The Wii is the hottest selling console on the market right now and has been on the shelves for two holiday seasons now. As of right now, the console is not showing any signs of slowing down and it looks like Nintendo might have gotten themselves back into the console race after taking a couple of generations off. As a proud new Wii owner I can honestly say one thing has been missing though on the Wii, and that's high quality sports games.

Top Wii Sports Games So Far

So far the debut edition of Madden on the Wii and MLB Power Pros can be identified as the best two sports games thus far. The problem with this picture? That's right, neither game was that much to write home about. In fact, neither game was all that special and left a lot to be desired. What will it take to get sports game developers to start making titles that are a bit more advanced than what we have?

Right now, the Madden series IS the flagship sports title on the Wii which is both a good and bad thing. Good because EA can and will deliver decent products but bad because the folks at EA Tiburon haven't been going gangbusters with their baby the past couple of years. In fact, Madden actually regressed in quality in this writer's opinion this year and I promise you I am not the only one with that opinion.

Family Atmosphere?

You can hardly fault developers for trying to make the Wii versions of the game dumbed down to give the game a more accessible feel. With the Wii came the advent of the EA Family Play mode, which has helped both dumb down the game for people who wouldn't normally play videogames in order to increase the title's appeal on the hot new console. However, with all the Wiis flying off of store shelves, one can only wonder how many are actually hardcore sports gamers. Everyone who is playing a Wii cannot be a 10 year old or a 60 year old. Many people who have dropped $250 bones on the console are undoubtedly the hardcore type who enjoy simulations; so why are games going towards a more dumbed down version on the Wii?

Maybe it's a case of simple economics with the developers realizing the greatest amount of people who own a Wii aren't looking for pure simulation. Not to mention the console itself is already perceived as being gimmicky so it is really hard to fault the developers for going the same route with their games. But still, I own a Wii and I am a hardcore sports gamer and I have nothing to play of substance. Sure, I am enjoying Super Mario Galaxy, but give me a good NHL title any day of the week.

The Future

The key here is that developers think they aren't developing for a huge audience of gamers who want a good sim-style game. Before that perception changes, there probably is little hope for us getting an excellent sports game. With the way the market is trending right now, one would believe The BIGS and NBA Street would have a much higher chance of success than Madden or NBA 2kx. What I would like to see in 2008 is a developer to take a chance and give both audiences what they want. I'd like to see Madden brought over with all the trimmings but I'd like to see the Family Play aspects of the game continued. As with all other things, my opinion still stands here on good game design. Give the consumer the choice and don't limit his or her freedom and you have a game that is very playable. Maybe we will get that in 2008 on the Wii.