky (best in the series).
SSX Tricky sucked. Luckily, SSX 3 made up for it, though I like the original a little more.

[Brak]

Impressive number... but upon closer inspection: A launch with a bunch of third-party fluff / shit, stuff that's been out on last-gen consoles for months and stuff I'd rather have on other platforms.

Zelda, and a couple of other titles, makes up for that, though.

[Scrubsy]

Back on track people, lets get off the dreamcast. So far I have Marvel alliance and red steel preordered and I will probably get zelda and far cry depending on how far away from launch it is.

PS. Dreamcast FTW!

[botticus]

Impressive number... but upon closer inspection: A launch with a bunch of third-party fluff / shit, stuff that's been out on last-gen consoles for months and stuff I'd rather have on other platforms.

Zelda, and a couple of other titles, makes up for that, though.
Not all that impressive for some us of, but a lot of that shit will sell a ton, particularly the licensed stuff. And variety is key at a launch, moreso than the quality.

I believe as of now I have Red Steel, Metal Slug Anthology, Trauma Center, Madden, and Downhill Jam preordered. Downhill Jam will probably be switched to Zelda Wii whenever the stores get the first-party games in the system (they didn't as of yesterday).

[furyk]

The thing is that your opinion is subjective just like mine and anyone else's opinions. Tekken is pretty much the equal of Soul Calibur for their respective launches, as they're the top memorable games from the launches.

Actually, I was basing my opinion on what the collective game community thought. On gamerankings and gamestats, the original Soul Calibur has the second highest average of all time. It's third on metacritics all time ranking list too. That's a lot of subjective opinions disagreeing with you. I like Virtua Fighter a ton more then Soul Calibur since SC is too button mashy for me, but Tekken has always been way below Soul Calibur in terms of game quality as far as I'm concerned. As for Power Stone being hindered by a lack of 4 player... feh. Power Stone 2 shows that the game was really meant to be a 2 player experience. PS 2 essentially ends up turning into a "dodge traffic" game as much as it is a "fighting" game.

[Mr. Anderson]

I guess I'm the only one looking foward to DBZ: Budokai Tenkaichi 2....

[Strell]

I guess I'm the only one looking foward to DBZ: Budokai Tenkaichi 2....

Nah. If I get to do kamehamehas and Destruco Disks, I'll get it for sheer guilty pleasure/fan service factor.

Plus, Tenkaichi isn't a bad game at all, and Dimps seems to improve each game they put out, so this one should be pretty good if they can get the movement stuff down.

It'll be a fun game to play with my nephews and stuff.

[Riyonuk]

Wow I'm truly dissapointed that there releasing MP3 as a launch title. They need to put more time in it, I'll glady wait for a game so its good and not slopped together. Why is Zelda gonna be a good game? Cause its been in development for a long time :)

[botticus]

Wow I'm truly dissapointed that there releasing MP3 as a launch title. They need to put more time in it, I'll glady wait for a game so its good and not slopped together. Why is Zelda gonna be a good game? Cause its been in development for a long time :)
You don't think MP3 has been in development for a while? 5 years dev time isn't a requisite for making a good game a la Zelda. I would get that one at launch, but then I realize I haven't come close to finishing MP1 or 2, so it can wait till I get to that point and I'll save some dough.

[dothog]

Maybe the online multiplayer is the delay, but maybe it's just business sense. Why crowd Zelda with MP3? Nintendo can space Zelda, Mario, Smash, and Metroid out and give the Wii a new first-party title for each quarter of a full year.

[Riyonuk]

Yes, but look at MP2. Why did it suck? Because 2 yrs for the development of it. Now exactly 2 yrs later, MP3 comes out. I doubt it will be any better.

I wish they would space out there games, like every 2 months or something, a 1st party game comes out. That would give us all time to accumalate money for it.

And I loved the idea that Strell had about SSBB. But the characters only available offline? Thats not cool. Yeah you mentiond square enix, capcom, etc. but what about Retro Studios expansion pack? I would love samus to be able to throw her grappling hook around ridleys neck and ride him, making him shoot fireballs at the enemies. Kinda like a pokemon, they show up, do there attack, and leave. And lets not forget expansion packs for extra levels and make your own levels ^^

[botticus]

I guess I can't say for sure, but judging by reviews, MP2 wasn't a bad game, just not as good as the first. And again, you can't look at just development time when explaining why a game is good or bad.

And spacing out games is good for consumers, but it doesn't mean that they're going to take two months longer to develop the game. If it's done, it's done. Keep in mind that the list in the OP is most likely "launch window," which is, generally, 6 months surrounding the console launch. We aren't going to see 27 Wii games out on store shelves launch day.

[Riyonuk]

Ohhhh....I thought I would walk in and see 27 Wii titles all on the shelf. And then the next time I get money, I'll walk in and see them in the exact same place, except one thing...they will all be Players Choice :( man I hate players choice, why cant they just lower the price.

MP2 was horrible in every way. I mean dark world? Come on, thats so lame. They probably ran out of ideas and to expand the game length came up with an opposite, exactly same, dark world. I was so dissapointed by Dark Samus, they should have replaced "it" with Samus-X, now "that" rocks, "that" was a force to be reconded with.

[Strell]

Personal opinion != poor game.

[dothog]

You've got to hand it to him, though: Samus-X is incredibly recondable. I'd recond it, then have her strap one on and recond me just to get it out of my system. Then I'd re-recond it to seal the deal.

[Strell]

You've got to hand it to him, though: Samus-X is incredibly recondable. I'd recond it, then have her strap one on and recond me just to get it out of my system. Then I'd re-recond it to seal the deal.

You're out of your reconding mind.

You need to get on a muthareconding plane with muthareconding snakes.

[Spades22]

Ya I played MP2 for awhile...didnt beat it though just rented but got pretty far...I hated all the darkness to it. The dark world was so boring and it made me feel grumpy every time I was done playing a certain part lol

[David85]

Harrison also spoke about some of the company's upcoming software releases such as the highly anticipated Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Of particular note, Harrison confirmed which controllers can be used with the Nintendo GameCube and Wii releases of the game. The GameCube controller can only be used to play the GameCube version of Twilight Princess. It will not be, as previously speculated, compatible with the Wii version.

[dothog]

The GameCube controller can only be used to play the GameCube version of Twilight Princess. It will not be, as previously speculated, compatible with the Wii version.
This blows.

[FriskyTanuki]

Nah. If I get to do kamehamehas and Destruco Disks, I'll get it for sheer guilty pleasure/fan service factor.

Plus, Tenkaichi isn't a bad game at all, and Dimps seems to improve each game they put out, so this one should be pretty good if they can get the movement stuff down.

It'll be a fun game to play with my nephews and stuff.
:-s Dimps hasn't touched the series for two years since Budokai 3. Spike has been in control of the Tenkaichi series. Initial reports said the game didn't really handle all that well, though I question it being a launch title since the dev team refused to say any kind of release date at E3, just "when it's ready."

[Strell]

Meh.

No big deal.

[Riyonuk]

Why would you expect the gamecube controller to work with the wii games? I mean it would be seem normal for it to work with gamecube games, after all, thats what it is intended for.