So reads Nintendo's own WiiWare site, yet does the service live up to these sentiments? In a word: no. In three: no, no, no.
Let's get something straight here before I begin: I always liked the concept of WiiWare. The idea of giving small-time, indie developers some well-earned time in the spotlight, a chance to swim alongside bigger fish, was appealing. It may sound naïve, but I originally imagined some kind of ker-razy development utopia where creativity went uncensored, resulting in a download service packed with risk-taking game concepts that most publishers wouldn't normally touch with a barge pole. Alas, two months and fifteen games later, there is little that has wowed me with such innovation. And by "little," I mean nothing. Sod all.
Just take a look at the most well-received titles. Dr. Mario Online Rx might be a splendid puzzler, but it also appeared eighteen years ago on the NES in a very similar form. Toki Tori? A port of a Game Boy Color game. Defend Your Castle? A port of a popular flash game with added frills (hey, play it for free, kids!). Block Breaker Deluxe? Arkanoid, decked out in lurid colors for the yoof of today. LostWinds? Yes, it's got an attractive, kooky visual style, but I'm not sold on it being innovative. Wafting your Wiimote instead of pressing "A" to make your character jump is not breathtakingly inventive -- it's awkward. Okay, so that quote at the top does mention "new takes on old favorites," but here's the thing: there's been way too much of that for my liking.
Oddly enough, it has been left to Square Enix, one of the most powerful and corporate players in the development world, to make what is arguably the most original WiiWare title to date. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King straddles the strategy and god game genres, yet has other problems of its own. It also introduced a wholly unwelcome concept to the Wii experience, one that until now had been restricted to other online services: microtransactions.
If you don't hate microtransactions with every fiber of your being, then there's something wrong with you. They're an exercise in greed, designed to cynically wring every last cent and penny out of us all. I'm fully aware that I don't have to purchase an extra race in My Life as a King, but that's not the point: why leave out content that could just as easily be placed in the original game? Answer: because microtransactions and the people who devise them are evil.
And not only that, but what's with the infrequent releases in Europe, Nintendo (six titles released at launch, and ... three since)? Admittedly, games do appear slightly more regularly in the U.S., but heck, this is my rant, and as I'm unfortunate enough to reside in a region which was long ago forgotten by Nintendo, I'm going to moan about it.
I'm not suggesting that I'll continue to be disappointed by WiiWare (in fact, there are some genuinely promising titles on the horizon that I'm looking forward to), but up until now, Nintendo's download service has failed to meet my expectations almost right across the board.
Oddly enough, it has been left to Square Enix, one of the most powerful and corporate players in the development world, to make what is arguably the most original WiiWare title to date. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King straddles the strategy and god game genres, yet has other problems of its own. It also introduced a wholly unwelcome concept to the Wii experience, one that until now had been restricted to other online services: microtransactions.
If you don't hate microtransactions with every fiber of your being, then there's something wrong with you. They're an exercise in greed, designed to cynically wring every last cent and penny out of us all. I'm fully aware that I don't have to purchase an extra race in My Life as a King, but that's not the point: why leave out content that could just as easily be placed in the original game? Answer: because microtransactions and the people who devise them are evil.
And not only that, but what's with the infrequent releases in Europe, Nintendo (six titles released at launch, and ... three since)? Admittedly, games do appear slightly more regularly in the U.S., but heck, this is my rant, and as I'm unfortunate enough to reside in a region which was long ago forgotten by Nintendo, I'm going to moan about it.
I'm not suggesting that I'll continue to be disappointed by WiiWare (in fact, there are some genuinely promising titles on the horizon that I'm looking forward to), but up until now, Nintendo's download service has failed to meet my expectations almost right across the board.
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