Looking Back At The Wii In 2011
Looking back over 2011, the Wii console has held up even though it’s been eclipsed somewhat by huge selling titles for Xbox like Call of Duty. The Wii audience has never really been the same as the Xbox, if truth be told; games with Mario and Luigi are not going to appeal to the same players. With families with kids, or adults who want to use the Wii Fit, there isn’t a fanboy type attitude toward the Wii that you get with the Xbox. When young kids grow into teens, it’s pretty clear that they want to move up to Xbox or PlayStation and to the more “grown up” action titles.
That held true for 2011, as the Wii saw sales slump but the Xbox continued to sell units. Having the new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 come out, and sell $1 billion in the first two weeks doesn’t hurt publicity either! We love the Wii mainly because it’s so family-friendly, but the reality is that these action games sell, and also the Kinect is giving Wii a run for the money.
But if you have a family with young kids, and you want to have a fun game system, the Wii is the better choice. Even though Xbox came out with Kinect and PlayStation with the Move, Nintendo titles and other developers kept true to the ease of use of the Wii and the most popular stable of Nintendo characters. Games like Mario Galaxy 2, Mario Kart, Wii Sports Resort and Wii Play are the kind of games that a family can enjoy together. Some stable titles like Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword were much anticipated by gamers who love the Zelda series, and Nintendo made it a little more friendly and less dark than the previous Zelda: Twilight Princess title. Play is more difficult compared to the other Mario games, but these are still the type of games that appeal to a younger audience, not the hard card Mature-rated first person shooter games.
We still recommend the Wii for anyone who enjoys video games but isn’t in it for the hardcore killing action. There’s still the Wii Fit although specific balance board titles are hard to come by, as fitness titles increasingly don’t require the use of the Wii Fit balance board. Wii Fit Plus made headway by adding extra online features; we hope Nintendo will continue to add to and update these.
It’s also true that we expect that most Wii owners will at some point wind up getting an Xbox, usually as the kids get older, or because the Kinect is also a pull. Kinect has some fun games, but it doesn’t have anywhere near the game base of the Wii. Microsoft is working on that, with lots of fitness titles like Motion Sports and Dance Central. Kids’ titles are also coming out fast, like Sesame Street from Warner Bros, and Fantastic Pets from THQ. THQ has also released UFC Personal Trainer, mimicking MMA training routines, for both the Kinect and the Wii.
We just don’t see it as a winner take all competition between the Nintendo Wii and Xbox, or PlayStation. The consoles have so many different features it’s hard to say you wouldn’t like having one of each. But with other entertainment value, such as online games, downloadable content, Netflix streaming video, and Blu-Ray capability on the PlayStation and DVD on the Xbox, there is so much more you can do with any of the three other than just play games. With Nintendo releasing its new Wii U console and game pad this year, it’s going to be exciting to see just how that plays out in the market against the competition from Xbox and PlayStation.
Wii Bundles
Wii Console with Mario Kart Wii Bundle - White
Sale Price: $169.76
