Are Game Publishers Late To the (Wii and DS) Game?

simoniker writes "A new 'Analyze This' feature on Gamasutra examines analysts' views on the rise of Nintendo's Wii and DS, and how well game publishers have reacted to it, with Wedbush Morgan's Michael Pachter commenting: 'It's hard to criticize anyone for putting too much faith in the PS3, as most [publishers] haven't created "cutting edge" titles yet for that platform. Most of the PS3 titles so far have been perennial titles, like Madden, Tony Hawk, etc ... I'd say that most failed to capitalize on the DS and Wii opportunity. The exception on the DS side is THQ, which has made every game it can for the platform. On the Wii side, Ubisoft took a big chance by making ten games for the [Wii] launch window, and it has performed very well, so far. I think that the others will catch up no later than early next year.'"

Comments

Duh, when game companies have to innovate..

[netsavior]

The Wii and to a lesser extent the DS almost require innovative gameplay. The result is that you can't just make a game with slightly bigger levels, more guns, and slightly better graphics and call it "new".

The platform itself is calling for something different, and different takes time.

Re:Duh, when game companies have to innovate..

[Jesterboy]

...Which can be both a good thing and a bad thing. I bought a DS pretty soon after it came out, before the DS Lite was announced. All my friends made fun of me because about the only thing to play at that time was Nintendogs and several mini-game collections. Eventually, good games did start coming out, but they would still have this sort of tacked on "innovation" due to the touch screen or microphone. Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, for instance. While a wonderful game, its inclusion of touch screen mechanics did nothing to improve the gameplay. However, because it was coming out on the DS they "had to innovate".

Which is what bothers me a little bit about most developers approach to both the Wii and DS. Since the DS, everyone has been espousing how their unique additional features will open up developer creativity, which it certainly has. However, many developers seem to take it as since the additional functionality exists, they must use it. In my opinion, this sort of thinking hampers creativity, and leads to the "mini-game-itis" that both consoles have had in their conception; it's one of the easiest things to do that uses all that functionality. Certain game types just weren't made for the Wiimote's unique functionality, and they don't have to use it. I don't really what to play a 2D fighter by waving the Wiimote all over the place, so please don't force me to.

I think Nintendo notices this, and that's why they've released peripherals like the classic controller for the Wii. I just hope that developers realize this too: innovation is great and all, but not at the detriment of gameplay.

DS and Wii are at different stages in their lives

[hansamurai]

The DS has been out almost three years, the Wii for less than a year. I would agree that the first years for both consoles were similar, the best games were first-party titles developed internally by Nintendo. This is for a number of reasons (including that Nintendo developed games are generally very good), but I think the biggest reason is that each of the consoles did something so different, third-parties were playing the wait-and-see game. By now, most companies have seen the potential of both platforms, but the major difference between the DS and the Wii is that the great DS third party games have been out for a while now and they're still coming. The great third-party games for the Wii really haven't arrived.

Look at the DS, some of the great third party games are Trauma Center (six months after release), Phoenix Wright (~year after release though a remake with extra content), and Meteos (~year after release). I can't think of a really great third party game for the DS that was available at release, except maybe Castlevania, but definitely not one that took advantage of the DS's unique capabilities.

It took a while for the DS to catch on for developers, and it's the same sequence for the Wii. This was a mistake for many publishers, besides Ubisoft which took a "gamble" with the Wii and I guess it paid off. The development time for a console game is probably longer than that for a handheld, so we're waiting a little longer for those great third party games. I'm sure they'll come though.