Dr. Mario
Nintendo Japan has put a firm date on when WiiWare will launch in the land of the rising sun. March 25th is when Japanese gamers will be able to turn on their Wiis to download brand new games to their console.
The initial line-up will feature nine titles, ranging in price from 500 to 1,500 Wii Points. Included in the initial list of available games are the likes of Dr. Mario from Nintendo itself, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles from Square Enix and Star Soldier R from Hudson.
In fact, there isn't one title in the line-up that isn't from a well-established publisher or developer. Joining the above-named companies are Namco Bandai, Konami, G-Mode (which has worked on Tetris for mobiles), Arc System Works (Guilty Gear Core) and Genki (Kengo Zero). Where are the "independent developers" that WiiWare was aimed at?
Granted, Nintendo's initial announcement did specify that the service "will allow developers large and small to create new downloadable video game content", so it left plenty of wiggle room for the companies listed above to appear in the line-up. That said, the emphasis was put squarely on the "small" when Nintendo America's president, Reggie Fils-Aime, said in the very same announcement, "Independent developers armed with small budgets and big ideas will be able to get their original games into the marketplace to see if we can find the next smash hit."
SPOnG has contacted Nintendo for comment and to find out when we will see WiiWare over here, but no response was available at the time of press.
You can see the list of titles that will be available at launch in Japan below.
Okiraku Ping Pong
Arc System Works
500 Wii Points
Kotoba no Puzzle Mojipittan Wii
Bandai Namco Games
1,000 Wii Points
Saku Saku Animal Panic
Konami Digital Entertainment
1,000 Wii Points
Star Soldier R
Hudson
800 Wii Points
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
Square Enix
1,500 Wii Points
Tenshi no Solitaire
G-Mode
500 Wii Points
Dr. Mario & Saikin Bokumetsu
Nintendo
1,000 Wii Points
Pokemon Ranch
Nintendo
1,000 Wii Points
LONPOS
Genki
1,000 Wii Points
See also IGN
The initial line-up will feature nine titles, ranging in price from 500 to 1,500 Wii Points. Included in the initial list of available games are the likes of Dr. Mario from Nintendo itself, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles from Square Enix and Star Soldier R from Hudson.
In fact, there isn't one title in the line-up that isn't from a well-established publisher or developer. Joining the above-named companies are Namco Bandai, Konami, G-Mode (which has worked on Tetris for mobiles), Arc System Works (Guilty Gear Core) and Genki (Kengo Zero). Where are the "independent developers" that WiiWare was aimed at?
Granted, Nintendo's initial announcement did specify that the service "will allow developers large and small to create new downloadable video game content", so it left plenty of wiggle room for the companies listed above to appear in the line-up. That said, the emphasis was put squarely on the "small" when Nintendo America's president, Reggie Fils-Aime, said in the very same announcement, "Independent developers armed with small budgets and big ideas will be able to get their original games into the marketplace to see if we can find the next smash hit."
SPOnG has contacted Nintendo for comment and to find out when we will see WiiWare over here, but no response was available at the time of press.
You can see the list of titles that will be available at launch in Japan below.
Okiraku Ping Pong
Arc System Works
500 Wii Points
Kotoba no Puzzle Mojipittan Wii
Bandai Namco Games
1,000 Wii Points
Saku Saku Animal Panic
Konami Digital Entertainment
1,000 Wii Points
Star Soldier R
Hudson
800 Wii Points
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
Square Enix
1,500 Wii Points
Tenshi no Solitaire
G-Mode
500 Wii Points
Dr. Mario & Saikin Bokumetsu
Nintendo
1,000 Wii Points
Pokemon Ranch
Nintendo
1,000 Wii Points
LONPOS
Genki
1,000 Wii Points
See also IGN
Companies:
Nintendo
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Comments
w 13 Mar 2008 03:37
1/3
Does this really surprise anybody. Look at the support MS is giving their garage developers. Being Draconian, or offering maxed out $100 PSP/gamecube 1.5x level hardware, doesn't help things either, where's the buzz.
I don't know what the state is with these programs, but manufacturers have to open the floodgates and let people get on with it. Free comprehensive easy development systems, the ability to publish online so that any user can purchase and play (with it being able to be stored on the system and a disk sent to them) the ability to get promoted to shelf release by Nintendo, or any Publisher they can negotiate with. They are frightened of rubbish flooding the market, well give a star approval rating, have to sections of the store, those with star approval and those without.
The greed of the industry unfairly and unreasonably dictating to people and users what they can do is unhelpful and should be made illegal. Online downloads are just a way to heard people into media-less pay to play sessions, pay for period and pay per machine as long as it does not die or the service does not shut down. You can kiss your personal freedom to own and use your software on multiple machines longterm goodbye.
And get a burner in the Wii's for data backup and online games.
Some of us around here, are old enough to remember the free market of the Sinclair Spectrum days, that lead to such great variety and novel games.
I don't know what the state is with these programs, but manufacturers have to open the floodgates and let people get on with it. Free comprehensive easy development systems, the ability to publish online so that any user can purchase and play (with it being able to be stored on the system and a disk sent to them) the ability to get promoted to shelf release by Nintendo, or any Publisher they can negotiate with. They are frightened of rubbish flooding the market, well give a star approval rating, have to sections of the store, those with star approval and those without.
The greed of the industry unfairly and unreasonably dictating to people and users what they can do is unhelpful and should be made illegal. Online downloads are just a way to heard people into media-less pay to play sessions, pay for period and pay per machine as long as it does not die or the service does not shut down. You can kiss your personal freedom to own and use your software on multiple machines longterm goodbye.
And get a burner in the Wii's for data backup and online games.
Some of us around here, are old enough to remember the free market of the Sinclair Spectrum days, that lead to such great variety and novel games.
Horatio 14 Mar 2008 10:20
2/3
w wrote:
Does this really surprise anybody. Look at the support MS is giving their garage developers. Being Draconian, or offering maxed out $100 PSP/gamecube 1.5x level hardware, doesn't help things either, where's the buzz.
I don't know what the state is with these programs, but manufacturers have to open the floodgates and let people get on with it. Free comprehensive easy development systems, the ability to publish online so that any user can purchase and play (with it being able to be stored on the system and a disk sent to them) the ability to get promoted to shelf release by Nintendo, or any Publisher they can negotiate with. They are frightened of rubbish flooding the market, well give a star approval rating, have to sections of the store, those with star approval and those without.
The greed of the industry unfairly and unreasonably dictating to people and users what they can do is unhelpful and should be made illegal. Online downloads are just a way to heard people into media-less pay to play sessions, pay for period and pay per machine as long as it does not die or the service does not shut down. You can kiss your personal freedom to own and use your software on multiple machines longterm goodbye.
And get a burner in the Wii's for data backup and online games.
Some of us around here, are old enough to remember the free market of the Sinclair Spectrum days, that lead to such great variety and novel games.
I don't know what the state is with these programs, but manufacturers have to open the floodgates and let people get on with it. Free comprehensive easy development systems, the ability to publish online so that any user can purchase and play (with it being able to be stored on the system and a disk sent to them) the ability to get promoted to shelf release by Nintendo, or any Publisher they can negotiate with. They are frightened of rubbish flooding the market, well give a star approval rating, have to sections of the store, those with star approval and those without.
The greed of the industry unfairly and unreasonably dictating to people and users what they can do is unhelpful and should be made illegal. Online downloads are just a way to heard people into media-less pay to play sessions, pay for period and pay per machine as long as it does not die or the service does not shut down. You can kiss your personal freedom to own and use your software on multiple machines longterm goodbye.
And get a burner in the Wii's for data backup and online games.
Some of us around here, are old enough to remember the free market of the Sinclair Spectrum days, that lead to such great variety and novel games.
It sounds to me like you want a PC?
If Nintendo, Sony and MS open the floodgates, you'll quickly reach a saturation point where gamers won't be easily able to determine the good games and the bad. I'm not saying that ALL titles on the Xbox Arcade marketplace are good, but they are at least fully complete, bug free and share a common set of procedures for logging out of the game, reviewing achievements, buying the full game (from the demo) and playing online.
The mass market gamers out there wouldn't be able to handle a system that is awash with new games in the manner you speak of and, frankly, I don't believe many hardcore gamers would be truly interested either - I have a hard enough time playing through disc releases and the rare download thanks to a working life :-)
Joji 14 Mar 2008 14:34
3/3
Nintendo, totally out of their depth in this one, and so stubborn that they seem to be not seeking external help on what to do next.
I know if I was doing a game, I'd choose Live for it to be on. Nintendo have no idea when it comes to this kind of stuff, which isn't capable to be done properly without a hard drive.
Aim and shoot at feet again, Nintendo.
I know if I was doing a game, I'd choose Live for it to be on. Nintendo have no idea when it comes to this kind of stuff, which isn't capable to be done properly without a hard drive.
Aim and shoot at feet again, Nintendo.