I hope Lost Winds and Crystal Chronicles make launch. A couple of others I seen (like World of Goo) look really fun, but I don't think those ones will come out until later this year. (:

I was wondering about this yesterday. Ah well, surprises are fun.

If Crystal Chronicles doesn't make launch, I WILL COMPLAIN LOUDLY ON THE INTERNETS!

Sounds good to me.

Well I'm sure there will be some advanced warnings for some titles, from media sources. This doesn't surprise me since IGN brought out that most of the developers are not even using a publisher to get investments and they will be handling the advertising themselves so that tells me that Nintendo is giving almost free reign to developers to do "what they want".

On the subject of WiiWare, I just found out it will be called Wii Software in Europe.

What the fuck is wrong with NoE? First Check Mii Out is dumbed down, now this?

Star Soldier R!

That doesn't seem to make muc sense from a marketing stand point. Could you imagine if if that's how all games launched?

Last week's GTA IV launch would have been pretty interesting.

Duke Nukem' would just be a joke.

@Promethean: Well think about it though, certain games generate enough buzz with PR that they don't need to be heavily marketed.

And if what someone above said about the publishers is right then that means that it'll make sense for them to just let us know a day in advance.

Who knows what updates I missed on the Wii, it hasn't been hooked up since December.

The Wii pretty much became my Resident Evil 4 console with the added ability to play Mario 3.

I really should use the console more often, but the 360 with LIVE and all my gaming friends won't allow it.

You know that feeling you get when you leave a house party and go to an empty house? That is what it is like going from the 360 to the Wii, for me at least.

I'm hoping for World of Goo, Lost Winds and Final Fantasy all on day 1. That'd be an awesome day of games :)

Sounds like a fail to me. My Wii doesn't get used that much now, and by not announcing stuff on it, I have no incentive to turn it on and go look.

world of goo thats all I want... ok it's what i want most at launch

I'll start caring about WiiWare after it's in the wild. Until then, my Wii shall continue to collect dust.

...

After I typed that, I realized that Nintendo may not entirely be aware of how many people no longer use their Wii, or else they just don't care.

I love poking at interfaces and menus, so I'm looking forward to wiiware, but for buying, I'll wait for Strongbad.

All I really want right now is Lost Winds.

I'm super excited about WiiWare, though. I hope it really comes into it's own.

I've said it from Day 1, Updates to the store need to be marketed THROUGH THE WII!

Think of how cool it would be if your Wii's calendar had the next four weeks worth of VC/WiiWare releases built in?

Or if every Monday morning there was a message from Nintendo informing you what was scheduled to come out in the shop for that week?

Why they haven't done this yet is beyond me. Perhaps they could find a way to build it into the My Nintendo Channel (or whatever it's going to be called here in the states)

@TRT-X: you are defiitely on to something there.

i just hope that Nintendo explpoits the Wii Ware. it has great possibilities.

there was a rumor on EGM mag that they were thiking of bringing WWE No Mercy (greatest wrestling game of all time, yeah screw that SVR crap) to Wii Ware with the current WWE roster. if this happens 2 things......

1)Sign ME UP!!!!!
2) Must Make N64 Classic Controller!

lets just hope they are some games ready on launch day

Nintendo already messed up the online multiplayer part of the Wii, I hope they dont screw this up too

What the Wii needs to exploit WiiWare on a maximum level is a hard-disk :(

@mphz: Where's the hard data? Where are the fact sheets and extensive market research to back up this claim? Why is the software tie ratio of the Wii climbing at a rate faster than that of the 360 if no one plays Wii games?

Oh yeah! I forgot! You have anecdotal evidence, so real evidence is not necessary.

I suppose it could be a nice surprise, one day, to see what has been released...

I guess, like everyone else, I will sit back and playing the waiting game.

The waiting game sucks, let's play Hungry Hungry Hippos!!

Though denied sweet anticipation, we are granted pleasant surprise. If this means that the games will appear when they're ready -- i.e. the game fits the schedule, not the other way around -- this is nothing but good news. Locking game development into marketing schedules is an unnecessary byproduct of the modern video game industry that has crippled the overall quality of software.

I'm sure someone will acknowledge when the games are coming out.It simply makes no sense from a marketing standpoint,not to advertise.

I'm excited for Wii Ware. Especially for Lost Winds.

Ummm, can I just play my some damn Dr. Mario?

Dr. Mario is looking sweet.

@megaStryke: God I love you :) Why so defensive man... leave the RROD box alone and focus on the prize here! Nintendo said they may not announce titles but then they might... you have to wait and see. I always though that I-don't-give-a-fuck attitude is something we all grow out of during high school. It's good to know the secret to Nintendo's success is keeping that childhood magic alive :)

@JTmunny82: The only complaints I've heard are from Brawl.

Mario Kart Wii is running smooth as silk, and I never heard anything bad about Pkmn: Battle Revolution's online.

You guys should check out Konami's Critter Round-Up ;) (aka Saku saku animal panic in japan)

it sucks its being overshadowed by big names and more media coverage, there games that are more fun than the well known ones..

Its like Nintendo wrote the book for online sales, marketing and connectivity.

The book for retards.

Oh, Nintendo... You're like a chocolate cake with pee-pee frosting sometimes.

@TRT-X: I see you've forgotten: since Brawl is clearly the only game worth owning for the Wii (never mind Mario Kart, No More Heroes, Metroid Prime, or anything else that's shipped so far or will ship) and its online service is flawed, that means that the Wii has failed as a console, and that Nintendo's going to close up shop and go back to selling playing cards!

Every system has had its issues - the Red Ring of Death and Sony's constantly-delayed AAA titles spring to mind - so I'm not too worried about the Wii. I have fun with my friends in Brawl, and Mario Kart's online play has been flawless for me so far, so I'm happy. Given that that's the entire point of video games, I'd say my Wii was a worthwhile purchase.

Just figured out how to get online on my Wii. Had to forward ports and set my IP to static (PAIN!)

Why does port 80 need to be open? I'm not hosting a website, and browsing requires completely different ports...

It would make sense that Nintendo isn't going to announce when Wii Ware titles will be launched.

Think about it. With all the hassle Nintendo's been having with the whole "online experience", even though for the most part the Wii Shop has been reliable, they probably just don't want to press their luck.

Anticipation for the Wii Ware launch is significantly larger than the virtual console.

If they announce the what and when for Wii Ware titles, there'll be truck-loads of people waiting to pounce, sucking up all the delivering power Wii Shop has. Granted, they'll be waiting to pounce anyways, but server strain this way will begin as sprinkling rain instead of a download downpour. (at least, for the first hour)

@megaStryke: Everyone I know who has one doesn't play it anymore. They may put in a game once a month, but can you honestly tell me that my little group of friends and I are the only ones that feel that way?

If I had the resources to put together that hard data, I would.

@beckerist: I didn't think you had to forward 80 from the outside world to the Wii; you just need to allow your Wii to access port 80, if your firewall blocks in both directions, which some do.

@megaStryke: There's no hard data from official sources, but if we base ourselves on the logic that casual gamers don't play everyday, that hardcore gamers already finished the games they had for the Wii/Are busy with Brawl, and look at nearly everyone (at least that I've noticed) online, I honestly can't find one single shred of evidence to suggest that people are playing their Wiis as much as they play other consoles.

@mphz: The only ones? No. The majority? It's impossible to say, and it doesn't work to assume that everyone is just like you and your friends.

I have friends who won't touch their Xbox until the new Madden comes out, and then they'll play the hell out of it for a few months and ignore it for most of the rest of the year. Does that mean that everyone who owns an Xbox plays that way? No.

@Ashurahori: The problem with your assumptions is that they're just that - assumptions - and that they aren't reality.

Believe it or not, Brawl's not the only game on the Wii that "hardcore gamers" play. I consider myself a gamer, and I've been having a lot of fun with Mario Kart and with the Metal Slug Anthology.

The bottom line: just because you might be bored with your Wii, that doesn't mean that everyone who owns one is, or even that the majority are. Not everyone has the same video game habits you do.

That's great but where are we supposed to store the game downloads? On the magical, imaginary hard drive the Wii doesn't have?

So..Yeah, take all the time you need.

@TRT-X: And if this happened on the 360 or PS3 it would be called advertising and seen as a cheap attempt to get money.

Ok, "Mphz", maybe coming off like a jerk, but he does have a point. Over all have been pretty disappointed with the Wii. I get what Nintendo is doing, and congratulation on all the cash. But, they are alienating their core demographic. The Loyal Nintendo fans. (Skipping over the "Video Card" issue, lack of memory space, and my account being tide to the CONSOLE.)

It's just been one "Dumb-Down" or "Below Average" Title after another, with some arm swinging thrown in. The NEW "Mario Kart" says it all -- removing all the key features that made "Double Dash" actually fun. More interesting to play, giving it a little learning curve with some skill involved.

Now, by removing all that and automating power slide, Nintendo has turned "Mario Kart" into just another boring ass, vanilla driving game, that we've seen hundred times over, but with Mario in it. WTF! What were they thinking! I'm so freaking pissed.

I do still play with the Wii, just not as much as I thought I would. I play my PS3 all the time and wait for Zelda, that's it.

@jp182:

I understand what you're saying, but by the games that generate buzz on their their own are also the games that get the biggest marketing push-- GTA, Halo, etc. Also, there's a vast different between having a subdued marketing campaign, and not telling customers when your product is going to be available. Apply that to the movie industry. How well would a movie do it's opening weekend if there was no date or advertising, and then some random Friday a press release said, "Alright folk, Spiderman 4 is ready. Come and get it."

@mphz:BAWWWW and no one cares.

@Ashurahori:That retort was fap worthy +1 for you.

As Nintendo makes steady unending profit on everything from the system to the Wii Points cards, I honestly don't believe they give two shits to the wind how much loudmouthed people on the internet claim they may or may not play it or how much dust is on the system. Get it though your heads, it does not effect them, they do not care, it does not impact the bottom line.

@TRT-X: Didn't they already announce they were going to do at least some of that (promote WiiWare titles through the US version of Everybody's Nintendo or whatever it's called)? I might have imagined it.

@Bursar: Um. Not to point out the obvious, but you read Kotaku, right? You're going to find out when new WiiWare titles are released - especially if they are the top-quality ones that people are excited about. When something good comes out, you can turn on your Wii to get it. No problem for you or for Nintendo that you didn't find out about it a month in advance.

I wonder if this is part of the 'digital distribution means not having to guess sales volumes' thing Iwata was going on about at that business report earlier. Because they don't depend on advance retail orders to decide how many they make, there's no real need for them to promote it in advance. They're probably hoping these titles will sell gradually by availability (just being there in the store) and by word-of-mouth as well as by promotion/reviews/etc on first release.

@okenny :): What on Earth are you talking about? I address someone who claims no one plays their Wii after a couple of hours and you bring up "Nintendo may or may not release new titles". How does that relate to what I just said?