Point/Counterpoint: Is WiiWare a disappointment?

by Alisha Karabinus { Jun 25th 2008 at 1:15PM }

We've had WiiWare here in the U.S. for a little over a month, and already gamers are forming pretty solid opinions on the budding download service. Prior to launch, WiiWare was one of the most anticipated features the console had on offer ... and now that we have it, is it everything promised, or is WiiWare a disappointment? That's the question on the table between two of our bloggers today, so get ready to take sides and let your own voice be heard.


plctext		It burns us!

Tags: disappointment, dlc, download-service, joystiqfeatures, microtransaction, original, rate-of-release

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Nushio (NDF - Blue) @ Jun 25th 2008 1:32PM

I've yet to purchase a single WiiWare title and do have a bit over 1000 wii points on my account.

I've yet to see a must buy title.

Nushio (NDF - Blue) @ Jun 25th 2008 1:33PM

To rephrase that... If demos were available, I would no doubt would have purchased either Lost Winds or FFLaaK if I had liked either of those games. With no demos though, I'm left to watching videos, and the videos don't amaze me.

benmully @ Jun 25th 2008 1:45PM

its uninspired me cos i haven't downloaded anything. not because i don't want to, but because i have no storage!!! i'm on download strike for vc/wiiware until they fix the issue. they better announce something at e3!!!

Geoff @ Jun 25th 2008 1:51PM

I have Lost Winds and Defend Your Castle, but with that and just 5 NES VC titles, my memory's full (and I'm not going to move them incessantly back and forth between an SD card).

Because of that, I haven't even looked at another WiiWare title, and won't until the situation is remedied.

jmf @ Jun 25th 2008 2:27PM

Your memory's full already? I've got Lostwinds, My Life as a King, Dr. Mario, 4 SNES games, 4 Turbo-16 games, 3 NES games, and 3 N64 games (though I agree, I won't be moving things back and forth to the SD card).
To comment on Wiiware being a disappointment, I think so far the games have been average (Dr. Mario and Lostwinds being the best).

Sonic_13 @ Jun 25th 2008 2:42PM

I have to agree with the above user. Unless you have other stuff that you're not mentioning, there is no way that your memory is full.

I have every possible additional channel (Metroid Prime 3, Internet, Photo 1.1, Wii Fit, Mario Kart, Everybody Votes, Check Mii Out, Nintendo), four NES games, one SNES games, and the Dr. Mario demo and I still have nearly 700 blocks left.

And seeing as there are no WiiWare titles over 300 blocks, that means even with every possible channel, five NES games, and two WiiWare games you should still have a few hundred blocks left.

bbear @ Jun 25th 2008 3:57PM

If the other 4 VC games he has are N64 games its VERY possible he is out of space.

I personally have been out of space since last August. That's almost 1 year i've been "boycotting" downloads. Not because I don't want new things but because I want to play the stuff I already have, so I don't want to make the decision between that stuff and my new stuff.

Geoff @ Jun 25th 2008 4:04PM

I didn't mention the Channels or the saved game files from the 60+ Wii games on my shelf, which I'm sure take a few hundred blocks, as those aren't the "downloadable games" we're talking about.

Still, the point stands because we really shouldn't be having this discussion anyway with today's technology. I don't have any more room for any more DLC, and I'm not buying any more until the Big N comes up with a solution.

Sonic_13 @ Jun 25th 2008 4:05PM

He stated he had 5 NES games, not N64 games.

Sonic_13 @ Jun 25th 2008 10:13PM

It kind of sounds to me like you're complaining about being out of memory without actually knowing how much memory you have...

RossGough @ Jun 29th 2008 7:31PM

i agree with Geoff.

i'm outta memory, and i don't even care how many games i have on my channels, i shouldn't be if i hope to buy more wiiware titles without the hassle of transfer between SD.

i have my first channels screen full of.. just different channels, my second is two thirds full of MegaDrive/NES games, and my third has My Life as a King and Lost Winds.

now for any game fan that isn't a huge collection..
the memory problem really does need sorting!

Sonic_13 @ Jun 25th 2008 1:53PM

WiiWare isn't a disappoint in my view. The service is young and like most new consoles/services there are generally only a few standout titles (Dr. Mario, LostWinds, Final Fantasy), with many AAA titles coming a little later.

Just look at the Nintendo DS. When it launched, its top title was a remake of an N64 game - now look at how successful it has become and the amazing games it has had. Similar situations have occurred for other systems as well.

WiiWare, although part of Wii, is for all intents and purposes a new system and we need to give it a little more time before we make conclusions about it. I have no doubt that we are going to see some amazing projects for it come E3.

ann @ Jun 25th 2008 1:53PM

i dont think its a disappointment at all.
i like dr mario alot i just finished playing a match with my buddy in brooklyn. i also like lost winds. i havent bought anything else yet but in these hard money times it would be cool if the games were 5-10 bucks and offered a free one say if you bought 4.
and playable demos would be cool. but cheap games are the way to go.

guttertalk @ Jun 25th 2008 1:59PM

I've downloaded three, including some of the Life as King addons. But nothing since those first two weeks have tempted me. Still, I see about 4-6 future titles that I might purchase.

I've thought at times that it's been a failure, but I think that is harsh because one way to look at it is that Wiiware is a way to offer small, niche games, sometimes experimental. I don't know that we need shooters that might not be any better than those on VC, but I accept that I'm not going to like everything coming out on Wiiware.

Overall, I think it has been successful: people are buying Wiiware games, and some developers are taking chances. I would like to see more Wiiware announcements.

michael @ Jun 25th 2008 2:07PM

I've yet to download any, because none of the titles have grabbed my attention. Demo's would be a definite help, a minute or a level, something to get an idea if the game is worth it. It's already hard enough to find a game worth $50, it isn't any easier when it's just $10.

I am definitely buying the Strong Bad episodic games tho, when they finally start to get released.

Shogan @ Jun 25th 2008 2:09PM

I haven't bought a single game. I was looking forward to My Pokemon Ranch for the Pokemon Box features, but you can't transfer Pokemon from one game to another, so what's the point?

No demos, and lack of storage play a really big part in my decision to not bother with the service.

bukizzle715 @ Jun 25th 2008 2:15PM

I haven't tried the service yet. Not enough memory. If they fix this issue then I would like to try Lost Winds and Gyrostarr. Right now, I'm not swapping back and forth between SD and Wii memory, it's ridiculous. As somebody once said on a random forum somewhere, "I'm not playing Tetris with my memory."

Blue_Falcon @ Jun 25th 2008 2:23PM

I find WiiWare to be something of a mixed bag in regards to the disappointment level, but I think it's also a bit too early to call on within it being only less than two months.

I only own one WiiWare game, LostWinds. It could've used a bit more time, but overall a solid game worthy of every bit of praise its received. Now I don't own one game for the WiiWare due to lack of interest. Far from it. I can actually think of another 4 games I'd like to buy right now (and have suffiecient funds to do so).

However, I haven't bought these other games due to the fact that 1) I can't demo them and 2) the storage issue (I have PLENTY of space right now, but it's just the principle of it all). 90% of all XBLA games that have come out in recent months, I've given the demo a chance. Some demos have changed my mind on some games, for better and worse. It's just one of those things that should be there, especially when it comes to the kind of product that you can't get a refund on. On the storage issue, it's just not something that should be as limited as it is. As a frequent downloader of XBLA content, the idea of deleting games and getting them again is preposterous. I, at the moment, don't see myself many more titles until these two issues are fixed. They're legitimate problems, and they really turn me away from getting more games.

Now as for the actual games themselves. I don't see what the big problem is, especially when you look at the line-up in comparison to XBLAs first two months. There are several solid (or so I've heard from people around here and elsewhere) titles available. LostWinds, MLaaK, Toki Tori, Dr. Mario. Even lesser titles like Pop and Star Soldier R haven't been considered all that bad. The only 'problem' with the line-up is that [insert upcoming game] isn't available right now (and then once it comes out, the internet masses will find some other game to bitch about).

As far as 'innovation' problems...well, look at the DS launch, and look at some of the titles that have come out since then. Big difference in terms of how games have made use of the system since then. I figure the same will be said for WiiWare down the road.

Garu @ Jun 25th 2008 2:30PM

I love Dr. Mario and I enjoy the TV Game Show game... it's fun with a group. I'll be sure to get Tetris as well. I've been tempted by some otehr ones, but haven't gone for it yet. Has anyone played the Black Jack one?

Again, the limited storage space is a problem. I downloaded Sin and Punishment and it just ATE a large chunk of memory.

phenylketonurics @ Jun 25th 2008 2:39PM

Well, it's not a disappointment considering it's age. I personally see no appeal in it but that's simply because of its target. It seems more that people who already programme games (or wish they could, hah) have a love for this. It's understandable.

That said, I've download Dr. Mario (Japanese) and it's nice. I prefer the original NES version but this little revamp is okay. WiiWare will more than likely catch on, though. In due time.

m-p{3} @ Jun 25th 2008 2:44PM

To me it is a dissapointment, as they tend to leave the VC taking some dust since then.

Also, no WiiWare games caught my interest at the moment.

I also follow the trend of "I don't want to fricking swap my games from my SD to Wii everytime I want to play something else".

il_duce620 @ Jun 25th 2008 3:18PM

Thus far, I've only got Defend Your Castle, but I'm _this_close_ to getting Gyrostarr... The others haven't interested me all that much, but I definitely see some potential there in games like Lost Winds.

The point I was going to make, however, is similar to m-p{3}'s in that the Virtual Console has taken a back seat in recent months. It's one thing to trickle out new content through WiiWare, but it's almost inexcusable to only release one or two VC games in a given week, as there are literally _thousands_ of games that haven't been released through VC...and plenty of great games that people have been asking for since the Wii's release (read: Super Mario RPG, Goldeneye 007, Super Mario Kart, etc.).

WiiWare is fine the way it is, providing some great new games that have wiz-bang graphics when compared with their VC brethren, but it worries me that Nintendo has access to the back catalogs of at least 7 different systems (depending on your region) and we're only getting ~8 titles from them every month.

I wouldn't mind getting one new WiiWare title a week, as long as we start getting our steady trickle of 3 VC titles every week too (preferably with a few games I've at least heard of?).

On a related subject, XBLA doesn't release a new title every week, do they?

Mr Khan @ Jun 25th 2008 3:28PM

It's a disappointment only insomuch as the Wii itself is a disappointment. Judged based on its content, and not the limitations of the platform, i'd say WiiWare is a rousing success

jaredgood1 @ Jun 25th 2008 3:31PM

"why leave out content that could just as easily be placed in the original game? Answer: because microtransactions and the people who devise them are evil."

Stopped reading right there. Do you ask that same question about sequels or expansion packs? Also, relying on hyperbole is trite at best and pathetic at worst.

Tyler @ Jun 25th 2008 4:04PM

WiiWare is awesome. Original content is always good. Stop complaining, people.

murray b @ Jun 25th 2008 5:36PM

Well, I'm about out of memory myself. noticed you really can't have more than 2 wiiware games at a time.

phantomexe @ Jun 25th 2008 9:40PM

I love wiiware games.I've downloaded,defend the castle,lost winds,ff my life as a king,pop,and that shooter that just came out monday.A few of them did get moved to SD ,which is a pain in the ass.Same goes for vc games.I think the only wiiware game i regret buying was pop.

steve @ Jun 25th 2008 10:15PM

i bought dr. mario, played it for an hour, and that was it. nothing says must buy to me. course i feel the same about XBLA too.

gene @ Jun 26th 2008 1:22AM

I think it is to early to judge whether or not wii ware is a disappointment. It has potential, even if they have lame games right now it will get better. Think about when we are bored of nintendo wii do to a drought of new good releases, and Im talking about the games that use the disc channel for, we still have wii ware. All I know is I prefer better nintendo wii games than games that come from the nintendo wii shop channel.

Brandon N. Hatfield @ Jun 26th 2008 9:26AM

It amazes me that there are people out there that still think 512MB of storage is "enough." I filled mine up a longtime ago, and since have had to remove over ten games and channels just to install things like the Nintendo Channel and some game channels and save data.

Not happy.

I haven't bought any VC or WW titles since my storage space was totally gobbled up and I don't plan to until Nintendo FIXES this issue.

Kal2731 @ Jun 29th 2008 4:37PM

I find it interesting how many ppl want to complain about the lack of storage you get with your Wii. They all say the same thing...Nintendo needs to fix this issue? Did you or did you not buy the Wii knowing it had such limited space? I doubt that anyone at Nintendo forced you to buy the product...or in any way falsely advised you as to how much storage the Wii has. I'll agree that I was hesitant because of the storage but chose to buy anyway knowing I could use SD cards and hopefully a solution would be found in the future.

As far as WiiWare, I haven't gotten anything yet but perhaps when my monetary situation levels out I'll pick up Dr. Mario. That's the only one really catching my eye so far.