Rock Band appeared on the video game scene with much success. Because of this, it seems that Activision will be forced to keep up with the new competition by adopting a different approach. Instead of focusing on guitars only, vocals and other instruments will be added to the mix for future Guitar Hero games.
“It’s not just about guitars. We’ll include a lot of other instruments, vocals. It will help us expand internationally. It’s the first game we’ve had in which we can use local content and local bands.” – Bobby Kotick, Activision CEO
According to The Financial Times, the Nintendo Wii has become the sales leader of its generation. In fact, the system is so popular that even now it can be hard trying to purchase one. Yet, such success still doesn’t change the fact that it is lagging behind in software that pushes the system’s hardware capabilities, especially in terms of its graphics and overall gaming technology.
High Voltage Software, a prominent video game developer, strives to change this trend by creating Nintendo Wii games that look like Xbox 360 or PS3 titles. It is one of the few developers able to accomplish such a feat, since others tend to concentrate more on the system’s unique style of gameplay.
“We think it’s a real shame that publishers and developers aren’t taking advantage of the technical possibilities of the Wii platform. Most Wii games don’t even look as good as the later day PS2 titles and that’s a real slap in the face to consumers. We believe that third-party developers need to step up to the plate and deliver. The Wii platform is capable of a lot more than what consumers have seen so far. We’re hoping to raise a new bar.” Noted Kerry Ganofsky, company CEO, in a recent IGN exclusive.
– Mario Kart DS (NDS, Nintendo): 2,935,577 units sold
Release: 12/08/05
– Wii Sports (Wii, Nintendo): 2,853,740 units sold
Release: 12/02/06
– New Super Mario Bros. (NDS, Nintendo): 5,136,819 units sold
Release: 05/25/06
– Animal Crossing: Wild World (NDS, Nintendo): 4,630,850 units sold
Release: 11/23/05
NES – River City Ransom
Sega Genesis – Phantasy Star III Generations of Doom
Helping out your friends is often as easy as a ride to the airport or a kind word of advice. But when they fall victim to dastardly kidnappers, things get a little more complicated. Step up and find out what it takes to rescue your imperiled pals in the latest additions to the Wii™ Shop Channel. Both of these classic titles feature distinctive rescue-driven storylines and villain-busting action to help bring out your inner hero. Isn’t that what friends are for?
Nintendo adds new games to the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii™ owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:
“Anything which makes it easier for new developers to enter the market is a great thing. We’re certainly going to take a serious look at WiiWare, especially as a stepping stone to Wii development.” – Vincent Dehaut of Studio Archcraft
Studio Archcraft plans on releasing Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled in the second quarter of 2008 for the DS and Project Exile 2 is being considered for the future.
In an interview, Mike Capps (President of Epic Games) had this to say about the Wii:
“It’s a virus where you buy it and you play it with your friends and they’re like, “Oh my God that’s so cool, I’m gonna go buy it.” So you stop playing it after two months, but they buy it and they stop playing it after two months but they’ve showed it to someone else who then go out and buy it and so on. Everyone I know bought one and nobody turns it on. Obviously there’s a class of people who really love it and enjoy it and are getting into the games but I’m still waiting for that one game that makes me play it. Who knows, maybe Wii Fit will be it.”
Also during the interview, Capps insisted that Epic Games will never create a title for the Wii. He insisted, “no, we go forward, not back. It makes more sense for us to invest in the next-generation tech.”
It’s impossible to say that the technology of the Wii can match that of the 360, but the approach to video games has moved forward because of the system. I strongly believe that the Wii has impacted the industry, and there would be no possible way to progress if developers and publishers relied only on horsepower and graphics cards. Gaming needs other things, too, such as creativity and a fresh approach.
Best Buy
Imagine: Babyz (DS) – $19.99
Petz: Wild Animals: Dolphinz (DS) – $19.99
Circuit City
Pokemon: Diamond (DS) – $24.99
Pokemon: Pearl (DS) – $24.99
Pokemon: Emerald (GBA) – $14.99
High School Musical (DS) – $19.99
Ben 10 (DS) – $19.99
TRMK: Will the game be only for the Xbox 360 and PS3 or will there be a possibility of a Wii port?
Ed Boon: I don’t know for sure. It’s kind of like it was with Armageddon. We did an Xbox version and a PS2 version and a Wii version followed. We didn’t know it was going to follow. The Wii is selling so huge it would almost be difficult to ignore it. But at the same time, there’s no Unreal Engine for the Wii.
TRMK: I think one company has got it working, but Epic is not supporting it.
EB: Right, so it would be a challenge. I certainly wouldn’t have a problem with it. Armageddon actually did pretty well on the Wii. So it makes some sense.
Based on what Ed Boon says in this interview, it seems like the new Mortal Kombat game could definitely be released on the Wii. If Armageddon performed well in terms of sales, there shouldn’t be many reasons as to why the game couldn’t be brought over to the Wii.
In what seems to be a huge screw up by the people at Capcom, on their latest Wii game Okami, The IGN website logo seems to be just visible on the front cover box art. Did they not have their own artwork to work with or something?
Wii
1. Wii Sports (21.09 million)
2. Wii Play (11.31 million)
3. Super Mario Galaxy (6.38 million)
4. Mario Party 8 (5.08 million)
5. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (4.87 million)
DS
1. Nintendogs (17.79 million)
2. Pokémon Diamond and Pearl (14.17 million)
3. New Super Mario Bros. (13.14 million)
4. Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day! (11.71 million)
5. Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day! (9.84 million)
GameCube
1. Super Smash Bros. Melee (7.09 million)
2. Super Mario Sunshine (5.5 million)
3. Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (4.67 million)
4. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (3.07 million)
5. Luigi’s Mansion (2.53 million)
GBA
1. Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire (13 million)
2. Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen (10.66 million)
3. Pokémon Emerald (6.32 million)
4. Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 (4.079 million)
5. Super Mario Advance (3.73 million)
