Most Important Wii 3rd Party Games in 2008

Monster Hunter 3

Originally planned for the PS3, Capcom made the momentous decision to switch the game to the Wii. Capcom claimed this was primarily due to the high development costs of PS3 projects. Previous games in this series have sold very well in Japan, and its audience is seen as being more mature than a typical Nintendo title would have. Capcom will be expecting the Wii entry to be a million seller and Nintendo will be hoping the game will attract the core gamers it is missing in its native territory. So far the Japanese software market has favored casual titles over hardcore ones, so the sales of this traditional title will be tracked very closely by Capcom and every other Japanese 3rd party. The result will see Capcom regarded as either visionaries or fools.

Fragile: Farewell Ruins of the Moon

An original 3rd person adventure developed by Tri-Cresendo and published by Namco. The company's previous game was the lavish Xbox 360 RPG Eternal Sonata, which sold poorly in both East and West territories. From the early screens shown, Fragile appears to be fully utilizing the Wii to render a gorgeous post-apocalytic world, with some nice lighting effects. The Wii has found original IPs hard to come by, especially from 3rd party developers, so Fragile is especially unique in this list in that it is neither a port nor a continuation of a series. If the game sells well in Japan, it well help attract traditional gamers and secure Tri-Cresendo's continuing support.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Young King and the Promised Land

The support for WiiWare appears to be very strong, though while a lot of games look very innovative, it is likely most will be very simple and lightweight affairs. This is also supported by the fact that Nintendo wants developers to stay within a 40MB size limit. The screens and videos of FF make it clear that it is by far the most ambitious WiiWare game yet announced. It is no secret that the Wii is host to a lot of shovelware due to the platform's low barrier of entry and due to it being the sales leader. Wiiware lowers this barrier even further, so it is important that the Wii's digital distribution platform doesn't become flooded with poor shovelware-lite games and gain an early reputation as being a dumping ground. If FFCC:TYKPL proves to be a success, it will be a strong example to the industry that Wiiware rewards ambition.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers

FFCC:CB has been overhauled by Square-Enix since its debut at E3 in 2005. It is being redesigned to feature a lengthy and deep single player game unlike the previous entry on the Gamecube that had a focus on multiplayer. Clearly as a result of the Wii's extraordinary sales, Square-Enix has been spurred to pour more money and effort into this project to try and create a genuine companion for the main FF series that is still exclusive to the PS3. The redesign has elevated this game from being a multiplayer curio, to a AAA system seller. 3rd party developers typically attempt to make their Wii games as cheaply as possible in order to maximize the meager sales they expect. Square-Enix have bucked this trend by ramping up the cost and ambition of this title, and the results could help change perceptions within the industry about how to approach Wii development.

Bully: Scholarship Edition

On the surface Bully seems like just a welcome port of an excellent PS2 game that could potentially do for Rockstar what Resident Evil 4 Wii edition did for Capcom. The title promises extra content and improved controls over the PS2 original. But it's really what Bully could lead to that is far more exciting: Grand Theft Auto. Rockstar went on record recently suggesting that GTA would be a poor fit for the Wii, yet that view contradicts the release of Bully as both games clearly appeal to the same mature audience. Whether Rockstar wants to admit it or not, Bully is the ideal title to test the waters and see if their is a genuine audience for the GTA series on the Wii.

Tales of Symphonia Knight of Ratatosk

Tales of Symphonia was the Gamecube's biggest RPG, with over a million sales worldwide, and managed to satisfy gamers and critics alike. The sequel/spin-off will arrive on a platform that will not be as starved of games as the Gamecube was, but the huge lines at Jump Festa 2008 suggest that anticipation is still very high. Namco are clearly putting a lot of effort into the game as trailers show a clear graphical improvement over the original, but question marks remain over whether development has been handed over to a less talented team within Namco, and whether the game is being simplified with the addition of a point and click over world map. Regardless, the game is guaranteed to achieve million seller status, and help attract core gamers in all territories.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2008

Soccer/Football games dominate sales charts in Europe and also do very well in Japan too. Aside from FIFA, Pro Evolution Soccer is the most popular soccer game in existence and if successful will hang around in the European sales charts forever. Konami has traditionally favored the International Superstar Soccer brand on Nintendo's platforms which generally is more arcade-like, so the decision to adapt Pro Evo to the Wii is a clear sign that Konami sees the Wii market as being larger and more diverse than the one Nintendo traditionally attracts. Konami are also taking a different approach to development than EA took with FIFA. The wii-pointer is being used to give the player a greater depth of control over positioning and passing as opposed to the over-simplification that the wii version of FIFA could be accused of. If Konami gets it right, they could simultaneously revolutionize the Soccer sim and have an enormous sales hit on their hands.

Okami

Okami was a critical darling but a sales dunce. It dominated Game of the Year lists in 2006, but somehow was ignored by PS2 owners. Whatever the reasons for it's failure, the game is perfect for adaptation to the Wii. It's sumi-e style is timeless and will help hide the fact that the Wii is not a powerhouse, and the celestial-brush interface has found it's real home with the Wii-pointer. The game may very well flop once more, but it will undoubtedly be adored by hardcore gamers that will greatly appreciate Capcom's fan service. Okami will not sell in the same numbers as other titles in this list, but it will be a title that hardcore gamers will look to when they become disillusioned by the shovelware that the Wii has become host to.