Nintendo Wii 'like a virus', games boss sniffs
Cough up some criticism
The President of videogame developer Epic Games has compared Nintendo's Wii console to a “virus”, despite having caught bought one himself.
Mike Capps recently told gaming website IGN that the Wii is like a virus: you catch the bug, have it for a couple of weeks then you get over it. After that, you're immune to its charms.
In the meantime, he said, your friends, who you invited round in the early days of the 'infection', have caught the bug too and are busily showing the console off to their chums. And so on.
Epic’s President also implied that the console’s games are not up to much, and said that the few titles he did like would still be better off on other consoles.
Microsoft appears to agree. Last week, it claimed the Wii's software attachment rate in Europe is just 3.5 titles - a lot lower than the seven-odd titles it claimed Xbox 360 owners have bought.
Mind you, the software giant also said it had recently doubled 360 sales in Europe - though it later emerged it was still behind both the PS3 and the Wii, in the UK.
As for attachment rates, Nintendo claimed in January that in European Wii owners have bought 5.6 titles on average - rather more than the 3.5 MS claimed. Who do you believe?
COMMENTS
Beh
Give it a few years, and people who today are of console-gaming age will be of MEP age. Then the law which already forbids console manufacturers' current anti-competitive practices (blocking third-party game development is illegal, but they all do it) will actually be enforced.
That will give the console industry the kick it needs, alright.
the Wii is new, new games because of a new controller
@ Alistair Millington
How can you dismiss the the PS3/360 as churning out the same rubbish over and over, yet suddenly the Wii isnt??
With the odd exception every game on the wii is the same old stuff we've seen year in year out from nintendo. Most games would map onto a normal controller with no effort at all (with very odd exceptions like the genius that is Wii Sports)
Everyone raves about Mario Kart, but that would map exactly onto a sixaxis controller, then you could have flashy controls, with HD, and a usable online system. Rather than a average looking racing game, with gimped online.
Paris, because she knows a gimmick when she sees one.
remember people
the Wii is new, new games because of a new controller. So the things coming in for it might be similar to previous games but the controlling interface is new, nothing is the same as the game cube or the N64.
PS3 and Xbox have been around for donkeys years so just churn out newer versions of the same old tat that the PC does better anyway. (Extra content for GOW on the PC, or FF7)
Wow halo 3 is out and is the same as halo1 was back in the day, PS3 has that game, the one with the... erm... gun... (I can't think of any sony games other than final fantasy 7 which I think sony flogged till it was at 13???) Oh I remember now, silent hill 1... then there was 2 and 3 then four...
Also what it means is xbox and Ps3 are lacking imagination for new games... which is easy to see with their offerings.
"Ohh it's pretty" but it is still running round shooting people with a gun on the same crappy joypad they had five years ago... (Gears of war2... I rest my case)
You get my point...
great exclusives
Wii Sports
Super Mario Galaxy
Mario Kart Wii
Wii Fit
Links Crossbow Training
(Smash Bros Brawl & The Force Unleashed on Preorder)
Warioware
are all must have titles from a gaming or social aspect
thats without even considering titles you can get for other platforms
which of the other consoles has such compelling 'must have' exclusive titles.
Help
I just can't stop playing MarioKart. I don't know why - the graphics are rubbish (it almost looks the same as it does on the DS) the physics totally unrealistic, and i look like a complete tool holding a disembodied steering wheel in my front room.
But I just can't stop. I keep wanting another go. I cheer when I win - sometimes just crossing the line seconds after blowing up the other players, or eating one of the trippy power ups - I shout 'weeee' when I do a trick on one of the jumps. I get a sinking feeling when the alarm sounds on the tinny wii-mote knowing that some nasty bomb day glow graphics power-up thing has been thrown at me.
