Shunya Yamashita's art of Morrigan Aensland has nothing to do with what I'm about to say. But does it really need to?So completely strapped this week that I won't have time for Brawl until the weekend. I suppose it'll be my little reward for pushing through. But something occurred to me -- I don't even remember my Friend Code and have to go look at it and write it down again.
Friend Codes are a pain, right? The Wii doesn't have the sort of lobby system that just about every other game machine has managed to perfect. The mechanism exists, sure, but I've never seen it function usably. If current reviews of Brawl are to be believed, it's best to match up with a friend than to try and get a random battle.
Of course, the Wii is a family console; I don't think Nintendo has anything to gain from making it easier for random strangers to hook up with kids on the internet. But why don't they make like Xbox did and offer different console packages?
One, the existing, basic Wii. Two, a Wii just for gamers, retooled for better online matching and eliminating the need for Friend Codes? Maybe it could be a little pricier, have more memory. Get a really good third-party dev thing going on with it. Of course, they'd need more "gamer's games" on Wii to get enough people to buy such a thing. Maybe you'd get cheaper Virtual Console games if you had it. I think it'd be cool, and ensure Nintendo keeps a hunk of the main console market even when it's not releasing yet another game with Mario in it.
Also, Nintendo would make a killing releasing a $99 family Wii that can't go online. Provided, of course, they could keep them on shelves.
Anyway, to make it easier for SVGL friends to play together, I've started a thread at the SVGL Facebook Group for members to post friend codes. When I get to the weekend and figure out what my friend code is, I'll start a new post with it here and solicit yours, for those who don't use FB.
Oh, and here's more Yamashita. Link's not entirely safe for work.
15 comments:
The thing is though, Leigh, that they're already making a huge killing selling all the Wiis they can push out the factory door. Why change the formula when it's already generating maximum profit for you?
Yeah, I know. You're totally right. Just, MS rolled out that family arcade thing to extend their feelers into a portion of the marketplace they weren't really owning, even though most metrics would call them the dominant party among next-gen consoles now, and I wish Nintendo would do the same thing in reverse and remember the gamers!
Unfortunately, the only Wii evolutions I can see in the pipeline are DS Lite-style cosmetic upgrades, if anything at all. As Nintendo has demonstrated time and time again, they don't want to take unnecessary risks. The Wii? That was necessary, as the Gamecube, despite its profitability, flopped. But why insert online features that only a sector of the hardcore gaming community uses, and that the Wii's main audience scarcely uses at all? It's just asking for a situation like Xbox-Live's recent nudity controversy. Maybe next time around, but not with the Wii.
Friend codes are definitely safer. If Nintendo were to set up (or has already set up) a site would be a great way to aggregate friend codes. Something of an opt-in service which would keep the community at least minimally competent. But let's talk about your idea of a special console. This is a TERRIBLE idea. Don't take it the wrong way, it's just silly. The wii already has a web browser and channels probably aren't much of a technological hurdle. If anything, Nintendo could create an opt-in service through a channel (could even utilize virtual console store account). When they set up their account (current users could be prompted) they could be asked if they would like their friend code to be public. From there, it's a matter of giving the Wii an easy way other than manually entering friends. I can think of a lot of ways to do this. A website, a channel, both (a channel which is a script which greps the website, lol). If just a website, Nintendo could "create" a protocol. Like ftp or irc, urls starting Wii://3459287345 or whatever, when clicked on, could prompt the gamer to "use" that friend code.
This is a lot more practical than an entire console, a proposal which seems to ignore the Wii's flexibility. Why gamble with more sku, when you could increase the value of the existing sku and increase market share more generally.
--Starting to think I'm the only Anonymous here...
Now I HAVE to get a new wireless router. A chance to play with/against one of my favorite game columnists is hard to resist.
Yeah, it's great that the Wii is selling like hotcakes unlike the Gamecube, but it seems it's making Nintendo even more resistant to the game industry "standards." The "casual" market is almost entirely theirs, and since that's where the significant profit is, I can see Nintendo largely ignoring all this chitchat about "enhanced multiplayer matchmaking" & "instant messenger integration." Which... really sucks. For us, anyway.
And thanks for the Yamashita gallery, this guy is awesome. Makes me tear up a little inside knowing I have to wait somewhere between "4 to 8 weeks" for my hugely weeaboo art package to arrive (Persona 3, Okami, Rockman & Rockman X Complete Design Works books)! This calls for a ヽ(；´Д｀)ノ
Don't feel bad about Smash Brawl separation. I'm having to do without as well, despite having gotten it on launch day, because my Wii is one of those that can't play it, and it's off getting repaired! I hope our Miis are okay... even that Hitler who migrated onto our system from someone else's. He attends all our tennis matches!
I think the first step in appealing to hardcore gamers would be different hardware, because the Wii isn't just aimed at casual gamers; it is casual hardware. Everything from the controls to the graphics is aimed squarely away from hardcore gamers. Many production runs have trouble reading dual-layer game discs, which apparently hasn't even been an issue until Brawl's release.* The Wii is making a killing as-is, there's no benefit in Nintendo trying to market it as something it's not.
*This weekend you better hope you don't get the error screen and have to send your Wii to Nintendo. It would be hella anticlimactic.
Yeah, it'd better not! My Xbox is on its way outta here for repairs, so if I have to send my Wii back, too? I'll become one of those obnoxious TEAM SONY 4 LYFE types.
Friend codes may be safer - I agree - but they make my head hurt. Too many numbers.
Yep. Leigh knows how to keep me coming back. I vote for Morrigan in the whores thread, and bam!
:)
Indeed, I am a servant of the people.
While I like your ideas, I can't see the need for Nintendo to split up their SKUs. While a "Wii for gamers" would be swell to combat the Xbox Pro/Elite models, all Nintendo needs to do is push a firmware update through for HD support and they'd be fine.
Everything else is already there. The games are there (Brawl, NMH, Mario Galaxy, with an Okami port on the way), the price is low, and the ability for DLC (Virtual Console/WiiWare) is native.
If anything Nintendo may change the color and/or physical design of the Wii, but I don't see them splitting their userbase via new SKUS.
Oh yeah, the lack of Cammy at Yamashita's page is an injustice to man.
There are many ways we can improve the Wii. quite frankly I'd be happy with more storage and universal codes instead of game specific ones. The problem is as others have said Nintendo is a victim of their own success. The same things happened with the DS. They were supposed to go forward with three teirs (GBA, DS, Wii) but the DS was so popular they dropped the GBA. The same thing happened with the Wii. There was supposed to be a version of the Wii that would have a DVD player. Japan only at first but I'm sure when it sold like gold they'd bring it to the states. The problem is the Wii as it is just kept selling far to well. It's bittersweet to watch Nintendo finally reclaim sucess after being a gamecube fan. Very bittersweet indeed because there are so many things we're never going to get. Like Universal FCs.
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