Next Generation continues its love affair with line graphs and analytics today with a “review” of why Wii games — which sell sell yet review poorly — are such an enigma.
Maybe Wii games have lower review scores because we, as an industry, still don’t know what makes a good Wii game.
This isn’t proof mind you ”“ we probably won’t know for a long time, if ever, why Wii games rate so much below par ”“ but a failure to understand the platform and its potential is one possibility. Even if you dismiss that explanation, the fundamental question still remains: Why have games for the Wii, darling console of the media and the public for well over a year, reviewed so poorly and sold so well?
That first line hits it on the head as far as I’m concerned. The “standard” used by reviews today from which all reviews are compared for context isn’t “is this a good game,” it’s “how does this game compare to the games we’ve given great review scores to over the past 10 years?” Unfortunately, that’s the very essence of an echo chamber. FAIL.
The “games media” today is the result of 10+ years of grooming, free trips, perks and payoffs. Old habits, I’ve heard, die hard.