Wii - Where Are The Great "Motion" Games?
 

Question about Wii games in development.

We've had our Wii for about 1 year now, just got the WiiFit/BalanceBoard and like that too.

Our favorite games are the motion/sports/activity games that involve moving your body and having the avatar respond. You know, like the games in the WiiSports and WiiFit bundle - boxing, tennis, skiing, etc.

Now, I always figured those Nintendo games were just the start. They are rather crude after all, with the cartoonish Mii figures.

I assumed third-party game developers would come out with even better motion games with improved graphics and physics. So that you can connect w/ the other boxer and see the sweat fly and the cut bleed, get in a great nunchaku fight and dodge the flying stars, carve down a realistic downhill run at 70 mph through the sleet and flying ice, etc.

However, from what I see, the third-party games coming out for the Wii are simply versions of the standard video games, merely modified to use the Wii controller for pointing, steering, etc. A first-person shooter that lets you aim your gun using the Wii controller instead of a joystick, or a driving game that steers by tilting the controller. Nice, but not what I was hoping for.

Is anyone informed on what game developers' plans are for the Wii platform? Are games like what I'm hoping for expected to launch soon?

Thanks.

I thought Metroid Prime Corruption did a good job. Yes, it is a FPS that you point at the screen to aim and move with the joy stick (which makes whupping the bad guys MUCH easier IMO). You also get to use the remote to move Samus when she is in morph ball mode.

Super Mario Galaxy also takes advantage of the motion sensors. Several levels feature customized control routines for specific tasks (like tilting to control a manta-ray or a giant pinball).

Couple of things that happen in game development as it relates to new consoles.

The reason that you don't see games that take full advantage of the capabilities is in large part due to learning curve.

A great AAA title is somewhere around a 16-24 month development cycle.

Developers also need to learn the system and how to make the best use of its technology. That usually starts to happen by the second game done for the new system.

Developers/Publishers are not going to commit $'s in developing a big budget title written exclusively for a specific console until they get a sense of the consoles potential success.

Instead you'll get a "port" from another system to minimize/amortize development dollars.

Gamers also tend to have brand loyalty. A lot own multiple consoles and have a preference for a particular type of game on one system vs the other.

The Wii, Nintendo specifically has never really been the home for FPS/Action Adventure type games. It's always done well with platformers and caters to that audience.

There is a new Star Wars game that my kids love and my wife and I think is a pretty good workout. I believe it is called Clone Wars. The entire game is lightsaber duelling. We purchased lightsaber controller adapters that add about a one half pound to the weight of the controller (plus the leverage of the added length) and make it fairly difficult to swing.