Nintendo came to us with a specific mission. The Wii: Is suppose to satisfy every single type of customer that has purchased the system. Whether you are a harcore gamer, or just a person looking for a good time. The big question is whether Nintendo revered what they have said months ago. Has it happened? Yes…and no.

GameDaily BIZ has done a interview with Vice President (Marketing & Corporation) on the most repetitious topic: Wii. The chat is stressed through a number of pages, and what they basically talk about is what will become of Wii in 2007? I couldn’t help but contemplate about Kaplan’s state of mind in this interview. She didn’t sound…as fortunate as she would’ve hoped. Let me prove my point:

BIZ: Getting back to my point about the lull and keeping momentum, though, the Q1 lineup for the Wii looks pretty anemic, honestly. And long droughts were a problem with the GameCube. Reggie Fils-Aime recently declared that there would be no droughts on the Wii, but it’s as if we’re starting to feel a drought already right now. I mean, when are we going to see Metroid or Mario?

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PK: Well, first of all, number one you’re a hardcore gamer, and we’re selling to the masses as well. As I had mentioned earlier, there are millions of people who have yet to even experience Wii Sports. We’ve got 27 products between January and June, which gives people a lot to choose from, and that doesn’t even include all of the Virtual Console games. You know, we’ve got Metroid and Super Mario Galaxy, and Super Smash Bros. and a lot of other really cool products… Elebits for example is getting really rave reviews and it’s a really cool product. So we have about 2/3 of our products coming from third parties, which is really healthy; so while you, a core gamer are kind of waiting for our next product, there’s still tons for people to experience and to find. And a lot of the hardcore products are going to continue to come and come soon.

Apparently GameDaily sees a drought of titles this time around for the Wii. In regards to Reggie, that isn’t suppose to happen. Perrin shoots that out of the way with the note of 27 titles boasting the Q1-Q2 2007 lineup. Which is very true considering many Wii games will hit retail stores around March. MOH: Vanguard, Fire Emblem, SSX Blur, etc.

The website later asks if any new IPs are making landmarks on the Wii console. Perrin disregards the question and tries to form a…oblique statement. Or off topic. When asked again, she replies:

PK: I can’t… but you’ll learn more soon! There’s also a lot to be said about the channels program we have on the Wii. That’s a whole different aspect of introducing new things that are not specifically IP oriented—different, new experiences and things that have never been done before. So that part is cool too.

There are probably a couple IPs that we are unaware of, but the secrets are still locked. This is a growing concern for gamers (especially myself) which have wondered….when will Nintendo announce these games we’ve never heard of?

BIZ: Let’s talk about Nintendo’s online plans. Obviously you have some cool stuff with the Weather Channel, News Channel, Opera browser, etc., but in terms of online gameplay Nintendo continues to lag behind. There are still no games to play online on the Wii, everyone hates those friend codes… how will Nintendo’s online plans evolve?

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PK: Some of that friend code stuff is really built for the mass consumer, not just the gaming world. The Wii has tons of different offerings and a lot of it was brand new. The remote, brand new. The way in which it interfaces with the screen, brand new. The channel concept, brand new. And I think if we launched it and plunked it down and said to the absolutely uninitiated, “Here’s 18 things it can do,” I can guarantee you it would stay in the box. It’s just too intimidating. So we really strategically wanted to roll out having nearly a year talking about the remote and getting people ready, why it’s unique, because it is the Einstein of the system.

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And then talking about the different things the box can do and then entering with the Virtual Console piece of it and the Wii Shop channel, introducing the channels one a time—the Mii channel has taken off and people really love that. Then ultimately we did weather, news and there’s a lot more to come, but we’re kind of rolling it out in a fashion that is consumable for people who are not highly experienced—and also giving you guys a chance to really explore it. And online stuff has come in the Pokemon game that has launched in Japan, and it definitely will come here and I think people will be very pleased with it. But I also think we’ve seen other companies launch with the entire menu of stuff, and I don’t think all of it gets utilized at the start.

This part of the interview discusses the Wii’s online component…something that hasn’t been pleasured by avid Nintendo fans. It’s excellent that the company cares about non-gamers, which is why they provided the News, Photo, Everyone Votes and the Weather Channel. All of these are beneficial to the mass consumer. But what about the hardcore gamers, and those who value…online and games above all else?

BIZ: The frustrating part of it though is that there are a lot of great things Nintendo could do online, and for gamers who value online play as a key component of the game experience they’ll probably look elsewhere for that. Most would look to the 360 and Xbox Live. Doesn’t that concern you?

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PK: But I also think we’re talking a little bit apples and oranges. What the Wii offers is uniquely different than the other systems. Those two systems are much more similar to each other. Wii might be a second purchase in the home for people who already own or purchased one of the other two, or people who will buy just a Wii will buy a Wii only and not have the other two. I think we feel pretty confident about our position; at the time online comes [to the Wii] I think people will be pleased with it. But for people who are hardcore gamers nothing can ever come fast enough for them, ever. I mean even when we announced a mass market price, which has been a blow away [success], hardcore gamers even complained about that. And it’s just because you are all very educated about it and have a really huge appetite and want everything now. And having things at that pace is overwhelming for a lot of the other consumers, so we’ve tried to roll things out at a pace that makes sense… So online stuff will be coming soon and hopefully you all will be really pleased with it. And if you’re really, really into online I can bet that you’d be playing it on all the systems.

Online….a very basic fundamental component that is heavily used in the success of gaming…especially the Xbox 360. Perrin doesn’t seem overwhelmed about the fact that Nintendo may not do well in the likes of the Xbox/PS3 when it comes to online gaming. Does being different always mean good news?

BIZ: Can you name a few things about Sony and Microsoft that they may have done a better job at than Nintendo and a few things where perhaps they could improve and learn from Nintendo?

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PK: You’re asking me?

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BIZ: Yes…

GameDaily has gotten real deep with this chat. Nintendo has done very well so far…the website asks if Nintendo can learn from some of it’s cons, in comparison to the competition.

PK: I think Sony showed the world with PS2 that it was possible for millions and millions of homes to own a [video game] system; they did it. I think for Microsoft, Xbox Live is very strong; they’ve done very well with it. And I think the Wii is a whole different ball game and we’re having a blast.

Well….the PS2 part really wasn’t a pro. And Xbox Live is mentioned once again…this time from Perrin. She agrees that it’s very resourceful, so why hasn’t Nintendo implanted a similar feature in the Wii? Again…is being different always better?

I was roaming around in some Nintendo forums…and I must say that many people do not agree with Nintendo’s future plans. Here are some comments concerning online plans.

As we all know Nintendo has been trying to “bring people together”. Now don’t get me wrong. I love playing multiplayer games with my friends in my living room. But, as we also know, we can’t get four friends to play tennis with all the time. Also we want to game and correspond with family/relatives/friends across the world. This is only done by online play. Right now nintendo has done an awesome job getting people together playing the wii. But how long those moments last are very limited. To me, nintendo is going to emphasize this getting together in person way more than their online play. It’s the sad truth that I think a lot of know deep down inside that nintendo is only using online play for an alternative to “real” multiplayer, and not as a full flegged option(a mode people might choose over single player campaigns). But there is still hope if nintendo can pull their act together and offer us two great different kinds of multiplayer experiences, everyone will be happy. Please post your thoughts and feelings about this subject.

And some comments included:

(As witnessed with the GC), Nintendo hasn’t had a history of taking online play seriously. It appears as if they are hesitant to change their ways, and adapt, to change brought on by the internet. Now don’t get me wrong, bowling with a group of my friends is a lot of fun, but I’d like more. Some form of online play in which you can branch out, and smack talk your brother in California, while sitting in your living room in Pennsylvania. I really hope the online play for the wii isn’t just an afterthought. ÂAnd playing online with your neighbor may not happen, because of the fun of playing in person multiplayer. Seeing your neighbor throw his shoulder out while trying to box you has a certain appeal that online just can’t erase.

Why should the choice of when we play a game with people be dictated by our friends or relatives? I’d rather be the one to choose when I play on my Wii… what you said is simply ridiculous. ÂIf this truly is Nintendo’s strategy, and the Wii’s unofficial slogan is, “If you can’t get together in person, don’t play at all” then Nintendo have lost their minds! How dare they force us into playing living room multiplayer by making the online system crap? This shouldn’t be their choice. Nintendo are making a huge mistake if they don’t appeal to gamers who enjoy online gaming, like myself.

Multiplayer with friends in your living room is an entirely different gaming genre to online multiplayer. You seem to be using the two interchangeably, I don’t think you understand that they’re different. I also don’t get the impression you’ve ever experienced the online gaming genre. ÂI also get this impression from Nintendo. I wish they’d stop being so arrogant about it. You’d think not a single person at Nintendo has ever even played an online game!

I’d have to agree with you there. I won’t be buying an FPS fr my wii until something good comes out with online multiplyer. I also think that the reason nintendo is lagging behind with thier online setup is because it wasn’t in the plan in the first place. I’m guessing they saw what the 360 was doing and was kind of scared into putting online play in very late in development. Here’s another thought-today I just played SSBM and realized- Dang! this game has almost an infinate amount of replay value. Just think of what they could do with the new super smash if they get the online right.

Here are some comments on the game drought:

One game a week is **** poor, especially if they’re not bigish titles. One game a week, for the average person, is going to be one game a month or less actually bought. ÂDrought is far from over.

For me it is the first quarter is a drought unless they find someway to have good single player with huge variations in single player. I look at Prince of Persia and the games I’ve played from the series. I beat them once and well it’s not addictive for me to through once more because its the exact same.

Here are some miscellaneous comments:

I agree that the lack of games is the biggest downfall right now, but I’m not going to fault Nintendo or the system itself for that. New consoles are rarely released with dozens of titles available at launch, and early adopters of a new platform always have to wait a while for the content to catch up.ÂBesides, seeing as I never owned a GameCube, all I have to do is buy a GC controller and suddenly I’ll have access to hundreds of games that I never got a chance to play. Add to that the Virtual Console, which gives me a chance to play through some of my old favourites while I wait for new releases, and I can hardly complain about the range.

No idea what people mean when they say “online sucks.” I’ve never had a problem connecting to the Shop, or getting the news and weather reports. As soon as I bought a wireless router, the Wii detected it instantly, and I was off and running. Even when I added a secure PSK later on, all I had to do was edit the config on the Wii, tell it my shared key, and everything was happy.

If you’re talking about online games, then I’m afraid I haven’t had a chance to test it out yet. I don’t have any games that offer online support, and I’d be hesitant to connect to a server in the US with a ping of 300. Still, if it’s as reliable as the Shop and other online services, I doubt I’ll have a problem with it.

I voted yes, of course. I’m very satisfied with the console overall.

 Which brings me to: How could you possibly say the Wii is perfect? Nothing is.ÂAllow me to point out it’s flaws:

- Delayed online play
- Graphically underpowered for the current generation
- No rechargeable Wiimotes
- No ability to play game saves or VC games off an SD card
- Limited internal memory
- Surplus of minigame compilations

Perfection is a matter of opinion, certainly, but in reality, perfection is nonexistent. Something can always be improved upon.

The Wii may be perfect for you but it is not perfect.

To Nintendo…the Wii is almost perfect. But many don’t agree with that. Even though this is the minority, it scares me that people feel this way about the Wii. I’ve been aware of the problems from the start, and they might be in some effect.

http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=15301

The same article can be found here. Perrin has acted a little shy of Nintendo’s problems…and this is a growing problem, whether they can see it or not. Those who contridict the Wii probably would be more happy if Nintendo didn’t generalize what they say.