[quote name='Strell']
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.[/QUOTE]
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.
[quote name='Good Strell']
I could see this causing competition within the N community between people going for one version over the other. [/QUOTE]
VS.
[quote name='Bad Strell']
What if this is a way Nintendo plans to do expansion packs?[/QUOTE]
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.
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."