Well, happy new year everyone. Today’s the day Wii owners return to work, and spend the day explaining to colleagues exactly why their biceps have doubled in size over the Christmas period (Wii Sports, of course..)

John’s done a great job of picking out some of the killer Wii games for this year, in the shape of Super Mario Galaxy, No More Heroes, Super Smash Bros Brawl, Harvest Moon: Tree of Peace and Metroid Prime 3.

But I was wondering what new year resolutions Nintendo has made for its console, now it’s launched and in living rooms around the world. Read on for WiiWii’s seven suggestions (I left out the one about never trying to play Wii Sports Baseball after a bottle of port on the grounds of, well, obviousness).

1. Get proper online play off the ground

Yes, it’s cool sending Miis back and forth, as well as the odd message. But really, what Wii owners want to do is play against one another. And in 2007, online play is going to be more high-profile than ever, particularly with what’s happening on PS3 and Xbox 360.

Of course, proper multiplayer is coming to Wii too, with games like Pokemon Battle Revolution. But I’d love to see Nintendo take the same approach online as it’s taken with some of the Wii launch titles, Wii Sports and Wii Play in particular. The graphics don’t have to be top-notch, but allying the intuitive controls with real online opponents – including their Miis whenever possible – could be ace.

2. Back that up with proper community features

Without wishing to keep banging on about rival console manufacturers – Nintendo is trying to strike its own path, after all – what Microsoft has done with Xbox 360’s community is amazing, the Gamertags in particular. Proving that online isn’t just about head-to-head multiplayer, but about the bragging rights that come from slickly-run buddy lists.

You’ve already (hopefully) got an address book of friends stored on your Wii, along with their Miis. Why shouldn’t you be able to see how far they’ve got in Zelda, their longest home run, or how many costumes they’ve unlocked in Rayman Raving Rabbids? And imagine how cool it’d be if when you switched on your Wii, a friend’s Mii popped up to tell you they just shattered one of your Super Monkey Ball high scores?

3. Prove that Wii’s as good at the gaming basics

Our acheing muscles know that Wii is marvellous for any game that involves waving your arms around like a loon. But is it as good for the basics? For example, how will the Wii-mote and nunchuk shape up to control, say, a football game? Will driving games really work well with it? These are important questions that’ll hopefully be answered this year.

The innovation and new game genres is ace, but many of us would still like to also play Pro Evolution Soccer on our console too. Hopefully, 2007 will see Nintendo prove that not only can Wii handle the gaming staples, but that its controller can bring new innovations to these traditional games too.

4. Introduce some form of social networking / blogging / virtual world

This applies to all the consoles, not just the Wii. The likes of Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft haven’t said a huge amount about how their devices fit in with the whole Web 2.0 phenomenon, but they’ll be missing an opportunity if they don’t do something.

Taking Wii as an example, imagine a Flickr-esque photo-sharing service where you can upload the pics you’ve edited using the Wii’s Photo channel. Or a MySpace-type community which besides presenting your gaming achievements (see resolution 2) also has your Mii, your photos, and all the other profile-type information you’d get on a web social networking service.

Finally, how cool would it be if Nintendo introduced its own Second Life style virtual world, which you (in the guise of your Mii, naturally) could wander around chatting to other Wii owners, maybe playing mini-games or launching full multiplayer Wii titles. Okay, so this is pie-in-the-sky thinking, but once a console is connected – as many Wiis will be – all this becomes possible.

5. Bring out some kind of keyboard accessory

Obvious one, this. I’m already fed up of pointing my arm at the screen when trying to tap out messages. And as more games come out incorporating some form of messaging – Animal Crossing, anyone? – this might become even more annoying.

Nintendo might not to bring out a full keyboard, obviously. Maybe a little thumb-board that could clip onto the back of the Wii-mote in some way, ready to be whipped out whenever you need to write something. Wii is set to include communication in a big way in its games going forward, so even if a keyboard sounds a bit boring, it could become essential.

6. Get some proper Wii-DS connectivity going

This is another area that’s got huge potential, but precious little actual info on what strategy Nintendo’s going to take. 2007 should be the year we see how Wii and DS can work together, except not in a basic ‘use your DS to control Wii games’ way, or even in a basic ‘upload your characters from DS game X to Wii game Y’ way.

I’d like to see Nintendo (and other publishers) develop a few games that from the ground up are designed to be cross-platform. Games that flit between the Wii and DS at will, depending on where you are in real life, and what you’re doing in the game. You could level up characters or practise skills on the DS, for example, before transferring them back to Wii for some kind of bonus.

Or, taking Animal Crossing as the example, have one game that stretches across both devices, so you could interact with your village via either. There are all manner of technical challenges to be overcome to make this work seamlessly, but hopefully 2007 will see Nintendo at least give a few pointers to its solution.

7. Make a proper tennis game

A personal one, this. I’m addicted to Wii Sports Tennis, but it’s getting a bit boring now just facing the same people. Nintendo (or, again, someone else) should make a standalone Wii Tennis game with proper tournaments, a singles mode, even more training games, and (hey, let’s throw the boat out) a fully global multiplayer rankings ladder thingy. Please.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 2nd, 2007 at 11:04 am by Stuart Dredge
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