by Robert Stadnik

Created on: February 10, 2009

The Nintendo Wii was herald as the most exciting game console system when it was released back in 2006, thanks to its innovative motion waving remote game controller. Suddenly, there was a new way of interacting with video games that wasn't limited to pushing buttons. Nintendo had a bone-fide hit on its hands and since its inception the console has been virtually impossible to find. However, a little over two years after its release the full capabilities of the console has not been realized by either Nintendo or third party developers. The Wii has slowly turned into nothing more than a novelty.

The powerhouse of any console is its assortment of games. The three dimensional motion control nature of the Wii offered developers the opportunity to create games that took advantage of this new venue, to allow users a new level of game immersion. Nintendo itself was the leader in showcasing the Wii's potential through the development of its own games: Wii Sports, Wii Play, and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Both Sports and Play clearly demonstrated the capability and fun of swinging the Wii controller while simulating bowling, tennis, or duck hunting. These games created excitement for consumers and they eagerly awaited additional hits which rolled out from Nintendo with Super Mario Galaxy and third party developers with Metroid Prime: Corruption. However, as time has passed the hits have been the exception for the Wii rather than the rule.

Overall, the library of Wii titles consists primarily of subpar games of poor design. It seems third party developers lack the motivation to create games that incorporates the innovation of the Wii controller. For every Boom Blox released there have been twenty flops such as Castlevania Judgement, Carnival Games, and Deca Sports. Even Nintendo itself appears to have abandoned crafting well-designed games suited to the Wii. Wii Music was nothing more than a half-hearted attempt to break into the musical gaming genre pioneered by Rock Band and Guitar Hero. To further illustrate Nintendo's pullback of developing games for the Wii, they have begun rehashing GameCube titles with Wii functionality under their "New Play Control" series (Mario Tennis) or releasing games from other consoles, such as Rygar: The Battle of Argus, which originally came out on the Playstation 2 in 2002.

Nintendo has still surprised us with innovation on the Wii, with one example being the Balance Board. This device has showcased additional capabilities

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