Why WiiWare Needs Work
Posted by Chris on Wednesday, March 26th, 2008 at 4:02 pm under Game Companies, Game Consoles, Game Platforms, Games, Nintendo, Nintendo
Chris Kohler has been spending some time with the games released on WiiWare thus far (the ones in Japan, that is), and overall he has walked away with the impression that the service needs work before it’s going to be able to compete with the likes of Xbox Live Arcade.
I think it’s fine that the quality of the games varies wildly, but Nintendo should take a bit more of a hold on the pricing structure. I can see having cheapo games like Angel’s Solitaire right next to obviously higher-budget productions like Okiraku Ping-Pong, but why do they cost the same five bucks?
Or perhaps it’s better to ask why Lonpos, an interesting but clearly rushed puzzle game with one of the least-polished presentations I’ve seen this side of the CD-i, costs a whopping $10.
He also provides links to his various impression pieces on many of the launch games and provides some more insight on where Nintendo needs to shape up the service. I’m not exactly surprised that WiiWare isn’t an XBLA killer right out of the gates, and hopefully Nintendo will be less resistant to change as they have other aspects of the Wii. (Read: Mii customization)
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March 26th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
I think what he's talking about is actually one of the great features of Wii-Ware.
Publishers can set their own price. Their success or failure is in their own hands. Sure Nintendo can give some guidance, but publisher freedom is what's going to make Wii-ware a desirable place for indies.
March 26th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
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