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EA Confirms Major Wii Support
Electronic Arts has confirmed they are 100% committed to the Nintendo Wii, reports Gamasutra. The largest game publisher in the U.S. has revealed six games currently in production for the console, which is scheduled to launch sometime in the Fall. From the article: "The EA statement on the matter comments: 'Each title will remain true to the hallmarks of its franchise but is being designed to maximize the power of the Wii hardware and take full advantage of the uniqueness and innovation of its one-of-a-kind controller.'"
EA innovating and not just re-releasing the same game with the trades made... I jsut got shivers running down my spine...
--Valthan
EA's sports titles on the Wii-mote sounds excellent to me. If they implement the analog control well, it might become the preferred platform for sports games. Seeing these titles excel on the Wii should boost Nintendo's street cred.
I hereby dub this The Jockstrap Announcement.
It seems FTA that none of the six titles are original though. They are all new versions of old franchises and multiplatform titles (like The Godfather.) It's a little bit disappointing that we're not seeing more original works.
.... I suppose. If you like the same ol' crapy EA sports titles. I don't know how the Wii controller will make video game sports any cooler. I'd rather just go play sports outside... in the sunlight. (i'm sick, i know.)
He whom you called four-eyes yesterday, you call Sir tomorrow.
If there is widespread game support on all of the next-gen systems, this could come down to hardware, pricing, and marketing. I know that the opening salvo of the last round of the console war was largely games available after launch.
Information wants a fueled airplane waiting at the hangar and no one gets hurt.
I'm not going to buy a Wii or any other console in this next generation, but I want the Wii to do very well since I think the technology and fun-aspect of it are very exciting. The "Wiimote" is pretty darn cool, and they seem to be interested in user-experience more than anybody else.
-mrxak
Onions Will Kill You
I am very interested to see how their basketball games transition to the Wii. I hope you will still be able to play all their games in the traditional manner.
....Hell has frozen over, as new development has actually ocurred at EA. Satan could not be reached for comment, but a spokesdemon for the Father of Lies states that "we expect the temperature to return to normal around this time next year".
It's good to see support from large companies for the Wii. It looks like there will be some quality games for this system.
Even if I don't like EA as a company, everything I hear makes me feel that a Wii (and neither a 360 or PS3) is the way for us to go for this next generation, in terms of games options, fun, innovation, and of course cost. And this comes from a family that now has just a PS2 + PC games.
Other than the "poorer" graphics (intentional quotation marks), what bad stuff *has* come out about the Wii? Anything?
It doesn't hurt to be nice.
Translation - they're all going to be sequels. No original content from us. We're EA, what did you expect?
Karma: Chameleon (mostly due to the fact that you come and go).
first bitcches!
That EA gave a "wheeeeeeee!" :P
At least something will be new about an easports title. I'm surprised they bothered to update their control scheme, when they could of said "just use gamecube controllers."
My friend who worked on the Godfather game and many other EA games used to be really up on the Wii(or Revolution earlier this year). As an engineer he was absolutely fawning at getting to work with the PS3 hardware - he says he's never worked on a system as cool and crazy powerful compared to everything else like the PS3 before. And as a gamer he was excited about the Revolution and all sorts of crazy game ideas to go with the controller.
However, now that he has had a chance to work with the system and use the controller he has become a lot less enthusiastic. His attitude about the Wii is now closer to 'it's ok' Nothing really that revolutionary after the initial excitement about using the controller. He says the controller now is about as exciting as analog joypad input - can't really imagine going without it but nothing you really are thinking about when you use it everyday.
I won't go into what he says about the 360...But I am surprised EA is still giving token support to the console. The 360 is doing worse than the Dreamcast and EA didn't bother to port any of their games to the system.
It doesn't sound like it. They might tweak the interface for some of their old titles to take advantage of the new controller, but these are apparently going to be franchise games rather than original titles.
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Wii will be the console of choice for the next gen, followed by XBox 360, then PS3 as a close 3rd.
The only "if" in Wii's corner was EA's sports franchises. This pretty much guarantees it as long as the final Wii controller has enough buttons.
A lot of people are talking about EA "dropping the ball" by just introducing the same old crud on the Wii that they've introduced on every other platform, and that people won't want to buy the same games all over again. They're mostly correct, but they're not taking one thing into account: the wiimote.
Yes, the games are the same old thing they've had on many platforms before, but this would be its first time on the Wii. The control scheme is an important part of the game no matter what platform it's on, and if the control scheme is sufficiently different on the Wii (that is, if they use the fancy new control to its fullest), then people will buy it that all important one more time. And if it does really well, the Wii will become a choice platform for certain types of games over the PS3 and X360.
You cannot truly appreciate Dilbert until you read it in the original Klingon.
Anonymous Coward Sony Fanboy Troll strikes again ...
Seriously, when are you going to give up? Every day you either post that the PSP is poised to replace the Gameboy, the DS is crappy compared to the PSP, that the PS3 will dominate the next generation wars, or that Developers are disapointed with everything except for the PS3. The odd thing is that every one of your claims goes against common sense and what is obvious to everyone else.
If you seriously are/know developers get an account and post under it; otherwise shut the fuck up.
This is news? I don't think so.
News would be: "The biggest game software vendor declines to write games for the industry's next major platform, thus ceding leadership to bit players X, Y and Z."
EA is trying anyway. You're right, they could've just released new rosters and said the old controller was enough. They didn't just phone it in. If they actually get rebounding sorta right-ish in NBALive after so many years of painfully bad results, Heck will at least be a little cooler. Maybe not Hell...
EA was among the earliest 3rd-party developers to show major projects on the Wii, and from the start they were talking about Madden and how the controller would work. It's clear they've spent some thought on what a new controller might mean for their franchises.
And yeah, they are franchise games. Go figger, EA is known for sports titles, and they will continue to make titles for the major US sports (except baseball now) and some for the rest of the world. Yes, I would personally be very interested in a Rugby title similar to their existing games, but apparently that doesn't have enough market behind it.
"Fundamentalism" isn't about divine morality. It's about human authority.
Um, I can't really say that I'm surprised at all. Come on Sega could make a new hardware platform and EA would make a few games for it. EA will be making games for all 3 consoles.
You know if EA really wanted to make some news; they'd start a nude sports series that was adult only that was the same exact games except that the players were all nude. O.k. the only games of that line that I would want is women's track & field, women's ice skating, women's swimming & women's tennis. I wouldn't want Nude Madden 2006 at all.
EA is reknown for treating employees less than fairly. And I don't really like many of their games. But strong 3rd-party support is something that Nintendo has been lacking, and this helps to dig them out of the hole just a little bit.
If Nintendo could get similar statements from other big companies, it would do so much for their prospects. I would really like to see Blizzard, Bioware, and Obsidian doing Wii games. I respect their PC games, and I think they could help to up the ante.
Also, I'm starting to get excited about Nintendo's new console for a different reason. People have struggled with RTS console games, due to the controllers. But couldn't the Wiimote work similar to a laser pointer? If so, wouldn't that open up some better control mechanisms for RTS console games?
-Tony
My Greasemonkey scripts for Digg &
am screaming in horror at this.
I bet this is more about EA realizing that the PS3's high price is gonna boost the Wii's market share than about a desire to spend a lot of money developing unique ports for a third place (according to CW) console. Am I the only one who remembers EA not porting to the Dreamcast because of their (somewhat self-fufilling) prophecy of PS2 dominance? I still bet Madden will suck though.
While EA may not have a great track record for orginality, they are still an industry heavyweight.
This means that if EA is supporting the Wii, other big publishers will most likely step up and offer titles as well. This leads to more AAA titles and (hopefully) more innovative games that will truly make use of the Wii-mote.
There are hundreds of crap games for every Starcraft / Sims / Civ out there, afterall.
You mean something like this or this?
*** Where are we going? And what's with this handbasket?
Sweet
This is likely to be one of the first blows to Sony's PS3. While I know the vast majority of /.ers arn't fans of EA, the public tends to say otherwise. Their flagship title, Madden, will bring a lot of people to the Wii. I figure in the coming future we'll see a lot more announcements like this.
The real people that are going to determine if the PS3 "wins" or the Wii "wins" are the develops/publishers. Whatever system they decide to release on most is the one that everyone is going to flock to because they want those games.
Nice title "EA Confirms Major Wii Support". I, for one, did not know EA was getting into the underwear business. Not at all suprised they are the kind of tightasses that would only make briefs.
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You know if EA really wanted to make some news; they'd start a nude sports series that was adult only that was the same exact games except that the players were all nude.
Shade your eyes. EA Sports Triple Play Baseball (either '98 or '99) for PC & Playstation had a secret team that consisted of the software developers and artists in their underwear. Cheat codes are available somewhere for that.
Saying the Wii is innovative, is like saying cutting apples sideways is innovative: "there's a new way of doing it, but either way you're still just doing the same old thing!". A console with a new controller, using decades old technology, to replicate 20 year old games, is not innovative. EA has never made an original game, and never will, because they know they're big, they've got expensive games no one else can make, and they've got millions of stupid fans who like to play crappy games! The amount of bugs, and glitches in a game, is directly proportional to the amount of pissed off at being treated like dirt employees in a company. It is not suprising that they are going with the Wii, having a market that knows virtually nothing about EA, that will play any sports game, is EA's wet dream. Seriously, since when is standing in one place, moving a controller around shooting baddies, a new idea? Sounds like an old arcade machine to me.
It seems to me that the design process for the next nintendo system went something like this: Stand and shoot->needs something other than a joystick controller to look good->gyroscope feedback input technology .
And to all you fanboi's posting on your Wii60 bullshit, please do not play any game I am playing, because you're so stupid I don't want to speak to you.
Who is this Major Wii and why is EA supporting him?
If you don't know where you are going, you will wind up somewhere else.
Just think, if EA games is totally behind the Wii, that means not just playing Animal Crossing: Animal's Revenge on the Wii, it also means we'll get both Sims 3: High School and Sims 3: Pet Zoo as well as Spore by Will Wright on it as well!
...
Forget the PS3, I have no further interest in it anymore
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
I cannot much say that I like anything that I am aware of that EA has put out. But, they are the biggest beast in the industry as far as publishers go, and having EA do full scale production on the Wii means a stronger 3rd party support.
And its strong 3rd party support that Nintendo has lacked since the N64.
I would also guess that EA is supporting the Wii as much due to lower dev costs as anthing else. EA likes profit, and lower dev costs mean more potential profit.
END COMMUNICATION
See you on Slashdot games as much as me, always have something interesting to say even if I don't. Good to see someone else with the same interests so hello. Richard.
EA
Too bad I will not be support EA with my green backs ever. Give us the server and game sourse to earth and beyond and I might start buying EA games again.
I do not think it matters. Most EA sports games are mediocre, to say the least. An advanced control method like Wii's deserves better games than EA's.