[REMINDER: If you haven’t already, don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll. Results will be relayed via Infendo Radio this weekend!]
Wii owners are getting impatient while waiting for online gaming. Just imagine how much more fun Mario Party 8 would be if you could challenge a friend in another state. Who doesn’t think Red Steel would’ve sold better if it had online multiplayer? One could argue that Nintendo took the good part of a year to get the DS online, but it shouldn’t take that long for Wii. They already have an online experience in place, although it requires friend codes. Maybe Nintendo is going to roll out a new, friend code-less system for Wii. So what am I getting at? This week, we want to know just how impatient you are.
-mech-
i think nintendo is taking too much time for the online games. im very exited about online gaming, specially on “brawl” (i understand what with this game the online feature will be opened)… but im very disapointed with the lack of online gaming in titles such as red steel, COD 3 and soon with MK armageddon.
greetings from chile and sorry for my crappy english
Shad Genki
Overall, there’s really nothing to do online that you need a friend code for just yet. I can do without sending messages and Miis to my friends in order to not have to use a ridiculously long friend code to connect to someone else on every single online game. I’m sorry to say this, but they need to learn from Microsoft’s example here.
Anonymous
Am I the only one who see’s Friend Codes as a good thing? A white list is a small price to play, and my computer illiterate relitives had no trouble adding me as a friend.
It’s not as if there won’t be a worldwide/regional choice as well where those of us without 3 gamer friends can play 4 player online games at any moment.
The only thing that Nintendo could improve is when selecting worldwide or regional that it prioritizes friends over random people. As the system is now its friends only or strangers only.
Also on the choices menu there should be a list of online friends under the “friends” choice with a way to message them handy. White-lists can be very good. Really, I’m not joking.
Anonymous
If Nintendo does go live with the friend code BS, then they better have a DANG good matchmaking service. I don’t have any friends who have Wii’s, and I’m not going to give my Wii # over to one of those sites that is collecting them. Otherwise, I simply won’t be able to play Online this generation…again.
I know Nintendo needs to protect the little kids from bad guys – it’s just too bad that because of some irresponsible parents who can’t supervise their own children that Nintendo has to punish the rest of us.
Kerri
I have a feeling Nintendo will stick with both negative sides. Take a long time to unroll multi-player AND stick with friend codes.
McClain142
Let us get online now and change the system later on with future games.
What I want to see is an option to play with people who’s codes I have OR jump into a random game, with the option to add friends from the game.
I’m honestly not that worried about Nintendo following XBOX with gamer cards or whatever, so just so long as I can play a game with people I know and people I don’t know.
Shinn
Mario Party was meant to be played with friends. Online wouldn’t be as fun for that game.
I want them to wait. Friend Codes are bad.. bad I say!
Anonymous
I’ve been happily playing online matches Mario Kart and Metroid Prime Hunters without uses a single “friend code”, so I don’t see why they can’t do the same thing for the Wii, easy.
Rollin
Correction: Some Wii owners aren’t getting impatient while waiting for online gaming.
“Anyway, I may play online games such as Smash Bros. Brawl, or I may not. Fun is fun whether I’m playng with someone from another coast or not. I wish people would realize that the situation is not so dramatic. One friend code take about half a minute to input. Am I missing something? I don’t see what’s so bad about that.”
Here’s the thing: live players are smarter than AI. That makes games more fun. They call it “multiplayer”.
Now either you don’t care for online or you love friend codes, i dunno. But friend codes are impractical and pointless, whether they take half a minute or half a year to input. My name is Rollin, not 8339-2920-2465-5642. Rollin is easier to remember and type in, so why my friends can’t just do that, Nintendo only knows. Friend codes help nothing and wanting something a little better or more streamlined is not a sin. Like you love the 3D Sonic games that strive for satisfactory status, some people like games and systems that try to go above and beyond (at least) the competition. And just like you think Sonic the Hedghog of old days aint worth a damn anymore, others think the same thing for consoles with progressively retarded online services. It doesn’t fly in 2007.
“Doesn’t anyone else feel that online is not a very big deal for a video game system?”
God no.
InvisibleMan
I also feel that online play is essential for a next-gen console, but I don’t see that much difference between friend codes and gamer tags a la Xbox LIVE, other than you don’t choose the numbers in the friend code (so what?).
Rollin, if Nintendo Wi-Fi for Wii allowed you to choose a gamertag, what are the chances that you would nab the name “Rollin”? Most likely, you would end up as “Rollin_16” or some other name/code combo like that, along with a dozen other “Rollins”!
Anyway, for now, if you want a great online experience, why not just play on a 360? Or an Xbox, if you want to play on a budget? That’s what I do! And then I play Wii when friends are physically over at my place…
Rollin
Because the friend code “safety” and it being free are excuses for them to half ass it, which they are doing very well.
I’d be the first and only Rollin, guaranteed.
Poochy
Well, then, what happened to the world, Rollin?
I’ve grown up with Nintendo….playing great single player games, great multiplayer games, etc. I’m not big on PC gaming, and even if I was I’d recognize the distinguishing line between PC games and videogames. By saying “God no.” to my comment, do you mean to suggest I’m the only person on the planet like this? Then you are being naive, because I’m not the only one. As a strictly Nintendo devotee (which there are many others in the world besides me) I’ve never felt that I’ve missed out on anything. Nowadays I’ll sit down to watch TV, turn on G4 and I’ll see the latest review of some random console game, and the reviewers will 9 times out of 10 bitch about it there if is no online mode. I’m sorry, when did something like multiplayer become a neccesity?
I am an enormous fan of Nintendo and greatly respect what they’ve done with the Wii. If there are never any “true” online games for the system, then I say “boo-hoo, who cares”. I may not be in the majority when it comes to my views of the Sonic series, Rollin, but I’m not one in a minority of Nintendo fans who think that online multiplayer makes or breaks a system. What works for me is the same thing that has worked for me since the late 1980’s. As long as there are fun games to play, I, and many others will be happy—it’s just that simple. No offense to those who wish for “online” support or better thereof, but why nag a company who does not have a long history of success, or even a long history of caring about these sorts of issues to do better? Nintendo does not have a history of changing. If they do change more to meet your so-called needs, then more power to you. If not, you always have really fun games to play nonetheless, right?
Rollin
You’re a Nintendo devotee… and i’m naive?
I meant to say you have little company. If you think being a long time Nintendo fan precludes the need for online play or any other thing they’ve never rolled out properly, then i’ma say you’re in the minority. Believe it or don’t, but i have been a lifelong Nintendo follower. By “follower” i mean follow what they do, not follow them into fire. I think that’s where you and i differ, and it explains a lot.
There will always be great single player games out there, somewhere. If not on a Nintendo, they’ll be on another system. Why multiplayer isn’t important to you, i don’t know. But i don’t think it makes or breaks a system either. Yet i also think that in the new generation, in the year 2007, on a system named “We“, it matters. Last i heard, everybody was calling that company with the “history of not changing” the innovative savior of the industry. Which is it gonna be?
Most of the people that visit this site are Nintendo fans. The same ones you claim are largely indifferent to online or multiplayer. So this is what i’ll do: for next week, i’ll ask David to poll the readers on this to see if they agree with you. If there are that many people living under a rock that think whatever Nintendo doesn’t do is not for them, then fine. Though i think you’ll be surprised that most Nintendo fans aren’t single-minded, zombified followers who think the same way. The reason Nintendo deserves and needs to be nagged for not moving forward is because they are a company that fights for your dollar, and the less they do to satisfy an audience who can go to a better fit competitor at any moment, the less money they make. It is not good for business, and it’s not good for business because it’s not good for the fans.
I know for a fact that Nintendo is aware of the existence of the NES stalwarts who treat the company like an idol that can do no wrong. That’s the reason they are able to take advantage of it so much. But if you think that’s everybody, then you’re dead wrong (look at the Cube). Even more if you base you’re opinions on what IGN and G4 think. With pompous certainty, i’ma look you straight in your double o’s and say: yes, you are in the minority. I base that on Xbox Live, wireless, single-cart multiplayer, link cables, Wii remote shortages, and the Nintendo Wifi Connection.
You wanna be stuck in the past, that’s up to you. But you and your handful of friends in that 80’s time capsule don’t speak for anyone but yourselves.
Poochy
My mind is already spinning with responses to give you, but I refuse to do so on the basis that I would say something I regret. Plus, I stopped really listening to what you had to say the moment you became insulting. I don’t know whether you’re still carrying some heat from the little Sonic spat we had some time ago or not, but, whatever dude. The tone you took with your comment speaks for itself. If you’re that zealous in your efforts to point how much of a freak minority I am in the grand scheme of things, then fine. I live in the 80’s. Whatever. I have no desire to continue an argument with someone who will only throw cheap (yet volatile) insults. And before you say anything–yeah, I know I’ve done the same thing elsewhere, but I sure as hell wasn’t doing it here. All you gained from your argument was the feeling of shutting down someone whom you perceived was dead wrong, single-minded, and a moron. All I gained was the expression of my opinion. Forgive me if you think otherwise.
Rollin
I didn’t only throw cheap insults, i saved that for the end. I wouldn’t call them “cheap” though, “easy” is more fitting since i just reiterated what you said.
The calling me naive bit, the baffling fact that someone would think the majority of Nintendo fans (probably with good reason… 2 decades ago) would think the way you portrayed, and that you were mouthing off like you were the only person who understood what fun was are what set me off. Yea, i admit, that tends to make me think less of your views. I get zealously worked up when i see that sort of thing. I mean really, do you think multiplayer — not just online, but multiplayer gaming — is uneccesary? That’s the most mind bending thing i’ve ever heard regarding games. It’s the whole Wii premise. Most every console and handheld has accomodated it since the 70’s. If there’s a disinguishable difference between PC and console gaming, it’s the solitary nature of the PC versus the contrary on consoles.
I’m not carrying heat from the Sonic thing, it’s just hard to shake the similarities of what you think of that and what you think of this — utterly confusing. I’m trying to comprehend how someone can believe that a large amount of people feel that way about something so prevalent. So there, a less insulting comment for you.
Poochy
About the Sonic thing—-it’s a bit narrow-minded to assume that the feelings of the Sonic series going down the tube are “prevalent”. I won’t vouch for Shadow the Hedgehog or Sonic the Hedgehog 360, but the sales data of everything prior to that would suggest that people are buying the games. I subsribe to the old-school train of thought that if it sells, it can’t be all that bad. You would rather believe reviews and negative hype generated by fans on the internet.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with either point of view, but I would like to note that most of the negative hype out there doesn’t seem to even be coming from what has long been the target audience of Sonic the Hedgehog: kids (though I realized that the last two games were targetted more at young teens).
Second, I was never mouthing off like I was the only person who understood what fun is. However, judging from your comments, I seem to be one of an increasingly small number of people with an unadulterated sense of fun—that is to say, what worked for me in 1995 is still good for now, and I can’t really be swayed to think connecting to a server so I can play Super Smash Bros. Brawl with someone from another continent is a make or break issue. I have friends with whom I can play games with. Apparently there aren’t many other 22 years with friends whom they can still play games with, so now there’s so much complaining going around about Nintendo not catching up with the world or some other rubbish. And like I said before, the gaming populace has become so jaded that games with perfectly good multiplayers get slammed because they don’t have online support. All I’m saying is—-are we really that petty?
And no, I never said multiplayer gaming is uneccesary! I don’t where you got that from, but it wasn’t from me. If you want to get technical, however, many things in video games aren’t neccessary. But in the development of video games it often becomes a matter of how much frosting can be put on the cake. There may not be enough time to implement a multiplayer, or it just doesn’t fit with the game’s premise and overall feel (Metroid, for God’s sake!). I strongly believe in multiplayer. How could I be a Nintendo fan and not believe in multiplayer? The most “mind bending thing” you’ve ever heard regarding games never came from my lips.
However—and I know I’m considered old school for thinking like this—multiplayer and online are not mutually exclusive. And really, just because there are so many people on XBox Live doesn’t mean it’s an issue that is strongly felt by the Nintendo community. What makes you think that everyone who is a Nintendo fan has an XBox or plays online PC games? To assume that everyone has the same playing habits as you just seems silly to me. I am not and never have considered myself a “hardcore gamer”. Those are the people who play games like Halo all day—mostly the same people who bitched and cried about Wind Waker’s art style.
They may buy Nintendo’s products, but I wouldn’t call them hardcore Nintendo fans. Hardcore Nintendo fans are the ones whose fanart you see posted at Nintendo’s website. However, that’s just my opinion. I’m not claiming to know anything.
I’m a long time follower of Shigeru Miyamoto. I read his interviews as though they were religious texts, so my views are somewhat based around his philosophies regarding games. You can call me a zombified follower of Nintendo living in the 80’s all you want. I’m quite proud of my old school sensibilities because no matter it may offend you, I actually enjoy being different. I stand by my comments that FUN IS FUN and what was good enough to be fun in 1985 is still good enough now to be fun now. If “everyone” (since you to be so sure that you speak for the entire world) can’t be content with games and consoles and have to tell a company that has been in this biz for 30 (mostly) successful years how to do their job otherwise they’ll whine like little babies, then so be it. But 1985 fun is still 2007 fun, in my opinion. If you want to argue that point, then you might as well get started on a petition that would demand Nintendo implement online modes in Super Mario Brothers and Duck Hunt.
Rollin
Well firstly i made it abundantly clear that i don’t speak for everyone, but was sure that not everyone follows your line of thinking. Secondly, sales data for any game don’t prove its quality. It’s why crap games keep getting made and keep focusing on their target audience rather than being good games anyone can enjoy. I could point you to a million licenses, and Sonic is a hair’s width from being just another licensed game franchise. Thirdly, you being an old school type of gamer that reads Miyamoto’s interviews like Bible paraphrases doesn’t really make you an anomaly or all that different from a certain kind of Nintendo fan we’re all too familiar with.
You did come off like multiplayer was a throw away thing for you, downplaying it, which is why it seemed that way to me. I know multiplayer and online aren’t exclusive to one another. But there are lots of folks out there — like Infendo’s Blake — who say that stuff like the DS wifi connection (and blogging) makes his isolated gaming self feel connected to his gaming peers. I’m taking his thoughts into account as well as everyone who raves on about online gaming connectivity and the people who use it. It’s not something that’s a minor deal for all people. If you didn’t imply the contrary, then it was a mixed signal. I realize that not everyone plays online games, but i don’t see why you’re so surprised that people crave it so much. It’s not about shoehorning multiplayer or online into games that don’t need it, but leaving it out of games that have the time, resources, and presmises for them. Nintendo feels the need to put Mario and his crew into every type of sports uniform they can fathom, why don’t the proper logistics of development be applied to games that actually call for these multiplayer game components?
I’m sure my gameplay habits fall into a specific niche, what you seem to think it is aint the case. I didn’t say nor do i think that most Nintendo fans play Xbox or PC, but there are more than you like to believe. I used Xbox Live as an example of many possibly Nintendo gamers — which a large part of you did speak for — not feeling the same way as you. More importantly i used the Nintendo Wifi Connection, which blew Live out of the water with its adoption rate. Those are Nintendo fans, as far as i can tell. You can also consider the fanbase of Phantasy Star Online for GameCube that still keeps (or recently shut down) their fan-hosted servers, but that is a niche of a niche. Once again, forgive me for conjecturing, but you are implying that a large number of (dedicated?) Nintendo fans only do the Nintendo thing, right? That is complete and utter bullshit that doesn’t need to be perpetuated any further. People like that are what keeps Nintendo from progressing and other comanies from looking down on the whole and not bringing over top notch games that don’t fall in line with that perception.
What do you think fansites, blogs, and gaming websites are for? People who buy into a company’s products have the right to complain and bitch. Just cause they’ve been a successful business doesn’t make them immune to criticism. If people feel Nintendo is slacking with their online focus (which by the way, is their self-proclaimed focus) they should speak up against it. Why is it whining? They promise something, you buy it, it’s not like they promised, you tell them. So Sony doesn’t deserve at least some of the negative press they get? These companies offer us things in the hopes that we prioritize those purchases over their competitors, because that’s what smart and truly successful businesses do. Wii has built-in wifi and Nintendo has the wifi connection because a substantial amount of their fanbase wants and enjoys that but previously could only get it elsewhere. The reason it’s been only “mostly” successful for 30 years is because they haven’t always been on the right track and done right by the demands of their audience. I enjoyed my GameCube above all during the past gen (and still play it more than Wii games) because i think it’s great, but the sales numbers would make me wrong, correct?
For me, 1985 fun isn’t the same as it was at that time. I can’t enjoy Sonic the Hedghog the same way i did when i was however old i was in 1992, not even close. Motion controlled games are new to me, online games are a fun evolution of multi, i appreciate great 2D or 3D graphics, and i like that movement forward. Those who draw fanart are a small part of Nintendo’s core audience, which is already small itself. You are definitely a traditional, hardcore Nintendo gamer. If you want to speak for those who leave Link sketches on the Nintendo.com forums you should say so. I won’t argue with that, they’ve got more to worry about.