Over on my primary blog (which has, sadly, been my secondary blog this past month) I posted a look into what games I’m eager to see make an appearance in 2009. Just a word of warning: only ONE of the games I mentioned there are included in this list of upcoming games that Nintendo released yesterday. Yeah. This is about to get ranty. You have been warned.
Of course, before I get too ranty, let me note that there are definitely some shining stars on the list. Several potentially excellent WiiWare games are mentioned, including Bit.Trip Beat, Eduardo the Samurai Toaster, Night Game, and Swords & Soldiers. Also, EA is happily tramping out a sequel to Boom Blox, which–despite the fact that I have yet to play the original–is something I’m looking foward to. The one game from my previous list, The Conduit, is also in here. Also, I’m slightly interested in Punch Out!!. And potentially Tokyo Beat Down on the DS.
However, there is a hideous amount of shovelware on the list. An ungodly amount. So much that it should be criminal.
Wii Games
Aksys is pushing out a sequel to their failed Guilty Gear XX Accent Core game. Really? That game deserved more?
Three-fourths of EA’s lineup is related to MySims. How can that be considered anything but milking a franchise? I thought that was Activision’s job now, EA.
I have zero interest in re-playing GameCube games with Wii remote controls. If you do, please do us all a favor and become Xbox 360 fanboys, because our kind no longer recognizes you as one of our own.
Let’s Tap? No, Sega. Let’s not. You’ll forgive me if I find very little redeeming value in a game about slapping a table.
There’s a market for two Wii Garfield games? I’m glad Zoo Games has found it’s niche: kids who don’t understand what “fun” is.
DS Games
Atlus continues in its desperate bid to corner the market in all DS jRPGs. Some might be interesting, but there’s too many blatant cash grabs in there for me to attempt any wading through the muck to find the diamonds.
Capcom: proudly whoring the Mega Man property since 1986 (and pathetically attempting to make it like Nintendo’s Pokemon property since 2000).
I forgot about EA’s Henry Hatsworth game. Yeah, that actually looks kinda fun.
Nintendo finally brings Starfy (Stafy) to the US. Hooray? I can’t recall why I should be excited for the poor man’s Kirby when I don’t even like Kirby in the first place.
Dang it. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is in there, too, isn’t it? Yet another one I’m interested in. Okay, this is now getting incredibly difficult to track. I’m still thinking I hate this list more than I love it.
I stand by the Cavalcade of Crap™ sentiment. There’s a significant amount of stuff I’m looking forward to that has been demonstrably neglected in this list. The only real Nintendo games will be GameCube remakes? I’m with Jeremy Parish: if Nintendo tries to publish their Metroid Prime Wii-make as their big holiday title, I will rend their headquarters asunder. No new Mario or Zelda announcements to make? Where’s Wii Sports Resort or the Wii Motion Plus? How about some Arc Rise Fantasia or Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles? I’m just disappointed all around.
When I get a list of games coming out in the coming months, I expect more than just a measly 14% of the list to be palatable. This is a list that should have stayed on the corporate board room table and distributed to retailers. As it is, being sent out the public, there is an expectation that we should be excited for a large portion of this content. Instead, I’m disappointed at what is inherently missing.
Is this my fault? Am I expecting too much? I don’t think so. I think many times, Nintendo fans get complacent, and expect too little. All I’m asking for, is for more companies to take the Wii and the DS seriously and give us a little more than we’ve been getting in past generations. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.
At least there’s still hope for more than 14% in the last half of 2009. Here’s to the future.
