WiiNintendo

On this slow news day, I decided to write a little article of my own.  I hope you enjoy!

Online gaming…  What a concept.  I remember when I first played a 2-player game.  I also remember when I played my first co-op game.  Then, there was the time when they started 4-5 player games.  However, I believe one of the biggest changes in gaming was when they went online.  I remember playing my first online game on PC.  I believe it was Quake 1.  I had to get the right IP from my friend’s computer and then dial in.  It was crazy when I could see him walking around fighting with me (or against me).  It is quite funny to think about how we used to do online gaming.  And I don’t remember anyone complaining.  We were just happy we could do it.  And now, it is almost a staple.  I recall the last time I went to the store to buy a new game.  One of the things I looked for was that little blue circle that showed me the game was Wi-Fi compatible.  Why?  Well, I love playing with other people.  Sure, playing the computer is fun for a while, but I love it when I beat a real person.

I have to be honest and say that other than the Wii and DS, the only other games I’ve played online are PC games.  So, for the longest time, I did not understand why people were so upset with the Friend Code system.  To me, it only made sense.  While it seems that Nintendo will continue with it’s Friend Code system for the time for both DS and Wii, I thought it was about time I look into the issue some more.

After taking a step back and observing what Microsoft and Sony have with their online gaming, I can understand why Nintendo fans are up in arms.  This might be old news for you, but it was enlightening for me.  As the other two companies seek to create an online gaming community, merging games together under one umbrella, Nintendo seems to still create each game as a separate entity.  While Microsoft and Sony allow gamers to have one online identity for all games, Nintendo creates a new identity for every game.  Why?  I’m not sure.  We even have a separate identity for our Wii.  I am not sure why Nintendo did not allow each online game to just use your Wii Number.  If that was the only number you’d have to exchange, I do not believe people would be throwing a big fit like they are now.  It’d be just like your phone number…in a way.  Also, it seems that Nintendo has not yet decided to make a community out of the online gaming.  There is not a central online hub where players can go to access all their online gaming info, stats, etc.  Instead, each game has it’s own interface.

So there are definitely some differences between Nintendo’s approach to online gaming and the competition’s approach.  Is this wrong?  Many people seem to think so, and they are actively sharing their frustrations.  Will Nintendo change their approach in the future?  If they do, will they have to wait until their next console and handheld?  These are questions I unfortunately do not have the answers to.  However, I do know that gaming seems to be taking two turns these days.  There is more of a focus on the casual game (i.e. puzzles, family, party games).  In addition, there is more of a focus on online games.  Whether this is an MMORPG, an FPS, or a racing title, it seems that most games are going the online route.  Nintendo is obviously doing the casual games very well (most of the time) for the Wii and DS.  Will they step up their game for online?  I guess only time will tell.  Until then, those are my observations.

Please feel free to share your thoughts about the future of online gaming on the Wii/DS either in the comments below or in the WiiFuse forums.