Comments on: Bad economy means lame games

If the economy continues to worsen, will video game developers release more sequels and Wii games? Don Reisinger thinks there's a definite possibility of that happening.

[homercles82]

Gaming companies will always rely on sequels of popular games to get them through. As long as a company doesn't run a series into the ground and ruin it (Eidos with Tomb Raider) they will keep a profitable game. Nintendo has pushed the market further out and created a system where you can play for 15 to 30 minutes a day and be satisfied. Microsoft and Sony need to accept this larger market and create a system that not only gives gamers their coveted sequels ala GTA or Halo but allows for users to play a short period time in their busy day and feel satisfied.

On busy days I turn the Wii on and play 3 or 4 rounds of bowling. Or my friends and I play for an hour or so with bowling tournaments. I believe people are gravitating towards shorter gaming periods and get more satisfaction out of this.

The reality is that the market for video gaming entertainment is not just made up of hardcore gamers, a fact that many cannot face.

[VanorOrion]

The reason you see so much shovelware on the Wii is naturally because it's cheaper to make games for, and because the system has a higher install base, it's more lucrative. I don't understand why people are so shocked or even make such a big fuss about this. It's the obvious thing to do if you're aiming to make a quick buck with minimal effort.

The Nintendo has taken the same approach with the Wii that they have with the DS and it's paid off for them in spades. The reason it's taken so long for good 3rd Party games to come out is because the developers can't seem to fathom putting gameplay ahead of graphics on a console, even though that's what they do on the DS and on the PSP, though right now we're seeing the first wave of solid 3rd-Party games coming out for the Wii. Already we have in the span of the last few weeks seen the releases of: Tenchu Shadow Assassins, House of the Dead Overkill, Onechanbara, all of which are pretty good, more traditional videogames. not to mention Deadly Creatures.

And next month we're seeing games coming out such as Madworld, Rune Factory, Crystal Chronicles, and later this month there will be Chop Till You Drop, in June and July we'll be seeing Arc Rise Fantasia, The Conduit, Muramasa, and I could go on and on. This year is looking to close the gap of quality games on the Wii in relation to the other two systems. Actually, don't be surprised when the amount of quality games specifically made for the system begins to overtake the same amount for the PS3 and the 360.

Before long, even when you remove all the shovelware, you're gonna still have enough of a library of quality Wii games that'll be proportionately greater than the PS3 or the 360. It's just beginning, 2009 is the year of the Wii.