EA's Folly: The Affect of the EA-Nintendo Wii Partnership on Wii Basketball

As of September 2008, the Nintendo Wii is the top-selling video game console in the world. Unfortunately, this popularity comes with a price: casual consumerism.

Normally, a sports gamer can not go wrong with the purchase of the most popular gaming system., as the game makers typically cater to the hardcore market by providing a gritty and realistic approach to the various sporting titles. With the Nintendo Wii , many gaming companies are taking a more arcade type approach. The basic theory is that the same people that play Wii Sports are going to be more interested in playing less realistic versions of typically realism rooted sports franchises.

The 08 versions of the Wii EA Sports collection featured family play mode. Family play mode was a simplified version of the game that utilized the motion control of the remote, but not the movement functionality of the nun chuck . For some titles, such as Madden NFL 08 and Tiger Woods 08, this was not much of a sacrifice, as the games retained their core appeal. Other titles, however, here not so lucky.

NBA Live 08 for Wii was completely devoid of replay ability and functionality via the omission of several key modes. Picture a basketball game with outdated rosters and incorrect player positions.. Picture, also, a game that doesn't allow the end user to correct these errors via downloading or manual number and position editing. Moreover, picture a game in which the dynasty mode, creation mode, and player locking ability were all removed from the game, but advertised as still being included. Picture NBA Live 08. While you are picturing this, think about how this game was, by far, the lowest selling of Electronic Art's Nintendo Wii titles.

Why? Why would a game without a player locking option, dynasty mode, creation mode, or a downloadable content option be the lowest selling game on this platform, when it sold well on the other platforms? Certainly, it could not be because it was advertised as being similar to the other titles, but didn't have the majority of the content or game play of said titles.

Nah, that couldn't be it.

It must have been a lack of WNBA players. Or maybe it was the lack of an even more arcade like mode featuring Mii characters as referees. Or maybe it was a lack of animated flames engulfing the basketball whenever the player hit a few shots in row.

Yes, that must be it, because instead of a more realistic game featuring player lock, creation mode, dynasty mode, and downloadable content, we are getting WNBA players, cartoon referees, and flaming basketballs.

I am SO sure this game is going to sell well. No, really, I mean it.