If the masses really buy into the whole wii controller, I hope nintendo don't neglect the old franchises the fans expect to see.
I've never really bought a nintendo console for third party titles so much as nintendo games. The "gathering dust" is due to the fact that if they did milk a title each year, people might actually grow sick of it. It's the tomb raider effect where people expect a formula over again but do not get impressed because it becomes more of the same.
The whole point of branching out is to hopefully encourage more developers to attempt new things while not having the excuse that the feature is merely the gimmick for the peripheral. Since now the controller is a standard of the system. But it's all up to how deep the game truly is with that controller that will determine how effective having a motion sensing controller will be to the average joe, or the guy who has gotten sick of games that are just more of the same.
If Wii kept the name "revolution" it would kind of remind people of what the point of making games use a different controller was all about. (ie trying to change a gamer's method of controlling thier character/camera/guided shot/guided action with less buttons and more intuitive actions.)
The fishing in the zelda videos for example looks like a lot of fun the way it is used. That's the kind of thing that an average joe might look at you while playing the game and think "hey that looks pretty easy to get into" and want to have a go because it is immediately understandable from the start. (no button mapping or learning curve hurdle for them)
It doesn't necessrily mean it takes less skill or intelligence to control something, just means that they can now concentrate on the skill it takes to be good at the game without being confused. In a FPS you still guide your shot with your hand, in a weapons based melee combat game you still have to deflect a blow or aim for specific point on a target. So as long as they don't "dumb down" the gameplay of something and keep the depth and skill needed to succeed in a game then I think the controls will be fine so long as developers tweak them to perfection for all skill levels. (for example I have heard they added expert mode to metroid to make it good for more advanced players)
If it can get people back into gaming without necessarily alienating the hardcore, I can see it succeeding.
What I want to see though is either a new attempt at a motion sensing Strider game (remember him?) or a Castlevania game in proper 3d environment with arcadey controls and true 3d targetting with no lock on. Preferably castlvania epic action RPG because of the theme using magic spells to exploit enemy weaknesses, which would work well with a wand type controller, and the use of melee weapons to decapitate a zombie or undead creature like a vamp to properly kill it. (the whole "sword and gun" action genre should be an obvious thing they could exploit. I'm not a fan of being a mechanic or a surgeon
But staking a vampe with a thrusting motion to get him in the heart sounds more fun. So long as you can adjust sensitivity to the control so you don't look like a retard playing the game and wrecking the place around you to control the character)
The stuff about using you hand in 3d space to interact with objects: I think if nintendo are going to make an animal crossing game for wii I would love to be able to use the controller in a fps mode in a town and actually open doors, close drawers, pick up objects, write a letter, fish, pick fruit from tree, maybe even drive a vehicle, moving furniture, sorting items just using the motion sensing controller. What nintendo ultimately needs is an adventure game where pulling levers, moving blocks, sorting inventory and just generally direct control over objects you find (like a stick or a hammer) is more fun than pressing a button. (and where merely pushing the button is not representative of what you want the character to do in the game environment - so in a RPG where you are making a weapon and hammering it, you would really need to demonstrate actual skill in how you hold and bang the the thing against the anvil, or in a hunting sim you would shoot at something but have to keep your hand really steady to guide the shot. (no lock on like in metroid, and the animals move around a lot and your characters feet effect the aim if you try moving around and stuff)
If they make a game where almost every single thing you do requires that controller then I will be happy.
"A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad." -Shigeru Miyamoto
19th seems a weird date to launch on though, a Sunday??
