3rd Party Problem? What Problem?

[Hero-of-Time]

Where are the games? Where are my 3rd party exclusives? Why isn't *insert title* being released on the Wii? How often have we heard such things over the course of the Wii's lifespan? A lot, right? The Wii U hasn't even been released yet and we are already starting to see this trend continue.

 

Was the 3rd party situation so dire during the Wii's lifespan? Looking back it wasn't at all, in fact you could say that the Wii had the lionshare of 3rd party exclusives.

 

Let's take a look at what was offer to us over the years and have a think, just how many of these great titles did you actually pick up and play?

 

Zack & Wiki

 

Rune Factory Frontier

 

Fragile Dreams

 

Little Kings Story

 

Spyborgs

 

NiGHTS

 

Tales of Symphonia: DotnW

 

Final Fantasy: Crystal Bearers

 

Rabbids Go Home

 

A Shadows Tale

 

Sonic Colours

 

Sonic and the Secret Rings

 

De Blob

 

Kororinpa

 

Boom Blox

 

Klonoa

 

Sakura Wars

 

Sky Crawlers

 

Muramasa

 

Opoona

 

Epic Mickey

 

Tatsunoko Vs Capcom

 

Deadly Creatures

 

Mario & Sonic at the Olympics

 

Eledees

 

Dewys Adventure

 

Trauma Center

 

Batman Brave and the Bold

 

Castlevania Judgment

 

 

"But H-o-T, all of those are too colourful and most look like kiddie titles! I want blood, guts and hardcore action! I amz Hardcorezz". I sound like Beverage now.

 

Firstly, you have issues if that's what you're craving. Secondly, the Wii had a host of such titles. Take a look.

 

Monster Hunter Tri

 

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

 

No More Heroes

 

No More Heroes 2

 

Madworld

 

Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles

 

Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles

 

Dead Space: Extraction

 

House of the Dead: Overkill

 

Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition

 

Red Steel

 

Red Steel 2

 

Ghost Squad

 

Cursed Mountain

 

Fatal Frame 2

 

 

Not a bad list, eh? Just over 40 games and there's probably a few more that i've missed out. All of these having been exclusive over the years or in Resident Evil 4's case, it's classed as the definitive version.

 

As i'm sitting here doing this, I have got my 360 profile up and running. A lot of people on here know that I love my achievements and I have played a STUPID amount of games for my blink, both good and bad, over the years on my 360. Now looking though that list there must be about 10 or so games that are exclusive 3rd party games. Yup, around 10.

 

So, the Wii did have a hell of a lot more, it's just that people chose not to see them. Yes, a lot of them are quirky, colourful games that didn't involve blowing someones face off with a shotgun, but out of the ones that i've played from the list, they were all fun and unique experiences.

 

Sure the Wii missed out on a lot of multiformat titles, such as Assassins Creed, Mass Effect, Bioshock and Resident Evil but there were other experiences to be had on the Wii if gamers would just open their eyes.

 

Warren Spector spoke out about violence in videogames just yesterday and it is a worrying trend indeed. If a game doesn't involve any type of realistic violence then a lot of gamers just seem to disregard it instantly. The article is HERE for those who haven't seen it.

 

It seems that this was the case when it came to the 3rd party games on the Wii. As I said, most are bright and cheerful games and most were probably considered too kiddie to play.

 

My final thought is that if the Wii U 3rd party situation is anything like the Wii one, then we are in for a good time, providing that gamers are willing to open their minds and wallets and support the crazy and colourful games. Platinum have showed the kind of thing i'm looking for when it comes to exclusive 3rd party output, may the rest of the industry follow suit.

Edited June 15, 2012 by Hero-of-Time

[Sheikah]

I like that you've put a decent list together, there's no denying there's not some good games there.

 

That said, it is a sum total over many years and I think if it was done with the other consoles the list would be far longer with games of much higher quality (ie. no games like red steel or remakes/ports to make up the list).

Edited June 15, 2012 by Sheikah

[Fierce_LiNk]

Excellent post, Hero!

 

I'm surprised at just how many games in my Wii collection are third party efforts. Oters may not agree, but I would say that the third party efforts for the Wii were better than they were for the Cube, which in turn were better than the N64.

 

If the WiiU further elaborates on this, where we are able to get those crucial multiplatform games that people want, then it will be a success.

 

You've highlighted several games there that I must go back and play/finish off. I want to play more Monster Hunter Tri but there's no time!

[Jonnas]

Most of the games you posted were of the "good/original, but lesser known" variety. The Wii was filled with that kind of game, even 1st Party games were like that.

 

It's sad how some people kept going on about how the only good games the Wii had were Metroid Prime 3, Super Mario Galaxy and Smash Bros. Talk about only looking at the "safe" options.

(Also, this page is taking way too long to load. Could you Spoiler Tag these videos, please?)

[dazzybee]

Also, most of them were from Japanese developers and they haven't shown their wii U hands yet. I'm pretty confident that Wii U will have even better 3rd party exclusives, and hopefully get more of the multi platform releases.

 

The thing is, for the core gamer it's the multiformat AAA releases that really make a difference. People simply want to play these games.

 

It does go to show the absolute ignorance how many people gave with regards to the Wii and it not having any games. Some people are suckered into the "for kids" image without having any knowledge or playing it's catalogue. A lot of people on these boards suffer the same problem

[Hero-of-Time]

That said, it is a sum total over many years and I think if it was done with the other consoles the list would be far longer with games of much higher quality (ie. no games like red steel or remakes/ports to make up the list).

 

It terms of multiformat games, yes, absolutely. As for exclusive 3rd party games, I doubt it would be even close.

[Dcubed]

Edit: Not the place for this crap. Please carry on. I could use some positivity!

Edited June 15, 2012 by Dcubed
Sorry for shitting up a nice thread

[Zechs Merquise]

I just wanted to thank H-o-T for that excellent post. There were also a number of other great third party exclusives that I'm sure he missed. When I wrote my top 25 Wii Games last year I was surprised how many third party games were in there.

 

The Wii had a great run and I played my Wii far more than I did my GC. It was an excellent console with some amazing exclusive.

[Hero-of-Time]

And a lot of the exclusive games that it did get were questionable at best (Opoona, Resident Evil Umbrella/Darkside Chronicles, NiGHTS JOD, FF Crystal Bearers, Castlevania Judgement, Red Steel and Cursed Mountain are all largely considered to be pretty rubbish - and I'd probably agree with them)

 

You see, I really enjoyed most of the titles that you mentioned in that list. The Resident Evil games, while not the standard type of the R Evil game, were still a lot of fun. I know several members on here who really enjoyed those games. Same can be said for Crystal Bearers, Castlevania and Red Steel.

 

The games that came from a franchise were different from their HD counterparts, but they were still just as fun to play.

[Sheikah]

It terms of multiformat games, yes, absolutely. As for exclusive 3rd party games, I doubt it would be even close.

 

Absolutely, PS3 would blow it out of the water. :p

 

Plus it shouldn't really matter if games were also released on another console, the important thing is that they weren't on the Wii. I do also agree with Dcubed that a lot of titles listed here are somewhat questionable in terms of quality, which is why I view the argument that Wii third party exclusives dwarved that of other consoles to be very shakey.

Edited June 15, 2012 by Sheikah

[Hero-of-Time]

Plus it shouldn't really matter if games were also released on another console, the important thing is that they weren't on the Wii.

 

I think the important thing is that we should enjoy the ones we have. Also, lets not turn this into a topic of HD Twins Vs Wii. The point of the topic is to make people aware that there are a shed load of 3rd party exclusives out there to be played on.

[Zechs Merquise]

You see, I really enjoyed most of the titles that you mentioned in that list. The Resident Evil games, while not the standard type of the R Evil game, were still a lot of fun. I know several members on here who really enjoyed those games. Same can be said for Crystal Bearers, Castlevania and Red Steel.

 

The games that came from a franchise were different from their HD counterparts, but they were still just as fun to play.

 

Those Resident Evil games were brilliant. I recently replayed them actually. It's a testament to the quality of the games on the Wii that neither of them made my top 25 games as they were both really good.

 

Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition is the best RE game ever made. The Wii remote controls really make it much better, especially in The Mercenaries. The only other RE game that I'd rate as close is the GC remake.

[Dcubed]

Those Resident Evil games were brilliant. I recently replayed them actually. It's a testament to the quality of the games on the Wii that neither of them made my top 25 games as they were both really good.

Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition is the best RE game ever made. The Wii remote controls really make it much better, especially in The Mercenaries. The only other RE game that I'd rate as close is the GC remake.

 

Spot on. It's an amazing game, turned even better, that is somewhat bittersweet for me though in that it also serves as a reminder of what could've been regarding multiplatform titles...

 

Just think how much better it would be if we had gotten an exclusive RE mainline title that was designed around the Wiimote & Chuck, instead of the Chronicles light gun games

[Hero-of-Time]

(Also, this page is taking way too long to load. Could you Spoiler Tag these videos, please?)

 

But it looks so good. Ok then...

[Ganepark32]

And a lot of the exclusive games that it did get were questionable at best (Opoona, Resident Evil Umbrella/Darkside Chronicles, NiGHTS JOD, FF Crystal Bearers, Castlevania Judgement, Red Steel and Cursed Mountain are all largely considered to be pretty rubbish - and I'd probably agree with them)

 

Say what you will about the other games you've listed there (I haven't played Opoona so can't comment) but you're inclusion of Cursed Mountain there is a little off the mark. Yes, gameplay-wise it could have been done better, and it does drag towards the end, but it is far from rubbish. Brilliant atmosphere, decent visuals and sound work, interesting themes/content; as close as you'd get to an Eternal Darkness game on the Wii. Definitely doesn't deserve to be lumped with Castlevania Judgement or the original Red Steel and be labelled as 'rubbish'. Even going off of review scores, it's still a good game.

 

Same could be said of FF Crystal Bearers, which was only really let down by the fact it didn't have a battle system or any true attacks and that weird day/night system that caused issues when you had to take on specific enemies. Other than that, still a decent RPG. Not Xenoblade good but still pretty good. You could similarly argue about the Umbrella/Darkside Chronicles games but I really didn't care for those myself.

 

-------------------------------------

 

Anyway, brilliant first post there Hero! Reminded me of so many good third party games on the Wii, and even reminded me there's still some I need to pick up and play (Deadly Creatures, Opoona).

 

We all know the Wii didn't receive the same level of quality in the titles it saw compared to the other consoles but in terms of exclusive 3rd party offerings, it has provided some of truly great games and experiences that outshine a hell of a lot of the 3rd party exclusives that the PS3 and 360 received. I'd perhaps go so far as to say that Fragile Dreams for instance provides one of the most beautifully realised worlds and an emotional journey that I've experienced in very few other games, regardless of the fact that the gameplay didn't receive the same polish.

 

It does sadden me slightly that with the Wii U know matching the other consoles that the era of the truly exclusive 3rd party titles on home consoles are over. I hope that that isn't the case but we all know that if they can port something over rather than expend to make a brand new title that is exclusive, then they're more likely to do it to save money. At least it hasn't gotten to that point with handhelds yet and as I say, hopefully third parties can prove me wrong and show high quality exclusive titles that take advantage of the Wii U as many of the exclusives did on the Wii.

[Ike]

And a lot of the exclusive games that it did get were questionable at best (Opoona, Resident Evil Umbrella/Darkside Chronicles, NiGHTS JOD, FF Crystal Bearers, Castlevania Judgement, Red Steel and Cursed Mountain are all largely considered to be pretty rubbish - and I'd probably agree with them)

 

Whaaaat? I've heard nothing but positive things about Opoona. Haven't gotten round to playing my copy yet, been been wanting to for ages.

[Dcubed]

Ya know what, ignore my posts above. I don't want to shit up a nice happy positive thread, with my grumpy old-guy attitude.

 

This is a nice thread, not a place to vent my negativity (and I'm generally down on the industry as a whole, not just the Wii 3rd party situation)

 

Sorry.

 

To make up for my crap earlier, how about a nice video retrospective going over all the quality 1st and 3rd party titles that came to the Wii over it's lifetime? (it's missing Trauma Center Second Opinion and the Wii Ware games, but is otherwise awesome )

 

Edited June 15, 2012 by Dcubed

[Retro_Link]

Whilst my own persoaly opinion would be that quite a few of those games simply weren't very good... I really didn't enjoy Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles, Madworld, Spyborgs (possibly the worst game I've ever played), and a number of other games simply didn't appeal, looked bad, or recieved mediocre reviews which put me off buying them...

 

... for every bad Third Party game there was certainly a fantastic one!

 

Infact having recently tried to compose my Wii Top 10, two of my top three are third party titles in Little Kings Story and Okami (which whilst not exclusive is made all the better by the Wii-mote), with only Skyward Sword able to best them!... And 5 of my Top 10 with Goldeneye 007, No More Heroes and Zack and Wiki. Whilst Sonic Colours, and Dead Space Extraction, HotD Overkill etc... would probably follow right behind.

 

So yeah arguably the third parties have delivered more for the Wii than Nintendo themselves.

 

---

 

However, it still doesn't stop me worrying that the Wii U will miss out in terms of important third party support.

 

All of us here are on a Nintendo forum, we're always likely to support the Wii U and we are gamers of a Nintendo mind set who will give quirky third party titles a go.

 

But it's not us Nintendo need to be convincing, and then it's a case that these aren't necessarily the third party titles that will do that job.

[Zechs Merquise]

Ya know what, ignore my posts above. I don't want to shit up a nice happy positive thread, with my grumpy old-guy attitude.

 

This is a nice thread, not a place to vent my negativity (and I'm generally down on the industry as a whole, not just the Wii 3rd party situation)

 

Sorry.

 

To make up for my crap earlier, how about a nice video retrospective going over all the quality 1st and 3rd party titles that came to the Wii over it's lifetime? (it's missing Trauma Center Second Opinion and the Wii Ware games, but is otherwise awesome )

 

 

After watching this excellent video it makes me realise how many great games I've missed - and I own over 60 retail releases!

 

I have owned every single Nintendo home console and I honestly don't think I've put in as many hours on any of them as I have on the Wii.

[Magnus]

There are some excellent games on that list, but I think we have very different definitions of the word "great."

 

A bunch of these games aren't exclusive anymore or are ports/remakes of games from another console, too.

[Fused King]

I believe a bit o' the ol' Conduit is missing on your list:laughing:

 

I too came to the conclusion, whilst thinking about my favourite games for Wii, that most of them are 3rd party games.

I just love the quirky retail games one can find on the Wii and I recently found a games store near my place which houses pretty much all the hidden gems and thus most of my backlog.

Games like Deadly Creatures, Opoona and Eledees are just waiting for me to pick them up, because many a self-proclaimed 'casual-hardcore' gamer wouldn't dare to come near colour on a box, let alone a game in which you can play as a tarantula or a scorpion.

I use the term 'casual-hardcore' here, because I consider hardcore gamers to be most of us on a gaming forum: those who take the time to actually go online, join a forum and discuss, passionately, the great hobby that is gaming:D

'casual-hardcores' would be the people going out and buying a shooter or a Fifa or a serious racing game or what have you.

 

Regarding Warren Spector's quotes, I believe David Cage also said something similar. Something about most games taking the immature, and easy 'bloody' route.

I like these guys, just like the creative minds from Thatgamecompany or any group of developers who wants to let you experience something unique and goosebumpely awesome!

Sure, shootin' a ho in the face or breaking open a skull with a chainsaw in HighDef was unique and interesting at first, but come on,....WHY MUST SO MANY GAMES INCLUDE MURDER?!?!?!?

 

Someone should create such a list for DS games;)

 

Come to think of it, isn't there some sort of vault here in which all the games for a particular console/handheld are listed?

Or do we just use Wikipedia for that?

 

Anyway, great list but definitely add The Conduit and only take Little King's Story out of the spoiler tags!!!

 

PEOPLE NEED TO SEE MAN! THEY NEED TO SEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Murr]

I'd Love another Kororinpa... Make it for the WiiU.

 

it'd be great on the tablet controller.