Ikohn4ever
01-27-2007, 01:30 AM
We do, however, have some predictions for Wii this year. Some of these are straight up guesses - call them educated wishful thinking, if you want - and others are based on details we already know. Of course, even with that being the case, something that is true today may prove false tomorrow and hence we ask that readers refrain from taking any of our predictions as a form of fact.
New Wii System Colors Launch
When IGN.com polled more than 30,000 readers last year, they were split right down the middle on the subject of their favorite Wii colors: white and black. As we all know, Nintendo ultimately chose to go with white, paying homage to the clean, simple style that helped earn Apple Inc. $1 billion of pure profit last quarter alone. That said, a multi-color plan has always been in the pipeline for Nintendo's new console and we think 2007 will house the arrival of the first non-white Wii. And can you guess what new color might hit store shelves first? Yeah - it's black. Nintendo did the same thing with DS, rolling out white first and black later. If all goes as planned, you'll be able to pick up your shiny midnight Wii systems as a sleek, beautiful complementary piece to the holiday season - and maybe they'll even ship with a game that isn't Wii Sports.
Metroid Prime 3's Late Arrival
Retro Studios' third installment in the Metroid Prime franchise was all set to arrive for Wii in time for the system's launch, but then it got quietly delayed beyond the holiday season. It's not coming in the first quarter of 2007 and we've been told not to expect it through June. So why does a game that's originally scheduled to debut with Wii get delayed by more than eight months and when, exactly, will it finally release to the masses? Depending on who you talk to, the delay is 1) to add an online mode (which we hope is not true) or 2) for purely marketing reasons. Regardless, we wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo held it well into the third quarter. Oh, Samus, how we'll miss you.
Wireless Attachments
Not just any wireless attachments, either. How would you like to eliminate the pesky wire dangling from the bottom of your Wii remote all the way to your nunchuck peripheral? Uh-huh. We believe by the end of the year Nintendo - not third party manufacturers -- will have a wireless solution for you. If the publisher decides to keep the controls for titles like DK Bongo Blast in tact, you're also very likely to see wireless Wii bongos, in addition to other attachments like the classic controller. Finally, third parties have made mention of wireless base stations that simultaneously power two Wii remotes and enable gamers to use attachments from the comfort of their couch. Look, ma - no cords!
Lots of Exercising
Nintendo DS has your brain covered, but what about your body? Strap on your Wii remote and get ready to shed some unwanted calories (and eventually, pounds). The Wii Sports collection was just the beginning. In 2007, we think that Wii owners can look forward to a series of games that revolve around the process of making exercise entertaining. Not just from the Big N, which undoubtedly already has games in development, from a variety of third parties, too. Some of these titles may be the first two use dual-Wii remotes, representing both the left and right hands during "intense" workouts. Who needs a stamina bar when you've got the real thing? And as an added bonus, these offerings are sure to make Wii the videogame darling of the mainstream world, which is sure to embrace anything that keeps kids off the couch for a few minutes longer.
Back From the Dead Franchises
You thought it was dead. You can, in fact, barely remember it by name. But after a long hiatus from the videogame world, the franchise has returned from the great beyond. And damn it, doesn't it look good on Wii? We're not going to name names, but there are a number of videogame franchises that are ripe to be reborn on Nintendo's new console with brand new controls and enhanced graphics. Check some first- and third-party back catalogues of licenses sometime - it'll give you something to do this weekend. You might just stumble upon the next big Wii game.
The Return of Pikmin
Battalion Wars, we love you, but you'll never replace Pikmin, a series that is perfectly suited for Nintendo's new controller. In 2007, we expect Nintendo to announce Pikmin for Wii, a title that boasts not only predictably overhauled visuals, but fully re-worked controls mapped to the Wii remote and a robust cooperative online mode. Commanding armies of different colored Pikmin will be both more intuitive and quicker than ever before with the newfound accuracy and speed of the Wii remote. Nintendo, make this one a priority - your fans want it.
Massive Developer Outreach; Launch of Original VC Games
March 2007 is home to the Game Developers Conference and, we believe, one of the most important third party outreach programs in Nintendo history. The event will kick off with a monumental keynote from Shigeru Miyamoto himself and from there we expect Nintendo to pull back the curtain on a brand new Wii Channel in promotion of completely original Virtual Console games. These will, of course, exist in addition to the classic already available for download on the Wii Shopping Channel. Post GDC, we think Nintendo will aggressively encourage and work with third parties to secure original VC content for Wii.
Third Parties Reinvent Mii Faces
We love the Mii concept and have absolutely adored playing as virtual versions of ourselves in games like Wii Sports. That said, Miis are at best inappropriate for certain game types. A cute, simplified Wii face would, for example, be entirely out of place in the upcoming Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles. However, we think third parties will develop a custom Mii transformer tool that looks at and identifies the basic attributes of created faces and then translates them into something more befitting of a realistic setting. It's only a matter of time and the first studio to do it will undoubtedly be copied by others within months, if not weeks.
Wii Takes Japan
Wii is a hit around the world, but it's a smash in Japan. The console flew off store shelves in the Land of the Rising Sun when it debuted last year and it has continued to sell out on a weekly basis. Although Xbox 360 enjoys a strong sales lead in America and Europe, Microsoft's console has hardly made a dent in Japan. Wii has already obliterated it in sheer popularity and amazingly, Nintendo's system has for the last two months outsold PlayStation 3 in the homeland at a rate of almost three to one. With few major PS3 releases in the near future, we don't see how Sony can easily catch up, especially when Nintendo has everything from Cooking Mama to Super Mario Galaxy and Super Smash Bros. Brawl looming.
Nintendo Holds Strong at Number Two Globally
Two years ago, we probably would have told you that nothing short of divine interference could stop PlayStation 3 from becoming market leader. Nowadays, we don't think anybody is going to squash Microsoft's Xbox 360 this year. (Next year, well, that could be another story.) That noted, if any console comes close, it'll be Wii and not PS3. The Big N has already sold almost four million systems and is expected to increase supply to retailers up to as much as one million units per month. If all goes well, Wii could topple 10 or 12 million units worldwide by the end of the year. Some analysts have pegged the console to sell even better than that. Regardless of how many people ultimately jump on the Wii bandwagon this year, one thing will remain a certainty: third party developers and publishers can no longer afford to ignore or dismiss Nintendo's hardware as niche or gimmicky. It's clearly here to stay.
New Wii System Colors Launch
When IGN.com polled more than 30,000 readers last year, they were split right down the middle on the subject of their favorite Wii colors: white and black. As we all know, Nintendo ultimately chose to go with white, paying homage to the clean, simple style that helped earn Apple Inc. $1 billion of pure profit last quarter alone. That said, a multi-color plan has always been in the pipeline for Nintendo's new console and we think 2007 will house the arrival of the first non-white Wii. And can you guess what new color might hit store shelves first? Yeah - it's black. Nintendo did the same thing with DS, rolling out white first and black later. If all goes as planned, you'll be able to pick up your shiny midnight Wii systems as a sleek, beautiful complementary piece to the holiday season - and maybe they'll even ship with a game that isn't Wii Sports.
Metroid Prime 3's Late Arrival
Retro Studios' third installment in the Metroid Prime franchise was all set to arrive for Wii in time for the system's launch, but then it got quietly delayed beyond the holiday season. It's not coming in the first quarter of 2007 and we've been told not to expect it through June. So why does a game that's originally scheduled to debut with Wii get delayed by more than eight months and when, exactly, will it finally release to the masses? Depending on who you talk to, the delay is 1) to add an online mode (which we hope is not true) or 2) for purely marketing reasons. Regardless, we wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo held it well into the third quarter. Oh, Samus, how we'll miss you.
Wireless Attachments
Not just any wireless attachments, either. How would you like to eliminate the pesky wire dangling from the bottom of your Wii remote all the way to your nunchuck peripheral? Uh-huh. We believe by the end of the year Nintendo - not third party manufacturers -- will have a wireless solution for you. If the publisher decides to keep the controls for titles like DK Bongo Blast in tact, you're also very likely to see wireless Wii bongos, in addition to other attachments like the classic controller. Finally, third parties have made mention of wireless base stations that simultaneously power two Wii remotes and enable gamers to use attachments from the comfort of their couch. Look, ma - no cords!
Lots of Exercising
Nintendo DS has your brain covered, but what about your body? Strap on your Wii remote and get ready to shed some unwanted calories (and eventually, pounds). The Wii Sports collection was just the beginning. In 2007, we think that Wii owners can look forward to a series of games that revolve around the process of making exercise entertaining. Not just from the Big N, which undoubtedly already has games in development, from a variety of third parties, too. Some of these titles may be the first two use dual-Wii remotes, representing both the left and right hands during "intense" workouts. Who needs a stamina bar when you've got the real thing? And as an added bonus, these offerings are sure to make Wii the videogame darling of the mainstream world, which is sure to embrace anything that keeps kids off the couch for a few minutes longer.
Back From the Dead Franchises
You thought it was dead. You can, in fact, barely remember it by name. But after a long hiatus from the videogame world, the franchise has returned from the great beyond. And damn it, doesn't it look good on Wii? We're not going to name names, but there are a number of videogame franchises that are ripe to be reborn on Nintendo's new console with brand new controls and enhanced graphics. Check some first- and third-party back catalogues of licenses sometime - it'll give you something to do this weekend. You might just stumble upon the next big Wii game.
The Return of Pikmin
Battalion Wars, we love you, but you'll never replace Pikmin, a series that is perfectly suited for Nintendo's new controller. In 2007, we expect Nintendo to announce Pikmin for Wii, a title that boasts not only predictably overhauled visuals, but fully re-worked controls mapped to the Wii remote and a robust cooperative online mode. Commanding armies of different colored Pikmin will be both more intuitive and quicker than ever before with the newfound accuracy and speed of the Wii remote. Nintendo, make this one a priority - your fans want it.
Massive Developer Outreach; Launch of Original VC Games
March 2007 is home to the Game Developers Conference and, we believe, one of the most important third party outreach programs in Nintendo history. The event will kick off with a monumental keynote from Shigeru Miyamoto himself and from there we expect Nintendo to pull back the curtain on a brand new Wii Channel in promotion of completely original Virtual Console games. These will, of course, exist in addition to the classic already available for download on the Wii Shopping Channel. Post GDC, we think Nintendo will aggressively encourage and work with third parties to secure original VC content for Wii.
Third Parties Reinvent Mii Faces
We love the Mii concept and have absolutely adored playing as virtual versions of ourselves in games like Wii Sports. That said, Miis are at best inappropriate for certain game types. A cute, simplified Wii face would, for example, be entirely out of place in the upcoming Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles. However, we think third parties will develop a custom Mii transformer tool that looks at and identifies the basic attributes of created faces and then translates them into something more befitting of a realistic setting. It's only a matter of time and the first studio to do it will undoubtedly be copied by others within months, if not weeks.
Wii Takes Japan
Wii is a hit around the world, but it's a smash in Japan. The console flew off store shelves in the Land of the Rising Sun when it debuted last year and it has continued to sell out on a weekly basis. Although Xbox 360 enjoys a strong sales lead in America and Europe, Microsoft's console has hardly made a dent in Japan. Wii has already obliterated it in sheer popularity and amazingly, Nintendo's system has for the last two months outsold PlayStation 3 in the homeland at a rate of almost three to one. With few major PS3 releases in the near future, we don't see how Sony can easily catch up, especially when Nintendo has everything from Cooking Mama to Super Mario Galaxy and Super Smash Bros. Brawl looming.
Nintendo Holds Strong at Number Two Globally
Two years ago, we probably would have told you that nothing short of divine interference could stop PlayStation 3 from becoming market leader. Nowadays, we don't think anybody is going to squash Microsoft's Xbox 360 this year. (Next year, well, that could be another story.) That noted, if any console comes close, it'll be Wii and not PS3. The Big N has already sold almost four million systems and is expected to increase supply to retailers up to as much as one million units per month. If all goes well, Wii could topple 10 or 12 million units worldwide by the end of the year. Some analysts have pegged the console to sell even better than that. Regardless of how many people ultimately jump on the Wii bandwagon this year, one thing will remain a certainty: third party developers and publishers can no longer afford to ignore or dismiss Nintendo's hardware as niche or gimmicky. It's clearly here to stay.