[Lynk Former]

The biggest thing a developer has to face when making a game for a Nintendo console is Nintendo itself. Nintendo is a developer itself and has every advantage on its own console, but not only that there are certain views of Nintendo consoles as being the family friendly console and the increasing view that it is not a console for so-called "hardcore" gamers. Nintendo platforms are also outside of the norm in this current generation, lacking a solid online infrastructure like Xbox Live and High Definition capabilities, etc.

I'd like to completely ignore the DS in this thread seeing as it has already proven itself, and while Wii has been selling extremely well in its first year+, my concern is for the games, not the console itself.


Nintendo

As I said before, the thing developers have most to fear on a Nintendo console is Nintendo itself. Nintendo is the reason a lot of established gamers buy a Nintendo console and they have a long list of franchises to back them up as well as Nintendo's trend of new and interesting ideas which they've always been experimenting with even before Wii.

The general view towards Nintendo is that it's the Disney of videogames, that their games are meant for children and don't have much substance according to the average "hardcore" gamer you talk to. Of course, those people usually base their comments on the most obvious things like the Mario franchise and Pokémon and either don't know about, or choose to ignore, Nintendo's other franchises. People also choose to ignore the fact that if it wasn't for Nintendo, such games as GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark wouldn't come to exist and change the very face of FPS games on videogame consoles. Much of Nintendo's funding back in the N64 days went into these two games and Nintendo also supported Rare through it all and didn't hold back any of the violence.

Games like Big Brain Academy, Wii Fit and Wii Sports are obviously things the "hardcore" gamer turn away from in disgust. But Nintendo is doing a lot to extinguish this idea that videogames are nothing more that "violent murder training devices aimed at children"... or whatever the hell some ignorant people think videogames are. It's all about market expansion for Nintendo at this point, and it's a worthy goal to achieve.

Nintendo isn't going to stop releasing games from its established list of franchises. We are going to see more Fire Emblem games, and it's not like Nintendo has stopped thinking of the more traditional gamer either. Nintendo is publishing Fatal Frame IV for Wii and they've also got some new IP's up their sleeve, some we know about, others we don't. But then anyone who knows Nintendo knows that they always have things brewing, and most of it isn't revealed to the public at all.

I expect the same thing I always expect from Nintendo, but I also know that they're putting a lot of effort into expanding the market. The only real problem I see at this stage for them on Wii are third party developers that don't know what to do with the system, and find it easier to work on more traditional platforms (PS3/360)... and also the smaller third party developers who see Wii as a dumping group for mini-game compilations and general shovelware. Though, the irony is, this is probably a good sign seeing as the PS2 had the same problem and look how popular it turned out to be.


Retro Studios

Now, Retro Studios is a private company owned in full by Nintendo which makes it a first-party developer. However, I want to talk about them a little in their own section. Retro has only released 3 games since its time. Metroid Prime, Metroid Prime 2 Echoes and Metroid Prime 3 Corruption. They've finished the Metroid Prime trilogy and they're free to move onto something else.

Retro is a very small studio, so you can't really compare it to Rare on that level, however in a way Retro is like Rare in that they're capable of making high quality titles, and also because they're a developer Nintendo has which is based outside of Japan which allows them to create different kinds of games than a Japanese developer would think of creating. They are an extremely valuable asset for Nintendo, and if used well, Nintendo will be able to please a lot of the more traditional gamers out there.

I expect big things from Retro, and rumour has it that they're working on a new IP over there at the moment. Of course the thought had come across my mind that because they have had all this experience with the Metroid series, the natural course would be for Nintendo to bring back the Kid Icarus franchise and hand it over to Retro and see what they can come up with. For those of you who don't know, Metroid and Kid Icarus are both creations of the late Gunpei Yokoi and the first Metroid and Kid Icarus games on the NES were very similar. Though, rumour has it that Factor 5 is actually working on a Kid Icarus game... I hope it's not true though.

Either way, whatever comes out of Retro Studios, I'm sure I’m going to enjoy it.


Monolith Soft

Nintendo recently bought majority shares of Monolith Soft from Namco Bandai and it has now become a first party developer. Monolith Soft is known for creating the Xenosaga series as well as the Baten Kaitos series for the GameCube.

The game Monolith Soft is working on at the moment is Disaster: Day of Crisis, a new IP which if done right, may turn out to be pretty good. Though, I've made a bet with Jeff that this game won't allow you to actually kill anyone, or at the very least strongly discourage you from doing so even though the main character is able to use a handgun. The idea of the game is to save lives, not take them.


Factor 5

I don't quite know how to place Factor 5. They have heavily supported Nintendo in the past. They are a developer known for their flight based games in recent years. In the N64 era they started with Rogue Squadron and also released Battle for Naboo and Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine the following year. For the GameCube they released Rogue Squadron 2 Rogue Leader and Rogue Squadron 3 Rebel Strike. They also created a couple of middleware tools for the N64 and GCN... as I said, they supported Nintendo heavily, of course until after they released Rebel Strike.

Factor 5 then looked to the Xbox after that, then to the Xbox360 and finally decided to create a game for the PS3. As they worked with Sony to create Lair for the PS3, there were interviews taken with Factor 5 president Julian Eggebrecht who didn't seem very fond of Wii and Nintendo's latest efforts at all. However, as we all know, after the dismal failure of Lair, Factor 5 has announced that they're making an exclusive game for Wii as well as another title which is multiplatform (I assume this means PS3/360 only).

In a recent interview with Julian Eggebrecht, he suggested that there were no hard feelings toward Nintendo and that they just needed to create a game on another platform to keep revenues up as Nintendo figured out exactly what they wanted to do with Wii... or something along those lines. Either way, Factor 5 promises to push the Wii's technical capabilities as they did with their games on the N64 and GCN.

It's going to be interesting to see what they come up with... hopefully the rumours are false and it's not a Kid Icarus game... though to be honest it would be fun to see Factor 5 tackle a Star Fox game. Oh and of course earlier back when the Wii was still called the Revolution, there was news brewing that Factor 5 was working on a Pilotwings game for the system.


Grasshopper Manufacture

For those of you who don't know, this is the company headed by Goichi Suda (Suda51) and they are the ones who developed Killer7 alongside Capcom for the GCN (and then ported to the PS2) and No More Heroes for Wii. The next project Grasshopper is working on is Fatal Frame IV with Temco which Nintendo are publishing themselves.

I'm glad that Fatal Frame is coming to Wii, it's a game that you can see fitting so damn well with the pointing ability of the Wiimote. It's also looking pretty damn good from the screens I've seen, we're talking along the lines of Resident Evil 4 quality visuals.

I'm hoping that perhaps this will cause Temco to think about remaking the previous games for Wii. The chances of that happening are extremely slim, but I can always dream

Actually... *looks around* rumour has it that Nintendo has acquired the Fatal Frame IP from Temco and is now a Nintendo exclusive franchise from now on.... it's only a rumour at the moment, but I'd so love it if it were true.


Temco

Speaking of Temco, the only other thing aside from a few Virtual Console games they have for Wii is a remake of the PS2 version of Rygar. Oh and I almost forgot, they've also released Super Swing Golf for Wii as well... though aside from that there's not much else from Temco on the Wii front, at least nothing that I've heard of.


Konami

Most of what Konami has brought to Wii up til now has been Virtual Console games, however that's definitely not all they have done for Wii. Konami has experimented with Wii, bringing out two very interesting games, Elebits and Dewy's Adventure to the console. They have also worked very hard to create a variation of Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 that uses the Wii's motion sensing and pointing capabilities to create a very unique experience.

While they're keeping their bigger franchises such as Metal Gear Solid on the PS3 and Silent Hill on the PS3 and 360, they've made a nice effort to experiment with Wii, which I like. However, aside from what they've already done, I'm not seeing much from them in the future for Wii. There are rumours flying around and certain things being considered within the company for Wii, but nothing concrete.

To be honest, I don't know what to expect from them in the future, but it's nice that Snake is in Brawl However, after watching videos of PES2008's Wiimote + Nunchuk functionality, and after playing Elebits and watching videos of Dewy's Adventure, I know that Konami is really thinking about what they could do with Wii, it's just about striking up the right idea that for the system that will sell well.


Namco Bandai

The most Namco Bandai has done for Wii on the developing front so far is co-develop DBZ Budokai Tenkaichi 2 and 3 with Spike for Wii (and PS2) as well as develop the lackluster Soulcalibur Legends for Wii.

On the publishing front they're bring Wii an interesting new RPG called Fragile from developer, tri-Crescendo. For those of you who don't know, they're the folks who developed Eternal Sonata. Namco Bandai is also publishing a bunch of One Piece games for Wii as well as an interesting new game called Space Station Tycoon.

Oh and of course, their Tales studio is also working on Tales of Symphonia 2 for Wii, and they also announced Sword of Legendia for Wii a long time back, though nothing has come of that.

So far a lot of what Namco Bandai has to offer on Wii is a more traditional experience in terms of games. They're pretty much just continuing where they left off with the PS2 it seems, but with added Wiimote functionality. Though of course, Fragile looks extremely interesting, especially after tri-Crescendo's work on Eternal Sonata.


Sega

Sega is a HUGE supporter of Wii's Virtual Console. They have released a TONNE of Genesis/Megadrive games and Nintendo has recently announced that Master System and GameGear games are also coming to WiiVC.

Sega has also worked with Nintendo with Mario & Sonic at the Olympics, and while it is pretty much a collection of mini-games and the game itself is meant for a more casual audience, it is nice to see the two companies working together on such a project. And it's also nice to see Sonic in Brawl, it's an age where Mario and Sonic can finally verse each other on the sports field and as fighters with all their skills

On another front with Sega, they've taken steps to bring back lightgun games into the fold with Ghost Squad and House of the Dead 2&3 Return. And then there's the return of NiGHTS and Samba de Amigo.

Another good thing to come out of Sega for Wii is Sonic and the Secret Rings. While not the greatest game out there, it certainly is a lot better than the Sonic game Sega put out for the PS3/360. I'm glad Sega took the time to try to do something new with the Wii functionality, and through its faults, I do enjoy Sonic and the Secret Rings as an attempt to bring Sonic back to his roots in a different kind of way.

So what more can we expect from Sega? Well to be honest, I don't know... most of Sega's best work, IMHO comes from their past, I think they they're very much well aware of that, which is why we're seeing such a huge selection of Sega games being released on WiiVC.

It would be nice if Sega would port over the original NiGHTS to Wii though, it has a PS2 port which is Japan only for some reason. Aside from that, I think Sega is happy that they're able to make use of their retro titles on Wii, but I'm hoping that they try to come up with something new and unexpected for Wii sometime in the future.


LucasArts

LucasArts has no real interest in making games for Nintendo consoles in recent years. LucasArts preferred to make games for the Xbox, thought it was necessary to make a few for the PS2 as well due to its popularity, but aside from a few games early on, their support for the GameCube dropped suddenly. Which, of course is understandable, the Xbox was a perfect choice for LucasArts in the last generation and the PS3/360 is perfect for them in this generation.

So far we've seen LEGO Star Wars The Complete Saga which was developed by Traveller's Tales come to Wii and also Star Wars The Force Unleashed which is being developed as a port by Krome Studios.

Aside from that, LucasArts doesn't want to touch anything Nintendo... which is a general trend for most American based developers aside from EA.


Capcom

For the most part, I don't think Capcom really knows whether they really want to invest in Wii. At least that's been the feeling I get from them at the moment. They really weren't impressed with the way the GameCube went and decided to port over all of their GCN exclusives over to the PS2, which in turn was the final straw for Shinji Mikami who finally left Capcom. The reason there were a lot of (formerly) exclusive games for the GCN in the last generation was because Shinji Mikami pushed for the games to be GCN exclusives... he really didn't like Sony lol.

In any case, in this generation I'm seeing some interesting things from Capcom, the first of which is Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition. Capcom was surprised by how well RE4Wii sold, and was equally surprised at how well Umbrella Chronicles sold on Wii. Not only that but they're very happy with the way Zak & Wiki has sold on Wii as well... they seem to be surprised quite a lot with their successes on Wii, which only highlights the fact that they really didn't think Wii could make it alongside the PS3/360 which Capcom has lots of support for.

Capcom also hopes that Okami does well on Wii, as some of you know, Okami is one hell of a good game, but it didn't do very well on the PS2. It's been ported over to Wii with no new content, but with new controls and the visuals have been upgraded. Capcom has said recently that they hope to see Okami break expectations on Wii. Rumour has it they're also considering a sequel for Wii if it does well.

And finally, Monster Hunter 3... A game that was originally a PS3 exclusive is now a Wii exclusive. I have NO idea how this happened, but I suspect it's to do with the success Nintendo has seen with the Wii, the success Capcom has seen with its past titles released for Wii and also because Wii is a much cheaper and more accessible platform to develop for than the PS3. In any case, it's a huge win for Nintendo considering how popular Monster Hunter is in Japan.

Capcom has shown that it wants to release games for Wii but isn't 100% sure about the platform. It's done well with its traditional and established titles on Wii, and they've also experimented with new kinds of games such as Zak & Wiki. In fact, many consider Zak & Wiki to be a must own title for Wii owners because it's that good. It's an extremely unique game which just isn't possible on any other console past or present.

I hope Capcom brings other new and unique ideas to the table for Wii. They've proven they can do it with Zak & Wiki.


Square Enix

Most of Square Enix's support has been directed towards Sony and Microsoft and the DS. The most Wii has gotten from them are spin-off games, Dragon Quest Swords and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles... which is pretty much all you can expect from Square Enix at the moment. Who knows though, maybe they'll end up dropping a megaton and announce Dragon Quest X for Wii lol.

Most of Square Enix's support in terms of Nintendo is with the DS.


KOEI

KOEI is publishing an interesting title coming out for Wii called Opoona which uses the Nunchuk alone for its primary controls which is an interesting concept. In fact, the entire game itself has a very interesting concept, I'm interested to see how it all turns out.

Aside from that KOEI has tried the whole motion sensing thing with a game called Samurai Warriors Katana on Wii which isn't very good... It's also been said that Romance of The Three Kingdoms XI is coming for Wii (as well as the PS2).

At the moment, KOEI is more interested in the PS3/360, I only mentioned it because of Opoona.


Electronic Arts

The natural thing to do is to hate EA, but they've come up with a few surprises for Wii. The Godfather Blackhand Edition is easily the best and most fun version of the game to come out. SSX Blur is surprisingly good and MySims, despite not being as good as it seemed, was a really good effort either way. EA is also working with Steven Spielberg on a game called Boom Blox which looks very interesting from the videos I've seen.

Aside from that you get the usual things from EA, but most of their focus is on the PS3/360 than on Wii. However, as I said, they have come out with a few interesting games for Wii which is surprising coming from EA.


Ubisoft

Ubisoft has released quite a lot of games for Wii, and most them aren't aimed at the traditional gamers. They're really doing everything they can to exploit the casual audience on Wii. The few traditional games they have released for Wii haven't turned out very well... and then don't get me started about Red Steel... jeebus.

The only nice thing to come out of Ubisoft for Wii is the Rayman spin-off series, Raving Rabbids. Other than that, Ubisoft has yet to prove themselves to me personally... hell, I've been more impressed with EA than I have with Ubisoft lately.








I'm sure I've forgotten a lot of developers, but the fact that Wii is an extremely cheap console to develop for its greatest advantage and its biggest weakness. A lot of developers see Wii as a place to make a quick buck with shovelware and mini game collections which is a real shame. The trend is that the huge Hollywood movie budget type games go to the PS3/360 and the small games from small studios go to Wii.

However, it's not all like that, there are a lot of great games coming to Wii, some of them try to create brand new experiences, others try to mix traditional gaming experiences with something new and others are very much traditional games as we've known them to be for the last 10 years.

Despite what many people may think about Wii, I think it's done extremely well in its first year and there are quite a lot good games out for it that are worth buying as well as games being developed for it that are coming out in the future. I don't know where the idea comes from that there are no good games for Wii, or at least very few good games for Wii, because there are quite a lot.

Another thing about Wii is that I'm noticing that it has quite a lot more variety in its small library of games than the Xbox360 has in its huge library of what consists mostly of SHOOTAN GAEMS... As for the PS3, it has a few really good games, the problem is that it's too few at the moment.

I know Wii will never have the in-depth online functionality that Microsoft has with Xbox Live, and it will never have exclusive titles like a numbered Final Fantasy game or a Metal Gear Solid. But it does have quite a lot of interesting things going for it and it's proven that it can encourage the creation of new and unique kinds of games... even if most people out there aren't willing to try them.

Nintendo games will always sell extremely well on a Nintendo console, but I'm hoping that Wii can attract a tonne of great third party developers to make great games for the system. We're already seeing those great games coming out for Wii right now if Zak & Wiki and No More Heroes are any example. I know Wii has gotten a lot of Japanese developers thinking about what they can do with the system, but I also know that American developers don't really care for Wii.

In the end, even after a year, I've managed to create a huge list of Wii games I want compared to that of the 360 and PS3.