EA Sports: Note To Self, Must Do Better On Wii

@excel_excel:

Is it wrong of me to have supported the Wii by buying almost every VC game out there, but very little disc based software?

I get the feeling I gave Nintendo the wrong idea, that I prefer emulation (punny!) over innovation.

@Agumen: Brilliant!

@excel_excel: Pro Evo on the Wii is a bizarre experience. Half the things you can usually do in a football game are missing or much less interesting and fun than normal. (strength of shot, aiming free kicks, tricky dribbles etc)

But the things that they've implemented that would only be possible on the Wii are so glorious you don't really care. (The raking cross-field passes, defence splitting runs, movment at corners etc) Any football game that makes the goalie kick-out a pile of fun is doing something right. More people need to copy Konami, indeed.

How many actual gamer types have a Wii but not a 360 or PS3? Not many, I'd wager.

Of those who have both, how many would ever buy a Madden game on Wii instead of the other consoles? Very few, I would think.

You want to sell more games, you'll have to figure out how to sell your game to non-gamers. Forget the gamers; we won't be buying the Wii version anyway. Package the game with a pointless controller attachment and market it with zany TV commercials starring cute animals and reality TV personalities and you'll be set.

Vaegrin

@Kommissar Kayce: What can wii do :( All I can do is support those games that are great like Madworld, Overkill and Little King's story....

@Kommissar Kayce: Oh yeah I totally agree. If were talking about in comparison to the install base then quite frankly the sales aren't up to scratch.

Actually in and among my friends the Wii owners do buy games for their systems, they would be considered 'gamers' and if I was to go out into cousins and friends who would be 'casual gamers' nearly all have bought Mario Galaxy and Mario Kart.

@Gyaruson:

Oh, they ARE the average Wii consumer. As an ex GS employee myself, I know it, you should know it, the whole world knows it.

The average consumer of the PS3 or the 360... you at least have a chance selling them on some more games.

The average consumer of the Wii... not so much. You might be able to convince them into Deca Sports or Lousy Waggle Title 2000, but not much else. On the Wii's userbase, its the Niche gamers that appreciate things like Madworld and No More Heroes.

Honestly? Its the 14-18 year old kids who still live at home, and can't afford to buy another system because Mum or Dad already bought the Wii two years ago, that appreciate the M rated (I know, I see the irony there in the 17+ rating) games, or even just the games when the devs try. Because they're being forced to work with what they have, and they're becoming slightly too old to be thrilled with Wii Play forever.

@FunkmasterC: The PS2 was for everyone, and EA didn't see the need, then, to make truly atrocious versions of their leading titles for it. Wii owners, my self included, will continually cry and complain that no one takes their platform seriously, and with people stating that nothing needs to change - because it appeals to a mass market, rather than a target - nothing ever will change. Meaning that we will forever be locked in perpetual battles between mounds of shovelware and a Nintendo title that's been half-heartedly developed to appease the rabble for just a little bit longer.

@CockroachMan: lmao thats only because wii sports came out.

@Kommissar Kayce:
I truly hope that those people you refer to are not the average Wii consumer, though. Working at Gamestop I've seen it plenty myself, but I just don't know how rampant it is elsewhere.

It's because of consumers like those that EA thinks they have to dumb down every title for the system and perpetuate an already too-large stereotype that all Wii owners want is kiddy games. The Gamecube had enough of that, and I was hoping that games like Madworld, No More Heroes, House of the Dead, etc., would remove that misconception; but then EA comes along and closes that door.

At least Dead Space still has guns that shoot ammo, and not just jelly beans.

@excel_excel:

By great, of course, you mean numbers and not in comparison to the Wii's install base.

The software sales ratio of third parties compared to the install base is terrible. It must be a pain in the ass trying to predict how many copies your non Nintendo branded game will move. On the 360, you've got almost a 1:1 chance that the owner of a 360 will at least be possibly interested. On the PS3, the people who bought it to just play blu-rays can't be THAT huge, so you've still got a large chance of having your game interest most of the ownership.

On the Wii though? I know people who bought it just because of Wii sports, and never touched the thing again. Pleeeeenty of people. Or bought it for Wii Sports, and in the year since having it, only also bought 'Wii Play', 'Wii Music' and 'Wii Fit'.

@TRT-X: But the Wii ISN'T for the average gamer. The Wii is an original system and is designed to capture EVERYONE. What market share is bigger, the average gamers...or everyone else? The Wii is the system for people who haven't gamed before and want a simple fun experience.

That reminds me I must get Pro Evo for the Wii

@laser beams: A general misconception. Sega, Ubisoft, Capcom have all seen great sales on Wii.

@laser beams: That's because other companies except Nintendo either never advertise, or "dumb down" games for the Wii version.

@Fallible.: *this*

It's a little hard to believe they're going to "do better" on Wii when another EA Wii article on the same page is pretty much "Hey look we're going to cutsey up Madden!"

And putting that stupid "All Play" or "____ Party" subtitle on the cover of all their Wii Versions gets really annoying really quick.

If you keep treating the Wii like it has to have "different" versions, people are going to just perpetuate the stereotype that it's not for the average gamer.

@CockroachMan: Well, Madden does have Wii-specific controls...they're just nowhere near as well thought-out as Pro Evo's, which in some ways even improve on the standard controls.

@Boom-Chicka-Ah: For team sports.. maybe your right. But I can see Tiger Woods and Grand Slam Tennis getting huge sales with Motion Plus support. And the graphics, while not as good as the 360 and PS3 versions technically, are pretty and easy on the eyes thanks to the different stylized art direction they decided to take.

Why don't EA Sports just release a minigame compelation? I mean hell if Nintendo can do it I'm sure these guys with years of experience could pull it off...

Milzo

True, Pro Evo has great controls.. I don't understand why EA isn't using something like that on Madden yet? Being american football not as fast paced as soccer, it would work even better IMO.

Anyway, I'm liking EA's approach on the Wii now, exploring more cartoony looks on their games, I hope their sports games sell better this year cause it looks like they are trying harder this year.

i think most titles published by companies not named "Nintendo" generally under-perform on the Wii.

they will probably not hit their desired mark. The graphics are a big turn off to consumers and the controller for the wii is not suitable for these games. If you make basketball in first person where you can only play as one character than yeah, i think it will work. but not for controlling a whole team. the control set up of the wii is for more personal use of playing a game.

I, personally, think they should stop dumbing down their titles and demeaning their demographic with 'fun' graphics on their titles. Every time I look at what they're developing for the PS3/ 360, and then at what they have planned for the Wii port, I can't help but feel slightly ill.

Sure, the Wii can't do the super-realistic graphics of the other two, but it can sure do a lot better than semi-cell-shaded jaggies.

@Boom-Chicka-Ah:
It sounds like you haven't played Pro-Evo Wii yet. Give it a try, it's awesome and a whole lot better playing team game than any sports game I've ever tried.

JoseJX

@d_average: ... the US sales are not really what you should use to judge a Soccer game. That's like calling Halo 3 a flop because it only sold 100k in japan

beril

@Fallible.: I love love love Pro Evo on the Wii but the graphics are horrendous. I'll take the stylized graphics over the ones I have now.

Don't they dare change the gameplay though.

Pro Evo is great and all but it only sold 20k in the US. Thats not exactly what EA is looking for.

@Kommissar Kayce: kids still play the wii, and kids still like regular madden. i work at a game store, and ive seen kids come in and want madden on wii, but theyre turned off by the all play. if it played just like a regular game.. most of em would like it.

and in contrast, red steel, umbrella chronicles, resident evil 4, sonic and the secret rings, rock band, call of duty world at war, call of duty 3, guitar hero world tour, shaun white, lego star wars/indian jones, force unleashed, tiger woods 08/09 and im sure some others ive missed are all million sellers.

guitar hero III sold 4 million, and sonic and mario at the olympic games hit 7 million (i know that has mario, but i bet it wouldnt have sold THAT well without sonic in it.. and sega published it). i bet the conduit and red steel 2 will do great, especially red steel 2. if you really think about it, its not often that a game that isnt "casual" or "mainstream" will sell over a million copies. look up a list of 360 or ps3 million sellers.. besides microsoft published games like halo, gears of war, and fable 2, its mostly cluttered with games catered to the masses. grand theft autos, guitar heros, rock bands, maddens, racing games, and call of dutys. so im not really seeing where this "we cant sell against nintendo" argument comes from. really, you cant sell against madden, call of duty, or gta either.

@beril:

Well, the US is a giant market for EA, so its a crucial reference point. Besides, it only sold 70k in Europe. Pretty sad for such an innovative concept.

If only EA was good at what they do.

Get rid of the cartoony graphics, implement a fully customizable control scheme. give optional motion controls that when used, are intuitive (The juke and throw were pretty cool from the first games).

Implement solid online, and don't go blaming Nintendo for weak online service. Anyone who's played Mario Kart knows that good online is very possible.

SpikyBry

@Fallible.:
Except that with the ps2, everyone HAD TO ADAPT to the system requeriments, like knowing how to use a D-Pad or four shoulder buttons. While on the wii, game producers are the ones who have to adapt to the console limitations with less buttons and admit it,low fidelity controls.

I for one, don't think that the wii can do something similar to the others, and I'm telling that from a very kind standpoing, not speaking of graphics anymore

@Vaegrin: exactly. the wii's not competing for the same audience anyway.

curly haired boy

@Vaegrin:
True talk!

I dunno. I like the cartoony graphics. It's not like they can make it look realistic, so why try? If it doesn't affect gameplay, I don't see what the problem is anyhow.

@Luke Plunkett: Madden 10 is implementing point and pass, so it seems they may be getting closer. The Call Your Shot is also somewhat similar to PES on Wii. Still, until a sports title can compete with PES on Wii I won't be happy.

@Kommissar Kayce: Aha! You've uncovered the secret to selling games for the Wii! Just put "Wii" in the title.

I can see it now. "Wii Game for the Wii," released in early 2010, will become the best-selling game ever, purely by virtue of putting "Wii" in the title twice.

Maybe if they came out with an NHL game on the Wii, they'd move some units. But nooooo....

@CockroachMan: I plan on trying out Tiger Woods with Wii Motion Plus. i would say the same thing for grand slam tennis, but it doesn't come bundeled with the game so I'll have to get the other one first anyway. Both games look good.

@Kommissar Kayce: if you bought good games on VC and Wiiware- then you are throwing your vote (and money) behind quality games. i'm sure people are out there who track those sales- and this should hopefully lead to quality new titles from classic franchises. Bionic commando: rearmed is a prime example (sadly it never came to the Wii) of this and so is Mega Man 9.

The upcoming tennis game looks like a huge step in the right direction.

Tenacious_Z

@laser beams: didn't mean to cut myself off there. i was also going to point to "Zak and Wiki" (to say nothing of the Okami re-release) and "No More Heroes" as the other obvious examples from the other 2 publishers who have seen great success and tragic failure on the Wii.

@excel_excel: those same companies you named have all seen good games release to poor sales, as well. Sonic and Mario at the Olympics did stellar sales while Madworld languishes at the bottom of the new-release sales charts. i wasn't making a dig at anyone with my first post- just stating the general trend.

Well, what they're trying to do here is make money. That's how they win the game. BAM!

cfive3

@Sean Lee Fowler:

I am sure you are not the only one, but I also suspect you are a huge minority. This is not because I have any strong feelings about the Wii one way or another. It is because that's what the evidence suggests. MadWorld's sales come to mind.

Vaegrin

@shimage:

They CAN make it look realistic. At least as realistic as the PS3 and 360. They are just choosing not to put the effort into pushing the graphical hardware of the Wii.

Sean Lee Fowler

@SpikyBry:

Now THIS is truth. Everything you said was dead on accurate. The only thing I'd add is an actual effort to push the Wii graphical hardware (which you didn't specifically mention when you said get rid of the cartoon graphics).

Sean Lee Fowler

@Vaegrin:

Guess what. I'm a "gamer" that only has a Wii. I'm a gamer that WOULD buy the Wii version of Madden. There are LOTS of gamers that either ONLY have Wii's or actually want to play Madden on the Wii. The approach you advocate is GARBAGE. Instead of treating the Wii like a kids console played only by soccer moms and kids, they should realize it has a full and complete audience of gamers (you think only moms and kids have contributed to those amazing sales?) and actually TRY and make a great game on the console.

For more on this topic, research "The Conduit".

Sean Lee Fowler

@Fallible.: The PS2 was definitely not marketed toward the same market as the Wii.