(mashedmarket)

So the Wii’s been out for over two years now. Two years! And it’s still selling like hot cakes. Remember that there’s been no change to pricing or configuration. Virtually nothing’s different save the size of the software library and the number of peripherals available. However, in spite of the console’s monumental success, games media outlets are talking about it LESS than ever before. Presumably, these blogs, magazines, and podcasts are just serving their readers’ interests. But why, after only a year on store shelves, did Nintendo’s new console utterly fail to captivate its existing market?

Hark back to late 2007, during which Nintendo-published titles Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Super Mario Galaxy, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl were released to varying degrees of fanfare. Each of these games turned out to be little more than an extremely competent rehash of its predecessors. None used the Wii Remote to revolutionize existing series mechanics. Moreover, Nintendo’s long history of leading the pack on its own platform caught up with them in a big way. When they failed to more than marginally integrate their new controller’s capabilities into old franchises, that sent a message. Third-party developers had already been shying away from ambitious Wii-centric games; Nintendo’s own conservative design decisions drove the final nails into these efforts’ coffins.

(Only perhaps this is an unfair characterization. After all, Nintendo received plenty of help in the form of guidance from gamers, few of whom wanted motion control to play a big part in this generation’s reimagining of their old favorites.)

Meanwhile, a brand new intellectual property, Capcom’s Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barabaros’ Treasure, was almost universally trumpeted as the title which, “more than any other Wii game…probably offers the best use of the Remote.” Numerous previews praised its innovative implementation of various gestures. IGN even ran a Buy Zack & Wiki Campaign 2007. Unfortunately, despite mountains of positive press, Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure moved only 35,000 units during its first month at retail. This lackluster performance helped cement the Wii’s reputation as a machine that wasn’t worth the effort. Shovelware and Nintendo’s own Touch! Generations brand have dominated the system ever since.

I’ve been playing Zack & Wiki over the past few weeks. Even given the fact I’m over a full year late, it feels pretty atavistic — too many SCUMM-era adventure cliches. Nevertheless, it’s easy to see where the game’s advocates were going. They wanted to push developers into taking full advantage of the Wii’s exciting new hardware. More than anything, these people hoped to have an effect on the industry’s direction. So, in their honor, let’s play a quick game of Imagine: 2.5 Million Copyz. What if Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure had been the instant classic some reviewers strove to make it? How might the Wii’s gamescape have turned out differently? Would No More Heroes, Boom Blox, and MadWorld remain the brightest blips on players’ radars? And, perhaps most important, when might this young and varied medium gain a suitably charismatic, elegant critic capable of having a meaningful influence on its direction? Do we need one? Will it ever?